Who Is the Best Twin Born in Each State?

I tried to choose the most relevant players born in each state to play for the Twins, rather than every single one of them. Because of that, several states will not appear on this list. Also, since these rankings are based only on players’ birthplaces, one very noticeable absence will be Twins great Bert Blyleven, who was born in the Netherlands, to Dutch parents who shortly thereafter moved to the U.S. and raised him in California.

Then, I ranked the players of each state by their career bWAR (Wins Above Replacement from Baseball Reference) while with the Twins. The reason for using WAR is solely to simplify things a bit, since it is supposed to be a global metric. I also included some current Twins that I believe have a shot at climbing up their state ranks once their careers are finished.

If I perhaps forgot anyone that you consider relevant enough to make one of the lists, please feel encouraged to mention them in the comments section. Also, weigh in on the bigger states discussions, saying who you think is the best. I separated the top five states in number of players, to be discussed.

California

Roy Smalley - 20.8 WAR

Tom Brunansky - 16.1 WAR

Rick Aguilera - 15.5 WAR

Jacque Jones - 11.9 WAR

Jim Merritt - 11.3 WAR

Gary Ward - 10.6 WAR

Nick Punto - 10.3 WAR

Eddie Guardado - 9.5 WAR

Trevor Plouffe - 8.0 WAR

Dan Gladden - 5.7 WAR

Phil Hughes - 5.7 WAR

Cali is, by far, the state that has produced the most MLB talent in history. A total of 2,311 Californian ball players made it to the big leagues. Here I found 11 who wore the Twins uniform for a significant amount of time and one thing in particular called my attention the most. How low Gladden’s WAR with the Twins was. Maybe it’s because I didn’t actually see him play on a daily basis, but I always had the impression that this number would be higher. That doesn’t change, at all, his importance in the history of the club.

I would give the edge as the best from this list to Aguilera. His first stint with Minnesota was incredibly dominant, resulting in three All-Star Game selections and even MVP votes in 1991. That same year, he was one of the key-factors during the postseason, allowing only one earned run, getting five saves and a crucial game 6 win. Overall, he logged over 500 innings of relief for Minnesota (second most, behind the 579 from fellow Californian Guardado), maintaining a 3.12 ERA. Smalley, Burnansky and Gladden were also invaluable pieces for that 80’s team, but I have the impression that Aguilera’s performance were a bit more impressive.

Florida

Denard Span - 17.2 bWAR

Doug Corbett - 8.3 bWAR

Mudcat Grant - 5.9 bWAR

Josh Donaldson - has yet to play

I believe it’s a given to say that Span was the most relevant player from the Florida list. He was drafted and developed by the Twins, being a part of the organization for nearly ten years. During that time, he lived the final years of the victorious 2000’s team and transitioned into the beginning of the dark years. He was one of the few bright spots of the club in 2011 (cut short due to a concussion) and 2012, relying on his speed and aggressiveness running the bases, combined with a slightly above average hitting (104 wRC+ in Minnesota) and very decent on-base percentage (.357).

I added Donaldson to the list because I believe he’s bound to reach at least Corbett, an early 80’s rookie sensation relief pitcher, who made the All-Star Game in his second year, before being involved in a trade with the Angels that would bring Brunansky to Minnesota. Looking back at Donaldson’s past three seasons, he was worth 11.2 WAR. If you include a fourth one to the mix, it goes up to 18.5. And that includes his terrible, injury-plagued 2018. So, expect the Bringer of Rain to climb the ladder.

Illinois

Kirby Puckett - 51.1 WAR

Gary Gaetti - 27.2 WAR

John Castino - 15.2 WAR

Jake Odorizzi - 4.7 WAR

Jim Thome - 4.5 WAR

Absolutely nothing to argue about who’s the best here. But my question to you is where can Odorizzi get on that list? Assuming, of course, he signs a longer contract with the Twins, could he surpass Castino?

Texas

Chuck Knoblauch - 38.0 WAR

Joe Nathan - 18.4 WAR

Kevin Slowey - 4.4 WAR

Ryan Pressly - 3.6 WAR

Nathan is a no-brainer here, because of how badly Knoblauch ended his tenure in Minnesota. But, looking at both his performances on the field, I think it’s closer than you might think. Before demanding a trade in 1997 and then

Minnesota

Joe Mauer - 55.3 WAR

Kent Hrbek - 38.6 WAR

Dave Goltz - 24.5 WAR

Jerry Koosman - 11.0 WAR

Glen Perkins - 8.9 WAR

Paul Molitor - 5.2 WAR

Jack Morris - 4.3 WAR

I saved the best for last. Just like Illinois, I don’t think there’s much to argue about the top seed. But, boy, can we have fan arguing about the rest! OK, I’ll go out on a limb here and place Morris on second and… Hrbek at third. Morris’s World Series show in 1991, as well as his fantastic regular season, are gold for me. I love Hrbek, obviously, and his career was amazing. But I’ve got to go with Morris’ historical 1991 season. It hurts to not include Perkins in the podium, though. But in my personal ranking, he’s a close fourth.

Any surprises so far? Which would be your picks? Have I forgotten anyone important for you? Comment and let us know. Also, here are the other states lists.

Alabama

Al Worthington - 10.0 WAR

Josh Willingham - 4.8 WAR

Delmon Young - 1.0 WAR

Arizona

J.J. Hardy - 1.3 WAR

Arkansas

Torii Hunter - 26.4 WAR

Colorado

Taylor Rogers - 6.4 WAR

Connecticut

Carl Pavano - 5.8 WAR

Delaware

Randy Bush - 1.4 WAR

Georgia

Byron Buxton - 9.8 WAR

Ben Revere - 3.2 WAR

Hawaii

Kurt Suzuki - 3.3 WAR

Idaho

Harmon Killebrew - 60.5 WAR

Indiana

Kyle Gibson - 9.4 WAR

LaTroy Hawkins - 8.1 WAR

Iowa

Kevin Tapani - 19.1 WAR

Kentucky

Tyler Clippard - has yet to play

Louisiana

Scott Baker - 15.8 WAR

Massachusetts

Greg Gagne - 17.9 WAR

Jeff Reardon - 4.2 WAR

Steve Lombardozzi - 4.0 WAR

Michigan

Jim Kaat - 30.6 WAR

Joe Mays - 10.7 WAR

Mississippi

Brian Dozier - 22.7 WAR

Missouri

Bob Allison - 30.6 WAR

Al Newman - 2.1 WAR

Nevada

Brandon Kintzler - 2.3 WAR

New Mexico

Mitch Garver - 5.1 WAR

New York

Frank Viola - 27.0 WAR

A.J. Pierzynski - 9.5 WAR

North Carolina

Jim Perry - 26.3 WAR

Tom Hall - 6.7 WAR

Zack Littell - 0.4 WAR

Ohio

Larry Hisle - 17.2 WAR

Dean Chance - 13.1 WAR

Doug Mientkiewicz - 6.4 WAR

Pennsylvania

Butch Wynegar - 15.3 WAR

Virginia

Michael Cuddyer - 12.8 WAR

Jake Cave - 2.6 WAR

Washington

Trevor May - 2.1 WAR

Wisconsin

Brad Radke - 45.6 WAR

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