Danny Valencia had a great rookie campaign in 2010, but he faded in 2011. Will he correct his issues and return to prominence next year? Or will he be baseball’s latest version of Dexy’s Midnight Runners? Only time will tell.

But there are plenty of players in Twins history who did become One-Hit Wonders. They wowed fans for a season and then fell back to the middle or the back of the pack. The following is a countdown of my picks for the greatest One Hit Wonders in Twins history. In a perfect world, this would be a Top 40 countdown, but that would take up way too much space, so I’ll just give you the top five. For context, I’ve paired each Twins player with a hit song that came out the same year.

#5: Bobby Castillo and Toni Basil, 1982.

 Bobby Castillo spent several years with the Dodgers in the last ’70s and early ’80s. He didn’t accomplish much with L.A., aside from earning a 1981 World Series ring. (more…)

Take a quick look at the Twins’ win totals since Ron Gardenhire took over in 2002:

See a pattern here? For some reason, the Twins improve in even-numbered years and get worse in odd numbered years. And that pattern looks sure to hold this year, unless you believe that the Twins can somehow finish the season on a 44-2 run. 2011 is the fifth odd-numbered year of the Gardenhire regime, and he’s missed the playoffs in every one of them except 2003, thanks to weak competition, and 2009, thanks to a memorable Game 163 performance. By contrast, the team has made the postseason in each of the even numbered years except 2008 – again it was Game 163 that ruined the pattern. And the biggest drop-offs are always followed by big rebounds the next year. (more…)

This is part eight in a series examining every Twins team that has made the playoffs. Whether the current version of the Twins is 20 games over .500 or stuck in last place, fans can always hold onto memories of successful teams past.

Previous articles in the series: 1965, 1969, 1970, 1987, 1991, 2002, 2003

The 2004 Twins faced little competition within their own division. They spent 145 days in first place, clinched the division with 12 games remaining, and ultimately won by 9.0 games over the second place Chicago White Sox. While the 2002 and 2003 Twins won with a roster full of unknowns, 2004 saw the emergence of four true superstars: Johan Santana, Joe Nathan, Joe Mauer, and Justin Morneau. Never since have the Twins been a stranger to national media attention. Unfortunately, the Twins have not won a playoff game since 2004 either.

The biggest news story of 2004 was one of the greatest tragedies in recent human history. In the closing days of the year, a magnitude 9.3 earthquake under the Indian Ocean launched a tsunami that ravaged coastlines fom Australia and Indonesia to India and even Eastern Africa. More than 230,o00 people were killed, and countless more were left homeless. In the Ukraine, the presidential election was so hotly contested that opponents poisoned eventual winner Viktor Yuschenko. The United States had a contentious election, too, as incumbent George W. Bush defeated Senator John Kerry by 3 million votes. Fortunately, nobody was poisoned during that race.

Minnesota voters paid close attention to the presidential contest, but many of them cared even more about another election: the American League Cy Young balloting. In 2004, a Twins pitcher finally emerged as a true ace, capable of shutting down any opponent at any time. Santana had his best year, leading the AL in ERA (2.61), WHIP (0.92), strikeouts (265), and numerous other pitching categories. He was especially unhittable after the All Star break, with a perfect 13-0 record, a 1.21 ERA and an unbelievable .78 WHIP. Unlike Presidnets Bush and Yanuschenko, Santana won his election in a landslide, receiving all 28 first place votes. (more…)