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Passion, ability lift Tolbert to majors

Considered a long shot to make the Twins this spring, Matt Tolbert has impressed in the season's first week.

By LA VELLE E. NEAL III, Star Tribune

Last update: April 9, 2008 - 12:13 AM

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HOW TO WIN A JOB

Matt Tolbert has done a little bit of everything so far for the Twins:

• Gets on base, puts the ball in play: Has seven hits in 14 at-bats, has walked twice and struck out only once.

• Hits from both sides of the plate: Has 10 plate appearances batting lefthanded and seven batting right.

• Valuable in the late innings: Has been used as a pinch runner, a pinch hitter and a defensive replacement.

• Has plenty of versatility: Has played short and second and can also play third.

• Can hit up and down in the order: As a starter, has batted second twice, eighth once and ninth once.

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Twins hitting coach Joe Vavra had to repair the same pitching machine during spring training -- twice -- mostly because Matt Tolbert wore it out from hours of batting practice.

"There were a lot of other people using it ... I may have led the group," Tolbert admitted.

Tolbert's passion for baseball is intense, even by professional standards. His mind is on baseball so much that once, during a minor league bus trip, he came out of a convenience store with his purchases -- and began to practice getting leads and jumps to steal bases in the parking lot.

"I told him, 'Son, they're going to think you just robbed the place and call the police," said Twins minor league coach Riccardo Ingram, who managed Tolbert at Class A Fort Myers in 2005 and Class AA New Britain in 2006.

And more than once during spring training this year, Tolbert was seen standing in front of his stall, holding his bat while wearing nothing but a towel, working on his swing.

"Just trying to do everything right so I'll be prepared when I get in there," said Tolbert, a switch hitter. "To say I did everything I could, when I got the chance, to make it happen."

Tolbert, who turns 26 on May 4, only had an outside chance to make the club as a backup infielder during spring training. However, he opened manager Ron Gardenhire's eyes by taking good at-bats and fielding like he was a veteran.

So the Twins brought Tolbert north and have watched their 16th-round pick in 2004 go 7-for-14 with two walks while appearing in seven of eight games.

Tolbert can play second, third and shortstop, and Gardenhire seems eager to get him in the lineup as much as he can. Tolbert didn't start in Monday's 7-4 loss to the White Sox in Chicago but had a pinch-hit single in the ninth inning.

"He's fun to watch," Gardenhire said.

That also means Gardenhire has a front-row seat for the quirks and work habits that minor league managers and coaches have seen from Tolbert since he was drafted out of the University of Mississippi.

"He brings that little bit of zaniness," Gardenhire said.

Tolbert, born in McComb, Miss., is a walking, talking triple shot of espresso mixed with Red Bull. He sprints on and off the field every inning. He always is working on his game or talking about the game.

"The Latin players call him 'Eléctrico,' " Ingram said.

"Hummingbird," Gardenhire said.

Last year, Tolbert batted .340 in April, .370 in May and .318 in June for Class AAA Rochester and played in the All-Star Futures Game. He finished with a .293 average, six homers and 53 RBI.

The Twins love his work ethic but have had to calm him down over the years because he would make mistakes by rushing to make plays. Tolbert understood what they wanted, but it's been hard to change.

"I'm still working on it," he said. "When they said 'happy medium,' I was going too slow on certain things and it just didn't feel right. I felt like I could do better when I was quick. I just have to be consistent and slow it down so you don't make errors. That's what is going to keep you here [in the majors]."

Gardenhire said Tolbert is showing signs of slowing down. The manager still sees flashes when Tolbert's RPMs are revving too high but seems to be entertained by it more than anything.

"Watch him in the field," Gardenhire said. "He catches the ball and he throws it and he takes off running for four or five steps, not really going anywhere, just running.

"The other day when I got him his first [major league] at-bat, his helmet was in one place, his bat was all the way down at the end of the dugout and his gloves were in the middle. I told him to hit and he went by me three times.

"I said, 'You're on deck. You're hitting right now,' and he was still looking for his equipment. That's not normal. So he's fun."

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