December 4, 1992: Kirby Puckett, after testing the free agent waters, signed a 5-year $30 million contract to remain a Twin. His deal is the second largest total package in major league history, topped only by the $32.5 million 5-year deal signed by Cal Ripken with the Baltimore Orioles last August.
December 9, 1992: Jim Deshaies was signed as a free agent by the Twins.
December 17, 1992: Dave Winfield was signed as a free agent by the Twins.
January 8, 1993: Randy Bush was signed as a free agent by the Twins.
Regular season
At Oriole Park at Camden Yards, the Twins' All-Star representatives were outfielder Kirby Puckett and closer Rick Aguilera. Puckett was named the MVP following his 2-for-3 performance with a solo home run and a run-scoring double.
On September 16, Dave Winfield collected his 3000th major league hit, a run-scoring 9th-inning single off Oakland'sDennis Eckersley. Winfield was the first to do so wearing a Twins uniform, and the first-ever to do so indoors.
The highest paid Twin in 1993 was Puckett at $5,300,000, followed by Hrbek at $3,100,000.
Offense
Not only did Winfield get his 3,000th hit, but he also got his 500th double and 450th homer. He had a serviceable year as the team's primary designated hitter, hitting.271 with 21 home runs and 76 RBI. Other offensive highlights included Kent Hrbek becoming the second Twin to reach 1,000 RBI and Brian Harper becoming only the fourth catcher in the prior 40 years to hit.300 in three consecutive seasons. Chuck Knoblauch continued his solid leadoff hitting, batting.277 and stealing a team-leading 29 bases. The weaker spots in the regular lineup included Pedro Muñoz.
The starting rotation was reasonably competent, with Kevin Tapani, Willie Banks, and Jim Deshaies having ERAs in the low fours. Unfortunately, Scott Erickson was not able to follow up his very successful first three years in the majors, posting an ERA of 5.19 and leading the majors in losses. The fifth spot in the rotation was uncertain, with Eddie Guardado making 16 starts and Mike Trombley 10. There were strong pitchers in the bullpen, starting with closer Rick Aguilera. He had 34 saves, and was American LeaguePitcher of the Month for June. Also having strong years were Larry Casian with an ERA of 3.02, Mike Hartley, and Carl Willis. This was not so much the case for pitchers such as George Tsamis and Brett Merriman.
Statistic
Player
Quantity
ERA
Willie Banks
4.04
Wins
Kevin Tapani
12
Saves
Rick Aguilera
34
Strikeouts
Kevin Tapani
150
Defense
The team was strong defensively. Harper was a strong catcher, with a.988 fielding percentage. Hrbek was always strong at first base as well, making only five errors in 1993. Knoblauch was a good second baseman at this point in his career. Mike Pagliarulo played in about half the team's games at third, with reasonable competence. The team intended Scott Leius to be the starting shortstop, but an early injury prevented this from occurring. It paved the way for Pat Meares to man the position for several years. He surprised the team by playing reasonably well during his rookie year. Puckett always excelled in center field, while Shane Mack and Munoz did okay on either side of him.
August 28, 1993: Jim Deshaies was traded by the Twins to the San Francisco Giants for Aaron Fultz, minor leaguer Andres Duncan, and a player to be named later. On September 1, the Giants sent Greg Brummett to the Twins to complete the trade.
Kirby Puckett won the Branch Rickey Award, given annually to an individual in Major League Baseball in recognition of his exceptional community service. The award was inaugurated last year and was awarded to Toronto Blue Jay Dave Winfield. In 1998, Paul Molitor becomes the second Twin to win the award.
