Terry Ryan, Rick Stelmaszek named to Twins Hall of Fame

Terry Ryan, the architect of a generation of Twins teams, and Rick Stelmaszek, the longest-serving coach in Twins history, are headed to the team's Hall of Fame.

Ryan and Stelmaszek will represent the Class of 2024, the team announced Friday. Ryan was the fifth front office executive elected to the club's Hall of Fame, and Stelmaszek was the first coach who wasn't a manager.

The two will be inducted into the hall, which was created in 2000 and will have 40 members, on Aug. 10 at Target Field.

Ryan, 70, served as the Twins' general manager from 1994 to 2007 and 2011-16, leading the franchise to four American League Central Division titles. Prior to his first stint as GM, Ryan was the club's scouting director from 1986 to '91, and the vice president of player personnel from 1992 to '94.

"On a personal level, I've been connected to a lot of guys that have got into the Twins Hall of Fame," Twins President Dave St. Peter said. "There is nobody that is more deserving and more meaningful to me personally than Terry Ryan."

Ryan, a two-time MLB Executive of the Year, was known for his ability to draft and develop players. His front office was responsible for building a core of homegrown players like Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau, Torii Hunter, Michael Cuddyer, Corey Koskie, Doug Mientkiewicz and Jacque Jones to lead division-winning teams.

Stelmaszek, known as "Stelly," was Twins bullpen coach from 1981 through 2012. He worked under managers Johnny Goryl, Billy Gardner, Ray Miller, Tom Kelly and Ron Gardenhire. His beloved personality and sense of humor were invaluable, and he carried duties beyond bullpen coach like coordinating spring training.

A Chicago native, Stelmaszek died in 2017 because of pancreatic cancer. He was 69.

Stelmaszek "mentored dozens of pitchers and bullpen arms, including fellow Twins Hall of Famers and closers Rick Aguilera, Eddie Guardado and Joe Nathan," St. Peter said. "[He] instilled a winning culture into generations of Twins players and staff."

TV talks still ongoing

The Twins haven't signed a TV contract after their deal with Diamond Sports Group, the parent company of Bally Sports North, expired in October.

"Nobody wants clarity sooner – or more defined – than the Minnesota Twins," St. Peter said. "I can assure you ... we are doing everything we can as an organization to push for clarity."

There have been "twists and turns," St. Peter said, throughout the offseason. Diamond surprised teams when it acquired more than $100 million from Amazon to emerge from bankruptcy and remain in business past 2024. Derek Falvey, the Twins president of baseball operations, said the lack of a TV deal is a factor in their lack of additions this winter.

"We continue to balance a variety of factors," St. Peter said. "Certainly, economics are a part of it. Reach is a part of it. Production is a part of it. Strategic partners are part of it, local vs. national priorities, short term vs. long-term priorities.

"I remain incredibly optimistic that we're going to be in a position soon to announce how we're going to ensure accessibility of our telecasts in 2024. We have multiple options to consider. Despite short-term unknowns and maybe challenges, the long-term prognosis around local media in baseball is really, really good."

Twins expect higher attendance

The Twins are confident they will draw more than 2 million fans to Target Field for the coming season based on their season ticket renewals, St. Peter said. The Twins haven't drawn more than 2 million fans in a season since 2018.

"Our season ticket new business is the highest its been since 2014, and our season ticket renewals are on pace to finish just under 97 percent, the highest we've seen in more than five years," St. Peter said.

The Twins drew 1.974 million fans to their 81 home games last year.

Etc.

• The Twins are one of nine teams unveiling City Connect uniforms during the upcoming season, St. Peter said.

• There will be a celebration Aug. 11 at Target Field for the 100th anniversary of the Washington Senators' World Series title.

• More than $300,000 was raised for neurological disease research at the University of Minnesota through the Twins' annual Diamond Awards on Thursday.