AJPettersen

The fan-friendly AJ Pettersen has been blogging at Twins Daily since the onset of the site. The Minnetonka native had an impressive career at the University of Minnesota. Following his collegiate career, the Twins made him their 25th round draft pick in 2011. He signed quickly and spent the summer at Elizabethton. He spent the 2012 season playing all around the infield, left field, caught bullpens and even pitched in a game. He begins the 2013 season with the 10-0 Ft. Myers Miracle. He had a game-winning double on Thursday night. He's started mostly at shortstop, but also in left field. The ultimate team player, Pettersen continues to blog for Twins Daily, along with writing at BaseballAmerica.com. Here is his new installment:[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] ----- With the end of Spring Training and the beginning of a new season, things have gotten back into a routine. Here in Fort Myers the weather is steaming, so if you are looking to escape the extended winter and can find a cheap flight, we welcome all fans. I am always up for a free dinner as well. I wanted to give some highlights up to this point in the year. A lot has happened in the first few months of 2013. Here are some of the things I remember well: *Winter Turns to Spring I know this somehow hasn’t quite happened for everyone in Minnesota, but my wife and I got to experience a quick transition when we moved to Florida in January. Baseball has always brought light into my life, with the joy it brings and the sunshine that comes along with it. The sun may not be shining in Minneapolis, but I hope that the return of baseball has brought some metaphorical light to the Twins Daily community. *Meeting New Guys, Seeing Old Friends It is always fun to see familiar faces the first day of Spring Training. When everyone starts to arrive it feels a lot like returning to school from summer break. There are a bunch of friends you need to catch up with and a lot of new people to meet. I got the chance to meet a couple of older guys (Doug Bernier and Virgil Vasquez) and also met some of the guys taken in last year’s draft. *Playing with the Big Leaguers In Spring Training the big leaguers sometimes need to play on the minor league side to pitch a few innings or get a couple of at bats. This can be a great learning moment for the guys who are striving to make it to the show. One day I walked into the locker room and saw I was playing 2B in the game that afternoon and the SS was Jamey Carroll. I really look up to him as a player-he plays the game hard, does things the right way and does as much as he can do to help his team win. I was able to pick his brain throughout the game and learned a lot just from watching him. I also got the chance to hit in front of Justin Morneau and face the Orioles closer Jim Johnson. *The Start of the Regular Season Starting with the Miracle has been great so far. We have a great team and coaching staff and have experienced some success early. It is always fun seeing the parks around a new league. The nice thing about the Florida State League is that a number of the parks are big league Spring Training fields. This means pristine fields and fully equipped stadiums. I hope this gives everyone a good look at what has happened around here in the past few months. If you want to interact with me you can tweet me at @APettersen1 or you can email me at AJPettersen1@gmail.com.

With Minnesota Twins minor leaguers officially reporting for camp tomorrow, we are doing our final preparations for the year. I wrote an article on Baseball America a few weeks ago that outlined a typical minor league offseason. This includes lifting activities slowing down and baseball specific activities ramping up. We are trying to best prepare our bodies for the rigors of the season. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] A couple of weeks ago we began taking live batting practice off of pitchers. Last year I was unable to do this until the first day of camp, so it has been nice to get some live hacks in. The first pitch I saw looked about 110 mph, but since then my eyes and body have begun to adjust. It is quite a change going from batting practice to hitting live for the first time in months. Last week I got hit on the thigh by an errant 2 seam fastball. I joked with Nate Roberts that I was now leading the HBP contest for the year. I am sure he will have the last laugh. A recent highlight has been talking with veteran players. Virgil Vasquez and Doug Bernier are two new free agent signings that have been playing the game for a long time. Learning how they go about their business on a daily basis has been really helpful. Their knowledge of the game is amazing. In a couple of days there will be close to 200 minor leaguers in the clubhouse and camp will begin. Games start fairly quickly thereafter. Like I said before, if you are here, I would love to meet and/or chat with you at the complex. I also hope the sunshine cooperates for everyone looking to get out of the slushy March weather in MN. Baseball season is just around the corner. I hope everyone is as excited as I am. On a side note, my wife and I went to a Florida Everblades game last night. It was my first professional hockey game and they put on a good show. If you are planning on coming down for Spring Training, I would recommend checking them out. You can connect with AJ through email (ajpettersen1@gmail.com) or on Twitter (@APettersen1)

While the frost persists in the north, the sun is shining here in Fort Myers and I wanted to give everyone an update on what’s going on. Baseball season always seems far away when the snow is falling, but it is right around the corner. Pitchers and catchers reported for big league camp today and minor league camp is coming up. I have been rehabbing my wrist here for the past month to get fully prepared for Spring Training and the season. A few of my friends and teammates from last season have shown up to start their training. Maybe you have heard of Miguel Sano? Along with Sano are Kennys Vargas and Eddie Rosario (who is preparing for the WBC). They have added some more fun to the clubhouse. There is a mix of pitchers and position players on the minor league side.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] A number of big leaguers have shown up in the past week and it has been cool to meet and chat with a few of them. Learning from those playing at the top is a great way to get better. It has been cool to spend some time working out alongside them. We have a consistent schedule Monday through Friday starting in the morning with rehab, followed by throwing, hitting, defensive work and lifting. We are usually at the field from around 7:30 until 12:30 or 1. There have been a few early visitors at the complex seeking autographs and conversation. If you are looking to escape the cold weather, I can assure you the weather is great in Fort Myers. We have seen hardly anything but sunshine for a month. If you do plan on visiting Spring Training, try checking out the minor league side as well. We are right across the parking lot from Hammond Stadium. If you see me, come say hello. I love interacting with everyone and would love to chat with you. I can even introduce you to some of the bigger names at minor league camp. This is just a quick look into what’s going on here in Fort Myers. I hope it gives people a little bit of light at the end of the tunnel that is a Minnesota winter. Get ready for baseball season because it’s coming soon! Follow me on Twitter @APettersen1

Sorry it has taken me a few days to get to this post. We just got internet at our new place, so I had been unable to get online. Day 3 started early in the morning. We got up and hit the road at 4am Eastern Time, which felt like 3 to us Midwesterners. To avoid Atlanta traffic we had to be through the city before 6:30 came. We made it to Atlanta around 6 and drove through an amazing cityscape for 10 minutes until we got to a southern suburb. Our first stop was to eat, get gas and more caffeine. Coffee was one of our best friends on the trip. A quick cat nap in a hotel parking lot about an hour later and we were on our way. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]Our second stop was more exciting. It was a foggy and rainy day in southern Georgia, but we had to stop in Ashburn to see the World’s Largest Peanut. It sat just off the freeway, but had a long driveway so that visitors could check it out. After Ashburn we pressed on towards Gainesville, but it was still raining when we got there, so we got gas and food and decided to head for our final destination. Four hours later, I rolled down my windows, put on some sunglasses and took the last exit towards our new home. We arrived around 5 at night, exhausted and ready for some sleep. We found a few things we had to take care of immediately (notably a beeping smoke detector) and called it an early night. We have spent the last few days unpacking and getting the necessary items to make the home feel more like ours. I will be heading to the complex for rehab and a workout on Monday morning. It will be nice to get back at it outside and see some familiar faces. I hope everyone is staying warm and wearing purple and gold tonight! Follow me on Twitter @apettersen1

6:15 alarm clock. Pack up. Starbucks stop for caffeine. Hop on I-39 towards Normal, IL. No one above average allowed. Pass through Paw Paw, IL. Home to as many animals as humans. New pup, Willa, hops in the car in LaSalle. Time to take my singing talents to an audience. Go with a Taylor Swift crowd-pleaser. Willa whimpers. Then falls asleep. Alarming number of passengers playing IPads. Apple commercials everywhere. Farm. Oversized semi. Passed by an Illinois driver. Repeat.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Take a bite out of a big cheesy noodle in Champaign, IL. Drive over Kickapoo Creek. Stop for Subs in Salem. Southern accents starting to come out. Miniature Washington Monument in Mount Vernon. Willa unsuccessfully tries to bite a hole in her crate. Stop in Metropolis to see Superman. Superman themed gas station. Large statue. Catch the bottom of the state. Enter Kentucky. Drive by a few houses on wheels. Exit Kentucky. Welcome to Tennessee. Stop to Volunteer. Get to Nashville. Turn up the country music. Hit traffic. Titans’ stadium looks amazing. Squiggly road. Drive down a mountain. Enter Georgia. Exit Georgia-huh? Been through each CD 4 times. Arrive at hotel in Chattanooga. Southern accents in full force. Time for food and sleep. Final day of travel tomorrow. Follow it @apettersen1.

Cars are packed. Directions printed. Snacks ready. CD on blast. 1719 miles to Estero, FL. After a lot of time spent preparing for our trip, my wife and I began this afternoon and will arrive at our final destination by Thursday night. My wife begins her new job in Naples on the 7th and I will start to workout at the Twins complex on the same day. Today we drove from the Twin Cities to Beloit where we are staying with my host family from the season, the Hatchs. They are some of the nicest people I have ever met and we were excited to stop at their home.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Within 30 minutes we had exited Minnesota. The drive was fairly uneventful as we only stopped once to get gas. The ironic image of the day was the water tower in DeForest, WI. It appears to be protesting the large trees behind it. As they did throughout the entire season, the Hatchs cooked a big dinner for my wife and I. We had prime rib and cheesy potatoes, quite the meal after a day of driving. Tomorrow we will drive through the entire state of Illinois, part of Kentucky and through Tennessee until we get to Chattanooga, where we will stay the night. We plan to check out a miniature Washington Monument and Superman’s hometown, among other things. I will be tweeting pictures of some of our stops (@apettersen1) and will blog the happenings when we get to our hotel. Hope everyone had a good New Year's Day!

The “typical” day in the offseason is quite a bit different from those during the season. I put typical in quotations because not many days are the same for me. My wife and I spend most of our time in Rochester, MN, where she is a nurse at St. Marys Hospital. Today she worked from 7:00-7:30pm, here’s how my day went… At 5:40, Emily (my wife) wakes up to get ready for work, I grunt, roll over and fall back to sleep until a little after 6:00. Twenty minutes later, I give Emily a ride to the hospital. On the way home I stop in at Best Buy to grab a cord we were missing for our surround sound. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] When I get back it’s time for coffee, breakfast and catching up on some TV shows on Netflix. Today I checked out a show called “Undeclared.” I liked it, so I will probably finish watching the 17 episodes…in about a week. After I am sufficiently awake (about 8:15), I head over to the computer to see what writing jobs I have to complete for the day. Today I had some freelance blog work for two different sites and editing to do on other articles. I take frequent breaks to do tasks around the apartment-cleaning, making the bed, doing dishes, etc. I am a utility guy year-round. Then it is time to head out for my rehab appointment. I have been dealing with a wrist injury for some time and I recently started rehab to resolve the issue. I meet with the therapist, Marge, at 11:20. After rehab, I am off to workout. Today’s exercises include plyometrics, a full body lift, prehab and stretching. On the way home, I stop at Target to get some chicken for dinner and special pens for wedding ‘Thank Yous.’ I always wonder what they think when I buy two completely unrelated items. I return home around 3:30 and get back on the keyboard. Feeling rather productive, I get through a few more blogs and articles, and then start dinner. I am getting better at timing the food, but still stink at it. I try to finish cooking dinner around 7:15, but usually end up somewhere within 20 minutes on either side of that target. After putting the chicken in the oven, it’s time for mental training. This consists of something different every day. Today I am doing some meditation and visualization. I leave to pick up Emily around 7:20 and we eat dinner when we get back. Honey mustard curry BBQ chicken and brown rice is on the docket. I try to switch it up most nights. After dinner, Emily and I usually sit on the couch to watch one of our Netflix shows. The show we love to hate right now is 90210. The acting is awful and the story line is average, but it gives us an excuse to not pay attention. We end up chatting and tuning into the episode here and there. About 9:15 we get ready to go to sleep. I turn on the humidifier, secretly open the window so Emily doesn’t know and jump into bed. This concludes what the most typical day looks like for me. Each one of my teammates and friends who play ball has a different schedule in the offseason. We all spend time preparing ourselves for next year, but how we spend the rest of our day varies. Right now I am writing for this site, Moneyning.com and Baseballamerica.com. Moneyning is great if you are interested in learning more about personal finance, my posts go up every Wednesday. I just wrote my first article for Baseball America and it should be on the site sometime soon. Follow me on Twitter @apettersen1!

The season ended last week. It wasn’t the way we all wanted it to finish, but overall it was successful. We won consistently throughout the year and gave ourselves an opportunity to advance in the playoffs. I hope everyone enjoyed following the Snappers in 2012. Thanks to everyone who cheered us on through this site, at games and through other avenues. It is really cool how much support we get in the minor leagues. I had a great time playing the game I love for nearly six months straight and meeting a number of amazing people. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]When the season ends we all say our goodbyes in clubhouse and head out the next day. For some of us it is a short drive home, for others it may take days on a plane to arrive at a final destination. I went to spring training with two duffel bags and returned home with at least three times that much stuff. Weird how that happens. I picked up a few bats from guys who couldn’t fly them home-can never have enough lumber. And so the offseason began... I drove directly to Arden Hills to say hi at my fiancée (Emily)’s bridal shower, the wedding is coming up! I got to catch the Vikings first game, glad they squeaked it out. On Sunday night, Emily and I headed back to Rochester, MN and the daily routine began. I typically drive Emily to work in the mornings around 6:30, quite a change from waking up around 10 everyday for a 7 o’clock game. Most of the day in the offseason is spent working out, writing/looking for more writing jobs, cleaning, getting groceries and cooking. I am also a Volunteer Assistant Coach for the baseball team at Rochester Community and Technical College. I try to make the days as productive as possible. I will start working out in the gym next week. I am trying to gain some muscle and weight this offseason. Continuing my routine of running, stretching and prehab from last offseason will hopefully prepare my body for another full season next year. Everything in the offseason follows a progression. Swinging gets a rest for a while and returns with dry swings, tee work, short toss and then full bp. Throwing takes a long break and a set program begins in January. The same is true for defensive work and workouts in the gym. Most activity ramps up and hits full stride just in time for Spring Training. Thanks again to everyone who followed along this season. I will continue to tweet about my adventures this fall and winter. Follow me-@apettersen1.