FORT MYERS, Fla. — Rocco Baldelli couldn’t help but rave. Just days after the team was eliminated from the American League playoffs last fall, the Twins manager was still marveling over Louie Varland’s stint in the bullpen.

“I think he has the ability to be an elite reliever,” Baldelli said at the time. “… It’s hard to look away from that and not at least think about that going forward.”

But while the Twins certainly liked what they saw — Varland’s stuff played up out of the bullpen, and in seven regular-season games as a reliever, he had a 1.50 earned-run average, striking out 17 in 12 innings —  the Twins have made clear that they also believe in the North St. Paul grad’s ability to start.

And on that note, the Twins are planning on having Varland stretch out as a starter this spring.

Though Varland made 10 pitching starts for the Twins last season, coming up to fill in after Kenta Maeda landed on the injured list, he appears ticketed to begin the season at Triple-A St. Paul, should Pablo López, Joe Ryan, Bailey Ober, Chris Paddack and the recently-acquired Anthony DeSclafani all stay healthy. Even if Varland starts the season with the Saints, he could be called upon quickly — last year, for example, two starters hit the injured list within the first month of the season.

While the Twins could always decide to move him back to the bullpen again at some point, they currently have plenty of bullpen depth, and as a starter, Varland would be in line to be the first man called upon when the Twins need an arm for the rotation.

Still, he said, his focus was to come in to camp and “compete and try to earn a job.”

“Good teams need depth,” Varland said. “I’ll help in any way possible.”

Varland’s success and longevity as a starter could hinge upon the two-seamer that he’s been working on that he said has more horizontal run into right-handed hitters. He also said he’s been working on a slider with more depth.

“I need to be able to adapt on the fly because once the league adapts to you, you have to be able to adapt to the adaptation,” he said. “That’s how you stick around for years in the league.”

López has touching offseason moment

As a young boy growing up in Venezuela, Pablo López remembers watching his fellow countryman Johan Santana pitch, idolizing the southpaw. Now, López, 27, is the pitcher in that position, the one kids back in his hometown watch and try to emulate.

The Twins ace returned to his hometown of Cabimas this offseason and held an event at the Little League stadium that he grew up pitching in. It now bears a mural of López. In past years, Mizuno, the equipment company he has a deal with, has sent him donation items for the young ballplayers in town. Usually, he has somebody else pick up the gear and distribute it. This year, López himself was able to deliver that equipment himself during a trip back to Venezuela in December.

“It was really cool for me to be able to do that in person in the city, in the stadium that saw me grow,” he said.

The pitcher greeted hundreds of kids from around the area, posing for pictures with them, signing autographs and passing out gear. Knowing that he has taken over the role in kids’ lives that Santana had in his is “unreal, surreal” to the pitcher.

“My grandma said something … like, ‘Put yourself in those shoes 20 years ago and imagine a big leaguer coming,’” López said. “… It just made me realize that for as long as I’m doing this, I’m doing this not just for myself but for a whole, entire community of people, kids back home or anywhere that are looking up to me and my fellow teammates.”

Briefly

Byron Buxton and Royce Lewis both reported to camp on Friday. All position players must report by Saturday, with the team’s first full-squad workout set for Sunday.

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