World Series 'success': (Former) Twins player will win a ring for sixth year in a row

Ryan Pressly grabbed Aaron Judge's one-hopper with ease Sunday, took a half-dozen steps toward first base, then underhanded the ball to Yuli Gurriel, officially clinching the Astros' fourth American League championship in six seasons. And in doing so, Houston's closer ensured that for the sixth consecutive year, a former Twins player will win a World Series championship.

Pressly's potential ring — or one for Kyle Gibson, whose Phillies face Houston beginning Friday — stands as one of the relatively few highlights in 2022 for an ever-expanding army of ballplayers who once played for Minnesota. As roster churn has exploded over the past decade, evidenced by the Twins using a franchise-record 61 players in 2022, the number of ex-Twins around the game has likewise boomed.

This year, a whopping 103 former Twins played professional baseball in this country or elsewhere, and a record 58 of them appeared at least briefly in the major leagues. But just as the Twins' season was waylaid by injuries, so were the performances of several of their most prominent former players.

Nelson Cruz and Eddie Rosario, for instance, each needed surgery to treat blurry vision, costing them months of the season. Brusdar Graterol's role in the Dodgers bullpen was limited by inflammation in both his shoulder and elbow, just as Trevor May's was with the Mets after suffering a stress fracture in his arm. Lance Lynn, Jason Castro and LaMonte Wade Jr. each missed significant time with knee injuries.

But a few former Twins flourished with new clubs, perhaps none more so than … well, the answer may surprise you. As measured by WAR, the most successful and impactful ex-Twins player this season by far was Martin Perez, the veteran lefthander who won 10 games in 2019, his lone season in Minnesota, then was allowed to depart into free agency. Now 31, Perez enjoyed the best season of his decade-long career, posting a 2.89 ERA in 32 starts for the 94-loss Texas Rangers.

Perez pitched a 1-2-3 inning in the All-Star Game in July, and he is now a free agent again after earning just $4 million for his strong season.

Liam Hendriks saved 37 games for the White Sox, C.J. Cron hit 29 homers for the Rockies, and Willians Astudillo even pitched a couple of scoreless innings for the Marlins. But it was a largely forgettable season for most of the ex-Twins; 11 of the 25 position players owned batting averages below .200, 16 of the 33 pitchers posted ERAs above 5.00. And another 24 players who appeared at some level of professional ball in 2021 apparently have retired, including a couple of former players who once represented the Twins in All-Star Games: infielder Eduardo Nunez (2016 All-Star) and pitcher Ervin Santana (2017).

Pressly, dealt to Houston at the 2018 midseason trade deadline, saved a career-high 33 games this season and four more so far in the postseason. He figures to get the ninth inning in the World Series, too, and hopes to join a streak of recent championship-winning ex-Twins. That list that includes Francisco Liriano (2017 Astros), Nunez (2018 Red Sox), Brian Dozier, Fernando Rodney and Kurt Suzuki (2019 Nationals), Graterol (2020 Dodgers), and Eddie Rosario and Ehire Adrianza (2021 Braves).

If not Pressly (and also Houston catcher Jason Castro, who is injured), then Gibson would earn a World Series ring, though it's not clear yet that Gibson will be on Philadelphia's World Series roster. The Twins' 2009 first-round pick started the second-most games and pitched the second-most innings on Philadelphia's staff, but after losing five of his six starts in September with a 9.73 ERA, Gibson has appeared in only one of the Phillies' 11 postseason games and has faced just six batters since Oct. 1.