5 Must-Watch Storylines At Spring Training

1. Miguel Sano in right field.

If you follow any Twins writers on Twitter, be prepared for a barrage of tweets every time a fly ball or liner is hit to right field this month. It only makes sense to pick apart every movement Sano makes when a ball is hit his way, because that's all the data we'll have to go on as he enters his first season, ever, as an outfielder.

Sano has been working with last year's right fielder, Torii Hunter, as he embarks upon his one-month crash course on playing a position – and side of the field – where he has zero experience as a professional.

Of course, no amount of tutelage or instruction can truly prepare you for the real thing, and when Sano trots out to the outfield it will be his first time doing so in a game since he signed as a 16-year-old back in 2009. Twins officials insist that he's going to surprise us, and so does Sano. Bill Parker expressed some optimism in his article here on Monday.

Let's find out.

2. Byung Ho Park at the plate.

While Sano is seeing line drives slice toward him in the outfield for the first time, Park will be getting introduced to his own uncharted territory: facing major-league pitchers. Paul Molitor says he is likely to give the newly signed Korean slugger a larger share of reps this month to aid his acclimation before the games start mattering.

The Twins have publicly tried to downplay initial expectations a bit, and the manager isn't even sure if he's ready to view Park as an everyday player yet. Certainly, some patience is warranted as the 29-year-old makes this hugely challenging transition. But closely watching his at-bats this spring, seeing the types of reads he makes on outside sliders, and the quality of swings he puts on tough offspeed pitches, should give us valuable clues regarding his likelihood of success.

I won't get too worked up if he doesn't hit much (though I'll be curious to see if that opens a door for someone like Carlos Quentin or Kennys Vargas). If Park starts hot and launches one or two into the pond that lies beyond Hammond Stadium's center field concourse, it'll be hard not to get a little excited.

3. Phil Hughes and his fastball velocity.

During his Grapefruit League starts last year, Hughes showed noticeably diminished fastball velocity compared to the previous season, when he had ranked among the game's best starters and set an all-time MLB record for K/BB ratio.

That's not terribly uncommon, as many pitchers need time to work up to their peak arm strength, but in this instance Hughes never got there. The righty went on to average just 90.7 MPH with his heater during the regular season – a career low. This was one symptom of an overall reduction in effectiveness that led to his strikeout rate plummeting and his home run rate skyrocketing.

According to reports, Hughes has arrived at camp looking more fit after an intense offseason conditioning program aimed at improving flexibility and strengthening his back.

He's lined up to start the team's preseason opener against the Red Sox on Wednesday. If he's topping out in the 80s in his first action of the year it won't be too alarming, but I'll be closely monitoring his radar gun readings as we inch toward April.

Hughes is a pivotal figure in the rotation. He's still under 30. With his elite control, he has one key ingredient in the frontline starter equation. He has shown that when at full strength he can miss enough bats to offset his fly ball tendencies.

The more we see hitters swinging late on his fastball or swinging over his slider this month, the better we can feel about Hughes' chances of returning somewhere close to that exceptional 2014 form.

4. The Jose Berrios Show.

A year ago, many onlookers opined that Berrios had the best stuff of any pitcher in Twins camp. Unfortunately, he didn't get to stick around long. The 20-year-old had minimal experience above Single-A and wasn't a candidate to make the big-league club, so he was cut early on in order to get ample work on the minors side. But during his brief audition, which included two impressive starts, the electric right-hander turned plenty of heads. Now, he arrives with a very strong case for a starting job after shredding up the highest level of the minors in 2015.

Granted, his odds of being in the Twins rotation on Opening Day are long, because waiting until late April or beyond could yield the team a full extra year of his services before free agency. That's not being cheap, it's just a logical cost/benefit equation, and a tactic frequently used by teams across the league.

But at some point, if it becomes blindingly obvious that Berrios is the best starting pitcher in camp, all bets are off, right? Molitor is surely more interested in winning now than worrying about hypothetical scenarios six years down the line, and if Berrios is lights-out each time he takes the mound while some others fail to impress, the manager is going to want that arm. Who could blame him?

Those circumstances add extra intrigue, but Berrios is also just plain fun to watch. His aggressive approach, sharp breaks and plentiful whiffs make him a joy to spectate on the mound in the same way as Francisco Liriano or Johan Santana.

5. Can Byron Buxton force the issue?

The Twins have announced that they now view Danny Santana as a center fielder, and Terry Ryan has mentioned repeatedly that he feels as though he rushed Buxton to the majors last summer, so all indications at this point suggest Santana is in line to open the season between Eddie Rosario and Miguel Sano in the outfield.

However, if Santana's ho-hum play from last year persists this spring while Buxton takes full advantage of his opportunities, that may very well change. Though he stumbled at the plate last year (not as badly as Santana, mind you), Buxton has made a habit of quickly adapting to new levels in the past so it'd be no shock to see him take this competition by storm.

Molitor, who values aggressive baserunning and doesn't know what to expect defensively from his right fielder, is well aware of everything that Buxton can bring to the table with his unparalleled athleticism. He doesn't need to hit a ton to be a valuable piece, so if he's tearing the cover off the ball in convincing fashion it's pretty much a no-brainer, right?