Lately, the Vavras are playing all father-son games with Twins organization

FORT MYERS, FLA. – Trey Vavra saw a changeup hanging high in the strike zone Tuesday, and he attacked.

"I hit it pretty good, but with the crosswinds, you never know," he said, but the ball easily cleared the left-field fence.

It was only a training-camp scrimmage, but still a nice moment for both Trey, a Class A first baseman, and his father, Joe, considering the home run was hit off Ervin Santana, a former All-Star pitcher who owns 126 big-league victories. But both Vavras tried not to acknowledge the thrill too much.

"I was trying not to smile. [Santana] was looking at me, so I was just like, 'Put your head down and run,' " Trey Vavra said. "I mean, I want to be up there [in the majors] with him, so I can't give him too much [deference]. It's just an at-bat against someone who's a little more established."

And Joe Vavra, the Twins' bench coach?

"It's funny — you balance the fact that it's your team's starter [who gave it up], and your own kid," he said. "Yeah, it was nice. But I'm not going to bring it up around Ervin."

The Vavras are getting used to navigating this father-son/coach-player dynamic, and aspire someday to get to do it a lot more — at the big-league level. After all, both 24-year-old Trey and his 26-year-old brother, Tanner, were drafted within the past three years by the Twins, the team for whom Joe has been in the dugout for a decade.

"They needed a middle infielder, and Tanner was a good fit. And then they said, 'Well, we don't really have a fulltime coach, either,' " Joe Vavra recalled of last fall's odd negotiations. "They said, "Say, we've love to have the dad come over and manage, and maybe that would be something they'd like, too.' "

Verve was hesitant; he has nine seasons of managing experience in the Dodgers' organization, but none since 1997, and it had been 22 years since his previous visit to Australia. But he couldn't pass up the opportunity to make it a unique family vacation.

His wife, Lesa, came along, too, and youngest son Terrin, now a shortstop for the Gophers, joined them on winter break.

"It was pretty special for all of us. For me, just to get back in playing shape, running full speed without limitations, was huge," Trey Vavra said. "And having your family around you, playing for your dad, playing with your brother, it was wonderful."

It took some adjustments, though.

And for Joe Vavra, it meant setting aside any emotions about working with his sons, focusing on the non-relatives in the lineup, too. That wasn't always easy; it's probably no coincidence that both of his ejections as Melbourne's manager occurred when his sons were thrown out for arguing with umpires, too.

"Yep, both times because of us," Trey said. "The baseball level there is high, very professional. But the umpiring is club ball [or] high-school level, and sometimes the speed of the games would catch up to them. … When it happened, he stuck up for us."

It wasn't an easy season, in part because at least half the players had to be Australian, and most of the best natives had other jobs. The ABL's six teams generally played Thursday through Sunday, frequently flying across the huge country on the day of games.

"There were a lot of headaches to deal with, a lot of bridges to repair. The first six weeks were pretty stressful," Joe Vavra said, and the Aces quickly fell to the bottom of the standings. But "we were in every game, and the team never quit playing hard." Melbourne finished 20-35.

Best of all, the Vavra sons worked out every day to prepare for the baseball season, then got to see Australia with their family.

"And I got to see how much they've improved as players. I never see them during the season, so that was nice to see. It makes you proud."