Tony, the Killer, and Carew

On Wednesday night Carlos Gomez became the 12th player in franchise history to hit for the cycle, the eighth since 1961. Players who have hit for the cycle in franchise history:

Otis Clymer - 10/2/1908
Goose Goslin - 8/28/1924
Joe Cronin - 9/2/1929
Mickey Vernon - 5/19/1946
Rod Carew - 5/20/1970
Cesar Tovar - 9/19/1972
Larry Hisle - 6/4/1976
Lyman Bostock - 7/24/1976
Mike Cubbage - 7/27/1978
Gary Ward - 9/18/1980
Kirby Puckett - 8/1/1986
Carlos Gomez - 5/7/2008

I only looked at first round picks from the June draft, and considered only major league performance in selecting my team. All positions listed are the positions reported when the player was drafted.

C Joe Mauer 2001 (1st Overall) - Cretin HS
The most recent draftee to make this list, the other option at catcher was Jeff Reed (12th Overall 1980)

1B Travis Lee 1996 (2nd Overall) - San Diego St
Most definitely a tough man to name to the list, Travis Lee is not well regarded by Twins fans. David McCarty (3rd Overall, 1991) was the only other option with major league experience.

2B Todd Walker 1994 (8th Overall) - Louisiana St
By default, Walker is the only listed second baseman to be drafted in the first round of the June draft by the Twins.

SS Chuck Knoblauch 1989 (25th Overall) - Texas A&M
The situation at short stop is quite the opposite from second base. The Twins have drafted 10 players listed as SS in the first round since 1965. Knoblauch was the most accomplished major leaguer (at 2B and LF), but the Twins also drafted Michael Cuddyer (9th Overall, 1997), Jay Bell (8th Overall, 1984), Lenny Faedo (16th Overall, 1978), and Eddie Leon (9th Overall, 1965).

3B Scott Stahoviak 1991 (27th Overall) - Creighton
The other option was Steve Brye (17th Overall, 1967).

OF Torii Hunter 1993 (20th Overall) - Pine Bluff HS
OF Jason Varitek 1993 (21st Overall) - Georgia Tech
OF Midre Cummings 1990 (29th Overall) - Edison HS (Miami)
I was previously unaware that Jason Varitek was drafted as an outfielder. Of course, Varitek went back to college rather than signing with the Twins, and was drafted the following season by the Seattle Mariners. He did come close to playing baseball in Minnesota, however, when he signed with the St. Paul Saints in 1995, though it was just a negotiating ploy and he never played a game for the Saints. Jason’s brother Justin did play for the Saints, however.

P Tim Belcher 1983 (1st Overall) - Mount Vernon Nazarene College
P Dick Ruthven 1972 (8th Overall) - Fresno St
Neither played a single game for the Twins, and both re-entered the draft without signing. Belcher was drafted by the Yankees the following year, and Ruthven, who was drafted by Baltimore in 1969, entered the draft for a third time in 1973 by the Philadelphia Phillies. The Twins have spent a lot of first round draft picks on highly regarded pitchers (Eddie Bane 11th Overall, 1973; Willie Banks 3rd Overall, 1987; Adam Johnson 2nd Overall, 2000) but few have panned out. Matt Garza (25th Overall, 2005) may still pan out, but not in a Twins uniform.

The Dixie Championship

Having escaped the semi-final series with year-long rival Asheville, the Hornets started play in the first and only Dixie championship series with a home game at Griffith Park against the Arkansas Travelers. Arkansas, a Cardinals farm team, earned a semi-final spot by winning the Central Division with a 75-64 record, good enough to outdistance Memphis by six games at season’s end despite a several week slump by the entire team down the stretch. They broke out of their slump at the right time, and swept the best-of-three series against West Division champion Amarillo.

On paper, Charlotte had a huge advantage over Arkansas, having won 7 of 8 meetings in the regular season; and that it exactly how it played out in the finals as well. Mark Wiley had a perfect game going into the fifth inning of Game 1 against Arkansas, but had to leave the game early because of an injury to his arm. No matter, as Vic Albury picked up right where he left off and carried the shut out the rest of the way, allowing just one hit. Rick Dempsey’s double scored Ezell Carter in the fourth inning, and Albury added an insurance run for himself with a home run in the bottom of the eighth to wind up the scoring in a 2-0 Hornets’ win.

Game 2 was the next day in Charlotte. This time the Hornets put the game away early with a five-run fourth inning highlighted by Ezell Carter’s two-run double and a parade of Travelers’ pitchers who couldn’t seem to be able to get the final out. Dick Rusteck went the distance for the Hornets despite running into some trouble in the sixth when he allowed two runs on three consecutive singles by Arkansas. Charlotte took a commanding lead in the best-of-five series with a 6-2 win as the teams headed to Arkansas for Games 3 and 4 (if necessary).

As it turned out, three would be enough, though it wasn’t easy at Ray Winder field in Little Rock. The home team had a 3-2 lead heading into the final frame. In fact, the lead was 3-0 before Tom Kelly’s home run and Buck Guth’s RBI double cut the lead to one in the sixth inning. Arkansas’ Danny Napolean was responsible for all three of the Travelers runs with a single in the first and a double in the fifth. The lead must have felt reasonably safe for Arkansas, who counted their bullpen as the team’s strength. The Hornets got to Ike Brookens in the top of the ninth, however, first with game-tying RBI single by Jerry Terrell. Minnie Mendoza put on the finishing touches with a two-run double that gave the Hornets a 5-3 lead that held up as the final score.

The Charlotte Hornets had swept their way to a Dixie title, and have a claim as the most successful professional baseball team in 1971. Harry Lloyd had his theory as to what the turning point was in the season, from the October 2, 1971 issue of The Sporting News:

The Hornets really proved they were championship material on June 5, certainly the longest day of the year for them.

 

The team was riding back from Montgomery when its 19-year-old bus lost its transmission somewhere south of Atlanta. Efforts to find another bus failed, and some three hours later another ride was found - a rental moving van.

 

So, with Warner and trainer Wayne Hattaway in the front seat with driver Jack Gilley, and 23 sweltering players in the back, the van creaked into Charlotte at mid-day.

 

That night, Rusteck beat Arkansas 6-2.

The Playoffs

With the Dixie Eastern Division Title in tow, the Hornets got to host the first of a best-of-three against the team they fought neck and neck with for the majority of the season: The Asheville Tourists. Asheville was an affiliate of the Chicago White Sox and boasted the league’s best pitcher during the regular season (Jim MacDonnell) and probably its most feared hitter (Ken Hottman .302 37 HR 116 RBI).

Asheville scored in the first inning when lead off man Hugh Yancy singled to start the game. The run scored when a bloop single by Hottman got by Joe Pactwa in left field. Charlotte pitcher Dick Rusteck struggled in the first, but ultimately got out of the inning with just the one run scored. Charlotte took the lead in the second inning when Jerry Terrell lined a two-run triple to left field. With a 2-1 lead, Rusteck ran into problems in the fifth, but managed to catch Bruce Miller looking with runners at second and third and two out. Miller had worked the count to 3-1 before fouling off 11 straight pitches before the strikeout. Charlotte added three more runs, including a solo home run off the bat of Pactwa, to take Game 1 by a 5-1 count.

Game 2 took the teams to Asheville and once again the Tourists struck first. This time, Asheville took a 5-0 lead by the end of the fifth inning. In the top of that frame, it looked as though the Hornets would score when, with no outs, Asheville starter Jim Geddes walked the bases loaded. Relief pitcher George Weimer came into the game and somehow managed to end the inning without allowing a Charlotte run. More opportunities would come for the Hornets, who cut into the lead in the eighth inning when an infield hit by catcher Glenn Borgmann scored both Terrell and Minnie Mendoza thanks to a throwing error. Terrell and Mendoza combined again to continue the rally in the ninth when the former doubled and the latter singled. With two outs, Ashville turned to their ace pitcher MacDonnell, who ended the game and tied the series by retiring Tom Kelly.

Charlotte’s Game 3 starter was Greg Jaycox, whose only shut out of the regular season came in the important late-season match up against Asheville. Jaycox did it again, this time in the clinching game of the semi-final series. He allowed the Tourists seven hits, but did not allow a single run. The only run of the game came in the first inning when center fielder Ezell Carter doubled off the left field wall to score Mendoza. The 1-0 lead would hold up, thanks to Jaycox and the Charlotte defense, highlighted by a couple of great plays in center by Carter, and a pair of gems by short stop Buck Guth. The Hornets were set for the first and only Dixie League Series against Arkansas, who had defeated Amarillo in two straight.

Heading into 1971, the Minnesota Twins were the two-time defending AL West champions. While the major league club came down to earth that year and finished below .500; the Twins’ AA affiliate in Charlotte put together a memorable season, and won the only pennant in the history of the short-lived Dixie Association.

In 1970, as a member of the Southern League, the Hornets had finished a disappointing sixth place. The main problem that year according to The Sporting News was the bullpen, which seemed to surrender just about every lead the Hornets had in 1970.

Still, there was some enthusiasm for Charlotte heading into the 1971 season. In addition to returning veterans like third baseman Minnie Mendoza, the Hornets boasted a collection of top prospects that put up some nice numbers at single-A Orlando the previous year. The list was topped by Steve Luebber, a top starting pitching prospect who dominated in Orlando with a 1.78 ERA and outfielder Elmore “Moe” Hill who promised to bring with him some power after smacking 22 home runs the year before.

The new look Hornets would play their game in a new look league. The Southern League and the Texas League both found themselves with only seven members after the 1970 season, and decided to temporarily merge into the Dixie Association for the 1971 season, a league that ended up stretching from Jacksonville on the Atlantic all the way to Albuquerque, New Mexico in the west. The 14 member teams were divided into three divisions geographically, with Charlotte landing in the six-team Eastern Division. Long time organization manager Harry Warner got the call to manage in 1971, returning to the team he manged from 1966-1968 and for the first half of the 1970 season.

Despite outstanding pitching in the first few weeks of the season, the Hornets started off slowly for several reasons. First, Moe Hill, who was supposed to be the centerpiece of the lineup, showed early that he was not ready for AA pitching. In 11 games, Hill went 5-for-36 with 15 strikeouts and no home runs. Hill would not see the AA level for another eight years. Hill’s departure answered the other main problem in the Charlotte lineup, a complete lack of left-handed hitting. The entire lineup hit from the right side of the plate until Hill’s demotion. Around the same time, the organization addressed that weakness by adding a couple of left-handed hitters who were dropped by their previous organizations.

Joe Pactwa had been let go by the Yankees and was quickly swiped up by the Twins. The outfielder would replace Hill as a regular in right field and be one of the key hitters for the Hornets in1971. The other addition was a first baseman from the Brewers’ organization by the name of Tom Kelly.

Charlotte’s pitchers dominated the circuit in the early months, and with the help of the new hitters began to win games. Through May 31, three Charlotte pitchers sat in the league’s top ten in ERA. Along with Luebber (5-1 2.60) were right-handed pitcher Tom Norton (3-5 2.57) and a veteran of the minors who had pitched in eight games for the New York Mets in 1966, Dick Rusteck (5-2 2.10) who remained one of the league’s best pitchers throughout the season. By the end of May, it looked to be a two team race for the East between Charlotte and Asheville, though the Hornets were four games behind the Tourists.

The Hornets started pulling out games that looked to be in the loss column. On June 14, the team failed to hold onto a three run lead in the ninth inning, but won the game anyway when starting catcher Rick Dempsey knocked in two runs with a single in the 12th inning. Luebber and Rustick continued to dominate the league, and seemed to have a competition going between them for individual numbers. Through June 14, Luebber was 8-1 with a 2.22 ERA, while Rustick was 7-2 with a 1.82 ERA. The starting pitchers’ duel ended quickly, however, when the Twins needed a starter for a June 27 double header. The 21-year-old Luebber was called up to start the second game, and he did not return to Charlotte.

The team didn’t miss a beat with the loss of the young pitcher. Among the heroes as June turned to July was second baseman Jerry Terrell who had 23 stolen bases before the half way point of the season (the league leader had 24 the year before), and relief pitcher Vic Albury, who joined Rusteck and Norton among the league’s ERA leaders. Outfielder Bob Storm also emerged in July. He had a two home run, seven RBI game against Savannah on July 16.

Charlotte had narrowed the Asheville lead to just one game by July 4th, and blew past them to claim a four game lead by July 26. Though Asheville was able to close the gap, the Hornets continued to get some dominant starting pitching. On August 1, Greg Jaycox struck out 14 Savannah hitters in 10 innings, and finally won the game 3-1 when pinch hitter (and relief ace) Vic Albury knocked in the winning run with a single in the 10th. The win was part of Jaycox’ six game winning streak. On August 12, the team was in a 7-0 hole to Birmingham when center fielder Ezell Carter led a charge in which the Hornets scored eight unanswered to win the game.

Through July and August, Asheville also continued to win, and the two teams stayed within a few games of each other throughout the final months of the season. The teams played head to head for five games scheduled between August 19 and August 21. After splitting a pair of double headers on the 19th and 20th, Charlotte won the series when Jaycox out dueled the best pitcher in the league, Jim MacDonnell. Though he was the best throughout the season, MacDonnell had his worst outing against the Hornets, who won the game 7-0.

The race went down to the last day of the season. Charlotte held a slim half game lead over Asheville. Though both teams were guaranteed to make the four-team playoffs, there was some pride involved in bringing home the East division title. The Hornets clinched before their evening game even started. In the afternoon, Asheville lost to Montgomery 3-2. The 12-6 victory that night insured that the Hornets could not be accused of backing into the title. The team finished the regular season 92-50, and would have home field advantage throughout the Dixie playoffs.

I have been doing some research into the contraction debacle of 2001-2002 recently for my other blog, and ran into a particular problem that I run into every so often when looking at the history of my favorite team. I prefer to remain neutral when reporting historical events surrounding the Twins, hopefully allowing readers to draw their own conclusions. That was a near impossible task when looking at the events of those several months, and I came to the conclusion that, of all the negative moments of Twins history that I have lived through, September through February of 2001-2002 is probably at the top (or bottom) of the list.

That got me thinking. My personal experience of Twins history is relatively small (I only remember a handful of things that happened before 1987), so I am wondering what others think is the worst moment in franchise history. Here are some nominees, and I even included a few from the Washington years.

1903 Ed Delahanty dies
The first Hall of Famer to play for the franchise died tragically during the 1903 season. It remains unclear if his fall was accidental or suicide.

1904 .252
The Nats win just 38 games while losing 113 in 1904. It remains one of the single worst winning percentages in AL history.

1925 World Series collapse
Clark Griffith’s team takes a three games to one lead in the World Series, only to drop three games in a row to the Pittsburgh Pirates, including Game 7 in which they led until Pittsburgh scored three runs in the bottom of the eighth inning.

1955-1959 Losing becomes an art
The Senators lose at least 90 games in five consecutive seasons, including 101 losses in 1955. The team avoided the AL cellar in 1956 thanks to Kansas City, but finish last in four out of five seasons.

1961 Moving West
This one depends on your perspective I suppose, but Calvin Griffith’s move of the team that had played for 60 years in the nation’s capital caused a lot of heartache in Washington DC.

1967 One game short
The Twins contend for the AL Pennant all season long, and need to win just one of two games at Fenway in the final weekend to clinch. The Twins drop both games.

1969 Billy Martin fired
Martin gets into an altercation during the season with one of his pitchers and, despite winning the first ever AL West title, loses his job.

1978 The Waseca speech
Calvin Griffith makes some racist remarks at the Waseca Lion’s Club, and ultimately loses future Hall of Famer Rod Carew as a result.

1982 Growing pains
The Metrodome opens (an event that could also make this list), and a young Twins team takes its lumps in the new building on the way to a 102-loss season.

1984 The collapse
The Twins, in the midst of a pennant race for the first time in more than a decade, have a 10-2 lead over the Cleveland Indians in a late September game, but blow the lead, and ultimately the division, in a meltdown for the ages.

1996 An early retirement
Future Hall of Famer Kirby Puckett’s career ends early due to glaucoma.

1995-2000 Small market blues
The Twins make losing an art again during the late 1990’s. The Twins finish either fourth or fifth in a five team division every year. The good news is that not many fans saw the games.

2001 Contraction
Bud Selig announces that baseball will proceed to eliminate two teams by the 2002 season. While not named, it is clear the Twins, fresh off their first winning season in years, are one of the teams on the chopping block.

2006 In like a lion, out like a lamb
The Twins make a historic run during the last half of the regular season to overtake the Tigers and win the AL Central, but drop three straight to the A’s in the Division Series.

This list is probably not exhaustive - what moments would you add?

The Bench

C Brian Harper 1988-1993
After bouncing around between several different teams for the first half of his career, Brian Harper finally found a home in Minnesota. He didn’t hit for much power, but was a solid hitter. He is fourth in career batting average (.309) among Twins with 2000+ plate appearances- behind only Carew, Puckett, and Shane Mack. Harper didn’t have a great defensive reputation, mainly due to his throwing arm. He was, however, an underrated defender overall, and deserves some of the credit for the success of the Twins’ starting staff in the early 1990’s.

1B Kent Hrbek 1981-1994
Kent Hrbek held down the first base position for the Twins for 14 seasons. He was a major part of two World Series teams, and one of the best fielding first basemen of his era (though he didn’t receive the national recognition he deserved for his glove). He ended his career batting .282/367/.481 with a 127 OPS+, and hit 293 home runs over the course of his career. He would likely be the starting first baseman for most all-franchise teams, but has to back up one of the all-time great power hitters in this case.

2B Chuck Knoblauch 1991-1997
The way he left Minnesota still leaves a bad taste in many fans’ mouths, and his career went downhill pretty quickly towards the end, so it is easy to forget just how good Chuck Knoblauch was during his time in Minnesota. He is still third in all-time Twins’ on-base percentage with a career mark of .391 in Minnesota, behind only Joe Mauer (.399) and Rod Carew (.393). Knoblauch was a good base-runner as well, and still holds the Twins’ all-time mark for career stolen bases with 276, five better than Carew (though Knoblauch played in about 600 fewer games for the Twins).

SS Zoilo Versalles 1961-1967
Though I explained going with Smalley over Versalles for the starting position, I would probably platoon these two. Versalles was a solid fielding short stop for the entirety of his Twins’ career, and he found his bat enough to win the 1965 AL MVP award. Though his offensive numbers don’t seem to hold up over time, Versalles played during a time when short stops were not expected to hit.

OF Shane Mack 1990-1994
It’s a little surprising to see just how productive Shane Mack was during his time with the Twins. Mack was taken by the Twins in the Rule V draft in 1990. Almost always overshadowed by Puckett and Gladden in the outfield, Mack was solid for each of his five seasons in Minnesota. From 1990-1994 he compiled 36.7 WARP3; during that same time period, Puckett had 40.9. Mack was a good fielder as well, and played both in right field and center field regularly.

OF Larry Hisle 1973-1977
Hisle only played five seasons with the Twins, but he left with some pretty good numbers. In his Twins career, he batted .286/.354/.457 with 87 HR and 409 RBI. Hisle also had good speed, and was considered a solid fielder at both center and left fields. Hisle is also one of only seven Twins hitters to ever hit for the cycle in a game.

OF Tom Brunansky 1982-1988
Rounding out the roster is Tom Brunansky. Though he was part of the 1987 Championship team and a fan favorite for several years, it seems like Brunansky never quite got his due as a player. He played in at least 150 games for six straight seasons with the Twins, and hit at least 20 home runs in each full season he played with the club. Bruno never hit for great average, but was a patient hitter and always had a decent on-base percentage. Though Brunansky didn’t have the most range in right field, he played the baggie just about as well as anybody.

Last man left off: Corey Koskie.

Here is the full roster:
C Earl Battey
C Brian Harper
1B Harmon Killebrew
1B Kent Hrbek
2B Rod Carew
2B Chuck Knoblauch
SS Roy Smalley
SS Zoilo Versalles
3B Gary Gaetti
LF Bob Allison
CF Kirby Puckett
RF Tony Oliva
LF/CF Larry Hisle
CF/RF Shane Mack
RF Tom Brunansky
SP Jim Kaat
SP Bert Blyleven
SP Brad Radke
SP Frank Viola
SP Jim Perry
CL Rick Aguilera
RP Eddie Guardado
RP Mike Marshall
RP Al Worthington
RP Doug Corbett

Starting Rotation

P Jim Kaat 1961-1973
No pitcher has started in more games for the Twins than Jim Kaat. He is also the Twins all-time leader in wins (189) and innings pitched (2,959.3). He was more than just a pitcher who stuck around for a long time, however. Kaat had great control, allowing roughly 1.5 walks per nine innings during his Twins career. He made the other team put the ball in play, and did his part to turn those batted ball into outs. He won a Gold Glove in every season he played with the Twins but his first, and controlled the award for pitchers for 16 years in a row. His best season came in 1966, when he went 25-13 with a 2.75 ERA (131 ERA+).

P Bert Blyleven 1970-1975, 1985-1988
Bert Blyleven is probably most famous for two things: giving up home runs and circling people. It is easy to forget that he had one of the best curve balls that the game has ever seen. In his first stint with the Twins, Blyleven put up some tremendous numbers for some very mediocre teams. He struck out about eight men for every nine innings he pitched and was among the league ERA leaders every season. In his return to the Twins later in his career, Blyleven became a key component to the 1987 World Series team. The campaign to induct Blyleven into the Hall of Fame has gained quite a bit of steam in recent years, but the relatively low win total (due to pitching for some bad teams) is still keeping him out.

P Brad Radke 1995-2006
Another pitcher with impeccable control, Radke spent his entire career in a Twins uniform. Like Kaat, he walked batters at an incredibly low rate, ending his career last year with a 1.0 BB/9 rate. His career 4.22 ERA is a solid number in an era where offense exploded. Some of Radke’s best seasons came for very bad teams in the late 90’s, though he still managed to overcome his tendency to give up early-inning home runs to compile a .516 career winning percentage.

P Frank Viola 1982-1989
“Sweet Music” Viola is one of two Twins pitchers to win the Cy Young award prior to the Johan Santana era. Though he won the award for a dominant performance in 1988, his most famous season came the year before. Viola was the ace of the 1987 pitching staff and had a 2.90 ERA in a year of inflated run-scoring. To cap off the 1987 season, Viola was named the most valuable player of the 1987 World Series. In his prime, Viola had one of the best change-ups in baseball.

P Jim Perry 1963-1972
The man with the lowest career Twins ERA on this list is Jim Perry (3.15). He is also responsible for the other Cy Young award, winning it in 1970. Apparently, Perry spent the early part of his career in manager Sam Mele’s doghouse. For some reason, despite some very good numbers, Perry was was not a part of the regular rotation until 1969, the year that Billy Martin took over as manager. He was the staff ace of the two AL West Champion teams in 1969 and 1970. The numbers indicate that, given a chance in the regular rotation from 1963-1968, Perry may be in the conversation for all-time best Twins starter. As it stands, he is in my top five.

This was the most difficult group to put together so far. Looking over this list, in retrospect, longevity seems to be the key factor. Though I didn’t plan it, these five happen to be the top five in Twins games started and innings pitched. There are several great pitchers who missed the cut mainly due to the fact that they weren’t with the team as long (Dean Chance and Mudcat Grant come to mind). In a few years (hopefully later rather than sooner), Johan Santana will be on top of this list. All in all I feel that I went the safe route with the rotation. While I am comfortable with my choices, the pitching staff is an area where I could probably be persuaded to change my picks.

Starting Catcher and Outfielders

C Earl Battey 1961-1967
Battey was the regular catcher for the Twins in their first six years in Minnesota, including the AL Championship year of 1965. Though he fought injuries for the bulk of his career, Battey was still able to establish himself as a good hitting catcher and a great fielding catcher. For a five year stretch, he was likely the best catcher in the American League. There is currently a local boy who is aiming to take this spot, but it still belongs to Battey.

LF Bob Allison 1961-1970
Allison was best known for his hard-nosed style of play and his competitiveness. At 6′4” 220, he looked like he would fit in just as well on a football field (he was a star football player in college). The enduring image of Allison, at least for those of us who weren’t alive when he played, was his diving catch along the left field line in Game 2 of the 1965 World Series. Still, Allison could swing the bat, and was a consistent power-hitter for the Twins throughout the 1960’s.

CF Kirby Puckett 1984-1995
Puckett’s inclusion on this team is a no-brainer. He is the third member of Hall of Fame to make the roster. Kirby Puckett was on of the most beloved players in baseball. He patrolled center field in the Metrodome for 12 seasons and two World Championships. Though he was a great hitter, he is probably best known for his leaping, home run-robbing catches in center field. Puckett’s post-season moment came in Game 6 of the 1991 World Series. After making one of his signature catches to keep the game close, he won the game in the 11th inning with a home run. Even though his career was cut short by glaucoma, he was still a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

RF Tony Oliva 1962-1976
Oliva won AL batting titles in his first two full seasons as a Twin. His career never really cooled off after that, he hit a career .304/.353/.476. He was a key member of the 1965 AL Championship team, and a couple of Division-winning teams in 1969 and 1970. Oliva could do it in the field as well. He won the Gold Glove for his play in right field in 1966. As great as Oliva’s numbers are, one can’t help but wonder what might have been had his knees held up through his career. Still, and easy choice to round out the starting position players.

The roster so far
C Earl Battey
1B Harmon Killebrew
2B Rod Carew
SS Roy Smalley
3B Gary Gaetti
LF Bob Allison
CF Kirby Puckett
RF Tony Oliva

I’m not sure which order I would bat them in, but that is a pretty solid team. What it lacks in infield defense is certainly made up for at the plate.

One of the features I love at TwinsCards is the create-your-own Twins Dream Team section. I couldn’t think of a better way to kick off the TwinsCards blog than to put my own team together.

To put this team together, I decided to use only players that no longer play for the Twins. That way I can avoid the tendency to try and project how a current player’s career will stack up against the greats whose careers are already complete.

The criteria I used to determine who makes the roster and who doesn’t is based solely on performance as a member of the Minnesota Twins. For purposes of this team, time in Washington did not count.

So, with that in mind, here is my starting infield:

1B Harmon Killebrew 1961-1974
You can’t really have a list of all-time Twins that doesn’t include Harmon Killebrew. He hit 475 home runs in a Twins uniform, by far the most in Twins’ history (Kent Hrbek checks in at number two with 293). Killebrew played all over the field in his Twins’ career, but put in the most time at first base.

2B Rod Carew 1967-1978
Rod Carew started his career with a Rookie of the Year award in 1967 and never really looked back. Considered to be one of the best hitters of his time, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1991, making him the second HOF’er in the starting infield.

SS Roy Smalley 1976-1982, 1985-1987
To be honest, I originally had Zoilo Versalles penciled in this spot. I was surprised to be reminded of how consistently above average Smalley was, particularly in his first stint with the Twins. Versalles had the MVP year in 1965, but a lot of indicators suggest that Smalley’s 1978 season was even better (WARP3: ‘78 Smalley 10.4, ‘65 Versalles 10.1; OPS+ ‘78 Smalley 122, ‘65 Versalles 116). If we call the peak seaons a wash, or even give a slight advantage to Versalles; Smalley was still consistently better for a longer period of time.

3B Gary Gaetti 1981-1990
The key to Gaetti’s inclusion in the starting lineup is his longevity and his three-year peak from 1986-1988. For most of his career, Gaetti was about a slightly below league-average hitting third baseman with an above-average glove. During the three year stretch mentioned above, he was about as good a third baseman, offensively and defensively, as there was in the league. Had Corey Koskie played another 2-3 years in Minnesota, he would probably occupy this spot.

Who makes up your infield?