The bark is back

Durbin says keeping his edge will keep him sharp

BY GORDON WITTENMYER
Pioneer Press

FORT MYERS, Fla. — J.D. Durbin knows the odds are against him making the Twins' Opening Day roster. But he will be heard this spring — of that he is certain.

That's because the brash young pitching prospect said he is committed to showing off his personality as much as his considerable pitching talent.

Uh-oh.

"I can see it a little bit," said Twins catcher Joe Mauer, a former minor league roommate of Durbin. "The first day, he was chattering a little more. … But nothing more than I'm used to."

That's been the rap against the Twins' top pitching prospect since he arrived in the clubhouse for his first major league spring training camp a year ago. Actually, most heard him coming since the day he pitched his first inning of professional ball and proclaimed himself the "Real Deal" — a nickname that endures.

But Durbin toned down the volume after veterans Joe Mays and Torii Hunter took him aside to offer "advice" on what was expected of rookies in the majors. And he took the more humble approach with him to the big leagues when he debuted last September.

Which is about when it hit him — or at least when all those Chicago, Cleveland and Baltimore batters hit him.

"I think I lost a little of my edge," said Durbin, who turned 23 Thursday. "Everybody tells me to keep my mouth shut up here. That's not me. I'm going to go be a guy who dorks around again. … I've got to be myself."

Uh-oh.

"I don't care because I'm a loud person myself," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "As long as he doesn't irritate the people around him and keeps it fun, that's good."

"It's a fine line," said pitching coach Rick Anderson, who signed off on Durbin's self-prescribed program on the first day of spring training. "The thing I said to him is, 'Be yourself and be a professional.' If you look at (Johan) Santana, he's a goofball. (Juan) Rincon's a goofball. But they're professional."

It's not that Durbin doesn't work hard. Or that he's not likable. Mostly, his personality is an acquired taste, especially to major league veterans, some of whom still haven't acquired the taste.

"Once you get to know him, he's unbelievable. He's a good guy," Hunter said. "If he can get his cockiness back and doesn't disrespect anybody as a person, you can't beat that."

If the freedom to be himself helps Durbin blossom this spring, he might make the Opening Day roster after all, even though there appear to be no openings on the pitching staff. The right-hander hit 100 mph on the radar gun with a fastball during Arizona Fall League play, and most in the organization project him to break into the starting rotation no later than next spring.

"He's very confident. If he controls his emotions, he'll be fine because we all know he's blessed with a great arm," Gardenhire said. "If he keeps the ball out of the center of the plate, he's got great stuff. A lot of people in this organization feel right now he's ready to pitch in the big leagues if we need him."

And if you don't believe Gardenhire, just ask Durbin.

"Physically, I can handle it," he said. "Mentally, I've just got to be myself."

At the risk of occasionally chapping the veterans.

"I always want to be liked," he said. "Obviously, I don't want to be an outcast. But that's about everybody's personality. Some guys might click. Some guys might not."

"He's a good guy — just a little louder than most," said Mauer, who thinks Durbin will grow on big-league teammates like he did minor league teammates. "He keeps things fun in the clubhouse. … He probably comes off a little different at first. But he means well."