FORT MYERS, Fla. -- The A.J. Pierzynski trade with the San Francisco Giants is one of the most highly regarded trades in Twins history thanks to the emergence of closer Joe Nathan and highly touted pitching prospect Francisco Liriano.

But there is a third player the Twins acquired in that deal, Boof Bonser, and he wants to be a star, too.

"They are all talking about them two and I want to show my end of the bargain, that they didn't get three guys and just two panned out," Bonser said. "Hopefully, I can get my shot and show that I can be what they traded for."

Bonser, 24, has been one of the Twins Minor League pitchers to have received some starts this spring due to the absence of two pitchers in the starting rotation for duty in the World Baseball Classic.

"I love the opportunity with Johan [Santana] and [Carlos] Silva gone," Bonser said following his start Friday. "To start is huge because it's letting me show them what I can do."

Bonser's first start was an overwhelming success, as he threw two scoreless innings and allowed only three hits. The last one wasn't quite as triumphant as Bonser gave up one run off five hits in three innings of work.

"Bonser looked like he labored out there a bit," Gardenhire said following the game. "Nothing came easy for him, but he got through it."

Gardenhire said the team sees the potential in the lumbering right-hander, much of that has come from proven success at Triple-A Rochester, where Bonser was 11-9 with a 3.99 ERA last season. With the immense depth in pitching for the Twins, Bonser likely won't get an opportunity at a starting nod this season. But it could be there soon, so these starts shouldn't be taken lightly.

"These extra chances to pitch are just what any guy wants," Gardenhire said. "That could be one of the good things that comes out of this World Baseball Classic."

On the move: Jose Mijares is one of the few left-handed pitchers the Twins have in camp this year. Mijares, 21, was signed out of Venezuela as a free agent in March, 2002. After arriving late to camp due to a missed flight, Mijares has done his fair share to impress early on. With a strong fastball and a pretty good breaking ball, Mijares is expected to start out in Class A Fort Myers, but could finish the season higher up in the system.

Names in the game: If you spend any time around the Twins batting cages in Spring Training, then one thing you will certainly hear is the voice of Tony Oliva. Oliva is at camp as a special instructor, and has spent most of his helping with hitting. With some of the new Latin acquisitions like Luis Castillo and Tony Batista, he also is one of the best ambassadors for the club. Oliva has spent time with them to make sure they, along with some of the younger Latin players, are adjusting to the organization.

They're No. 1: Former first-round pick and starting catcher Joe Mauer has had a much better spring so far than last year. With all the questions about his knee gone, Mauer even made two straight starts catching Friday and Saturday, something deemed all but impossible just a year ago. Mauer is hitting .294 so far this spring and appears to be well on his way for a possible breakout season.

Class of '05: One of the things the Twins were looking for in last year's draft class was quality middle infielders. Two they believe they have found are shortstops Paul Kelly and Andrew Thompson. Both began the year in rookie league, but moved up near the end of the season. Thompson likely will start the year in Fort Myers, where he finished the 2005 season. Kelly hit .313 with four RBIs in five games at Beloit. The scouts really seem to like Kelly's bat and believe his defense needs some work but is adequate enough.

What they're saying: "We think he's a player. Once we get past this part with the knee, we'll get to see that. It was a very serious knee injury that he had to battle back from. But man, does he have a chance to be a heck of a player." -- Gardenhire, on whether he believes outfielder Jason Kubel will be an impact type of player for the club soon