In 1961, the Washington Senators loaded up their Chevy C/K’s, drove west and settled in Minnesota. Since then, the Twins have been fortunate to field some of the best baseball players of all time. MVPs, CY Young winners, Gold Glovers and Hall of Famers have called Minnesota their home.
Twins’ all-time leaders in OPS with runners in scoring position:
— Aaron Gleeman (@AaronGleeman) April 27, 2016
.966 Harmon Killebrew
.936 Joe Mauer
.884 Rod Carew
.879 Kirby Puckett
Have you ever wondered what it would be like having Kent Hrbek on deck while Harmon Killebrew is in the batter’s box? Or having Kirby Puckett throw a guy out at home with Joe Mauer applying the tag? This is always a fun game to play at the house, your local bar or at Target Field. Who would be on the Twins’ “All-Franchise Team.”
Depending on who you’re talking to, you’ll either agree, argue or combine your favorite Twins players in a fantasy lineup that would only happen in a video game. I’ve done it and I’m here to help you settle a few of those debates.
First, let me set a few ground rules. You can only choose Minnesota Twins players who spent a good chunk of their career playing in the land of 10,000 lakes. Yes, one or two players may have had a rough year where they had a slump or missed part of the season due to injury. Sorry Washington Senators fans, Twins players only.
After pondering about all of the great Twins players, I decided that this would be the perfect Minnesota Twins 25 man roster.
Pitching
SP Johan Santana RP Eddie Guardado
SP Bert Blyleven* RP Glen Perkins
SP Camilo Pascual RP Carl Willis
SP Jim Kaat RP Matt Guerrier
SP Jim Perry CL Rick Aguilera
SP Dave Boswell CL Joe Nathan
This pitching staff would be a very tough one to score on.. especially in a seven game series.
Now onto the sluggers and fielders.
Here’s how I would hand in the lineup card.
- Rod Carew* – 2B
- Tony Oliva * – RF
- Kirby Puckett * – CF
- Harmon Killebrew* – DH
- Kent Hrbek * – 1B
- Bob Allison – LF
- Joe Mauer* – C
- Gary Gaetti – 3B
- Zoilo Versalles – SS
Bench
Torii Hunter – OF
Justin Morneau – 1B
Brian Dozier – IF
Earl Battey – C
Tom Kelly* – Manager
Honorable Mentions
Michael Cuddyer – IF/OF
Brad Radke – P
Brian Harper – C
Greg Gagne – IF
*Jersey number retired by the Twins
Yours is going to look different than mine, I get it. That’s what makes the conversation fun. Leave a comment or tweet me. Who would you swap out? Next time you’re watching a Twins game, current or classic, ask a friend or family member who they would have on the Twins All-Time roster. You’ll already be a step ahead of them, if it turns into an argument.
Tweet me your thoughts @SkolMemes
Gene LaVoy | Minnesota Sports Fan
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