Twins Top Ten: Designated Hitters - Minnesota Sports Today

On to the Sluggers

Introducing “Twins Top Ten”

Over the past few months, I’ve been taking a weekly look at the history of each position on the diamond and figuring out who is the best of the best since the franchise moved to Minnesota. This means that only players from 1961-on will be considered, but I will be taking into account their entire tenures with the franchise for those who moved along with the team. You can find prior entries in the series linked below. Next Up: Designated Hitters!

The Best Designated Hitters in Twins History

Historically, the Twins have had a type when it comes to Designated Hitters, and it’s exactly what you’d expect: big, hulking sluggers. There are more Hall of Famers on this list than any other I’ve done so far, but here’s the catch: none of them went into the Hall in a Twins cap. To determine who the top Designated Hitters in Twins history are, I’ll be looking at a variety of criteria, including years with the team, number of games, offensive WAR, OPS+ (to compare different eras of baseball), home runs, and accolades. All stats are for Twins years only. All players considered had more appearances at DH than at any other position for the team. Who are the top ten in Twins history (according to me)?

Honorable Mentions

Ryan Doumit just missed out on qualifying for this list, with 5 more catching appearances than DH appearances. He was actually a pretty nice player to have on the Twins, a positive at the plate and capable backup behind it. Kendrys Morales also bears mention here, not because he was good, but because you forgot he was on the Twins. He was terrible for half a year, looking like his career was on its last breaths, and then won a Silver Slugger and a World Series with Kansas City the next year.

10. Kennys Vargas (2014-2017)

4 Years – 236 Games – 1.2 oWAR – 102 OPS+ – 35 HR – 103 Defensive Appearances

Vargas was basically crappy Miguel Sano. He also drew comparisons to Big Papi due to his frame and batting style, but never found consistency and was out of MLB after 2017.

9. Jose Morales (1978-1980)

3 Years – 290 Games – 0.2 bWAR – 107 OPS+ – 12 HR – 9 D.A.

This might not be the (unrelated) Jose Morales you’re thinking of. The first Jose Morales was a slap-hitting replacement-level DH, while the the more recent Morales backed up Mauer in the late 2000’s.

8. Matthew LeCroy (2000-2005, 2007)

7 Years – 437 Games – 2.1 oWAR – 98 OPS+ – 58 HR – 10 SB – 210 D.A.

Matthew LeCroy was an average player on some fun Twins teams who probably played more DH than he ought to. He definitely fit the Gardy mold.

7. Dave Winfield (1993-1994)

2 Years – 220 Games – 1.1 oWAR – 100 OPS+ – 31 HR – 36 D.A. – Hall of Fame

The first Hall of Famer on our list is St. Paul’s own Dave Winfield. Winfield was sufficiently washed-up by his standards when he was on the Twins, but a replacement-level hometown guy is good enough for 7th on the DH list.

6. David Ortiz (1997-2002)

6 Years – 455 Games – 3.5 oWAR – 108 OPS+ – 58 HR – 132 D.A. – Hall of Fame

On the flip side of Dave Winfield, Hall of Famer David Ortiz didn’t become “Big Papi” until after his time on the Twins. He made the leap pretty much immediately after leaving the Twins, and releasing him is one of the most notable poor front office decisions in team history. Corey Koskie also filled his underwear with peanut butter once.

5. Paul Molitor (1996-1998)

3 Years – 422 Games – 5.3 oWAR – 104 OPS+ – 23 HR – 38 D.A. – Hall of Fame, Silver Slugger

Another hometown guy, Paul Molitor joined the Twins in his twilight years, but still had some life left as he won a Silver Slugger in 1996. Molitor was more in the Luis Arraez-type DH mold, with his value being in getting on base rather than jogging around them.

4. Chili Davis (1991-1992)

2 Years – 291 Games – 5.4 oWAR – 136 OPS+ – 41 HR – 7 D.A.

Chili Davis is another guy who joined the Twins in the latter half of his career, but was excellent in his time with the Twins and a key contributor on the 1991 World Series team. All-time great name, as well (his given name was Charles).

3. Jim Thome (2010-2011)

2 Years – 179 Games – 4.5 oWAR – 158 OPS+ – 37 HR – 0 D.A. – Hall of Fame

Big Jim Thome joined a stacked 2010 Twins team on the back nine of his career, but posted great numbers (158 OPS+ is eye-popping) in his time in Minnesota. He also provided some great moments with his trademark Target Field Plaza moonshots; I’ll always remember being in the stands watching him huff and puff his way around the bases for one of his two triples as a Twin.

2. Nelson Cruz (2019-2021)

3 Years – 258 Games – 8.2 oWAR – 162 OPS+ – 76 HR – 0 D.A. – All-Star, 2x Silver Slugger

Nelson Cruz was only here for really a full two years when you consider the COVID season and him being traded late in 2021. However, he challenged for the top spot on this list because, even in his old age, he was legitimately one of the best hitters in the league during his time in Minnesota. Joe Ryan coming back in his trade to the Rays makes his memory even sweeter.

1. Jason Kubel (2004-2011, 2014)

8 Years – 798 Games – 7.7 oWAR – 110 OPS+ – 105 HR – 434 D.A.

Jason Kubel was never a star, but his long tenure boosted him to the top of this list. He actually played more defense than DH, but he had more appearances at DH than any single defensive position. Kubel also has the second-best OPS against Mariano Rivera of any batter, including a landmark moment in my baseball-watching time when he walked him off with a Grand Slam. Check out this batting line:

5-9, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 1 BB, 1 SO, .556 BA, .600 OBP, .889 Slugging, 1.489 OPS

Let’s also not forget the important footnote that he is former and current Twin Michael Tonkin’s brother-in-law.

What do you think? Who did I miss? Who do I overrate, and who do I underrate? Let me know in the comments! I’ll be back next week one last time to put together an all-time roster based on these lists.