Twins farmhand ready to retire, then Twins called

Twins minor leaguer Tyler Grimes. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. -- Terry Ryan could hardly believe what he was hearing.

Typically, when the Twins' general manager makes his round of calls to invite non-roster players to big-league spring training, the response falls somewhere between stunned silence and gushing appreciation.

Tyler Grimes was different.

When Ryan invited the Class A utility man to spring camp, Grimes asked for some time to think it over.

"That one caught me off guard," Ryan said. "His mental thoughts at the time were not what I was hoping to hear. He was struggling a little bit. That was odd."

Grimes, 24, had spent the past two offseasons doing construction work back home in Wichita, Kan., for a company owned by the father of a boyhood friend. Looking to learn the business from the ground up, the former fifth-round draft pick out of Wichita State tried his hand at roofing and siding installation.

He was paid $14 an hour.

"It's tough work, but it's a job," he said. "I was making some money."

After spending the past four seasons in the Twins' minor league system, including a Florida State League championship last year, Grimes started to question how far he could take his baseball dream.

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Twins farmhand ready to retire, then Twins called