When the Twins hit nine home runs last week in their opening regular season series against the Angels, it sent a message that this baseball team has the potential to rank with the best home run clubs in franchise history.
The 1963 Twins hit a franchise record 225 home runs and the 1964 ball club produced 221. The 1986 and 1987 teams hit 196 home runs each season, the third best totals in Twins history.
Sports Headliners researched the Twins 2010 roster and found 10 players that, based on recent major league performances, are candidates to hit 10 or more home runs. Collectively, those 10 could hit 196 home runs, plus perhaps another four homers from power challenged hitters Alexi Casilla, Drew Butera, Jose Morales and Nick Punto.
A 200 total would rank third in franchise history and put the Twins among the leaders in major league baseball. Last year the Yankees led all teams with 244 home runs. The 2009 Twins hit 172 home runs, 61 more than in 2008. After a week of baseball this year the Twins are second in the American League to Toronto in home runs with 10. The Blue Jays have hit 11.
The Twins’ power surge last season was led by Joe Mauer and Jason Kubel who had career highs in home runs with 28 each. Justin Morneau led the club in home runs with 30, four under his career best. This season the upward trend should continue with new power acquisitions in J.J. Hardy and Jim Thome.
Here are the projected totals for the team’s 10 best potential home run hitters: Mauer, 34; Morneau, 33; Kubel, 25; Michael Cuddyer, 24; Hardy, 20; Thome, 15; Delmon Young, 15; and Brendan Harris, Orlando Hudson and Denard Span, all with 10 each.
The projected total of 200 team home runs seems achievable, perhaps it could be 10 higher or lower, but in that range. What seems unlikely, though, is a total of 220 or more. To reach that level the Twins need a slugger like Harmon Killebrew who hit 49 home runs in 1964 and 45 in 1963. The 1963 Twins also had Bob Allison who hit 35 home runs and Jimmie Hall with 32. In 1964 Allison and Tony Oliva both homered 32 times.