Jeff A

Also posted at wgom.org Bill Singer (1944) Bill Krueger (1958) Todd Jones (1968) John Barnes (1976) Right-hander William Robert Singer was with the Twins for four months in 1976. He was born in Los Angeles, went to high school in Pomona, California, and signed with the Dodgers as a free agent in 1961. He advanced rapidly through the minors, reaching AAA in 1964 at age 20. He averaged over 200 innings per season in three years at AAA Spokane. His numbers weren’t that great, but it was the Pacific Coast League, and the Dodgers thought enough of him to give him a cup of coffee each of those three seasons. Singer made the team in 1967 and was in the majors for good. He was part of some fine pitching staffs with the Dodgers, and while he was never the ace he certainly contributed well. His best year as a Dodger was 1969, when he was 20-12 with a 2.34 ERA and pitched 315.2 innings. He was injured part of 1970, but remained in the Dodgers’ rotation through 1972. That off-season, the Dodgers traded Singer to the Angels, where he played for three years. His first season was there was his best; he went 20-14, 3.22 and again pitched 315.2 innings. He was again injured the following season, but remained in the Angels’ rotation through 1975. The Angels traded him to Texas after that season, and in June of 1976 he was traded to Minnesota along with Mike Cubbage, Jim Gideon, Roy Smalley, and $250,000 for Bert Blyleven and Danny Thompson. He finished the season with the Twins and pitched fairly well, going 9-9, 3.77 in 172 innings. He was left unprotected in the expansion draft, however, and Singer was selected by Toronto. He was the starting pitcher in the Blue Jays’ inaugural game, but he did not pitch well, was injured a couple of times, and was done by mid-July. He remained in baseball after his playing career ended, working in the front office for Florida, Arizona, and Pittsburgh. Bill Singer is currently the director of pro scouting for the Washington Nationals. Left-hander William Culp Krueger was with the Twins for five months in 1992. He was born in Waukegan, Illinois, but attended high school in McMinnville, Oregon. He attended the University of Portland and signed with Oakland as a free agent in 1980. He rose rapidly through the Oakland system and made his debut with the Athletics in 1983, jumping from AA to start the season in the majors. He pitched pretty well but was injured in early August, missing the rest of the season. He was a mediocre starter for Oakland in 1984 and 1985 and was injured much of 1986. He continued to pitch poorly 1987 and was traded to the Dodgers in June. Krueger spent much of 1987 and 1988 in AAA, but after a strong 1988 in Albuquerque he was traded to Pittsburgh. The Pirates released him in spring training and he signed with Milwaukee. He pitched well in the Brewers’ bullpen in 1989, having his first good season in six years, and by mid-June of 1990 he was placed in the starting rotation, where he continued to pitch well. After the 1990 season, Krueger became a free agent and signed with Seattle, where he had another good year. He was a free agent again after 1991 and signed with Minnesota. He made 27 starts as a Twin, going 10-6, 4.30 with a 1.31 WHIP. In late August, the Twins traded Krueger to Montreal for Darren Reed. Once more a free agent after the 1992 season, he signed with Detroit. He made four starts at the beginning of the season and three at the end, pitching out of the bullpen the rest of the time, and did pretty well. It was to be his last good season, however. He got off to a poor start in 1994, was released in June, signing with San Diego ten days later. He remained with the Padres until May of 1995, was released again, and signed with Seattle in mid-June. He spent most of his time with the Mariners in AAA, coming up to make five starts. His playing career came to an end after that. Bill Krueger is employed by Morgan Stanley & Co., and is a baseball analyst for Fox Sports Northwest. He is also active in the charitable organization Autism Speaks and is an instructor with Sammamish Baseball Academy in Redmond, Washington. Right-handed reliever Todd Barton Givin Jones made 24 appearances for the Twins in 2001. Born and raised in Marietta, Georgia, he went to Jacksonville State and was drafted in the first round by Houston in 1989. He was a starter for his first three years in the minors, then shifted to the bullpen in 1992. His minor league numbers are pretty underwhelming, but he was called up to the majors in July of 1993 and had immediate success. His role in the bullpen gradually increased in importance, as did his save total: in his four years with Houston, his save numbers are 2, 5, 15, 17. Despite the saves, 1996 was his worst year as an Astro: an ERA of 4.40 and a WHIP of 1.62. After that season, he was traded to Detroit as part of a nine-player swap. His first year as a Tiger was a good one, but after that had a fairly high ERA and a fairly high WHIP. By this time, however, he was an established closer, and he remained in that role through 2000, when he led the league with 42 saves. In 2001, however, he lost the closer role and then was traded to Minnesota at the end of July for Mark Redman. Jones appeared in 24 games for the Twins, going 1-0, 3.26 with a WHIP of 1.76 in 19.1 innings. He became a free agent after the season and signed with Colorado. He stayed with the Rockies for a year and a half, but did not pitch well and was released at the end of June of 2003. He made one start as a Rockie in 2003, giving him the record for most appearances prior to his first start (632). He finished the year with Boston, continuing to not pitch well. He moved on to Tampa Bay for 2004, was released in spring training, signed with Cincinnati, and was traded to Philadelphia in July. He signed with Florida for 2005 and had his first good season in many years, posting a 2.10 ERA and a 1.03 WHIP in 73 innings. He had 40 saves that year. He was once again a free agent after that season and went back to Detroit. He was the Tigers closer for three years and did about what he had done in his previous stint, posting high ERAs and high WHIPs but getting a good number of saves. He finally lost the closer role in 2008 and retired after the season. He is probably the worst closer to compile 300 saves, but he still has the saves, and they put him in some pretty good company. At last report, Todd Jones was living in Pell City, Alabama. He coaches local youth baseball teams and is very active in a number of charities. Outfielder John Delbert Barnes played in 20 games for the Twins from 2000-2001. He was born in San Diego and went to high school in El Cajon, California. He then attended Grossmont College in El Cajon and was drafted by Boston in the fourth round in 1996. He put up decent but unspectacular numbers in the minors for two and a half years for the Red Sox, rising as high as AA, and then was traded to Minnesota along with Joe Thomas and Matt Kinney for Orlando Merced and Greg Swindell. He was okay, but no more, for New Britain. Then, in 2000, Barnes hit .365 with 13 homers at AAA Salt Lake. He got a September call-up and hit .351 in 37 at-bats. He fell to .293 in 2001 at AAA Edmonton, but got another two weeks with the Twins. The Twins put him on waivers in September, however, and he was chosen by Colorado. As a Twin, John Barnes hit .241/.313/.310 in 58 at-bats. He played in AAA for the Rockies in 2002, then was let go. He moved on to Pittsburgh for 2003 and hit .323 with 13 homers in AAA, but was not brought up to the majors. In 2004, he hit .348 in AAA with the Dodgers, but it again did him no good. He moved on to the Braves’ AAA team in 2005. He then signed with Boston and tried, at age 30, to become a knuckleball pitcher. He had some success, rising as high as AAA, but not enough to convince the Red Sox to bring him to the majors, and he called it quits after the 2007 season. John Barnes is currently an instructor with The Hitting Zone, which provides private baseball instruction in Modesto, California.

Also posted at wgom.org Bill Singer (1944) Bill Krueger (1958) Todd Jones (1968) John Barnes (1976) Right-hander William Robert Singer was with the Twins for four months in 1976. He was born in Los Angeles, went to high school in Pomona, California, and signed with the Dodgers as a free agent in 1961. He advanced rapidly through the minors, reaching AAA in 1964 at age 20. He averaged over 200 innings per season in three years at AAA Spokane. His numbers weren’t that great, but it was the Pacific Coast League, and the Dodgers thought enough of him to give him a cup of coffee each of those three seasons. Singer made the team in 1967 and was in the majors for good. He was part of some fine pitching staffs with the Dodgers, and while he was never the ace he certainly contributed well. His best year as a Dodger was 1969, when he was 20-12 with a 2.34 ERA and pitched 315.2 innings. He was injured part of 1970, but remained in the Dodgers’ rotation through 1972. That off-season, the Dodgers traded Singer to the Angels, where he played for three years. His first season was there was his best; he went 20-14, 3.22 and again pitched 315.2 innings. He was again injured the following season, but remained in the Angels’ rotation through 1975. The Angels traded him to Texas after that season, and in June of 1976 he was traded to Minnesota along with Mike Cubbage, Jim Gideon, Roy Smalley, and $250,000 for Bert Blyleven and Danny Thompson. He finished the season with the Twins and pitched fairly well, going 9-9, 3.77 in 172 innings. He was left unprotected in the expansion draft, however, and Singer was selected by Toronto. He was the starting pitcher in the Blue Jays’ inaugural game, but he did not pitch well, was injured a couple of times, and was done by mid-July. He remained in baseball after his playing career ended, working in the front office for Florida, Arizona, and Pittsburgh. Bill Singer is currently the director of pro scouting for the Washington Nationals. Left-hander William Culp Krueger was with the Twins for five months in 1992. He was born in Waukegan, Illinois, but attended high school in McMinnville, Oregon. He attended the University of Portland and signed with Oakland as a free agent in 1980. He rose rapidly through the Oakland system and made his debut with the Athletics in 1983, jumping from AA to start the season in the majors. He pitched pretty well but was injured in early August, missing the rest of the season. He was a mediocre starter for Oakland in 1984 and 1985 and was injured much of 1986. He continued to pitch poorly 1987 and was traded to the Dodgers in June. Krueger spent much of 1987 and 1988 in AAA, but after a strong 1988 in Albuquerque he was traded to Pittsburgh. The Pirates released him in spring training and he signed with Milwaukee. He pitched well in the Brewers’ bullpen in 1989, having his first good season in six years, and by mid-June of 1990 he was placed in the starting rotation, where he continued to pitch well. After the 1990 season, Krueger became a free agent and signed with Seattle, where he had another good year. He was a free agent again after 1991 and signed with Minnesota. He made 27 starts as a Twin, going 10-6, 4.30 with a 1.31 WHIP. In late August, the Twins traded Krueger to Montreal for Darren Reed. Once more a free agent after the 1992 season, he signed with Detroit. He made four starts at the beginning of the season and three at the end, pitching out of the bullpen the rest of the time, and did pretty well. It was to be his last good season, however. He got off to a poor start in 1994, was released in June, signing with San Diego ten days later. He remained with the Padres until May of 1995, was released again, and signed with Seattle in mid-June. He spent most of his time with the Mariners in AAA, coming up to make five starts. His playing career came to an end after that. Bill Krueger is employed by Morgan Stanley & Co., and is a baseball analyst for Fox Sports Northwest. He is also active in the charitable organization Autism Speaks and is an instructor with Sammamish Baseball Academy in Redmond, Washington. Right-handed reliever Todd Barton Givin Jones made 24 appearances for the Twins in 2001. Born and raised in Marietta, Georgia, he went to Jacksonville State and was drafted in the first round by Houston in 1989. He was a starter for his first three years in the minors, then shifted to the bullpen in 1992. His minor league numbers are pretty underwhelming, but he was called up to the majors in July of 1993 and had immediate success. His role in the bullpen gradually increased in importance, as did his save total: in his four years with Houston, his save numbers are 2, 5, 15, 17. Despite the saves, 1996 was his worst year as an Astro: an ERA of 4.40 and a WHIP of 1.62. After that season, he was traded to Detroit as part of a nine-player swap. His first year as a Tiger was a good one, but after that had a fairly high ERA and a fairly high WHIP. By this time, however, he was an established closer, and he remained in that role through 2000, when he led the league with 42 saves. In 2001, however, he lost the closer role and then was traded to Minnesota at the end of July for Mark Redman. Jones appeared in 24 games for the Twins, going 1-0, 3.26 with a WHIP of 1.76 in 19.1 innings. He became a free agent after the season and signed with Colorado. He stayed with the Rockies for a year and a half, but did not pitch well and was released at the end of June of 2003. He made one start as a Rockie in 2003, giving him the record for most appearances prior to his first start (632). He finished the year with Boston, continuing to not pitch well. He moved on to Tampa Bay for 2004, was released in spring training, signed with Cincinnati, and was traded to Philadelphia in July. He signed with Florida for 2005 and had his first good season in many years, posting a 2.10 ERA and a 1.03 WHIP in 73 innings. He had 40 saves that year. He was once again a free agent after that season and went back to Detroit. He was the Tigers closer for three years and did about what he had done in his previous stint, posting high ERAs and high WHIPs but getting a good number of saves. He finally lost the closer role in 2008 and retired after the season. He is probably the worst closer to compile 300 saves, but he still has the saves, and they put him in some pretty good company. At last report, Todd Jones was living in Pell City, Alabama. He coaches local youth baseball teams and is very active in a number of charities. Outfielder John Delbert Barnes played in 20 games for the Twins from 2000-2001. He was born in San Diego and went to high school in El Cajon, California. He then attended Grossmont College in El Cajon and was drafted by Boston in the fourth round in 1996. He put up decent but unspectacular numbers in the minors for two and a half years for the Red Sox, rising as high as AA, and then was traded to Minnesota along with Joe Thomas and Matt Kinney for Orlando Merced and Greg Swindell. He was okay, but no more, for New Britain. Then, in 2000, Barnes hit .365 with 13 homers at AAA Salt Lake. He got a September call-up and hit .351 in 37 at-bats. He fell to .293 in 2001 at AAA Edmonton, but got another two weeks with the Twins. The Twins put him on waivers in September, however, and he was chosen by Colorado. As a Twin, John Barnes hit .241/.313/.310 in 58 at-bats. He played in AAA for the Rockies in 2002, then was let go. He moved on to Pittsburgh for 2003 and hit .323 with 13 homers in AAA, but was not brought up to the majors. In 2004, he hit .348 in AAA with the Dodgers, but it again did him no good. He moved on to the Braves’ AAA team in 2005. He then signed with Boston and tried, at age 30, to become a knuckleball pitcher. He had some success, rising as high as AAA, but not enough to convince the Red Sox to bring him to the majors, and he called it quits after the 2007 season. John Barnes is currently an instructor with The Hitting Zone, which provides private baseball instruction in Modesto, California.

Also posted at wgom.org Jason Tyner (1977) Carlos Silva (1979) Sean Henn (1981) Outfielder Jason Reynt Tyner was with the Twins from 2005-2007. He was born in Bedford, Texas, went to high school in Beaumont, Texas, and was drafted by the Mets in the first round in 1998. He hit over .300 almost every year in the minors and stole a good number of bases, although even in the minors he did not hit a home run until 2004. He made his debut with the Mets in June of 2000, staying for about a month. Tyner was traded to Tampa Bay at the end of July that season. He started 2001 in the minors but was called up in mid-May and was a mostly-regular outfielder for the Devil Rays, hitting .280 with 31 stolen bases. That would be his only season with double digit steals. He split the next two years between AAA and the majors, slumping to .214 in 2002 but bouncing back to .278 in 2003 in 90 at-bats. He became a free agent in 2004 and signed with Texas, but was released a week into the season. He went to AAA with Atlanta, was released in late July, and signed with Cleveland, finishing the season with their AAA team. A free agent again after the 2004 campaign, Tyner signed with Minnesota. He hit .286 at AAA in 2005 and got a September call-up. Tyner was hitting .329 at AAA in 2006 when he was called up to the Twins in mid-July. 2007 was Tyner’s only full season in the majors: he hit .286 with his only major league home run that year. Tyner once again became a free agent after the 2007 season and signed with Cleveland. He was released in July and finished out the year in AAA with the White Sox. He signed with Houston for 2009, was released in spring training, and split the season between the Detroit and Milwaukee systems, where he hit only .153 in AAA in 85 at-bats. That brought his playing career to an end. As a Twin, Jason Tyner hit .299/.340/.356 in 578 at-bats. At last report, he was an instructor with the Southeast Texas Baseball Academy in Beaumont, Texas, which runs baseball programs for 8-12 year olds. Right-hander Carlos Silva was with the Twins from 2004-2007. Born and raised in Bolivar, Venezuela, he signed with Philadelphia as a free agent in 1996. He started slowly, but things started to come together in 1999, when in his fourth year of pro ball he had a good season at Class A Piedmont. He continued to do well, reaching AA in 2001. He was jumped to the majors in 2002 and was placed in the Philadelphia bullpen. He pitched well for the Phillies in 2002, but not as well in 2003. After that season, Silva was traded to Minnesota with Nick Punto and a player to be named later (Bobby Korecky) for Eric Milton. The Twins put him in the starting rotation, where he remained for four seasons. He pitched between 180-203 innings every year. Other than that, he was rather up and down; he had a fine year in 2005, decent seasons in 2004 and 2007, and was dreadful in 2006. A control pitcher, Silva walked only nine batters in 188.1 innings in 2005. He became a free agent after the 2007 season; as a Twin, Carlos Silva was 47-45, 4.42 in 773.2 innings. He appeared in 129 games, 123 of them starts. He signed with Seattle for 2008 and was awful. He struggled with injuries in 2009 and remained awful. Silva was traded to the Cubs for 2010, and was not awful, going 10-6, 4.22, 1.27 WHIP in 113 innings. He got into squabbles with other players and with management, however, and was released late in spring training of 2011. The Yankees signed him to a minor league contract a couple of weeks later but released him in early July. Silva signed with Boston for 2012 but was released in mid-March and did not sign with anyone. It seems unlikely that we’ll see him again, but you never know. At last report, Carlos Silva was living in Medina, Minnesota. Left-hander Sean Michael Henn made 14 appearances for the Twins in 2009. He was born in Ft. Worth and went to high school in Aledo, Texas. Henn attended McClennan Community College in Texas and was drafted by the Yankees in the 26th round in 2000. He pitched well in nine appearances in 2001, but missed all of 2002 with injury. He came back to have a good season at Class A in 2003. Henn reached AAA in 2005. He made his major league debut that year as well, making three starts for the Yankees. He made four more appearances in the majors in 2006, but did not spend substantial time there until 2007, when he started the season in New York and spent all but about six weeks there. He was not used very often (29 appearances, 36.2 innings), and did not pitch very well when he was used. Henn started 2008 back in the minors, was placed on waivers in early May, and was selected by San Diego. He was in the big leagues for about two weeks in May, but appears to have been injured part of the season. Minnesota signed him for 2009 and he pitched very well in the Rochester bullpen. He came to the Twins for about six weeks in mid-May to the end of June and posted a 7.15 ERA in 14 appearances totaling 11.1 innings. The Twins sent him to Baltimore in September “as part of a conditional deal” and he finished the season with the Orioles. The Orioles placed Henn on waivers after the season, and he signed with Toronto. He spent the season in AAA and did not pitch all that well, but the Blue Jays saw enough to send him back there for 2011, when he pitched quite well. A free agent after the 2011 season, he signed with Seattle for 2012 and was sent to AAA Tacoma, but did not do particularly well and was released in early June. He’s kept at it, though. He signed with Boston for 2013, was released in late March, and signed with the Mets on April 10, although he does not appear to have pitched in a game yet. He’s 32 today, but he is left-handed. If he could pitch well at the right time and catch someone’s eye, it’s still possible that Sean Henn could make it back to the major leagues.

Also posted at wgom.org Jason Tyner (1977) Carlos Silva (1979) Sean Henn (1981) Outfielder Jason Reynt Tyner was with the Twins from 2005-2007. He was born in Bedford, Texas, went to high school in Beaumont, Texas, and was drafted by the Mets in the first round in 1998. He hit over .300 almost every year in the minors and stole a good number of bases, although even in the minors he did not hit a home run until 2004. He made his debut with the Mets in June of 2000, staying for about a month. Tyner was traded to Tampa Bay at the end of July that season. He started 2001 in the minors but was called up in mid-May and was a mostly-regular outfielder for the Devil Rays, hitting .280 with 31 stolen bases. That would be his only season with double digit steals. He split the next two years between AAA and the majors, slumping to .214 in 2002 but bouncing back to .278 in 2003 in 90 at-bats. He became a free agent in 2004 and signed with Texas, but was released a week into the season. He went to AAA with Atlanta, was released in late July, and signed with Cleveland, finishing the season with their AAA team. A free agent again after the 2004 campaign, Tyner signed with Minnesota. He hit .286 at AAA in 2005 and got a September call-up. Tyner was hitting .329 at AAA in 2006 when he was called up to the Twins in mid-July. 2007 was Tyner’s only full season in the majors: he hit .286 with his only major league home run that year. Tyner once again became a free agent after the 2007 season and signed with Cleveland. He was released in July and finished out the year in AAA with the White Sox. He signed with Houston for 2009, was released in spring training, and split the season between the Detroit and Milwaukee systems, where he hit only .153 in AAA in 85 at-bats. That brought his playing career to an end. As a Twin, Jason Tyner hit .299/.340/.356 in 578 at-bats. At last report, he was an instructor with the Southeast Texas Baseball Academy in Beaumont, Texas, which runs baseball programs for 8-12 year olds. Right-hander Carlos Silva was with the Twins from 2004-2007. Born and raised in Bolivar, Venezuela, he signed with Philadelphia as a free agent in 1996. He started slowly, but things started to come together in 1999, when in his fourth year of pro ball he had a good season at Class A Piedmont. He continued to do well, reaching AA in 2001. He was jumped to the majors in 2002 and was placed in the Philadelphia bullpen. He pitched well for the Phillies in 2002, but not as well in 2003. After that season, Silva was traded to Minnesota with Nick Punto and a player to be named later (Bobby Korecky) for Eric Milton. The Twins put him in the starting rotation, where he remained for four seasons. He pitched between 180-203 innings every year. Other than that, he was rather up and down; he had a fine year in 2005, decent seasons in 2004 and 2007, and was dreadful in 2006. A control pitcher, Silva walked only nine batters in 188.1 innings in 2005. He became a free agent after the 2007 season; as a Twin, Carlos Silva was 47-45, 4.42 in 773.2 innings. He appeared in 129 games, 123 of them starts. He signed with Seattle for 2008 and was awful. He struggled with injuries in 2009 and remained awful. Silva was traded to the Cubs for 2010, and was not awful, going 10-6, 4.22, 1.27 WHIP in 113 innings. He got into squabbles with other players and with management, however, and was released late in spring training of 2011. The Yankees signed him to a minor league contract a couple of weeks later but released him in early July. Silva signed with Boston for 2012 but was released in mid-March and did not sign with anyone. It seems unlikely that we’ll see him again, but you never know. At last report, Carlos Silva was living in Medina, Minnesota. Left-hander Sean Michael Henn made 14 appearances for the Twins in 2009. He was born in Ft. Worth and went to high school in Aledo, Texas. Henn attended McClennan Community College in Texas and was drafted by the Yankees in the 26th round in 2000. He pitched well in nine appearances in 2001, but missed all of 2002 with injury. He came back to have a good season at Class A in 2003. Henn reached AAA in 2005. He made his major league debut that year as well, making three starts for the Yankees. He made four more appearances in the majors in 2006, but did not spend substantial time there until 2007, when he started the season in New York and spent all but about six weeks there. He was not used very often (29 appearances, 36.2 innings), and did not pitch very well when he was used. Henn started 2008 back in the minors, was placed on waivers in early May, and was selected by San Diego. He was in the big leagues for about two weeks in May, but appears to have been injured part of the season. Minnesota signed him for 2009 and he pitched very well in the Rochester bullpen. He came to the Twins for about six weeks in mid-May to the end of June and posted a 7.15 ERA in 14 appearances totaling 11.1 innings. The Twins sent him to Baltimore in September “as part of a conditional deal” and he finished the season with the Orioles. The Orioles placed Henn on waivers after the season, and he signed with Toronto. He spent the season in AAA and did not pitch all that well, but the Blue Jays saw enough to send him back there for 2011, when he pitched quite well. A free agent after the 2011 season, he signed with Seattle for 2012 and was sent to AAA Tacoma, but did not do particularly well and was released in early June. He’s kept at it, though. He signed with Boston for 2013, was released in late March, and signed with the Mets on April 10, although he does not appear to have pitched in a game yet. He’s 32 today, but he is left-handed. If he could pitch well at the right time and catch someone’s eye, it’s still possible that Sean Henn could make it back to the major leagues.

Also posted at wgom.org Steve Jones (1941) Jack Savage (1964) George Williams (1969) Left-hander Steven Howell Jones did not play for the Twins, but was in their minor league system from 1962-1963. He was born in Huntington Park, California, attended high school in Bell, California, went to Whittier College, and signed with Minnesota as a free agent in 1962. He was in the Twins’ organization for two years, one at Class D Erie and the other at Class A Wilson, and was nothing special. The White Sox apparently saw something in him, though, as they chose him in the minor league draft following the 1963 season. They promoted him to AA, where he was nothing special for two more years. In 1966, however, Jones had a pretty good year in AA. He had another good year in 1967 at AAA Indianapolis, and was in the majors by mid-August. He did okay in 25.2 innings, but was sent to Washington before the 1968 campaign as part of a multi-player deal. He had a fine season at AAA Buffalo and sent about two weeks in the majors with the Senators. Jones was left unprotected in the expansion draft and was chosen by Kansas City. He began the season with the Royals, lasting two and a half months and not pitching all that badly before he was sent down. He got a September call-up that same year, but then his major league career was over. He was in the minors for two more years, playing in AAA for the Kansas City, Baltimore, and Cleveland organizations before his playing career came to an end after the 1971 season. His brother, Gary, also played in the major leagues, pitching for the Yankees in 1970-1971. There are, of course, about eleventy billion people named Steve Jones; no information about this Steve Jones’ life since his playing days was readily available. Right-hander John Joseph Savage made 17 appearances with the Twins in 1990. He was born in Louisville and attended the University of Kentucky before being drafted by the Dodgers in the eighth round in 1985. A reliever for nearly all of his career, Savage had an excellent year in rookie-level Great Falls in 1985. He stumbled at Class A in 1986, but had another good year in AA in 1987. Savage got a September call-up that season, making three appearances for the Dodgers. After the season, however, he was sent to the Mets in a three-team trade that also included Kevin Tapani and Jesse Orosco. He had two solid years for AAA Tidewater, but did not get a chance in the majors. After the 1989 campaign, Savage was sent to Minnesota as the player to be named later in the trade that sent Rick Aguilera, Tim Drummond, Kevin Tapani, and David West to the Twins for Frank Viola. He threw twenty solid innings out of the Portland bullpen and was promoted to Minnesota in late June. Savage was seldom used and did not pitch well when he was used–he gave up at least one run in 13 of his 17 appearances. As a Twin, Jack Savage went 0-2, 8.31 in 26 innings. He spent one more season in the Twins’ minor league system and then his playing career ended. At last report, Jack Savage had returned to his home town of Louisville and was apparently working for the Louisville Slugger company. Catcher George Erik Williams did not play for the Twins, but he was in their farm system for most of 1999. He was born in La Crosse, Wisconsin, attended the University of Texas—Pan American, and was drafted by Oakland in the twenty-fourth round in 1991. He had some solid years in the minors, averaging around .300 with double-digit homers from 1992-1995. He was called up to the majors in mid-July of 1995 and spent the next year and a half backing up Terry Steinbach. He shared the catching position with Brent Mayne in 1997 and hit .289, but that was as good as it got for him. He missed nearly all of 1998 with an injury, was allowed to become a free agent, and signed with Minnesota for 1999. He was sent to AAA Salt Lake and did well there, hitting .303/.424/.467, but was traded to Houston in early August for Josh Dimmick. He finished out the season in AAA for the Astros, became a free agent again, and signed with San Diego for 2000. He got back to the majors in mid-August, but that would be his swan song. He played briefly in AAA for Boston in 2001 and then his career was over. In the majors, he hit .243/.362/.367 in 428 at-bats over four seasons. There are almost as many people names George Williams as there are Steve Jones. No information about George Williams after his playing career ended was readily available.

Also posted at wgom.org Steve Jones (1941) Jack Savage (1964) George Williams (1969) Left-hander Steven Howell Jones did not play for the Twins, but was in their minor league system from 1962-1963. He was born in Huntington Park, California, attended high school in Bell, California, went to Whittier College, and signed with Minnesota as a free agent in 1962. He was in the Twins’ organization for two years, one at Class D Erie and the other at Class A Wilson, and was nothing special. The White Sox apparently saw something in him, though, as they chose him in the minor league draft following the 1963 season. They promoted him to AA, where he was nothing special for two more years. In 1966, however, Jones had a pretty good year in AA. He had another good year in 1967 at AAA Indianapolis, and was in the majors by mid-August. He did okay in 25.2 innings, but was sent to Washington before the 1968 campaign as part of a multi-player deal. He had a fine season at AAA Buffalo and sent about two weeks in the majors with the Senators. Jones was left unprotected in the expansion draft and was chosen by Kansas City. He began the season with the Royals, lasting two and a half months and not pitching all that badly before he was sent down. He got a September call-up that same year, but then his major league career was over. He was in the minors for two more years, playing in AAA for the Kansas City, Baltimore, and Cleveland organizations before his playing career came to an end after the 1971 season. His brother, Gary, also played in the major leagues, pitching for the Yankees in 1970-1971. There are, of course, about eleventy billion people named Steve Jones; no information about this Steve Jones’ life since his playing days was readily available. Right-hander John Joseph Savage made 17 appearances with the Twins in 1990. He was born in Louisville and attended the University of Kentucky before being drafted by the Dodgers in the eighth round in 1985. A reliever for nearly all of his career, Savage had an excellent year in rookie-level Great Falls in 1985. He stumbled at Class A in 1986, but had another good year in AA in 1987. Savage got a September call-up that season, making three appearances for the Dodgers. After the season, however, he was sent to the Mets in a three-team trade that also included Kevin Tapani and Jesse Orosco. He had two solid years for AAA Tidewater, but did not get a chance in the majors. After the 1989 campaign, Savage was sent to Minnesota as the player to be named later in the trade that sent Rick Aguilera, Tim Drummond, Kevin Tapani, and David West to the Twins for Frank Viola. He threw twenty solid innings out of the Portland bullpen and was promoted to Minnesota in late June. Savage was seldom used and did not pitch well when he was used–he gave up at least one run in 13 of his 17 appearances. As a Twin, Jack Savage went 0-2, 8.31 in 26 innings. He spent one more season in the Twins’ minor league system and then his playing career ended. At last report, Jack Savage had returned to his home town of Louisville and was apparently working for the Louisville Slugger company. Catcher George Erik Williams did not play for the Twins, but he was in their farm system for most of 1999. He was born in La Crosse, Wisconsin, attended the University of Texas—Pan American, and was drafted by Oakland in the twenty-fourth round in 1991. He had some solid years in the minors, averaging around .300 with double-digit homers from 1992-1995. He was called up to the majors in mid-July of 1995 and spent the next year and a half backing up Terry Steinbach. He shared the catching position with Brent Mayne in 1997 and hit .289, but that was as good as it got for him. He missed nearly all of 1998 with an injury, was allowed to become a free agent, and signed with Minnesota for 1999. He was sent to AAA Salt Lake and did well there, hitting .303/.424/.467, but was traded to Houston in early August for Josh Dimmick. He finished out the season in AAA for the Astros, became a free agent again, and signed with San Diego for 2000. He got back to the majors in mid-August, but that would be his swan song. He played briefly in AAA for Boston in 2001 and then his career was over. In the majors, he hit .243/.362/.367 in 428 at-bats over four seasons. There are almost as many people names George Williams as there are Steve Jones. No information about George Williams after his playing career ended was readily available.

Also posted at wgom.org Jesse Orosco (1957) Terry Tiffee (1979) Left-hander Jesse Russell Orosco pitched the final eight games out of 1,252 in his career with the Twins in 2003. Born and raised in Santa Barbara, Orosco was drafted by Minnesota in the second round of the January draft in 1978. He had an outstanding year at Elizabethton in 1978, posting a 1.12 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP in 40 innings. That off-season he became the player to be named later in a deal that also sent Greg Field to the New York Mets for Jerry Koosman. Orosco made the big leagues at the beginning of the following year, at age 22. He lasted until mid-June, posting an ERA of 4.89 and making two starts, which would be half of his major league total. Orosco then returned to the minors, where he would remain until September of 1981. He did some starting in the minors, and made two more starts in the majors in 1982, but then was strictly a reliever. Orosco became the Mets’ closer in 1983, a job he held through 1987. His best year was 1983, when he went 13-7 with seventeen saves, a 1.47 ERA and a WHIP of 1.04 in 110 innings. He pitched extremely well for his first four years in New York, but he had a down year in 1987 and was traded to the Dodgers after the season. He was with the Dodgers only one season before becoming a free agent, signing with Cleveland. He pitched well for the Indians for three seasons, appearing in 171 games, but was sent to Milwaukee “as part of a conditional deal”. Orosco continued to pitch well for the Brewers for two years, but had an off year in 1994 at age 37. He became a free agent and signed with Baltimore, where he stayed for five seasons. He pitched well for four years, but again, as soon as he had a bad season, this time in 1999, he was sent on his way again, this time traded to the Mets. Before the 2000 campaign began, however, he was sent to St. Louis, where he played for one season. Orosco moved on to the Dodgers for 2001 and 2002. He signed with San Diego as a free agent for 2003, was traded to the Yankees at mid-season, and was traded to Minnesota at the end of August for a player to be named later (Juan Padilla). He pitched in eight September games for the Twins, totalling 4.2 innings and giving up three runs on four hits. Orosco signed with Arizona for 2004, but did not make the team and his career came to an end at age 46. Rarely a star (he made only two all-star teams) and only a closer near the beginning of his career, Orosco was a valuable member of numerous teams. He holds the record for most games pitched and most games pitched in relief. No information about what Jesse Orosco has done since his playing career ended was readily available; however, he has a daughter, Natalie, who was playing softball for Santa Barbara City College in 2012 and 2013, so it may well be that Jesse has moved back to Santa Barbara in his retirement. Third baseman Terry R. Tiffee was with the Twins for parts of three seasons. He was born in North Little Rock, Arkansas, went to high school in Sherwood, Arkansas, and was drafted by Minnesota in the 26th round in 1999. He hit for a solid average with moderate power throughout his minor league career. His best minor league season was 2003, when he hit .315 with 14 home runs at AA New Britain. His next three seasons were split between AAA Rochester and Minnesota. He got a September call-up in 2004, was with the Twins for most of 2005, and was back for about two months in 2006. As a Twin, he hit .226/.273/.351 in 239 at-bats. He became a free agent after the season and signed with Baltimore. He was in AAA all of 2007, then signed with the Dodgers. He got two weeks in the majors in 2008, but again spent the rest of the year in AAA, hitting .378. He also played for the U. S. Olympic team that year. He was in AAA with Philadelphia in 2009. Tiffee became a free agent after the season and signed with Bridgeport of the Atlantic League. He started in the Atlantic League in 2011, playing for the Lancaster Barnstormers, but was signed by the Yankees in June and hit .345 in AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Despite that, the Yankees released him in late August. He signed with Miami for 2012 but was apparently released. He played for Lancaster of the Atlantic League for a while, then signed with Atlanta, for whom he continued to hit well in AAA. He played in the Mexican League last off-season, but does not appear to have signed with anyone for 2013. He’s thirty-four today, so he’s obviously not a prospect, but he wouldn’t be a bad guy to sign for your AAA team and have available if somebody got hurt.

Also posted at wgom.org Jesse Orosco (1957) Terry Tiffee (1979) Left-hander Jesse Russell Orosco pitched the final eight games out of 1,252 in his career with the Twins in 2003. Born and raised in Santa Barbara, Orosco was drafted by Minnesota in the second round of the January draft in 1978. He had an outstanding year at Elizabethton in 1978, posting a 1.12 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP in 40 innings. That off-season he became the player to be named later in a deal that also sent Greg Field to the New York Mets for Jerry Koosman. Orosco made the big leagues at the beginning of the following year, at age 22. He lasted until mid-June, posting an ERA of 4.89 and making two starts, which would be half of his major league total. Orosco then returned to the minors, where he would remain until September of 1981. He did some starting in the minors, and made two more starts in the majors in 1982, but then was strictly a reliever. Orosco became the Mets’ closer in 1983, a job he held through 1987. His best year was 1983, when he went 13-7 with seventeen saves, a 1.47 ERA and a WHIP of 1.04 in 110 innings. He pitched extremely well for his first four years in New York, but he had a down year in 1987 and was traded to the Dodgers after the season. He was with the Dodgers only one season before becoming a free agent, signing with Cleveland. He pitched well for the Indians for three seasons, appearing in 171 games, but was sent to Milwaukee “as part of a conditional deal”. Orosco continued to pitch well for the Brewers for two years, but had an off year in 1994 at age 37. He became a free agent and signed with Baltimore, where he stayed for five seasons. He pitched well for four years, but again, as soon as he had a bad season, this time in 1999, he was sent on his way again, this time traded to the Mets. Before the 2000 campaign began, however, he was sent to St. Louis, where he played for one season. Orosco moved on to the Dodgers for 2001 and 2002. He signed with San Diego as a free agent for 2003, was traded to the Yankees at mid-season, and was traded to Minnesota at the end of August for a player to be named later (Juan Padilla). He pitched in eight September games for the Twins, totalling 4.2 innings and giving up three runs on four hits. Orosco signed with Arizona for 2004, but did not make the team and his career came to an end at age 46. Rarely a star (he made only two all-star teams) and only a closer near the beginning of his career, Orosco was a valuable member of numerous teams. He holds the record for most games pitched and most games pitched in relief. No information about what Jesse Orosco has done since his playing career ended was readily available; however, he has a daughter, Natalie, who was playing softball for Santa Barbara City College in 2012 and 2013, so it may well be that Jesse has moved back to Santa Barbara in his retirement. Third baseman Terry R. Tiffee was with the Twins for parts of three seasons. He was born in North Little Rock, Arkansas, went to high school in Sherwood, Arkansas, and was drafted by Minnesota in the 26th round in 1999. He hit for a solid average with moderate power throughout his minor league career. His best minor league season was 2003, when he hit .315 with 14 home runs at AA New Britain. His next three seasons were split between AAA Rochester and Minnesota. He got a September call-up in 2004, was with the Twins for most of 2005, and was back for about two months in 2006. As a Twin, he hit .226/.273/.351 in 239 at-bats. He became a free agent after the season and signed with Baltimore. He was in AAA all of 2007, then signed with the Dodgers. He got two weeks in the majors in 2008, but again spent the rest of the year in AAA, hitting .378. He also played for the U. S. Olympic team that year. He was in AAA with Philadelphia in 2009. Tiffee became a free agent after the season and signed with Bridgeport of the Atlantic League. He started in the Atlantic League in 2011, playing for the Lancaster Barnstormers, but was signed by the Yankees in June and hit .345 in AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Despite that, the Yankees released him in late August. He signed with Miami for 2012 but was apparently released. He played for Lancaster of the Atlantic League for a while, then signed with Atlanta, for whom he continued to hit well in AAA. He played in the Mexican League last off-season, but does not appear to have signed with anyone for 2013. He’s thirty-four today, so he’s obviously not a prospect, but he wouldn’t be a bad guy to sign for your AAA team and have available if somebody got hurt.

Also posted at wgom.org Doug Clarey (1954) Floyd Chiffer (1956) Greg Brummett (1967) Second baseman Douglas William Clarey was drafted by the Twins, although he never played for them. Born in Los Angeles, Minnesota selected Clarey in the sixth round of the 1972 draft. He was in the Twins’ organization for three years, never rising higher than Class A and never hitting more than .237. After the 1974 season, Clarey was chosen by St. Louis in the minor league draft. He didn’t hit much in the Cardinals’ organization, either, but in 1976 he was brought up to the majors twice, totalling a little over three weeks. He made his major league debut on his birthday, one of thirty-six players to have done so. He never started a game, going 1-for-4 in nine games as a reserve. His hit, though, was a game-winning pinch-hit sixteenth-inning homer. Late in spring training of 1977, he was traded to the Mets for Benny Ayala. He split that season between the Mets and Brewers organizations, and in 1978 he was in AA for Baltimore. He hit 19 home runs that season and was still only 24, but apparently that did not make much of an impression on anyone, because his playing career came to an end after that season. At last report, Doug Clarey was living in Los Angeles. He went into real estate for a while, then opened a gourmet pizza restaurant , Cheech’s Pizza, which is located less than three miles from Dodger Stadium. Right-hander Floyd John Chiffer did not play for the Twins, but he was in their minor league system in 1985. He was born in Glen Cove, New York, went to high school in Lakewood, California, attended UCLA, and was drafted by San Diego in the fifth round in 1978. He was a starter his first season in the minors, then switched to the bullpen. He struggled until 1980, when he went 4-5, 2.18, 1.11 WHIP with nine saves in 62 innings (39 appearances) for AA Amarillo. He followed that up with a strong 1981 in AAA Hawaii and was in the big leagues the following season. He had a solid 1982, going 4-3, 2.95, 1.35 WHIP with four saves in 79.1 innings (51 appearances). He started 1983 in the majors and does not seem to have been pitching that badly, but he apparently got into the doghouse, because he was sent back to AAA in mid-May, not returning until September. He got about two more months in the majors in 1984, then was traded to Minnesota for Ray Smith after the season. He went 9-7, 2.49 with a 1.28 WHIP in Rochester, pitching 79.2 innings (51 appearances), but despite the fact that the Twins were using people like Curt Wardle and Rick Lysander in their bullpen, he never got a call to the majors. He started 1986 in AAA for Montreal but soon went to the Braves’ organization, where he stayed through 1987. His playing career ended after that season. For his major league career, he was 5-5, 4.02, 1.48 WHIP in 130 innings (81 appearances). After that, Floyd Chiffer went into the pharmaceuticals industry as a salesman. At last report, he was the Southwest District sales manager for Merck Opthalmics and lived in the Los Angeles area. Right-hander Gregory Scott Brummett made five starts for the Twins in 1993. He was born in Wichita and attended Wichita State, where his team won the College World Series and he was named tournament MVP in 1989. San Francisco drafted him in the eleventh round in 1989. He pitched well in the low minors and in 1993 was jumped from Class A to AAA. He pitched well in AAA, too, and had two stints with the Giants that year, totalling a little over a month. On September 1 of that season, Brummett became the player who was named later in a trade that also brought Andres Duncan and Aaron Fultz to Minnesota for Jim DeShaies. The Twins gave Brummett five September starts, in which he went 2-1, 5.74 with a WHIP of 1.65. He began 1994 in AAA Salt Lake, but did not pitch very well and moved on to Boston’s AAA team at mid-season. He pitched for Tyler in the independent Texas-Louisiana League in 1996 and also played in the Mexican League that season, but then his playing career came to an end. Greg Brummett was inducted into the Wichita State Hall of Fame in 1995 and was inducted into the Kansas Baseball Hall of Fame in 2010. After his playing career ended he went into coaching, spending four years as the pitching coach of North Carolina-Charlotte and one year coaching at the Air Force Academy. At last report, Greg Brummett was head baseball coach at Cloud County Community College in Concordia, Kansas.

Also posted at wgom.org Doug Clarey (1954) Floyd Chiffer (1956) Greg Brummett (1967) Second baseman Douglas William Clarey was drafted by the Twins, although he never played for them. Born in Los Angeles, Minnesota selected Clarey in the sixth round of the 1972 draft. He was in the Twins’ organization for three years, never rising higher than Class A and never hitting more than .237. After the 1974 season, Clarey was chosen by St. Louis in the minor league draft. He didn’t hit much in the Cardinals’ organization, either, but in 1976 he was brought up to the majors twice, totalling a little over three weeks. He made his major league debut on his birthday, one of thirty-six players to have done so. He never started a game, going 1-for-4 in nine games as a reserve. His hit, though, was a game-winning pinch-hit sixteenth-inning homer. Late in spring training of 1977, he was traded to the Mets for Benny Ayala. He split that season between the Mets and Brewers organizations, and in 1978 he was in AA for Baltimore. He hit 19 home runs that season and was still only 24, but apparently that did not make much of an impression on anyone, because his playing career came to an end after that season. At last report, Doug Clarey was living in Los Angeles. He went into real estate for a while, then opened a gourmet pizza restaurant , Cheech’s Pizza, which is located less than three miles from Dodger Stadium. Right-hander Floyd John Chiffer did not play for the Twins, but he was in their minor league system in 1985. He was born in Glen Cove, New York, went to high school in Lakewood, California, attended UCLA, and was drafted by San Diego in the fifth round in 1978. He was a starter his first season in the minors, then switched to the bullpen. He struggled until 1980, when he went 4-5, 2.18, 1.11 WHIP with nine saves in 62 innings (39 appearances) for AA Amarillo. He followed that up with a strong 1981 in AAA Hawaii and was in the big leagues the following season. He had a solid 1982, going 4-3, 2.95, 1.35 WHIP with four saves in 79.1 innings (51 appearances). He started 1983 in the majors and does not seem to have been pitching that badly, but he apparently got into the doghouse, because he was sent back to AAA in mid-May, not returning until September. He got about two more months in the majors in 1984, then was traded to Minnesota for Ray Smith after the season. He went 9-7, 2.49 with a 1.28 WHIP in Rochester, pitching 79.2 innings (51 appearances), but despite the fact that the Twins were using people like Curt Wardle and Rick Lysander in their bullpen, he never got a call to the majors. He started 1986 in AAA for Montreal but soon went to the Braves’ organization, where he stayed through 1987. His playing career ended after that season. For his major league career, he was 5-5, 4.02, 1.48 WHIP in 130 innings (81 appearances). After that, Floyd Chiffer went into the pharmaceuticals industry as a salesman. At last report, he was the Southwest District sales manager for Merck Opthalmics and lived in the Los Angeles area. Right-hander Gregory Scott Brummett made five starts for the Twins in 1993. He was born in Wichita and attended Wichita State, where his team won the College World Series and he was named tournament MVP in 1989. San Francisco drafted him in the eleventh round in 1989. He pitched well in the low minors and in 1993 was jumped from Class A to AAA. He pitched well in AAA, too, and had two stints with the Giants that year, totalling a little over a month. On September 1 of that season, Brummett became the player who was named later in a trade that also brought Andres Duncan and Aaron Fultz to Minnesota for Jim DeShaies. The Twins gave Brummett five September starts, in which he went 2-1, 5.74 with a WHIP of 1.65. He began 1994 in AAA Salt Lake, but did not pitch very well and moved on to Boston’s AAA team at mid-season. He pitched for Tyler in the independent Texas-Louisiana League in 1996 and also played in the Mexican League that season, but then his playing career came to an end. Greg Brummett was inducted into the Wichita State Hall of Fame in 1995 and was inducted into the Kansas Baseball Hall of Fame in 2010. After his playing career ended he went into coaching, spending four years as the pitching coach of North Carolina-Charlotte and one year coaching at the Air Force Academy. At last report, Greg Brummett was head baseball coach at Cloud County Community College in Concordia, Kansas.

Also posted in wgom.org Ed Hodge (1958) Frank Viola (1960) Joe Beimel (1977) Dennys Reyes (1977) Joe Mauer (1983) Left-hander Ed Oliver Hodge made 25 appearances for the Twins in 1984. Born in Bellflower, California, Hodge was drafted by Minnesota in the fifth round of the January draft in 1979. There is nothing in his minor league record that suggests he would be a major league pitcher, but the 1984 Twins were desperate for a fifth starter, so after he had three good starts at AAA Toledo, going 2-0, 2.01 with a 0.90 WHIP, Ed Hodge found himself in the big league rotation. He did quite a bit better than could have been expected, going 3-2, 4.12 through mid-June, but then was injured, missing a month and a half. He came back on August 1, made five fair-to-middling starts, then spent the rest of the year in the bullpen. For the season, he was 4-3, 4.77. He pitched in 25 games, 15 of them starts, and pitched exactly 100 innings. Those would also be his career numbers; he was back in Toledo in 1985, had another not-to-good season, and was released after the season. He pitched for the Braves’ AAA team in 1986, and then his playing career came to an end. More recently, he has done some coaching, serving as the pitching coach for the Sarasota Reds in 2006 and for Lakewood in the Phillies’ organization in 2007. He was a batting practice pitcher/coach for Houston from 2011-2012, and has been hired to do a similar job for Detroit for 2013. Left-hander Frank John Viola pitched for the Twins for most of the 1980s. He was born in Hempstead, New York and went to high school in East Meadow, New York. He then attended St. John’s (where he was involved in an epic pitcher’s duel with Yale’s Ron Darling that is still talked about occasionally), and was drafted by the Twins in the second round in 1981. He pitched reasonably well at AA Orlando in 1981, and after eight starts in AAA Toledo in 1982 he was in the Minnesota rotation at age 22. He was clearly not ready, posting ERAs over five and WHIPs over 1.5 in his first two seasons. When things clicked in, though, they did so in style. In 1984, Viola went 18-12, 3.21 with a WHIP of 1.16 and finished sixth in the Cy Young voting. He slipped a little in 1985 and 1986, although he was still a solid rotation starter, but in 1987 and 1988 he had his two best seasons. He went 41-17 in those two years, with an ERA of 2.77. He won the Cy Young award in 1988, when he won 24 of those games. Viola also finished tenth in MVP voting that year. He pitched over 245 innings each season for the Twins from 1984-1988. He was still pitching well at the end of July, 1989 when he was traded to the Mets for Rick Aguilera, Tim Drummond, Kevin Tapani, David West, and a player to be named later (Jack Savage). He continued to pitch Well for the Mets, winning 20 games in 1990 and finishing third in Cy Young voting that season. He also continued to pitch well over 200 innings each season. A free agent after the 1991 campaign, Viola signed with Boston and had two more very good years. After that, however, he struggled through injuries, had Tommy John surgery, and was never an effective pitcher again. He pitched briefly with Cincinnati in 1995 and Toronto in 1996 before bringing his playing career to an end. As a Twin, Frank Viola was 112-93, 3.86 in 260 appearances, 259 of them starts. Since his retirement, Viola has done some high-school and college coaching and has also done some broadcasting with the New England Sports Network. in 2011 he was the pitching coach for the Brooklyn Cyclones in the New York-Penn League and since 2012 he has been the pitching coach of the Savannah Sand Gnats in the South Atlantic League. Frank Viola is a member of the Minnesota Twins Hall of Fame. Left-handed reliever Joseph Ronald Beimel made three appearances for the Twins in 2004. Born and raised in St. Mary’s, Pennsylvania, he attended Duquesne University and was drafted by Pittsburgh in the eighteenth round in 1998. He started for much of his minor league career. He had not pitched effectively above Class A when he suddenly made the Pirates out of spring training in 2001. He was with Pittsburgh for three full seasons despite not pitching very well: his ERA was exactly five and his WHIP was 1.58. He made some starts in his first two years, but was moved exclusively to the bullpen in 2003. The Pirates released Beimel at the end of March, 2004, and the Twins signed him a couple of weeks later. He had a poor year in Rochester, despite which he was given a September call-up. Beimel pitched 1.2 innings in three games, giving up eight runs on eight hits and two walks. He became a free agent for 2005 and signed with Tampa Bay. He didn’t pitch particularly well in AAA for them, either, but got to the big leagues for about a month and did well in seven appearances. He signed with the Dodgers for 2006, pitched well in ten appearances at AAA, and came up to the majors, where at age 29 he finally found big-league success. He was with Los Angeles for three years, appeared in 216 games, and had an ERA of 3.04. Beimel was a free agent after the 2008 season and took a long time to sign, finally signing with Washington in mid-March. He pitched well there, was traded to Colorado in mid-season, and continued to pitch fairly well through 2010. He was a free agent after that season and signed with Pittsburgh. He was injured much of the year but made 35 appearances for the Pirates, working 25.1 innings. Unfortunately, he did not pitch well and was released at the end of August. He signed with Texas for 2012 but was released in late March. He underwent Tommy John surgery on May 1 of 2012. As he’s 36 today, one assumes his playing career is over, but he’s alive and left-handed, so maybe not. Left-handed reliever Dennys (Valarde) Reyes pitched for the Twins from 2006-2008. Born and raised in Higuera de Zaragosa, Mexico, Reyes was signed by the Dodgers as a free agent in 1993. He was a starter in his minor league career and was somewhat up-and-down, but pitched well in a month and a half stint with the Dodgers in 1997. At mid-season of 1998, the Dodgers traded Reyes to Cincinnati, where he stayed through 2001. He was not terrible in those years, although not particularly good, either. He split 2002 between Colorado and Texas, not doing much for either team. Reyes signed with Pittsburgh for 2003, was let go in May, and finished the season with Arizona, spending most of his time there in the minors. Reyes moved to Kansas City in 2004 and San Diego in 2005, doing nothing to attract anyone’s attention. The Padres released Reyes in July of 2005, and he was out of baseball until February of 2006, when Minnesota signed him. Reyes then went out and had one of the best seasons a LOOGY ever had. He appeared in 66 games, but pitched only 50.2 innings. In those innings, he went 5-0, 0.89 with a WHIP of 0.99. His ERA+ was 507. He did not repeat those numbers, but remained a valuable LOOGY for two more seasons. As a Twin, Dennys Reyes appeared in 191 games and pitched 126.1 innings. He was 10-1, 2.14 with a WHIP of 1.27. He became a free agent after the 2008 season and signed with St. Louis. He pitched well for the Cardinals in 2009-2010, then became a free agent again and signed with Boston. He made four appearances for the Red Sox and was made the fall guy for their poor start, getting sent outright to AAA. He then missed most of the season and was released in late September. He signed with Baltimore for 2012 but was released in early March. He did not play in 2012, but did play winter ball last season. We’ll end this with the same line we used in regard to Joe Beimel. As he’s 36 today, one assumes his playing career is over, but he’s alive and left-handed, so maybe not. There’s nothing to be said about catcher Joseph Patrick Mauer that anyone reading this does not already know. He was born and raised in St. Paul and was taken by Minnesota with the first pick of the 2001 draft. His lowest average in the minors was .302, with Class A Quad Cities in 2002. He showed very little power in the minors, never hitting more than five home runs in a season, although he hit 30 doubles in a 2003 split between Fort Myers and New Britain. He started 2004 with Minnesota but was injured most of the season, getting only 107 at-bats (in which he hit .308 with six home runs). His first full season came in 2005, when he hit .294 as a 22-year-old. In 2006, Mauer won his first batting title, the first American League catcher ever to win one. He has won two more since, including his highest average to date in 2009, .365. In 2009, when he won the MVP, Mauer also led the league in on-base percentage and slugging percentage. In 2010, in what some considered an “off year”, he hit .326/.402/.469, won the silver slugger and the gold glove, and finished eighth in MVP voting. He has made the all-star team five times, has finished in the top eight in MVP voting four times, has won three gold gloves, and has won three silver slugger awards. He had an injury-plagued 2011 and took a lot of criticism, but still hit .287 in just under 300 at-bats. He spent substantial time at first base and DH in 2012, but stayed healthy and came back with a fine season, batting .319 and leading the league in on-base percentage. His top ten in similarity scores include five Hall of Famers and two more who eventually will be. Joe Mauer turns thirty today. If he stays healthy, he should be a very good player for several more years yet.

Also posted in wgom.org Ed Hodge (1958) Frank Viola (1960) Joe Beimel (1977) Dennys Reyes (1977) Joe Mauer (1983) Left-hander Ed Oliver Hodge made 25 appearances for the Twins in 1984. Born in Bellflower, California, Hodge was drafted by Minnesota in the fifth round of the January draft in 1979. There is nothing in his minor league record that suggests he would be a major league pitcher, but the 1984 Twins were desperate for a fifth starter, so after he had three good starts at AAA Toledo, going 2-0, 2.01 with a 0.90 WHIP, Ed Hodge found himself in the big league rotation. He did quite a bit better than could have been expected, going 3-2, 4.12 through mid-June, but then was injured, missing a month and a half. He came back on August 1, made five fair-to-middling starts, then spent the rest of the year in the bullpen. For the season, he was 4-3, 4.77. He pitched in 25 games, 15 of them starts, and pitched exactly 100 innings. Those would also be his career numbers; he was back in Toledo in 1985, had another not-to-good season, and was released after the season. He pitched for the Braves’ AAA team in 1986, and then his playing career came to an end. More recently, he has done some coaching, serving as the pitching coach for the Sarasota Reds in 2006 and for Lakewood in the Phillies’ organization in 2007. He was a batting practice pitcher/coach for Houston from 2011-2012, and has been hired to do a similar job for Detroit for 2013. Left-hander Frank John Viola pitched for the Twins for most of the 1980s. He was born in Hempstead, New York and went to high school in East Meadow, New York. He then attended St. John’s (where he was involved in an epic pitcher’s duel with Yale’s Ron Darling that is still talked about occasionally), and was drafted by the Twins in the second round in 1981. He pitched reasonably well at AA Orlando in 1981, and after eight starts in AAA Toledo in 1982 he was in the Minnesota rotation at age 22. He was clearly not ready, posting ERAs over five and WHIPs over 1.5 in his first two seasons. When things clicked in, though, they did so in style. In 1984, Viola went 18-12, 3.21 with a WHIP of 1.16 and finished sixth in the Cy Young voting. He slipped a little in 1985 and 1986, although he was still a solid rotation starter, but in 1987 and 1988 he had his two best seasons. He went 41-17 in those two years, with an ERA of 2.77. He won the Cy Young award in 1988, when he won 24 of those games. Viola also finished tenth in MVP voting that year. He pitched over 245 innings each season for the Twins from 1984-1988. He was still pitching well at the end of July, 1989 when he was traded to the Mets for Rick Aguilera, Tim Drummond, Kevin Tapani, David West, and a player to be named later (Jack Savage). He continued to pitch Well for the Mets, winning 20 games in 1990 and finishing third in Cy Young voting that season. He also continued to pitch well over 200 innings each season. A free agent after the 1991 campaign, Viola signed with Boston and had two more very good years. After that, however, he struggled through injuries, had Tommy John surgery, and was never an effective pitcher again. He pitched briefly with Cincinnati in 1995 and Toronto in 1996 before bringing his playing career to an end. As a Twin, Frank Viola was 112-93, 3.86 in 260 appearances, 259 of them starts. Since his retirement, Viola has done some high-school and college coaching and has also done some broadcasting with the New England Sports Network. in 2011 he was the pitching coach for the Brooklyn Cyclones in the New York-Penn League and since 2012 he has been the pitching coach of the Savannah Sand Gnats in the South Atlantic League. Frank Viola is a member of the Minnesota Twins Hall of Fame. Left-handed reliever Joseph Ronald Beimel made three appearances for the Twins in 2004. Born and raised in St. Mary’s, Pennsylvania, he attended Duquesne University and was drafted by Pittsburgh in the eighteenth round in 1998. He started for much of his minor league career. He had not pitched effectively above Class A when he suddenly made the Pirates out of spring training in 2001. He was with Pittsburgh for three full seasons despite not pitching very well: his ERA was exactly five and his WHIP was 1.58. He made some starts in his first two years, but was moved exclusively to the bullpen in 2003. The Pirates released Beimel at the end of March, 2004, and the Twins signed him a couple of weeks later. He had a poor year in Rochester, despite which he was given a September call-up. Beimel pitched 1.2 innings in three games, giving up eight runs on eight hits and two walks. He became a free agent for 2005 and signed with Tampa Bay. He didn’t pitch particularly well in AAA for them, either, but got to the big leagues for about a month and did well in seven appearances. He signed with the Dodgers for 2006, pitched well in ten appearances at AAA, and came up to the majors, where at age 29 he finally found big-league success. He was with Los Angeles for three years, appeared in 216 games, and had an ERA of 3.04. Beimel was a free agent after the 2008 season and took a long time to sign, finally signing with Washington in mid-March. He pitched well there, was traded to Colorado in mid-season, and continued to pitch fairly well through 2010. He was a free agent after that season and signed with Pittsburgh. He was injured much of the year but made 35 appearances for the Pirates, working 25.1 innings. Unfortunately, he did not pitch well and was released at the end of August. He signed with Texas for 2012 but was released in late March. He underwent Tommy John surgery on May 1 of 2012. As he’s 36 today, one assumes his playing career is over, but he’s alive and left-handed, so maybe not. Left-handed reliever Dennys (Valarde) Reyes pitched for the Twins from 2006-2008. Born and raised in Higuera de Zaragosa, Mexico, Reyes was signed by the Dodgers as a free agent in 1993. He was a starter in his minor league career and was somewhat up-and-down, but pitched well in a month and a half stint with the Dodgers in 1997. At mid-season of 1998, the Dodgers traded Reyes to Cincinnati, where he stayed through 2001. He was not terrible in those years, although not particularly good, either. He split 2002 between Colorado and Texas, not doing much for either team. Reyes signed with Pittsburgh for 2003, was let go in May, and finished the season with Arizona, spending most of his time there in the minors. Reyes moved to Kansas City in 2004 and San Diego in 2005, doing nothing to attract anyone’s attention. The Padres released Reyes in July of 2005, and he was out of baseball until February of 2006, when Minnesota signed him. Reyes then went out and had one of the best seasons a LOOGY ever had. He appeared in 66 games, but pitched only 50.2 innings. In those innings, he went 5-0, 0.89 with a WHIP of 0.99. His ERA+ was 507. He did not repeat those numbers, but remained a valuable LOOGY for two more seasons. As a Twin, Dennys Reyes appeared in 191 games and pitched 126.1 innings. He was 10-1, 2.14 with a WHIP of 1.27. He became a free agent after the 2008 season and signed with St. Louis. He pitched well for the Cardinals in 2009-2010, then became a free agent again and signed with Boston. He made four appearances for the Red Sox and was made the fall guy for their poor start, getting sent outright to AAA. He then missed most of the season and was released in late September. He signed with Baltimore for 2012 but was released in early March. He did not play in 2012, but did play winter ball last season. We’ll end this with the same line we used in regard to Joe Beimel. As he’s 36 today, one assumes his playing career is over, but he’s alive and left-handed, so maybe not. There’s nothing to be said about catcher Joseph Patrick Mauer that anyone reading this does not already know. He was born and raised in St. Paul and was taken by Minnesota with the first pick of the 2001 draft. His lowest average in the minors was .302, with Class A Quad Cities in 2002. He showed very little power in the minors, never hitting more than five home runs in a season, although he hit 30 doubles in a 2003 split between Fort Myers and New Britain. He started 2004 with Minnesota but was injured most of the season, getting only 107 at-bats (in which he hit .308 with six home runs). His first full season came in 2005, when he hit .294 as a 22-year-old. In 2006, Mauer won his first batting title, the first American League catcher ever to win one. He has won two more since, including his highest average to date in 2009, .365. In 2009, when he won the MVP, Mauer also led the league in on-base percentage and slugging percentage. In 2010, in what some considered an “off year”, he hit .326/.402/.469, won the silver slugger and the gold glove, and finished eighth in MVP voting. He has made the all-star team five times, has finished in the top eight in MVP voting four times, has won three gold gloves, and has won three silver slugger awards. He had an injury-plagued 2011 and took a lot of criticism, but still hit .287 in just under 300 at-bats. He spent substantial time at first base and DH in 2012, but stayed healthy and came back with a fine season, batting .319 and leading the league in on-base percentage. His top ten in similarity scores include five Hall of Famers and two more who eventually will be. Joe Mauer turns thirty today. If he stays healthy, he should be a very good player for several more years yet.

Also posted at wgom.org Bobby Castillo (1955) Jim Eisenreich (1959) Steve Dunn (1970) Brian Buscher (1981) Right-hander Robert Castillo was with the Twins from 1982-1984. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Castillo was drafted by Kansas City in the sixth round in 1974. He was drafted as an outfielder, spent one undistinguished season in rookie ball, and then converted to pitching, apparently while playing in the Mexican League. He was sold to the Dodgers in June of 1977 and in September he was suddenly in the major leagues. His minor league numbers in 1978 and 1979 are awful, but he got chances with the Dodgers anyway and pitched much better in Los Angeles than he had in Albuquerque. He was used mostly as a reliever for the Dodgers. His best year in Los Angeles was 1980, when he was 8-6, 2.75 with five saves and a WHIP of 1.17. He made 61 appearances for the Dodgers that year, pitching 98.1 innings. He had a bad year in 1981, however, and after the season was traded to Minnesota with Bobby Mitchell for Paul Voight and Scotti Madison. The Twins converted Castillo to starting and he did pretty well in 1982, going 13-11, 3.66 with a WHIP of 1.28. He could not repeat his success in 1983, missing part of the year and much of 1984 with injury. A free agent after the 1984 season, he signed with the Dodgers but had a poor 1985 and was released at the end of spring training in 1986. He signed with Oakland in June and finished the season in the Athletics organization. He was in spring training with Seattle in 1987, but was released in late March and his playing career was over. As a Twin, Bobby Castillo was 23-24, 3.98 in 402.1 innings. He appeared in 77 games, 52 of them starts. He is best remembered today as the man who taught Fernando Valenzuela to throw a screwball. At last report, he was involved Babo Baseball, which is designed to help inner city youth programs educate and develop young baseball players into solid all-around athletes. Outfielder James Michael Eisenreich was with the Twins briefly for three seasons from 1982-1984. He was born and raised in St. Cloud, Minnesota and attended St. Cloud State. Minnesota drafted him in the 16th round in 1980. He hit very well in two seasons in the minors. In 1981, Eisenreich hit .311 with 23 home runs for Wisconsin Rapids, and at the start of 1982 he was jumped straight from Class A to the majors and named the Twins’ starting center fielder. Unfortunately, he then began to show the effects of Tourette’s Syndrome, about which little was understood at the time. It took a long time for him to be diagnosed properly, and another long time for proper medication to be prescribed. Eisenreich was named the Twins’ starting center fielder every year from 1982-1984, but it never lasted long, and after the 1984 season, he was out of baseball. He was out until 1987, when the Royals gave him a chance for a comeback. He hit .382 at AA and was back in the majors by late June. He spent all but a month in the majors in 1988, and in 1989 he finally left the minors behind for good. Eisenreich was a regular or semi-regular for the Royals for four seasons, playing corner outfield, and hit .286 in those years. A free agent after the 1992 season, he signed with Philadelphia, for whom he played four more seasons. He got about 300-350 at-bats per season and hit .300 or higher every year. A free agent again after 1996, he signed with Florida. He was a part-time player for the Marlins but had another good year, hitting .280 and helping the Marlins win their first world championship. He stayed with Florida at the beginning of 1998, but was traded to the Dodgers in mid-June. Used primarily as a reserve, he did not play well in Los Angeles and retired after the season at age 39. As a Twin, he hit .283/.348/.384 in 138 at-bats. After his retirement, he moved back to Kansas City, where he runs the Jim Eisenreich Foundation, which helps children with Tourette’s Syndrome achieve personal success. First baseman Steven Robert Dunn played briefly for the Twins in 1994-1995. He was born in Champaign, Illinois, but went to high school in Fairfax, Virginia. Minnesota drafted him in the fourth round in 1988. He took a long time to develop, but after hitting .305 with 26 home runs in Class A Visalia in 1992, Dunn was finally promoted to AA. He hit .309 with 14 homers in AAA Salt Lake in 1994 and was promoted to the majors for about a month. He had another good year in Salt Lake in 1995, this time getting a September call-up. In his two brief appearances with the Twins, Dunn went 8-for-41, with five of his hits going for doubles. The Twins released Dunn after the 1995 season and he signed with Cleveland. He had a decent year for AAA Buffalo, hitting .290 with 12 home runs, but it was not enough to get him back to the majors, and his playing career came to an end after that season. After that, he moved to Tennessee, and is a humanities teacher and assistant coach at Alcoa High School in eastern Tennessee. Third baseman Brian Phillip Buscher played for the Twins for parts of three seasons toward the end of the decade of the 2000s. Born and raised in Jacksonville, Florida, Buscher attended the University of South Carolina and was drafted by San Francisco in the third round in 2003. He spent four uneventful years in the Giants’ system, getting as high as AA. He was never awful, but never particularly impressive, either. Still, the Twins obviously thought they saw something in him, because they selected Buscher in the Rule 5 draft after the 2006 season. Something was obviously worked out, because Buscher started 2007 in the minors. He hit .308 in New Britain and .311 in Rochester and by late July found himself in the majors. He started 2008 back in AAA, but after hitting .319 with 12 homers in 185 at-bats he was back in the big leagues. He had his best season in the majors to date, hitting .294 as a part-time third baseman. Buscher was with the Twins for all but a month in 2009. After the season, however, the Twins let Buscher go. As a Twin, Brian Buscher hit .266/.343/.356 in 436 at-bats. He signed with Cleveland, playing in AAA Columbus in 2010 until late June, when he was released. This appears to have brought his playing career to an end, as he has not reappeared in organized baseball. Instead, he returned to the University of South Carolina to get a degree in psychology while also serving as an assistant baseball coach. He was the head baseball coach of Heathwood Hall Episcopal School in South Carolina, then returned to the University of South Carolina as an assistant coach for 2013.

Also posted at wgom.org Bobby Castillo (1955) Jim Eisenreich (1959) Steve Dunn (1970) Brian Buscher (1981) Right-hander Robert Castillo was with the Twins from 1982-1984. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Castillo was drafted by Kansas City in the sixth round in 1974. He was drafted as an outfielder, spent one undistinguished season in rookie ball, and then converted to pitching, apparently while playing in the Mexican League. He was sold to the Dodgers in June of 1977 and in September he was suddenly in the major leagues. His minor league numbers in 1978 and 1979 are awful, but he got chances with the Dodgers anyway and pitched much better in Los Angeles than he had in Albuquerque. He was used mostly as a reliever for the Dodgers. His best year in Los Angeles was 1980, when he was 8-6, 2.75 with five saves and a WHIP of 1.17. He made 61 appearances for the Dodgers that year, pitching 98.1 innings. He had a bad year in 1981, however, and after the season was traded to Minnesota with Bobby Mitchell for Paul Voight and Scotti Madison. The Twins converted Castillo to starting and he did pretty well in 1982, going 13-11, 3.66 with a WHIP of 1.28. He could not repeat his success in 1983, missing part of the year and much of 1984 with injury. A free agent after the 1984 season, he signed with the Dodgers but had a poor 1985 and was released at the end of spring training in 1986. He signed with Oakland in June and finished the season in the Athletics organization. He was in spring training with Seattle in 1987, but was released in late March and his playing career was over. As a Twin, Bobby Castillo was 23-24, 3.98 in 402.1 innings. He appeared in 77 games, 52 of them starts. He is best remembered today as the man who taught Fernando Valenzuela to throw a screwball. At last report, he was involved Babo Baseball, which is designed to help inner city youth programs educate and develop young baseball players into solid all-around athletes. Outfielder James Michael Eisenreich was with the Twins briefly for three seasons from 1982-1984. He was born and raised in St. Cloud, Minnesota and attended St. Cloud State. Minnesota drafted him in the 16th round in 1980. He hit very well in two seasons in the minors. In 1981, Eisenreich hit .311 with 23 home runs for Wisconsin Rapids, and at the start of 1982 he was jumped straight from Class A to the majors and named the Twins’ starting center fielder. Unfortunately, he then began to show the effects of Tourette’s Syndrome, about which little was understood at the time. It took a long time for him to be diagnosed properly, and another long time for proper medication to be prescribed. Eisenreich was named the Twins’ starting center fielder every year from 1982-1984, but it never lasted long, and after the 1984 season, he was out of baseball. He was out until 1987, when the Royals gave him a chance for a comeback. He hit .382 at AA and was back in the majors by late June. He spent all but a month in the majors in 1988, and in 1989 he finally left the minors behind for good. Eisenreich was a regular or semi-regular for the Royals for four seasons, playing corner outfield, and hit .286 in those years. A free agent after the 1992 season, he signed with Philadelphia, for whom he played four more seasons. He got about 300-350 at-bats per season and hit .300 or higher every year. A free agent again after 1996, he signed with Florida. He was a part-time player for the Marlins but had another good year, hitting .280 and helping the Marlins win their first world championship. He stayed with Florida at the beginning of 1998, but was traded to the Dodgers in mid-June. Used primarily as a reserve, he did not play well in Los Angeles and retired after the season at age 39. As a Twin, he hit .283/.348/.384 in 138 at-bats. After his retirement, he moved back to Kansas City, where he runs the Jim Eisenreich Foundation, which helps children with Tourette’s Syndrome achieve personal success. First baseman Steven Robert Dunn played briefly for the Twins in 1994-1995. He was born in Champaign, Illinois, but went to high school in Fairfax, Virginia. Minnesota drafted him in the fourth round in 1988. He took a long time to develop, but after hitting .305 with 26 home runs in Class A Visalia in 1992, Dunn was finally promoted to AA. He hit .309 with 14 homers in AAA Salt Lake in 1994 and was promoted to the majors for about a month. He had another good year in Salt Lake in 1995, this time getting a September call-up. In his two brief appearances with the Twins, Dunn went 8-for-41, with five of his hits going for doubles. The Twins released Dunn after the 1995 season and he signed with Cleveland. He had a decent year for AAA Buffalo, hitting .290 with 12 home runs, but it was not enough to get him back to the majors, and his playing career came to an end after that season. After that, he moved to Tennessee, and is a humanities teacher and assistant coach at Alcoa High School in eastern Tennessee. Third baseman Brian Phillip Buscher played for the Twins for parts of three seasons toward the end of the decade of the 2000s. Born and raised in Jacksonville, Florida, Buscher attended the University of South Carolina and was drafted by San Francisco in the third round in 2003. He spent four uneventful years in the Giants’ system, getting as high as AA. He was never awful, but never particularly impressive, either. Still, the Twins obviously thought they saw something in him, because they selected Buscher in the Rule 5 draft after the 2006 season. Something was obviously worked out, because Buscher started 2007 in the minors. He hit .308 in New Britain and .311 in Rochester and by late July found himself in the majors. He started 2008 back in AAA, but after hitting .319 with 12 homers in 185 at-bats he was back in the big leagues. He had his best season in the majors to date, hitting .294 as a part-time third baseman. Buscher was with the Twins for all but a month in 2009. After the season, however, the Twins let Buscher go. As a Twin, Brian Buscher hit .266/.343/.356 in 436 at-bats. He signed with Cleveland, playing in AAA Columbus in 2010 until late June, when he was released. This appears to have brought his playing career to an end, as he has not reappeared in organized baseball. Instead, he returned to the University of South Carolina to get a degree in psychology while also serving as an assistant baseball coach. He was the head baseball coach of Heathwood Hall Episcopal School in South Carolina, then returned to the University of South Carolina as an assistant coach for 2013.

There do not appear to be any players associated with the Minnesota Twins who were born on this day. It is, however, the birthday of Alexander Cartwright (1820).

There do not appear to be any players associated with the Minnesota Twins who were born on this day. It is, however, the birthday of Alexander Cartwright (1820).

Also posted at wgom.org Rich Rollins (1938) Bernie Allen (1939) Garry Roggenburk (1940) Third baseman Richard John Rollins played for the Minnesota Twins from 1961-1968. He was born in Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania, went to high school in Parma, Ohio, attended Kent State, and signed with Washington as a free agent in 1960. He spent less than two years in the minors, coming up to what was now the Minnesota Twins for a couple of months in 1961 and making the team to stay out of spring training in 1962. He made the all-star team in his first full major league season, hitting .298 with 16 home runs. Rollins finished eighth in MVP voting that year. 1963 was just as good, as Rollins hit .307, again hitting 16 homers and again receiving some MVP consideration. He fell off some after that, and after hitting .249 in 1965 Rollins fell to part-time status, sharing time at third with Harmon Killebrew from 1966-1968. He was left unprotected in the expansion draft after the 1968 season and was chosen by the Seattle Pilots. He had a poor year as a part-time player in 1969 and was released by the now Milwaukee Brewers in May of 1970. He signed with Cleveland, finished the year there, and his playing career came to an end. As a Twin, he hit .272/.333/.394 in 3,048 at-bats stretching over eight seasons. After leaving baseball, he worked for the Cleveland Cavaliers for a while. At last report, Rich Rollins was living in Akron, Ohio. Second baseman Bernard Keith Allen played for the Twins from 1962-1966. Born and raised in East Liverpool, Ohio, he attended Purdue, where he was also the quarterback on the football team, and signed with Minnesota as a free agent in 1961. He had a rather undistinguished 1961 season at Class A Charlotte, but in 1962 he was the Twins’ regular second baseman. He did surprisingly well, hitting .269 with 12 homers and finishing third in Rookie of the Year voting. That would turn out to be his best year in the majors. He fell to .240 in 1963, and a knee injury in 1964 which would bother him the rest of his career turned him into a part-time player, with Jerry Kindall seeing significant time at second base. In 1965 he fell even further, spending much of the year at AAA Denver. He was back with the Twins in 1966, this time sharing second base with Cesar Tovar, but his batting never really came back, and after the season he was traded to Washington with Camilo Pascual for Ron Kline. Allen had an awful year in 1967, but came back to relative mediocrity for the next three seasons, in which he was the mostly regular for the Senators at second base. He fell to part-time status in 1971, but rebounded to a .266 batting average, his best since his rookie year. After the season, Allen was traded to the Yankees. He was a reserve infielder there until mid-August of 1973, when he was sold to Montreal. He was released after the 1973 season, ending his playing career. As a Twin, he hit.246/.316/.366 in 1,595 at-bats stretching over five seasons. At last report, Bernie Allen was living in Carmel, Indiana and was working part-time at a golf course there. Left-handed reliever Garry Earl Roggenburk was with the Twins in 1963, 1965-1966. Born and raised in Cleveland, he attended the University of Dayton. He played basketball as well as baseball, leading his team to the NIT championship in 1962 (he still holds the school record with 32 rebounds in one game). He was drafted by the San Francisco Warriors, but signed with Minnesota as a free agent in 1962. He had a tremendous season as a starter in 1962 at Class A Erie, and was in the majors at the start of 1963. He was not worked very hard, but pitched well when given a chance, going 2-4, 2.16 in 50 innings. He did not play in 1964 for reasons that are not clear. Roggenburk started 1965 in AAA Denver, pitched well there, and was back in the big leagues by mid-July. He was again used sparingly but pitched well, going 1-0, 3.43 in 21 innings. He again started 1966 in Denver and was seldom used when he returned to the majors. Finally, since they weren’t using him, the Twins sold Roggenburk to Boston in September of 1966. As a Twin, Garry Roggenburk was 4-6, 3.02. He pitched in 60 games, two of them starts, and pitched 83.1 innings. He had a fine year in AAA Toronto in 1967, mostly used as a starting pitcher. He started 1968 in Boston and pitched well in four outings, but was apparently injured, as he made only four more appearances in AAA the rest of the season. He began 1969 with Boston, but was sold to the Seattle Pilots in late June. Roggenburk finished the season there, and then his playing career came to an end. He did some coaching after that, working in the Red Sox’ organization. He was the general manager of the Winter Haven Red Sox from 1978-1983. He then became a real estate appraiser in Cleveland, an occupation he stuck with until he retired. He is a member of the University of Dayton Hall of Fame. At last report, Garry Roggenburk was living in Avon, Ohio.

Also posted at wgom.org Rich Rollins (1938) Bernie Allen (1939) Garry Roggenburk (1940) Third baseman Richard John Rollins played for the Minnesota Twins from 1961-1968. He was born in Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania, went to high school in Parma, Ohio, attended Kent State, and signed with Washington as a free agent in 1960. He spent less than two years in the minors, coming up to what was now the Minnesota Twins for a couple of months in 1961 and making the team to stay out of spring training in 1962. He made the all-star team in his first full major league season, hitting .298 with 16 home runs. Rollins finished eighth in MVP voting that year. 1963 was just as good, as Rollins hit .307, again hitting 16 homers and again receiving some MVP consideration. He fell off some after that, and after hitting .249 in 1965 Rollins fell to part-time status, sharing time at third with Harmon Killebrew from 1966-1968. He was left unprotected in the expansion draft after the 1968 season and was chosen by the Seattle Pilots. He had a poor year as a part-time player in 1969 and was released by the now Milwaukee Brewers in May of 1970. He signed with Cleveland, finished the year there, and his playing career came to an end. As a Twin, he hit .272/.333/.394 in 3,048 at-bats stretching over eight seasons. After leaving baseball, he worked for the Cleveland Cavaliers for a while. At last report, Rich Rollins was living in Akron, Ohio. Second baseman Bernard Keith Allen played for the Twins from 1962-1966. Born and raised in East Liverpool, Ohio, he attended Purdue, where he was also the quarterback on the football team, and signed with Minnesota as a free agent in 1961. He had a rather undistinguished 1961 season at Class A Charlotte, but in 1962 he was the Twins’ regular second baseman. He did surprisingly well, hitting .269 with 12 homers and finishing third in Rookie of the Year voting. That would turn out to be his best year in the majors. He fell to .240 in 1963, and a knee injury in 1964 which would bother him the rest of his career turned him into a part-time player, with Jerry Kindall seeing significant time at second base. In 1965 he fell even further, spending much of the year at AAA Denver. He was back with the Twins in 1966, this time sharing second base with Cesar Tovar, but his batting never really came back, and after the season he was traded to Washington with Camilo Pascual for Ron Kline. Allen had an awful year in 1967, but came back to relative mediocrity for the next three seasons, in which he was the mostly regular for the Senators at second base. He fell to part-time status in 1971, but rebounded to a .266 batting average, his best since his rookie year. After the season, Allen was traded to the Yankees. He was a reserve infielder there until mid-August of 1973, when he was sold to Montreal. He was released after the 1973 season, ending his playing career. As a Twin, he hit.246/.316/.366 in 1,595 at-bats stretching over five seasons. At last report, Bernie Allen was living in Carmel, Indiana and was working part-time at a golf course there. Left-handed reliever Garry Earl Roggenburk was with the Twins in 1963, 1965-1966. Born and raised in Cleveland, he attended the University of Dayton. He played basketball as well as baseball, leading his team to the NIT championship in 1962 (he still holds the school record with 32 rebounds in one game). He was drafted by the San Francisco Warriors, but signed with Minnesota as a free agent in 1962. He had a tremendous season as a starter in 1962 at Class A Erie, and was in the majors at the start of 1963. He was not worked very hard, but pitched well when given a chance, going 2-4, 2.16 in 50 innings. He did not play in 1964 for reasons that are not clear. Roggenburk started 1965 in AAA Denver, pitched well there, and was back in the big leagues by mid-July. He was again used sparingly but pitched well, going 1-0, 3.43 in 21 innings. He again started 1966 in Denver and was seldom used when he returned to the majors. Finally, since they weren’t using him, the Twins sold Roggenburk to Boston in September of 1966. As a Twin, Garry Roggenburk was 4-6, 3.02. He pitched in 60 games, two of them starts, and pitched 83.1 innings. He had a fine year in AAA Toronto in 1967, mostly used as a starting pitcher. He started 1968 in Boston and pitched well in four outings, but was apparently injured, as he made only four more appearances in AAA the rest of the season. He began 1969 with Boston, but was sold to the Seattle Pilots in late June. Roggenburk finished the season there, and then his playing career came to an end. He did some coaching after that, working in the Red Sox’ organization. He was the general manager of the Winter Haven Red Sox from 1978-1983. He then became a real estate appraiser in Cleveland, an occupation he stuck with until he retired. He is a member of the University of Dayton Hall of Fame. At last report, Garry Roggenburk was living in Avon, Ohio.

There are no players with connections to the Twins who were born on this day.

There are no players with connections to the Twins who were born on this day.

Also posted at wgom.org Ron Schueler (1948) Greg Myers (1966) Mike Trombley (1967) Right-hander Ronald Richard Schueler pitched for the Twins in 1977. Born and raised in Catherine, Kansas, Schueler was drafted by Atlanta in the third round of the secondary phase of the January draft in 1967. He struggled in his early years in the minors, but put things together in 1969, when he was used primarily in relief for AA Shreveport. He then had an excellent year as a starter in 1971, a year he split between AA Savannah and AAA Richmond. He made the Braves out of spring training in 1972 and never returned to the minors. He was with Atlanta for two seasons, making about an equal number of appearances as a starter and as a reliever. He was a valuable pitcher for the Braves in both years, but they didn’t seem to know what to do with him, and traded him to Philadelphia after the 1973 season. The Phillies placed him in the starting rotation for the first half of 1974 and he did reasonably well, but he was shifted to the bullpen in mid-July and mostly stayed there the rest of his career. Schueler was up and down in his career as a Phillie, but was fairly decent for the most part. Just before the 1977 season, he was sold to Minnesota. In his one season with the Twins, Ron Schueler went 8-7, 4.41. He pitched in 52 games, seven of them starts, and worked 134.2 innings. Schueler became a free agent after the season and signed with the White Sox, where he stayed for two years. His 1978 was pretty similar to his 1977, but he was injured much of 1979 and pitched poorly when he did pitch. His playing career came to an end after that season. After his playing career ended, Schueler became a major league pitching coach, working for the White Sox, Athletics, and Padres through 1986. He then worked in the Athletics front office through 1990, when he became the general manager of the White Sox. He held the job through 2000, then went into semi-retirement. He was a special consultant to the White Sox through 2002, was a special assistant for the Cubs in 2003, a special assistant for the Cardinals from 2005-2007, a special assistant for the Giants from 2008-2009, and a special adviser to the general manager for the Washington Nationals in 2010. It is unclear whether he is still working for the Nationals; several sources still list him in that position, but his name does not appear in the front office listings on the Nationals’ website. Ron Schueler lives in Paradise Valley, Arizona. Catcher Gregory Richard Myers was with the Twins for almost two seasons, 1996-1997. Born and raised in Riverside, California, he was drafted by Toronto in the third round in 1984. He generally put up high batting averages in the minors, though he stumbled a couple of times when first promoted. Oddly, his first major league action came as a September call-up following one of those stumbles: he hit only .246 in his first year at AAA, but was promoted in September of that year. He got another brief trial in 1989 and had his first full year in the majors in 1990. He was a part-time catcher for the Blue Jays through 1992, when he was traded to California. He held the same status for the Angels through 1995. He was a mediocre hitter to this point; not great, not totally awful. His averages had ranged from .236 to .262, his home run total from five to nine. Myers was a free agent after the 1995 season and signed with Minnesota. Tom Kelly managed to get one of the best years of Myers’ career out of him, as Myers hit .286 in 1996, sharing catching duties with Matt Walbeck. He was backing up Terry Steinbach in 1997 when he was traded to Atlanta in early September for a player to be named later (Steve Hacker). As a Twin, he hit .279/.323/.429 in 494 at-bats. A free agent after the season, he signed with the Padres. Myers stayed with San Diego through July of 1999, when he was again traded to Atlanta. He again became a free agent after the season. Myers was with Baltimore through June of 2001, was with Oakland through 2002, and then made a full circle by signing back with Toronto for 2003. That year, at age 37, he had the best season of his career, hitting .307 with 15 home runs. He was injured most of 2004, and played briefly in 2005, retiring in late April of that year. Greg Myers played in parts of 18 seasons, despite never getting as many as 330 at-bats in any of them. At last report, he was an assistant baseball coach at his high school Riverside Poly, in his hometown of Riverside, California. He was inducted into that school’s Hall of Fame in 2009. Right-hander Michael Scott Trombley pitched for the Twins from 1992-1999 and again briefly in 2002. He was born in Springfield, Massachusetts, grew up in Wilbraham, Massachusetts, attended Duke, and was drafted by Minnesota in the fourteenth round in 1989. Used mostly as a starter in the minors, Trombley pitched quite well, posting a WHIP below 1.3 every year through 1992. He made his debut in the majors in 1992, coming up in mid-August and pitching very well, going 3-2, 3.30. His first full year in the majors was 1993, but he struggled, posting an ERA of 4.88 and a WHIP of 1.50. He split the next three years, 1994-1996, between AAA and the majors. He continued to struggle in Minnesota until 1996, when he was moved to the bullpen for good. He also developed a split-finger fastball that year. He came up to the Twins in early June of that year and went 5-1, 3.01 in 68.2 innings. Trombley then was in the majors to stay, and remained with the Twins through 1999. He was a valuable member of their bullpen in those years, making numerous appearances and posting ERAs in the vicinity of four. After the 1999 season, Trombley became a free agent and signed with Baltimore. He was with the Orioles until late July of 2001, and pitched for them about like he had been pitching for the Twins. On July 31, 2001, the Orioles traded Trombley to the Dodgers. He struggled in 19 appearances and was released at the end of spring training in 2002. The Twins re-signed him in mid-April, but things did not work out. In five appearances for the Twins, Trombley gave up seven runs on ten hits in four innings. He was released in early June, ending his playing career. As a Twin, Mike Trombley was 30-34, 4.53. He pitched in 365 games, 36 of them starts, and pitched 645.2 innings. He lived in Florida until 2008, spent a year in North Carolina, and moved back to his home town of Wilbraham, Massachusetts in the summer of 2009. He currently works in his father’s financial planning business, Trombley Associates, where he is a managing partner and financial consultant. He also hosts a radio program, Around the Bases with Mike Trombley, which is broadcast on a sports radio station in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Also posted at wgom.org Ron Schueler (1948) Greg Myers (1966) Mike Trombley (1967) Right-hander Ronald Richard Schueler pitched for the Twins in 1977. Born and raised in Catherine, Kansas, Schueler was drafted by Atlanta in the third round of the secondary phase of the January draft in 1967. He struggled in his early years in the minors, but put things together in 1969, when he was used primarily in relief for AA Shreveport. He then had an excellent year as a starter in 1971, a year he split between AA Savannah and AAA Richmond. He made the Braves out of spring training in 1972 and never returned to the minors. He was with Atlanta for two seasons, making about an equal number of appearances as a starter and as a reliever. He was a valuable pitcher for the Braves in both years, but they didn’t seem to know what to do with him, and traded him to Philadelphia after the 1973 season. The Phillies placed him in the starting rotation for the first half of 1974 and he did reasonably well, but he was shifted to the bullpen in mid-July and mostly stayed there the rest of his career. Schueler was up and down in his career as a Phillie, but was fairly decent for the most part. Just before the 1977 season, he was sold to Minnesota. In his one season with the Twins, Ron Schueler went 8-7, 4.41. He pitched in 52 games, seven of them starts, and worked 134.2 innings. Schueler became a free agent after the season and signed with the White Sox, where he stayed for two years. His 1978 was pretty similar to his 1977, but he was injured much of 1979 and pitched poorly when he did pitch. His playing career came to an end after that season. After his playing career ended, Schueler became a major league pitching coach, working for the White Sox, Athletics, and Padres through 1986. He then worked in the Athletics front office through 1990, when he became the general manager of the White Sox. He held the job through 2000, then went into semi-retirement. He was a special consultant to the White Sox through 2002, was a special assistant for the Cubs in 2003, a special assistant for the Cardinals from 2005-2007, a special assistant for the Giants from 2008-2009, and a special adviser to the general manager for the Washington Nationals in 2010. It is unclear whether he is still working for the Nationals; several sources still list him in that position, but his name does not appear in the front office listings on the Nationals’ website. Ron Schueler lives in Paradise Valley, Arizona. Catcher Gregory Richard Myers was with the Twins for almost two seasons, 1996-1997. Born and raised in Riverside, California, he was drafted by Toronto in the third round in 1984. He generally put up high batting averages in the minors, though he stumbled a couple of times when first promoted. Oddly, his first major league action came as a September call-up following one of those stumbles: he hit only .246 in his first year at AAA, but was promoted in September of that year. He got another brief trial in 1989 and had his first full year in the majors in 1990. He was a part-time catcher for the Blue Jays through 1992, when he was traded to California. He held the same status for the Angels through 1995. He was a mediocre hitter to this point; not great, not totally awful. His averages had ranged from .236 to .262, his home run total from five to nine. Myers was a free agent after the 1995 season and signed with Minnesota. Tom Kelly managed to get one of the best years of Myers’ career out of him, as Myers hit .286 in 1996, sharing catching duties with Matt Walbeck. He was backing up Terry Steinbach in 1997 when he was traded to Atlanta in early September for a player to be named later (Steve Hacker). As a Twin, he hit .279/.323/.429 in 494 at-bats. A free agent after the season, he signed with the Padres. Myers stayed with San Diego through July of 1999, when he was again traded to Atlanta. He again became a free agent after the season. Myers was with Baltimore through June of 2001, was with Oakland through 2002, and then made a full circle by signing back with Toronto for 2003. That year, at age 37, he had the best season of his career, hitting .307 with 15 home runs. He was injured most of 2004, and played briefly in 2005, retiring in late April of that year. Greg Myers played in parts of 18 seasons, despite never getting as many as 330 at-bats in any of them. At last report, he was an assistant baseball coach at his high school Riverside Poly, in his hometown of Riverside, California. He was inducted into that school’s Hall of Fame in 2009. Right-hander Michael Scott Trombley pitched for the Twins from 1992-1999 and again briefly in 2002. He was born in Springfield, Massachusetts, grew up in Wilbraham, Massachusetts, attended Duke, and was drafted by Minnesota in the fourteenth round in 1989. Used mostly as a starter in the minors, Trombley pitched quite well, posting a WHIP below 1.3 every year through 1992. He made his debut in the majors in 1992, coming up in mid-August and pitching very well, going 3-2, 3.30. His first full year in the majors was 1993, but he struggled, posting an ERA of 4.88 and a WHIP of 1.50. He split the next three years, 1994-1996, between AAA and the majors. He continued to struggle in Minnesota until 1996, when he was moved to the bullpen for good. He also developed a split-finger fastball that year. He came up to the Twins in early June of that year and went 5-1, 3.01 in 68.2 innings. Trombley then was in the majors to stay, and remained with the Twins through 1999. He was a valuable member of their bullpen in those years, making numerous appearances and posting ERAs in the vicinity of four. After the 1999 season, Trombley became a free agent and signed with Baltimore. He was with the Orioles until late July of 2001, and pitched for them about like he had been pitching for the Twins. On July 31, 2001, the Orioles traded Trombley to the Dodgers. He struggled in 19 appearances and was released at the end of spring training in 2002. The Twins re-signed him in mid-April, but things did not work out. In five appearances for the Twins, Trombley gave up seven runs on ten hits in four innings. He was released in early June, ending his playing career. As a Twin, Mike Trombley was 30-34, 4.53. He pitched in 365 games, 36 of them starts, and pitched 645.2 innings. He lived in Florida until 2008, spent a year in North Carolina, and moved back to his home town of Wilbraham, Massachusetts in the summer of 2009. He currently works in his father’s financial planning business, Trombley Associates, where he is a managing partner and financial consultant. He also hosts a radio program, Around the Bases with Mike Trombley, which is broadcast on a sports radio station in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Also posted at wgom.org Jeff Bittiger (1962) Kevin Ohme (1971) Right-hander Jeffrey Scott Bittiger pitched in three games for the Twins in 1987. He was born in Jersey City and went to high school in Seacaucus, New Jersey. Bittiger was drafted by the Mets in the seventh round in 1980. His minor league numbers were fairly solid–his best year was 1982 with AA Jackson, when he went 12-5, 2.96 with a WHIP of 1.22 and 190 strikeouts in 164 innings. He was promoted to AAA in 1983 and spent three seasons at AAA Tidewater, where his numbers may not have been eye-popping but were not too bad, either. The Mets traded Bittiger to Philadelphia prior to the 1986 season. He won 13 games at AAA and pitched well enough to get a September call-up, but the Phillies gave up on him and released him after the season. He signed with Atlanta, was released at the end of spring training, and signed with Minnesota in mid-April of 1987. He spent most of the season at AAA, but was called up in September and started a game during the Twins’ stretch run, defeating the White Sox and giving up only a run on six hits in seven innings. He then made two poor relief appearances, however, and was released after the season. As a Twin, Jeff Bittiger was 1-0, 5.40, giving up five runs on eleven hits in 8.1 innings. His one good start must have impressed Chicago, however, as the White Sox signed him for 1988. Bittiger got the most big-league playing time of his career that season; after seven excellent starts at AAA, he came up to Chicago in mid-May and stayed the rest of the season. He was mostly used in relief, although he made occasional starts. He was unexceptional, but decent enough for the White Sox to keep him in AAA for 1989. He was in AAA almost all season, making only two appearances in the majors but having another fine season at AAA. The White Sox traded him to the Dodgers after the season. He moved on to the Indians organization for 1991, the Athletics’ system for 1992, and the Royals’ chain for 1993, not doing too badly but never getting another chance in the majors. He played in the Northern League in 1994, went back to the Oakland organization for 1995, and then played for the Fargo-Moorhead Red Hawks in the Northern League from 1996-2002. Jeff Bittiger is a scout for the Oakland Athletics. He is also a player personnel consultant for the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks, as well as being on the staff of the Lehigh Valley Baseball Academy. His son was a shortstop for Fairleigh Dickinson University. Left-hander Kevin Arthur Ohme was drafted by the Twins, but did not play for them. Born in Palm Beach, Florida, he was drafted by Minnesota in the ninth round in 1993. He was in the Twins’ farm system for seven seasons, used mostly in relief, although he made 11 starts for AA Hardware City in 1995. He pretty much topped out at AA, posting an ERA of 3.85 in two seasons there. He had three seasons for AAA Salt Lake, with an ERA over five in the first two. Even the third season, 1999, when his ERA was 3.83, was deceiving, as he had a WHIP of 1.52 that year. The Twins let him go after 1999 and he went to Japan for two years, playing for the Nippon Ham Fighters. He came back to the United States in 2002 and signed with St. Louis. Ohme had two undistinguished years at AAA Memphis, but in 2003 he appeared in two major league games for the Cardinals, giving up no runs on three hits in 4.1 innings. The Cardinals did not re-sign him after that season, but he went to spring training with the Angels for 2004. That spring, he injured his elbow and needed Tommy John surgery. It did not work out, and Kevin Ohme’s playing career ended. He is one of the few players to retire with a major league ERA of 0.00. He also got a hit in his only major league at-bat, giving him a lifetime average of 1.000. Kevin Ohme is currently the Minister of Activities for the First Baptist Church of Brandon, Florida. He also coaches youth baseball.

Also posted at wgom.org Jeff Bittiger (1962) Kevin Ohme (1971) Right-hander Jeffrey Scott Bittiger pitched in three games for the Twins in 1987. He was born in Jersey City and went to high school in Seacaucus, New Jersey. Bittiger was drafted by the Mets in the seventh round in 1980. His minor league numbers were fairly solid–his best year was 1982 with AA Jackson, when he went 12-5, 2.96 with a WHIP of 1.22 and 190 strikeouts in 164 innings. He was promoted to AAA in 1983 and spent three seasons at AAA Tidewater, where his numbers may not have been eye-popping but were not too bad, either. The Mets traded Bittiger to Philadelphia prior to the 1986 season. He won 13 games at AAA and pitched well enough to get a September call-up, but the Phillies gave up on him and released him after the season. He signed with Atlanta, was released at the end of spring training, and signed with Minnesota in mid-April of 1987. He spent most of the season at AAA, but was called up in September and started a game during the Twins’ stretch run, defeating the White Sox and giving up only a run on six hits in seven innings. He then made two poor relief appearances, however, and was released after the season. As a Twin, Jeff Bittiger was 1-0, 5.40, giving up five runs on eleven hits in 8.1 innings. His one good start must have impressed Chicago, however, as the White Sox signed him for 1988. Bittiger got the most big-league playing time of his career that season; after seven excellent starts at AAA, he came up to Chicago in mid-May and stayed the rest of the season. He was mostly used in relief, although he made occasional starts. He was unexceptional, but decent enough for the White Sox to keep him in AAA for 1989. He was in AAA almost all season, making only two appearances in the majors but having another fine season at AAA. The White Sox traded him to the Dodgers after the season. He moved on to the Indians organization for 1991, the Athletics’ system for 1992, and the Royals’ chain for 1993, not doing too badly but never getting another chance in the majors. He played in the Northern League in 1994, went back to the Oakland organization for 1995, and then played for the Fargo-Moorhead Red Hawks in the Northern League from 1996-2002. Jeff Bittiger is a scout for the Oakland Athletics. He is also a player personnel consultant for the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks, as well as being on the staff of the Lehigh Valley Baseball Academy. His son was a shortstop for Fairleigh Dickinson University. Left-hander Kevin Arthur Ohme was drafted by the Twins, but did not play for them. Born in Palm Beach, Florida, he was drafted by Minnesota in the ninth round in 1993. He was in the Twins’ farm system for seven seasons, used mostly in relief, although he made 11 starts for AA Hardware City in 1995. He pretty much topped out at AA, posting an ERA of 3.85 in two seasons there. He had three seasons for AAA Salt Lake, with an ERA over five in the first two. Even the third season, 1999, when his ERA was 3.83, was deceiving, as he had a WHIP of 1.52 that year. The Twins let him go after 1999 and he went to Japan for two years, playing for the Nippon Ham Fighters. He came back to the United States in 2002 and signed with St. Louis. Ohme had two undistinguished years at AAA Memphis, but in 2003 he appeared in two major league games for the Cardinals, giving up no runs on three hits in 4.1 innings. The Cardinals did not re-sign him after that season, but he went to spring training with the Angels for 2004. That spring, he injured his elbow and needed Tommy John surgery. It did not work out, and Kevin Ohme’s playing career ended. He is one of the few players to retire with a major league ERA of 0.00. He also got a hit in his only major league at-bat, giving him a lifetime average of 1.000. Kevin Ohme is currently the Minister of Activities for the First Baptist Church of Brandon, Florida. He also coaches youth baseball.

Also posted at wgom.org. Pedro Hernandez (1989) Left-hander Pedro Michel Hernandez has not played for the Twins yet, but joined their farm system in late July of 2012. He was born in Barquimsimeto, Venezuela and signed with San Diego as a free agent in 2006. He did very well in rookie ball but struggled in his first two tries at Class A. He took a substantial step forward in 2011, pitching well in both A and AA, although he struggled in four AAA starts. He was traded to the White Sox after the 2011 season in a deal for Carlos Quentin. He started very well in AA in 2012 and also did well in three AAA appearances. He made what one presumes was an emergency start for the White Sox on July 18 in Boston, allowing eight runs on twelve hits in four innings. He was traded to Minnesota with Eduardo Escobar on July 28 for Francisco Liriano. The Twins sent him to Rochester, where he struggled in four starts, going 0-2, 5.19, 5.00 WHIP. He began 2013 in Rochester but was promoted to Minnesota early in the season. He has made one start so far, a start which was not great but not awful. His AAA numbers are not very impressive, but he’s only twenty-four today. If he can take another step forward this season, the Twins could have something.