Mauer among eager Twins to arrive early

[Marty]

Mauer among eager Twins to arrive early

News-Press 10:26 PM, Feb. 13, 2012

Minnesota Twins catcher Joe Mauer, a three-time batting champion, worked out at the Lee County Sports Complex late Monday morning along with a few of his teammates.

Minnesota Twins catcher Joe Mauer stood at home plate at the Lee County Sports Complex late Monday morning, high-fiving with both hands a succession of teammates.

They had just finished two rounds of batting practice and a set of conditioning drills around the basepaths, in which Mauer appeared to have no problem sprinting.

The Minnesota Twins pitchers and catchers are scheduled to report Saturday, but a number of them already were in town for early workouts on their own.

“I feel good,” said Mauer, a part-time Fort Myers resident who has been in town for most of the past three weeks. “It feels good to get back out here again.”

Mauer had a litany of leg injuries and ailments leading into and throughout the 2011season.

He finished with career-worst statistics: a .287 batting average, three home runs and 30 RBI in 85 games. He previously had won three American League batting titles and the 2009 AL Most Valuable Player Award.

“It’s like night and day compared to last year at this time,” Mauer said. “It was rough year for me last year. I was trying to get healthy. Now I’m here, and I feel good.”

Entering the second year of an eight-year, $184 million contract did not necessarily put pressure on Mauer to perform, he said.

“I have always set my goals pretty high,” Mauer said. “I have pretty high standards. My standards are a lot higher than anybody else’s I think. It’s just about staying healthy and staying on the field. If I can do that, I think things will take care of themselves.”

Mauer clarified rumors he had regained 30 pounds in the offseason.

“I heard that, too, and I couldn’t believe it,” the 6-foot-5 Mauer said. “It’s just how rumors start. There were a lot of things out there last year that weren’t true. I’m about 220, 225. I need to add a little more weight before we start.”

Mauer hit in a four-man group that also included minor league infielders Ray Chang and Aaron Bates and outfielder Matt Carson, who crushed one ball over the fence. It rolled across Plantation Road and onto South Fort Myers High School property. Carson spent the past two seasons with the Oakland A’s. Chang and Bates played at the Triple-A level for the Twins last season.

Tsuyoshi Nishioka, a Japanese middle infielder entering his second big-league season, also worked out. He said traveling from Japan made it essential to report a week early in order to adjust to the time difference.

“I want to be more aggressive,” Nishioka said through a translater. Adjusting to his first experience in the majors took its toll, along with a variety of injuries. “Not knowing right from left, it was strange playing the sport of baseball. It’s difficult when you think about it. Driving a car, you drive on opposite sides of the road. Outside the ballpark, there were lifestyle adjustments, too. That made it pretty difficult.”

A 15-minute drive east on Daniels Parkway at the new JetBlue Park at Fenway South complex, the Boston Red Sox players were arriving early as well. The Red Sox pitchers and catchers report Sunday. Manager Bobby Valentine made his first appearance at Fenway South on Monday, as did first baseman Adrian Gonzalez. Pitchers Jon Lester and Daisuke Matsuzaka already have been in town working out.

Nishioka noted that he played for Valentine for four seasons in Japan and that he looked forward to seeing him again.

“He liked to catch teams off guard,” Nishioka said of Valentine’s style. “Sometimes, when the bases were loaded, he would call for a squeeze play. It was really enjoyable to play for him. When I was 20 years old, he was the first manager to make me a starter and put me in the lineup.”

 

 

Marty Hinrichs

mntwins...@yahoo.com