Twins stay hungry after last year's near miss

FORT MYERS, FLA. - Virtually every day at Twins camp, manager Ron Gardenhire tries to shock someone with an electrified pen or camera, and often accidentally shocks himself. In a camp so quiet you can sometimes even hear Joe Mauer speaking, Gardenhire's pranks provide about all the electricity and drama.

While there isn't much big news on the horizon, there are a lot of subtle developments and little stories in the offing. Here are a few from my two-week stay in Fort Myers:

• The Twins won 88 games last year. They should be better this year, with the potential of full seasons from Francisco Liriano, Denard Span, Michael Cuddyer, Alexi Casilla, Jose Mijares and the arrival of Luis Ayala and Joe Crede.

Their history this decade has been following a surprisingly good season with a disappointing season. They won the division in 2002, and played horribly for three months in 2003 before the Shannon Stewart trade ignited them. They won the division in 2004, then didn't make any significant moves and fell apart in 2005. They won the division in 2006, then didn't make any significant additions and fell apart in 2007. They tied for the division lead through 162 games in 2008 ...

This spring seems different, though. This is a hungry team because of the way the Twins floundered down the stretch and lost the one-game playoff to the White Sox, and a team deep with everyday talent and starting pitching. If Crede is healthy, he could put the Twins over the top in the division.

• The roster, barring injuries, is virtually set. Gardenhire has contemplated a roster of 14 position players and 11 pitchers, which would allow him to keep infielder Matt Tolbert as a utility player and pinch runner, but one of the Twins' problems last year was weary arms in the bullpen late in the season.

The Twins are more likely to keep 12 pitchers, giving them a potential bullpen of Joe Nathan, Jesse Crain, Mijares, Matt Guerrier, Craig Breslow, Ayala, and one long reliever. With Boof Bonser injured, the competition could come down to Philip Humber and knuckleballer R.A. Dickey. Dickey's ability to pitch every day could give him the edge, unless the Twins front office fears losing part of the Santana trade on waivers because Humber is out of options.

What this roster would lack is a good pinch runner.

• Carlos Gomez might wind up batting ninth for this team. He also might have more natural power than anyone on the roster other than Justin Morneau. He has the lower body of an NFL linebacker, and his swing is much more controlled than it was last year.

• Jason Kubel looks better prepared and more confident than at any time since he injured his knee before the 2005 season. Look for a big season.

• While Jesse Crain would love to be the setup guy, the best guess right now is that Ayala and Mijares will fill that role, with Crain and Guerrier handling the sixth and seventh innings and Breslow working as the lefthanded specialist.

• Corey Koskie, who signed a minor league contract with the Cubs, doesn't know how Chicago evaluated him. He has been working out on the Twins' back fields, and while he took live batting practice with the major league team, he was surprised the Cubs expressed interest.

• Morneau really likes hockey. He prepared for his drive to Team Canada's training camp with Koskie by dressing in a Vancouver Canucks T-shirt and cap, and saying he planned to take in a Maple Leafs game during the World Baseball Classic in Toronto.

Morneau also might be the only professional athlete in history to fine himself for violating an unwritten rule and avoiding detection. After the Twins' first spring training game, Gardenhire came into his office and found a $100 bill from Morneau, with a note saying he had forgotten to run his sprints and had voluntarily penalized himself.

The $100 bill was immediately put into an emergency fund to pay off Mike Lamb's contract.