Meanwhile, we're back to the countdown, with actual baseball action just a couple of weeks away. Minnesota was my hometown Portland Beavers' parent club for several years when I was young, including while the Twins won the World Series in 1987 and 1991. For that reason, but not much else, I have some fondness for this franchise.
Favorite current Twins player: Francisco Liriano. I wouldn't call myself a fan, exactly, but Liriano was so dominant that one season (2006) early in his career that I can't help but pull for the guy.
Least favorite current Twins player: Jason Marquis. Yeah, I can't let it go. Marquis isn't my least favorite Cardinal of all-time, but I certainly can't think of any pleasant memories of watching him pitch for St. Louis. He wasn't bad with the bat, though, but that probably won't make much of a difference for him in the AL.
Favorite Twins player of all-time: Bernardo Brito. For someone who only had 76 plate appearances in his entire MLB career, you might think this is a strange choice. Brito, a classic AAAA player, was a personal favorite of mine during his time in Portland. He hit 120 HRs for the Beavers in 5 seasons to go with 295 in his minor league career.
Least favorite Twins player of all-time: Dan Gladden. Gladden was terrible at baseball (.707 career OPS as primarily a corner outfielder?) yet won two World Series rings, including one over my Cardinals. So frustrating. SI cover? Seriously?
Favorite current Twins player: Francisco Liriano. I wouldn't call myself a fan, exactly, but Liriano was so dominant that one season (2006) early in his career that I can't help but pull for the guy.
Least favorite current Twins player: Jason Marquis. Yeah, I can't let it go. Marquis isn't my least favorite Cardinal of all-time, but I certainly can't think of any pleasant memories of watching him pitch for St. Louis. He wasn't bad with the bat, though, but that probably won't make much of a difference for him in the AL.
Favorite Twins player of all-time: Bernardo Brito. For someone who only had 76 plate appearances in his entire MLB career, you might think this is a strange choice. Brito, a classic AAAA player, was a personal favorite of mine during his time in Portland. He hit 120 HRs for the Beavers in 5 seasons to go with 295 in his minor league career.
Least favorite Twins player of all-time: Dan Gladden. Gladden was terrible at baseball (.707 career OPS as primarily a corner outfielder?) yet won two World Series rings, including one over my Cardinals. So frustrating. SI cover? Seriously?
The Minnesota Twins appear at #9 in my reverse-ranking of favorite teams as of the moment I picked them a long, long time ago on October 4th, 2010. All of these cards are very much up for trade, so please contact me if you're interested.
That Mauer relic at the top would look good in my binder.
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