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Who are the top Minnesota Twins of all time? Here is our top 10 countdown:
10. Bert Blyleven: one of the true workhorse pitchers of the 1970s and 1980s, Blyleven played more than a decade for the Twins across two different stints, earning his only two All-Star selections and racking up 149 of his 287 career wins and 2,035 of his 3,701 career strikeouts.
9. Goose Goslin: across nearly a dozen seasons with Washington, Goslin was a .323 hitter (including the batting title in 1928 with a career-best .379 average) who finished top-10 for MVP in three consecutive seasons and led the team to the 1924 World Series.
8. Johan Santana: one of the best pitchers of the 2000s, Santana racked up three All-Star selections, two ERA titles, three straight strikeout crowns, a pair of Cy Youngs, a Gold Glove, and a Pitching Triple Crown across his eight years in Minnesota.
7. Tony Oliva: the 1964 AL Rookie of the Year and batting champion, Oliva spent all 15 of his MLB seasons in Minnesota and was an 8x All-Star, 3x batting champion, and Gold Glover who also led the league in hits 5x and doubles 4x.
6. Joe Mauer: the #1 overall pick in 2001 and one of the best catchers of his generation, Mauer was a .306 lifetime hitter who won an MVP award, three batting titles, five Silver Sluggers, and three Gold Gloves while playing his entire careers with the hometown Twins.
5. Sam Rice: perhaps surprisingly the career leader in hits, doubles, triples, and runs scored across the Senators/Twins franchise, Rice was an early 20th-century star for Washington, hitting .323 in his 19 seasons with the club and playing a key role in the 1924 World Series win.
4. Kirby Puckett: the Twins’ heart and soul during his 12-year playing career, Puckett was a do-it-all centerfielder – a 10x All-Star, 6x Gold Glover, 6x Silver Slugger, and a batting champion, he led the league in hits 4x, finished top-10 for AL MVP 7x, and won two World Series titles before being forced to retire prematurely.
3. Harmon Killebrew: one of the greatest power hitters in MLB history, Killebrew was a 6x home run champion and had eight 40+ home run seasons, including a career-best 49 in his 1969 AL MVP season, while racking up all but 14 of his 573 career long balls with the Senators/Twins (fourth-most all-time at the time of his retirement).
2. Rod Carew: a 7x batting champion and 1977 AL MVP, Carew spent the first dozen years of his career with the Twins and hit .300+ 10x while being named an All-Star every year en route to retiring as the all-time hits leader among Latin American players.
1. Walter Johnson: an overpowering mound presence during the dead-ball era, Johnson pitched his entire career for the Senators and was an absolute workhorse – 300+ innings pitched 9x, 20+ wins 12x (6x league leader), five ERA titles, 12x strikeout leader, three Pitching Triple Crowns, 2x MVP and a World Series title in 1924 en route to 417 career wins and 3,509 career strikeouts.
Agree/Disagree? As always, debate/discuss, and leave your thoughts and comments below.
Note: This list includes players who played for the Washington Senators.
Note: All statistics as of time of publication.
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