Minnesota’s Home Run Leaders for Each Alphabet Letter

[Cody Christie]

The 2020 season marked the 60th anniversary of the Washington Senators being relocated to Minnesota to become the Twins. Since the franchise moved, there have been many iconic players to don a Twins uniform and there have been plenty of players known for their ability to knock the ball out of the park. Here are the Twins home run leaders for each letter of the alphabet.A: Bob Allison (211 Home Runs)

Allison is possibly one of the most underappreciated sluggers in Twins history. His first All-Star appearance and his first 30-home run campaign came in a Senators’ uniform. Even with his season’s in Washington, he ranks sixth all-time in home runs in a Twins uniform.

 

B: Tom Brunansky (163 Home Runs)

Brunansky hit 20 or more home runs for eight straight seasons from 1982-1989. He also became the Twins first Home Run Derby participant when the Twins hosted the 1985 All-Star Game at the Metrodome. In that contest, he finished two home runs behind Dave Parker and tied with some all-time greats like Carlton Fisk, Eddie Murray, and Jim Rice.

 

C: Michael Cuddyer (141 Home Runs)

Cuddyer will appear on the Hall of Fame ballot for the first time this year and his home run total puts him in the top-12 in Twins history. He’d make his first All-Star appearance as a 32-year old in his final season with the Twins and he went on to win the NL batting title in 2013 with the Rockies.

 

D: Brian Dozier (167 Home Runs)

Dozier was a late bloomer when it came to Twins prospect as he wouldn’t make his big-league debut until he was 25. His first season with 30 or more home runs was 2016 when he was already 29-years old. His 42 home runs in 2016 are the most all-time in Twins history by a player not named Harmon Killebrew.

 

E: Eduardo Escobar (63 Home Runs)

Escobar is the gift that keeps on giving as the Twins seem to still be benefiting from his trade to the Diamondbacks. His best home run season came in Arizona, but he hit 21 home runs for the Twins in 2017 and he probably would have crossed that mark again in 2018 if he weren’t traded at the deadline.

 

F: Dan Ford (57 Home Runs)

This would be a lot of fun if Lew Ford ended up with the top spot, but he only hit 32 home runs as a Twin. Dan Ford played 11 seasons as a big-leaguer and broke into the AL as a 23-year old in 1975. He hit double-digit home runs in all four seasons with Minnesota.

 

G: Gary Gaetti (201 Home Runs)

A long-time fan favorite, Gaetti is one of only eight players to clock over 200 home runs with the Twins. He’d play at the big-league level until he was 41-years old in a career that spanned 20 seasons. He’d end his career with 360 long balls which is no small feat for a player that was also a strong defensive presence.

 

H: Kent Hrbek (293 Home Runs)

Bloomington’s own has his number retired by his hometown team and only one player in team history has hit more home runs. He retired at age-34, so it’s interesting to think about how many home runs he could have ended up with if he had played well into his 30s.

 

I: None

No Twins player has ever hit a home run with the last name starting with I.

 

J: Jacque Jones (132 Home Runs)

Jones ranks 13th on the Twins all-time home run list, but he is only one home run ahead of Miguel Sano. He played seven seasons in a Twins uniform and he would only accumulate 33 home runs outside of Minnesota. In 2002, he finished eight among position players in WAR when hie hit 27 home runs.

 

K: Harmon Killebrew (475 Home Runs)

The best home run hitter in Twins history and it’s not even close. No other player hit over 300 home runs for the Twins. He led the American League in home runs six different seasons, and he is one of two Twins players to hit more than 40 home runs in one season. Oh yeah, he did that seven different times.

 

L: Tim Laudner (77 Home Runs)

Laudner played all nine of his big-league seasons in Minnesota and hit double digit home runs in four different campaigns. His lone All-Star appearance came as a 30-year old when he hit .251/.316/.408 with 13 home runs and 18 doubles.

 

M: Justin Morneau (221 Home Runs)

The more powerful half of the M&M duo, Morneau hit 18 or more home runs in seven consecutive seasons. Only a handful of Twins players have hit more than 30 home runs in a season which Morneau did three different times. He has the third most home runs in team history.

 

N: Eduardo Nunez (20 Home Runs)

He helped the Red Sox win the World Series, but his lone All-Star appearance cam with the 2016 Minnesota Twins. He’s never hit more than 16 home runs in one season, but his defensive versatility allowed him to play parts of 10 different seasons at the big leagues.

 

O: Tony Oliva (220 Home Runs)

Outside of Joe Mauer, Oliva might be the greatest Twins player that hasn’t been elected to the Hall of Fame. He became the first designated hitter to hit a home run while hitting 13 or more home runs in 11 different seasons. Only three players have hit more home runs for the Twins.

 

P: Kirby Puckett (207 Home Runs)

Puckett’s most famous homer came in Game 6 of the 1991 World Series, but he hit plenty of other home runs in a Twins uniform. He hit double digit home runs in nine different seasons, and he hit 20 or more home runs in six different years. He ranks seventh in club history.

 

Q: Frank Quilici (5 Home Runs)

Surprisingly, his five home runs aren’t the lowest total on this list. He played parts of five different seasons with the Twins and ended his career as a .214/.281/.287 hitter. He was part of Minnesota’s first World Series team in 1965 and he played on the 1970 team that lost to Baltimore in the ALCS.

 

R: Eddie Rosario (119 Home Runs)

Rosario’s time in Minnesota might be done and if it is, he will finish his Twins tenure with the 15th most home runs in club history. As part of the 2019 Bomba Squad, he hit a career high 32 home runs. He has hit 10 or more home runs in every big-league season.

 

S: Miguel Sano (131 Home Runs)

After six seasons, Sano already ranks 14th in team history when it comes to home runs. If he hits 13 or more home runs next season, he will pass Joe Mauer and move into 11th on the Twins all-time list and he’s 22 home runs away from breaking into the top-10.

 

T: Cesar Tovar (38 Home Runs)

Tovar hit double-digit home runs in two seasons, but he was more known as a doubles hitter. He led the American League in doubles and triples back in 1970 and he had the most hits in the league during the 1970 campaign.

 

U: Ted Uhlaender (23 Home Runs)

His lone double-digit home run season came after he left the Twins organization. As a center fielder, he wasn’t known for his power, but he got on base over 30% of the time.

 

V: Zoilo Versalles (86 Home Runs)

The 1965 AL MVP led the league in runs, doubles, and triples that season. Versalles is one of three Cuban born players to take home MVP honors including Jose Abreu in 2020. He only hit double-digits in home runs in four seasons, but all those seasons were with the Twins.

 

W: Josh Willingham (61 Home Runs)

Willingham only played parts of three season with the Twins but only four Twins players have hit more than his 35 home runs in 2012. His career took a steep downturn from there as he never hit more than 14 home runs in another season.

 

X: None

No Twins player has ever hit a home run with the last name starting with X.

 

Y: Delmon Young (47 Home Runs)

Young was acquired to be the powerful right-handed bat to break-up Minnesota’s lefties (Mauer and Morneau). He hit a career high 21 home runs in 2010 before going on to have some postseason success with the Detroit Tigers when he won the 2012 ALCS MVP.

 

Z: Jerry Zimmerman (3 Home Runs)

Zimmerman play parts of seven seasons with the Twins, but he only played more than 85 games in one season. He hit one home run in each season from 1965-1967 to end up with the most home runs for the letter Z.

 

What names stand out to you on this list? What home run from these players do you remember the most? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion.

 

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[nclahammer]

What a fun list.  I enjoy seeing some names I haven't thought about in quite a while like Disco Dan Ford.

 

[ashbury]

What names stand out to you on this list?

I'd have to say Killebrew, first and foremost.

 

[Rigby]

If you could only add Hank Izquierdo's two doubles together....

[dxpavelka]

 

What a fun list.  I enjoy seeing some names I haven't thought about in quite a while like Disco Dan Ford.

I was thinking the same thing.

 

[DocBauer]

That was a blast! Totally agree on remembering Ford. We lost a lot of quality ballplayers back in the 70's and he was one of them. I had almost forgotten him.

 

Just a little sad every time I see Mourneau's name. What might have been?

[GNess]

Great post

[Tovar12]

Cesar!

[Shaitan]

I didn't realize Oliva has 200+.

 

Also, now I know what we need to sign this offseason. Players with I and X names.