Former Twins First Baseman Don Mincher Dies at 73

When the Twins came to Minnesota from Washington for the 1961, one of the players that came was first baseman Don Mincher. On Sunday night, Mincher passed away at the age of 73.

Mincher originally signed in 1956 with the Chicago White Sox but in April of 1960, he was traded along with Earl Battey and cash to the Senators for Roy Sievers. He made his big league debut with Washington in 1960. He stayed with the Twins through the 1966 season when he was traded to the Angels with Pete Cimino and Jimmie Hall for Dean Chance. In his seven seasons with the Minnesota Twins, he played in 617 games and hit .244/.340/.450 (.798) with 77 doubles, 10 triples, 92 home runs and 270 RBI. He was the Twins starting first baseman from 1964-1966 and in those three years, he hit .247/.331/.482 with 59 doubles, 7 triples and 59 home runs.

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Upon leaving the Twins, he was an All Star with the Angels in 1967. He was the All Star representative of the Seattle Pilots in 1969 after being their second pick in the 1968 expansion draft. He played for the Oakland A's. He was traded to the new Washington Senators team in 1971 and went with that organization to their new home as the Texas Rangers in 1972. He finished his career with the Oakland A's.

He didn't stay out of baseball forever. In 1985, he became the president and GM of the Huntsville Stars (minor leagues - Double A), and later bought the team. In 2000, he became the interim president of the Southern League. He sold his Huntsville team and was the league's president until October of 2011 when he retired due to health issues.