All-Time Teams: Twins

Today's team is one of two franchises that can trace their lineage back to the Washington Senators. Here's the All-Time Team for the Minnesota Twins:

Manager: Tom Kelly
Home: Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome

Before we get to the lineup I want to mention that the Twins were an inspiration for starting this series -- specifically their postseason futility against the Yankees. I wondered to myself If the Greatest Twins of All-Time faced a Yankee lineup with Mike Tauchman, Gio Urshela, and Austin Romine.. how many games would they win?  

I think these guys would take a game or two from the current crop of Yanks:


Leading off for the Twins.. the Second Baseman.. Rod Carew

Rod Carew was an All-Star in every season except his last. The seven-time batting champion won AL Rookie of the Year in 1967 and AL MVP in 1977, when he hit a career-high .388 with a major-league leading 239 hits. Despite little power Carew accumulated nearly 4,000 career total bases and led the league in intentional walks three times. Carew's career WAR total of 81.3 is fifth all-time among second basemen; 68.3 of that was accumulated as a Twin - placing him second in team history and first among position players.

 



Batting second for Minnesota.. the Catcher.. Joe Mauer

One of the greatest hitting catchers of the 21st century, Joe Mauer is the only catcher to win multiple batting titles and the only American League receiver to win one. A six-time All-star, Mauer won five Silver Slugger awards and three Gold Gloves before moving to first base full-time in 2014. The 2009 AL MVP is second in Twins history with 428 doubles and fourth in WAR with a 55.0 career total. Mauer accumulated 2,123 carrer hits - a higher total than such legends as Johnny Bench and Gary Carter,  and more than all but three players in Twins franchise history.

 



Batting third.. the Center Fielder.. Kirby Puckett

An immensely popular player throughout his twelve seasons in the Twin cities, Kirby Puckett won six Gold Gloves, six Silver Slugger awards, two World Series rings, and a batting title in his Hall of Fame career. The ten-time All-Star led the league in hits four times, total bases twice, and finished top-3 in MVP voting three times. "Puck" places in the Twins' top five in career hits, runs scored, RBI, batting average, and WAR.

 




Batting fourth.. the Designated Hitter.. Harmon Killebrew

Harmon Killebrew is Minnesota's all-time leader in offensive WAR, OPS, slugging, games played, total bases, and home runs. The Hall of Fame first baseman led the league in home runs six times, walks four times, and RBI three times. "Killer" is 12th all-time with 573 career dingers and seventh all time in at-bats per home run. He  posted eight seasons of 40 or more home runs and eight seasons of over 100 RBI - leading the majors in both categories in his MVP season of 1969.

 



Batting fifth.. the Left Fielder.. Goose Goslin

Leon Allen Goslin was an RBI machine in the 1920s and '30s. "Goose" posted twelve seasons of 100+ runs batted in, including a league-leading 129 in 1924. Only five left fielders in history can match his career total of 1,612. Goslin won a batting title in 1928 with a .379 average and slashed .323/.386/.502 over his dozen seasons in D.C. His career batting average with the Senators/Twins franchise is tied for third highest in team history and his OPS+ of 131 is tied for fifth-best. Goslin played in five World Series, winning titles with the 1924 Senators and the 1935 Tigers. My late father in-law would want me to mention that Goslin is the only baseball Hall of Famer buried in New Jersey.



Batting sixth.. the Right Fielder.. Tony Oliva

Tony Oliva led the majors in hits and total bases as a rookie in 1964, earning him the first of eight consecutive All-Star nods and near-unanimous Rookie of the Year honors. The following year, Oliva finished second in AL MVP voting to teammate Zoilo Versalles after capturing his second consecutive batting title and leading the Twins to their first World Series in Minnesota. He was runner-up to Boog Powell for AL MVP honors in 1970 and won his third batting title in 1971. Tony's career OPS+ of 131 ties him with Goslin for fifth in franchise history.





Batting seventh.. the First Baseman.. Kent Hrbek

The Twins/Senators franchise has had several standout first basemen but Kent Hrbek outslugged nearly all of them; only Harmon Killebrew hit more home runs and collected more RBI than "Herbie". The Minnesota native slashed .282/.367/.481 over 14 seasons for his hometown team, batting over .300 three times. An All-Star in 1982, Hrbek finished second to Cal Ripken in that year's AL Rookie of the Year voting. He was runner-up to Willie Hernandez for league MVP honors in 1984, the first of his eight consecutive 20+ home run seasons.





Batting eighth.. the Third Baseman.. Gary Gaetti

A slick-fielding third baseman with power, Gary Gaetti won four Gold Gloves and hit 20+ home runs six times in his ten seasons with the Twins. The two-time All-Star was the ALCS MVP in 1987 en route to winning the Twins' first title. Gaetti and Senators star Eddie Yost posted nearly equal batting averages. Yost drew a tremendous amount of walks (his nickname was "The Walking Man") and his OPS+ was higher as a result. However Gaetti was the superior defender and collected nearly the same amount of total bases as Yost - in four fewer seasons.





Batting ninth.. the Shortstop.. Cecil Travis

Cecil Travis batted .327 over his first nine seasons with the Senators, collecting 200+ total bases six times. He made three All-Star teams and led the majors with 218 hits in 1941, finishing sixth in AL MVP voting. Then he missed the next three seasons serving in the US Army during World War II. In the three seasons following the war, Travis batted just .241 over 226 games. Nevertheless, his career .314 mark places him eighth in franchise history, well ahead of franchise icons Joe Mauer and Tony Oliva.





The Starting Pitcher for the Twins.. Walter Johnson

Perhaps the greatest pitcher in baseball history, Walter Johnson is the all-time leader in shutouts with 110, and his career WAR of 164.3 is the highest of any pitcher or position player. The "Big Train" led the AL in strikeouts twelve times, wins six times, ERA five times, and WHIP six times. In his first MVP season of 1913, Johnson went 36-7 with a 1.14 ERA, a 0.780 WHIP, and 11 shutouts. His WAR total that year was an astounding 16.4. In 1924 he won his second MVP award and led the Senators to their only World Series championship. 

Now let's take a look at the Twins' bench and bullpen:

Catcher - Earl Battey
1st Base - Justin Morneau
Infield - Chuck Knoblauch
Outfield - Sam Rice
Outfield - Bob Allison

Battey made five All-Star teams and won three Gold Gloves from 1960-66. Morneau won AL MVP honors in 2006 and his .485 slugging % with the Twins (5th in franchise history) gave him the edge over lighter-hitting Senators Joe Judge and Mickey Vernon. "Knobby" won AL Rookie of the Year for the 1991 World Series champs. Sam Rice posted a career .322 batting average and collected 2,987 hits in his Hall of Fame career. Allison won AL ROY in 1959 and hit more home runs than all but two Twins. 


 
#2 Starter - Johan Santana
#3 Starter - Bert Blyleven
#4 Starter - Jim Kaat
#5 Starter - Camilo Pascual

Santana was as dominant as any pitcher in baseball from 2004-2008, winning two Cy Young awards and the pitching Triple Crown. Blyleven's 3,701 career strikeouts are fifth all-time and his total of 2,035 for the Twins franchise is second to Walter Johnson. Kaat won 283 games and 16 Gold Gloves over his 25-year career. Pascual led the league in strikeouts and complete games three times. Brad Radke just missed the cut; his WAR and ERA+ totals were higher than Pascual's but he gave up more hits and home runs.




RH Reliever - Al Worthington
LH Reliever - Glen Perkins
LH Reliever - Eddie Guardado
RH Reliever - Firpo Marberry
RH Reliever - Rick Aguilera
RH Reliever - Joe Nathan

Worthington led the AL in saves in 1968. Perkins was a three-time All-Star. "Everyday Eddie" pitched the second-most games in franchise history. Firpo was the first true relief ace of the pre-war era, leading the league in saves and appearances six times. Aguilera is second in Twins history with 254 saves. Nathan posted a 204 ERA+ in Minnesota, made six All-Star teams, and holds career and single-season team records for saves.




The New York teams are next. I hope to see you back here for the Mets and Yankees All-Time rosters. Thanks for reading, and have a great weekend!



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All-Time Teams: Brewers

Today we'll look at the other franchise that has played in both the American League and the National League. Here's the All-Time Team for the Milwaukee Brewers:

Manager: Phil Garner

Home: County Stadium

Leading off for the Brewers.. the Third Baseman.. Paul Molitor

The second Brewers great inducted into the Hall of Fame, Paul Molitor is second in team history in several categories including WAR, runs scored, hits, and games played. Originally a second baseman, the "Ignitor" has more career hits than any third baseman in history. A seven-time All-Star and four-time Silver Slugger winner, Molitor is Milwaukee's career leader in stolen bases and led the league in runs scored three times. He finished second in Rookie of the Year voting in 1978 and second in AL MVP voting in 1993.


 


Batting second for Milwaukee.. the Shortstop.. Robin Yount

The first true Brewer enshrined in Cooperstown, Robin Yount is Milwaukee's all-time leader in WAR, games played, runs scored, total bases, and RBI. Only three shortstops in history have more hits than Yount's 3,142 and only four have a higher WAR than his career mark of 77.3. In 1982 Yount led the majors with 367 total bases and a .957 OPS, leading the Brew Crew to their first (and only) World Series appearance. He won three Silver Slugger awards and two MVP awards - at two different positions - yet somehow made just three All-Star teams.

Batting third.. the Designated Hitter.. Prince Fielder

A durable slugger with light tower power, Prince Fielder was a big reason for Milwaukee's resurgence after missing the playoffs for a quarter century. The six-time All-Star and three-time Silver Slugger winner missed just one game in a five year stretch from 2009-2013. Fielder finished third in MVP voting twice and led the NL with a franchise-record 50 home runs in 2007. A neck injury prematurely ended his career in 2016, leaving Prince with 319 career homers - exactly as many as his father Cecil.  


Batting fourth.. the Left Fielder.. Ryan Braun

Ryan Braun is third on the Brewers' all-time list in WAR, runs scored, hits, and OPS. The 2007 NL Rookie of the Year won five consecutive Silver Slugger awards and was named NL MVP in 2011. Braun followed that up with a second-place finish in 2012 after leading the league in home runs, runs scored, total bases, and OPS. He is the Brewers' all-time leader in long balls with 344 and can move into second place on the team's all-time list in games played if he plays a full season in 2020.


 



Batting fifth.. the First Baseman.. Cecil Cooper

Cecil Cooper batted .300 or better in seven consecutive seasons from 1977-1983, with a career high of .352 in 1980. The five-time All-Star won three Silver Slugger awards and finished fifth in MVP voting three times in four years starting in '80. Cooper compiled three seasons of 120+ RBI, led the league in doubles twice, and won two Gold Gloves. His .302 batting average as a Brewer is third in team history and his WAR, runs scored, hits, and games played totals are top-5 in team annals.


 



Batting sixth.. the Right Fielder.. Jeromy Burnitz

Jeromy Burnitz was a breakout star for the rebuilding Brewers in the late 1990s. In five full seasons from 1997-2001 he averaged 33 home runs and 102 RBI, earning an All-Star nod in 1999. Burnitz ranks fourth on the Brewers' all-time list in slugging and OPS, seventh in on-base % and ninth in home runs despite his relatively short tenure with the team.


 




Batting seventh.. the Center Fielder.. Gorman Thomas

The only first-round draft pick of the Seattle Pilots, Gorman Thomas crushed 208 home runs for Milwaukee, fifth-most in team history. Thomas led the league in long balls twice, including a career-high 45 in 1979. His major-league leading 39 home runs in 1982 helped "Harvey's Wallbangers" win the AL pennant. Thomas finished top-ten in MVP voting in both those seasons and made the All-Star squad in 1981, when he set a career high with a 146 OPS+.






Batting eighth.. the Catcher.. Jonathan Lucroy
 
Jonathan Lucroy made two All-Star teams in his 6 1/2 seasons with the Brewers, including a standout 2014 season in which he played 153 games, led the majors with 53 doubles and finished fourth in NL MVP voting. Lucroy's 110 OPS+ is first among Brewers catchers and only Charlie Moore caught more games in a Milwaukee uniform. The 33 year-old just signed a minor league deal with the Red Sox for the 2020 season.


 




Batting ninth.. the Second Baseman.. Rickie Weeks    
 
The second overall pick in the 2003 draft, Rickie Weeks made his major league debut that same year after just 21 minor league games. Weeks hit 20+ home runs in three straight seasons, compiled 302 total bases in 2010, and made the NL All-Star team in 2011. He's sixth on the Brewers' career list with 684 career runs scored, seventh in stolen bases with 126, and his 24.6 offensive WAR ties him with Prince Fielder for sixth in team history.






The Starting Pitcher for the Brewers.. Ben Sheets

A first-round draft pick in 1999 and an Olympic hero in 2000, Ben Sheets made six Opening Day starts in his eight seasons with the Brewers. The four-time All-Star is second among Milwaukee pitchers in WAR and strikeouts, and his 3.85 K:BB ratio is the highest in franchise history. In 2004 Sheets set Brewers single-season records for WHIP (0.983) and strikeouts (264), led the majors with an incredible 8.25 K:BB ratio.. and only got one fifth-place Cy Young vote because he went 12-14 for a 94-loss Brewers team. 

Now let's take a look at the Brewers' bench and bullpen:

Catcher - Dave Nilsson
Infield - Jim Gantner
Infield - Don Money
Outfield - Ben Oglivie
Outfield - Sixto Lezcano

Nilsson's numbers were a hair better than Lucroy's - but the former played all over the field while the latter was almost exclusively a catcher. No need for a backup first baseman with Fielder and Cooper on the team. Third base and Left field are particularly deep for the Brew Crew. I considered moving Molitor to second base and starting Money, which would have cleared a spot on the bench for Jeff Cirillo. Oglivie narrowly beat Geoff Jenkins for the backup spot behind Braun (who began his career at the hot corner.)



#2 Starter - Teddy Higuera
#3 Starter - Yovani Gallardo
#4 Starter - Chris Bosio
#5 Starter - Mike Caldwell

Higuera's career WAR of 30.3 is fifth in franchise history and first among pitchers. The lefty was AL ROY runner-up in 1985 and AL Cy Young runner-up in 1986. Gallardo tops all Brewers hurlers in strikeouts and strikeouts per 9 innings. Bosio is third among Milwaukee starters with an 18.6 career WAR. Caldwell finished second in AL Cy Young voting in 1978 and is one of only two pitchers with 100+ wins for the Brew Crew.



LH Reliever - Bob McClure
RH Reliever - Chuck Crim
RH Reliever - Mike Fetters
RH Reliever - John Axford
RH Reliever - Jeremy Jeffress
LH Reliever - Dan Plesac

Crim led the AL in appearances in 1988 and 1989, posting a sub-3 ERA in both seasons. Fetters compiled a 155 ERA+ over six seasons with the Brewers. Axford's 106 saves (including a league-leading 46 in 2011) are second in team history. Jeffress was an All-Star in 2018, going 8-1 with a 1.29 ERA and a 317 ERA+ but received no Cy Young votes. Plesac was named to three All-Star teams and holds team records in saves, appearances, ERA, and ERA+ I may have erred in allocating Bob Wickman to the Barnes-stormers. Josh Hader doesn't yet qualify. 





Stay tuned for our next All-Time Team, the Minnesota Twins. 



Thanks for reading!




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All-Time Teams: Marlins

Today we'll look at a franchise that has never lost a playoff series. Here's the All-Time Team for the Miami Marlins:

Since the Marlins aren't exactly the most popular baseball team, I thought I'd use this post to give you an inside look at how these All-Time Teams are assembled. 

The starting point for every post is Baseball-reference.com. Before building the 25-man roster I check the franchise page for a manager.

Not much to choose from here. Jack McKeon is the only skipper with a winning record. He's tied for the team lead in years managed, and he won a World Series. He's our guy.

Choosing a ballpark for each All-Time Team to call home is usually a simple task. I try to pick the park the team played in the longest, or failing that, the park in which they had the most success. For the Marlins, that's this multi-purpose/multi-name stadium:

With the basics out of the way, it's time for the fun part: roster construction. I open the team history page and scroll through the Top 50 Career Leaders. Let's focus on position players first.

The first thing I consider is qualification: does this player have more years with another team? Right away that would eliminate Miguel Cabrera (Tigers) and Derrek Lee (Cubs). However, Lee could be re-considered if necessary. Dee Gordon and Brian Anderson don't qualify, either - they played less than four seasons with this franchise.


Next I want to find the best qualifying players at each position. At this point I'm looking at one stat: OPS+. This will tell me if each player was league average (100) or better. 

We've got two qualifying catchers: J.T. Realmuto (110 OPS+) and Charles Johnson (96). Done.

We've got two qualifying first basemen: Jeff Conine (114) and Kevin Millar (127). Millar's production is a surprise to me. Conine is Mr. Marlin so he's going on this roster somehow. Let's come back to this.

We've got two qualifying second basemen: Luis Castillo (94) and Dan Uggla (117). OPS+ is not the be-all and end-all stat, but it's looking like Uggla should start. Done.

We've got two qualifying shortstops: Hanley Ramirez (129) and Miguel Rojas (87). Han-Ram is an easy choice. Done.

 We've got one qualifying third baseman: Mike Lowell. Done.

In the outfield, we've got six qualifying players. Giancarlo Stanton is a lock. Christian Yelich has been far better as a Brewer but he doesn't qualify for Milwaukee. Cliff Floyd will compete with Yelich for the left field spot, while Marcell Ozuna (115 OPS+) should be the the starting center fielder over Juan Pierre (91).

Gary Sheffield has to start, but Stanton is blocking him in right. Luckily there's a DH spot on these All-Time rosters for this exact purpose. But which one goes where?

At this point my Marlins roster looks like this:

C - Realmuto, Johnson
1B - Conine (Millar?)
2B - Uggla (Castillo?)
SS - Ramirez
3B - Lowell
LF - Yelich (Floyd?)
CF - Ozuna
RF - Sheffield/Stanton
DH - Stanton/Sheffield

Each team's bench consists of one catcher, two infielders, and two outfielders. I've got to fill one more spot and solidify the other two.

This is where I take a deeper dive into other statistical categories to find some players to compete with our incumbents. Here's how that competition shakes out:

• 1st Base - Justin Bour/Kevin Millar/Derrek Lee
• Infield - Derek Dietrich/Luis Castillo

Justin Bour and Kevin Millar both played five seasons in Florida. Derrek Lee played six seasons. Here are their stat lines:

.262/.346/.470  83 HR  272 RBI  123 OPS+
.296/.367/.504  59 HR  251 RBI  127 OPS+
.264/.353/.469 129 HR 417 RBI  115 OPS+

Millar has the numbers but Lee played 344 more games as a Marlin. He's our guy.




 
Luis Castillo isn't great, but his 10 years with the team is a huge advantage. Is it enough to hold off Derek Dietrich?

.254/.335/.422  60 HR  204 RBI  108 OPS+
.293/.370/.356  20 HR  271 RBI  94 OPS+

Dietrich's power and versatility aren't enough to kick Castillo off the roster.


We have a three-way competition for the final position player spot:

• Outfield - Josh Willingham/Preston Wilson/Juan Pierre

The Willinghammer only played 416 games for Florida, or roughly five half-seasons. Wilson and Pierre played about the same amount of games - just shy of 600. 

.262/.333/.473  991 total bases 109 OPS+
.295/.345/.368  851 total bases  91 OPS+

With Luis Castillo on the bench the Marlins don't need another Punch and Judy hitter. Preston Wilson claims the fifth outfield spot. 


Now let's build a rotation and bullpen for the Marlins.

Oh dear God. Kevin Brown will start for an All-Time Team but it's not this one. Beckett played longer in Boston, but I'll keep him in the mix for now. Pavano, Alex Fernandez, Leiter, Dempster, and Buehrle don't qualify for Florida. 

Let's take the remaining starters and see who has an ERA+ of 100(league average) or higher:

Oh dear God. This is why I didn't want to discard Beckett - he appears to be the Marlins' #2 starter. Josh Johnson is the "ace" of this staff. Jose Fernandez posted an ERA+ of 150 in his far too short career, but he's not listed here because his 471 1/3 innings pitched weren't enough to qualify. 

A.J. Burnett edges out Dontrelle Willis for the #3 spot:

3.73 ERA  3.71 FIP  111 ERA+  1.284 WHIP  2.00 K:BB
3.78 ERA  3.98 FIP  111 ERA+  1.359 WHIP  2.20 K:BB

The D-Train will take the 4th starter spot. That leaves Sanchez, Penny, Rapp, and Nolasco as fifth starter options. Nolasco is the franchise leader in wins and starts, and he has an impressive K:BB ratio. I'll go with him, since none of the other guys stand out. 

Finally we have the bullpen. The two categories to consider are games played (relief appearances) and saves:

Let's start with the closers. Nen qualifies for the Marlins and the Giants. Guess which team needs him more? Cishek and Ramos are quality options. Alfonseca and Looper are.. fine. Oviedo and Gregg don't qualify. Dunn is good enough to earn the last spot in the 'pen.

The 25-man roster is complete. All that's left is assembling the order. And here it is:

Leading off.. the Shortstop.. Hanley Ramirez
Batting second.. the Left Fielder.. Christian Yelich
Batting third.. the Right Fielder.. Gary Sheffield
Batting fourth.. the Designated Hitter.. Giancarlo Stanton
Batting fifth.. the Second Baseman.. Dan Uggla
Batting sixth.. the Third Baseman.. Mike Lowell
Batting seventh.. the Center Fielder.. Marcell Ozuna
Batting eighth.. the Catcher.. J. T. Realmuto
Batting ninth.. the First Baseman.. Jeff Conine

The starting pitcher for the Marlins.. Josh Johnson


Here's the Marlins' bench and bullpen:

Catcher - Charles Johnson
1st Base - Derrek Lee
Infield - Luis Castillo
Outfield - Cliff Floyd
Outfield - Preston Wilson

#2 Starter - Josh Beckett
#3 Starter - A. J. Burnett
#4 Starter - Dontrelle Willis
#5 Starter - Ricky Nolasco

RH Reliever - Braden Looper
RH Reliever - Antonio Alfonseca
LH Reliever - Mike Dunn
RH Reliever - Steve Cishek
RH Reliever - AJ Ramos
RH Reliever - Robb Nen 


Once the rosters are complete the next step is to write the blurb for each starter and bench group. I skipped this step for today's post but every other team will have text. Then it's time to add some cards. Now that my entire collection is cataloged on TCDB I can see which cards I have for each player.

    stock photo                                            my card     

My first choice is a card from my own collection. If I have time to scan them I will, otherwise I use the TCDB scan. If the card is not scanned I'll scan it myself. If I don't have a card of a specific player on the team in question, I'll choose a card from TCDB.

After that, I link up each player page and fight with Blogger's HTML coding for about an hour. I try to make sure the paragraphs are spaced evenly but sometimes Blogger just doesn't cooperate. 


 
I hope you enjoyed this inside look at the process of putting together an All-Time Team post. The Milwaukee Brewers are up next. 


Thanks for reading!


 
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