Minnesota Twins: Top 5 Twins that aren’t in the Hall of Fame
Puckett’s Pond takes a look at the five best Minnesota Twins players that aren’t enshrined in the Hall of Fame and what their chances of making it are.
With the Hall of Fame Induction ceremony of Derek Jeter and Larry Walker moved back to 2021, the two Hall of Famers will have to wait a year longer before making it into Cooperstown. Unfortunately several Minnesota Twins have been waiting even longer.
In order to make this list, a player needs to have played primarily with the Twins and have made a real impact on the team. In addition to that, the player needs have a respectable seven-year peak (an important Hall measure) and to already be Hall of Fame eligible (sorry Joe Mauer, Torii Hunter, and Joe Nathan). With that in mind, let’s get into it.
No. 5: Minnesota Twins’ Johan Santana
Years on Ballot: 1
Key Hall of Fame Numbers:
Black Ink
Pitching – 42 (38), Average HOFer ≈ 40
Starting Pitcher (81st):
51.7 career WAR / 45.0 7yr-peak WAR / 48.3 JAWS
Average HOF P (out of 65):
73.3 career WAR / 50.0 7yr-peak WAR / 61.6 JAWS
The fact that Johan Santana was only on 2.8% of Hall of Fame Ballots was criminal. His numbers were fairly close to Hall of Fame level, and he was better than most Hall of Famers in Black Ink, a category that shows how often you were a league leader.
Despite how good he was, for his time with the Twins and New York Mets, his injuries ultimately cost him his what was poised to be an excellent career. Either way, he deserved better after posting very solid numbers.
However, due to his peak being shorter than some other greats and so many players on the list ahead of him, it doesn’t seem likely that Santana will ever make it to Cooperstown. His only chance is if the Today’s Game Veteran’s Committee elects him in thirty years. It’s a low chance.
Chance of Making the Hall of Fame: 1%
No. 4: Minnesota Twins’ Bob Allison
Years on Ballot: 1
Key Hall of Fame Numbers:
JAWS: Right Field (66th):
34.1 career WAR / 30.0 7yr-peak WAR / 32.0 JAWS
Average HOF RF (out of 27):
71.9 career WAR / 42.4 7yr-peak WAR / 57.2 JAWS
Another Twins player who got stiffed by the Hall of Fame voters, Bob Allison didn’t receive a single vote when he became Hall of Fame eligible in 1976. Despite being a three-time All-Star and hitting 256 homers, the 1959 Rookie of the Year only lasted just one year on the ballot.
Similar to Santana, we don’t think Allison was quite Hall of Fame-worthy. However, he was franchise icon, the No. 15 player in team history, and an excellent slugger. He deserved at least one vote. Unfortunately for him, he will not make the Hall of Fame.
Chance of Making the Hall of Fame: 0%
No. 3: Minnesota Twins’ Kent Hrbek
Years on Ballot: 1
Key Hall of Fame Numbers:
JAWS First Base (53rd):
38.6 career WAR / 27.5 7yr-peak WAR / 33.1 JAWS
Average HOF 1B (out of 21):
66.9 career WAR / 42.7 7yr-peak WAR / 54.8 JAWS
Similar to Allison and Santana, Kent Hrbek lasted just one year on the ballot and received 1% of the Hall of Fame vote. Hrbek only played in one All-Star game (East Coast bias), but his two World Series titles and 293 homers should have earned him more recognition.
If Hrbek had played just a few more years and crossed that 300 homer mark, I think he gets a few more votes and stays on the ballot a little longer. On the flip side, the Twins legend seems pretty content with drinking beer, attending Twins events, doing commercials, and being one of Minnesota’s all-time favorite professional athletes. I don’t think he minds being on the outside much:
Similar to Santana, Hrbek would need the Veterans committee to help him out if he were to make the Hall. It’s not likely.
Chance of Making the Hall of Fame: 2%
No. 2: Minnesota Twins’ Jim Kaat
Years on Ballot: 15
Key Hall of Fame Numbers:
Hall of Fame Monitor
Pitching – 130 (58), Likely HOFer ≈ 100
Hall of Fame Standards
Pitching – 44 (59), Average HOFer ≈ 50
JAWS
Starting Pitcher (110th):
50.5 career WAR / 38.1 7yr-peak WAR / 44.3 JAWS
Average HOF P (out of 65):
73.3 career WAR / 50.0 7yr-peak WAR / 61.6 JAWS
Jim Kaat is one of two players on this list who has a real solid shot at the Hall of Fame. In order to make the Hall of Fame through the Veterans Committee from the era you played in (Kaat is a member of the Golden Days). You need twelve out of the sixteen votes to be elected, and during the last vote Kaat got the third most votes (10), giving him a legitimate shot.
No Minnesota Twins pitcher not currently in the Hall is more deserving than Kaat is, as his 16 Gold Gloves and World Series title give him a legitimate case. His Hall of Fame Monitor and Standards numbers make him a very solid choice.
The Golden Days committee meets in December of 2020 (they last met in 2014), and hopefully this is the year that Kaat finally gets over the hump, nearly forty years after his retirement.
Chance of Making the Hall of Fame: 75%
No. 1: Minnesota Twins’ Tony Oliva
Years on the Ballot: 15
Key Hall of Fame Numbers:
Black Ink
Batting – 41 (38), Average HOFer ≈ 27
Gray Ink
Batting – 146 (98), Average HOFer ≈ 144
Hall of Fame Monitor
Batting – 114 (135), Likely HOFer ≈ 100
Hall of Fame Standards
Batting – 29 (355), Average HOFer ≈ 50
JAWS Right Field (34th):
43.1 career WAR / 38.6 7yr-peak WAR / 40.9 JAWS
Average HOF RF (out of 27):
71.9 career WAR / 42.4 7yr-peak WAR / 57.2 JAWS
Despite being better than most Hall of Famers in several categories, Tony Oliva remains one of the greatest Hall of Fame snubs of all-time. The former Rookie of the Year, eight-time All-Star, three-time batting champ, and Gold glove winner never got over 47.3% of the vote, which is and was an absolute crime.
One of the ten best players in Twins history, Oliva shouldn’t have made it first ballot, but he should have made it as time passed. Fortunately, the Golden Days committee has continually voted more for Oliva every time he has been on their ballot, and in 2014 he received 11 out of 16 votes, just one vote shy of election.
Hopefully within the next two Golden Days elections, one more voter will join the Oliva train and finally get this Hall of Fame level player into the promised land.
Chance of Making the Hall of Fame: 90%