MLB Capsules: Twins say they're set in OF
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Twins have carried plenty of depth in their outfield for years. They've also had their share of uncertainty about who's playing where and when.
Well, manager Ron Gardenhire sure quashed any lingering intrigue about this season's lineup. Denard Span is the center fielder. Ben Revere will play left. Josh Willingham is in right.
Revere played so well in center in relief of Span last year, using his exceptional speed to make all kinds of gravity-defying catches, that the Twins could have moved Span to right. He thrived there as a rookie in 2008 when Michael Cuddyer was hurt. Willingham, the team's highest-profile and highest-paid free agent signing, has rarely played right — only 19 complete games out of 799 in the majors.
But Span, long groomed to inherit the position from Torii Hunter, is not moving. Gardenhire made that clear this weekend at the team's annual fan festival.
"He's going to lead off and be my center fielder. That's my expectation," Gardenhire said. "If somebody were to tell me that he's not able to do that, then we'd have to ad lib. But if Denard comes in healthy, then he's my center fielder."
Span played in only 70 games last season because of concussion and migraine problems. He said he feels now as good as he has in two years.
"Everybody knows I waited a long time to play center field. I'm very passionate about it. There's a piece of me out there in that area," Span said, making clear he's willing to play right if the Twins preferred.
They don't, and Revere doesn't mind. His weak throwing arm is better protected in left field, and he has played there often in the minor leagues. Revere said he's been doing long-toss drills with a football with his older brother to help build more strength in his arm.
"Denard, he's our center fielder, and I want to play beside him, because we can cover so much ground," Revere said. "We've played a bunch of games together so we know each other so well. OK, he can get that, and I can get that. I know in the back of my mind. Usually, I can kind of take a peek at him a little bit, and he knows when I'm going to go and get it."
As for Willingham's ability to grow comfortable in right field?
"I'll let you know after spring training," he said.
When told he had appeared in 35 games in right with the Washington Nationals in 2009, Willingham's eyes widened.
"Thirty-five games? Shut the front door. Really? I had no idea," Willingham said. "Hopefully this spring I'll just get a lot of reps out there and get comfortable. That's the goal. Playing on the opposite end of the field, it's different the way the balls come off the bat, so it'll just take a little bit of time to get used to."
He was signed to get on base and hit home runs, though.
"We'll swing at 'em and see what happens," said Willingham, who homered 29 times last year for the Oakland Athletics.
Since Hunter left as a free agent following the 2007 season, the Twins have used several combinations of players in the three outfield positions, plus at designated hitter. Injuries played a part in the shuffling, as did slumps and versatility.
Carlos Gomez, Delmon Young, Jason Kubel and Cuddyer have all moved on now, leaving this unique trio to patrol the grass and produce runs at the plate. Trevor Plouffe will also see some playing time at the corner positions, and Rene Tosoni could carve out a roster spot as a backup. Top prospect Joe Benson will be pushing for time, too. But for now there's no mystery about who plays where.
"That's exactly what I want. We've got enough question marks. We've got to figure enough things out," Gardenhire said.
NOTES: Joe Mauer said "this is the best I've felt in a long time." Mauer didn't want to put a number on how many games he'd like to catch this season, but after soreness and weakness in his legs that wouldn't go away and a number of illnesses he dealt with in 2011 he said he feels "night and day" better now than he did at this point last year. ... Gardenhire also left no doubt that Jamey Carroll would start at SS with Alexi Casilla at 2B. Both of them and Tsuyoshi Nishioka can play each spot. The Twins haven't given up on Nishioka, but he's not guaranteed a place on the team. Gardenhire said he hopes Nishioka, who struggled with offense, defense and health in his first major league season, comes to spring training "with a better idea of what we do and how we do things." ... Gardenhire said RHP Carl Pavano will be the opening-day starter on April 6 and RHP Scott Baker will take the mound for the first home game on April 9.
Dunn hopes he's done talking about miserable 2011
CHICAGO (AP) — Adam Dunn used the first week of his offseason to chill out and get a much needed break from the misery he endured in his first year with the Chicago White Sox.
Forgetting one of the worst seasons for a hitter in major league history, though, was impossible.
"It was a lot harder than I thought it would be," Dunn said Saturday during the White Sox's winter festival. "I thought I would just be able to go home and blow it off, forget about it, but I wasn't able to do it, which was not exactly how I thought I would handle it. But at this point right now, it's over. As soon as New Year's Eve when I was in bed at 12:01 like everyone, that's a new year."
Although he fell six plate appearances short of qualifying for the lowest batting average in modern major league history, Dunn's season was still a nightmare. He batted .159 over 496 plate appearances with just 11 homers and 42 RBIs while striking out a team-record 177 times.
All that after general manager Ken Williams and the White Sox gave him a four-year, $56 million contract to be the power hitter and run producer he had been for most of his career in the National League.
"I thought it'd be a lot easier," Dunn said of moving past his struggles. "I thought I'd be able to go through the offseason like 'Whatever, it's over,' like I do everything else. I wasn't quite able to do that because, for one, you couldn't go anywhere without people like, 'What happened? What's wrong?' Basically looking for me to make an excuse or something. I didn't have one. Once the offseason went by . all I can say is it's over and I can't wait for the season to start."
Dunn's streak of seven straight seasons with at least 38 homers ended, and after the All-Star break, he homered only twice and had eight RBIs. He also struggled mightily against left-handers, batting .064 (6 for 94) with one extra-base hit.
"That was as rough a year as you could see anybody go through. Adam's awesome. He handled that about as good as I think anybody could handle it," said teammate Jake Peavy, whose locker was close to Dunn's at U.S. Cellular Field.
Dunn struggled in the DH role and in a new league. First-year White Sox manager Robin Ventura said he's planning to give him time in the field at first base to spell Paul Konerko here and there or in the outfield, where Dunn has played more games than anywhere else during a career that began with the Reds in 2001. Dunn appeared in 35 games at first base last season.
"My experience comes from playing and I never felt the same every year coming to spring training," Ventura said. "I'm not concerned. I'm looking more at how he's thinking more than anything else. So I'm going to let him just play and we'll figure it out.
"Not that we're the same but I liked playing in the field and he's done that in the past and it would be nice to get him in there to do that."
In his White Sox debut in Cleveland on April 1 of last year, Dunn had a double, homer and four RBIs. Five days later he underwent an emergency appendectomy in Kansas City and missed the next six games.
"He never got it going. If I had to do one thing over, one singular thing over from last year, I would have sat him out a week longer, at least, after he had the surgery, and got him some at-bats in the minor leagues to get his stroke back," Williams said.
"I take the responsibility for that"
Dunn has taken some light batting practice during the offseason — in some past offseasons he's avoided hitting — and said he's worked himself into a shape where he's ready for spring training next month.
The White Sox need his left-handed bat more than ever in a division where the Detroit Tigers won last year and now have added Prince Fielder to a potent lineup.
And of course the biggest question for the 6-foot-8 Dunn, who was listed at 285 last year, is this: Can he get back to his old ways of being a power hitter and run producer? He's 35 homers shy of 400 for his career.
"I don't know. I don't buy into the 'You need to fail to.' all that stuff," Dunn said.
"Everybody says the Packers needed to lose a game before going into the playoffs . why? You want to win them all. I want to be as good as I can for 20 years, however long I play. I'm going in this year feeling as good as I've felt in a long time and I'm ready to get started and quit talking about it. Doesn't matter where I go, I'm talking about it. I realize that comes with (the territory). I really can't wait for opening day."
-- Rick Gano
