Twins put a wrap on spring training
FORT MYERS, Fla. — Six weeks of spring training have come and gone, and on Tuesday following their final Grapefruit League game, the Twins packed up and left their Southwest Florida home to head north to Baltimore. Camp started back in mid-February with new manager Derek Shelton laying the groundwork, speaking of accountability, coming together as a group and how they would hold themselves accountable as a team.
A month and a half later, players believe they accomplished that this spring. “Shelty did a real good job orchestrating his vision this camp,” first baseman Josh Bell said. “Attention to detail, some of the finer details, playing the game the right way but also having a purpose for each work day.
… Each day has a different plan. ” In the final days of camp, Shelton twice said he was happy with the work the group had gotten done and the attention to detail he had seen over the six weeks. Still, there were things to work on that he hoped to see his group get more consistent with as they moved toward the season, though he declined to get into specifics of what, exactly, they were.
Among the things he liked were the interactive baserunning drills that used live fielders, and the pitcher-fielding-practice schedule that they brought back from the Tom Kelly/Ron Gardenhire/Paul Molitor days at the beginning of camp. The final two weeks of camp, Shelton said, were particularly fundamental heavy. “I think we got a lot of good things done, a lot of good things accomplished,” catcher Ryan Jeffers said.
“A lot of fundamentals were harped on early, but I think there’s a good vibe around this club. I like where we’re at. ” Final cuts The Twins’ roster is nearly sorted.