MINNEAPOLIS -- Since the Twins have infused advanced analytics into just about every facet of their operations by now, we'll follow suit by throwing another stat out there: During the offseason, the Twins increased their number of players older than their manager by 100 percent.

Nelson Cruz and Rich Hill , both 40 years old, are here primarily to smash pitches into the third deck and twist hitters into knots with curveballs, respectively. They've taken it upon themselves to expand their job descriptions, anyway, by looking out for the success of their young teammates just as much as for themselves.

Back during the Twins' original Spring Training, Jake Odorizzi noted that Hill would make his way out onto the back fields, where Odorizzi threw his simulated games, in order to observe and offer suggestions. It's not like Hill had a ton else to do, anyway, since the veteran left-hander was still rehabbing from his offseason left elbow surgery at that point.

But even now, while building up to an important 2020 season and putting in all that work with his teammates, Hill still puts in the extra hours to lend a helping hand.

"The other day, we were doing live BPs, and Rich wasn't even doing lives [that day], but he was in his street clothes and he was behind home plate in the stands," outfielder Jake Cave said. "I was leaning up against the backstop, actually, hitting against [Cory] Gearrin, maybe [Sean] Poppen or somebody else, and as I was coming back from my at-bats, I would talk to Hill."

For Cave, an outfielder, having the veteran pitcher's perspective on how he might attack hitters proves valuable -- especially since Cave also got to experience some at-bats against Hill firsthand in another live batting practice session.

"He would say, 'He came to you that outside pitch that first time with a little comeback to it. He might try to run it inside next time,'" Cave recounted. "Then, he would say, 'This would be a time where you're the type of guy with that count that I would probably drop down [my arm angle] on,' stuff like that."

And obviously, Hill's influence can also be significant for the plethora of young pitchers in camp -- a group spanning the likes of Randy Dobnak, Lewis Thorpe, Devin Smeltzer and Poppen, who are all competing for more prominent roles on the 2020 roster. Smeltzer said that the analytics show similarities between himself and Hill, so he often takes time to ask questions about pitch calling and strategy. Dobnak had the chance to ask Hill some questions as they played catch.

But even when Hill and fellow veteran Homer Bailey aren't actively seeking out a mentorship role, all of those young pitchers can learn a lot by just watching, too.

"You just kind of talk shop, and hopefully whatever I'm doing, the younger guys are seeing," said Bailey, a 13-year MLB veteran. "If it's helping them, then great. I'm honored, because we have such a good staff here of younger guys and veteran guys. If I'm able to help them a little bit, then that's great."

"It’s just the intensity and the focus that they have as they go about their catch play," pitching coach Wes Johnson said. "It takes time for guys to learn how. A routine. They’re locked into their breathing. They’re going through their pre-pitch routine every pitch in the bullpen. It’s not that the young guys don’t want to do that, but it gets away from them sometimes. It speeds up on them a little bit. That’s something we really -- when we brought [Hill and Bailey] in, we see that and we want [the young pitchers] to watch."

Just as Hill looks out for hitters and pitchers, Cruz also goes out of his way to find ways to help the players in the other clubhouse, too. (For now, anyway. ... Twins hitters and pitchers are using opposite clubhouses throughout Summer Camp.)

Staff ace José Berríos remembered facing Cruz in a live batting practice at-bat early in camp, when the veteran designated hitter stood in the batter's box and simply tracked a few pitches instead of trying to attack them.

"He helped me sometimes when I dropped my arm with the changeup," Berríos said. "He said, 'You dropped a little bit. Be on top of that.' He helped me. We work together. We are a team."

Cruz also remembered that at the end of the at-bat, he remarked to Berríos that the right-hander should have thrown a changeup instead of another fastball since the changeup had good action that day and Cruz would likely have swung through it. Far from being extra work for Cruz, he actually considers these bits of advice an important part of his job to contribute to the overall success of the team -- as the club has seen throughout his year-plus in Minnesota.

Hill has a 3.00 ERA over the past four seasons, with three World Series starts during that time. Cruz hit the most home runs in all of baseball during the past decade. Even so, their impacts on the Twins are -- somehow -- still outsized.

"I mean, I think we have more jobs than to only go up there and hit," Cruz said. "I like to go inside and watch when my teammates are pitching or stay outside and watch their mechanics and watch for tips. Because at the end of the day, they want to help us win, so I want them to be at their best."