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A whole new ballgame for Twins
Spring training for the Twins was part baseball and part get-to-know-you mixer, as a group of new faces joined the roster.
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Rare is the season opener when the home fans will recognize the visiting center fielder more easily than half the players in the home team's lineup.
For better or worse, this is what it's come to for the Twins.
Torii Hunter will be in center field tonight for the Los Angeles Angels. A sellout crowd at the Metrodome surely will remember him, along with Twins standbys Joe Mauer, Michael Cuddyer and Justin Morneau.
But up to seven of 10 spots on manager Ron Gardenhire's lineup card could be filled with newcomers.
The list includes starting pitcher Livan Hernandez, second baseman Brendan Harris, third baseman Mike Lamb, shortstop Adam Everett, left fielder Delmon Young, center fielder Carlos Gomez and designated hitter Craig Monroe.
Before the team's workout Sunday at the Metrodome, a few players stopped to ask directions from the clubhouse to the field.
"It's a whole new group," Gardenhire said. "We've got a lot of things to learn about each other still."
Spring training helped, of course. The players spent six weeks together, long enough to come up with a nickname for the mild-mannered Everett.
They call him Killer.
"He's a killer, man," Twins reserve Nick Punto said. "Look at him."
Right. The soft grin ... the flowing blonde locks ... California cool.
"We're trying to find something that sticks," catcher Mike Redmond said. "We've tried Sunshine. You know, a bunch of different things.
"I mean, obviously, Killer? I don't even know where that came from. He definitely doesn't have that type of look. We're trying. Everybody in baseball's got to have a nickname."
Last Monday, Everett spent the whole day in bed, laid up after being stricken with a flu bug that spread through the clubhouse. So Redmond had Gardenhire call his cell phone with a message: "Hey, Killer, get well soon."
And so it went this spring. A bunch of guys from everywhere else, getting to know each other in the Twins' clubhouse.
Trades replenish roster with new faces
The Twins made two big trades during the offseason. They sent Jason Bartlett and Matt Garza to Tampa Bay in a six-player deal that brought two new starters: Young and Harris.
The Twins also sent Johan Santana to the New York Mets for four mostly unproven prospects. Gomez is the only one who made the Opening Day roster.
Gomez might have a hard time replacing Hunter, a seven-time Gold Glove Award winner, but when Gomez gets it right -- in the outfield, at home plate, or on the bases -- he's fun to watch.
Gomez and Young give the Twins a pair of multitalented, yet raw, 22-year-old outfielders.
"Delmon has been unbelievable," Redmond said. "Through baseball, you hear things about guys. But from what I've seen, he's a great teammate."
Gardenhire thought Young seemed a little reserved early in camp but came out of his shell as the weeks passed.
"I was just seeing how everyone conducts themselves," Young said. "While we're in the clubhouse, everything's loose, and we're having fun. But when we're between the lines, everything's serious.
"It's good to be able to do it both ways, instead of being serious the whole time. You've got to have your fun because this game's going to bring you down mentally, just from the length of the season. Everyone's going to struggle at some point."
Many have predicted a season-long struggle for the new-look Twins. Sports Illustrated picked them to finish last in the American League Central.
"We're going to be thinking about winning as many games as we can and irritating the living heck out of a lot of people who said we can't play," Gardenhire said. "Whether we can or not, we want to make it look like they have no clue what they're talking about. That's our goal."
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