MINNEAPOLIS — Even late on the night before he was named the AL's Most Valuable Player, an anxious Justin Morneau couldn't hide from the attention.

Out at the store with teammate Joe Mauer to stock their fridge, Morneau couldn't hold back his laugh as he heard customers chanting "MVP!" while they walked the aisles past the Minnesota first baseman.

"I can't imagine what it's going to be like to go get groceries now," Morneau said with a smile Tuesday after learning he edged Yankees captain Derek Jeter to become the first Twins player to win the award since 1977.

So much for a no-name team. Sure, Minnesota still has a small market, a modest payroll and nowhere near the scrutiny that surrounds Jeter in New York. But with Morneau, Mauer's batting title, and Johan Santana's second AL Cy Young Award, the Twins — who won their fourth division title in five years — have found their share of the national spotlight this fall.

"We have a great young team," the 25-year-old Canadian said.

And the price of keeping it together will be going up for general manager Terry Ryan, who sat next to Morneau at his news conference at the Metrodome. Morneau made $385,000 this season, a big bargain by market standards, but he's eligible for salary arbitration — as are Mauer and several other regulars.

"He's going to be rewarded. There's no doubt," Ryan said.

"I think I've said, 'amazing,' about 1,000 times," Morneau said, clearly in awe of the achievement and admittedly a bit surprised.

Morneau finished with a .321 average, 34 homers and 130 RBI, helping the Twins turn around their season after starting 25-33. Mauer was sixth in the MVP voting, and Santana was seventh.