Minnesota Twins: The 40 Best Players In Team History (No. 26-30)
No. 27: Larry Hisle (17.2 WAR)
The Minnesota Twins had some talented players in the 1970s. One of them was outfielder Larry Hisle. Hisle was a power threat that started to shine in Minnesota after being traded by St. Louis in the offseason before the 1973 season.
His career in Minnesota started on an interesting footnote, as he was the first MLB player to serve as a designated hitter in a game. It was a spring training game against the Milwaukee Brewers, and he hit two home runs and drove in seven runs.
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Hisle would spend five seasons in Minnesota from 1973 to 1977. His best season was in 1977, when he made the All-Star team and batted .302 with 28 home runs and 119 runs batted in. He was the RBI leader for the AL that year and posted a career-high 5.1 WAR.
Hisle had other productive years in Minnesota, posting WAR numbers of 3.3 in 1973 and 4.3 in 1976. He drove in 96 runs in 1976 and hit 19 home runs while driving in 79 runs in 1974. His numbers seemed to peak in Minnesota at the end of his time with the Twins, which helped him in free agency when he signed with the Brewers.
Hisle was an MVP candidate for the Twins in 1977 and showed his value at the plate by driving in runs and hitting for power. He had All-Star caliber talent and that is why he made the list. His WAR numbers show his true value during his playing days.