FORT MYERS, Fla. — It's amazing how the aura around Paul Molitor has changed this spring. When the Hall of Famer occasionally walked through the Twins' clubhouse last spring, he got little notice. Just one of the coaches, albeit one of the better-known ones.

Now? Pitcher Tommy Milone summed it up best, without saying a word: In discussing Molitor's new status, Milone raised his hands and bowed in a Wayne-and-Garth "we're not worthy" salute.

Monitor briefly addressed his players this morning, then headed to the practice field outside Hammond Stadium to supervise his first workout as a manager. (In 70-degree sunshine, I should note.) All 29 pitchers and eight catchers are here, with Phil Hughes, Kirk Gibson, Tim Stauffer, Glen Perkins, Jose Berrios, Casey Fien and Mike Pelfrey all scheduled to throw.

In fact, nearly every one of the 61 players due in camp by this weekend is here already. Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano were both unpacking this morning, with Sano cheerfully walking around the clubhouse and shaking hands with us media members.

Notable on today's schedule is all the time pitchers will spend working on holding runners, something that Molitor mentioned he plans to emphasize.

Check back for more on the first day of training camp for the Twins, and stop by startribune.com at noon to join in my first live chat of the spring.