January 24, 2025

Corey Koskie elected to Twins Hall Of Fame … Former third baseman to become the 41st member of the Twins Hall of Fame

Minnesota Twins release

MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL, MN — The Minnesota Twins have elected former Twins third baseman Corey Koskie to the club’s Hall of Fame.

He will become the 41st member of the Twins Hall of Fame when he is inducted on Sunday, Aug. 17 as the Twins host the Detroit Tigers at Target Field. Additional details on Twins Hall of Fame Weekend will be announced at a later date.

The Twins Hall of Fame, which honours players, managers, coaches and off-field personnel who have contributed to the organization’s growth and success since Minnesota broke into the majors in 1961, was created as part of the club’s 40th season celebration in 2000.

The inaugural class of Twins Hall of Famers — INF Harmon Killebrew, INF Rod Carew, OF Tony Oliva, 1B Kent Hrbek, CF Kirby Puckett and owner Calvin Griffith — was inducted on Aug. 12, 2000. Other inductees include: LHP Jim Kaat and broadcaster Herb Carneal (2001); RHP Bert Blyleven and manager Tom Kelly (2002); public address announcer Bob Casey and OF Bob Allison (2003); C Earl Battey (2004); LHP Frank Viola (2005) and owner Carl Pohlad (2005); SS Zoilo Versalles (2006); 3B Gary Gaetti and farm director Jim Rantz (2007); RP Rick Aguilera (2008); RHP Brad Radke and farm and scouting director George Brophy (2009); SS Greg Gagne (2010); RHP Jim Perry (2011); RHP Camilo Pascual (2012); RP Eddie Guardado and director of media relations Tom Mee (2013); 2B Chuck Knoblauch was elected in 2014 but not inducted; OF Torii Hunter and radio broadcaster John Gordon (2016); OF Michael Cuddyer and former general manager Andy MacPhail (2017); pitcher Johan Santana (2018); pitcher Joe Nathan and former club president Jerry Bell (2019); 1B Justin Morneau (New Westminster, BC), elected in 2020 and inducted in 2021; and manager Ron Gardenhire, OF and current radio broadcaster Dan Gladden, and INF-OF César Tovar (2022); C-1B Joe Mauer (2023); and former general manager Terry Ryan and former coach Rick Stelmaszek (2024).

“For more than two decades, Corey Koskie’s presence and impact have been felt across Twins Territory, embodying what it means to be a Minnesota Twin through his leadership and community stewardship,” Twins president and CEO Dave St. Peter said. “Corey was a clubhouse leader, a critical offensive catalyst and one of the best defensive third basemen in club history on several of the most important Minnesota Twins teams of the last 25 years. Post-career, he became a community leader, an annual presence in support of the Twins Community Fund and occasionally joined his family on local town ball fields.”

Koskie (Anola, Man.) was selected by the Twins in the 26th round of the 1994 draft by scout Howie Norsetter and made his debut for Minnesota in 1998. The next season, his first full in the majors, he hit .310 (106-for-342) with 21 doubles, 11 home runs, 58 RBI, four stolen bases, 40 walks, 42 runs scored and an .855 OPS, the beginning of his run of some of the best campaigns by a third baseman in Twins history. In 2001, he hit .276 (155-for-562) with 37 doubles, two triples, 26 home runs, 103 RBI, 27 stolen bases, 68 walks, 100 runs scored and an .850 OPS, becoming one of six players in Twins history (1961-present) with at least 100 RBIs and at least 100 runs scored in a season, alongside Bob Allison, Harmon Killebrew (twice), Rod Carew, Kirby Puckett (twice) and Michael Cuddyer. Koskie’s 2001 performance also garnered him American League MVP votes for the only time in his career.

From 2001-2004, Koskie combined to hit .272 with 127 doubles, nine triples, 80 home runs, 312 RBI, 266 walks, 315 runs scored, an .837 OPS and a 16.9 WAR (per Baseball Reference). Among Twins hitters in that span, he was tops in walks, ranked second in RBI and doubles (behind fellow Twins Hall of Famer Hunter), was third in homers and runs scored, and fourth in hits and fifth in triples. He was a key part of the Twins’ American League Central Division-winning clubs from 2002-04 and hit .308 (4-for-13) with one double, two RBI, three walks, two runs scored and an .858 OPS in the 2004 AL Division Series.

Overall he hit .280 (781-for-2788) with 180 doubles, 13 triples, 101 home runs, 437 RBI, 66 stolen bases, 385 walks, 438 runs scored and an .836 OPS in 816 games over seven seasons in a Minnesota uniform. His .280 career batting average and .966 career fielding percentage lead all Twins third basemen (minimum of 425 games). He also ranks first on the Twins’ all-time position player list in defensive runs above average (36.6) and fWAR (23.2). After leaving the Twins, Koskie played two more seasons in the majors, for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2005 and Milwaukee in 2006, before retiring.

In addition to his skill on the field, Koskie is a fixture in the Twin Cities community, living in the area since his playing days, raising his family here and even joining his four sons on the town ball fields every now and then. He continues to donate his time and energy to the Twins Community Fund, previously serving as a board member and signing autographs at TwinsFest.

Koskie was elected by a 70-member committee consisting of local and national media, club officials, fans and past elected members, using rules similar to those necessary for election to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.

The Twins Hall of Fame membership is permanently displayed in the Hall of Fame Gallery on the UnitedHealthcare Suite Level at Target Field, as well as on Target Plaza and in the Minor League Clubhouse at the Lee Health Sports Complex in Fort Myers, Fla.

He was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall in St. Marys in 2015 along with Matt Stairs (Fredericton, NB), Carlos Delgado, former Blue Jays slugger and Felipe Alou, the successful manager of the Montreal Expos.