Whether it's running from the weight room to the batting cages or heading from the breakfast table to his locker, Tolbert doesn't seem to slow down.

Things are the same way when the infielder is on the field. And that's where the problem lies, at times.

"The coaches are constantly telling me I'm trying to be too quick sometimes," Tolbert said. "Maybe I think the quicker I am, that will get me to the big leagues faster. But that's clearly not the case."

The infielder certainly caught the attention of the Twins organization last season. In his first year at Triple-A Rochester, Tolbert started out on an offensive tear, hitting higher than .350 in his first two months.

Tolbert couldn't quite keep his numbers up to that level for the entire year, but he finished the season hitting .293 with six home runs and 53 RBIs in 121 games for the Red Wings.

Tolbert said that last season was a growing year for him. He played in the 2007 Futures Game for the Twins after right-hander Kevin Slowey was called up to pitch in the big leagues in June, and he was a selected to the International League team for the Triple-A All-Star game. Tolbert said that all of the experience helped him, although he feels there is much more he has to learn.

Tolbert's offense has always been one of his strengths, but it's his defense on which he's had to focus most of his work.

In his first big league camp, Tolbert said he's been trying to take advantage of the assets added around him. The infielder said he has been working with some of the Twins' special instructors at camp, including Tom Kelly, Paul Molitor and Rod Carew. And most of that focus has been placed on helping Tolbert.

"All those guys are trying to help you become a better player," Tolbert said. "You think you're doing something right, but then they're like, 'Hold on -- that's not the right way. You have to do it this way.' I'm always kind of like, 'Man, I thought I had it.' But that's why I'm constantly working on things every day, and hopefully I can finally put it into action."

It appears as if the hard work has been paying off. Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said he has been impressed with what he's seen from Tolbert in his adjustments in the field so far this spring.

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"He's been working really, really hard trying to slow down," Gardenhire said, "and he's really doing well. He's a good player -- one of those who can play anywhere you want to put him in the infield.

"He's another one of those guys we're looking at for one of those role positions we've got on this team -- whether we keep an extra outfielder or infielder. He's one of the guys who I feel really could make our baseball team."

Arrival time? Last season when the Twins were looking for some left-handed help in their bullpen, the ideal candidate appeared to be Ricky Barrett.

Unfortunately for both the Twins and Barrett, yet another injury has struck the left-hander.

Barrett, who will turn 27 on Sunday, has had his fair share of injury troubles over the course of his career. Those included two he suffered last season -- a strained left elbow that sidelined him for a month early in the year and a muscle strain in his back that caused him to miss the season's second half.

But Barrett is back in big league camp again this spring as a non-roster invitee. The Twins are looking to see what Barrett can do, and performances like the one he showed on Wednesday against the Yankees can only help, as he pitched one perfect inning.

"You saw today, when he slows everything down out here and keeps his center of gravity, the ball comes out pretty good," Gardenhire said. "That's as good as we've seen him throw the ball in a while."

They're No. 1: Denard Span, the Twins' first-round pick in the 2002 First-Year Player Draft, has continued to try to make a strong impression as he competes for the club's opening in center field.

Through two Grapefruit League games, Span has hit .286 (2-for-7). That doesn't include his 2-for-2 performance on Tuesday in a rain-shortened game against the Rays.

Class of '07: The Twins' Minor League Spring Training is set to officially begin this week. Players are scheduled to report on Thursday. Among those scheduled to arrive are members of last year's Draft class, including first-round pick Ben Revere, an outfielder.

What they're saying: "You come to a new organization, and you want to impress people and show them what you can do. We talked about that. The best way to impress people is to go out and handle your business and throw strikes. That's the big thing." -- Phil Humber, after throwing a 1-2-3 inning against the Reds on Monday. The outing came after the righty had struggled in his first outings of the spring