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In the fifth inning of last Wednesday's WBC tuneup exhibition, Team USA's Adam Jones got a hold of one from Ryan Vogelsong, sending a drive to the deepest part of center field in Hammond Stadium. Twins center fielder Byron Buxton raced back at full speed and leaped into the air, corralling the ball before crashing into the wall and landing with a thud. Applause erupted throughout the stadium, but Minnesota's new top baseball executive, recognizing that Buxton is perhaps the single most important asset he's inherited with his new organization, had a different reaction. "Everyone in the stands is clapping, and my reaction up in my seats is I’m holding my breath for about 10 seconds," Derek Falvey told me. Paul Molitor said much the same postgame.The CBO and skipper exhaled as the young outfielder sprung up and lobbed the ball back into the infield, but it was a play that highlights both Buxton's dynamic capabilities and his nerve-racking tendency to put his body in harm's way. Buxton has no plans to change. His credo is akin Popeye's: I yam what I yam. Unlike the cartoon sailor man, though, Buxton can't gain invincibility by chugging down a can of spinach. We've seen this reality play out more than once. ~~~ Buxton is a rare breed. That statement obviously applies to his freakish athleticism and uncommon aptitude for the game, but also to his demeanor. In the clubhouse, the outfielder can usually be found sitting quietly at his locker, occupying himself but remaining approachable. He speaks softly and politely, frequently deflecting praise onto others. Most strikingly, the prep superstar who went on to become a No. 2 overall draft pick before developing into the consensus top prospect in the game and centerpiece for a franchise, exhibits almost no trace of an ego. Maybe it's because he's still young, or because he hasn't yet turned the corner in the majors. But this genuinely seems to be his nature. That reserved disposition certainly doesn't manifest on the baseball field. Buxton is a ferocious force in all aspects: barreling around the base paths, careening through the expanses of center field, swinging the bat like he's trying to fell a tree with one hack. Asked about his approach this spring, Buxton said he's keeping it simple, which proved effective for him last year when he came back in September from a second minor league demotion and blasted nine home runs. "I can’t worry about where my foot’s landing, where my hands are. I just go up there and see the ball, hit the ball. As long as I’m comfortable, that’s all that matters to me. And that’s what I’m gonna stick with." "Just coming up there and being aggressive," he added, "ready to attack the baseball." Two days after I chatted him with him at his locker, Buxton led off a game against Baltimore by turning on a 93 MPH heater from Dylan Bundy and crushing it far over the wall in left-center. He later added a double. Afterwards, bench coach Joe Vavra used a familiar word to describe what he was observing: "He continues to be in attack mode." Yes, the unassuming kid from Georgia, whose tentativeness at the plate was a constant frustration while he struck out at a ludicrous 35 percent rate in his first two MLB seasons, is on the attack. That's true both at the plate and in the field. But of course, going on attack tends to mean leaving oneself vulnerable. The Twins are rightfully doing nothing to discourage Buxton's all-out mentality – "It’s hard to take away a guy’s aggressiveness, and I don’t think you ever want to," said Falvey – but the new regime is certainly aware of Buxton's history. ~~~ In June of 2015, a 21-year-old Buxton became the third-youngest player to ever debut in a Twins uniform. This was made all the more impressive by the fact that nearly his entire 2014 campaign had been wiped out by injuries. A trying season opened with a left wrist sprain suffered on a diving attempt in the outfield during spring training. He missed the first month, and then in his fifth game back, reaggravated the injury diving into third base. That cost him another two months. He returned to the field in July, received a promotion to Double-A after 30 games, and then in his first game with New Britain he collided violently with fellow outfielder Mike Kvasnicka at full speed, an extremely frightening incident that left the top prospect unconscious on the field for 10 minutes before he was carted out in an ambulance. Buxton was fortunate to come away with only a concussion, but his season was over. He did make it back for the Arizona Fall League, which was once again cut short, this time by a dislocated finger suffered while – you guessed it – diving for a ball in the outfield. The next summer, in his 10th game with Minnesota following a big-league promotion, Buxton sprained his thumb while sliding on a stolen base attempt. Undoubtedly frustrated after all he'd been through, he tried to push through, but struck out four times against Chris Sale the next afternoon and was placed on the disabled list. He wound up sidelined for another two months. All of this missed time during the crux of his development is probably an underrated contributor to the young outfielder's troubles finding his way at the plate. But now, he has finally been able to put together a sustained run of health. He played 141 total games last year and has reported no issues this spring. Still, the threat lurks, leading to justifiable anxiety amongst the team's brass each time he goes into the wall. But it's who he is. "I can’t really be worrying about getting hurt out here," Buxton said. "I'm focused on being myself between those lines instead of trying to be somebody I'm not." The Twins aren't asking him to be anyone else. But they are cognizant of the inherent risks presented by his style of play, and so it's important to have contingencies in place in case of emergency. ~~~ A desire to build quality depth behind Buxton may have played into the team's decision to sign Drew Stubbs to a minor-league contract during the offseason. Different people pointed to different attributes when discussing what the veteran outfielder brings to the table. Falvey, whose Indians rostered Stubbs in 2013, pointed to character and clubhouse impact. Molitor was interested in the potential for his right-handed bat on the bench with lefty swingers starting in both corner spots. But the 32-year-old recognizes a big part of his own appeal. "I’m a natural center fielder," Stubbs said, "and those are kind of hard to come by when you’re looking for a guy who can fill in." Of course, Eddie Rosario and Max Kepler can fill the spot in a pinch, but shouldn't be there for prolonged periods. Danny Santana was the primary backup last year but may not make the roster as his mistakes continue to pile up. Zack Granite is in big-league camp for the first time this year and has certainly been drawing some attention, including from the manager. On Saturday, Granite made a play in the center that was positively Buxton-esque, sprinting about 100 feet to the warning track in right-center to snag a ball that looked uncatchable coming off the bat. "He went a long way for that ball," Molitor said after the game with a hint of wonderment. Granite was the organization's Minor League Player of the Year in 2016 and clearly the team likes him. Eventually he could be an almost ideal backup for Buxton. But for now, the 24-year-old hasn't played above Double-A and needs everyday at-bats, so he'll get more time in the minors. In the present, Stubbs looks to be the front-runner to join Robbie Grossman in the outfield reserves and to serve as a backup if things should go amiss with Buxton. Of course, we're all hoping that the Buck never stops. But if they can install solid depth behind him, the Twins can breathe a little easier while Buxton stays in attack mode. Click here to view the article

In preparation for its World Baseball Classic tournament play, which officially kicks off tomorrow against Team USA, Colombia came to Hammond Stadium for an exhibition against the Twins. Ervin Santana took his perfect spring record (2-0, 0.00 ERA) to the hill for Minnesota. How did he fare?* In the context of his previous work, Santana’s final line – 4 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 3 K, 1 BB – looks awful! But he was satisfied with his outing, which set the stage for a 10-7 Twins victory, and for good reason. Obviously, the results didn’t matter. And while Santana gave up a few hard hits, he threw strikes, got grounders and worked efficiently. The righty made it through four frames while needing a dozen fewer pitches than his allotment of 65. The loudest knock of the day was an opposite field blast to right by Phillies catcher Jorge Alfaro in the fourth inning. Though the homer came on an 0-2 count, Santana didn’t regret his offering. “That was the right pitch, fastball away,” he said. "He got a good swing on it." * Drew Stubbs, who signed a minor-league deal during the offseason, got the start and batted leadoff as he makes his case for a bench spot. Stubbs hasn’t hit much in the past couple of seasons, which is why he couldn’t land a guaranteed contract, but he recognizes his appeal to a team like Minnesota. "I’m a natural center fielder and those are kind of hard to come by when you’re looking for a guy who can fill in,” the 32-year-old said. As I wrote last month when discussing some camp sleepers for the Twins, he veteran’s defensive play this month will likely prove more critical than anything he does with the bat. He didn’t get any real chances to flash the leather in center today but I suspect he’ll get plenty more opportunities to show what he can do out there this month. Paul Molitor said he wants to see more of what Stubbs can do against left-handed pitching, and plans to get him some more exposure over the next couple of days with southpaws on the probable docket. * Another day, another Danny Santana gaffe. After committing several blunders at shortstop on Wednesday night, Santana got the start in left. In the third inning, after reaching on a fielder’s choice, he left early on a steal attempt with one out and got picked off. On the very next pitch, Brian Dozier smashed a double off the wall in left center that would have likely scored Santana from first. Instead, Miguel Sano followed the Dozier double with a strikeout and the Twins came away empty-handed in the inning. It was another base running flub from a player who went just 12-for-21 on steals last year despite his speed. To his credit, Santana did deliver an RBI infield single a few innings later that put the Twins on the board. * Two contenders for the backup catcher job appeared in today’s game, with Chris Gimenez starting behind the plate before being replaced by Mitch Garver in the sixth inning. Gimenez went 1-for-2 with a single while Garver finished 0-for-1 with a walk and an RBI groundout. It was a somewhat rare chance this spring for Garver, who ranks as our 11th-best Twins prospect. When chatting before the game, he didn’t make it sound like he’d be too crushed if he loses out to more experienced options like Gimenez or John Ryan Murphy, and in fact seemed almost resigned to it. "If they want me to help the team and be a backup that’d be awesome,” he said. “If I’ve gotta be in Triple-A for the year that’s fine with me. I just want to improve my game and be ready when I get there." * Sano struck out in two of his three plate appearances and walked in the other. He’s now batting .167 this spring with 10 strikeouts in 18 at-bats. The base on balls was his first in Grapefruit League play, so clearly the slugger hasn’t brought a very good approach the plate thus far. Is Molitor concerned? Not too much, yet. “It’s funny, when it’s the start of the season or whatever else, and things don’t go well, it kind of jumps out at you … We’ll keep him in a regular rotation and hopefully start seeing better results.” Molitor’s point about small samples, good or bad, sticking out more when they are the only sample is a fair one. But Sano’s 36 percent K-rate last year was three points higher than the qualified leader (Chris Davis) and in fact he would’ve set the all-time record for if he made seven more plate appearances to reach the 502 threshold. So, it’s a little tough not to be distraught by the early contact issues from a player the Twins desperately need to start moving in the other direction. * One player who has caught Molitor’s eye: Benji Gonzalez, a non-roster invite who most recently played in the Mariners organization. The versatile infielder made the most of his four innings after taking over at the hot corner in the sixth. He walked and scored in his first at-bat, singled in the go-ahead run on a hit-and-run in his second, and then launched a towering oppo bomb in his third. Later, his nifty backhand pick and throw on a tough grounder down the third base line mercifully ended a ninth frame that had dragged on with Michael Tonkin and Ryan O’Rourke laboring. “He’s done really well,” the manager said. “We’ve had a chance to have some different people in camp here in that kind of role and – not that these other guys haven’t done some things – but he’s been a pleasant surprise." Click here to view the article

Every year at least one player ends up making the Minnesota Twins 25-man roster out of spring training that few expected to do so at the outset of camp. Let's examine a few of the top candidates among this year's non-roster invite group to latch on, and what kinds of roles they might play.There are a number of NRIs who stand a good chance of making the team and shouldn't really be viewed as "sleepers" per se. For instance, I would say Chris Gimenez is the favorite to win the backup catcher job, and Craig Breslow probably has better than a 50/50 shot at making the bullpen, provided his experimentations prove fruitful. ByungHo Park is hardly under the radar, especially after his hot start. The four names below are relative long shots, but any could force his way into the picture by making the right impressions over the coming month. Drew Stubbs, OF The 32-year-old brings with him plenty of experience, which is something Paul Molitor and the front office have openly coveted. Stubbs has piled up more than 3,000 plate appearances in the majors, contributing to multiple playoff teams. Even though he batted .195 during brief stints with the Rangers, Thad Levine liked what he saw enough to go get him. As a strikeout-prone power hitter, his offensive profile is a bit redundant. But if the Twins want to add some veteran balance on an offensive unit that projects six regulars 26 and under, carrying Stubbs over Danny Santana might be the best way to do it. Much will depend on how Stubbs looks in the field; a team carrying Robbie Grossman as fourth outfielder can't afford another defensive liability as the fifth. J.B. Shuck, OF Another vet angling to overtake a very vulnerable Santana. Shuck faces longer odds than Stubbs, to be sure, but could gain an edge if he's clearly better with the glove. A low-power contact hitter in the Piranha mold, he hasn't produced in the big leagues but had a .380 OBP in the minors. Shuck has all the traits of a solid final bench guy, and would complement the slow-footed Grossman well in the outfield reserves. Ben Paulsen, 1B During his first two seasons in Colorado, Paulsen batted .284 with an .809 OPS. Good production, and the type that Minnesota would love to get at the DH spot. Unfortunately, it was a small sample (420 PA) buoyed by hitter-friendly Coors Field and tainted by poor plate discipline. Last year, the bottom fell out and Paulsen spent much of the summer in Triple-A. This spring he would need to significantly outshine both Park and Kennys Vargas, as he undoubtedly enters camp trailing both. Swinging from the same side as starting first baseman Joe Mauer also works against him. Still, Paulsen does have some things working for him: he's still fairly young (29) but has logged more MLB time – with better overall numbers – than either Vargas or Park. The message coming into this camp has been clear: nothing is being handed to anyone. Therein lies Paulsen's advantage. Ryan Vogelsong, RHP There are some people in the know who tell me Vogelsong is an odds on favorite to make the roster as long as he holds his own this spring. I'm not sure I really understand that, but his appeal is apparent enough. The righty has been around the block, with nearly 300 appearances in the majors since debuting all the way back in 2000. Vogelsong experienced a late-career renaissance, making his first All-Star team at age 33 and then following with another quality season. But he hasn't been good in four years and is about to turn 40, with almost every measurable trending the wrong way. It sounds like the Twins value the veteran for more than simply his production. Commending Vogelsong's leadership, assistant GM Rob Antony said shortly after the signing: "I think he communicates well with the younger pitchers and tries to help them. From all accounts, he’s got really, really good makeup.” A later quote from Antony seems to tell the story: “He could give some of our younger guys more time to develop if they’re not ready.” Click here to view the article