As we lift the curtain on spring training in Fort Myers, the Minnesota Twins have a great mix of veterans and young guys reporting to camp. There are guys trying for one last shot (Carlos Quentin), those out of options (Oswaldo Arcia), and those looking to catch lightning in a bottle and give the coaches no choice butto bring them back with the big club in April (Joe Benson, James Beresford).
There is also that phrase that’s becoming a dirty word to impatient baseball fans, “service time.” Up and coming teams like the Twins (and the Cubs last year) want to have control for as long as possible over their young talent in negotiations, usually pushing back the arrival of the “Next Big Thing” to May or June.