Minnesota Twins: The Top 8 Greatest Left-Handed Hitters in Twins History
By Greg Simbeck
Minnesota Twins Greatest Left-Hander No. 5: Justin Morneau (2003-2013)
The pride of New Westminster High in Canada, Justin Morneau became a regular part of the Twins lineup in 2005 and proceeded to enjoy an epic run of five seasons of baseball with the Twins, where he became one of the best players in the MLB.
Justin was a prolific hitter during this time, eventually ending his Minnesota Twins career with 221 home runs and 860 RBI. The peak of his career was during the 2009 season where he drove in 100 runs and added 30 home runs. For his accomplishments that year, Justin was named the 2006 American League MVP.
Concussions and other injuries took a toll on Justin, and the what could have been for Morneau is obvious. Even at age 33, Morneau went on to win the National League Batting title for the Colorado Rockies. If he had stayed healthy through his career, we might be looking at one of Twins all-time greats.
Minnesota Twins Greatest Left-Hander No. 4: Kent Hrbek (1981-1994)
The first local boy on this list who found success playing Major League Baseball, Kent Hrbek was hard-hitting kid from Bloomington Minnesota who started his career with the Twins in 1981. Kent went on to become the rock of the two World Series champion Minnesota Twins teams and he regularly hit close to 20 home runs and drove in 80+ runs during the majority of his Twins career.
Herbie was probably the best player in big league history to never win a Gold Glove. His stretches at first base saved the Twins innumerable runs and his back to the plate catches are legendary. He was, in my mind, the best fielding first baseman of his era.
Besides his prestigious hitting and remarkable fielding, Kent was known as a wonderful clubhouse prankster and affable team player. All that combines to help the lefty with one of the sweetest swings ever land at four on this list.