By Scott Hotard
Naples Daily News

Justin Morneau isn’t asking for special treatment. In fact, he frowns on
it.

That’s why he hasn’t let up a bit since winning the AL MVP Award last
season. He is back at it this spring, approaching the workouts with
familiar zest.

He hasn’t stopped showing up early to hit in the batting cages. He still
does his resistance band exercises every morning.

For him, it’s business as usual.

Morneau wants to help the Minnesota Twins win their fifth AL Central title
in six years. He wants to do his part.

“I try not to think about it too much,” Morneau said of last season, in
which he .321 with 34 homers and 130 RBIs. “Everybody starts back at zero,
so you’ve got to do it again. We’re here to win, and we’re not going to
get any wins for what we did last season.”

This spring, Morneau, 25, has been among the club’s most visible players.
It seems he is always doing an interview at his locker, or signing
autographs outside the clubhouse.

He remains accessible, as if he were still trying to prove himself. He
signs. He talks. He smiles.

Never mind that Morneau was the youngest MVP since Frank Thomas in 1993.
Or that he was the first Twin to win the award since Rod Carew in 1977.

“Justin’s not gonna change,” said shortstop Jason Bartlett, who has a
locker next to Morneau’s. “He’s going to do what got him here. He’s a
superstitious person, too, so he is probably going to try and do the same
things he did last year.”

Minnesota will take it.

There were several reasons for the club’s turnaround last year, one that
led it to another division title. Clearly, Morneau was a big one.

Consider the manner in which their seasons mirrored each other. They both
started with a crawl ... and ended with a sprint to the finish.

On May 31, Morneau was batting .244 with 10 home runs. The Twins were
24-28, 10.5 games behind Detroit in the Central Division standings.

Then came the awakening. As Morneau, a 6-foot-4, 225-pound first baseman,
turned into baseball’s hottest player, the Twins turned into its hottest
team.

“Watching him work and seeing him make adjustments and grow,” said
Minnesota manager Ron Gardenhire, “that’s been a lot of fun. It became a
mission. Once he learned that it takes real hard effort — once he figured
it out for himself — that’s when you saw a player.”

Of course, the Twins have other stars. They have the Cy Young winner
(Johan Santana), the batting champion (Joe Mauer) and a Gold Glove winner
(Torii Hunter). They also have Joe Nathan, who saved 36 games to solidify
his status as a superstar closer.

It was Morneau, however, who caught the baseball world by surprise. The
previous season, the Canadian slugger hit .239 with 22 homers and 79 RBIs.

“He’s got a lot of talent,” said general manager Terry Ryan, “and I think
as he went through last year, he realized things were starting to slip
away. And he regrouped. He established himself as that middle-of-the-order
bat that we’ve been looking for here.”

It was a theme for last year’s club. Of the nine position players who
return to the lineup this season, a number of them are coming off breakout
seasons at the plate.

And with question marks in the starting rotation — Santana is the only
proven commodity — pressure will fall on the offense to pick up where it
left off.

Still, Morneau is going about his business. In fact, he said there are no
individual benchmarks he has set for himself.

He wants to win. He wants to do his part.

The rest is gravy.

“The goal we have is to win games and make the playoffs,” Morneau said.
“If I’m doing well and it helps the team win, that’s all that matters.”

Twins’ spring story lines

FOR STARTERS

Nothing this spring will command as much attention as the arms race. While
the Twins’ bullpen is clearly one of their strengths, the club is
desperate for help in its starting rotation. A talented cast of young guns
is mixed in with a group of veterans looking to put their careers back on
track. After Johan Santana at the top, every spot is up for grabs.

STAR POWER

Fans can see the MVP (Justin Morneau), Cy Young (Santana) and batting
champ (Joe Mauer) in one stop. The Twins also boast Gold Glove winner
Torii Hunter in center field, as well as Joe Nathan, one of the game’s top
closers, in the bullpen.

ONE MORE HUNT

It is a long shot that Hunter will be back in Fort Myers next spring. With
so many young players to secure, the Twins are going to have a hard time
re-signing their star center fielder. For his part, Hunter, who has spent
his entire career in the Minnesota organization, would like to leave a
lasting impression.

ON A ROLE

Several Twins had breakout years at the plate last season, including
Michael Cuddyer, Nick Punto and Jason Bartlett. Those aren’t the biggest
names in the clubhouse, to be sure, but their performance this season will
have a huge impact on Minnesota’s fortunes.

PUZZLE PIECE

A player who has gotten rave reviews in camp is Jason Kubel. After being
sidetracked the last two seasons by knee injuries, the 24-year-old appears
to be back at full strength. When healthy, he is an option for the Twins
in left field or at designated hitter.

2007 Twins

35- Manager Ron Gardenhire (sixth season)

40-Man Roster

Pitchers (21)

30- RHP Scott Baker
78- LHP Ricky Barrett
26- RHP Boof Bonser
28- RHP Jesse Crain
85- RHP Julio DePaula
31- RHP J.D. Durbin
21- RHP Matt Garza
54- RHP Matt Guerrier
47- LHP Francisco Liriano
74- LHP Jose Mijares
36- RHP Joe Nathan
17- RHP Pat Neshek
44- RHP Ramon Ortiz
60- LHP Glen Perkins
37- LHP Dennys Reyes
39- RHP Juan Rincon
57- LHP Johan Santana
52- RHP Carlos Silva
76- LHP Errol Simonitsch
77- LHP Alexander Smit
73- RHP Oswaldo Sosa

Catchers (3)

41- Chris Heintz (R/R)
7- Joe Mauer (L/R)
55- Mike Redmond (R/R)

Infielders (9)

18- Jason Bartlett (R/R)
25- Alexi Cailla (S/R)
1- Luis Castilla (S/R)
27- Jeff Cirillo (R/R)
50- Garrett Jones (L/L)
15- Alejandro Machado (R/R)
33- Justin Morneau (L/R)
8- Nick Punto (S/R)
38- Luis Rodriguez (S/R)

Outfielders (7)

5- Michael Cuddyer (R/R)
20- Lew Ford (R/R)
48- Torii Hunter (R/R)
16- Jason Kubel (L/R)
2- Denard Span (L/L)
12- Jason Tyner (L/L)
24- Rondell White (R/R)

Non-roster invitees (19)

*56- LHP Carmen Cali
51- LHP Randy Choate
79- RHP Tristan Crawford
72- RHP Jeremy Cummings
87- LHP Jason Miller
19- RHP Sidney Ponson
59- RHP Kevin Slowey
49- LHP Mike Benafro
53- RHP Brad Voyles
86- C Jeff Christy
88- C Korey Feiner
89- C Brad King
23- C Matthew LeCroy
84- C Jose Morales
32- INF Ken Harvey
64- INF Gil Velazquez
61- INF Tommy Watkins
58- INF Glenn Williams
11- OF Josh Rabe

* Carmen Cali is a Naples High School graduate

Projected lineup

BATTING ORDER

2B Luis Castillo (.296, 3 HR, 49 RBI)
3B Nick Punto (.290, 1 HR, 45 RBI)
C Joe Mauer (.347, 13 HR, 84 RBI)
RF Michael Cuddyer (.284, 24 HR, 109 RBI)
1B Justin Morneau (.321, 34 HR, 130 RBI)
CF Torii Hunter (.278, 31 HR, 98 RBI)
DH Jason Kubel (.241, 8 HR, 26 RBI)
LF Rondell White (.246, 7 HR, 38 RBI)
SS Jason Bartlett (.309, 2 HR, 32 RBI)

ROTATION

LHP Johan Santana (19-6, 2.77 ERA)
RHP Carlos Silva (11-15, 5.94 ERA)
RHP Sidney Ponson (4-5, 6.25 ERA)
RHP Ramon Ortiz (11-16, 5.56 ERA)
RHP Matt Garza (3-6, 5.76 ERA)

BULLPEN

RHP Jesse Crain (4-5, 3.52 ERA)
RHP Matt Guerrier (1-0, 3.36 ERA)
RHP Joe Nathan (7-0, 1.58 ERA)
RHP Pat Neshek (4-2, 2.19 ERA)
LHP Dennys Reyes (5-0, 0.89 ERA)
RHP Juan Rincon (3-1, 2.91 ERA)

Wednesday, February 28, 2007