SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Denard Span can recite his lifetime stats as a designated hitter with perfect precision. Your memory is always a little sharper when there’s a story behind it.
It was 2011 and the Minnesota Twins had begun the season 9-17 when Span stood up in a team meeting and addressed the room. Twins manager Ron Gardenhire had planned to give Span the following day off. But Span was so eloquent and inspiring, the manager pleaded, that he had to stick him back into the lineup to carry the flag.
“I was the designated hitter,” Span said.