Somehow, everyone has gone from rolling their eyes to staring intently.

It wasn't very long ago that when Trevor Plouffe's name was announced at Target Field, there was an audible groan. The guy was hitting about a buck fifty and looking helpless at the plate. When he came to bat, even if the bases were loaded, I often took the opportunity to use the restroom. It wasn't as if I was going to miss anything.

But now when Plouffe steps up, there is a great chorus of "Plooooof!" It has been a remarkable turnaround. Labeled a "super-utility man," primarily because nobody could figure out what he was supposed to be doing on the ballclub, Plouffe suddenly has blossomed as an everyday third baseman.

He has a team-leading 18 home runs, one more than Josh Willingham, and has raised his average about 100 points in the past month or so. I can't figure it out. Ron Gardenhire can't figure it out. And Plouffe doesn't seem quite sure, either.

"I'm just putting some swings on some pitches, that's all I'm trying to do," Plouffe said after hitting two homers in the Twins' 10-8 victory over the Royals on Sunday, July 1. "I'm not trying to hit home runs, I'll tell you that much."

Six weeks ago, Plouffe was a Twin only because he was out of options and could not be sent back to the minors without clearing waivers. Just 26, Plouffe is young enough that another team likely would have placed a claim. So the Twins gritted their teeth, kept him on the roster and tried to find something for him to do. I don't think they were too happy about it.

He played every infield position, as well as the two outfield corners, all with remarkably little success. After Danny Valencia was demoted, Plouffe started seeing more time at third base, almost by accident, as certain players needed a day off here and there. And then, as far as anyone can tell, Plouffe just woke up one morning and discovered that he was a power-hitting machine.

"Plouffe, all of a sudden, he just got on a roll," Gardenhire said. "He's been going along unbelievable."

One thing for sure: Valencia isn't getting his old job back.

"I want to win," Plouffe said. "I want to be part of the team. I want to play. I'm at third base right now, but if I need to move later on I will."

He's not moving.

"Well, yeah, it helps being able to play every day and getting into a routine that you can stick to," he said. "You get confident in that routine. When you're confident in the routine, you just go out and play the game. You don't worry about the game. You prepare the way you're supposed to prepare and everything takes care of itself."

Plouffe downplays his recent accomplishments and deflects credit. That's understandable since it wasn't very long ago that he was hitting below .200 and was sort of a ghostly figure around the ballclub. Yet he has been yanking balls into the seats to the point where the crowd acts as if it expects something big every time he comes up.

Against the Royals' junk-balling Bruce Chen, Plouffe twice jumped on the first pitch and sent the ball into the left-field seats. Plouffe said he was looking for pitches in a certain area of the strike zone. And he insisted that he was trying to make contact and not hit it over the wall.

"When you start to hit home runs, there's a tendency to try to hit more," he said. "Once you start doing that, it throws off your swing and you end up pulling off balls. At least, that's the way I know it is for me. There are some guys that try to hit them. I can't."

Gardenhire said Plouffe's home runs are the result of a natural swing.

"Smooth swing and the ball goes flying," Gardenhire said.

"I don't know," Plouffe said. "It seems that way. They're going out, right now."

The only problem is that now it's harder to find a time to use the restroom.

Tom Powers can be reached at