Kubel could bat his way into Twins outfield

22-year old is a prolific hitter since joining Rochester

Breaking into the Minnesota Twins outfield is like trying to chip ice with a toothpick.

It seems near impossible.

But Jason Kubel isn’t holding a toothpick, he’s carrying a hot bat.

And if any outfielder can break the logjam in Minnesota, Red Wings manager Phil Roof believes it will be Kubel.

”He’ll find a place up there,” Roof predicts. “He’ll move somebody out.”

Kubel, who turned 22 on May 25, is perhaps the fastest-rising star in an organization deep in prospects.

The left-handed hitting outfielder entered this season with a career .310 batting average and has been a hitting machine since hitting a home run for Double-A New Britain on Opening Day.

Kubel was leading the Eastern League with a .377 batting average (with 6 home runs and 29 RBI) when he was promoted to Rochester on May 21.

New level, new struggles?

Hardly. Kubel batted .375 and had at least one hit in his first 10 games with the Wings. He went 0-for-7 in Tuesday’s doubleheader, dropping his average to .319.

”Jason has improved in many aspects of his game,” Twins farm director Jim Rantz said during a recent visit to Frontier Field. “He has become a very good player.”

Kubel was born in Belle Fourche, S.D., but has lived in Palmdale, a town in southern California, since he was 2.

He grew up a huge fan of the Dodgers, Angels and Padres, idolizing stars such as Jim Thome, Ken Griffey Jr. and Rickey Henderson.

Kubel played football as a high school freshman — he was a wide receiver and defensive back — but he decided to focus on baseball.

He was good enough at Highland High School to earn a scholarship offer from Division I Long Beach upon graduating in 2000, but when the Twins selected him in the 12th round that June, Kubel decided to turn pro.

”I felt it was the right fit at the time,” he says.

It appears he was correct. The 5-foot-11, 200-pound Kubel has been an All-Star each full season he has played.

He hit .298 in 116 games for Single-A Fort Myers last year, which was fourth-best in the Florida State League. His 82 RBI was second-best in the FSL, and he led all minor-leaguers in sacrifice flies.

He also was named “Best Outfield Arm” in the Florida State League by Baseball America magazine.

Kubel entered this season as the Twins’ No. 8 prospect, according to Baseball America. His great bat speed and keen eye — he has only 125 strikeouts in 1,046 career at-bats — are the secrets to his success.

”He’s got eye-hand quickness and tremendous strength in his hands,” Roof says.

”We’ve all been high on him since we signed him.”

The Twins added Kubel to their 40-man roster in the off-season, and he attended his first big-league camp this spring.

He homered in his first game for the Twins and hit .308 (4-for-13) with 2 RBI and a .538 slugging percentage before being sent to minor-league camp.

”It was an incredible experience,” the soft-spoken Kubel says.

”It was the most fun I’ve ever had playing baseball.”

Kubel is well aware of the Twins’ crowded outfield situation.

Shannon Stewart (currently injured), Torii Hunter and Jacque Jones are among baseball’s most stable trios. Jones, however, is a free agent after this season.

Former Wing Lew Ford has been one of the American League’s top hitters and left-handed hitter Michael Ryan has been dependable off the bench.

Solid slugger Michael Restovich had a brief stint with the Twins recently and is waiting for his chance with the Red Wings.

”It makes for a lot of competition,” Kubel says. “I don’t expect to pass by any of those guys. I just want to do my job and hopefully I’ll get a shot someday.”

Kubel says moving up to Triple-A is his career highlight thus far.

”I haven’t been moved up during a season at all,” he explains. “I’ve always just been good enough to get out of that league every year.”

There is a growing number of people who believe he can play at the ultimate level, including his manager.

”You would think he’s been here two months the way he hits the ball,” Roof says. “This guy is going places.”