Through Sunday, the Twins have played three spring training games, winning one and losing two. Let's take a look at the early returns, and see if there are bany trends emerging in the big questions in training camp, namely who's going to start in center and second base, how the starting pitching looks, can the Twins find a lead-off hitter, and how is Liriano doing in his recovery from elbow surgery?
Center Field: All three contenders for the position, Carlos Gomez, Denard Span, and jason Pridie have had some playing time and the good news is that so far all three are showing signs of having a positive impact. Everyone has at least one hit, Gomez and Span have each led off a game with a single and a stolen base, and in Sunday's ninth inning Pridie came up with the bases loaded and two out and got a clutch base hit. If this keeps up, the twins will have justv what they want, three players fighting to win the job instead of finding ways to lose it.
Second Base: Second base has so far been a shared position with Brendan Harris, Nick Punto and Alexis Casilla getting playtime. Nothing has happened that would change expectations that harris will start, Punto will be the utility infielder, and Casilla will start the season in the minors.
Nick Punto has, over the last couple of years, become a flash-point for twins fans, with some seeing him as the prime example of Gardenhire's tendency to start players based on personality over performance. His flirtation with droppping under the .200 mark in hitting last season fueled that controversy, but his avowed aim ais to make the team as this year's starting second baseman.
If he does, it would be a bad sign for the Twins, because it would probably happen because Harris failed to produce at the plate. That would leave the Twins with a weak-hitting middle of the infield and take Punto away from what he does best, act as a flexible utiility player with excellent defensive skills. His career stats also suggest that he hits better as a part-time than full-time player.
Starting Pitching: No real surprises here yet. Projected starters like Scott Baker and Livan Hernandez have pitched fairly well, some other pitchers, like Glenn Perkins, haven't fared as well.
Francisco Liriano: Liriano threw well in batting practice on Sunday, and in what may be the best news for Twins fans so far this spring, is expected to pitch in a real game by the end of this week.
That's pretty much it so far, the usual kinds of spring training stuff with some players off to a good start and others struggling. For the Twins, despite losing more than winning so far, the good news is that there appears to be a real contest for center field heating up, and Liriano continues to show improvemant.
Keywords: Carlos Gomez, Denard Span, Francisco Liriano, Jason Pridie, Minnesota Twins, Nick Punto
