TWINS SPRING TRAINING HAS JUST BEGUN

Spring Training has officially begun for the Minnesota Twins. Always the last club in the Majors to have its pitchers and catchers report, the Twins got their Spring Training started with a workout on Monday February 19th. The Twins are coming off a stellar season and there is plenty of excitement and anticipation for this years camp. Many of the returning players experienced the emotional highs and lows of last season and many haven’t forgotten the sting of being swept by the Athletics in the playoffs.

"Everyone is kind of on a mission," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "Everyone pretty much understands what we went through last year. We'll have a few new people who didn't have a chance to experience it with us, but most of the guys in the clubhouse did. We know how to get there; now, it's just about getting it done when you get there."

This year, the Twins will spend a lot of time working on the pitching staff and buckling down on a solid rotation. Without Brad Radke, who retired, and Francisco Liriano, who's recovering from elbow surgery, the Twins pitching staff looks a little different from last year. The competition will be tough to see who will fill out this years’ line up.

The club welcomes new faces, such as Ramon Ortiz and Sidney Ponson, as well as some of the young guns battling for their chance at a spot. Even one of the lone returnees, Carlos Silva, is a bit of a question mark. After struggling to an 11-15 record with a 5.94 ERA in '06, the hope is that Silva can return to the form he had in '05, when he went 9-8 with a 3.44 ERA. Boof Bonser is considered a lock for the rotation after earning the number two starting spot in the playoffs, and other young pitchers such as left-hander Glen Perkins and right-hander Matt Garza provide the team with some talented options. Scott Baker and top pitching prospect Kevin Slowey also will be in the mix. I can’t wait to see what is going to shake out in the next few weeks for the Twins starting pitchers!!!!

The bullpen looks pretty solid as All-Star closer Joe Nathan once again anchors the Twins that have are also pleased to have Dennys Reyes, Juan Rincon, Pat Neshek, Jesse Crain and Matt Guerrier return. There is an opening for another lefty to back up Reyes, with a few veterans in camp as non-roster invitees, including Randy Choate and Mike Venafro, battling for the spot.

A better look at just what might be in store for the Minnesota Twins this spring won't come until the rest of the club reports on Friday. The first full-team workout will take place on Saturday, February 24th! Twins Spring Training has finally begun! Let’s go Twins!