Twins are letting Kennys Vargas show he could be 'another Big Papi'

The Twins played games in the Grapefruit League from Feb. 24 to March 30. On the last day of those exhibitions, the team's new brain trust came up with the most surprising decision of spring training:

Derek Falvey, the chief baseball officer, finalized the 25-player roster and it did not include ByungHo Park, the power-hitting star of those five weeks in Florida. The Twins were going to keep Park on the roster of Class AAA Rochester and open the season with 13 pitchers.

Falvey and manager Paul Molitor tried to make it sound as if this wasn't a reflection on Park and that there could be a need for eight relievers in the first two weeks of the season.

"Short term, short term," said Molitor, as he headed to board a bus to Bradenton for the last official exhibition.

As it turned out, that comment was not a reference to how long Park's sentence would be in Rochester but rather how long Molitor was hoping it would take to get away from being stuck with a three-man bench.

Park's power display this spring — and all those endorsements for his improved stroke at the plate — had little impact on his status within the organization.

The Falvey regime had decided in early February that Park was not going to open the season as the DH. That's when he was taken off the big-league roster and cleared waivers.

Vargas would not have had to do much in spring training to get the shot, except he decided to play for Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic. He didn't play much for that team, then fouled a ball off his foot and missed time in the final week after returning to the Twins.

Has Vargas regretted spending those three weeks with Puerto Rico?

"It's my country," he said. "Part of my dream has been to play for my country. Part of the dream is to be on your big league team, but this chance won't happen often.

"And to make it to the finals, to finish second, yes, that makes playing for my country even better."

The lack of at-bats in the spring forced the Twins to send Vargas to Rochester to open the season. He spent three weeks there, until the Twins made the first roster moves of the season and recalled him on April 23.

There were also two RBI in the first inning, when Vargas came up with the bases loaded, shattered his bat and blooped a two-run single. Five RBI for the night … and now he has six in 22 at-bats since returning 10 days ago.

How much bat was left on the two-run single?

"Just a little bit," Vargas said, gesturing a couple of inches above a closed fist.

He smiled and said: "The bat got killed, but I still have two RBIs. It was a good bat."

The determination of the Twins' new front office to give Vargas a shot mimics some memorable quotes from David Ortiz in an interview last spring in Red Sox camp. He was mystified by the Twins' decision to bring in Park from Korea at the expense of Vargas.

"This is going to be a learning process for [Vargas], but this guy's got more power than me. And he's a switch hitter. And he's going to figure it out, because he can hit. You need to leave the guy alone. Let the kid play. Let him struggle.

"They don't want to have patience with him. And you know what? They're going to feel it. Because Vargas, he's going to hit. He just needs someone in the organization to give him confidence. He's going to be good.

"When I watch Vargas, I see myself. Let him play, and you're going to have another Big Papi."

Now that would make for a nice bat behind Miguel Sano, wouldn't it?