Best Seasons by Veterans in Twins History

[Andrew Mahlke]

Usually when guys are in their late 30s and 40s playing baseball in Minnesota, you can find them playing for teams like the Miesville Mudhens or the Cold Spring Springers, not the Minnesota Twins. Take a look at the best seasons by Twins players 35 and older. 

As players age, their physical abilities deteriorate and they often can not play as well as they used to play.. So when a player 35 or older has a great season, it is remarkable. Veterans are usually good locker room presences and leaders for younger players, but if they can also be one of the best players on the team, that is an added bonus.

In this article, we will look at the top five seasons by hitters in Twins history over the age of 35. If a player has multiple great seasons over the age of 35, I picked their best one. All of the players on this list have had illustrious careers and while their production in these seasons wasn’t as high as they had in their primes, they still were very impactful players on their teams.

5. Josh Donaldson, 2021 -  2.2 fWAR
When Josh Donaldson made news in 2021, it was for sparking a sticky controversy with White Sox pitcher Lucas Giolito and for feuding with Gerrit Cole. Despite being one of the most controversial players in baseball, Josh Donaldson has also been one of the best. Since 2013, he has the third highest WAR in all of baseball, trailing only Mike Trout and Mookie Betts.

In Donaldson’s prime, he was a 6-8 WAR player, winning AL MVP in 2015 and finishing in the top 10 four times. In 2021, he was only worth 2.2 WAR, making him the third best player on the Twins behind Byron Buxton and Jorge Polanco. Donaldson hit .247/.352/.475 (.827) in 135 games. He had a wRC+ of 124, meaning he was 24 percent better than league average at creating runs for his team. He also had a keen eye at the plate, leading the Twins with 74 walks.

When you dive deeper into the numbers, Donaldson was even more impressive. He ranked 4th in MLB in average exit velocity (94.1), 3rd in Barrels per plate appearance (11.2 percent), and 11th in hard hit rate. Below are his Baseball Savant percentile rankings.

In nearly all of the offensive categories, Donaldson ranked in the top 10 percent of all hitters. This is incredible for a player who is 35 years old. As Donaldson ages, he will get more time in the DH role as the Twins look to younger players like Luis Arraez and Jose Miranda to occupy third base to keep Donaldson’s bat in the lineup more regularly. Donaldson had a good 2021 and I wouldn’t be surprised to see his production improve in 2022 as a 36 year old.

4. Paul Molitor, 1996 - 2.5 fWAR
After an outstanding career in Milwaukee and Toronto, Hall-of-Famer and native Minnesotan Paul Molitor returned to play in his homeland for the final three years of his career. As is the case with most veterans, Molitor was mostly a designated hitter in his tenure with the Twins. During his career, Molitor’s versatility was one of his best assets so confining him to DH took a lot of his value away. Still, the future Twins manager was able to post 2.5 WAR in 1996, his first season with the Twins.

In Molitor’s prime, he was consistently a 4-6 win player for the Brewers and Blue Jays. He won the World Series in 1993 with the Blue Jays and was named World Series MVP, going 11-for-24 with five extra base hits, seven RBI, three walks, and no strikeouts in six games. He also tied the World Series record for most runs in a series with 10 runs scored.

In 1996, Molitor hit .341/.390/.468 (.858) for a 114 wRC+. Molitor led the American League with 225 hits, which is the third most for a single season in Twins history. He also drove in 113 runs and hit 41 doubles in that year. During that season he became the first player to hit a triple for his 3000th career hit. Molitor was a great veteran addition to a Twins team that needed some guidance.

3. Jim Thome, 2010 3.1 fWAR
As a player who spent the majority of his career with the Cleveland Indians and Chicago White Sox, Twins fans did not associate Jim Thome with good memories. In his career against the Twins, Thome hit an ungodly .314/.415/.635 (1.049) with 61 home runs in 196 games. In 2010, the Twins decided that if you can’t beat him, join him, so they signed Thome to a one year deal worth $1.5 million.

In his age 39 season, Thome was outstanding. He appeared in 108 games and hit .283/.412/.627 (1.039) for a 177 wRC+. Among players 39 and older who appeared in 100 or more games, the only players in MLB history with a higher OPS than Thome were Barry Bonds and Hank Aaron.

Thome posted 3.1 WAR in only 108 games despite only playing DH. The only primary DH’s in MLB history with more WAR in a similar amount of games are Yordan Alvarez and David Ortiz. Thome hit his 600th career home run with the Twins in 2011, but his signature moment as a Twin was this walk-off home run he hit in August of 2010, the first walk-off homer in Target Field history.

Thome was also an outstanding clubhouse presence, being named the nicest player in baseball by his fellow players, a nice touch on an outstanding career.

2. Harmon Killebrew, 1971 3.9 fWAR
Killebrew was an outstanding player for the entirety of his career. He actually had two seasons that would’ve placed him on this list but I chose to go with the better of the seasons, 1971. Killebrew was already on his way to the Hall of Fame before he turned 35, having hit 487 home runs in his career. But in his age 35 season, Killebrew had a great season. By this time, Killebrew’s outfield days were behind him and he was splitting time between first base and third base.

In 1971, Killebrew hit .254/.386/.464 (.850) for a wRC+ of 137. He led the American League in RBI (119) and walks (114). He was named to the final all-star game of his fantastic career. In late July of this year, Killebrew hit his 499th homer. For the next 16 games, Killebrew went into a slump, not able to hit his 500th. But in the 17th game, Killebrew hit home runs 500 and 501 at Metropolitan Stadium to cement his legacy as an all-time great. Killebrew was relieved, telling the Associated Press he could finally breathe a sigh of relief again. “When people keep asking you when you’re going to hit it, you try a bit harder. The only time I thought about it was when people were asking me about it”, said Killebrew.

1. Nelson Cruz, 2019 - 4.3 fWAR
The ageless wonder, Nelson Cruz, was a fantastic signing for the Twins in the 2019 offseason. In his age 38 season, Cruz turned the Twins from a mediocre team into a 100 game winner. The Dominican slugger helped guide young Hispanic sluggers Miguel Sano and Eddie Rosario to career highs in home runs. Cruz had such a profound impact on Sano that Sano decided to name Cruz the Godfather of his daughter. He also won the 2021 Roberto Clemente Award for all of the great work he does in the community.

Along with his great leadership, Cruz was one of the best hitters in the league. In 2019, Cruz hit .311/.392/.639 (1.031) for a wRC+ of 164. His .639 slugging percentage was the best single season slugging percentage in Twins history. He hit 41 home runs and drove in 108 runs. He also led MLB in Barrels per Plate Appearance, Hard Hit Rate, and Average Exit Velocity. The combination of this means that he hit the ball harder than anyone else did more consistently than anyone else. This led to a lot of success for Cruz.

Nelson Cruz had two more good seasons for the Twins before he was traded during his age 40 season to the Tampa Bay Rays for Joe Ryan and Drew Strotman. Cruz has a strong impact on baseballs and teammates, making him a great addition to any team.

Conclusion
Throughout the Twins history, they have had some great seasons by older players, proving that baseball isn’t always a young man’s game. Hopefully another great season by Donaldson next year can move him up on this list, but don’t look for many Twins to make this list in the near future as the Twins will try to get younger players more experience.

Who did I miss on this list? What would you change about the order? Is Cruz the best power hitter in Twins history? Leave a comment below! Let me hear your thoughts.

Thank you for reading, and Go Twins!

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[big dog]

Moving to pitchers-

Mike Marshall, age 36 in 1979.  Led the leage in games, games finished, and saves. 142.2 IP in 90 games. ERA+ of 166.

Jerry Koosman, age 36 in 1979, 20-13, 263.2 IP, ERA+ of 130.

 

 

 

[mikelink45]

3 hours ago, big dog said:

Moving to pitchers-

Mike Marshall, age 36 in 1979.  Led the leage in games, games finished, and saves. 142.2 IP in 90 games. ERA+ of 166.

Jerry Koosman, age 36 in 1979, 20-13, 263.2 IP, ERA+ of 130.

 

 

 

Thanks for going into the pitchers. I think you will find a few more in the early years who defied age while supporting us in the bullpen like Al Worthington.  More recently Jerry Koosman with a good end of career addition. 

[Dantes929]

7 hours ago, big dog said:

Moving to pitchers-

Mike Marshall, age 36 in 1979.  Led the leage in games, games finished, and saves. 142.2 IP in 90 games. ERA+ of 166.

Jerry Koosman, age 36 in 1979, 20-13, 263.2 IP, ERA+ of 130.

 

 

 

Jack Morris in his age 34 and 35 seasons with the Tigers was a combined 21-32 with a an ERA of 4.65.    Kind of the definition of washed up has been veteran at age 36 going into the 1991 season, wouldn't you say?

[Trov]

8 hours ago, Dantes929 said:

Jack Morris in his age 34 and 35 seasons with the Tigers was a combined 21-32 with a an ERA of 4.65.    Kind of the definition of washed up has been veteran at age 36 going into the 1991 season, wouldn't you say?

I wonder why writer did not include Morris in this, as he had a 4.3 war in 91, according to baseball reference.  By WAR, that is tied for Cruz as best, but I would say if you include his post-season numbers Morris would be best vet season.  

[ashbury]

Outstanding article about some outstanding players who had outstanding seasons near the close of their outstanding careers.  Looking just at the headline, though, I felt that Jack Morris was left outstanding in the cold by the article.

[Andrew Mahlke]

3 hours ago, Trov said:

I wonder why writer did not include Morris in this, as he had a 4.3 war in 91, according to baseball reference.  By WAR, that is tied for Cruz as best, but I would say if you include his post-season numbers Morris would be best vet season.  

Because it’s only talking about hitters

[Minny505]

The Donaldson season is quite encouraging. It seems the fanbase is more down on him due to his production rather than his performance. If he had a history of underforming his statcast numbers, a la Max Kepler, then I understand. But he doesn't. He had one of the largest negative differences in MLB for xwOBA vs wOBA in 2021.

If the baseball gods have any sense of justice, Donaldson will be in for an incrediblly productive year, one that outpaces his performance.