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Minnesota Twins: Comparing current Twins Players with All-Time Greats

By Edward Orzech

Rod Carew of the California Angels bats during a game at Comiskey Park. (Photo by Ron Vesely/Getty Images)
Rod Carew of the California Angels bats during a game at Comiskey Park. (Photo by Ron Vesely/Getty Images) /
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The Minnesota Twins are one of the MLB’s oldest franchises dating all the way back to 1901. Back then, the team was known as the Senators, and they played in Washington D.C. The Senators moved to Minneapolis in 1961 to become the Twins we know and love today. Over their 120 year long history, the Twins have had some of the best ball players of all time. Their current team features some stellar athletes as well.

We compare current Minnesota Twins stars to legendary former Twins.

With the current lockout slogging on, there isn’t a lot going on, so with that in mind, going to take a look back and compare some current Twins stars to some of the team’s all-time greats. We start this off with a look at two of Minnesota’s top contact hitters.

Minnesota Twins
Luis Arraez of the Minnesota Twins swings at a pitch against the Toronto Blue Jays. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images) /

Minnesota Twins Second Baseman Luis Arraez compares to…

As soon as Luis Arraez burst into the major leagues in 2019, he garnered comparisons to some of the greatest contact hitters in history. He finished sixth in the Rookie of the Year voting in 2019 despite playing only 92 games. That year, he had an incredible .334 batting average and .838 OPS.

Arraez continued his success through 2021. Last year, he was in the 100th percentile in Whiff% and 99th percentile in K%, according to Baseball Savant. No contact wizard  is a better comparison for the young Venezuelan than Hall of Famer Rod Carew.

…Hall of Fame Minnesota Twins legend Rod Carew.

The comparisons between Luis Arraez and Rod Carew are eerie. Both are Twins contact masters with little power and sub-par infield defense. Their slashlines through their age-24 seasons are incredibly similar.

Carew: .307/.353/.421/.775 for a 119 OPS+.

Arraez: 313/.374/.403/.777 for a 113 OPS+.

If Arraez can continue his success in the trajectory of Carew, Twins fans may witness another historic career. Moreover, Arraez is having Carew-level success with nearly 600 less plate appearances of experience. However, Carew already had earned himself a batting title by batting .332 in 1969.

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