Redmond excited to meet former team in Minnesota

CINCINNATI -- The Marlins are headed to Minnesota for a two-game series with the Twins on Monday and Tuesday. It marks the first time that manager Mike Redmond will face his former team as a big league manager.

"I'm excited," Redmond said. "I'm excited to go back."

Redmond played for Minnesota from 2005-09. His best season with the Twins was in '06, when he hit .341 (61-for-179) in 47 games.

"The team's changed a lot," Redmond said. "There's only a couple of guys -- just Joe [Mauer] and Justin [Morneau] are really the only two guys that are left there from when I played -- but it's always good to see Gardy [Twins manager Ron Gardenhire] and the coaching staff."

Redmond played at Target Field in 2010 as a member of the Cleveland Indians and even legged out an infield single -- impressive given that he had one steal in his 13-year career.

"Despite what everybody says about my speed late in my career, I was still able to get an infield single," Redmond joked.

Redmond said that he likes Target Field a great deal.

"It's beautiful; it's a great ballpark," he said. "They did a great job designing it. I know guys complain about not being able to hit home runs out of there, but it's a great park and a testament to the fans. They wanted outdoor baseball, and they got it. We'll see how enjoyable that is on Monday and Tuesday."

Temperatures are expected to dip into the low-30s. Nevertheless, Redmond is excited to return.

"I had a great experience there as a player," he said. "Fans there were tremendous, and they appreciated me for my style [of play], what I brought to that team. It'll be fun to go back."