My Favorite Immaculate Grid Twins, Ranked

[RandBalls Stu]

The addictive quiz game occasionally features the Minnesota Twins. Here are the best ones to remember.

Image courtesy of Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Like many other sports fans of a certain age, I’ve become entirely too wrapped up in Immaculate Grid. The game, which gives you nine chances to fill nine boxes with players who share something in common on the horizontal and vertical axes, is a golden opportunity to Remember Some Guys. Remembering Some Guys is second nature to people like me, giving us something to do and keeping us from having to confront real emotions or spend time with family.

It's never more fun than when you can use a Minnesota Twin. That fun is only enhanced when you can name a Twin who only the real sickos, like the ones who use this site every day, remember. (Please understand this is a compliment and I thank you all for your patronage.)

I’ve used these Twins recently, either in team crossover categories or achievement categories (MVP, All-Star, etc.). Feel free to clip and save these for future reference, although considering how many of you are still mad about trading J.J. Hardy for Jim Hoey, I doubt you’ll need it.

20. Bret Boone. Remember when he showed up here, fresh from Seattle, looking like a deflated party balloon?

19. Harmon Killebrew. He played for the Royals in 1975! I had the baseball card! It looked like a practical joke!

18. Dave Engle. An All-Star when the Twins were so talent-bereft that, well, Dave Engle was the All-Star. Also played for the Expos, so you can use him for the Twins/Nationals! Unless you want to use Ben Revere or Denard Span. Live your truth.

17. Tom Brunansky. Don’t use Tom Herr if Twins/Cardinals comes up, use Bruno. [Expletive] Tom Herr.

16. Steve Howe. The late, very troubled reliever had a cup of coffee with the Twins in 1985.

15. Steve Carlton. The Dallas Keuchel of his day! If Dallas Keuchel was also crazy!

14. Joe Niekro. Like Kent Hrbek or Kirby Puckett, he appeared on Letterman but also played for more than one team.

13. Butch Huskey. Any time you can use a guy from miserable twilight of the TK era, you have to. It proves you were there when the only people in the Metrodome were you, the players, and Wally.

12. Danny Ardoin. Like him! He played for four other teams! I don’t even remember him. Baseball Reference better not be lying.

11. J.D. Durbin. The Real Deal!

10. Tony Fiore. The Twins and Rays have a lot of crossovers, but none more pleasing to remember than an honest-to-pete palmballer.

9. Rob Wilfong. Elite mustache. We’re entering the Utility Infielder portion of this list.

8. Jeff Reboulet. If Tom Kelly could choose between his championships or starting a team with nine Jeff Reboulets and going 0-162, he’d choose the latter.

7. Houston Jimenez. What if Joey Gallo still hit .170, but without any power?

6. Nick Punto. You honestly didn’t think I’d leave him off this list, right?

5. Jesse Orosco. The Fernando Rodney of Edwin Jacksons.

4. Jerry Koosman. He’s from Appleton, he’s in the Mets Hall of Fame, and he went to jail. You’ll be tempted to use R.A. Dickey and Tim Teufel, but jail and One of Us matters, dammit.

3. Junior Ortiz. The internet says he played 13 seasons for five clubs, but I know for a fact he was a New Prague hobby farmer who wandered into the Metrodome by accident in 1991, got a job because Brian Harper got on Tom Kelly’s nerves, and won a World Series. Someone tell Wikipedia I feel very strongly about this.

2. Bobby Keppel. He won Game 163! His only major league win! How do you beat that?

1. Jaime Garcia. He only played one game for the Twins, period. That’s how you do it.

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[nclahammer]

Danny Ordoin?  Wow, just when I thought I knew my obscure Minnesota Twins, I am humbled once again.

[Hrbeks Divot]

Love this but you’re really pushing the definition of satire today with some of these guys!

[LewFordLives]

If memory serves me, the Twins gave up a PTBNL for Boone. I don't think anyone was ever named. Do we still owe the Mariners a player, or do they owe the Twins?

[Seth Stohs]

Am I the only one who does this most days and often comes up with names by visualizing my baseball cards from like 1983-1994?

[Franchise Adams]

Unfortunately, Isaiah Kiner-Falelfa's time with the Twins doesn't make him eligible.

[MMMordabito]

I wonder what else was in Steve Howe's cup of coffee.

Also, daily skelton key Latroy Hawkins is wondering what he needs to do for at least and honorable mention.

[chinmusic]

Guys who never actually played for the Twins/food  

Isiah Kiner-Falafel 🙂

 

 

[twinfan]

I thought they eliminated those who only had cups of coffee but yesterday's quiz included several possibilities. I could not for the life of me come up with someone who played for both the Twins and Cincy. I usually get about 6 right, sometimes 7 and only once got all 9. But I've also only gotten 4 right on occasion. I give myself 15 minutes. Too many other things to do. But it is fun.

[Don't Feed the Greed Guy]

My first in-person game occurred on July 28th, 1975 at the Met. My Dad took me to my first game on my 9th birthday. The Twins won 9-8. The Royals and Twins combined for 30 hits. Kansas City tied the game in the top of the 8th, but the home town boys walked them off in the bottom of the 9th. I was hooked.

BTW, Harmon Killebrew went 2-for-4, for the Kansas City Royals.

[dex8425]

48 minutes ago, twinfan said:

I thought they eliminated those who only had cups of coffee but yesterday's quiz included several possibilities. I could not for the life of me come up with someone who played for both the Twins and Cincy. I usually get about 6 right, sometimes 7 and only once got all 9. But I've also only gotten 4 right on occasion. I give myself 15 minutes. Too many other things to do. But it is fun.

Twins and Cincy? Uh, Sonny Gray? Yesterday was the Twins and Phillies. I went with Terry Mulholland. You could also go with Jim Thome. 

[sampleSizeOfOne]

And Glenn Williams never played for anyone else, so he wouldn't be on the grid?

[dex8425]

18 minutes ago, sampleSizeOfOne said:

And Glenn Williams never played for anyone else, so he wouldn't be on the grid?

He would not. Sometimes you're asked to name a Twins all star, or a Twins player with 100 Rbi's or 30 saves, 30 stolen bases, so that can be a lifelong Twin, but Glenn Williams isn't going to ever be on there:)

[Cris E]

I'm all about the 80s teams and the weak tea that used to populate the end of the bench or the back of the pen. Guys like Henry Blanco, Mark Guthrie, John Moses was my Mariner early this week, and Dan Schatzader was my Phillie.  My problem is midmarket NL teams since I draw so much on my pre-interleague play memories and many of those teams never got near the playoffs.. 

[Vanimal46]

52 minutes ago, dex8425 said:

Yesterday was the Twins and Phillies. I went with Terry Mulholland. You could also go with Jim Thome. 

Or Vance “Vanimal” Worley

[Boswell]

I seriously question whether TK had “the feels” for Jeff Reboulet in the same way that Gardy gushed over Little Nicky Punto.  
 

But I guess these two frustrated middle infielder father figures were living out their own baseball dreams through these two slightly more talented, equally “gritty” major leaguers.  

[IndianaTwin]

6 hours ago, nclahammer said:

Danny Ordoin?  Wow, just when I thought I knew my obscure Minnesota Twins, I am humbled once again.

He's different from Danny Almonte, right? 

[stringer bell]

I’ve enjoyed this game and just to make it more interesting, I’ve tried to include Twins or ex-Twins in every square. Yesterday, I used Steve Carlton as a Phillies All-Star and today C J Cron as a Rockie with a 100 RBI season. A couple days I used Ruben Sierra as a Texas Silver Slugger and Bret Boone as a Mariners’ Silver Slugger. 
  
If anyone wants to do the same, here are some Twins who played for a lot of teams: Terry Mulholand, Mike Morgan, Fernando Rodney and Lucan Hernandez. 

[USAFChief]

3 hours ago, Boswell said:

But I guess these two frustrated middle infielder father figures were living out their own baseball dreams through these two slightly more talented, equally “gritty” major leaguers.  

TK was a first baseman. Threw LHed, even.

[Vanimal46]

1 hour ago, stringer bell said:

here are some Twins who played for a lot of teams: Terry Mulholand, Mike Morgan, Fernando Rodney and Lucan Hernandez.

LaTroy Hawkins (11 teams), Rich Hill (12), and Tyler Clippard (10) to add a few more. 

[sampleSizeOfOne]

5 hours ago, dex8425 said:

He would not. Sometimes you're asked to name a Twins all star, or a Twins player with 100 Rbi's or 30 saves, 30 stolen bases, so that can be a lifelong Twin, but Glenn Williams isn't going to ever be on there:)

They don't often have players with a .400 career batting average?

So Andrew Albers likely win't be in these Grid ouzzles either...

[dex8425]

2 hours ago, stringer bell said:

I’ve enjoyed this game and just to make it more interesting, I’ve tried to include Twins or ex-Twins in every square. Yesterday, I used Steve Carlton as a Phillies All-Star and today C J Cron as a Rockie with a 100 RBI season. A couple days I used Ruben Sierra as a Texas Silver Slugger and Bret Boone as a Mariners’ Silver Slugger. 
  
If anyone wants to do the same, here are some Twins who played for a lot of teams: Terry Mulholand, Mike Morgan, Fernando Rodney and Lucan Hernandez. 

Don't forget Bartolo Colon and Rich Hill too!

[Boswell]

On 8/18/2023 at 3:21 PM, USAFChief said:

TK was a first baseman. Threw LHed, even.

You got me, Chief!  Thanks. 

TK had 114 minor league HR’s, only 1 in the majors.  Started 36 of 43 appearances at 1B.  Fewer starts in 1975 at 1B than Briggs and Kusick, blocked by Carew in 1976.  

[Boswell]

Update on TK and Immaculate Grid - worked today for Twins and only one Team… 0.02% rarity!

Also, Encarnacion-Strand only one team for the Reds…

Apparently can use whatever reliever you’d like for sub 3.00 ERA… but Luis Tiant didn’t do it _for_ the Twins… uff da