AJPettersen

The fan-friendly AJ Pettersen has been blogging at Twins Daily since the onset of the site. The Minnetonka native had an impressive career at the University of Minnesota. Following his collegiate career, the Twins made him their 25th round draft pick in 2011. He signed quickly and spent the summer at Elizabethton. He spent the 2012 season playing all around the infield, left field, caught bullpens and even pitched in a game. He begins the 2013 season with the 10-0 Ft. Myers Miracle. He had a game-winning double on Thursday night. He's started mostly at shortstop, but also in left field. The ultimate team player, Pettersen continues to blog for Twins Daily, along with writing at BaseballAmerica.com. Here is his new installment:[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] ----- With the end of Spring Training and the beginning of a new season, things have gotten back into a routine. Here in Fort Myers the weather is steaming, so if you are looking to escape the extended winter and can find a cheap flight, we welcome all fans. I am always up for a free dinner as well. I wanted to give some highlights up to this point in the year. A lot has happened in the first few months of 2013. Here are some of the things I remember well: *Winter Turns to Spring I know this somehow hasn’t quite happened for everyone in Minnesota, but my wife and I got to experience a quick transition when we moved to Florida in January. Baseball has always brought light into my life, with the joy it brings and the sunshine that comes along with it. The sun may not be shining in Minneapolis, but I hope that the return of baseball has brought some metaphorical light to the Twins Daily community. *Meeting New Guys, Seeing Old Friends It is always fun to see familiar faces the first day of Spring Training. When everyone starts to arrive it feels a lot like returning to school from summer break. There are a bunch of friends you need to catch up with and a lot of new people to meet. I got the chance to meet a couple of older guys (Doug Bernier and Virgil Vasquez) and also met some of the guys taken in last year’s draft. *Playing with the Big Leaguers In Spring Training the big leaguers sometimes need to play on the minor league side to pitch a few innings or get a couple of at bats. This can be a great learning moment for the guys who are striving to make it to the show. One day I walked into the locker room and saw I was playing 2B in the game that afternoon and the SS was Jamey Carroll. I really look up to him as a player-he plays the game hard, does things the right way and does as much as he can do to help his team win. I was able to pick his brain throughout the game and learned a lot just from watching him. I also got the chance to hit in front of Justin Morneau and face the Orioles closer Jim Johnson. *The Start of the Regular Season Starting with the Miracle has been great so far. We have a great team and coaching staff and have experienced some success early. It is always fun seeing the parks around a new league. The nice thing about the Florida State League is that a number of the parks are big league Spring Training fields. This means pristine fields and fully equipped stadiums. I hope this gives everyone a good look at what has happened around here in the past few months. If you want to interact with me you can tweet me at @APettersen1 or you can email me at AJPettersen1@gmail.com.

With Minnesota Twins minor leaguers officially reporting for camp tomorrow, we are doing our final preparations for the year. I wrote an article on Baseball America a few weeks ago that outlined a typical minor league offseason. This includes lifting activities slowing down and baseball specific activities ramping up. We are trying to best prepare our bodies for the rigors of the season. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] A couple of weeks ago we began taking live batting practice off of pitchers. Last year I was unable to do this until the first day of camp, so it has been nice to get some live hacks in. The first pitch I saw looked about 110 mph, but since then my eyes and body have begun to adjust. It is quite a change going from batting practice to hitting live for the first time in months. Last week I got hit on the thigh by an errant 2 seam fastball. I joked with Nate Roberts that I was now leading the HBP contest for the year. I am sure he will have the last laugh. A recent highlight has been talking with veteran players. Virgil Vasquez and Doug Bernier are two new free agent signings that have been playing the game for a long time. Learning how they go about their business on a daily basis has been really helpful. Their knowledge of the game is amazing. In a couple of days there will be close to 200 minor leaguers in the clubhouse and camp will begin. Games start fairly quickly thereafter. Like I said before, if you are here, I would love to meet and/or chat with you at the complex. I also hope the sunshine cooperates for everyone looking to get out of the slushy March weather in MN. Baseball season is just around the corner. I hope everyone is as excited as I am. On a side note, my wife and I went to a Florida Everblades game last night. It was my first professional hockey game and they put on a good show. If you are planning on coming down for Spring Training, I would recommend checking them out. You can connect with AJ through email (ajpettersen1@gmail.com) or on Twitter (@APettersen1)

While the frost persists in the north, the sun is shining here in Fort Myers and I wanted to give everyone an update on what’s going on. Baseball season always seems far away when the snow is falling, but it is right around the corner. Pitchers and catchers reported for big league camp today and minor league camp is coming up. I have been rehabbing my wrist here for the past month to get fully prepared for Spring Training and the season. A few of my friends and teammates from last season have shown up to start their training. Maybe you have heard of Miguel Sano? Along with Sano are Kennys Vargas and Eddie Rosario (who is preparing for the WBC). They have added some more fun to the clubhouse. There is a mix of pitchers and position players on the minor league side.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] A number of big leaguers have shown up in the past week and it has been cool to meet and chat with a few of them. Learning from those playing at the top is a great way to get better. It has been cool to spend some time working out alongside them. We have a consistent schedule Monday through Friday starting in the morning with rehab, followed by throwing, hitting, defensive work and lifting. We are usually at the field from around 7:30 until 12:30 or 1. There have been a few early visitors at the complex seeking autographs and conversation. If you are looking to escape the cold weather, I can assure you the weather is great in Fort Myers. We have seen hardly anything but sunshine for a month. If you do plan on visiting Spring Training, try checking out the minor league side as well. We are right across the parking lot from Hammond Stadium. If you see me, come say hello. I love interacting with everyone and would love to chat with you. I can even introduce you to some of the bigger names at minor league camp. This is just a quick look into what’s going on here in Fort Myers. I hope it gives people a little bit of light at the end of the tunnel that is a Minnesota winter. Get ready for baseball season because it’s coming soon! Follow me on Twitter @APettersen1

Sorry it has taken me a few days to get to this post. We just got internet at our new place, so I had been unable to get online. Day 3 started early in the morning. We got up and hit the road at 4am Eastern Time, which felt like 3 to us Midwesterners. To avoid Atlanta traffic we had to be through the city before 6:30 came. We made it to Atlanta around 6 and drove through an amazing cityscape for 10 minutes until we got to a southern suburb. Our first stop was to eat, get gas and more caffeine. Coffee was one of our best friends on the trip. A quick cat nap in a hotel parking lot about an hour later and we were on our way. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]Our second stop was more exciting. It was a foggy and rainy day in southern Georgia, but we had to stop in Ashburn to see the World’s Largest Peanut. It sat just off the freeway, but had a long driveway so that visitors could check it out. After Ashburn we pressed on towards Gainesville, but it was still raining when we got there, so we got gas and food and decided to head for our final destination. Four hours later, I rolled down my windows, put on some sunglasses and took the last exit towards our new home. We arrived around 5 at night, exhausted and ready for some sleep. We found a few things we had to take care of immediately (notably a beeping smoke detector) and called it an early night. We have spent the last few days unpacking and getting the necessary items to make the home feel more like ours. I will be heading to the complex for rehab and a workout on Monday morning. It will be nice to get back at it outside and see some familiar faces. I hope everyone is staying warm and wearing purple and gold tonight! Follow me on Twitter @apettersen1