William Malone

Daniel Ernesto Santana was born on November 7, 1990 in the Dominican Republic. The Minnesota Twins signed him as an international free agent in 2007. Baseball America ranked him as the Twins ninth best prospect entering 2014. Santana made his Major League debut in early May of that season. Minnesota primarily used Santana as a backup infielder during his first few weeks on the big league roster. He was 15-for-40 (.375) at the plate to open his career, and the team began playing him out of position as a center fielder just to give him more at-bats. With Aaron Hicks struggling, Santana was the everyday center fielder by mid-June. He continued to produce at the plate, and even won American League Player of the Week for the week of August 18-24th. Santana finished his rookie season slashing .319/.353/.472 with seven home runs and 20 stolen bases. His seven triples were eighth in the American League. Santana opened 2015 as the Twins lead-off hitter, and was back at his natural position of shortstop. Poor play saw him demoted to the lower third of the batting order by late April. Santana eventually lost the starting shortstop job to Eduardo Escobar, and spent chunks of the second half in Triple-A. He finished the year batting .215/.241/.291 with no home runs and eight stolen bases in 91 games. Minnesota began 2016 with Santana as a utility man coming off the bench. He got starts at shortstop, third base and all three outfield positions throughout the season. His offense was somewhat improved, but still far off from his impressive rookie campaign. Santana began 2017 in a similar role, but was designated for assignment in early May. He finished 2017 with the Atlanta Braves, and played for them in 2018 as well. Santana had a breakout year with the Texas Rangers in 2019, batting .283 with 28 home runs. This success was short lived, as he hit just .145 for Texas during the COVID shortened 2020 campaign. Santana spent 2021 as a bench bat for the Red Sox. He scored the series clinching walk-off run in game four of the 2021 ALDS, after entering as a pinch runner for Christian Vázquez. Major League Baseball suspended Santana for 80-games due to a failed PED test during spring training in 2022. He was released by the Red Sox, but re-signed with them on a minor league deal after the suspension ended in July. Boston released Santana again after he appeared in just seven minor league games. He has not played in the Majors since. As of 2025, Santana is playing professionally in Mexico. View full player

Aaron Michael Hicks was born on October 2, 1989 in San Pedro, California. The Minnesota Twins selected him 14th overall in the 2008 MLB Draft out of high school. He blossomed into one of the best prospects in baseball, peaking at 19 on the Baseball American preseason top 100 in 2010. Hicks was named the Twins starting center fielder on Opening Day in 2013, despite having never played a game at Triple-A. He struggled as a rookie, batting .192 with eight home runs and 27 RBI over 81 games. Hicks struggled again in 2014, batting .215 with one home run and eight RBI across 69 games. He temporarily gave up switch hitting during the 2014 season after losing confidence in his left handed swing, but resumed switch hitting a month later. Minnesota optioned him to Triple-A at the start of 2015, choosing journeyman Jordan Schafer as their Opening Day starter. They called up Hicks in mid-May, but sent him back down to the minors a month later when super prospect Byron Buxton was deemed ready to debut. Buxton went on the disabled list with a thumb strain after just ten games, and Hicks was called back up to serve as the Twins everyday center fielder. Hicks had a breakout stretch with Buxton on the disabled list, hitting .346 with a 1.001 OPS during the month of July. This caused the Twins to keep Buxton in Triple-A when his rehab assignment was over. Buxton was eventually called up in September, and Hicks started to play more right field. Veteran Torii Hunter began to play designated hitter, in what was ultimately the final month of his career. Hicks finished the season slashing .256/.323/.398 in 97 games. The Twins entered the ensuing off-season with a crowded outfield, even with the retirement of Hunter. Along with Buxton, Eddie Rosario had emerged as a starting caliber left fielder. Max Kepler had been Southern League (AA) Player of the Year, and made his Major League debut as a September call-up late in the year. Minnesota wound up trading Hicks to the New York Yankees for catcher John Ryan Murphy. Hicks regressed back to his 2013-14 self during his first season in New York, posting a .617 OPS in 123 games. His long term breakout came over the next several seasons, slashing .247/.362/.457 between 2017 and the COVID shortened 2020 campaign. Injuries and ineffectiveness began to slow Hicks down after that. The Yankees designated him for assignment on May 20, 2023. Hicks still had two and a half years left on a seven year deal he had signed during spring training in 2019. New York had to eat the remaining $28 million that was still left on his deal. The Baltimore Orioles signed Hicks for the league minimum. He slashed .275/.381/.425 in 65 games for them, helping Baltimore win their first AL East crown since 2014. Hicks signed a league minimum deal with the Los Angeles Angels in 2024, but was designated for assignment after playing in just 18 games. As of 2025, Hicks is still a free agent and has not officially announced his retirement. He is an avid golfer who won many high profile youth tournaments, before getting drafted by the Twins. Hicks is married to LPGA Tour golfer Cheyenne Woods, who is the niece of golf legend Tiger Woods. View full player

How does a "Major League team" behave? The Twins are still better run than most team. Not all teams. But more than half. They're not the Dodgers or Yankees. But there's still more room to go backwards than forwards if you look at how all 30 teams behave.

Robert Michael Kielty was born on August 5, 1976 in Fontana, California. The Minnesota Twins signed him as an undrafted free agent in 1999. Kielty made his Major League debut in 2001, playing 37 games for the Twins over multiple big league stints that season. He hit .250 with two home runs and 14 RBI. Kielty became more of a regular under rookie manager Ron Gardenhire in 2002, playing in 112 games. This included 73 starts. He slashed .291/.405/.484, finishing fourth place in AL Rookie of the Year voting. Minnesota ended a decade long playoff drought that season. They reached the ALCS, but Kielty was 0-for-7 in the postseason. He lost a lot of his playing time in right field to fellow rookies Michael Cuddyer and Dustin Mohr, who had both impressed down the stretch. With a crowded outfield, Kielty began to see a lot of time at designated hitter in 2003. These at-bats were available because the Twins had infamously allowed David Ortiz to walk out the door that winter. Kielty did get off to a hot start, opening the season with a 12 game hitting streak and a 15 game on-base streak. They eventually traded him to the Toronto Blue Jays in July, acquiring Shannon Stewart. Kielty was slashing .252/.370/.420 through 75 games at the time of the trade. He struggled in the second half with Toronto, and was traded to the Oakland Athletics that off-season. Kielty slashed .250/.334/.396 in parts of four seasons with the Athletics. They designated him for assignment midway through the 2007 season. He signed a minor league deal with the Boston Red Sox, and was promoted to their big league roster in August. Boston won the World Series that fall. Kielty homered in his lone World Series at-bat. 2007 was his final taste of Major League action, but Kielty continued to play professionally through 2014. This included a brief stint in the Twins minor league system at one point. Kielty has taken to the coaching ranks in retirement, but not in baseball. As of 2025, he is an assistant tennis coach UC Riverside. Kielty had been a successful high school coach prior to joining this Division I staff. View full player

He probably could have. Just wasn't healthy. Career ERA+ of 97 is a solid mark if all you're looking for is rotation depth. He just never really stayed healthy. No major injuries like Tommy John. But there was always something "tight" or "strained" going on

Robert Alan Tewksbury was born on November 30, 1960 in Concord, New Hampshire. The New York Yankees drafted him in round 19 of the 1981 MLB Draft. He debuted for them in 1986, going 9-5 with a 3.81 ERA as a rookie. Tewksbury was traded to the Chicago Cubs at the deadline in 1987, and signed with the St. Louis Cardinals as a free agent in 1989. He had a strong tenure in St. Louis, going 67-46 with a 3.48 ERA over six seasons. Tewksbury was an All-Star in 1992, and finished third in the NL Cy Young voting that year. He pitched for the Texas Rangers in 1995, and the San Diego Padres in 1996. The Minnesota Twins signed Tewksbury ahead of the 1997 campaign. He went 8-13 with a 4.22 ERA, tossing five complete games and two shutouts. Tewksbury returned in 1998, going 7-13 with a 4.79 ERA. His most memorable moment in a Twins uniform came against Cardinals slugger Mark McGwire in an interleague game at the Metrodome on June 28, 1998. McGwire, in the middle of his historic 70 home run season, grounded out twice on his eephus pitch. The Twins won that game 3-2. Tewksbury got a masters degree in physiology after retiring, and has been a long time mental skills coach for various big league franchises. As of 2025, he is working independently with several big league clients. View full player

Nelson Ramon Cruz was born on July 1, 1980 in the Dominican Republic. The New York Mets signed him as an amateur free agent in 1998. He was traded twice as a prospect, and made his Major League debut in 2005 with the Milwaukee Brewers. Cruz was traded a third time that off-season, landing with the Texas Rangers. He played sparingly for the Rangers through 2008, but finally broke out as their starting right fielder at age 28 in 2009. Cruz hit 33 home runs that season, and was named an All-Star for the first time. He helped Texas win back-to-back American League pennants in 2010 and 2011, earning 2010 ALCS MVP honors. His time with the Rangers unceremoniously ended with a 50 game steroid suspension late in the 2013 season. The Baltimore Orioles signed Cruz, and he led the American League with 40 home runs in 2014. Cruz signed a four year deal with the Seattle Mariners, hitting 163 home runs and winning two Silver Slugger awards over the course of that contract. His career brought him to the Minnesota Twins in 2019, where Cruz led one of the most prolific slugging offenses in Major League history. The Twins launched an MLB record 307 home runs in 2019, with Cruz hitting a team high 41. His 1.031 OPS was a career high. He finished ninth place in AL MVP voting, and won his third career Silver Slugger. Cruz was equally as dominant in the COVID shortened 2020 season. His .992 OPS was a bit lower, but his 171 OPS+ was higher than 2019 (168). He led the American League with five intentional walks, and won his second consecutive Silver Slugger. Cruz made his seventh All-Star team in 2021, but was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays at the deadline. His skills began to quickly deteriorate after the trade. Cruz hit just .226 in 55 games for the Rays, going 3-for-17 (.176) in their ALDS loss against the Boston Red Sox. He had a poor season with the Washington Nationals in 2022, and was even worse for the San Diego Padres in 2023. Cruz retired during spring training in 2024 after going unsigned in the off-season. View full player

Kendrys Morales Rodríguez was born on June 20, 1983 in Cuba. The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim signed him as an amateur free agent in 2005. He made his Major League debut in 2006, but played sparingly for the next three seasons. Morales became the Angeles everyday first baseman in 2009, hitting 34 home runs and finishing fifth in AL MVP voting. An ankle fracture ended his 2010 campaign after just 51 games. He missed all of 2011 after the ankle initially didn't heal properly. Morales hit 22 home runs in 2012, primarily serving as the Angels designated hitter. He was traded to the Seattle Mariners in the off-season, batting .277 with 23 home runs in his lone season with the Mariners. Seattle extended a qualifying offer to Morales when he became a free agent in the winter. He turned it down, but struggled to find a club willing to give up draft pick compensation in order to sign him. Once the stipulations of his qualifying offer went away, the Minnesota Twins signed Morales on June 8, 2014. He made his Twins debut the next night, going 1-for-3 with a walk. Morales opened his season on a six game hitting streak, which included a three RBI game against the Toronto Blue Jays on June 11th. This hot start was followed up by an 0-for-21 streak at the plate, in which Morales drew only two walks. His first home run of the season came on June 24th against C.J. Wilson of the Angels. He finished June batting .215 with nine RBI over 20 games. Morales had hits in 15 of 19 games for the Twins in July, but he wasn't drawing walks or hitting for power. Minnesota traded him back to Seattle for right handed reliever Stephen Pryor on July 24th. Morales had slashed .234/.259/.325 in 39 games for Minnesota, driving in 18 runs. His struggles continued in the second half, hitting just .207 in 59 games for the Mariners. The Kansas City Royals signed Morales as a free agent. He drove in 106 runs during the 2015 season, which was fourth most in the American League. Morales won a Silver Slugger, and helped Kansas City win the World Series. He hit four home runs with ten RBI across 16 postseason games. Morales hit 30 home runs with 93 RBI for Kansas City in 2016. He played two seasons for the Toronto Blue Jays, and split 2019 with the Oakland Athletics and New York Yankees. View full player

John William Moses was born on August 9, 1957 in Los Angeles, California. The Seattle Mariners selected him in round 16 of the 1980 MLB Draft. He made his Major League debut for them in 1982, hitting .246 with seven home runs and 70 stolen bases over seven seasons in Seattle. Moses spent most of his time at center field or first base, but also saw time at the two corner outfield positions as well. He signed with the Minnesota Twins as a free agent, and hit a career high .316 over 105 games in 1988. Moses was primarily used as a bench bat by Twins manager Tom Kelly, starting just 42 games that summer. Minnesota re-signed Moses, and his role was very similar in 1989 and 1990. He was 21-for-76 (.276) with 11 walks as a pinch hitter for the Twins during his three years with the club. That mirrors his .276 overall average during that span, where he hit four home runs with 57 RBI over 349 games. Moses played for the Detroit Tigers in 1991, and returned to Seattle in 1992. He was hired as a scout by the Mariners when his playing career was over. Moses turned to coaching at the turn of the century, working as the Mariners first base coach from 2000 through 2003. The Cincinnati Reds hired him as their bench coach in 2005, and he spent two seasons in that role. Moses then coached in the Braves minor league system for over a decade, retiring in 2018. View full player

Douglas Lee Baker was born on April 3, 1961 in Fullerton, California. The Detroit Tigers selected him in round nine of the 1982 MLB Draft. He made his debut for them in 1984. Detroit won the World Series that fall. Baker appeared in one playoff game as a defensive replacement, never taking a postseason at-bat. He continued to play for the Tigers through 1987, primarily serving as a backup middle infielder. Baker signed with the Minnesota Twins ahead of the 1989 campaign. He played in 43 games that season, batting .295 with nine RBI. He returned in 1990, appearing in just three games and going 0-for-1 at the plate. This ended his professional playing career, but a long second career as a scout was set to begin. He worked as a scout for the Atlanta Braves, Florida Marlins and Chicago White Sox. View full player

Alan Paul Busenitz was born on August 22, 1990 in Watkinsville, Georgia. The Los Angeles Angels selected him in round 25 of the 2013 MLB Draft. He was traded to the Minnesota Twins in a four player deal at the 2016 deadline. Busenitz made his Major League debut for the Twins on June 17, 2017. He allowed runs in four of his first six appearances, and was sent back to Triple-A at the end of June. Minnesota re-called him late July, and Busenitz went on a run. He wound up finishing the season with a 1.99 ERA over 31.2 innings. This was fueled by a dominant month of August, where Busenitz allowed just five base runners across 13.2 innings. Minnesota included Busenitz on their roster for the 2017 AL Wild Card Game. He faced two batters, walking Aaron Hicks and getting Jacoby Ellsbury to fly out. The Twins lost 8-4. The Twins beefed up their bullpen in free agency by signing veterans Fernando Rodney, Addison Reed and Zach Duke that winter. This cut down on available Opening Day roster spots, and a 7.29 spring training ERA saw Busenitz begin 2018 in Triple-A. He was called up occasionally, but couldn't reduplicate his 2017 success. Busenitz had a 7.82 ERA for the Twins in 2018. Minnesota released him after the season. Busenitz signed with the Japanese based Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles that winter. He played four seasons in Japan, posting a 2.83 ERA with 18 saves over 165 relief appearances. Busenitz returned to the United States in 2023 on a minor league deal with the Cincinnati Reds. He pitched nine big league games for them between the 2023 and 2024 seasons. Cincinnati brought him back on another minor league deal in 2025. View full player

Michael Joseph Fulmer was born on March 15, 1993 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The New York Mets selected him in round one of the 2011 MLB Draft. Fulmer quickly became one of baseball's best pitching prospects, and was named Eastern League (AA) Pitcher of the Year in 2015. That same season, he was traded to the Detroit Tigers for All-Star slugger Yoenis Céspedes at the deadline. Fulmer debuted for Detroit in 2016, winning AL Rookie of the Year by going 11-6 with 3.06 ERA. He was an All-Star in 2017, but his numbers regressed in 2018. After posting a 7.88 ERA through three spring training starts in 2019, the Tigers shut him down and recommended Tommy John surgery. Fulmer had an 8.78 ERA in ten starts during the COVID shortened 2020 campaign, and was moved to the bullpen in 2021. He finally found success again in the bullpen, recording a 2.97 ERA with 14 saves in 2021. The Minnesota Twins acquired him at the deadline in 2022. Fulmer went 2-2 with a 3.70 ERA across 26 appearances for the Twins, earning a save against the New York Yankees on September 8th. The Chicago Cubs signed him that winter. Fulmer had a 4.42 ERA in 58 appearances for them, and underwent a second Tommy John surgery after the season ended. He signed a two year deal with the Boston Red Sox, spending the first one rehabbing his elbow. Fulmer made one big league appearance for Boston in 2025, but was designated for assignment after allowing three runs. The Cubs brought him back on a minor league deal. View full player

John Michael Gant was born on August 6, 1992 in Savannah, Georgia. The New York Mets selected him in round 21 of the 2011 MLB Draft. He was traded to the Atlanta Braves at the 2015 deadline, and made his Major League debut for them in 2016. Gant made seven starts and 13 relief appearances for the Braves as a rookie. He was traded again in the off-season, landing with the St. Louis Cardinals. Gant was 22-17 with a 3.52 ERA over parts of five seasons for the Cardinals, making 35 starts and 104 relief appearances. They traded him to the Minnesota Twins for veteran starter J.A. Happ at the 2021 deadline. Minnesota continued to use Gant as a hybrid starter/reliever. He made seven starts and seven relief appearances for the Twins after the deadline, going 1-5 with a 5.61 ERA. His lone win came on September 7th against the Cleveand Indians, when he tossed five shutout innings with seven strikeouts. He had two injury plagued seasons in Japan, logging just 9.2 innings over the 2022 and 2023 campaigns for the Nippon-Ham Fighters. Gant sat out 2024, and began 2025 with the Long Island Ducks of the Atlantic League. After recording a 1.71 ERA through four starts there, he signed a minor league deal with the Kansas City Royals. View full player

He did dominate! Sometimes, you play well and the opponent plays better. Sure, he threw "balls." Those are pitches he usually gets his opponent to chase. Go watch his other games. He's throwing the same pitches out of zone and hitters swing through them. Give Houston credit for taking good at-bats and laying off them.