The Elizabethton Twins were a Minor League Baseball team of the Appalachian League and a Rookie-level affiliate of the

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area w ...

. They were located in Elizabethton, Tennessee, and were named for their major league affiliate. The team played its home games at Northeast Community Credit Union Ballpark, which opened in 1974. Over 46 years of competition, the Twins played in 3,113 regular season games and compiled a 1,779–1,333–1 win–loss–tie record. They qualified for the postseason on 19 occasions, winning 16 division titles and 12 Appalachian League championships. Elizabethton won more league championships than any other team in Appalachian League history. They had a postseason record of 33–24. Combining all 3,170 regular season and postseason games, the Twins had an all-time record of 1,812–1,357–1.

History

Professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professiona ...

was first played in Elizabethton, Tennessee, by the Elizabethton Betsy Red Sox in the Appalachian League in 1937. They remained in the league through 1942. The city's Appalachian League entry from 1945 to 1948 was called the

Elizabethton Betsy Cubs Elizabethton is a city in, and the county seat of Carter County, Tennessee, United States. Elizabethton is the historical site of the first independent American government (known as the Watauga Association, created in 1772) located west of both t ...

. They were followed by the Elizabethton Betsy Local from 1949 to 1950 and the

Elizabethton Phils The Elizabethton Phils were a Minor League Baseball team that played in the Class D (baseball), Class D Appalachian League from 1937 to 1942 and 1945 to 1951. They were located in Elizabethton, Tennessee, and played their home games at Cherokee Pa ...

in 1951. Thirty-six years later, the

placed the Elizabethton Twins in the Appalachian League as a Rookie-level affiliate. Elizabethton played its inaugural game on June 21, 1978, against the Kingsport Braves on the road at the ballpark on the campus of Dobyns-Bennett High School, losing 8–3. The Twins got their first win the next night, defeating Kingsport, also 8–3. Their Riverside Park home opener, scheduled for June 23 against the Bristol Tigers, was rained out. They played their first home game the next evening, losing to Bristol, 15–2. Elizabethton finished its inaugural season in second place with a 41–27–1 record. Twins

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or dr ...

Rubio Malone tossed two

no-hitter In baseball, a no-hitter is a game in which a team was not able to record a hit. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in at least nine innings recorded no hits. A pitcher wh ...

s in 1978. He pitched the first on June 23 in the second game of a doubleheader against the Johnson City Cardinals in a seven-inning 8–1 win. The lone Johnson City run was scored in the first inning when Gotay Mills drew a walk, stole second, advanced to third on an outfield fly ball, and came home on a

sacrifice fly In baseball, a sacrifice fly (sometimes abbreviated to sac fly) is defined by Rule 9.08(d): "Score a sacrifice fly when, before two are out, the batter hits a ball in flight handled by an outfielder or an infielder running in the outfield in fair o ...

. Malone's second no-hit game occurred nearly a month later on July 19, this time in front of a home audience. He held the

Bluefield Orioles Bluefield may refer to: *Bluefield, Virginia, US *Bluefield, West Virginia, US *Nvidia BlueField, a line of computer hardware See also *Bluefields, Nicaragua *Bluefields, Jamaica Bluefields is a settlement in Westmoreland Parish on the Carib ...

hitless for nine innings in the 6–0 win. The season was also successful for the Twins as they won their first Appalachian League championship in 1978 with a first-place 41–28 record.

Manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activitie ...

Fred Waters Fred Warren Waters (February 2, 1927 – August 28, 1989) was an American professional baseball player, manager, scout and coach. The left-handed pitcher appeared in 25 Major League games for the – 56 Pittsburgh Pirates. Born in Benton, Mis ...

, who had been leading the team since 1975, was selected for the Appalachian League Manager of the Year Award. Waters led Elizabethton to its second championship in 1984. They won the Southern Division title with a 40–29 record, then defeated the Pulaski Braves in a one-game playoff for the Appalachian League title. Waters won Manager of the Year honors, as he also had in 1981. 1981 Minnesota Twins Postcards Ray Smith

1981 Minnesota Twins Postcards Ray Smith

In 1987, Ray Smith replaced Waters as the Twins' manager after 12 years guiding the team. Smith would go on the become the winningest manager in Appalachian League history with 1,048 wins from 1987 to 1994 and 2002 to 2019. He would win a record seven Manager of the Year Awards and lead Elizabethton to nine league championships. The first two championship seasons under Smith came back-to-back in 1989 and 1990. The 1989 team won the Southern Division and defeated Pulaski, 2–0, in the finals. The 1990 Twins set a franchise record with their 51–16 (.761) season and earned the league crown with a first-place finish. On August 26, 1991, Eddie Guardado pitched a no-hitter versus the Pulaski Braves, 5–0, at

Joe O'Brien Field Northeast Community Credit Union Ballpark is a baseball stadium in Elizabethton, Tennessee. The venue is owned and subsidized by the City of Elizabethton and the stadium itself is primarily used for Appalachian League summer collegiate baseball ...

. They missed the playoffs that season but returned in 1992 and 1993 by virtue of winning the Southern Division title, only to lose in the championship finals. Smith was selected for four consecutive Manager of the Year Awards from 1989 to 1992. Another playoff drought occurred from 1994 to 1999, the longest in franchise history. Over 20 years from 2000 to 2019, the Twins qualified for the postseason 15 times. Jeff Carter, the 2000 season's Manager of the Year, led Elizabethton to the Southern Division title and the franchise's fifth Appalachian League championship. After losing in the finals of 2001 under Manager of the Year Rudy Hernández, Ray Smith returned to lead the team in 2002. He guided the Twins to league titles in 2003, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2012, 2017, and 2018. On July 16, 2011, pitchers Tim Shibuya (7 IP), Garrett Jewel (1 IP), and Steven Gruver (1 IP) combined to no-hit the

Greeneville Astros The Greeneville Astros were a Minor League Baseball team that played in the Rookie-level Appalachian League from 2004 to 2017. They represented the town of Greeneville, Tennessee, though Pioneer Park, their home stadium, was located in nearby Tu ...

, 6–0, on the road. The start of the 2020 season was postponed due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

before ultimately being cancelled on June 30. In conjunction with a contraction of Minor League Baseball beginning with the 2021 season, the Appalachian League was reorganized as a collegiate summer baseball league, and the Twins were replaced by the

Elizabethton River Riders The Elizabethton River Riders are a summer collegiate baseball team of the Appalachian League. They are located in Elizabethton, Tennessee, and play their home games at Northeast Community Credit Union Ballpark. History Previous Elizabethton ...

, a new franchise in the revamped league designed for rising college freshmen and sophomores.

Season-by-season results

Achievements

Awards

Eighteen players won Appalachian League awards in recognition for their performance with the Twins. Eleven won Player of the Year Awards, while seven won the Pitcher of the Year Award. Four managers won the Manager of the Year Award, including

, who was selected for the honor three times, and Ray Smith, who won the award a league-leading seven times. The team also won four Executive of the Year Awards, the Promotional Award of Excellence (2003 and 2014), and the Community Service Award (2017). Altogether, the Twins have won 37 Appalachian League awards.

Hall of Famers

One former member of the Twins has been elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to cat ...

Kirby Puckett, who was inducted in 2001, played 65 games with Elizabethton in 1982, his first professional season. He registered a .382 batting average with 105

hits Hits or H.I.T.S. may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * '' H.I.T.S.'', 1991 album by New Kids on the Block * ''...Hits'' (Phil Collins album), 1998 * ''Hits'' (compilation series), 1984–2006; 2014 - a British compilation album s ...

and 35 RBI in addition to stealing 43 bases. The Twins have also had five members inducted in the Appalachian League Hall of Fame.

Notable players

Among the Twins to make significant contributions to

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (A ...

teams after their time in Elizabethton are: * Jay Bell (1984) * Byron Buxton (2012) *

Marty Cordova Martin Kevin Cordova (born July 10, 1969) is an American former professional baseball left fielder who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota Twins, Toronto Blue Jays, Cleveland Indians, and Baltimore Orioles. He was born in Las ...

(1989) * Brian Dozier (2009) * Jim Eisenreich (1980) *

Gary Gaetti Gary Joseph Gaetti (, ; born August 19, 1958), is an American former third baseman in Major League Baseball for the Minnesota Twins (1981–1990), California Angels (1991–1993), Kansas City Royals (1993–1995), St. Louis Cardinals (1996– ...

(1979) * Rich Garcés (1988) * Matt Garza (2005) * Eddie Guardado (1991) *

LaTroy Hawkins LaTroy Hawkins (born December 21, 1972) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. In his 21-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career, he played for the Minnesota Twins, Chicago Cubs, San Francisco Giants, Baltimore Orioles, Colorado Ro ...

(1992) *

Denny Hocking Dennis Lee "Denny" Hocking (born April 2, 1970) is an American professional baseball manager and former utility player. Hocking played for the Minnesota Twins (1993–2003), Colorado Rockies (2004), and Kansas City Royals (2005). He was a utility ...

(1990) * Kent Hrbek (1979) * Max Kepler (2012) * Corey Koskie (1994) *

Joe Mauer Joseph Patrick Mauer (born April 19, 1983) is an American former professional baseball catcher and first baseman, who spent his entire 15-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the Minnesota Twins. A six-time All-Star, Mauer is the onl ...

(2001) * Justin Morneau (2001) *

Denny Neagle Dennis Edward Neagle Jr. (; born September 13, 1968) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who played for six teams over a 13-year career. During the 1990s, he was one of the top pitchers in baseball, but his career, and personal life, deter ...

(1989) * Jesse Orosco (1978) * A. J. Pierzynski (1995) * Jorge Polanco (2012) * Kirby Puckett (1982) * Jeff Reed (1980) * Todd Ritchie (1990) *

Miguel Sanó Miguel Ángel Jean Sanó (born May 11, 1993) is a Dominican professional baseball first baseman and third baseman who is a free agent. He previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota Twins. He made his MLB debut on July 2, ...

(2011) * Denard Span (2003)

References

;Specific ;General *{{cite web , url=https://milb.bamcontent.com/documents/5/2/2/313373522/2020_Appalachian_League_Media_Guide.pdf , title=2020 Appalachian League Media Guide , website=Appalachian League , publisher=Minor League Baseball , access-date=May 29, 2020 , ref={{harvid, Appalachian League Media Guide, 2020

External links

Official website

Statistics from ''Baseball-Reference''
1974 establishments in Tennessee 2020 disestablishments in Tennessee Defunct Appalachian League teams Baseball teams established in 1974 Baseball teams disestablished in 2020 Elizabethton, Tennessee Minnesota Twins minor league affiliates Professional baseball teams in Tennessee