Better than You Remember

A friend of mine recently opened a debate with me, about who should be the next inductee into the Twins 'Ring of Fame' which runs around the Metrodome.
Before I get into some of the names of who might be worthy of consideration, the list of Twins currently enshrined:
Harmon Killebrew, Rod Carew, Tony Oliva, Kent Hrbek, Kirby Puckett, Calvin Griffith, Herb Carneal, Jim Kaat, Bert Blyleven, Tom Kelly, Bob Casey, Bob Allison and Earl Battey.
The first name that popped into my head is one that I think is both the most deserving and most unlikely to gain acceptance: the largely reviled Chuck Knoblauch.
If you go to the Twins website they have a whole big detailed list of necessary qualifications for their team Hall of Fame, which suggests that they take it seriously.
If that is so, then the team shouldn't shy away from Knoblauch because of the likely negative reaction from fans. Just a glance at the numbers suggests that Knoblauch is one of the top dozen or so playes to ever put on a Twins uniform.
As of right now, Knoblauch is basically remembered for two things: 1- growing tired of the Twins losing and forcing a trade to the Yankees only a year after signing a 5yr-$30M contract, and 2 - forgetting how to throw a baseball to first base and consequently watching his career dissappear faster than a $5 case of beer.
Those memories clearly overshadowed what Knoblauch did in a Twins uniform, as it was evident what Twins fans thought of old Chucky when he came to the Metrodome as a left-fielder in 2001, and was pelted with hot-dogs and batteries.
But you may remember how important he was to the Twins winning the World Series in 1991. He batted .281 with 25 stolen bases, and posted a .350 on-base percentage, which proved vital, as leadoff man Dan Gladden had just a .306 OBP. Somebody had to be on-base for Puckett, Hrbek and Chili Davis, and Knobby made sure that if Gladden couldn't do it, someone else would.
As if that wasn't enough for the rookie, he batted .350 in the 91 ALCS, then batted .308 with 4 steals in the World Series, while also pulling out "The Fake" with Greg Gagne; you know, the phantom double-play that confused Lonnie Smith and kept him from scoring on Terry Pendleton's double.
Then, starting in 1994, he went on a four year run that no second basemen save for Joe Morgan or Rogers Hornsby had ever been on previously.
Over that 4-year span he hit .319 with 38 homers, 234 RBIs, 447 runs, 188 steals, 140 doubles, 35 triples, and 301 walks, He won a gold glove, two silver sluggers, made four all-star teams, and in '96, had one of the best seasons ever by a Twin, hitting .341 with 197 hits, 45 doubles, 45 steals, 140 runs, a ridiculous .448 onbase pct, 14 triples, 98 walks, 13 homers, and 73 RBIs.
At this point he was well on his way to becoming a first ballot Hall of Famer, but we all know what happened when he went to NY. What some may not know is that his trip to New York was accompanied by a very ugly divorce, his fathers diagnosis with Parkinson's disease, and a NY media that never welcomed him.
Are those excuses? Sure they are, but his qualifications for the Twins Hall should have nothing to do with his post-Twins career anyway. The man was, throughout his seven years in Minny, a terrific player.
A more likely choice, and my guess as for who'll be next, is Gary Gaetti. Another great player, and, unlike Knoblauch, a popular one.
Fans no doubt have much fonder memories of the Rat than they do of Knobby, yet Gaetti's numbers don't quite stack up to Knoblauch's. He had an excellent 3-year run from 1986-1988, hitting 34, 31 and 28 homers. He was having his best year in '88 when an injury sidelined him for a month, yet he still finished with a .301 Avg, 28 bombs and 88 RBIs. He won four straight Gold Gloves from 86-89, and was the ALCS MVP in '87. In the years preceding and succeding that 3-yr period, however, Gaetti was a .230 hitter with slightly above average power. The Twins didn't put up much of a fight when he left after the 1990 season, and they promptly won it all in their first year without him. Gaetti did rejuvenate his career later with KC, and rettired with 360 homeruns.
Tom Brunansky's name came up, though his numbers aren't much better than Rob Deer's. (Minus the K's.) Greg Gagne is a solid candidate as well.
Frank Viola won a lot of games, but his '84, '87 and '88 seasons are the only full season's in which his ERA was under 4.
Rick Aguilera has to be there someday, as he spent 1990-1998 as the best closer in team history (except '96, when he was moved to the rotation for a 1-yr experiment.)
He's the all-time saves leader, and his consistency and reliability defined what a closer is supposed to be. On a national level, he has been vastly underappreciated. He's one of the great closer's of his generation.
The name that I really enjoyed researching, though, was Brian Harper.
His numbers would really surprise you.
He spent 7 years with the Twins and never hit lower than .291, his final year with the club. In those 7 years he struck out 146 times. I'll repeat that in case it didn't sink in. In 7 years, and 2,503 at-bats, he struck out 146 times. Amazing. He batted .381 in the '91 series, and, intersting sidenote, made his big league debut at age 19 with the California Angels. Bet ya didn't know that.
It's fun to go back in Twins history, (for me anyway, I'm probably taking a big leap in assuming you're still reading) I just hope Knoblauch and Harper get their proper remembrance in that history.