The Minnesota Twins held its annual TwinsFest and inducted two men into the team’s Hall of Fame.
During the last weekend of January, I spent most of my Saturday at TwinsFest. That Saturday, the second day of TwinsFest, is a day which I circle on the calendar months in advance.
There were activities for any and all Twins fans.
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On one end of the Legends Club, kids could play boardwalk style games, earning tickets along the way.
In a system mirroring Chuck E. Cheese, the tickets could be exchanged for prizes with every prize labeled with a ticket value.
Fans could buy collectibles in silent and live auctions, from memorabilia dealers, and at the Twins yard sale.
As usual, there were player autograph lines. I was lucky enough to get through two separate lines collecting autographs from Max Kepler, Corey Koskie, Aaron Slegers, Alex Wimmers, Eric Milton, Jack Morris and Mudcat Grant.
Last week I was enjoying TwinsFest. Today we're 10 days away from pitchers and catchers reporting to spring training. Excited for baseball. pic.twitter.com/rzox1DEBoR
— Martin Schlegel (@mschlegel34) February 5, 2017
Twins Digital Clubhouse
This year the Twins Digital Clubhouse let fans into the locker room for Twins Trivia as well as photo opportunities with the players. While answering trivia questions, I realized how bad I am when it comes to1960s and 1970s Twins history.
New this year was the Twins tap room which featured arcade games and craft beer for adults. Unfortunately, I was not able to make it to the Twins tap room. If anyone went and have constructive remarks about the tap room, leave a comment below.
Overall, TwinsFest was worth attending despite the team’s historic struggles last season. There were plenty of opportunities to interact with Twins players whether it be games, autographs, or listening to the players speak at the U.S. Bank stage.
TwinsFest featured something for all types of fans and seemed to receive good reviews from the fans who attended on Saturday.
Minnesota Twins Hall of Fame
#ICYMI We named @mcuddy23 & Andy MacPhail to the 2017 #MNTwins Hall of Fame class this past weekend.
— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) January 30, 2017
Infographic: https://t.co/g3AkdEjX0Q pic.twitter.com/NK4TnHhaUz
As TwinsFest kicked off, the Twins announced former Twins outfielder, now special assistant Michael Cuddyer and former general manager Andy MacPhail as the newest members of the Twins Hall of Fame.
Cuddyer, who ranks fifth in Puckett’s Pond top 10 Twins outfielders, played 11 seasons with the Twins. His best years with the team were 2006-2011 in which Cuddyer became a clubhouse leader.
In that span, he slashed .275/.347/.459 while hitting 182 doubles and 109 home runs with 471 RBI. He was the Twins lone All-Star in 2011. Cuddyer finished in the top 25 in the 2009 American League MVP voting, a year in which he seemingly hit every clutch home run for the Twins in the final month of the season.
MacPhail, the second inductee, was responsible for both of the Twins World Series championships in 1987 and 1991. He was named the Sporting News Executive of the Year in 1991. The Twins compiled a 711-699 record during his tenure as general manager.
Cuddyer and MacPhail will each have their own ceremony. The team plans to hold them on Aug. 19 and 20 when the Arizona Diamondbacks come to town.
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Notes: Starting tomorrow, marking one week until Spring Training begins, Puckett’s Pond will count down the Top 10 Twins prospects, and who you might see in Target Field this year.