Tintor finding some success in minor leagues

FORT MYERS, Fla. — For four weeks, Hibbing's Eli Tintor got a taste of the good life.

Tintor, who was drafted by the Minnesota Twins back in 2003, has spent most of his professional life with the Gulf Coast Twins, which is in the rookie league.

But while riding on a bus one day following a rainout, Tintor was told by his coach that he would be moving up to the Class A Fort Myers Miracle because their catcher went down with an injury.

It might not have been the parent club, but it almost felt like it, according to Tintor.

"It was everything I could have imagined — playing in front of 1,000 people and all that stuff," Tintor said. "When he told me I was moving up, that was a good moment."

Tintor was hitting over .300 at the time of the call-up. During his stint with the Miracle, he hit over .300 as well, playing in 10 games for the Class A team.

"I found the pitching easier to hit," Tintor said. "When you move up everything is in the zone. You need patience and the ability to see the ball. That's the major thing."

That's a far cry from last year when Tintor hit just .266 for the Gulf Coast Twins. During that off season, Tintor got to spend some time with former Twins' players Eric Milton and A.J. Pierzynski and that's when he finally decided what direction he wanted his life to head.

"I matured a little bit," Tintor said. "Hanging out with them makes you take the game seriously. I'm putting more effort into this season. I'm focusing on baseball. I feel I've improved by tons.

"It's just mental. I got my mind set on where I want to be with my life."

Tintor's stay with the Miracle was short-lived, however, as their everyday catcher returned from his injury. Heading back to the Gulf Coast Twins was a little disappointing for Tintor, but he's progressing well and another call-up could be in his immediate future.

"It was brutal (going back)," Tintor said. "Now I have to be up at 6:30 a.m. to be on the field by 7 a.m. With the Miracle, we were on the field at 3 p.m. I'm down a little bit, but I got the experience.

"I've heard that I'm doing really good down here. I've heard that from a lot of the head guys. They're really pleased with me. I'm the highest person from our draft to play at the next level."