Twins Hall of Fame

[Nate Tubbs Rules]

Any guesses on who is announced this weekend as the newest member of the Twins Hall of Fame? Will they finally get the deserving Knoblauch in despite his baggage? Will they reach on someone like Dan Gladden and open themselves up for ridicule like the Kansas City Royals low standards? By my rankings after Knoblauch, Cesar Tovar is the most deserving of eligible Twins.

 

 

http://wgom.org/2013/10/01/one-mans-opinion-of-the-top300-twins-updated-with-2013-stats/

[Thrylos]

I'd love to see that list sorted by WAR

but, yes Knoblauch deserves to be there

[Nate Tubbs Rules]

I believe its sortable if you click on the columns and you could sort by either Fan Graphs or B-ref's calculations of WAR.

[nicksaviking]

As much as I like Greg Gagne and Eddie Guradado, I think the standards are already kind of low. Considering Gladden's off field contributions since he retired, he's probably already more deserving.

 

I don't like that the Twins (and Vikings) feel that SOMEONE has to be added every year. How about we cool the jets on this for the time being and then get ready for the strong years when Santana, Hunter, Nathan, Mauer, Morenau, Cuddyer and Gardenhire are due.

[DaveW]

i believe its sortable if you click on the columns and you could sort by either fan graphs or b-ref's calculations of war.

 

boom!

[DaveW]

Personally, I have no desire to put Knoblauch in the Twins hall of fame. Dude was/is a scum bag.

[sandbun]

I know this would be highly unusual, but I thought for a long time that they should put in the 2002 team as a unit. Given the offseason where it was looking like the team would be contracted, what they did together made for a magical season that re-invigorated the franchise. It was the stars of that team that set the foundation for the success the franchise had for the rest of the decade, and is not a small part of why there is still a team in Minnesota, not to mention them playing in a fantastic ballpark. I always thought that the team deserved to be honored in a special way. You can still add individual members of that team to the Twins HOF (like Radke already has been and Hunter someday will be) but that way you also don't have to feel pressure to put in guys that were highly popular and helped turned the franchise around, but also clearly weren't HOF material. They get in as a part of that team.

 

Like I said, weird idea I know, but I would love to see them do it.

[Craig Arko]

Definitely Cesar Tovar. I can still see him shaking his elbow over the plate trying to get hit by a pitch. Anything to get on base.

[Nate Tubbs Rules]

I agree with almost everything you say. Yes Gagne and Guardado seemed like reaches to me and yes the only way to not dilute the HOF is not guarantee a member every year (like Milwaukee is currently doing). However I don't think Cuddyer is one of those inner-circle guys. Based on where I have him ranked as you can see from the link he's mor in line with the Brunanskis/Koskies and others who aren't in yet.

[stringer bell]

Well, I say no to both Knoblauch and Gladden. Gladden wasn't that good for that long for Minnesota and Knoblauch has become another sad story with a lousy disposition. Cuddy should be a Hall-of-Famer without a doubt IMHO.

[Twins Fan From Afar]

Chuck isn't getting a lot of love. I get both sides of it -- undoubtedly, he was a great offensive and defensive player for the Twins and won ROY in 1991; but also left under bad circumstances and has had a troubled off-the-field life.

 

I think he deserves recognition this year. It's a great chance to put the past behind "us," and just remember him as the great, young Twins player he once was. I voted for him this year. For his on-the-field contributions as a Twins player. To do that, I disregarded the way I felt in 1997 when he left, the (at the time) comical throwing errors, the admission of PED use when he was at the later stages of his career, and his personal problems. In my mind -- and reasonable people certainly can disagree here -- I was only voting for 1991-1997 Knoblauch. The rest, the non-Twins Knobuauch, I could care less about for this purpose.

 

I still remember when I met Chuck in 1992 at the Twins Pro Shop in Roseville. He would have been 24. I would have been 11. He signed endless autographs. The couple in front of me had a newborn baby. He held the baby for a bunch of photographs, and was just an all around good guy. Oh yea, he was also the best second baseman this team has had in the past 20-some years. That's the guy I voted for. That's the guy that helped the Twins win their last World Series. That's the guy that deserves to be in the Twins Hall of Fame.

[Thrylos]

Chuck isn't getting a lot of love. I get both sides of it -- undoubtedly, he was a great offensive and defensive player for the Twins and won ROY in 1991; but also left under bad circumstances and has had a troubled off-the-field life.

 

I think he deserves recognition this year. It's a great chance to put the past behind "us," and just remember him as the great, young Twins player he once was. I voted for him this year. For his on-the-field contributions as a Twins player. To do that, I disregarded the way I felt in 1997 when he left, the (at the time) comical throwing errors, the admission of PED use when he was at the later stages of his career, and his personal problems. In my mind -- and reasonable people certainly can disagree here -- I was only voting for 1991-1997 Knoblauch. The rest, the non-Twins Knobuauch, I could care less about for this purpose.

 

I still remember when I met Chuck in 1992 at the Twins Pro Shop in Roseville. He would have been 24. I would have been 11. He signed endless autographs. The couple in front of me had a newborn baby. He held the baby for a bunch of photographs, and was just an all around good guy. Oh yea, he was also the best second baseman this team has had in the past 20-some years. That's the guy I voted for. That's the guy that helped the Twins win their last World Series. That's the guy that deserves to be in the Twins Hall of Fame.

 

 

Totally agree.

 

And I suspect that there are some Twins' fans who would campaign to put the likes of Nathan and Hunter to the Twins' HOF sometime. The same Nathan and Hunter who a. refused to accept Twins' offers and then signed contracts with a direct division rival. To me that's worse than what Knoblauch did.

[Halsey Hall]

Knoblauch's fine with me. He was always a good guy to everyone each spring, and a heck of a 2nd baseman. His problems seemed to start with the onset of alzhiemers with his dad, that progressed really fast. His dad lived close by me here and seemed good, then one day I was driving past and Knobby was helping him get up the stairs.

 

No Gladden ever for me. If not Tovar next, then wait for Hunter. We certainly don't need someone every year and I mentioned that to Saint Peter or whoever he is last year. He did mention Knobby and that was it.

[Craig Arko]

Knoblauch's fine with me. He was always a good guy to everyone each spring, and a heck of a 2nd baseman. His problems seemed to start with the onset of alzhiemers with his dad, that progressed really fast. His dad lived close by me here and seemed good, then one day I was driving past and Knobby was helping him get up the stairs.

 

No Gladden ever for me. If not Tovar next, then wait for Hunter. We certainly don't need someone every year and I mentioned that to Saint Peter or whoever he is last year. He did mention Knobby and that was it.

 

Actually, it wouldn't bother me if your namesake was inducted, Halsey.

[johnnydakota]

As much as I like Greg Gagne and Eddie Guradado, I think the standards are already kind of low. Considering Gladden's off field contributions since he retired, he's probably already more deserving.

 

I don't like that the Twins (and Vikings) feel that SOMEONE has to be added every year. How about we cool the jets on this for the time being and then get ready for the strong years when Santana, Hunter, Nathan, Mauer, Morenau, Cuddyer and Gardenhire are due.

 

I say keep the standards high , and no manager who hasnt won a world series, or cant spell world series:jump:

[nicksaviking]

Totally agree.

 

And I suspect that there are some Twins' fans who would campaign to put the likes of Nathan and Hunter to the Twins' HOF sometime. The same Nathan and Hunter who a. refused to accept Twins' offers and then signed contracts with a direct division rival. To me that's worse than what Knoblauch did.

 

So not taking a lowball offer (or no offer) to stay with the team is worse than beating and choking your wife. Glad to know where you stand on these issues.

[stringer bell]

I don't begrudge any free agent who signs elsewhere, including with a division rival. The first word here is free. For whatever reason the club and the player didn't extend their contracts. I remember both Torii and Cuddy making comments about checking out other teams after being with the Twins since they were teenagers. BTW, Nathan (Texas) and Hunter (Angels) both signed with Western Division teams--I wouldn't call that direct division rivals. If memory serves, Knoblauch forced a trade, something none of the other position players mentioned ever did.

[Nate Tubbs Rules]

Glad to see they made what I feel is the right choice and made their peace with the Chucker. So who will be the next ex-Twin to retire between Santana/Hunter/Morneau/Nathan so they can start electing them rather than reach to the Tovars/Koskies/Brunos/Goltzs?