The Minnesota Twins All-Speed Team

[Patrick Wozniak]

Are you ready for some speed? No, we’re not popping any “greenies” today. But go ahead and grab yourself a cup of coffee and we’ll assemble the speediest Twins team EVER!We’ll work our way around the diamond using some highly scientific methods, which I’ll leave to the imagination of the reader, to find the fastest Minnesota Twin to fill out each position. But first I must offer my sincerest apologies to all of you Clyde Milan enthusiasts out there as we’re not including any Washington Senators in this exercise. Please comfort yourselves in his franchise-leading 495 career stolen bases.

 

We’ll also skip pitchers, although in my research I did discover that the great Walter Johnson stole 13 bases (and was only caught 4 times) in his Hall-of-Fame Senators career (he also hit 24 dingers). Instead of including the DH position we’ll include one utility player. Let’s start off with the least-speedy position – catcher.

 

Catcher – Joe Mauer

 

Technically Cesar Tovar was probably speedier than Joe Mauer, but his one career inning behind the dish doesn’t quite equate to an appropriate sample size. That’s fine, we’ll fit Tovar in later, and we can definitely afford to have one of the best all-time catchers on our crew. Mauer was a great all-around athlete and ran the bases quite well for a catcher. Welcome aboard Joe!

 

First Base – Rod Carew

 

I initially felt a tinge of apprehension in sticking Carew at first, but a closer analysis of the numbers actually shows that his best baserunning years for the Twins were from ’76 through ’78 – after he became a fulltime first baseman. Carew even swiped a career-high 49 bags in the ’76 season. Now I can remain guilt free and keep Kent Hrbek off of my speed team. Plus, I get an even better base stealer at second base.

 

 

Second Base – Chuck Knoblauch

 

Knoblauch is the all-time Twins leader (Senators excluded) in stolen bases with 276. He also has the single season record with 62 steals in 1997 (he holds three of the top-four spots). In three seasons from 1995-97 Knoblauch swiped 153 bags. Dude could run. Plus, that speed comes in handy when you’re dodging batteries out in left field.

 

 

Third Base – Nick Punto

 

Punto. I love me some Nick Punto. He did it all…the grit, the superfluous head-first slides into first base, gravity-defying, sideways-diving off-balance throws to first, and he could run. I fondly remember Ozzie Guillen likening him to Ty Cobb in a postgame interview. Punto was making this team; it was just a matter of where. We’ll settle for third. Long live the Piranhas!

 

 

Shortstop – Christian Guzman

 

Guzman may have been a light-hitting one-hit wonder, but boy could he fly. Everybody enjoys a nice, wholesome triple and Guzman delivered the goods. He would hit 14 or more three-baggers in three different seasons with Minnesota (leading the league each time), including an absurd 20 triples in the year 2000. Speaking of the absurd, the author of this article may or may not have once proudly donned a Christian Guzman shirsey while attending a game at Wrigley Field in which neither Guzman nor the Twins were playing. But is there anything more absurd than a bunt home run?

 

 

Left Field – Dan Gladden

 

How fast was Dan Gladden? I don’t know. I do know that he was a good baserunner, swiped his fair share of bags, rocked a bad-ass mullet, and is a World Series hero. That’ll play.

 

Center Field – Byron Buxton

 

While the majority of our speed team played prior to Statcast and publicly available sprint speeds, Buxton’s speed is quantifiable. He’s fast. Legit fast. According to Baseball Savant he was the third fastest player in all of baseball last season with a sprint speed of 30.3 ft/sec. While that’s not as fast as a cheetah, ostrich, or greyhound (dog or bus), it is 35% faster than Albert Pujols.

 

 

Right Field – Ben Revere

 

Revere’s time with the Twins was pretty short and he wasn’t as fast as Buxton, but he could fly. He didn’t hit for (any) power or take many walks, but he put the ball in play and stole 74 bases in 241 games between 2011 and 2012. And he did this:

 

 

Utility – Cesar Tovar

 

Tovar finally makes his way on to the list as our utility player. Could you make a case for Tovar switching places with Punto? Yes. Would you probably be right? Yes. But I’ve already declared my love for Punto and Tovar can also play the outfield (or catcher or pitcher) and playing every position in one game officially makes Tovar the ultimate utility man.

 

 

That’ll do it for our all-time speed team. We have a couple of Hall-of-Fame worthy bats in Carew and Mauer along with a multi-time All-star in Knoblauch. This antithesis of the Bomba-squad would provide plenty of excitement on the basepaths, look pretty solid defensively, and between Gladden and Punto, offer plenty of flair.

 

What do you think? Could our speed team compete? Did I leave any important speedsters off the team (I’m assuming I probably did)? Do you have a personal favorite? Please leave your comments below!

 

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[Dantes929]

I don't think Gladden was as fast as maybe Jones, Span, Kepler or Mack.   What about Carlos Gomez?   I am guessing Gibson was our fastest pitcher.   Just a guess.

 

[Patrick Wozniak]

 

I don't think Gladden was as fast as maybe Jones, Span, Kepler or Mack.   What about Carlos Gomez?   I am guessing Gibson was our fastest pitcher.   Just a guess.

Gomez was the fastest but didn't play any LF for the Twins. Span I considered to be a CF. I used what was available at BR and FanGraphs (Speed scores, baserunning, stolen bases) and Gladden seemed to grade out the best for the most years while playing almost exclusively in left.

 

For pitcher I was thinking Berrios might be pretty fast with all the working out he does. Otherwise I've heard Kaat was a good base runner.

[h2oface]

Outfielders, like the all-star team - and this is a all-star team of speed - are outfielders. Top 3 outfielders. It doesn't matter which field they played the most of. Plug them in and let them run.

[Patrick Wozniak]

 

Outfielders, like the all-star team - and this is a all-star team of speed - are outfielders. Top 3 outfielders. It doesn't matter which field they played the most of. Plug them in and let them run.

Before starting this exercise I made sure to consult the all-speed team rule book. It clearly stated whenever humanly possible outfielders should be slotted into the position in which they played the majority of their games. However I was really tempted to throw Mack on my team as he's one of my all-time favorite Twins. But rules are rules and I abide. 

[Dantes929]

 

Before starting this exercise I made sure to consult the all-speed team rule book. It clearly stated whenever humanly possible outfielders should be slotted into the position in which they played the majority of their games. However I was really tempted to throw Mack on my team as he's one of my all-time favorite Twins. But rules are rules and I abide. 

We might be using different all-speed team rule books.    I wish they would standardize that thing so we don't have these issues in the future.   Bring Hoyle in.

[Dantes929]

 

Before starting this exercise I made sure to consult the all-speed team rule book. It clearly stated whenever humanly possible outfielders should be slotted into the position in which they played the majority of their games. However I was really tempted to throw Mack on my team as he's one of my all-time favorite Twins. But rules are rules and I abide. 

So Sano was left off because he qualifies as a right fielder but not a left fielder?

[Dantes929]

  Who's on the slow team?   Would you rather have a 2 man outfield of Buxton and Gomez or a 3 man outfield Willingham, Turtle and Sano?

[Shaitan]

 

Before starting this exercise I made sure to consult the all-speed team rule book. It clearly stated whenever humanly possible outfielders should be slotted into the position in which they played the majority of their games. However I was really tempted to throw Mack on my team as he's one of my all-time favorite Twins. But rules are rules and I abide. 

I don't think Revere played much RF for the Twins, though. Wasn't that post-trade (or is my memory off)?

[JDubs]

Any excuse to link to the Nick Punto song!

 

[mikelink45]

Lyman Bostock always seemed so fast when he was in the OF, not the best base stealer, but speed and stealing are not the same.  Carew went wild stealing home after Billy Martin taught him and he stole home 7 times in 1969.  https://twitter.com/fsnorth/status/895804807423721472?lang=en

 

I loved Guzman's triples.  That is speed!  

 

Fun story

 

[brockbesler]

I wonder how good this team would actually be? Pretty solid defense and three exceptional hitters. Constructing a lineup would be interesting too. I was thinking something like:

 

Carew

Knoblauch

Mauer

Tovar

Buxton

Punto

Gladden

Revere

Guzman

[puckstopper1]

Patrick:

 

Thanks for putting this together.  Great memories of all these players.

 

There was once a time when "speed killed" in MLB. 

 

I think of the Cardinals and Royals in the 1980s, or Lou Brock and Rickey Henderson's (130 stolen bases in 1982 - what??), entire careers.

[sweetmusicviola16]

Kirby Puckett should have been on this team. Yes Buton is fast. What's that gotten him? A few crashes into the OF walls, and injured. Puckett was very fast, and played under control.

[Patrick Wozniak]

 

I don't think Revere played much RF for the Twins, though. Wasn't that post-trade (or is my memory off)?

He played 84 games in right in 2012 (compared to 5 in left and 39 in center) but in 2011 he played primarily center. 

[Patrick Wozniak]

 

I wonder how good this team would actually be? Pretty solid defense and three exceptional hitters. Constructing a lineup would be interesting too. I was thinking something like:

Carew
Knoblauch
Mauer
Tovar
Buxton
Punto
Gladden
Revere
Guzman

I like it! Now if someone could just fire up the simulator and throw this team into OOTP 21!

[mikelink45]

 

I wonder how good this team would actually be? Pretty solid defense and three exceptional hitters. Constructing a lineup would be interesting too. I was thinking something like:

Carew
Knoblauch
Mauer
Tovar
Buxton
Punto
Gladden
Revere
Guzman

It would require Billy Martin to manage - someone who understands speed!

[Dantes929]

 

Kirby Puckett should have been on this team. Yes Buton is fast. What's that gotten him? A few crashes into the OF walls, and injured. Puckett was very fast, and played under control.

Not with you on this.   Got Buxton Defensive Player of the Year in 2017.   Puckett was great but wonder if he was faster than Hunter.    Buxton gets to balls casually that those guys would just watch bounce for doubles.    One that has been forgotten here is Jimmy Eisenreich.    Dude was really fast.