2002 Minnesota Twins season

2002 Minnesota Twins AL Central Champions
Major league affiliations
American League (since 1901) Central Division (since 1994)
Location
Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome (since 1982) Minneapolis (since 1982)
2002 information
Owner(s)	Carl Pohlad
Manager(s)	Ron Gardenhire
Local television	KSTC-TV Fox Sports Minnesota (Bert Blyleven, Dick Bremer)
Local radio	830 WCCO AM (Herb Carneal, John Gordon, Dan Gladden)
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After facing contraction talks at the previous winter meeting, and coming out of a second place finish in the AL Central with a pitching staff with only 2 players with an ERA under four, the 2002 Minnesota Twins won the division and made it to the ALCS with the youngest team in the league, and with a brand new manager, Ron Gardenhire. The Twins had a solid first half of the season (45-36), but had a better second half, (49-31). That lead them to being the division champions.

Contents 1 New Alternate Logos 2 Offseason 3 Regular season 3.1 Offense 3.2 Pitching 3.3 Defense 3.4 Season standings 3.5 Notable transactions 3.6 Roster 4 Player stats 4.1 Batting 4.1.1 Starters by position 4.1.2 Other batters 4.2 Pitching 4.2.1 Starting pitchers 4.2.2 Other pitchers 4.2.3 Relief pitchers 5 Post Season 5.1 Divisional Series 5.1.1 Game One 5.1.2 Game Two 5.1.3 Game Three 5.1.4 Game Four 5.1.5 Game Five 5.2 ALCS 5.2.1 Game One 5.2.2 Game Two 5.2.3 Game Three 5.2.4 Game Four 5.2.5 Game Five 6 Farm system 7 Sources 8 References 9 External links

New Alternate Logos

For the 2002 season, the Twins adopted a secondary logo based on those used from 1970-1986, with a pair of twins (one representing Minneapolis and the other St. Paul) shaking hands while standing by the river which separates the two cities. The logo also features the team's primary logo, replacing the "Win Twins!" baseball used in the 1976-1986 version.

The season also marked the revival of the "TC" cap logo, which had last been used as such in 1986.

Offseason

• November 7: David Lamb was signed by the Twins as a free agent.^[1]
• January 23, 2002: Mike Jackson was signed by the Twins as a free agent.^[2]

Regular season

• The representatives of the Twins in the All-Star Game were Closer Eddie Guardado, Center Fielder Torii Hunter, and Catcher A.J. Pierzynski.
• The highest paid Twin in 2002 was Brad Radke at $ 8,750,000; followed by Rick Reed at $ 7,000,000.
• Bert Blyleven and Tom Kelly were inducted into the Twins Hall of Fame.
• May 6, 2002: The 2002 NCAA National women's hockey champion Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs were recognized by the Minnesota Twins baseball team at the Metrodome in Minneapolis.^[3]

Offense

No player hit 30 home runs or drove in 100 RBIs, but many players enjoyed solid seasons. Torii Hunter and Jacque Jones hit 29 and 27 home runs, respectively, while designated hitter David Ortiz battled injuries and hit 20. Catcher A.J. Pierzynski had a good year for a catcher, hitting .300. First baseman Doug Mientkiewicz saw his average drop significantly from the prior year, from .306 to .261. Third baseman Corey Koskie had a subpar year offensively, shortstop Cristian Guzman was average, and second baseman Luis Rivas was not strong. The Twins enjoyed solid production out of the right field spot, whether the position was manned by opening day starter Brian Buchanan, Dustan Mohr, Bobby Kielty, or Michael Cuddyer.

Team Leaders

Statistic	Player	Quantity
HR	Torii Hunter	29
RBI	Torii Hunter	94
BA	Jacque Jones	.300
Runs	Jacque Jones	96

Pitching

The starting rotation resembled a tubercular ward. Brad Radke, Eric Milton, and Joe Mays suffered serious injuries, requiring Rick Reed to carry the starting rotation. He was able to fulfill this role, going 9-2 in the second half. For inexplicable reasons, manager Ron Gardenhire resisted putting Johan Santana into the starter role until he was forced to by injuries. Santana started only 14 games, but quickly established himself as a dominant starting pitcher, posting an 8-6 record, 2.99 ERA, and a team-leading 137 strikeouts. Kyle Lohse enjoyed his only solid year as a starter, going 13-8 with a 4.23 ERA. Matt Kinney also made 12 starts. Eddie Guardado excelled in his first full year as the team's closer, earning 45 saves, while J.C. Romero, LaTroy Hawkins, and Mike Jackson had strong years as set-up men. Tony Fiore had a bafflingly strong year out of the bullpen, going 10-3 with an ERA of 3.16.

Team Leaders

Statistic	Player	Quantity
ERA	Rick Reed	3.78
Wins	Rick Reed	15
Saves	Eddie Guardado	45
Strikeouts	Johan Santana	137

Defense

A.J. Pierzynski was the team's all-star starting catcher, backed up by Tom Prince. Doug Mientkiewicz followed up his Gold Glove year with another superb year defensively. Unfortunately, his relatively weak hitting in 2002 may have prevented him from winning a second consecutive Gold Glove award, as it went to John Olerud. The rest of the infield was defensively solid, with Luis Rivas at second, Cristian Guzman at short, and Corey Koskie at third. In the outfield, two-thirds of the "Soul Patrol" remained, with Jacque Jones in left and Torii Hunter in center. (This would be Hunter's second consecutive Gold Glove year.) Right field was a question mark, with Brian Buchanan not lasting long after being the opening day right fielder. The void was filled for most of the season by the platoon of Dustan Mohr and Bobby Kielty, known collectively by fans as "Dusty Kielmohr". However, Dusty Kielmohr gave way to Michael Cuddyer for the post-season run.

Season standings

AL Central	W	L	Pct.	GB
Minnesota Twins	94	67	.584	--
Chicago White Sox	81	81	.500	13.5
Cleveland Indians	74	88	.457	20.5
Kansas City Royals	62	100	.383	32.5
Detroit Tigers	55	106	.342	39.0

Notable transactions

• April 15, 2002: Mike Trombley was signed by the Twins as a free agent.^[4]
• June 3, 2002: Mike Trombley was released by the Twins.^[4]
• June 4, 2002: Jesse Crain was drafted by the Twins in the 2nd round of the 2002 Major League Baseball Draft.^[5]
• June 19, 2002: José Rodríguez was signed as a free agent by the Twins.^[6]
• July 12, 2002: Brian Buchanan was traded by the Twins to the San Diego Padres for Jason Bartlett.^[7]

Roster

2002 Minnesota Twins
Roster
Pitchers 28 Jack Cressend 52 Tony Fiore 50 Kevin Frederick 19 Eddie Guardado 32 LaTroy Hawkins 42 Mike Jackson 51 Matt Kinney 49 Kyle Lohse 25 Joe Mays 20 Travis Miller 21 Eric Milton 22 Brad Radke 31 Rick Reed 39 Juan Rincón 20 José Rodríguez 33 J. C. Romero 57 Johan Santana 19 Mike Trombley 46 Bob Wells		Catchers 26 A.J. Pierzynski 12 Tom Prince  8 Javier Valentín Infielders 38 Casey Blake  1 Jay Canizaro 15 Cristian Guzmán  7 Denny Hocking 47 Corey Koskie 24 Matthew LeCroy 16 Doug Mientkiewicz 36 Warren Morris 27 David Ortiz  2 Luis Rivas 58 Todd Sears		Outfielders 30 Brian Buchanan  5 Michael Cuddyer 48 Torii Hunter 11 Jacque Jones 23 Bobby Kielty 44 David Lamb 17 Dustan Mohr 41 Michael Restovich 54 Michael Ryan		Manager 35 Ron Gardenhire Coaches 40 Rick Anderson 62 Al Newman  9 Steve Liddle 43 Rick Stelmaszek 45 Scott Ullger 13 Jerry White

Player stats

Batting

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
CF	Torii Hunter	148	561	162	.289	29	94

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
Brian Buchanan	44	135	34	.252	5	15
Michael Cuddyer	41	112	29	.259	4	13
David Lamb	7	10	1	.100	0	0

Pitching

Starting pitchers

Player	G	IP	W	L	ERA	SO
Rick Reed	33	188	15	7	3.78	121

Other pitchers

Player	G	IP	W	L	ERA	SO
Juan Rincón	10	28.2	0	2	6.28	21

Relief pitchers

Player	G	W	L	SV	ERA	SO
Eddie Guardado	68	1	3	45	2.93	70
Mike Jackson	58	2	3	0	3.27	29
Jack Cressend	23	0	1	0	5.91	22
Kevin Frederick	8	0	0	0	10.03	5
Mike Trombley	5	0	1	0	15.75	3
José Rodríguez	4	0	1	0	14.73	1

Post Season

The Twins made it to the ALCS, beating the Oakland Athletics in the Divisional series. They then lost to the eventual World Series Champions, the Anaheim Angels.

Divisional Series

The Twins won game one at Oakland before losing two straight including one at home. The Twins rebounded, and won the final two games to win the series and move on to face Anaheim in the ALCS.

Game One

October 1, at Oakland

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Minnesota	0	1	2	0	0	3	1	0	0	7	13	3
Oakland	3	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	12	0
W: Brad Radke (1-0)  L: Ted Lilly (0-1)  SV: Eddie Guardado (1)
HRs: MIN – Corey Koskie (1), Doug Mientkiewicz (1)

Game Two

October 2, at Oakland

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Minnesota	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	7	0
Oakland	3	0	0	5	1	0	0	0	0	9	14	0
W: Mark Mulder (1-0)  L: Joe Mays (0-1)
HRs: OAK – Eric Chavez (1),MIN – Cristian Guzman (1)

Game Three

October 4, at Minnesota

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Oakland	2	0	0	1	0	1	2	0	0	6	9	1
Minnesota	0	0	0	1	2	0	0	0	0	3	8	0
W: Barry Zito (1-0)  L: Rick Reed (0-1)
HRs: OAK – Ray Durham (1), Scott Hatteberg (1), Terrence Long (1), Jermaine Dye, (1)

Game Four

October 5, at Minnesota

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Oakland	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	7	2
Minnesota	0	0	2	7	0	0	2	0	X	11	12	0
W: Eric Milton (1-0)  L: Tim Hudson (0-1)
HRs: OAK – Miguel Tejada (1),MIN – Doug Mientkiewicz (2)

Game Five

October 6, at Oakland

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Minnesota	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	3	5	12	0
Oakland	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	4	11	0
W: Brad Radke (2-0)  L: Mark Mulder (1-1)
HRs: OAK – Ray Durham (2), Mark Ellis (1) MIN – AJ Pierzynski (1)

ALCS

The Twins won the first game at home vs. the Angels, before losing the next four in a row, allowing the Angels to move on to the World Series, winning the series in seven games against the San Francisco Giants.

Game One

October 8, at Minnesota

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Anaheim	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	4	0
Minnesota	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	X	2	5	1
W: Joe Mays (1-0)  L: Kevin Appier (0-1)  SV: Eddie Guardado (1)
HRs: None

Game Two

October 9, at Minnesota

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Anaheim	1	3	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	6	10	0
Minnesota	0	0	0	0	0	3	0	0	0	3	11	1
W: Ramon Ortiz (1-0)  L: Rick Reed (0-1)  SV: Troy Percival (1)
HRs: ANA – Darin Erstad (1), Brad Fullmer (1)

Game Three

October 11, at Anaheim

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Minnesota	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	6	0
Anaheim	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	X	2	7	2
W: Francisco Rodríguez (1-0)  L: J.C. Romero (0-1)  SV: Troy Percival (2)
HRs: ANA – Garret Anderson (1), Troy Glaus (1)

Game Four

October 12, at Anaheim

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Minnesota	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	6	2
Anaheim	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	5	X	7	10	0
W: John Lackey (1-0)  L: Brad Radke (0-1)
HRs: None

Game Five

October 13, at Anaheim

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Minnesota	1	1	0	0	0	0	3	0	0	5	9	0
Anaheim	0	0	1	0	2	0	10	0	X	13	18	0
W: Francisco Rodríguez (2-0)  L: Johan Santana (0-1)
HRs: ANA – Adam Kennedy (3), Scott Spiezio (1)

• October 14: Released Casey Blake.
• October 17: Pitcher Jack Cressend selected off waivers by the Cleveland Indians.
• November 15: Traded pitcher Matt Kinney and catcher Javier Valentin to the Milwaukee Brewers for minor leaguers Gerry Oakes and Matt Yeatman.
• November 22: Signed pitcher Carlos Pulido as a free agent. Pulido had last played in the majors in 1994 (also for the Twins).
• December 16, 2002: Released DH David Ortiz.^[8]

Farm system

Level	Team	League	Manager
AAA	Edmonton Trappers	Pacific Coast League	John Russell
AA	New Britain Rock Cats	Eastern League	Stan Cliburn
A	Fort Myers Miracle	Florida State League	Jose Marzan
A	Quad Cities River Bandits	Midwest League	Jeff Carter
Rookie	Elizabethton Twins	Appalachian League	Ray Smith
Rookie	GCL Twins	Gulf Coast League	Rudy Hernández

LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Edmonton^[9][10]

Sources

• 2002 Twins schedule with wins, losses, record, and scores Accessed June 20, 2006
• 2002 Twins Preview, by Adam J. Ulrey Accessed June 20, 2006
• 2002 Twins roster by Baseball Almanac Accessed June 20, 2006
• 2006 Minnesota Twins Record & Information book, pgs 278-280, copyright 2006 by the Minnesota Twins
• 2002 Oakland Athletics Roster by Baseball Almanac Accessed June 21, 2006
• 2002 ALCS at Baseball-Reference.com Accessed June 22, 2006

References

External links

• Diamond Mind's Analysis of the Twins' 2002 season
• Player stats from www.baseball-reference.com
• Team info from www.baseball-almanac.com
• Twins history since 2000, from www.mlb.com
• 2002 Standings

Preceded by Cleveland Indians 2001

AL Central Championship Season 2002

Succeeded by Minnesota Twins 2003

2002 MLB season by team AL East Baltimore • Boston • New York • Tampa Bay • Toronto AL Central Chicago • Cleveland • Detroit • Kansas City • Minnesota AL West Anaheim • Oakland • Seattle • Texas NL East Atlanta • Florida • New York • Philadelphia • Montréal NL Central Chicago • Cincinnati • Houston • Milwaukee • Pittsburgh • St. Louis NL West Arizona • Colorado • Los Angeles • San Diego • San Francisco 2002 All-Star Game • 2002 World Series

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