1986 Minnesota Twins season

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The 1986 Minnesota Twins finished a 71-91, sixth in the AL West. After a disappointing start, manager Ray Miller was replaced by Tom Kelly. 1,255,453 fans attended Twins games, the second lowest total in the American League.

Only one Twins made the All-Star Game, outfielder Kirby Puckett.

[edit] Offense

Kirby Puckett, switched from leadoff to third in the batting order, blasted 31 HR drove in 96 runs and scored 119. Kent Hrbek hit .267 with 29 HR and 91 RBI. Tom Brunansky hit 23 HR and 75 RBI. Gary Gaetti hit .287 with 34 HR and 108 RBI.

[edit] Pitching

The Twins had three solid starting pitchers: Frank Viola (16-13), Bert Blyleven (17-14), and Mike Smithson (13-14). Reliever Keith Atherton had 10 saves.

[edit] Defense

Third baseman Gary Gaetti and center fielder Kirby Puckett each won their first Gold Glove Award. They were the first Twins to win a gold glove since Jim Kaat in 1973.

[edit] Regular Season

[edit] American League West final standings

[edit] Roster

[edit] Notable transactions

• January 16, 1986: Billy Beane was traded by the New York Mets with Joe Klink and Bill Latham to the Minnesota Twins for Tim Teufel and Pat Crosby (minors). ^[1]

[edit] External links

• Player stats from www.baseball-reference.com
• Team info from www.baseball-almanac.com