William Malone

Neal James Cotts was born on March 25, 1980 in Lebanon, Illinois. The Oakland Athletics selected him in round two of the 2001 MLB Draft out of Illinois State University. He was traded to the Chicago White Sox as part of a six player deal on December 16, 2002. Cotts made his big league debut for the White Sox in 2003, and pitched for them through 2006. He helped them win the 2005 World Series, allowing no runs over 2.1 relief innings during that postseason. Cotts pitched for the Chicago Cubs from 2007 through 2009. A string of injuries kept him off a Major League mound until 2013, but he returned better than ever. Cotts posted a 1.11 ERA over 58 relief appearances for the Texas Rangers in 2013, and produced another solid season for them in 2014. The Milwaukee Brewers signed Cotts to a one year deal in 2015. He had a 3.26 ERA across 51 appearances, before getting traded to the Minnesota Twins in an August waiver wire deal. Cotts had a 3.95 ERA in 17 relief appearances for the Twins, but it was balloon'd by one bad outing against the Houston Astros on September 6th. Without that one outing, he would've had a 2.03 ERA. This was his final stint in the Major Leagues. Cotts remained in professional baseball on various minor league deals through 2017. View full player

Shane Michael Robinson was born on October 30, 1984 in Tampa, Florida. The St. Louis Cardinals selected him in round five of the 2006 MLB Draft out of Florida State University. He made his Major League debut for the Cardinals in 2009. Robinson slashed .231/.303/.308 over parts of five seasons in St. Louis, primary being used as a backup outfielder. They released him after the 2014 season. Robinson signed a minor league deal with the Minnesota Twins on December 5, 2014. He made the Opening Day roster after going 15-for-50 (.300) at the plate in spring training. Robinson hit .342 in a part time role during the month of April, and eventually began getting regular starts as the Twins center fielder. Minnesota eventually called up highly touted outfield prospects Eddie Rosario and Byron Buxton during the middle portions of the season, and Robinson once again found himself in a backup role. He finished the season slashing .250/299/.322 in 83 games of action. His six stolen bases that season were a career high. He played for the Los Angeles Angels in 2016 and 2017, then finished his big league career with the New York Yankees in 2018. Robinson continued to play professionally in various independent leagues through 2021. The San Diego Padres hired him as their Double-A bench coach in 2022. Robinson was a roving minor league outfield instructor for the New York Mets in 2023 and 2024. He had the same role with the San Francisco Giants in 2025. View full player

Christopher Joseph Paddack was born on January 8, 1996 in Austin, Texas. The Miami Marlins selected him in round eight of the 2015 MLB Draft out of Cedar Park High School in Texas. He was traded to the San Diego Padres at the 2016 deadline for veteran relief pitcher Fernando Rodney. Paddack debuted for the Padres in 2019, going 9-7 with a 3.33 ERA across 26 starts as a rookie. His 2020 and 2021 seasons were less successful. San Diego traded Paddack to the Minnesota Twins on the eve of Opening Day in 2022. He made just five starts for the Twins that season before undergoing Tommy John surgery. Paddack returned late in 2023, making two regular season relief appearances and earning a spot on the Minnesota playoff roster. He stuck out six over 3.2 shutout innings of postseason relief work, allowing just one opponent to reach base. The Twins put Paddack back into the rotation at the start of 2024. He went 5-3 with a 4.99 ERA over 17 starts, getting shut down due to a forearm strain in August. His home and road splits were drastic, posting a 3.41 ERA at Target Field and a 6.79 ERA away from home. Paddack got off to a hot start in 2025, owning a 3.43 ERA through 13 starts. Due to poor run support, his record during that stretch sat at 2-6. He eventually cooled off, and had a 4.95 ERA through 21 starts before getting traded to the Detroit Tigers at the deadline. Paddack struggled with his new team, posting a 6.32 ERA over seven starts and five relief appearances. He was not included on the Tigers playoff roster. View full player

Ryan Fitzgerald was born on June 17, 1994 in Hinsdale, Illinois. He went undrafted out of Creighton University in 2016. Fitzgerald played in various independent leagues until signing a minor league deal with the Boston Red Sox in May of 2018. He reached Triple-A in 2023, and eventually moved onto the Kansas City Royals farm system in 2024. The Minnesota Twins signed him to a minor league deal in 2025. Fitzgerald made his Major League debut for the Twins on May 16, 2025. He appeared in just two games, going 0-for-3 with a run scored. They optioned him back to Triple-A, and re-called him in early August following a massive trade deadline selloff. Fitzgerald appeared in 22 games for Minnesota between August and September, slashing .209/.320/.488 (.808) with four home runs and nine RBI. The Twins designated Fitzgerald for assignment on January 2, 2026. View full player

Nicholas Paul Punto was born on November 8, 1977 in San Diego, California. The Philadelphia Phillies selected him in round 21 of the 1998 MLB Draft. He made his Major League debut for them in 2001. Punto played 77 games over parts of three seasons for Philadelphia, hitting .223 with one home run and four RBI. The Minnesota Twins acquired him in a trade on December 3, 2003. Punto made the Opening Day roster as a backup infielder in 2004. He landed on the disabled list in mid-May for a strained oblique. Punto returned in early-July, but a broken collar bone ended his season on July 27th. He wound up playing 38 games for the Twins in 2004, hitting .253 with two home runs and 12 RBI. Punto played 112 games the following year, batting .239 with four home runs and 26 RBI. 2006 turned out to be a career year for Punto. He hit .290 with career highs in doubles (21), triples (7), RBI (45) and stolen bases (17). His scrappy performance, along with similar play from a few other teammates, caused Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen to dub the Twins as "piranhas." Punto started at third base for Minnesota in the playoffs, going 2-for-12 in their ALDS loss. He heavily regressed in 2007, batting .210 while playing in a career high 150 games. Things improved for him in 2008, batting .284 over 99 games. Punto hit .228 across 125 games in 2009, but a career high 61 walks helped keep his on-base percentage at a solid .337 clip. He was 4-for-12 in the ALDS that fall. Punto began 2010 as the Twins regular third baseman, but eventually lost playing time to breakout rookie Danny Valencia. He slashed .238/.313/.302 in 88 games, Punto made the Twins playoff roster, but was not used in any postseason games. Minnesota declined his $5 million contract option for the 2011 season, making Punto a free agent. The St. Louis Cardinals signed Punto to a one year, $700,000 contract that off-season. He hit .278 with one home run and 20 RBI for them as a utility bench player, helping them win the World Series. Punto hit .171 with three RBI that postseason. He hit .232/.317/.305 over the final three seasons of his career. Punto spent these years with the Boston Red Sox (2012), Los Angeles Dodgers (2012-13) and Oakland Athletics (2014). The San Diego Padres hired Punto as an assistant coach for the Major League staff ahead of the 2025 season. It was his first job in baseball since retiring after the 2014 campaign. View full player

Joseph Emerson Mays was born on December 10, 1975 in Flint, Michigan. The Seattle Mariners selected him in round six of the 1994 MLB Draft. He was traded to the Minnesota Twins at the 1997 deadline, with Seattle receiving veteran outfielder Roberto Kelly. Mays debuted in 1999, going 6-11 with a 4.67 ERA over 171.0 innings as a rookie. He followed this up by going 7-15 with a 5.56 ERA in 28 starts during the 2000 season. Mays broke out in 2001, going 17-11 with a 3.16 ERA. He made the All-Star team, pitching a 1-2-3 fifth inning while facing three Hall of Fame hitters; Larry Walker, Mike Piazza and Chipper Jones. Minnesota locked Jones up with a four year, $30 million deal during the off-season. This bought him out of his future arbitration years, and his first free agency year. Injuries began to slow Mays down during the duration of his new contract. He was limited to just 17 starts due to elbow tendinitis in 2002, but was healthy enough to be part of the Twins postseason rotation. After a rough outing in game two of the ALDS, Mays tossed a gem in game one of the ALCS against the Anaheim Angels. He allowed four hits and one unearned run across eight innings, leading Minnesota to a 2-1 victory. It was their last win of the season, as they wound up losing the series in five games. Mays allowed three runs over 5.1 innings during the game five loss. He had a 6.30 ERA in 2003, making 21 starts and ten relief appearances. Mays underwent Tommy John surgery in the off-season, and missed all of 2004. He went 6-10 with 5.65 ERA in 2005, making 26 starts and five relief appearances. Mays split 2006 with the Kansas City Royals and Cincinnati Reds. He spent 2007 on a minor league deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers. View full player

Michael Ray Jackson was born on December 22, 1964 in Houston, Texas. The Philadelphia Phillies selected him in round two of the 1984 MLB Draft. He debuted for the Phillies in 1986, kick-starting a very long relief pitching career. Jackson played for the Phillies (1986-87 and 2000), Seattle Mariners (1988-91 and 1996), San Francisco Giants (1992-94), Cincinnati Reds (1995), Cleveland Indians (1997-99), Houston Astros (2001), Minnesota Twins (2002) and Chicago White Sox (2004). Jackson came to the Twins on a one year deal at the age of 37 in 2002. He made 58 relief appearances, going 2-3 with a 3.27 ERA. His 20 holds were the second most on the team that season, trailing J.C. Romero. Jackson had a rough outing in game four of the ALCS that fall, allowing three earned runs and not getting a single opposing hitter out. He had made three scoreless appearances earlier that postseason. His 1,005 career pitching appearances are the 15th most of all-time, as of Opening Day in 2026. Jackson had a 3.42 ERA and 142 saves. View full player