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TWINS CAMP 2026 -SOMETHING SPECIAL!
Campers Enjoy a Fabulous week of Baseball Weather & Raise Record Level for Lee Health Foundation!
The 2026 Minnesota Twins Baseball Fantasy Camp is officially in the books, and judging by the reaction at Friday’s Awards and Farewell Banquet, this year’s edition was viewed as another great camp experience by our Twins campers. Despite a damp start to Sunday’s instructionals, campers were able to complete all six games of pool play in time for Thursday’s single elimination camp play-offs. For the first time in the camp’s recent history, the schedule included 7 nights and 6 days of baseball. The Twins Camp was the only camp in all of Major League Baseball that had offered an 8 camp nights and 7 days of baseball.
“This change allowed us to avoid any scheduling conflicts with the Boston Red Sox camp that also utilizes the DoubleTree Hotel as their headquarters”, commented Camp Director, Stan Dickman. “It was also intended to help keep the camp affordable in the face of increasing costs. We also felt it an advantage for campers to return home on Saturday and have an additional day to recover from camp before returning to the job and real world.”
This year’s camp was another ten team affair, with 130 campers from twenty different states participating. Ten teams of 13 players on each team’s roster makes for an almost perfect camp. The Rookies, 24 this year, also had their turn at taking on our Pro Staff on Thursday afternoon. Friday was Championship Day with four of the ten camp teams vying for a championship in either the Red or Blue Division (more on those teams and games in our next installment of the Fantasy Forum). The Blue Division Championship may have been the greatest game in Twins Camp history!
The 2026 Twins Camp Pro Staff
Front Row (left to right):Tommy Watkins, Stan Cliburn, Stu Cliburn Dick Stigman, Phil Roof, Tony Oliva, Bert Blyleven, Jacque Jones, Tim Laudner, JC Romero, Al Newman & Kent Hrbek. Back Row (left to right): Tom Brunansky, Toby Gardenhire, Brian Dinkelman, Milt Cuyler, Matt LeCroy, Frank Viola, Frankie Viola, Juan Berenguer, Gene Larkin, Matt Guerrier & Juan Rincon.
We were again blessed to have two members of the National Baseball Hall of Fame with us at Twins Camp. Bert Blyleven (HOF 2011) served in his usual capacity as Camp Commissioner, handling all baseball related issues. Tony Oliva (HOF 2022) served as a special Pro Staff member and was on hand to cheer on his son Ric, as well as Bernie Minoso, nephew of another Hall of Fame member, Minnie Minoso. Bert and Tony did “double duty” as they also served as judges for another pair of great Kangaroo Court sessions.
Chief Justice Blyleven and his Associate Justice, Tony Oliva hold court.
However, this year we were missing a couple of our Pro Staff regulars at Twins Camp. Devin Smeltzer, who is still an active player, had to miss as his Latin American team had made the playoffs and needed our Lefty for their playoff run. The week prior to the camp start, Frank Viola reached out to Stan to let him know that Jeff Reardon had emergency heart surgery and would not be able to be part of the Staff in ’26. The great news is that Jeff’s surgery was successful and he’s doing well. He checked in from his hospital bed several times during camp week to see how things were going. With the compressed time frame to fill out the Pro Staff.
Frank & Frankie Viola
We talk a lot about family at the Twins Camp and have been blessed to have had so many family’s join us to create memories around America’s favorite pastime. With that in mind, Stan called Frank back to see if his son Frankie might be interested in coaching with his Dad during camp week. Frankie was selected by the Chicago White Sox in the 2004 MLB draft. His professional career included time with both the White Sox and Toronto Blue Jays organizations. He was also a member of the St Paul Saints when they were still an Independent League team. Now a professional fishing guide, Frank had to check to see if he might be available. He was, and we were thrilled he could join us. Based on the reaction from the campers at our final banquet, it appeared that they were all happy it worked out as well.
The 2026 Twins Camp started with a bang. At the Opening Welcome Banquet, Stan announced that there would be a change in the Twins Camp’s organizational structure going forward. Dickman has been the camp’s director for 18 years and having witnessed how much the camp experience has meant to so many, wanted to ensure that it could do so in the years to come. At the age of 72, he knew that meant finding a partner that could not only successfully lead the camp, but a partner that could bring additional resources and creativity to the process. He found that partner with True North Diamond Adventures which will be led by Brian Jamros. Brian, who currently leads the Sioux Falls Canaries Independent League team, has worked for many years with Twins camper, Brian Slipka,who also has a passion for the Twins and the game of baseball. Stan had hoped to introduce Brian Jamros that opening evening, but a flight delay made that impossible. Stan turned to Brian Slipka to represent the new partnership and True North Diamond Adventure’s vision for the future. Brian Jamros arrived later that evening and was introduced to the camp at Sunday’s banquet. Brian also introduce Duell Higbe, Nicole Magandy and Natalie Patrick, who will assist in delivering the camp.
“Leading the Twins Fantasy Camp has truly been one of the great joys and honors of my professional life”, commented Stan. “But one of my failings has been not developing a person who could serve as my backup and learn all of the details that go into executing camp week. My greatest and continuing fear has been that something would prevent me from being in Florida for camp week and the possibility of disappointing so many wonderful camp participants. This new structure, that I’m proud to continue to be part of, eliminates that possibility. True North Diamond Adventures also brings a dedicated team of event planning specialists and proven baseball insights that just seemed to fit perfectly with where we see the camp going. I admit all of the time that I’m a technological dinosaur. There are so many tools and enhancements to be brought to bear that can make the camp truly go to another level. That excites me as much as it should our campers and staff.”
Brian Slipka shares with the camp, the vision for the Twins Fantasy Camp and their view of their stewardship role going forward. He assured the group that their intentions were to build on an already great experience and the fact that Stan would continue to be a key part in the camp’s future.
An Open Letter to the Camp From Brian Jamros
Editor’s note: Brian Jamros, as the leader of the camp going forward, wanted to speak directly to the entire camp family regarding his view of the camp and the it’s future.
Brian Jamros
Dear Twins Fantasy Campers:
Thank you for being part of the 2026 Minnesota Twins Fantasy Camp. Your enthusiasm, camaraderie, and love for the game of baseball make this experience so special, and we are truly grateful that you chose to spend your week with us. Each year, the camp is defined by the people who attend, and you were directly responsible for making 2026, another memorable chapter in camp history.
This past January you were responsible for raising over $45,000 for the Lee Health Cancer Foundation. You can see first hand how your generosity is going to work by visiting this link: https://leehealthfoundation.org cancer
As we look ahead, we wanted to share with you a brief update regarding the upcoming leadership transition. This transition is rooted in Stewardship, collaboration and clear communication. Our commitment is to honor the strong foundation built over the years while working together to ensure that your camp continues to thrive. You can expect thoughtful and open collaboration with Stan, the Pro Staff, camp alumni and partners, with transparent communication as we move forward. Our goal is simple: to continue to delivering a first-class Fantasy Camp experience that celebrates the Twins, baseball, friendships and lifelong memories.
We are also excited to share important information about the 2027 Minnesota Twins Fantasy Camp:
*Camp Dates: January 9 – 15, 2027 @ The Lee Health Sports Complex in Ft Myers.
*Registration: 2027 camp registration will open after March 1st, 2026, online at the Minnesota Twins Fantasy Baseball Camp – Official Website – Yuratwin.com.
Additional details regarding registration, the 2026 Summer Reunion Game, and additional 2027 camp information will be shared as they become available. We encourage you to keep an eye on your inbox as we will continue to send out the newsletters, so you won’t miss any of our updates.
Once again, thank you for being a member of the Minnesota Twins Fantasy Camp family. We greatly appreciate your trust, passion for the game, and the energy you bring each year. We look forward to staying connected and hope to see you back in 2027!
Brian Jamros
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