Hunter on Morneau: 'I can see him being on the up and up'

Justin Morneau's early-season numbers aren't great, but since the middle of spring training he has seemed to drive the ball better than he ever did last year. Ex-teammate Torii Hunter noticed.

By Danny Knobler

Apr 16, 2012 at 12:29 pm ET • 1 min read

The numbers don't show it yet.

Through nine games, Justin Morneau is hitting .206, far below his .281 career average and even lower than the .227 he hit last year. Through nine games, Morneau has just two doubles and one home run.

But Morneau looks different, and ex-teammate Torii Hunter noticed it.

"His at-bats were competitive and strong," said Hunter, whose Angels played Morneau's Twins last week. "It's very different [from last year]. I can see him being on the up and up."

Morneau has been the Twins' designated hitter through the first nine games of the season, but manager Ron Gardenhire told reporters that he expects Morneau to play first base during this week's trip to New York and Tampa Bay.