1987 Minnesota Twins

The 1987 Minnesota Twins won the World Series for the first time since moving from Washington in 1961, marking the second time that the franchise had won the World Series. (The Washington Senators had won it in 1924.) Manager Tom Kelly managed the rare feat of winning the World Series in his first full season as manager.

Offseason

• November 12, 1986: The Twins traded a player to be named later to the New York Mets for Ron Gardenhire. The Twins completed the trade by sending Dominic Iasparro (minors) to the Mets on April 4, 1987.
• January 9, 1987: Juan Berenguer was signed as a free agent by the Twins.
• February 3, 1987: Neal Heaton, Yorkis Perez, Jeff Reed and minor leaguer Al Cardwood were traded by the Twins to the Montreal Expos for Jeff Reardon and Tom Nieto.
• February 20, 1987: Minor leaguer Mike Shade was traded by the Twins to the Montreal Expos for Al Newman.
• February 24, 1987: Billy Sample was signed as a free agent by the Minnesota Twins.

Regular season

The Twins were 85-77, first in the American League West. The team had one of the lowest winning percentages ever for a World Series champion, at .525. It also had the remarkably bad road record of 29-52 (.358 percentage). Fortunately for the team, the Twins played in the weak American League West Division, where first and last place were separated by only ten games.

2,081,976 fans attended Twins games, the sixth highest total in the American League.

Only one Twin made the All-Star Game, outfielder Kirby Puckett. The highest paid player was Kent Hrbek at $1,310,000; followed by Bert Blyleven at $1,150,000.

1987 was the first year the Twins started using their modernized logos and uniforms, which are still in use today.

Joe Niekro, a pitcher for the Twins, was suspended for 10 games when umpire Steve Palermo discovered a nail file in his pocket. Niekro said he was filing his nails in the dugout, but American League president Dr. Bobby Brown didn't believe him, and ordered the suspension.

• The Homer Hanky was introduced for the first time in 1987.

Offense

This was the last year for a long time that the Twins were stocked with power hitters. In particular, Kirby Puckett, Kent Hrbek, Gary Gaetti, and Tom Brunansky combined to hit 125 home runs. (The team as a whole hit 196.) Hrbek, Gaetti, and Brunansky each surpassed 30 home runs, a number that no Twin would reach until Justin Morneau and Torii Hunter in 2006.

Kirby Puckett led the AL with 207 hits.

Pitching

The top three starting pitchers, Frank Viola, Bert Blyleven, and Les Straker provided stability throughout the year. Mike Smithson, Joe Niekro, and Jeff Bittiger were less reliable. Newly acquired closer Jeff Reardon was a reliable option at the end of games. Juan Berenguer was the most reliable set-up man, posting a 3.94 ERA.

Bert Blyleven led the AL with 46 home runs allowed.

Defense

The defense was not as strong as would be typical for Twins teams under manager Tom Kelly. Hrbek was the most reliable fielder at first base, and the outfield of Dan Gladden, Puckett, and Brunansky was reliable. Third baseman Gary Gaetti and center fielder Kirby Puckett each won their second Gold Glove Award.

Season standings

Notable transactions

• March 31, 1987: Minor leaguers Jose Dominguez and Ray Velázquez and a player to be named later were traded by the Twins to the San Francisco Giants for outfielder Dan Gladden and minor leaguer David Blakely. The Twins completed the deal by sending Bryan Hickerson to the Giants on June 15.
• May 10, 1987: Bill Latham was traded by the Twins to the New York Mets for Jayson Felice (minors).
• May 22, 1987: Sal Butera was signed as a free agent by the Twins.
• June 2, 1987: 1987 Major League Baseball Draft
  • Willie Banks was drafted by the Twins in the 1st round (3rd pick overall).
  • Terry Jorgensen was drafted by the Twins in the 2nd round).
  • Larry Casian was drafted by the Twins in the 6th round.
  • Mark Guthrie was drafted by the Twins in the 7th round.
  • Chip Hale was drafted by the Twins in the 17th round
  • Bret Boone was drafted by the Twins in the 28th round, but did not sign.
  • Craig Paquette was drafted by the Twins in the 36th round), but did not sign.
• June 2, 1987: Eric Bullock was traded by the Houston Astros to the Minnesota Twins for Clay Christiansen.
• June 7, 1987: Mark Salas was traded by the Twins to the New York Yankees for pitcher Joe Niekro.
• June 24, 1987: Danny Clay and Tom Schwarz (minors) were traded by the Twins to the Philadelphia Phillies for Dan Schatzeder and cash.
• July 31: The Twins traded a player to be named later to the Cleveland Indians for Steve Carlton. The Twins completed the trade by sending minor leaguer Jeff Perry to the Indians on August 18.
• September 1: The Twins traded a player to be named later to the Boston Red Sox for designated hitter Don Baylor. The Twins completed the deal by sending minor leaguer Enrique Rios to the Red Sox on December 18.

Roster

Player stats

Batting

Starters by position

Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At Bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting Average; HR = Home Runs; RBI = Runs Batted In

Other batters

Note: G = Games played; AB = At Bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting Average; HR = Home Runs; RBI = Runs Batted In

Pitching

Starting pitchers

Other pitchers

Relief pitchers

Postseason

See 1987 American League Championship Series and 1987 World Series.

Farm system

See also: Minor league baseball

References

1. ^ Ron Gardenhire page on Baseball Reference
2. ^ Juan Berenguer page on Baseball Reference
3. ^ Jeff Reardon page at Baseball Reference
4. ^ Al Newman page at Baseball Reference
5. ^ Billy Sample page on Baseball Reference
6. ^ Dan Gladden page on Baseball Reference
7. ^ Bill Latham page at Baseball Reference
8. ^ Sal Butera page at Baseball Reference
9. ^ Willie Banks page at Baseball Reference
10. ^ Terry Jorgensen page at Baseball Reference
11. ^ Larry Casian page at Baseball Reference
12. ^ Mark Guthrie page at Baseball Reference
13. ^ Chip Hale page at Baseball Reference
14. ^ Bret Boone page at Baseball Reference
15. ^ Craig Paquette page at Baseball Reference
16. ^ http://www.baseball-reference.com/b/bulloer01.shtml
17. ^ Mark Salas page at Baseball Reference
18. ^ Dan Schatzeder page at Baseball Reference
19. ^ http://www.baseball-reference.com/b/baylodo01.shtml
20. ^ Johnson, Lloyd, and Wolff, Miles, ed., The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball, 2nd and 3rd editions. Durham, N.C.: Baseball America, 1997 and 2007

1987 Minnesota Twins

Player: Pos: Age: G: AB: R: H: 2B: 3B: HR: RBI: BB: IBB: K: SB: CS: SH: HBP: GDP: AVG: OBP: SLG: OPS: Tim Laudner: C: 29: 113: 288: 30: 55: 7: 1: 16: 43: 23: 0: 80: 1: 0: 3: 1: 4 ...

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1987 Minnesota Twins season - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The 1987 Minnesota Twins won the World Series for the first time since moving from Washington in 1961, marking the second time that the franchise had won the World Series.

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A 1987 Minnesota Twins roster with uniform numbers, player stats and Opening Day data.

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1987 Minnesota Twins - BR Bullpen

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