Let’s Remember Some Guys: Twins Players with Short Stints

[Brock Beauchamp]

31 minutes ago, Musk21 said:

FREE Anthony Slama!

Had some pretty good minor league #'s, but only appeared in 7 games for the Twins over the 2010-2011 seasons.

A giant waste of a truly awesome baseball name.

[puckstopper1]

Dave Gassner.  Pitched 2 games for the Twins in 2005.

[Rosterman]

Steve Carlton. Remember this guy! Pitched 741 games (709 as a starter) over a quarter-century of baseball. But his last 13, split over two seasons, were with the Minnesota Twins to cap his Hall of Fame career. 1-6, 8.43 ERA in 50+ innings. Left off the post-season roster in 1987 after being obtained from the...Indians. Declared a free agent but resigned by the Twins, pitching four games before jettisoned in April and ending his career on the mound.

 

Gave up 250 runs (215 earned) in his final 348 innings over three seasons with the Phillies, White Sox, Indians, Giants and Twins - winning 15 games and losing 29. Did put a minor dent in his career ending stats!

 

[ashbury]

2 hours ago, Musk21 said:

FREE Anthony Slama!

.... to a good home.

[East Coast Twin]

Charley Walters. 6 2/3 innings as a Twin in 1969.

[USAFChief]

17 hours ago, ashbury said:

Is that a catcher's mitt or an umpire's balloon chest protector he's holding there?  He must have given up a ton of stolen bases - first you have to find the ball somewhere in there, then patiently dig it out.

This pic also helps explain why catchers eventually started wearing face masks behind the plate. 

[Vanimal46]

Twins legend Joe Beimel - 3 appearances with a 43.20 ERA for the 2004 team
 

[Vanimal46]

Twins legend Phil Nevin. One of dozens of failed band-aids we tried at 3B after Koskie’s injuries. 

[Vanimal46]

Twins legend Sean Burroughs, who played 10 games in 2012 and finished with an impressive negative 4 OPS+
 

[nicksaviking]

4 hours ago, IndianaTwin said:

 

Yikes.

Bad as he was with the Twins (5.79 ERA in 4.2 innings over eight games), his career was even less illustrious in his preceding stint with the Yankees, where he served as a LLTOOGY (Lefty Less-Than One Out Guy) with 4.1 innings over 15 games. 

Ha, and somehow the Yankees got him by trading “future considerations” which ended up being “not a damn thing” and the Twins had to trade an actual living human being who ended up making the majors.

[Rosterman]

When you think of CASEY BLAKE you remember him as being a regular with the Indians and the Dodgers over nine seasons. 

 

But the Twins claimed him from the Blue Jays after 1999. In 2000/2001 he appeared in a total of 20 games with the Twins. The Twins waived him and Baltimore grabbed him for 6 games and 15 at bats. In the off-season he was claimed, again, by the Twins. In 2002 he was a regular at Edmonton again, batting the same .309 he did at Edmonton in 2002. But only did nine games before being released in the off-season and beginning a new career at age 29 and earning $32 million dollars.

[East Coast Twin]

Buzz Stephen pitched two games for the Twins in 1968.  Apparently he wasn't around long enough to get his photo taken in a Twins uniform.

The Seattle Pilots selected him in the 1969 expansion draft.  Topps used the same photo for his 1969 card.

 

[stringer bell]

Mauro Gozzo, 3 unimpressive outings with the ‘92 Twins. 
 

Dietrich Enns (still pitching!), 2 appearances with the 2017 Twins. 

[DocBauer]

Jim Eisenreich, 48 games played with a career de-railed by a medical conditions and then a pretty decent and long career after 2yrs virtually out of the game.  

[ashbury]

9 hours ago, IndianaTwin said:

with the Yankees, where he served as a LLTOOGY (Lefty Less-Than One Out Guy) with 4.1 innings over 15 games. 

In fairness, they did give Jesse plenty of chances, letting him face 24 batters to register those 13 precious outs., working out to a 2.3 WHIP. 

[Richie the Rally Goat]

15 hours ago, wsnydes said:

Don Baylor, 27 games including the postseason.

14 hits, 4 HBP in that sample. He led the league in HBP in 1987 (actually ‘84-‘87)

no one crowded the plate like Baylor, just turn around and let it plunk him

[Rosterman]

Back in 2005 the Twins signed a guy named YOHAN PINO. He was traded to the Indians for Carl Pavano in 2009. Then the Blue Jay gots him, released him, resigned him. Pino became a free agent. Signed with the Reds. They released him. Signed him again. No major league action at all and then he signed with the Twins in the winter of 2013 and made the team briefly in 2014, pitching 60 innings in 11 starts as a 30-year-old, going 2-5 with a 5.07. Then, surprise, he became a free agent, signed with the Royals, and got in 7 more games in 2015. Went to Korea for a year and, surprise surprise - resigned with the Twins in 2017 pitching mostly in relief at AA/AAA ball before ending his career in Caribbean ball. 

[Otto von Ballpark]

18 hours ago, Vanimal46 said:

Twins legend Phil Nevin. One of dozens of failed band-aids we tried at 3B after Koskie’s injuries. 

Nevin was actually acquired to be the RH side of a DH platoon... with Jason Tyner. He never played 3B for us (and only had 1 MLB inning at 3B after 2002.)

[Rosterman]

RANDY BASS, drafted b y the Twins in the 1972 draft. Gonna be one of those power guys. And he was, only during a six season stint in Japan where he hit 202 home runs. For the Twins, he had a cup of coffee in 1977 going 2 for 19 in  nine games, with five strikeouts. Sold to the Royals during spring training 1978.

 

[puckstopper1]

This memory really stings...

Adam Johnson.

#2 overall pick for the Twins in 2000.  Pitched 9 games to a 10+ ERA.  The first round of the 2000 draft was pretty weak across the board with Adam Wainwright and Chase Utley being the two most successful big league players taken after Johnson.

[puckstopper1]

The immortal Eric Hacker.  Pitched 2 games  (5.1 innings) in 2011.  Hey - his ERA was 0.00!  Whey did they not resign him? ?

 

 

[East Coast Twin]

.181 batting average in 127 at bats in 1975 (-0.5 WAR).

[DocBauer]

Frankie Eufemia, as a recall, was a sidearmer in 1985. Not even sure how I remember him, lol.

[big dog]

He wasn't really a short-timer (300 ABs over parts of 3 years), but like Rick Dempsey, his time with the team was far too short. He was one of four players (including Dean Chance) traded to the Indians for a half-season of Luis Tiant and a season and a half of Stan Williams:

Graig Nettles 6 All-Stars, 2 Gold Gloves, 390 HRs, 67.9 WAR, 2nd all-time in assists from 3B

 

[Mauer4HOF]

I would have to say 2013 (only) Josmil Pinto.  21 games, 162 OPS+.  I like to forget his 2014 season.  That’s what September excitement looks like when you are finishing 66-96, 27 games out of first place.

[IndianaTwin]

On 12/16/2021 at 5:19 PM, Vanimal46 said:

Twins legend Sean Burroughs, who played 10 games in 2012 and finished with an impressive negative 4 OPS+
 

Is there anyone else who made it to the majors and is perhaps more remembered for their Little League career? No one immediately comes to mind. 

 

[Rosterman]

DANNY MORRIS, six games in two seasons.

 

https://www.google.com/search?q=danny+morris+twins&sxsrf=AOaemvJAPpQpMlKRNKmYrd3o5w5jCTbHfA:1640015693419&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj13dPG3vL0AhWWkIkEHSKvB6YQ_AUoAnoECAIQBA&biw=1536&bih=723&dpr=1.25#imgrc=J7X3byDrkrNjgM

 

 

[twinsfansd]

Not really short, but relatively so, Charlie Manuel played not so well foe parts of 4 seasons.

[Prince William]

On 12/16/2021 at 12:50 PM, Musk21 said:

FREE Anthony Slama!

Had some pretty good minor league #'s, but only appeared in 7 games for the Twins over the 2010-2011 seasons.

Yet no one mentioned Rob Delaney who was often mentioned with Slama as the bullpen of the future

[Theodore Tollefson]

Here's a guy that was apart of the 2010 Twins bullpen for 9 games and proved to be effective in them. Brian Fuentes