EARL BATTEY

Earl Battey was one of the early Twins greats.  In fact, prior to the arrival of Joe Mauer, there was no debate -- Earl Battey was the greatest catcher in Twins history.

Battey won his first Gold Glove award in his first season as an everyday player for the Washington Senators in 1960.  He would three-peat as the AL's Gold Glove catcher over the Twins' first two seasons in 1961-1962.  In 1962, he appeared in both the mid-season and post-season All Star Games -- the first two of his five All Star appearances as a Twin.

Battey passed away in 2003 after a battle with cancer.  The following year, he was posthumously inducted into the Twins Hall of Fame.