The Minnesota Twins have announced that former third baseman Corey Koskie will be inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame before a game against the Detroit Tigers at Target Field on Aug. 17.
A key member of a young core that helped the Twins win three straight American League Central championships in the early 2000s, Koskie spent seven years of his nine-year career in Minnesota, hitting .280/.373/.463 with 101 home runs and 437 RBI.
Corey Koskie is still one of the Twins' greatest third basemen of all-time
Koskie was selected in the 26th round of the 1994 MLB June Amateur Draft out of Kwantlen Polytechnic University in Langley, British Colombia. Koskie made his major league debut in September of 1998 and spent the first years of his career playing alongside future Torii Hunter, Matt Lawton, Cristian Guzmán and Doug Mientkiewicz.
The group collectively popped in 2001 and Koskie was a key contributor, hitting .276/.362/.488 with 26 homers, 103 RBI, 27 stolen bases and a career-high 6.3 wins above replacement. Koskie contributed again in 2022, hitting .267/.368/.447 with 15 homers, 69 RBI and 11 steals to help the Twins win their first division title since 1991.
It was part of a strong four-year stretch for Koskie, who hit .283/.380/.458 while averaging 16 home runs, 77 RBI and 13 steals from 2000 to 2003. While Koskie was solid at the plate he was just as valuable in the field, compiling 26 total zone total fielding runs above average in 2001 and 2002.
The Twins won their third straight division title in 2004 but Koskie declined, hitting .251/.342/.495 with 25 homers and 71 RBI. Koskie signed with the Toronto Blue Jays ahead of the 2005 season and played with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2006 before having to retire due to concussions.
Still, Koskie was one of the greatest third basemen in Twins history dating back to when the team moved to Minnesota from Washington in 1961. Among players who played 70 percent of their games at third base during their careers, Koskie ranks first in batting average (.280), on-base percentage (.373) and OPS (.836); second in doubles (180), home runs (101), stolen bases (66) and wins above replacement (22.1); and third with 781 hits.
The Twins have had issues replacing Koskie since his departure even with cameos by Trevor Plouffe and Miguel Sanó in the 2010s and a potential long-term answer in Royce Lewis. Still, Koskie made a big impact during one of the most important eras in Twins history, paving his way to the Twins Hall of Fame.