Thursday, April 03

Normally we get right to it, but today I’d like to include a personal note if you’ll indulge me.

As I write this, I’m sitting in the press box at Busch Stadium, a place where I’ve covered about 450 games. It’s a strange combination of completely familiar, like a favorite sweatshirt, and oddly new. It’s mostly great, though, and I’m incredibly excited to cover my first Opening Day in 14 years. I’m deeply appreciative of everyone who’s read so far, everyone who’s had kind words, and the opportunity to do this. It’s only one of 162, but you should never take Opening Day for granted.

Correa never worried 

If you’ve been around baseball for any length of time, you know to put next to no stock in Spring Training numbers, good or bad. Competition levels vary widely. Pitchers – and hitters – test out new wrinkles.

And yet, as of just a few days ago, Carlos Correa’s batting average was hovering around .100. So was his slugging percentage, because he didn’t have a single extra-base hit all spring. With a player of Correa’s ability and track record, every rational instinct says, “This means nothing.” But still, as the hitless at-bats piled up, didn’t you wonder, just a bit?

He didn’t. Unsurprisingly, he was right. 

Correa surged over the final days of spring, spraying line drives, picking up a few hits and finally getting that elusive extra-base hit. He looked like himself. Just like he always knew he would. 

“I don’t care at all,” he said recently about his spring numbers. “I care about the process. … Going into the season, I just want to be able to move efficiently and move in a way that I know when we play 162, it’s going to pan out. I’m probably hitting .090 or something like that, but who cares? It’s Spring Training. Same with guys that are hitting .700. You see a lot of guys that can’t hit in the season. It’s just understanding the process.” 

And Correa is very pleased with this spring’s process. He received 52 plate appearances this spring, his most in any spring since 2018. That was part of a teamwide attempt to get core players more reps in spring, but it may also be specifically beneficial to Correa. 

That’s because his lighter spring workloads with the Twins have been followed by uninspiring April performances. The last time he had a March/April OPS over .800 was 2021 with the Astros, another year when he had a relatively heavy spring workload (46 PA). 

“For me personally, every April of my career has been [stinky],” he said. “I don’t get enough at-bats in Spring Training. The sim games and all, it’s not the same. So you just get all the rust from the offseason out in Spring Training, and just go into April with more ABs under your belt and understanding better what my approach will be and the adjustments I need to make before games actually start counting.” 

On top of all that, the three-time All-Star doesn’t just feel good, he feels great. No, this isn’t a “best shape of his life” thing, but he is delighted with his physical condition. Ironically, it’s an indirect result of him feeling rather bad in recent years. 

Correa’s battles with plantar fasciitis have led him to work extensively to strengthen and loosen his entire lower body in hopes of preventing the painful condition from coming back. As a consequence of all that work, he feels he has a better foundation for hitting than he’s had in recent memory. 

“I’ve noticed that my whole body feels better,” he said. “Not just my foot. It’s my whole body.” 

Of course, even with all this, there’s no guarantee he goes out and raps three hits on Opening Day. This sport is hard, and you can prepare exhaustively and not succeed. But don’t pay attention to the numbers. As far as Correa is concerned, he had a successful spring. Bring on the season.

When Mickey Gasper was spiked in an infield collision on Monday, it appeared for a moment that his chances of opening the season on the active roster had taken a big hit. But he was feeling good on Tuesday morning, and by Wednesday’s workout in St. Louis, there was no longer any doubt about Gasper’s status. 

It turns out that the opportunity to make an Opening Day roster is pretty good medicine. 

“When you ask Mickey Gasper how he’s feeling, you’re only going to get the answer, ‘I feel great,’” said manager Rocco Baldelli. “And he’s given it to everyone multiple times already. We even laugh reading the injury report at just how damn good Mickey Gasper felt. His words. So he’s going to be fine.” 

Gasper said he expected his parents and fiancée to be in the crowd in St. Louis, and his sister to make it to the second series in Chicago. 

The Twins’ home opener against the Astros is seven days away, on Thursday, April 3. Single-game tickets are still available and can be purchased for as little as $9. First pitch is set for 3:10 p.m. CT and the first 10,000 fans receive an Opening Day beanie. To purchase tickets, click here. 

The season opens in a city with a rich musical history, so here are five acts from St. Louis and nearby. 

• Chuck Berry, “School Day” 

• Nelly, “Ride Wit Me” 

• Uncle Tupelo, “The Long Cut” 

• Miles Davis, “Seven Steps to Heaven” 

• Donny Hathaway, “Little Ghetto Boy” 

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