Morneau ready for leadership role

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Justin Morneau sits quietly in his clubhouse chair, a picture of serenity on the eve of the Minnesota Twins’ first full-squad workout.

He chirps at teammates as they pass by with a wry grin on his face, communicating with a soft voice and a Canadian cool that allows him to blend in with a young, rebuilding team.

It’s a much different atmosphere these days after the departure of three beloved leaders who spiced up the locker room with their belly laughs, practical jokes and dramatic performances.

Torii Hunter signed with the Angels, Carlos Silva went to the Mariners and Johan Santana was traded to the Mets, leaving a gaping hole at the top of the clubhouse hierarchy.

Morneau has all the credentials to fill that void. The 2006 AL MVP became the proud owner of the richest and longest contract in Twins history when he agreed to a six-year, $80 million extension in January.

At 6 foot 4 and 230 pounds, the blond-haired, blue-eyed first baseman has the chiseled looks of a locker room pillar and became the first Twin to hit at least 30 homers in consecutive seasons since Gary Gaetti in 1986-87.

But does Morneau have the personality to take on the job?

“I think those kinds of things just sort of happen,” he said Friday. “If you work hard and play well, guys see what you’re doing and follow your example.

“I don’t think we need anybody right now to be in the clubhouse every morning and telling everybody what they need to be doing. The way it’s always been around here is if a guy has something to say to somebody else, usually we pull them aside. We don’t try to embarrass anybody in front of the group.”

Even as he tries to avoid publicly taking over what was undeniably Hunter’s clubhouse for the last four years, Morneau’s teammates and coaches are looking to him.

“Mornie, signing that contract is not going to change him,” good buddy Joe Mauer said. “He’s going to go out there and work hard and play just the way he did the last two years.”

Last year, Morneau’s average fell 50 points from his MVP season -- when he hit .321 with 34 homers and 130 RBIs -- and he hit just three home runs after July 31.

He missed only five games and admitted to wearing down in the final months.

This off-season, he concentrated on strengthening his legs to avoid a similar late-season slump.

The Twins don’t have many other options behind him.

“Well. Well, um. Uh, next question,” manager Ron Gardenhire said when asked about Morneau’s backup, only half-joking before naming Craig Monroe, Mike Lamb and Brian Buscher as candidates.

Morneau’s ability to hit righties and lefties and put the ball over the fence simply make it very difficult for Gardenhire to sit him down.

“He leaves a pretty big hole in the lineup” when he is out, Gardenhire said.

The Twins might need Morneau to fill an even bigger hole off the field. Hunter served as the clubhouse policeman, a well-liked and well-respected veteran who wasn’t afraid to speak up when things got rocky.

With him gone, Morneau, Mauer and Michael Cuddyer are the three most accomplished and most tenured position players.

“Some of that evolves,” general manager Bill Smith said. “Some things you can’t always set out and say, ‘We’re going to acquire this guy and he’s going to be our vocal leader and other guys are going to be a different kind of leader.’

“Players figure out who the leaders are.”

Gardenhire thinks Morneau is on that evolutionary path.

“We’ve already talked this spring,” the manager said. “He came in and just wanted to see how it was going. What the thoughts were and how we feel. Because he says he feels very excited about this team, he’s really excited.

“And that’s part of being a leader. Not just caring about, ‘Do I get my gloves and bats in,’ and wanting to know a little bit about the team.”

While he may not have Hunter’s gift of gab or Santana’s fearless bravado, Morneau is already sounding more like a leader.

“Guys know how it’s supposed to be. You come in, get your work done. Nobody talks about themselves. It’s about the team. That’s it,” Morneau said of the message he’s delivered to 30 new faces in camp this spring. “Guys see that. And after a couple weeks, if guys aren’t getting that, we’ll say something to them.”