The Offseason Of Trevor Plouffe

Asked if he had looked back at the Twins 2015 season and was happy with what happened, Plouffe gave it some thought before saying, “I don’t know if ‘happy’ is the right word. We made good strides. I think we’re on the right path.”

He continued, “We’re not going to be happy until we reach the postseason. We played better than we have the last four years, but that’s not saying much. We’re not resting on that. We’re not saying we had a good year so let’s take it easy. We tasted it but we want to get to the playoffs. We saw Kansas City win the World Series, and we know we’re just as good a team as they are. That’s what we want to do. The only way we’re going to be happy after the season is winning the final game.”

Plouffe, who just last week became the sixth and final Twins arbitration-eligible player to agree to terms, said that he has found his offseason providing him with a lot of happiness. “This offseason has been good. It’s been different having a six-month-old son at home. That’s a big change for me. I have my Dad Strength now!”

Trevor Plouffe always enjoys coming to Twins Fest. It’s fun being with teammates and meeting the fans. It also means that spring training is right around the corner. This year’s Twins Fest found Plouffe with a bit of a heavy heart.

“I've been gone (from his wife Olivia and son Teddy) for 24 hours now, and I just can’t stand it. There’s just something in my heart that’s missing. It’s really weird and it’s a feeling that I haven’t had before. Everything people tell you about it (becoming a parent) is true. I heard it was the hardest thing and also the most fulfilling thing and it’s true. Some days it’s really hard, but it’s been a lot of fun. I’m looking forward to spring training, bring him to the clubhouse. and doing all that stuff.”

The perception of Plouffe has always been that he is California Cool, laid back. Early in his career, some saw that as a negative. When he performs in big situations, his calm can be seen as a positive.

This offseason, Plouffe’s calm demeanor likely kept him from worrying about potentially being traded. 2016 will be his 13th season in the Minnesota Twins organization. Rumors were constant early in the offseason, especially after the Twins won the bid for Korean slugger Byung Ho Park. With Park set to be the Twins primary DH and Joe Mauer at first base, third base seemed a logical position for Miguel Sano following his strong rookie showing. Where did that leave Plouffe?

Many, this article’s author included, wondered aloud if trading Plouffe made the most sense for the team.

We will never know if Twins GM Terry Ryan had any phone calls with other teams regarding the services of Plouffe. We aren’t going to find out what type of package of players he may have been offered in exchange for Plouffe.

At Twins Fest, Terry Ryan said that at no point this offseason was Plouffe available to other teams. In fact, he pointed out how important it was to keep Plouffe. He said on numerous occasions that “we only scored 690 runs last year (actually 696). We needed to add bats, not subtract.”

That was the message that Plouffe heard all offseason from the Twins GM and from his manager, Paul Molitor.

“They were always adamant, and they wanted to let me know that I was going to be here. For me, it was nice to know. Gives you a little stability. Can’t control any of the rumors. He continued, “I just went about my offseason as I always do. From the end of the season on, I was always told I’d be here. Moli was very adamant about that. I never heard anything different.”

For what it’s worth, Plouffe believes that Miguel Sano can handle the duties of a right fielder just fine. Plouffe said, “I think he can. I think if he commits to it and really wants to be a good outfielder, I think he can. I know he’s a big guy. Everyone knows he’s a big guy. He walks in the room and you think ‘Dang, that’s a big guy.’ But, he’s athletic and he’s young, and obviously he’s got a great arm. I think he profiles just fine in right.”

Former Twins third baseman Corey Koskie was a guest for a segment of a 1500 ESPN radio show on Sunday morning. He was asked how he was able to so greatly improve his defense at third base and how Trevor Plouffe has been able to make the drastic improvements too. Koskie pointed out that the Twins draft character. They draft players that they know will work hard and do what they can to improve and do what they can to help the team. Plouffe certainly fits that mold.

The Twins Daily writer in the room asked Plouffe if there was something that he wanted to focus on during his offseason. Plouffe said, “That’s a great question.” The Twins Daily writer pumped his fist and whispered, “Yes!” (No really, he did.)

Fortunately for said Twins Daily writer, Plouffe smiled, gave it some thought and said, “I always try to work on my lateral movement. At third base, it’s important for range. It’s something I focused on. We did some different stuff with our workouts this offseason, a lot of movement stuff, so hopefully that translates into increased range.”

He also gives a ton of credit to a few people for working with him extensively on his defensive game and his confidence. He specifically gave former Twins manager Ron Gardenhire and current manager Paul Molitor credit for continually working with him. He also says that third base coach Gene Glynn has been great for him.

“Gene he’s been very good for me. He’s so positive. He tells me stuff like I can win a Gold Glove which I don’t know if I can, but he tells me that. It pumps me up. He’s very optimistic. He’s just helped me so much.”

Plouffe is proud of the progress he has made, and more important, continues to make with his glove at the hot corner.

“I know I’ve improved, but I think there’s still room for more improvement. I like the fact that I've been able to show people that if you work hard, you can get better even at my age.” The 29-year-old said, “Baseball age, I’m kind of old. Getting old, at least.”

“Yeah, getting old all right!” Thought the Twins Daily writer who can’t even remember being 29 anymore.

2016 will be Plouffe’s seventh in the big leagues. He’s had some good success with the organization. He has accumulated 6.4 bWAR over the past two seasons, and 8.2 bWAR over the past three seasons. Can he be a leader on the 2016 team? Is it something that he would want to be for this team after the retirement of Torii Hunter?

“I don’t think you just snap your fingers and say, ‘Hey I’m the leader on the team.’ You have to earn that. You have to show up and act like that. I plan on working as hard as I ever have. Hopefully people pick up on that and want to join me.”

The best part about Twins Fest is that it is a good reminder that in less than a month, pitchers and catchers will report. A few days later, the Twins will hold their first full workouts. And in one month, the Twins will play their first spring game. Plouffe is excited for the 2016 season and believes that the Twins can have a strong offense.

“I think we have a lot of potential to put up some runs. We have a pretty solid lineup throughout. At the bottom of the lineup, we’re going to have Rosario and Escobar and those two swing the bat pretty well. I think staying healthy will be key for us. I think if we can stay healthy, we’re going to put up some runs.”

Plouffe played 156 games in 2016, the most of his career by 16 games. If he can stay healthy, he will again be productive in the middle of the Twins lineup. Most important, he’s where he wants to be, and he has a goal of topping the Kansas City Royals in the AL Central and getting the Twins to the playoffs.

As the session with the media came to an end, Plouffe grabbed the now-upside-down Royals media guide and said, “We’ve got to get rid of this” as he tossed it in the garbage.