At the beginning of baseball’s spring training, I was still recovering from last year’s dismal showing of the Minnesota Twins. I didn’t hold out much hope for our boys of summer, not after last year’s 99 losses, second worst in the Major Leagues. I hoped for a year with an equal number of wins and losses. That seemed to be the most a loyal fan could hope for.

Spring training has done it to me again. Perhaps a new phenom will come along like a second Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle or Bob Feller. In the heady days of Spring Training with its warm balmy breezes and blue sky, anything is possible. I remember when I was a teenager reading the Minneapolis Evening Star about the upcoming Major League season. There was a report about the New York Giants’ Spring Training. I was a fan of the Minneapolis Millers and the Giants were their parent ball club, so I did have some interest in the Giants, although my true favorite was the Philadelphia Phillies.

There was a new phenom in the Giants’ camp; A young man, name of Clint Hartung, 6-5 and 230 pounds. He could do it all, pitching or hitting. It didn’t make any difference. He was known as the Hondo Hurricane or Floppy. The floppy part may have been because of his ears. 

One sportswriter wrote that he might as well be put in the Hall of Fame and not bother about actually playing baseball. No one could live up to that hype. And Hartung didn’t, although he played a few years in the Majors. Hartung wound up in the minors and eventually semi-pro ball. He grew to be the symbol of over-hyped Spring Training hopefuls. Hartung died in 2010 at age 87, having lived a good and certainly interesting life.

The other day a player was hyped as the future answer to the Twins’ infield problems. Jamey Carroll, the new shortstop, was just a short-term fix until Brian Dozier was ready to take over the position. We all hope the writer is correct, but we can’t help but remember Clint Hartung.

Spring Training is a time for optimism and perhaps some of us are more optimistic than others. As mentioned in a previous column, I feel the Twins have a chance to contend. Conventional wisdom states that the Twins’ outcome depends on two players: Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau. 

I believe Joe Mauer will recover and play good baseball. Mauer is not much of a talker, but he has character and will try his utmost to come back from what can charitably be described as a mediocre year. If he stays healthy, I think Mauer will hit .330, drive in 90 runs and catch 120 games. 

I’m not so confident about Morneau. A person hopes he fully recovers from his concussion and other injuries. But, the jury is still out on that and there will always be concerns about recurring concussions. We are behind Morneau and wish him nothing but the best, however if Justin does have to leave the Twins, remember that Morneau came out of the lineup in 2010 after having a wonderful first half of the season. The Twins were able to make up for his absence and won the division.

I don’t believe the Twins chances hinge on the M and M boys, but rather on two other Twins. If Liriano and Baker reach their potential, the Twins will be tough, for the rest of the pitching staff is reliable if not dominating. Liriano and Baker have the capability of showing the way for the Twins.