Redmond's work never ends

Twin catcher has reputation as being tireless

By David Dorsey
Fort Myers News Press

Minnesota Twins newcomer Mike Redmond took full advantage of "Plan B" on Friday morning — starting the team's fifth official spring-training workout for pitchers and catchers about an hour late because of the rain.

"It's a good day when you can go around and get to know each other," said Redmond, 33, a catcher who had spent his entire career with the Florida Marlins until the end of last season.

The Twins will begin their first official full-squad workout at about 9:30 a.m. today at the Lee County Sports Complex. A team meeting will begin at 8:45 a.m.

"Team chemistry is huge," Redmond said. "That's something that can separate a good team from a bad team."

Redmond also has something that separates himself from the rest of the team. He and new Twins infielder Andy Fox are the only two players in the Twins' clubhouse with World Series rings. Both were with the Marlins in 2003 when they won the championship. Fox also won a ring with the New York Yankees in 1996.

"I'll wear it out to dinner sometimes," Redmond said of the ring. "I had been with those guys for a long time. They finally put it all together. Especially Josh Beckett. He was just phenomenal the last month of the season."

Redmond worked with a pitching staff that included Beckett, Carl Pavano, Brad Penny and Dontrelle Willis. It was considered by many to be the best staff in baseball that year.

That kind of experience made Redmond an attractive pickup for the Twins, especially with 21-year-old Joe Mauer, who's expected to be a star but is coming off a left knee injury, ready to start.

"He's caught in some big games," Minnesota pitching coach Rick Anderson said of Redmond. "He's got a good arm. He's very experienced. He's going to help the kid a lot, too."

Known to be solid on defense, Redmond also brought with him a reputation for being a "good clubhouse guy."

"He's a tested backup catcher," Twins general manager Terry Ryan said. "He's a good guy to have on a ballclub."

Said Anderson: "He's going to be a lifer in this game. He's one of those guys who will go on to be a manager or something. If you look around this room, there's not a lot of veterans with his kind of experience."

A native of Washington state, Redmond went to Gonzaga for three years before turning professional the hard way. Undrafted, he made the Marlins as a free agent, working his way through the minor leagues alongside Charles Johnson, who went on to become an All-Star catcher.

"I learned a lot from Charles,'' Redmond said. "He's one of the best catchers I've ever played with. He was a workhorse, man. The days he didn't play, he was always watching. He was the first one to come off the bench to congratulate me on a good play."

Redmond said he hopes to bring that sort of team spirit to the Twins. He's also looking forward to working with a pitching staff that includes Cy Young Award winner Johan Santana.

Redmond said he realized that the Twins expect him to be a backup to Mauer. Of course, the Marlins expected Redmond to be a backup to Ramon Castro last season, and Redmond ended up getting more playing time, appearing in 81 games and hitting .256, with two home runs, 25 RBI and one stolen base.

"I've done everything," Redmond said. "I've played seven days a week straight for extended periods of time, and I've played once every 20 days for extended periods of time. I'm always prepared to play. I'll do whatever they want me to do."

As for eventually retiring and becoming a coach, that's the furthest thing from Redmond's mind.

"I'll keep playing until they tear the jersey off me," Redmond said.