In 2010 the 50 greatest Twins list of all time was announced, commemorating the 50th season of franchise’s existence.

In early September that year, I spent a good part of the weekend watching the ’10 version of the Minnesota Twins play some great baseball vs. the Texas Rangers. The pennant race was heating up, and Twins on the field were playing like real ball players who like to play in October.

At Target Field that weekend, many of the greatest Twins of all time (many who played deep into cold weather of the Fall) reunited to play a “legends” game. It was pure pleasure to watch the “Boy’s of Summer” take to the new outdoor field in Minnesota and try to recapture their “Glory Day.”

The highlight of the Legends Game for me was watching Kent Hrbek put his own special mark on Target Field. T-Rex, as he was known back in the day, tried to make one of his patented foul ball catches near first base, but this time instead of getting Metrodome rug burn, he dented out a chunk of the new Twins infield grass. It’s a good thing Hrbie has a sense of humor.

The 50 Greatest Twins list was  voted on by a panel of print, radio, and television journalists, plus senior members of the Minnesota Twins staff.

Here is the entire list of players. I will create links to each player, as I blog about each one in the typical Sports Daddy story telling tone.

• Rick Aguilera
• Bob Allison
• Earl Battey
• Bert Blyleven
• Lyman Bostock
• Tom Brunansky
• Rod Carew
• John Castino
• Michael Cuddyer
• Gary Gaetti
• Greg Gagne
• Ron Gardenhire
• Dan Gladden
• Dave Goltz
• Jim “Mudcat” Grant
• Eddie Guardado
• Larry Hisle
• Kent Hrbek
• Torii Hunter
• Jim Kaat
• Tom Kelly
• Harmon Killebrew
• Chuck Knoblauch
• Jerry Koosman
• Corey Koskie
• Gene Larkin
• Billy Martin
• Gene Mauch
• Joe Mauer
• Sam Mele
• Paul Molitor
• Justin Morneau
• Jack Morris
• Joe Nathan
• Tony Oliva
• Camilo Pascual
• Jim Perry
• Kirby Puckett
• Frank Quilici
• Brad Radke
• Jeff Reardon
• Johan Santana
• Roy Smalley
• Rick Stelmaczek
• Kevin Tapani
• Cesar Tovar
• Zoilo Versalles
• Frank Viola
• Dave Winfield
• Al Worthington

Philip Humber most certainly did not want to declare himself the next Johan Santana.

Nor did the 6-foot-4, 224-pound right-handed pitching prospect, one of the newest members of the Minnesota Twins, want to say that he or fellow pitchers Kevin Mulvey or Deolis Guerra will match Santana’s pitching prowess.

But Humber, 25, did want to serve notice: that the Twins did well in the haul they received Feb. 12 from the New York Mets in exchange for Santana, a two-time Cy Young Award winner and a fixture in Minnesota’s starting rotation the previous six years.

The three pitchers had their first official workouts with the Twins this morning at the Lee County Sports Complex.

“How can we measure up to Santana?” Humber said.

“I don’t know about that. But I feel like we can make a difference here. I feel like we can contribute, and we’ll see what happens.

“We’ve got a great group of guys coming over here.”

The Twins received Humber, Mulvey and Guerra as well as outfielder Carlos Gomez in the deal.

“We’ve done pretty well in trades in the past,” Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said of his organizaton’s scouting department. “There’s no reason to doubt them this time.”

The new players made their first impressions on Gardenhire today. They were good ones.

“If you go by size alone, this is a pretty healthy looking group,” Gardenhire said.

Only the 6-4, 195-pound Gomez, 22, has reached the big leagues, logging 36
games for the Mets last season. He will battle Jason Pridie and Denard Span to replace the departed Torii Hunter in center field.

Gomez and numerous other position players had an informal workout Monday. Their report day is Friday, and the first full-squad workout is Saturday.

Minnesota’s pitchers and catchers will resume workouts at 9 a.m. today. The three former Mets pitchers each said they were thrilled to be a part
of a mega-trade.

“I was super excited,” said Humber, a Nacodoches, Texas native who lives in nearby Tyler. “He’s probably the greatest pitcher of my generation, or at least of this decade.

“To be traded for Johan Santana, that’s just a good thing.”

Humber posted an 11-9 record with a 4.27 ERA last season for Triple-A New Orleans. He received a big-league callup late in the season and started one game. In three appearances, he had no decisions and a 7.71 ERA in seven innings.

Humber will contend for a spot in Minnesota’s big-league rotation this spring.

Mulvey, 22, posted an 11-10 record and 3.32 ERA at Double-A Binghamton and a 1-0 record and 0.00 ERA at Triple-A New Orleans. The 6-2 right-hander is probably at least a year away from the big leagues.

“I had been hearing about it for a long time,” Mulvey said of the trade rumors. “I kind of prepared for it to happen, and when it did happen, I was excited. It was an honor.”

Guerra, 18, stands 6-5 and posted a 2-6 record and 4.01 ERA for the St. Lucie Mets of the Florida State League. Guerra could face his former team this summer as a member of the Fort Myers Miracle if he doesn’t begin the year in Double-A New Britain.

“I’m excited to be here,” said Guerra, who like Santana is a native of Venezuela. Guerra is still learning English. “To get traded for Santana, I was kind of nervous but also happy.

“In Venezuela, he’s one of the big guys in the country. Yeah, I’m a fan of Santana.”

Guerra’s name translates to meaning “war” in English.

Asked if he lives up to the meaning of his name, Guerra said: “Not really. On the mound? Yeah.”

Originally posted on February 18, 2008 By David Dorsey
Fort Myers News Press

Former Twins ace Johan Santana will Meet the Mets while Centerfielder Carlos Gomez and pitchers Phil Humber, Deolis Guerra and Kevin Mulvey will be heading Fort Myers with hopes of making the roster of the Minnesota Twins.

It’s called a “best you can get” “better than nothing” trade. Details to follow

Deolis Guerra, P
The right-hander pitched well above his 2-6 record. Three of his losses came in April, when he posted a 3.33 ERA in five starts during the month. He possesses a very solid repertoire, which still needs his curveball to develop for his game to really come to form. However, even with his current arsenal, Guerra worked the opposition to a .240 opponent’s batting average and allowed less base hits (80) than innings pitched (89.2). He ended the year on a high note, allowing six earned runs in his final 18.2 innings pitched while showing great temperament for a kid his age in St. Lucie. Guerra’s stock has been on the rise since he entered the system.

Carlos Gomez CF
The 21-year-old outfielder finally made it to the show this season, registering 125 at-bats with the Mets. He surely would have surpassed the rookie cut-off for at-bats if not for mid-season wrist surgery which sidelined him for two months. He began the season as the system’s top prospect, accumulating 140 at-bats in 36 games at New Orleans before his promotion. His showed good power while with the Zephyrs, and more is expected as he continues to develop physically. Gomez still has the tools to be a complete package, and could start 2008 with the big league club

Kevin Mulvey P
The right-hander won the Sterling Award as the system’s best pitcher this season, and despite pitching for the last place B-Mets, Mulvey’s took his game to the next level. His record was average at 11-10, but was extremely consistent in his second year, throwing a career high 151.2 innings. He was promoted to New Orleans, throwing 13 scoreless innings in two starts, the second coming during the PCL playoffs. His success in New Orleans shows he can be a big game pitcher, and more importantly, he now has full control of all four of pitches, able to throw any of them for strikes. His future projects higher than at this point last season, when he was projected as a fourth starter.

Phil Humber P
Humber instantly became the organization’s number one pitching prospect. He was inconsistent during his season with New Orleans, and July was his one month this year with an ERA under 4.00 (3.12 in three starts), but has the repertoire to be successful at the next level. His fastball sits in the low to mid-90s, but he has a big league curveball and his changeup really came along this season. His game will better-rounded with another year under his belt, now he just needs to develop more consistency.