Kepler vs The Shift, Buxton's Knee & Taylor's Speed

[John Bonnes]

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Today's spring training diary includes Max Kepler's muted reaction to the shift ban, Byron Buxton's excitement over Carlos Correa's return, and Michael A Taylor wanting to steal bases again. 

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[Squirrel]

I'll preface this question with I'm more of a 'feels' person. I know that ST is just an exciting time ... players getting back into it, they are with their teammates again, it's the fun moment where so much is possible. But do you discern a different attitude coming in this year? I saw quotes online about Buxton talking about getting that ring, Correa's leadership, Max's 'zen-like' approach, people excited ... is there a 'click' to this year, more so than other years? Or maybe a different mindset? Or is this all just 'It's the start of ST and everyone is just hyped up'? And maybe considering last year, and previous years with the pandemic, this year is the most 'normal' they've had in several years.

[GNess]

The Twins players seem confident. That's a good thing as they prepare for the season ahead. They have a strong core and the pitching is deeper than is typical. 

Appreciate the insights from ST.

[PatPfund]

Nice to hear that Molitor is helping with the base-running. No doubt last year's debacle was magnified by all of the not-quite-ready-for-MLB players who cycled through the roster because of injuries, but their base-running reflected really badly on the organization, and frankly the major league staff (because Sano in his brief time, and Celestino across the season were two major culprits).