1992 Minnesota Twins
Encyclopedia
Coming off a World Series victory
, the 1992 Minnesota Twins
continued the team's winning spree. The team finished in second place to Oakland Athletics
and did not make it to the postseason. This would be the team's last winning season until 2001
. On September 27, Kelly won his 523rd game as Twins manager, more than any other skipper in team history.
got 200 hits for the fifth time in his career, as well as 100 runs and 100 RBI. He also hit over .300 for the seventh time in nine seasons. Finally, he hit the first three grand slams of his career. He was twice named American League Player of the Month. Chuck Knoblauch
and Shane Mack
also notched 100 runs, making Puckett, Knoblauch, and Mack the first trio of Twins to score 100 in team history.
First baseman Kent Hrbek
began his fight against the injury bug, getting only 394 at-bats, a number that would decline over the next two years. Catcher Brian Harper
had the second of three seasons batting over .300. Scott Leius
saw a majority of the time at third base, but hit only .249 with 2 home runs. In his last year with the Twins, shortstop Greg Gagne hit .246 — right around his career average. Pedro Muñoz
saw a majority of the time in right field, while Chili Davis
served as the designated hitter
in his second and last year with the Twins.
(16-11, 3.97), Scott Erickson
(13-12, 3.40), and Bill Krueger
(10-6, 4.30). The fifth spot in the rotation was a question mark, with Pat Mahomes
making 13 mediocre starts, Willie Banks
12 poor starts, and Mike Trombley
7 reasonably capable ones.
The bullpen was outstanding, anchored by closer Rick Aguilera
. Aguilera earned 41 saves, and became the Twins' all-time leader in saves on September 1 when he earned his 109th with the team. The four regular arms in the bullpen all had ERAs under three: Carl Willis
, Mark Guthrie
, Tom Edens
, and Gary Wayne
.
prevented him from winning a Gold Glove), as was Knoblauch at second (at least at this point in his career). Gagne was a capable shortstop, but Leius was a question mark at third with a .955 fielding percentage. Mack and Muñoz had good years defensively alongside Puckett.
1991 Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins won the World Series, the second time the Twins had won the World Series since moving to Minnesota in .The Twins finished 95-67, first in the AL West.2,293,842 fans attended Twins games, the eighth highest total in the American League....
, the 1992 Minnesota Twins
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
continued the team's winning spree. The team finished in second place to Oakland Athletics
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
and did not make it to the postseason. This would be the team's last winning season until 2001
2001 Minnesota Twins
The 2001 Minnesota Twins marked the beginning of the Twins’ ascendancy in the American League Central Division. After finishing the 2000 season last in the division with a disappointing 69-93 record, the 2001 team rebounded to finish 85-77, good enough for second place in the division. The...
. On September 27, Kelly won his 523rd game as Twins manager, more than any other skipper in team history.
Offseason
- January 29, 1992: Bill KruegerBill KruegerWilliam Culp Krueger , is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who played from -. Krueger would play for the Oakland A's, Los Angeles Dodgers, Milwaukee Brewers, Seattle Mariners, Minnesota Twins, Montreal Expos, Detroit Tigers, and San Diego Padres.-Early career:After graduating from McMinnville...
was signed as a free agent by the Twins. - March 17, 1992: Denny NeagleDenny NeagleDennis Edward Neagle Jr. is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He was last under contract with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays during the season, but he did not play due to injury...
and Midre CummingsMidre CummingsMidre Almeric Cummings is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. Cummings played for the Pittsburgh Pirates , Philadelphia Phillies , Boston Red Sox , Minnesota Twins , Arizona Diamondbacks , Tampa Bay Devil Rays and Baltimore Orioles .Cummings was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 1st...
were traded by the Twins to the Pittsburgh PiratesPittsburgh PiratesThe Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
for pitcher John Smiley. - March 28, 1992: Paul SorrentoPaul SorrentoPaul Anthony Sorrento is a former first baseman in Major League Baseball. From 1989 through 1999, Sorrento played for the Minnesota Twins , Cleveland Indians , Seattle Mariners and Tampa Bay Devil Rays . He batted left-handed and threw right-handed...
was traded by the Twins to the Cleveland IndiansCleveland IndiansThe Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
for Oscar MuñozOscar Muñoz (baseball)Juan Oscar Muñoz is a former major league baseball pitcher.Muñoz attended the University of Miami and was drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the fifth round of the 1990 amateur draft. He played in the Cleveland farm system until 1991...
and Curt LeskanicCurt LeskanicCurtis John Leskanic is an American former Major League Baseball relief pitcher. During a 12-year baseball career, he pitched from 1993-2004 for the Boston Red Sox, Colorado Rockies, Milwaukee Brewers, and Kansas City Royals...
.
Regular season
- The Twins’ all-star representatives were outfielder Kirby PuckettKirby PuckettKirby Puckett was a Major League Baseball center fielder. He played his entire 12-year baseball career with the Minnesota Twins and he is the Twins franchise's all-time leader in career hits, runs, doubles, and total bases...
, closer Rick AguileraRick AguileraRichard Warren Aguilera is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. During a 16-year baseball career, he pitched from 1985-2000 for the New York Mets, Minnesota Twins, Boston Red Sox, and Chicago Cubs....
, and second baseman Chuck KnoblauchChuck KnoblauchEdward Charles "Chuck" Knoblauch is a retired Major League Baseball player. He played all or part of twelve seasons in the majors, from until , for the Minnesota Twins , New York Yankees and Kansas City Royals...
.
- The highest paid Twin in 1992 was John Smiley at $3,400,000, followed by Hrbek at $3,100,000.
Offense
Outfielder Kirby PuckettKirby Puckett
Kirby Puckett was a Major League Baseball center fielder. He played his entire 12-year baseball career with the Minnesota Twins and he is the Twins franchise's all-time leader in career hits, runs, doubles, and total bases...
got 200 hits for the fifth time in his career, as well as 100 runs and 100 RBI. He also hit over .300 for the seventh time in nine seasons. Finally, he hit the first three grand slams of his career. He was twice named American League Player of the Month. Chuck Knoblauch
Chuck Knoblauch
Edward Charles "Chuck" Knoblauch is a retired Major League Baseball player. He played all or part of twelve seasons in the majors, from until , for the Minnesota Twins , New York Yankees and Kansas City Royals...
and Shane Mack
Shane Mack (baseball player)
Shane Lee Mack is a former left and center fielder in Major League Baseball.Mack played for Richard Gahr High School in Cerritos, California from 1978-1982. Upon graduation, he accepted an athletic scholarship to play for the UCLA Bruins baseball team where he starred from 1982-1984...
also notched 100 runs, making Puckett, Knoblauch, and Mack the first trio of Twins to score 100 in team history.
First baseman Kent Hrbek
Kent Hrbek
Frequently injured , Hrbek retired after the players strike in 1994, citing his nagging injury problems and desire to spend more time with his wife and daughter at their home in Bloomington, MN...
began his fight against the injury bug, getting only 394 at-bats, a number that would decline over the next two years. Catcher Brian Harper
Brian Harper
Brian David Harper is a former catcher in Major League Baseball who played for teams in both the American and National Leagues during his 16-year career and is currently the manager of the Chicago Cubs' AA club, the Tennessee Smokies.-Minor leagues:Harper was drafted by the California Angels in...
had the second of three seasons batting over .300. Scott Leius
Scott Leius
Scott Thomas Leius is a former American League baseball player during the 1990s. Leius was a late season call up by the Minnesota Twins and debuted with the parent club on September 3, 1990...
saw a majority of the time at third base, but hit only .249 with 2 home runs. In his last year with the Twins, shortstop Greg Gagne hit .246 — right around his career average. Pedro Muñoz
Pedro Muñoz (baseball)
Pedro Javier Muñoz González is a former outfielder in Major League Baseball. He played seven seasons in the majors, from until , for the Minnesota Twins and Oakland Athletics.-External links:...
saw a majority of the time in right field, while Chili Davis
Chili Davis
Charles Theodore "Chili" Davis is the hitting coach for the Oakland Athletics. Davis is a former outfielder/designated hitter who played in Major League Baseball with the San Francisco Giants , California Angels , Minnesota Twins , Kansas City Royals and New York Yankees...
served as the designated hitter
Designated hitter
In baseball, the designated hitter rule is the common name for Major League Baseball Rule 6.10, an official position adopted by the American League in 1973 that allows teams to designate a player, known as the designated hitter , to bat in place of the pitcher each time he would otherwise come to...
in his second and last year with the Twins.
| Statistic Baseball statistics Statistics play an important role in summarizing baseball performance and evaluating players in the sport.Since the flow of a baseball game has natural breaks to it, and normally players act individually rather than performing in clusters, the sport lends itself to easy record-keeping and statistics... | Player | Quantity |
|---|---|---|
| HR Home run In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process... |
Kirby Puckett Kirby Puckett Kirby Puckett was a Major League Baseball center fielder. He played his entire 12-year baseball career with the Minnesota Twins and he is the Twins franchise's all-time leader in career hits, runs, doubles, and total bases... |
19 |
| RBI | Kirby Puckett Kirby Puckett Kirby Puckett was a Major League Baseball center fielder. He played his entire 12-year baseball career with the Minnesota Twins and he is the Twins franchise's all-time leader in career hits, runs, doubles, and total bases... |
110 |
| BA Batting average Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :... |
Kirby Puckett Kirby Puckett Kirby Puckett was a Major League Baseball center fielder. He played his entire 12-year baseball career with the Minnesota Twins and he is the Twins franchise's all-time leader in career hits, runs, doubles, and total bases... |
.329 |
| Runs Run (baseball) In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls are met or assured... |
Kirby Puckett Kirby Puckett Kirby Puckett was a Major League Baseball center fielder. He played his entire 12-year baseball career with the Minnesota Twins and he is the Twins franchise's all-time leader in career hits, runs, doubles, and total bases... and Chuck Knoblauch Chuck Knoblauch Edward Charles "Chuck" Knoblauch is a retired Major League Baseball player. He played all or part of twelve seasons in the majors, from until , for the Minnesota Twins , New York Yankees and Kansas City Royals... |
104 |
Pitching
The first four pitchers in the starting rotation had winning records and solid ERAs, including John Smiley (16-9, 3.21), Kevin TapaniKevin Tapani
Kevin Ray Tapani is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who played for the New York Mets, Minnesota Twins, Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago White Sox, and Chicago Cubs from 1989 to 2001.-Early life:...
(16-11, 3.97), Scott Erickson
Scott Erickson
Scott Gavin Erickson is a former Major League Baseball pitcher.-Career:Erickson was born in Long Beach, California, and began his professional career, after being drafted by the NY Mets in 1986, Houston Astros in 1987, and Toronto Blue Jays in 1988, in when he was drafted by the Minnesota Twins...
(13-12, 3.40), and Bill Krueger
Bill Krueger
William Culp Krueger , is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who played from -. Krueger would play for the Oakland A's, Los Angeles Dodgers, Milwaukee Brewers, Seattle Mariners, Minnesota Twins, Montreal Expos, Detroit Tigers, and San Diego Padres.-Early career:After graduating from McMinnville...
(10-6, 4.30). The fifth spot in the rotation was a question mark, with Pat Mahomes
Pat Mahomes
Patrick Lavon Mahomes is a professional baseball pitcher who is currently a free agent. He played in Major League Baseball from to for the Minnesota Twins, Boston Red Sox, New York Mets, Texas Rangers, Chicago Cubs, and Pittsburgh Pirates. He also pitched in two seasons in Nippon Professional...
making 13 mediocre starts, Willie Banks
Willie Banks (baseball)
Willie Anthony Banks was a pitcher for Major League Baseball's Minnesota Twins , Chicago Cubs , Los Angeles Dodgers , Florida Marlins , New York Yankees , Arizona Diamondbacks and Boston Red Sox .Banks was a member of the 1991 World Series champion Minnesota Twins, the 1995...
12 poor starts, and Mike Trombley
Mike Trombley
Michael Scott Trombley and raised in Wilbraham, Massachusetts is a retired professional baseball player who pitched in the Major Leagues from -.-External links:...
7 reasonably capable ones.
The bullpen was outstanding, anchored by closer Rick Aguilera
Rick Aguilera
Richard Warren Aguilera is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. During a 16-year baseball career, he pitched from 1985-2000 for the New York Mets, Minnesota Twins, Boston Red Sox, and Chicago Cubs....
. Aguilera earned 41 saves, and became the Twins' all-time leader in saves on September 1 when he earned his 109th with the team. The four regular arms in the bullpen all had ERAs under three: Carl Willis
Carl Willis
Carl Blake Willis was a relief pitcher for the Detroit Tigers, Cincinnati Reds, Chicago White Sox and Minnesota Twins...
, Mark Guthrie
Mark Guthrie
Mark Andrew Guthrie is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher. He was a member of the 1991 World Series Champion Minnesota Twins....
, Tom Edens
Tom Edens
Thomas Patrick Edens is a former Major League Baseball player. Edens was drafted 14th overall by the Kansas City Royals in 1983 and pitched all or part of seven seasons in the majors between and for six different teams.His best year was 1992 with the Minnesota Twins as a middle reliever, when he...
, and Gary Wayne
Gary Wayne
Gary Anthony Wayne was a Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. He is an alumnus of the University of Michigan....
.
| Statistic Baseball statistics Statistics play an important role in summarizing baseball performance and evaluating players in the sport.Since the flow of a baseball game has natural breaks to it, and normally players act individually rather than performing in clusters, the sport lends itself to easy record-keeping and statistics... | Player | Quantity |
|---|---|---|
| ERA Earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine... |
John Smiley | 3.21 |
| Wins Win (baseball) In professional baseball, there are two types of decisions: a win and a loss . In each game, one pitcher on the winning team is awarded a win and one pitcher on the losing team is given a loss in their respective statistics. These pitchers are collectively known as the pitchers of record. Only... |
John Smiley and Kevin Tapani Kevin Tapani Kevin Ray Tapani is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who played for the New York Mets, Minnesota Twins, Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago White Sox, and Chicago Cubs from 1989 to 2001.-Early life:... |
16 |
| Saves | Rick Aguilera Rick Aguilera Richard Warren Aguilera is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. During a 16-year baseball career, he pitched from 1985-2000 for the New York Mets, Minnesota Twins, Boston Red Sox, and Chicago Cubs.... |
41 |
| Strikeouts | John Smiley | 163 |
Defense
As expected for a Tom Kelly team, the defense was strong. Puckett would win the last of his six Gold Glove Awards. Hrbek was always strong at first base (although Don MattinglyDon Mattingly
Donald Arthur "Don" Mattingly is a former Major League Baseball first baseman and current manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Nicknamed "The Hit Man" and "Donnie Baseball", he played his entire 14-year baseball career for the New York Yankees...
prevented him from winning a Gold Glove), as was Knoblauch at second (at least at this point in his career). Gagne was a capable shortstop, but Leius was a question mark at third with a .955 fielding percentage. Mack and Muñoz had good years defensively alongside Puckett.
Notable transactions
- January 7, 1992: Mauro Gozzo was signed as a Free Agent with the Minnesota Twins.
- April 15, 1992: Enrique WilsonEnrique WilsonEnrique Wilson Marte is a former Major League Baseball infielder. He batted switch and threw right-handed....
was signed as an amateur free agent by the Twins. - June 1, 1992: 1992 Major League Baseball Draft1992 Major League Baseball Draft-First round selections:The following are the first round picks in the 1992 Major League Baseball draft.-Other notable players:*Raúl Ibáñez, 36th round, Seattle Mariners...
- Dan SerafiniDan SerafiniDaniel Joseph Serafini is a left-handed Major League Baseball relief pitcher who is currently a free agent and coach/owner of Throw Like a Pro Baseball Academy.-Minor league career:...
was drafted by the Twins in the 1st round (26th pick). - Gus GandarillasGus GandarillasGustavo Gandarillas is a retired Major League Baseball pitcher. He played during one season at the major league level for the Milwaukee Brewers. He was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the third round of the 1992 amateur entry draft...
was drafted by the Twins in the 3rd round. - Dan NaultyDan NaultyDaniel Donovan Naulty is a former pitcher for the Minnesota Twins and New York Yankees in Major League Baseball....
was drafted by the Twins in the 14th round. - Scott WatkinsScott WatkinsScott Allen Watkins is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. Watkins pitched in for the Minnesota Twins, pitching in 27 games with no wins or losses.-Sources:...
was drafted by the Twins in the 23rd round.
- Dan Serafini
- August 31, 1992: Bill Krueger was traded by the Twins to the Montreal ExposMontreal ExposThe Montreal Expos were a Major League Baseball team located in Montreal, Quebec from 1969 through 2004, holding the first MLB franchise awarded outside the United States. After the 2004 season, MLB moved the Expos to Washington, D.C. and renamed them the Nationals.Named after the Expo 67 World's...
for Darren ReedDarren ReedDarren A Douglass Reed is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. He played with the New York Mets in 1990 and with both the Montreal Expos and Minnesota Twins in 1992. He played a total of 82 Major League games, 26 for the Mets, 42 for the Expos and 14 for the Twins...
. - November 17, 1992: Jayhawk Owens was drafted by the Colorado Rockies from the Minnesota Twins as the 23rd pick in the 1992 expansion draft.
Roster
| 1992 Minnesota Twins | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roster | |||||||||
| Pitchers |
Catchers Infielders |
Outfielders Other batters |
Manager Coaches |
||||||
Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At Bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting Average; HR = Home Runs; RBI = Runs Batted In| Pos | Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | Brian Harper Brian Harper Brian David Harper is a former catcher in Major League Baseball who played for teams in both the American and National Leagues during his 16-year career and is currently the manager of the Chicago Cubs' AA club, the Tennessee Smokies.-Minor leagues:Harper was drafted by the California Angels in... |
140 | 502 | 154 | .307 | 9 | 73 |
| 1B | Kent Hrbek Kent Hrbek Frequently injured , Hrbek retired after the players strike in 1994, citing his nagging injury problems and desire to spend more time with his wife and daughter at their home in Bloomington, MN... |
112 | 394 | 96 | .244 | 15 | 58 |
| 2B | Chuck Knoblauch Chuck Knoblauch Edward Charles "Chuck" Knoblauch is a retired Major League Baseball player. He played all or part of twelve seasons in the majors, from until , for the Minnesota Twins , New York Yankees and Kansas City Royals... |
155 | 600 | 178 | .297 | 2 | 56 |
| 3B | Scott Leius Scott Leius Scott Thomas Leius is a former American League baseball player during the 1990s. Leius was a late season call up by the Minnesota Twins and debuted with the parent club on September 3, 1990... |
129 | 409 | 102 | .249 | 2 | 35 |
| SS | Greg Gagne | 146 | 439 | 108 | .246 | 7 | 39 |
| LF | Shane Mack | 156 | 600 | 189 | .315 | 16 | 75 |
| CF | Kirby Puckett Kirby Puckett Kirby Puckett was a Major League Baseball center fielder. He played his entire 12-year baseball career with the Minnesota Twins and he is the Twins franchise's all-time leader in career hits, runs, doubles, and total bases... |
160 | 639 | 210 | .329 | 19 | 110 |
| RF | Pedro Muñoz Pedro Muñoz (baseball) Pedro Javier Muñoz González is a former outfielder in Major League Baseball. He played seven seasons in the majors, from until , for the Minnesota Twins and Oakland Athletics.-External links:... |
127 | 418 | 113 | .270 | 12 | 71 |
| DH | Chili Davis Chili Davis Charles Theodore "Chili" Davis is the hitting coach for the Oakland Athletics. Davis is a former outfielder/designated hitter who played in Major League Baseball with the San Francisco Giants , California Angels , Minnesota Twins , Kansas City Royals and New York Yankees... |
138 | 444 | 128 | .288 | 12 | 66 |
Other batters
| Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Terry Jorgensen Terry Jorgensen Terry Allen Jorgensen is a former Major League Baseball third baseman. He played in parts of three seasons in the majors for the Minnesota Twins between and .... |
22 | 58 | 18 | .310 | 0 | 5 |
| Derek Parks Derek Parks Derek Gavin Parks is a former Major League Baseball catcher. He played parts of three seasons in the majors, from until , for the Minnesota Twins.-External links:... |
7 | 6 | 2 | .333 | 0 | 0 |
Starting pitchers
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Smiley | 34 | 241 | 16 | 9 | 3.21 | 163 |
| Bill Krueger Bill Krueger William Culp Krueger , is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who played from -. Krueger would play for the Oakland A's, Los Angeles Dodgers, Milwaukee Brewers, Seattle Mariners, Minnesota Twins, Montreal Expos, Detroit Tigers, and San Diego Padres.-Early career:After graduating from McMinnville... |
27 | 161.1 | 10 | 6 | 4.30 | 86 |
Other pitchers
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Relief pitchers
| Player | G | W | L | SV | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rick Aguilera Rick Aguilera Richard Warren Aguilera is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. During a 16-year baseball career, he pitched from 1985-2000 for the New York Mets, Minnesota Twins, Boston Red Sox, and Chicago Cubs.... |
64 | 2 | 6 | 41 | 2.84 | 52 |