The Twins' center field lineage takes on folklore-level status when framed in a certain way. Kirby Puckett roamed the spot through two World Series, then passed along his wisdom to Torii Hunter.
Hunter's tenure gave way to Denard Span … whose era was supposed to give way to the Aaron Hicks Era, but instead has been in flux — until Sunday, possibly, hopefully, with the arrival of Byron Buxton (who gets the benefit of Hunter's wisdom in this second go-round for Torii with the Twins).
In the spirit of those generations and Buxton's first game, here is a look back at each of their debuts:
Puckett: Got the call a month in into the 1984 season, making his debut on May 8 on the road against the Angels. Batting leadoff and playing center field, the legend of Puckett began to grow immediately when he went 4-for-5 with a stolen base and a run scored in a 5-0 Twins victory (Frank Viola's four-hit shutout didn't hurt, either). He went on to amass 557 at-bats that season … without hitting a single home run. But he hit .296 and finished third in the AL Rookie of the Year voting.
Hunter: His first career start came on April 29, 1998, and just like Puckett he batted leadoff and played center field. Hunter went 0-for-3 with a walk, and the Twins won 2-0 at home against Tampa Bay. It was part of a short stint that year for Hunter, who finished the season with only 17 MLB at-bats. His playing time increased the next two years until he had his breakout season in 2001 (27 homers and the Gold Glove Award).
Span: With Hunter departed to the Angels as a free agent after the 2007 season, Span helped fill the void. While Carlos Gomez typically played center in 2008, Span was considered the Hunter mentee. He made his debut on April 6, 2008, in right field — batting ninth and going 0-for-2 with a walk in a 3-1 loss to Kansas City. But it didn't take long for Span to be entrenched as the team's leadoff hitter — and by 2010, he was the no-doubt center fielder.
Hicks: When Span and Ben Revere were traded in the offseason before 2013, Hicks opened the season batting leadoff and playing center field for the Twins on April 1, 2013. He went 0-for-4 in a 4-2 home loss to Detroit, part of a 2-for-48 skid to start the year. By Aug. 1 he had lost his job, and he has never really grabbed it with both hands since then.
Buxton: With Hicks on the disabled list and Buxton blossoming in Class AA, the 21-year-old phenom made his debut Sunday in a game watched by approximately 103 percent of Minnesotans. Buxton was 0-for-4 with two strikeouts, but he turned on the jets to score the winning run in the ninth inning. With any luck, there won't be another player inheriting center field for Twins for the next decade.
Michael Rand
