Llamas & chickens & Twins ... oh my! Baldelli brings petting zoo to camp

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- There’s nothing quite like a manager and his affinity for llamas.

There’s also nothing like spending some quality time with your family at the ballpark.

On Monday morning in Fort Myers, members of the Twins and their families were treated to a unique precursor to baseball activities for the day: a petting zoo.

Arranged by Rocco Baldelli and Twins director of team travel Mike Herman, players, spouses and of course, their children, had a handful of feed and were all smiles while getting up-close-and-personal with llamas, chickens, goats and other farm animals.

"In Spring Training, you like to come up with just a couple of ideas to mix things up for the guys," Baldelli said. "Why not bring the families out and find a way to bring everyone to the field for a couple of hours? It came together nicely."

The traveling petting zoo came courtesy of Lucy’s Llamas out of Manatee County. The interactive experience was set up in the players’ parking lot, where youth were running about, eyes wide and full of childlike wonder.

"They call it 'mobile petting.' That's what they do. They come to us, and this is kind of their specialty. Any time you get an opportunity to enjoy some time with your family at the ballpark -- rarely do we get a chance to do that,” Baldelli said. “You bring some farm animals together, and some kids and some donuts and coffee, and all of a sudden you have a little morning.”

Twins pitcher Bailey Ober was out enjoying the animals with his wife and four children. He said he’s never experienced something quite like he did on Monday morning.

"This is the first time we've had this in spring, so, it's pretty cool to get the kids out here early in the morning and kind of come together for a little while and just enjoy some good fun," Ober said.

Ober said the Twins putting on the special event just shows how the organization feels about its players, and how the guys in the clubhouse feel about their loved ones.

"It kind of just shows the priority that a lot of the guys here have," Ober said. "Same views; just a really family-oriented team. A lot of us have young kids. Making sure we're including them and our spouses is really important to just be around them and get some extra time to have fun and show them they're a part of this, too."

A trip to the zoo is commonplace for Ober and company. He said his family will visit the Naples Zoo just south of camp during the spring and like to see what different cities have to offer while on the road.

"They love it," Ober said. "They enjoy going to farms and hanging out with animals and doing all that fun stuff."

What’s one thing that Baldelli loves? That would be llamas and alpacas. The Twins’ skipper is self-admittedly a lover of the camelid species.

"I'm a llama guy," Baldelli said. "I love me some llamas. Llamas and alpacas. [I'd] love to have a working llama/alpaca situation someday. Maybe not soon, but someday. They're great. The chickens even hatched some eggs today on the way here. Carlos [Correa] already claimed them. So he's going to take them home."

Baldelli said it was a great feeling to see his players interacting with their children, and everyone taking in the experience.

"You just look around and see all the kids enjoying themselves," Baldelli said. "All the kids wearing their Twins gear and their dad's stuff at their dad's work. Showing up to dad's work and being able to have your day, that's pretty sweet.

"Our families, they're moving all over the place all the time. They're sacrificing a lot. Our families are at home while we're away. This is just a small thing that we can do. It took just a little planning and a little thought. Honestly, it didn't take that much, and I think a lot of people are going to have a fun day today."

Twins reliever Danny Coulombe snapped a great photo of him, his wife, and two children with one of the llamas. He had no idea the event was planned until he arrived at the ballpark.

"I had no idea this was happening," Coulombe said. "My wife kept it a secret very well. She made a very good excuse to need the car this morning. But it's awesome. Any time we can get all the families together, it's just good for the team. What an awesome thing the Twins were able to do for us."

He spoke to the importance of spending time with your family amidst the grueling schedule of 162 games, as well as Spring Training. Baseball is a year-round job.

"Anytime you can do that, it's always helpful," Coulombe said of getting that quality time. "I think the wives and the girlfriends are just a huge part of this game that are not talked about enough. I couldn't do this game without my wife. Any time we can do anything for them and the kids, it's always great."

Baldelli praised the hard work of the players in camp, with Monday morning serving as a reprieve from the nose-to-the-grindstone mentality.

"The guys work exceptionally hard every day, all day long, in a really focused manner," Baldelli said. "When you're here for six weeks and [grinding] for six straight weeks, I think doing something like this, it's a welcomed thing."

Coulombe said the idea of a petting zoo for the players is along the lines of team-building activities they’ve had conversations about.

"It's awesome," Coulombe said. "I talked to Rocco when I first got here, and he had some really good ideas for some team bonding stuff. I think the best teams on the field are the ones that bond off the field, too, and that includes the wives and the families."