Pictured are representatives of the five numbers the Twins have retired -- Harmon Killebrew, Rod Carew, Kent Hrbek, Tony Oliva (all pictured, right to left) and Kirby Puckett (represented by his son). Our question: Now that Bert Blyleven has been inducted into the Hall of Fame, should he be next with his No. 28?
ARGUMENT IN FAVOR:
*Blyleven has achieved the highest individual lifetime honor a baseball player can get -- and it is something that two of the five honored Twins (Hrbek and Oliva) did not achieve. He also remains strongly tied to the organization, as everyone knows, via broadcasting.
ARGUMENT AGAINST:
Though he had two different stints here (including one helping the Twins win a World Series), Blyleven only played about 50 percent of his career in a Twins uniform. The other 50 percent was scattered over four different teams. Oliva, Puckett and Hrbek played 100 percent of their careers here. Killebrew played all but his final season with the organization (Senators and Twins). Carew had about two-thirds of his at-bats here, including his first 12 seasons.
If the two main criteria are excellence and tenure, should Blyleven have his number retired?
