William Malone

Davis Edward May was born on October 16, 1951 in Covington, Kentucky. The Minnesota Twins selected him in round 24 of the 1975 MLB Draft out of Auburn University. They called him up to the Majors in 1977, but he was sent back down to the minors without ever appearing in a game. May continued to pitch professionally through the 1980 season, but never made it back to the big leagues. He owned a career 3.72 ERA in the minors, also spending time in the Toronto Blue Jays and Cincinnati Reds farm systems. May has had a successful youth and amateur coaching career. He has been on the coaching staff for several colleges, including his alma mater Auburn. May also had a ten year stint coaching Roswell High School in Georgia. View full player

Maurice John Ogier was born on October 19, 1944 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Minnesota Twins signed him as an amateur free agent in 1965. He made their Opening Day roster in 1968, but was optioned to the minor leagues before ever appearing in a game. Ogier continued to play professionally until 1971, but never appeared in a Major League game. He had a career 4.01 in the minor leagues, also spending time in the California Angels and San Diego Padres farm systems. Ogier passed away in 2022. View full player

Cody William Stashak was born on June 4, 1994 in Somers Point, New Jersey. The Minnesota Twins selected him in round 13 of the 2015 MLB Draft out of St. John's University. After beginning his minor league career as a starting pitcher, Stashak transitioned to the bullpen in 2018. He had a 2.91 ERA with 11.2 K/9 and four saves at the Double-A level that season. Stashak had a 1.61 ERA through 22.1 innings at the Triple-A level in 2019, and was called up to the Majors in late July. He made his Major League debut against the New York Yankees on July 23, 2019. Stashak pitched two shutout innings, working around some traffic on the base paths. He struck out Aaron Judge with two outs and runners at the corners to close out his first inning of the night, and got Gary Sanchez to ground into a double play to end his second inning. Minnesota wound up losing the game 14-12 in extra innings. Stashak worked 25.0 innings out of the Twins bullpen in the second half of 2019, going 0-1 with a 3.24 ERA. He made their postseason roster, allowing two runs across 1.2 innings. Minnesota opened the COVID shortened 2020 campaign by trusting Stashak with a regular bullpen role. He went 1-0 with four holds in 15.0 innings, owning a 3.00 ERA and a 0.933 WHIP. Stashak missed two weeks at the end of August with lower back inflammation, but was back for the stretch run in September. He allowed a crucial home run to Houston Astros shortstop Carlos Correa in game two of the 2020 Wild Card Round. Stashak had walked just four hitters in 40 big league innings between 2019 and 2020, but he lost command early in 2021 by walking ten opponents in 15.2 innings. The Twins placed him on the injured list with another back injury, ending his season. He looked like his old self again early in 2022, but a torn labrum in his right throwing shoulder ended his year after just 16.1 innings. The Twins removed Stashak from their 40-man roster following the 2022 season. He spent 2023 and 2024 on a minor league deal with the Giants, but was limited to just 32 games between the two seasons due to various injuries. As of 2025, Stashak is pitching in Mexico. View full player

Hello, fellow humans! My name is William Malone IV. Son of William Malone III. And I come with great news! It is 2025! This means a lot of publications are having fun with quarter-century teams for various leagues and franchises. I have decided to join in on the action...but with a twist. Here is the Twins quarter-century team based on single seasons. Not careers. Make sure to sound off in the comments about what a big stupid dum dum I am when you disagree with the list. Catcher - 2009 Joe Mauer AL MVP, All-Star, Silver Slugger, Gold Glove .365/.444/.587 (1.031) 28 home runs 96 RBI Joe Mauer had a lot of great seasons. He's one of just two catchers in Major League history to double up on the Silver Slugger and Gold Glove in the same year at least three times (Iván Rodríguez). But this year still stands out above all the rest! Mauer led the American League in average, on-base percentage, and slugging. He won a Gold Glove. And he easily took home AL MVP honors. First Base - 2006 Justin Morneau AL MVP, Silver Slugger .321/.375/.559 (.934) 34 home runs 130 RBI Winning MVP without being an All-Star is not unheard of, but it's still somewhat rare. Justin Morneau got off to a very slow start in 2006. He was still carrying a sub-.700 OPS on May 8th. The Canadian slugger hit two home runs against the Texas Rangers on May 9th, and never looked back from there. His 130 RBI that season are the second most in Twins history, trailing only 1969 Harmon Killebrew (140). Second Base - 2017 Brian Dozier Gold Glove .271/.359/.498 (.857) 34 home runs 93 RBI This one might be controversial. A lot of metrics suggest that Brian Dozier was better in 2016. Maybe it's the fact that Minnesota was a much better team in 2017, but his 2017 season just felt better. There was a 19 point year-to-year jump in on-base percentage, which is never a bad thing for your lead-off hitter. Dozier didn't sacrifice that much power in the process, still finishing with 30 doubles and 34 home runs. Third Base - 2001 Corey Koskie 25th in AL MVP voting .276/.362/.488 (.850) 26 home runs 103 RBI Shout out to 2019 Miguel Sanó. He was so good that summer, hitting 34 bombs with a .923 OPS. Bring up juiced balls all you want, but it was still a 139 OPS+ when adjusting to League averages. This Koskie season only came out to a 121 OPS+. But the best ability is still availability, which factored in here. Koskie played 153 games in 2001, while Sanó only played 105 in 2019. Can't forget about defense too. Shortstop - 2022 Carlos Correa Led all shortstops in OPS .291/.366/.467 (.833) 22 home runs 64 RBI Carlos Correa and Xander Bogaerts co-led all shortstops with an .833 OPS in 2022. They were both a healthy margin over third place Trea Turner (.809). A slow start probably kept Correa out of the All-Star game. His average and on-base percentage were fairly strong throughout the year, but Correa hit 19 of his 22 home runs after June 1st in 2022. Left Field - 2012 Josh Willingham Silver Slugger .260/.366/.524 (.890) 35 home runs 110 RBI Fans were very upset when the Twins signed Josh Willingham, but it really had nothing to do with Josh Willingham. It was the same off-season where Michael Cuddyer and Jason Kubel left in free agency. It's natural for the customers to prefer some fan favorites over a journeyman. Willingham helped smooth things over by launching 35 bombs in 2012. He won a Silver Slugger for his efforts. Center Field - 2002 Torii Hunter All-Star, Gold Glove .289/.334/.524 (.858) 29 home runs 94 RBI Torii Hunter wasn't a standout offensive star throughout his Twins tenure, and he only has a 103 OPS+ with the club. That's the same as Max Kepler. His offense truly came around later on with the Angels, and he was able to win two Silver Sluggers. But 2002 gave a glimpse into what his offensive ceiling was. It was his best offensive season with the Twins, complimented by his legendary defensive abilities. Right Field - 2019 Max Kepler 20th in AL MVP voting .252/.326/.519 (.855) 36 home runs 90 RBI People questioned the usage of Max Kepler as a lead-off hitter entering 2019. They started to question it even more when he began the year in an 0-for-10 skid. These concerns began to die down as Kepler began to heat up at the plate. He finished the year with 36 home runs, 90 RBI and zero errors committed in the field. Kepler also had a higher OPS against lefties than righties, which goes against his career splits. Designated hitter - 2020 Nelson Cruz Silver Slugger .303/.397/.595 (.992) 16 home runs 33 RBI This one is probably going to be controversial. The rate stats were a bit lower in 2020, but they were better compared to league averages with an un-juiced baseball. Cruz had a higher OPS+ in 2020, compared to 2019. His full season pace was 43 home runs, two more than he hit in 2019. Granted, Cruz missed some time with a wrist injury in 2019. He was also not available to start National League games. The DH was universal in 2020. This allowed Cruz to play in a higher percentage of games. Starting Pitcher - 2004 Johan Santana AL Cy Young 20-6, 2.61 ERA Earlier in this lovely blog post, you read about Justin Morneau and his slow start in 2006. The same thing happened to Johan Santana in 2004. He finished May with a 5.61 ERA through 11 starts, and still wound up having the best year of a career filled with several fantastic seasons. Santana had a 1.51 ERA over his final 23 starts, surrendering only two runs in six September starts. Relief Pitcher - 2006 Joe Nathan 5th in AL Cy Young voting 7-0, 1.58 ERA, 36-for-38 saves The Twins were 58-6 when Joe Nathan pitched in 2006. And five of them were just appearances to get the guy some work. They were down by three or more runs by the time he entered those games. The sixth loss came when he pitched a shutout ninth inning in a tie game on July 28th, and they wound up losing in extras. Minnesota actually wound up winning the two games where Nathan was charged with a "blown save."

Dallas Keuchel was born on January 1, 1988 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The Houston Astros selected him in round seven of the 2009 MLB Draft. He struggled in the early stages of his Major League career, posting a 5.20 ERA over 39 starts and nine relief appearances between the 2012 and 2013 seasons. Keuchel then blossomed into one of baseball's best left handed starters, owning a 3.28 ERA between 2014 and 2018. He won the 2015 AL Cy Young Award. Keuchel pitched for the Atlanta Braves in 2019. The Chicago White Sox signed him to a three year, $55 million contract ahead of the 2020 campaign. He finished fifth place in AL Cy Young voting during his first year in Chicago, but things took a turn for the worse after that. Keuchel had a 5.28 ERA in 2021, and was left off the White Sox playoff roster. They designated him for assignment just two months into the 2022 season. He finished out 2022 by having unsuccessful stints with the Arizona Diamondbacks and Texas Rangers. The Minnesota Twins signed him to a minor league deal in 2023. Keuchel had a 1.13 ERA for the St. Paul Saints (AAA), and was called up on August 6th to replace an injured Joe Ryan. His first start with the Twins was strong. Keuchel went five innings and only allowed one run against the eventual National League champion Diamondbacks. He tossed five shutout innings against the eventual World Series champion Texas Rangers later that month. Minnesota won both of those games. Keuchel also brought a no-hitter into the seventh inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates on August 20th. There were also some rough outings too. Keuchel allowed six runs in a 1.2 inning start against the Philadelphia Phillies. He also had poor performances against the Tampa Bay Rays, Cincinnati Reds and Colorado Rockies. His two month stint with Minnesota featured a 5.97 ERA, going 2-1 in eight appearances. The Twins did not include Keuchel on their playoff roster, and he became a free agent after the season. The Seattle Mariners signed Keuchel to a minor league deal. He was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers for cash on June 25th, and called up to their big league roster. The veteran lefty had a 5.40 ERA over four starts with the Brewers, and was designated for assignment. As of Opening Day in 2025, Keuchel is currently a free agent. View full player

Quinton Antoine McCracken was born on August 16, 1970 in Southport, North Carolina. The Colorado Rockies selected him in round 25 of the 1992 MLB Draft. This was the inaugural draft class for Colorado, who began Major League play in 1993. McCracken made his debut as a September call-up in 1995, and began to get regular playing time in 1996. He hit .291 with 76 RBI and 45 stolen bases between the 1996 and 1997 seasons. The Tampa Bay Devil Rays selected him in the 1998 expansion draft. McCracken hit .292 with seven home runs and 59 RBI for the Devil Rays in 1998. His performance dwindled over the next two years, and signed a minor league contract with the Minnesota Twins ahead of the 2001 campaign. He spent most of 2001 with the Edmonton Trappers (AAA), hitting .338 over 81 games. McCracken was called up to the Twins for a 24 game stint that bridged June and July, where he slashed .219/275/.313 with three RBI. The defending world champion Arizona Diamondbacks singed McCracken in the off-season. He spent four years in the desert, batting .271 across 427 games for the Diamondbacks. McCracken also had short stints with the Seattle Mariners and Cincinnati Reds. His last professional action as a player came with the Bridgeport Bluefish of the Atlantic League in 2007. McCracken has remained very involved in baseball since retiring. He was the Diamondbacks assistant director of player development from 2010 through 2012, and the Houston Astros director of player personal from 2013 through 2017. As of 2025, McCracken manages the Mahoning Valley Scrappers of the MLB Draft League. View full player

Douglass Mitchell Corbett was born on November 4, 1952 in Sarasota, Florida. The Kansas City Royals signed him as an undrafted free agent in 1974. He was acquired by the Minnesota Twins in the 1979 Rule-5 Draft, and had a dominant rookie campaign out of their bullpen. Corbett began his career with an 11 inning scoreless streak, which included five shutout innings in relief during his Major League debut on April 10th. He became the Twins closer by early-May, finishing his rookie season with 23 saves and a 1.98 ERA. This helped him finish third place in AL Rookie of the Year voting, trailing Joe Charboneau of the Cleveland Indians and Dave Stapleton of the Boston Red Sox. He led the American League with 54 relief appearances during the strike shortened 1981 season, and was named an All-Star. Corbett was 2-6 with a 2.57 ERA and 17 saves that year. Minnesota traded him to the California Angels for outfield prospect Tom Brunansky on May 12, 1982. Corbett was 14-14 with a 3.86 ERA and 22 saves during his five year tenure with the Angels. His final Major League season was in 1987 with the Baltimore Orioles. He was going to cross the picket line and attempt a comeback at age 42 as a replacement player during the 1994-95 strike, but the labor issues were settled just before owners planned to begin the year with the replacement players. View full player

Luis Orlando Rodríguez was born on June 27, 1980 in Venezuela. The Minnesota Twins signed him as an amateur free agent in 1997. He played for them at the big league level from 2005 through 2007, playing all four infield positions. Rodríguez appeared in 79 games as a rookie in 2005, batting .269 with two home runs and 20 RBI. He was the walk-off hero in his second Major League game on May 21st, hitting a bases loaded grounder to second base. Twins outfielder Lew Ford was able to score on a throwing error. Rodríguez was not credited with an RBI. He was red hot in the month of June, batting .316 in 22 games. This included his first big league homer against Víctor Santos of the Milwaukee Brewers on June 26th. He spent the next two seasons shuffling up and down between Triple-A and the Majors, batting .226 with four home runs between the 2006 and 2007 campaigns. Minnesota optioned him off of the 40-man roster, and the San Diego Padres claimed him off waivers. Rodríguez finished his big league career by .233 with four home runs over parts of three seasons with the Padres and Seattle Mariners. View full player

Michael Sean Ryan was born on July 6, 1977 in Indiana, Pennsylvania. The Minnesota Twins selected him in round five of the 1996 MLB Draft. He made his long awaited debut as a September call-up in 2002, going 1-for-11 (.091) at the plate. Ryan had a much larger impact in 2003, getting called back in mid-August. His first big league RBI was a sacrifice fly against Jason Grimsley of the Kansas City Royals on August 16th. He had a three hit game against the Anaheim Angels on September 1st, which included his first career home run against John Lackey. Ryan homered again the next night, and didn't slow down from there. He finished the season slashing .393/.441/.754 with five home runs and 13 RBI across 27 games for the Twins. This earned him a spot on their postseason roster. Ryan was 0-for-1 in the ALDS, striking out in a game three pinch hitting appearance. He broke camp with Minnesota in 2004, but was sent down in mid-June after slashing .239/.280/.296 through 36 games. These struggles continued with the Rochester Red Wings (AAA), where Ryan hit .211 in 50 games. He played a career high 57 games for the Twins in 2005, batting .231/.283/.325 with two home runs and 13 RBI. Minnesota non-tendered Ryan after the 2005 campaign, and he spent the next several years bouncing around baseball on minor league deals with several different organizations. Ryan didn't reach the Majors again until 2010 with the Los Angeles Angels. Though 2025, Ryan has a 690-622 record in ten seasons as a minor league manager. He has managed in the Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs farm systems, winning championships at the High-A and Double-A levels. His last managerial job was in 2023. As of 2025, Ryan is a Triple-A bench coach in the Colorado Rockies farm system. View full player

Matthew John Kinney was born on December 16, 1976 in Bangor, Maine. The Boston Red Sox took him in round six of the 1995 MLB Draft out of high school. They traded him to the Minnesota Twins for veterans Orlando Merced and Greg Swindell at the deadline in 1998. Kinney made his Major League debut for the Twins on August 18, 2000 against the Toronto Blue Jays. He quickly settled down after allowing a two run homer to Carlos Delgado in the first inning. Kinney wound up going 6.1 innings, and didn't allow another run after the Delgado blast. Minnesota wound up losing the game 3-2. Twins manager Tom Kelly kept Kinney in the rotation for the remainder of the season. He made eight starts, going 2-2 with a 5.10 ERA. After spending all of 2001 in Triple-A, Kinney finally made it back to the bigs in 2002. He went 2-7 with a 4.64 ERA, making 12 starts and two relief appearances. They traded him to the Milwaukee Brewers for two minor league pitchers in the off-season. Kinney went 13-17 with a 5.34 over parts of two seasons with the Brewers, making 37 starts and 28 relief appearances. He also had brief Major League stints with the Kansas City Royals and San Francisco Giants. Kinney continued to pitch professionally until 2010, which included several minor league assignments and a year in Japan. View full player

Jordan Thomas Luplow was born on September 26, 1993 in Visalia, California. The Pittsburgh Pirates took him in round three of the 2014 MLB Draft. He made his Major League debut for them in 2017, and spent parts of two seasons in Pittsburgh. Luplow also played for the Cleveland Indians (2019-21), Tampa Bay Rays (2021), Arizona Diamondbacks (2022) and Toronto Blue Jays (2023). He never hit for much average, but was able to stay in the league with solid outfield defense and the ability to hit for power against left handed pitchers. Luplow owns a .495 slugging percentage and .833 OPS against lefties. The biggest highlight of his career was a grand slam against Boston Red Sox ace Chris Sale during the 2021 ALDS. Tampa Bay wound up losing that series in four games. The Minnesota Twins claimed Luplow off waivers on August 4, 2023 after Toronto designated him for assignment. He had an RBI single off the bench in his Twins debut on August 5th. Luplow followed that up by going 3-for-5 with a double in his first start with the club on August 7th. His first home run with Minnesota came on August 13th against Philadelphia Phillies lefty starter Ranger Suárez deep. Luplow hit a go-ahead, pinch hit homer in the seventh inning against Texas Rangers southpaw Brock Burke on September 1st. Luplow finished his two month stint in Minnesota with a .206/.315/.349 slash line. He allowed a walk-off single while pitching in the Twins final regular season game. The game had gone into extra innings, and Rocco Baldelli did not want to use any extra arms with the playoffs just two days away. Luplow was left off the Twins playoff roster, and non-tendered in the off-season. He spent 2024 in the Phillies minor league system. As of 2025, Luplow is playing for the High Point Rockers of the Atlantic League. View full player

Brendan Michael Harris was born on August 26, 1980 in Queensburry, New York. The Chicago Cubs selected him in round five of the 2001 MLB Draft. He played just three games for them in 2004, before getting dealt to the Montreal Expos in a four team deal that helped the Cubs acquire superstar shortstop Nomar Garciaparra from the Boston Red Sox. Harris played just 41 games for the Expos/Washington Nationals between 2004 and 2006. He finished 2006 with the Cincinnati Reds. Harris finally found regular playing time with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 2007. He played in 137 games, hitting .286 with 12 home runs and 59 RBI. Tampa Bay traded him to the Minnesota Twins that off-season. His first season in Minnesota was highlighted by a pair of home runs against baseball legends on back-to-back nights. Harris hit a tiebreaking home run against Hall of Fame closer Trevor Hoffman of the San Diego Padres on June 24, 2008. This helped the Twins pull out a 3-1 win. He hit a go-ahead two run homer against Greg Maddux, who was in the final year of his legendary career. The damn burst after that, and Minnesota won 9-3. Harris finished the season hitting .265 with seven home runs and 49 RBI. He made 51 starts at shortstop, plus 37 at second base and 28 at third. Harris continued on in his utility infield role during the 2009 season, hitting .261 with six home runs and 37 RBI. The mid-season acquisition of Orlando Cabrera took playing time away from him and his other utility counterparts, such as Nick Punto and Matt Tolbert. Harris came off the bench in the 2009 AL Central Tiebreaker Game, going 0-for-1 with a walk in their thrilling 12 inning win over the Detroit Tigers. He was 3-for-12 (.250) with a triple during the ALDS. Minnesota added J.J. Hardy and Orlando Hudson in 2010, giving them full time players at two of the three spots Harris usually played. The emergence of rookie third baseman Danny Valeinca took even more potential at-bats away. With both Nick Punto and Alexi Casilla having better seasons as infield bench options, Harris was outrighted to Triple-A in late-June. He spent 2011 and 2012 in the minor league system of various organizations, resurfacing at the Major League level with the Los Angeles Angels in 2013. Harris continued to play professionally through 2015. View full player

Delmon Demarcus Young was born on September 14, 1985 in Montgomery, Alabama. The Tampa Bay Devil Rays selected him with the first overall pick in the 2003 MLB Draft. He made his Major League debut late in 2006, and was runner-up for AL Rookie of the Year in 2007. Tampa Bay traded him to the Minnesota Twins in a six piece deal on November 28, 2007. Young hit .290 with ten home runs and 69 RBI during his first season with the Twins, stealing 14 bases. He hit a dramatic three run homer to tie up a game against Mariano Rivera on August 12th, but Minnesota wound up losing in 12 innings. His defense was very erratic. Young led all American League left fielders with eight errors, but also led them with 11 assists. He began the 2009 season in a left field platoon with Denard Span. As the season went along, center fielder Carlos Gómez began to struggle offensively and lose playing time. This allowed Span to become the regular option in center, giving Young the opportunity to play almost everyday in the second half. Young earned the year's final AL Player of the Week honor, finishing the regular season with a streak of five consecutive multi-hit efforts. The Twins were in a situation where every game mattered too. They finished tied with the Detroit Tigers through 162 games, and had to play a tie-breaker contest for the AL Central crown. Young went 1-for-5 with a walk in their "Game 163" win. A career year in 2010 helped Young finish tenth place in AL MVP voting. His 112 RBI were fifth in the American League, and he belted a career high 21 homers. He also led all left fielders with 12 assists. This was all fueled by a monster month of July, where Young hit .434 with 30 RBI. He was named AL Player of the Month. Minnesota captured their second straight division crown. Young was 4-for-12 (.333) in the ALDS. Many players on the Twins had down years in 2011, and Young was no exception. He was traded to the Detroit Tigers for two minor league pitchers in an August waiver deal. Young finished out the year in Detroit, and played for them in 2012 as well. His regular season numbers were often lacking, but Young would make up for it in October. He had a .927 OPS in 22 playoff games for the Tigers, helping them reach the ALCS in 2011 and the World Series in 2012. Young was named ALCS MVP in 2012, and was their only hitter who showed up in the 2012 World Series. An elite San Francisco Giants pitching staff held Detroit to a .159 team batting average during the Fall Classic, but Young hit .357 with a 1.043 OPS. The Giants swept Detroit in four games. He spent the next few seasons as a platoon bat for the Philadelphia Phillies (2013), Tampa Bay Rays (2013) and Baltimore Orioles (2014-15). Young continued to have a knack for postseason heroics, including a home run for Tampa Bay in the 2013 AL Wild Card Game. Trailing 6-4 in game two of the 2014 ALDS, Young hit a three run double in the eighth inning to give Baltimore the lead against his old Tigers club. 2015 was his final Major League season, but Young continued to play professionally in various international leagues until 2021. View full player