The Ultimate List of the Greatest Minnesota Twins: Twinkie Town (Round 17)
The idea of the Senators remaining in the nation’s capital rather than escaping to the Land of 10,000 Lakes is an intriguing—if terrifying—conjecture in the annals of baseball history for the sports community in Minnesota.
In the late 1950s, Harmon Killebrew and Bob Allison were just beginning to establish themselves as major league sluggers, and Washington already had an excellent starter in Camilo Pascual.
Thankfully, such skills blossomed in Bloomington instead, where Twins Territory was established in 1961.
Even though Allison was always expected to take a backseat to the legendary Killebrew, she was a very capable sidekick. An average Allison season from 1961 to 1965 resulted in 606 PA, 22 2B, 30 HR, 92 RBI,.871 OPS, and 135 OPS+.
Because of Bob’s powerful bombs, many Metropolitan Stadium LF bleacher mementos are kept on fireplace mantles.
Even though it is deeply regrettable that an ataxia diagnosis deprived him of his latter years, Allison’s U of M Center still provides funding for research on neurological diseases.
The Minnesota Twins’ yearly Diamond Awards actually support this remarkable cause—a remarkable legacy.
The best Twins starting pitcher—whom you most likely can’t recall—is listed next.
(Note: Voting will continue for a few more weeks since this series will result in a Top 20.)
You could argue that, all things considered, no Twin made a stronger first impression in Major League Baseball than Chuck Knoblauch.
The 2B-man played 151 games as a rookie in 1991, winning the AL Rookie of the Year Award and collecting 25 SB, 636 PA, and 281 BA.
Knobby would average.306 BA, 115 OPS+, and 40 SB over the following 7 seasons. His incredible 1996 season—.341 BA, 143 OPS+, 14 3B, 45 SB—was the pinnacle of his Twins career.
Jim Perry was the pinnacle of swingman pitchers from 1963 to 1972, a time when bullpen specialization was nonexistent.
He had stints as a solely starting pitcher and as a relief pitcher, but for the most part, he was an equal-opportunity player. During those years, Perry’s average line was 14-10, 204 IP, 3.16 ERA, 113 ERA+, and 1.20 WHIP.
But there were also moments of genius, as shown by his third-place performance in 1969 and his 1970 Cy Young Award.
Perry’s mentor and ultimate Hall of Fame career was shaped by fellow moundsman Bert Blyleven, who consistently gave Perry the most of the credit.
It’s astonishing that Camilo Pascual makes this poll series at all, given that his first seven MLB seasons with the Washington Senators were unremarkable (57-84, 4.04 ERA, 97 ERA+).
However, the curveball expert was rejuvenated after taking the train west to Minnesota. In Twins territory for the next six years (1961–1966), he went 80–51 with a 3.17 ERA and 121 ERA+.
At the TC cap, Camilo recorded two seasons with 20 wins, four campaigns with 200 or more runs, and was a consistent All-Star.
Cesar Tovar’s main asset was his ability to play every position on the diamond, no joke. His baseball reference table with Standard Fielding is impressive to see. However, he could also help out on the base paths and with the lumber.
He averaged 685 PA, 173 H, 29 2B, 28 SB, an even BB:K ratio, and 102 OPS+ in 162 games between 1965 and 1972.
Tovar was essentially a league-average hitter with exceptional fielding skills. All told, he quickly became a valued member of the Twins with a 25.8 WAR contribution.
Working for the Twins in the 1970s during their perpetually.500 period, Dave Goltz had one of the most unremarkable yet reliable careers in team history.
He received votes for the Cy Young Award in 1977 (20-11, 303 IP, 19 CG, 3.36 ERA, 119 ERA+), and his 1978 performance (15-10, 2.49 ERA, 155 ERA+) might have been even better.
With strong peripherals, even on unimpressive teams, the Pelican Rapids native was sure to record 15 triumphs between 1974 and 1979.
