Twins hitting coach Joe Vavra. (Pioneer Press file photo)
Twins hitting coach Joe Vavra. (Pioneer Press file photo)

Most coaches pack sunglasses and plenty of lotion before heading to spring training. Joe Vavra, on the other hand, needs a flashlight and miner's hat.

"That's about right," said Vavra, the Twins hitting coach. "I have to take that vitamin. What's that vitamin?"

That would be Vitamin D, otherwise known as the sunshine vitamin. It is essential to the body's health. Without it, a person runs a higher risk of osteoporosis, rickets and even depression. Not that Vavra isn't already depressed over the performance of Twins hitters last season.

"Last year took a lot out of me," he admitted. "It's been a long offseason."

For the better part of the next six weeks, he will be stationed in that dark, dank batting tunnel that separates the clubhouse from the practice fields at the Lee County Sports Complex. What little sunlight that might creep in from the one open side usually is partially obstructed by fans and autograph seekers crowded in close, like curious zoo patrons.

The "thwack" of baseballs hit off a tee, or from a pitching machine, echoes endlessly. It's enough to drive a batting coach, well, batty.

"I'm usually in by 6:30 a.m.," Vavra said. "I do end up getting outside a little bit. But most of the work is done there. That's where you get your hands prepared."

So far, Vavra has been lucky. For example, he is not dead. I have seen some terrible injuries to coaches in that tunnel, which is divided into long, bowling alley-like, hitting strips, separated by mesh.

"I've taken my lumps," Vavra said with a laugh.


"Fortunately, nothing too serious."

Last season the Twins hit a paltry .247. Their on-base percentage and number of runs scored ranked 13th in the American League. Their 103 home runs ranked last. But those numbers don't begin to tell the story. With so many key veterans out with injuries, Vavra watched a parade of young, unprepared and, in some cases, headstrong minor leaguers try to step in.

"It was a constant battle. With some guys, we butted heads a little bit," Vavra said. "You have to have a bona fide plan. You have to talk it through to understand. What does the pitcher have? How does he pitch righties, lefties, power hitters, speed guys? What does he throw at certain points in the count?

Some couldn't grasp that they couldn't pull every pitch or that sometimes it was better to take a few. As a result, they struggled. And as they struggled, they worried about going back to the minor leagues, which led to further deterioration in the batter's box.

"They became a little more results oriented instead of staying with the process," Vavra said delicately. " 'I need a good night to stay up in the big leagues.' They didn't have a lot of success, and the (veteran) guys that had success weren't there to show them."

Too many injuries had too many guys off rehabbing somewhere.

"I was just looking at some data," he said. "On Sept. 23, two years ago, we were leading the majors in hitting, average-wise. Our power numbers were pretty good, too, and that was with (Justin) Morneau out of the lineup. Last year, the players we used didn't gel. Normally, one guy complements the next guy, one guy protects the next guy. There was no flow to our lineup."

Vavra has some changes in mind.

"We have to stop thinking we can beat that ballpark," he declared.

Hallelujah! There was far too much squawking about Target Field. Instead of whining about making long outs, they need to take control of each at-bat.

"Yes, take control of your at-bats," Vavra said. "We need to get back to where we were: quality at-bats and getting aggressive on offensive type counts and the right type of pitch. A lot of guys don't have the strength to pull a pitch on the outside corner. They have to go with it. We have a lot of singles hitters. If they can push the ball into the gaps, that's what they've got to do - not more than that."


"I'd like to challenge them there," Vavra agreed.

Vavra then rattled off some statistics. He recited them so quickly that it was clear he had repeated them to himself dozens, maybe hundreds of time.

"We hit .289 over the last 2-1/2 weeks," he said. "We averaged five runs a game and 11 hits a game. Now that's something that probably didn't show up in anybody's top 10 list of anything. But I'm excited about that from last year."

And he's ready to try to go from there. As always, he'll start in the tunnel. If you're going to Fort Myers to catch a little spring training, you'll recognize Vavra. He's the pasty one.

Tom Powers can be reached at