Hall of Fame
- Induction:
- 2017
- Class:
- 1979
Laudner was an outstanding catcher at Mizzou who went on to a long and successful Major League Baseball career with his homestate Minnesota Twins, eventually becoming an American League all-star, while playing a key role on the Twins’ 1987 World Series Championship team. A native of Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, he was first-team all-Big Eight Conference in 1979 and was a member of the all-Big Eight Tournament team in both 1977 and ‘78. He led Mizzou in batting in 1979 with a .378 average, tallying a team-best 65 hits, while also leading the team with 19 doubles, seven home runs, 54 runs batted in and 40 walks. Tim was a third-round selection of the Twins in the 1979 MLB Draft and played nine seasons in the majors and was an A.L. all-star in 1988, when he hit .251 with 13 home runs, 18 doubles and 54 RBI. He hit 77 career home runs including a single-season best homer total of 16 in 1987. He helped the Twins to the 1987 World Series title over the St. Louis Cardinals, hitting .318 in the series, with a double, home run and four RBI. He had an on-base percentage of .444 in the series and scored four runs as the Twins won in seven games. His home run came in game two during a six-run fourth inning for the Twins, who won that game, 8-4.
