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Also posted at wgom.org Marty Cordova (1969) Outfielder Marty Cordova played for the Twins from 1995-1999. Born and raised in Las Vegas, he was drafted by Minnesota in the tenth round in 1989. He was young and took a few years to get going, but hit .341 with 28 homers for Class A Visalia in 1992. He stumbled a little when promoted to AA the next year, but came back with a bang, hitting .358 with 19 homers and an OPS of 1.018 for AAA Salt Lake in 1994. He was the Twins’ starting left fielder the next season and won the Rookie of the Year award with 24 home runs and a .277 average. He was 25 years old and big things were predicted, but that was as good as it got for Cordova. He had a good 1996, hitting .309 and driving in 111 runs, but then had a couple of off years, due partly to plantar fasciitis. He bounced back some in 1999, hitting .285 with 14 homers, but became a free agent after the season and signed with Boston. Surprisingly, the Red Sox cut Cordova late in spring training, and he signed with Toronto. He had an undistinguished year there, went to Cleveland for 2001, and had something of a renaissance, hitting .301 with 20 home runs. He went to Baltimore for 2002, but played only nine games in 2003 due to an elbow injury. He missed all of 2004 with that injury. He briefly tried to come back with Tampa Bay in 2005 but decided to retire instead. As a Twin, Marty Cordova hit .277/.348/.451 in 2,322 at-bats. At last report, Marty Cordova was the Chief Operating Officer of Bent Pixels, which helps people earn money from YouTube videos.

Also posted at wgom.org Marty Cordova (1969) Outfielder Marty Cordova played for the Twins from 1995-1999. Born and raised in Las Vegas, he was drafted by Minnesota in the tenth round in 1989. He was young and took a few years to get going, but hit .341 with 28 homers for Class A Visalia in 1992. He stumbled a little when promoted to AA the next year, but came back with a bang, hitting .358 with 19 homers and an OPS of 1.018 for AAA Salt Lake in 1994. He was the Twins’ starting left fielder the next season and won the Rookie of the Year award with 24 home runs and a .277 average. He was 25 years old and big things were predicted, but that was as good as it got for Cordova. He had a good 1996, hitting .309 and driving in 111 runs, but then had a couple of off years, due partly to plantar fasciitis. He bounced back some in 1999, hitting .285 with 14 homers, but became a free agent after the season and signed with Boston. Surprisingly, the Red Sox cut Cordova late in spring training, and he signed with Toronto. He had an undistinguished year there, went to Cleveland for 2001, and had something of a renaissance, hitting .301 with 20 home runs. He went to Baltimore for 2002, but played only nine games in 2003 due to an elbow injury. He missed all of 2004 with that injury. He briefly tried to come back with Tampa Bay in 2005 but decided to retire instead. As a Twin, Marty Cordova hit .277/.348/.451 in 2,322 at-bats. At last report, Marty Cordova was the Chief Operating Officer of Bent Pixels, which helps people earn money from YouTube videos.

Also posted at wgom.org Wally Post (1929) Hal Haydel (1944) Steve Luebber (1949) Outfielder Walter Charles Post had 47 at-bats for the Twins in 1963, near the end of a solid career. He was born in St. Wendelin, Ohio and signed with Cincinnati as a free agent in 1946. Perhaps because of his youth, he did not play much in the minors in his first few seasons, but as he got older he played more and played well. He hit .306 with 21 homers for AAA Buffalo in 1951 and .289 with 33 homers for AAA Indianapolis in 1953. He played briefly with the Reds each season from 1951-1953, then made the team for good at the start of 1954. He was the starting right fielder for the Reds for three seasons; easily the best was 1955, when he hit .309 with 40 homers and 109 RBIs. He finished twelfth in MVP voting that year, the only season in which he received MVP consideration. It was also the only time he topped .300 in a season. He was a solid, unspectacular player. He was also strikeout-prone, leading the league in that category three times. After an off year in 1957, Post was traded to Philadelphia for Harvey Haddix. His playing time was reduced some, but he was still the mostly regular right fielder with the Phillies. He continued to be a solid contributor, but in June of 1960 he was traded back to Cincinnati. Post was a part-time player for the Reds through mid-May of 1963, when he was sold to Minnesota. He stayed with the Twins the rest of the season but rarely played, hitting .191/.224/.362 in 47 at-bats. The Twins released him after the season and he signed with Cleveland, but got only eight at-bats before being released in mid-May. He played in AAA for Detroit, then his playing career came to an end. He returned to Ohio after his playing career ended, working for the Minster Canning Company. He is the grandfather of Ohio State and NFL quarterback Bobby Hoying. He was inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame in 1965. Wally Post passed away from cancer on January 6, 1982, in St. Henry, Ohio. Right-handed reliever John Harold Haydel appeared in 35 games for the Twins in 1970-1971. Born and raised in Houma, Louisiana, he signed with the Milwaukee Braves as a free agent in 1962. He had a decent first year in Class D Dublin and was chosen by Houston in the first-year player draft. At the end of spring training, Houston sent Haydel to the Cubs. He was a starter in the minors and did okay, progressing to AA in 1965 and spending two Phoenix for three years, not doing badly but not doing well enough to really attract anyone’s attention, either. After the 1969 campaign, Minnesota chose Haydel in the Rule 5 draft. Something must have been worked out, because Haydel was in AAA for most of 1970, coming to the Twins only as a September call-up. In 1971 he came up to the Twins in late June and stayed the rest of the season. His stint with the Twins was like most of his minor league career, neither great nor terrible. As a Twin he was 6-2, 4.04 with a WHIP of 1.31. He pitched 49 innings over 35 games, all in relief. He had a bad year in AAA Tacoma in 1972, and then his playing career was over at age 28. No information about Hal Haydel’s life since that time was readily available. Right-hander Stephen Lee Luebber pitched for the Twins in 1971-1972 and again in 1976. He was born in Clinton, Missouri, went to high school in Joplin, Missouri, and was drafted by Minnesota in the thirteenth round in 1967. Used mostly as a starter in the minors, he had some really good years, going 17-11, 1.78 in 237 innings at Class A Orlando in 1970 (as a 20-year-old), and 9-1, 1.97 at AA Charlotte in 96 innings at in 1971. He was jumped from there to the big leagues in late June of 1971 and placed into the starting rotation at age 21. He was not ready, going 2-5, 5.06 in 12 starts and six relief appearances. He went to AAA in 1972 and had a solid year, working 215 innings, and got a September call-up. He was apparently injured for part of 1973, working only 77 innings. He resumed a heavy minor league workload the next season, throwing 176 innings in AA Orlando in 1974 and 224 innings in Orlando and AAA Tacoma in 1975. Luebber was back with the Twins in 1976, his only full season in the majors. Used in both starting and relief roles, he was not terrible, going 4-5, 4.00 in 119.1 innings. The Twins sent him back to AAA in 1977, and released him after the season. As a Twin, Steve Luebber was 6-10, 4.32 in 189.2 innings. He appeared in 58 games, 24 of them starts. He signed with the White Sox and was in AAA with them in 1978. He moved on to Toronto in 1979, making one appearance in the majors with the Blue Jays. He was released late in spring training in 1980, and signed with Baltimore. He pitched well in AAA for them, making seven appearances with the Orioles in 1981. He never made it back to the majors, but he hung around in the minors for a long time. Luebber pitched in the Detroit and Texas organizations in 1983, for the Detroit and San Diego chains in 1984, and made appearances in the minors for San Diego from 1986-1988. He also pitched for the Ft. Myers Sun Sox in the seniors league. Luebber did not have much of a major league career, but one wonders what he might have done had he not thrown so many innings in the minors. Since 1988, Luebber has been a minor league pitching coach, working in the San Diego, Baltimore, Texas, and Florida organizations. Since 2007, he has been the pitching coach for the Wilmington Blue Rocks in the Kansas City organization.

Also posted at wgom.org Wally Post (1929) Hal Haydel (1944) Steve Luebber (1949) Outfielder Walter Charles Post had 47 at-bats for the Twins in 1963, near the end of a solid career. He was born in St. Wendelin, Ohio and signed with Cincinnati as a free agent in 1946. Perhaps because of his youth, he did not play much in the minors in his first few seasons, but as he got older he played more and played well. He hit .306 with 21 homers for AAA Buffalo in 1951 and .289 with 33 homers for AAA Indianapolis in 1953. He played briefly with the Reds each season from 1951-1953, then made the team for good at the start of 1954. He was the starting right fielder for the Reds for three seasons; easily the best was 1955, when he hit .309 with 40 homers and 109 RBIs. He finished twelfth in MVP voting that year, the only season in which he received MVP consideration. It was also the only time he topped .300 in a season. He was a solid, unspectacular player. He was also strikeout-prone, leading the league in that category three times. After an off year in 1957, Post was traded to Philadelphia for Harvey Haddix. His playing time was reduced some, but he was still the mostly regular right fielder with the Phillies. He continued to be a solid contributor, but in June of 1960 he was traded back to Cincinnati. Post was a part-time player for the Reds through mid-May of 1963, when he was sold to Minnesota. He stayed with the Twins the rest of the season but rarely played, hitting .191/.224/.362 in 47 at-bats. The Twins released him after the season and he signed with Cleveland, but got only eight at-bats before being released in mid-May. He played in AAA for Detroit, then his playing career came to an end. He returned to Ohio after his playing career ended, working for the Minster Canning Company. He is the grandfather of Ohio State and NFL quarterback Bobby Hoying. He was inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame in 1965. Wally Post passed away from cancer on January 6, 1982, in St. Henry, Ohio. Right-handed reliever John Harold Haydel appeared in 35 games for the Twins in 1970-1971. Born and raised in Houma, Louisiana, he signed with the Milwaukee Braves as a free agent in 1962. He had a decent first year in Class D Dublin and was chosen by Houston in the first-year player draft. At the end of spring training, Houston sent Haydel to the Cubs. He was a starter in the minors and did okay, progressing to AA in 1965 and spending two Phoenix for three years, not doing badly but not doing well enough to really attract anyone’s attention, either. After the 1969 campaign, Minnesota chose Haydel in the Rule 5 draft. Something must have been worked out, because Haydel was in AAA for most of 1970, coming to the Twins only as a September call-up. In 1971 he came up to the Twins in late June and stayed the rest of the season. His stint with the Twins was like most of his minor league career, neither great nor terrible. As a Twin he was 6-2, 4.04 with a WHIP of 1.31. He pitched 49 innings over 35 games, all in relief. He had a bad year in AAA Tacoma in 1972, and then his playing career was over at age 28. No information about Hal Haydel’s life since that time was readily available. Right-hander Stephen Lee Luebber pitched for the Twins in 1971-1972 and again in 1976. He was born in Clinton, Missouri, went to high school in Joplin, Missouri, and was drafted by Minnesota in the thirteenth round in 1967. Used mostly as a starter in the minors, he had some really good years, going 17-11, 1.78 in 237 innings at Class A Orlando in 1970 (as a 20-year-old), and 9-1, 1.97 at AA Charlotte in 96 innings at in 1971. He was jumped from there to the big leagues in late June of 1971 and placed into the starting rotation at age 21. He was not ready, going 2-5, 5.06 in 12 starts and six relief appearances. He went to AAA in 1972 and had a solid year, working 215 innings, and got a September call-up. He was apparently injured for part of 1973, working only 77 innings. He resumed a heavy minor league workload the next season, throwing 176 innings in AA Orlando in 1974 and 224 innings in Orlando and AAA Tacoma in 1975. Luebber was back with the Twins in 1976, his only full season in the majors. Used in both starting and relief roles, he was not terrible, going 4-5, 4.00 in 119.1 innings. The Twins sent him back to AAA in 1977, and released him after the season. As a Twin, Steve Luebber was 6-10, 4.32 in 189.2 innings. He appeared in 58 games, 24 of them starts. He signed with the White Sox and was in AAA with them in 1978. He moved on to Toronto in 1979, making one appearance in the majors with the Blue Jays. He was released late in spring training in 1980, and signed with Baltimore. He pitched well in AAA for them, making seven appearances with the Orioles in 1981. He never made it back to the majors, but he hung around in the minors for a long time. Luebber pitched in the Detroit and Texas organizations in 1983, for the Detroit and San Diego chains in 1984, and made appearances in the minors for San Diego from 1986-1988. He also pitched for the Ft. Myers Sun Sox in the seniors league. Luebber did not have much of a major league career, but one wonders what he might have done had he not thrown so many innings in the minors. Since 1988, Luebber has been a minor league pitching coach, working in the San Diego, Baltimore, Texas, and Florida organizations. Since 2007, he has been the pitching coach for the Wilmington Blue Rocks in the Kansas City organization.

Due to a family situation, I have not been able to publish Twins birthday biographies. I hope to be back doing so Monday or Tuesday. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

Due to a family situation, I have not been able to publish Twins birthday biographies. I hope to be back doing so Monday or Tuesday. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

Also posted at wgom.org Chuck Stobbs (1929) Samuel Deduno (1983) Rene Tosoni (1986) Left-hander Chuck Stobbs was an original Twin, appearing in twenty-four games for them in 1961. He was born in Wheeling, West Virginia, went to high school in Norfolk, Virginia, and signed with Boston as a free agent in 1947. He pitched very well that season for Class B Lynn, going 9-2, 1.72, got a September call-up at age 18, and never went back to the minors again. He may have been injured in 1948, as he appeared in only six games, but after that he was a regular major league pitcher until the end of his playing career. He was primarily a starting pitcher with Boston, and frankly was not a very good won despite decent won-lost records. His ERA with Boston was 4.70 and his WHIP was 1.49, but he was 33-23. He changed his socks from Red to White after the 1951 season, as he was traded to Chicago. He was there only one year, both starting and relieving, and was traded to Washington for Mike Fornieles. He had his best season in the majors in 1953, going 11-8, 3.29 with a 1.24 WHIP in 27 appearances, 20 of them starts. During that year, he gave up what is generally considered to be the longest home run in major league history, a shot by Mickey Mantle that went completely out of Griffith Stadium and traveled an estimated 565 feet. He had another good year in 1956, going 15-15, 3.60 in 37appearances, 33 of them starts. Other than that, however, he did not do a lot for Washington. He remained in their rotation for the most part, however, until he was placed on waivers in July of 1958. He was claimed by St. Louis, which moved him into the bullpen. He did quite well there in 39.2 innings, but the Cardinals released him during the off-season, and he signed back with Washington for 1959. Now primarily a relief pitcher, he had two good years for them before the team moved to Minnesota. He came with the team in 1961 but did not pitch well, posting a 7.46 ERA in 44.2 innings. The Twins released him after the season, ending his playing career at age 32. He became an insurance salesman for a while, and was a coach at George Washington University. He moved to Florida in 1971, working at a baseball academy operated by the Kansas City Royals. He then worked as a minor league instructor for the Cleveland Indians from 1980-1984. He was inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame in 2002. Chuck Stobbs passed away after a long battle with throat cancer on July 11, 2008. Right-hander Samuel (Lake) Deduno has been with the Twins since 2012. He was born in La Romana, Dominican Republic and signed with Colorado as a free agent in 2003. A starter for most of his minor league career, he climbed a level a season (if you call A and high-A different levels) despite there being no good reason why he should have done so. From 2005-2007, his lowest ERA was 4.80 and his lowest WHIP was 1.46. He did not play in 2008, presumably due to injury, and when he came back in 2009 he was a much better pitcher. He had a fine season in AA in 2009, and despite being injured much of 2010 pitched very well in six AAA starts. He made his major league debut that season, appearing in four games for the Rockies in a late-season call-up. By then, however, he was twenty-seven. The Rockies no longer considered him a prospect and put him on waivers. He was claimed by San Diego and actually started the season with the Padres, but was sent to AAA after only two appearances. He did not do badly at AAA, but was allowed to become a free agent after the season and signed with Minnesota for 2012. Sent to Rochester, he pitched well in nine starts and came up to Minnesota in July. He finished the season in the rotation and wasn’t awful, although he walked far too many batters. He has had control problems for most of his career, averaging five walks per nine innings in the minors. He also struck out about nine and a half batters per nine innings, though, so he’s done well when he’s put the ball in the strike zone. In 2013 he made three starts in Rochester before coming up to the Twins, and has been in their rotation ever since. He has walked far fewer batters so far this year, although he is also striking out fewer. He turns thirty today, which is awfully old to still be getting started, but it’s possible that Samuel Deduno could still carve out a decent major league career. Outfielder Rene Michael Tosoni played for the Twins in 2011. He was born in Toronto and drafted by Minnesota in the thirty-sixth round in 2005. After spending some time in the Gulf Coast League, he hit .300 in a 2007 split between Elizabethton and Beloit and hit .300 again in Ft. Myers in 2008. He then spent two years in New Britain and had solid seasons both times, although he missed much of 2010 with injuries. He was the Most Valuable Player of the Futures Game in 2009, leading some to think he was better than he really was. His numbers in Rochester in 2011 were not very good, but due to injuries and lack of depth, Tosoni made his major league debut with the Twins in late April and was up and down the rest of the season. He did little for the Twins in sporadic playing time, which is about what one would expect. He battled injuries again in 2012, did not play well in Rochester, was sent back to New Britain, did not do well there either, and finished the season on the disabled list. A free agent after the season, he signed with Milwaukee for 2013 and is having a decent but not particularly impressive season in AA. As a Twin, Rene Tosoni hit .203/.275/.343 in 172 at-bats. He turns 27 today. It’s not impossible that he could make it back to the majors, but if he’s going to he’d better make a move pretty soon.

Also posted at wgom.org Chuck Stobbs (1929) Samuel Deduno (1983) Rene Tosoni (1986) Left-hander Chuck Stobbs was an original Twin, appearing in twenty-four games for them in 1961. He was born in Wheeling, West Virginia, went to high school in Norfolk, Virginia, and signed with Boston as a free agent in 1947. He pitched very well that season for Class B Lynn, going 9-2, 1.72, got a September call-up at age 18, and never went back to the minors again. He may have been injured in 1948, as he appeared in only six games, but after that he was a regular major league pitcher until the end of his playing career. He was primarily a starting pitcher with Boston, and frankly was not a very good won despite decent won-lost records. His ERA with Boston was 4.70 and his WHIP was 1.49, but he was 33-23. He changed his socks from Red to White after the 1951 season, as he was traded to Chicago. He was there only one year, both starting and relieving, and was traded to Washington for Mike Fornieles. He had his best season in the majors in 1953, going 11-8, 3.29 with a 1.24 WHIP in 27 appearances, 20 of them starts. During that year, he gave up what is generally considered to be the longest home run in major league history, a shot by Mickey Mantle that went completely out of Griffith Stadium and traveled an estimated 565 feet. He had another good year in 1956, going 15-15, 3.60 in 37appearances, 33 of them starts. Other than that, however, he did not do a lot for Washington. He remained in their rotation for the most part, however, until he was placed on waivers in July of 1958. He was claimed by St. Louis, which moved him into the bullpen. He did quite well there in 39.2 innings, but the Cardinals released him during the off-season, and he signed back with Washington for 1959. Now primarily a relief pitcher, he had two good years for them before the team moved to Minnesota. He came with the team in 1961 but did not pitch well, posting a 7.46 ERA in 44.2 innings. The Twins released him after the season, ending his playing career at age 32. He became an insurance salesman for a while, and was a coach at George Washington University. He moved to Florida in 1971, working at a baseball academy operated by the Kansas City Royals. He then worked as a minor league instructor for the Cleveland Indians from 1980-1984. He was inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame in 2002. Chuck Stobbs passed away after a long battle with throat cancer on July 11, 2008. Right-hander Samuel (Lake) Deduno has been with the Twins since 2012. He was born in La Romana, Dominican Republic and signed with Colorado as a free agent in 2003. A starter for most of his minor league career, he climbed a level a season (if you call A and high-A different levels) despite there being no good reason why he should have done so. From 2005-2007, his lowest ERA was 4.80 and his lowest WHIP was 1.46. He did not play in 2008, presumably due to injury, and when he came back in 2009 he was a much better pitcher. He had a fine season in AA in 2009, and despite being injured much of 2010 pitched very well in six AAA starts. He made his major league debut that season, appearing in four games for the Rockies in a late-season call-up. By then, however, he was twenty-seven. The Rockies no longer considered him a prospect and put him on waivers. He was claimed by San Diego and actually started the season with the Padres, but was sent to AAA after only two appearances. He did not do badly at AAA, but was allowed to become a free agent after the season and signed with Minnesota for 2012. Sent to Rochester, he pitched well in nine starts and came up to Minnesota in July. He finished the season in the rotation and wasn’t awful, although he walked far too many batters. He has had control problems for most of his career, averaging five walks per nine innings in the minors. He also struck out about nine and a half batters per nine innings, though, so he’s done well when he’s put the ball in the strike zone. In 2013 he made three starts in Rochester before coming up to the Twins, and has been in their rotation ever since. He has walked far fewer batters so far this year, although he is also striking out fewer. He turns thirty today, which is awfully old to still be getting started, but it’s possible that Samuel Deduno could still carve out a decent major league career. Outfielder Rene Michael Tosoni played for the Twins in 2011. He was born in Toronto and drafted by Minnesota in the thirty-sixth round in 2005. After spending some time in the Gulf Coast League, he hit .300 in a 2007 split between Elizabethton and Beloit and hit .300 again in Ft. Myers in 2008. He then spent two years in New Britain and had solid seasons both times, although he missed much of 2010 with injuries. He was the Most Valuable Player of the Futures Game in 2009, leading some to think he was better than he really was. His numbers in Rochester in 2011 were not very good, but due to injuries and lack of depth, Tosoni made his major league debut with the Twins in late April and was up and down the rest of the season. He did little for the Twins in sporadic playing time, which is about what one would expect. He battled injuries again in 2012, did not play well in Rochester, was sent back to New Britain, did not do well there either, and finished the season on the disabled list. A free agent after the season, he signed with Milwaukee for 2013 and is having a decent but not particularly impressive season in AA. As a Twin, Rene Tosoni hit .203/.275/.343 in 172 at-bats. He turns 27 today. It’s not impossible that he could make it back to the majors, but if he’s going to he’d better make a move pretty soon.

Also posted at wgom.org Justin Huber (1982) First baseman/outfielder Justin Huber had two at-bats with the Twins in 2009. He was born and raised in Melbourne, Australia and was signed by the Mets in 2000. He hit well throughout his early minor league career, reaching AAA briefly in 2004. He was then traded to Kansas City, for whom he reached the majors for a week in June and then received a September call-up in 2005. He had been a catcher in the Mets’ system, but was moved to first base by the Royals. He hit well in AAA for Kansas City, but got only brief trials with the big club, batting only 98 times in three seasons. He was sold to San Diego late in spring training of 2008 but did not get much of a chance there, getting 61 at-bats in 33 games. Huber became a free agent after the 2008 season and the Twins signed him. He hit .273 with 22 homers in Rochester in 2009, earning a September call-up. Unfortunately, he got only two at-bats, going 1-for-2, before being injured for the rest of the season. Minnesota released him after the season, and he signed to play for the Hiroshima Carp in Japan. He came back to the United States and signed with Minnesota for 2011, but was released during spring training. He played for Somerset in the Atlantic League, then went back to his native Melbourne to play in the Australian League, where he was still playing over the winter. He probably could never have been a star, but he was a guy with some pop in his bat who could play first, corner outfield, and catch. It seems like that would have been a valuable bench player, but no one wanted to give him the chance to do it, and it’s probably too late now.

Also posted at wgom.org Justin Huber (1982) First baseman/outfielder Justin Huber had two at-bats with the Twins in 2009. He was born and raised in Melbourne, Australia and was signed by the Mets in 2000. He hit well throughout his early minor league career, reaching AAA briefly in 2004. He was then traded to Kansas City, for whom he reached the majors for a week in June and then received a September call-up in 2005. He had been a catcher in the Mets’ system, but was moved to first base by the Royals. He hit well in AAA for Kansas City, but got only brief trials with the big club, batting only 98 times in three seasons. He was sold to San Diego late in spring training of 2008 but did not get much of a chance there, getting 61 at-bats in 33 games. Huber became a free agent after the 2008 season and the Twins signed him. He hit .273 with 22 homers in Rochester in 2009, earning a September call-up. Unfortunately, he got only two at-bats, going 1-for-2, before being injured for the rest of the season. Minnesota released him after the season, and he signed to play for the Hiroshima Carp in Japan. He came back to the United States and signed with Minnesota for 2011, but was released during spring training. He played for Somerset in the Atlantic League, then went back to his native Melbourne to play in the Australian League, where he was still playing over the winter. He probably could never have been a star, but he was a guy with some pop in his bat who could play first, corner outfield, and catch. It seems like that would have been a valuable bench player, but no one wanted to give him the chance to do it, and it’s probably too late now.

Also posted at wgom.org Al Newman (1960) Mark Grudzielanek (1970) Infielder Al Newman played for the Minnesota Twins from 1987-1991. He was born in Kansas City, attended San Diego State, and was drafted by Montreal in the first round of the June Secondary draft in 1981. He was not much of a hitter in the minors, although he did draw a pretty fair number of walks. After the 1983 season, he was traded to San Diego as part of a three-team deal, but in July of 1984 he was traded back to Montreal. He hit .282 at AAA in 1985, which got him about two months in the majors as a reserve infielder. He began 1986 with the Expos, and was in the majors to stay. He hit a home run that season, his only home run in the majors. After the 1986 season, however, he was traded to Minnesota for Mike Shade. His best role was always as a utility player. He was considered a good glove man who could play three infield positions well. On the other hand, his bat left much to be desired. His best year at bat was 1989, which was also the year he got the most playing time, but even then, he hit only .253 with an OPS of .643 (although with an OBP of .341). In 1991 he slumped to .191 with an OPS of .471, and he was allowed to become a free agent after the season. Despite his numbers, many fans were upset that the popular Newman was let go, especially coming off a World Championship season. As GM Andy McPhail explained, however, “Any way you look at it, .191 is still .191.” It turned out to be a wise decision; Newman played only one more season, with Texas in 1992, and then was done as a player. As a Twin, he hit .231/.306/.275 in 1,647 at bats. He remained in baseball after his playing career ended. Newman was a minor league manager for the Twins from 1995-1997 and 1999-2001 and a coach for them from 2002-2005. He became an advance scout for the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2006. At last report, Al Newman lived in Savage, Minnesota and was special events coordinator for the AFLAC Kids Program. He is also the manager of the Alexandria Blue Anchors of the Northwoods League. Infielder Mark Grudzielanek did not play for the Twins, but was in their minor league system for about three weeks in 2009. He was born in Milwaukee, went to high school in El Paso, and was drafted by Montreal in the eleventh round in 1991. He started slowly in the minors, but hit .322 at AA in 1994 and followed that up with .298 in AAA in 1995, which got him to the majors for a little over half the season. He became the Expos’ starting shortstop the next year. It was his best season as an Expo: he hit .306 and made the all-star team. He remained the Expos’ starting shortstop, posting solid batting averages but doing little else offensively, until the end of July, 1998, when he was traded to the Dodgers. He had a fine 1999, hitting .326, but then went back to being the player he had been with the Expos, which wasn’t bad, but wasn’t great, either. He shifted to second base in 2000, which is where he would play the rest of his career. Grudzielanek was traded to the Cubs after the 2002 season. He had a couple of good years as a Cub, hitting over .300 in both of his seasons for them. He signed with the Cardinals for 2005, hitting .294, then moved on to Kansas City. He was a Royal for three years, hitting .300, but could not find a job after the 2008 season. The Twins picked him up in mid-July of 2009 and sent him to the minors for about three weeks, then released him. He was quoted as saying the Twins had wasted his time, although no other teams were clamoring for his services. Grudzielanek signed with Cleveland for 2010. He hit .273 as a part-time player and was released June 10, ending his playing career, although he did not officially retire until February 23, 2011. At last report, Mark Grudzielanek as living in Rancho Santa Fe, California.

Also posted at wgom.org Al Newman (1960) Mark Grudzielanek (1970) Infielder Al Newman played for the Minnesota Twins from 1987-1991. He was born in Kansas City, attended San Diego State, and was drafted by Montreal in the first round of the June Secondary draft in 1981. He was not much of a hitter in the minors, although he did draw a pretty fair number of walks. After the 1983 season, he was traded to San Diego as part of a three-team deal, but in July of 1984 he was traded back to Montreal. He hit .282 at AAA in 1985, which got him about two months in the majors as a reserve infielder. He began 1986 with the Expos, and was in the majors to stay. He hit a home run that season, his only home run in the majors. After the 1986 season, however, he was traded to Minnesota for Mike Shade. His best role was always as a utility player. He was considered a good glove man who could play three infield positions well. On the other hand, his bat left much to be desired. His best year at bat was 1989, which was also the year he got the most playing time, but even then, he hit only .253 with an OPS of .643 (although with an OBP of .341). In 1991 he slumped to .191 with an OPS of .471, and he was allowed to become a free agent after the season. Despite his numbers, many fans were upset that the popular Newman was let go, especially coming off a World Championship season. As GM Andy McPhail explained, however, “Any way you look at it, .191 is still .191.” It turned out to be a wise decision; Newman played only one more season, with Texas in 1992, and then was done as a player. As a Twin, he hit .231/.306/.275 in 1,647 at bats. He remained in baseball after his playing career ended. Newman was a minor league manager for the Twins from 1995-1997 and 1999-2001 and a coach for them from 2002-2005. He became an advance scout for the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2006. At last report, Al Newman lived in Savage, Minnesota and was special events coordinator for the AFLAC Kids Program. He is also the manager of the Alexandria Blue Anchors of the Northwoods League. Infielder Mark Grudzielanek did not play for the Twins, but was in their minor league system for about three weeks in 2009. He was born in Milwaukee, went to high school in El Paso, and was drafted by Montreal in the eleventh round in 1991. He started slowly in the minors, but hit .322 at AA in 1994 and followed that up with .298 in AAA in 1995, which got him to the majors for a little over half the season. He became the Expos’ starting shortstop the next year. It was his best season as an Expo: he hit .306 and made the all-star team. He remained the Expos’ starting shortstop, posting solid batting averages but doing little else offensively, until the end of July, 1998, when he was traded to the Dodgers. He had a fine 1999, hitting .326, but then went back to being the player he had been with the Expos, which wasn’t bad, but wasn’t great, either. He shifted to second base in 2000, which is where he would play the rest of his career. Grudzielanek was traded to the Cubs after the 2002 season. He had a couple of good years as a Cub, hitting over .300 in both of his seasons for them. He signed with the Cardinals for 2005, hitting .294, then moved on to Kansas City. He was a Royal for three years, hitting .300, but could not find a job after the 2008 season. The Twins picked him up in mid-July of 2009 and sent him to the minors for about three weeks, then released him. He was quoted as saying the Twins had wasted his time, although no other teams were clamoring for his services. Grudzielanek signed with Cleveland for 2010. He hit .273 as a part-time player and was released June 10, ending his playing career, although he did not officially retire until February 23, 2011. At last report, Mark Grudzielanek as living in Rancho Santa Fe, California.

Also posted at wgom.org Harmon Killebrew (1936) Trey Hodges (1978) Dusty Hughes (1982) An original Twin, Harmon Clayton Killebrew was with the Twins through the 1974 season. Born and raised in Payette, Idaho, he was signed by Washington in 1954 under the “bonus baby” rules, which required him to be on the major league roster for two full years. While he obviously overcame it, one has to think that slowed his development, as he got only 93 at bats in his first two major league seasons. He got 34 more at bats through June of 1956, then his two years finally expired and he got regular playing time in the minors, coming back as a September call-up. He hit around .280 in the minors in 1957 and 1958, hitting a total of 48 home runs, and got brief time in the majors both years. Finally, in 1959, Killebrew reached the majors to stay. He had been exclusively a third baseman in the minors, and he was the regular third baseman for Washington in 1959. He responded by hitting 42 home runs, driving in 105 runs, making his first of eleven all-star teams, and finished fifteenth in MVP voting. He played both first and third in 1960, had another fine year, and came to Minnesota with the team in 1961 as its first star player. He played mostly first base in 1961, then moved to the outfield for 1962-1964. He kept hitting, belting between 45 and 49 homers each season, posting an OPS over .900 every year, finishing in the top eleven in MVP voting, and making the all-star team every year except 1962 (an odd omission, since he led the league in homers and RBI that year). He was injured part of 1965, when he was moved back to the infield, but still finished fifteenth in MVP balloting as he helped lead the Twins to the World Series. He bounced back to play in every game in 1966 and 1967, playing primarily at third in 1966 and almost exclusively at first in 1967. He hit a total of 83 homers with 234 walks in those seasons and finishing in the top four in MVP voting each year. In 1968, Killebrew was having a bad year when he was famously injured in the all-star game, not coming back until September. It was a bad year for Harmon, but he came back to play in every game in 1969, mostly at third but a substantial number at first, and leading the league in homers, RBIs, walks, and OBP and winning his only MVP award. He remained at third in 1970 and had another fine year. Shifted to first in 1971, Killebrew continued to play well, but signs of decline began to show; his OPS that season was the lowest of his career to that point other than in 1968. He slipped a little more in 1972 and became a part-time player after that. Killebrew became a free agent after the 1974 season. The Twins thought he was finished, but he thought he wasn’t, so he signed with Kansas City. Unfortunately, the Twins were right: Killebrew hit only .199 with fourteen homers as a Royal, and his playing career came to an end. It was a tremendous career, though. As a Twin/Senator, he hit .258/.278/.514, with 559 homers, giving him a total of 573 home runs for his career. He made eleven all-star teams, including nine in a row from 1963-1971. He was in the top ten in MVP voting seven times and in the top fifteen ten times. Harmon Killebrew was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1984, the first Twin to be so honored. Despite denials from major league baseball, Killebrew is widely thought to be the model for the MLB logo. He was a television broadcaster for the Twins from 1976-1978, with Oakland from 1979-1982, with California in 1983, and back with the Twins from 1984-1988. Harmon Killebrew retired to Scottsdale, Arizona, where he was the chair of the Harmon Killebrew Foundation, which is dedicated to enriching the quality of life by promoting positive and healthy participation in sports. He also founded the Danny Thompson memorial golf tournament, which has raised millions of dollars for leukemia research. Sadly, Harmon Killebrew passed away from esophageal cancer on May 17, 2011. Right-hander Trey Allen Hodges did not play for the Twins, but was in their farm system for a month in 2005. He was born in Houston, went to high school in Spring, Texas, attended LSU, and was drafted by Atlanta in the seventeenth round in 2000. He had an outstanding year in 2001 in Class A, followed that with a fine season in AAA in 2002, and reached the majors as a September call-up in 2002. He was with the Braves for all of 2003, his only full season in the majors. A starter in the minors, he was used out of the bullpen that season and struggled with his control, something that had not been a problem for him in the minor leagues, and had a mediocre year, going 3-3, 4.66, 1.52 WHIP. He was back in AAA in 2004 and having another mediocre year when he was released in late June, finishing the season in Japan. He signed with the Twins for 2005 and was sent to Rochester, where he went 0-0, 5.62, 1.69 WHIP in nine relief appearances (16 innings). The Braves re-signed him a couple weeks later, but he continued to not pitch well and was released again a month later. Hodges was out of baseball in 2006 but decided to give it another try in 2007. Atlanta gave him another chance, and he stayed in AAA all season, but he really was no better than he had been before. He moved to the Texas AAA team in 2008 and played for independent Lancaster in 2009, then his playing career came to an end. At last report, Trey Hodges was a financial representative for Northwestern Mutual in Lafayette, Louisiana. Left-hander Dustin Robert Hughes appeared in fifteen games for the Twins in 2011. He was born in Tupelo, Mississippi, went to high school in Horn Lake, Mississippi, attended Delta State University, and was drafted by Kansas City in the eleventh round in 2003. He pitched very well in the low minors through 2004, then had a terrible year in 2005 at Class A. This may have been due to injury; he missed all of the 2006 season. He pitched well in AA in 2007 and 2008, but less well when promoted to AAA in 2008. He moved to the bullpen in 2009 and did well in AAA Omaha, earning a September call-up. He was with the Royals for all of 2010, going 1-3, 3.83, but with a WHIP of 1.47 in 57 appearances (56.1 innings). Kansas City wasn’t fooled and placed him on waivers. The Twins claimed him and he started the season in Minnesota. He was mostly bad; in 15 appearances (12.2 innings) he went 1-0, 9.95, 2.13 WHIP, giving up 19 hits and 8 walks. Sent back to AAA, he was better, but not particularly good. A free agent after the season, he signed with Atlanta for 2012 and was fairly mediocre in AAA for them as well. He re-signed with Atlanta for 2013 but was released on May 10 and later announced his retirement. Dusty Hughes has a degree in marketing form Delta State, and one hopes he will put it to good use.

Also posted at wgom.org Harmon Killebrew (1936) Trey Hodges (1978) Dusty Hughes (1982) An original Twin, Harmon Clayton Killebrew was with the Twins through the 1974 season. Born and raised in Payette, Idaho, he was signed by Washington in 1954 under the “bonus baby” rules, which required him to be on the major league roster for two full years. While he obviously overcame it, one has to think that slowed his development, as he got only 93 at bats in his first two major league seasons. He got 34 more at bats through June of 1956, then his two years finally expired and he got regular playing time in the minors, coming back as a September call-up. He hit around .280 in the minors in 1957 and 1958, hitting a total of 48 home runs, and got brief time in the majors both years. Finally, in 1959, Killebrew reached the majors to stay. He had been exclusively a third baseman in the minors, and he was the regular third baseman for Washington in 1959. He responded by hitting 42 home runs, driving in 105 runs, making his first of eleven all-star teams, and finished fifteenth in MVP voting. He played both first and third in 1960, had another fine year, and came to Minnesota with the team in 1961 as its first star player. He played mostly first base in 1961, then moved to the outfield for 1962-1964. He kept hitting, belting between 45 and 49 homers each season, posting an OPS over .900 every year, finishing in the top eleven in MVP voting, and making the all-star team every year except 1962 (an odd omission, since he led the league in homers and RBI that year). He was injured part of 1965, when he was moved back to the infield, but still finished fifteenth in MVP balloting as he helped lead the Twins to the World Series. He bounced back to play in every game in 1966 and 1967, playing primarily at third in 1966 and almost exclusively at first in 1967. He hit a total of 83 homers with 234 walks in those seasons and finishing in the top four in MVP voting each year. In 1968, Killebrew was having a bad year when he was famously injured in the all-star game, not coming back until September. It was a bad year for Harmon, but he came back to play in every game in 1969, mostly at third but a substantial number at first, and leading the league in homers, RBIs, walks, and OBP and winning his only MVP award. He remained at third in 1970 and had another fine year. Shifted to first in 1971, Killebrew continued to play well, but signs of decline began to show; his OPS that season was the lowest of his career to that point other than in 1968. He slipped a little more in 1972 and became a part-time player after that. Killebrew became a free agent after the 1974 season. The Twins thought he was finished, but he thought he wasn’t, so he signed with Kansas City. Unfortunately, the Twins were right: Killebrew hit only .199 with fourteen homers as a Royal, and his playing career came to an end. It was a tremendous career, though. As a Twin/Senator, he hit .258/.278/.514, with 559 homers, giving him a total of 573 home runs for his career. He made eleven all-star teams, including nine in a row from 1963-1971. He was in the top ten in MVP voting seven times and in the top fifteen ten times. Harmon Killebrew was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1984, the first Twin to be so honored. Despite denials from major league baseball, Killebrew is widely thought to be the model for the MLB logo. He was a television broadcaster for the Twins from 1976-1978, with Oakland from 1979-1982, with California in 1983, and back with the Twins from 1984-1988. Harmon Killebrew retired to Scottsdale, Arizona, where he was the chair of the Harmon Killebrew Foundation, which is dedicated to enriching the quality of life by promoting positive and healthy participation in sports. He also founded the Danny Thompson memorial golf tournament, which has raised millions of dollars for leukemia research. Sadly, Harmon Killebrew passed away from esophageal cancer on May 17, 2011. Right-hander Trey Allen Hodges did not play for the Twins, but was in their farm system for a month in 2005. He was born in Houston, went to high school in Spring, Texas, attended LSU, and was drafted by Atlanta in the seventeenth round in 2000. He had an outstanding year in 2001 in Class A, followed that with a fine season in AAA in 2002, and reached the majors as a September call-up in 2002. He was with the Braves for all of 2003, his only full season in the majors. A starter in the minors, he was used out of the bullpen that season and struggled with his control, something that had not been a problem for him in the minor leagues, and had a mediocre year, going 3-3, 4.66, 1.52 WHIP. He was back in AAA in 2004 and having another mediocre year when he was released in late June, finishing the season in Japan. He signed with the Twins for 2005 and was sent to Rochester, where he went 0-0, 5.62, 1.69 WHIP in nine relief appearances (16 innings). The Braves re-signed him a couple weeks later, but he continued to not pitch well and was released again a month later. Hodges was out of baseball in 2006 but decided to give it another try in 2007. Atlanta gave him another chance, and he stayed in AAA all season, but he really was no better than he had been before. He moved to the Texas AAA team in 2008 and played for independent Lancaster in 2009, then his playing career came to an end. At last report, Trey Hodges was a financial representative for Northwestern Mutual in Lafayette, Louisiana. Left-hander Dustin Robert Hughes appeared in fifteen games for the Twins in 2011. He was born in Tupelo, Mississippi, went to high school in Horn Lake, Mississippi, attended Delta State University, and was drafted by Kansas City in the eleventh round in 2003. He pitched very well in the low minors through 2004, then had a terrible year in 2005 at Class A. This may have been due to injury; he missed all of the 2006 season. He pitched well in AA in 2007 and 2008, but less well when promoted to AAA in 2008. He moved to the bullpen in 2009 and did well in AAA Omaha, earning a September call-up. He was with the Royals for all of 2010, going 1-3, 3.83, but with a WHIP of 1.47 in 57 appearances (56.1 innings). Kansas City wasn’t fooled and placed him on waivers. The Twins claimed him and he started the season in Minnesota. He was mostly bad; in 15 appearances (12.2 innings) he went 1-0, 9.95, 2.13 WHIP, giving up 19 hits and 8 walks. Sent back to AAA, he was better, but not particularly good. A free agent after the season, he signed with Atlanta for 2012 and was fairly mediocre in AAA for them as well. He re-signed with Atlanta for 2013 but was released on May 10 and later announced his retirement. Dusty Hughes has a degree in marketing form Delta State, and one hopes he will put it to good use.

Also posted at wgom.org Don Baylor (1949) Chris Speier (1950) Clay Christiansen (1958) Ron Mahay (1971) Corey Koskie (1973) Outfielder Don Edward Baylor played in twenty games for the Twins in 1987 and also played in seven post-season games. Born and raised in Austin, Texas, he was drafted in the second round by Baltimore in 1967. He had a tremendous minor league record, hitting .310 or more every season and hitting 20 or more home runs in his last two seasons, both at AAA Rochester. He also stole over twenty bases each of his last three minor league years. Baylor got cups of coffee in the majors in 1970 and 1971 before making the big leagues for good at the start of the 1972 season. He was a part-time player the first year, mostly regular in 1973, and a full time outfielder after that. He remained with the Orioles through 1975, hitting around .280 with double digit homers and about 30 stolen bases every season. His best year in Baltimore was his last one, when he hit .282 with 25 homers and 32 steals and finished twentieth in MVP voting. Just before the 1976 season, Baylor was traded to Oakland in a multi-player deal which included Reggie Jackson and Mike Torrez. He had a down year for Oakland, although he set a career high with 52 stolen bases, and became a free agent, signing with the Angels. He stayed in California through 1982, gradually moving from the outfield to designated hitter. He had some fine years for the Angels. The best was 1979, when he led the league in both runs and RBIs, hit .296 with a career-high 36 homers and a career-high 71 walks, and won the Most Valuable Player award. After the 1982 campaign, Baylor became a free agent and signed with the Yankees, staying there three seasons. He had a couple of good years there, too, but entered into the decline phase of his career. His last two years with the Yankees were the first of four consecutive seasons he led the league in getting hit by pitch (he led the league a total of eight times in his career). He was traded to Boston in late March of 1986 for Mike Easler in a trade of aging DHs. He was nothing special for the Red Sox, but was traded to the Twins for a player to be named later (Enrique Rios) just in time to be placed on the post season roster. He hit .286/.397/.306 in 49 at-bats the rest of the way, but went 7-for-18 in the post-season with a home run in helping the Twins to their first World Series championship. A free agent again after the season, he went to Oakland for the 1988 season, then retired. Baylor has remained in major league baseball, serving as a coach for Milwaukee (1990-1991) and St. Louis (1992), as manager for Colorado (1993-1988), as a coach for Atlanta (1999), as manager for the Cubs (2000-2002), and as a coach for the Mets (2003-2004), Seattle (2005), Colorado (2009-2010), and Arizona (2011-2013). Shortstop Chris Edward Speier played 12 games for the Twins in 1984. Born and raised in Alameda, California, he attended UC–Santa Barbara and was chosen by San Francisco with the second pick in the January Secondary draft in 1970. He spent one year in AA, hitting .283 in Amarillo, and was the starting shortstop for the Giants in 1971 at age 20. He made the all-star team in 1972, the first of three consecutive seasons in which he did so. He remained the Giants’ starting shortstop through April of 1977. He was a solid player for several years, but slumped in 1976. When he did no better at the start of 1977 he was traded to Montreal. He was the regular shortstop for the Expos through 1982. He was never great offensively, but in his good years he would hit in the .250s or .260s. He fell to part-time status in 1983, and when his offense collapsed in 1984 he was traded to St. Louis on July 1. He hit no better there, but the Twins were desperate for a shortstop in 1984, so they acquired Speier for a player to be named later (Jay Pettibone) on August 19. Unfortunately, Speier was injured much of his time with the Twins, playing in only twelve games. He went 7-for-33 for a line of .212/.278/.212. Speier became a free agent after the season. He signed with the Cubs, hitting .260 over two seasons as a part-time player. He then moved on to San Francisco, where he was a reserve infielder for three seasons before retiring. Speier remained in baseball after his playing career ended. He was a roving instructor for the Giants from 1990-1994, hitting coach for the Orlando Cubs in 1995, managed in the Arizona organization from 1996-1999, was a major league coach for Milwaukee in 2000, for Arizona in 2001, for Oakland in 2004, and for the Cubs in 2005-2006. He became bench coach for Cincinnati in 2007, a position he continues to hold. Right-hander Clay C. Christiansen did not play for the Twins, but was in their farm system for part of 1986 and 1987. Born in Wichita, Kansas, went to high school in Columbia, Kansas, attended the University of Kansas and was drafted by the Yankees in the fifteenth round in 1980. He pitched well in the low minors, going up a level per year. He won 16 games in back-to-back seasons at A and AA in 1981 and 1982. He stumbled on his first try at AAA in 1983 but did better there in 1984, earning a promotion to the majors for about six weeks in mid-summer and then coming back as a September call-up. A starter in the minors, he was used almost exclusively in relief in the majors and did not pitch well, going 2-4, 6.05, 1.60 WHIP in 38.2 innings (24 appearances, 1 start). Those would turn out to be his career totals, as he never made it back to the majors. He pitched well in AAA in 1985, but not well enough to get promoted, and the Yankees released him in June of 1986. The Twins signed him and sent him to AAA, where he stayed until June of 1987 when he was traded to Houston for Eric Bullock. B-r.com does not give his numbers just in the Twins’ organization, but he did not have a particularly good year either of those seasons. He stayed in the Houston system until 1988, then his playing career came to an end. At last report, Clay Christiansen was living in Olathe, Kansas and was working for Pepsi as an install driver for the vending department. Left-handed reliever Ronald Matthew Mahay joined the Twins in late August of 2009 and stayed through 2010. He was born in Crestwood, Illinois, went to high school in Palos Heights, Illinois, and was drafted by Boston in the eighteenth round in 1991. He was drafted as an outfielder, remaining one through 1995. His minor league batting record is nothing to shout about, but he still was brought up to the majors briefly in 1995, spending about a week as their starting center fielder. He went 4-for-20 with a home run. Mahay turned to pitching in 1996 and reached the majors as a pitcher in 1997. He has been with several teams since then, and has frequently been sent back to the minors–he has only three full seasons in the major leagues. He was with the Red Sox from 1997-1998, with Oakland from 1999-2000, with Florida in 2000, with the Cubs in 2001-2002, with Texas from 2003-2007, with Atlanta in 2007, and with Kansas City from 2008-2009. In that span, he was waived once, sold once, released twice, traded once, and allowed to become a free agent twice. In late August of 2009, he was released for the third time and signed with Minnesota. He pitched pretty well as a Twin, going 2-1, 3.14, 1.19 WHIP in 43 innings (57 appearances). He became a free agent after the 2010 season, signed with the Dodgers, was released in spring training, signed with Arizona, was released after a month in AAA, signed with the Cardinals in July, for whom he also pitched in AAA, and was released in August. He signed with Cincinnati for 2012, was again in AAA, and was released in mid-May. He did not sign with anyone and announced his retirement in January of 2013. He had a pretty solid career, though, lasting fourteen major league seasons. He never pitched more than 67 innings in a season, leading to season ERAs as low as 1.86 and as high as 8.59. No information about what Ron Mahay has done since his playing career ended was readily available. Third baseman Cordel Leonard Koskie played for the Twins from 1998-2004. He was born in Anola, Manitoba and went to high school in Outbank, Manitoba. He attended Des Moines Area Community College and Kwantlen University College of Surrey, British Columbia before being drafted by the Twins in the twenty-sixth round in 1994. He advanced through the minors about one level per season and did pretty well, hitting over .300 twice and topping twenty home runs twice. He got a September call-up in 1998 and in 1999 was the Twins’ semi-regular third baseman, sharing time with Ron Coomer. By 2000 he was the Twins’ regular third baseman and remained in that role through 2004. He was solid there, posting an OPS in the low to mid 800s every season. His best year is generally considered to be 2001, when he scored 100 runs, hit 26 homers, and drove in 103 runs. In fact, though, his OPS then was not particularly better than in any other year; his higher numbers are at least partly due to the fact that he played 153 games that season. He became a free agent after the 2004 season and his career went almost straight down hill. He signed with Toronto, suffered through an injury-plagued 2005, and was traded to Milwaukee for Brian Wolfe in the off-season. Koskie was playing well for the Brewers in 2006 when he suffered a concussion in early July. He never really recovered from it, at least not in a baseball sense. He tried to play in the 2009 World Baseball Classic and in spring training with the Cubs that year. He convinced himself that he could still play, but could not convince himself that it was worth risking further injury, and opted to retire. At last report, Corey Koskie was operating a couple of Planet Fitness clubs in the Twin Cities area.

Also posted at wgom.org Don Baylor (1949) Chris Speier (1950) Clay Christiansen (1958) Ron Mahay (1971) Corey Koskie (1973) Outfielder Don Edward Baylor played in twenty games for the Twins in 1987 and also played in seven post-season games. Born and raised in Austin, Texas, he was drafted in the second round by Baltimore in 1967. He had a tremendous minor league record, hitting .310 or more every season and hitting 20 or more home runs in his last two seasons, both at AAA Rochester. He also stole over twenty bases each of his last three minor league years. Baylor got cups of coffee in the majors in 1970 and 1971 before making the big leagues for good at the start of the 1972 season. He was a part-time player the first year, mostly regular in 1973, and a full time outfielder after that. He remained with the Orioles through 1975, hitting around .280 with double digit homers and about 30 stolen bases every season. His best year in Baltimore was his last one, when he hit .282 with 25 homers and 32 steals and finished twentieth in MVP voting. Just before the 1976 season, Baylor was traded to Oakland in a multi-player deal which included Reggie Jackson and Mike Torrez. He had a down year for Oakland, although he set a career high with 52 stolen bases, and became a free agent, signing with the Angels. He stayed in California through 1982, gradually moving from the outfield to designated hitter. He had some fine years for the Angels. The best was 1979, when he led the league in both runs and RBIs, hit .296 with a career-high 36 homers and a career-high 71 walks, and won the Most Valuable Player award. After the 1982 campaign, Baylor became a free agent and signed with the Yankees, staying there three seasons. He had a couple of good years there, too, but entered into the decline phase of his career. His last two years with the Yankees were the first of four consecutive seasons he led the league in getting hit by pitch (he led the league a total of eight times in his career). He was traded to Boston in late March of 1986 for Mike Easler in a trade of aging DHs. He was nothing special for the Red Sox, but was traded to the Twins for a player to be named later (Enrique Rios) just in time to be placed on the post season roster. He hit .286/.397/.306 in 49 at-bats the rest of the way, but went 7-for-18 in the post-season with a home run in helping the Twins to their first World Series championship. A free agent again after the season, he went to Oakland for the 1988 season, then retired. Baylor has remained in major league baseball, serving as a coach for Milwaukee (1990-1991) and St. Louis (1992), as manager for Colorado (1993-1988), as a coach for Atlanta (1999), as manager for the Cubs (2000-2002), and as a coach for the Mets (2003-2004), Seattle (2005), Colorado (2009-2010), and Arizona (2011-2013). Shortstop Chris Edward Speier played 12 games for the Twins in 1984. Born and raised in Alameda, California, he attended UC–Santa Barbara and was chosen by San Francisco with the second pick in the January Secondary draft in 1970. He spent one year in AA, hitting .283 in Amarillo, and was the starting shortstop for the Giants in 1971 at age 20. He made the all-star team in 1972, the first of three consecutive seasons in which he did so. He remained the Giants’ starting shortstop through April of 1977. He was a solid player for several years, but slumped in 1976. When he did no better at the start of 1977 he was traded to Montreal. He was the regular shortstop for the Expos through 1982. He was never great offensively, but in his good years he would hit in the .250s or .260s. He fell to part-time status in 1983, and when his offense collapsed in 1984 he was traded to St. Louis on July 1. He hit no better there, but the Twins were desperate for a shortstop in 1984, so they acquired Speier for a player to be named later (Jay Pettibone) on August 19. Unfortunately, Speier was injured much of his time with the Twins, playing in only twelve games. He went 7-for-33 for a line of .212/.278/.212. Speier became a free agent after the season. He signed with the Cubs, hitting .260 over two seasons as a part-time player. He then moved on to San Francisco, where he was a reserve infielder for three seasons before retiring. Speier remained in baseball after his playing career ended. He was a roving instructor for the Giants from 1990-1994, hitting coach for the Orlando Cubs in 1995, managed in the Arizona organization from 1996-1999, was a major league coach for Milwaukee in 2000, for Arizona in 2001, for Oakland in 2004, and for the Cubs in 2005-2006. He became bench coach for Cincinnati in 2007, a position he continues to hold. Right-hander Clay C. Christiansen did not play for the Twins, but was in their farm system for part of 1986 and 1987. Born in Wichita, Kansas, went to high school in Columbia, Kansas, attended the University of Kansas and was drafted by the Yankees in the fifteenth round in 1980. He pitched well in the low minors, going up a level per year. He won 16 games in back-to-back seasons at A and AA in 1981 and 1982. He stumbled on his first try at AAA in 1983 but did better there in 1984, earning a promotion to the majors for about six weeks in mid-summer and then coming back as a September call-up. A starter in the minors, he was used almost exclusively in relief in the majors and did not pitch well, going 2-4, 6.05, 1.60 WHIP in 38.2 innings (24 appearances, 1 start). Those would turn out to be his career totals, as he never made it back to the majors. He pitched well in AAA in 1985, but not well enough to get promoted, and the Yankees released him in June of 1986. The Twins signed him and sent him to AAA, where he stayed until June of 1987 when he was traded to Houston for Eric Bullock. B-r.com does not give his numbers just in the Twins’ organization, but he did not have a particularly good year either of those seasons. He stayed in the Houston system until 1988, then his playing career came to an end. At last report, Clay Christiansen was living in Olathe, Kansas and was working for Pepsi as an install driver for the vending department. Left-handed reliever Ronald Matthew Mahay joined the Twins in late August of 2009 and stayed through 2010. He was born in Crestwood, Illinois, went to high school in Palos Heights, Illinois, and was drafted by Boston in the eighteenth round in 1991. He was drafted as an outfielder, remaining one through 1995. His minor league batting record is nothing to shout about, but he still was brought up to the majors briefly in 1995, spending about a week as their starting center fielder. He went 4-for-20 with a home run. Mahay turned to pitching in 1996 and reached the majors as a pitcher in 1997. He has been with several teams since then, and has frequently been sent back to the minors–he has only three full seasons in the major leagues. He was with the Red Sox from 1997-1998, with Oakland from 1999-2000, with Florida in 2000, with the Cubs in 2001-2002, with Texas from 2003-2007, with Atlanta in 2007, and with Kansas City from 2008-2009. In that span, he was waived once, sold once, released twice, traded once, and allowed to become a free agent twice. In late August of 2009, he was released for the third time and signed with Minnesota. He pitched pretty well as a Twin, going 2-1, 3.14, 1.19 WHIP in 43 innings (57 appearances). He became a free agent after the 2010 season, signed with the Dodgers, was released in spring training, signed with Arizona, was released after a month in AAA, signed with the Cardinals in July, for whom he also pitched in AAA, and was released in August. He signed with Cincinnati for 2012, was again in AAA, and was released in mid-May. He did not sign with anyone and announced his retirement in January of 2013. He had a pretty solid career, though, lasting fourteen major league seasons. He never pitched more than 67 innings in a season, leading to season ERAs as low as 1.86 and as high as 8.59. No information about what Ron Mahay has done since his playing career ended was readily available. Third baseman Cordel Leonard Koskie played for the Twins from 1998-2004. He was born in Anola, Manitoba and went to high school in Outbank, Manitoba. He attended Des Moines Area Community College and Kwantlen University College of Surrey, British Columbia before being drafted by the Twins in the twenty-sixth round in 1994. He advanced through the minors about one level per season and did pretty well, hitting over .300 twice and topping twenty home runs twice. He got a September call-up in 1998 and in 1999 was the Twins’ semi-regular third baseman, sharing time with Ron Coomer. By 2000 he was the Twins’ regular third baseman and remained in that role through 2004. He was solid there, posting an OPS in the low to mid 800s every season. His best year is generally considered to be 2001, when he scored 100 runs, hit 26 homers, and drove in 103 runs. In fact, though, his OPS then was not particularly better than in any other year; his higher numbers are at least partly due to the fact that he played 153 games that season. He became a free agent after the 2004 season and his career went almost straight down hill. He signed with Toronto, suffered through an injury-plagued 2005, and was traded to Milwaukee for Brian Wolfe in the off-season. Koskie was playing well for the Brewers in 2006 when he suffered a concussion in early July. He never really recovered from it, at least not in a baseball sense. He tried to play in the 2009 World Baseball Classic and in spring training with the Cubs that year. He convinced himself that he could still play, but could not convince himself that it was worth risking further injury, and opted to retire. At last report, Corey Koskie was operating a couple of Planet Fitness clubs in the Twin Cities area.

Also posted at wgom.org Wayne Terwilliger (1925) Chuck Coles (1931) Luis Rodriguez (1980) Willard Wayne Terwilliger, known as “Twig”, did not play for the Twins, but was part of their organization for several years. Unrelated to Dick Terwilliger, who was also born on June 27, they are the only two people with the last name “Terwilliger” to have played in the major leagues. He was born in Clair, Michigan, attended Western Michigan University, and was signed by the Cubs as a free agent in 1948. A second baseman, he had a fine year at AAA in 1949 and made his major league debut that year, coming to the Cubs in early August. He was the Cubs’ regular second baseman in 1950, but hit only .242 with ten homers. He remained the Cubs’ regular second sacker at the start of 1951, but when he hit no better he was traded to Brooklyn as part of an eight-player deal. He was okay as a reserve the rest of the season, backing up Jackie Robinson, but in 1952 he went down to AAA St. Paul, where he hit .312. The Dodgers were obviously not impressed, because Terwilliger was put on waivers after the season. Washington selected him and made him their started second baseman for two seasons. Twig was sold to the New York Giants for 1955. He split the next two seasons between New York and AAA Minneapolis, then was in Minneapolis for all of 1957. He was traded to Detroit for 1958, spent all of that season in the minors, and was taken by the Kansas City Athletics in the Rule 5 draft. He was with the Athletics for all of 1959, was in the minors for nearly all of 1960, and then turned to managing and coaching (he made a few brief appearances in the minors all the way through 1968, presumably when his team was short of infielders). His minor-league managing career was in the Yankees’ organization in 1961, the Washington chain from 1963-1968, Houston in 1973, Texas in 1975 and 1980, and with independent Ft. Worth from 2003-2005. He was a major league coach with Washington/Texas from 1969-1972 and 1981-1985, and the Twins from 1986-1994. He was a minor league coach with the St. Paul Saints from 1995-2002 and Ft. Worth from 2006-2010, when he finally retired at age 85. He is a member of the Texas Baseball Hall of Fame and has written an autobiography, “Terwilliger Bunts One.” Outfielder Charles Edward Coles did not play for the Twins, but was in their farm system from 1961-1962. He was born in Fredericktown, Pennsylvania and attended Waynesburg College in Waynesburg, Pennsylvania, one of two major league players produced by that school (Dick Gray). He signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers as a free agent in 1950. He hit well in the minors through 1952, then missed two seasons due to the Korean War. He was 24 when he returned. He continued to hit well but could not get a chance above Class A in the Dodgers’ organization. He played for independent Albuquerque in 1957, then moved to the Cincinnati system in 1958. He hit .307 with 29 home runs in AA and got a September call-up. He went 2-for-11 in five games, but it looked like, at age 27, Chuck Coles might finally get his chance. It didn’t happen. He had a terrible year in AA in 1959; one wonders if he might have been hurt, because his numbers are completely out of line with the rest of his career. He bounced back with a solid year in AA in 1960, but by then he was 29 and was no longer considered a prospect. He came to the Twins’ organization in 1961 and had a solid year at Class A Charlotte, but that was as good as it would get for him as a Twin. He split 1962 between Charlotte and Class B Wilson, played for independent Tidewater in 1963, then ended his playing career. In twelve minor league seasons, mostly in A and AA, Chuck Coles hit .293/.330/.466 with 176 home runs. After his playing career, he was employed as a millwright in Jefferson, Pennsylvania. He passed away in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina on January 25, 1996 at the age of 64. In 2009, Chuck Coles was posthumously inducted into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame. Infielder Luis Orlando Rodriguez played for the Twins from 2005-2007. Born and raised in Codejos, Venezuela, he signed with the Twins as a free agent in 1997. He primarily played second base and shortstop in the minors. He put up consistent but unspectacular numbers in the minors, generally hitting around .270 and drawing a good number of walks, but showing little power. He was in his third year of AAA when he came up to the Twins in late May of 2005. He did about as well as you’d expect a reserve infielder to do at the plate and got his only full season in the majors in 2006. He was with the Twins for nearly all of 2007 as well, but his offense got worse every year, and since he was never known for his defense, the Twins placed him on waivers after the season. As a Twin, Luis Rodriguez hit .243/.311/.339. He played in 206 games and had 445 at-bats. He signed with San Diego and in the majors with them for the second half of 2008 and nearly all of 2009. He signed with Cleveland for 2010, was released in late April, and signed with the White Sox. He was in AAA for them all season, then signed with Seattle for 2011. Surprisingly, he made the Mariners as a reserve infielder and split the season between the majors and AAA. He was still in the Mariners organization in 2012 and had a fine year at AAA Tacoma, batting .296 with an OPS of .841, but was not been recalled to the majors. A free agent after the season, he signed with the Angels for 2013 and is currently playing for AAA Salt Lake. He turns 33 today and is certainly not a prospect, but it’s not that much of a stretch to think he could get back to the majors at some point.

Also posted at wgom.org Wayne Terwilliger (1925) Chuck Coles (1931) Luis Rodriguez (1980) Willard Wayne Terwilliger, known as “Twig”, did not play for the Twins, but was part of their organization for several years. Unrelated to Dick Terwilliger, who was also born on June 27, they are the only two people with the last name “Terwilliger” to have played in the major leagues. He was born in Clair, Michigan, attended Western Michigan University, and was signed by the Cubs as a free agent in 1948. A second baseman, he had a fine year at AAA in 1949 and made his major league debut that year, coming to the Cubs in early August. He was the Cubs’ regular second baseman in 1950, but hit only .242 with ten homers. He remained the Cubs’ regular second sacker at the start of 1951, but when he hit no better he was traded to Brooklyn as part of an eight-player deal. He was okay as a reserve the rest of the season, backing up Jackie Robinson, but in 1952 he went down to AAA St. Paul, where he hit .312. The Dodgers were obviously not impressed, because Terwilliger was put on waivers after the season. Washington selected him and made him their started second baseman for two seasons. Twig was sold to the New York Giants for 1955. He split the next two seasons between New York and AAA Minneapolis, then was in Minneapolis for all of 1957. He was traded to Detroit for 1958, spent all of that season in the minors, and was taken by the Kansas City Athletics in the Rule 5 draft. He was with the Athletics for all of 1959, was in the minors for nearly all of 1960, and then turned to managing and coaching (he made a few brief appearances in the minors all the way through 1968, presumably when his team was short of infielders). His minor-league managing career was in the Yankees’ organization in 1961, the Washington chain from 1963-1968, Houston in 1973, Texas in 1975 and 1980, and with independent Ft. Worth from 2003-2005. He was a major league coach with Washington/Texas from 1969-1972 and 1981-1985, and the Twins from 1986-1994. He was a minor league coach with the St. Paul Saints from 1995-2002 and Ft. Worth from 2006-2010, when he finally retired at age 85. He is a member of the Texas Baseball Hall of Fame and has written an autobiography, “Terwilliger Bunts One.” Outfielder Charles Edward Coles did not play for the Twins, but was in their farm system from 1961-1962. He was born in Fredericktown, Pennsylvania and attended Waynesburg College in Waynesburg, Pennsylvania, one of two major league players produced by that school (Dick Gray). He signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers as a free agent in 1950. He hit well in the minors through 1952, then missed two seasons due to the Korean War. He was 24 when he returned. He continued to hit well but could not get a chance above Class A in the Dodgers’ organization. He played for independent Albuquerque in 1957, then moved to the Cincinnati system in 1958. He hit .307 with 29 home runs in AA and got a September call-up. He went 2-for-11 in five games, but it looked like, at age 27, Chuck Coles might finally get his chance. It didn’t happen. He had a terrible year in AA in 1959; one wonders if he might have been hurt, because his numbers are completely out of line with the rest of his career. He bounced back with a solid year in AA in 1960, but by then he was 29 and was no longer considered a prospect. He came to the Twins’ organization in 1961 and had a solid year at Class A Charlotte, but that was as good as it would get for him as a Twin. He split 1962 between Charlotte and Class B Wilson, played for independent Tidewater in 1963, then ended his playing career. In twelve minor league seasons, mostly in A and AA, Chuck Coles hit .293/.330/.466 with 176 home runs. After his playing career, he was employed as a millwright in Jefferson, Pennsylvania. He passed away in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina on January 25, 1996 at the age of 64. In 2009, Chuck Coles was posthumously inducted into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame. Infielder Luis Orlando Rodriguez played for the Twins from 2005-2007. Born and raised in Codejos, Venezuela, he signed with the Twins as a free agent in 1997. He primarily played second base and shortstop in the minors. He put up consistent but unspectacular numbers in the minors, generally hitting around .270 and drawing a good number of walks, but showing little power. He was in his third year of AAA when he came up to the Twins in late May of 2005. He did about as well as you’d expect a reserve infielder to do at the plate and got his only full season in the majors in 2006. He was with the Twins for nearly all of 2007 as well, but his offense got worse every year, and since he was never known for his defense, the Twins placed him on waivers after the season. As a Twin, Luis Rodriguez hit .243/.311/.339. He played in 206 games and had 445 at-bats. He signed with San Diego and in the majors with them for the second half of 2008 and nearly all of 2009. He signed with Cleveland for 2010, was released in late April, and signed with the White Sox. He was in AAA for them all season, then signed with Seattle for 2011. Surprisingly, he made the Mariners as a reserve infielder and split the season between the majors and AAA. He was still in the Mariners organization in 2012 and had a fine year at AAA Tacoma, batting .296 with an OPS of .841, but was not been recalled to the majors. A free agent after the season, he signed with the Angels for 2013 and is currently playing for AAA Salt Lake. He turns 33 today and is certainly not a prospect, but it’s not that much of a stretch to think he could get back to the majors at some point.

There were no players connected to the Minnesota Twins who were born on this day.

There were no players connected to the Minnesota Twins who were born on this day.

A day late. Sorry about that. But there are no players related to the Twins born on this day anyway. The closest we come is Joe Kuhel (1906), who played for the franchise while it was in Washington and also managed the team there.

A day late. Sorry about that. But there are no players related to the Twins born on this day anyway. The closest we come is Joe Kuhel (1906), who played for the franchise while it was in Washington and also managed the team there.

I'll be out of range of the internet tomorrow, and I don't see a way to schedule this ahead of time, so you'll get it a day early. Don Mincher (1938) Tom Klawitter (1958) Doug Bernier (1980) First baseman Don Mincher played for the Twins from 1961-1966. Born and raised in Huntsville, Alabama, he was signed by the White Sox as a free agent in 1956. He had a very good minor league record, batting over .300 twice and hitting over 20 homers three times. Just before the 1960 season, Mincher was traded to Washington with Earl Battey and $150,000 for Roy Sievers, a trade which worked very well for the soon-to-be Minnesota Twins. Mincher was given the first base job for Washington in 1960, but did not hit well and was back in the minors by mid-May. He was with the new Minnesota Twins in 1961, but again did not hit and was back in the minors in late May. Mincher finally made the majors to stay in 1962, but as the Twins also had Vic Power and Harmon Killebrew, he had a hard time getting playing time. He appeared in 86 games, but 61 of them were as a pinch-hitter, as he played the field in only 25 contests. Given his role, he did pretty well, hitting .240 with 9 homers for an OPS of .894. He got into the field more in 1963, but still only batted 225 times, posting an OPS of .871. By 1964 Power was gone, but Sam Mele chose to give Bob Allison substantial playing time at first base. Mincher did get 65 starts and hit 23 homers in 287 at-bats, recording an OPS of .847. Finally, in 1965, he got semi-regular status, sharing first base with Harmon Killebrew (Killebrew shifted to third when Mincher played). Mincher finally got almost regular playing time in 1966, at age 28, but after the season was traded to California with Pete Cimino and Jimmie Hall for Dean Chance and a player to be named later (Jackie Hernandez). He had a very good year for the Angels in 1967, hitting .273 (which was very good for 1967) with 25 homers and making his first all-star team. He slumped in 1968, however, and was left unprotected in the expansion draft. Seattle chose him, and he was easily their best offensive player, hitting 25 homers, again posting an OPS over .800, and making his second all-star team. He was traded to Oakland after the season and had another solid year, but was again traded in May of 1971, this time to Washington. He hit fewer homers as a Senator but had the highest batting average of his career, .291, and again had an OPS over .800. That was his last good year; he got off to a poor start when the team moved to Texas in 1972, was traded to Oakland in July, and ended his career as he had started it, as a pinch-hitter. As a Twin, Don Mincher hit .244/.340/.479. There were reasons he didn’t play more, but one wonders what sort of numbers he might have posted if he had been given regular playing time in his mid-twenties. Don Mincher remained in baseball after his playing career ended. He became general manager and part-owner of the Huntsville Stars in the Southern League, holding those titles from 1994-2001. At that point, he became president of the Southern League, a position he held until his death. He was elected to the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 2008. Don Mincher passed away in Huntsville, Alabama on March 4, 2012. Left-hander Tom Klawitter appeared in seven games for the Twins in 1985. He was born in La Crosse, Wisconsin and attended Wisconsin-La Crosse. Klawitter was drafted by the Dodgers in the nineteenth round in 1980. He struggled in the Dodgers’ system, reaching AA in 1982 but never posting an ERA under four. The Dodgers released him in May of 1983. Minnesota picked him up and sent him to Class A Wisconsin Rapids, where he pitched fairly well the rest of the season. Promoted to AAA for 1984, Klawitter continued to do fairly well, going 10-6, 3.59 with a 1.35 WHIP. He made the Twins out of spring training in 1985; then manager Billy Gardner would make a claw gesture to the bullpen when he wanted Klawitter in the game. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen for very long, as his control, which had always been shaky, pretty much deserted him. Klawitter made five relief appearances and two starts for the Twins. He gave up seven runs on seven hits and thirteen walks in 9.1 innings. The record is not clear about what happened to him after mid-May of 1985; Klawitter was no longer with the Twins, but he does not appear to have gone to the minors, either. At any rate, he made six appearances for AA Knoxville in 1986, and then his playing career was over. Tom Klawitter is currently is a high school girls basketball coach in Janesville, Wisconsin, a position he has held for several years. Infielder Douglas Paul Bernier has not played for the Twins yet, but is currently in their farm system. Born and raised in Santa Maria, California, he attended Oral Roberts University and was signed by Colorado as a free agent in 2002. He spent two years in high-A and two years in AA before getting to AAA Colorado Springs in 2007. He had a couple of solid seasons there, but considering that it’s Colorado Springs, his numbers were not all that impressive. He appeared in two games for the Rockies in the middle of June, one as a defensive replacement and one as a starter, and went 0-for-4. That’s the sum and substance of his major league career so far. He has been in AAA since then, but has moved around some. He became a free agent after the 2008 season and signed with the Yankees. He had a poor year in 2009, moved to the Pittsburgh organization in 2010, continued to not hit much, moved back to the Yankees organization from 2011-2012, and signed with Minnesota for 2013. At this writing, he is having the best season he’s had since 2008, batting in the .280s and drawing walks. Still, he’s 32 today. If he keeps hitting, it’d be nice to see him get a September call-up just to get a chance to get a major league hit, but even that’s a long shot at this point.

I'll be out of range of the internet tomorrow, and I don't see a way to schedule this ahead of time, so you'll get it a day early. Don Mincher (1938) Tom Klawitter (1958) Doug Bernier (1980) First baseman Don Mincher played for the Twins from 1961-1966. Born and raised in Huntsville, Alabama, he was signed by the White Sox as a free agent in 1956. He had a very good minor league record, batting over .300 twice and hitting over 20 homers three times. Just before the 1960 season, Mincher was traded to Washington with Earl Battey and $150,000 for Roy Sievers, a trade which worked very well for the soon-to-be Minnesota Twins. Mincher was given the first base job for Washington in 1960, but did not hit well and was back in the minors by mid-May. He was with the new Minnesota Twins in 1961, but again did not hit and was back in the minors in late May. Mincher finally made the majors to stay in 1962, but as the Twins also had Vic Power and Harmon Killebrew, he had a hard time getting playing time. He appeared in 86 games, but 61 of them were as a pinch-hitter, as he played the field in only 25 contests. Given his role, he did pretty well, hitting .240 with 9 homers for an OPS of .894. He got into the field more in 1963, but still only batted 225 times, posting an OPS of .871. By 1964 Power was gone, but Sam Mele chose to give Bob Allison substantial playing time at first base. Mincher did get 65 starts and hit 23 homers in 287 at-bats, recording an OPS of .847. Finally, in 1965, he got semi-regular status, sharing first base with Harmon Killebrew (Killebrew shifted to third when Mincher played). Mincher finally got almost regular playing time in 1966, at age 28, but after the season was traded to California with Pete Cimino and Jimmie Hall for Dean Chance and a player to be named later (Jackie Hernandez). He had a very good year for the Angels in 1967, hitting .273 (which was very good for 1967) with 25 homers and making his first all-star team. He slumped in 1968, however, and was left unprotected in the expansion draft. Seattle chose him, and he was easily their best offensive player, hitting 25 homers, again posting an OPS over .800, and making his second all-star team. He was traded to Oakland after the season and had another solid year, but was again traded in May of 1971, this time to Washington. He hit fewer homers as a Senator but had the highest batting average of his career, .291, and again had an OPS over .800. That was his last good year; he got off to a poor start when the team moved to Texas in 1972, was traded to Oakland in July, and ended his career as he had started it, as a pinch-hitter. As a Twin, Don Mincher hit .244/.340/.479. There were reasons he didn’t play more, but one wonders what sort of numbers he might have posted if he had been given regular playing time in his mid-twenties. Don Mincher remained in baseball after his playing career ended. He became general manager and part-owner of the Huntsville Stars in the Southern League, holding those titles from 1994-2001. At that point, he became president of the Southern League, a position he held until his death. He was elected to the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 2008. Don Mincher passed away in Huntsville, Alabama on March 4, 2012. Left-hander Tom Klawitter appeared in seven games for the Twins in 1985. He was born in La Crosse, Wisconsin and attended Wisconsin-La Crosse. Klawitter was drafted by the Dodgers in the nineteenth round in 1980. He struggled in the Dodgers’ system, reaching AA in 1982 but never posting an ERA under four. The Dodgers released him in May of 1983. Minnesota picked him up and sent him to Class A Wisconsin Rapids, where he pitched fairly well the rest of the season. Promoted to AAA for 1984, Klawitter continued to do fairly well, going 10-6, 3.59 with a 1.35 WHIP. He made the Twins out of spring training in 1985; then manager Billy Gardner would make a claw gesture to the bullpen when he wanted Klawitter in the game. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen for very long, as his control, which had always been shaky, pretty much deserted him. Klawitter made five relief appearances and two starts for the Twins. He gave up seven runs on seven hits and thirteen walks in 9.1 innings. The record is not clear about what happened to him after mid-May of 1985; Klawitter was no longer with the Twins, but he does not appear to have gone to the minors, either. At any rate, he made six appearances for AA Knoxville in 1986, and then his playing career was over. Tom Klawitter is currently is a high school girls basketball coach in Janesville, Wisconsin, a position he has held for several years. Infielder Douglas Paul Bernier has not played for the Twins yet, but is currently in their farm system. Born and raised in Santa Maria, California, he attended Oral Roberts University and was signed by Colorado as a free agent in 2002. He spent two years in high-A and two years in AA before getting to AAA Colorado Springs in 2007. He had a couple of solid seasons there, but considering that it’s Colorado Springs, his numbers were not all that impressive. He appeared in two games for the Rockies in the middle of June, one as a defensive replacement and one as a starter, and went 0-for-4. That’s the sum and substance of his major league career so far. He has been in AAA since then, but has moved around some. He became a free agent after the 2008 season and signed with the Yankees. He had a poor year in 2009, moved to the Pittsburgh organization in 2010, continued to not hit much, moved back to the Yankees organization from 2011-2012, and signed with Minnesota for 2013. At this writing, he is having the best season he’s had since 2008, batting in the .280s and drawing walks. Still, he’s 32 today. If he keeps hitting, it’d be nice to see him get a September call-up just to get a chance to get a major league hit, but even that’s a long shot at this point.