August 28, 2012; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates pinch hitter Jeff Clement (19) singles against the St. Louis Cardinals during the seventh inning at PNC Park. The Pittsburgh Pirates won 9-0. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

But for every Joel Zumaya who comes and goes without getting back to The Show with the Twins, there’s a Jared Burton who breaks camp with the big league club and reinvents himself as a quality contributor. Actually, it’s probably more like one Burton for every five Zumayas.

The Twins have invited 26 non-roster players to spring training at this point, but that number could change in the next week or so if Terry Ryan picks up some scraps between now and the start of camp. Seven of those players signed on as minor league free agents from other organizations and will be spending their first spring in a Twins uniform.

In theory, at least, these guys will have a chance to compete for a spot on the big-league club. The Twins, however, tend to prefer to promote players from within the organization. These guys will, with a couple of possible exceptions, be facing an upward battle in Fort Meyers over the coming weeks.

Over the past few weeks, we’ve taken a look at Brandon Boggs, Tim Wood, Bryan Augenstein and Rafael Perez. Today, we’ll take a closer look at Jeff Clement.

The Seattle Mariners drafted him third overall in 2005…and then the knee surgeries started coming. In 2006, 2008 and 2010, Clement had his knees cut open. He continued to hit well in the minors, though, even as he moved to first base and began to DH more and more frequently. He began last season in competition for the Pirates’ starting first base job, got hurt and missed the beginning of the season but made it back to the Majors before the end of the year.

Clement has hit very well in the minors, but outside of a September call up at age 23, that performance hasn’t translated to success in his brief time in the Majors. However, he has great power and decent patience, exactly what you would like to see from a bench bat. Clement will turn 29 this year, so he’s no spring chicken, but if he’s put the injury bug behind him, the Twins might have a low-cost slugger they can keep on the bench, plug in at first base and DH on occasion, and not worry about giving him playing time every day. 

Did you know?

Clement was not only a prodigious home run hitter in high school, he was also an award-winning artist.

Chances of making the Twins out of spring training:

At this point, Clement is an emergency catcher, if that, so his value is limited to his bat. If Ron Gardenhire opts to forgo a third catcher, it’s conceivable that Clement could make the team as a bench bat if he tears it up this spring. What’s more likely is that Clement starts the season in Rochester, continues to hit AAA pitching well, and makes an appearance at some point in the season if injuries or ineptitude strike the Twins.

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Aug 23, 2012; Arlington, TX, USA; Minnesota Twins first baseman Justin Morneau (33) during the game against the Texas Rangers at Rangers Ballpark. The Rangers won 10-6. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

More than half of the Twins positional starters are basically set in stone, but we’ll take a look at the contenders where there is competition; many of the more interesting battles in camp will play out for backup spots as the spring progresses. And while even a strong camp will still mean relegation to the minors for a lot of these guys, they’ll be just an injury away from seeing time with the Twins at some point over the course of the season.

Earlier this week, we ran down the catchers in camp. Today, we’ll look at the options at first base as we move our way around the diamond over the course of Spring Training.

PROJECTED STARTER: Justin Morneau

After injury-plagued campaigns in 2010 and 2011, Morneau returned to a semblance of respectability at the plate last year, finishing the season with a slash line of .267/.333/.440. His overall numbers were boosted by a strong stretch after the All-Star break–following a slow start to the season–and it’s Morneau’s second half numbers that give the Twins and their fans reason to hope for improved production from the former MVP going into 2013.

PROJECTED BACKUPS: Joe Mauer, Chris Parmelee

September 16, 2012; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Twins first baseman Joe Mauer (7) during the game against the Chicago White Sox at Target Field. The White Sox defeated the Twins 9-2. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

We discussed Mauer a couple of days ago with the catchers, and we’ll take a closer look at Parmelee when we get to right field, but both of these players will see time at first base this spring and into the season. As 2012 showed, Mauer is a respectable defensive first baseman, and cutting down his games behind the plate allowed him to stay in the lineup for a career-high 641 plate appearances last year. Morneau is in the last year of his contract and there are a number of high-upside outfielders in the Twins organization on the brink of the Majors, so Parmelee will almost assuredly move from right field back to his natural position of first base as early as the All-Star break.

LONG SHOTS

Chris Colabello is a great human-interest story for the club, signing last year out of independent ball, and raked in both AA New Britain and the Mexican League. At 29, he’s an older prospect with a relatively low ceiling and moderate floor, so he makes sense as a potential bat off the bench this season. Still, while it may not be the sexiest spot on the 25-man roster, solid, reliable, effective and cost-controlled pinch hitters aren’t the easiest thing to find, so it stands to reason that the Twins will look for Colabello to continue his development in AAA this season with an eye on 2014 and beyond. Injuries, trades or a lack of development by stud outfielders in the minors could still give Colabello a shot as a stop-gap starter in the Majors at some point in 2013. Jeff Clement is a converted catcher and former top prospect in the Seattle organization who signed on as a minor-league free agent over the winter.

CONCLUSION

There’s no real competition here, but the Twins will be looking ahead to moving Parmelee to first base full time after Morneau’s situation is resolved. How will it be resolved? If the team can get anything decent for Morneau before the trade deadline, I think he’s gone. If not, I think they let him walk at the end of the season: facing a rebuilding year, moving Morneau for scraps during the season could alienate the fan base and precipitate a PR nightmare. On the flip side, having Colabello in a Twins uniform could be a PR boost for the club, and I fully expect to see him up for a cup of coffee in September, if not sooner.

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