The Minnesota Twins

Minnesota Twins

The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...

finished 77-77, third in the American League West

American League West

The American League West is one of three divisions in Major League Baseball's American League. The division currently has four teams, but it has had as many as seven teams before the 1994 realignment. Although its teams currently only reside along the west coast and in Texas, historically the...

.

Offseason

• October 22, 1971: Paul Powell
  Paul Powell (baseball)
  Paul Ray Powell was a catcher in Major League Baseball. He played in 30 games for the Minnesota Twins and Los Angeles Dodgers in 1971,1973 and 1975.-External links:...
  
   was traded by the Twins to the Los Angeles Dodgers
  Los Angeles Dodgers
  The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
  
   for Bobby Darwin
  Bobby Darwin
  Arthur Bobby Lee Darwin is a former Major League Baseball outfielder who played for the Los Angeles Angels , Los Angeles Dodgers , Minnesota Twins , Milwaukee Brewers , Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs .Darwin began his career as a pitcher, appearing in one game with the Angels at the age of 19...
  
  .
• November 29, 1971: Brant Alyea
  Brant Alyea
  Garrabrant Ryerson Alyea was a Major League Baseball outfielder from to . In 1970, while playing for the Minnesota Twins, Alyea had two 7 RBI games, on April 7 and on September 7....
  
   was drafted from the Twins by the Oakland Athletics
  Oakland Athletics
  The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
  
   in the 1971 rule 5 draft
  Rule 5 draft
  The Rule 5 draft is a Major League Baseball player draft that occurs each year in December, at the annual Winter Meeting of general managers. The Rule 5 draft aims to prevent teams from stockpiling too many young players on their minor league affiliate teams when other teams would be willing to...
  
  .

Regular season

After a slow start, manager Bill Rigney

Bill Rigney

William Joseph Rigney was an American infielder and manager in Major League Baseball. A native of Alameda, California, he batted and threw right-handed....

 was replaced by Frank Quilici

Frank Quilici

Francis Ralph Quilici is a former Major League infielder and manager with a five-year playing career and a four-year managerial career. He played for the Minnesota Twins of the American League in 1965, then 1967-1970...

.

797,901 fans attended Twins games, the seventh highest total in the American League

American League

The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...

. It was almost half the number of fans that had attended just a few seasons earlier.

Only one Twins made the All-Star Game

Major League Baseball All-Star Game

The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also known as the "Midsummer Classic", is an annual baseball game between players from the National League and the American League, currently selected by a combination of fans, players, coaches, and managers...

: second baseman Rod Carew

Rod Carew

Rodney Cline "Rod" Carew is a former Major League Baseball first baseman, second baseman and coach. He played from 1967 to 1985 for the Minnesota Twins and the California Angels and was elected to the All-Star game every season except his last. In 1991, Carew was inducted into the National...

. Carew won his second AL

American League

The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...

 batting title with a .318 average. Bobby Darwin

Bobby Darwin

Arthur Bobby Lee Darwin is a former Major League Baseball outfielder who played for the Los Angeles Angels , Los Angeles Dodgers , Minnesota Twins , Milwaukee Brewers , Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs .Darwin began his career as a pitcher, appearing in one game with the Angels at the age of 19...

 showed potential as a hitter with 22 HR and 80 RBI, but that did not make up for age and injuries taking their toll on other players. Harmon Killebrew

Harmon Killebrew

Harmon Clayton Killebrew , nicknamed "Killer" and "Hammerin' Harmon", was an American professional baseball first baseman, third baseman, and left fielder. During his 22-year career in Major League Baseball , he played for the Washington Senators, a team which later became the Minnesota Twins, and...

 hit 26 HR (4th in the league) but drove in only 75 runs. Tony Oliva

Tony Oliva

Tony Pedro Oliva is a former Major League Baseball right fielder and designated hitter. He played his entire 15-year baseball career for the Minnesota Twins . He batted left-handed and threw right-handed...

's bad knees limited him to only 10 games. César Tovar

César Tovar

César Leonardo Tovar , nicknamed "Pepito" and "Mr. Versatility", was a Venezuelan professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball for the Minnesota Twins , Philadelphia Phillies , Texas Rangers , Oakland Athletics and New York Yankees...

 led the team with 86 runs scored

Run (baseball)

In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls are met or assured...

. Four pitchers had double digit wins: Bert Blyleven

Bert Blyleven

Bert Blyleven is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who played from to , and was best known for his curveball. Blyleven was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2011...

 (17-17), Dick Woodson

Dick Woodson

Richard Lee Woodson was a right-handed Major League Baseball pitcher for the Minnesota Twins and the New York Yankees . Before the 1965 baseball season, Woodson was signed by the Minnesota Twins as an amateur free agent to play in their Minor League Baseball organization. Woodson was listed as 6'...

 (14-14), Jim Perry

Jim Perry (baseball)

James Evan Perry, Jr. is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher. He pitched for 1959-1975 for four different teams. During a 17-year baseball career, Perry compiled 215 wins, 1,576 strikeouts, and a 3.45 earned run average....

 (13-16), and Jim Kaat

Jim Kaat

James Lee "Jim" Kaat , nicknamed "Kitty", is a former pitcher in Major League Baseball for the Washington Senators/Minnesota Twins , Chicago White Sox , Philadelphia Phillies , New York Yankees , and St...

 (10-2). Kaat also won his 11th Gold Glove Award

Gold Glove Award

The Rawlings Gold Glove Award, usually referred to as the Gold Glove, is the award given annually to the Major League Baseball players judged to have exhibited superior individual fielding performances at each fielding position in both the National League and the American League , as voted by the...

.

Notable transactions

• May 12, 1972: Sal Butera
  Sal Butera
  Salvatore Philip Butera was a Major League Baseball catcher and is currently a Special Assistant to Toronto Blue Jays General Manager Alex Anthopoulos....
  
   was signed by the Twins as an amateur free agent.
• June 6, 1972: 1972 Major League Baseball Draft
  1972 Major League Baseball Draft
  -First round selections:The following are the first round picks in the 1972 Major League Baseball draft.* Did not sign- Background :The Montreal Expos had perhaps their best draft in franchise history. The Expos grabbed outfielder Ellis Valentine in round two of the June regular phase and then...
  
  
  • Willie Norwood
    Willie Norwood (baseball)
    Willie Norwood is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. He played for the Minnesota Twins from to .-External links:...
    
     was drafted by the Twins in the 3rd round.
  • Lyman Bostock
    Lyman Bostock
    Lyman Wesley Bostock, Jr. was an American professional baseball player. He played Major League Baseball for four seasons, as an outfielder for the Minnesota Twins and California Angels...
    
     was drafted by the Twins in the 26th round.

Roster

1972 Minnesota Twins
Roster
Pitchers		Catchers Infielders		Outfielders		Manager Coaches

Player stats

= Indicates team leader

Starters by position

Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

Pos	Player	G	AB	H	Avg.	HR	RBI
C		56	175	41	.234	3	14
1B		139	433	100	.231	26	74
2B		142	535	170	.318	0	51
SS		144	573	158	.276	4	48
CF		145	513	137	.267	22	80
RF		141	548	145	.265	2	31

Other batters

Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

Player	G	AB	H	Avg.	HR	RBI
	10	28	9	.321	0	1
	3	6	2	.333	0	0
	3	3	0	.000	0	0

Starting pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player	G	IP	W	L	ERA	SO
	39	287.1	17	17	2.73	228
	36	251.2	14	14	2.72	150
	35	217.2	13	16	3.35	85
	15	113.1	10	2	2.06	64
	15	91	3	3	2.67	38

Other pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player	G	IP	W	L	ERA	SO
	31	161.2	8	9	2.62	83

Relief pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player	G	W	L	SV	ERA	SO
	63	4	6	19	3.01	45
	62	5	7	10	2.83	79
	13	0	1	1	8.57	13
	2	0	0	0	0.00	1

Farm system