Twins pitchers take batting practice to prepare for opening weekend

FORT MYERS, FLA. – Normally, there's no photo shoot before the Twins take batting practice. Then again, normally Kenta Maeda isn't hitting.

Both things happened on Wednesday, though, when the Twins' Opening Day starting pitcher began training for that assignment. Since the Twins' first game is in Milwaukee, where National League rules do not include the designated hitter, it means pitchers will bat in a Twins opener for the first time since 1972.

Which is fine by Maeda, who started his MLB career in the National League with the Dodgers.

"Kenta got pretty excited" by the prospect of swinging a bat, Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. "He's probably been hitting [batting practice] by himself for the last four months. I wouldn't be surprised. He gets really amped up and he's got a good swing."

He showed it off against a couple of minor league lefthanders, Andrew Vasquez and Charlie Barnes, during a live BP session. But first, the media-savvy pitcher posed for a few photos of his swing, taken by a Japanese photographer.

Then he got to work. Maeda stood in the box three different times for about 8-10 pitches each time, and in all three instances he hit a ball hard. He never reached the seats — something he actually did accomplish in San Diego during his MLB debut in 2016 — but his final swing was driven deep into the left-center power alley, prompting applause from his teammates and coaches watching nearby.

It's worth noting: The last Twins pitcher to hit a home run was Jim Kaat on June 11, 1972. Along with the Angels and Yankees, the Twins are one of three AL teams whose pitchers have never homered in interleague play.

"I mean, Kenta's probably trying to get back in the game on Sunday [in April] to get a few swings. More than anyone, he's pretty adamant about making sure he gets the adequate number of at-bats to be able to show us what he can do," Baldelli said. "No one else is really sprinting for the bat rack at this point."

Actually, Randy Dobnak took a few cuts, too, but his inexperience showed. Dobnak made contact several times, but never hit the ball hard. Then again, his last plate appearance came in 2014 while a freshman at Alderson-Broaddus University in Philippi, W.Va.

"We just want to make sure everybody is prepared. Dobber's not afraid. Getting in there and seeing a few pitches is not going to hurt him," Baldelli said. "If he ends up facing some major league pitching this year, I wouldn't be surprised."

Cruz on ice

When pitchers hit, the Twins' designated hitter doesn't, which annually annoys Nelson Cruz, an outfielder for the first decade of his career. So when he saw Wednesday's lineup, he went to Baldelli with a question.

"I was complaining about it. 'How come [Willians] Astudillo is playing right field, [but] I cannot play right field," Cruz said. "Astudillo was like, 'What are you doing? I'm trying to make the team! Shut up!' "

The fact that Astudillo's name was in that lineup, though, served as an unmistakable hint by Baldelli that he may be succeeding in that quest. With rosters limited to 26 players this year instead of last year's 28, Baldelli's fondness for versatility is even more pronounced, and if he can serve as an adequate backup outfielder, Astudillo's resume — he's the only utility player in camp who can serve as catcher — might be too tempting to resist.

He's started four games in the outfield in his three-year Twins career, but Astudillo, who has mostly played third and first base this spring, was the everyday left fielder last winter for his winter league team in Venezuela.

"We haven't gotten him much time in the outfield. But we know things are going to come up and there will be some opportunities for him to help us,"Baldelli said. "I wouldn't say he's switching to play predominantly in left or right field, but we could see it."

A day off

Twins' camp was locked on Thursday, their final off day until breaking camp in 12 days. Baldelli said he knows some players sneak into the stadium to work out anyway, but "I really hope everyone takes this day and rests or does whatever the heck they want to do. Chill out. It's important."

Camp resumes with the first night game of the spring on Friday, when the Twins travel to North Port, where they are 0-3 this spring, to face the Braves at 5 p.m. (FSN).