1998 Minnesota Twins season

MLB yearly infobox
name = Minnesota Twins
season = 1998
misc =

current league = American League
y1 = 1901
division = Central Division
y2 = 1994
Uniform
ballpark = Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
y4 = 1982
city = Minneapolis
y5 = 1982
owners = Carl Pohlad
managers = Tom Kelly
television = KMSP-TV
Midwest Sports Channel
(Bert Blyleven, Dick Bremer, Ryan Lefebvre)
radio = 830 WCCO AM
(Herb Carneal,John Gordon, Ryan Lefebvre)|Like many Twins teams of its half-decade, the 1998 Minnesota Twins neither impressed nor contended. The team finished with a 70-92 record, with subpar batting and pitching. The season was not without its bright spots, as individual players had solid seasons and Hall of Fame designated hitter Paul Molitor announced his retirement at the end of the season. Unfortunately, Tom Kelly's team suffered plenty of lowlights, most notably David Wells' perfect game against the team on May 17 at Yankee Stadium.

Offense

In 1998, Twins fans witnessed the emergence of Matt Lawton and Todd Walker as major league hitters. The team believed Walker would be able to fill the void left after the trade of Chuck Knoblauch, who had been traded to the New York Yankees on February 16. Fans also saw the merciful end to Twins' Scott Stahoviak era. Otis Nixon had a surprising year for a 39-year-old, hitting .297 and stealing 37 bases (leading the team). Molitor's hitting continued its gradual decline from his stellar 1996 campaign, with his average down to .281 and RBIs down to 69. These numbers were still competent and he was able to retire while playing solid baseball.

: "Number indicates playoff seeding"

Roster

Notable Transactions

*January 14: Signed first baseman/outfielder Orlando Merced as a free agent.
*February 16: Traded second baseman Chuck Knoblauch to the New York Yankees in exchange for outfielder Brian Buchanan, shortstop Cristian Guzman, pitcher Eric Milton, pitcher Danny Mota, and cash.
*April 3: Claimed pitcher Hector Carrasco off waivers from the Arizona Diamondbacks.
*July 31: Traded Merced and pitcher Greg Swindell to the Boston Red Sox for outfielder John Barnes, pitcher Matt Kinney, and Joe Thomas. [ [http://www.baseball-reference.com/s/swindgr01.shtml Greg Swindell Statistics - Baseball-Reference.com ] ]
*August 25: Traded pitcher Mike Morgan to the Chicago Cubs for a player to be named later and cash. On November 3, the Cubs sent pitcher Scott Downs to the Twins to complete the trade.
*September 29: First baseman Scott Stahoviak granted free agency.
*September 30: Infielder Brent Gates granted free agency. He was re-signed on December 15.
*October 2: Pitcher Todd Ritchie released.
*October 22: Pitcher Bob Tewksbury granted free agency.
*October 26: Designated hitter Paul Molitor granted free agency.
*October 27: Outfielder Otis Nixon granted free agency.
*October 29: Catcher Terry Steinbach granted free agency. He was re-signed on January 4, 1999.
*December 14: Alex Ochoa was traded by the Minnesota Twins to the Milwaukee Brewers for a player to be named later. The Milwaukee Brewers sent Darrell Nicholas (minors) (December 15, 1998) to the Minnesota Twins to complete the trade. [http://www.baseball-reference.com/o/ochoaal01.shtml]
*December 15: Melvin Nieves was signed as a Free Agent with the Minnesota Twins. [http://www.baseball-reference.com/n/nieveme01.shtml]
*December 21: Shortstop Pat Meares granted free agency.

Miscellaneous

*The lone representative of the Twins in the All-Star Game was pitcher Brad Radke.

*The highest paid Twin in 1998 was Paul Molitor at $ 4,250,000; followed by Terry Steinbach at $ 2,850,000.

References

External links

* [http://www.diamond-mind.com/articles/pm1998/pm98min.htm Diamond Mind's Analysis of the Twins' 1998 season]
* [http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/MIN/1998.shtml Player stats from www.baseball-reference.com]
* [http://baseball-almanac.com/teamstats/roster.php?y=1998&t=MIN Team info from www.baseball-almanac.com]
* [http://minnesota.twins.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/min/history/timeline4.jsp Twins history through the 1990s, from www.mlb.com]
* [http://shrpsports.com/mlb/stand/1998finaldiv.htm 1998 Standings]