2000 Minnesota Twins
Encyclopedia
The 2000 Minnesota Twins
were the last Twins team with a losing record in eight consecutive years of losing teams. The team finished with a 69-93 record, with weak hitting but slightly better pitching. One would not have suspected that this team, led by Manager Tom Kelly
, would reach the postseason only two years later.
. Lawton hit .305 with 13 home runs, 88 RBI, and 23 stolen bases. Also notable this year were shortstop Cristian Guzman
's major league leading 20 triples. Like most of his career with the Twins, David Ortiz
spent much of the 2000 season rehabbing injuries. He did, however, play in 88 games as the team's designated hitter. The Twins also experimented with Butch Huskey
in the DH spot. Not surprisingly, this was not a successful experiment, with Huskey playing in only 39 games at the position.
, Eric Milton
, Mark Redman
, and Joe Mays
in for most the year. Radke, Milton, and Redman all had ERAs of under 5. The fifth starter was uncertain, with Sean Bergman
making 14 starts, and J.C. Romero
making 11. Romero's ERA of 7.02 did not suggest the dominant reliever he would subseuqently become.
Despite uncertainty as to the identity of the closer, the bullpen was stellar. LaTroy Hawkins
, Bob Wells, Eddie Guardado
, Travis Miller
, and Héctor Carrasco
all had strong years out of the bullpen. Hawkins led the club with 14 saves.
One notable presence among the pitching staff was rookie Johan Santana
, acquired from the Houston Astros
via the Florida Marlins
in the Rule 5 Draft
. In order for the Twins to keep Santana under Rule 5, Santana was required to stay on the major league roster for the entire season. He did, and his numbers did nothing to suggest he would one day win a Cy Young Award
. His ERA was 6.49 and he struck out 64 batters in 86 innings. He was used almost exclusively in mop-up roles, although he did start five games. He spent most of the 2001 season
in the minor leagues. The Twins' foresight in keeping him on the roster during the 2000 season must be regarded as one of the greatest uses ever of the Rule 5 Draft.
at first, Jay Canizaro
at second, Guzman at short, Corey Koskie
at third, and Denny Hocking
backing them all up. The 2000 season saw the inception of the "Soul Patrol" outfield of Jacque Jones
, Torii Hunter
, and Lawton. Nobody was able to establish himself as the everyday catcher, with Matt LeCroy playing in 48 games at the position, Chad Moeller
in 40, Marcus Jensen
in 37, A.J. Pierzynski in 27, and Danny Ardoin
in 10.
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 the last Twins team with a losing record in eight consecutive years of losing teams. The team finished with a 69-93 record, with weak hitting but slightly better pitching. One would not have suspected that this team, led by 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....
, would reach the postseason only two years later.
Offseason
- December 13, 1999: Under the Rule 5 DraftRule 5 draftThe Rule 5 draft is a Major League Baseball player draft that occurs each year in December, at the annual Winter Meeting of general managers. The Rule 5 draft aims to prevent teams from stockpiling too many young players on their minor league affiliate teams when other teams would be willing to...
, the Twins send minor leaguer Jared Camp and cash to the Florida MarlinsFlorida MarlinsThe Miami Marlins are a professional baseball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. Established in 1993 as an expansion franchise called the Florida Marlins, the Marlins are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Marlins played their home games at...
in exchange for future Cy Young AwardCy Young AwardThe Cy Young Award is an honor given annually in baseball to the best pitchers in Major League Baseball , one each for the American League and National League . The award was first introduced in 1956 by Baseball Commissioner Ford Frick in honor of Hall of Fame pitcher Cy Young, who died in 1955...
winner Johan SantanaJohan SantanaJohan Alexander Santana Araque is a Major League Baseball left-handed starting pitcher who is currently playing for the New York Mets. He is a native of Venezuela....
. - January 4: Signed catcher Marcus JensenMarcus JensenMarcus Christian Jensen is a former professional baseball player. He played catcher for the San Francisco Giants, Detroit Tigers, Milwaukee Brewers, St...
as a free agent. Jensen was granted free agency on October 2. - January 27: Signed Butch HuskeyButch HuskeyRobert Leon "Butch" Huskey , is a former professional baseball player who played in the Major Leagues primarily as an outfielder from 1993 and 1995-2000....
as a free agent. On July 15, the team traded Huskey to the Colorado RockiesColorado RockiesThe Colorado Rockies are a Major League Baseball team based in Denver, Colorado. Established in 1991, they started play in 1993 and are in the West Division of the National League. The team is named after the Rocky Mountains...
for Todd SearsTodd SearsTodd Andrew Sears is a former Major League Baseball first baseman for the Minnesota Twins and San Diego Padres.-Nebraska:...
and cash.
Regular season
- The lone representative of the Twins in the All-Star Game was outfielder Matt LawtonMatt LawtonMatthew "Matt" Lawton, Jr. is a retired professional baseball whose career spanned 15 seasons, including 12 seasons in Major League Baseball. Lawton, an outfielder, made his major league debut September 5, 1995, with the Minnesota Twins, who signed him four years prior...
.
- The highest paid Twin in 2000 was Brad RadkeBrad RadkeBrad 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...
at $3,500,000; followed by Matt LawtonMatt LawtonMatthew "Matt" Lawton, Jr. is a retired professional baseball whose career spanned 15 seasons, including 12 seasons in Major League Baseball. Lawton, an outfielder, made his major league debut September 5, 1995, with the Minnesota Twins, who signed him four years prior...
at $2,000,000.
- In the Inaugural year of The Twins' Hall of Fame, Harmon KillebrewHarmon KillebrewHarmon Clayton Killebrew , nicknamed "Killer" and "Hammerin' Harmon", was an American professional baseball first baseman, third baseman, and left fielder. During his 22-year career in Major League Baseball , he played for the Washington Senators, a team which later became the Minnesota Twins, and...
, Rod CarewRod CarewRodney Cline "Rod" Carew is a former Major League Baseball first baseman, second baseman and coach. He played from 1967 to 1985 for the Minnesota Twins and the California Angels and was elected to the All-Star game every season except his last. In 1991, Carew was inducted into the National...
, Tony OlivaTony OlivaTony Pedro Oliva is a former Major League Baseball right fielder and designated hitter. He played his entire 15-year baseball career for the Minnesota Twins . He batted left-handed and threw right-handed...
, Kent HrbekKent HrbekFrequently 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...
, 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...
, and Calvin GriffithCalvin GriffithCalvin Robertson Griffith , born Calvin Robertson in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, was a Major League Baseball team owner...
were inducted.
Offense
The most solid offensive year came from the team's lone all-star representative, right fielder Matt LawtonMatt Lawton
Matthew "Matt" Lawton, Jr. is a retired professional baseball whose career spanned 15 seasons, including 12 seasons in Major League Baseball. Lawton, an outfielder, made his major league debut September 5, 1995, with the Minnesota Twins, who signed him four years prior...
. Lawton hit .305 with 13 home runs, 88 RBI, and 23 stolen bases. Also notable this year were shortstop Cristian Guzman
Cristian Guzmán
Cristian Antonio Guzmán is a Dominican baseball player who plays second base and shortstop, who is currently a free agent.-Minnesota Twins:...
's major league leading 20 triples. Like most of his career with the Twins, David Ortiz
David Ortiz
David Américo Ortiz Arias , known as David Ortiz, nicknamed "Big Papi", is a Dominican American professional baseball player who is currently a free agent. Previously, Ortiz played with the Minnesota Twins and Boston Red Sox...
spent much of the 2000 season rehabbing injuries. He did, however, play in 88 games as the team's designated hitter. The Twins also experimented with Butch Huskey
Butch Huskey
Robert Leon "Butch" Huskey , is a former professional baseball player who played in the Major Leagues primarily as an outfielder from 1993 and 1995-2000....
in the DH spot. Not surprisingly, this was not a successful experiment, with Huskey playing in only 39 games at the position.
| 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... |
Jacque Jones Jacque Jones Jacque Dewayne Jones is a Major League Baseball outfielder who currently is a free agent-Early life:... |
19 |
| RBI | Matt Lawton Matt Lawton Matthew "Matt" Lawton, Jr. is a retired professional baseball whose career spanned 15 seasons, including 12 seasons in Major League Baseball. Lawton, an outfielder, made his major league debut September 5, 1995, with the Minnesota Twins, who signed him four years prior... |
88 |
| 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 :... |
Matt Lawton Matt Lawton Matthew "Matt" Lawton, Jr. is a retired professional baseball whose career spanned 15 seasons, including 12 seasons in Major League Baseball. Lawton, an outfielder, made his major league debut September 5, 1995, with the Minnesota Twins, who signed him four years prior... |
.305 |
| 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... |
Cristian Guzman Cristian Guzmán Cristian Antonio Guzmán is a Dominican baseball player who plays second base and shortstop, who is currently a free agent.-Minnesota Twins:... |
89 |
Pitching
The starting rotation showed flashes of brilliance with 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...
, Eric Milton
Eric Milton
Eric Robert Milton is a former American left-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball...
, Mark Redman
Mark Redman
Mark Allen Redman is a retired Major League Baseball left-handed starting pitcher.-Early career:...
, and Joe Mays
Joe Mays
Joeseph Emerson Mays is a former Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher.Mays is a 1994 graduate of Southeast High School in Bradenton, Florida. He also attended Manatee Community College in Bradenton. He and his wife, Melinda , have two children.Mays began his major league career with the...
in for most the year. Radke, Milton, and Redman all had ERAs of under 5. The fifth starter was uncertain, with Sean Bergman
Sean Bergman
Sean Frederick Bergman is a former right-handed Major League Baseball pitcher who played for the Detroit Tigers, San Diego Padres, Houston Astros, Atlanta Braves, and Minnesota Twins between and...
making 14 starts, and J.C. Romero
J.C. Romero
Juan Carlos Romero is a Puerto Rican professional baseball pitcher. He has played for the Minnesota Twins , the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim , the Boston Red Sox, Philadelphia Phillies and Colorado Rockies....
making 11. Romero's ERA of 7.02 did not suggest the dominant reliever he would subseuqently become.
Despite uncertainty as to the identity of the closer, the bullpen was stellar. LaTroy Hawkins
LaTroy Hawkins
LaTroy Hawkins is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher. Through 2011, he was third of all active pitchers in career games pitched.-Minnesota Twins:...
, Bob Wells, Eddie Guardado
Eddie Guardado
Edward Adrian Guardado is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher. Throughout his career, Guardado had played with the Minnesota Twins , Seattle Mariners , Cincinnati Reds , and the Rangers .His common nickname is "Everyday Eddie", a testament to his durable arm during his first stint with the...
, Travis Miller
Travis Miller
Travis Eugene Miller , is a retired Major League Baseball player who played pitcher from - for the Minnesota Twins.-External links:...
, and Héctor Carrasco
Héctor Carrasco
Héctor Pacheco Pipo Carrasco is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher...
all had strong years out of the bullpen. Hawkins led the club with 14 saves.
One notable presence among the pitching staff was rookie Johan Santana
Johan Santana
Johan Alexander Santana Araque is a Major League Baseball left-handed starting pitcher who is currently playing for the New York Mets. He is a native of Venezuela....
, acquired from the Houston Astros
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team located in Houston, Texas. They are a member of the National League Central division. The Astros are expected to join the American League West division in 2013. Since , they have played their home games at Minute Maid Park, known as Enron Field...
via the Florida Marlins
Florida Marlins
The Miami Marlins are a professional baseball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. Established in 1993 as an expansion franchise called the Florida Marlins, the Marlins are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Marlins played their home games at...
in the Rule 5 Draft
Rule 5 draft
The Rule 5 draft is a Major League Baseball player draft that occurs each year in December, at the annual Winter Meeting of general managers. The Rule 5 draft aims to prevent teams from stockpiling too many young players on their minor league affiliate teams when other teams would be willing to...
. In order for the Twins to keep Santana under Rule 5, Santana was required to stay on the major league roster for the entire season. He did, and his numbers did nothing to suggest he would one day win a Cy Young Award
Cy Young Award
The Cy Young Award is an honor given annually in baseball to the best pitchers in Major League Baseball , one each for the American League and National League . The award was first introduced in 1956 by Baseball Commissioner Ford Frick in honor of Hall of Fame pitcher Cy Young, who died in 1955...
. His ERA was 6.49 and he struck out 64 batters in 86 innings. He was used almost exclusively in mop-up roles, although he did start five games. He spent most of the 2001 season
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...
in the minor leagues. The Twins' foresight in keeping him on the roster during the 2000 season must be regarded as one of the greatest uses ever of the Rule 5 Draft.
| 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... |
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... |
4.45 |
| 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... |
Eric Milton Eric Milton Eric Robert Milton is a former American left-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball... |
13 |
| Saves | LaTroy Hawkins LaTroy Hawkins LaTroy Hawkins is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher. Through 2011, he was third of all active pitchers in career games pitched.-Minnesota Twins:... |
14 |
| Strikeouts | Eric Milton Eric Milton Eric Robert Milton is a former American left-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball... |
160 |
Defense
The infield was mostly steady with Ron CoomerRon Coomer
Ronald "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...
at first, Jay Canizaro
Jay Canizaro
Jason Kyle Canizaro is a former major league second baseman who spent parts of four seasons in the majors with the San Francisco Giants and the Minnesota Twins....
at second, Guzman at short, Corey Koskie
Corey Koskie
Cordel Leonard "Corey" Koskie is a former Major League Baseball third baseman. He batted left-handed and threw right-handed.-Baseball career:...
at third, and Denny Hocking
Denny Hocking
Dennis Lee "Denny" Hocking is a former Major League Baseball utility player. After playing at El Camino College in California, he was drafted in the 52nd round of the 1989 Major League Baseball Draft by the Minnesota Twins and made his major league debut in...
backing them all up. The 2000 season saw the inception of the "Soul Patrol" outfield of Jacque Jones
Jacque Jones
Jacque Dewayne Jones is a Major League Baseball outfielder who currently is a free agent-Early life:...
, Torii Hunter
Torii Hunter
Torii Kedar Hunter is a Major League Baseball right fielder for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.Hunter has taken away many home runs throughout his 13-year major league career by "climbing the fence" in the outfield. He has won nine consecutive Gold Glove Awards as an outfielder.Hunter resides...
, and Lawton. Nobody was able to establish himself as the everyday catcher, with Matt LeCroy playing in 48 games at the position, Chad Moeller
Chad Moeller
Chad Edward Moeller [MOE-ler] is a Major League Baseball catcher for the Colorado Rockies organization. He is the cousin of former MLB first baseman Chris Cron.-College career:...
in 40, Marcus Jensen
Marcus Jensen
Marcus Christian Jensen is a former professional baseball player. He played catcher for the San Francisco Giants, Detroit Tigers, Milwaukee Brewers, St...
in 37, A.J. Pierzynski in 27, and Danny Ardoin
Danny Ardoin
Daniel Wayne Ardoin is a retired catcher in Major League Baseball. He bats and throws right-handed.-High school years:...
in 10.
Notable transactions
- April 1: Signed outfielder Dustan MohrDustan MohrDustan Kyle Mohr is a former Major League Baseball outfielder who currently plays for the independent Long Island Ducks of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. He bats and throws right-handed....
as a free agent. - April 4: Signed infielder Jay CanizaroJay CanizaroJason Kyle Canizaro is a former major league second baseman who spent parts of four seasons in the majors with the San Francisco Giants and the Minnesota Twins....
as a free agent. - May 23: Selected Casey Blake off waivers from the Toronto Blue JaysToronto Blue JaysThe Toronto Blue Jays are a professional baseball team located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Blue Jays are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball 's American League ....
. - June 5: In the amateur draft, the Twins drafted future major leaguers such as pitcher Adam Johnson (1st round, second pick) and outfielder Jason KubelJason KubelJason James Kubel is an American professional baseball player. A Belle Fourche, South Dakota native, Kubel was drafted by the Twins in the 12th round of the 2000 Draft after playing high school ball at Highland High School.-Early life:...
(12th round). - June 22: Released pitcher Sean BergmanSean BergmanSean Frederick Bergman is a former right-handed Major League Baseball pitcher who played for the Detroit Tigers, San Diego Padres, Houston Astros, Atlanta Braves, and Minnesota Twins between and...
. - August 31, 2000: Midre Cummings was traded by the Minnesota Twins to the Boston Red Sox for Hector De Los Santos (minors).
- September 9: Traded pitcher Héctor CarrascoHéctor CarrascoHéctor Pacheco Pipo Carrasco is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher...
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 outfielder Lew FordLew FordJon Lewis "Lew" Ford is a former MLB outfielder who is currently playing for the Long Island Ducks of the independent Atlantic League. Ford was a member of the Ducks in 2009 when he posted 10 home runs, 2 triples, and 55 RBI in 93 games. The Texas native finished second in the league in batting...
. - December 11: Brandon Knight was drafted by the Twins from the New York Yankees in the 2000 rule 5 draft.
- December 19: Signed catcher Tom PrinceTom PrinceThis article is about the former professional baseball player. For the bodybuilder, see Tom Prince .Thomas Albert Prince is a former Major League Baseball player...
as a free agent. - December 20: 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...
granted free agency; pitcher Mike LincolnMike LincolnMichael George Lincoln is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher who is currently a free agent. He played at Casa Roble High School, American River College and the University of Tennessee...
released.
Roster
| 2000 Minnesota Twins | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roster | |||||||||
| Pitchers |
Catchers Infielders |
Outfielders |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in| Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned Run Average; SO = Strikeouts| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned Run Average; SO = Strikeouts| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned Run Average; SO = Strikeouts| Player | G | W | L | SV | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|