William Malone

Matthew Michael Maloney was born on January 16, 1984 in Sandusky, Ohio. The Philadelphia Phillies selected him in round three of the 2005 MLB Draft out of the University of Mississippi. He was traded to the Cincinnati Reds for Kyle Lohse at the 2007 deadline, and made his Major League debut in 2009. Maloney made 11 starts and 11 relief appearances over three seasons with the Reds, going 4-9 with a 5.40 ERA. Cincinnati designated him for assignment after the 2011 campaign. The Minnesota Twins claimed him off of waivers. He made the Opening Day roster in 2011. Maloney made his Twins debut on April 8th, allowing two runs out of the bullpen in a 3-1 loss against the Baltimore Orioles. He recorded a win on April 20th against the Tampa Bay Rays, tossing a 1-2-3 sixth inning with Minnesota down two runs. Josh Willingham hit a three run homer in the top of the seventh, putting the Twins ahead. They designated him for assignment on May 9th. Maloney had only accumulated eight relief appearances and 11.0 innings. His 8.18 ERA was mostly inflated by allowing five runs against the Boston Red Sox on April 24th. The win against Tampa Bay was his lone decision. He went to Triple-A after clearing waivers, and finished out the year there. Maloney never pitched in the Majors again, but he continued to play professionally through 2015. This included stints in various farm systems, as well as two seasons in the Atlantic League. View full player

Stephen Robert Holm was born on October 21, 1979 in Sacramento, California. The San Francisco Giants selected him in round 17 of the 2001 MLB Draft out of Oral Roberts University. He played 53 big league games for them between the 2008 and 2009 seasons, batting .262 with one home run and six RBI. Holm spent all of 2010 in Triple-A, and was designated for assignment after the season. He was signed to a minor league contract by the Minnesota Twins ahead of the 2011 campaign. Holm spent of his time with the Rochester Red Wings (AAA), batting .179 with one home run and 13 RBI over 47 games. Minnesota did call him up for a brief Major League stint in mid-April. He appeared in six games as a catcher, including five starts. Holm was 2-for-17 (.118) at the plate. Both hits came in an April 17th win over the Tampa Bay Rays. One of the hits was a double, and he also scored a run. Holm spent 2012 in the Miami Marlins farm system, and retired after the season. He was an assistant coach at Sacramento State from 2013 through 2016, before spending two years as an assistant at Purdue University. As of 2025, he is the head coach at Illinois State. Holm first took the job in 2019. He is 164-185 through 2025, with one Missouri Valley Conference championship. View full player

Phillip Anthony Dumatrait was born on July 12, 1981 in Bakersfiled, California. The Boston Red Sox drafted him with the 22nd overall pick in 2000. He was traded to the Cincinnati Reds at the 2003 deadline for veteran reliever Scott Williamson. Dumatrait underwent Tommy John surgery in 2004, and made his Major League debut for the Reds in 2007. He made six big league starts that summer, going 0-4 with a 15.00 ERA. Cincinnati designated him for assignment in the off-season. Dumatrait was claimed by the Pittsburgh Pirates. He made 11 starts and 25 relief appearances for them between the 2008 and 2009 seasons, going 3-6 with a 5.50 ERA. Dumatrait spent 2010 in Korea, recording an 8.22 ERA across 15 starts. The Minnesota Twins signed him to a minor league deal in 2011. Dumatrait had a 1.15 ERA in 15 relief appearances with the Rochester Red Wings (AAA), earning a big league promotion in mid-May. He allowed a run in his Twins debut on May 16th, but then had six straight scoreless appearances. A few more shaky outings followed, causing Dumatrait to post a 9.00 ERA in June. He remained a fairly reliable depth bullpen piece for the remainder of the season, pitching to a 3.10 ERA in 31 outings from July 1st until the end of the season. Minnesota re-signed Dumatrait to another minor league deal in the off-season. He began the year injured, and wound up retiring on May 29, 2012 without having pitched in any games that season. View full player

Anthony Ray Swarzak was born on September 10, 1985 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The Minnesota Twins selected him in round two of the 2004 MLB Draft out of Nova High School in Florida. A failed drug test cost him 50 minor league games in 2007. Baseball American ranked Swarzak as the Twins sixth best prospect entering the 2009 season. They called him up to join the rotation on May 23, 2009. His big league debut was brilliant. Swarzak tossed seven shutout innings in a win over the Milwaukee Brewers, allowing just seven base runners and striking out three. This performance was nearly repeated in his fifth career start on June 13th, once again giving Minnesota seven shutout innings during a win over the Chicago Cubs. He was 3-3 with a 3.74 ERA over his first eight career starts, but 0-4 with a 14.85 ERA that August. This ballooned his rookie year ERA up to 6.25 across 12 starts. Swarzak didn't pitch in September or the postseason. Minnesota optioned Swarzak to Triple-A when camp broke in 2010. A line drive broke his foot early in the year, causing him to miss some time. He struggled upon returning, and didn't see any big league action that summer. Swarzak returned to the Majors in 2011, contributing as a starting pitcher and a long reliever. He was 4-7 with a 4.32 ERA, making 11 starts and 16 relief appearances for the Twins. Swarzak brought a no-hitter into the eighth inning against the Los Angeles Angles on May 28, 2011. His role was similar in 2012, posting a 5.03 ERA in five starts and 39 relief outings. Swarzak was a full time long reliever in 2013, covering 96.0 innings while appearing in 48 games for the Twins. He was especially effective in the second half, recording a 1.91 ERA and 0.982 WHIP in 37.2 innings after the All-Star break. Swarzak had a 4.60 ERA in 86.0 innings during the 2014 season, which included five spot starts. Minnesota removed him from the 40-man roster that off-season. He spent most of 2015 and 2016 in the minor leagues, having brief big league stints with the Cleveland Indians and New York Yankees. Swarzak broke camp with the Chicago White Sox after singing a minor league deal in 2017, owning a 2.23 ERA in 41 appearances for them. The Milwaukee Brewers acquired him in a deadline deal, and he had a 2.48 ERA for them after the trade. His success in 2017 helped Swarzak land a two year, $14 million deal with the New York Mets in free agency. An oblique injury limited him to just 29 games. He was one of five pieces sent to the Seattle Mariners in the blockbuster deal that sent Edwin Díaz and Robinson Canó to New York the following winter. Injuries and ineffectiveness slowed down Swarzak over the next several seasons. He spent time at the big league level with the Mariners, Atlanta Braves, Arizona Diamondbacks and Kansas City Royals. View full player

Image courtesy of Image courtesy of the St. Paul Saints George Tsamis and his Campbell, California teammates reached the 1979 Little League World Series championship game, losing in extra innings to a heavily favored Taiwan team. Taiwan produced the tournament champion ten times between 1969 and 1981. Back in 1979, I was 12 years old. Those were the ABC Wide World of Sports days, so it was a big deal. The announcers were Mel Allen and Red Barber, which was amazing. When you're sitting there playing in front of 30,000 people as a 12-year old, it's a great experience. We lost the game in extra innings, but to play in the Little League World Series is an unbelievable thing. The Toronto Blue Jays drafted Tsamis in 1988 out of Stetson University, but he did not sign and stuck around for his senior year. This allowed the Minnesota Twins to draft him a year later. Stetson was great. It was a great place to be. And one of the years there, we had been just one game away from the College World Series. It's been a great program for a long time. I didn't have a great year [as a junior]. So, I just felt it was best to go back for my senior year. And I did have a better year. Just the way it all worked out, I think it was the right decision. Scott Ullger, who was an assistant on the Twins big league staff from 1995 through 2014, managed Tsamis at four different minor league levels; Class-A (1989), High-A (1990), Double-A (1991) and Triple-A (1992-93). What a great guy [Scott Ullger] was. Just a great guy to play for. Obviously, he was successful and was in the big leagues for a long time. Playing for him was great. Coming up with the Twins in general. They're the team that gave me the opportunity. So I'm very thankful for that. Minnesota had a strong core of veterans on their roster when Tsamis debuted in 1993. Rick Aguilera was great. He always helped with the younger guys. Kevin Tapani and Scott Erickson too. Mike Trombley was my buddy, my good friend. He had a successful career. But even being able to play with Kirby Puckett, Dave Winfield and Kent Hrbek. All those guys were legends for the Twins. Just being able to play with those guys was a great experience. You know, back in the Metrodome! Tough place to pitch. But what a great atmosphere. It can get so loud in there. I was lucky to get that chance. Tsamis hit the first batter he faced as a big leaguer. He eventually settled in, allowing just one run over four innings of long relief. I remember it was freezing out. It was cold. The bullpen had been used a lot, so I knew if it was early in the game I was coming in. And that's what happened. It was just a cool thing. Just to get a chance to pitch in the big leagues for the first time. You wish everybody could have that experience. Tom Kelly came to me [after the game] and said some nice things to me about filling those four innings in that game. Just to save the bullpen for that day. He was used as a long reliever throughout the 1993 season, logging 68.1 innings over 41 relief appearances. You know what the job is? You just gotta be ready to go. When you're called on, you gotta be ready. It's your job to eat the innings. Eating innings, keeping the team in the game, and saving the bullpen. You have to go out there and throw strikes. You don't want [the game] to get out of hand. One of his favorite memories from that season was a thrilling 12-11 road win against the Oakland Athletics on May 26th. It was one of the wildest games. A back-and-forth game in the rain. That was a highlight for me, and it was the only win I got in the big leagues. I don't even remember what the score was. 13-something. 11-10? Whatever it was, just a wild game. But just a chance to play in the big leagues. It's tough to get there, and not everybody gets there. But just to get a chance to pitch in that old Yankee Stadium or Fenway Park. It was a great thrill to get those opportunities. Local fans might know Tsamis as the longtime St. Paul Saints manager. He led them from 2003-20, winning a Northern League championship in 2004 and an American Association title in 2019. Tsamis also won back-to-back Northern League championships while managing the New Jersey Jackals in 2001 and 2002. Lucky enough to win back-to-back championships in New Jersey, and then the St. Paul job just became available. That's just the way it worked out, and was fortunate enough to stay there for 18 years. I was in the old stadium [Midway Stadium], and got to go to the new stadium [CHS Field]. To be a part of that St. Paul Saints organization for 18 years was a great thing. As was being in New Jersey for two years. Now it's my fifth year [with the Kane County Cougars], which is a great place as well. Great crowds. Tsamis enjoys the challenge of trying to win as an independent league manager. I've been lucky to be in good spots with good people. The competition has been great. The thing about independent ball is that it's about winning, which makes it exciting. It's not about player development. We're trying to win, and win championships. His tenure with the Saints came to a sudden end in 2021 when the Twins named them their new Triple-A affiliate. That was probably the toughest thing I ever had to go through, to lose that job there. You hear the rumors about it happening, but you don't really think it's going to happen. Look, it was a great decision by the Saints. To be the Triple-A team for the Minnesota Twins, which is 15 minutes away. They made the right decision. It's a great thing for everybody there. But it was definitely tough and definitely painful to lose that job. The Saints are still great to me. Since that happened, the Saints have allowed me to give baseball lessons at the stadium in the winter time. There's a lot of great people there. But now I'm in a great spot with Kane County. Tsamis has had similar success with the Kane County Cougars, winning the American Association championship in 2024. It's crazy how that's happened. Obviously when the St. Paul thing happened, it was the same year that Kane County got bumped out [of minor league baseball]. Kane County basically took St. Paul's place in the American Association, and I was named the manager. So that worked out. St. Paul had always been one of the greatest crowds in this league. But Kane County is right there as well. Kane County has led the league in attendance every year. And it's a great place to be. Big crowds. I basically went from one great organization to another. View full article

Robert Allen Dickey was born on October 29, 1974 in Nashville, Tennessee. The Texas Rangers drafted him with the 18th overall pick in 1996 out of the University of Tennessee. While undergoing medical testing before signing, doctors discovered that the UCL in his throwing elbow was missing. This reduced his signing bonus offer from $875,000 to just $75,000. Dickey reached the Major Leagues in 2001, even with the mysteriously damaged elbow. He had a 5.55 ERA between 2001 and 2005, making 32 starts and 44 relief appearances for the Rangers. Dickey showed up to spring training in 2006 having developed a knuckleball in the off-season, which he said happened while trying to perfect his forkball. He made the Opening Day roster, but allowed six home runs in his first start as a knuckleballer. Texas sent him down to Triple-A, where he spent the rest of 2006. Dickey spent 2007 in the Milwaukee Brewers minor league system, going 13-6 with a 3.72 ERA. The Minnesota Twins signed Dickey to a minor league contract on November 28, 2007. Because he wasn't on the 40-man roster, this technically made him eligible for the Rule-5 Draft a few weeks later. The Seattle Mariners selected him. Dickey made 14 starts and 18 relief appearances for Seattle in 2008, going 5-8 with a 5.21 ERA. He tied the Major League record with four wild pitches in a single inning on August 17th, which came against the Twins. Minnesota signed Dickey to another minor league deal the following off-season. This time, they waited until after the Rule-5 Draft to officially put pen to paper. He made their Opening Day roster as the fifth starter, allowing three runs in five innings during a win against the Chicago White Sox on April 10th. Dickey was moved to the bullpen after that start, with Scott Baker coming off his early season disabled list stint during the team's second trip through the rotation. Twins manager Ron Gardenhire predominantly used Dickey in long relief, asking him to get at least six outs in 16 of his relief appearances. Dickey completed at least three innings out of the bullpen six times, and at least four innings four times. He finished the year going 1-1 over 64.1 innings. His 4.62 ERA was a career best, at the time. The New York Mets signed Dickey to a minor league deal in 2010. He started the year as a starter in Triple-A, throwing a near perfect game on April 29th. The very first batter reached on a single, and Dickey retired the next 27 in order. The Mets called him up in May, and Dickey quickly became a mainstay in their rotation. He went 39-28 with a 2.95 ERA over three years with the Mets, making 91 starts and three relief appearances. Dickey won the NL Cy Young Award in 2012, going 20-6 with a 2.73 ERA. Unable to come to terms on a contract extension, the Mets traded Dickey to the Toronto Blue Jays in the off-season after his Cy Young year. He spent four years with the Blue Jays, going 49-52 with a 4.05 ERA. Dickey went 10-10 with a 4.26 ERA with the Atlanta Braves in 2017. View full player

Jeffrey Michael Manship was born on January 16, 1985 in San Antonio, Texas. The Minnesota Twins selected him in round 14 of the 2006 MLB Draft out of the University of Notre Dame. Baseball America ranked him as the eighth best prospect in the Twins system entering 2008, and made his Major League debut in 2009. Manship made five starts and six relief appearances for Minnesota in the final months of 2009. He went 1-1 with a 5.68 ERA. His first big league win came in the team's 160th regular season game against the Kansas City Royals, helping Minnesota keep pace with the Detroit Tigers in a tight AL Central race. They wound up winning the division in an extra inning tiebreaker game. Manship did not pitch in the tiebreaker game, and he was not included on the Twins playoff roster. He made one start and 29 relief appearances for the Twins between 2010 and 2012, going 2-1 with a 6.50 ERA. Manship often worked in a long relief role, and was frequently shuffled up and down between the Majors and Triple-A. Minnesota designated him for assignment after the 2012 season. The Colorado Rockies claimed Manship off of waivers. He went 0-5 with a 7.04 ERA for them in 2013, making four starts and seven relief appearances. Manship made 20 relief appearances for the Philadelphia Phillies in 2014, going 1-2 with a 6.65 ERA. His career finally got going with the Cleveland Indians in 2015. Manship began the year on a minor league contract. Cleveland purchased his contract in June, and he surprisingly became one of their most reliable relievers. Manship made 32 appearances for the Indians, going 1-0 with a 0.92 ERA. They brought him back in 2016. He went 2-1 with a 3.12 ERA, making 53 appearances. Manship had three scoreless outings during the 2016 playoffs, including two in the World Series. Cleveland lost in seven games against the Chicago Cubs. He turned down several big league offers to take starting pitcher money from the NC Dinos in Korea. Manship went 12-4 with a 3.76 ERA in 21 starts for the Dinos in 2017. The Cincinnati Reds signed him the following winter, but the deal was voided after Manship failed his physical. Manship never pitched professionally again. View full player

Robert James Delaney was born on September 8, 1984 in Westwood, New Jersey. The Minnesota Twins signed him as an undrafted free agent out of St. John's University in 2006. He had a surprising ascent through their minor league system. Delaney had a 1.03 ERA and 35 saves in 2007, splitting the year between Class-A and High-A. This was followed up by posting a 1.23 ERA with 18 saves in 2008, spending time in High-A and Double-A. He reached Triple-A in 2009. Minnesota added him to the 40-man roster that off-season, protecting Delaney from the Rule-5 Draft. He was a September call-up in 2010, appearing in one regular season game for the Twins on September 4th. Delaney entered in the ninth inning with a 12-3 lead against the Texas Rangers. The first three batters he faced all reached base, including a solo home run off the bat of Ian Kinsler to lead-off the inning. Delaney eventually settled down and got out of the inning with just the one run allowed. Former Twins shortstop Cristian Guzmán grounded into a game ending double play. Minnesota designated him for assignment in January 2011, opening up a 40-man roster spot for former Kansas City Royals reliever Dusty Hughes. The Tampa Bay Rays claimed Delaney off of waivers. He appeared in four games with the Rays in 2011, allowing six runs over five innings. Delaney spent 2012 in the Miami Marlins system, and 2013 in the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim system. He was the pitching coach at Stevens Institute of Technology, a Division III school in his home state of New Jersey, during the 2016 and 2017 seasons. Delaney served as the pitching coach at Villanova University during the 2018 and 2019 seasons. While at Villanova, he coached under former Twins pitcher Kevin Mulvey. Although Delaney and Mulvey were never on the Twins big league roster at the same time, the two had played together at several stops during their minor league journeys. View full player

Dustin Robert Hughes was born on June 29, 1982 in Tupelo, Mississippi. The Kansas City Royals selected him in round 11 of the 2003 MLB Draft. He made his Major League debut for them in 2009, making one start and seven relief appearances that season. Hughes went 0-2 with a 5.14 ERA. He was a regular member of the Royals bullpen in 2010, posting a 3.83 ERA across 57 relief outings. Kansas City designated him for assignment in January 2010. The Minnesota Twins claimed him off of waivers. Hughes broke camp with the Twins, surrendering three runs in an Opening Day appearance against the Toronto Blue Jays. Minnesota had already been down by seven when he entered in the eighth inning. He recovered nicely, allowing just two base runners and no runs over his next four innings of work. He was the winning pitcher in an extra inning game against his former Royals club on April 12th. Kansas City roughed Hughes up a night later, and things started to trend downward. The Twins eventually designated him for assignment on May 28th. He had a 9.95 ERA over 15 appearances for the club. Hughes cleared waivers, and finished out the year in Triple-A. He was 3-1 with one save and a 4.29 ERA in 43 appearances for the Rochester Red Wings. Hughes spent 2012 and 2013 in the Atlanta Braves minor league system, pitching exclusively in Triple-A and never resurfacing at the big league level. View full player

Eric Lynn Hacker was born on March 26, 1983 in Duncanville, Texas. The New York Yankees selected him in round 23 of the 2002 MLB Draft. He was often injured during his minor league career, pitching just 62 innings between 2004 and 2006. Hacker was added to the 40-man roster in 2008, but got designated for assignment in 2009 before ever earning a Major League call-up. The Pittsburgh Pirates claimed him off of waivers. He made his big league debut later that year, appearing in three games for the Pirates. Hacker spent 2010 in the San Francisco Giants minor league system. The Minnesota Twins signed him to a minor league deal in 2011. He was called up in late April to work as a long reliever out of their bullpen. Hacker pitched two shutout innings during an 11-0 loss against the Baltimore Orioles on April 19th, facing just one over the minimum. He also tossed 3.1 shutout innings in an 8-2 loss against the Tampa Bay Rays on April 27th. Hacker had to work around two hits and four walks in that outing. Minnesota optioned Hacker to the minors after that game against Tampa Bay. He was removed from the 40-man roster in July, but remained in the Twins system after clearing waivers. Hacker became a free agent after the season. The Giants brought Hacker back on another minor league deal in 2012. He was able to pitch in the Majors for them this time around, appearing in four games out of their bullpen. Hacker pitched in Korea from 2013 through 2018, spending most of that time with the NC Dinos. He was the KBO wins leader in 2015. View full player

James Urban Hoey was born on December 30, 1982 in Hamilton Township, New Jersey. The Baltimore Orioles selected him in round 13 of the 2003 MLB Draft out of Rider University. He made his Major League debut in 2006, making 35 relief appearances for the Orioles over parts of two seasons. Hoey missed all of 2008 after undergoing surgery, and struggled at the Double-A level in 2009 while working his way back to health. He had a 3.38 ERA in Triple-A during the 2010 season, and was traded to the Minnesota Twins that off-season. Minnesota sent infielders J.J. Hardy and Brendan Harris to Baltimore. Hoey made his long awaited return to a big league mound on April 18, 2011. He faced his old Orioles club, and retired all four batters he faced. He had another scoreless appearance later in the series, and Minnesota won both of those games. Things got a little rocky after that, and Hoey wound up posting a 5.47 ERA with a 1.905 WHIP across 26 relief appearances for the Twins. He was 1-2 with no saves and two holds. His lone win came on June 9th against the Texas Rangers. After tossing a scoreless top of the ninth, Twins infielder Alexi Casilla won the game with a walk-off single. Minnesota removed Hoey from the 40-man roster during the off-season. He spent 2012 in the Toronto Blue Jays farm system, and 2013 in the Milwaukee Brewers farm system. Hoey retired in 2014 after pitching in an independent league. View full player

George Alex Tsamis was born on June 14, 1967 in Campbell, California. The Minnesota Twins selected him in round 15 of the 1989 MLB Draft out of Stetson University. He spent time as both a starter and a reliever in the minors. The Twins called Tsamis up to the big leagues on April 25, 1993 to work out of the big league bullpen. He pitched one season at the Major League level, going 1-2 with a 6.19 ERA across 41 appearances and 68.1 innings. His lone win came on May 26th in a 12-11 shootout win over the Oakland Athletics. He also picked up a save against the Athletics on August 14th. Minnesota released him during spring training in 1994. Tsamis pitched in the Seattle Mariners system during the 1994 season, but spent most of the year injured. The Los Angeles Dodgers signed Tsamis as a replacement player during spring training in 1995, which barred him from future MLBPA membership. He continued to pitch in independent leagues until 1998, but never resurfaced at the big league level. Tsamis has been a long time independent league manager since retiring. He won Northern League championships with the New Jersey Jackals in 2001 and 2003, before embarking on a long stint managing the St. Paul Saints. Tsamis managed the Saints from 2003 until 2020, when they left independent ball to become a Twins minor league affiliate. During his tenure, the Saints won league championships in 2004 and 2019. The organization retired his #22 in 2021. As of 2025, he is managing the Kane County Cougars of the American Association. He led them to an American Association championship in 2024. View full player