1996 Minnesota Twins season

Prior to spring training, the 1996 Minnesota Twins were projected to be a contending team. The team's chances significantly worsened on March 28, 1996. Kirby Puckett, the team's franchise player, had been tattooing the Grapefruit League (spring training) for a .360 average, but that morning woke up without vision in his right eye. He was eventually diagnosed with glaucoma. Several surgeries over the next few months could not restore vision in the eye. Puckett announced his retirement from baseball on July 12. After beginning the season under the melancholy cloud of the Puckett situation, Manager Tom Kelly's team finished the year with a 78-84 record, which put it in fourth place in the American League Central.

1996 Minnesota Twins
League	American League
Division	Central
Ballpark	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
City	Minneapolis
Record	78-84 (.481)
Divisional place	4th
Owners	Carl Pohlad
General managers	Terry Ryan
Managers	Tom Kelly
Television	WCCO-TV Midwest Sports Channel (Bert Blyleven, Dick Bremer, Ryan Lefebvre, Tommy John)
Radio	830 WCCO AM (Herb Carneal, John Gordon)
← 1995 Seasons 1997 →

Offseason

• October 9: Luis Rivas was signed as an amateur free agent by the Twins.^[1]
• December 5: Paul Molitor was signed as a free agent by the Twins.^[2]
• January 29: Signed Roberto Kelly as a free agent.

Regular season

• On April 24, the Twins crushed the Detroit Tigers 24-11. The total of runs—both the Twins' 24 and the game's total of 35—were new highs in Twins history for a nine-inning game.^[3]
• Only second baseman Chuck Knoblauch was selected from the Twins for the All-Star Game at Veteran's Stadium in Philadelphia. Entering in the eighth inning as a reserve, he singled. His was just one of seven American League hits in the National League's 6-0 victory.
• On July 25 at the Metrodome, seven Twins hit eight doubles to set a new mark. The Twins drubbed the Boston Red Sox 16-6.^[4]
• By season's end, several other offensive records had been set: Chuck Knoblauch scored 140 times, besting Rod Carew's previous club high of 128. Chip Hale had nineteen pinch hits on the year. New season highs were set for most runs scored (877) and most runs allowed (900). In addition, new club season highs were set in most hits (1663), most RBI (812), most doubles (332) and highest team batting average (.288).

Offense

Individual players on the team did excel. Paul Molitor had a standout year in his first year with his hometown team, playing as the regular designated hitter and winning a Silver Slugger Award at that position. He played in all but one game and hit .341 with 113 RBI and a league-best 225 hits. On September 16 in Kansas City, he collected his 3,000th hit, a triple off of José Rosado. He is the only player to obtain his 3,000th hit via a triple. Along with Molitor, Chuck Knoblauch also hit .341. Among the hits were 35 doubles. He also stole 45 bases. Marty Cordova had a respectable year, driving in 111 runs.

Team Leaders

Statistic	Player	Quantity
HR	Marty Cordova	16
RBI	Paul Molitor	113
BA	Paul Molitor and Chuck Knoblauch	.341
Runs	Chuck Knoblauch	140

Pitching

The pitching did not match the offense. Brad Radke, Frank Rodriguez, and Rich Robertson (the three R's) all spent the whole season in the starting rotation and had losing records. The team's experiment moving Rick Aguilera from the closer's role to the starting rotation was not a successful one, as he started only 19 games. Scott Aldred also started 17 games for the team. Radke had the lowest ERA among the starters at 4.46. The rest were over five. Dave Stevens got the most saves at 11, but he was not an effective closer. Mike Trombley and Dan Naulty had effective seasons out of the bullpen, but nobody else had an ERA under five. Epitomizing the pitching woes, Mike Milchin had an ERA of 8.31 but the team still let him pitch in 26 games.

Team Leaders

Statistic	Player	Quantity
ERA	Brad Radke	4.46
Wins	Frank Rodriguez	13
Saves	Dave Stevens	11
Strikeouts	Brad Radke	148

Defense

The only truly regular starters in the field were Knoblauch at second base, Pat Meares at shortstop, and Cordova in left field. In a less-than-encouraging sign for the team's postseason prospects, Scott Stahoviak saw a majority of the time at first base. Dave Hollins played 116 games at third, with Jeff Reboulet and Todd Walker also seeing time. Greg Myers and Matt Walbeck platooned at catcher. Rich Becker had the unenviable task of replacing Puckett in center field and played 121 games there. Right field was a mish-mash, with Matt Lawton playing 60 games at the position, Roberto Kelly 54, Denny Hocking 33, and Ron Coomer 23.

Season standings

• v
• t
• e

AL Central

Team	W	L	Pct.	GB	Home	Road
Cleveland Indians	99	62	.615	—	51‍–‍29	48‍–‍33
Chicago White Sox	85	77	.525	14½	44‍–‍37	41‍–‍40
Milwaukee Brewers	80	82	.494	19½	38‍–‍43	42‍–‍39
Minnesota Twins	78	84	.481	21½	39‍–‍43	39‍–‍41
Kansas City Royals	75	86	.466	24	37‍–‍43	38‍–‍43

Record vs. opponents

1996 American League record v t e Sources:
Team	BAL	BOS	CAL	CWS	CLE	DET	KC	MIL	MIN	NYY	OAK	SEA	TEX	TOR
Baltimore	—	7–6	6–6	4–8	5–7	11–2	9–3	9–3	7–5	3–10	9–4	7–5	3–10–1	8–5
Boston	6–7	—	8–4	6–6	1–11	12–1	3–9	7–5	6–6	7–6	8–5	7–6	6–6	8–5
California	6–6	4–8	—	6–6	4–9	6–6	4–8	7–5	4–8	7–6	6–7	5–8	4–9	7–5
Chicago	8–4	6–6	6–6	—	5–8	10–3	7–6	6–7	6–7	6–7	5–7	5–7	8–4	7–5
Cleveland	7–5	11–1	9–4	8–5	—	12–0	7–6	7–6	10–3	3–9	6–6	8–4	4–8	7–5
Detroit	2–11	1–12	6–6	3–10	0–12	—	6–6	4–8	6–6	5–8	4–8	6–6	4–9	6–7
Kansas City	3–9	9–3	8–4	6–7	6–7	6–6	—	4–9	6–7	4–8	5–7	7–5	6–6	5–8
Milwaukee	3–9	5–7	5–7	7–6	6–7	8–4	9–4	—	9–4	6–6	7–5	4–9	6–7	5–7
Minnesota	5–7	6–6	8–4	7–6	3–10	6–6	7–6	4–9	—	5–7	6–7	6–6	7–5	8–5
New York	10–3	6–7	6–7	7–6	9–3	8–5	8–4	6–6	7–5	—	9–3	3–9	5–7	8–5
Oakland	4–9	5–8	7–6	7–5	6–6	8–4	7–5	5–7	7–6	3–9	—	8–5	7–6	4–8
Seattle	5–7	6–7	8–5	7–5	4–8	6–6	5–7	9–4	6–6	9–3	5–8	—	10–3	5–7
Texas	10–3–1	6–6	9–4	4–8	8–4	9–4	6–6	7–6	5–7	7–5	6–7	3–10	—	10–2
Toronto	5–8	5–8	5–7	5–7	5–7	7–6	8–5	7–5	5–8	5–8	8–4	7–5	2–10	—

Game log

1996 Game Log: 78–84 (Home: 39–43; Away: 39–41)
April: 13–12 (Home: 8–7; Away: 5–5) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record 1 April 1 Tigers 8–6 Radke (1–0) Lira Stevens (1) 30,185 1–0 2 April 2 Tigers 6–10 Sodowsky Robertson (0–1) — 20,164 1–1 3 April 3 Tigers 16–7 Mahomes (1–0) Aldred — 12,256 2–1 4 April 5 Orioles 1–2 Mercker Guardado (0–1) Myers 22,744 2–2 5 April 6 Orioles 8–3 Radke (2–0) Haynes — 22,334 3–2 6 April 7 Orioles 2–4 Mussina Robertson (0–2) Myers 14,580 3–3 7 April 9 @ Red Sox 1–9 Gordon Rodriguez (0–1) — 30,843 3–4 8 April 11 @ Red Sox 6–5 Radke (3–0) Clemens Stevens (2) 15,594 4–4 9 April 12 @ Orioles 2–3 Mussina Robertson (0–3) — 42,602 4–5 10 April 13 @ Orioles 6–7 Benitez Mahomes (1–1) — 42,644 4–6 11 April 14 @ Orioles 4–1 Rodriguez (1–1) Haynes Stevens (3) 42,660 5–6 12 April 16 Indians 2–7 Hershiser Radke (3–1) — 13,103 5–7 13 April 17 Indians 9–8 Hansell (1–0) Shuey Stevens (4) 11,276 6–7 14 April 19 Yankees 7–1 Rodriguez (2–1) Gooden — 20,279 7–7 15 April 20 Yankees 6–7 Wickman Guardado (0–2) Wetteland 24,586 7–8 16 April 21 Yankees 5–9 Rogers Radke (3–2) — 20,115 7–9 17 April 22 Red Sox 1–4 Sele Robertson (0–4) Slocumb 11,340 7–10 18 April 23 Red Sox 8–6 Naulty (1–0) Hudson Stevens (5) 11,533 8–10 19 April 24 @ Tigers 24–11 Bennett (1–0) Veres — 12,189 9–10 20 April 25 @ Tigers 11–1 Hawkins (1–0) Aldred Hansell (1) 11,804 10–10 21 April 26 @ Yankees 4–5 Rivera Radke (3–3) Wetteland 14,450 10–11 22 April 27 @ Yankees 8–6 (10) Bennett (2–0) Wickman — 20,025 11–11 23 April 28 @ Yankees 3–6 Rivera Rodriguez (2–2) Wetteland 24,793 11–12 24 April 29 Royals 11–6 Hansell (2–0) Clark Bennett (1) 10,237 12–12 25 April 30 Royals 16–7 Naulty (2–0) Magnante — 10,503 13–12
May: 10–16 (Home: 4–6; Away: 6–10) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record 26 May 1 Royals 6–5 (10) Stevens (1–0) Montgomery — 11,975 14–12 27 May 3 @ Angels 1–4 Finley Robertson (0–5) Percival 24,505 14–13 28 May 4 @ Angels 2–5 Grimsley Rodriguez (2–3) — 29,264 14–14 29 May 5 @ Angels 1–5 Boskie Hawkins (1–1) — 35,541 14–15 30 May 6 @ Mariners 4–5 Wells Radke (3–4) Charlton 32,203 14–16 31 May 7 @ Mariners 2–0 Parra (1–0) Wolcott Stevens (6) 15,626 15–16 32 May 8 @ Mariners 7–5 (10) Guardado (1–2) Wells Stevens (7) 22,175 16–16 33 May 10 @ Athletics 5–15 Wojciechowski Rodriguez (2–4) — 8,278 16–17 34 May 11 @ Athletics 5–12 Prieto Radke (3–5) — 15,791 16–18 35 May 12 @ Athletics 3–8 Wengert Parra (1–1) — 13,430 16–19 36 May 14 Blue Jays 2–4 Hanson Robertson (0–6) Timlin 13,483 16–20 37 May 15 Blue Jays 2–1 Rodriguez (3–4) Hentgen — 11,793 17–20 38 May 16 Blue Jays 4–1 Radke (4–5) Quantrill Stevens (8) 13,538 18–20 39 May 17 Brewers 1–12 Karl Parra (1–2) — 26,733 18–21 40 May 18 Brewers 3–7 Miranda Mahomes (1–2) Fetters 30,593 18–22 41 May 19 Brewers 2–4 Sparks Robertson (0–7) Fetters 24,411 18–23 42 May 20 Brewers 2–3 Bones Rodriguez (3–5) Fetters 13,376 18–24 43 May 21 Rangers 4–3 Milchin (1–0) Henneman — 12,323 19–24 44 May 22 Rangers 5–6 Pavlik Parra (1–3) Henneman 17,955 19–25 45 May 23 @ Blue Jays 4–5 (10) Janzen Milchin (1–1) — 31,163 19–26 46 May 24 @ Blue Jays 4–0 Robertson (1–7) Hanson — 33,141 20–26 47 May 25 @ Blue Jays 6–4 (10) Guardado (2–2) Castillo Stevens (9) 34,118 21–26 48 May 26 @ Blue Jays 9–3 Naulty (3–0) Bohanon — 30,170 22–26 49 May 28 @ Brewers 3–7 Karl Mahomes (1–3) Garcia 10,117 22–27 50 May 29 @ Brewers 8–7 (12) Hansell (3–0) Lloyd — 14,324 23–27 51 May 31 @ Rangers 2–7 Hill Rodriguez (3–6) — 32,861 23–28
June: 15–13 (Home: 9–8; Away: 6–5) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record 52 June 1 @ Rangers 9–5 Milchin (2–1) Henneman — 43,413 24–28 53 June 2 @ Rangers 6–5 Guardado (3–2) Russell — 33,809 25–28 54 June 3 Angels 9–3 Trombley (1–0) Finley — 10,589 26–28 55 June 4 Angels 5–3 Rodriguez (4–6) Grimsley Guardado (1) 10,899 27–28 56 June 5 Angels 14–3 Aldred (1–0) Langston Hansell (2) 10,639 28–28 57 June 7 Athletics 4–6 Reyes Radke (4–6) Corsi 14,999 28–29 58 June 8 Athletics 4–2 Robertson (2–7) Wojciechowski Guardado (2) — 29–29 59 June 8 Athletics 7–13 Wasdin Mahomes (1–4) — 22,164 29–30 60 June 9 Athletics 5–3 Rodriguez (5–6) Wengert — 13,291 30–30 61 June 10 Mariners 13–6 Aldred (2–0) Wagner Trombley (1) 17,134 31–30 62 June 11 Mariners 8–18 Wells Aguilera (0–1) Hurtado 14,395 31–31 63 June 12 Mariners 3–5 Wolcott Radke (4–7) Charlton 15,830 31–32 64 June 14 Tigers 4–5 Gohr Robertson (2–8) Olson 22,831 31–33 65 June 15 Tigers 4–6 Olivares Rodriguez (5–7) Olson 17,099 31–34 66 June 16 Tigers 4–1 Aguilera (1–1) Lira Hansell (3) 20,641 32–34 67 June 17 @ Yankees 6–3 Aldred (3–0) Mendoza Naulty (1) 16,189 33–34 68 June 18 @ Yankees 0–2 Rogers Radke (4–8) Wetteland 17,593 33–35 69 June 20 @ Tigers 7–3 Rodriguez (6–7) Olivares — 8,310 34–35 70 June 21 @ Tigers 0–2 Lira Aguilera (1–2) — 13,127 34–36 71 June 22 @ Tigers 0–6 Williams Aldred (3–1) — 14,506 34–37 72 June 23 @ Tigers 8–10 Urbani Radke (4–9) — 13,994 34–38 73 June 24 Yankees 3–0 Robertson (3–8) Pettitte — 20,488 35–38 74 June 25 Yankees 6–1 Rodriguez (7–7) Boehringer — — 36–38 75 June 25 Yankees 2–6 Mendoza Serafini (0–1) — 16,641 36–39 76 June 26 Yankees 1–2 Polley Guardado (3–3) Wetteland 19,116 36–40 77 June 28 @ Royals 2–6 Appier Radke (4–10) — 21,515 36–41 78 June 29 @ Royals 12–7 Trombley (2–0) Linton — 23,232 37–41 79 June 30 @ Royals 5–2 Rodriguez (8–7) Gubicza Stevens (10) 28,246 38–41
July: 13–14 (Home: 7–10; Away: 6–4) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record 80 July 1 @ White Sox 10–7 Aguilera (2–2) Sirotka — 19,211 39–41 81 July 2 @ White Sox 4–7 Fernandez Aldred (3–2) Hernandez 18,357 39–42 82 July 3 @ White Sox 6–5 Radke (5–10) Andujar Stevens (11) 26,113 40–42 83 July 4 Royals 3–5 Linton Robertson (3–9) Montgomery 37,295 40–43 84 July 5 Royals 9–8 Guardado (4–3) Montgomery — 18,465 41–43 85 July 6 Royals 5–8 Haney Aguilera (2–3) Montgomery 18,699 41–44 86 July 7 Royals 2–8 Belcher Aldred (3–3) — 14,251 41–45 87 July 11 Indians 7–11 McDowell Radke (5–11) — 16,438 41–46 88 July 12 Indians 5–7 Mesa Stevens (1–1) Shuey 18,246 41–47 89 July 13 Indians 11–19 Ogea Aguilera (2–4) — 31,552 41–48 90 July 14 Indians 5–4 Guardado (5–3) Plunk — 25,312 42–48 91 July 15 White Sox 16–5 Aldred (4–3) McCaskill — 13,636 43–48 92 July 16 White Sox 2–11 Alvarez Radke (5–12) — 18,502 43–49 93 July 17 White Sox 4–3 Trombley (3–0) Simas — 20,755 44–49 94 July 18 @ Indians 4–5 Graves Guardado (5–4) — 40,934 44–50 95 July 19 @ Indians 3–2 Rodriguez (9–7) Nagy Naulty (2) 42,373 45–50 96 July 20 @ Indians 5–6 (11) Shuey Stevens (1–2) — 43,433 45–51 97 July 21 @ Indians 5–7 McDowell Radke (5–13) Shuey 42,341 45–52 98 July 22 @ Orioles 9–5 Robertson (4–9) Haynes Trombley (2) 42,129 46–52 99 July 23 @ Orioles 3–2 Aguilera (3–4) Wells Naulty (3) 42,006 47–52 100 July 24 @ Orioles 11–4 Rodriguez (10–7) Erickson — 46,181 48–52 101 July 25 Red Sox 16–6 Parra (2–3) Wakefield — 13,924 49–52 102 July 26 Red Sox 5–1 Radke (6–13) Clemens — 17,768 50–52 103 July 27 Red Sox 5–9 Gordon Naulty (3–1) — 22,128 50–53 104 July 28 Red Sox 9–8 Aguilera (4–4) Sele Naulty (4) 17,448 51–53 105 July 30 Orioles 4–16 Coppinger Rodriguez (10–8) — 16,708 51–54 106 July 31 Orioles 3–9 Mussina Trombley (3–1) — 15,897 51–55
August: 16–14 (Home: 5–6; Away: 11–8) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record 107 August 1 Orioles 2–4 Wells Robertson (4–10) Myers 20,379 51–56 108 August 2 @ Red Sox 10–11 Brandenburg Naulty (3–2) — 28,041 51–57 109 August 3 @ Red Sox 3–6 Sele Rodriguez (10–9) Hudson 19,860 51–58 110 August 3 @ Red Sox 6–0 Aldred (5–3) Suppan — 29,135 52–58 111 August 4 @ Red Sox 6–13 Eshelman Klingenbeck (0–1) — 29,939 52–59 112 August 6 @ Angels 4–1 Radke (7–13) Springer Guardado (3) 20,058 53–59 113 August 7 @ Angels 4–0 Robertson (5–10) Finley — 18,611 54–59 114 August 8 @ Angels 13–5 Aguilera (5–4) Boskie — 21,283 55–59 115 August 9 @ Mariners 6–5 Parra (3–3) Wolcott Rodriguez (1) 25,130 56–59 116 August 10 @ Mariners 10–4 Klingenbeck (1–1) Hitchcock — 34,381 57–59 117 August 11 @ Mariners 6–3 Radke (8–13) Wells Rodriguez (2) 36,114 58–59 118 August 12 @ Athletics 1–11 Prieto Robertson (5–11) — 10,071 58–60 119 August 13 @ Athletics 6–2 Aguilera (6–4) Wengert — 11,156 59–60 120 August 14 @ Athletics 13–7 Rodriguez (11–9) Telgheder — 12,729 60–60 121 August 16 Blue Jays 5–4 (10) Parra (4–3) Quantrill — 19,838 61–60 122 August 17 Blue Jays 11–1 Robertson (6–11) Hanson — 20,354 62–60 123 August 18 Blue Jays 2–6 Hentgen Aguilera (6–5) — 18,010 62–61 124 August 19 Brewers 1–6 D'Amico Rodriguez (11–10) — 21,879 62–62 125 August 20 Brewers 12–7 Parra (5–3) Bones — 14,630 63–62 126 August 21 Brewers 7–10 Jones Stevens (1–3) Fetters 15,885 63–63 127 August 22 Rangers 2–11 Hill Robertson (6–12) — 17,342 63–64 128 August 23 Rangers 9–2 Aguilera (7–5) Oliver — 16,166 64–64 129 August 24 Rangers 6–5 Rodriguez (12–10) Pavlik Trombley (3) 16,648 65–64 130 August 25 Rangers 2–13 Witt Miller (0–1) — 14,818 65–65 131 August 26 @ Blue Jays 3–5 Guzman Radke (8–14) Timlin 31,134 65–66 132 August 27 @ Blue Jays 6–4 (11) Trombley (4–1) Quantrill — 30,033 66–66 133 August 28 @ Blue Jays 1–6 Hentgen Aguilera (7–6) — 30,106 66–67 134 August 29 @ Brewers 6–1 Rodriguez (13–10) Karl — 14,922 67–67 135 August 30 @ Brewers 4–5 (12) Wickman Parra (5–4) — 17,444 67–68 136 August 31 @ Brewers 2–3 Jones Robertson (6–13) Fetters 20,187 67–69
September: 11–15 (Home: 6–6; Away: 5–9) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record 137 September 1 @ Brewers 6–2 Aldred (6–3) Van Egmond — 17,074 68–69 138 September 2 @ Rangers 6–4 Aguilera (8–6) Hill Guardado (4) 24,786 69–69 139 September 3 @ Rangers 7–9 Witt Rodriguez (13–11) Henneman 28,401 69–70 140 September 4 @ Rangers 7–6 Robertson (7–13) Heredia Trombley (4) 29,744 70–70 141 September 6 Angels 6–2 Radke (9–14) Finley — 13,006 71–70 142 September 7 Angels 6–3 Stevens (2–3) Boskie Trombley (5) 51,011 72–70 143 September 8 Angels 2–4 Abbott Rodriguez (13–12) Percival 14,378 72–71 144 September 10 Athletics 0–7 Telgheder Robertson (7–14) — 9,676 72–72 145 September 11 Athletics 7–2 Radke (10–14) Adams — 9,493 73–72 146 September 12 Athletics 4–3 (12) Stevens (3–3) Mohler — 9,712 74–72 147 September 13 Mariners 7–13 Wells Miller (0–2) — 15,510 74–73 148 September 14 Mariners 3–5 (10) Ayala Guardado (5–5) Charlton 18,002 74–74 149 September 15 Mariners 0–7 Torres Robertson (7–15) — 25,142 74–75 150 September 16 @ Royals 5–6 Rosado Radke (10–15) Bluma 16,843 74–76 151 September 17 @ Royals 2–4 Haney Aldred (6–4) Bluma 11,809 74–77 152 September 18 @ Royals 7–4 Miller (1–2) Belcher — 11,588 75–77 153 September 19 @ White Sox 3–8 Sirotka Rodriguez (13–13) Castillo 14,253 75–78 154 September 20 @ White Sox 3–7 Tapani Robertson (7–16) — 15,673 75–79 155 September 21 @ White Sox 4–3 Radke (11–15) Alvarez Trombley (6) 18,866 76–79 156 September 22 @ White Sox 1–5 Fernandez Aldred (6–5) — 20,111 76–80 157 September 23 @ Indians 6–7 Graves Parra (5–5) Mesa 42,299 76–81 158 September 24 @ Indians 5–7 Ogea Rodriguez (13–14) Mesa 42,272 76–82 159 September 25 @ Indians 3–6 Nagy Robertson (7–17) — 42,469 76–83 160 September 27 White Sox 2–4 Fernandez Radke (11–16) Hernandez 13,058 76–84 161 September 28 White Sox 7–6 Trombley (5–1) Castillo — 34,008 77–84 162 September 29 White Sox 5–4 (10) Guardado (6–5) Hernandez — 13,306 78–84
Legend:        = Win        = Loss Bold = Twins team member

Detailed records

American League Opponent W L WP RS RA AL East Baltimore Orioles 5 7 0.417 55 60 Boston Red Sox 6 6 0.500 76 78 Detroit Tigers 6 6 0.500 92 68 New York Yankees 5 7 0.417 51 48 Toronto Blue Jays 8 5 0.615 59 44 Total 30 31 0.492 333 298 AL Central Chicago White Sox 7 6 0.538 67 75 Cleveland Indians 3 10 0.231 70 96 Kansas City Royals 7 6 0.538 85 76 Milwaukee Brewers 4 9 0.308 57 74 Minnesota Twins Total 21 31 0.404 279 321 AL West California Angels 8 4 0.667 67 38 Oakland Athletics 6 7 0.462 64 91 Seattle Mariners 6 6 0.500 69 76 Texas Rangers 7 5 0.583 65 76 Total 27 22 0.551 265 281 Season Total 78 84 0.481 877 900

Month Games Won Lost Win % RS RA April 25 13 12 0.520 175 141 May 26 10 16 0.385 97 138 June 28 15 13 0.536 151 134 July 27 13 14 0.481 171 188 August 30 16 14 0.533 169 161 September 26 11 15 0.423 114 138 Total 162 78 84 0.481 877 900 Games Won Lost Win % RS RA Home 82 39 43 0.476 452 483 Away 80 39 41 0.488 425 417 Total 162 78 84 0.481 877 900

Roster

1996 Minnesota Twins
Roster
Pitchers 38 Rick Aguilera 57 Scott Aldred 59 Erik Bennett 18 Eddie Guardado 19 Greg Hansell 32 LaTroy Hawkins 52 Scott Klingenbeck 20 Pat Mahomes 51 Mike Milchin 59 Travis Miller 31 Dan Naulty 56 José Parra 22 Brad Radke 47 Rich Robertson 33 Frankie Rodriguez 16 Dan Serafini 41 Dave Stevens 21 Mike Trombley		Catchers 27 Mike Durant 24 Greg Myers  9 Matt Walbeck Infielders  8 Ron Coomer 12 Chip Hale 15 Dave Hollins 11 Chuck Knoblauch  2 Pat Meares  4 Paul Molitor 23 Tom Quinlan 26 Brian Raabe 17 Jeff Reboulet 37 Scott Stahoviak 13 Todd Walker		Outfielders 25 Rich Becker 51 Brent Brede 40 Marty Cordova  7 Denny Hocking  5 Roberto Kelly 50 Matt Lawton		Manager 10 Tom Kelly Coaches 46 Terry Crowley (hitting) 35 Ron Gardenhire (third base) 43 Rick Stelmaszek (bullpen) 42 Dick Such (pitching) 45 Scott Ullger

Notable Transactions

• May 28: Selected Scott Aldred off waivers from the Detroit Tigers.
• June 4: In the 1996 amateur draft, the Twins drafted future major leaguers such as Jacque Jones^[5] (2nd round), Chad Allen (4th round), and Chad Moeller (7th round). The Twins botched the signing of first baseman Travis Lee, whom they signed in the first round with the second overall pick. Lee exploited a never-before used clause that allows a draft pick to become a free agent if a team doesn't make an offer within 15 days of the draft. After the Twins failed to do this, Lee left for the Arizona Diamondbacks, who gave him a $10 million signing bonus. The Twins had the last laugh, however, as Lee has proven to be a below-average hitter who has bounced from team to team.
• August 29: Traded Dave Hollins to the Seattle Mariners for a player to be named later. On September 30, the Mariners sent David Ortiz to the Twins to complete the trade.
• September 13, 1996: David Ortiz was sent by the Seattle Mariners to the Minnesota Twins to complete an earlier deal made on August 29, 1996. The Seattle Mariners sent a player to be named later to the Minnesota Twins for Dave Hollins.^[6]

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
C	Greg Myers	97	329	94	.286	6	47
1B	Scott Stahoviak	130	405	115	.284	13	61
2B	Chuck Knoblauch	153	578	197	.341	13	72
SS	Pat Meares	152	517	138	.267	8	67
3B	Dave Hollins	121	422	102	.242	13	53
LF	Marty Cordova	145	569	176	.309	16	111
CF	Rich Becker	148	525	153	.291	12	71
RF	Matt Lawton	79	252	65	.258	6	42
DH	Paul Molitor	161	660	225	.341	9	113

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
Roberto Kelly	98	322	104	.323	6	47
Jeff Reboulet	107	234	52	.222	0	23
Ron Coomer	95	233	69	.296	12	41
Matt Walbeck	63	215	48	.223	2	24
Denny Hocking	49	127	25	.197	1	10
Chip Hale	85	87	24	.276	1	16
Todd Walker	25	82	21	.256	0	6
Mike Durant	40	81	17	.210	0	5
Brent Brede	10	20	6	.300	0	2
Brian Raabe	7	9	2	.222	0	1
Tom Quinlan	4	6	0	.000	0	0

Pitching

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
Brad Radke	35	232.0	11	16	4.46	148
Frank Rodriguez	38	206.2	13	14	5.05	110
Rich Robertson	36	186.1	7	17	5.12	114
Scott Aldred	25	122.0	6	5	5.09	75
Rick Aguilera	19	111.1	8	6	5.42	83
Travis Miller	7	26.1	1	2	9.23	15
LaTroy Hawkins	7	26.1	1	1	8.20	24
Dan Serafini	1	4.1	0	1	10.38	1

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
José Parra	27	70.0	5	5	6.04	50
Pat Mahomes	20	45.0	1	4	7.20	30
Scott Klingenbeck	10	28.2	1	1	7.85	15

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
Dave Stevens	49	3	3	11	4.66	29
Eddie Guardado	83	6	5	4	5.25	74
Greg Hansell	50	3	0	3	5.69	46
Dan Naulty	49	3	2	4	3.79	56
Mike Trombley	43	5	1	6	3.01	57
Mike Milchin	26	2	1	0	8.31	19
Erik Bennett	24	2	0	1	7.90	13

Miscellaneous

• The lone representative of the Twins in the All-Star Game was second baseman Chuck Knoblauch.
• The highest paid Twin in 1996 was Chuck Knoblauch at $4,670,000; followed by Rick Aguilera at $3,500,000.

Other post-season awards

• Calvin R. Griffith Award (Most Valuable Twin) – Chuck Knoblauch
• Joseph W. Haynes Award (Twins Pitcher of the Year) – Frank Rodriguez
• Bill Boni Award (Twins Outstanding Rookie) – Ron Coomer
• Charles O. Johnson Award (Most Improved Twin) – Rich Becker
• Dick Siebert Award (Upper Midwest Player of the Year) – Paul Molitor
  • The above awards are voted on by the Twin Cities chapter of the BBWAA
• Carl R. Pohlad Award (Outstanding Community Service) – Paul Molitor
• Sherry Robertson Award (Twins Outstanding Farm System Player) – Todd Walker

Outfielder Kirby Puckett won the Roberto Clemente Award, given annually to the Major League Baseball (MLB) player who "best exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community involvement and the individual's contribution to his team", as voted on by baseball fans and members of the media.

Farm system

See also: Minor League Baseball

Level	Team	League	Manager
AAA	Salt Lake Buzz	Pacific Coast League	Phil Roof
AA	Hardware City Rock Cats	Eastern League	Al Newman
A	Fort Myers Miracle	Florida State League	John Russell
A	Fort Wayne Wizards	Midwest League	Dan Rohn
Rookie	Elizabethton Twins	Appalachian League	Jose Marzan
Rookie	GCL Twins	Gulf Coast League	Mike Boulanger

^[7]

References

1. Luis Rivas at Baseball Reference
2. Paul Molitor at Baseball Reference
3. "Twins 24, Tigers 11". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 7, 2016.
4. "Twins 16, Red Sox 6". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 7, 2016.
5. Jacque Jones Statistics Baseball-Reference.com
6. David Ortiz Statistics Baseball-Reference.com
7. Johnson, Lloyd, and Wolff, Miles, ed., The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball, 2nd and 3rd editions. Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America, 1997 and 2007

External links

• Player stats from www.baseball-reference.com
• 1996 Standings