Phil Mackey of 1500 ESPN writes that Aaron Hicks "has been given a clear path" to take over as the Twins' starting center fielder.
Hicks had a breakout season at the Double-A level in 2012, hitting .286/.384/.460 with 13 home runs and 32 stolen bases in 129 games. The Twins traded both Denard Span and Ben Revere this offseason, so the 23-year-old will enter spring training with a legitimate chance to earn the starting job in centerfield. Barring a free agent addition, he'll face competition from Darin Mastroianni, Brandon Boggs, and Joe Benson.












