The Twins begin the spring training season tonight
against the Boston Red Sox (6:05 p.m., FSN TV). As you
settle into the daily baseball routine, here are nine
innings worth of things to watch:

La Velle E. Neal III
Star Tribune

1 The bullpen Two spots are open. The Twins would like
one of them to belong to a lefthander. Dennys Reyes is
working on mechanics with pitching coach Rick
Anderson. Gabe White is trying to prove he's got
something left. Darrel May is versatile but lacks the
90-92 mph velocity you'd like to see going against
Jason Giambi in the eighth inning. Righthander Willie
Eyre is intriguing. He's coming off a very good year
at Class AAA Rochester and an outstanding season of
winter ball. The Twins claim they'll take two
righthanders if the lefties don't impress, but there's
not much after Eyre in terms of readiness.

2 justin morneau The consensus during camp is that
Morneau is fit and focused, and the Twins can't wait
for the games to begin to see Morneau swing.
Unfortunately, they'll have to wait until after the
World Baseball Classic to see him in a Twins uniform.
They want Morneau to begin to reach his power
potential, and showing up for 7:30 a.m. sessions in
the batting cage -- as he's done this spring -- is a
great start. The addition of Rondell White will allow
Morneau to move down to sixth in the lineup, where it
might be easier for him to regroup. Keep an eye in his
new batting style -- a no-step approach to the pitch.

3 offense Frankly, the Twins have to prove that they
aren't a 688 runs a year team, as they were in 2005.
Even GM Terry Ryan, right, said a playoff team should
score at least 750 in a season. So will the additions
of White, Batista and Luis Castillo be enough? Will
the maturation of Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau and Jason
Bartlett be enough? Will Hunter and Shannon Stewart
bounce back? Will the sum of all these parts equal or
surpass 750? This is where the club has the most to
prove, especially later in camp when games are more
meaningful.

4 the ankle Torii Hunter estimates that his left ankle
is at about 90 percent after surgery to repair a break
last season. He's expected to experience some soreness
for a few more months. He says he will go all out this
spring, but if there's a ball headed for a wall,
Hunter will not play the Spiderman card and climb it.
With a return to the playoffs and possible free agency
looming, there's too much at stake for Hunter to
attack a wall during spring training games.

5 baker vs. liriano Scott Baker is a change of speeds
guy with decent velocity. Francisco Liriano is a
flat-out power guy who is considered one of the top
prospects in the game. The competition for the No. 5
spot in the rotation should be fun to watch because
the Twins will be looking at two pitchers who could be
very good. Baker has a leg up because he spent a
little more time in the majors last season, and he'll
be in camp while Liriano starts for the Dominican
Republic in the World Baseball Classic. But what if
Liriano excels in WBC play and returns to camp full of
confidence? The Twins also consider Boof Bonser, J.D.
Durbin and Dave Gassner to be in the running, but we
all know who the class of the group is.

6 tony batista There's no doubt that this is a gamble.
Batista doesn't have much range at third base and is a
home run-or-strikeout type hitter. And he's returning
to the majors after a year in Japan. Who knows what
the Twins will get out of him. Will they panic if he
has one homer heading into the last week of camp? Will
the Twins, mainly the pitchers, become uneasy when
they see reachable ground balls get by him? Of course,
20 homers and 80 RBI from a No. 7 or No. 8 hitter
isn't that bad.

7 shortstop "There will be competition," Jason
Bartlett said when it was suggested that he had the
shortstop job locked up. And he's right. The Twins
don't feel comfortable just handing the job to the
26-year-old, so Juan Castro and Nick Punto are going
to get good looks. Both can field well, but the Twins
would love to see Bartlett's bat in the lineup every
day.

8 right field This could be one of the intriguing
battles of camp. Michael Cuddyer needs a home or he's
going to be a $1.3 million utility player. Lew Ford
needs a home. Then there's Jason Kubel, who missed all
of last season after tearing three ligaments in his
left knee. He's looked very good in batting practice,
but the Twins want to see how he deals with running
and sliding. Kubel could begin in the minors, but that
could change if he hits liners all over Florida and
looks mended.

9 wbc anxiety Every day for the next couple of weeks,
Ron Gardenhire will guide his team through a spring
training game, go home and cross his fingers. Players
get hurt in spring games, so it's a given that someone
will be injured during a WBC game. If Johan Santana
comes back with even a cold it will be viewed as a
catastrophe. And who knows how the extra work will
affect players in September with pennant races going
on.

Last update: March 01, 2006