Alexander Shun | @alexpshun
Digital Content Manager | KFAN.com
The Minnesota Twins are officially back to work as they held their first official workout with pitchers and catchers on Wednesday afternoon.
Spring Training has unofficially kicked off but the full team will not report and work out until this weekend before Minnesota plays their first Spring Training game against the Tampa Bay Rays on February 24.
Minnesota will look to build on a 2016 season in which they lost 103 games and finished with the worst record in the MLB and more than 90 losses for the third time in four seasons.
The biggest question for the Twins entering Spring Training will be their pitching, particularly their starting rotation.
After a 2016 season in which their starting rotation dealt with struggles, injuries and a great deal of shuffling, the Twins will look to find some consistency this season.
Ervin Santana and Phil Hughes return as the veterans of the staff to presumably battle for the top starting spot, though based off last season's performance, the nod will likely go to Santana. Kyle Gibson will look to bounce back from an inconsistent 2016 and once again take his place in the top-half of the starting rotation. Lastly, Jose Berrios will look to develop and learn from his rookie starts last year and become the formidable and top-notch starter that the Twins believe he can be. And then, of course, they have to settle the battle for the team's fifth-starter, but that is the case every year for Minnesota.
The bullpen was wildly inconsistent last year and with the injury to Closer Glen Perkins, there is more uncertainty on the back-end than ever.
While the questions - and for many Twins fans, pessimism - will remain until the start of the season, there is a sense of positivity and optimism in the air for all baseball teams and their fans, and that includes the very young and, despite what many may think, very exciting Minnesota Twins.