The Twins' Greatest Players: Unsung Heroes and Showmen

[Cody Christie]

Image courtesy of Minnesota Twins (Morris), © Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports (Hrbek)

The Sporting News has been working through its list of the 140 greatest baseball players of all time, taking a different approach from traditional rankings. Instead of placing every player on a single list, the publication has divided its selections into 14 positionless rooms, each representing a different archetype of greatness. 

The categories include Immortals, Artists, Juggernauts, Supernovas, Unsung, Showmen and several others. Each room contains 10 players whose careers share a common thread. The outlet explained its reasoning behind this approach: “Our ‘rooms’ serve not only to honor the game’s greatest players, but to contextualize their standing in baseball history — for better or worse.”

That concept offers an interesting way to look back at Minnesota Twins history, too. The Twins have employed Hall of Famers, award winners, championship heroes and players whose accomplishments have faded from the national conversation. Some former Twins on the Sporting News list might fit into a different category when their careers are viewed through a Minnesota lens.

This series will identify two Twins players for each of the 14 rooms, matching their contributions to the themes behind each category. The first installment looks at two players whose accomplishments deserve greater recognition and two pitchers who rose to the occasion when the stakes were highest.

Unsung

SN describes its Unsung room as a home for players who rank among the greatest in baseball history but have not received their proper recognition. Their accomplishments have been overshadowed by more celebrated stars, historical circumstances or the teams they played for.

For the Twins, Kent Hrbek and Dave Goltz fit this description in different ways. One helped build a championship identity in Minnesota, while the other delivered several excellent seasons without receiving the national attention his production warranted.

Kent Hrbek

Kent Hrbek remains an iconic figure in Minnesota, but his national reputation does not always reflect the quality of his career. A Bloomington native who spent his entire major league career with the Twins, Hrbek became a fixture at first base from 1981 through 1994. His contributions extended well beyond his memorable moments during the franchise's championship runs.

Hrbek finished his career with 293 home runs, 1,086 RBI, 1,749 hits and a .282 batting average. He also posted a .367 on-base percentage, a .481 slugging percentage and a 128 OPS+, meaning his overall offensive production was 28% better than league average after adjusting for the era and league. Baseball Reference credits him with 38.6 career wins above replacement.

Those are impressive numbers for a player who made only one All-Star appearance. Hrbek finished second in American League Rookie of the Year voting in 1982, but he never became a perennial fixture in national award discussions. His value was often easier to appreciate by watching him play than by looking at the individual accolades attached to his name.

Twins fans have plenty of reasons to remember him. Hrbek hit 34 home runs in 1987, helping Minnesota capture its first American League West title in several years. His grand slam in Game 6 of the World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals helped put the Twins on the verge of their first championship. He remained part of the team's core when Minnesota won another title in 1991.

Hrbek certainly isn't forgotten in Minnesota. His number 14 is retired, and he remains connected to one of the most successful periods in franchise history. The Unsung label fits because his broader baseball legacy is sometimes smaller than his actual production suggests.

He was a productive hitter, a steady presence at first base and an important part of two championship teams. That combination deserves more attention when baseball's greatest players are discussed.

Dave Goltz

Dave Goltz may not be the first name Twins fans associate with the franchise's greatest pitchers, but his best seasons compare favorably with those of many more recognizable starters.

A Minnesota native from Pelican Rapids, Goltz was drafted by the Twins out of Rothsay High School in 1967. He made his major league debut with Minnesota in 1972 and developed into a dependable rotation piece during the following decade. His career totals across three teams included 113 wins, 109 losses and a 3.69 ERA.

Goltz's best season came in 1977, when he finished 20-11 with a 3.36 ERA across 303 innings. He was one of only three American League pitchers to win 20 games that season, tying Dennis Leonard and Jim Palmer for the league lead. He followed that performance with a 15-10 record and a 2.49 ERA in 1978.

Those seasons demonstrated more than the ability to collect wins. Goltz handled a heavy workload and gave Minnesota a reliable starter during an era when completing games and pitching deep into contests were central responsibilities for a rotation's top arms.

Yet his career rarely receives the same attention as other pitchers from Twins history. He did not pitch for Minnesota during a championship season, and the franchise's more celebrated names often occupy the spotlight when fans revisit its past.

Goltz's Minnesota roots make his story especially fitting for this category. He was a homegrown player who reached the majors with his hometown organization and produced some of the best seasons of his career in a Twins uniform. His peak deserves to be remembered as one of the franchise's notable pitching accomplishments of the 1970s.

Showmen

The Sporting News defines its Showmen as players who commanded attention and performed when the stakes were highest. These players had a knack for turning baseball's biggest moments into lasting memories. Their personalities might draw a crowd, but their defining characteristic was the ability to deliver when the pressure mounted.

For Minnesota, few pitchers better represent that idea than Jack Morris and Frank Viola. Both helped lead the Twins to World Series championships, and each became associated with a defining moment in franchise history.

Jack Morris

Jack Morris spent only one season with the Twins, but it was enough to secure his place in franchise history. Minnesota signed the veteran right-hander before the 1991 season, bringing in a pitcher whose confidence and willingness to take the ball made him a compelling fit for a team chasing a championship.

Morris saved his most memorable performance for Game 7 of the World Series against the Atlanta Braves. With the championship hanging in the balance, he matched Atlanta's John Smoltz in a tense pitching duel that remained scoreless through nine innings.

Morris returned for the 10th and kept the Braves off the scoreboard again. He finished with 10 shutout innings, seven hits allowed, two walks and eight strikeouts on 122 pitches. Gene Larkin's walk-off single in the bottom of the inning gave Minnesota a 1-0 victory and delivered its second World Series title in four years. Morris earned World Series MVP honors after allowing just three runs across 23 innings in his three starts during the series.

The performance captured what made Morris such a compelling big-game pitcher. He was not simply relying on reputation or trying to survive another inning. He continued to challenge hitters, maintain his composure and trust that he could find a way through the lineup again.

Morris had already won a World Series with Detroit in 1984 and would win another with Toronto in 1992. However, his performance in Minnesota remains one of the most memorable pitching efforts in franchise history. His 1991 season was brief, but his Game 7 performance made it unforgettable. That is precisely what makes Morris a Showman. When baseball provided its biggest stage, he delivered a performance worthy of the moment.

Frank Viola

Frank Viola helped establish the Twins as a championship team before Morris arrived. A left-handed starter nicknamed “Sweet Music,” Viola was one of Minnesota's most important pitchers during the 1980s and played a central role in the club's 1987 World Series championship.

Viola started three games during that World Series, receiving a decision in each one. He won Games 1 and 7, helping Minnesota finish off the St. Louis Cardinals in seven games. His performance earned him World Series MVP honors.

His place in Twins history goes beyond that October run. Viola followed his World Series success with the best regular season of his career in 1988, finishing 24-7 with a 2.64 ERA. He won the American League Cy Young Award, started the All-Star Game and finished 10th in American League MVP voting.

Those accomplishments made Viola more than a pitcher who happened to be on a championship roster. He was a front-line starter capable of carrying a rotation, and he showed he could maintain that level of performance when the competition intensified. His World Series run also gave Minnesota a lasting image of a young ace emerging on the biggest stage. 

Viola fits the Showmen category because he excelled at the moments that define a player's legacy. His World Series MVP award and Cy Young season remain two of the most significant pitching achievements in Twins history.

Four Different Legacies

Hrbek, Goltz, Morris and Viola took different paths to becoming important figures in Minnesota baseball. Hrbek's consistent production and championship contributions deserve a broader national appreciation, while Goltz's peak seasons remain underrecognized outside discussions of 1970s Twins history.

Morris and Viola, meanwhile, showed how a pitcher can define a team's biggest moments. Their postseason performances helped transform talented Minnesota clubs into championship teams.

The Sporting News' room concept encourages baseball fans to look beyond a single ranking and consider what makes a player memorable. For Twins fans, these four players show that greatness can be found in sustained production, overlooked excellence and the ability to deliver when an entire season is on the line.

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Who else should be considered for the categories listed above? Leave a comment and start the discussion.

 

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[big dog]

I am enjoying these articles, thank you. Lots of fun memories coming back.

I was just in Rothsay MN and stopped to look at the alleged "World's Largest Prairie Chicken". That and Dave Goltz have to be the town's biggest legacies.

[TopGunn#22]

I'm also enjoying these articles.  Baseball has such a rich history.  I'll agree with 3 of the 4 picks, but I'm going to suggest an alternative to Dave Goltz.  If you're looking for an unsung hero as a Twins SP, look no further than Jim Perry.

Yes, he won a Cy Young award in 1970 winning 24 games for the Division winning Twins.  And the year before that he was the staff Ace again winning 20 games to help the Twins win the A.L. West.  Both in 1969 and 1970 the Twins were swept by the juggernaut Baltimore Orioles.  

But how often is Jim Perry remembered as the staff Ace of 2 Divisional Champions and a 2 time 20 game winner and Cy Young winner?  I think Jim Perry is the epitome of unsung.  He was acquired in a trade with Cleveland that also brought over Mudcat Grant.  Perry was a "swingman" to begin his career with the Twins, being used both as a SP but also in relief.  He was always effective. 

Jim Perry won 214 games in his 17 year career, (10 with the Twins). 128 of those wins were as a Twin.  Perry won more games as a Twin than Goltz, had a better ERA and better WHIP.  Perry has a higher WAR than Goltz (38.4 vs 23.5).  Yet with Blyleven, Kaat, Johan Santana and Jack Morris, Jim Perry kind of gets lost in the shuffle.  He was always overlooked due to his more flamboyant and better brother, Gaylord.

Jim Perry is my choice for an unsung Twins player.  Another good choice for unsung would be Greg Gagne.  But that's another story altogether. 

[saviking]

Just the fact Herbie would have a beer ice cream float in the locker room after the game out to get him in this list. 

[saviking]

I never would have thought a 10 inning game that produced inly one run would be the most intense game I have ever watched. 

[Linus]

Apropos of nothing when I see the label “showman” my mind goes to Disco Danny Ford, who while running backwards towards home plate passed a runner and was out. His manager, Gene Mauch, was a notorious red neck. I would loved to be a fly on the dugout wall when Ford entered the dugout