Regular visitors of Notinhalloffame.com know that we are slowly working on the top 50 of every major team in the NHL, NBA, NFL and MLB.  Once that is done, we intend to look at how each team honor their past players, coaches and executives.  As such, it is news to us that the Minnesota Twins have announced that three new men, Dan Gladden, Cesar Tovar and Ron Gardenhire have been inducted into their franchise Hall of Fame.

Gladden played for Minnesota from 1987 to 1991, where the Outfielder accumulated 661 Hits with 116 Stolen Bases and a .268 Batting Average.  A member of both the 1987 and 1991 World Series winning team, Gladden is one of seven former players who were on both championship squads, and he notably scored the series-winning run in the ’91 Fall Classic.  Gladden enters not only as a player, but as a broadcaster, having been the color man for the Twins radio broadcasts since 2000.

From Venezuela, Tovar played for Minnesota from 1965 to 1972 where the versatile player logged significant times at Second Base, Third Base, Shortstop and all three Outfield positions.  Tovar batted over .300 twice for Minnesota, and in 1970, he led the NL in Doubles (36) and Triples (13), and was the league leader in Hits (204) in 1971.  Receiving MVP votes in five straight years (1967-71), Tovar amassed 1,164 Hits, 186 Stolen Bases and batted .281 for the Twins.

Gardenhire was Minnesota’s longtime Manager from 2002 to 2014, and had a record of 1,068 and 1,039 for the team.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate all three for this impending honor.

Cesar Tovar emerged as the ultimate Swiss Army knife for Minnesota in 1965, a high-energy talent from Venezuela who redefined positional flexibility. Although he lacked a single defensive home, he served as the spark plug for the great Twins teams of the late 1960s and early 1970s.

On September 22, 1968, he became only the second MLB player to play all nine positions in one game, showcasing his versatility. He contributed to the Twins’ division titles in 1969 and 1970. Tovar achieved a historic offensive streak, with at least 150 hits annually from 1967 to 1971. His peak was 1971, when he led the American League with 204 hits and in triples. Despite being a consistent lead-off hitter and receiving MVP votes for five years, he was never an All-Star, an unusual omission in franchise history.

Following the 1972 season, Tovar was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies. His legacy within the organization was finalized in 2022 when he was inducted into the Minnesota Twins Hall of Fame. With Minnesota, Tovar batted .281 with 1,164 Hits and 186 Stolen Bases,