Twins announce six new jersey numbers and I am sad

My lovely high numbers… all gone.

On January 15, among a sea of no Twins news, the team announced some changes on Twitter:

Last year’s Twins had six players at the end of the season who wore a jersey number above 70 (excluding Caleb Boushley, who is no longer with the club). My love for such unusual digits is well-documented on this corner of the Internet.

All of those players have changed their numbers. This wounds me deeply.

(all WAR below via Baseball Reference)

Michael Helman

old number: 92
new number: 1
last worn by: Nick Gordon (2021-3)

Helman, the first Twin to wear #92, is switching to a digit which has not had much success for Minnesota in the 2000s. Luis Castillo leads Twins this century in WAR in the digit with 3.7 over one and a half seasons, while Tsuyoshi Nishioka, with his minus-2.3 WAR, is probably the most notable name.

Brooks Lee

old number: 72
new number: 2
last worn by: Michael A. Taylor (2023)

It’s documented that Lee’s preferred number is #22, but as that’s worn by Griffin Jax, Lee gets the single-digit version. #2 has had a fantastic run in the 2000s post-Luis Rivas, as the number passed from Denard Span to Brian Dozier to Luis Arraez to Taylor.

Austin Martin

old number: 82
new number: 16
last worn by: Steven Okert (2024)

Martin follows the Bailey Ober path of wearing #82 as a rookie to #16 in his second season (Ober switched to #17 the following year). The number had success early in the aughts with Doug Mientkiewicz, Jason Kubel, and Josh Willingham, but hasn’t had much staying power since.

DaShawn Keirsey Jr.

old number: 89
new number: 21
last worn by: Austin Davis (2022)

Surprisingly, not too many long-term Twins in #21 since the turn of the millennium, Eric Milton and Delmon Young matching stretches with four seasons each and Tyler Duffey taking the digits for four-plus years. I had not remembered Davis, a waiver claim at the end of ‘22.

Simeon Woods Richardson

old number: 78
new number: 24
last worn by: Cole Irvin (2024)

This number change is the one I’m most upset about, as Woods Richardson’s #78 was unique among starters; I feel his #24 will just blend in. The number belonged to Matt LeCroy in the ‘00s decade and Trevor Plouffe in the ‘10s.

Jair Camargo

old number: 85
new number: 77
last worn by: Cole Sands (2023)

At least Camargo kept a high number, though the last one to wear it (Sands) switched to #44 for last season. Now let him catch.