How Does Carlos Quentin Fit In?

The level of competition in the Korean Baseball Organization, where Park turned himself into a superstar slugger before signing with the Twins this offseason, has been compared – perhaps generously – to Triple-A or Double-A, meaning that his resounding success should be viewed with at least the same degree of healthy skepticism that we apply a player's big numbers in the Eastern League or International League. They're encouraging, sure, but they don't come close to guaranteeing anything.

And given the cultural and stylistic adaptations that Park will face as he acclimates to baseball in the United States, one can argue that his climb will be much steeper than any typical homegrown pro baseball prospect.

So it might take more than six weeks of spring training exhibition games to bring the foreign masher up to speed. Pushing him into real big-league action too quickly could be a mistake with lasting ramifications, especially given the length of the commitment.

When the Twins signed Tsuyoshi Nishioka, he did little to impress during his first spring training, but was nevertheless in the lineup on Opening Day, starting at second base and batting second. He was blatantly overmatched through a week of games and then broke his leg on a play that could very much be chalked up to lack of familiarity with the MLB style of play.

Whether this incredibly brutal start to his career here played into Nishioka's ultimate inability to turn any kind of corner isn't clear, but you do have to believe it's a memory that remains imprinted in the heads of Twins officials. If Park appears overwhelmed to any extent in Ft. Myers, the club may want to consider sending him to Triple-A in order to build confidence before launching his big-league career with a head full of steam.

Could that help explain why Carlos Quentin was signed to a minor-league deal on Tuesday?

Quentin brings many of the same qualities to the table that attracted the Twins to Park. He is a bat-first player, best suited at DH, who offers proven power from the right side, having slugged .503 with 136 homers playing for the White Sox and Padres from 2008 through 2013.

But like Park, Quentin is also a major uncertainty. The 33-year-old endured a miserable, injury-riddled campaign with San Diego in 2014 and announced his retirement last May. He told Jon Heyman of CBS Sports in November that he was going to attempt a comeback, but it took him until February to finally land somewhere.

Accounting for all of these factors, Quentin is clearly a long shot to make the team out of camp. He has a June 1st opt-out date if sent to the minors, so the most likely outcome is that he heads to Rochester and becomes a nice depth option if his bat shows up.

Still, the weathered veteran will be another piece in spring training with some intrigue and upside. The Twins have assembled quite a few of those, and given that they're building around so many ambiguities and question marks on the roster, it's always good to have backup plans on top of backup plans.

With a risk-filled blueprint for the 2016 season, it looks like the Twins are trying to find safety in numbers.