Twins day at camp: Trevor May sets lofty goals

After all the back and forth last season, from rotation to bullpen and back, Trevor May now knows exactly what job he wants the Twins to give him.

He wants to start.

In Game 1.

Of the World Series.

"Watching baseball in the playoffs, it kind of lit a fire," May said after his spring debut Wednesday. "I say I can be the guy that takes the ball in Game 1 of the Series. I want to be the guy that [teammates] can hop on my back a little bit, [who] can go deep in the games and maybe throw out of the pen later. That's what I want, that's what I've always dreamed of being."

Safe to say, the Twins would love to oblige him, since they haven't taken part in a World Series since 1991. But for now, May is likely to once again be assigned a role protecting late leads, pitching three or four times a week out of the bullpen.

But Paul Molitor promised May that he would be given a legitimate chance to win a starting job, and the Twins manager is living up to that pledge. May was given a two-inning stint in Wednesday's spring opener after Phil Hughes' two innings, rather than the one-inning outing standard for relievers. That will continue for the next few weeks, with May and Hughes pitching on the same day and getting stretched out for longer outings.

"That is the point of competition," the 26-year-old righthander said. "We'll see how it goes. Every year, teams have competitions for lots of spots, and you see where the chips fall."

True enough, though in May's case, how he pitches probably isn't the decisive factor in Molitor's ultimate choice; it's how his teammates pitch. Ervin Santana, Kyle Gibson and Hughes are virtually certain to be in the rotation, and the manager said he expects Tyler Duffey to claim a spot, too. That leaves May to compete among Jose Berrios, Tommy Milone and Ricky Nolasco for the fifth spot, and he probably would have to beat all of them decisively to convince Molitor it makes sense to give up his late-inning ability.

Still, Molitor reiterated he intends to live up to his word. "He is a candidate, there's no doubt about that," he said. But "if you end up with six or seven healthy starters who are all performing well, we'll have to decide how we want to prioritize the staff."

Miguel Sano made zero mistakes in his debut as a right fielder. Of course, the Red Sox didn't hit a ball his way, either.

Still, Molitor is encouraged by the progress his new outfielder is making. "The feedback I'm getting from coaches is that they're pleased with the time he's putting in, as well as his reaction time, routes and footwork and all those things," the manager said. Molitor kept an eye on Sano during the game, watching "how he was getting set, reacting to foul balls, things like that."

Ricky Nolasco, trying to regain his form after two disappointing seasons, makes his spring debut in the Twins' home opener against Boston. Nolasco is scheduled to pitch the third and fourth innings, following Tyler Duffey's start.