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New York Times
02-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Presenting the Twins' All-Quarter Century Team, the best in Minnesota since 2000
Editor's note: The Athletic is marking 2025 by naming an MLB All-Quarter Century Team, selected by Jayson Stark. Some of our beat writers are picking All-Quarter Century Teams for the teams they cover. Check this page to find all of our All-Quarter Century Team coverage. Postseason success has been maddeningly elusive, but the Minnesota Twins have the 12th-best record in MLB since 2000, going 2,015-1,991 (.503) while finishing with a winning record in 15 of 25 completed seasons and reaching the playoffs in 10 of them. Advertisement That includes the final two years of Tom Kelly's managerial career, followed by 13 seasons of Ron Gardenhire (.507), four seasons of Paul Molitor (.471) and Rocco Baldelli (.526) for the past seven years. And, of course, there was a venue change in 2010, with the move from the Metrodome to Target Field. Today we're selecting a Twins All-Quarter Century Team consisting of 10 hitters (nine lineup regulars and one utility player) and six pitchers (five starters and one closer) who were Minnesota's best players from 2000 to 2025. Longevity matters and pre-2000 performances aren't factored in. Here are the highest WAR totals by a Twins catcher since 2000, according to FanGraphs: 8.3 — Joe Mauer, 2009 6.5 — Joe Mauer, 2008 5.8 — Joe Mauer, 2006 5.7 — Joe Mauer, 2010 5.0 — Joe Mauer, 2013 4.6 — Joe Mauer, 2012 No other Twins catcher reached 4.0 WAR in any season from 2000 to 2025. Mauer was the Twins' starting catcher for 10 years, from 2004 to 2013, when a concussion ended a spectacular decade behind the plate in which the first-ballot Hall of Famer hit .323/.405/.468 for a 134 wRC+ and 46.3 WAR, with three batting titles, three Gold Glove Awards, five Silver Slugger Awards, six All-Star appearances and the 2009 American League MVP. In the 11 seasons since Mauer ceased catching (2014 to 2025), all Twins catchers have combined to hit .236/.308/.389 for a 91 wRC+ and 18.1 WAR. This was a pretty easy one. — Aaron Gleeman The catcher who has always called Minnesota home gets the call of a lifetime. Joe Mauer, you've made it to Cooperstown. 🎥 Emily Meisinger/@Twins — National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum ⚾ (@baseballhall) January 24, 2024 Another shoe-in. Following the departure of Torii Hunter to the Los Angeles Angels in 2008, Mauer and Morneau made the Twins relevant again. They ushered in a new era at Target Field, one which held so much promise until both sustained career-altering concussions. Morneau's run from 2006-10 included the AL MVP in 2006 and a runner-up AL MVP finish in 2008. And he potentially had an AL MVP award robbed in 2010 when he took a knee to the head while sliding into second base, thus ending the best season of his career with a .345/.437/.645 line in 81 games. Advertisement Even though injuries slowed the back half of his career and eventually led to a trade, Morneau produced 19.9 WAR for the Twins, more than doubling their next-best first baseman (Doug Mientkiewicz, 8.2). — Dan Hayes Perhaps three-time batting champion Luis Arraez would have at least made an argument for this spot if he hadn't moved more to first base and been traded for Pablo López. But nobody comes close to Dozier's production, including the 167 homers he belted between 2012-18. Dozier was one of the few bright spots during a 99-loss campaign in 2016, setting the AL record for round-trippers by a second baseman with 42. He was an All-Star in 2015, won a Gold Glove Award in 2017 and was a key leader in the clubhouse for a young wave of talent arriving in the latter part of his Twins tenure. — Hayes Koskie improved from borderline unplayable at third base — to the point Kelly would use him in left field — to become one of the best defensive third baseman in baseball, while posting an OPS at least 10 percent better than the league average in all six of his full seasons with the Twins. Koskie is one of the most underrated position players in team history, ranking 12th in WAR among Twins hitters, ahead of many far bigger names. But he was very good every season, occasionally great, and his combination of left-handed power and plate discipline with above-average defense never goes out of style. — Gleeman Jorge Polanco is the Twins' WAR leader at shortstop for the 2000s, but he holds only a slight lead over Correa in nearly double the number of games played. While Correa's tenure has been hampered by bouts of plantar fasciitis in each foot, he's simply been a great addition to the franchise. No matter how he seems to be feeling physically, Correa's sure-handed, strong-armed defense is a sight to behold. His potent bat has carried the lineup in two of his first three seasons in town, the other being slowed by his first foot injury. Advertisement But Correa's biggest impact could be felt late in 2023 when he finally had a chance to rest his foot and balled out in the postseason, going 9-for-22 (.409), providing heady defense and helping the team end its two-decade postseason losing streak. — Hayes The only negative about Hunter's Twins tenure was that it ended. Hunter's arrival in 1999 with several other young core members marked the start of a turnaround after several years of struggle in the wake of Kirby Puckett's early retirement. The Twins flourished with Hunter, averaging 83 wins in his 10 full seasons, winning at least 90 games and the division four times. Hunter's defense was excellent, as demonstrated by the seven Gold Glove Awards he won with the Twins, and he was a major presence in the lineup, averaging 25 homers and 90 RBIs from 1999-2007. Hunter also managed to be a big postseason performer, hitting .300/.337/.538 in 21 games. — Hayes An epic moment in @AllStarGame history. 19 years ago, @toriihunter48 robbed @BarryBonds. 😱 — MLB Vault (@MLBVault) July 9, 2021 We avoided the difficult decision of leaving Hunter (23.0 WAR) or Buxton (24.2 WAR) off the 2000s team by going with three positionless outfielders rather than choosing one in left, center and right. Copout? Maybe, but Hunter and Buxton are clearly both deserving of places on this team. Plus, who wouldn't want to watch them playing alongside each other and robbing hits in the same outfield? (Other than opposing batters, of course.) — Gleeman Cuddyer gets the slight nod over Max Kepler for the third outfield spot. Kepler has a big edge defensively, although Cuddyer's great arm and ability to play caroms off the Metrodome baggy were plenty valuable as well. And Cuddyer (110 wRC+) was simply a better hitter than Kepler (102 wRC+) while also playing longer for the Twins. In fact, only Mauer, Morneau and Hunter have more games in a Twins uniform in the 2000s. — Gleeman Advertisement The Twins hoped for but never could have imagined what they'd receive from Cruz when he agreed to a one-year deal with a second-year team option ahead of the 2019 season. Cruz was a monster at the plate, the captain of 2019 Bomba's Squad, but also a leader through and through. Cruz immediately had everyone's respect when he entered the clubhouse, a standard bearer for how to work and act who provided Baldelli, a rookie manager, with a captain. He held that role for two-plus seasons in a Twins uniform. Beyond his leadership, Cruz redefined the DH position for the franchise. He blasted 41 homers in his first season, was on 43-homer pace during the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign and continued with absurd production in his age-40 season in 2021. As if all that weren't enough, Cruz's trade to Tampa Bay produced starting pitcher Joe Ryan. — Hayes Polanco started by far the most games at shortstop for the Twins since 2000, but we went with Correa there and instead fit Polanco onto the team by taking advantage of his versatility in the utility role. Polanco is the only Twins player with at least 275 career games at both shortstop and second base, and he also volunteered to play third base when it helped the team. His flexibility, switch-hitting ability and 111 wRC+ across 832 games with the Twins make him an ideal 10th man. — Gleeman From the moment Santana returned to the majors with a new changeup in mid-2002 through the day the Twins traded him on Feb. 2, 2008, he was the best pitcher in the league. It just took the Twins a while to realize it, keeping him in the bullpen an infuriating long time. Santana spent only four seasons as a full-time member of the Twins' rotation, but it was the most dominant four-year run by any pitcher in team history. He went 70-32 with a 2.89 ERA and 983 strikeouts in 912 innings, winning two Cy Young Awards and deserving a third. Advertisement Santana played six total seasons in Minnesota after returning from the minors, and the Twins won 69 percent of his starts, playing like a 112-win team with Johan on the mound. When anyone else started during that span, the Twins won 52 percent of the time, equivalent to an 84-win team. Twins fans are all too aware of their 2-18 postseason record versus the New York Yankees. Both wins came in Santana starts. With any other pitcher on the mound versus New York in the playoffs, the Twins are 0-16. There's a decent chance that my last words — hopefully many years from now — will be 'Johan should have three straight Cy Youngs.' — Gleeman #OTD in 2007, @johansantana struck out 17 batters in a #TwinsWin over the Rangers! — Minnesota Twins (@Twins) August 19, 2021 Radke tends to be underrated in discussions about the best starters in Twins history because he pitched in such a hitter-friendly era. And this 2000s-only exercise also ignores several of his best seasons, including an All-Star nod in 1998. But the strike-throwing machine's ERA was 12 percent better than league average from 2000 to 2006 while averaging 195 innings per season, including topping 200 innings in five of seven years. Santana (29.0 WAR) and Radke (22.3) are the only Twins starters to produce more than 16 WAR in the 2000s, and Radke also stepped up with a 3.60 ERA in six playoff starts. His first innings weren't always pretty, and he gave up some tape-measure homers, but Radke logged the most innings of any Twins pitcher in the 2000s and his 112 ERA+ is comparable to the current rotation trio of López (114), Bailey Ober (113) and Ryan (111). — Gleeman Santana's inclusion on this list speaks volumes to how well the rest of his time in the Twin Cities went considering it all began with an 80-game suspension for performance-enhancing drug use in 2015, before he ever threw a pitch for the Twins. Signed to a four-year, $55 million deal in December 2014, Santana lived up to the hype once he got going. Advertisement Santana returned from the suspension and provided 6 1/3 innings per start in 2015 with a 4.00 ERA, demonstrating the type of workhorse he'd be. From 2016-17, he produced a 3.32 ERA in nearly 400 innings, leading an upstart 2017 group to the Wild Card Game. Though Santana suffered a finger injury late in 2017 that limited him to five starts in 2018, few Twins pitchers made the type of impact he had over the first 2 1/2 seasons. — Hayes A consensus top-50 prospect who was supposed to be The One, Berríos' career got off to an inauspicious start with an 8.02 ERA in 58 1/3 innings as a 22-year-old in 2016. But for the next 4 1/2 seasons, Berríos was a very good pitcher, going 52-36 with a 3.76 ERA and 9.1 strikeouts per nine innings before the Twins traded him to the Toronto Blue Jays in 2021. Berríos topped 200 strikeouts in 2018 and 200 innings in 2019. He was the team's most consistent starter after returning to the Twins in May 2017 after more seasoning in the minors, making 121 starts. And he pitched well in the postseason in '19 and '20, allowing a combined two earned runs (four overall) in nine innings in losses to the Yankees and Houston Astros. — Hayes While flush with position players, the Twins have always struggled to land front-line starting pitchers. But the team's January 2023 trade to acquire López for fan-favorite Arraez has more than delivered. In two-plus seasons with the Twins, López has proven to be a strikeout machine and a pitcher capable of handling the big moments. López tops all Twins starting pitchers this century with 10.1 strikeouts per nine innings, racking up 234 and 198 whiffs in his first two seasons. His strikeout-to-walk ratio is the team's third-best over the past 25 years, behind only Phil Hughes and Ryan. What gives López the edge over Ryan or Ober for the final rotation spot is his outstanding performance during the 2023 postseason. Calling the pressure of ending the 18-game losing streak a privilege, López led the Twins to a 3-1 victory in the wild-card opener against Toronto and followed it with a dominant seven innings in Houston for a second-round win. — Hayes Glen Perkins (three times), Eddie Guardado (twice), Taylor Rogers and Brandon Kintzler were All-Stars for the Twins in the 2000s, but Nathan is still an easy choice for the closer spot on this team. Advertisement Acquired from the San Francisco Giants in 2004 as part of the A.J. Pierzynski trade, Nathan was a four-time All-Star in his seven seasons in Minnesota, racking up a franchise-record 260 saves with a 2.16 ERA and .186 opponents batting average. Nathan struggled in limited playoff action, but few closers in MLB history have been as consistently dominant in the regular season. Not only does Nathan lead all Twins pitchers in Win Probability Added since 2000, his 24.6 WPA is more than the No. 2 and No. 3 relievers combined. — Gleeman (Photo of Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau: Charles Krupa / Associated Press)
CBS News
22-05-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
How Minnie and Paul became the logo for the Minnesota Twins
They might be the most recognizable faces in Twins history. And every time you go to a game, you see Minnie and Paul shaking hands in centerfield. The duo has been with the team since 1961, and their origin traces back to a rivalry. For Clyde Doepner, baseball is more than just a pastime. He's the Target Field curator. When a milestone is reached, Doepner becomes the closer, doing everything he can to secure an historic bat, ball or jersey. "This is his first All-Star game jersey. This is the last jersey he ever wore in a Major League game," said Doepner while pointing out jerseys that Joe Mauer once wore. With nearly 18,000 pieces of his own Twins memorabilia, Doepner has no shortage of stories. One of his favorites is Minnie and Paul. They made their major league debut in 1961, when then-owner Calvin Griffith moved the franchise from Washington D.C. to Minnesota. "He wanted to call the team the Twin City Twins. Why? He wanted to unify St. Paul and Minneapolis knowing there had been a lot of competition," said Doepner. Griffith wanted the two cities to put their rivalry behind, and rally around the new pro team. "It was the first team ever named after a state," said Doepner. When the Minnesota Twins became the official name, Griffith asked advertising illustrator Ray Barton to help him out. "His direction from Cal was to come up with something that shows that Minneapolis and St. Paul get along," said Doepner. So, on his first and only try, he drew twins shaking hands over the Mississippi River. Griffith loved it, even if Barton didn't. But over the years Barton came around. Especially after the team put Minnie and Paul on nearly everything. "This is the original shoulder patch that Calvin Griffith picked out," said Doepner while holding Tony Oliva's 1965 All-Star and World Series jersey. Only one change was made — Barton had put "MT" for Minnesota Twins on the logo. Griffith replaced that with an "M" and an "STP." Griffith then paid Barton $15 for the logo. A bargain for a quick sketch that has made its way from old Met Stadium, to the Metrodome, and now to Target Field, where it's front and center. The Minnie and Paul sign in center field is 46 feet tall and 39 feet wide. And it may not look like it, but the entire sign weighs more than eight tons. For Doepner, it's one of the most iconic logos in sports. A handshake that's lasted for nearly 65 years. "I knew there was a need to unite the two, all of us did, and they did that by this logo," said Doepner. "It still represents, and always will by that giant sign out there, the history of the Minnesota Twins." Doepner said when the Pohlad family bought the Twins in 1984, they made it a point to keep the logo with the team.
Fox Sports
14-04-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Last Night in Baseball: Hall of Famer Joe Mauer gets a statue
There is always baseball happening — almost too much baseball for one person to handle themselves. That's why we're here to help, though, by sifting through the previous days' games, and figuring out what you missed, but shouldn't have. Here are all the best moments from this weekend in Major League Baseball: Joe Mauer gets a statue Minnesota Twins' great Joe Mauer was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame last summer, following one heck of a career — hey, given Mauer's polite, kind, everyone-loves-him image, saying one "hell" of a career just feels wrong here. He won three batting titles as a catcher when no other had ever won more than two, and put up Cooperstown-caliber numbers even with a career that was both shortened and derailed by injuries. And now, he has his own statue in Minnesota at Target Field: Not that many players end up immortalized in bronze in upstate New York, and even fewer of them end up with full statues of themselves. Joe Mauer pulled off both, though. Fernando Tatis Jr. saves the game Let's set the Saturday scene: runners at first and second, two outs, in San Diego. The Padres were up by two runs against the Colorado Rockies with Robert Suárez on the mound trying to close things out. Kris Bryant was at the plate, and he hit a shot, deep to the warning track in right field, which Fernando Tatis Jr. just got his glove out far enough to reel in. Ballgame, Padres. The little twist and spin after were more to make sure that he stayed in control of his body and the ball after the catch than part of the snag itself, but Tatis very easily could have missed that sinking ball, and it would have been an entirely different game. Instead, the Padres would win, and follow that up with another shutout of the Rockies on Sunday, which was actually their third in a row since they held Colorado scoreless on Friday, too. D-backs come-from-behind, walk it off The Milwaukee Brewers had a rough, rough loss on Saturday against the Arizona Diamondbacks. They were up 4-0 in the ninth inning, which wasn't the largest lead in the world by any means, but it does feel like a safe one with just three outs to go. It was not safe. Amazingly enough, the inning started with an out, as Eugenio Suárez grounded out to kick things off. At this point, Arizona's win probability, as measured by MLB, was just 0.6%. Gabriel Moreno would give the D-backs a baserunner with a walk, however, then Alex Thomas tripled to start the scoring. Garrett Hampson would then draw a walk, and Corbin Carroll would follow with a double, scoring both Thomas and Hampson. Gerald Perdomo would then walk, putting the winning run at the plate. Jake McCarthy would deliver with a single, scoring Carroll, and putting Perdomo at third. With the game now tied and just the one out, the Brewers loaded the bases to create a force at every base, but Lourdes Gurriel Jr. went over the infield's heads with a flyball. When you only need the one run, playing for the one run will do the trick. What a turnaround for Arizona. How did Jorge Polanco do that? Avoiding a tag while remaining in the baseline is difficult. The runner is going full bore, the defender with the ball knows they can play the role of obstacle, and it's easy enough, most times, to reach out and slap the runner with their glove, putting an end to things. Sometimes, though, the runner has got moves, and those moves pay off. Look at Seattle Mariners' DH Jorge Polanco somehow narrowly avoid the tag here while running up the first base line: Poor Jake Burger. The Texas Rangers' first baseman did everything he was supposed to do, but Polanco moved just an extra few inches further away than expected, and by the time Burger noticed, it was too late. Pete Crow-Armstrong's big Sunday Chicago Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong isn't really known for his bat, and has had a bit of a rough start to the 2025 season. On Sunday against the Los Angeles Dodgers, though, his bat was a vital part of Chicago's win. He went 3-for-4 with a pair of solo homers in a game that the Cubs won 4-2. It was the kind of help that Chicago needed, on a day when the bats were otherwise a bit quiet — following a 16-0 drubbing of the Dodgers on Saturday — and it took seven pitchers to hold the Dodgers to just two runs. Crow-Armstrong's dingers helped the Cubs wrap up a series win despite the concerns elsewhere, though. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account , and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily! recommended Get more from Major League Baseball Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
Yahoo
13-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Bronze statue of Joe Mauer unveiled by Minnesota Twins outside Target Field
Former Minnesota Twins player Joe Mauer's children Chip, Emily and Maren unveil a statue honoring their father before a baseball game between the Minnesota Twins and the Detroit Tigers Sunday, April 13, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Matt Krohn) Former Minnesota Twins player Joe Mauer speaks after his statue was unveiled before a baseball game between the Minnesota Twins and the Detroit Tigers Sunday, April 13, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Matt Krohn) Former Minnesota Twins player Joe Mauer speaks after his statue was unveiled before a baseball game between the Minnesota Twins and the Detroit Tigers Sunday, April 13, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Matt Krohn) Former Minnesota Twins player Joe Mauer speaks after his statue was unveiled before a baseball game between the Minnesota Twins and the Detroit Tigers Sunday, April 13, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Matt Krohn) Former Minnesota Twins player Joe Mauer's children Chip, Emily and Maren unveil a statue honoring their father before a baseball game between the Minnesota Twins and the Detroit Tigers Sunday, April 13, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Matt Krohn) Former Minnesota Twins player Joe Mauer speaks after his statue was unveiled before a baseball game between the Minnesota Twins and the Detroit Tigers Sunday, April 13, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Matt Krohn) Former Minnesota Twins player Joe Mauer speaks after his statue was unveiled before a baseball game between the Minnesota Twins and the Detroit Tigers Sunday, April 13, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Matt Krohn) MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Twins unveiled a bronze statue of Hall of Fame catcher Joe Mauer at Target Field before Sunday's game against the Detroit Tigers. Mauer spoke as the statue was unveiled outside a gate beyond right field. He joined Rod Carew, Harmon Killebrew, Kirby Puckett, Tony Oliva, Kent Hrbek, manager Tom Kelly and owners Carl and Eloise Pohlad with a statue outside the ballpark. Advertisement Designed by Minnesota artist Bill Mack, the statue is just over 8 feet tall and weighs more than 800 pounds. Mauer batted .306 with 143 homers and 906 RBIs with Minnesota from 2004-18. He was voted to baseball's Hall of Fame on the first ballot in 2024. 'Obviously, it was a big summer last year, going into Cooperstown — that was just an unbelievable experience. But to see myself here, this isn't going to be moving for a long time,' Mauer said. 'Here in my home state of Minnesota, I was always proud to put on this uniform, to play for this club, and to go out there and try to win every night with my teammates.' The first overall pick in the 2001 amateur draft, Mauer played 15 seasons for his hometown club. He won three American League batting titles, was voted the 2009 AL MVP, was picked for six All-Star games and earned three Gold Gloves. A severe concussion late in the 2013 season led to a move to first base in 2014. ___ AP MLB:
Associated Press
13-04-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
Bronze statue of Joe Mauer unveiled by Minnesota Twins outside Target Field
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Twins unveiled a bronze statue of Hall of Fame catcher Joe Mauer at Target Field before Sunday's game against the Detroit Tigers. Mauer spoke as the statue was unveiled outside a gate beyond right field. He joined Rod Carew, Harmon Killebrew, Kirby Puckett, Tony Oliva, Kent Hrbek, manager Tom Kelly and owners Carl and Eloise Pohlad with a statue outside the ballpark. Designed by Minnesota artist Bill Mack, the statue is just over 8 feet tall and weighs more than 800 pounds. Mauer batted .306 with 143 homers and 906 RBIs with Minnesota from 2004-18. He was voted to baseball's Hall of Fame on the first ballot in 2024. 'Obviously, it was a big summer last year, going into Cooperstown — that was just an unbelievable experience. But to see myself here, this isn't going to be moving for a long time,' Mauer said. 'Here in my home state of Minnesota, I was always proud to put on this uniform, to play for this club, and to go out there and try to win every night with my teammates.' The first overall pick in the 2001 amateur draft, Mauer played 15 seasons for his hometown club. He won three American League batting titles, was voted the 2009 AL MVP, was picked for six All-Star games and earned three Gold Gloves. A severe concussion late in the 2013 season led to a move to first base in 2014. ___ AP MLB:
