In Fort Myers, Fla., pitchers and catchers report to Twins spring training today, as Minnesota looks to improve upon back-to-back 90-loss seasons.
While a World Series — or even a .500 season — might not be around the corner, plenty of writers are optimistic 2013 will usher in a few more wins:
MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger covers three big questions in his post “Twins’ offseason builds pitching depth for spring.” He not only takes a close look at the “new guys” but keeps an eye on the “prospects to watch.”
From the Pioneer Press, Brian Murphy’s headline is “Minnesota Twins begin rebuilding with lots of questions, few answers.” He covers five burning questions, including “Will (Chris Parmelee) finish at first base?”
PiPress writer Tom Powers checks in with his preview: “For Twins, spring training is the best of times.” He won’t sugar coat it, though: “Terry Ryan spent the winter upgrading the rotation from “I’m wearing a bag over my head” to something close to major league decent.”
Over at Fox Sports North, Tyler Mason is winding up a five-part series on the Twins. Today’s take: “Twins prospects may get chance in outfield.” In other words, it’s between Darin Mastroianni, Joe Benson and Aaron Hicks.
Finally, a look at Ron Gardenhire’s status heading into spring training, from Star Tribune writer Phil Miller: Patience is preferred for Gardenhire, Twins. Gardy, on the hot seat, delivers this quote: “It hasn’t been very good baseball the past couple of years, but everything that went wrong is fixable.”
We hope so.
If not, it might be time to start thinking about 2014.
