With the celebration of the Minnesota Twins’ 1987 World Championship this weekend, it’s high time to profile the players!
This weekend, the Minnesota Twins will be honoring the 1987 World Series championship team. As we get ready for that weekend, we at Puckett’s Pond want to highlight some of the best players and moments from that season.
The Twins had a pair of G’s on the left side of the infield in 1987, and while Greg Gagne may not be a guy who was ever an elite hitter or garnered Hall of Fame votes, he was one of the best shortstops to have donned a Twins uniform.
Background
Gagne was originally drafted by the New York Yankees in the 1979 draft out of high school in Massachusetts. Interestingly, he was traded to the Twins in a deal that sent shortstop Roy Smalley to the Yankees. By 1986, Gagne had taken that starting shortstop role, and in 1987, Smalley was the starting DH on the World Series team after returning to the Twins in 1985.
While never an offensive stalwart, Gagne was exceptional with the glove, and the Twins benefited from his steady play at the toughest defensive position on the diamond. While he was good in 1987, Gagne’s best offensive season in Minnesota was 1989 with the team, when he hit .272/.298/.424 with 29 doubles, 7 triples, 9 home runs, and 11 stolen bases.
1987 Performances
Gagne batted 8th or 9th for roughly half of the games on the season for the Twins, and he was actually fairly dynamic out of the 9-hole in the lineup. He hit .315/.354/.543 on the year as the last hitter in the lineup versus an overall season line of .265/.310/.430.
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In 1987, Gagne was his steady, if not spectacular, self at shortstop for the Twins. While he may not have been Ozzie Smith, he was always a guy who handled ever ball that came his way, and that was never more evident than in 1987, when Gagne had a 47-game errorless streak.
Gagne had a very good postseason in 1987 as well. Against the Tigers in the ALCS, he hit .278/.409/.778 with 3 doubles and 2 home runs.
Though Gagne wasn’t as good in the World Series, he had perhaps the most important hit in the World Series, driving in the eventual game-winning run in game 7, when he knocked in Tom Brunansky on an infield hit that he beat out, even on the fast Metrodome infield “grass”.
Post-Twins
Gagne was with the Twins through the 1991 World Series championship as well, but after the 1992 season, the Twins had other financial priorities, specifically Kirby Puckett, and Gagne went to the Kansas City Royals.
Gagne had his best season in his first year in Kansas City in 1993, even drawing some MVP votes. After the 1995 season, he signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers, where he played two more seasons. as the Dodgers starting shortstop and then chose to retire rather than pursue another spot.
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Gagne resides in Somerset, Massachusetts, where he was the head coach of the local baseball team at the high school at one point, but he is no longer in that role. He was elected to the Twins Hall of Fame and inducted in 2010 in a ceremony at Target Field.
Excited for the anniversary weekend?! Who should we profile next? Let us know in the comments!