Rogers 'eager' to see fans as Twins report for Spring Training

Maeda tossing from 30 feet, expected to begin throwing program

March 13th, 2022

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- A week ago, Taylor Rogers didn't think he'd be in camp at this point. According to his baseball superstition, the Twins' representative to the MLB Players Association wasn't even packing or getting ready until things were done.

And, well, things happened pretty quickly from there, culminating in the Twins' full-squad report date on Sunday, when big league workouts took over Hammond Stadium and its adjoining areas for the first time this spring as players underwent their physicals.

All but six players on the 40-man roster -- Jorge Polanco, Miguel Sanó, Josh Donaldson, Joe Ryan, Drew Strotman and the newly acquired Sonny Gray -- reported to camp on schedule. Non-roster invitee Juan Minaya has also not reported.

On Monday, those present will get to work for the first day of full-squad workouts, roughly a month after they would have done so in a normal Spring Training period, but Twins manager Rocco Baldelli hopes that the work his individual players were able to do during the lockout will help his team ramp up for the regular season on close to a normal schedule.

"I'm hoping we're not behind at all, to be honest," Baldelli said. "I know that the limited time on the field and number of games will certainly make it very different. That being said, I don't necessarily know if that puts anyone at a disadvantage."

The Twins' staff spent the time without players getting to know each other as a new group and practicing in-game scenarios using the simulation game "Out of the Park Baseball," as they did last season, and prepared targeted goals for every player on the 40-man roster to give everyone a focus as soon as players arrived to camp.

"I think it's going to be very helpful. It's easy to kind of declare to the player, too," Baldelli explained. "You can actually make a very specific point to a guy, first day in the door, 'This is what we're spending our time on.' I think that's what players like, and I think that's what helps them."

Here's one way camp could look different as a result: The Twins will be looking to get their position players as many live plate appearances as possible -- both during spring games and outside of them. That means most regulars should see consistent action within the first few days once games start on Thursday, and there's also going to be a line of pitchers that will "feel like it's going to be never-ending" throwing on the back fields, Baldelli said.

The way they approach build-up could also change depending on if clubs are given extra spots on their active roster during the month of April, as has been discussed, which could lead teams to consider a temporary six-man rotation or different bullpen usage to alleviate early stress on the arms.

But they'll need to remain flexible until they know for sure -- and for now, it's just exciting for them to have everyone in one place, ready to play baseball.

"I have not seen any fans yet, but definitely eager to do it," Rogers said. "The [newly healed middle] finger’s ready to sign some autographs, that’s for sure."

Maeda tossing but unsure if he'll pitch in '22
It's nice for him that baseball is back, of course, but part of Kenta Maeda's mind was actually hoping that the lockout might lead to the regular season being pushed back a bit deeper into October.

"During the lockout, I was hoping for the season to go further than scheduled, so I had more of a chance to pitch," Maeda explained.

When Maeda underwent Tommy John surgery last September, the Twins had speculated that a possibly abbreviated recovery timeline could lead to his return at some point during the 2022 season. Obviously, more time for him to build up into the fall would give him a better chance of doing that.

So far, so good. After working with a Los Angeles-area physical therapist through the lockout, Maeda began tossing a baseball in early March and is tossing from around 30 feet, he said Sunday. He'll start a program on Monday that will build him up towards throwing longer distances, and he has no hesitation in the process at this point.

Where he ends up by the end of '22 will depend on his physical recovery. Maeda is a realist and knows not to be too upset if it won't lead him all the way back to a big league mound by the end of the season -- but he's still hoping for the chance.

"We're hoping for the Twins [to] go to the postseason and the World Series," Maeda said. "There would be more [chances] for me to pitch."

Twins announce non-roster invitees to camp
The Twins announced a list of 18 non-roster invitees to Major League camp, headlined by a trio of top-30 prospects in shortstop/outfielder Austin Martin (No. 2), Aaron Sabato (No. 15) and Spencer Steer (No. 23).

They're joined by pitchers Danny Coulombe, Devin Smeltzer, Jake Faria, Ian Hamilton, Trevor Megill and Minaya; catchers David Bañuelos and Caleb Hamilton; infielders Tim Beckham, Jermaine Palacios, Daniel Robertson and Curtis Terry; and outfielders Jake Cave, Derek Fisher and Kyle Garlick.

Twins set Spring Training game times
All 19 of the Twins’ games as part of their Grapefruit League schedule will begin at 1:05 p.m. ET, as announced by the club on Sunday. The Twins’ spring schedule kicks off on Thursday against the Red Sox at JetBlue Park, with their home opener set for next Saturday, when they’ll host Boston at Hammond Stadium.

Spring Training single-game tickets go on sale Monday.

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Do-Hyoung Park covers the Twins for MLB.com.