Molitor reveals a few cornerstones of his plan

Paul Molitor wants Danny Santana to be the Twins shortstop, hopes Aaron Hicks can hold on to the center field job after two failed attempts and believes Eddie Rosario might be in the outfield in the near future. And Joe Mauer?

Molitor wants a meeting.

He offered those opinions and more Thursday to more than 2,500 season-ticket holders who listened in on a meet-the-manager conference call. Molitor touched on his philosophy of various aspects of the game — "Our philosophy has changed," he said, about always favoring control over velocity on the pitching staff, for instance — and his plans for turning around the last-place team. And when asked about his fellow St. Paul native, Molitor said he intends to talk face-to-face.

"I'm going to reach out to Joe, he knows that. We're going to get together in the short term, and we're just going to talk," Molitor said of the three-time batting champion, who suffered through a subpar 2014 season. "I want to know what he likes, what he doesn't like, [and] what can I do to make it better. I'm certainly going to encourage him about the stage he's at in his career and what he's got left to offer, both to our organization and to the game and to his résumé."

Molitor said he believes the theory that his predecessor, Ron Gardenhire, expressed last season, that his desire to play in the All-Star Game in Target Field put added pressure on him last season. But "I'm glad that Joe's on my team," Molitor said. "… Joe's got a quiet demeanor, and some people misread that. I know Joe burns to compete and I know Joe burns to win."

So does he, Molitor said, though he probably won't be as demonstrative about it as Gardenhire was in his confrontations with umpires. Molitor was ejected only three times in his 21-year playing career. "I think I was ejected more as a coach under Tom Kelly than I was as a player," he said. Replay has removed many confrontations, but Molitor said he won't hesitate to stick up for his players.

Like Kelly, however, Molitor said he's not sure he believes that umpires have short memories. "TK was certainly aware of long-term consequences of confrontations. … Gardy, we loved that he wore his emotions on his sleeve," Molitor said. "I would say I'll be somewhere in between. ... Gardy's record is pretty safe."

Among other opinions Molitor shared:

• "I think Danny Santana is a shortstop," he said, though acknowledging that Eduardo Escobar made a good case for keeping the job with his strong season. Molitor also said he believes Hicks can keep a starting job if he continues the improvements he showed in September, and that prospect Rosario, who was shifted to second base three seasons ago, will likely end up in the outfield.

• The Twins have drafted more high-velocity pitchers in the past few years, and Molitor would like the major league team to join the trend toward more strikeouts from the pitching staff. "We've seen velocity make a difference for many teams," he said.

• Defensive shifts will continue to be a priority, but Molitor wants to work with hitters to avoid allowing shifts to become a problem mentally when faced with one.

Spring schedule

The Twins will open their 31-game spring schedule by facing the Gophers on March 4. The schedule also includes 16 home games against major league teams in newly renovated Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers, Fla. Camp opens for pitchers and catchers on Feb. 22; the full squad reports on Feb. 27.