>> THE MINNESOTA TWINS AS THE TEAM GETS READY TO PLAY BALL HERE ON THE GULF COAST. NEW AT 11 GULF COAST NEWS SPORTS REPORTER BRADLEY SCHIMEL VISITED HAMMOND STADIUM SUNDAY WITH THE TEAM. >> AS THEY UNPACK AND PREPARE FOR THE SEASON AHEAD. >> WAS LIKE CHRISTMAS MORNING FOR TWINS, FANS AND BASEBALL FANS EVERYWHERE. I MEAN, LOOK AT THIS. THE TRUCK IS HERE. WHAT A BEAUTIFUL SIGHT. THEY’RE IN THE PROCESS YEAR. VAN LOADING THIS TRUCK. IT’S WE’RE ALMOST DONE HERE. THEY MOVE VERY QUICKLY. THESE GUYS, BUT THIS IS THE UNOFFICIAL START OF THE BASEBALL SEASON. HOW EXCITING IS THIS? THIS TRUCK IS TRAVELED OVER 1700 MILES. IT’S FINALLY HERE. READY TO GET BASEBALL SEASON ROLE. >> WELL, I THINK THE TRUCK IS THE SYMBOL THAT BASEBALL IS BACK. AND WE’RE BACK IN LEE COUNTY. WE’VE BEEN COMING SINCE 1991. WE’VE KIND OF GOT A ROUTINE DOWN. TRUCK ARRIVES AND EVERYBODY PITCHES IN AND WE START SETTING UP OR START GETTING GOING. AND WE’VE GOT. WHAT ABOUT 65 PLAYERS COMING OVER 40 STAFF MEMBERS ON THE ON THE MAJOR LEAGUE SIDE AND IT’S A LOT TO PREPARE FOR. THAT’S WHAT THIS WEEKEND AND EARLY NEXT WEEK IS ALL ABOUT. AND THEN WE GET TO WORK. IT’S JUST FUN TO SEE THE START OF BASEBALL. EVERYBODY HAS THE SAME RECORD. 0, 0, AND WE HOPE THAT THE TWINS DO WELL THIS YEAR. NOW, THIS TRUCK HAS JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING. AND FORTUNATELY, NO PLAYERS, THOUGH, THEY’LL BE COMING NEXT WEEK WITH A REPORT FOR WORKOUTS AND PRETTY SOON WILL BE PLAYING SOME SPRING TRAINING GAMES RIGHT HERE
Minnesota Twins truck arrives for 36th season of spring training in Lee County
Updated: 11:50 PM EST Feb 6, 2026
Friday felt like Christmas morning for Twins fans and baseball fans everywhere as the team’s truck completed its journey from Minnesota to Fort Myers, symbolizing the unofficial start of the MLB season. Twins senior vice president of communications & public affairs Dustin Morse said, “I think the truck is the symbol that baseball is back and it’s back in Lee County. We’ve been coming here since 1991; we’ve kind of got a routine down. The truck arrives and everybody pitches in and we start setting up and getting it going.” After four days and over 1,700 miles, the Twins truck has completed its annual pilgrimage from Minnesota to Fort Myers, and there was a whole lot of stuff that this 18-wheeler had to shlep down!Twins senior director of team travel Mike Herman said, “A couple hundred hats, helmets, anything you could imagine that a baseball team needs to work out on the field or play a game is on that truck. The amazing part is watching it all unload, and you see the amount of stuff that comes off that truck, and within an hour or a couple of days, everything is unpacked and it looks like we’ve been here the entire season.” This crew was up bright and early, battling the cold to take care of business, but they weren’t alone.A few fans braved the elements as they took part in the annual tradition.Twins fan Roger Pearson said, “It’s just fun to see the start of baseball. Everybody has the same record — zero-zero — and I hope that the Twins do well this year.”The truck has been emptied, but unfortunately, no players just yet. They will be here next week, before spring training games get going.DOWNLOAD the free Gulf Coast News app for your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment, and more on your phone or tablet. And check out the Very Local Gulf Coast app to stream news, entertainment and original programming on your TV.
FORT MYERS, Fla. —
Friday felt like Christmas morning for Twins fans and baseball fans everywhere as the team’s truck completed its journey from Minnesota to Fort Myers, symbolizing the unofficial start of the MLB season.
Twins senior vice president of communications & public affairs Dustin Morse said, “I think the truck is the symbol that baseball is back and it’s back in Lee County. We’ve been coming here since 1991; we’ve kind of got a routine down. The truck arrives and everybody pitches in and we start setting up and getting it going.”
After four days and over 1,700 miles, the Twins truck has completed its annual pilgrimage from Minnesota to Fort Myers, and there was a whole lot of stuff that this 18-wheeler had to shlep down!
Twins senior director of team travel Mike Herman said, “A couple hundred hats, helmets, anything you could imagine that a baseball team needs to work out on the field or play a game is on that truck. The amazing part is watching it all unload, and you see the amount of stuff that comes off that truck, and within an hour or a couple of days, everything is unpacked and it looks like we’ve been here the entire season.”
This crew was up bright and early, battling the cold to take care of business, but they weren’t alone.
A few fans braved the elements as they took part in the annual tradition.
Twins fan Roger Pearson said, “It’s just fun to see the start of baseball. Everybody has the same record — zero-zero — and I hope that the Twins do well this year.”
The truck has been emptied, but unfortunately, no players just yet. They will be here next week, before spring training games get going.
DOWNLOAD the free Gulf Coast News app for your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment, and more on your phone or tablet. And check out the Very Local Gulf Coast app to stream news, entertainment and original programming on your TV.