I took a look at some of the former Minnesota Twins who have found success elsewhere and built a team of some of the best former Twins.
I recently read an article on a fan site that comprised a 26-man roster of current and former Minnesota Twins. I decided to take that a little further and create a 26-man roster of only former Twins.
The only rule is that they must have worn a Minnesota Twins uniform at the major league level. No player who only played in the minors or those that were drafted by the Twin, but never saw any major league service time. I only took a couple of indulgences and added a little humor to my picks. What do you think?
Catcher: Wilson Ramos-The one that got away. I will be forever mad about this trade. Still has some pop in his bat, but just an average fielder. More pop than Jason Castro and better at throwing out runners than Kurt Suzuki.
First Base: C. J. Cron-Had a nice offensive year going until the injuries. Better defensively than I expected. I think he will really help the Tigers this year.
Second Base: Jonathan Schoop-Had some clutch hits for us last year. Could not hold off the rise of Arraez. Solid player
Third Base: Eduardo Escobar-Still mad about this trade. I guess it worked out for Eduardo and the Twins. Excellent all around versatile ballplayer.
Shortstop: Danny Santana– Late bloomer. Nice offensive season last year. Oh, but where to play him. Had a great offensive season last year for the Rangers.
Left Field: Eduardo Nunez-Really enjoyed his play when he was here. Nice position flexibility.
Center Field: Carlos Gomez-My biggest indulgence. I know he just retired, but who can forget the adventures and misadventures of Go Go.
Right Field: Aaron Hicks-Still a valuable asset for the Yankees. When he was younger, I thought he played a nice center field.
DH: Brian Dozier-Better average hitting left-handed but more power from the right side. He was one of the best second baseman in baseball from 2014-17.
Bench: Jason Castro C, Logan Forsythe INF, Niko Goodrum INF/OF, Kurt Suzuki C/DH.
Not much of a bench but there you have it. Balanced catching though.
Starting Rotation:
- Lance Lynn-Lynn has pitched well before and after his stint with the Twins.
- Kyle Gibson-Had some good moments here. In the end, too much inconsistency.
- Martin Perez-Wes Johnson did a great job of turning Perez into a very capable starter during the first part of last season. Wes’ magic could only go so far.
- Francisco Liriano-Oh Francisco! What might have been.
- Brusdar Graterol-Let’s see what the kid can do in relief for the Dodgers. Great stuff.
Relief Pitchers:
- Liam Hendriks-Hendriks has turned into an excellent pitcher.
- Ryan Pressley-Pressley continues to throw hard.
- Brandon Kintzler– Always liked Kintzler when he was here.
- Fernando Rodney-Throw in Rodney for some late-inning fireworks.
- Mike Morin-Morin had a short visit here but I thought he pitched well.
- Pat Neshek-Always liked Neshek as a change of pace.
- Anthony Swarzak-Derailed his career early with some bad off the field decisions. Showed flashes, but inconsistency was the trademark of his career here. Could start and relieve.
- Ryne Harper-Great start to the season and then the wheels came off.