Twins Hall of Fame Vote

[Seth Stohs]

The Twins have announced that you can again vote for the Minnesota Twins Hall of Fame. Last year, Torii Hunter and John Gordon were added to the Twins Hall of Fame in 2016. 

 

 

I'm guessing fans will vote in Dan Gladden, and there's some reason. I mean, he was part of two World Series championship teams. Moreso, he's now been on the Twins radio broadcast for a decade or more now. Of course, in his five seasons with the Twins ,he hit .268/.318/.382 (.700). In the two World Series season, his on-base percentages were .312 and .306. 

 

But there are some really good, deserving candidates. Ahead of Gladden, I would certainly vote for Shane Mack, Cesar Tovar, Corey Koskie and Roy Smalley... and we could make better cases for Tom Brunansky and Jacque Jones too.

 

Be sure to give it some thought and place your vote. 

[mikelink45]

I voted for Mudcat Grant because I watched and enjoyed him in the old days of Twins baseball, but reading the list, looking at the length of time as a Twin and the actual accomplishments makes me think that this local HOF needs to take a break.  Maybe a vote every three or five years is enough.  The players on this list gave us some good memories - HOF???

[HitInAPinch]

Myself and 190 others have voted for Shane Mack !!

[theBOMisthebomb]

There are some decent names deserving of introduction, no obvious or overwhelming choices.

[nicksaviking]

I'm also of the opinion the team doesn't have to add players each year.

 

We are about to have a long run with Mauer, Morneau, Santana, Nathan, Gardinhire, Ryan and Cuddyer perhaps. We can take a breather.

[Halsey Hall]

 

I'm also of the opinion the team doesn't have to add players each year.

We are about to have a long run with Mauer, Morneau, Santana, Nathan, Gardinhire, Ryan and Cuddyer perhaps. We can take a breather.

I agree.  No sense in weakening it.

[Mr. Brooks]

Yeah, there are no worthy candidates here.

You start adding fringe guys like these and the honor gets watered down.

[GCTF]

It's a shame that (fill in name of fringy Twins player) isn't on the ballot.

 

 

[DJSim22]

 

Myself and 190 others have voted for Shane Mack !!

 

Now at 195.  I was having a hard time deciding between Harper and Mack. 

[DaveW]

Mack is a no brainer, he arguably was the MVP of the 91 team

[Thrylos]

I voted for Harper, Reardon, and Tovar

[Thrylos]

 

 

Mack is a no brainer, he arguably was the MVP of the 91 team

 

Chili, Scott, and Rick might disagree with you

 

[ashbury]

It's a shame that (fill in name of fringy Twins player) isn't on the ballot.

It's a shame that (fill in name of fringy prior inductee) already has watered down the honor.

[Otto von Ballpark]

Yeah, there are no worthy candidates here.

You start adding fringe guys like these and the honor gets watered down.

On the other hand, does it really get watered down if no one remembers who has previously been inducted?

[Seth Stohs]

I don't want it to be watered down, but this isn't the Baseball Hall of Fame. It's the Twins Hall of Fame.  (It's not retired numbers either) There are like 55+ years of time and there have been a lot of really, really good players. I don't know what the right number is as far as number, or guys who are in the Top 10 or 15 of certain things, and there should be some team-first kind of stuff... 

 

I don't think it's watered down if guys like Smalley (easily the best hitting shortstop in Twins history), Mack (5 terrific seasons), Koskie (OBP and a couple of really great years)... Tovar was really good, very versatile, very valuable to some great teams in the late 60s.

 

Putting Reardon in would be silly. He wasn't very good, but he was the closer on the 87 team. Gladden wasn't very good as a leadoff hitter in his five years, but he had the hair and the hustle. 

[Rosterman]

I want to encourage folks to give Al Worthington his due. Many, many fine seasons out of the bullpen, especially when relief pitchers threw multiple innings and saves weren't the totally hot commodity that they seem to be now. He also stood his ground when a member of the Giants and their stealing of signs from the bleachers. And has forever been a strong member of the community as a player and afterwards. I would throw in Brian Harper, the unsung guy behind the plate who put the ball in play, seldom struck out, hit for great average. He was dependable and played his heart out FOR THE TWINS! As did Tovar, one of the more exciting players of his day, the man without a position! Many of the others will get their due (Cuddyer for sure) over time. But I want to reward one of the oldersters fer sure, Worthington, before he passes to relief pitcher heaven! Wonderful, wonderful man!

[DJSim22]

 

Chili, Scott, and Rick might disagree with you

He did say arguably.  Mack certainly was the catalyst of that team.  I thought Shannon Stewart was very similar a decade later.

[spinowner]

To me the Hall of Fame, whether Twins or MLB, isn't about peak value. It's about total value. And in the case of the Twins that means total value as a Twin. For example, we may not have been World Champions in '87 without Don Baylor. But Twins HOF? Of course not.

[GCTF]

 

 He wasn't very good, but he was the closer on the 87 team. Gladden wasn't very good as a leadoff hitter in his five years, but he had the hair and the hustle. 

Now we're getting somewhere. If he promises to retire from whatever it is he does on the radio broadcasts before next season, he'll get my vote.

[DaveW]

Chili, Scott, and Rick might disagree with you

Mack lead the team in WAR with a stellar 5.0

 

He also had pretty much the same ops as Chilli, but was a very very good defensive OF and brought a little speed to the team as well.

 

Mack is definitely the unsung hero of the 91 Twins, id say he was the season long MVP as well, with Puckett as #2

 

Erickson was amazing up until the injury so I would put him #4 after Davis

[DaveW]

To me the Hall of Fame, whether Twins or MLB, isn't about peak value. It's about total value. And in the case of the Twins that means total value as a Twin. For example, we may not have been World Champions in '87 without Don Baylor. But Twins HOF? Of course not.

Shane Mack: 5 seasons:

.309/.375/.479 130 OPS+ he was amazing particularly in 1990, 1991, 1992 and 1994. In fact, the MLB strike killed a season where he had a .966 ops and was on pace for 30 hr and 120 RBI.

 

One has to think just how great he would have been for the Twins had the strike never happened.

 

Mack WAR:

1990: 2.5

1991: 5.0

1992: 6.5

1993:1.7

1994: 3.9 (strike shortened season)

 

19.6 total WAR over 5 seasons as a Twin

 

Dan Gladden: 5.6 WAR over his 5 seasons as a Twin.

 

Only a complete rube would vote for Gladden over Mack.

 

Mack should 100% be in the Twins hall of fame, especially when you compare him to some others who have made it.

 

It really is a shame about the strike, Mack could have been a top ten Twins player of all time very easily.

[Otto von Ballpark]

Mack lead the team in WAR with a stellar 5.0

Among position players. Actually Kevin Tapani led the whole team in WAR, with a whopping 6.8.

[DaveW]

Yeah Tapani is another one who was very underrated.

[Boom Boom]

Gladden can go in as a broadcaster some time down the road. I've never really been a fan of him on the radio, but there is currently no WAR stat for broadcasters so he's got that going for him.

 

I say down the road because John Gordon was retired by the time he was inducted.

[Otto von Ballpark]

 

Yeah Tapani is another one who was very underrated.

Yeah.  Tapani tallied 19.2 WAR in 5.5 Twins seasons; Mack 19.6 in 5. So pretty close, actually.

 

Tapani is clearly behind Radke (Tapani's Twins career actually resembles the second, lesser half of Radke's), but Tapani is also clearly ahead of, say, Erickson, Milton, and probably even Baker too (due to peak and health).