Local baseball analyst Kevin Hennessy shares his thoughts about former Twins outfielders Dave Winfield and Kirby Puckett, who both have been elected to baseball's Hall of Fame.
Puckett spent his entire career with the Twins while Winfield played for six teams, including the Twins, New York Yankees, and San Diego Padres. Winfield had 3,110 hits and 465 home runs in his 22-year career. Puckett distinguished himself by racking up impressive numbers in a career cut short by glaucoma. No player in the 20th century got more hits in his first ten years than Puckett, who had 2,040 in that span and finished career with 2,304.
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WILLIAM WILCOXEN: Kirby Puckett says he was only five years old when he started wandering out to the playgrounds of Chicago's South Side to play ball with some of his eight older siblings. By the time he finished high school, he was the best player around. But Puckett says it's not so surprising that no pro scouts were on hand to offer him a contract.
KIRBY PUCKETT: I don't blame anybody for that because I played ball at Calumet High school. It's all Black and it's harder to get over in Chicago. I can't blame scouts for not coming to watch us play. If they came in, they wouldn't have got out. That's the honest to God truth.
WILLIAM WILCOXEN: So Puckett took a job at an automobile factory, but his play in an amateur Summer League was noticed and led to a scholarship offer. He starred at Triton junior college, was drafted by the Twins and broke into the big leagues at the start of the 1984 season. Just two years earlier, the Twins had endured what remains their worst season ever, but things were starting to look up, and in Puckett's third season, the Twins brought Minnesota its first World Series championship. Puckett says he feels fortunate to have started his career with that group of players.
KIRBY PUCKETT: I came in '84. I had the likes of Kent Hrbek, Tim Laudner, Tom Brunansky, Frank Viola, Gary Gaetti. We had here what you call a bunch of gamers. Guys, before I got here, they lost 100 games. I mean, so they were tired of being beat, and I was just a little piece of the puzzle. And I knew that my job when I came in 1984 was to get on base and set the table for them big guys.
WILLIAM WILCOXEN: After a couple of seasons, Twins batting coach Tony Oliva helped Puckett modify his batting stance, which led him to hit more home runs and prompted the team to move him in the batting order from first to third, where for years he hit in front of Hrbek. Hrbek says as great a player as Puckett was, his strongest memories are of Kirby off the field as a combination class clown and team leader.
KENT HRBEK: Sure, I remember him as being a great player and a great hitter and stood behind him in on deck circle, and watched him hit and walk up to beyond-- or walk up to the plate and the catcher would go, how the hell did he hit that one? Stuff like that. I remember more walking in the clubhouse and seeing his smile and laugh and make you want to be there at the ballpark.
WILLIAM WILCOXEN: Puckett has won several awards for his community service. And Twins president Jerry bell says his influence on those around him is part of what distinguishes Puckett among great ballplayers.
JERRY BELL: A lot of players are good on the field, but he extended that to his whole team with setting examples and not only apply to play baseball, but how to conduct yourself with fans and kids and the press and everyone else.
WILLIAM WILCOXEN: After 12 seasons, Puckett's playing career was ended when he developed glaucoma that blocked the vision in his right eye. There was some question about whether his career would be deemed long enough for Hall of Fame voters to elect him on the first ballot, but Puckett was named on 82% of the votes cast. Puckett says he feels no anger about the eye disease that shortened his career.
KIRBY PUCKETT: People want to talk about me having to end my career after 12 years, and all I ever said was, I just thank God he let me play that long.
WILLIAM WILCOXEN: Puckett will be inducted into the Hall of Fame at ceremonies in Cooperstown, New York, in August. I'm William wilcoxen, Minnesota Public Radio.