The loss of franchise cornerstone Kirby Puckett was an enormous setback to start the 1996 Minnesota Twins season. But the show must go on, as they say, and whether narrated through Dick-n-Bert on MSC or Herb-n-John over the air, the ‘96 Twins were off and running.
Offense (97 team OPS+)
The three guys Puckett was supposed to pair perfectly with all performed admirably…
- Chuck Knoblauch: 197 H, 140 R, 35 2B, 14 3B, 45 SB, .341 BA, 143 OPS+
- Paul Molitor: 225 H, 99 R, 41 2B, 8 3B, 113 RBI, 18 SB, .341 BA, 116 OPS+
- Marty Cordova: 176 H, 97 R, 46 2B, 111 RBI, .309 BA, 112 OPS+
Alas, six others batsmen had to come to the plate each game, accounting for the below-average 97 team OPS+.
Pitching (97 team ERA+)
The “Rick Aguilera as a starter” disaster and sub-90 ERA+ campaigns from the likes of Greg Hansell, Eddie Guardado, Jose Parra, & Pat Mahomes Sr gave this team a reputation of being pitching-poor.
But the likes of Brad Radke (114 ERA+), Frankie Rodriguez (101 ERA+), Rich Robertson (100 ERA+), and Scott Aldred (100 ERA+) all held their own in the rotation while Mike Trombley (170 ERA+) & Dan Naulty (110 ERA+) were solid firemen.
Other ‘96 highlights included…
- Molitor’s 3,000th hit—a triple, no less!
- Beating the Detroit Tigers 24-11
- Collecting 8 doubles in a single contest
- Sending Knobby to the All-Star game in Philadelphia
- Trading Dave Hollins to Seattle for a Player To Be Named Later—who turned out to be David Ortiz
- Drafting Jacque Jones & Chad Allen
- Chip Hale’s remarkable 19 pinch hits!
Without the legendary Kirby panache to draw paying customers, attendance sagged to 17,745/game—11th of 14 in the American League. Well, until Kirby Puckett Tribute Night, which predictably packed the house…
All told, the ‘96 Twins played exactly like a team without their leader, finishing a listless 78-84. They avoided the AL Central cellar, but were still a whopping 21.5 GB crown-wearing Cleveland. The team was below-average in the first half (41-45) and below-average in the second half (37-39). They were below-average at home (39-43) and below-average on the road (39-41). Remarkable consistency for such a middling squad.