MLB NEWS

Twins pleased with players arriving early

The Sports Xchange

February 27, 2015 at 3:22 pm.

Minnesota Twins pitchers and catchers have been in Fort Myers, Fla., for almost a week now, but the rest of the players at major league camp didn’t arrive officially until Friday.

That’s when optional workouts started and the 2015 baseball season officially got underway.

But that doesn’t mean Twins players haven’t been getting in work. New manager Paul Molitor has been pleased with the number of players arriving early to spring training.

“It’s good to see them all here obviously,” Molitor said earlier this week. “I think sometimes when you get various changes that have taken place, it kind of lights a fire for a few people. The bulk of our position players are here with a few days to spare. That’s a good sign. I don’t even know how many are missing.”

The only Twins player on the 40-man roster who had not officially reported to the team complex by Wednesday was designated hitter Kennys Vargas, who was visiting family in Puerto Rico. But even he had been at the facility last week to get in some light hitting work.

Several position players were on one of the back fields on Wednesday working on base running drills with first-base coach Butch Davis.

It helps, too, that the Twins had a ribbon-cutting ceremony to officially open their renovated facilities in Fort Myers. The organization and Lee County spent more than $48 million, refurbishing everything from the stadium to a new player’s dormitory.

“This place, there’s no reason why you wouldn’t want to come early,” Twins general manager Terry Ryan said.

Right-handed pitcher Alex Meyer was excused from the team for a few days to attend the funeral of his grandfather, who passed away earlier this week. Meyer is expected to compete for the No. 5 starter’s job in the Twins’ rotation.

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