Gardenhire envisions Nishioka in No. 2 hole

SARASOTA, FLA. - So much for easing Tsuyoshi Nishioka into the majors.

Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said Thursday that he likes Nishioka in the No. 2 spot in the batting order, with infield mate Alexi Casilla batting ninth.

That means Nishioka would be adjusting to big league pitching while trying to set the table for Joe Mauer and the rest of the Twins' middle hitters.

"He's a proven hitter in Japan, and I think he'll be [a good hitter] here," Gardenhire said of Nishioka. "He's a great contact guy. He can handle the bat. He can flip the ball around. He can bunt. He can do a lot of those things."

Some talent evaluators who watched Nishioka in Japan are skeptical about how he'll hit in the majors. The switch-hitter has shown a tendency to flinch against hard stuff on his hands, something advance scouts surely will note.

It's silly to read too much into spring training results, especially after three games, but Nishioka is 1-for-9 with a bloop single. He went 0-for-3 with pop-out, strikeout and groundout in Thursday's 2-0 victory over the Baltimore Orioles.

It's worth noting that Nishioka has yet to see the same pitcher in consecutive at-bats. When the season starts, he'll have scouting reports and video of each opposing pitcher at his fingertips.

"I really don't have too many worries about him," Gardenhire said. "He's fitting right in. All that hitting stuff, when we get going here, he'll get more swings and get more comfortable."

Nishioka, 26, batted leadoff in Japan. When told through an interpreter of Gardenhire's preference to bat him second, Nishioka maintained his humble stance.

"I'm not sure yet," he said. "It might be something positive, it could be something negative. I'll do my best to bring whatever I have right now in order to help the team."

Gardenhire said he likes having two speedy on-base specialists batting in front of Mauer, and the Twins hope they have that in Denard Span and Nishioka.

Last year, Nishioka batted .346 with a .423 on-base percentage and 22 stolen bases for the Chiba Lotte Marines. For his career in Japan, he batted .293 with a .364 OBP, averaging 28 stolen bases over the past six 144-game seasons.

"His speed plays out really good," Gardenhire said. "Hit and run -- all those things. You see the way he handles the bat. You know he can get the bat on the ball."

Casilla's career average is .249 and his career OBP is .306, and he has 35 stolen bases in 312 games.

"My preference is Lexi at the bottom," Gardenhire said. "That turns the lineup over really nice with speed. You go 9-1-2 with guys that can really fly."

Gardenhire seems to be leaning toward starting Casilla at shortstop and Nishioka at second base, but after lining them up that way twice, the manager tried Nishioka at shortstop Thursday with Casilla at second base.

Nishioka was barely tested while Casilla robbed Brian Roberts of a hit in the first inning, charging a bunt with a bare-hand grab and diving throw to first base.

Nishioka won Gold Glove awards at both shortstop and second base in Japan. He insists it doesn't matter what position he plays and continues to be impressed with his new middle-infield partner.

"I think Lexi's defense is great," Nishioka said.