Top 10 Longest-Tenured Minnesota Twins

To make the this list, a player had to have been signed before 2008. There are some interesting names that you may not have realized have been with the Twins for as long as they have. In fact, there may be a couple that you have never heard of and I’ll add a few more names to take us to 2008.

So, here you have it, a look at the 10 longest-tenured players in the Minnesota Twins organization:

Honorable Mention

There are still six players drafted by the Twins in 2008 who are still in the organization. We’ll call them all tied for 11^th place.

• Aaron Hicks (1) – The Twins top pick (14^th overall) is currently in AAA Rochester after starting the last two seasons as the Twins Opening Day center fielder.
  
• Danny Ortiz (4) – Ortiz split 2014 between AA New Britain and AAA Rochester. He re-signed with the Twins as a free agent this winter and went to big league camp with the Twins. He is also in Rochester.
  
• BJ Hermsen (6) – Hermsen was the Twins minor league pitcher of the year in 2012 and was on the 40-man roster in 2013. He injured his oblique and wasn’t able to regain his form. He pitched in the bullpen much of 2014 and re-signed with the Twins this offseason. He had Tommy John surgery earlier this month.
  
• Michael Gonzales (9) – The big, burly first baseman/DH is currently hitting in the middle of the Chattanooga Lookouts lineup. Drafted after a year at junior college, he has slowly worked his way up the system.
  
• Nate Hanson (28) – Hanson was drafted after his junior season at the University of Minnesota. He quickly worked his way up to AA and has split time between AA and AAA the last two years. He is currently with the Rochester Red Wings.
  
• Michael Tonkin (30) – He is also on the 40-man roster and has spent time with the Twins during the past two seasons. He was sent to Rochester to start this season, though he will certainly spend time with the Twins again this year.
  

The Top Ten

#10 – Also in December of 2007, the Twins signed shortstop Danny Santana from the Dominican Republic. He moved up basically one level each year. In 2014, it was a surprise when he was promoted to the Twins after just 24 games, but he put together a strong rookie campaign while playing a new position, center field. He has moved back to his shortstop position this season.

#9 – In November of 2007, the Twins signed a slender 16-year-old from the Dominican Republic, Adrian Salcedo. At one point in the low minors, he was a top ten prospect. In 2012, he injured his shoulder and elbow and missed most of the year. He moved to the bullpen in 2013. He struck out 76 batters in 73 innings in 2013 in New Britain. He re-signed with the Twins this offseason and was invited to big league spring training. He returns to AA in 2015, this time to Chattanooga.

#8 – On July 4, 2007, the Twins signed a left-handed hitting outfielder named Oswaldo Arcia. Arcia debuted as a 21-year-old in April of 2013 and has certainly shown signs of being the type of power-hitter that the Twins and their fans long for. He has 35 big league home runs and won’t turn 24 for two weeks.

#7 – Jairo Rodriguez signed with the Twins in May of 2007. The last two years, he signed quickly to return to the Twins as a backup minor league catcher. In 2013, he played for Cedar Rapids, New Britain and even played in a game with Rochester. In 2014, he split time between Ft. Myers and New Britain. The now-26 year old is not currently on a roster, but he is reportedly in Chattanooga if there would be a need for a catcher.

#6 – Josmil Pinto signed with the Twins in February of 2006. He could have become a minor league free agent following the World Series in 2012, but he decided to avoid that and return to the Twins. They added him to the 40-man roster a year ago and he had another strong season in 2013, including a tremendous showing with the Twins in September. He showed flashes of a solid bat in his time with the Twins in 2014, though he was quite inconsistent. The 26-year-old is currently mashing in Rochester and should be up with the Twins, in some capacity, soon.

#5 – James Beresford, from Australia, signed with the Twins in August of 2005 as a skinny kid. His missed a season due to injury and has gradually worked his way up the system. He had the opportunity to become a minor league free agent the last couple of offseasons and each time came back to the Twins. He got to AAA in the second half of 2013 and put together a solid 2014. He was again at big league spring training this year and returned to Rochester where he is the team’s second baseman.

#4 – Brian Duensing was one of two third-round picks by the Twins in 2005, out of the University of Nebraska. He moved quickly through the Twins minor league system as a starter. He was given a couple opportunities as a starter with the Twins, but his inability to get right-handers out while dominating lefties meant he was given an opportunity out of the bullpen. He’s been a solid left-handed reliever the last couple of years. He is currently on the disabled list for the first time in his seven big league seasons.

The Twins had five first-round draft picks in 2004 due to losing Eddie Guardado and LaTroy Hawkins.

#2b – With the 22^nd overall pick in '04, the Twins drafted local, selecting lefty Glen Perkins from the University of Minnesota. He came through the organization as a starter. In fact, he won 12 games as a rookie in 2008. He moved to the bullpen in 2011 and was the Twins closer by the middle of 2012. He has been an All-Star the last couple of seasons and is signed through 2017 with an option for 2018.

#2a –With the 20^th overall pick, the Twins selected shortstop Trevor Plouffe. As you know, he’s been the Twins starting third baseman the last couple of seasons. He became much more consistent offensively and defensively in 2014. He is in the second of four arbitration seasons.

#1 – Joe Mauer remains the longest-tenured Twins player, having signed in 2001 after being the #1 overall pick in the draft. No need to get into all of his accolades, like his AL MVP, the three batting titles, the Gold Glove Awards, the Silver Sluggers, etc. He moved to first base in 2014 after his Hall of Fame-caliber first decade in a Twins uniform at catcher. He’s played every game this season as he looks to rebound from a sub-Mauer season in 2014.

So there it is, the players in the Twins organization who have been in the system the longest, consecutively. Some of the names may not surprise you, but I’m pretty sure that you wouldn’t have guessed everyone on this list.

Feel free to leave your thoughts, or let me know if I forgot anyone.