Minnesota Twins: The 40 Best Players In Team History (No. 1-5)

No. 5: Bert Blyleven (49.4 WAR)

“Circle me, Bert” has been a mainstay on Minnesota Twins television broadcasts since Bert Blyleven became the color commentator for Fox Sports North Twins coverage. While that alone has made Blyleven iconic with the fanbase, his pitching makes him a flat out Twins legend.

Blyleven spent over a decade of his 22-year major league career in Minnesota, and holds multiple spots on Twins franchise all-time statistical lists. He was an All-Star as a member of the Twins and garnered Cy Young and MVP votes while in Minnesota. He was a top notch starter for the Twins for many years.

Blyleven had a 149-138 record in Minnesota, while recording 2,035 strikeouts and notching a 3.28 ERA. He won a championship with the club in 1987, a year in which he put up 4.4 wins above replacement. That was more toward the end of his career, however. His most valuable years happened in the 1970s.

In 1973, Blyleven was an All-Star, posting 20-17 record with a 2.52 ERA in 325.0 innings of work. He was able to fan 258 batters and work 25 complete games. While that season was incredible, his best stat was his WAR. He was able to post an American League-best 9.9 wins above replacement.

Blyleven was a mainstay in the Twins rotation for over a decade, and his numbers show why. Not only is he a Minnesota Twins Hall of Famer, but he was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2011. His value to the teams he played for made him great. That is why he is the fifth best Twin according to the WAR statistic.