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Minnesota Twins Around the Bases: First Spring Training Game

By Brian Mozey

Sep 15, 2015; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Phil Hughes (45) delivers a pitch in the first inning against the Detroit Tigers at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 15, 2015; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Phil Hughes (45) delivers a pitch in the first inning against the Detroit Tigers at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports /
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Puckett’s Pond goes Around the Bases with the 4 biggest takeaways from the Minnesota Twins first spring game

The flowers were blooming and in color and the warm sun was shining in the sky today in the state of Florida for the Minnesota Twins first spring training game. If you were in Minnesota, it was rather cold with clouds and wind, but that warm weather will be coming soon.

The Minnesota Twins took home their first win at the Boston Red Sox to start off their spring training schedule with a final score of 7-4. Let’s go around the bases and highlight some key performances for key Twins players to earn the win.

Single:

Miguel Sano is coming into this season with high expectations after his extraordinary rookie season in 2015. Sano reached base twice, but from walks. Sano has been known to crush the ball over the fence or to the outfield wall, but it’s nice to see him taking pitches and drawing some walks early in the season. This plate vision will help him become a bigger threat in the batter’s box throughout the 2016 season.

Double:

Eduardo Nunez has an opportunity to win the shortstop role for the 2016 season if he can earn it during spring training. His performance against Boston showed he could be ready for a primary role on the team. Nunez went 2 for 3 in the game, but left two people on base in one of his at-bats. 

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Byron Buxton also had a good day, especially being the first game of spring training. Buxton went 1 for 3 with two strikeouts, but also had one RBI on the day. If Buxton can get on base as a leadoff hitter, we’ve seen what his speed and base running ability can do for the Twins.

Triple:

Phil Hughes started the game and had two solid innings for his first spring training game. A stat line of one hit, zero earned runs and zero walks in two innings gave confidence for Trevor May who came in during the third and fourth innings.

May also pitched two innings and had a similar statistics line as Hughes. His line consisted of two hits, zero earned runs, zero walks and one strikeout over the two innings. There’s always first game jitters for any person and it’s good to see Hughes and May start off the season where they left off last September.

Home Run:

It’s fitting that Jorge Polanco gets the home run spot today because he had a home run in the game. The future shortstop for the Twins started off his spring training 2 for 3 with a two-run home run and a double.

Polanco played in the MLB for four games last season and hopes he can become the future shortstop for the Minnesota Twins. With statistics like that on a consistent basis, he’ll be there sooner rather than later.

Next: How to Enjoy the 2016 Season

The Minnesota Twins will take on the Boston Red Sox again on Thursday night, but at home in Fort Myers, Florida. The Twins will have Tyler Duffey as their starting pitcher, while the Red Sox have Rick Porcello on the mound.

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