St. Paul: City of Stars? These 4 Twins are hometown Hall of Famers
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You probably could name most of the cities that have produced the most Hall of Famers: New York. Los Angeles. San Francisco. … and St. Paul?
Yes, St. Paul.
Four members of the Baseball Hall of Fame list St. Paul, Minn., as their birthplace, a number topped only by New York, Brooklyn, and Los Angeles. Maybe more remarkable: All four of them played for their hometown team for at least part of their careers.
And all of them enjoyed at least one legendary moment while playing in the Twin Cities. Here’s a look at the Twins’ four hometown Hall of Famers.
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Player: Joe Mauer
Key stats: .306/.388/.439 career slash line, 2,123 hits, 2009 AL MVP, three-time batting champ, six-time All-Star, three-time Gold Glover, five-time Silver Slugger
Career summary: One of the greatest offensive catchers of all time, Mauer played his entire big league career practically in his backyard. He never played for any other organization than the Twins, who drafted him No. 1 overall in 2001 out of Cretin-Derham Hall High School. He played in four postseasons and was elected to the Hall in 2024.
Years with Twins: Mauer played his entire 15-year career with the Twins, from 2004-18.
Twins highlight: It’s tough to pick one for a player who practically defines the franchise in the 21st century, but it’s hard to top the last day of the 2006 season, when Mauer secured his first batting title by going 2-for-4 with a double against the White Sox, finishing at a .347 average for the season.
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Player: Paul Molitor
Key stats: .306/.369/.448 career slash line, 3,319 career hits, 504 steals, 1,782 runs scored, seven-time All-Star, 1993 World Series MVP, four-time Silver Slugger
Career summary: A versatile, heady player who was an all-around offensive contributor, Molitor came up with the Brewers in the late 1970s and spent the bulk of his career in Milwaukee. He won a World Series with the Blue Jays in 1993 before finishing his career with his hometown team, where he even hit over .300 in his age-40 season.
Years with Twins: Molitor played his final three seasons with the Twins, from 1996-98. He also managed the club from 2015-18, winning AL Manager of the Year honors in 2017.
Twins highlight: Molitor got his 3,000th hit with the Twins, becoming the first player to reach the milestone with a triple on Sept. 16, 1996.
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Player: Jack Morris
Key stats: 254 wins, 3.90 career ERA, 2,478 strikeouts, 28 shutouts, 175 complete games, five-time All-Star, 1991 World Series MVP
Career summary: Like Molitor, Morris spent the bulk of his career elsewhere in the upper Midwest, but unlike Molitor, his greatest moment came with the Twins. A durable, intimidating power pitcher known as a big-game horse, Morris is one of the defining players of the 1980s. He had a 2.96 ERA in six career World Series starts and pitched in the rotations of three teams that won it all.
Years with Twins: He only pitched for the Twins in 1991, but what a year it was.
Twins highlight: What else could it be? Morris pitched one of the most famous games in postseason history, tossing 10 shutout innings in Game 7 of the 1991 World Series to outduel John Smoltz and bring home the franchise’s second title in five years.
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Player: Dave Winfield
Key stats: .283/.353/.475 career slash line, 465 home runs, 1,833 RBIs, 1,669 runs, 223 steals, 3,110 hits, 12-time All-Star, seven-time Gold Glover, six-time Silver Slugger
Career summary: Winfield is simply one of the greatest American athletes of the 20th century. He was a multi-sport star who played both basketball and baseball at the University of Minnesota and was drafted in four leagues across three sports (MLB, NFL, NBA, ABA). He was a ferociously talented player who combined power and speed with a sense of the moment across 22 years with six teams.
Years with Twins: Winfield came home late in his career, playing for the Twins from 1993-94.
Twins highlight: Like Molitor, Winfield picked up career hit No. 3,000 with his hometown team, singling on Sept. 16, 1993. He did it in front of the home fans, too, against the A’s at the Metrodome.