FORT MYERS, Fla. — Lots of laughter coming from the east end of the Twins' clubhouse this morning, which is a sure sign: Kennys Vargas has arrived.
The third-year first baseman made his first appearance of the spring, fresh off a confidence-building winter-league performance. Vargas was named MVP of the Puerto Rican winter league, having smashed a league-leading seven home runs and batting .308 for Mayaguez. He also was added to his homeland's team for the Caribbean World Series, but slumped at a bad time, going 2-for-22 (.091) as Puerto Rico went 2-3 in the tournament, won by Mexico.
Still, with nearly 40 games this winter, Vargas is understandably already in baseball shape — and in fact, may be in better shape than he's been in a few years. The 25-year-old Vargas said he lost 14 pounds since last season, and he's ready to take on the uphill battle for a roster spot.
That won't be easy, especially with the addition of Byung Ho Park this winter, but Vargas' mood displayed no worries about that; he had his fellow Spanish-speaking teammates laughing, as usual. Vargas is hoping to win a bench spot, which is possible if he can recapture the form that helped him hit nine home runs in just 53 games with the Twins in 2014.
The Twins' workouts are being delayed by about an hour this morning, as the team meets with representatives of the players union. In addition, the coaching staff is scheduled to meet with Joe Torre and former umpire Charlie Reliford about the new rule changes being implemented this season. Then the pitching staff will focus on defensive drills and fundamentals. The position players can take batting practice, but their first full workout comes tomorrow.
