Kirby Puckett (born March 14, 1961, died March 6 2006) was widely regarded as one of the best, and most popular, Major League Baseball players of the 1980s and early-to-mid 1990s. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2001.

An unheralded player in high school, Puckett showed no signs of being a great player until after he had left the team at Bradley University in 1980. He decided to give baseball a second chance a year later, after catching the eye of scouts while playing recreational ball in his native Chicago. He moved on to Triton College (in Illinois) and was subsequently drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the first round of the 1982 baseball draft.

He was one of the league's best rookies in 1984, batting .296 and leading all American League center fielders in outfield assists, with 16. He had a similar season in 1985, when he played in every game and batted .288. 

In his third season, Puckett burst into stardom. It all began in the off-season, when he worked with hitting coach Tony Oliva on driving the ball for distance. Despite his small stature 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m), Puckett had the immense strength and quick wrists of a power hitter. In 1986, he added this to his game, blasting 31 home runs, raising his average to .328 and winning the first of his six Gold Glove Awards for outstanding defensive play.

In 1987, Puckett led the Twins to their first title in the World Series after batting .332 with 28 home runs and 99 RBI in the regular season. His performance was even more impressive in the seven-game Series upset over the St. Louis Cardinals, batting a whopping .357.

The Twins won even more games in 1988, though they finished second in their division to the powerful Oakland Athletics. Puckett had his statistically best season, hitting .356 with 24 home runs and 121 RBI, to finish third in the MVP balloting for a second straight season.

He won the American League batting title in 1989 with a mark of .339, making him the first right-handed batter to win the title in eight years. He continued to play well in 1990, but the Twins slipped to last place in their division.