Tim Teufel

[William Malone]

Timothy Shawn Teufel was born on July 7, 1958 in Greenwich, Connecticut. 

The Minnesota Twins drafted him in round two of the 1980 MLB Draft. He blossomed into one of their best prospects, and was named their most outstanding farm system player in 1983. Teufel made his Major League debut that September, batting .308 with three home runs in 21 games. This included a five hit game on September 16th, which featured the first two home runs of his career.

He was the Twins full time second baseman in 1984, batting .262 with 14 home runs and 62 RBI during his first full season as a big league player. This performance helped him finish fourth in the AL Rookie of the Year voting. Twins teammate Kirby Puckett came in third, and the award was won by Seattle Mariners first baseman Alvin Davis. Teufel hit left handed opponents especially well, slashing .298/.392/.435 against them in 1984. His hip wiggle when settling into the batter's box, affectionately known as the "Teufel Shuffle," helped make him a fan favorite.

Teufel started off strong in 1985, and was batting .299 through his first 40 games. He began to slow down in the second half, causing Minnesota manager Ray Miller to start playing rookie Steve Lombardozzi more often at second base. Teufel finished the season batting .260 with ten home runs and 50 RBI. The Twins traded him to the New York Mets during the off-season, giving Lombardozzi the full time second base job. New York sent back former top prospect Billy Beane, who had struggled mightily in his two seasons at the big league level.

Wally Backman and Teufel became platoon mates at second base over the next several seasons, winning the World Series together in 1986. Teufel started five of 13 playoff games for the Mets that October, batting .333 with one RBI. He hit .256 during his six seasons in New York. After beginning to lose playing time and becoming more of a bench player in 1990, the Mets traded him to the San Diego Padres just a few weeks into the 1991 regular season.

There was a trade on the table for Teufel to return to Minnesota later on in the 1991 season, but he declined the opportunity. He didn't have a no trade clause, but had taken a fast liking to life in San Diego. The Padres front office respected his wishes, and even re-signed Tuefel that winter when he was a free agent. He spent two more full seasons in San Diego, then retired after the 1993 campaign.

Teufel managed at several levels of the Mets minor league system between 2001 and 2011. He was hired as their Major League third base coach in 2012, spending five seasons in that role. While on the Mets staff, they reached the World Series in 2015. Teufel returned to the minor league ranks in 2017, serving as a roving instructor for the Mets. He retired after the 2022 season.

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