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Jeff A

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Blog Entries posted by Jeff A

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


  2. Jeff A
    Also posted at wgom.org
     
    Doug Clarey (1954)
    Floyd Chiffer (1956)
    Greg Brummett (1967)
     
    Second baseman Douglas William Clarey was drafted by the Twins, although he never played for them. Born in Los Angeles, Minnesota selected Clarey in the sixth round of the 1972 draft. He was in the Twins’ organization for three years, never rising higher than Class A and never hitting more than .237. After the 1974 season, Clarey was chosen by St. Louis in the minor league draft. He didn’t hit much in the Cardinals’ organization, either, but in 1976 he was brought up to the majors twice, totalling a little over three weeks. He made his major league debut on his birthday, one of thirty-six players to have done so. He never started a game, going 1-for-4 in nine games as a reserve. His hit, though, was a game-winning pinch-hit sixteenth-inning homer. Late in spring training of 1977, he was traded to the Mets for Benny Ayala. He split that season between the Mets and Brewers organizations, and in 1978 he was in AA for Baltimore. He hit 19 home runs that season and was still only 24, but apparently that did not make much of an impression on anyone, because his playing career came to an end after that season. At last report, Doug Clarey was living in Los Angeles. He went into real estate for a while, then opened a gourmet pizza restaurant , Cheech’s Pizza, which is located less than three miles from Dodger Stadium.
     
     
    Right-hander Floyd John Chiffer did not play for the Twins, but he was in their minor league system in 1985. He was born in Glen Cove, New York, went to high school in Lakewood, California, attended UCLA, and was drafted by San Diego in the fifth round in 1978. He was a starter his first season in the minors, then switched to the bullpen. He struggled until 1980, when he went 4-5, 2.18, 1.11 WHIP with nine saves in 62 innings (39 appearances) for AA Amarillo. He followed that up with a strong 1981 in AAA Hawaii and was in the big leagues the following season. He had a solid 1982, going 4-3, 2.95, 1.35 WHIP with four saves in 79.1 innings (51 appearances). He started 1983 in the majors and does not seem to have been pitching that badly, but he apparently got into the doghouse, because he was sent back to AAA in mid-May, not returning until September. He got about two more months in the majors in 1984, then was traded to Minnesota for Ray Smith after the season. He went 9-7, 2.49 with a 1.28 WHIP in Rochester, pitching 79.2 innings (51 appearances), but despite the fact that the Twins were using people like Curt Wardle and Rick Lysander in their bullpen, he never got a call to the majors. He started 1986 in AAA for Montreal but soon went to the Braves’ organization, where he stayed through 1987. His playing career ended after that season. For his major league career, he was 5-5, 4.02, 1.48 WHIP in 130 innings (81 appearances). After that, Floyd Chiffer went into the pharmaceuticals industry as a salesman. At last report, he was the Southwest District sales manager for Merck Opthalmics and lived in the Los Angeles area.
     
     
    Right-hander Gregory Scott Brummett made five starts for the Twins in 1993. He was born in Wichita and attended Wichita State, where his team won the College World Series and he was named tournament MVP in 1989. San Francisco drafted him in the eleventh round in 1989. He pitched well in the low minors and in 1993 was jumped from Class A to AAA. He pitched well in AAA, too, and had two stints with the Giants that year, totalling a little over a month. On September 1 of that season, Brummett became the player who was named later in a trade that also brought Andres Duncan and Aaron Fultz to Minnesota for Jim DeShaies. The Twins gave Brummett five September starts, in which he went 2-1, 5.74 with a WHIP of 1.65. He began 1994 in AAA Salt Lake, but did not pitch very well and moved on to Boston’s AAA team at mid-season. He pitched for Tyler in the independent Texas-Louisiana League in 1996 and also played in the Mexican League that season, but then his playing career came to an end. Greg Brummett was inducted into the Wichita State Hall of Fame in 1995 and was inducted into the Kansas Baseball Hall of Fame in 2010. After his playing career ended he went into coaching, spending four years as the pitching coach of North Carolina-Charlotte and one year coaching at the Air Force Academy. At last report, Greg Brummett was head baseball coach at Cloud County Community College in Concordia, Kansas.
  3. Jeff A
    Also posted in wgom.org
     
    Ed Hodge (1958)
    Frank Viola (1960)
    Joe Beimel (1977)
    Dennys Reyes (1977)
    Joe Mauer (1983)
     
    Left-hander Ed Oliver Hodge made 25 appearances for the Twins in 1984. Born in Bellflower, California, Hodge was drafted by Minnesota in the fifth round of the January draft in 1979. There is nothing in his minor league record that suggests he would be a major league pitcher, but the 1984 Twins were desperate for a fifth starter, so after he had three good starts at AAA Toledo, going 2-0, 2.01 with a 0.90 WHIP, Ed Hodge found himself in the big league rotation. He did quite a bit better than could have been expected, going 3-2, 4.12 through mid-June, but then was injured, missing a month and a half. He came back on August 1, made five fair-to-middling starts, then spent the rest of the year in the bullpen. For the season, he was 4-3, 4.77. He pitched in 25 games, 15 of them starts, and pitched exactly 100 innings. Those would also be his career numbers; he was back in Toledo in 1985, had another not-to-good season, and was released after the season. He pitched for the Braves’ AAA team in 1986, and then his playing career came to an end. More recently, he has done some coaching, serving as the pitching coach for the Sarasota Reds in 2006 and for Lakewood in the Phillies’ organization in 2007. He was a batting practice pitcher/coach for Houston from 2011-2012, and has been hired to do a similar job for Detroit for 2013.
     
     
    Left-hander Frank John Viola pitched for the Twins for most of the 1980s. He was born in Hempstead, New York and went to high school in East Meadow, New York. He then attended St. John’s (where he was involved in an epic pitcher’s duel with Yale’s Ron Darling that is still talked about occasionally), and was drafted by the Twins in the second round in 1981. He pitched reasonably well at AA Orlando in 1981, and after eight starts in AAA Toledo in 1982 he was in the Minnesota rotation at age 22. He was clearly not ready, posting ERAs over five and WHIPs over 1.5 in his first two seasons. When things clicked in, though, they did so in style. In 1984, Viola went 18-12, 3.21 with a WHIP of 1.16 and finished sixth in the Cy Young voting. He slipped a little in 1985 and 1986, although he was still a solid rotation starter, but in 1987 and 1988 he had his two best seasons. He went 41-17 in those two years, with an ERA of 2.77. He won the Cy Young award in 1988, when he won 24 of those games. Viola also finished tenth in MVP voting that year. He pitched over 245 innings each season for the Twins from 1984-1988. He was still pitching well at the end of July, 1989 when he was traded to the Mets for Rick Aguilera, Tim Drummond, Kevin Tapani, David West, and a player to be named later (Jack Savage). He continued to pitch Well for the Mets, winning 20 games in 1990 and finishing third in Cy Young voting that season. He also continued to pitch well over 200 innings each season. A free agent after the 1991 campaign, Viola signed with Boston and had two more very good years. After that, however, he struggled through injuries, had Tommy John surgery, and was never an effective pitcher again. He pitched briefly with Cincinnati in 1995 and Toronto in 1996 before bringing his playing career to an end. As a Twin, Frank Viola was 112-93, 3.86 in 260 appearances, 259 of them starts. Since his retirement, Viola has done some high-school and college coaching and has also done some broadcasting with the New England Sports Network. in 2011 he was the pitching coach for the Brooklyn Cyclones in the New York-Penn League and since 2012 he has been the pitching coach of the Savannah Sand Gnats in the South Atlantic League. Frank Viola is a member of the Minnesota Twins Hall of Fame.
     
     
    Left-handed reliever Joseph Ronald Beimel made three appearances for the Twins in 2004. Born and raised in St. Mary’s, Pennsylvania, he attended Duquesne University and was drafted by Pittsburgh in the eighteenth round in 1998. He started for much of his minor league career. He had not pitched effectively above Class A when he suddenly made the Pirates out of spring training in 2001. He was with Pittsburgh for three full seasons despite not pitching very well: his ERA was exactly five and his WHIP was 1.58. He made some starts in his first two years, but was moved exclusively to the bullpen in 2003. The Pirates released Beimel at the end of March, 2004, and the Twins signed him a couple of weeks later. He had a poor year in Rochester, despite which he was given a September call-up. Beimel pitched 1.2 innings in three games, giving up eight runs on eight hits and two walks. He became a free agent for 2005 and signed with Tampa Bay. He didn’t pitch particularly well in AAA for them, either, but got to the big leagues for about a month and did well in seven appearances. He signed with the Dodgers for 2006, pitched well in ten appearances at AAA, and came up to the majors, where at age 29 he finally found big-league success. He was with Los Angeles for three years, appeared in 216 games, and had an ERA of 3.04. Beimel was a free agent after the 2008 season and took a long time to sign, finally signing with Washington in mid-March. He pitched well there, was traded to Colorado in mid-season, and continued to pitch fairly well through 2010. He was a free agent after that season and signed with Pittsburgh. He was injured much of the year but made 35 appearances for the Pirates, working 25.1 innings. Unfortunately, he did not pitch well and was released at the end of August. He signed with Texas for 2012 but was released in late March. He underwent Tommy John surgery on May 1 of 2012. As he’s 36 today, one assumes his playing career is over, but he’s alive and left-handed, so maybe not.
     
     
    Left-handed reliever Dennys (Valarde) Reyes pitched for the Twins from 2006-2008. Born and raised in Higuera de Zaragosa, Mexico, Reyes was signed by the Dodgers as a free agent in 1993. He was a starter in his minor league career and was somewhat up-and-down, but pitched well in a month and a half stint with the Dodgers in 1997. At mid-season of 1998, the Dodgers traded Reyes to Cincinnati, where he stayed through 2001. He was not terrible in those years, although not particularly good, either. He split 2002 between Colorado and Texas, not doing much for either team. Reyes signed with Pittsburgh for 2003, was let go in May, and finished the season with Arizona, spending most of his time there in the minors. Reyes moved to Kansas City in 2004 and San Diego in 2005, doing nothing to attract anyone’s attention. The Padres released Reyes in July of 2005, and he was out of baseball until February of 2006, when Minnesota signed him. Reyes then went out and had one of the best seasons a LOOGY ever had. He appeared in 66 games, but pitched only 50.2 innings. In those innings, he went 5-0, 0.89 with a WHIP of 0.99. His ERA+ was 507. He did not repeat those numbers, but remained a valuable LOOGY for two more seasons. As a Twin, Dennys Reyes appeared in 191 games and pitched 126.1 innings. He was 10-1, 2.14 with a WHIP of 1.27. He became a free agent after the 2008 season and signed with St. Louis. He pitched well for the Cardinals in 2009-2010, then became a free agent again and signed with Boston. He made four appearances for the Red Sox and was made the fall guy for their poor start, getting sent outright to AAA. He then missed most of the season and was released in late September. He signed with Baltimore for 2012 but was released in early March. He did not play in 2012, but did play winter ball last season. We’ll end this with the same line we used in regard to Joe Beimel. As he’s 36 today, one assumes his playing career is over, but he’s alive and left-handed, so maybe not.
     
     
    There’s nothing to be said about catcher Joseph Patrick Mauer that anyone reading this does not already know. He was born and raised in St. Paul and was taken by Minnesota with the first pick of the 2001 draft. His lowest average in the minors was .302, with Class A Quad Cities in 2002. He showed very little power in the minors, never hitting more than five home runs in a season, although he hit 30 doubles in a 2003 split between Fort Myers and New Britain. He started 2004 with Minnesota but was injured most of the season, getting only 107 at-bats (in which he hit .308 with six home runs). His first full season came in 2005, when he hit .294 as a 22-year-old. In 2006, Mauer won his first batting title, the first American League catcher ever to win one. He has won two more since, including his highest average to date in 2009, .365. In 2009, when he won the MVP, Mauer also led the league in on-base percentage and slugging percentage. In 2010, in what some considered an “off year”, he hit .326/.402/.469, won the silver slugger and the gold glove, and finished eighth in MVP voting. He has made the all-star team five times, has finished in the top eight in MVP voting four times, has won three gold gloves, and has won three silver slugger awards. He had an injury-plagued 2011 and took a lot of criticism, but still hit .287 in just under 300 at-bats. He spent substantial time at first base and DH in 2012, but stayed healthy and came back with a fine season, batting .319 and leading the league in on-base percentage. His top ten in similarity scores include five Hall of Famers and two more who eventually will be. Joe Mauer turns thirty today. If he stays healthy, he should be a very good player for several more years yet.
  4. Jeff A
    Also posted at wgom.org
    Bobby Castillo (1955)
    Jim Eisenreich (1959)
    Steve Dunn (1970)
    Brian Buscher (1981)
     
     
    Right-hander Robert Castillo was with the Twins from 1982-1984. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Castillo was drafted by Kansas City in the sixth round in 1974. He was drafted as an outfielder, spent one undistinguished season in rookie ball, and then converted to pitching, apparently while playing in the Mexican League. He was sold to the Dodgers in June of 1977 and in September he was suddenly in the major leagues. His minor league numbers in 1978 and 1979 are awful, but he got chances with the Dodgers anyway and pitched much better in Los Angeles than he had in Albuquerque. He was used mostly as a reliever for the Dodgers. His best year in Los Angeles was 1980, when he was 8-6, 2.75 with five saves and a WHIP of 1.17. He made 61 appearances for the Dodgers that year, pitching 98.1 innings. He had a bad year in 1981, however, and after the season was traded to Minnesota with Bobby Mitchell for Paul Voight and Scotti Madison. The Twins converted Castillo to starting and he did pretty well in 1982, going 13-11, 3.66 with a WHIP of 1.28. He could not repeat his success in 1983, missing part of the year and much of 1984 with injury. A free agent after the 1984 season, he signed with the Dodgers but had a poor 1985 and was released at the end of spring training in 1986. He signed with Oakland in June and finished the season in the Athletics organization. He was in spring training with Seattle in 1987, but was released in late March and his playing career was over. As a Twin, Bobby Castillo was 23-24, 3.98 in 402.1 innings. He appeared in 77 games, 52 of them starts. He is best remembered today as the man who taught Fernando Valenzuela to throw a screwball. At last report, he was involved Babo Baseball, which is designed to help inner city youth programs educate and develop young baseball players into solid all-around athletes.
     
     
    Outfielder James Michael Eisenreich was with the Twins briefly for three seasons from 1982-1984. He was born and raised in St. Cloud, Minnesota and attended St. Cloud State. Minnesota drafted him in the 16th round in 1980. He hit very well in two seasons in the minors. In 1981, Eisenreich hit .311 with 23 home runs for Wisconsin Rapids, and at the start of 1982 he was jumped straight from Class A to the majors and named the Twins’ starting center fielder. Unfortunately, he then began to show the effects of Tourette’s Syndrome, about which little was understood at the time. It took a long time for him to be diagnosed properly, and another long time for proper medication to be prescribed. Eisenreich was named the Twins’ starting center fielder every year from 1982-1984, but it never lasted long, and after the 1984 season, he was out of baseball. He was out until 1987, when the Royals gave him a chance for a comeback. He hit .382 at AA and was back in the majors by late June. He spent all but a month in the majors in 1988, and in 1989 he finally left the minors behind for good. Eisenreich was a regular or semi-regular for the Royals for four seasons, playing corner outfield, and hit .286 in those years. A free agent after the 1992 season, he signed with Philadelphia, for whom he played four more seasons. He got about 300-350 at-bats per season and hit .300 or higher every year. A free agent again after 1996, he signed with Florida. He was a part-time player for the Marlins but had another good year, hitting .280 and helping the Marlins win their first world championship. He stayed with Florida at the beginning of 1998, but was traded to the Dodgers in mid-June. Used primarily as a reserve, he did not play well in Los Angeles and retired after the season at age 39. As a Twin, he hit .283/.348/.384 in 138 at-bats. After his retirement, he moved back to Kansas City, where he runs the Jim Eisenreich Foundation, which helps children with Tourette’s Syndrome achieve personal success.
     
     
    First baseman Steven Robert Dunn played briefly for the Twins in 1994-1995. He was born in Champaign, Illinois, but went to high school in Fairfax, Virginia. Minnesota drafted him in the fourth round in 1988. He took a long time to develop, but after hitting .305 with 26 home runs in Class A Visalia in 1992, Dunn was finally promoted to AA. He hit .309 with 14 homers in AAA Salt Lake in 1994 and was promoted to the majors for about a month. He had another good year in Salt Lake in 1995, this time getting a September call-up. In his two brief appearances with the Twins, Dunn went 8-for-41, with five of his hits going for doubles. The Twins released Dunn after the 1995 season and he signed with Cleveland. He had a decent year for AAA Buffalo, hitting .290 with 12 home runs, but it was not enough to get him back to the majors, and his playing career came to an end after that season. After that, he moved to Tennessee, and is a humanities teacher and assistant coach at Alcoa High School in eastern Tennessee.
     
     
    Third baseman Brian Phillip Buscher played for the Twins for parts of three seasons toward the end of the decade of the 2000s. Born and raised in Jacksonville, Florida, Buscher attended the University of South Carolina and was drafted by San Francisco in the third round in 2003. He spent four uneventful years in the Giants’ system, getting as high as AA. He was never awful, but never particularly impressive, either. Still, the Twins obviously thought they saw something in him, because they selected Buscher in the Rule 5 draft after the 2006 season. Something was obviously worked out, because Buscher started 2007 in the minors. He hit .308 in New Britain and .311 in Rochester and by late July found himself in the majors. He started 2008 back in AAA, but after hitting .319 with 12 homers in 185 at-bats he was back in the big leagues. He had his best season in the majors to date, hitting .294 as a part-time third baseman. Buscher was with the Twins for all but a month in 2009. After the season, however, the Twins let Buscher go. As a Twin, Brian Buscher hit .266/.343/.356 in 436 at-bats. He signed with Cleveland, playing in AAA Columbus in 2010 until late June, when he was released. This appears to have brought his playing career to an end, as he has not reappeared in organized baseball. Instead, he returned to the University of South Carolina to get a degree in psychology while also serving as an assistant baseball coach. He was the head baseball coach of Heathwood Hall Episcopal School in South Carolina, then returned to the University of South Carolina as an assistant coach for 2013.
  6. Jeff A
    Also posted at wgom.org
     
    Rich Rollins (1938)
    Bernie Allen (1939)
    Garry Roggenburk (1940)
     
    Third baseman Richard John Rollins played for the Minnesota Twins from 1961-1968. He was born in Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania, went to high school in Parma, Ohio, attended Kent State, and signed with Washington as a free agent in 1960. He spent less than two years in the minors, coming up to what was now the Minnesota Twins for a couple of months in 1961 and making the team to stay out of spring training in 1962. He made the all-star team in his first full major league season, hitting .298 with 16 home runs. Rollins finished eighth in MVP voting that year. 1963 was just as good, as Rollins hit .307, again hitting 16 homers and again receiving some MVP consideration. He fell off some after that, and after hitting .249 in 1965 Rollins fell to part-time status, sharing time at third with Harmon Killebrew from 1966-1968. He was left unprotected in the expansion draft after the 1968 season and was chosen by the Seattle Pilots. He had a poor year as a part-time player in 1969 and was released by the now Milwaukee Brewers in May of 1970. He signed with Cleveland, finished the year there, and his playing career came to an end. As a Twin, he hit .272/.333/.394 in 3,048 at-bats stretching over eight seasons. After leaving baseball, he worked for the Cleveland Cavaliers for a while. At last report, Rich Rollins was living in Akron, Ohio.
     
     
    Second baseman Bernard Keith Allen played for the Twins from 1962-1966. Born and raised in East Liverpool, Ohio, he attended Purdue, where he was also the quarterback on the football team, and signed with Minnesota as a free agent in 1961. He had a rather undistinguished 1961 season at Class A Charlotte, but in 1962 he was the Twins’ regular second baseman. He did surprisingly well, hitting .269 with 12 homers and finishing third in Rookie of the Year voting. That would turn out to be his best year in the majors. He fell to .240 in 1963, and a knee injury in 1964 which would bother him the rest of his career turned him into a part-time player, with Jerry Kindall seeing significant time at second base. In 1965 he fell even further, spending much of the year at AAA Denver. He was back with the Twins in 1966, this time sharing second base with Cesar Tovar, but his batting never really came back, and after the season he was traded to Washington with Camilo Pascual for Ron Kline. Allen had an awful year in 1967, but came back to relative mediocrity for the next three seasons, in which he was the mostly regular for the Senators at second base. He fell to part-time status in 1971, but rebounded to a .266 batting average, his best since his rookie year. After the season, Allen was traded to the Yankees. He was a reserve infielder there until mid-August of 1973, when he was sold to Montreal. He was released after the 1973 season, ending his playing career. As a Twin, he hit.246/.316/.366 in 1,595 at-bats stretching over five seasons. At last report, Bernie Allen was living in Carmel, Indiana and was working part-time at a golf course there.
     
     
    Left-handed reliever Garry Earl Roggenburk was with the Twins in 1963, 1965-1966. Born and raised in Cleveland, he attended the University of Dayton. He played basketball as well as baseball, leading his team to the NIT championship in 1962 (he still holds the school record with 32 rebounds in one game). He was drafted by the San Francisco Warriors, but signed with Minnesota as a free agent in 1962. He had a tremendous season as a starter in 1962 at Class A Erie, and was in the majors at the start of 1963. He was not worked very hard, but pitched well when given a chance, going 2-4, 2.16 in 50 innings. He did not play in 1964 for reasons that are not clear. Roggenburk started 1965 in AAA Denver, pitched well there, and was back in the big leagues by mid-July. He was again used sparingly but pitched well, going 1-0, 3.43 in 21 innings. He again started 1966 in Denver and was seldom used when he returned to the majors. Finally, since they weren’t using him, the Twins sold Roggenburk to Boston in September of 1966. As a Twin, Garry Roggenburk was 4-6, 3.02. He pitched in 60 games, two of them starts, and pitched 83.1 innings. He had a fine year in AAA Toronto in 1967, mostly used as a starting pitcher. He started 1968 in Boston and pitched well in four outings, but was apparently injured, as he made only four more appearances in AAA the rest of the season. He began 1969 with Boston, but was sold to the Seattle Pilots in late June. Roggenburk finished the season there, and then his playing career came to an end. He did some coaching after that, working in the Red Sox’ organization. He was the general manager of the Winter Haven Red Sox from 1978-1983. He then became a real estate appraiser in Cleveland, an occupation he stuck with until he retired. He is a member of the University of Dayton Hall of Fame. At last report, Garry Roggenburk was living in Avon, Ohio.
  8. Jeff A
    Also posted at wgom.org
     
    Ron Schueler (1948)
    Greg Myers (1966)
    Mike Trombley (1967)
     
    Right-hander Ronald Richard Schueler pitched for the Twins in 1977. Born and raised in Catherine, Kansas, Schueler was drafted by Atlanta in the third round of the secondary phase of the January draft in 1967. He struggled in his early years in the minors, but put things together in 1969, when he was used primarily in relief for AA Shreveport. He then had an excellent year as a starter in 1971, a year he split between AA Savannah and AAA Richmond. He made the Braves out of spring training in 1972 and never returned to the minors. He was with Atlanta for two seasons, making about an equal number of appearances as a starter and as a reliever. He was a valuable pitcher for the Braves in both years, but they didn’t seem to know what to do with him, and traded him to Philadelphia after the 1973 season. The Phillies placed him in the starting rotation for the first half of 1974 and he did reasonably well, but he was shifted to the bullpen in mid-July and mostly stayed there the rest of his career. Schueler was up and down in his career as a Phillie, but was fairly decent for the most part. Just before the 1977 season, he was sold to Minnesota. In his one season with the Twins, Ron Schueler went 8-7, 4.41. He pitched in 52 games, seven of them starts, and worked 134.2 innings. Schueler became a free agent after the season and signed with the White Sox, where he stayed for two years. His 1978 was pretty similar to his 1977, but he was injured much of 1979 and pitched poorly when he did pitch. His playing career came to an end after that season. After his playing career ended, Schueler became a major league pitching coach, working for the White Sox, Athletics, and Padres through 1986. He then worked in the Athletics front office through 1990, when he became the general manager of the White Sox. He held the job through 2000, then went into semi-retirement. He was a special consultant to the White Sox through 2002, was a special assistant for the Cubs in 2003, a special assistant for the Cardinals from 2005-2007, a special assistant for the Giants from 2008-2009, and a special adviser to the general manager for the Washington Nationals in 2010. It is unclear whether he is still working for the Nationals; several sources still list him in that position, but his name does not appear in the front office listings on the Nationals’ website. Ron Schueler lives in Paradise Valley, Arizona.
     
    Catcher Gregory Richard Myers was with the Twins for almost two seasons, 1996-1997. Born and raised in Riverside, California, he was drafted by Toronto in the third round in 1984. He generally put up high batting averages in the minors, though he stumbled a couple of times when first promoted. Oddly, his first major league action came as a September call-up following one of those stumbles: he hit only .246 in his first year at AAA, but was promoted in September of that year. He got another brief trial in 1989 and had his first full year in the majors in 1990. He was a part-time catcher for the Blue Jays through 1992, when he was traded to California. He held the same status for the Angels through 1995. He was a mediocre hitter to this point; not great, not totally awful. His averages had ranged from .236 to .262, his home run total from five to nine. Myers was a free agent after the 1995 season and signed with Minnesota. Tom Kelly managed to get one of the best years of Myers’ career out of him, as Myers hit .286 in 1996, sharing catching duties with Matt Walbeck. He was backing up Terry Steinbach in 1997 when he was traded to Atlanta in early September for a player to be named later (Steve Hacker). As a Twin, he hit .279/.323/.429 in 494 at-bats. A free agent after the season, he signed with the Padres. Myers stayed with San Diego through July of 1999, when he was again traded to Atlanta. He again became a free agent after the season. Myers was with Baltimore through June of 2001, was with Oakland through 2002, and then made a full circle by signing back with Toronto for 2003. That year, at age 37, he had the best season of his career, hitting .307 with 15 home runs. He was injured most of 2004, and played briefly in 2005, retiring in late April of that year. Greg Myers played in parts of 18 seasons, despite never getting as many as 330 at-bats in any of them. At last report, he was an assistant baseball coach at his high school Riverside Poly, in his hometown of Riverside, California. He was inducted into that school’s Hall of Fame in 2009.
     
    Right-hander Michael Scott Trombley pitched for the Twins from 1992-1999 and again briefly in 2002. He was born in Springfield, Massachusetts, grew up in Wilbraham, Massachusetts, attended Duke, and was drafted by Minnesota in the fourteenth round in 1989. Used mostly as a starter in the minors, Trombley pitched quite well, posting a WHIP below 1.3 every year through 1992. He made his debut in the majors in 1992, coming up in mid-August and pitching very well, going 3-2, 3.30. His first full year in the majors was 1993, but he struggled, posting an ERA of 4.88 and a WHIP of 1.50. He split the next three years, 1994-1996, between AAA and the majors. He continued to struggle in Minnesota until 1996, when he was moved to the bullpen for good. He also developed a split-finger fastball that year. He came up to the Twins in early June of that year and went 5-1, 3.01 in 68.2 innings. Trombley then was in the majors to stay, and remained with the Twins through 1999. He was a valuable member of their bullpen in those years, making numerous appearances and posting ERAs in the vicinity of four. After the 1999 season, Trombley became a free agent and signed with Baltimore. He was with the Orioles until late July of 2001, and pitched for them about like he had been pitching for the Twins. On July 31, 2001, the Orioles traded Trombley to the Dodgers. He struggled in 19 appearances and was released at the end of spring training in 2002. The Twins re-signed him in mid-April, but things did not work out. In five appearances for the Twins, Trombley gave up seven runs on ten hits in four innings. He was released in early June, ending his playing career. As a Twin, Mike Trombley was 30-34, 4.53. He pitched in 365 games, 36 of them starts, and pitched 645.2 innings. He lived in Florida until 2008, spent a year in North Carolina, and moved back to his home town of Wilbraham, Massachusetts in the summer of 2009. He currently works in his father’s financial planning business, Trombley Associates, where he is a managing partner and financial consultant. He also hosts a radio program, Around the Bases with Mike Trombley, which is broadcast on a sports radio station in Springfield, Massachusetts.
  9. Jeff A
    Also posted at wgom.org
    Jeff Bittiger (1962)
    Kevin Ohme (1971)
     
    Right-hander Jeffrey Scott Bittiger pitched in three games for the Twins in 1987. He was born in Jersey City and went to high school in Seacaucus, New Jersey. Bittiger was drafted by the Mets in the seventh round in 1980. His minor league numbers were fairly solid–his best year was 1982 with AA Jackson, when he went 12-5, 2.96 with a WHIP of 1.22 and 190 strikeouts in 164 innings. He was promoted to AAA in 1983 and spent three seasons at AAA Tidewater, where his numbers may not have been eye-popping but were not too bad, either. The Mets traded Bittiger to Philadelphia prior to the 1986 season. He won 13 games at AAA and pitched well enough to get a September call-up, but the Phillies gave up on him and released him after the season. He signed with Atlanta, was released at the end of spring training, and signed with Minnesota in mid-April of 1987. He spent most of the season at AAA, but was called up in September and started a game during the Twins’ stretch run, defeating the White Sox and giving up only a run on six hits in seven innings. He then made two poor relief appearances, however, and was released after the season. As a Twin, Jeff Bittiger was 1-0, 5.40, giving up five runs on eleven hits in 8.1 innings. His one good start must have impressed Chicago, however, as the White Sox signed him for 1988. Bittiger got the most big-league playing time of his career that season; after seven excellent starts at AAA, he came up to Chicago in mid-May and stayed the rest of the season. He was mostly used in relief, although he made occasional starts. He was unexceptional, but decent enough for the White Sox to keep him in AAA for 1989. He was in AAA almost all season, making only two appearances in the majors but having another fine season at AAA. The White Sox traded him to the Dodgers after the season. He moved on to the Indians organization for 1991, the Athletics’ system for 1992, and the Royals’ chain for 1993, not doing too badly but never getting another chance in the majors. He played in the Northern League in 1994, went back to the Oakland organization for 1995, and then played for the Fargo-Moorhead Red Hawks in the Northern League from 1996-2002. Jeff Bittiger is a scout for the Oakland Athletics. He is also a player personnel consultant for the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks, as well as being on the staff of the Lehigh Valley Baseball Academy. His son was a shortstop for Fairleigh Dickinson University.
     
     
    Left-hander Kevin Arthur Ohme was drafted by the Twins, but did not play for them. Born in Palm Beach, Florida, he was drafted by Minnesota in the ninth round in 1993. He was in the Twins’ farm system for seven seasons, used mostly in relief, although he made 11 starts for AA Hardware City in 1995. He pretty much topped out at AA, posting an ERA of 3.85 in two seasons there. He had three seasons for AAA Salt Lake, with an ERA over five in the first two. Even the third season, 1999, when his ERA was 3.83, was deceiving, as he had a WHIP of 1.52 that year. The Twins let him go after 1999 and he went to Japan for two years, playing for the Nippon Ham Fighters. He came back to the United States in 2002 and signed with St. Louis. Ohme had two undistinguished years at AAA Memphis, but in 2003 he appeared in two major league games for the Cardinals, giving up no runs on three hits in 4.1 innings. The Cardinals did not re-sign him after that season, but he went to spring training with the Angels for 2004. That spring, he injured his elbow and needed Tommy John surgery. It did not work out, and Kevin Ohme’s playing career ended. He is one of the few players to retire with a major league ERA of 0.00. He also got a hit in his only major league at-bat, giving him a lifetime average of 1.000. Kevin Ohme is currently the Minister of Activities for the First Baptist Church of Brandon, Florida. He also coaches youth baseball.
  10. Jeff A
    Also posted at wgom.org.
     
     
    Pedro Hernandez (1989)
     
     
    Left-hander Pedro Michel Hernandez has not played for the Twins yet, but joined their farm system in late July of 2012. He was born in Barquimsimeto, Venezuela and signed with San Diego as a free agent in 2006. He did very well in rookie ball but struggled in his first two tries at Class A. He took a substantial step forward in 2011, pitching well in both A and AA, although he struggled in four AAA starts. He was traded to the White Sox after the 2011 season in a deal for Carlos Quentin. He started very well in AA in 2012 and also did well in three AAA appearances. He made what one presumes was an emergency start for the White Sox on July 18 in Boston, allowing eight runs on twelve hits in four innings. He was traded to Minnesota with Eduardo Escobar on July 28 for Francisco Liriano. The Twins sent him to Rochester, where he struggled in four starts, going 0-2, 5.19, 5.00 WHIP. He began 2013 in Rochester but was promoted to Minnesota early in the season. He has made one start so far, a start which was not great but not awful. His AAA numbers are not very impressive, but he’s only twenty-four today. If he can take another step forward this season, the Twins could have something.
  11. Jeff A
    Also posted at wgom.org
     
    Bobby Mitchell (1955)
    Ricky Bones (1969)
     
    Outfielder Robert Van Mitchell was with the Twins from 1982-1983. He was born in Salt Lake City, went to high school in Chatsworth, California, and was drafted by the Dodgers in the seventh round in 1977. He hit for a high average every year in the minors; his lowest average was .292 with AA San Antonio in 1978, and his highest was .327 with AAA Albuquerque in 1979. He drew a decent number of walks as well, although he had no power. Mitchell got September call-ups in both 1980 and 1981. Prior to the 1982 season, he was traded to Minnesota with Bobby Castillo for Paul Voight and Scotti Madison. He replaced Jim Eisenreich as the starting center fielder that year. He fielded the position well, but could not translate his high minor league averages into major league success. He hit .249 with an OBP of .331 and lost the starting job in 1983 to Darrell Brown. Mitchell hit .230 in a reserve role. He was with AAA Toledo in 1984, hitting .272, but then the Twins let him go. As a Twin, Bobby Mitchell hit .244/.337/.310 in 606 at-bats. He played in AAA for two more years, in the Tigers organization in 1985 and the Blue Jays organization in 1986, and then his playing career was over. He has been a minor league coach and manager since then, employed by the Expos, Padres, and Angels organizations. Bobby Mitchell managed the Salt Lake Bees, the AAA affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels, from 2008-2010. He began 2011 as the roving outfield, baserunning, and bunting coordinator for the Angels, but became the manager of the AA Arkansas Travelers late in the season when their manager resigned. In 2012 he managed the Cubs entry in the Arizona Summer League. It appears that he still holds that position for 2013.
     
     
    Right-hander Ricardo Ricky Bones did not play for the Twins, but he was in their minor league system briefly in 1998. He was born in Salinas, Puerto Rico and went to high school in Guyama, Puerto Rico. He signed with San Diego as a free agent in 1986. He did not have spectacular minor league numbers, but he was decent and showed fairly good control. He made his major league debut with the Padres in mid-August of 1991, making eleven starts and not doing too badly for a 22-year-old. Just before the 1992 season, Bones was traded to Milwaukee in a trade that involved Gary Sheffield. He was in Milwaukee nearly five years, spending the first three as a solid rotation starter. His best year as a Brewer was 1994, when he was 10-9, 3.43 and made the all-star team. He had a down year in 1995, and was doing worse in 1996 when he was traded to the Yankees. Bones became a free agent after the season and signed with Cincinnati for 1997. He pitched poorly, was released in May, signed back with Milwaukee, and was sold to Kansas City in late June. He stayed there the rest of the year, became a free agent, and signed with Minnesota in January of 1998. He was pitching pretty well in AAA Salt Lake, going 5-1, 3.42 with a 1.27 WHIP, but was still released in late May. He signed back with Kansas City, went back to the bullpen, and did well there, posting a 3.04 ERA in 32 appearances. Bones spent three more years in the majors, playing for Baltimore in 1999 and for Florida in 2000 and 2001. He played in the Dodgers’ organization in 2002 and in Mexico in 2003 before ending his playing career. He went into coaching after that, working in the Mets’ organization. He was in the minors through 2011, and became the Mets’ bullpen coach in 2012, a position he continues to hold.


  12. Jeff A
    Bert Blyleven (1951)
    Bret Boone (1969)
     
    Right-hander Rik Aalbert Blyleven had two stints with the Twins, 1970-1976 and 1985-1988. He was born in Zeist, Netherlands but attended high school in Garden Grove, California. Minnesota drafted him in the third round in 1969. He had an excellent year and two months in the minors, was brought up to the Twins in June of 1970, and never looked back. He was immediately placed in the starting rotation and went 10-9, 3.18 with five complete games. He pitched an incredible number of innings for a young pitcher, topping 270 innings every year from age 20-25. The 3.18 ERA was the highest ERA he had as a Twin the first time around–every other year, he was at 3.00 or lower. He also had double digit complete games every year in his first time as a Twin, with at least 17 every year but one. He also struck out over 200 batters every season from 1971-1976. Remarkably, he only made the all-star team once, in 1973. He won twenty games that year, finished seventh in Cy Young voting, and got minor consideration for MVP. On June 1, 1976, the Twins traded Blyleven along with Danny Thompson to Texas for Mike Cubbage, Jim Gideon, Bill Singer, Roy Smalley, and cash. He continued to be an excellent pitcher with the Rangers, continuing his string of sub-3.00 ERAs and double digit complete games there. After the 1977 season Blyleven was traded to Pittsburgh as part of a four-team deal. His ERA started to rise in his Pirates years, but he remained a solid rotation starter and continued to pitch over 200 innings per season. Blyleven was traded to Cleveland after the 1980 season and responded with some fine years, although he missed much of 1982 due to injury. 1984 was an especially good year, as he went 19-7, 2.87 and finished third for the Cy Young award. On August 1, 1985, Blyleven was traded back to the Twins for Jay Bell, Curt Wardle, Jim Weaver, and a player to be named later (Richard Yett). He led the league that year with 24 complete games and 293.1 innings pitched. He remained in the Twins’ starting rotation through 1988, and while his ERA slipped over four for the first time, he continued to be a valuable pitcher, leading the league in innings pitched again in 1986 with 271.2. After a poor 1988, the Twins traded Blyleven again, this time to California with Kevin Trudeau for Rob Wassenaar, Mike Cook, and Paul Sorrento. He responded with one of the best years of his career, going 17-5, 2.73 with 241 innings pitched at age 38, finishing fourth in MVP voting. It was to be the last good year of his career, however; Blyleven struggled in 1990, missed 1991 with injury, struggled again in 1992, and then his career was over. As a Twin, Bert Blyleven was 149-138, 3.28. He pitched 2,566.2 innings, had a WHIP of 1.19, made 349 starts, pitched 29 shutouts, and had 141 complete games. As everyone reading this is aware, Bert Blyleven is currently a television analyst for the Twins on Fox Sports North. He was inducted into the major league baseball Hall of Fame in 2011.
     
     
    Second baseman Bret Robert Boone was a member of the Twins for two weeks or so in 2005. He comes from a baseball family: his grandfather, Ray, his father, Bob, and his brother, Aaron, were all major league baseball players. According to wikipedia, he is also a descendant of Daniel Boone. Bret was born in El Cajon, California, went to high school in Placentia, California, and was drafted by Seattle in the fifth round in 1990. He started slowly, but came into his own in 1992, when he reached AAA. He hit .314 in Calgary that year, earning a September call-up. In 1993, he hit .332 there in a half season. He came up to the majors to stay in late July. Boone was traded to Cincinnati after the 1993 season and had a big year in 1994, hitting .320 with 12 homers and getting minor consideration for MVP. He came crashing back to earth after that, hitting .267, .233, and .223 from 1995-1997. He bounced back to hit .266 with 24 homers in 1998, making the all-star team and winning a Gold Glove. Boone then spent a few years on the move, traded to Atlanta after the 1998 season and to San Diego following the 1999 season. He was a free agent the next year and signed with Seattle for 2001. He responded with what was easily the best year of his career, hitting .331 with 37 homers and a league-leading 141 RBIs. He made his second all-star team, won a Silver Slugger award, and finished third in MVP voting. While he never came close to repeating that season, he continued to hit well. His 2003 season, in which he hit .294 with 35 homers, got him on another all-star team, another Silver Slugger, and tenth place in MVP balloting. He also won the Gold Glove from 2002-2004. He had started to slip in 2004, however, and when he got off to a poor start in 2005 Seattle sent him to Minnesota in July ”as part of a conditional deal.” The Twins had a hole at second base that year, but Boone could not fill it: in 14 games, he hit .170/.241/.170 and was released at the end of the month. He tried to make a comeback in 2008, signing with Washington, but could not make it back to the big leagues. Bret Boone was manager of the Victoria Seals in the Golden Baseball League at the start of 2010, but left the position in late May to deal with family matters. At last report, he was coaching youth baseball in Southern California. He also speaks to teenagers about his battles with alcoholism. He is looking to get back into professional baseball in some capacity, but apparently nothing has materialized yet.
  14. Jeff A
    Also posted at wgom.org
     
     
    Tom Herr (1956)
    Casey Daigle (1981)
     
     
    Second baseman Thomas Mitchell Herr was with the Twins for most of the 1988 season. Born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, he signed with St. Louis as a free agent in 1974. He hit for a high average with a good OBP in the minors, although he showed little power. He reached AAA in 1978 and got to the majors for the first time in mid-August of 1979, staying for the rest of the season but getting only twelve at-bats. He was with St. Louis for most of 1980 and finally left the minors behind for good in 1981, becoming the Cardinals’ regular second baseman. Somehow, he got minor consideration for MVP that year despite hitting .268 with an OPS of .674. He was generally a decent but unspectacular singles hitter for St. Louis, but he did have a couple of very good years. He was hitting .323 in early August of 1983 when he season was cut short by injury, and he hit .302 in 1985, when the Cardinals went to the World Series. He was a productive offensive player in those years, but for the rest of his career in St. Louis he was a .260 hitter with a sub-.700 OPS. In late April of 1988, Herr was traded to Minnesota for Tom Brunansky. He missed about two months with injuries, but the rest of the time was who he had been most of his career, hitting .263/.349/.320 in 304 at-bats. After the season, the Twins traded him to Philadelphia with Eric Bullock and Tom Nieto for Shane Rawley and cash. He had one of his better years for the Phillies in 1989, hitting .287. In August of 1990, he was traded to the Mets. He was with the Mets for about a year, but was released in August of 1991 when he hit .194. The Giants signed him for the remainder of the season, but then Tom Herr’s playing career was over. After that, was a high school coach in Pennsylvania for twelve years, managed the Lancaster Barnstormers in the independent Atlantic League from 2005-2006, managed the Class A Hagerstown Suns in 2007, and then returned to the Atlantic League as a coach for Lancaster in 2008. He once again became the manager of the Barnstormers midway through the 2009 season, but was replaced by Butch Hobson after the 2010 season. No information about what Tom Herr is doing now was readily available, but he appears to still be living in the Lancaster area. He is reportedly hoping to get back into managing, but it does not appear he has been hired by anyone at this writing.
     
     
    Right-hander Sean Casey Daigle did not play for the Twins, but he was in their farm system for much of 2008. He was born in Lake Charles, Louisiana, went to high school in Sulphur, Louisiana, and was drafted by Arizona in the first round in 1999. A starter in his minor league career through 2004, he really never had much success, never posting an ERA below four nor a WHIP below 1.4. Despite that, he was promoted to AA at the end of 2002, and skipped AAA, making his major league debut in the Diamondbacks rotation at the start of 2004. Predictably, it did not go well; he was sent back to AAA after going 2-3, 7.16 in ten starts. He moved to the bullpen in 2005 and had his first good minor league season, going 9-4, 2.67 for AA Tennessee, although still with a high WHIP. He started 2006 in the majors and did okay out of the bullpen, going 0-0, 3.65 but with a WHIP of 1.62 in 12.1 innings. He was back in AAA by late May. He struggled through two AAA seasons and became a free agent after the 2007 campaign. He signed with the Twins for 2008 and spent the season in Rochester. He had what was probably his best season there, going 1-5, 3.78, 1.38 WHIP (the best of his career), but was still released in late August. He signed with Houston for 2009 and spent two years in their organization. Most of that time was in AAA, but he came back to the majors for about six weeks in 2010, going 1-1, 11.32 in 10.1 innings. A free agent again after the season, he signed with San Francisco for 2011 but had a bad year at AAA Fresno. A year ago we closed his biography by stating that “One has to think that it may be time for him to move on to the next phase of his life.” He appears to have done so, as he did not sign with anyone for 2012. No information about what he’s done over the last year or so was readily available, but he’s married to Jennie Finch, so he’s got that going for him.
  15. Jeff A
    Also posted at wgom.org
    Reggie Smith (1945)
    Tom Johnson (1951)
    Billy Sample (1955)
    Curtis Leskanic (1968)
    Denny Hocking (1970)
     
    Outfielder Carl Reginald Smith did not play for the Twins, but spent his first year, 1963, in their farm system. Smith was born in Shreveport, Louisiana, went to high school in Compton, California, and signed with Minnesota as a free agent in 1963. He played in Wytheville in the rookie-level Appalachian League, hitting .257 with eight home runs in 253 at-bats. He was then chosen by Boston in the first-year player draft, a decision that worked out well for the Red Sox. He rose through the minors, hitting .320 at AAA Toronto in 1966. He earned a September call-up that year and never returned to the minors. He was a regular in the outfield for Boston through 1973. As a member of the Red Sox, Smith finished second to Rod Carew in Rookie of the Year balloting in 1967, won a Gold Glove in 1968, made two all-star teams, and received minor consideration for MVP four times. He led the league in doubles twice and led in total bases once. He averaged over 20 homers a year and hit over .300 three times. He had not slowed down in 1973, but after the season he was traded to St. Louis. He continued to play well for the Cardinals, making the all-star team in 1974 and 1975 and finishing 11th in the MVP voting in 1974. He was off to a slow start in 1976, however, and was traded to the Dodgers in mid-June. It was a good deal for the Dodgers–Smith bounced back to make the all-star team in 1977 and 1978, finishing fourth in MVP balloting both years. He led the league in both OBP and OPS+ in 1977. He continued to play well in 1979 and 1980, making the all-star team the latter year, but had both seasons cut short with injuries. He was used almost solely as a pinch-hitter in 1981, had a poor year, and became a free agent, signing with San Francisco. He played first base for the Giants in 1982 and was the mostly regular, although he missed some time with injuries again. He had a solid season, hitting .284 with 18 homers. He then went to Japan, playing for the Yomiuri Giants for two years before his playing career came to an end. Smith then became a coach for the Dodgers. More recently, he has been involved in USA Baseball, serving as hitting coach for US teams in the Pan American Games, the baseball World Cup, the World Baseball Classic, and the Summer Olympics. Reggie Smith plays seven different musical instruments and holds a pilot’s license. He currently runs the Reggie Smith Baseball Centers, based in Encino, California, which consult with major league baseball organizations, conduct youth baseball camps, offer private and small-group instruction, and certify coaches, for amateur and school baseball leagues.
     
    Right-handed reliever Thomas Raymond Johnson was a member of the Twins for five seasons, from 1974-1978. Born and raised in St. Paul, he signed with Minnesota as a free agent in 1970. He both started and relieved in the minors and had a decent year as a starter for Class A Wisconsin Rapids in 1972. In 1973, however, he was primarily a reliever, and went to full-time bullpen status in 1974. He pitched well as a relief pitcher, posting a 1.86 ERA in 87 innings at AA Orlando. He got a September call-up that year, and spent the next two years bouncing between AAA Tacoma and Minnesota. He pitched well both years in the minors, and in 1976 he pitched also pitched well in the majors. By 1977, he was the Twins’ closer, although he was not used as a closer is used today. He appeared in 71 games, and in seventeen of those games he was brought in earlier than the seventh inning. He pitched more than two innings 29 times, three innings or more twenty times, four ininngs or more nine times, more than five innings three times, and more than six innings twice. For the season, he went 16-7, 3.13 in 146.2 innings of relief. Unsurprisingly, this workload had consequences: the next year, he posted a 5.51 ERA and a 1.81 WHIP. He was out of baseball in 1979. Johnson tried to make a comeback in AA with the White Sox in 1980 but pitched poorly, and his playing career was over. At some point after baseball, he appears to have taken an interest in Slovakia, and has established the GoodSports Youth Center in Bratislava, which offers sports leagues and tournaments, tutoring, camps, English lessons, service learning activities and discipleship groups.
     
    Outfielder William Amos Sample did not play for the Twins, but went to spring training with them in 1987. He was born in Roanoke, Virginia, went to high school in Salem, Virginia, attended James Madison University (the first major league player to come from that school), and was drafted by Texas in the tenth round in 1976. He quickly showed himself to be too good for the leagues in which he played, hitting .382 in rookie ball in 1976, .348 in AA in 1977, and .352 with 18 homers in AAA in 1978. He got a September call-up in the latter season and, other than a rehab assignment, never went to the minors again. He was not given a regular job for some time, however, instead platooning with Johnny Grubb for most of the 1979-1982 seasons. For as well as he hit in the minors, his major league numbers were somewhat disappointing, although he was not terrible by any means. He finally became a regular in 1983 and 1984, but after a poor 1984 campaign he was traded to the Yankees. Used as a reserve, he did not do particularly well there, either, and moved on to Atlanta for 1986. He had a good year as a reserve there, but became a free agent after the season. He signed with Minnesota for 1987, but did not make the team and his playing career came to an end. He then went into broadcasting, most recently working for mlb.com. He has also written and produced a movie, “Reunion 108″, which is scheduled to be released soon.
     
    Right-hander Curtis John Leskanic did not play for the Twins, but was in their farm system in 1992. He was born in Homestead, Pennsylvania, attended LSU, and was drafted by Cleveland in the eighth round in 1989. He had two pretty good years in Class A Kinston, then at the end of 1992 spring training was traded to Minnesota with Oscar Munoz for Paul Sorrento. Promoted to AA, Leskanic did not have a particularly good season, was left unprotected in the expansion draft, and was chosen by Colorado. He was a starter most of his minor league career, bouncing between the Rockies and AAA Colorado Springs in 1993 and 1994. He moved to the bullpen in 1995 and had his first full season in the majors that year, leading the league in appearances. He appeared in nearly as many games in 1996, but did not do nearly as well, as his ERA rose by nearly three runs. He was back in the minors for 1997, had two more mediocre years in the majors in 1998 and 1999, and then was traded to Milwaukee. He had back-to-back solid seasons for the Brewers, posting an ERA just over three in 143 game. He then went through injuries, missing all of 2002 other than a few minor league rehab appearances. He came back to have a good season in 2003 despite a trade to Kansas City in mid-July. He had a poor start in 2004, getting released in mid-June. He signed with Boston and did well there the rest of the year, but his playing career came to an end after that. At last report, Curtis Leskanic was a scout for the Red Sox. His cousin, Katrina Leskanich, is the lead singer of the group Katrina and the Waves.
     
    Infielder Dennis Lee Hocking was a member of the Twins for at least part of eleven seasons, 1993-2003. Born and raised in Torrance, California, he was drafted by Minnesota in the 52nd round. He rose a level per year and generally had solid but unexceptional offensive numbers. The one exception is 1992, when he hit .331 at Class A Visalia. He was a shortstop throughout his minor league career. He got a September call-up in 1993, was with the Twins for about three weeks in mid-summer of 1994, got another September call-up in 1995, was with Minnesota for about half of 1996, and finally made the team to stay in 1997. As a Twin, he was the definition of a utilityman, playing every position but pitcher and catcher at some point. He generally played in most of the team’s games, but never had a regular position for any substantial period of time. In 1997 his main positions were shortstop and third base; in 1998-1999 it was second base and shortstop; in 2000 it was outfield and second base; in 2001-2002 it was back to shortstop and second base; in 2003 it was second base and third base. He went from a low average of .202 to a high of .298, getting from 198 to 386 at-bats. For his career as a Twin, he hit .252/.310/351 in 2,204 at-bats. Hocking became a free agent after the 2003 season and signed with Colorado, but he did not hit and was released in July. He signed with the Cubs and finished the season at AAA Iowa. Hocking moved on to Kansas City for 2005, spent most of the year in Omaha, and came back to the majors in early August. After that, his playing career came to an end. Since then, Denny Hocking was active in various broadcasting endeavors, and was a minor league coach in the Baltimore Orioles’ organization, and will manage the Angels’ rookie-league team in Arizona this summer.
  16. Jeff A
    Also posted at wgom.org
     
    Ron Perranoski (1936)
    Ted Sadowski (1936)
    Mike Bacsik (1952)
    Mike Kinnunen (1958)
     
    Left-handed reliever Ronald Peter Perranoski pitched for the Twins from 1968-1971. His last name was originally “Perzanowski”, and he is a cousin of former Twins pitcher Stan Perzanowski. He was born in Paterson, New Jersey and went to high school in Fair Lawn, New Jersey. He attended Michigan State and was signed by the Cubs as a free agent in 1958. He was a starter his first couple of years in the minors, struggling his first year but posting a 3.12 ERA with ten complete games in 1959 at AA San Antonio. In April of 1960 he was traded to the Dodgers in a trade that also involved ex-Twin Johnny Goryl. He pitched well for two AAA teams in 1960, but started his transition to the bullpen that season. When he reached the Dodgers in 1961, he was used almost exclusively as a reliever (the only major league start of his career came in his rookie season). He spent seven years in the Dodger bullpen and pitched very well. His best season was probably 1963, when he went 16-3, 1.67 with 21 saves. He led the league in winning percentage and appearances (69), pitching 129 innings of relief (one of seven seasons in which he pitched more than 100 relief innings). Perranoski finished fourth in MVP voting that year. He led the league in appearances three times as a Dodger. After the 1967 season, Perranoski was traded to Minnesota with Bob Miller and Johnny Roseboro for Mudcat Grant and Zoilo Versalles. Al Worthington was still the Twins’ closer in 1968, but Perranoski pitched well in relief and got six saves. He became the closer the next year and responded with two more fine seasons, leading the league in saves in consecutive years. In 1971, however, it appears that age and the number of relief innings finally caught up with him. He pitched poorly for the Twins, was placed on waivers at the end of July, and was claimed by Detroit. He was with the Tigers for a year, getting his release in July of 1972. The Dodgers re-signed him to finish out the year. Perranoski signed with the Angels for 1973 but pitched in only eight games before ending his playing career. As a Twin, Ron Perranoski was 25-29, 3.00 with 76 saves. He pitched 360.1 innings over 244 games. He was the Dodgers’ minor league pitching coordinator from 1973-1980 and became the pitching coach of the Dodgers from 1981-1994. Perranoski was later the Giants’ pitching coach and at last report was working in the Giants’ front office as an assistant to the general manager, where he works in the areas of scouting and player development. Ron Perranoski lives in Vero Beach, Florida.
     
    Right-handed reliever Theodore Sadowski was one of the original Minnesota Twins, playing for them in 1961 and 1962. A native of Pittsburgh, he signed as a free agent with Washington in 1955. He both started and relieved in the minors. He rose slowly, not reaching AAA until 1960. He had a solid season at Charleston that year, going 8-8, 3.15 in 44 appearances, seven of them starts. Sadowski made his major league debut as a September call-up, but did not pitch well in nine appearances. He came to Minnesota with the team in 1961 and made the team out of spring training, but was sent back to AAA in early June with an ERA well over six. He pitched well at AAA Syracuse that year and once again started the season in the majors in 1962. He again could not get the job done, and was sent back to AAA in early July with an ERA over five. Sadowski continued to pitch well in AAA through 1963, had a poor year there in 1964, and pitched two more years in AA for the Twins before ending his career after the 1966 season. His major league totals were 2-3, 5.76 in 43 appearances, two of them starts. He pitched a total of 84.1 innings in the big leagues. He apparently returned to his home town of Pittsburgh after leaving baseball, passing away there from cancer on July 18, 1993.
     
    Right-handed reliever Michael James Bacsik played for the Twins in 1979 and 1980. Born and raised in Dallas, he attended Trinity University and was signed by Texas as a free agent in 1973. He really did not pitch very well in the minors–his lowest ERA in a season where he pitched more than 45 innings was 4.24 at Class A Gastonia in 1974–but he got several chances in the majors anyway. Bacsik was with Texas for a month in 1975, for more than half the season in 1976, and for about a week in 1977. In December of 1978 the Rangers finally gave up on Bacsik, trading him to Minnesota for Mac Scarce. He had a good month in AAA Toledo in 1979, posting an ERA of 1.29 and a WHIP of 1.05 in 21 innings, and that was all the Twins needed to see–he came up and stayed the rest of the season. He actually wasn’t too bad: 4-2, 4.39, 1.37 WHIP in 65.2 innings. He was having another decent year in AAA in 1980 when he was again called up in late June. He again wasn’t too bad, though nothing to get excited about: no decisions and a 4.30 ERA. After the season, however, the Twins traded Bacsik to Seattle for Steve Stroughter. The Mariners released him at the end of spring training and his playing career came to an end. He was inducted into the Trinity University Hall of Fame in 2005. His son, also named Mike Bacsik, also pitched in the major leagues. At last report, Mike Bacsik was operating Mike’s Baseball, a baseball training and coach facility in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. It appears that he also does some broadcasting there.
     
    Left-handed reliever Michael John Kinnunen pitched for Minnesota for about two-thirds of the season in 1980. Born and raised in Seattle, he attended Washington State and was drafted by the Twins in the tenth round in 1979. He was a starter that year, but shifted to the bullpen in 1980. He was having a fine year in AAA Toledo when he was called up to the Twins. Kinnunen appeared in 21 games for Minnesota, pitching 24.2 innings. He had no record, a 5.11 ERA, and a 1.54 WHIP. Those would be his career major league stats for several years. He went back to Toledo in 1981, pitched poorly, and was traded to St. Louis after the season for Jeff Little. He had a good half-season in AA for the Cardinals, but did not do well when promoted to AAA and was released just before the start of the 1983 season. He signed with Montreal in late April and spent two years in their farm system, again pitching well at AA but not so well when given a chance at AAA. He was traded to Kansas City for 1985 and did all right in relief for Omaha, but became a free agent after the season. Baltimore signed him and he had a fine season in Rochester, earning a September call-up and a return to the majors in 1986. He began the season with Baltimore in 1987 but did not pitch well and went back down to Rochester in mid-May. He had another very good year there and got another September call-up. The Orioles were not sufficiently impressed, however, and let him go after the season. He pitched decently for AAA Columbus in the Yankees’ organization in 1988, moved on the Dodgers’ and Brewers’ organizations in 1989, and then his playing career was over. He played in the Puerto Rican Winter League several years during his playing career and at last report was living in Carolina, Puerto Rico, where he is in charge of the playing field at Roberto Clemente Amateur Stadium. Mike Kinnunen holds the record for most pitching appearances without a decision of any kind: win, loss, or save (48).
  17. Jeff A
    Also posted at wgom.org.
     
    Dick Woodson (1945)
    Shairon Martis (1987)
     
    Right-hander Richard Lee Woodson was with the Twins for four years, 1969-1970 and 1972-1973. He was born in Oelwein, Iowa, but attended high school in San Diego. He signed with the Twins as a free agent in 1965. He both started and relieved in the minors. He did not look like anything special in his first couple of years, but in 1967, used exclusively out of the bullpen, he went 5-2, 1.32 in 41 innings in Class A Orlando. Primarily a starter in 1968, he had another fine year, mostly at AA Charlotte, posting a 3.47 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP. He was with Minnesota all of 1969 and did fairly well. He was used mostly in relief, although he made ten starts, and went 7-5, 3.67 in 110 innings. Woodson started 1970 in the minors and did not do very well, but was called up to the Twins in late May anyway and did all right in 21 relief appearances. He was back in the minors for all of 1971, winning 16 games and pitching 221 innings for AAA Portland. Back in the majors in 1972, he had his best season, going 14-14, 2.72 in 251 innings. The number of innings may have taken a toll on his arm, however. His ERA rose by more than a full run in 1973, to 3.95, and an injury ended his season in mid-August. That off-season, he became the first player to go to arbitration, seeking a salary of $30,000 (the Twins offered $23,000--Woodson won). He got off to a poor start in 1974 and was traded to the Yankees in early May for Mike Pazik and cash. He again had to deal with injuries and an abbreviated season. He pitched ineffectively at AAA for the Atlanta and Texas organizations in 1975 and then his career was over. Woodson believed that his role as the first player to go to arbitration played a role in both his trade and the end of his career, although such a charge is difficult to prove. As a Twin, Dick Woodson was 33-30, 3.35. He appeared in 129 games, 73 of them starts, and pitched 561 innings. Woodson eventually became part-owner of a company which developed software to help companies track and monitor their assets. He retired at age 60 and at last report was living in Menifee, California, where he was volunteering with the elementary school reading program a couple of days a week.
     
    Right-hander Shairon Martis Martis has not played for the Twins yet, but has been in their system since June of 2012. Born and raised in Willemstad, Curacao, he signed with San Francisco as a free agent in 2004. He had a very good year in rookie ball in 2005 and was pitching well in Class A in 2006 when he was traded to Washington in late July for Mike Stanton. He reached AA in 2008, made seven solid starts in AAA that same year, and received a September call-up, going 1-3, 5.66 in 20.2 innings at age 21. He started 2009 in the Nationals rotation at age 22 and stayed there for three months. He had occasional good games, including one complete game, but by and large things did not go well for him and he was sent down in late June with a record of 5-3 but an ERA of 5.25. He struggled at AAA the rest of that season. Returned to AAA in 2010, he was okay, but nothing more. The Nationals sent him back to AA in 2011 and he did quite well there as a twenty-four-year-old. He had split 2012 between AA and AAA when Pittsburgh sold him to Minnesota in late June. He made three starts in New Britain and ten in Rochester, where he went 4-3, 5.22, 1.38 WHIP. He's been around so long that it's tempting to give up on him, but he's only 26 today. It would be foolish to think he'll ever be a star, but it's still possible Shairon Martis could make it back to the majors at some point.
  18. Jeff A
    Also posted at wgom.org.
     
     
    Billy Beane (1962)
    Alex Ochoa (1972)
     
    Outfielder William Lamar Beane played for the Twins for parts of two seasons, 1986 and 1987. He was born in Orlando, but went to high school in Rancho Bernardo, California. He was drafted in the first round by the Mets in 1980. He did not hit much in his early minor league years, but attracted attention in 1984 when he hit .281 with 20 homers for AA Jackson. That got him a September call-up, in which he went 1-for-10. He basically repeated his minor league numbers in 1985 at AAA Tidewater and again got a September call-up, going 2-for-8. That off-season, he was traded to Minnesota with Joe Klink and Bill Latham for Pat Crosby and Tim Teufel. He was with the Twins in 1986 and shared left field with Randy Bush, although they don't seem to have been platooned. He hit only .213 with a .258 OBP and was back in the minors for 1987, getting another September call-up. In late March of 1988 Beane was traded to Detroit for Balvino Galvez. As a Twin, he hit .217/.258/.303 in 198 at-bats. He was with the Tigers for the first month of 1988 but was seldom used, going only 1-for-6 before being sent to the minors. He had a poor year in AAA and became a free agent after the season, signing with Oakland for 1989. He was with the Athletics for much of the season, hitting .241 with an OBP of .238. He moved into the front office for Oakland in 1990, and became general manager in 1997, a position he currently holds. He won the Executive of the Year award from The Sporting News in 1999 and won the same award from Baseball America in 2002.
    Outfielder Alex Ochoa played for Minnesota in 1998. He was born and raised in Miami Lakes, Florida and was drafted by Baltimore in the third round in 1991. He did pretty well in the minors, rising one level per year until he reached AAA in 1995. In late July of 1995, however, he was traded to the Mets in a trade that involved Bobby Bonilla. He got a September call-up with the Mets that year. He was having a tremendous year in AAA in 1996 when he was called up in late June. He hit .294 the rest of the way for the Mets, although with little power. 1997 was his first full year in the majors, but his average dropped to .244, and after the season he was traded to the Twins for Rich Becker. He was a part-time player for them that year, playing mostly in right (with Matt Lawton moving to center many of those games). As a Twin, he hit .257/.288/.353 in 249 at-bats. After the season, Ochoa was traded to Milwaukee for Darrell Nicholas. He hit .300 for the Brewers for 1999 but was traded again after the season, going to Cincinnati. He then hit .300 for the Reds for a year and a half before once again being traded, going to Colorado in a trade that involved Todd Walker. He finished the season there, was traded back to Milwaukee for the start of 2002, and was traded to Anaheim in late July of 2002. He became a free agent after the season and signed with the Cardinals for 2003, but was released in mid-February. He then went to Japan, playing for the Chunichi Dragons for several years before attempting a comeback in 2007 with Boston. He played poorly in AAA and went back to Japan playing for the Hiroshima Carp through 2008. He then came back to work for the Red Sox, coaching for Boston in 2009, working in player development in 2010, and serving as the batting coach for Class A Salem in 2011. He was the first base coach for Boston in 2012, but was not retained in that position for 2013. No information about what Alex Ochoa is doing this season was readily available.
  19. Jeff A
    Also posted at wgom.org
     
    Garland Shifflett (1935)
     
    Right-hander Garland Jessie Shifflett made ten appearances for the Twins in 1964. Born and raised in Elkton, Virginia, Shifflett signed with Washington as a free agent in 1955. He pitched very well in the low minors, and in 1957 was jumped from Class A to the majors for a few weeks from late April through early May. He wasn't ready, posting a 10.12 ERA in eight innings (six games), but had a good year at Class A Charlotte. Shifflett was back in the minors in 1958, again mostly at Charlotte, although he made eight appearances in AA. Something apparently happened after that--it's not clear what, but Shifflett appeared in only nine games from 1959-1961, all nine of them in 1960. A starter prior to 1959, he was used in the bullpen upon his return in 1962. He pitched very well in relief in Charlotte from 1962-1963 (in 1963 Charlotte became a AA city). He apparently developed a knuckleball in 1963. He spent about three weeks in the majors in June of 1964, but was in Charlotte the rest of the season. Altogether, he pitched in Charlotte for most of eleven seasons: 1956-1958, 1960, and 1962-1968. He began pitching in the minors in 1955, but other than three games in 1960 he did not pitch in AAA until 1969, when he pitched for Denver. After the 1970 season, having pitched in the Washington/Minnesota organization his entire career, Shifflett finally moved on, pitching in the Washington/Texas organization for 1971 and 1972, winning the American Association's Pitcher of the Year award in 1971, before his playing career ended. For his major league career, he was 0-2, 6.31 in 16 appearances, one of them a start. In sixteen minor league seasons, he went 144-117, 3.14 in 707 games, at least 155 of them starts (figures are incomplete for a couple of years). He posted a 1.28 WHIP in 2,173 minor league innings. After leaving baseball, Garland Shifflett became a warehouseman for the Coors Brewing Company, and at last report was living in Lakewood, Colorado.
  20. Jeff A
    Also posted at wgom.org.
     
    Tom Quinlan (1968)
    Michael Cuddyer (1979)
    The brother of Robb Quinlan, third baseman Thomas Raymond Quinlan got six at-bats with the Twins at the beginning of 1996. He was born in St. Paul, went to high school in Maplewood, Minnesota, and was drafted by Toronto in 1986. That same year, he was also drafted by the Calgary Flames in the fourth round, but he chose to play baseball. In seven years in the minors for the Blue Jays, his highest batting average was .258, although he did average eleven home runs per season. Despite that, he got a September call-up in 1990 and was with the Blue Jays for nearly two months in 1992. He was used mostly as a defensive replacement, getting only 17 at-bats. He became a free agent after the 1993 season and signed with Philadelphia. He again got nearly two months in the big leagues, starting for about a week. A free agent again after the 1994 season, Quinlan signed with Minnesota for 1995. He was in AAA Salt Lake all season and actually had a decent year, hitting .279 with 17 home runs. He began 1996 with the Twins, went 0-for-6 in four games, and was sent back to AAA. He had another fairly good season there, but became a free agent again and signed with Colorado for 1997. He was in AAA for the Rockies in 1997, for Texas in 1998, and for the Cubs in 1999. He then moved to Korea to play in 2000, being named MVP of the Korean Series that year. At last report, Tom Quinlan was a high school baseball coach in Maplewood, Minnesota and was an instructor with Nevers & Larkin Baseball Training of Eden Prairie, Minnesota, which is partly owned by Gene Larkin.
    Outfielder/first baseman Michael Brent Cuddyer played for the Twins from 2001-2011. He was born in Norfolk, Virginia and went to high school in Chesapeake, Virginia. He was drafted by Minnesota with the ninth pick of the 1997 draft. Originally an infielder, he played shortstop in 1998 and third base in 1999 and 2000. He was still primarily a third baseman in 2001, but played quite a few games at first and a handful in the outfield. He had probably his best minor league season in 2001, hitting .301 with 30 home runs. He made his major league debut as a September call-up that season, starting five games at first base. He had another fine year in AAA Edmonton in 2002, hitting .319 with 20 home runs when he was called up to Minnesota in mid-July. Cuddyer had shifted to the outfield that year and that was his main position with the Twins, too, as he hit .259 in 112 at-bats. He started 2003 with Minnesota, mostly playing in right field, but was hitting only .233 in early May and was sent back to AAA, where he hit over .300 for the third consecutive season and earned a September call-up. His first full season in the majors was 2004 and he was primarily used in the infield, where he had hardly played for two years. He was the regular third baseman for about three weeks in May, the regular second baseman for another three weeks from late May to mid-June, and was used at multiple positions the rest of the season (at one point, he started at four different positions in five games). Even so, he had a decent year, hitting .263 with 12 home runs in 339 at-bats. In 2005 he played mostly at third base, starting 92 games there while also seeing time at second, first, and right field. He again hit .263 with 12 homers, this time in 422 at-bats. He moved to right field in 2006 and stayed there, other than when he filled in for an injured Justin Morneau at first base. Apart from 2008, when he struggled with injuries, he has been a consistent performer at the plate, hitting between .271 and .284. He hit 32 home runs in 2009, the most he has hit in the majors, and received minor support for MVP. He has never approached that home run total since, but the rest of his numbers have remained pretty much the same. He made his first all-star team in 2011. A free agent after that season, he signed with Colorado for 2012. He missed time with injuries, but when healthy had a pretty typical Michael Cuddyer year, hitting 260 with 16 homers in 358 at-bats. As a Twin, Michael Cuddyer hit .272/.343/.451 in 4072 at-bats. He turns 34 today, so it's certainly legitimate to wonder how many years he has left, but one assumes he will be a starting outfielder for Colorado this season.
  21. Jeff A
    Also posted at wgom.org.
     
     
    Jarvis Brown (1967)
    Jason Maxwell (1972)
    Eric Hacker (1983)
     
    Outfielder Jarvis Ardel Brown played for the Twins in parts of two seasons, 1991 and 1992. Born in Waukegan, Illinois, Brown was drafted by the Twins with the ninth pick of the January draft of 1986. A small man (5'7", 165), he was known for speed rather than power, although he did hit 14 home runs in AA Orlando in 1990. He did not hit for much of an average his first couple of years, but hit .294 for Class A Kenosha in 1988. He then dropped back into the .250 range for a couple of years before hitting .289 at AAA Portland in 1991. That got him two months in the big leagues, including a spot on the Twins' post-season roster. He was used primarily as a pinch runner and a defensive replacement, playing in 38 games but getting only 37 at-bats. He started 1992 in the majors in a similar role, and again played there for about two months before being sent to the minors. He became a free agent after the season and signed with San Diego for 1993. As a Twin, he hit .173/.246/.173 with nine stolen bases in 52 at-bats (73 games) He hit .308 at AAA Las Vegas in 1994 and came up to the Padres in late July, staying the rest of the season. He got the most major league playing time of his career that season, hitting .233 in 133 at-bats. Brown was placed on waivers after the season and was selected by Atlanta for 1994. He was in the majors for about two months again, once again filling the pinch runner/defensive replacement role, and in AAA the rest of the year. A free agent after the season, he signed with the Mets for 1995, was released in late May, signed with Cincinnati in mid-June, and was sent to Baltimore two days later "as part of a conditional deal." He played well enough that year to get a September call-up, starting eight major league games and playing as a defensive replacement in several others. He again played in the minors for the Orioles in 1996, moved to the Brewers' organization in 1997, and played for Waterbury in the independent Northeast League in 1998 before ending his playing career. Since then, he has done some managing and coaching. Jarvis Brown coached in the Twins’ organization from 1999-2001, was the manager of the New Haven County Cuggers of the Northeast League, head coach of the University of Wisconsin--Parkside for three years, and is currently an assistant coach at Carthage College of Kenosha, Wisconsin. He is one of two major league players with the first name "Jarvis" (Jarvis Tatum).
    Infielder Jason Raymond Maxwell played for Minnesota in 2000 and 2001. Born and raised in Lewisburg, Tennessee, he attended Middle Tennessee State and was drafted by the Cubs in the 74th round in 1993. He hit fairly well, though not outstandingly, during his minor league career, posting decent averages with moderate power. His best year in the minors was 1998, when he hit .298 with 15 homers and 40 doubles for AAA Iowa. He earned a September call-up that year, going 1-for-3 as a pinch hitter. In late March of 1999, Maxwell was placed on waivers and taken by Detroit. He had a poor year at AAA, became a free agent, and signed with the Twins for 2000. He played for Minnesota for two years as a reserve infielder. He had 179 at-bats as a Twin, hitting .223/.294/.313. A free agent after the 2001 season, he signed with Texas for 2002, was released in late March, and signed with Cincinnati the next day. He was in AAA for the Reds for two years, hitting .301 in 2002, but did not reach the majors. He moved on to the Tampa Bay organization for 2004, and then his playing career was over. At last report, Jason Maxwell was the baseball coach at Ensworth High School in Nashville, Tennessee.
    Right-hander Eric Lynn Hacker appeared in two games for the Twins in 2011. Born and raised in Duncanville, Texas, he was drafted by the Yankees in the twenty-second round in 2002. He pitched very well in the low minors when he was able to pitch, but he missed a lot of time with injuries. He was out the entire seasons of 2004 and 2006, and going into the 2007 season had appeared in only twenty-two minor league games and pitched just one hundred three innings. He finally had a full minor league season in 2007 and pitched well in high A ball, but did not do as well when tried at higher levels. He had a solid 2008 split between A and AA, but by then he was twenty-five years old. He has never really pitched well above AA. His best year in AAA was 2009, when he went 5-5, 4.02, but he had a WHIP of 1.56. He was traded away from the Yankees in May of that year, going to the Pittsburgh organization. He got a September call-up in 2009, giving up two runs on four hits in three innings. A free agent after the season, he was in AAA for San Francisco in 2010. A free agent again, he signed with Minnesota for 2011. He made two appearances with the Twins in April and actually pitched well, allowing no runs on four hits and four walks in 5.1 innings. It was a different story in Rochester, as he went 7-14, 6.10 with a 1.56 WHIP. He was a free agent after the season and signed a minor league contract with San Francisco for 2012. He had a fairly good year for AAA Fresno and got back to the majors for four more games, going 0-1, 5.59. He was released in January and signed with the NC Dinos of the Korean Baseball Organization for 2013. It's anyone's guess what he might have done if not for the injuries, but as it is he's thirty today and may have seen his last chance to make the major leagues. Still, even if he never gets another shot, he's pitched in nine major league ball games, which is something a lot of us would love to be able to do.
  22. Jeff A
    Erik Schullstrom (1969)
     
    Pitcher Erik Paul Schullstrom was with the Twins for parts of two seasons in 1994 and 1995. He was born in San Diego, went to high school in Alameda, California, and then went to Cal State--Fresno. He was drafted by Baltimore in the second round in 1990. Oddly, he never spent a full year with one team at any point in his career. He was originally a starter. He had a pretty good year in 1991, mostly at Class A Frederick, but overall his minor league numbers as a starter are decent but unimpressive. In August of 1992, he was traded to San Diego, but the Padres waived him in April of 1993 and he went back to Baltimore. That year, 1993, Schullstrom began a transition to the bullpen. In August, he became the player to be named later in the deal that sent Mike Pagilarulo to Baltimore, and Erik Schullstrom joined the Twins' organization. He had a good year in relief for the Twins in 1994 and spent about a month in the majors, posting a 2.77 ERA in thirteen innings spread over nine games. He was not off to a particularly good start at AAA Salt Lake in 1995, but was brought up to the Twins in mid-May anyway. He somehow stayed with them the rest of the season despite posting a 6.89 ERA and a 1.87 WHIP in 47 innings, all in relief. Schullstrom became a free agent after the season and signed with Boston; as a Twin, he was 0-0, 6.00 in 60 innings. He appeared in 46 games, all in relief. He pitched well in AA for the Red Sox in 1996, but not so well when promoted to AAA. He continued pitching in other countries, pitching in Mexico in 1997 and in Japan in 1998-1999 and 2001-2002 before ending his playing career. At last report, Erik Schullstrom had returned to his home town of Alameda, California and was the director of USA scouting for the Hiroshima Carp, as well as working as an instructor for the Alameda Professional Baseball School. He holds the major league record for most innings pitched without recording a decision.
  24. Jeff A
    Al Schroll (1932)
    Eddie Bane (1952)
    Eric Rasmussen (1952)
    Cory Lidle (1972)
     
    Right-hander Albert Bringhurst Schroll appeared in eleven games for the Twins in 1961. Born in New Orleans, he attended Tulane and signed with Boston as a free agent in 1951. He remained in the Red Sox system through 1959. He moved around a lot, playing for two teams in 1951, three teams in 1952, two teams in 1956, and five teams in 1957. Schroll reached AAA in 1955 and did fairly well, posting a 3.87 ERA at age 23, but spent the next two years in AA, again reaching AAA in 1958 with Minneapolis. That was also the year he made his big league debut, spending about three weeks with Boston. He did not do anything special in either the majors or the minors, and was traded to Philadelphia after the season. He made three appearances for the Phillies in 1959 and was sent back to Boston, going back to AAA until mid-July. After the season, Schroll was traded again, this time to the Cubs. He had a fine season for AAA Houston in 1960, posting a 3.04 ERA. He began 1961 in Houston, but when he got off to a slow start he was sold to Minnesota in June. He pitched very well in eleven starts for AAA Syracuse and was promoted to the Twins in early August. He made eleven appearances, eight of them starts, and went 4-4, 5.22 in fifty innings. He pitched fairly well in AAA in 1962 and in AA in 1963, but that was the end of his playing career. After that, he worked for Sears in Alexandria, Virginia. Al Schroll passed away in Alexandria on November 30, 1999 at the age of 67.
    Left-hander Edward Norman Bane was with the Twins for parts of three seasons, 1973 and 1975-1976. He was born in Chicago and attended Arizona State. He was drafted by the Twins with the eleventh pick of the 1973 draft. He started his professional career in the majors, but was not ready, going 0-5, 4.92 in 60.1 innings. He spent all of 1974 and almost all of 1975 in the minors, posting ERAs of just over four at AAA Tacoma. He was promoted to Minnesota in September of 1975 and pitched very well in four starts, going 3-1, 2.86, although he walked 15 in 28 innings. He was back in Tacoma at the start of 1976, but came to the majors in late June and was once again placed in the Twins' rotation. He did not get much done, going 4-7, 5.11 in 79.1 innings. Bane was back in Tacoma in 1977, and after another mediocre year he became a free agent. The White Sox signed him and again sent him to AAA, but he did no better than he had before. Bane missed all of 1979 with an injury. The White Sox had no more use for him, and sent him to Kansas City to try to make a comeback. He split 1980 between the AAA teams of the Royals and the Cubs, and then his playing career came to an end. For his career, Eddie Bane was 7-13, 4.66 in 44 appearances, 25 of them starts. He pitched 168 major league innings. He managed in the low minors for Cleveland in the mid 1980s. He has also done some scouting. He was a special assistant to the general manager of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays from 1999 through 2003 and was the scouting director of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim from 2004-2010. Eddie Bane was a scout for the Detroit Tigers in 2011 and 2012 and is currently an assistant to the general manager for the Boston Red Sox. His brother, Dan Bane, is the CEO of Trader Joe's. His son, Jamie, is a scout for the Red Sox.
    Born Harold Ralph Rasmussen, right-hander Eric Ralph Rasmussen has been a coach and coordinator in the Twins' system since 1996. He was born in Racine, Wisconsin and attended the University of New Orleans. He was drafted by St. Louis in the 32nd round in 1973. Despite his low draft position, he made a rapid rise through the Cardinals system by pitching very well in the minors. He made his big-league debut in late July of 1975 and stayed in the majors through 1980. He was in the Cardinals' rotation through the end of 1975 and pitched well, but began 1976 in the bullpen, not rejoining the rotation until July. He consistently posted ERAs in the mid-to-upper threes with St. Louis, but after a poor start in 1978 he was traded to San Diego in late May. He split 1979 and 1980 between the bullpen and the rotation, pitching pretty well in 1979 but less well in 1980. Surprisingly, the Padres released him late in spring training in 1981, and he went to Yucatan in the Mexican League. He signed with St. Louis again in 1982, but again failed to make the team and this time was sold to Yucatan. The Cardinals bought him back in mid-August, but he did not pitch particularly well. Rasmussen started 1983 in St. Louis, but was sent down in early May after only six appearances. He pitched very well in Louisville and was sold to Kansas City in early August. Unfortunately, he did not do very well for the Royals, and he would never get back to the majors again. He was in AAA for Houston in 1984, pitched for an independent team in 1985, pitched very well in AAA for Baltimore in 1986, and less well for the same team in 1987, after which his playing career came to an end. Rasmussen joined the Twins' organization in 1996 as the pitching coach of the Ft. Myers Miracle. He remained in Ft. Myers through 1997, moved to New Britain in 1998, then went back to Ft. Myers from 1999 through 2008. In 2009, Eric Rasmussen became the minor league pitching coordinator for the Minnesota Twins, a position he continues to hold. He is also the owner of equiteee.com, which markets a device designed to create a quick and correct swing that produces consistent hard contact and backspin that results in line drives.
    A descendant of Robert Fulton, right-hander Cory Fulton Lidle did not play for the Twins, but spent two years in their minor-league system. Born in Hollywood, he went to high school in Covina, California, and was signed by Minnesota as a free agent in 1990. He did not begin playing professionally until 1991, and then spent three years in rookie ball. He made four appearances in 1991 and pitched fairly well in relief in 1992, but the Twins released him in April of 1993. He played for independent Pocatello in 1993 and was sold to Milwaukee after the season. Lidle had a couple of decent years in the Brewers' system, reaching AA in 1995. He was then traded to the Mets prior to the 1996 season. He had a good year at AA in 1996 and was off to a strong start in AAA in 1997 when he was called up to the majors in early May. He had a very good year in the Mets' bullpen, going 7-2, 3.53 with a 1.30 WHIP in 81.2 innings spread over 54 games. He was left unprotected in the expansion draft, however, and was chosen by Arizona. He suffered an elbow injured in 1998 and made only two minor league appearances. He was waived after the season and taken by Tampa Bay. He was apparently still injured in 1999, making only five major league and five minor league appearances. He started very well in AAA in 2000, but did not do as well when called up to the majors in early-May, although he stayed with the Devil Rays through the end of the season. Lidle was traded to Oakland before the 2001 season. He had the best years of his career with the Athletics: in two seasons, he was 21-16, 3.74 with a WHIP of 1.18. He was traded to Toronto after the 2002 campaign and had a bad 2003, posting an ERA of 5.75. He became a free agent, signed with Cincinnati for 2004, and was traded to Philadelphia in August. He pitched well for the Phillies the rest of that season, but less well in 2005 and 2006. Lidle was traded to the Yankees in late July and finished the season there. Cory Lidle was killed in a plane crash on October 11, 2006.
  25. Jeff A
    Also posted at wgom.org.
     
    Fernando Arroyo (1952)
    Tim McIntosh (1965)
    Cristian Guzman (1978)
     
    Right-hander Fernando Arroyo pitched for the Twins from 1980-1982. Born and raised in Sacramento, he was drafted by the Tigers in the tenth round in 1970. He pitched very well in the low minors, stumbled in his first year at AAA in 1974, but had a 2.62 ERA and 1.16 WHIP there in 11 starts in 1975 when he was promoted to Detroit in late June. He didn't do so badly for a 23-year-old: 2-1, 4.56 in 53.1 innings, mostly in relief. Back in AAA in 1976, he had a poor year, but he still made the Tigers out of spring training in 1977 and was in the starting rotation by mid-May. He was 8-18, but had an ERA of 4.17 and a WHIP of 1.33. Unfortunately, no one could see past the eighteen losses, and Arroyo was in AAA for most of 1978 and 1979. He was not particularly good there in 1978, but had a strong year in 1979. After the 1979 season, though, Arroyo was traded to Minnesota for Jeff Holly. He made eight starts in AAA Toledo and went 6-1, 1.62, resulting in a promotion to the Twins in early June. He started in the bullpen, but was in the starting rotation in July and August. He did fairly well there, going 4-5, 4.39 as a starter, but was removed from the rotation in September. He was in the rotation for almost all of 1981 and again wasn't too bad, going 7-10, 3.93 with a 1.39 WHIP. Arroyo began 1982 in the bullpen, but did not pitch well there, was in the minors by the first of May, and was released in mid-May. As a Twin, Fernando Arroyo went 13-17, 4.30 in 234.1 innings over fifty games, thirty of them starts. Oakland signed him, but he did not pitch well there either and was released again in late July. The White Sox picked up Arroyo a couple days later. He was in AAA with them through 1984. He was sold to Yucatan in the Mexican League after the season, and pitched for them in 1985. He hooked on with Oakland for 1986, making one last appearance in the majors before his playing career ended. After that, Fernando Arroyo was a minor league manager and pitching coach for many years. In 2008, he was the pitching coach of the Lotte Giants of the Korean League, but he appears to have held that position for only one season. In 2010, Fernando Arroyo was inducted into the Mexican American Hall of Fame. At last report, he was living in Vero Beach, Florida and was involved in a company called ARMTRAK, which was marketing a teaching aid to show young baseball and softball players the proper throwing angle to improve command and to help avoid arm injury.
    Utility player Timothy Allen McIntosh did not play for the Twins, but was in their farm system in 1994. Born and raised in Minnetonka, Minnesota, he attended the University of Minnesota and was drafted by Milwaukee in the third round in 1986. Initially an outfielder, he converted to catching in 1987. He hit .302 with 20 home runs at Class A Beloit in 1987, but was still in Class A in 1988, presumably to work on catching skills. He continued to produce good averages with double-digit home run power throughout his time in the minors, reaching AA in 1989 and AAA in 1990. He made his major league debut in 1990 as well, getting five at-bats as a September call-up. He got another September call-up in 1991, getting eleven at-bats this time, and started 1992 in the majors. He was in the majors most of the season, but was seldom used, catching fourteen games, playing the outfield in ten, and playing first base in seven. He started 1993 with the Brewers as well, but had only one at-bat when he was put on waivers and claimed by Montreal in mid-April. He stuck with the Expos until late July, again as a seldom-used reserve, then finished the year in the minors. He was a free agent after the season and signed with Minnesota for 1994. He had a really good year at AAA Salt Lake, batting .338 with 18 homers and an OPS of .914, but despite the fact that the Twins catchers that year were Matt Walbeck and Derek Parks, he never got a call-up to the majors. He was sold to the Nippon Ham Fighters for 1995, then came back to play in the Yankees’ system in 1996. He got three more at-bats in the majors that season, which would prove to be his big league swan song. He hung around for a few more years, playing in AAA for the Cubs in 1997 and for independent Sacramento in 1999, then was done for good. He has remained in baseball since. Most of those years have been as a scout for the Yankees, the position he held at last report. His wife Laura has a syndicated TV show, "Bringing It Home with Laura McIntosh". For his career, Tim McIntosh hit .179/.211/.274 in 117 at-bats over five major league seasons. He appeared in 71 major league games, starting only twenty.
    Shortstop Cristian Guzman was with the Twins from 1999-2004. Guzman was born and raised in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, he signed with the Yankees as a free agent in 1994. He did not enter American organized baseball until 1996. Guzman was in the low minors for the Yankees for two years and was okay, but nothing special. In February of 1998, Guzman was traded to Minnesota along with Brian Buchanan, Eric Milton, Danny Mota, and cash for Chuck Knoblauch. He spent one year at AA New Britain, where he was again decent but nothing special, and then was named the Twins starting shortstop in 1999, a position he held through 2004. He was clearly not ready that year--at age 21, he hit .226 with an OPS of .543. He improved from there, of course; Guzman's best season as a Twin was 2001, when he hit .302, made the all-star team, and finished 16th in MVP voting. He led the league in triples three times as a Twin. In his six years with Minnesota, Guzman hit .266/.303/.382 with 61 triples and 102 stolen bases. Guzman became a free agent after the 2004 season and signed with Washington. He had a poor year in 2005 and missed all of 2006 and part of 2007 with injuries. He played well for the Nationals after that, hitting .305 from 2007 on and making another all-star team in 2008. He was having another solid season in 2010 when he was traded to Texas at the July deadline. He played poorly in Texas, hitting just .152 and battling injuries, and became a free agent. He sat out the 2011 season, signed with Cleveland for 2012, but had trouble staying healthy and was released during spring training. He did not play in 2012, so it appears that his playing career is probably over. At last report, Cristian Guzman was living in New Jersey.
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