Gardner Only Wants Kent Hrbek to Duplicate His ’84 Performance

Kent Hrbek’s booming bat has made him the Minnesota Twins’ Six-Million-Dollar Man.

So it’s no surprise that his goal for 1985 is to simply turn on the juice and pick up right where he left off.

“I’m obviously very happy with ‘84,” Hrbek says, recalling a season in which he led the Twins in virtually every offensive category on the way to finishing second in the American League Most Valuable Player balloting.”I’m just going to go out there, have fun and do the best that I can.”

That’s good enough for Manager Billy Gardner.

“Hey, if he can repeat what he did last year,” Gardner says, “we’ll be in pretty good shape.”

Because of what he did last year, Hrbek’s bank account is in very good shape. After the season, new Twins owner Carl Pohlad signed his star first baseman to a five-year, $5.9 million contract.

In 1984, Hrbek batted .311, with 27 home runs and 107 runs batted in to lead the Twins to a surprising 81-81 record and second place finish in the AL West.

His slugging percentage was .522, his on-base percentage was .383 and his batting average with runners in scoring position was .379.

Even if he has another superb year in 1985, chances are he won’t match those numbers. And if the Twins don’t win, fans may get on the team’s highest-paid player.

“That don’t bother me at all,” the round-faced 24-year-old says. “I think I’ve earned the money with three pretty good years. Sure, I want to live up to the contract.

“The fans are paying their money to come watch me play, to come watch the Twins play, so they can say whatever they want.”

Hrbek knows something about being a Twins fan.

He was born in Minneapolis and went to high school at Bloomington Kennedy, just a tape-measure homer from Metropolitan Stadium, the Twins’ home until they moved to the Metrodome in 1982.

“Baseball was in the dumps here when I was younger,” he says. “No one was coming to the Met. I’m glad I’m helping to bring some attention back to Minnesota baseball.”

Predictably, much of that attention this year will be focused on the adventures of Hrbek.

“He’s a great hitter and a great guy to have on the club,” Gardner says. “He’s a leader. I doubt whether the money will go to his head.”