William Malone

Corky Abraham Phillip Miller was born on March 18, 1976 in Corbin City, New Jersey. The Cincinnati Reds signed him as an undrafted free agent in 1998. He reached the Majors in 2001, and played parts of four seasons for the Reds. Miller frequently went up and down as a third catcher, hitting .203 with six home runs over 83 games between 2001 and 2004. He signed a minor league deal with the Minnesota Twins in 2005, batting .229 with 11 home runs for the Rochester Red Wings. Miller played four regular season games for the Twins, going 0-for-12 with two strikeouts. The rest of his career was more of the same. Miller spent most of it on minor league deals, waiting at the Triple-A level for his team to need a third catcher. He played for the Boston Red Sox (2006), Atlanta Braves (2007-08), Chicago White Sox (2009), and Reds (2009-10 and 2013). Miller has been a longtime catching coach in the Reds farm system, serving as a roving instructor with all their affiliates. View full player

Carlos Silva was born on April 23, 1979 in Venezuela. The Philadelphia Phillies signed him as an amateur free agent in 1996. He pitched at the big league level for them in 2002 and 2003, going 8-1 with two saves and a 3.83 ERA across 130 relief appearances. They traded him to the Minnesota Twins for Eric Milton after the 2003 season. Minnesota also acquired Nick Punto in that trade. Silva was converted to a starting pitcher by the Twins. He was 14-8 with a 4.28 ERA in 2004, which was dragged down a bit by a rough middle portion of the season. Silva began the year 5-0 with a 3.11 ERA through seven starts. He also went 4-0 with a 2.40 ERA over his final eight starts. It was the 18 starts in-between where his overall numbers got dragged down. He walked just nine batters in 188.1 innings during the 2005 campaign. His 0.4301 BB/9 rate is the eight best single season mark in Major League history. Every other season ranking in the top 25 came before 1900. Silva went 9-8 with a 3.44 ERA that year, and also led the American League with a 7.89 strikeout to walk ratio. He allowed 25 home runs, making it just one of 15 seasons in Major League history where a qualified pitcher allowed more home runs than walks. Another one of those 15 seasons came in 2006, when Silva allowed 32 walks and a league high 38 home runs. He was 11-15 with a 5.94 ERA, and was left off the Twins playoff roster. Things calmed down a bit in 2007 when Silva was 13-14 with a 4.19 ERA. The Seattle Mariners signed Silva to a four year, $48 million deal in free agency. He had a 6.46 ERA over 28 starts in 2008, and an 8.60 ERA over six starts in 2009. Seattle eventually shut him down, and had to eat most of the reminder of the contract when they traded him to the Chicago Cubs in the off-season. Silva went 10-6 with a 4.22 ERA for the Cubs in 2010, and was designated for assignment during spring training in 2010. He pitched in the New York Yankees minor league system in 2011, and spent 2012 in the Boston Red Sox farm system. View full player

Darnell Tyrone McDonald was born on November 17, 1978 in Fort Collins, Colorado. The Baltimore Orioles selected him 26th overall pick in the 1997 MLB Draft. He reached the Majors in 2004, playing 17 games for Baltimore as a rookie. They took him off the 40-man roster during the off-season. McDonald spent 2005 and 2006 in the minor leagues, which included a drug related suspension. His big league return came on July 20, 2007 with the Minnesota Twins. McDonald went 1-for-10 with a walk in four games for Minnesota, and was then sent back to Triple-A. He spent all of 2008 with the Rochester Red Wings, batting .268 with 19 stolen bases. McDonald finally became a Major League mainstay with the Cincinnati Reds in 2009 at the age of 30. He also played for the Boston Red Sox (2010-12), New York Yankees (2012) and Chicago Cubs (2013). The Cubs hired him as a minor league coach after he retired. He has since turned to broadcasting. As of 2025, he is a studio analyst for the Red Sox on NESN. McDonald was fired hired by NESN in 2023. View full player

Zachary Thomas Granite was born on September 17, 1992 in New York City. The Minnesota Twins selected him in round 17 of the 2013 MLB Draft. He reached the Majors in 2017. Granite played in 40 games for the Twins as a rookie. He slashed .237/.321/.290 with two stolen bases. His first big league home run came against Blaine Hardy of the Detroit Tigers on September 23, 2017 after entering earlier in the inning as a pinch runner. Minnesota batted around in the inning, allowing Granite to hit the league's first home run with the assigned position of "pinch runner" since Ryan Christenson on September 30, 2000. The Twins included him on their roster for the 2017 AL Wild Card Game. Granite came off the bench and went 1-for-2 in their loss against the New York Yankees. He spent all of 2018 in Triple-A, batting .211 for the Rochester Red Wings. Granite reported to camp with the Twins in 2019, but was designated for assignment after Minnesota signed free agent utility man Marwin Gonzalez in the middle of spring training. The Texas Rangers picked him up, and he spent all year in their farm system. Granite last played professionally in 2021. View full player

Jason MacDonald Wheeler was born on October 27, 1990 in Torrance, California. The Minnesota Twins selected him in round eight of the 2011 MLB Draft. He was a Class-A Midwest League All-Star in 2012, going 14-6 with a 3.54 ERA. Wheeler reached Triple-A in 2014, but wasn't called up to the big leagues until 2017. He made his only two Major League appearances on back-to-back days at the end of May 2017. Wheeler pitched the final two innings of a blowout loss against the Houston Astros on March 30th, allowing two runs (only one earned). He allowed three runs (only two earned) in one inning of action the next night. Minnesota designated him for assignment after that second game, and traded him to the Los Angeles Dodgers for cash. Wheeler never reached the Majors again, spending time in the Dodgers and Baltimore Orioles farm systems. He also pitched professionally in Korea. View full player

That's fair. And I considered it. But after using games played as reasoning to push 2001 Koskie over 2019 Sano, felt like it would be hypothetical to take the guy who only played 108 games.

Keiunta Denard Span was born on February 27, 1984 in Washington, DC. The Minnesota Twins selected him in round one of the 2002 MLB Draft. Baseball America ranked him as the Twins fifth best prospect in 2003, but early struggles in his minor league career saw him drop further down the list with each passing season. Span had a .689 OPS at Double-A in 2006, and a .678 OPS at Triple-A in 2007. He finally had a breakout year while still at Triple-A in 2008, batting .340 with a .915 OPS in 40 games for the Rochester Red Wings. This earned him a big league call-up, where Span continued to impress. He slashed .294/.387/.432 over 94 games, getting regular playing time at right field while Michael Cuddyer was on the disabled list. Cuddyer was used as a bench bat when he eventually returned in September, keeping Span in the starting lineup. Span opened 2009 in a left field platoon with Delmon Young. He eventually took over as the regular center fielder when Carlos Gómez began to struggle offensively. Span slashed .311/.392/.415 with 23 stolen bases and an American League leading ten triples. He was 6-for-15 (.400) in the 2009 ALDS, and recorded the first ever postseason hit in the new Yankee Stadium. Minnesota bought out his future arbitration years and signed Span to a five year, $16.5 million deal just before spring training in 2010. There was also included a $9 million team option for the 2015 season. He hit three triples in a game on June 29, 2010 against the Detroit Tigers. It was the first time a player hit three triples in a big league game since 2002. His offense regressed in the Twins first year at Target Field, but he was still a fairly productive lead-off hitter by slashing .264/.331/.348 with 26 stolen bases. Span struggled a bit defensively, and was worth -5 defensive runs saved in center field. He was 4-for-13 (.308) during the 2010 ALDS. A concussion limited Span to just 70 games in 2011. He initially suffered it in June during a home plate collision with Kansas City Royals catcher Brayan Peña. Span returned for nine games in August, but went back on the disabled list when symptoms started to pop up again. He slashed .264/.328/.359 with six stolen bases. Span played closer to his Metrodome level in 2012, batting .283/.342/.395 with 38 doubles in 128 games. He was also worth 19 defensive runs saved in center field. Minnesota traded him to the Washington Nationals that off-season for pitching prospect Alex Meyer. He hit .292 with 62 stolen bases during his three years in Washington, helping them reach the postseason in 2014. Span played for the San Francisco Giants in 2016 and 2017. He split the 2018 campaign with the Tampa Bay Rays and Seattle Mariners. Span has worked as a color commentator for both the Rays and Twins since retiring. View full player

Steven Kyle Waldrop was born on October 27, 1985 in Knoxville, Tennessee. The Minnesota Twins selected him in round one of the 2004 MLB Draft. He was wildly regarded as one of the Twins best prospects during his early years in the minor leagues, but had to miss all of 2008 due to a shoulder injury. The organization began using him as a relief pitcher when he returned. Waldrop had a 1.46 ERA at the Double-A level in 2009, and a 2.37 ERA at the Triple-A level in 2010. He made his Major League debut as a September call-up in 2011, allowing two runs over 1.2 innings in his debut against the Chicago White Sox. Waldrop pitched 11.0 innings out of the Twins bullpen that month, allowing seven runs (5.73 ERA). His first big league win came on September 25th in an extra inning game against the Cleveland Indians. Waldrop spent most of 2012 in Triple-A, but did have two big league stints during the year. He was 0-1 with a 2.53 ERA across 21.1 innings, recording two holds. Minnesota removed him from the 40-man roster in the off-season. Waldrop spent 2013 in the Pittsburgh Pirates farm system, then retired. View full player

Carl Anthony Pavano was born on January 8, 1976 in New Britain, Connecticut. The Boston Red Sox selected him in round 13 of the 1994 MLB Draft. He was traded to the Montreal Expos in the 1997 blockbuster deal that sent Pedro Martinez to the Red Sox. Pavano made his Major League debut for the Expos in 1998. He went 24-35 with a 4.83 ERA over parts of five seasons in Montreal. They traded him to the Florida Marlins at the 2002 deadline. Pavano was 33-23 with a 3.64 ERA during parts of three seasons in Florida, and helped them win the World Series in 2003. Pavano was 2-0 with a 1.40 ERA in the 2003 postseason. He started the infamous "Steve Bartman game" during the 2003 NLCS, and tossed eight innings of one run ball in game four of the World Series that fall. The New York Yankees signed him to a four year, $40 million deal following the 2004 season. His tenure with the Yankees was infamously disappointing. Pavano made just 26 starts over the length of his contract, suffering a string of bizarre and mysterious injuries. This included broken ribs from a car accident in August 2006 while on a minor league rehab assignment. Pavano didn't tell the Yankees about the car accident for another two weeks. Yankees ace Mike Mussina openly questioned if Pavano even wanted to play for the Yankees at one point. The Cleveland Indians signed him to an incentive laden one year deal in 2009. They traded him to the Minnesota Twins in a post-deadline waiver deal on August 7, 2009. Pavano went 5-4 with a 4.64 ERA in 12 starts down the stretch for Minnesota that year. He started the Twins regular season finale against the Kansas City Royals on three days rest, earning the win and helping force a "Game 163" tiebreaker against the Detroit Tigers. Pavano pitched six shutout innings against the Yankees in game three of the 2009 ALDS, but allowed two solo home runs after manager Ron Gardenhire sent him out there for the seventh. Minnesota lost the game 3-1. He returned to the Twins on a one year, $7 million deal. Pavano went 17-11 with a 3.75 ERA. His seven complete games and two shutouts led the American League. He got to start the first regular season game in Target Field history on April 7, 2010 against the Boston Red Sox. Pavano was the winning pitcher, allowing one run over six innings. Several teams were interested in signing Pavano during the off-season, but he came back to Minnesota on a two year, $17 million deal. Pavano went 9-13 with a 4.30 ERA in 2011. His complete game shutout against Kansas City in the regular season finale helped the Twins avoid a 100 loss season. An injury plagued 2011 campaign limited him to just 11 starts. He was a pre and post game analyst for Miami Marlins broadcasts from 2014 through 2017. As of 2023, he was living in Fairfield, Connecticut with his family. View full player

Daniel Paul Valencia was born on September 19, 1984 in Miami, Florida. The Minnesota Twins selected him in round 19 of the 2006 MLB Draft. He blossomed into one of their best prospects. His name was brought up in several trade rumors around the deadline in 2009. Minnesota was ultimately able to hang onto Valencia, acquiring veteran shortstop Orlando Cabrera from the Oakland Athletics for 2008 second round pick Tyler Ladendorf. Valencia began 2010 as the Twins sixth ranked prospect, according to Baseball America. He was called-up in early June, and quickly established himself as the everyday third baseman. His first Major League hit was a single against Seattle Mariners ace Felix Hernandez, and his first big league home run was a grand slam against reigning AL Cy Young winner Zack Greinke of the Kansas City Royals. This made him the first player in Twins history to hit a grand slam as his first career home run. Valencia was 28-for-71 (.394) with runners in scoring position as a rookie, which included a second grand slam later in the year. He finished third place in the AL Rookie of the Year voting, batting .311 with 40 RBI over 85 games. Valencia was 2-for-9 with a double and two RBI during the 2010 ALDS. He hit .246 in 2011, leading a last place Twins team with 72 RBI. His 28 doubles and 15 home runs were both second on the team, trailing Michael Cuddyer in those categories. Valencia did hit .309 against left handed pitchers, but his season was hampered by struggles against righties. A terrible start in 2012 allowed Trevor Plouffe to take over as the everyday third baseman. Valencia was traded to the Boston Red Sox at the deadline. The rest of his career was spent as a platoon utility man, with Valencia eventually adding first base and corner outfield to his defensive repertoire. He played for the Red Sox (2012), Baltimore Orioles (2013 and 2018), Royals (2014), Toronto Blue Jays (2014-15), Oakland Athletics (2015-16) and Mariners (2017). Valenica finished his career with an .864 OPS against lefties, compared to a .679 OPS against righties. Despite not playing professionally since 2018, Valencia has been a frequent member of Team Isreal in various international competitions. He played for them in the 2019 European Championships, the 2020 Olympic qualifying tournament, the 2020 Olympics (played in 2021 due to COVID-19), and the 2023 World Baseball Classic. Valencia homered against Twins prospect Joe Ryan during the 2020 Olympics. View full player

Kevin Michael Slowey was born on May 4, 1984 in Conroe, Texas. The Minnesota Twins selected him in round two of the 2005 MLB Draft. He was a Florida State League (High-A) All-Star in 2006, and finished the year in Double-A. Baseball America ranked Slowey as the league's 71st best prospect entering 2007. Minnesota called him up to the big leagues in early-June. He tossed six innings of one run ball against the Oakland Athletics in his Major League debut, allowing five hits and striking out three. The Twins won 3-2 in ten innings. Slowey allowed five runs over five innings during his second start against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, but he earned his first big league win thanks to plenty of run support from the Twins offense. Slowey struggled over his next several starts, and was eventually sent back down to Triple-A in July. Through seven starts, he had posted a 5.84 ERA. His win-loss record held strong at 3-0, thanks to fairly consistent run support. Minnesota brought him back during the September roster expansion. He went 1-1 with a 3.34 ERA in September, making four starts and two relief appearances. His best start of the season came on September 23rd against the Chicago White Sox, completing seven innings and allowing only one run. Minnesota began 2008 with Slowey in their rotation, but he was removed with biceps tightness just four innings into his first start. He returned after a 34 day absence, and wound up making 27 starts for the Twins that season. Slowey pitched three complete games, including two shutouts. The first came on June 29th against the Milwaukee Brewers, and the second came on July 28th against the Chicago White Sox. He finished the year 12-11 with a 3.99 ERA. A wrist injury required season ending surgery midway through 2009. Slowey had an impressive 10-3 record over 16 starts, but a lot of that was due to great run support. He had a 4.86 ERA and a 1.412 WHIP. Slowey began 2010 in the Twins rotation once again. He was scratched from a start on August 9th after telling trainers his elbow felt sore while warming up in the bullpen. The MRI came back clean, and Slowey was able to make his next scheduled start on August 15th. He pitched seven no-hit innings against the Athletics, allowing only three walks. A chorus of boos rang out over Target Field when Slowey wasn't allowed to go out for the eighth. Minnesota held on for a 4-2 win. He finished 2010 with a 13-6 record over 28 starts, posting a 4.45 ERA. Tension rose between Slowey and the Twins after he was assigned to a bullpen role out of camp in 2011. He was publicly unhappy with the decision, and wound up serving what many saw as multiple "phantom DL" stints throughout the year. Minnesota put him back in the rotation during the second half when several others were injured. Slowey finished the year 0-8 with a 6.67 ERA, making eight starts and six relief appearances. The Twins traded Slowey to the Colorado Rockies in the off-season. He was subsequently traded to the Cleveland Indians before Opening Day, and spent all of 2012 in the minors. Slowey was 3-6 with a 4.11 ERA in 14 starts with the Miami Marlins in 2013. He was 1-1 with a 5.30 ERA over two starts and 15 relief appearances for the Marlins in 2014. Slowey had worked for the MLBPA since 2015, serving as a special assistant to executive director Tony Clark. View full player

Randy Alan Flores was born on July 31, 1975 in Bellflower, California. The New York Yankees selected him in round nine of the 1997 MLB Draft. He was traded to the Texas Rangers while still a prospect in 2001, and made his Major League debut in 2002. Flores was waived after just 20 appearances, and claimed by the Colorado Rockies. He spent all of 2003 in Triple-A, and signed a minor league deal with the St. Louis Cardinals for the 2004 campaign. Flores became a regular in the Cardinals bullpen, going 9-2 with 4.35 ERA and three saves across 237 appearances for them. He was the winning pitcher in game seven of the 2006 NLCS, pitching a shutout eighth inning with the game tied at one. Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina broke the tie with a solo home run in the top of the ninth. St. Louis went onto win the World Series. He signed on for a second stint with the Rockies in 2009. Flores pitched parts of two seasons in Colorado, but was waived late in the 2010 season. The Minnesota Twins claimed him off of waivers on August 19, 2010. Twins manager Ron Gardenhire used him as a lefty specialist, causing Flores to only work 3.2 innings in 11 relief appearances for Minnesota. He earned three holds during his short time with the Twins, and stranded six of eight inherited runners. Flores was not included on the team's playoff roster. ESPN hired him as a color commentator for college baseball broadcasts during the 2012 NCAA tournament. Flores then returned to the University of Southern California, his alma mater, to work as an assistant baseball coach while pursuing a master's degree. The Cardinals hired him as a scout in 2015, and he has been promoted several times over the years. As of 2025, Flores is their assistant general manager. View full player

Alex James Burnett was born on July 26, 1987 in Anaheim, California. The Minnesota Twins selected him in round 12 of the 2005 MLB Draft. He worked as a starting pitcher in the lower minor league levels, but transitioned to a relief role in 2009. Burnett had a 1.79 ERA with nine saves for the New Britain Rock Cats (AA) that summer. This performance helped him skip Triple-A and earn an Opening Day roster spot in 2010. Burnett opened his big league career by tossing a 1-2-3 ninth inning to finish off a 10-1 win over the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. He got on a role after that, and had a 2.70 ERA through 25 appearances, which covered 33.1 innings. However, Burnett struggled over the next month and a half. Minnesota sent him down to Triple-A after adding bullpen reinforcements, such as Matt Capps and Brian Fuentes, at the deadline. The Twins called him back up when rosters expanded in September. Burnett finished his rookie season with a 5.29 ERA across 41 appearances, going 2-2 with two holds. Minnesota did not include him on their playoff roster that fall. He made the Opening Day roster again in 2011, and got off to a rough start. Burnett finished May with a 6.75 ERA, but was kept on the Twins big league roster with so many others struggling on a last place club. He opened June with five consecutive scoreless appearances, and was able to calm his ERA down to 5.51 by the end of the year. The best season of his career came in 2012. Burnett was 4-4 with a 3.52 ERA in 71.2 innings out of the Twins bullpen. He finished August with a 2.87 ERA, but had a rough final month. Burnett had a rough spring in 2013, allowing seven earned runs in 8.1 innings. The Twins placed him on waivers to create a 40-man spot for outfielder Wilkin Ramirez, and he was claimed by the Toronto Blue Jays. Burnett became a frequently flier on waivers that season, also spending time in the Chicago Cubs and Baltimore Orioles organizations. He had an 11.57 ERA at the big league level, and a 2.93 ERA for various Triple-A teams. The right handed reliever spent 2014 in independent ball, and 2015 in Mexico. View full player