Twins players grateful for opportunity to get away from spring grind

JUPITER, Fla. – Alex Avila dropped off his 6-year-old daughter, Avery, at grade school Monday morning, then helped Devin Smeltzer work on his slider at Roger Dean Stadium. Ehire Adrianza took his 7-year-old, Camila, to school, went 0-for-3 against the Cardinals, and left in time to drive her to a dance lesson.

One underrated feature of Rocco Baldelli's rest-and-recovery managerial philosophy, the players say, is his enthusiasm for mid-camp breaks.

"Clear your head, take a breath, get away from camp," Baldelli said. "These guys basically work seven days a week during spring training. I don't think there's any doubt that taking a day or two [away from baseball] is beneficial."

That's why, with one of the Twins' two scheduled off days of the spring looming on Wednesday, Baldelli encouraged the pair of southeast Florida residents to head home on Sunday night, then meet the team here Monday. Since they wouldn't normally play back-to-back games yet anyway, the manager also excused them from Tuesday's workout in Fort Myers, with the off day to follow. He did the same for Tampa resident Jake Cave last week, granting him a day off after a game in nearby Dunedin.

"It's nice. It's three nights at home. It's an opportunity to stay away and recharge a little bit," said Avila, a Fort Lauderdale resident who will also celebrate his youngest daughter Zoey's fourth birthday on Wednesday before driving Alligator Alley to get back to camp. "[Jim] Leyland used to do something similar when I was with Detroit. Physically, it's a nice break, but the best part is getting to take my kids to school in the morning for a couple of days."

Same for Adrianza, who in his days as a rookie with the Giants used to go on every spring road trip, even if he wasn't playing, in order to soak in more experience. Now he appreciates the value of a pause in the spring grind.

"It means a lot. It's good to spend a little time with family," said Adrianza, who lives in Miami. "We've been working almost a month. Just having dinner with your family, it refreshes your mind a little bit."

Dominican natives Nelson Cruz and Miguel Sano will make the trip, but they may be the only starters in the lineup.

"We're going to send some of our younger players," Baldelli said, like a normal road game during spring training.

Another Dominican, shortstop Jorge Polanco, definitely won't play, the manager said, because it would interrupt the team's careful plans for his rehabilitation from offseason ankle surgery. It's even possible that Polanco, who has played only once this spring, will stay behind in Fort Myers, though he has expressed his desire to play in front of his extended family in his home country.

"We know how important it is to our guys. But I don't think it's necessarily good to send him out there in unusual circumstances," Baldelli said. "I don't think rushing him out there is something that we'd want."

Still, Baldelli said the 34-hour whirlwind trip will be worth it. "It's an incredible opportunity. I'm really happy that we are taking part in it," he said. "There will be memories built for us, built for people attending the game and people watching the game."