3 Twins One-Hit Wonders We Wish Hadn't Disappeared

The Minnesota Twins have not had much postseason success since winning the 1991 World Series. The team has not won a playoff series since 2002, and it has become a regular sight for a promising Twins season to end with an early October exit.

Some of those disappointing seasons have featured some players who finally appeared to breakthrough and be perennial stars. Instead, a few one-hit wonder seasons stand out in franchise history.

3. Cristian Guzman

Former Twins shortstop Cristian Guzman had a rough rookie season in 1999, but was an All-Star two years later. That 2001 season saw Guzman post a 4.8 WAR as he slashed .302/.337/.477 and led the league with 14 triples. He never got close to reaching that WAR mark again with the Twins, and was let go following the 2004 season. Guzman ended up making one All-Star Game with the Washington Nationals in 2008, but he was never able to top that electric 2001 season with the Twins.

2. Phil Hughes

Phil Hughes looked like a true ace after coming over from the New York Yankees. He went 16-10 with a 3.52 ERA in 2014 and finished seventh in Cy Young voting. Hughes was supposed to be the ace in 2015 and proceeded to decline, going 11-9 and posting a 4.40 ERA. He only made 25 starts that year, and that was the beginning of the end. Injuries struck, and Hughes was eventually designated for assignment in 2018 after being relegated to the bullpen.

1. Marty Cordova

Marty Cordova was named AL Rookie of the Year in 1995 and it looked like the Twins had a new star outfielder. His 3.3 WAR that year ended up being the best he would ever post in his nine-year MLB career. Cordova played five years in Minnesota and never topped his 24 home runs and 20 stolen bases in that special rookie season. He did have a 2.6 WAR in 1996, but that went into the negatives in 1997, and the former star rookie never appeared in another MLB game after the 2003 season.