Ryan Jeffers entered last season as one of the Twins' top prospects. Though he struggled at times, he connected for 14 home runs in just 267 at-bats and entered this spring as a candidate for significant playing time behind the dish. Within two days veteran Mitch Garver and fellow youngster Ben Rortvedt were sent packing, leaving Jeffers as the sole survivor who will likely split time at catcher with newcomer Gary Sanchez.
The three lockers were all together in the Twins' spring clubhouse, a catchers' corner where Mitch Garver, Ben Rortvedt and Ryan Jeffers would prepare for working behind the plate each morning. So when Jeffers reported to camp Sunday, the day after Garver was dealt to Texas, he could feel a survivors' bond with Rortvedt, unspoken but real.
"It was a good vibe, like, 'It's just us now. We work really well together, so let's go get it done,'" Jeffers said.
One day later, that vibe was gone — because so was Rortvedt.
"It's been a little crazy, kind of a whirlwind," Jeffers said Monday. "You have a couple of guys you've worked with, gotten to know, for a couple of years. And all of a sudden, they're gone."
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