Minnesota Twins: Three New Additions to the Twins Hall of Fame

Every year, the Minnesota Twins elect a class to the Twins Hall of Fame, from the first year they started the process in 2000 up until the present. The only exceptions were 2014, 2015, and last year in 2021. To make up for a lost year last year, the Twins added three new members for the new class of 2022:

The three person class is the largest induction class since the inaugural class in 2000. Here’s how the previous classes break down:

2000s: Harmon Killebrew, Rod Carew, Tony Oliva, Kent Hrbek, Kirby Puckett, Calvin Griffith (2000), Herb Carneal, Jim Kaat (2001), Bert Blyleven, Tom Kelly (2002), Bob Allison, Bob Casey (2003), Earl Battey (2004), Frank Viola, Carl Pohlad (2005), Zoilo Versalles (2006), Gary Gaetti, Jim Rantz (2007), Rick Aguilera (2008), Brad Radke, George Brophy (2009).

2010s: Greg Gagne (2010), Jim Perry (2011), Camilo Pascual (2012), Eddie Guardo, Tom Mee (2013), No 2014 Class, No 2015 Class, John Gordon, Torii Hunter (2016), Michael Cuddyer, Andy MacPhail (2017), Johan Santana (2018), Jerry Bell, Joe Nathan (2019), Justin Morneau (2020).

Now the Twins will add three former Twins to the list in Ron Gardenhire, Dan Gladden, and César Tovar, all very deserving candidates, but all for very different reasons. We break down how they made it in and the celebration for each.

Minnesota Twins Hall of Famer: Ron Gardenhire (2002-2014)

Our first newly minted Hall of Famer is Twins’ manager Ron Gardenhire, the second-longest tenured manager in Minnesota Twins history and the second manager elected to the Twins Hall of Fame. Though Gardenhire never found a lot of playoff success, his tenure in Minnesota meant so much more than that.

Gardy, as he was affectionately known, won six division titles with the team and was a very good player’s manager, building strong relationships with his team and doing a lot of the same things that his former teacher and the first manager inducted into the Twins Hall of Fame, Tom Kelly.

Gardenhire started as a minor league manager for the Twins farm system shortly after he retired with the Twins farm system in 1987, managing the Single-A then Double-AA clubs from 1988-1990. In 1991, Gardenhire was promoted to the major leagues as third base coach, a position he held with the team until 2001, when the team promoted him to replace Kelly.

Gardenhire had the benefit of working with a revamped roster, and he kept the team very competitive throughout the first nine years of his tenure. Even after he was let go by the Twins and was brought on by the Detroit Tigers, he still was thought of very highly by the organization and fans.

Now, the Twins Hall of Fame will forever have Gardenhire and his legendary temper enshrined forever. In the meantime, let’s look back at some of the best ejections from his tenure:

Minnesota Twins Hall of Famer: Dan Gladden (1987-1991, 2000-Present)

Dan Gladden is one of the few Twins Hall of Famers with two seperate tenures as a member of the organization. The first tenure was as a player, the second is still going strong as a member of the radio team, and both have been very important to the franchise.

As a player, Gladden’s Twins career isn’t that impressive at first glance of his stats. He played five years as the team’s primary left fielder, slashing .268/.318/.700 with meh defensive stats. His only really notable achievement is that his 116 steals rank eighteenth all-time in Twins/Senators history. If you’re a Minnesota Twins fan, you know he means more than that.

For starters, Gladden is a playoff hero. I mean, duh. Gladden was a stud in 1987, slashing .314/.397/.490 and delivering a performance etched in the team’s memory:

In 1991, Gladden didn’t perform quite as well, especially in the American League Championship series, but he scored in a moment that is still truly iconic in Twins’ fans memories:

After the 1991 season, Gladden earned a $2.2 million contract over two years with the Detroit Tigers, and that was where he spent the rest of his career.

He never really left Minnesota though, as he had moved his family there and has remained there, working with the organization as soon as he retired.

In 2000, he became a member of the Twins radio broadcast team with 2001 Twins Hall of Fame inductee Herb Carneal. Gladden worked as the color commentator with Carneal until he passed away in 2007, and Gladden became the guy full-time.

Now, Gladden works with Cory Provus, and is in his 23rd year with the broadcasting team while also attending countless team events as a former player beloved by the fans.