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The Minnesota Twins history dates back to 1901 when they started playing as the Washington Senators. The Senators habitually finished in the bottom of the American league until the mid-1920s.
The struggling Senators did include the stunning career of Walter “Big Train” Johnson. Johnson broke out in 1910 with 25 wins, a 1.36 ERA, and 313 strike outs. Johnson collected 427 wins, 110 shutouts, and struck out 3509 batters in his 21 season career.
The Senators of the mid-20s brought home the first pennants and the first World Series title. Johnson was finally given a chance to play on team with a chance at baseball’s championship and surrounded by the talents of second baseman Bucky Harris and outfielders Goose Goslin and Sam Rice the Senators beat Giants in the 1924 World Series. The club repeated as AL champions the next season, but could not beat the Pittsburgh Pirate in the World Series.
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The team altered between good and bad seasons until 1934. After losing the World Series to the Giants in 1933, the team near the bottom of the American League until after they moved to Minnesota and changed their name to the Twins.
The Twins had brief runs of success in the ‘60s, winning the AL West three times and capturing one pennant. Harmon Killebrew, Bob Allison, Camilo Pascual, Zolio Versailes, Kim Kaat, Bob Kangasm and Lenny Green were the core of the Twins in the early ‘60s. Rod Carew, Tony Oliva, and Killebrew were the nucleus of the Twins of the late ‘60s that one the AL West twice, but fell in the ALCS both times.
The team fell from grace after the early ‘70s. The team would not fall far, finishing generally around .500, but could not compete with the best despite having the talented Rod Carew and Tony Olivia on the team.
The Twins began to rebuild the club in the ‘80s, preparing the Twins for an exciting time in the early ‘90s. First baseman Kent Hrbek, outfielder Tom Brunaansky, third baseman Gary Gaetti, pitcher Frank Viola, pitcher Bert Blyleven, and outfielder Kirby Puckett banded together and shocked the majors with 85 wins and the clubs first World Series title in over 60 years.
The Twins won again in 1991 with outfielders Puckett, Shane Mack, and Chili Davis, first baseman Hrbek, second baseman Chuck Knoblauch, and pitchers Scott Erickson, Rick Aguilera, and Jack Morris. The 1991 World Series with the Atlanta Braves featured two excellent teams with great hitting and pitching. The Twins needed all seven games to win the series, which would be rated as one of the best World Series ever by ESPN.
The bottom fell out the Twins a couple of years after the World Series and the Twins returned to bottom feeding status. Resurgence in the 21st century defied the odds as the Twins won four AL Central titles in four years with a small payroll. The team had drastically changing rosters as the team lost players to free agency.
The Twins could not rally the young ball clubs to pennants, but continue to squeeze the most wins out of every dollar.
The Minnesota Twins came in second in the American League Central in 2007 after winning the division in 2006. The failure to recapture the crown kicked off an overhaul of the Twins organization. General Manager Terry Ryan resigned after years of getting more than thought possible out of a team with a payroll near the bottom of the league. His replacement Bill Smith will have Ryan as a advisor though and Smith himself was promoted from within the Twins organization. The next big blow was the loss of center fielder Torii Hunter and ace Johan Santana to free agency. The team made some impressive moves to replace the gaping holes in the roster. A six player trade landed them outfielder Delmon Young and infielder Brendan Harris.
The pitching, sans Santana, is young and will rely on three players to keep the rotation afloat. Southpaw Franciso Liriano missed last season with reconstructive surgery, but resembles Santana with a very good fastball and very deceiving changeup. Right handers Boof Bonser and Scott Baker must develop quickly to secure the middle of the rotation for the season. The bullpen remains strong with Joe Nathan coming off a 37 save season and two right handed, Pat Neshek and Matt Guerrier, with sub-3.00 ERAs seasons last year.
The offense is solid despite the loss of Hunter. Joe Mauer is a rare catcher who can hit for average, Justin Morneau adds power at first base, Adam Everett has a little pop at short stop, and center fielder Delmon Young is expected to have a breakout season this year or in the next few years. The Twins may lack power, but the team has been successful before in similar situations in past seasons since they could never afford to keep their sluggers.
The Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome has seen some great teams in the past, from Kirby Puckett-led teams in the early 90s to the constantly changing guard of the perennial playoff contenders of the 21st century. This season and its difficult schedule promises to be an interesting year because of the upheaval, but Minnesota Twins baseball will surely still be something to enjoy.
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