Twins' Crede cool under pressure at hot corner

FORT MYERS, FLA.

Anyone who wants Crede to react to something should mention University of Missouri basketball and the possibility that coach Mike Anderson might take a job elsewhere. Then Crede, a big Mizzou fan, will look exasperated.

Other than that, don't expect a lot out of Crede, who is very polite but just not the loquacious sort. And that's fine with the Twins, as long as he stays healthy and solves their problem at third base, a problem that has plagued them ever since Corey Koskie left following the 2004 season.

In the spring trainings since then, the Twins have tried a prospect there (Michael Cuddyer in 2005), brought someone in from Japan (Tony Batista in 2006), used a middle infielder (Nick Punto in 2007) and given a career part-time player a chance (Mike Lamb in 2008) -- and they have been disappointed each time.

"I think [Crede] is the type of player we have tried to get the past few years," Mauer said, "but I like the way our team looks, especially with him at third."

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The Twins view Crede, 30, as the missing piece to their third base problem -- even though he has been held to 144 games over the past two seasons because of a herniated disk in his back that has required two surgeries. It's because of his back concerns that the Twins were able to sign Crede to a $2.5 million contract with incentives that could push it to $7 million.

They envision him producing like he did from 2003 to '06, when he belted 92 homers and played a slick third base. He could provide balance in a lineup in which lefthanded hitters Mauer, Justin Morneau and Jason Kubel were the most productive last season. And he has been where the Twins want to be -- a World Series champion like he was in 2005 with the White Sox.

Crede looked sheepish when asked about possibly meaning as much to the Twins this year as Dan Gladden did in 1987 and Jack Morris did in 1991.

"As far as whether or not signing me was going to be the big deciding factor where they would win the World Series or not, I would not put it that far," he said. "I just think it's a matter of being able to go here and being able to fit right in and doing whatever a team needs me to do to help them have a great season."

If the move works out, the Twins will get third base production that the rival White Sox might not be able to match. Crede gets 18 games to make his former team pay for not bringing him back.

And if the Twins do reach the playoffs, they have someone in Crede who not only won a World Series but also hit .289 with four homers and 11 RBI in 12 postseason games and was excellent in the field. Instead of feeling overwhelmed, Crede thrived in big games, and the Twins could use that experience.

"I don't want to take anything away from that team. It was a very special year," Crede said of the 2005 White Sox. "This team has a chance to do something special here with all the young talent here. They have a lot of hungry guys who want to go out and do well, and it will be interesting to see how things play out."

Twins reliever Matt Guerrier, a former White Sox farmhand who played with Crede briefly in 2000 at Class AA Charlotte and 2001 at Class AAA Birmingham, knows Crede won't have a hard time adjusting to his new teammates.

"I think he fits in well with what we have going on here," Guerrier said. "We've got to feel him out, and it will be good. The most important thing is that we have pretty good guys in the clubhouse."

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With Chicago, Crede became one of the thorns in the Twins' side through the years, batting .273 with 19 homers and 59 RBI in his career against them. He was particularly devastating last year, hitting .400 with seven homers and 17 RBI in only 11 games against the Twins -- including a broken bat grand slam off Pat Neshek on April 7.

But after getting named to his first American League All-Star team, Crede saw his 2008 season deteriorate after the break, when back pain sent him to the disabled list. On Tuesday, he admitted he first felt pain in spring training that year but fought through it as long as he could. A career-high 20 errors gave away his discomfort.

He returned in late August for seven games but was done for the year after diving for ball and feeling more pain than he could handle. He had offseason surgery in Dallas -- bad timing for someone headed to free agency.

He claimed he was healthy and ready to play, but many teams backed off. The Twins landed Crede for a deal that includes plenty of bonuses the more he is on the field. If he is healthy, the Twins are confident he will produce like most quality third basemen.

"Everything has been great this spring so far with my back, staying loose," Crede said. "It really hasn't affected me in any way. as far as defense or even offensively. I can't wait for the start of the season."

Crede is batting only .167 with one homer and five RBI in Grapefruit League play but is satisfied with his swing. Scouts at Twins games this spring have wondered about Crede's range at third, but the Twins just want him to make plays on the balls he gets to.

Manager Ron Gardenhire marveled at a stop Crede made during a March 20 game against the Yankees.

"It's an amazing thing to see a ball hit like that and go into his glove like it was a pillow," Gardenhire said. "Then to see him flip it so easily to second base to start a double play, that never gets old."

The Twins just hope Crede stays on the field and plays as well for them as he did against them; he doesn't have to dance around the clubhouse, like Carlos Gomez does at times.

"He's going to be a big part of this lineup," catcher Mike Redmond said. "We know what type of player he is and he's going to thrive because Gardy lets guys play and lets guys go out there and have fun and do what they do.

"I think he's going to really enjoy playing with this group of guys, how much fun we have and how much we want to win."

Get the latest news on injuries and anything else that happens in the closing days of spring training on our baseball blogs at startribune.com/twins.