FORT MYERS, Fla. -- The Twins had their first full-squad workout on Monday, and for a player like third baseman Royce Lewis, working with the entire team was like buying a brand new vehicle with the nice car smell that goes with it.
The only negative was that outfielder Emmanuel Rodriguez, Minnesota’s No. 2 prospect in 2024 according to MLB Pipeline, sprained his left ankle last Monday, so he’s going to be about a week or two behind.
“Imaging was negative,” according to a team spokesman.
Rodriguez hurt the ankle while fielding in the outfield. While playing for four Minor League teams in the Twins organization last year, Rodriguez had a slash line of .280/.459/.567 in 47 games.
Before the team went to work, manager Rocco Baldelli had his first team meeting. He didn’t harp on the fact that the Twins were eliminated from postseason play last year after going 9-18 during the month of September. But he expects to see a different team in 2025. Look for them to combine old school baseball with the use of analytics to win more ballgames.
“I hope it makes us a better situational baseball team, and I don't necessarily mean the bunting and hitting and running type of situations,” Baldelli said. “I'm talking about thinking along with the games, knowing when to do one thing and knowing when to do another thing, knowing when to shorten up, and that's going to bring us where we need to be.
“But a lot of this is [mental]. You're going to see it in some of their work on the field. You're going to see it in our schedule … behind the scenes, in meetings and the things that we preach. But ultimately, the goal is to see it in the game.”
Smart baseball isn’t the only thing that is needed for the Twins. They need the big run producers -- Lewis, Byron Buxton and Carlos Correa -- to stay healthy. They missed a combined 156 games last year because of injuries. Lewis, for example, felt he let the team down because he slumped badly during the month of September, going 17-for-94 (.181) with one home run and seven RBIs.
“I think what really happened was the injuries were catching up to me and telling me, ‘I need rest.’” Lewis said. “ … I was just doing what the game was asking me to do and trying to be out there every day, and give myself and our team the best chance to win.”
Baldelli refused to make predictions about his power-hitting trio, but acknowledged they are the key to success.
“I could make a general statement about just how important they are,” the skipper said. “… A lot of our focus, and their focus, is taking care of their bodies. But it comes down to hard work and having a good plan. It's really just two very simple things that become not so simple at times. But these are the guys that are going to carry us a long way. They have the ability to do that. And having them out there, it's as important as anything that we're going to do this year.”