Minnesota Twins Dream Team

 

Every sport evolves with each passing generation -- from the

size and athleticism of players to game strategy. 

Baseball’s evolution, however, is both historic and unique given

the pre-integration and dead ball eras. For the former, full

segregation took place from 1887-1947. Full integration, which

was a gradual process, came in 1959. The Deadball Era was a

period in the early 20th century when baseball was

characterized by low scoring and emphasis on pitching. 

There was the Steroid Era, which has no definite start time though

it is generally assumed that the era ran from the late 1980s until

the late 2000s. This era was defined by shattered home run

records leading to exorbitant salaries. 

The Minnesota Twins came were initially known as the Washington

Senators before relocating to Minneapolis in 1961. Since that time,

the franchise has two World Series titles (1987, 1991) and three

American League pennants. The Twins have won 12 division

titles and one more postseason as a wild card team. 

Today, I formed a Twins Dream Team in a 26-man roster format.

For openers, to make this roster, four years as a Twin are required.

No exceptions. With the free agency era, I’m not going to cheapen

this roster with 1-3 year rentals. 

I’m forming a 12 man pitching staff, five starters and seven relievers.

For the latter, I want at least one lefthander in the bullpen. For

position players, I am taking what I believe is the best of the best

regardless of era. For the bench players, it’s the best of the rest with

versatility being heavily considered. Merit achievements such as

Hall of Fame, All-Star appearances and Gold Gloves are considered

but not guaranteed. General impactfulness on the franchise is also

considered.

Generational reminders

If you played on a playoff team, there is no guarantee of landing on

this roster. If you played during a bad season, that does not deter

you from being on this roster. Off-the-field baggage is not a deterrent

to landing on this team, nor is any Steroid Era affiliation. This is

baseball, not the Boys Scouts. We don’t do morality clauses. 

Starting pitchers

Bert Blyleein, Brad Radke, Frank Viola, Johan Santana, Jim Kaat

Blyleven is the only pitcher enshrined in the Hall of Fame as a twin.

Blyleven possessed one of the best curveballs in the history of the

game. Blyleven never won a Cy Young and was only an All-Star

on two occasions but helped deliver a World Series title in 1987.

Though Blyleven pitched for five different teams, he is most

synonymous with his success with the Twins. He is fifth in Major

League history in strikeouts and surpassed the 200-strikeout mark

eight times. Radke is second in franchise history with 377s game

started and made more opening day starts than any pitcher in

franchise history. Radke was only an All-Star one time but

consistency and durability was his long suit. Radke ranks 18th in

strikeouts-to-walks ratio in Major League history.

Kaat has drawn Hall of Fame consideration at various times in the

past only to fall short but longevity and consistency were his long

suits. Kaat remains the franchise leader in various different pitching

categories. In his 15 seasons with the Twins, Kaat won 12 Gold

Glove Awards and was an All-Star twice. He led the American

League in wins in 1966.  Santana and Viola lack the longevity but

their resumes deserve a spot on this roster. Santana holds the

franchise record with strikeouts in a single season with 265.

Santana was the ace on four Twins teams that won division titles

in the 2000s. Three of his four All Stars came as a Twin and he

was a Cy Young Award winner on two occasions with the franchise.

He also led the American League in ERA and strikeouts twice in

Minnesota. Viola was the MVP of the 1987 World Series. It took

him time to find footing but once he did Viola put together an

outstanding stretch. Viola spent eight seasons with the Twins and

was an All-Star in two of them. He was the Major League wins

leader and American League Cy Young Award winner in 1988. 

Bullpen

Closer -- Joe Nathan

Rick Aguilera, Glen Perkins, Eddie Guardado, Taylor Rogers, Al

Worthington, Juan Rincon

Nathan is the franchise's all-time leader in saves and is eighth in

Major League history in that category. Nathan was a central figure

in the Twins’ division winning success throughout the 2000s. Four

of his six All-Star appearances came in a Twins uniform. Aguilera

was initially a starting pitcher when acquired in a trade for the New

York Mets but blossomed into an outstanding closer and was a

key figure in the Twins’ 1991 World Series. Aguilera is second in

franchise history with 254 saves and was a three-time All-Star.

Perkins pitched all 12 of his Major League seasons with the Twins

and was an All-Star for three consecutive seasons from 2013-2015.

Guardado was known as “Everyday Eddie” as evidenced by his

status of leading the franchise in games pitched and innings

pitched as a reliever. During his 11 seasons with the Twins, he was

a two-time All-Star and led the American League in saves in 2002. 

Rogers is currently in his sixth season with the Twins and has been

a mixture of set up man and closer. Rogers entered the 2021 season

with a 3.01 ERA and 42 career saves, 30 of which came in 2019.

Worthington finished his career for the last six seasons with the

Twins and was a key member of the 1965 American League

pennant winning team. Rincon pitched a total of eight seasons with

the Twins and was especially productive between 2004-2006. 

Infield

Catcher -- Joe Mauer; First base -- Harmon Killebrew; Second base

-- Rod Carew; Third base -- Gary Gaetti; Shortstop -- Roy Smalley

Mauer spent all 15 of his Major League seasons with the Twins and

is one of the most popular players in franchise history. Mauer is also

the only American League catcher to win a batting title, accomplishing

such a feat three times. Mauer was a six-time All-Star, five-time Silver

Slugger Award winner, three-time Gold Glove Award winner and

American League MVP in 2009. Killebrew's career overlapped both

the Washington Senators and Minnesota Twins era and he became

the first player in franchise history to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Since the team relocated to Minnesota, Killebrew remains the

franchise’s all-time leader in games played, home runs and RBIs.

He is 12th in Major League history with 573 career home runs.

Killebrew was a 13-time All Star, six-time homerun leader, three-time

RBI leader and American League MVP in 1969. Carew is the best

pure hitter in franchise history and one of the best in Major League

history. In 1977, Carew nearly compiled a .400 batting average. On

the way to a Hall of Fame career, Carew was an 18 time All Star,

seven-time American League batting champion, American League

MVP in 1977 and American League Rookie of the Year in 1967. 

Gaetti’s production declined near the end of his tenure in Minnesota

but for much of the decade of the 1980s he gave a strong middle of

the line up presence. Gaetti was a central figure in the Twins 1987

World Series championship. He was a four-time Gold Glove Award

winner, ALCS MVP in 1987 and two-time All-Star. Smalley spent two

different stints with the Twins for a total of 10 seasons including

capping his career with a 1987 World Series title. Smalley was an

All-Star in 1979. Among shortstops, Smalley remains the all-time

leader in home runs in franchise history. He was an excellent

combination of power and defense.

Outfield

Leftfield -- Bob Allison; Centerfield -- Kirby Puckett; Rightfield --

Tony Oliva

Versatility was Allison's long suit and also the fact that he is another

lifetime member whose era overlaps the Senators and Twins eras

earns him a spot on this roster. Allison was a three-time All-Star,

member of the 1965 pennant winning team and American League

Rookie of the Year in 1959. Allison moved to left field with the

emergence of Tony Oliva in right field. One would be hard-pressed

to find a player more synonymous with the Twins franchise than

Puckett. On the way to a Hall of Fame career, Puckett played with

an infectious energy that made him a popular figure. Puckett’s Game

6 walk off homerun of the 1991 World Series is a memory forever

etched in the memory banks of Twins fans. Puckett is the franchise

all-time leader in hits and was a 10 time All Star, six-time Silver

Slugger Award winner, six-time Gold Glove Award winner, ALCS

1991 MVP, American League batting champion in 1989, American

League RBI leader in 1994 and helped the Twins win World Series

titles in 1987 and 1991. Oliva deserves a special category because

he was beloved as a player, coach and general ambassador for

the Twins franchise. Oliva was a player for the 1965 American

League pennant winning team and an assistant coach for the 1987

and 1991 World Series title teams. Oliva was an eight-time All-Star,

three-time batting champion in the American League, American

League Rookie of the Year in 1964 and Gold Glove Award winner

in 1966.

Bench

Earl Battey, Kent Hrbek, Zoilo Versalles, Corey Koskie, Torii Hunter,

Shane Mack

Battey's career overlapped the Washington Senators era and held

the franchise record for home runs by a catcher until Mitch Garver

surpassed that mark in 2019. Battey was a five-time All-Star and

three-time Gold Glove Award winner. Hrbek was a native of

Minnesota and is one of only eight players to spend the entirety of

a career lasting 10 years or more with the Twins. Though Hrbek

made just one All-Star appearance, he was a central figure in the

Twins 1987 and 1991 World Series Championships. Koskie never

earned any All-Star recognition but during his seven seasons with

the Twins, he helped them win three consecutive division

championships. He also gave them a steady diet of power, on-base

ability along with defense.

Versalles became the first Latin American player in Major League

history to win an MVP award. He also led the American League in

triples for three consecutive seasons. perseids was a two-time

All-Star, and two-time Gold Glove Award winner.  If not for the

presence of Puckett, Hunter would be the starting center fielder.

Hunter produced one of the “toughest acts to follow” in professional

sports, following Puckett. Hunter was a great mixture of power

speed and defense. Like Puckett, he was a fan favorite. Three of

his five All-Star appearances came in a Twins uniform and so did

seven of his nine Gold Glove Awards. Versatility was Mack’s

strong suit. Mack spent five seasons with the Twins and though

he was never an All-Star, he was an underrated part of the 1991

World Series championship team. Mack was versatile enough to

play all three outfield positions and was an outstanding

combination of power, average and speed. 

Manager

Tom Kelly

Until another manager guides the Twins to multiple World Series

titles it's going to be tough to unseat Kelly, who has a statue

erected in front of Target Field. Kelly took over as the interim

manager in 1986 after the franchise dismissed Ray Miller. Kelly

lacked experience as a manager at the Major League level but

guided the franchise to World Series Championships in 1987

and 1991. Although his successor, Ron Gardenhire, led the

Twins to more postseason appearances, about half of Kelly's

managerial career came in the pre wild-card era when only two

teams per league made the postseason. Kelly led the Twins to

1,140 wins as a manager, most in franchise history and at the

time of his retirement of 16 years leading the franchise, he was

the longest tenured head coach or manager in North American

professional sports, a mark currently held by San Antonio Spurs

head coach Gregg Popovich. After the World Series championship

teams, Kelly guided the  franchise through a reconstruction that

set Gardenhire's teams up for success. 

Team

1991

The 1991 Twins not only defeated the Atlanta Braves and seven

games in the World Series capped by Gene Larkin’s walk off RBI

single but it featured a matchup of two worst-to-first teams. The

Twins would be the first team to go from last place to becoming a

World Series champion. The start of the season looked familiar to

the 1990 campaign as the Twin started 2-9 only to rebound to reach

.500 by Memorial Day. The Twins later went on a 15-game winning

streak on the way to winning the American League West. The

offense was led throughout the season by Puckett and Hrbek along

with the addition of designated hitter Chili Davis. Jack Morris, Kevin

Tapani and Scott Erickson formed a solid threesome of the starting

rotation with Rick Aguilera becoming a solid closer. The Twins

were tremendous defensively throughout the season committing

just 95 errors.