Let's Remember Some Guys

[Matt Braun]

One of the best aspects of baseball is the relationship the fans get to build with the players. Great players who stay with the team for years become almost like a family member to the fans who watch them play everyday. Their struggles and successes are placed onto a stage for everyone to see and the fans are allowed to adventure through life alongside these players. This article is not about these players. This article wants to look back at some of the, unfortunately, forgettable players in Twins history. Let’s Remember Some Guys.Remembering Some Guys is a subtle art. An eligible player should have been with the team for a decent time (maybe a year or two) but was otherwise not notable in their playing or persona. While someone like Lew Ford would fit the description through his mostly unremarkable play, he is infamous among Twins fans and is therefore ineligible for this list. With these guidelines set, allow us to Remember Some Guys.

 

Scott Diamond

 

You would be forgiven if you simply chose to forget any Twins player between 2011 and 2017 not named Joe Mauer or Brian Dozier because of, well, you already know. Diamond was a prototypical soft-tossing lefty who the Twins took in the rule 5 draft in 2011. Amazingly, Diamond only struck out 10.9% of the batters he faced in his career. Him pitching against Willians Astudillo would be like aiming a pitching machine at a brick wall. Diamond conjured up a decent 2012 season (2.4 fWAR) but ultimately didn’t last much longer in the majors. Still a decent career for a rule 5 draft pick and he always has the fact that his last name is “Diamond”.

 

 

Pedro Florimón

 

Believe it or not, there was a year in which Pedro Florimón played in 134 games for the Twins. Somehow, that year feels like a decade ago in a season lost to the sands of time. Florimón was blessed with the ability to play great defense at shortstop but was cursed with the inability to hit the baseball in any effective way. His career wRC+ of 59 would have made him the worst qualified hitter in baseball in 2019 as Orlando Arcia just barely edged him out with his meaty 61 wRC+. Florimón went on to play for two more teams after his stint with the Twins which shows that good defense at shortstop can still lead to a respectable MLB career.

 

 

Jared Burton

 

Using relievers from 2011-2016 is almost cheating. Beyond Glen Perkins, it was basically a Guess Who of dudes who topped out at 91 and sat in the high 4’s with their ERA. Burton was one of the rare cromulent relievers at this time. Armed with a great changeup, Burton was actually quite great in 2012 (2.18 ERA), useful in 2013, and then meh in 2014. Afterwards, he bounced around some teams on minor league deals but never stuck for a long time. He was suspended for 50 games in 2016 for a second positive test for a “drug of abuse” and has not pitched in the majors since. Here’s a random video of him striking out the side in 2012:

 

 

Jason Tyner

 

No player embodied the “piranha” mentality of the mid-2000’s Twins more than Jason Tyner. Tyner impressively has just one homerun in 440 career MLB games. The footage is likely locked away in a secret government facility as it is either haunted or cursed. Looking up Tyner on YouTube nets a few results of news coverage from some baseball camps he helped run but nothing can be found regarding Jason Tyner highlights from MLB. He is a ghost, an enigma, a character actively being scrubbed out of the fabric of MLB with no documentation that he even existed.

 

Cole De Vries

 

The pride of Eden Prairie High School marks the end of this humble list. De Vries was sporadically effective over his 102 ⅔ innings with the Twins. His 4.11 ERA in 2012 showed that he had some promise but his next season was disastrous. De Vries unfortunately fell into the same vat of uninspiring pitchers for the Twins at the time that held other names like Samuel Deduno and P.J. Walters. But, he will always have that one start where he went seven strong innings against the Boston Red Sox.

 

 

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[chinmusic]

Also remember Scott Diamond for being Canadian. He's from Guelph, Ontario, about 100 km (62 miles) west of Toronto.

[JDubs]

This is great, and more of these articles please, but you really should at least give a shoutout to David Roth since you're stealing his bit and all

[Dantes929]

I immediately thought Deduno.   He was actually pretty competent so I would have featured him and then put DeVries into the vat you referred to.    Burton is a good one because I not only forgot him, I could only vaguely remember him even after being reminded of him here.

[Trov]

Jason Tyner, I remember his HR, it was in Clevland believe made like second row.  I remember every time he would come up my mom would say something like hit one out, I and would respond he never has, and she would say he is due then.  Well she finally got one right haha.  He was a first round pick because he was fast.

 

The my remember guy is Jeff Reboulet.  I don't know why he always comes to mind for me when I think of how the hell is he on the team.  He played 5 seasons with the Twins, never topping more than 250 AB.  Normally a defensive replacement, and mustache that could not be beat.  He did not come up until he was 28, but played until he was 39.  That is crazy.  Never would a player like him make it past 32 anymore. How he conned his way onto a roster for so long I do not know.  Good on him though.  

[Nine of twelve]

As we all know, this list is incomplete, very much so. There must be more than 100 former players who could be included, going back to 1961. I'll add one to the list from that first season. He was a journeyman reserve infielder who finished his playing career that year, appearing in 108 games at shortstop and second base. He only hit .246 but still managed to produce 5 triples and 6 home runs. I'll chime in with his name later if no one else can come up with it.

[bighat]

 

I immediately thought Deduno.   He was actually pretty competent so I would have featured him and then put DeVries into the vat you referred to.    Burton is a good one because I not only forgot him, I could only vaguely remember him even after being reminded of him here.

Dude this is exactly what I was thinking and came to the comment section to say this!  Dear author, don't you dare equate Sam Deduno with Cole DeVries, they're not even on the same planet.

 

 

[Matt Braun]

 

This is great, and more of these articles please, but you really should at least give a shoutout to David Roth since you're stealing his bit and all

Yeah I definitely should have. I'll make sure to give him credit if I do another one of these.

[Ebby Calvin Laloosh]

The first name I come with it Scott Stahoviak. I remember thinking that with him and Marty Cordova we were set...not so much. Throw in Chip Hale and I'm not sure how those mid 90's teams ever lost.

[IndianaTwin]

 

As we all know, this list is incomplete, very much so. There must be more than 100 former players who could be included, going back to 1961. I'll add one to the list from that first season. He was a journeyman reserve infielder who finished his playing career that year, appearing in 108 games at shortstop and second base. He only hit .246 but still managed to produce 5 triples and 6 home runs. I'll chime in with his name later if no one else can come up with it.

 

He's before my time, so I'd have to look it up on baseball-reference.com. 

 

But I love the concept. My guy was very highly regarded coming out of both high school and college (that's a hint) and came over in a trade in 1979 after turning in a 141 OPS+ in limited action with California. He had some pop and managed 8 homers, 6 triples, and 19 doubles out of his 103 hits over the next three seasons in Minnesota, before getting released and picked up by Oakland. He only mustered 252 games over the course of his career, though 172 of them were with the Twins.  

 

[Nine of twelve]

 

He's before my time, so I'd have to look it up on baseball-reference.com. 

 

But I love the concept. My guy was very highly regarded coming out of both high school and college (that's a hint) and came over in a trade in 1979 after turning in a 141 OPS+ in limited action with California. He had some pop and managed 8 homers, 6 triples, and 19 doubles out of his 103 hits over the next three seasons in Minnesota, before getting released and picked up by Oakland. He only mustered 252 games over the course of his career, though 172 of them were with the Twins.  

Before I looked up the answer I was thinking maybe Rick Sofield. But I remember your guy too. Sometimes potential just doesn't translate into a major league level of skill.

[#1ShaneMackFan]

Pedro Munoz.

 

I thought he was the next Puckett. I thought with Mack, Puckett, and Munoz, we would have the best outfield in the game for years. He had his moments, but obviously it never really worked out.

[Nine of twelve]

 

Pedro Munoz.

 

I thought he was the next Puckett. I thought with Mack, Puckett, and Munoz, we would have the best outfield in the game for years. He had his moments, but obviously it never really worked out.

His name as mispronounced by Patrick Reusse: Pedro Mew-noze.

[Nine of twelve]

 

As we all know, this list is incomplete, very much so. There must be more than 100 former players who could be included, going back to 1961. I'll add one to the list from that first season. He was a journeyman reserve infielder who finished his playing career that year, appearing in 108 games at shortstop and second base. He only hit .246 but still managed to produce 5 triples and 6 home runs. I'll chime in with his name later if no one else can come up with it.

Since nobody has identified him, I'll do it. Alfred Martin, Jr.

[bighat]

Paul Sorrento, anyone?

[Twodogs]

Tsuyoshi Nishioka. How great was he supposed to be?

[Twodogs]

Glenn Adams

[Twodogs]

Ron Davis is pretty forgettable

[Devilsadvocate]

@IndianaTwin Billy Beane?

[operation mindcrime]

Clete Thomas and Darin Mastroianni!

[operation mindcrime]

Oh I forgot Byung Ho Park!

[ashbury]

I didn't move to the Twin Cities until 1978, so I'll go with that season and nominate Willie Norwood.

 

Groomed as a fast center fielder but not even quite average at tracking the ball as a corner outfielder in the majors, someone who also never quite mastered hitting against big league hurling - not a good combination!

 

But at the time, there was hope, as he had hit well at AAA. For me, he exemplified the futility of my newly-adopted home team, and looking back I can't say I feel any differently now although the memory is mellowed to bittersweet - I was trying to fall in love with a team that just wasn't ready to earn that love for a few more years.

 

Norwood seemed to be a good guy, but just couldn't quite make the grade, and a lasting memory remains multiple times watching him chase to the left field wall a ball that he'd misplayed. The line between success and failure is sometimes razor thin. I looked him up and he turns 70 this November. Here's to you, Willie - I suffered along with you, and you're not forgotten.

[ashbury]

His name as mispronounced by Patrick Reusse: Pedro Mew-noze.

Are you perhaps obliquely referring to the nickname Kent Hrbek saddled him with? Booger, 1) because Hrbie thought his name sounded like "My Nose", and 2) because this is Hrbie.

 

[stringer bell]

I sat next to Burton's grandparents at an exhibition game, nice folks.They were from the rural south and the accent was thick. I cheered for Jared after that, but after a really good first year, he wasn't very good.

[operation mindcrime]

How about David McCarty!

[ewen21]

"You would be forgiven if you simply chose to forget any Twins player between 2011 and 2017 not named Joe Mauer"

 

I would love to forget the 2011 version of Joe Mauer.  It was pretty ugly

[bighat]

Luke Hughes, the Aussie.