1995 Minnesota Twins
Encyclopedia
Although the 1995 Minnesota Twins
were separated from a world championship by only four years, it seemed like eons. Because of the 1994 Major League Baseball strike, the season got off to a late start. However, it did not end soon enough, as the team finished with a 56-88 record and in last place in its division. The team found it impossible to compete against the runaway Cleveland Indians
who won 100 games despite the short season and finished 44 games ahead of the Twins. By July, the team was trading away its veterans in a fire sale. Manager Tom Kelly
might have preferred that the strike had continued.
and outfielders Kirby Puckett and Marty Cordova
. Puckett did not know that this would be his last year, but it was a solid one. He would be the team's lone all-star representative. Cordova had a great year for a rookie, and won the Rookie of the Year
award.
would get the ball every fifth game. He made 28 starts, but the other pitchers were either injury-prone, inconsistent, or traded by the end of the year, with Kevin Tapani
making 20 starts, Mike Trombley
18, Frank Rodriguez
16, Scott Erickson
15, and Jose Parra 12. Closer Rick Aguilera would also be traded midway through the season. He earned 12 saves while Dave Stevens
earned 10. Aguilera, Rich Robertson, and Mark Guthrie
were the only regular pitchers with ERAs under 5.
was the starting catcher, backed up by Matt Merullo
. Scott Stahoviak
played in 69 games at first base. Although he was not a good hitter, he had a .998 fielding percentage that year. Knoblauch capably manned second base. Scott Leius
played reasonably well at third in his last year with the Twins. Pat Meares
continued his decent play at shortstop in his third year with the Twins. The regular outfielders were Puckett, Cordova, and Rich Becker
.
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...
were separated from a world championship by only four years, it seemed like eons. Because of the 1994 Major League Baseball strike, the season got off to a late start. However, it did not end soon enough, as the team finished with a 56-88 record and in last place in its division. The team found it impossible to compete against the runaway Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The 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...
who won 100 games despite the short season and finished 44 games ahead of the Twins. By July, the team was trading away its veterans in a fire sale. Manager Tom Kelly
Tom Kelly (baseball)
Jay Thomas Kelly , is the former manager of the Minnesota Twins baseball team from to . Currently, he serves as a Special Assistant to the General Manager for the Twins....
might have preferred that the strike had continued.
Offseason
- November 4, 1995: Rich Robertson was selected off waivers by the Twins from 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...
. - December 16, 1995: Matt MerulloMatt MerulloMatthew Bates Merullo is a retired professional baseball player. He played all or part of six seasons in Major League Baseball from 1989–95, primarily as a catcher. He is currently a regional scout for the Arizona Diamondbacks....
was signed as a free agent by the Twins. - December 22, 1995: Kevin MaasKevin MaasKevin Christian Maas is a former Major League Baseball player. He was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 22nd round of the 1986 draft after attending the University Of California. He made his major league debut for Yankees on June 29, 1990 when they called him up from the Columbus Clippers...
was signed as a free agent by the Twins.
Regular season
- The lone representative of the Twins in the All-Star Game was 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...
.
- The highest paid Twin in 1995 was 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...
at $6,300,000, followed by 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....
at $4,3500,000.
Offense
Only three players had particularly solid years: second baseman Chuck KnoblauchChuck 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 outfielders Kirby Puckett and Marty Cordova
Marty Cordova
Martin Keevin "Marty" Cordova [cor-DOH-vuh] , is an American former Major League Baseball left fielder. He played for the Minnesota Twins , Toronto Blue Jays , Cleveland Indians and Baltimore Orioles...
. Puckett did not know that this would be his last year, but it was a solid one. He would be the team's lone all-star representative. Cordova had a great year for a rookie, and won the Rookie of the Year
MLB Rookie of the Year Award
In Major League Baseball, the Rookie of the Year Award is annually given to one player from each league as voted on by the Baseball Writers Association of America . The award was established in 1940 by the Chicago chapter of the BBWAA, which selected an annual winner from 1940 through 1946...
award.
| 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... |
Marty Cordova Marty Cordova Martin Keevin "Marty" Cordova [cor-DOH-vuh] , is an American former Major League Baseball left fielder. He played for the Minnesota Twins , Toronto Blue Jays , Cleveland Indians and Baltimore Orioles... |
24 |
| 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... |
99 |
| 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 :... |
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... |
.333 |
| 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... |
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... |
107 |
Pitching
The starting rotation was uncertain. Surprisingly, the only certainty was that rookie Brad RadkeBrad Radke
Brad William Radke is a former Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher who played his entire 12 season career with the Minnesota Twins. Radke won 148 career games and was one of the most consistent pitchers in the Twins organization during the late 90's...
would get the ball every fifth game. He made 28 starts, but the other pitchers were either injury-prone, inconsistent, or traded by the end of the year, with 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:...
making 20 starts, 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:...
18, Frank Rodriguez
Frank Rodriguez (baseball)
Francisco Rodriguez is a former major league pitcher.-Amateur career:Rodriguez won the Dick Howser Trophy in 1991. At the time of the award, Rodriguez was playing for Howard Junior College in Big Spring, Texas...
16, 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...
15, and Jose Parra 12. Closer Rick Aguilera would also be traded midway through the season. He earned 12 saves while Dave Stevens
Dave Stevens (baseball)
David James Stevens is an American former Major League Baseball player. A pitcher, Stevens played for the Minnesota Twins , Chicago Cubs , Cleveland Indians , and Atlanta Braves .-External links:...
earned 10. Aguilera, Rich Robertson, and 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....
were the only regular pitchers with ERAs under 5.
| 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... |
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:... |
4.92 |
| 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... |
Brad Radke Brad Radke Brad William Radke is a former Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher who played his entire 12 season career with the Minnesota Twins. Radke won 148 career games and was one of the most consistent pitchers in the Twins organization during the late 90's... |
11 |
| 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.... |
12 |
| Strikeouts | 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:... |
88 |
Defense
Like most of Tom Kelly's teams, the defense was capable. Matt WalbeckMatt Walbeck
Matthew Lovick Walbeck is a former right-handed Major League Baseball catcher who played from to for the Chicago Cubs, Minnesota Twins, Detroit Tigers, Anaheim Angels and Philadelphia Phillies...
was the starting catcher, backed up by Matt Merullo
Matt Merullo
Matthew Bates Merullo is a retired professional baseball player. He played all or part of six seasons in Major League Baseball from 1989–95, primarily as a catcher. He is currently a regional scout for the Arizona Diamondbacks....
. Scott Stahoviak
Scott Stahoviak
Scott Edmund Stahoviak is a former Minnesota Twins first baseman. He was born on March 6, 1970, in Waukegan, Illinois. He attended Creighton University, and was an integral part of Creighton's NCAA College World Series appearance in 1991...
played in 69 games at first base. Although he was not a good hitter, he had a .998 fielding percentage that year. Knoblauch capably manned second base. 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...
played reasonably well at third in his last year with the Twins. Pat Meares
Pat Meares
Patrick James Meares is a former Major League Baseball shortstop.Meares was the 12th round draft pick of the 1990 amateur draft by the Minnesota Twins, from Wichita State University....
continued his decent play at shortstop in his third year with the Twins. The regular outfielders were Puckett, Cordova, and Rich Becker
Rich Becker
Richard "Richie" Godhard Becker was a Major League Baseball player between 1993-2000.Born in Aurora, Illinois, Becker was selected in the third round of the 1990 Major League Baseball amateur draft out of West Aurora High School by the Minnesota Twins. In high school Becker, excelled at football...
.
Notable Transactions
- April 6, 1984: Carl WillisCarl WillisCarl Blake Willis was a relief pitcher for the Detroit Tigers, Cincinnati Reds, Chicago White Sox and Minnesota Twins...
was signed as a free agent by the Twins. - May 4, 1994: Carl Willis was released by the Twins.
- May 16, 1994: Kevin CampbellKevin Campbell (baseball)Kevin Wade Campbell is a former professional baseball pitcher. He played in parts of five seasons in Major League Baseball, from 1991 until 1995, for the Oakland Athletics and Minnesota Twins....
was released by the Twins. - June 1, 1994: 1984 Major League Baseball Draft1984 Major League Baseball Draft-First round selections:The following are the first round picks in the 1984 Major League Baseball draft.- Other notable players :*Future Canadian Football League quarterback Damon Allen, was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the seventh round, 182nd overall....
- Mark RedmanMark RedmanMark Allen Redman is a retired Major League Baseball left-handed starting pitcher.-Early career:...
was drafted by the Twins in the 1st round (13th pick). - Doug MientkiewiczDoug MientkiewiczDouglas Andrew Mientkiewicz is a first baseman who last appeared in the majors in with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He bats left-handed and throws right-handed...
was drafted by the Twins in the 5th round.
- Mark Redman
- July 6, 1994: 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....
was traded by the Twins to the Boston Red SoxBoston Red SoxThe Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
for pitcher Frank RodriguezFrank Rodriguez (baseball)Francisco Rodriguez is a former major league pitcher.-Amateur career:Rodriguez won the Dick Howser Trophy in 1991. At the time of the award, Rodriguez was playing for Howard Junior College in Big Spring, Texas...
and a player to be named later. The Red Sox completed the deal by sending J. J. Johnson (minors) to the Twins on October 11. - July 7, 1994: Scott EricksonScott EricksonScott 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...
was traded by the Twins to the Baltimore OriolesBaltimore OriolesThe Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
for pitcher Scott KlingenbeckScott KlingenbeckScott Klingenbeck was a Major League Baseball pitcher. Klingenbeck graduated from Oak Hills High School in 1989, and then attended Ohio State University. He played in the MLB for a total of 4 years, with the Baltimore Orioles, Minnesota Twins, and Cincinnati Reds.-External links:* provided by...
and a player to be named later. The Orioles completed the trade by sending Kimera BarteeKimera BarteeKimera Anotchi Bartee is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. He is an alumnus of Creighton University and was also part of Creighton's NCAA College World Series appearance .Bartee was born in Omaha, Nebraska...
to the Twins on September 19. - July 31, 1994: Kevin TapaniKevin TapaniKevin 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:...
and Mark GuthrieMark GuthrieMark Andrew Guthrie is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher. He was a member of the 1991 World Series Champion Minnesota Twins....
were traded by the Twins to the Los Angeles DodgersLos Angeles DodgersThe Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
for Ron CoomerRon CoomerRonald "Coom Dawg" Coomer is a former first baseman and third baseman in Major League Baseball who had a 9-year career from to . He played for the Minnesota Twins, New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers...
, Greg HansellGreg HansellGregory Michael Hansell in Bellflower, California, is a former Major League Baseball pitcher.Hansell played for four different major league ballclubs during his career: the Los Angeles Dodgers , Minnesota Twins , Milwaukee Brewers , and Pittsburgh Pirates...
, José ParraJosé Parra (baseball)José Miguel Parra was a Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher who played from -. He also played two seasons in Japan, for the Yomiuri Giants in and the Orix Buffaloes in , as well as in South Korea and Taiwan.-External links:...
, and a player to be named later. The Dodgers completed the deal by sending Chris Latham to the Twins on October 30. - October 9, 1995: Luis Rivas was signed by the Minnesota Twins as an amateur free agent.
Roster
| 1995 Minnesota Twins | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roster | |||||||||
| Pitchers |
Catchers Infielders |
Outfielders Other batters |
Manager Coaches |
||||||
Starters by position
Note: 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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... |
137 | 538 | 169 | .314 | 23 | 99 |
Other batters
| Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dan Masteller Dan Masteller Dan Patrick Masteller is a former Major League Baseball first baseman. He played one season in the majors for the Minnesota Twins in .Originally drafted by the Twins in the 11th round of the 1989 Major League Baseball Draft, Masteller played in their organization until June, 1995, when he made his... |
71 | 198 | 47 | .237 | 3 | 21 |
Starting pitchers
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|
Other pitchers
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rich Robertson | 25 | 51.2 | 2 | 0 | 3.83 | 38 |
Relief pitchers
| Player | G | W | L | SV | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scott Watkins Scott Watkins Scott 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:... |
27 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5.40 | 11 |
| Kevin Campbell Kevin Campbell (baseball) Kevin Wade Campbell is a former professional baseball pitcher. He played in parts of five seasons in Major League Baseball, from 1991 until 1995, for the Oakland Athletics and Minnesota Twins.... |
6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4.66 | 5 |