Minnesota Twins’ all-time WAR leaders: 6 Hall of Famers among top-10

Let's take a look at Baseball Reference's Minnesota Twins all-time WAR leaders. For reference, these players all accumulated their WAR in a Twins uniform, meaning WAR as a Washington Senator doesn't count. Walter Johnson leads the franchise in WAR with 155.1, but that all came in a Senators uniform.

Minnesota Twins’ all-time WAR leaders

1) 1B/2B Rod Carew: 63.8 WAR

Feb 18, 2025; Lee County, FL, USA; Minnesota Twins Hall of Fame player Rod Carew watching batting practice during the team’s spring training at the Lee Health Sports Complex. Mandatory Credit: Chris Tilley-Imagn Images | Chris Tilley-Imagn Images

Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1991, Carew played for the Twins from 1967 to 1978, slashing .334/.393/.448 (137 OPS+) with 74 homers, 305 doubles, 90 triples, 733 RBI and 271 stolen bases. He finished his career with the California Angels, posting 17.4 WAR and a .314/.393/.392 slash line from 1979 to 1985. He earned an All-Star nod every season he played in the big leagues except for 1985.

2) C/1B Joe Mauer: 55.6 WAR

Jul 26, 2025; Cooperstown, NY, USA; Hall of Famer Joe Mauer waves to the crowd as he arrives at the National Baseball Hall of Fame during the Parade of Legends in Cooperstown, NY.. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

Mauer easily could've been first on this list if he hadn't suffered numerous injuries throughout his career. The Minnesota native was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2024. His career accolades include the 2009 AL MVP award, three Gold Gloves, five Silver Slugger awards, three batting titles and six All-Star game nods. He spent his entire career (2004 to 2018) with Minnesota, slashing .306/.388/.439 with 143 homers, 438 doubles and 923 RBI.

3) 1B/3B/LF Harmon Killebrew: 53.8 WAR

Unknown date; Cleveland, OH; USA; FILE PHOTO; Minnesota Twins first baseman Harmon Killebrew in action against the Cleveland Indians at Cleveland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tony Tomsic-USA TODAY NETWORK | Tony Tomsic-Imagn Images

Killebrew also posted 6.8 WAR with the Senators before the club moved to Minnesota and became the Twins following the 1960 season. While metrics suggest Killebrew wasn't the best defender, he is arguably the greatest hitter in Minnesota Twins history. During his 21 years with the franchise, Killebrew slashed .258/.378/.514 (145 OPS+) with 559 homers, 277 doubles and 1,540 RBI. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1984.

4) CF Kirby Puckett: 51.1 WAR

Unknown date 1995; Boston, MA, USA, FILE PHOTO; Minnesota Twins outfielder (34) Kirby Puckett in action against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park during the 1995 season. Mandatory Credit: RVR Photos-Imagn Images | RVR Photos-Imagn Images

Like Mauer, Puckett easily could've been first on this list. His career was unfortunately cut short due to sudden vision loss caused by glaucoma. He spent his entire 12-season career with Minnesota, hitting .318/.360/.477 with 207 homers, 414 doubles, 57 triples, 1,085 RBI and 134 stolen bases. A 10-time All-Star, Puckett won six Gold Glove awards and six Silver Slugger awards. He was a key part of the Twins' 1987 and 1991 World Series championship teams. During Game 6 of the 1991 World Series against the Atlanta Braves, Puckett made an outstanding home-run-robbing catch at the wall in the third inning and later hit a walk-off homer in the 11th inning to force a Game 7.

34 years ago today, Kirby Puckett made sure that we would see you tomorrow night! pic.twitter.com/KzijgE5gc7
— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) October 26, 2025

5) RHP Bert Blyleven: 49.1 WAR

Jul 26, 2025; Cooperstown, NY, USA; Hall of Famer Bert Blyleven arrives at the National Baseball Hall of Fame during the Parade of Legends in Coopestown, NY.. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

Blyleven, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2011, played for the Twins from 1970 to 1976 and rejoined the club in 1985, with his second tenure with Minnesota lasting through the 1988 season. During his 11 seasons with the Twins, Blyleven posted a 3.28 ERA with 2035 strikeouts across 2,566 2/3 innings. He also spent five seasons with the Cleveland Indians, three with the Pittsburgh Pirates, three with the California Angels and two with the Texas Rangers. Overall, Blyleven, who later became a legendary announcer for the Twins, posted 94.5 WAR and a 3.31 ERA with 287 wins during his 22-year career.

6) RHP Brad Radke: 45.6 WAR

August 3, 2005; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Twins pitcher #22 Brad Radke pitches against the Seattle Mariners in the fourth inning at the Metrodome. Twins win 8-3. Mandatory Credit: Photo By Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images Copyright (c) 2005 Bruce Kluckhohn | Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images

Perhaps the most underrated Twin on this list, Radke spent his entire career (1995 to 2006) with Minnesota. He had a career 4.22 ERA with 1467 strikeouts over 2,451 innings. The righty threw 37 career complete games, 10 of them shutouts. He made the AL All-Star team in 1998.

7) RF Tony Oliva: 43.1 WAR

Jul 24, 2022; Cooperstown, New York, USA; Hall of Fame inductee Tony Oliva gives his acceptance speech during the Baseball Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at Clark Sports Center. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

Oliva, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2022, spent his whole 15-season career (1962 to 1976) with the Twins. He holds a career .304/.353/.476 slash line with 220 homers, 329 doubles and 947 RBI.

8) 1B Kent Hrbek: 38.6 WAR

Aug 14, 2021; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Twins great Kent Hrbek speaks during a ceremony commemorating the 1991 World Series Champion Twins team before a game with the Tampa Bay Rays at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Nick Wosika-Imagn Images | Nick Wosika-Imagn Images

Hrbek spent his entire 14-season career (1981 to 1994) with Minnesota. Hrbek, the Twins' starting first baseman for both their World Series championships, hit .282/.367/.481 with 293 home runs, 312 doubles and 1,086 RBI over 1,747 regular-season games.

9) 2B Chuck Knoblauch: 38.0 WAR

1995, Boston, MA, USA; FILE PHOTO; Minnesota Twins second baseman Chuck Knoblauch in action against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park during the 1995 season. Mandatory Credit: RVR Photos-Imagn Images | RVR Photos-Imagn Images

Knoblauch won the 1991 AL Rookie of the Year award and played a vital role in getting Minnesota its second World Series victory in team history. He played just seven seasons with the Twins before being traded to the New York Yankees. With New York, Knoblauch was worth 7.5 WAR over four seasons. He finished his career with the Kansas City Royals in 2002.

10) LHP Johan Santana: 35.8 WAR

July 25, 2006; Chicago, IL, USA; Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Johan Santana (57) delivers a pitch during the second inning at US Cellular Field in Chicago, IL. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-Imagn Images © Copyright 2006 Jerry Lai | Jerry Lai-Imagn Images

Santana spent eight seasons with Minnesota (2000 to 2007), posting a 3.22 ERA and 9.5 SO/9 before Minnesota traded him to the New York Mets in 2008 in exchange for center fielder Carlos Gomez and pitchers Phil Humber, Kevin Mulvey and Deolis Guerra. Santana had a 3.18 ERA with the Mets across parts of four seasons before he retired after the 2012 season due to injuries. Many believe he belongs in the Hall of Fame.