Minnesota Twins: The 40 Best Players In Team History (No. 31-35)
Wins Above Replacement has become a powerful stat to measure the value of a player. Here are the all-time best Minnesota Twins based on WAR (numbers 31-35).
The Minnesota Twins have had some good players in their history. From Hall of Famers to fan favorites, there are plenty of big names that have come through to play in the Twins Cities. In an effort to figure out who is the best Twins player of all-time, we have taken a look at the Twins career leaders in Wins Above Replacement (WAR).
WAR is a sabermetric tool to help determine the overall value of a baseball player. It is a way to calculate a player’s total contribution to the team, which shows how truly valuable they are. Position player WAR is complex to calculate, as is pitching WAR.
Without all of the calculations, the concept is fairly simple. Position player WAR is meant to show how many more games the team wins with that certain player in the lineup instead of his replacement. The same concept roles into pitching. It is meant to reflect how many more wins that pitcher is responsible for during innings they pitch compared to someone else.
With that said, the 40 players on this list have the best WAR numbers during their Twins careers. Only their WAR during their time with the Twins is included. So that means there is no David Ortiz, Carlos Gomez or anyone else that had more success elsewhere. This list is strictly who was the best in a Twins uniform.
You can find numbers 36 to 40 here. The next five (numbers 31-35) starts off with a pretty good former number two starter at the 35th spot.
No. 35: Eric Milton (14.8 WAR)
Eric Milton was a solid number two starter behind Brad Radke for a few years in the early part of last decade. Milton, who would pitch for the Twins from 1998 to 2003, was an All-Star for Minnesota in 2001.
He posted double digit wins in three straight seasons from 2000 to 2002. During that span, he had a 41-26 record and pitched over 200 innings twice. He also pitched over 200 innings in 1999. Milton was a workhorse, starting 29 or more games in five of his six seasons in Minnesota.
His WAR total in Minnesota was good over those seasons, including three seasons where he had a mark of 3.5 or better. His mark of 4.2 was his career-high, which was in the 1999 season. He was a part of the 2002 and 2003 Twins teams that won the American League Central Division, although he would only make three starts in 2003.
His biggest moment in a Twins uniform came on September 11th, 1999. That day, he pitched a no-hitter against the Anaheim Angels in a 7-0 Twins win. In that performance, he whiffed 13 Angels batters.
Milton pitched during one of the hardest eras in baseball history, which may be a contributing factor in his ERA being above four during his time with the Twins. He did leave his mark in the Twins history books, as he is tenth in club history with 165 games started. While Milton didn’t blow anyone away with crazy stats, he did leave an All-Star impression in Minnesota.
No. 34: Steve Braun (15.0 WAR)
Steve Braun was not a superstar by any stretch of the imagination. Braun played six different positions during his time with the Twins, mostly in the outfield. If fantasy baseball existed in the 1970s, he would have been sought after simply for his eligibility at many positions.
Braun played six seasons for the Minnesota Twins from 1971 to 1976. His best season came in 1975. That year, he hit a career-high 11 home runs and drove in 45 runs while batting .302 on the season. While Braun was never a big power threat, he was able to get hits and provide offensive spark. He only batted under .280 during one season while playing for the Twins.
In 1975, Braun had his best WAR putting up a 3.7 mark. It was one of three seasons he put up three or more wins above replacement. After leaving the Twins he wouldn’t put up more than 0.8 in a season. Braun’s career may not be remembered for his sexy stats, but his value is shown through his WAR numbers.
While his numbers may not show his true value in a regular box score, Braun did damage with the Twins. He was a reliable utility man who could hit a few home runs and drive in a few runs. Not to mention, he was giving the Twins wins by being in the lineup. His WAR is better than a lot of recognizable Twins names, and that says a lot about his playing days in Minnesota.
No. 33: John Castino (15.1 WAR)
Careers get cut short in baseball, and people are left wondering “what if”. That was the case with infielder John Castino, who played for the Minnesota Twins from 1979 to 1984. His first five seasons were fairly healthy, but unfortunately 1984 marked the end of a career with so much promise.
Castino won the American League Rookie of the Year in 1979 after batting .285 with five home runs and 52 runs batted in. In 1980, he had his best wins above replacement total with a 4.5 mark. He also hit .302 with 13 home runs and 64 RBIs, his best total for each of those stats.
He led the American League in triples during the 1981 season with nine, and is eleventh in Twins club history with 34 in his career. If he was able to play longer, he would have surely climbed the list.
His last full season in the majors was 1983, he batted .277 with eleven home runs and 57 RBIs. He put up his second-best WAR of his career with 4.4. His good fortune would not last much longer.
Castino was forced to retire in May of 1984, after a fused disc in his back was discovered. Castino was suffering from back pain early in the season. His last game was played on May 7th, 1984. Although his career was cut short, he was named one of the 50 greatest players in Twins history during the 2010 season. It truly is a story of what could have been.
No. 32: Butch Wynegar (15.2 WAR)
Butch Wynegar came out firing to start his career in the mid 1970s. He made his Major League Baseball debut in 1976 at the age of 20. He made the All-Star team in both 1976 and 1977. His rise was so quick that he never played Double A or Triple A ball. He is still the only catcher in history to make his big league debut straight from Single A.
Wynegar was the youngest player to make the All-Star team, at the time, when he was selected during his rookie year. He finished second in the Rookie of the Year voting to Detroit Tigers pitcher Mark Fidrych, who had an insane year in 1976. Wynegar’s production was at its best in his first two seasons.
Wynegar hit ten home runs in each of his first two seasons, and tallied 69 RBIs in 1976 and 79 RBIs in 1977 to go along with them. He put up WAR numbers of 3.6 and 3.3 in those years, respectively. Unfortunately, he would never hit double digit home runs or tally over three wins above replacement again during his time in Minnesota.
More from Minnesota Twins All-Time Lists
- Minnesota Twins: Biggest Hall of Fame Snubs at Each Position
- Minnesota Twins: 2010s All-Decade Starting Lineup
- A Lineup with my Favorite Minnesota Twins: Part 2
- A Lineup With My Favorite Minnesota Twins Part 1
- Minnesota Twins: Top 5 Switch-Hitters in Twins History
Wynegar was a reliable catcher during his time with the Twins, which spanned from 1976 to the middle of the 1982 season. He was traded to the New York Yankees in 1982 in an attempt to dump big salaries, but also because he was batting just .209 at the time.
His time in Minnesota started out with a bang, but he slowly faded as time went on. While his peak was early, Butch Wynegar was still a valuable part of the Minnesota Twins for years and his wins above replacement show it.
No. 31: Rick Aguilera (15.5 WAR)
Rick Aguilera may have started his career in a Twins uniform as a starter, but he is widely-known as one of the best relievers in team history. Aguilera spent ten and a half seasons with the Twins during his two stints from 1989 to 1995 and again from 1996 to 1999.
He would spend only half a season away from the team in the period from 1989 to 1999, when he was trade to the Red Sox during the 1995 season. He would convert his first save for Boston against the Twins at the Metrodome.
During his time in Minnesota, Aguilera would convert a then-team record 254 saves. His total now ranks second in team history. He made three straight All-Star teams from 1991 to 1993, even garnering MVP votes in 1991.
Aguilera was the closer for the World Series champion Twins team of 1991, a year he converted a career-high 42 saves and had an ERA of 2.35. He put up his career-high WAR in both 1991 and 1993, which was 2.4.
Next: Top 40 Greatest Twins No. 36-40
His time in Minnesota was unforgettable. So much, that he was enshrined in the Minnesota Twins Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2008. He even received a few National Baseball Hall of Fame votes during the only year he was on the ballot in 2006. Aguilera was a great closer for the Twins, and his dependability and value put him on this list.