Looking for position battles? Don't look to Twins

FORT MYERS, FLA. - One of the annual spring training exercises for observers is trying to think along with a team's manager and front office as they evaluate players for their 25-man Opening Day roster. Yet the Twins have virtually succeeded in taking the fun out of watching roster battles.

They made few offseason moves and bring back nearly the same group of players that finished last season with a 1-0 loss at Chicago in a one-game playoff for the AL Central title.

When a reporter asked Michael Cuddyer to suggest an angle regarding spring training camp battles, he replied: "You can write about the battle to find spring training camp battles. Write about who's got the best car in the parking lot."

In other words, most of the roster appears set.

There are five outfielders in Cuddyer, Delmon Young, Jason Kubel, Carlos Gomez and Denard Span. There are two catchers in Joe Mauer and Mike Redmond.

There's an infield of first baseman Justin Morneau, second Alexi Casilla, shortstop Nick Punto and a platoon at third of Brian Buscher and Brendan Harris. Add utility player Matt Tolbert and that makes 13 position players.

The starting rotation of righthanders Scott Baker, Kevin Slowey and Nick Blackburn and lefthanders Francisco Liriano and Glen Perkins is a lock.

Joe Nathan is the closer. Righthanders Jesse Crain, Matt Guerrier and Boof Bonser and lefthander Craig Breslow are considered sure things, with rookie lefthander Jose Mijares a probable thing.

That's 24 of 25 spots. Phil Humber, who is out of minor league options, and Luis Ayala are considered the main contenders for the final bullpen spot -- there's a battle.

Other than that, the Twins enter full-squad workouts Saturday with as few questions as they have had since Ron Gardenhire took over as manager in 2002. Injuries, of course, can change everything.

So let's not deal with what's black and white. Examining the grey areas -- as Gardenhire put it -- will be what this particular spring training is all about.

For example, who will start in the outfield between Young, Gomez, Span and Cuddyer?

"Finding out how we're going to lay it out with the outfield, that's not an easy situation," Gardenhire said. "Like I've said many times, I've got lots of outfielders, but being fair to all of them, it's not going to be easy. Even in spring training, you're going to have a hard time getting them all playing time."

Bullpen roles fell apart late last season as Gardenhire tried to find a hot hand down the stretch. Crain, who is further removed from shoulder surgery in 2007, and Mijares, who impressed when called up to the Twins from Class AA New Britain in September, loom as key eighth-inning figures.

"You'd like to have it situated where they know their roles," Gardenhire said. "You don't like to call down there and have everybody looking around. Most of the time when you're running your bullpen and you've got it going good, when the phone rings, they pretty much know one or two guys will be up. You kind of like to have that situation; hopefully we can."

Other than that, Gardenhire and pitching coach Rick Anderson will spend some time looking at newcomers in camp, such as righthanders R.A. Dickey, Bobby Keppel, Anthony Swarzak and Rob Delaney; third basemen Danny Valencia, Luke Hughes and Deibinson Romero; and catchers Jose Morales and Wilson Ramos -- some of whom already have impressed.

"We know our pitchers are going to be fun to see, but some of these new guys we brought in look like pretty talented people, look like pretty good bodies and look like they've got a little life," Gardenhire said. "So that's what spring for us is shaping up to be. Our players you're excited to see because they're young too, but like the Valencias and Romero, I'm excited to see how they handle themselves."

Get La Velle E. Neal III's blog updates from Fort Myers during the day at startribune.com/twins.