Minnesota Twins: Ranking Twins Home Run Derby Performances
The Minnesota Twins have had participants in seven Home Run Derby contests in their history. Here are all seven performances ranked worst to first.
With the All-Star Game coming up in a few weeks, the buzz surrounding it starts to get louder. One of the fun traditions during the All-Star festivities in the Home Run Derby. The Derby has been around since 1985 and has been a way for the best power hitters in the game to go toe to toe in a battle of pure power.
The Minnesota Twins have had six players participate in a total of seven Derbies. They have had some great performances, some bad performances and a few in between. Some of the all-time best Twins have participated, making it a spectacle for Twins Territory when it happens.
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The Twins are one of 18 teams to have a Derby winner in their history. They have also hosted two contests in their franchise history. The first time being the inaugural Derby in 1985 at the Metrodome, then the next in 2014 at Target Field. Twins players participated in both home field festivities.
In anticipation for the 2017 Home Run Derby in Miami, we are going to rank the Twins Derby performances from worst to first. We will look at their contest totals and if they should have even been there based on their numbers before the All-Star break.
The rankings will be individual performances, not players overall. It will be based on place in the contest, home run totals and the field they went up against. Here are the rankings, from worst to first, starting with a rough showing in 1989.
No. 7: Gary Gaetti, Anaheim Stadium, 1989
Gary Gaetti had one of the worst Derby performances in the history of the contest. The Derby rules in 1989 were different than the modern Derby. A participant had two “innings” to hit as many home runs as they could until they recorded five outs. An out was considered a swing that didn’t result in a home run. Whoever hit the most in those two innings was considered the champion.
Gaetti hit no home runs in the contest. Ten swings was all he was able to muster. Gaetti was not a big power threat coming into the Derby. He would only hit a total of 19 home runs in 1989. The winner of the contest was Cincinnati Reds star Eric Davis, who hit a whopping 3 home runs.
Other participants in the contest included Howard Johnson, Ruben Sierra, Kevin Mitchell and Bo Jackson. Yes, those were the best players in the contest that year. With a rough outing topped off with a sub par player pool and mediocre power numbers going in, Gaetti shows up last on this last.
No. 6: Joe Mauer, Busch Stadium, 2009
Joe Mauer may be a perennial All-Star and a guy that can get on base. A power threat, though? Not so much. It showed in the 2009 Home Run Derby in St. Louis. Mauer wouldn’t finish last, hitting five home runs. He finished ahead of Padres slugger Adrian Gonzalez and Tigers hitter Brandon Inge.
Mauer would lose in a swing off to get into the next round. Give Mauer credit. Before the swing off, he was tied with Albert Pujols in the first round. Mauer had a pretty good field slugging against him. The Derby winner was Brewers slugger Prince Fielder, a now two-time champion. Others he went up against included Pujols and Ryan Howard, two of the best power hitters in the game at the time.
Mauer was in the middle of his best power hitting season, a year he hit 28 dingers. He deserved to be there. Unfortunately, he only beat out two guys in the contest. One of those guys was Brandon Inge, so it may be more like one and a half.
No. 5: Brian Dozier, Target Field, 2014
Brian Dozier did not have an ideal Home Run Derby on home turf. He only hit two home runs in the one round he participated in, but he ranks ahead of Mauer because of one big reason: the American League side was stacked.
The American League side of the contest included two-time champion Yoenis Cespedes, Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista and Josh Donaldson. While those names are enough to get you excited, the reason the AL was so stacked was because of the lack of power on the NL side. Dozier had the same amount of home runs as two guys who went into a swing off to advance, Justin Morneau and Troy Tulowitzki.
If Dozier was on the NL side he could have advanced to the next round. The AL was just better. Dozier was in the middle of a 23 home run campaign. He was just starting his reign as the superior Twins slugger. This Derby wasn’t the best performance, but because he was on the American League side of the contest his performance looks worse than it actually was.
No. 4: Torii Hunter, Miller Park, 2002
Torii Hunter was known for his amazing catches and exciting style of play. He also had power in his bat, which led to his participation in the 2002 Home Run Derby in Milwaukee. Hunter went up against one of the toughest fields the contest has ever seen. He hit three home runs, more than three other participants including Barry Bonds.
The field was incredible during the 2002 Derby. There was Bonds, Sammy Sosa, Alex Rodriguez, Jason Giambi and Lance Berkman. Some of the most feared sluggers of the era. An era where home run totals looked like you were playing MVP Baseball on the Nintendo Game Cube.
Hunter was in the middle of a season where he hit 29 home runs. He was a well-deserving candidate. With the competition he was up against, Hunter did pretty well. He out-slugged two of the best hitters of the era. That is hard to do. The All-Star Game may have been a dud that year, but the Home Run Derby wasn’t.
No. 3: Justin Morneau, AT&T Park, 2007
Justin Morneau is the only two-time Home Run Derby participant in Twins history. His first appearance ranks third on our list. He barely missed the cut to make it to the second round of the 2007 Derby in San Francisco. He hit four first round home runs, but lost in a swing off to Albert Pujols (sound familiar?).
Morneau went up against such sluggers as Pujols, Vladimir Guerrero (the 2007 champion), Ryan Howard, Prince Fielder and Matt Holliday. At the time, you couldn’t find many sluggers better than those guys. In such a stacked field, Morneau held his own and was able to out hit some big names.
That season, Morneau hit 31 home runs, the second most in his career. Morneau was a deserving participant and went up against a great field of top sluggers. The only thing that could have made it better was if he would have won the whole thing. Maybe someday.
No. 2: Tom Brunansky, Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, 1985
The first ever Home Run Derby was played at the Metrodome in 1985, right in Twins Territory. It was only fitting that Twins slugger Tom Brunansky was one of the participants. He did not disappoint. He hit four home runs, the second best total of the contest. The winner was Reds masher Dave Parker.
The field was incredible. It included five Hall of Famers: Carlton Fisk, Eddie Murray, Jim Rice, Cal Ripken Jr. and Ryne Sandberg. The sluggers who didn’t make the Hall of Fame were pretty good too: Parker, Dale Murphy, Steve Garvey and Jack Clark. It is hard to find a tougher group to face than that.
Brunansky had a pretty good power season in 1985, hitting 27 bombs. He was right up there with the best sluggers of the season. He hung with them in the inaugural Derby, which puts him high up on the list. Plus, he gets style points for doing it in front of the home crowd.
No. 1: Justin Morneau, Yankee Stadium, 2008
Remember that someday from the last slide? That time was in 2008. Many forget that Justin Morneau was the Home Run Derby champion after the incredible and inspirational performance of Texas Rangers star Josh Hamilton. In fact, Morneau hit 13 less total home runs than Hamilton, but he won the round where it counted most.
Even with Hamilton’s incredible 28 home run first round, Morneau was able to outpace him and win the final round 5-3. He was the first and only Twin to become the Home Run Derby champion. The field he was up against was pretty deep, as well. Hamilton, Lance Berkman and a young Evan Longoria all participated at the last Home Run Derby at the old Yankee Stadium.
Morneau’s season in 2008 was not as good as the season before, power wise, hitting only 23 home runs. He did, however, drive in 129 runs and hit .300. The highlight of the season had to be his Derby win, and scoring the game winning run in the All-Star Game on a Michael Young sacrifice fly. It was a good All-Star experience for Morneau.
The Twins have not had the most success in the Home Run Derby, overall. They have only had one player make it out of the first round in the history of the contest. However, he did go on to win the whole thing.
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Maybe we will see another Twin in the Home Run Derby in Miami. A Miguel Sano debut? A Brian Dozier return? We will just have to wait and see. If we are lucky, maybe Sano can mash a few and put a few dents in that ugly sculpture the Marlins put over the center field fence.