9 Shades of Grey: The Oldest Twins

[Patrick Wozniak]

In these strange and trying times do you ever sneak out at night to take a glimpse up to the heavenly bodies above and find yourself wondering, maybe aloud, just who are the nine oldest players to ever don a uniform and take the field for the Minnesota Twins? OMG!!! ME TOO!!!Well, I’ve got good news for you pal, today’s your day! But just how did I stumble upon this coveted information? And why nine and not ten?

 

The answer to these ever-pressing inquiries starts and ends with the 2020 Twins Media Guide. You see, one of the perks of writing for Twins Daily is access to a digital version of the mystical book you’ll occasionally hear Dick and Bert make reference to. I intended combing through all 485 pages and digging out “fun facts” in order to write up some silly article, when the heavens shined down and bestowed this golden nugget upon me:

 

Download attachment: Oldest Twin chart pic.png

 

Hot damn! Plenty of familiar and beloved names on that list. Let’s dig in a bit, and take a look at each player’s stint with the Twins.

 

Jesse Orosco – 46 years, 159 days

Let’s be honest, you have no recollection of Orosco’s time with Minnesota, do you? It’s okay, I’m pretty sure he doesn’t remember it either. I say this not because of his advanced age, but due to the fact that he pitched all of 4 2/3 innings with the Twins. He started his age-46 season in San Diego but then was traded to New York, the city where his career began, but this time with the Yankees rather than the Mets, on July 22, 2003. His second stint in the Big Apple would be short, as he was shipped to Minnesota in return for Juan Padilla (I’m pretty sure even Seth doesn’t remember this guy) on August 31. Orosco’s time with the Twins would mark the end of his nine-team, 24-year career as a reliever.

 

Bartolo Colon – 44 years, 130 days

Who could ever forget Big Sexy’s time in Minnesota? Colon joined the Twins on July 7, 2017 after being released by the Atlanta Braves. After pitching to an 8.14 ERA in Atlanta, he was a bit better with the Twins (5.18 ERA, 80.0 IP) but not exactly the boost the team was hoping for. Colon would spend his age 45 season in Texas and then hang it up after 21 years. As a Twins fan you’re surely unaware of the fact that Colon won the 2005 Cy Young Award. I’m sure he deserved it. Here’s Big Sexy Night:

 

Joe Niekro – 43 years, 174 days

Joe’s older brother Phil would pitch until he was 48 (please take a moment to appreciate how old Phil appears on his ’87 Topps card), but doesn’t concern us as he didn’t pitch for the Twins. We had to settle for slacker Joe, who pitched for Minnesota in 1987 and ’88, when his career ended as a 43-year-old. Both brothers perfected the art of the knuckleball which allowed them to hang around forever, but Joe’s best days were long behind him as he pitched to a 6.67 ERA in Minnesota. He also wasn’t very good at hiding things:

 

Steve Carlton – 43 years, 123 days

Like Niekro, Steve Carlton would spend his final two seasons in Minnesota. In fact they were the same years and at the same age. Carlton obviously had a great Hall-of-Fame career but the Twins were a little late to the show. Carlton’s last game would come just six days before Niekro’s, on April 23, 1988. His ERA with Minnesota was 8.54.

 

Dave Winfield – 42 years, 311 days

The St. Paul native and Golden Gopher alum finally made his way back to Minnesota as a 41-year-old in 1993. In his two seasons in Minnesota he was a league-average hitter according to OPS+, which is pretty good considering his age. His Hall-of-Fame career lasted one more year with Cleveland, but he managed to get his 3,000^th hit at the dome:

 

Terry Mulholland – 42 years, 201 days

Terry Mulholland also chose to follow the “get old and play two years for the Twins” model, getting some starts in 2004 before moving to the bullpen for good as a 42-year-old in 2005. He went to pitch three innings for Arizona in 2006 before calling it a career.

 

Paul Molitor – 42 years, 36 days

Another Twin Cities boy, Gopher alum, and Hall-of-Famer who like Winfield came from Toronto to collect his 3,000^th hit as a Twin. Unlike Winfield, Molitor stayed in Minnesota for three seasons and would finish his career as a Twin. He hit .312 for the Twins and fittingly hit a three-bagger for number 3,000:

 

Fernando Rodney – 41 years, 142 days

The Fernando Rodney Experience was never boring. From the tilted cap and arrows fired, to taking a moment to enjoy a nice bite of snow, Rodney’s time in Minnesota was eventful even if no lead ever felt safe. He did get the job done more often than not before being shipped off to Oakland. After winning a World Series as a member of the Washington Nationals, Rodney is still looking for a team in 2020. Godspeed Fernando Rodney!

 

Pat Borders – 41 years, 142 days

Borders finishes out our list but actually ties Fernando Rodney for the eighth-oldest final appearance as a Twin. However, we’ll stick with the media guide’s ordering. Borders is best remembered for his role as backstop for the ’92 and ’93 World Series Champion Toronto Blue Jays where he earned MVP honors in the ’92 Series. More important to us are the 19 games he spent with the 2004 team after being acquired from the Seattle Mariners in return for B.J. Garbe (who Minnesota drafted with the fifth overall pick in 1999 – he never made the majors). Border would return to Seattle in 2005 to finish out his career.

 

So why only nine? My theory is the Twins are leaving a spot open for Nelson Cruz or Rich Hill. Both will be 40-years-old for at least part of the potential 2020 season (Hill was born on March 11, 1980 while the younger Cruz was born on July 1). Even though Hill is older, I’ll bet on Cruz since the oft-injured Hill is coming off modified Tommy John surgery and there’s been some chatter about a Cruz extension. It’s also possible Hill will never pitch for the Twins and Cruz has already played his last game. Or maybe, just maybe, a superhuman Cruz will hang on through the 2027 season to take the coveted title of oldest Twin.

 

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[Doctor Gast]

Big Sexy stole that Cy Young from Johann but no matter.

How old was Jim Thome?

[Nine of twelve]

 

Big Sexy stole that Cy Young from Johann but no matter.

How old was Jim Thome?

40 years, 363 days on the day he was sold to Cleveland in 2011.

[Doctor Gast]

 

40 years, 363 days on the day he was sold to Cleveland in 2011.

Thank you! Thought he was older, maybe because he had a long & productive career before he came to the Twins

[Twins63]

Remember watching the game with Niekro and the Emory board. He was so busted and he was like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar-sure had a good laugh that night!

[mickeymental]

al worthington was another 40-something. oddly, baseball reference says his last game was 10/2/69 (40 years/239 days). but he also pitched four days later (10/6/69) in the season-ending alcs loss to baltimore. wonder if others on this list are shortchanged a few days regarding post-season appearances.

[mikelink45]

It seems as if anyone who plays after 40 needs to get some love - so in 1961 we had Elmer Valo, Al Worthington as mentioned in 1969 - no one in the 1970s although I had expected Koosman - he was only 38. In 1983 the oldest player that year was 31!

 

We had no one else in the 40s until 1987/1988 when Niekro and Carlton pitched as the story above points out. That is 18 years between 40 year olds.

 

The next 40 year old was in 1990 - Jim Dwyer.  It was his last year and he hit 190

 

Dave Winfield came to us at age 41 - 1993,1994 and Molitor came to us age 39 and played in his 40s 1997, 1998.

 

In 1999 Terry Steinbach was only 37.  

 

And in 2000 Ron Coomer was the oldest at 33.

 

Then 2003 was the Jesse Orosco curtain call making the 12th 40 year old in our baseball history.

 

Terry Mullholand and Pat Borders gave us another 40 year old pair in 2004.  Mullholand stayed on for a 2005 encore.

 

Rueben Sierra played in 2006.    Jim Thome came at age 39, played at age 40 in 2011. Bartolo Colon was 44 in 2017 and Fernando Rodney was 41 in 2018.  

 

This is a total of 18 years of 40+ players for the 59 year Twins history.

Thanks for the article it was fun to be stimulated to check things out.