It's hard to believe it has been 20 years since the Twins won their second World Series Championship.
Known as the "Worst to First" series because both the Minnesota Twins and the Atlanta Braves finished the 1990 season in last place in their divisions only to advance to the pinnacle of the baseball world in 1991.
The 1991 Series is considered to be one of the most entertaining in World Series history as five of the seven games were decided in the winning team's last at bat, and three of the games went into extra innings.
Game 7 was a classic, with Jack Morris pitching all 10 innings for the Twins as they prevailed with 1-0 sewries-clinching victory, winning the series four games to three.
Although under Ron Gardenhire the Twins have won the American League Central Division six times in nine years, and have averaged 89 wins a season, they still have not even made an appearance in the World Series.
Gardenhire has managed the Twins to the second most wins of any manager in franchise history with 803 in nine seasons. Tom Kelly leads all Twins mangers with 1,140 victories in 15 plus seasons. If Gardenhire can continue to win at his current pace he will surpass Kelly in the next four or five years.
The difference is that Kelly was at the helm for both of Minnesota's World Series Championships. Until Gardenhire can secure a World Championship, his career will always be partially overshadowed by that of Kelly's.
As the 2011 Twins look to extend their AL Central Division reign for the third straight season, they boast a starting lineup that looks very similar to the one that won 94 games last season.
The biggest change can be found in their double-play combination. Gone are J.J. Hardy and Orlando Hudson, who only lasted one season in Minnesota. There is a lot of faith being put into their replacements—Alexi Casilla at shortstop, who has not played in more than 98 games in a season, and Japanese import Tsuyoshi Nishioka, who is slated to take over for Hudson.
For the 2011 Twins it will mark their second season in Target Field. Here's my projection to how they compare to the second World Championship team of 1991.
Catchers:
1991: Brian Harper—.311 batting average, 10 HR, 69 RBI in 123 games.
2011: Joe Mauer—.327 batting average, 13 HR, 75 RBI in 133 games in 2010.
Although it appears close, the edge goes to the 2011 Twins as Mauer has established himself as a premier player, not only with the bat but defensively as well.
First Base:
1991: Kent Hrbek—.284 batting average, 20 HR, 89 RBI in 132 games.
2011: Justin Morneau—.286 batting average, 25 HR, 94 RBI in 129 games in 2010
The 2011 Twins get the edge here with the two caveats—Morneau needs to come back strong from the concussion that ended his season in July and he needs to play the whole season.
Second Base:
1991: Chuck Knoblauch—.281 average, one HR, 50 RBI, 24 stolen bases in 151 games.
2011: Tsuyoshi Nishioka—.279 average, eight HR, 46 RBI, 28 stolen bases in 130 games in Japan last year.
In 1991, Knoblauch was named the AL Rookie of the Year for the Twins. Because attempting to project Nishioka's numbers from his professional career in Japan is a crap shoot at best, the edge goes to the 1991 Twins.
Nishioka has never played in more than 130 games in a season in his seven-year professional career. His projected stats are very close to those of Alexi Casilla, with the potential for a higher batting average and slightly more power.
Shortstop:
1991: Greg Gagne—.265 average, eight HR, 42 RBI in 139 games.
2011: Alexi Casilla—.249 average, three HR, 40 RBI in 140 games in 2010
This one goes to Greg Gagne and the 1991 Twins. Casilla has never played in more than 98 games in a season. He did have his best season with the Twins in 2010, but only played in 69 games. He needs to prove he can be a reliable everyday player.
Third Base:
1991: Mike Pagliarulo—.279 average, six HR, 36 RBI in 121 games.
2011: Danny Valencia—.305 average, 14 HR, 75 RBI in 160 games in 2010.
The 2011 Twins and Valencia win this comparison. In 2010 Valencia established himself as a long term solution as third base. He needs to bring the same kind of consistency that the Twins have not seen at the hot corner since the departure of Corey Koskie following the 2004 season.
Left Field:
1991: Dan Gladden—.247 average, six HR, 52 RBI in 126 games.
2011: Delmon Young—.290 average, 16 HR, 100 RBI in 150 games.
Offensively there is no doubt the 2011 Twins with Young are better. Defensively, with a .978 fielding percentage, Young is a downgrade from the .984 fielding percentage of Gladden.
Gladden also brought some grit to the ball field and there was never any question you were getting all he had to give when he played.
Overall, this still favors Young and the 2011 Twins.
Center Field:
1991: Kirby Puckett—.319 average, 15 HR, 89 RBI in 152 games.
2011: Denard Span—.280 average, five HR, 60 RBI in 150 games last year.
Puckett and the 1991 Twins—enough said!
Right Field:
1991: Shane Mack—.310 average, 18 HR, 74 RBI in 143 games.
2011: Michael Cuddyer—.270 average, 20 HR, 85 RBI in 150 games in 2010.
Cuddyer has shown he can be an RBI machine for the Twins. This one is a push. If Cuddyer can play more like he did on 2009 when he hit a career high 32 home runs, than like he did on 2010 with only 14 home runs, then this leans toward the 2011 team.
Designated Hitter:
1991: Chili Davis—.277 average, 29 HR, 93 RBI in 153 games.
2011: Jason Kubel—.271 average, 22 HR, 75 RBI in 120 games.
I know there will some fans asking why Jim Tome is not considered the DH. At the end of the 2010 season it was clear that the 108 games he appeared in were taking its toll on his back. In 2011 the Twins will look to use Thome as DH less and more off the bench as a pinch hitter.
The fact that Davis could provide power from either side of the plate gives the 1991 Twins the edge here.
Starting Pitching:
1991: Jack Morris, Kevin Tapani, Scott Erickson, Allan Anderson, David West—71-51, 3.77 ERA.
2010: Carl Pavano, Francisco Liriano, Scott Baker, Kevin Slowey, Nick Blackburn—73-50, 4.17 ERA.
The biggest difference here, is that in 1991 Twins' starters had 19 complete games, led by Morris with 10.
Just to show how the game has changed in 20 years, in 2011 Pavano not only led the Twins, but the league with seven complete games.
The 2011 Twins should have a more consistent starting rotation than in 1991. Someone will need to step up and do their best Morris impersonation—in 1991 Morris was 36 years old, in 2011 Pavano will be 35, yet when it comes to being a dominant pitcher Liriano has shown he is capable.
From the ace to the fifth starter the 2011 Twins get the nod.
Bullpen:
1991: 24-16 and 53 saves, 3.53 ERA
2010: 21-18 and 40 saves, 3.49 ERA
With key departures in Matt Guerrier, Jesse Crain, and Jon Rauch the Twins bullpen is the biggest question mark for 2011. The return of closer Joe Nathan from Tommy John surgery is the next biggest concern for the team. Because of these concerns the 1991 Twins have the edge.
Closer:
1991: Rick Aguilera: 42 saves, 2.35 ERA, 69.0 IP.
2011: Matt Capps: 21 saves, 3.31 ERA, 68.0 IP/Joe Nathan: 15 saves, 2.75 50 IP.
The uncertainty of Nathan's return as the closer and the possibility of splitting the duty between him and Capps the edge goes to the 1991 Twins.
Wrapping it all up.
The 1991 Twins had only one round of playoffs between them and the World Series, while the team that has won six division titles over the last nine years has only once made it to the ALCS. An extra hurdle that the Twins seem to stumble over repeatedly.
Looking forward to 2011, the Twins compare very favorably to their 1991 counterparts.
The keys for a successful season that could propel the Twins to the World Series include finding the right mix of arms to patch together their bullpen, the development of Casilla and Nishioka into a long term solution up the middle like they have on the corners, and the ability to rely on the contributions of the 24—year old Young and 25—year old Valencia.
There's no reason the Twins should not repeat at AL Central Champions.
Now if they can only beat the New York Yankees in the playoffs.
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