Thorpe, Williams and The Mustache Make Their Returns

It’s starting to get warm in southwest Florida. Some of the guys who live in Ft. Myers pointed out that it is pretty much 75 degrees every day through the offseason, but this week, the highs are in the mid-to-upper 80s. If you are going to Ft. Myers, be sure to bring the sunscreen, and a hat!

If you missed it, I wrote a story earlier today about JO Berrios. I talked to him as he was going through Fan Mail and signing a lot of cards.

Before diving deeper into some minor league stories, here are some quick observations from big league camp:

• Chris Herrmann was working with Doug Mientkiewicz over at first base this morning during PFPs (Pitchers Fielding Pactice). Obviously he has the athleticism and the ability to play all over the diamond. He has caught, played both corner outfield positions, some first base, and he played a lot of third base in college. However, when I talked to him he was pretty clear, “I want them to know that I am a catcher. That’s where I want to do the majority of my work.” To that point, he has only caught (and DH'd) in Twins games to this point.
  
• Josmil Pinto has been sidelined due to a strained quad. He is yet to play in a game. On Monday, he caught a couple of bullpens and took some batting practice. On Tuesday, he was doing full workout and catching activities as well as taking a round of batting practice. When I saw him launching baseballs well beyond the left-field fence, it appeared to me that he is getting very close to making his spring debut.
  

• Brian Dozier was taking some ground balls at third base this morning on Tom Kelly Field. Before you get alarmed, let me explain. They were working on various activities on the field. Sam Perlozzo was working on backhands with Dozier, Miguel Sano and Trevor Plouffe who were standing at third base. So no, we aren’t likely to see Brian Dozier at third base this season.
  
• For me, it's always so much fun when I see people from Twins history working with people from the Twins future. On Tuesday, Tom Kelly took time to work with Miguel Sano on some positioning at third base. Sano took it all in.
  

O’ROURKE’S TWINS DEBUT

The first person I talked to in the locker room was lefty Ryan O’Rourke. The southpaw received a non-roster invitation to big league camp following a strong season in 2014, all but one game with the New Britain Rock Cats.

He is a native of Worcester, Massachusetts, which is just under an hour from Boston. Last Thursday, he made his first Twins appearance of the spring against the Boston Red Sox. O’Rourke, who held lefties to a ridiculous slash line of .114/.162/.129 (.291) came into the game with the bases loaded and Dustin Pedroia up to bat.

As you recall, the Red Sox All-Star hit a grand slam. However, Paul Molitor talked to O’Rourke a day later about the outing. He acknowledged it wasn’t an ideal situation, but that he did a nice job of shaking that off and getting the next hitters out. They were also right-handed, big league hitters (including Mike Napoli).

O’Rourke has been in Ft. Myers for about three weeks. He spent a little over a month in his hometown this winter. He spent over a month pitching in Venezuela. When he returned to Massachusetts, he taught pitching lessons to kids in the area. It was the first offseason as a pro that he didn’t work a 40+ hour work at a financial firm. He said, “Believe it or not, I did miss that job.”

While O’Rourke knows he is a long-shot to make the Twins opening day roster, he is thrilled to have been given this opportunity to work with the Twins coaches and learn from some veterans. That said, he is very competitive and is competing for a job, if not now, then if needed during the year.

JASON KANZLER AND THE MUSTACHE

It’s funny. You never know what is going to grab people’s attention. Jason Kanzler’s mustache is one of those things. People ask me all the time about it. Yesterday, I wrote that he had the mustache, but it included some beard too. He said that he was planning to clean it up last night for the opening of the minor league practices.

This morning, when he was between fields, he came over and I was able to get the first picture of his 2015 mustache. You have to enjoy the twists at the end of it.

The Mustache gets a lot of attention, but Jason Kanzler is certainly worth getting to know. Mitch Garver, Kanzler’s teammate when he was with Cedar Rapids last year, was the choice for Minor League Hitter of the Year in 2014. Kanzler came in fourth. Between Cedar Rapids and Ft. Myers, he hit .282/.344/.444 (.788) with 11 doubles, nine triples and 12 home runs. He also stole 27 bases. He has played all three outfield positions, but he is best in centerfield. He was a two-time Gold Glove outfielder in college.

He spent the offseason in Houston working out and feels really good going into the season. He said, “Getting here early and getting to hit against live pitching before the official minor league workouts really feels good.”

LEWIS THORPE THROWS LIVE BATTING PRACTICE

As you know, Lewis Thorpe’s offseason ended near the close of the regular season last year because of a “slight tear of his UCL.” Obviously that news created a lot of concern among the Twins and their fans. He has rehabbed in Ft. Myers for much of the offseason.

On Tuesday, he warmed up in the bullpen. Moments later, he was on the mound. He said, “It was my first time facing hitters since my last outing last season.”

Obviously it was a big step for him. He threw about 40 total pitches. He didn’t quite have his control all of the time, but obviously that isn’t the concern. That will come.

He was happy with the outing. He said afterwards, “I felt good. Just control was a bit of a problem. Fastball was coming out real well, and my breaking ball and change-up need some touch up.”

COREY WILLIAMS IN A BULLPEN

Left-hander Corey Williams was the Twins third round pick in 2011 out of Vanderbilt. Last year at this time, he started feeling some elbow pain when he pitched. On April 1^st, he had Tommy John surgery and missed the entire season.

He has spent most of the offseason in Ft. Myers, though he was able to get away for a few weeks to get married and go on a honeymoon. He has been working out and building up that arm strength. As an observer of his bullpen session, he really only threw fastballs, but they had good life, some good velocity.

After his bullpen session, he said his elbow felt really good and continues to get stronger. He said that he is scheduled to face live pitching for the first time on Friday. As for whether he’ll be ready for opening day, he isn’t really thinking about it. He said he’s still got some things to get through before worrying about that. However, he thinks it is a real possibility to break with a club. The best scenario might be for him to stay in Ft. Myers with the Miracle so he can be monitored by the staff here.

NICK GORDON

The Twins top pick in 2014, Nick Gordon, is listed at 6-0 and 160 pounds. He may not be much heavier than that, but considering his size, he really has some pop in his bat. I’ve seen him hit quite a bit the last couple of days. He has a very smooth, fluid left-handed swing. He uses the entire field very well. He has good confidence at the plate. However, when he gets a good pitch, and he’s swinging hard, he can hit the ball well beyond the outfield fence. He has done that several times.

One person with the Twins told me, “He has a chance to be really good.”

Again, lots of photos of Day 2 have been uploaded to the Twins Daily Facebook Page and also the Twins Daily Twitter account. Be sure to “Like” and “Follow” those sites, respectively.

Continue to keep story ideas coming from both the major league and minor league sides. Minor leaguers reported on Tuesday. On Wednesday, they have physicals and photos. Thursday is their first official workout.