Jeff A

Also posted at wgom.org Bill Zepp (1946) Right-hander Bill Zepp pitched for the Twins from 1969-1970. Born and raised in Detroit, he attended the University of Michigan, played in the Basin League for the Valentine Hearts, and was signed by the Twins as a free agent in 1968. A starter in the minors, he pitched very well there, posting an ERA of three in Class A Wisconsin Rapids in 1968 and going 15-3, 2.34 with a 1.08 WHIP in 1969 in AA Charlotte. He was with the Twins for about three weeks in August of 1969, working 5.1 relief innings. The next year, 1970, was his only full season in the majors. He started the season in the bullpen, pitched extremely well there, and went into the rotation in early July, where he continued to pitch well. For the season, he made 20 starts and relieved 23 times. In 151 innings, he went 9-4, 3.22 with a 1.36 WHIP, which is pretty good for an undrafted 23-year-old. It didn’t impress the Twins much, though, because he was taken out of the rotation at the end of the year and traded to Detroit in spring training of 1971 for Mike Adams and a player to be named later (Art Clifford). He was probably excited to be going home, but it didn’t work out well. He started the season with Detroit, posted a 5.12 ERA, and was sent back to AAA in late June. He pitched six times in AAA Toledo, not doing particularly well. It appears that he needed Tommy John surgery. The procedure was still new then, and Zepp decided to retire rather than risk the surgery. At last report, Bill Zepp was retired and living in Plymouth, Michigan. He frequently attends Detroit Tigers and University of Michigan alumni events.

Also posted at wgom.org Bill Zepp (1946) Right-hander Bill Zepp pitched for the Twins from 1969-1970. Born and raised in Detroit, he attended the University of Michigan, played in the Basin League for the Valentine Hearts, and was signed by the Twins as a free agent in 1968. A starter in the minors, he pitched very well there, posting an ERA of three in Class A Wisconsin Rapids in 1968 and going 15-3, 2.34 with a 1.08 WHIP in 1969 in AA Charlotte. He was with the Twins for about three weeks in August of 1969, working 5.1 relief innings. The next year, 1970, was his only full season in the majors. He started the season in the bullpen, pitched extremely well there, and went into the rotation in early July, where he continued to pitch well. For the season, he made 20 starts and relieved 23 times. In 151 innings, he went 9-4, 3.22 with a 1.36 WHIP, which is pretty good for an undrafted 23-year-old. It didn’t impress the Twins much, though, because he was taken out of the rotation at the end of the year and traded to Detroit in spring training of 1971 for Mike Adams and a player to be named later (Art Clifford). He was probably excited to be going home, but it didn’t work out well. He started the season with Detroit, posted a 5.12 ERA, and was sent back to AAA in late June. He pitched six times in AAA Toledo, not doing particularly well. It appears that he needed Tommy John surgery. The procedure was still new then, and Zepp decided to retire rather than risk the surgery. At last report, Bill Zepp was retired and living in Plymouth, Michigan. He frequently attends Detroit Tigers and University of Michigan alumni events.

Also posted at wgom.org Jim Manning (1943) Mike Cubbage (1950) Kimera Bartee (1972) Brian Buchanan (1973) Willie Eyre (1978) Right-hander James Benjamin Manning made five appearances with the Twins in 1962. He was born in L’Anse, Michigan, went to high school in Ewan, Michigan, and signed with the Twins as a free agent in 1961. He had a fairly mediocre year in Class D Wytheville in 1961, but started 1962 in the majors. He lasted almost a month, making four relief appearances and one start. He did not give up any earned runs in the relief appearances, but allowed six runs (four earned) on seven hits in 2.1 innings in the start, so his stats show an ERA of 5.14 in seven innings. Those are also his lifetime numbers, as he never made it back to the big leagues again. He spent the rest of 1962 in Class A Charlotte, had solid years in AA in 1963-1965, but never got any higher and was let go by the Twins after the 1965 season. He was at AA York in the Washington organization in 1966, then his playing career was over at age 23. It seems odd that the Twins would jump him from Class D to the majors at age 18, but not give him another chance when he was a little older and had some success at AA. As you might guess, there are lots of people in the world named “Jim Manning”. No information about what this Jim Manning has done since his playing career ended was readily available. Infielder Michael Lee Cubbage played for the Twins from 1976-1980. Born and raised in Charlottesville, Virginia, he attended the University of Virginia and was drafted by Washington in the second round of the June Secondary draft in 1971. He played more second base than third in the minors, although he saw time at both positions. He hit for high averages throughout the minors, topping .300 every year but 1972, when he hit .281 for Class A Burlington. Cubbage was in the majors with Texas briefly at the start of 1974 and came up to stay in mid-June of 1975, playing as a reserve second baseman. On June 1 of 1976, he was traded to Minnesota with Jim Gideon, Bill Singer, Roy Smalley, and $250,000 for Bert Blyleven and Danny Thompson. He was the mostly regular third baseman for the next few years, sharing the position with Dave McKay, Jerry Terrell, and Larry Wolfe but getting the majority of the playing time. He hit for a decent average with a fair number of walks, but had little power. In 1979 he began losing playing time to John Castino, and in 1980 he actually saw more playing time at first base than at third, starting 59 games there. He really didn’t hit enough for a third baseman, so his offense was completely inadequate at first. As a Twin, he hit .266/.336/.378 in 1,681 at-bats. Cubbage became a free agent after the 1980 season and signed with the Mets. He was mostly a pinch-hitter for the Mets, missing two months with an injury. He played in AAA for them in 1982, then his playing career came to an end. He remained in the Mets’ organization, however, managing for them in the minors from 1983-1989 and coaching for them in the majors from 1990-1996. He then coached for Houston in 1997-2001 and for Boston from 2002-2003. At last report, Mike Cubbage was a scout for the Tampa Bay Rays. He is a cousin of former major league players Chris Haney and Larry Haney. Outfielder Kimera Anotchi Bartee did not play for the Twins in either the majors or the minors, but did belong to their team for a short time. Born and raised in Omaha, he went to Creighton, then was drafted by Baltimore in the fourteenth round in 1993. A speedy singles hitter, Bartee hit fairly well in the minors through 1995. At that point, he came to the Twins with Scott Klingenbeck as the player to be named later in the trade that sent Scott Erickson to Baltimore. This happened in mid-September; that December, the Twins left Bartee unprotected in the Rule 5 draft and Baltimore took him back. They waived him in spring training, and he was chosen by Detroit. He stayed with the Tigers all of the 1996 season and wasn’t awful as a reserve outfielder, hitting .253 in 217 at-bats and stealing 20 bases. He went back and forth from AAA Toledo to Detroit from 1997-1999, but never hit above .200 again in a major league season. Bartee went to the Reds’ organization for 2000, signed with Anaheim for 2001, was traded to Colorado in mid-July for Chone Figgins (a trade that worked out well for the Angels), went to the Cubs for 2002, and played for Long Island in the independent Atlantic League from 2003-2004 before ending his playing career. His major league numbers are .216/.282/.298 in 416 at-bats. Bartee has remained in baseball since his playing career ended. He was a coach in the Baltimore minor league organization from 2005-2007, and is currently the minor league outfield/baserunning coordinator for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Outfielder Brian James Buchanan played for the Twins from 2000-2002. He was born in Miami, went to high school in Fairfax, Virginia, attended the University of Virginia, and was drafted by the Yankees in the first round in 1994. He hit well in the minors for them, but without as much power as one might suspect; his best home run season in the Yankees’ system was 14 in 1997. In February of 1998, Buchanan was traded to Minnesota with Cristian Guzman, Eric Milton, Danny Mota, and cash for Chuck Knoblauch. Sent to AAA Salt Lake, he hit well for them. His best year was 2000, when he hit .297 with 27 homers and 103 RBIs despite being in the majors for a month of that season and again in September. 2001 was Buchanan’s first full year in the majors, and he didn’t do badly as a reserve outfielder, hitting .274 with 10 homers in 174 at-bats. He remained with the Twins through mid-July of 2002, when he was traded to San Diego for Jason Bartlett. As a Twin, he hit ,258/.319/.428 in 414 at-bats. He did a decent job as a reserve outfielder for the Padres in 2003 but slumped in 2004, went to AAA, and was released in late August. The Mets signed him the next day and he finished the season for them. Buchanan signed with Tampa Bay for 2005, was released at the end of spring training, signed with Colorado, was released in late July, signed with Minnesota, and was in Rochester through the end of the season. He signed with Cincinnati for 2006, was released in mid-May, finished the season with the St. Paul Saints, and played in Japan in 2007. He then signed with Kansas City and played in AAA Omaha from 2008-2009, retiring after the 2009 campaign. Brian Buchanan then became a manager in the Kansas City minor league system, and is currently the manager of the Lexington Legends of the South Atlantic League. Right-hander William Mays Eyre pitched for the Twins in 2006. He was born in Fountain Valley, California, attended the College of Eastern Utah (the only major league player that school has produced), and was drafted by Minnesota in the twenty-third round in 1999. He started slowly, but began pitching well when shifted to the bullpen in 2001. He reached AAA in 2003 and had a fine year for Rochester in 2005, going 10-3, 2.72 with seven saves and a WHIP of 1.29. Eyre then spent all of 2006 in Minnesota, his only full year in the majors to date. He did not do particularly well, going 1-0, 5.31 with a WHIP of 1.64 in 59.1 innings spread over 42 games. He was allowed to become a free agent after the 2006 season and signed with Texas. He began 2007 in AAA, but was quickly called up to the majors, where he remained most of the season. His numbers were not any better than they had been with Minnesota, and in late August he was injured. He missed all of 2008 with Tommy John surgery but came back in 2009, reaching the majors for about two months in four different stints. Eyre remained in the Texas organization in 2010, pitching well for AAA Oklahoma City. He moved on to the Oakland system for 2011, was allowed to become a free agent at the end of July, and signed with Baltimore a few days later, not only making it back to the big leagues but pitching quite well in nineteen appearances. He signed with Baltimore again for 2012, was sent to AAA, was released in mid-June, and signed back with Texas, for whom he did not pitch well in AAA. He does not appear to have signed with anyone for 2013. He turns 35 today, so one assumes his playing career is over. As a Twin, he was 1-0, 5.31 in 42 games (59.1 innings) He is the brother of former major league pitcher Scott Eyre.

Also posted at wgom.org Jim Manning (1943) Mike Cubbage (1950) Kimera Bartee (1972) Brian Buchanan (1973) Willie Eyre (1978) Right-hander James Benjamin Manning made five appearances with the Twins in 1962. He was born in L’Anse, Michigan, went to high school in Ewan, Michigan, and signed with the Twins as a free agent in 1961. He had a fairly mediocre year in Class D Wytheville in 1961, but started 1962 in the majors. He lasted almost a month, making four relief appearances and one start. He did not give up any earned runs in the relief appearances, but allowed six runs (four earned) on seven hits in 2.1 innings in the start, so his stats show an ERA of 5.14 in seven innings. Those are also his lifetime numbers, as he never made it back to the big leagues again. He spent the rest of 1962 in Class A Charlotte, had solid years in AA in 1963-1965, but never got any higher and was let go by the Twins after the 1965 season. He was at AA York in the Washington organization in 1966, then his playing career was over at age 23. It seems odd that the Twins would jump him from Class D to the majors at age 18, but not give him another chance when he was a little older and had some success at AA. As you might guess, there are lots of people in the world named “Jim Manning”. No information about what this Jim Manning has done since his playing career ended was readily available. Infielder Michael Lee Cubbage played for the Twins from 1976-1980. Born and raised in Charlottesville, Virginia, he attended the University of Virginia and was drafted by Washington in the second round of the June Secondary draft in 1971. He played more second base than third in the minors, although he saw time at both positions. He hit for high averages throughout the minors, topping .300 every year but 1972, when he hit .281 for Class A Burlington. Cubbage was in the majors with Texas briefly at the start of 1974 and came up to stay in mid-June of 1975, playing as a reserve second baseman. On June 1 of 1976, he was traded to Minnesota with Jim Gideon, Bill Singer, Roy Smalley, and $250,000 for Bert Blyleven and Danny Thompson. He was the mostly regular third baseman for the next few years, sharing the position with Dave McKay, Jerry Terrell, and Larry Wolfe but getting the majority of the playing time. He hit for a decent average with a fair number of walks, but had little power. In 1979 he began losing playing time to John Castino, and in 1980 he actually saw more playing time at first base than at third, starting 59 games there. He really didn’t hit enough for a third baseman, so his offense was completely inadequate at first. As a Twin, he hit .266/.336/.378 in 1,681 at-bats. Cubbage became a free agent after the 1980 season and signed with the Mets. He was mostly a pinch-hitter for the Mets, missing two months with an injury. He played in AAA for them in 1982, then his playing career came to an end. He remained in the Mets’ organization, however, managing for them in the minors from 1983-1989 and coaching for them in the majors from 1990-1996. He then coached for Houston in 1997-2001 and for Boston from 2002-2003. At last report, Mike Cubbage was a scout for the Tampa Bay Rays. He is a cousin of former major league players Chris Haney and Larry Haney. Outfielder Kimera Anotchi Bartee did not play for the Twins in either the majors or the minors, but did belong to their team for a short time. Born and raised in Omaha, he went to Creighton, then was drafted by Baltimore in the fourteenth round in 1993. A speedy singles hitter, Bartee hit fairly well in the minors through 1995. At that point, he came to the Twins with Scott Klingenbeck as the player to be named later in the trade that sent Scott Erickson to Baltimore. This happened in mid-September; that December, the Twins left Bartee unprotected in the Rule 5 draft and Baltimore took him back. They waived him in spring training, and he was chosen by Detroit. He stayed with the Tigers all of the 1996 season and wasn’t awful as a reserve outfielder, hitting .253 in 217 at-bats and stealing 20 bases. He went back and forth from AAA Toledo to Detroit from 1997-1999, but never hit above .200 again in a major league season. Bartee went to the Reds’ organization for 2000, signed with Anaheim for 2001, was traded to Colorado in mid-July for Chone Figgins (a trade that worked out well for the Angels), went to the Cubs for 2002, and played for Long Island in the independent Atlantic League from 2003-2004 before ending his playing career. His major league numbers are .216/.282/.298 in 416 at-bats. Bartee has remained in baseball since his playing career ended. He was a coach in the Baltimore minor league organization from 2005-2007, and is currently the minor league outfield/baserunning coordinator for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Outfielder Brian James Buchanan played for the Twins from 2000-2002. He was born in Miami, went to high school in Fairfax, Virginia, attended the University of Virginia, and was drafted by the Yankees in the first round in 1994. He hit well in the minors for them, but without as much power as one might suspect; his best home run season in the Yankees’ system was 14 in 1997. In February of 1998, Buchanan was traded to Minnesota with Cristian Guzman, Eric Milton, Danny Mota, and cash for Chuck Knoblauch. Sent to AAA Salt Lake, he hit well for them. His best year was 2000, when he hit .297 with 27 homers and 103 RBIs despite being in the majors for a month of that season and again in September. 2001 was Buchanan’s first full year in the majors, and he didn’t do badly as a reserve outfielder, hitting .274 with 10 homers in 174 at-bats. He remained with the Twins through mid-July of 2002, when he was traded to San Diego for Jason Bartlett. As a Twin, he hit ,258/.319/.428 in 414 at-bats. He did a decent job as a reserve outfielder for the Padres in 2003 but slumped in 2004, went to AAA, and was released in late August. The Mets signed him the next day and he finished the season for them. Buchanan signed with Tampa Bay for 2005, was released at the end of spring training, signed with Colorado, was released in late July, signed with Minnesota, and was in Rochester through the end of the season. He signed with Cincinnati for 2006, was released in mid-May, finished the season with the St. Paul Saints, and played in Japan in 2007. He then signed with Kansas City and played in AAA Omaha from 2008-2009, retiring after the 2009 campaign. Brian Buchanan then became a manager in the Kansas City minor league system, and is currently the manager of the Lexington Legends of the South Atlantic League. Right-hander William Mays Eyre pitched for the Twins in 2006. He was born in Fountain Valley, California, attended the College of Eastern Utah (the only major league player that school has produced), and was drafted by Minnesota in the twenty-third round in 1999. He started slowly, but began pitching well when shifted to the bullpen in 2001. He reached AAA in 2003 and had a fine year for Rochester in 2005, going 10-3, 2.72 with seven saves and a WHIP of 1.29. Eyre then spent all of 2006 in Minnesota, his only full year in the majors to date. He did not do particularly well, going 1-0, 5.31 with a WHIP of 1.64 in 59.1 innings spread over 42 games. He was allowed to become a free agent after the 2006 season and signed with Texas. He began 2007 in AAA, but was quickly called up to the majors, where he remained most of the season. His numbers were not any better than they had been with Minnesota, and in late August he was injured. He missed all of 2008 with Tommy John surgery but came back in 2009, reaching the majors for about two months in four different stints. Eyre remained in the Texas organization in 2010, pitching well for AAA Oklahoma City. He moved on to the Oakland system for 2011, was allowed to become a free agent at the end of July, and signed with Baltimore a few days later, not only making it back to the big leagues but pitching quite well in nineteen appearances. He signed with Baltimore again for 2012, was sent to AAA, was released in mid-June, and signed back with Texas, for whom he did not pitch well in AAA. He does not appear to have signed with anyone for 2013. He turns 35 today, so one assumes his playing career is over. As a Twin, he was 1-0, 5.31 in 42 games (59.1 innings) He is the brother of former major league pitcher Scott Eyre.

Also posted at wgom.org Tony Oliva (1938) Jason Miller (1982) Alexi Casilla (1984) Outfielder Tony Pedro Oliva played his entire career for the Twins, playing briefly in 1962-1963, making the team for good in 1964 and staying through 1976. He was born in Pinar del Rio, Cuba, and signed as a free agent with Minnesota in 1961, one of the last Cubans allowed to leave the country to play major league baseball. The Twins released him, but he continued to train with a friend who was playing for the Twins’ Class A team in Charlotte. Charlotte manager Paul Howser encouraged the Twins to re-sign Oliva, which they did. His minor league numbers are impressive: in three seasons, he hit .342 with 50 home runs. He got September call-ups in 1962 and 1963, then became the Twins’ starting right fielder in 1964. He was the Rookie of the Year, leading the league in batting (.323), runs (109), hits (217), doubles (43), and total bases (374). He finished fourth in MVP voting. He again led the league in batting in 1965 and finished second in MVP voting to teammate Zoilo Versalles. Oliva made the all-star team his first eight seasons in the majors, 1964-1971. He finished in the top twenty in MVP voting each of those years, finishing in the top ten five times, in the top five three times, and finishing second twice (1965 and 1970). He also won the Gold Glove in 1966. He suffered a devastating knee injury in 1972, missing almost the entire season, and when he returned he was not the same player. He was strictly a DH after that, he never topped .300 again (after having done so in six of his first eight seasons), and never hit 20 homers again. He fell to part-time status in 1976 and his playing career ended after that. Tony Oliva hit .304/.353/.476 with 220 home runs in 6,301 at-bats. For eight seasons, he was as good a player as there was in the major leagues. After his playing career ended, Oliva remained with the Twins as a coach in both the major and minor league teams at various times. He is currently living in Bloomington, Minnesota, and continues to make public appearances for the Twins. Left-hander Jason Douglas Miller made four appearances for the Twins in 2007. Born and raised in Sarasota, Florida, he was drafted by Minnesota in the fourth round in 2000. He both started and relieved in the minors, as the Twins’ organization never seemed to really settle on a role for him. He pitched pretty well on his way up, only once posting an ERA over four (4.05 at Elizabethton in 2001) and never posting a WHIP as high as 1.4 until 2007. He was with the Twins for about ten days in 2007, appearing in four games. His numbers show an ERA of 18, allowing eight runs and seven hits in four innings, but that’s somewhat misleading. He was unscored upon in his first three appearances, giving up no hits and one walk in 3.2 innings, then gave up eight runs, seven hits, and two walks in a third of an inning his last time out. The Twins were trailing 8-3 to the Angels in the eighth, and Gardy obviously did not want to burn up another reliever, so he let Miller get beat on for a while. Miller went back to AAA the rest of the season, did not do particularly well, had a bad year in AA in 2008, and then the Twins let him go. He signed with Detroit for 2009 but was released in April, and his playing career came to an end. At last report, Jason Miller had returned to his home town of Sarasota. where he works as a pitching instructor for Extra Innings, which offers both baseball and softball instruction. Infielder Alexi (Lora) Casilla played for the Twins from 2006-2012. He was born and raised in San Cristobal, Dominican Republic, and signed with Anaheim as a free agent in 2003. He had a big year in 2005, hitting .325 at Class A Cedar Rapids. That off-season, Casilla was traded to Minnesota for J. C. Romero. He was a September call-up for the Twins in 2006 and has gone back and forth between AAA and the majors ever since. Casilla was the Twins’ starting second baseman the last two months of 2007, but did not hit. He began 2008 in the minors, came up to the Twins in mid-May, took over the starting second base job about a week later, and had his best season, hitting .281 with 50 RBIs. The Twins thought they had their second base position filled for several years, but it did not work out that way. He did not hit in 2009, lost the starting job in early May, spent some time in the minors, got the starting job back a couple of times but couldn’t hold it, and ended up hitting just .202 for the season. He was a reserve for the Twins in 2010 and did fairly well in that role. He began 2011 starting at shortstop, bud did not hit. He was moved to second base in early May and continued to not hit for a few weeks, then started doing better, although he wasn’t exactly getting all-star consideration. He began 2012 as the starting second baseman again, but lost the job in early June and was a reserve the rest of the year. As a Twin, Alexi Casilla hit .250/.305/.334 in 1580 major league at bats. He was placed on waivers after the 2012 season and chosen by Baltimore, for whom he has been a a backup second baseman. He turns 29 today, and while he has had stretches in which he has played well, he has never been able to sustain a major league level of play over the course of a season. At this point, one has to assume that he is what he is, and will never be more than a temporary fill-in or utility infielder in the major leagues, which is still better than the vast majority of us will ever do.

Also posted at wgom.org Tony Oliva (1938) Jason Miller (1982) Alexi Casilla (1984) Outfielder Tony Pedro Oliva played his entire career for the Twins, playing briefly in 1962-1963, making the team for good in 1964 and staying through 1976. He was born in Pinar del Rio, Cuba, and signed as a free agent with Minnesota in 1961, one of the last Cubans allowed to leave the country to play major league baseball. The Twins released him, but he continued to train with a friend who was playing for the Twins’ Class A team in Charlotte. Charlotte manager Paul Howser encouraged the Twins to re-sign Oliva, which they did. His minor league numbers are impressive: in three seasons, he hit .342 with 50 home runs. He got September call-ups in 1962 and 1963, then became the Twins’ starting right fielder in 1964. He was the Rookie of the Year, leading the league in batting (.323), runs (109), hits (217), doubles (43), and total bases (374). He finished fourth in MVP voting. He again led the league in batting in 1965 and finished second in MVP voting to teammate Zoilo Versalles. Oliva made the all-star team his first eight seasons in the majors, 1964-1971. He finished in the top twenty in MVP voting each of those years, finishing in the top ten five times, in the top five three times, and finishing second twice (1965 and 1970). He also won the Gold Glove in 1966. He suffered a devastating knee injury in 1972, missing almost the entire season, and when he returned he was not the same player. He was strictly a DH after that, he never topped .300 again (after having done so in six of his first eight seasons), and never hit 20 homers again. He fell to part-time status in 1976 and his playing career ended after that. Tony Oliva hit .304/.353/.476 with 220 home runs in 6,301 at-bats. For eight seasons, he was as good a player as there was in the major leagues. After his playing career ended, Oliva remained with the Twins as a coach in both the major and minor league teams at various times. He is currently living in Bloomington, Minnesota, and continues to make public appearances for the Twins. Left-hander Jason Douglas Miller made four appearances for the Twins in 2007. Born and raised in Sarasota, Florida, he was drafted by Minnesota in the fourth round in 2000. He both started and relieved in the minors, as the Twins’ organization never seemed to really settle on a role for him. He pitched pretty well on his way up, only once posting an ERA over four (4.05 at Elizabethton in 2001) and never posting a WHIP as high as 1.4 until 2007. He was with the Twins for about ten days in 2007, appearing in four games. His numbers show an ERA of 18, allowing eight runs and seven hits in four innings, but that’s somewhat misleading. He was unscored upon in his first three appearances, giving up no hits and one walk in 3.2 innings, then gave up eight runs, seven hits, and two walks in a third of an inning his last time out. The Twins were trailing 8-3 to the Angels in the eighth, and Gardy obviously did not want to burn up another reliever, so he let Miller get beat on for a while. Miller went back to AAA the rest of the season, did not do particularly well, had a bad year in AA in 2008, and then the Twins let him go. He signed with Detroit for 2009 but was released in April, and his playing career came to an end. At last report, Jason Miller had returned to his home town of Sarasota. where he works as a pitching instructor for Extra Innings, which offers both baseball and softball instruction. Infielder Alexi (Lora) Casilla played for the Twins from 2006-2012. He was born and raised in San Cristobal, Dominican Republic, and signed with Anaheim as a free agent in 2003. He had a big year in 2005, hitting .325 at Class A Cedar Rapids. That off-season, Casilla was traded to Minnesota for J. C. Romero. He was a September call-up for the Twins in 2006 and has gone back and forth between AAA and the majors ever since. Casilla was the Twins’ starting second baseman the last two months of 2007, but did not hit. He began 2008 in the minors, came up to the Twins in mid-May, took over the starting second base job about a week later, and had his best season, hitting .281 with 50 RBIs. The Twins thought they had their second base position filled for several years, but it did not work out that way. He did not hit in 2009, lost the starting job in early May, spent some time in the minors, got the starting job back a couple of times but couldn’t hold it, and ended up hitting just .202 for the season. He was a reserve for the Twins in 2010 and did fairly well in that role. He began 2011 starting at shortstop, bud did not hit. He was moved to second base in early May and continued to not hit for a few weeks, then started doing better, although he wasn’t exactly getting all-star consideration. He began 2012 as the starting second baseman again, but lost the job in early June and was a reserve the rest of the year. As a Twin, Alexi Casilla hit .250/.305/.334 in 1580 major league at bats. He was placed on waivers after the 2012 season and chosen by Baltimore, for whom he has been a a backup second baseman. He turns 29 today, and while he has had stretches in which he has played well, he has never been able to sustain a major league level of play over the course of a season. At this point, one has to assume that he is what he is, and will never be more than a temporary fill-in or utility infielder in the major leagues, which is still better than the vast majority of us will ever do.

Also posted at wgom.org Billy Gardner (1927) Dan Graham (1954) Gus Gandarillas (1971) Infielder William Frederick “Slick” Gardner played for the Twins for a couple of months in 1961, then managed them from 1981-1985. He was born in Waterford, Connecticut and signed with the New York Giants as a free agent in 1945. He was up and down a lot in a lengthy minor league career, reaching AA in 1945, dropping back to Class A through 1948 (with one year missed for military service), played in AAA in 1949, went back to Class A in 1950, was back in AAA from 1951-1952, and then went to AA for 1953. He hit well at lower levels, but did not do much in AAA. Gardner was with the Giants as a reserve infielder for all of 1954 and part of 1955 (spending the rest of the season in AAA Minneapolis), then was sold to Baltimore at the start of the 1956 season. He was the Orioles’ regular second baseman for four years; the best of those four was easily 1957, when he hit .262, led the league with 36 doubles, and finished twelfth in MVP voting. He hit around .220 his other years in Baltimore. Gardner was traded to Washington just prior to the 1960 season for Clint Courtney and Ron Samford. He was their regular second baseman that year and came to Minnesota with the team in that role in 1961, but was traded to the Yankees on June 14 for Danny McDevitt. As a Twin, Billy Gardner hit .234/.280/.312 in 154 at-bats. He was with the Yankees for about a year, then moved on to Boston, where he hit well as a reserve for the rest of the 1962 campaign. He remained with the Red Sox through 1963, was in the minors for them in 1964, and then his playing career was basically over, although he made brief appearances at AA in the Red Sox’ organization, where he was managing, through 1971. He was a coach and manager for various teams until 1981, when he was first a coach and then manager for the Twins, replacing Johnny Goryl. He remained the Twins’ manager through 1985. He also managed Kansas City for part of 1987, replacing a terminally ill Dick Howser. His son, Billy Gardner, Jr., has also gone into baseball, managing in the minor leagues for Tampa Bay. At last report, Billy Gardner had returned to Waterford, where he was living in retirement. He also now prefers to go by “Bill” rather than “Billy”, a change he made when he turned 70. Catcher Daniel Jay Graham appeared in two games for the Twins in 1979. He was born in Ray, Arizona, attended the University of La Verne, and was drafted by Minnesota in the fifth round in 1975. He was a power hitter early in his career, hitting .320 with 29 home runs at Class A Reno in 1976 and .277 with 23 home runs at AAA Toledo in 1978. He came up to the Twins briefly in early June of 1979, catching in two games and going 0-for-4. He had a bad season in AAA that year, hitting just .213 with nine homers. The Twins traded him to Baltimore after the season for Tom Chism. He started the 1980 season at AAA Rochester, but when he hit .346 with 4 homers in a month, the Orioles brought him to the majors, where he shared the catching job with Rick Dempsey. He actually had a very good year in Baltimore, hitting .278 with 15 homers and 54 RBIs in 266 at-bats. He couldn’t sustain it, though, batting just .176 in 142 at-bats in his only full season in the majors in 1981. He went back to Rochester for 1982 and was okay, hitting .272 with 11 homers, but he never got another chance at the majors. His playing career ended after the 1982 season. At last report, Dan Graham was living in Winkelman, Arizona. Right-hander Gustavo Gandarillas did not play for the Twins, but was drafted by them. He was born in Coral Gables, Florida, went to high school in Hialeah, Florida, and then attended the University of Miami. He was drafted by Minnesota in the third round in 1992. Almost exclusively a reliever, he pitched very well at Class A, but stumbled at higher levels. He reached AAA Salt Lake in 1997 and stayed there (other than 18 games at AA in 1999) through 2000. He did not get much accomplished there. Gandarillas became a free agent after the 1998 season and signed with Pittsburgh, but when the Pirates released him in spring training the Twins took him back. He became a free agent again after 2000 and signed with Boston for 2001, but was released in late May. Milwaukee picked him up and he had his first good season in AAA. The Brewers called him up for a week in July and brought him back in late August, this time keeping him the rest of the season. He went 0-0, 5.49, 1.78 WHIP in 19.2 innings over 16 games. He made three appearances in the minors for Milwaukee in 2002, then was released. Gandarillas pitched in the Mexican League in 2003, then his playing career was over. Gus Gandarillas is currently living in Miami, where he is part owner of Hit Zone Batting Cages.

Also posted at wgom.org Billy Gardner (1927) Dan Graham (1954) Gus Gandarillas (1971) Infielder William Frederick “Slick” Gardner played for the Twins for a couple of months in 1961, then managed them from 1981-1985. He was born in Waterford, Connecticut and signed with the New York Giants as a free agent in 1945. He was up and down a lot in a lengthy minor league career, reaching AA in 1945, dropping back to Class A through 1948 (with one year missed for military service), played in AAA in 1949, went back to Class A in 1950, was back in AAA from 1951-1952, and then went to AA for 1953. He hit well at lower levels, but did not do much in AAA. Gardner was with the Giants as a reserve infielder for all of 1954 and part of 1955 (spending the rest of the season in AAA Minneapolis), then was sold to Baltimore at the start of the 1956 season. He was the Orioles’ regular second baseman for four years; the best of those four was easily 1957, when he hit .262, led the league with 36 doubles, and finished twelfth in MVP voting. He hit around .220 his other years in Baltimore. Gardner was traded to Washington just prior to the 1960 season for Clint Courtney and Ron Samford. He was their regular second baseman that year and came to Minnesota with the team in that role in 1961, but was traded to the Yankees on June 14 for Danny McDevitt. As a Twin, Billy Gardner hit .234/.280/.312 in 154 at-bats. He was with the Yankees for about a year, then moved on to Boston, where he hit well as a reserve for the rest of the 1962 campaign. He remained with the Red Sox through 1963, was in the minors for them in 1964, and then his playing career was basically over, although he made brief appearances at AA in the Red Sox’ organization, where he was managing, through 1971. He was a coach and manager for various teams until 1981, when he was first a coach and then manager for the Twins, replacing Johnny Goryl. He remained the Twins’ manager through 1985. He also managed Kansas City for part of 1987, replacing a terminally ill Dick Howser. His son, Billy Gardner, Jr., has also gone into baseball, managing in the minor leagues for Tampa Bay. At last report, Billy Gardner had returned to Waterford, where he was living in retirement. He also now prefers to go by “Bill” rather than “Billy”, a change he made when he turned 70. Catcher Daniel Jay Graham appeared in two games for the Twins in 1979. He was born in Ray, Arizona, attended the University of La Verne, and was drafted by Minnesota in the fifth round in 1975. He was a power hitter early in his career, hitting .320 with 29 home runs at Class A Reno in 1976 and .277 with 23 home runs at AAA Toledo in 1978. He came up to the Twins briefly in early June of 1979, catching in two games and going 0-for-4. He had a bad season in AAA that year, hitting just .213 with nine homers. The Twins traded him to Baltimore after the season for Tom Chism. He started the 1980 season at AAA Rochester, but when he hit .346 with 4 homers in a month, the Orioles brought him to the majors, where he shared the catching job with Rick Dempsey. He actually had a very good year in Baltimore, hitting .278 with 15 homers and 54 RBIs in 266 at-bats. He couldn’t sustain it, though, batting just .176 in 142 at-bats in his only full season in the majors in 1981. He went back to Rochester for 1982 and was okay, hitting .272 with 11 homers, but he never got another chance at the majors. His playing career ended after the 1982 season. At last report, Dan Graham was living in Winkelman, Arizona. Right-hander Gustavo Gandarillas did not play for the Twins, but was drafted by them. He was born in Coral Gables, Florida, went to high school in Hialeah, Florida, and then attended the University of Miami. He was drafted by Minnesota in the third round in 1992. Almost exclusively a reliever, he pitched very well at Class A, but stumbled at higher levels. He reached AAA Salt Lake in 1997 and stayed there (other than 18 games at AA in 1999) through 2000. He did not get much accomplished there. Gandarillas became a free agent after the 1998 season and signed with Pittsburgh, but when the Pirates released him in spring training the Twins took him back. He became a free agent again after 2000 and signed with Boston for 2001, but was released in late May. Milwaukee picked him up and he had his first good season in AAA. The Brewers called him up for a week in July and brought him back in late August, this time keeping him the rest of the season. He went 0-0, 5.49, 1.78 WHIP in 19.2 innings over 16 games. He made three appearances in the minors for Milwaukee in 2002, then was released. Gandarillas pitched in the Mexican League in 2003, then his playing career was over. Gus Gandarillas is currently living in Miami, where he is part owner of Hit Zone Batting Cages.

Also posted at wgom.org Rudy May (1944) Torii Hunter (1975) Glenn Williams (1977) Left-hander Rudolph May was in the Twins’ organization for his first year of professional baseball. He was born in Coffeyville, Kansas, went to high school in Oakland, California, and signed with the Twins as a free agent in 1962. He played for Bismarck-Mandan in the Northern League, going 11-11, 4.29. The White Sox chose him in the first-year player draft but traded him to Philadelphia after a year. He never played at all for the Phillies, moving on to California in a trade for Bo Belinsky. He was with the Angels all of 1965, starting some and relieving some, but not doing all that well for that time. He may have suffered from injuries, as he did not pitch much in 1966-1967. He had a decent, unpsectacular year at AA El Paso in 1968 and made it back to the majors at the start of 1969, this time to stay. He both started and relieved for a while, but went into the Angels’ rotation for good in August of 1969. He was never a star, but was a solid contributor, working 180-200 innings every year. He got off to a bad start in 1974, was removed from the rotation, and then was sold to the Yankees. He pitched even better for them for two years, then was traded again, this time to Baltimore in a ten-player deal that also included ex-Twin Rick Dempsey. He was a solid member of their rotation, too, but was traded after the 1977 season to Montreal. He continued to pitch well, and did even better when shifted to the bullpen in 1979. He became a free agent after that season and signed with the Yankees. He had the best year of his career in 1980. May made 17 starts and 24 relief appearances, went 15-5, and led the league in ERA (2.46), ERA+ (160), and WHIP (1.04). He did not match that, but had two more solid years for the Yankees. He had a bad year in 1983, and his playing career came to an end. In that career, he had 152 wins, an ERA of 3.46, a WHIP of 1.25 in 2,622 innings, and an appearances in the World Series. That’s not bad for a guy who moved around a lot and seemed to be kind of taken for granted throughout his career. It appears that he is living in the Fresno area and is available to give pitching instruction or to make personal appearances. Outfielder Torii Kedar Hunter was with the Twins from 1997-2007. Born and raised in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, he was drafted by Minnesota in the first round in 1993. He was really not all that special in the minors, although he had some solid years. He progressed at more or less the rate of a level a year until reaching AA, where he stayed until late in the 1998 season. He appeared in one game for the Twins in 1997 as a pinch-runner, was in Minnesota for about a week and a half in 1998, and played his first full season in 1999. He did not have much power early in his career, and frequently batted leadoff. He had a decent year in 1999, but got off to a bad start in 2000 and was sent back to AAA Salt Lake for a couple of months. He hit .368 there and came back to Minnesota, playing much better the rest of the way. He was restored as the Twins’ starting center fielder, a position he held through the 2007 season. His best season was probably 2002, when he hit .289 with 29 homers and an OPS of .859. In those years, he received MVP votes four times, finishing as high as sixth in 2002. He made the all-star team twice, in 2002 and 2007, and won the Gold Glove seven times. As a Twin, he hit .271/.324/.469 in 4,492 at-bats. Hunter became a free agent after the 2007 season and signed with the Angels. He continued to play at about the same rate he did in Minnesota through 2010, making two more all-star teams, winning two more Gold Gloves, and winning his first Silver Slugger. He significantly declined in 2011, batting only .262 with an OPS of .765, but bounced back in 2012 to hit .313, although he failed to hit 20 homers for the first time since 2005. A free agent again after the 2012 season, he signed with Detroit and is continuing to hit well. He turns 38 today, so the end could come at any time, but he’s showing no signs of being there yet. Third baseman Glenn Williams had forty at-bats with the Twins in 2005. Born and raised in New South Wales, Australia, his father, Gary, was heavily involved in the development of baseball in that country. He was signed by Atlanta as a free agent in 1993. His first year was in rookie ball; he then spent four years in Class A. He moved up to AA in 1999 (when he was still just 21), but when he flopped there the Braves released him. Williams signed with Toronto and went back to Class A. He then started to make a normal progression, going up to AA in 2001 and to AAA in 2002. He had a good year in 2002 in Syracuse, hitting .274 with 15 homers, and appeared to be ready to move forward. He went back to Syracuse in 2003, however, and had a bad year. He bounced back at Syracuse in 2004, hitting .264 with 23 homers, but was allowed to become a free agent after the season. Minnesota signed him for 2005. He hit .303 in 48 games in Rochester and came up to the Twins in early June. He played for about three weeks, hitting .425/.452/.450 in 40 at-bats over 13 games. He then dislocated his shoulder and missed the rest of the season. The above line is his career major league line, as he never made it back. He stayed in Rochester two more years, but his numbers declined each year, and his playing career came to an end. Since then, he has returned to Australia, playing for their Olympic qualifying team in 2008 and coaching for Australia in the 2009 World Youth Championship. Glenn Williams has the post-1900 record for most at-bats with a lifetime average over .400. He was inducted into the Australian Baseball Hall of Fame in 2012. At last report, he was the director of the Fun+Fitness Company, which works with junior baseball players in Australia, and was also a coach for the Sydney Blue Sox.

Also posted at wgom.org Rudy May (1944) Torii Hunter (1975) Glenn Williams (1977) Left-hander Rudolph May was in the Twins’ organization for his first year of professional baseball. He was born in Coffeyville, Kansas, went to high school in Oakland, California, and signed with the Twins as a free agent in 1962. He played for Bismarck-Mandan in the Northern League, going 11-11, 4.29. The White Sox chose him in the first-year player draft but traded him to Philadelphia after a year. He never played at all for the Phillies, moving on to California in a trade for Bo Belinsky. He was with the Angels all of 1965, starting some and relieving some, but not doing all that well for that time. He may have suffered from injuries, as he did not pitch much in 1966-1967. He had a decent, unpsectacular year at AA El Paso in 1968 and made it back to the majors at the start of 1969, this time to stay. He both started and relieved for a while, but went into the Angels’ rotation for good in August of 1969. He was never a star, but was a solid contributor, working 180-200 innings every year. He got off to a bad start in 1974, was removed from the rotation, and then was sold to the Yankees. He pitched even better for them for two years, then was traded again, this time to Baltimore in a ten-player deal that also included ex-Twin Rick Dempsey. He was a solid member of their rotation, too, but was traded after the 1977 season to Montreal. He continued to pitch well, and did even better when shifted to the bullpen in 1979. He became a free agent after that season and signed with the Yankees. He had the best year of his career in 1980. May made 17 starts and 24 relief appearances, went 15-5, and led the league in ERA (2.46), ERA+ (160), and WHIP (1.04). He did not match that, but had two more solid years for the Yankees. He had a bad year in 1983, and his playing career came to an end. In that career, he had 152 wins, an ERA of 3.46, a WHIP of 1.25 in 2,622 innings, and an appearances in the World Series. That’s not bad for a guy who moved around a lot and seemed to be kind of taken for granted throughout his career. It appears that he is living in the Fresno area and is available to give pitching instruction or to make personal appearances. Outfielder Torii Kedar Hunter was with the Twins from 1997-2007. Born and raised in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, he was drafted by Minnesota in the first round in 1993. He was really not all that special in the minors, although he had some solid years. He progressed at more or less the rate of a level a year until reaching AA, where he stayed until late in the 1998 season. He appeared in one game for the Twins in 1997 as a pinch-runner, was in Minnesota for about a week and a half in 1998, and played his first full season in 1999. He did not have much power early in his career, and frequently batted leadoff. He had a decent year in 1999, but got off to a bad start in 2000 and was sent back to AAA Salt Lake for a couple of months. He hit .368 there and came back to Minnesota, playing much better the rest of the way. He was restored as the Twins’ starting center fielder, a position he held through the 2007 season. His best season was probably 2002, when he hit .289 with 29 homers and an OPS of .859. In those years, he received MVP votes four times, finishing as high as sixth in 2002. He made the all-star team twice, in 2002 and 2007, and won the Gold Glove seven times. As a Twin, he hit .271/.324/.469 in 4,492 at-bats. Hunter became a free agent after the 2007 season and signed with the Angels. He continued to play at about the same rate he did in Minnesota through 2010, making two more all-star teams, winning two more Gold Gloves, and winning his first Silver Slugger. He significantly declined in 2011, batting only .262 with an OPS of .765, but bounced back in 2012 to hit .313, although he failed to hit 20 homers for the first time since 2005. A free agent again after the 2012 season, he signed with Detroit and is continuing to hit well. He turns 38 today, so the end could come at any time, but he’s showing no signs of being there yet. Third baseman Glenn Williams had forty at-bats with the Twins in 2005. Born and raised in New South Wales, Australia, his father, Gary, was heavily involved in the development of baseball in that country. He was signed by Atlanta as a free agent in 1993. His first year was in rookie ball; he then spent four years in Class A. He moved up to AA in 1999 (when he was still just 21), but when he flopped there the Braves released him. Williams signed with Toronto and went back to Class A. He then started to make a normal progression, going up to AA in 2001 and to AAA in 2002. He had a good year in 2002 in Syracuse, hitting .274 with 15 homers, and appeared to be ready to move forward. He went back to Syracuse in 2003, however, and had a bad year. He bounced back at Syracuse in 2004, hitting .264 with 23 homers, but was allowed to become a free agent after the season. Minnesota signed him for 2005. He hit .303 in 48 games in Rochester and came up to the Twins in early June. He played for about three weeks, hitting .425/.452/.450 in 40 at-bats over 13 games. He then dislocated his shoulder and missed the rest of the season. The above line is his career major league line, as he never made it back. He stayed in Rochester two more years, but his numbers declined each year, and his playing career came to an end. Since then, he has returned to Australia, playing for their Olympic qualifying team in 2008 and coaching for Australia in the 2009 World Youth Championship. Glenn Williams has the post-1900 record for most at-bats with a lifetime average over .400. He was inducted into the Australian Baseball Hall of Fame in 2012. At last report, he was the director of the Fun+Fitness Company, which works with junior baseball players in Australia, and was also a coach for the Sydney Blue Sox.

For the second consecutive day, there are no players with connections to the Minnesota Twins who were born on this day.

For the second consecutive day, there are no players with connections to the Minnesota Twins who were born on this day.

Also posted at wgom.org No players with connections to the Minnesota Twins were born on this day.

Also posted at wgom.org No players with connections to the Minnesota Twins were born on this day.

Also posted at wgom.org Brett Merriman (1966) James Baldwin (1971) Right-hander Brett Alan Merriman pitched for the Twins in 1993 and 1994. He was born in Jacksonville, Florida, went to high school in Nevada, Missouri, attended Grand Canyon University, and was drafted by Cleveland in the ninth round in 1988. He did not pitch that badly in two years in the minors, although he had problems with his control, but was released by the Indians late in 1990 spring training. California signed him a few days later, converted him from a starting pitcher to a reliever, and he pitched well in their system for three season, rising as high as AAA. He was left unprotected in the expansion draft and was chosen by Colorado in November of 1992. During spring training of 1993, Merriman was traded to Minnesota for Rob Wassenaar and Gary Wayne. He started the season with the Twins, but was sent down after a month with an ERA of 19.00. He went to AAA Portland, had a good season there, and came back for the last month of the season, pitching substantially better. He got off to a bad start in 1994 in Salt Lake but was called up to the Twins anyway, staying for nearly two months and not pitching very well. A free agent after the season, he signed with San Diego for 1995, pitched poorly in AAA for them, and then his playing career was over. In his major league career, all with the Twins, Brett Merriman was 1-2, 8.39 in 44 innings spread over 34 appearances. No information about Brett Merriman’s life after baseball was readily available. Right-hander James Baldwin, Jr. made ten appearances for the Twins in 2003. He was born in Pinehurst, North Carolina, went to high school in Southern Pines, North Carolina, and was drafted by the White Sox in the fourth round in 1990. He started slowly in the minors, but came on strong in 1992 and reached AAA in mid-season of 1993. He got a full year there in 1994 and was in the majors for about a month of 1995. He had a bad year in 1995, but after two strong AAA starts in 1996 he was in the majors for good. He went into the White Sox’ rotation and stayed there until he was traded in mid-2001. He did so despite the fact that he really was not very good: his ERA was over five for three consecutive years, 1997-1999, and the lowest ERA he ever posted for the White Sox was 4.42 in 1996. He had some good won-lost records, though, going 11-6 in 1996 (when he finished second in Rookie of the Year voting), 13-6 in 1998, and 14-7 in 2000. He made the all-star team in 2001, despite not pitching any better then than he had any other time, and was traded to the Dodgers in late-July of that season. He was a free agent after the season, went to Seattle for 2002, pitched about the same as he had before, and became a free agent again. He signed with Kansas City for 2003, went to AAA, was released June 1, and signed with Minnesota ten days later. He made five starts in Rochester, then came up to the Twins. He was in the bullpen for about five weeks, going 0-1, 5.40 in 15 innings. Minnesota released him in mid-August. He signed with the Mets for 2004, made two major league starts for them, and was released in mid-May. He was in AAA for Detroit the rest of the season. In 2005, he signed with Baltimore, was chosen off waivers by Texas in late July, and was chosen off waivers by Baltimore again in late August. He went to Toronto for 2006 and was released in late April, finally ending his career. He pitched for a long time and got a couple of honors, which isn’t bad for a guy who never really had a good year. At last report, James Baldwin had moved back to North Carolina and was a baseball coach at Pinecrest High School. His son, James Baldwin III, was drafted as an outfielder by the Dodgers and is currently playing for Class A Great Lakes in the Midwest League.

Also posted at wgom.org Brett Merriman (1966) James Baldwin (1971) Right-hander Brett Alan Merriman pitched for the Twins in 1993 and 1994. He was born in Jacksonville, Florida, went to high school in Nevada, Missouri, attended Grand Canyon University, and was drafted by Cleveland in the ninth round in 1988. He did not pitch that badly in two years in the minors, although he had problems with his control, but was released by the Indians late in 1990 spring training. California signed him a few days later, converted him from a starting pitcher to a reliever, and he pitched well in their system for three season, rising as high as AAA. He was left unprotected in the expansion draft and was chosen by Colorado in November of 1992. During spring training of 1993, Merriman was traded to Minnesota for Rob Wassenaar and Gary Wayne. He started the season with the Twins, but was sent down after a month with an ERA of 19.00. He went to AAA Portland, had a good season there, and came back for the last month of the season, pitching substantially better. He got off to a bad start in 1994 in Salt Lake but was called up to the Twins anyway, staying for nearly two months and not pitching very well. A free agent after the season, he signed with San Diego for 1995, pitched poorly in AAA for them, and then his playing career was over. In his major league career, all with the Twins, Brett Merriman was 1-2, 8.39 in 44 innings spread over 34 appearances. No information about Brett Merriman’s life after baseball was readily available. Right-hander James Baldwin, Jr. made ten appearances for the Twins in 2003. He was born in Pinehurst, North Carolina, went to high school in Southern Pines, North Carolina, and was drafted by the White Sox in the fourth round in 1990. He started slowly in the minors, but came on strong in 1992 and reached AAA in mid-season of 1993. He got a full year there in 1994 and was in the majors for about a month of 1995. He had a bad year in 1995, but after two strong AAA starts in 1996 he was in the majors for good. He went into the White Sox’ rotation and stayed there until he was traded in mid-2001. He did so despite the fact that he really was not very good: his ERA was over five for three consecutive years, 1997-1999, and the lowest ERA he ever posted for the White Sox was 4.42 in 1996. He had some good won-lost records, though, going 11-6 in 1996 (when he finished second in Rookie of the Year voting), 13-6 in 1998, and 14-7 in 2000. He made the all-star team in 2001, despite not pitching any better then than he had any other time, and was traded to the Dodgers in late-July of that season. He was a free agent after the season, went to Seattle for 2002, pitched about the same as he had before, and became a free agent again. He signed with Kansas City for 2003, went to AAA, was released June 1, and signed with Minnesota ten days later. He made five starts in Rochester, then came up to the Twins. He was in the bullpen for about five weeks, going 0-1, 5.40 in 15 innings. Minnesota released him in mid-August. He signed with the Mets for 2004, made two major league starts for them, and was released in mid-May. He was in AAA for Detroit the rest of the season. In 2005, he signed with Baltimore, was chosen off waivers by Texas in late July, and was chosen off waivers by Baltimore again in late August. He went to Toronto for 2006 and was released in late April, finally ending his career. He pitched for a long time and got a couple of honors, which isn’t bad for a guy who never really had a good year. At last report, James Baldwin had moved back to North Carolina and was a baseball coach at Pinecrest High School. His son, James Baldwin III, was drafted as an outfielder by the Dodgers and is currently playing for Class A Great Lakes in the Midwest League.

Also posted at wgom.org Danny Walton (1947) Vic Rodriguez (1961) This is also the birthday (1924) of Ralph Rowe, who was a Twins coach from 1972-1975. Outfielder Daniel James Walton played for the Twins in 1973 and 1975. He was born in Los Angeles, went to high school in La Puente, California, and was drafted by Houston in the tenth round in 1965. He hit very well in the minors, hitting over .300 with 45 homers combined in 1966-1967. He started 1968 with Houston, but got only two at-bats as a pinch-hitter before being returned to the minors. He did not really get going all season, but came back in 1969 to hit .332 with 34 homers for AAA Oklahoma City. In late August, Walton was traded to the Seattle Pilots in a deal that also involved ex-Twin Sandy Valdespino. He was the Pilots’ regular left fielder the rest of the year and held that position in 1970 for the new Milwaukee Brewers. That was the only year of his career that he got regular play, and was also his best year, as he hit .257 with 17 homers and an OPS of .790. Walton injured his knee late in the season, however, and was never the same player again. He began 1971 with Milwaukee, but was traded to the Yankees in early June and was in the minors most of the rest of the year. He had a solid year in AAA Syracuse in 1972, but was traded to Minnesota after the season for Rick Dempsey. Walton was in the big leagues most of the season but did not play much and did not hit when he did play, batting .177 with four homers. He went back to AAA in 1974 and had a strong year, hitting .263 with 35 homers and 109 RBIs. He was back with the Twins in 1975, but again did not hit, and was sent back down in mid-July. After the season, the Twins traded Walton to the Dodgers for Bobby Randall. As a Twin, he hit .176/.272/.302 in 159 at-bats. He was with the Dodgers organization for two seasons and had a huge year at AAA Albuquerque in 1977, hitting .289 with 42 homers and 122 RBIs. All it got him was a trade to Houston in early September. He stuck with the Astros the rest of the season, but was released late in spring training in 1978. He went to Japan that year, then came back to AAA with Seattle in 1979 and with Texas in 1980. He was in the big leagues for one more month in 1980, but that was the end of the line for him. After his playing career ended, he became a welder and pipe fitter in Utah. At last report, Danny Walton was retired and raising horses near Ogden, Utah. Infielder Victor Manuel (Rivera) Rodriguez had eleven at-bats for the Twins in 1989. He was born in New York and signed with Baltimore in 1977 at age 16. He did not show a lot of power, but his other numbers are not bad, especially when one considers how young he was. He reached AAA in 1982 and hit .274 there in 1984, earning a September call-up in which he hit .412 with 3 doubles in 17 at-bats. The Orioles apparently weren’t overly impressed, as they traded him to San Diego the following February. He spent one season in the Padres’ organization, hitting .312 with 11 homers in AAA Las Vegas, and they weren’t impressed either, allowing him to become a free agent after the season. Rodriguez then signed with St. Louis, playing two seasons for AAA Louisville, and became a free agent again. He signed with Minnesota in January 0r 1988. He played in AAA Portland for four seasons, averaging close t0 .300. He was with the Twins for about a week and a half in late July of 1989, going 5-for-11 with two doubles as a third baseman. His line was .455/.455/.636. The Twins let him go after he hit .304 in Portland in 1991. He then went to Philadelphia, playing in AAA for two seasons and hitting .305 with 12 homers in 1993. He was in AAA for Florida in 1994 and Boston in 1995, then his playing career came to an end. In thirteen AAA seasons, Vic Rodriguez hit .290/.310/.408; in 28 major league at-bats he hit .429/.429/.607. He obviously was a free-swinger, and he would not have been a star, but it seems like he hit well enough that he could have helped somebody if he’d been given a chance. After his playing career he got into coaching, and is currently the assistant batting coach for the Boston Red Sox.

Also posted at wgom.org Danny Walton (1947) Vic Rodriguez (1961) This is also the birthday (1924) of Ralph Rowe, who was a Twins coach from 1972-1975. Outfielder Daniel James Walton played for the Twins in 1973 and 1975. He was born in Los Angeles, went to high school in La Puente, California, and was drafted by Houston in the tenth round in 1965. He hit very well in the minors, hitting over .300 with 45 homers combined in 1966-1967. He started 1968 with Houston, but got only two at-bats as a pinch-hitter before being returned to the minors. He did not really get going all season, but came back in 1969 to hit .332 with 34 homers for AAA Oklahoma City. In late August, Walton was traded to the Seattle Pilots in a deal that also involved ex-Twin Sandy Valdespino. He was the Pilots’ regular left fielder the rest of the year and held that position in 1970 for the new Milwaukee Brewers. That was the only year of his career that he got regular play, and was also his best year, as he hit .257 with 17 homers and an OPS of .790. Walton injured his knee late in the season, however, and was never the same player again. He began 1971 with Milwaukee, but was traded to the Yankees in early June and was in the minors most of the rest of the year. He had a solid year in AAA Syracuse in 1972, but was traded to Minnesota after the season for Rick Dempsey. Walton was in the big leagues most of the season but did not play much and did not hit when he did play, batting .177 with four homers. He went back to AAA in 1974 and had a strong year, hitting .263 with 35 homers and 109 RBIs. He was back with the Twins in 1975, but again did not hit, and was sent back down in mid-July. After the season, the Twins traded Walton to the Dodgers for Bobby Randall. As a Twin, he hit .176/.272/.302 in 159 at-bats. He was with the Dodgers organization for two seasons and had a huge year at AAA Albuquerque in 1977, hitting .289 with 42 homers and 122 RBIs. All it got him was a trade to Houston in early September. He stuck with the Astros the rest of the season, but was released late in spring training in 1978. He went to Japan that year, then came back to AAA with Seattle in 1979 and with Texas in 1980. He was in the big leagues for one more month in 1980, but that was the end of the line for him. After his playing career ended, he became a welder and pipe fitter in Utah. At last report, Danny Walton was retired and raising horses near Ogden, Utah. Infielder Victor Manuel (Rivera) Rodriguez had eleven at-bats for the Twins in 1989. He was born in New York and signed with Baltimore in 1977 at age 16. He did not show a lot of power, but his other numbers are not bad, especially when one considers how young he was. He reached AAA in 1982 and hit .274 there in 1984, earning a September call-up in which he hit .412 with 3 doubles in 17 at-bats. The Orioles apparently weren’t overly impressed, as they traded him to San Diego the following February. He spent one season in the Padres’ organization, hitting .312 with 11 homers in AAA Las Vegas, and they weren’t impressed either, allowing him to become a free agent after the season. Rodriguez then signed with St. Louis, playing two seasons for AAA Louisville, and became a free agent again. He signed with Minnesota in January 0r 1988. He played in AAA Portland for four seasons, averaging close t0 .300. He was with the Twins for about a week and a half in late July of 1989, going 5-for-11 with two doubles as a third baseman. His line was .455/.455/.636. The Twins let him go after he hit .304 in Portland in 1991. He then went to Philadelphia, playing in AAA for two seasons and hitting .305 with 12 homers in 1993. He was in AAA for Florida in 1994 and Boston in 1995, then his playing career came to an end. In thirteen AAA seasons, Vic Rodriguez hit .290/.310/.408; in 28 major league at-bats he hit .429/.429/.607. He obviously was a free-swinger, and he would not have been a star, but it seems like he hit well enough that he could have helped somebody if he’d been given a chance. After his playing career he got into coaching, and is currently the assistant batting coach for the Boston Red Sox.

Also posted at wgom.org Ruben Gomez (1927) Buzz Stephen (1944) Jerry Terrell (1946) Mark Brown (1959) ​ Right-hander Ruben (Colon) Gomez appeared in six games for the Twins in 1962. He was born in Arroyo, Puerto Rico, and played in independent ball (much more prevalent at the time) for nearly three years. He played briefly for Havana in the Washington organization in 1951, then was in AAA briefly for the Yankees in 1952. He then went to the New York Giants, starting 1953 in the majors and not looking back. He was in the Giants’ rotation for six seasons, making the move to San Francisco with them. He struggled with his control, leading the league in walks in 1954. He averaged over 200 innings a season, though, and 1954 was actually his best year: he went 17-9, 2.88. He became the first Puerto Rican to pitch in a World Series that year. He was traded to Philadelphia after the 1958 campaign, and his career hit hard times after that. He had a poor year in 1959 and moved to the bullpen, but continued to struggle. He was back in the minors for part of 1960 and all of 1961. He was traded to Cleveland before the 1962 season and did well in AAA, earning his way back to the majors. He did not pitch particularly well when he got there, however, and was traded to Minnesota in late August for Jackie Collum, a player to be named later (Georges Miranda) and cash. He finished the year there, starting two games and relieving in four. He allowed 11 runs (10 earned) on 17 hits and 11 walks in 19 innings. The Twins released him the following January. He went back to the Indians in 1963 and pitched well in AAA, but did not make it back to the majors. He then went to the Mexican League for three years. The Phillies then picked him up, and he started 1967 in the Philadelphia bullpen. He did not do badly, but was let go in early May and went back to the Mexican League. He continued to pitch in winter ball through 1977. Ruben Gomez passed away from cancer in San Juan, Puerto Rico on July 26, 2004. Louis Robert “Buzz” Stephen made two starts for the Twins in 1968. He was born in Porterville, California and attended Cal State–Fresno. He was drafted by Minnesota with the second pick of the June Secondary draft in 1966. He did very well at Class A St. Cloud that season, but less well after that. He won 11 games at AA Charlotte in 1968, though, which was good enough to get him a September call-up. He made two starts for the Twins, giving up seven runs (six earned) on eleven hits and seven walks in 11.1 innings. He was 1-1, 4.76. He was then chosen by Seattle in the expansion draft. He was in the minors for the Seattle/Milwaukee organization through June 15, 1970, then was traded to the Baltimore chain. He did not do particularly well in either place, and his playing career was over after the 1970 season at age 26. At last report, Buzz Stephen was living in his home town of Porterville, California. Infielder Jerry Wayne Terrell played for the Twins from 1973-1977. He was born in Waseca, Minnesota, grew up in Elysian, Minnesota (where an uncle of this author once lived), attended high school in Waterville, Minnestoa, and was drafted by Minnesota in the eighteenth round in 1968. He was up and down in the minors. Terrell hit .296 for Class A Auburn in 1968, missed all of 1969 due to military service, fell to .279 in Class A Lynchburg in 1970 and .231 in AA Charlotte in 1971, but came back to hit .290 in AAA Tacoma in 1972. He never had any power and drew only a fair number of walks. He was with the Twins at the start of the 1973 season and stayed there five years, with the exception of a couple of months in 1975. He got the most playing time of his career his rookie year, when he started in over half the team’s games. He never had a regular position for very long, but generally played quite a bit. He made the bulk of his starts at shortstop in his career, but he also played second and third, made a handful of starts at first, and even played a few games in the outfield. His best year offensively was 1975, which oddly was the year he was sent back to the minors to start the season. He came back in early June to hit .286 with 16 doubles for an OPS of .669, all career highs. Terrell became a free agent after the 1977 season and signed with Kansas City. He was with the Royals for three years, but played sparingly in 1979 and was back in AAA for much of 1980. His playing career then ended. Terrell remained in baseball for quite some time after that as a minor league manager and as a scout; however, no information about what Jerry Terrell is currently doing was readily available. Right-hander Mark Anthony Brown made six appearances for the Twins in 1985. He was born in Bellows Falls, Vermont, went to high school in Windsor, Connecticut, and attended the University of Massachusetts–Amherst. While growing up, he was a bat-boy for an American Legion team that included Carlton Fisk. He was drafted by Baltimore in the sixth round in 1980. He moved up through the Orioles chain, doing pretty well and reaching AAA in 1982. He was mostly a relief pitcher in the minors, although he made some starts as well. As a result of relieving and battling injuries much of his career, he never pitched more than one hundred innings in a minor league season. He was called up to the Orioles in early August of 1984 and stayed the rest of the season. He appeared in nine games pitching 23 innings. Late in 1985 spring training, Brown was traded to Minnesota for Brad Havens. He was in AAA Toledo most of the season, pitching well, and was called up for about six weeks in the middle of the year. He pitched 15.2 innings in six games. He allowed 13 runs (12 earned) on 21 hits in 7 walks for an ERA of 6.89, then lost his roster spot to Steve Howe. Early in 1986, the Twins released Brown, and he signed with Baltimore again. He played at AAA for them that season, then his playing career came to an end. At last report, Mark Brown was living in Rochester, New York, and was instructing youth on the art of pitching. He also speaks to various youth groups on the importance of getting a good education.

Also posted at wgom.org Ruben Gomez (1927) Buzz Stephen (1944) Jerry Terrell (1946) Mark Brown (1959) ​ Right-hander Ruben (Colon) Gomez appeared in six games for the Twins in 1962. He was born in Arroyo, Puerto Rico, and played in independent ball (much more prevalent at the time) for nearly three years. He played briefly for Havana in the Washington organization in 1951, then was in AAA briefly for the Yankees in 1952. He then went to the New York Giants, starting 1953 in the majors and not looking back. He was in the Giants’ rotation for six seasons, making the move to San Francisco with them. He struggled with his control, leading the league in walks in 1954. He averaged over 200 innings a season, though, and 1954 was actually his best year: he went 17-9, 2.88. He became the first Puerto Rican to pitch in a World Series that year. He was traded to Philadelphia after the 1958 campaign, and his career hit hard times after that. He had a poor year in 1959 and moved to the bullpen, but continued to struggle. He was back in the minors for part of 1960 and all of 1961. He was traded to Cleveland before the 1962 season and did well in AAA, earning his way back to the majors. He did not pitch particularly well when he got there, however, and was traded to Minnesota in late August for Jackie Collum, a player to be named later (Georges Miranda) and cash. He finished the year there, starting two games and relieving in four. He allowed 11 runs (10 earned) on 17 hits and 11 walks in 19 innings. The Twins released him the following January. He went back to the Indians in 1963 and pitched well in AAA, but did not make it back to the majors. He then went to the Mexican League for three years. The Phillies then picked him up, and he started 1967 in the Philadelphia bullpen. He did not do badly, but was let go in early May and went back to the Mexican League. He continued to pitch in winter ball through 1977. Ruben Gomez passed away from cancer in San Juan, Puerto Rico on July 26, 2004. Louis Robert “Buzz” Stephen made two starts for the Twins in 1968. He was born in Porterville, California and attended Cal State–Fresno. He was drafted by Minnesota with the second pick of the June Secondary draft in 1966. He did very well at Class A St. Cloud that season, but less well after that. He won 11 games at AA Charlotte in 1968, though, which was good enough to get him a September call-up. He made two starts for the Twins, giving up seven runs (six earned) on eleven hits and seven walks in 11.1 innings. He was 1-1, 4.76. He was then chosen by Seattle in the expansion draft. He was in the minors for the Seattle/Milwaukee organization through June 15, 1970, then was traded to the Baltimore chain. He did not do particularly well in either place, and his playing career was over after the 1970 season at age 26. At last report, Buzz Stephen was living in his home town of Porterville, California. Infielder Jerry Wayne Terrell played for the Twins from 1973-1977. He was born in Waseca, Minnesota, grew up in Elysian, Minnesota (where an uncle of this author once lived), attended high school in Waterville, Minnestoa, and was drafted by Minnesota in the eighteenth round in 1968. He was up and down in the minors. Terrell hit .296 for Class A Auburn in 1968, missed all of 1969 due to military service, fell to .279 in Class A Lynchburg in 1970 and .231 in AA Charlotte in 1971, but came back to hit .290 in AAA Tacoma in 1972. He never had any power and drew only a fair number of walks. He was with the Twins at the start of the 1973 season and stayed there five years, with the exception of a couple of months in 1975. He got the most playing time of his career his rookie year, when he started in over half the team’s games. He never had a regular position for very long, but generally played quite a bit. He made the bulk of his starts at shortstop in his career, but he also played second and third, made a handful of starts at first, and even played a few games in the outfield. His best year offensively was 1975, which oddly was the year he was sent back to the minors to start the season. He came back in early June to hit .286 with 16 doubles for an OPS of .669, all career highs. Terrell became a free agent after the 1977 season and signed with Kansas City. He was with the Royals for three years, but played sparingly in 1979 and was back in AAA for much of 1980. His playing career then ended. Terrell remained in baseball for quite some time after that as a minor league manager and as a scout; however, no information about what Jerry Terrell is currently doing was readily available. Right-hander Mark Anthony Brown made six appearances for the Twins in 1985. He was born in Bellows Falls, Vermont, went to high school in Windsor, Connecticut, and attended the University of Massachusetts–Amherst. While growing up, he was a bat-boy for an American Legion team that included Carlton Fisk. He was drafted by Baltimore in the sixth round in 1980. He moved up through the Orioles chain, doing pretty well and reaching AAA in 1982. He was mostly a relief pitcher in the minors, although he made some starts as well. As a result of relieving and battling injuries much of his career, he never pitched more than one hundred innings in a minor league season. He was called up to the Orioles in early August of 1984 and stayed the rest of the season. He appeared in nine games pitching 23 innings. Late in 1985 spring training, Brown was traded to Minnesota for Brad Havens. He was in AAA Toledo most of the season, pitching well, and was called up for about six weeks in the middle of the year. He pitched 15.2 innings in six games. He allowed 13 runs (12 earned) on 21 hits in 7 walks for an ERA of 6.89, then lost his roster spot to Steve Howe. Early in 1986, the Twins released Brown, and he signed with Baltimore again. He played at AAA for them that season, then his playing career came to an end. At last report, Mark Brown was living in Rochester, New York, and was instructing youth on the art of pitching. He also speaks to various youth groups on the importance of getting a good education.

Also posted at wgom.org Tom Tischinski (1944) Adam Johnson (1979) Phil Dumatrait (1981) ​Catcher Thomas Arthur Tischinski was a reserve catcher for the Twins for three seasons, 1969-1971. Born and raised in Kansas City, he signed with the Kansas City Athletics as a free agent in 1962. He was always a weak batter, even in the minors. His highest average in the minors was .256, in 1958 at AAA Denver, and he had two seasons in which he hit below .200 and another in which he hit .208. He was taken by Cincinnati in 1962 in the first-year player draft and came to the Twins after the 1967 campaign in the minor league draft. He came up to the big leagues at the start of the 1969 season and stayed three years. He was the third catcher each season, backing up Johnny Roseboro and George Mitterwald in 1969, Mitterwald and Paul Ratliff in 1970, and Mitterwald and Phil Roof in 1971. As a consequence, he didn’t get a lot of playing time. In his three years in the majors, he got only 116 at-bats. He hit .181/.294/.224, never batting higher than .196 in any season. He was back in the minors in 1972. He moved to the Dodgers’ organization late that season, staying through 1974. Oddly, his best season as a pro was his last one, when he hit .286 with an OPS of .835 as a part time player for AAA Albuquerque. It appears that Tom Tischinski has returned to the Kansas City area. Right-hander Adam Bryant Johnson played briefly for the Twins in 2001 and 2003. He was born in San Jose, went to high school in Encinitas, California, and was drafted by Minnesota with the second pick of the 2000 draft. He had a very good year in 2000 with Ft. Myers, and did not do badly when promoted higher in the minors the next year. The Twins, desperate for a fifth starter as the tried to stay in the 2001 pennant race, called Johnson to the majors and put him in the starting rotation. It did not work. He made four starts, then three relief appearances, and pitched poorly in all of them. He never had a good year again. He struggled for three years in AAA for the Twins, getting a September call-up in 2003, and was released in January of 2005. He signed with Arizona, was released in spring training, played in the independent Golden Baseball League, and signed with Oakland in mid-August. The Athletics released him in early June of 2006. He played in the Atlantic League in 2008, and then his playing career was over. His major league record is 1-3, 10.25 with a 2.05 WHIP in 26.1 innings. He made nine appearances, four of them starts. No informaton about Adam Johnson since that time was readily available, but it would be nice to think that his current career is being kinder to him than major league batters were. Left-hander Philip Anthony Dumatrait played for the Twins for most of 2011. Born and raised in Bakersfield, California, he was drafted by Boston in the first round of the 2000 draft. His numbers in the low minors look quite good, but there was apparently something about him the Red Sox did not like, because he had still not risen higher than Class A when he was traded to Cincinnati at the 2003 deadline with a player to be named later for Scott Williamson. He missed all of 2004 due to injury, finally got to AA in 2005, and reached AAA in 2006. He had a fine year in Louisville in 2007 and reached the majors in early August. He made six poor starts for the Reds, and since he was now 26 Cincinnati put him on waivers. He was chosen by Pittsburgh and spent his only full year in the majors with the Pirates in 2008. It did not go well: both starting and relieving, he went 3-4, 5.26. He battled injuries again in 2009, making it back to Pittsburgh at the end of the season but again not pitching well. A free agent after the season, he signed with Detroit for 2010, was sent to AAA, and was released in May, finishing the season in Korea. He signed with Minnesota for 2011, started the season in Rochester, but came up to the Twins in mid-May and stayed the rest of the season. Making forty-five appearances out of the bullpen, he went 1-3, 3.92, which doesn’t sound too bad until you note that he had a WHIP of 1.69. As with every other time he made the majors, control was a problem, as he walked 25 batters in 41.1 innings. He was again injured at the start of 2012 and apparently decided it wasn’t worth it any more, as he retired at the end of May. No information about what Phil Dumatrait has been doing since then was readily available.

Also posted at wgom.org Tom Tischinski (1944) Adam Johnson (1979) Phil Dumatrait (1981) ​Catcher Thomas Arthur Tischinski was a reserve catcher for the Twins for three seasons, 1969-1971. Born and raised in Kansas City, he signed with the Kansas City Athletics as a free agent in 1962. He was always a weak batter, even in the minors. His highest average in the minors was .256, in 1958 at AAA Denver, and he had two seasons in which he hit below .200 and another in which he hit .208. He was taken by Cincinnati in 1962 in the first-year player draft and came to the Twins after the 1967 campaign in the minor league draft. He came up to the big leagues at the start of the 1969 season and stayed three years. He was the third catcher each season, backing up Johnny Roseboro and George Mitterwald in 1969, Mitterwald and Paul Ratliff in 1970, and Mitterwald and Phil Roof in 1971. As a consequence, he didn’t get a lot of playing time. In his three years in the majors, he got only 116 at-bats. He hit .181/.294/.224, never batting higher than .196 in any season. He was back in the minors in 1972. He moved to the Dodgers’ organization late that season, staying through 1974. Oddly, his best season as a pro was his last one, when he hit .286 with an OPS of .835 as a part time player for AAA Albuquerque. It appears that Tom Tischinski has returned to the Kansas City area. Right-hander Adam Bryant Johnson played briefly for the Twins in 2001 and 2003. He was born in San Jose, went to high school in Encinitas, California, and was drafted by Minnesota with the second pick of the 2000 draft. He had a very good year in 2000 with Ft. Myers, and did not do badly when promoted higher in the minors the next year. The Twins, desperate for a fifth starter as the tried to stay in the 2001 pennant race, called Johnson to the majors and put him in the starting rotation. It did not work. He made four starts, then three relief appearances, and pitched poorly in all of them. He never had a good year again. He struggled for three years in AAA for the Twins, getting a September call-up in 2003, and was released in January of 2005. He signed with Arizona, was released in spring training, played in the independent Golden Baseball League, and signed with Oakland in mid-August. The Athletics released him in early June of 2006. He played in the Atlantic League in 2008, and then his playing career was over. His major league record is 1-3, 10.25 with a 2.05 WHIP in 26.1 innings. He made nine appearances, four of them starts. No informaton about Adam Johnson since that time was readily available, but it would be nice to think that his current career is being kinder to him than major league batters were. Left-hander Philip Anthony Dumatrait played for the Twins for most of 2011. Born and raised in Bakersfield, California, he was drafted by Boston in the first round of the 2000 draft. His numbers in the low minors look quite good, but there was apparently something about him the Red Sox did not like, because he had still not risen higher than Class A when he was traded to Cincinnati at the 2003 deadline with a player to be named later for Scott Williamson. He missed all of 2004 due to injury, finally got to AA in 2005, and reached AAA in 2006. He had a fine year in Louisville in 2007 and reached the majors in early August. He made six poor starts for the Reds, and since he was now 26 Cincinnati put him on waivers. He was chosen by Pittsburgh and spent his only full year in the majors with the Pirates in 2008. It did not go well: both starting and relieving, he went 3-4, 5.26. He battled injuries again in 2009, making it back to Pittsburgh at the end of the season but again not pitching well. A free agent after the season, he signed with Detroit for 2010, was sent to AAA, and was released in May, finishing the season in Korea. He signed with Minnesota for 2011, started the season in Rochester, but came up to the Twins in mid-May and stayed the rest of the season. Making forty-five appearances out of the bullpen, he went 1-3, 3.92, which doesn’t sound too bad until you note that he had a WHIP of 1.69. As with every other time he made the majors, control was a problem, as he walked 25 batters in 41.1 innings. He was again injured at the start of 2012 and apparently decided it wasn’t worth it any more, as he retired at the end of May. No information about what Phil Dumatrait has been doing since then was readily available.

Also posted at wgom.org Bob Allison (1934) John Sevcik (1947) Yorman Bazardo (1984) Bryan Augenstein (1986) ​Outfielder William Robert ”Bob” Allison played his entire career with the Washington/Minnesota franchise, beginning in 1958 and ending in 1970. Born and raised in Raytown, Missouri, he attended the University of Kansas (where he starred in football as well as baseball) and signed with Washington as a free agent in 1955. His minor league numbers were not all that impressive, although he did hit .307 in AA Chattanooga in 1958. He got a September call-up that year and never went back to the minors again. He was the starting center fielder for Washington in 1959, hit .261 with 30 homers, led the league in triples with nine, was Rookie of the Year and made his first all-star team. He moved to right field in 1960, and while he did not match his numbers from his first year, he had another fine season. He came to Minnesota with the team in 1961. He stayed in right field through 1963, moved to first base in 1964, and moved to left field in 1965, where he stayed the rest of his career. From 1961-1968 (excluding 1966, when he missed most of the season due to a broken left hand), he averaged .260 with 28 home runs, 21 doubles, and an OPS of .850. He led the league in OPS in 1963 and made the all-star team in 1963-1964. It shows the power of the Twins in those years that he was the second banana to Harmon Killebrew and then the third banana to Killebrew and Tony Oliva. Allison fell to part-time status in 1969 and was largely a bench player in 1970. For his career, Bob Allison hit He chose to retire after the 1970 season. He went to work for the Coca-Cola Company, becoming general manager of the company’s Twins Cities Marketing Division. He suffered from ataxia, a neurological disorder, and passed away April 9, 1995 in Rio Verde, Arizona. The Twins now give the Bob Allison award for the Twins player who best exemplifies determination, hustle, tenacity, competitive spirit, and leadership both on and off the field. Catcher John Sevcik had sixteen at-bats for the Twins in 1965. He was Oak Park, Illinois, went to high school in Berwyn, Illinois, and then attended the University of Missouri. He played for the Sturgis (SD) Titans in the Basin League in 1963, and was signed by the Twins as a free agent in 1964. He was in Class A at Wisconsin Rapids that season, did fairly well, and found himself as the third catcher on the Twins in 1965, backing up Earl Battey and Jerry Zimmerman. He appears to have been with the team the whole season–at least, he did not play in the minors and was in at least one major league game almost every month–but he played very sparingly. He appeared in one game in April, one in May, six in June, one in July, two in September, and one in October. He made only three starts. In his 12 games, he went 1-for-16 with a walk and a sacrifice. His hit was a double. Sevcik went back to the minors after that season, staying in the Twins’ organization through 1971. He was a part-time player every season for them, averging 72 games and 232 at-bats. His lifetime OPS in the minors was .683. Sevcik’s playing career ended after the 1971 season. For several years, John Sevcik was living in San Antonio and was an executive for the Jim Beam company. He is now retired and living in Austin, Texas. Right-hander Yorman Michael (Osario) Bazardo did not play for the Twins, but was in their farm system for the first part of 2011. He was born in Maracay, Aragua, Venezuela, and signed with Florida as a free agent in 2000. He pitched quite well in the low minors, but advanced slowly, probably due to his young age. He reached AA in 2005, even getting one appearance in the majors in late May (1.2 innings 0f a blowout loss). He was traded to Seattle at the trade deadline that season. He did pretty well in AA for them in 2006, especially considering he was still only 21. He was traded to Detroit that off-season. He had a fine season in AAA in 2007 and made eleven very good appearances for the big club. He started 2008 in the majors, but after only three appearances he was sent down. He had a bad year in AAA and became a free agent, signing with Philadelphia. The Phillies released him at the end of spring training, and he moved on to Houston. He did okay in AAA for the Astros and spent the last two months of 2009 in the major leagues. It looks like that will be his major league swan song, though. He was again a free agent after the season and signed with Minnesota for 2011. He went to Rochester, didn’t do much, and was released in mid-June. He finished the season pitching for Camden in the Atlantic League. He did not play in 2012, at least as far as b-r.com is concerned, but he has continued to play in Caribbean winter leagues and is playing in Italy in 2013. In his big league career so far, he appeared in 25 games (eight starts), going 3-4, 6.86, 1.69 WHIP in 60.1 innings. He is 29 today and is pitching very well in Italy. It seems really unlikely that he’ll ever return to the majors, but stranger things have probably happened. Right-hander Bryan Christopher Augenstein did not play for the Twins, but was in their minor league system for two months in 2013. Born and raised in Sebastian, Florida, he attended the University of Florida, and was drafted by Arizona in the seventh round in 2007. He pitched very well in the low minors, but struggled when promoted to AAA in 2009. Despite that, he made two starts for the Diamondbacks in May and got a September call-up, making five appearances out of the bullpen. He struggled in AAA again in 2010 and was placed on waivers by Arizona after the season. St. Louis claimed him and surprisingly, he made the Cardinals out of spring training. Unsurprisingly, he did not do well in five appearances, although one really bad appearance makes his numbers look worse than they would have been otherwise. He did better in AAA in 2011, but was not really good, and was released after the season. Tampa Bay signed him and sent him to AAA again for 2012. He actually had a fairly good season working out of the bullpen (he had been converted to relief in 2011), but did not get called up and was released by the Rays after the season. Minnesota signed him for 2013, but he was injured, did not pitch for any of the Twins affiliates, and was released at the end of May. He has not been picked up by anyone at this writing. In his major league career, he was 0-2, 8.34, 1.90 WHIP in 22.2 innings. He pitched in twelve major league games, which is twelve more than most people reading this have pitched in, starting two of them. He’s only twenty-seven, so he certainly could get picked up by somebody if he can show he’s healthy, and if he does, who knows? Maybe he’ll get another shot at the big leagues.

Also posted at wgom.org Bob Allison (1934) John Sevcik (1947) Yorman Bazardo (1984) Bryan Augenstein (1986) ​Outfielder William Robert ”Bob” Allison played his entire career with the Washington/Minnesota franchise, beginning in 1958 and ending in 1970. Born and raised in Raytown, Missouri, he attended the University of Kansas (where he starred in football as well as baseball) and signed with Washington as a free agent in 1955. His minor league numbers were not all that impressive, although he did hit .307 in AA Chattanooga in 1958. He got a September call-up that year and never went back to the minors again. He was the starting center fielder for Washington in 1959, hit .261 with 30 homers, led the league in triples with nine, was Rookie of the Year and made his first all-star team. He moved to right field in 1960, and while he did not match his numbers from his first year, he had another fine season. He came to Minnesota with the team in 1961. He stayed in right field through 1963, moved to first base in 1964, and moved to left field in 1965, where he stayed the rest of his career. From 1961-1968 (excluding 1966, when he missed most of the season due to a broken left hand), he averaged .260 with 28 home runs, 21 doubles, and an OPS of .850. He led the league in OPS in 1963 and made the all-star team in 1963-1964. It shows the power of the Twins in those years that he was the second banana to Harmon Killebrew and then the third banana to Killebrew and Tony Oliva. Allison fell to part-time status in 1969 and was largely a bench player in 1970. For his career, Bob Allison hit He chose to retire after the 1970 season. He went to work for the Coca-Cola Company, becoming general manager of the company’s Twins Cities Marketing Division. He suffered from ataxia, a neurological disorder, and passed away April 9, 1995 in Rio Verde, Arizona. The Twins now give the Bob Allison award for the Twins player who best exemplifies determination, hustle, tenacity, competitive spirit, and leadership both on and off the field. Catcher John Sevcik had sixteen at-bats for the Twins in 1965. He was Oak Park, Illinois, went to high school in Berwyn, Illinois, and then attended the University of Missouri. He played for the Sturgis (SD) Titans in the Basin League in 1963, and was signed by the Twins as a free agent in 1964. He was in Class A at Wisconsin Rapids that season, did fairly well, and found himself as the third catcher on the Twins in 1965, backing up Earl Battey and Jerry Zimmerman. He appears to have been with the team the whole season–at least, he did not play in the minors and was in at least one major league game almost every month–but he played very sparingly. He appeared in one game in April, one in May, six in June, one in July, two in September, and one in October. He made only three starts. In his 12 games, he went 1-for-16 with a walk and a sacrifice. His hit was a double. Sevcik went back to the minors after that season, staying in the Twins’ organization through 1971. He was a part-time player every season for them, averging 72 games and 232 at-bats. His lifetime OPS in the minors was .683. Sevcik’s playing career ended after the 1971 season. For several years, John Sevcik was living in San Antonio and was an executive for the Jim Beam company. He is now retired and living in Austin, Texas. Right-hander Yorman Michael (Osario) Bazardo did not play for the Twins, but was in their farm system for the first part of 2011. He was born in Maracay, Aragua, Venezuela, and signed with Florida as a free agent in 2000. He pitched quite well in the low minors, but advanced slowly, probably due to his young age. He reached AA in 2005, even getting one appearance in the majors in late May (1.2 innings 0f a blowout loss). He was traded to Seattle at the trade deadline that season. He did pretty well in AA for them in 2006, especially considering he was still only 21. He was traded to Detroit that off-season. He had a fine season in AAA in 2007 and made eleven very good appearances for the big club. He started 2008 in the majors, but after only three appearances he was sent down. He had a bad year in AAA and became a free agent, signing with Philadelphia. The Phillies released him at the end of spring training, and he moved on to Houston. He did okay in AAA for the Astros and spent the last two months of 2009 in the major leagues. It looks like that will be his major league swan song, though. He was again a free agent after the season and signed with Minnesota for 2011. He went to Rochester, didn’t do much, and was released in mid-June. He finished the season pitching for Camden in the Atlantic League. He did not play in 2012, at least as far as b-r.com is concerned, but he has continued to play in Caribbean winter leagues and is playing in Italy in 2013. In his big league career so far, he appeared in 25 games (eight starts), going 3-4, 6.86, 1.69 WHIP in 60.1 innings. He is 29 today and is pitching very well in Italy. It seems really unlikely that he’ll ever return to the majors, but stranger things have probably happened. Right-hander Bryan Christopher Augenstein did not play for the Twins, but was in their minor league system for two months in 2013. Born and raised in Sebastian, Florida, he attended the University of Florida, and was drafted by Arizona in the seventh round in 2007. He pitched very well in the low minors, but struggled when promoted to AAA in 2009. Despite that, he made two starts for the Diamondbacks in May and got a September call-up, making five appearances out of the bullpen. He struggled in AAA again in 2010 and was placed on waivers by Arizona after the season. St. Louis claimed him and surprisingly, he made the Cardinals out of spring training. Unsurprisingly, he did not do well in five appearances, although one really bad appearance makes his numbers look worse than they would have been otherwise. He did better in AAA in 2011, but was not really good, and was released after the season. Tampa Bay signed him and sent him to AAA again for 2012. He actually had a fairly good season working out of the bullpen (he had been converted to relief in 2011), but did not get called up and was released by the Rays after the season. Minnesota signed him for 2013, but he was injured, did not pitch for any of the Twins affiliates, and was released at the end of May. He has not been picked up by anyone at this writing. In his major league career, he was 0-2, 8.34, 1.90 WHIP in 22.2 innings. He pitched in twelve major league games, which is twelve more than most people reading this have pitched in, starting two of them. He’s only twenty-seven, so he certainly could get picked up by somebody if he can show he’s healthy, and if he does, who knows? Maybe he’ll get another shot at the big leagues.