The Minnesota Twins announced today that former Twins general manager Terry Ryan and former coach Rick Stelmaszek have been elected to the club’s Hall of Fame. They will become the 39th and 40th members of the Twins Hall of Fame when they are inducted on Saturday, August 10 as the Twins host the Cleveland Guardians at Target Field. Additional details on Twins Hall of Fame Weekend (August 9-10) will be announced at a later date.
The Twins Hall of Fame, which honors players, managers, coaches and off-field personnel who have contributed to the organization’s growth and success since Minnesota broke into the major leagues in 1961, was created as part of the club’s 40th Season Celebration in 2000. The inaugural class of Twins Hall of Famers — Harmon Killebrew, Rod Carew, Tony Oliva, Kent Hrbek, Kirby Puckett and Calvin Griffith — was inducted on August 12, 2000. Other inductees include: pitcher Jim Kaat and broadcaster Herb Carneal (2001); pitcher Bert Blyleven and manager Tom Kelly (2002); longtime public address announcer Bob Casey and outfielder Bob Allison (2003); catcher Earl Battey (2004); pitcher Frank Viola (2005) and owner Carl Pohlad (2005); shortstop Zoilo Versalles (2006); third baseman Gary Gaetti and farm director Jim Rantz (2007); pitcher Rick Aguilera (2008); pitcher Brad Radke and farm and scouting director George Brophy (2009); shortstop Greg Gagne (2010); pitcher Jim Perry (2011); pitcher Camilo Pascual (2012); pitcher Eddie Guardado and director of media relations Tom Mee (2013); second baseman Chuck Knoblauch was elected in 2014 but not inducted; outfielder Torii Hunter and radio broadcaster John Gordon (2016); outfielder Michael Cuddyer and former general manager Andy MacPhail (2017); pitcher Johan Santana (2018); pitcher Joe Nathan and former club president Jerry Bell (2019); first baseman Justin Morneau (elected in 2020 and inducted in 2021); and manager Ron Gardenhire, outfielder and current radio broadcaster Dan Gladden, and infielder/outfielder César Tovar (2022); and catcher/first baseman Joe Mauer (2023).
“The Minnesota Twins would not be the organization we are today without the enduring legacies of Terry Ryan and Rick Stelmaszek,” Twins President & CEO Dave St. Peter said. “Terry’s footprint is still felt within our organization and his impact across various aspects of baseball operations, from scouting and beyond, is evident in every club he led. Similarly, ‘Stelly’ helped guide generations of Twins pitchers to greatness over more than three decades coaching in our organization, and his legacy endures in each new wave of Twins players who train on the practice field at Lee Health Sports Complex that bears his name.”
Terry Ryan, the architect of the Twins’ division-winning teams of the 2000s that are widely credited with helping save baseball in Minnesota, was the club’s general manager from 1994-2007 and again from 2011-16 – an 18-season tenure that is the second longest in team history. He originally began his professional career with the Twins in 1972 after being drafted in the 35th round, pitching in the club’s minor league system for four seasons. Following his playing career, Ryan was hired by the New York Mets as a scout in 1980 and joined the Twins six years later, serving as scouting director from 1986-91.
With an incredible eye for talent, Ryan was elevated to vice president of player personnel in September 1991 and was named the fourth general manager in team history on September 13, 1994 – a role he held for 13 seasons before initially stepping down following the 2007 campaign. During that stretch, Ryan built four American League Central Division Champions (2002-04 and 2006), earned a pair of Sporting News Executive of the Year accolades (2002 and 2006), was twice honored by the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum with the Andrew “Rube” Foster Legacy Award as American League Executive of the Year (2002 and 2006), and was named Baseball America’s Major League Executive of the Year in 2004. Under his leadership, the Twins were named Baseball America’s Organization of the Year in 2002 and 2004. A scout at heart and an ambassador of the game at all levels, Ryan was the recipient of the Arizona Fall League’s Roland Hemond Award in 2009, the George Genovese Lifetime Achievement Award in 2013, and was inducted into the Minnesota State High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2014.
Rick Stelmaszek, who spent 32 seasons as a Twins coach from 1981-2012, remains the longest-tenured coach in team history and had the third-longest run with a single club in baseball history. A native of Chicago, Illinois, Stelmaszek was drafted out of high school by the Washington Senators in 1967. He played for several major league and minor league teams before landing in the Twins minor league system in 1978, where he remained part of the organization for decades.
With an unparalleled sense of humor, a knack for storytelling and a passion for Twins baseball, “Stelly” served as Minnesota’s bullpen coach under managers Billy Gardner, Ray Miller, Tom Kelly and Ron Gardenhire, helping the club reach the Postseason eight times – including two World Championships in 1987 and 1991. He mentored decades of pitchers and bullpen arms, including fellow Twins Hall of Famers in closers Rick Aguilera, Eddie Guardado and Joe Nathan. The beloved coach, who passed away in 2017, instilled a winning culture into generations of Twins players and was awarded the club’s Herb Carneal Lifetime Achievement Award in 2017.
Beginning in 2005, a new category was added to the voting procedure, with a special group of voters selected to choose a “Veterans Committee” inductee. The committee includes all living Twins Hall of Fame members, Twins executives and local baseball historians. Those eligible to be voted into the Twins Hall of Fame via the Veterans Committee balloting can include ownership, scouts, broadcasters, managers, coaches, media and front office personnel.
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, Florida.
(info courtesy of Twins)
