Minnesota Twins: 5 Twins that could be enshrined in the Hall of Fame
With no representatives in this year’s Hall of Fame class, who are some Twins that could be inducted into Cooperstown in the near future?
The Minnesota Twins have had quite the history after being founded in 1961 as they’ve picked up a couple of World Series titles and had multiple stand out players since coming over from Washington. While there are a lot of players who shaped the history of the Twins’ franchise, the group that has been inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame is more exclusive.
To make that case, out of the nine retired numbers in Twins history, only six of them are inducted in the National Baseball Hall of Fame. That number could grow in the near future with a recent retiree in Joe Mauer, but outside of that, it’s hard for any player or manager to get into the Hall of Fame even if they’ve made a major impact on a franchise.
With another class going into Cooperstown this weekend, it seems like a good time to look back at Twins history and see what names could be headed for enshrinement in the near future. While some names are obvious, there are others that are surprising on the list and even more that could garner more consideration as their career ages with time.
So who in Twins history could get the call to the hall?
Joe Mauer
As the freshness of Mauer’s career continues to fade, the debate on whether the St. Paul, Minn. native should be in Cooperstown is likely to be a hot one. On one hand, Mauer was one of the greatest offensive catchers to ever play the game, but his lackluster numbers at first base leave a bad taste in the mouths of many. (Oh, and did we mention that massive contract?)
For all the things that drove Twins fans crazy over the years, Mauer was a catcher of historical proportions. Before Mauer put on his pinstriped uniform, no catcher had ever won a batting title in the American League. When he retired last winter, Mauer had done it three times — the most ever for any catcher in the history of Major League Baseball. He also put together one of the most dominant seasons ever for a catcher during his MVP campaign in 2009.
Mauer’s peripheral numbers also look like a career that should be considered for enshrinement as he hit .306, was a six-time All-Star and took home three Gold Gloves to go with five Silver Slugger awards at catcher. While Mauer is one of the most polarizing players in Twins’ history, his historical significance should be enough to get him to Cooperstown.
Jim Kaat
When today’s generation thinks of Jim Kaat, they think of him as a fixture on the MLB Network. What some fans may not know is that Kaat was one of the best pitchers in baseball during his playing days and put together a tremendous career that lasted long enough to see him pitch to Ted Williams and Julio Franco.
During his 15 seasons in a Twins uniform, Kaat threw 3,014 1/3 innings and came away with a record of 190-159 and a 3.34 ERA. His best seasons may have come in the mid-60s as he helped the Twins capture their first American League pennant in 1965 (and battled Sandy Koufax in Game 7 of the 1965 World Series) and led the league with 25 wins in 1966.
What really set Kaat’s playing career apart was his ability to field his position. In his 25-year career, Kaat racked up 16 Gold Glove Awards which is tied for the most of any player in MLB history along with Baltimore’s Brooks Robinson. While the Twins traded Kaat to the Chicago White Sox in the 1973 season, he would go on to play 11 more seasons before retiring in 1984.
Kaat’s notoriety has begun to gain steam as he was named on the Golden Era ballot in 2015, but still hasn’t made his way into Cooperstown. With his work in the broadcasting booth adding some value, it’s possible that Kaat could find his way to the hall in the near future.
Torii Hunter
While we are on the subject of defense, we have to talk about former Twins center fielder Torii Hunter. While the former 2000s star won’t be a first-ballot Hall of Famer, his late-career surge to go along with his highlight-reel defense makes him an interesting study as his time in the majors comes more into perspective.
Hunter’s career didn’t get off to the greatest start, but the light bulb truly came on with the Twins during the 2002 season. After the Twins were nominated for contraction the previous winter, Hunter became one of the leaders on the team, making his first All-Star appearance (which you may have heard about) and leading Minnesota to its first playoff appearance (and series victory) since 1991.
As time went on, Hunter continued to get better at the plate. When it was all said and done, Hunter had racked up 2,452 career hits (.277 average), 353 HR, 1,391 RBI and swiped 195 stolen bases during his 19-year career that included stops in Los Angeles and Detroit.
Oh, and his defense? Hunter became a nine-time Gold Glove winner thanks to amazing catches in center field that didn’t even seem possible. While he didn’t have the speed of Byron Buxton, he always found the baseball and came up with some of the most spectacular catches in Twins history.
It may be a long shot to see Hunter get into the Hall of Fame, but his overall resume is a tough one to ignore.
Johan Santana
This could get a chuckle from the hometown crowd, but during the 2000s, there were few pitchers that were as dominant as Johan Santana was for the Twins. After being acquired in a Rule 5 draft trade with the Florida Marlins, Santana began his career in the Minnesota bullpen but quickly made his way to being one of the top aces in Major League Baseball.
During his 12-year career, Santana went 139-78 with a 3.20 ERA between the Twins and the New York Mets and 1,988 strikeouts. While his overall numbers are nice, his numbers from when he became a starter during the 2002 season to the 2010 season were outstanding, compiling a 2.90 ERA while winning two American League Cy Young Awards.
Santana has a strong case for the Hall of Fame, but it could be even stronger. In 2005, Santana was one of the best pitchers in baseball going 16-7 with a 2.87 ERA, but because the Twins missed the playoffs, he finished third in the AL Cy Young Award voting. The award was given to Los Angeles’ Bartolo Colon despite Santana outpitching him in virtually every category.
If Santana was a three-time Cy Young Award winner and reached the 2,000 strikeout mark, we could be talking about a pitcher that is on his way to Cooperstown. Until then, it will just be a game of wait-and-see.
Tony Oliva
When researching for this article, I quickly checked through the retired numbers in Twins history. As I dug deeper, I found out that Tony Oliva was not in the Hall of Fame and took a look at his stats. Once the page loaded, my jaw nearly hit the floor.
“How on earth is this guy not in the Hall of Fame?”
Perhaps that’s a dramatic way to start this slide, but when you look at what Oliva did during his 15-year career, it’s crazy to think he’s not in Cooperstown.
Spending his entire career with the Twins, Oliva hit .304 smacking 220 HR and driving in 947 RBI for the Twins. He won the 1964 AL Rookie of the Year Award, was a three-time AL batting champion (1964, 1965 and 1971) and finished in the top-five of AL Most Valuable Player voting three times, including a two-time runner up in 1965 and 1970.
If you’re still not convinced that Oliva is a Hall of Famer, his eight All-Star appearances represented a stretch between 1964 to 1971 where he hit .313 with 177 HR and 719 RBI. As a result, Oliva was one of the most feared hitters in all of baseball during that time and was one of the stars for the Twins during their early days in Minnesota.
Part of the reason for Oliva being snubbed could be his final four years of his career, which were all spent as the newly-instated designated hitter, which came into play in 1973. With his body turning on him to the tune of eight knee operations, it’s fair to wonder if another Gold Glove in the outfield or one more batting title would have pushed him over the edge to get in.
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For now, Oliva has to play the waiting game that many players do. His stats are good enough to get into Cooperstown and still remains on the Golden Era ballot, but until then, he’s one of the greatest players in MLB history not to be enshrined.