Minnesota Twins: The 40 Best Players In Team History (No. 6-10)

2 of 6

MLB: Kansas City Royals at Minnesota Twins

Jun 9, 2015; Minneapolis, MN, USA; A general view of Target Field in the seventh inning during the game between the Minnesota Twins and the Kansas City Royals at Target Field. The Royals won 2-0. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports /

No. 10: Johan Santana (35.7 WAR)

The Minnesota Twins possessed one of the best pitchers in the game during most of the previous decade. Johan Santana was nothing short of dominant during a chunk of his eight seasons in Minnesota. His stretch from 2004 to 2006 was one of the best in history.

During his time with the Twins, Santana held a record of 93-44, struck out 1,381 batters and maintained a 3.22 ERA. He was named to three All-Star teams and won two Cy Young Awards. While his personal achievements were great, his value to the team according to WAR was even more impressive.

Santana’s best wins above replacement total came in 2004 when he put up 8.7. During his dominant three-year stretch, Santana recorded an incredible 23.4 wins above replacement. Santana was the man to have on the mound and he was a huge factor in the success of the Twins.

From 2004 to 2006, Santana had a record of 55-19 with 748 strikeouts and a sub-three ERA. He was first in the American League in strikeouts each of those years, along with being the leader in WAR among pitchers. It was as if nobody could touch him. He helped the Twins to two playoff appearances in that span, also.

During his time in Minnesota, Santana was nothing short of masterful. If not for injuries, he would be looked at as a future Hall of Famer. He was one of the best in Twins history and his numbers prove it.