TWINS TRIVIA is hopefully a fun and informative site that will help you to better enjoy the Minnesota Twins and their wonderful history. “History never looks like history when you are living through it” – John Gardner, former Secretary of Health
A Durable Bullpen Workhorse Whose Lone Minnesota Season Still Resonates
Wayne Allan Granger, one of baseball’s earliest true relief specialists and a model of late 1960s durability, passed away on February 25, 2026, at age 81. A veteran of nine big-league seasons and 451 appearances, Granger pitched for seven organizations, but his single season with the Minnesota Twins remains a compelling chapter in both his career and the franchise’s early 1970s story.
Early Life and Rise to the Majors
Born March 15, 1944, in Springfield, Massachusetts, Granger grew up in the small town of Huntington, where he became a multi-sport standout and a dominant high-school pitcher. After attending Springfield College, he signed as a free agent with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1965 and converted to relief shortly afterward. His low three-quarters delivery and heavy sinker became his signature.
Granger broke into the majors in 1968 with St. Louis and quickly became one of the most heavily used relievers in baseball. His 1969 season with Cincinnati—90 appearances, setting a major-league record—cemented his reputation as a durable, trusted bullpen arm. He followed that with a league leading 35 saves in 1970, earning back-to-back Sporting News NL Fireman of the Year awards.
Minnesota Twins: A Promising Start and a Tumultuous Summer (1972)
The Twins acquired Granger from Cincinnati on December 3, 1971, sending left-hander Tom Hall to the Reds. Minnesota believed it was adding a proven late-inning stabilizer to pair with Dave LaRoche. For the first two months of 1972, Granger looked like the All-Star caliber reliever he had been in Cincinnati. He retired 19 of the first 22 left-handed batters he faced and posted a 0.85 ERA through the end of June, collecting five saves in his first seven appearances. His sinker was crisp, and his command sharp.
Back in 1960 there were 16 MLB teams split evenly between the American and National League. MLB expansion started in 1961 when the Los Angeles Angels and the Washington Senators came into existence while the previous Washington team left to move to Minnesota and became the Minnesota Twins giving the American League ten teams withe the National league staying at eight. So let’s take a look back at 1961 and see where MLB teams had their Spring Training sites. When this took place 13 of the MLB teams trained in Florida, four of the teams trained in Arizona and the Angels trained in California.
Since 2010, major league teams have been equally divided between Arizona and Florida during spring training, with 15 teams in Florida and 15 teams in Arizona. All but six of the major league teams have gone to spring training in Florida at one time or another (Anaheim Angels, Milwaukee Brewers, Seattle Mariners, San Diego Padres, Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks).
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The old way in: Target Field’s ticket windows, now symbolic of a system fans no longer use.
Target Field used to be a place where anyone could wander in, grab a seat, and watch a ballgame. But the 2026 Twins have made one thing abundantly clear: the future of this franchise runs through season ticket holders, not the average Joe who shows up a few times a summer.
Everything about the new MyTwins Membership structure — from the credit-based Choice Plans to the traditional Reserved Plans to the carefully gated perks — points in one direction. The Twins want commitment. They want predictability. They want fans who are willing to sign up, log in, and buy in.
Everyone else? They can still come, of course. But they’re no longer the priority.
Choice Plans: Flexibility, With a Price Tag
Choice Plans are the Twins’ attempt to modernize loyalty. You buy a credit balance — $600, $900, $1500, $3000, $4500, or $7500 — and pick your games and seats as the season unfolds.
But here’s the part the marketing glosses over: the lower your credit tier, the fewer seats you’re allowed to choose from.
It’s flexibility, but stratified. The more you spend, the more of Target Field becomes available. The less you spend, the more you’re nudged toward the margins.
What You Get
Up to 25% off tickets
25% off concessions
No ticket fees
Seat options tied directly to your tier
MyTwins Rewards points
It’s a plan built for fans who want freedom — but only after they’ve paid for it.
Reserved Plans: The Inner Circle
Reserved Plans are the old-school anchor: 20-game, half season, or full season packages with the same seats every time. These are the fans the Twins clearly want to cultivate — the ones who commit early, show up often, and keep the revenue stream steady.
What You Get
Up to 25% off tickets
25% off concessions
Full ticket exchange privileges
Priority access to postseason seats
MyTwins Rewards points
If Choice Plans are flexible loyalty, Reserved Plans are the velvet rope.
Pablo Lopez in bullpen on Feb 16, 2026 just prior to throwing live BP
It was my second trip out to the Lee Health Sports Complex this year on Monday, February 16th and when I arrived I was shocked by the amount of cars in the parking lot, more than I have ever seen out there except for a Twins Spring Training game. At first didn’t realize what was going on until I saw the Bloodmobile and a number of Lee County safety vehicles and realized it was the annual Lee Health Sports Complex hosting the Minnesota Twins Open House and Health Fair.
I had been out to the complex about a week earlier, just before Spring Training opened and their were a number of players around but this day was special, it was the first day of Spring Training for the position players. Once I got through the throng of people the Open House attracted I started taking some pictures of PFP and then headed over to the bullpen down the third base line to see who was throwing a bullpen and was happy to see Pablo Lopez and Cole Sands hard at work. I watched them both throw for awhile and then went over to the backfields to see what was going on there. I left about Noon or so and headed for home.
Later in the day I was surprised to hear that Lopez had been throwing live BP and walked off he mound in the middle of “an inning” with a bit of a sore elbow. The Twins reported it more as a precautionary move but also stated that Lopez would be having an MRI. Once “MRI” was mentioned, I was concerned.
The next day the word was out, Lopez has been diagnosed with a significant tear of the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his right elbow. He is getting a second opinion but that is just a formality and it looks like Pablo Lopez will not be pitching for the Twins in 2026. This will be his second TJ surgery.
That is such horrific news for the Minnesota Twins to lose their Ace on the first day of Spring Training, particularly coming off the tumultuous past year the team and the fans have encountered. Lopez is the leader of the Twins staff and starting pitching was the teams strength.
Unlike most Twins fans, I do not think this is a bad team. Granted, they are probably not a playoff team but they are not as bad as they played after the trade deadline fire sale decimated the team and the team morale in the second half of 2025. I was thinking of it more as a team that could play .500 ball and be competitive. This injury could not have happened at a more inopportune time.
But, that is baseball and injuries happen, the Twins starting pitching depth will be tested. There is no one there that can replace Pablo Lopez but someone needs to step up and we will have to wait and see who that is and if he can help carry the load and help this team win. It’s at times like this you have to remember that baseball is a team game and the loss of one player doesn’t mean the end of the season before it has even started, it just makes the challenge a bit more difficult. Don’t give up on this team yet.
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Joe Nossek, a versatile outfielder and trusted baseball mind whose career touched six major?league seasons and spanned decades in coaching and scouting, passed away on February 12, 2026. He was 85.
Joseph Rudolph Nossek born November 8, 1940, in Cleveland, Ohio, Nossek was a standout long before he ever wore a professional uniform. At Ohio University, he became a first?team All?American outfielder in 1961, one of the most decorated players in program history. His excellence across every level of competition eventually earned him enshrinement in the Greater Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame, the Ohio University Athletics Hall of Fame, and the Euclid High School Sports Hall of Fame — a testament to the breadth of his impact from hometown fields to the national stage.
When the Minnesota Twins signed him before the 1961 season, they backed their belief with a $45,000 signing bonus, an extraordinary figure for the era. For a young franchise still defining itself after the move from Washington, Nossek represented a premium investment in talent, projection, and character.
He made his major?league debut with Minnesota in 1964, but it was the following year that cemented his place in Twins history. Appearing in 87 games for the 1965 American League champions, Nossek played all three outfield positions and even logged time at third base, giving manager Sam Mele a defensive option he trusted. He hit .218 that season, but his value was never measured in batting average. He was a glove?first role player on a roster loaded with stars — Killebrew, Oliva, Allison, Grant — and he carved out his niche by doing the little things right.
His most memorable moments came on the biggest stage. In the 1965 World Series against the Dodgers, Nossek started four games in center field and collected four hits, including two singles off Sandy Koufax — a small but proud footnote in a series dominated by pitching greatness. Nossek was also involved in a some-what controversial play in game 7 and if you don’t about it or don’t remember it you can read about it in Nossek’s SABR Bio to which you will find a link below.
After the 1966 season began, the Twins sold his contract to the Kansas City Athletics, where he enjoyed his most productive year, hitting .261 across 87 games. He later spent time with the Oakland A’s and St. Louis Cardinals, finishing his playing career in 1970. Across six seasons, Nossek appeared in 295 major?league games, collecting 132 hits and posting a .228 career average.
Warren Richard “Rick” Renick, a Minnesota Twins player, coach, and longtime baseball teacher whose career spanned more than five decades, passed away on January 31, 2026 in Sarasota, Florida. He was 81.
Born March 16, 1944, in London, Ohio, Renick graduated from Madison South High School and continued his education at The Ohio State University before signing with the Minnesota Twins as an amateur free agent in 1965. His combination of athleticism, baseball intelligence, and quiet steadiness would define his career both on and off the field.
A Historic Debut and Five Seasons in Minnesota
Rick Renick made one of the most memorable first impressions in Twins history. On July 11, 1968, in his very first major-league at-bat, he became the first player in Minnesota Twins history to homer in his first MLB plate appearance — taking Detroit Tigers left-hander Mickey Lolich deep. It remains one of the franchise’s great debut moments. Oddly enough, Mickey Lolich passed away just four days after Renick did.
Across five seasons with Minnesota (1968–72), Renick appeared in 276 games and provided invaluable versatility, logging time at third base, shortstop, left field, right field, and first base. He finished his Twins career with:
122 hits
20 home runs
71 RBI
.221 batting average
276 games
His best season came in 1970, when he posted a 1.0 WAR and helped the Twins capture the AL West title. He also appeared in both the 1969 and 1970 American League Championship Series, contributing to one of the most competitive eras in team history.
A Championship Coach and a Lifelong Teacher of the Game
After his playing days, Renick transitioned naturally into coaching and managing — roles in which he became widely respected for his preparation, clarity, and ability to connect with players.
He served as an aggressive third base coach for the 1987 Minnesota Twins, helping guide the club to its first World Series championship. His coaching career also included time with the Kansas City Royals, Montreal Expos, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Florida Marlins, as well as extensive work throughout the minor leagues for several teams.
One of his proudest achievements came in 1999, when he managed the Edmonton Trappers (then a Twins affiliate) to the Pacific Coast League championship. Players consistently described him as steady, fair, and deeply committed to teaching the game the right way.
A Life Beyond Baseball
Though baseball shaped much of his professional life, Renick found equal joy in a quieter pursuit: farming. His love for working the land was a lifelong passion, grounding him and bringing him peace away from the ballpark.
Remembering Rick Renick
From homering in his first major-league at-bat to coaching third base during a World Series run, from managing championship teams to tending the fields he loved, Rick Renick lived a life defined by devotion — to baseball, to family, and to the simple joys that grounded him. The Twins community remembers him with gratitude, admiration, and affection.
Family and Legacy
Rick was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Libby Renick, his sister, Mary Kelly, and his parents. He leaves to cherish his memory, his children, Ty Renick, daughter in law, Katherine Garcia-Renick, Shad Renick, daughter in law, Kelly Renick, and Joshua Renick, as well as his grandchildren, Arianna, Elijah, and Aiden. Rick is also survived by his sister Charlotte Sifrit and her children as well as his sister Mary’s children.
Twinstrivia.com would like to pass on our condolences to the Renick family, friend and fans. Thank you for the memories.
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Now that a few days have passed since Derek Falvey and Minnesota Twins ownership “mutually agreed” to part ways it seems like a good time to share my thoughts on what happened. When the move was announced on Friday, January 30 it came as a real shock that a parting of the ways like this would take place just two weeks away for the beginning of Spring Training 2026 and just a week after the Minnesota Twins Diamond Awards and TwinsFest took place.
While I was disappointed that this move didn’t take place right after the 2025 season ended, I am still glad that it happened. I see this as the best news that I have seen coming from the Twins camp in a long time. I am no baseball expert but I just don’t think that Falvey was ever qualified for this job and should not have been hired in the first place. I wonder how much the Twins paid him to walk away quietly? It appears that Falvey and Pohlad were not only not on the same wave length, they weren’t even in the same area code.
Derek Falvey was hired by the Minnesota Twins as Executive Vice President and Chief Baseball Officer on October 3, 2016. He officially joined the organization following the conclusion of the 2016 World Series and was later promoted to President of Baseball Operations in November 2019. In 2025 He also took over the business side of the Twins operation from Dave St. Peter who decided to retire.
Year
Year End 40?Man
2025
$130,113,745
2024
$132,543,419
2023
$166,950,772
2022
$151,057,543
2021
$125,983,176
2020
$52,627,942
2019
$125,205,980
2018
$131,186,562
2017
$111,209,586
2016
$106,840,501
2015
$108,275,245
2014
$91,071,286
2013
$76,132,483
2012
$101,165,992
2011
$115,419,106
2010
$103,039,407
Year End 40-man roster payrolls obtained by The Associated Press include salaries and pro-rated shares of signing bonuses, earned performance and award bonuses, non-cash compensation, buyouts of unexercised options and cash transactions. Deferrals may be discounted to reflect present-day value.
A right-handed grip for a knuckleball pitch, isolated on black.
The knuckleball is one of baseball’s most peculiar creations—a slow, fluttering pitch released with almost no spin, leaving air currents and seam orientation to decide its fate. Where most pitches rely on tight rotation for movement and predictability, the knuckler drifts, darts, and wobbles unpredictably. Hitters often compare it to trying to hit a butterfly. Catchers, who have to corral it, tend to describe it with far less poetry.
Only a small fraternity has ever mastered the pitch. Early pioneers like Eddie Cicotte introduced it to the majors in the early 20th century. Hoyt Wilhelm carried it into the Hall of Fame, baffling hitters well into his 40s. Phil and Joe Niekro elevated the craft in the 1960s and ’70s, with Phil riding his dancing knuckler to 318 career wins.
Wilbur Wood
Among the most remarkable practitioners was Wilbur Wood, the White Sox workhorse whose durability bordered on myth. Wood didn’t just throw the knuckleball—he lived on it. In 1972, he started 49 games, won 24, logged 376.2 innings, and completed 20 of them. A year later, he famously started both ends of a doubleheader, a feat that feels almost fictional in today’s game. Between 1971-1975 when he was a starter for the White Sox, he completed a total of 99 games. His knuckler wasn’t just a pitch; it was a survival tool that allowed him to shoulder workloads no modern pitcher could imagine.
Derek Falvey had been with the Twins since October 2016, when he was named the team’s head of baseball operations. This is the best Minnesota Twins news in a very long time. Thank you for making this happen no matter who you may be.
UPDATE: Minnesota Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensch was also relieved of his duties today. Crazy day in Minnesota.
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“Fans mingling at Target Field during a modern MLB game”
For years I tracked Minnesota Twins ticket prices the way some people track the weather. From 1961 forward, I kept a running log of what it actually cost to walk through the turnstiles. It was a simple project with a simple goal: show how the average ticket price crept upward, year after year, era after era, from Met Stadium bleachers to Target Field club seats.
Then baseball changed the rules.
Dynamic ticket pricing arrived, and suddenly the idea of an “average ticket price” became as outdated as a paper scorecard. Teams stopped setting one price for the season and started treating every game — and every seat — like a miniature stock market. Prices rise, fall, and rise again depending on demand, opponent, weather, promotions, and even what’s happening on the resale market. A Tuesday night against a last place club might be cheaper than yesterday, while a weekend series against a contender can jump before you finish typing your credit card number.
Trying to calculate an average in that environment is like trying to nail Jell-O to the outfield wall.
So the article I set out to write — a clean, historical comparison of ticket prices across Twins history — became something else entirely. Because the more I looked at the numbers, the more obvious it became that the real story isn’t just how teams price tickets. It’s how fans use them.
