Twins Hall of Fame

Harmon Killebrew

Twins hall of fame

 

Class of 2000 – inaugural class

HOF Harmon Killebrew played for the Senators/Twins from 1954-1974

Harmon Killebrew (Born – 6/29/1936 in Payette, Idaho –  Died – 5/17/2011) – played 1B, 3B, OF and 2B for the Senators/Twins for 21 seasons from 1954 – 1974.

 

Rod Carew

Rod Carew (Born – 10/1/1945 in Gatun, Panama Canal Zone) – played 1B, 2B, 3B and OF for the Twins for 12 seasons from 1967 – 1978.

 

Tony Oliva

Tony Oliva (Born – 7/20/1938 in Pinar del Rio, Cuba) – played OF for the Twins for 15 seasons from 1962 – 1976.

 

Kent Hrbek (Born – 5/21/1960 in Minneapolis, Minnesota) – played 1B and 3B for the Twins for 14 seasons from 1981 – 1994.

 

Kirby Puckett (Born – 3/14/1960 in Chicago, Illinois –  Died – 3/6/2006) – played Outfield, 2B, 3B and SS for the Twins for 12 seasons from 1984 – 1995.

 

Calvin Griffith (Born – 12/1/1911 in Montreal, Canada –  Died – 10/20/1999) – Senators and Twins team owner and president from 1955 – 1983.

 

Class of 2001

Herb Carneal (Born – 5/10/23 in Richmond, Virginia –  Died – 4/1/2007) – Twins radio broadcaster for 45 seasons from 1962 – 2006.

 

Jim Kaat

Jim Kaat (Born – 11/7/1938 in Zeeland, Michigan) – pitched for the Senators/Twins for 15 seasons from 1959 – 1973.

 

Class of 2002

HOF Bert Blyleven’s second tour with Minnesota took place from 1985-1988. Blyleven was a starting pitcher on the 1987 World Championship team. Bert posted a 3-1 record in the 1987 postseason, winning Game 2 in the World Series.

Bert Blyleven (Born – 4/6/1951 in Zeist, Netherlands) – pitched for the Twins for 11 seasons from 1970 – 1976 and again from 1985 – 1988. Blyleven has been a TV color commentator for the Twins since 1996 and is famous for the “Circle me Bert” posters in the crowd.

 

Tom Kelly

Tom Kelly (Born – 8/15/1950 in Graceville, Minnesota) – managed the Twins to two World Championships (1987 and 1991) between 1986 – 2001. Kelly also played for the Twins in 1975.

 

Class of 2003

Bob Allison

Bob Allison (Born – 7/11/1934 in Raytown, Missouri –  Died – 4/9/1995) – played OF and 1B for the Senators/Twins for 13 seasons from 1958 – 1970.

 

Bob Casey

Bob Casey (Born – 4/11/1925 –  Died – 3/27/2005) – The first and only Twins public address announcer serving in that role for 44 years from 1961 to 2005 when he passed away.

 

Class of 2004

Earl Battey

Earl Battey (Born – 1/5/1935 in Los Angeles, California) –  Died – 11/15/2003) – Was a Catcher for the Senators/Twins for 8 seasons between 1960 – 1967.

 

Class of 2005

Frank Viola

Frank Viola (Born – 4/19/1960 in Hempstead, New York) – pitched for the Twins for 8 seasons from 1982 – 1991.

 

Carl Pohlad (Born – 8/23/1915 in Valley Junction, Iowa –  Died – 1/5/2009) – Twins team owner from 1984 – 2009.

 

Class of 2006

Zoilo Versalles (Born – 12/18/1939 in La Habana, Cuba –  Died – 6/9/1995) – Was a shortstop for the Senators/Twins for 9 seasons between 1959 – 1967. Versalles was the American League MVP in 1965.

 

Class of 2007

Gary Gaetti

Gary Gaetti (Born – 8/19/1958 in Centralia, Illinois) – played 3B, SS, OF and 1B for the Twins for 10 seasons from 1981 – 1990.

 

Jim Rantz with Tony Oliva

Jim Rantz (Born – 2/24/1938 in St. Paul, Minnesota) – has worked for the Twins in public relations and player development since 1965. Rantz retired after the 2012 season.

 

Class of 2008

Rick Aguilera

Rick Aguilera  (Born – 12/31/1961 in San Gabriel, California) –  Pitched for the Twins for 11 seasons between 1989 to 1999.

 

Class of 2009

Brad Radke

Brad Radke (Born – 10/27/1972 in Eau Claire, Wisconsin) –  Pitched for the Twins for 12 seasons between 1995 to 2006.

 

Stan Naccarato and Bob Alessandro look on as Baseball Tacoma Inc President Jimmy Zarelli inks a working agreement with the Minnesota Twins’ George Brophy.

George Brophy (Born – 9/15/1926 in Minneapolis, Minnesota – Died 11/20/1998) –  Served in the Twins front office from 1961 to 1985.

 

Class of 2010

Greg Gagne

Greg Gagne (Born – 11/12/1961 in Fall River, Massachusetts) –  played SS, OF, 2B, and 3B for the Twins for 10 seasons between 1983 to 1992.

 

Class of 2011

Jim Perry (Photo by Louis Requena/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

Jim Perry (Born – 10/30/1935 in Williamston, North Carolina) –  pitched for the Twins for 10 seasons between 1963 – 1972.

 

Class of 2012

Camilo Pascual

Camilo Pascual (Born – 1/20/1934 in La Habana, Cuba) – pitched for the Senators/Twins for 13 seasons between 1954 – 1966.

 

Class of 2013

<a rel=Eddie Guardado

Eddie Guardado (Born in Stockton, California on October 2, 1970) – pitched for the Twins from 1993-2003 and again in 2008.

 

Tom Mee

Tom Mee (Born in St. Paul, Minnesota on July 12, 1928) is regarded as the Twins first hire back in 1960. Mee held a variety of positions but served as Media Relations Director for 30 years before retiring in 1991. Passed away in 2016.

 

Class of 2014

Chuck Knoblauch (Born in Houston, Texas on July 7, 1968) – played 2B and a few games at SS for the Twins for seven seasons between 1991 and 1997 was scheduled for induction in to the Twins Hall of Fame on August 23, 2014. However, another brush with the law in late July 2014 forced the Twins to cancel plans to add him to their HOF. There will be no inductee into the Twins HOF in 2014. Knoblauch is the first and only player to be elected to the Twins Hall of Fame but not inducted.

 

Class of 2015

The Twins announced that nobody was elected to the Twins’ Hall of Fame this season, the first time that’s happened since the honor was created in 2000. A panel of 66 executives and media members failed to give 60 percent support to any former player. In addition, a 19-member veterans’ group of players, executives and players failed to select an off-the-field honoree.

 

Class of 2016

<a rel=Torii Hunter (Born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas on July 18, 1975) played 19 years in the major
leagues, including 12 seasons with the Twins from 1997-2007 and again in 2015 as an outfielder.

 

John Gordon John Gordon (Born in Detroit, Michigan on July 7, 1940) joined the Twins in 1987 and spent 25 seasons as the Twins Radio play-by-play voice. The Detroit native, called both the Twins 1987 and 1991 World Championships and is widely known by Twins fans for his “Touch ‘Em All” home run call, specifically Kirby Puckett’s walk-off homer in Game 6 of the 1991 World Series.

 

Class of 2017

Michael Cuddyer (was born in Norfolk, Virginia on March 29, 1979) played in the major leagues for 15 years between 2001-2015 spending 2001-2011 in a Minnesota Twins uniform. Cuddyer played for the Colorado Rockies from 2012-2014 and spent his final 2015 season with the New York Mets.

 

Andy MacPhail (was born on April 5, 1953) and served as the Minnesota Twins GM from 1985-1994. Under his leadership the Minnesota Twins were World Champions in 1987 and in 1991.

 

Class of 2018

Johan Santana was born in Tovar, Venezuela on March 13, 1979 and played in the major leagues between 2000-2012. Santana spent eight of those seasons with the Minnesota Twins from 2000-2007. Santana was a 1999 Rule 5 pick by the Miami Marlins from the Houston Astros and traded that same day to the Twins for their Rule 5 pick Jared Camp. Santana went on to win the American League Cy Young award in 2004 and 2006 and should have also won it in 2005. Santana was traded to the New York Mets in February 2008 and finished his career there after the 2012 season.

 

Class of 2019

Minnesota Twins relief pitcher Joe Nathan reacts after getting Detroit Tigers’ Magglio Ordonez to hit into a double play during the ninth inning of a baseball game Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2009, in Minneapolis. The teams were playing the tiebreaker to decide the American League Central title. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)

Joe Nathan was born in Houston, Texas on November 2, 1974 and played in the major leagues between 1999-2016. Nathan spent eight of his 16 seasons with the Minnesota Twins from 2004-2011. Nathan was acquired in November 2003 from the San Francisco Giants along with Francisco Liriano and Boof Bonser when the Twins traded A.J. Pierzynski and cash to the Giants. Turned out to be one of the Twins best ever trades.

 

Former Twins executive Jerry Bell

For his leading efforts in overseeing the construction and development of both Target Field and Hammond Stadium, the Spring Training home of the Twins, Jerry Bell was formally inducted as the 33rd member of the Twins Hall of Fame. Bell served as president of the Twins from 1987-2002 before he was named president of Twins Sports Inc., the holding company of the Twins, from ’02-11.

 

Class of 2020/2021

Justin Morneau poses during photo day at the Twins spring training complex on February 23, 2008 in Fort Myers, Florida. (Photo by Rob Tringali/Getty Images)

Justin Morneau has been elected and was scheduled to be inducted in May of 2020 and then COVID-19 came around and the induction did not take place due to no baseball being played at that time. When the 60 game 2020 season was finally played no fans were allowed in MLB ballparks so the Twins HOF induction was put off until 2021. 

Morneau was born New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada on May 15, 1981. Morneau played in the big leagues for 14 seasons with the Twins, Pirates, Rockies and White Sox. Morneau was a four-time All-Star, two-time Silver Slugger award winner and the 2006 AL MVP. After retiring as active player Morneau became a broadcaster doing Twins TV games. 

 

Class of 2022

Ron Gardenhire (Credit John Swol)

Ron Gardenhire was inducted into the Minnesota Twins Hall of Fame on August 20 for a decorated career that saw him win a World Series ring as the Twins’ third base coach in 1991 and then later take over as the Twins’ manager for 13 seasons. During his time at the helm, Gardenhire led the Twins to six American League Central titles between 2002-14, going 1068-1039 (.507). Only one person, Tom Kelly, his mentor, has more wins as a Twins manager.

Dan Gladden

Dan Gladden was inducted into the Twins Hall of Fame along with Cesar Tovar on August 21. The fiery Gladden started his career with the San Francisco Giants and was traded to the Minnesota Twins where he played from 1987 thru 1991 and his book-end seasons were as World Series champions. Gladden finished his big league career with the Detroit Tigers from 1992-1993. Shortly after his retirement he joined the Twins radion broadcasting team and has been there ever since.

Cesar Tovar

Though many present-day fans of the Twins weren’t around to see Cesar Tovar‘s impact on those early Minnesota teams from 1965-1972, a video tribute to the lanky Venezuelan’s sparkplug all-around ability that highlighted his seventh-pace finish in 1967 AL MVP Award voting, his 186 steals that rank fourth all-time in Twins history and, in the biggest show of his versatility, the time he played all nine positions in a game on Sept. 22, 1968 (striking out HOF Reggie Jackson), becoming the second player in AL/NL history to do so. Between 1967 and 1971 he played an average of 159 games per season playing all over the field. Here we have a short Cesar Tovar clip. Tovar died on July 14, 1994.

This is the most inductees the Twins have had since the inaugural class in 2000.

Class of 2023

Joe Mauer

The Minnesota Twins inducted former Twins catcher/first baseman Joe Mauer into the club’s Hall of Fame on August 5. He becomes the 38th member of the Twins Hall of Fame. Mauer played in 1,858 games (entire career) for the Twins between 2004-2018. An MVP, three-time batting champion, a six-time All-Star, five-time Silver Slugger winner and three-time Gold Glove winner. Was voted into the MLB HOF on 1/23/2024.

Class of 2024

GM Terry Ryan and longtime coach Rick Stelmaszek, who passed away in 2017, were voted into the team’s Hall of Fame by a Veterans Committee made up of Twins hall of famers, team executives and local baseball historians, and they will be inducted in a pregame ceremony on August 10, 2024 becoming the 39th and 40th members of the exclusive club.

There are currently 38 members in the Minnesota Twins HOF, twelve are deceased. (8/19/2023)

31 comments

  1. Why is Sam Mele not in the THOF? This is a shame, he brought us our first American League Championship and almost beat the Dodgers in the World Series! Sam deserves to be a member and part of the Twins Hall of Fame. Please consider him for inclusion.

    1. Berenguer was fun to watch but I don’t think most people see him as a Twins HOF player. I just don’t see it it the cards for that to happen.

    1. There is a certain number of years you have to be retired before you qualify for the Twins HOF. I believe it is five years, if so, since he last played in 2018 he would qualify after the 2023 season and be inducted in 2024 assuming he is elected in his first year which seems like a cinch.

      1. Joe Nathan last pitched in 2016 and he was inducted in 2019. Torii Hunter last played in 2015 and he was inducted in 2016. I don’t get why Joe Mauer is not in yet. Why didn’t they just put him in when they retired his jersey number?

  2. Will there be a 2021 inductee since Morneau, the 2020 selection, had his ceremony this year? I love the Halsey Hall idea, but clearly, Mauer needs to be next.

    1. As far as I know there was no 2021 Twins HOF selection. There is usually an election held in the off-season for the next years selection. I have heard nothing from the Twins as yet. The rules for Twins HOF selection/election are not real clear and the Twins have not been very transparent about the selection/election process. As far as Mauer is concerned, he might not yet be eligible.

  3. What! Dan Gladden is not on this list. Dan was one of those guys who gave everything he had on every play batting and outfield. His playoff performances were amazing. I see one player on here from that era that I question (personal opinion only) and to not see Dan Gladden? I’m totally confused.

    1. I couldn’t agree more. The Twins are making their HOF a joke by not including him. Complain to Twins President Dave St. Peter. If you need help getting his e-mail or twitter handle I can help.

    2. Amen. A super utility player but so much more than that. Constant presence, I mean all 162 games and leading league in plate appearances, and could play at least 3 positions, 3rd, 2nd and left.

  4. I can only hope that with his recently announced retirement, Joe Nathan should be a lock. And I agree, Dan Gladden was a HUGE part of the attitude that brought the Twins two championships! What about Johann Santana?

    1. I would think Johan will be voted in soon. I don’t know if you have ever voted but fans votes count for a portion of the process. The voting usually starts I think in December and they announce the players voted in if any during TwinsFest I think.

    1. It is more than just being on a winning team. It is also about the numbers and intangibles. Having said that, it is more of a popularity thing. He will get in soon I think. Thanks for the comment Bruce.

    2. Gladden absolutely has to be in the Twins HOF. Leadoff for two WS teams, grand slam in 87 WS, series-winning run in 1991- enabled by the greatest double in WS history, and now his many radios as a radio color commentator… Danny G has to be in.

  5. Just wondering if Rich Rollins, Jim “Mudcat” Grant, Cesar Tovar, Sam Mele or Halsey Hall had any consideration?

    1. I know that a lot of people would like to see Tovar get in. Grant is on the list of candidates but I can’t remember if Rollins, Mele, or Hall have been on the list to be voted in or not.

    1. Hey Steve, I agree and Camilo is in, he was inducted in 2012. Halsey Hall deserves a spot too, one of the real characters in Minnesota Twins history.

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