9 best all-around seasons by a player in Twins history

The history of the Twins is a history of players who can do it all. The best players in the history of the franchise, with very few exceptions, haven’t just been hitters. They’ve been all-around baseball players, the kinds of guys who can affect a game at the plate, in the field and on the bases.

Here’s a look at some of the finest all-around seasons in Twins history. We’re limiting it to one per player, or else Kirby Puckett might take up half the list.

Zoilo Versalles, 1965: .273/.319/.462, 27 of 32 steals, Gold Glove, AL MVP, 7.2 WAR

A deserving MVP on a pennant-winning team, Versalle beat out teammate Tony Oliva for the hardware. He did it all, leading the American League in runs, doubles, triples and total bases. He was charged with 39 errors but still won a Gold Glove at shortstop, leading the AL in double plays and fielding runs above average. And he blew past his previous high in steals, racking up 27 thefts at better than an 80 percent clip.

Tony Oliva, 1966: .307/.353/.502, 13 of 20 steals, Gold Glove, 6.4 WAR

Oliva put up a higher batting average and on-base percentage in 1965, when he helped Versalles drive the Twins to an AL championship. But it was in ’66 that he won his only Gold Glove, starting three double plays from right field and leading AL right fielders in fielding runs above average. And on top of that, he hit .307, drilled 25 homers, and led the AL in hits with 191.

Rod Carew, 1977: .388/.449/.570, 23 of 36 steals, AL MVP, 9.7 WAR

Carew never won a Gold Glove, but he probably should have in 1977, when he was atop the leaderboards in most defensive categories among AL first basemen. He was also unstoppable at the plate, putting up one of the greatest offensive seasons of the modern era. He stole more bases in ‘76, but he flashed his speed in other ways in ’77, like amassing a league-leading 16 triples. He, of course, won the league MVP.

Kirby Puckett, 1992: .329/.374/.490, 17 of 24 steals, Gold Glove, Silver Slugger, 7.1 WAR

As noted above, you really could choose from any of a large number of seasons for Puckett. In 1986, he hit 31 homers and stole 20 bases. In '88, he hit .356 and earned a Gold Glove and a Silver Slugger Award. But let’s go with '92, when Puckett was not only a dominant force at the plate and an elite center fielder, but also an efficient baserunner. His 17 steals were the third-highest total of his career, but he succeeded at more than a 70 percent clip, which wasn’t always the case.

Chuck Knoblauch, 1997: .291/.390/.411, 62 of 72 steals, Gold Glove, Silver Slugger, 6.8 WAR

Knoblauch had a bigger offensive year in 1996, but he took a defensive leap in ’97, with his numbers justifying the Gold Glove hardware. He amassed 117 runs, stole 62 bases at better than an 85 percent success rate, slapped 10 triples and even drew 17 hit-by-pitches.

Torii Hunter, 2002: .289/.334/.524, 23 of 31 steals, Gold Glove, 3.5 WAR

The metrics never loved Hunter’s defense as much as the eye test, but you can’t have a list of all-around Twins without including him. This was his best offensive season in Minnesota (as measured by OPS+), and he won his second Gold Glove while adding 23 steals, a career mark he achieved again in '05. The '02 season was also when he made perhaps his most indelible highlight, robbing Barry Bonds of a homer at the All-Star Game in Milwaukee.

Joe Mauer, 2009: .365/.444/.587, 4 of 5 steals, Gold Glove, Silver Slugger, AL MVP, 7.8 WAR

If you want to quibble with the speed portion of this, you’re welcome to. Mauer never was a burner (though he did steal 13 bases in 2005). But when you are a Gold Glove catcher and hit at this level, that’s about as complete a contributor as you’re going to find. Mauer won the MVP, walked more (76 times) than he struck out (63), started 105 games behind the plate and led the Twins to a division title.

Brian Dozier, 2017: .271/.359/.498, 16 of 23 steals, Gold Glove, 4.8 WAR

Twins fans know how good Dozier was, but he’s probably underrated nationally. He was an all-around contributor for several years in a row, with bigger offensive numbers in 2016 and more steals in '14, but for an all-around year, let’s go with '17, when he won his only Gold Glove at second base. Dozier blasted 34 homers and 30 doubles, scored 106 runs and helped push the Twins to a postseason berth.

Byron Buxton, 2025: .264/.327/.551, 24 of 24 steals, Silver Slugger, 4.9 WAR

As with Hunter, you can’t really leave Buxton off a list like this, but it’s strangely hard to find a single season to highlight. He was brilliant in the field and on the bases in 2017, but he didn’t have a great season at the plate. He did it all in '19 but only played in 87 games. So let’s go with '25, when Buxton had his most complete offensive season while remaining one of the finest defensive center fielders in the game.