Minnesota Twins: Top 5 All-Star seasons in a Twins uniform
![WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 17: Jose Berrios #17 of the Minnesota Twins and the American League pitches in the fifth inning against the National League during the 89th MLB All-Star Game, presented by Mastercard at Nationals Park on July 17, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_752,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/https-3A-2F-2Fpuckettspond-com-2Fwp-content-2Fuploads-2Fgetty-images-2F2017-2F07-2F1000969772-850x560-e4cff7590da2b251e95109fa9256afe0.jpg)
![WASHINGTON, DC – JULY 17: Jose Berrios #17 of the Minnesota Twins and the American League pitches in the fifth inning against the National League during the 89th MLB All-Star Game, presented by Mastercard at Nationals Park on July 17, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/w_480/shape/cover/sport/https-3A-2F-2Fpuckettspond-com-2Fwp-content-2Fuploads-2Fgetty-images-2F2017-2F07-2F1000969772-2bd5caa4637efa69da86744020b2f5ca.jpg)
The Minnesota Twins have a great history of All-Stars, but who put together the best half season to represent the Twins in the midsummer classic?
The Minnesota Twins All-Star experience came and went with only one player being selected for the All-Star game. Only one player being selected from a struggling team isn’t anything to be shocked about. It usually isn’t even anything to write about. As has been discussed at length now, while Jose Berrios was very deserving it was simply strange that Eddie Rosario was left at home watching.
Berrios is putting together a very good season as he has started 20 games for the Twins this season and holds a 3.68 ERA and 9.0 K/9 over 127.1 innings pitched. He also is tied for the major league lead with two complete games and one shutout. In most seasons there would be no question that he should be the Twins representative at the All-Star game.
Only issue is that this season has us experiencing the hurricane that has been Eddie Rosario. He has taken the league by storm with the energy to match that of Berrios. Rosario finished the unofficial first half batting .311/.353/.537 with 19 home runs and 24 doubles. He also finished with a 3.9 fWAR placing him in the top-10 among American League position players and fourth among outfielders.
That got me wondering which Twins All-Star participants put together the best resume to be an All-Star. Instead of looking at the best seasons by a Twins All-Star we will only be looking at some of the best first halves in Twins history from players who were All-Stars. Since really All-Stars are either judged based on their first half performances or merit from previous seasons.
![NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 29: Johan Santana #57 of the Minnesota Twins pitches against the New York Yankees during the first game of a double-header September 29, 2004 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/w_480/shape/cover/sport/https-3A-2F-2Fpuckettspond-com-2Fwp-content-2Fuploads-2Fgetty-images-2F2017-2F07-2F51372584-a6b204c440e9f41f2040e04caedd8c41.jpg)
No. 5 Johan Santana-2005
Johan Santana is one of the most beloved Twins pitchers and players of the last couple decades. Santana was a savior to the Twins rotation when it most desperately needed one. In a time when most of baseball was starting to make the shift to employing strikeout pitchers and the Twins were still employing “pitch to contact” strategies. Santana brought the firepower fans wanted and the team needed.
In 2005, Santana made his first of four All-Star appearances. In that first half, Santana’s record didn’t look too great at 7-5 but that certainly didn’t accurately tell his story. In 18 starts, he tossed 124.1 innings while recording a 3.98 ERA and 143 strikeouts for a 10.4 K/9 rate. Santana also had thrown two complete games, one of which was a shutout.
In the actual game, Santana came in to relieve Bartolo Colon and pitch the 4th inning. Santana would hold off the National League squad but did allow a double to Derek Lee and a walk to Jim Edmonds to start the inning. A ground ball double play from Aramis Ramirez and another ground out off the bat of Mike Piazza would help Santana to put a zero up on the scoreboard.
Santana would go on to finish 2005 as one of the best pitchers in the majors that year. He finished leading the league in strikeouts with 265 and the league’s best K/9 rate at 10.5. He would fall short of the Cy Young award by finishing third in the voting for the award for the leagues best pitcher after winning it the previous season.
No. 4 Bob Allison-1964
It is amazing to think of the power bats that the Twins once had. Especially since I am from a generation of Twins fandom where one of the most successful teams generated offense mainly by way of the “piranhas”. The first of a pair of those power bats we will highlight on this list is Bob Allison and his performance in 1964.
In his first half on the way to his third All-Star appearance, Allison hit .336/.439/.657 with a 1.096 OPS. He also added 21 home runs, 23 doubles, and 55 RBIs. Allison had 55 strikeouts which were almost evenly matched by his 48 walks in the season’s first half.
Allison earned the start at first base for the All-Star game. He had very minimal success in his four plate appearances. Allison officially went 0-for-3 with a walk and two strikeouts. His first strikeout came in the first inning from Don Drysdale. Although his at-bat did create a wild pitch scenario which allowed teammate Harmon Killebrew to advance to second from first base.
Allison’s second strikeout came with Jim Running on the mound. It was until Allison’s fourth and final at-bat that he settled to get on base for the first time by way of a walk with Turk Farrel on the mound. Allison wouldn’t continue quite the same pace in the second half as he did in the first, but still slashed a career best .287/.404/.553 with a .957 OPS. He also finished with 32 home runs, 27 doubles, four triples, and 86 RBIs.
![1989: Bert Blyleven of the Minnesota Twins stands in the dugout during a game in the 1989 season. (Photo by: Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/w_480/shape/cover/sport/https-3A-2F-2Fpuckettspond-com-2Fwp-content-2Fuploads-2Fgetty-images-2F2017-2F07-2F2077000-bert-blyleven-stands-jpg-61b93565eeef3ca8444e94ee075ba673.jpg)
No. 3 Bert Blyleven-1973
While the previously mentioned Johan Santana is probably the most successful pitcher of recent memory, we sometimes forget just how good Bert Blyleven was during his playing days. He is certainly now best known for his work as the color commentator for Twins television broadcasts which he at best gets mixed reviews at best for his work there. We are here today to give credit where it is due with how well he performed on the mound for the Twins.
1973 was a different era of baseball than today, but it still gives us a glimpse into just how good Blyleven was through his career as a starting pitcher. On his way to his first All-Star appearance, Blyleven started 24 games while going 12-9. In those starts, he held a 2.59 ERA and 151 strikeouts on his way to 14 complete games. Seven of those complete games were shutouts.
Unfortunately for Blyleven, the actual All-Star game was not good for him as he allowed two runs leading to him being credited with the loss in the eventual National League victory. If there was a positive to Blyleven’s line it was that he didn’t get absolutely crushed, just consistently nibbled away at. And with the final blow coming at the bat of Hank Aaron, that is understandable.
Blyleven finished his first All-Star season with a 2.53 ERA over 325.0 innings pitched. And while the era was different then, Blyleven did still finish with a 156 ERA+ proving his performance was good no matter the years in which it came. He did get some recognition at the end of the season as he finished seventh in Cy Young voting and 26th in Most Valuable Player Voting.
![ST. LOUIS, MO – JULY 14: American League All-Star Joe Mauer of the Minnesota Twins bats during the 2009 MLB All-Star Game at Busch Stadium on July 14, 2009 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/w_480/shape/cover/sport/https-3A-2F-2Fpuckettspond-com-2Fwp-content-2Fuploads-2Fgetty-images-2F2017-2F07-2F89081456-6c12660722386b2acefd019a373a9a1c.jpg)
No. 2 Joe Mauer-2009
This first half by Joe Mauer in 2009 received serious consideration for the top spot on this list. In 2018, one sometimes forgets just how historically good Mauer was in his seasons behind the plate. If nothing else this list will provide us with a good reminder of Mauer’s dominance as a catcher.
In the first half of 2009 on his way to his third All-Star selection Mauer slashed an incredible .373/.447/.622 and had a 1.069 OPS. In Mauer’s outburst of power he also launched 15 home runs, 13 doubles, a triple and drove in 49 RBIs. Just so we don’t forget, he did all that while calling the game from behind the plate as a catcher.
Mauer got the start at catcher in the All-Star game and batted third behind Derek Jeter and in front of Mark Teixeira. Mauer went 1-for-3 with an RBI and scored a run on the evening. He didn’t find success in his first two at-bats while facing off against Tim Lincecum and then Ryan Franklin. It was finally in an at-bat against Chad Billingsley that Mauer connected for a double to left field and drove in Jeter.
Mauer finished the season leading the league in all categories found in a slash line with his reading, .365/.444/.587, as well as a league-leading OPS of 1.031. He also hit 28 home runs and 30 doubles with 96 RBIs on his way to a Gold Glove, Silver Slugger, and Most Valuable Player awards.
No. 1 Harmon Killebrew-1961
In all honesty, catapulting Harmon Killebrew to the top of the list is in part because it is a cool story. Killebrew was named to the All-Star team during the franchise’s first season in Minnesota. What an exciting moment it had to be for those who were cheering on the Twins in that inaugural season.
While the circumstance is cool, that shouldn’t take away from what still stands as one of the best first halves by a Twins hitter. Killebrew slashed .335/.451/.696 with a 1.250 OPS. Of his 88 hits, he had 26 home runs, nine doubles, and 68 RBIs. Killebrew’s All-Star birth was also at a time when the squads played two games so fans had two opportunities to see the best in baseball on the same field.
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In both games, Killebrew started the game on the bench. In the first game, Killebrew entered the game as a pinch hitter and went 1-for-2 with a home run. Then while on the roster for Game 2 of the All-Star series, Killebrew didn’t make an appearance in the Fenway version of the game.
Killebrew finished the 1961 season in strong fashion. His final slash line was .288/.405/.606 with a 1.012 OPS and Killebrew finished by hitting a total of 46 home runs. The season ends up being arguably one of Killebrew’s best statistical seasons even though he didn’t end up with quite the league wide accolades as some other seasons. A guy by the name of Roger Maris might have had something to do with that.
Next: Should the Twins be shopping Jake Odorizzi?
There is the list. Who was missed? There were some close calls and guys to argue for so who might you have put on this list if you were putting it together? Let us know in the comments as it would be great to hear what each of you thinks.