Jeff A

Erik Schullstrom (1969) Pitcher Erik Paul Schullstrom was with the Twins for parts of two seasons in 1994 and 1995. He was born in San Diego, went to high school in Alameda, California, and then went to Cal State--Fresno. He was drafted by Baltimore in the second round in 1990. Oddly, he never spent a full year with one team at any point in his career. He was originally a starter. He had a pretty good year in 1991, mostly at Class A Frederick, but overall his minor league numbers as a starter are decent but unimpressive. In August of 1992, he was traded to San Diego, but the Padres waived him in April of 1993 and he went back to Baltimore. That year, 1993, Schullstrom began a transition to the bullpen. In August, he became the player to be named later in the deal that sent Mike Pagilarulo to Baltimore, and Erik Schullstrom joined the Twins' organization. He had a good year in relief for the Twins in 1994 and spent about a month in the majors, posting a 2.77 ERA in thirteen innings spread over nine games. He was not off to a particularly good start at AAA Salt Lake in 1995, but was brought up to the Twins in mid-May anyway. He somehow stayed with them the rest of the season despite posting a 6.89 ERA and a 1.87 WHIP in 47 innings, all in relief. Schullstrom became a free agent after the season and signed with Boston; as a Twin, he was 0-0, 6.00 in 60 innings. He appeared in 46 games, all in relief. He pitched well in AA for the Red Sox in 1996, but not so well when promoted to AAA. He continued pitching in other countries, pitching in Mexico in 1997 and in Japan in 1998-1999 and 2001-2002 before ending his playing career. At last report, Erik Schullstrom had returned to his home town of Alameda, California and was the director of USA scouting for the Hiroshima Carp, as well as working as an instructor for the Alameda Professional Baseball School. He holds the major league record for most innings pitched without recording a decision.

There are no Twins birthdays today. It is, however, the birthday of Hall of Famer George Sisler.

There are no Twins birthdays today. It is, however, the birthday of Hall of Famer George Sisler.

Al Schroll (1932) Eddie Bane (1952) Eric Rasmussen (1952) Cory Lidle (1972) Right-hander Albert Bringhurst Schroll appeared in eleven games for the Twins in 1961. Born in New Orleans, he attended Tulane and signed with Boston as a free agent in 1951. He remained in the Red Sox system through 1959. He moved around a lot, playing for two teams in 1951, three teams in 1952, two teams in 1956, and five teams in 1957. Schroll reached AAA in 1955 and did fairly well, posting a 3.87 ERA at age 23, but spent the next two years in AA, again reaching AAA in 1958 with Minneapolis. That was also the year he made his big league debut, spending about three weeks with Boston. He did not do anything special in either the majors or the minors, and was traded to Philadelphia after the season. He made three appearances for the Phillies in 1959 and was sent back to Boston, going back to AAA until mid-July. After the season, Schroll was traded again, this time to the Cubs. He had a fine season for AAA Houston in 1960, posting a 3.04 ERA. He began 1961 in Houston, but when he got off to a slow start he was sold to Minnesota in June. He pitched very well in eleven starts for AAA Syracuse and was promoted to the Twins in early August. He made eleven appearances, eight of them starts, and went 4-4, 5.22 in fifty innings. He pitched fairly well in AAA in 1962 and in AA in 1963, but that was the end of his playing career. After that, he worked for Sears in Alexandria, Virginia. Al Schroll passed away in Alexandria on November 30, 1999 at the age of 67. Left-hander Edward Norman Bane was with the Twins for parts of three seasons, 1973 and 1975-1976. He was born in Chicago and attended Arizona State. He was drafted by the Twins with the eleventh pick of the 1973 draft. He started his professional career in the majors, but was not ready, going 0-5, 4.92 in 60.1 innings. He spent all of 1974 and almost all of 1975 in the minors, posting ERAs of just over four at AAA Tacoma. He was promoted to Minnesota in September of 1975 and pitched very well in four starts, going 3-1, 2.86, although he walked 15 in 28 innings. He was back in Tacoma at the start of 1976, but came to the majors in late June and was once again placed in the Twins' rotation. He did not get much done, going 4-7, 5.11 in 79.1 innings. Bane was back in Tacoma in 1977, and after another mediocre year he became a free agent. The White Sox signed him and again sent him to AAA, but he did no better than he had before. Bane missed all of 1979 with an injury. The White Sox had no more use for him, and sent him to Kansas City to try to make a comeback. He split 1980 between the AAA teams of the Royals and the Cubs, and then his playing career came to an end. For his career, Eddie Bane was 7-13, 4.66 in 44 appearances, 25 of them starts. He pitched 168 major league innings. He managed in the low minors for Cleveland in the mid 1980s. He has also done some scouting. He was a special assistant to the general manager of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays from 1999 through 2003 and was the scouting director of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim from 2004-2010. Eddie Bane was a scout for the Detroit Tigers in 2011 and 2012 and is currently an assistant to the general manager for the Boston Red Sox. His brother, Dan Bane, is the CEO of Trader Joe's. His son, Jamie, is a scout for the Red Sox. Born Harold Ralph Rasmussen, right-hander Eric Ralph Rasmussen has been a coach and coordinator in the Twins' system since 1996. He was born in Racine, Wisconsin and attended the University of New Orleans. He was drafted by St. Louis in the 32nd round in 1973. Despite his low draft position, he made a rapid rise through the Cardinals system by pitching very well in the minors. He made his big-league debut in late July of 1975 and stayed in the majors through 1980. He was in the Cardinals' rotation through the end of 1975 and pitched well, but began 1976 in the bullpen, not rejoining the rotation until July. He consistently posted ERAs in the mid-to-upper threes with St. Louis, but after a poor start in 1978 he was traded to San Diego in late May. He split 1979 and 1980 between the bullpen and the rotation, pitching pretty well in 1979 but less well in 1980. Surprisingly, the Padres released him late in spring training in 1981, and he went to Yucatan in the Mexican League. He signed with St. Louis again in 1982, but again failed to make the team and this time was sold to Yucatan. The Cardinals bought him back in mid-August, but he did not pitch particularly well. Rasmussen started 1983 in St. Louis, but was sent down in early May after only six appearances. He pitched very well in Louisville and was sold to Kansas City in early August. Unfortunately, he did not do very well for the Royals, and he would never get back to the majors again. He was in AAA for Houston in 1984, pitched for an independent team in 1985, pitched very well in AAA for Baltimore in 1986, and less well for the same team in 1987, after which his playing career came to an end. Rasmussen joined the Twins' organization in 1996 as the pitching coach of the Ft. Myers Miracle. He remained in Ft. Myers through 1997, moved to New Britain in 1998, then went back to Ft. Myers from 1999 through 2008. In 2009, Eric Rasmussen became the minor league pitching coordinator for the Minnesota Twins, a position he continues to hold. He is also the owner of equiteee.com, which markets a device designed to create a quick and correct swing that produces consistent hard contact and backspin that results in line drives. A descendant of Robert Fulton, right-hander Cory Fulton Lidle did not play for the Twins, but spent two years in their minor-league system. Born in Hollywood, he went to high school in Covina, California, and was signed by Minnesota as a free agent in 1990. He did not begin playing professionally until 1991, and then spent three years in rookie ball. He made four appearances in 1991 and pitched fairly well in relief in 1992, but the Twins released him in April of 1993. He played for independent Pocatello in 1993 and was sold to Milwaukee after the season. Lidle had a couple of decent years in the Brewers' system, reaching AA in 1995. He was then traded to the Mets prior to the 1996 season. He had a good year at AA in 1996 and was off to a strong start in AAA in 1997 when he was called up to the majors in early May. He had a very good year in the Mets' bullpen, going 7-2, 3.53 with a 1.30 WHIP in 81.2 innings spread over 54 games. He was left unprotected in the expansion draft, however, and was chosen by Arizona. He suffered an elbow injured in 1998 and made only two minor league appearances. He was waived after the season and taken by Tampa Bay. He was apparently still injured in 1999, making only five major league and five minor league appearances. He started very well in AAA in 2000, but did not do as well when called up to the majors in early-May, although he stayed with the Devil Rays through the end of the season. Lidle was traded to Oakland before the 2001 season. He had the best years of his career with the Athletics: in two seasons, he was 21-16, 3.74 with a WHIP of 1.18. He was traded to Toronto after the 2002 campaign and had a bad 2003, posting an ERA of 5.75. He became a free agent, signed with Cincinnati for 2004, and was traded to Philadelphia in August. He pitched well for the Phillies the rest of that season, but less well in 2005 and 2006. Lidle was traded to the Yankees in late July and finished the season there. Cory Lidle was killed in a plane crash on October 11, 2006.

Al Schroll (1932) Eddie Bane (1952) Eric Rasmussen (1952) Cory Lidle (1972) Right-hander Albert Bringhurst Schroll appeared in eleven games for the Twins in 1961. Born in New Orleans, he attended Tulane and signed with Boston as a free agent in 1951. He remained in the Red Sox system through 1959. He moved around a lot, playing for two teams in 1951, three teams in 1952, two teams in 1956, and five teams in 1957. Schroll reached AAA in 1955 and did fairly well, posting a 3.87 ERA at age 23, but spent the next two years in AA, again reaching AAA in 1958 with Minneapolis. That was also the year he made his big league debut, spending about three weeks with Boston. He did not do anything special in either the majors or the minors, and was traded to Philadelphia after the season. He made three appearances for the Phillies in 1959 and was sent back to Boston, going back to AAA until mid-July. After the season, Schroll was traded again, this time to the Cubs. He had a fine season for AAA Houston in 1960, posting a 3.04 ERA. He began 1961 in Houston, but when he got off to a slow start he was sold to Minnesota in June. He pitched very well in eleven starts for AAA Syracuse and was promoted to the Twins in early August. He made eleven appearances, eight of them starts, and went 4-4, 5.22 in fifty innings. He pitched fairly well in AAA in 1962 and in AA in 1963, but that was the end of his playing career. After that, he worked for Sears in Alexandria, Virginia. Al Schroll passed away in Alexandria on November 30, 1999 at the age of 67. Left-hander Edward Norman Bane was with the Twins for parts of three seasons, 1973 and 1975-1976. He was born in Chicago and attended Arizona State. He was drafted by the Twins with the eleventh pick of the 1973 draft. He started his professional career in the majors, but was not ready, going 0-5, 4.92 in 60.1 innings. He spent all of 1974 and almost all of 1975 in the minors, posting ERAs of just over four at AAA Tacoma. He was promoted to Minnesota in September of 1975 and pitched very well in four starts, going 3-1, 2.86, although he walked 15 in 28 innings. He was back in Tacoma at the start of 1976, but came to the majors in late June and was once again placed in the Twins' rotation. He did not get much done, going 4-7, 5.11 in 79.1 innings. Bane was back in Tacoma in 1977, and after another mediocre year he became a free agent. The White Sox signed him and again sent him to AAA, but he did no better than he had before. Bane missed all of 1979 with an injury. The White Sox had no more use for him, and sent him to Kansas City to try to make a comeback. He split 1980 between the AAA teams of the Royals and the Cubs, and then his playing career came to an end. For his career, Eddie Bane was 7-13, 4.66 in 44 appearances, 25 of them starts. He pitched 168 major league innings. He managed in the low minors for Cleveland in the mid 1980s. He has also done some scouting. He was a special assistant to the general manager of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays from 1999 through 2003 and was the scouting director of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim from 2004-2010. Eddie Bane was a scout for the Detroit Tigers in 2011 and 2012 and is currently an assistant to the general manager for the Boston Red Sox. His brother, Dan Bane, is the CEO of Trader Joe's. His son, Jamie, is a scout for the Red Sox. Born Harold Ralph Rasmussen, right-hander Eric Ralph Rasmussen has been a coach and coordinator in the Twins' system since 1996. He was born in Racine, Wisconsin and attended the University of New Orleans. He was drafted by St. Louis in the 32nd round in 1973. Despite his low draft position, he made a rapid rise through the Cardinals system by pitching very well in the minors. He made his big-league debut in late July of 1975 and stayed in the majors through 1980. He was in the Cardinals' rotation through the end of 1975 and pitched well, but began 1976 in the bullpen, not rejoining the rotation until July. He consistently posted ERAs in the mid-to-upper threes with St. Louis, but after a poor start in 1978 he was traded to San Diego in late May. He split 1979 and 1980 between the bullpen and the rotation, pitching pretty well in 1979 but less well in 1980. Surprisingly, the Padres released him late in spring training in 1981, and he went to Yucatan in the Mexican League. He signed with St. Louis again in 1982, but again failed to make the team and this time was sold to Yucatan. The Cardinals bought him back in mid-August, but he did not pitch particularly well. Rasmussen started 1983 in St. Louis, but was sent down in early May after only six appearances. He pitched very well in Louisville and was sold to Kansas City in early August. Unfortunately, he did not do very well for the Royals, and he would never get back to the majors again. He was in AAA for Houston in 1984, pitched for an independent team in 1985, pitched very well in AAA for Baltimore in 1986, and less well for the same team in 1987, after which his playing career came to an end. Rasmussen joined the Twins' organization in 1996 as the pitching coach of the Ft. Myers Miracle. He remained in Ft. Myers through 1997, moved to New Britain in 1998, then went back to Ft. Myers from 1999 through 2008. In 2009, Eric Rasmussen became the minor league pitching coordinator for the Minnesota Twins, a position he continues to hold. He is also the owner of equiteee.com, which markets a device designed to create a quick and correct swing that produces consistent hard contact and backspin that results in line drives. A descendant of Robert Fulton, right-hander Cory Fulton Lidle did not play for the Twins, but spent two years in their minor-league system. Born in Hollywood, he went to high school in Covina, California, and was signed by Minnesota as a free agent in 1990. He did not begin playing professionally until 1991, and then spent three years in rookie ball. He made four appearances in 1991 and pitched fairly well in relief in 1992, but the Twins released him in April of 1993. He played for independent Pocatello in 1993 and was sold to Milwaukee after the season. Lidle had a couple of decent years in the Brewers' system, reaching AA in 1995. He was then traded to the Mets prior to the 1996 season. He had a good year at AA in 1996 and was off to a strong start in AAA in 1997 when he was called up to the majors in early May. He had a very good year in the Mets' bullpen, going 7-2, 3.53 with a 1.30 WHIP in 81.2 innings spread over 54 games. He was left unprotected in the expansion draft, however, and was chosen by Arizona. He suffered an elbow injured in 1998 and made only two minor league appearances. He was waived after the season and taken by Tampa Bay. He was apparently still injured in 1999, making only five major league and five minor league appearances. He started very well in AAA in 2000, but did not do as well when called up to the majors in early-May, although he stayed with the Devil Rays through the end of the season. Lidle was traded to Oakland before the 2001 season. He had the best years of his career with the Athletics: in two seasons, he was 21-16, 3.74 with a WHIP of 1.18. He was traded to Toronto after the 2002 campaign and had a bad 2003, posting an ERA of 5.75. He became a free agent, signed with Cincinnati for 2004, and was traded to Philadelphia in August. He pitched well for the Phillies the rest of that season, but less well in 2005 and 2006. Lidle was traded to the Yankees in late July and finished the season there. Cory Lidle was killed in a plane crash on October 11, 2006.

Also posted at wgom.org. Fernando Arroyo (1952) Tim McIntosh (1965) Cristian Guzman (1978) Right-hander Fernando Arroyo pitched for the Twins from 1980-1982. Born and raised in Sacramento, he was drafted by the Tigers in the tenth round in 1970. He pitched very well in the low minors, stumbled in his first year at AAA in 1974, but had a 2.62 ERA and 1.16 WHIP there in 11 starts in 1975 when he was promoted to Detroit in late June. He didn't do so badly for a 23-year-old: 2-1, 4.56 in 53.1 innings, mostly in relief. Back in AAA in 1976, he had a poor year, but he still made the Tigers out of spring training in 1977 and was in the starting rotation by mid-May. He was 8-18, but had an ERA of 4.17 and a WHIP of 1.33. Unfortunately, no one could see past the eighteen losses, and Arroyo was in AAA for most of 1978 and 1979. He was not particularly good there in 1978, but had a strong year in 1979. After the 1979 season, though, Arroyo was traded to Minnesota for Jeff Holly. He made eight starts in AAA Toledo and went 6-1, 1.62, resulting in a promotion to the Twins in early June. He started in the bullpen, but was in the starting rotation in July and August. He did fairly well there, going 4-5, 4.39 as a starter, but was removed from the rotation in September. He was in the rotation for almost all of 1981 and again wasn't too bad, going 7-10, 3.93 with a 1.39 WHIP. Arroyo began 1982 in the bullpen, but did not pitch well there, was in the minors by the first of May, and was released in mid-May. As a Twin, Fernando Arroyo went 13-17, 4.30 in 234.1 innings over fifty games, thirty of them starts. Oakland signed him, but he did not pitch well there either and was released again in late July. The White Sox picked up Arroyo a couple days later. He was in AAA with them through 1984. He was sold to Yucatan in the Mexican League after the season, and pitched for them in 1985. He hooked on with Oakland for 1986, making one last appearance in the majors before his playing career ended. After that, Fernando Arroyo was a minor league manager and pitching coach for many years. In 2008, he was the pitching coach of the Lotte Giants of the Korean League, but he appears to have held that position for only one season. In 2010, Fernando Arroyo was inducted into the Mexican American Hall of Fame. At last report, he was living in Vero Beach, Florida and was involved in a company called ARMTRAK, which was marketing a teaching aid to show young baseball and softball players the proper throwing angle to improve command and to help avoid arm injury. Utility player Timothy Allen McIntosh did not play for the Twins, but was in their farm system in 1994. Born and raised in Minnetonka, Minnesota, he attended the University of Minnesota and was drafted by Milwaukee in the third round in 1986. Initially an outfielder, he converted to catching in 1987. He hit .302 with 20 home runs at Class A Beloit in 1987, but was still in Class A in 1988, presumably to work on catching skills. He continued to produce good averages with double-digit home run power throughout his time in the minors, reaching AA in 1989 and AAA in 1990. He made his major league debut in 1990 as well, getting five at-bats as a September call-up. He got another September call-up in 1991, getting eleven at-bats this time, and started 1992 in the majors. He was in the majors most of the season, but was seldom used, catching fourteen games, playing the outfield in ten, and playing first base in seven. He started 1993 with the Brewers as well, but had only one at-bat when he was put on waivers and claimed by Montreal in mid-April. He stuck with the Expos until late July, again as a seldom-used reserve, then finished the year in the minors. He was a free agent after the season and signed with Minnesota for 1994. He had a really good year at AAA Salt Lake, batting .338 with 18 homers and an OPS of .914, but despite the fact that the Twins catchers that year were Matt Walbeck and Derek Parks, he never got a call-up to the majors. He was sold to the Nippon Ham Fighters for 1995, then came back to play in the Yankees’ system in 1996. He got three more at-bats in the majors that season, which would prove to be his big league swan song. He hung around for a few more years, playing in AAA for the Cubs in 1997 and for independent Sacramento in 1999, then was done for good. He has remained in baseball since. Most of those years have been as a scout for the Yankees, the position he held at last report. His wife Laura has a syndicated TV show, "Bringing It Home with Laura McIntosh". For his career, Tim McIntosh hit .179/.211/.274 in 117 at-bats over five major league seasons. He appeared in 71 major league games, starting only twenty. Shortstop Cristian Guzman was with the Twins from 1999-2004. Guzman was born and raised in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, he signed with the Yankees as a free agent in 1994. He did not enter American organized baseball until 1996. Guzman was in the low minors for the Yankees for two years and was okay, but nothing special. In February of 1998, Guzman was traded to Minnesota along with Brian Buchanan, Eric Milton, Danny Mota, and cash for Chuck Knoblauch. He spent one year at AA New Britain, where he was again decent but nothing special, and then was named the Twins starting shortstop in 1999, a position he held through 2004. He was clearly not ready that year--at age 21, he hit .226 with an OPS of .543. He improved from there, of course; Guzman's best season as a Twin was 2001, when he hit .302, made the all-star team, and finished 16th in MVP voting. He led the league in triples three times as a Twin. In his six years with Minnesota, Guzman hit .266/.303/.382 with 61 triples and 102 stolen bases. Guzman became a free agent after the 2004 season and signed with Washington. He had a poor year in 2005 and missed all of 2006 and part of 2007 with injuries. He played well for the Nationals after that, hitting .305 from 2007 on and making another all-star team in 2008. He was having another solid season in 2010 when he was traded to Texas at the July deadline. He played poorly in Texas, hitting just .152 and battling injuries, and became a free agent. He sat out the 2011 season, signed with Cleveland for 2012, but had trouble staying healthy and was released during spring training. He did not play in 2012, so it appears that his playing career is probably over. At last report, Cristian Guzman was living in New Jersey.

Also posted at wgom.org. Fernando Arroyo (1952) Tim McIntosh (1965) Cristian Guzman (1978) Right-hander Fernando Arroyo pitched for the Twins from 1980-1982. Born and raised in Sacramento, he was drafted by the Tigers in the tenth round in 1970. He pitched very well in the low minors, stumbled in his first year at AAA in 1974, but had a 2.62 ERA and 1.16 WHIP there in 11 starts in 1975 when he was promoted to Detroit in late June. He didn't do so badly for a 23-year-old: 2-1, 4.56 in 53.1 innings, mostly in relief. Back in AAA in 1976, he had a poor year, but he still made the Tigers out of spring training in 1977 and was in the starting rotation by mid-May. He was 8-18, but had an ERA of 4.17 and a WHIP of 1.33. Unfortunately, no one could see past the eighteen losses, and Arroyo was in AAA for most of 1978 and 1979. He was not particularly good there in 1978, but had a strong year in 1979. After the 1979 season, though, Arroyo was traded to Minnesota for Jeff Holly. He made eight starts in AAA Toledo and went 6-1, 1.62, resulting in a promotion to the Twins in early June. He started in the bullpen, but was in the starting rotation in July and August. He did fairly well there, going 4-5, 4.39 as a starter, but was removed from the rotation in September. He was in the rotation for almost all of 1981 and again wasn't too bad, going 7-10, 3.93 with a 1.39 WHIP. Arroyo began 1982 in the bullpen, but did not pitch well there, was in the minors by the first of May, and was released in mid-May. As a Twin, Fernando Arroyo went 13-17, 4.30 in 234.1 innings over fifty games, thirty of them starts. Oakland signed him, but he did not pitch well there either and was released again in late July. The White Sox picked up Arroyo a couple days later. He was in AAA with them through 1984. He was sold to Yucatan in the Mexican League after the season, and pitched for them in 1985. He hooked on with Oakland for 1986, making one last appearance in the majors before his playing career ended. After that, Fernando Arroyo was a minor league manager and pitching coach for many years. In 2008, he was the pitching coach of the Lotte Giants of the Korean League, but he appears to have held that position for only one season. In 2010, Fernando Arroyo was inducted into the Mexican American Hall of Fame. At last report, he was living in Vero Beach, Florida and was involved in a company called ARMTRAK, which was marketing a teaching aid to show young baseball and softball players the proper throwing angle to improve command and to help avoid arm injury. Utility player Timothy Allen McIntosh did not play for the Twins, but was in their farm system in 1994. Born and raised in Minnetonka, Minnesota, he attended the University of Minnesota and was drafted by Milwaukee in the third round in 1986. Initially an outfielder, he converted to catching in 1987. He hit .302 with 20 home runs at Class A Beloit in 1987, but was still in Class A in 1988, presumably to work on catching skills. He continued to produce good averages with double-digit home run power throughout his time in the minors, reaching AA in 1989 and AAA in 1990. He made his major league debut in 1990 as well, getting five at-bats as a September call-up. He got another September call-up in 1991, getting eleven at-bats this time, and started 1992 in the majors. He was in the majors most of the season, but was seldom used, catching fourteen games, playing the outfield in ten, and playing first base in seven. He started 1993 with the Brewers as well, but had only one at-bat when he was put on waivers and claimed by Montreal in mid-April. He stuck with the Expos until late July, again as a seldom-used reserve, then finished the year in the minors. He was a free agent after the season and signed with Minnesota for 1994. He had a really good year at AAA Salt Lake, batting .338 with 18 homers and an OPS of .914, but despite the fact that the Twins catchers that year were Matt Walbeck and Derek Parks, he never got a call-up to the majors. He was sold to the Nippon Ham Fighters for 1995, then came back to play in the Yankees’ system in 1996. He got three more at-bats in the majors that season, which would prove to be his big league swan song. He hung around for a few more years, playing in AAA for the Cubs in 1997 and for independent Sacramento in 1999, then was done for good. He has remained in baseball since. Most of those years have been as a scout for the Yankees, the position he held at last report. His wife Laura has a syndicated TV show, "Bringing It Home with Laura McIntosh". For his career, Tim McIntosh hit .179/.211/.274 in 117 at-bats over five major league seasons. He appeared in 71 major league games, starting only twenty. Shortstop Cristian Guzman was with the Twins from 1999-2004. Guzman was born and raised in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, he signed with the Yankees as a free agent in 1994. He did not enter American organized baseball until 1996. Guzman was in the low minors for the Yankees for two years and was okay, but nothing special. In February of 1998, Guzman was traded to Minnesota along with Brian Buchanan, Eric Milton, Danny Mota, and cash for Chuck Knoblauch. He spent one year at AA New Britain, where he was again decent but nothing special, and then was named the Twins starting shortstop in 1999, a position he held through 2004. He was clearly not ready that year--at age 21, he hit .226 with an OPS of .543. He improved from there, of course; Guzman's best season as a Twin was 2001, when he hit .302, made the all-star team, and finished 16th in MVP voting. He led the league in triples three times as a Twin. In his six years with Minnesota, Guzman hit .266/.303/.382 with 61 triples and 102 stolen bases. Guzman became a free agent after the 2004 season and signed with Washington. He had a poor year in 2005 and missed all of 2006 and part of 2007 with injuries. He played well for the Nationals after that, hitting .305 from 2007 on and making another all-star team in 2008. He was having another solid season in 2010 when he was traded to Texas at the July deadline. He played poorly in Texas, hitting just .152 and battling injuries, and became a free agent. He sat out the 2011 season, signed with Cleveland for 2012, but had trouble staying healthy and was released during spring training. He did not play in 2012, so it appears that his playing career is probably over. At last report, Cristian Guzman was living in New Jersey.

Also posted at wgom.org Hank Izquierdo (1931) Catcher Enrique Roberto (Valdes) "Hank" Izquierdo was a reserve catcher for the Twins for two months in 1967. Born and raised in Matanzas, Cuba, he started playing in organized baseball in 1951. He spent three years playing for the Galveston White Caps, and independent team in the Class B Gulf Coast League. He went to independent Winston-Salem in 1954 before going to the Cleveland organization with Class B Keokuk in 1955. He hit .302 that year, his fifth in Class B, and also played at least one game at each position that season. When he moved higher, unfortunately, his hitting ability could not keep up. Minor league transaction records from the 1950s are not good, but Izquierdo moved to the Baltimore organization sometime in 1956 and to the Cincinnati organization in 1957. He spent five years in AAA for Cincinnati, playing in Havana and Jersey City. He hit .190 in 998 at-bats over that five-year period. He retired after the 1961 season to become the bullpen coach for Cleveland, but in 1963, he made a comeback with in the Twins' organization. He hit .297 playing in Class A at age 32. He spent the next two years at AA before once again reaching AAA at age 35 in 1966. He was hitting .300 in 1967 at AAA Denver when at age 36 Hank Izquierdo made his major league debut. Used as a reserve, he went 7-for-26 with two doubles and two RBIs in the major leagues. Izquierdo moved to the Houston organization, playing in AAA through 1969. After the 1968 season, he was driving a taxi in Miami during the off-season and was shot in the stomach during a robbery, nearly dying. His playing career ending in 1969 when he got into a fight with Ted Simmons in a AAA game and swung a bat at him, fortunately missing. He managed in the Mexican League for several years and was a scout for the Twins in the 1980s. At last report, Hank Izquierdo was living in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Also posted at wgom.org Hank Izquierdo (1931) Catcher Enrique Roberto (Valdes) "Hank" Izquierdo was a reserve catcher for the Twins for two months in 1967. Born and raised in Matanzas, Cuba, he started playing in organized baseball in 1951. He spent three years playing for the Galveston White Caps, and independent team in the Class B Gulf Coast League. He went to independent Winston-Salem in 1954 before going to the Cleveland organization with Class B Keokuk in 1955. He hit .302 that year, his fifth in Class B, and also played at least one game at each position that season. When he moved higher, unfortunately, his hitting ability could not keep up. Minor league transaction records from the 1950s are not good, but Izquierdo moved to the Baltimore organization sometime in 1956 and to the Cincinnati organization in 1957. He spent five years in AAA for Cincinnati, playing in Havana and Jersey City. He hit .190 in 998 at-bats over that five-year period. He retired after the 1961 season to become the bullpen coach for Cleveland, but in 1963, he made a comeback with in the Twins' organization. He hit .297 playing in Class A at age 32. He spent the next two years at AA before once again reaching AAA at age 35 in 1966. He was hitting .300 in 1967 at AAA Denver when at age 36 Hank Izquierdo made his major league debut. Used as a reserve, he went 7-for-26 with two doubles and two RBIs in the major leagues. Izquierdo moved to the Houston organization, playing in AAA through 1969. After the 1968 season, he was driving a taxi in Miami during the off-season and was shot in the stomach during a robbery, nearly dying. His playing career ending in 1969 when he got into a fight with Ted Simmons in a AAA game and swung a bat at him, fortunately missing. He managed in the Mexican League for several years and was a scout for the Twins in the 1980s. At last report, Hank Izquierdo was living in West Palm Beach, Florida.

​Also posted at wgom.org. Paul Powell (1948) Tim Corcoran (1953) Outfielder Paul Ray Powell was with the Twins for about six weeks in 1971. He was born in San Angelo, Texas and attended Arizona State. He played both baseball and football at ASU, playing as a defensive back and as a place kicker (in 1968, he led the NCAA in scoring by kick). He was chosen by Minnesota with the seventh pick of the 1969 draft. He hit .291 in AAA Evansville in 1970 and started 1971 as a reserve outfielder on the big club. He appeared in twenty games, making six starts, seven appearances as a pinch runner, two appearances as a pinch hitter, and was used as a defensive replacement five times. He went 5-for-31 with one home run and was sent to the minors. He had a poor year in AAA and after the season was traded to the Dodgers for Bobby Darwin. Powell bounced back to hit .301 in AAA Albuquerque in 1972, and started 1973 with the Dodgers. He didn't last long, however, playing in only two games and getting only one at-bat before being sent back to AAA. Powell was in Albuquerque through 1975, getting ten more big league at bats in his last season. His career came to an end after the 1975 season. After leaving baseball, Paul Ray Powell entered the real estate business, and appears to have been rather successful. At last report, he was a broker with Realty Executives, a real estate company with offices all over the country. First baseman/outfielder Timothy Michael Corcoran played for the Twins for a month in 1981. Born in Glendale, California, he attended Cal State--Los Angeles and signed with Detroit as a free agent in 1974. He hit for a high average throughout the minors, hitting over .300 three times in four years. He made his big-league debut in mid-May of 1977 as a reserve outfielder and continued to hit well, posting a .282 average in 103 at-bats. 1978 was Corcoran's first full year in the majors, as he platooned with John Wockenfuss in right field. He hit for a decent average, but for no power whatsoever, and after getting off to a slow start in 1979, he was back at AAA. He hit .338 there, which got him another shot at the majors in 1980. He got another full year in the big leagues as a reserve first baseman/corner outfielder and did pretty well, hitting .288 with an OPS of .784 in 153 at-bats. He was back in AAA in 1981 until he was traded to the Twins in September as the player to be named later in a deal that sent Ron Jackson to Detroit. Corcoran played for the Twins the rest of the 1981 season, platooning at first base with Mickey Hatcher. He hit .176/.259/.235 in 51 at-bats and was released prior to the 1982 campaign. He signed with Philadelphia and again hit very well in AAA, averaging .300 over the next two years. This got him two years in the majors with the Phillies as a reserve first baseman and outfielder. He hit .341 in 208 at-bats in 1984, but hit .214 in 182 at-bats in 1985. He was released after the season, signed with the Mets for 1986, got seven at-bats, and was released in June. He was back in the minors with the Phillies in both 1987 and 1988, and then his playing career came to an end. He was inducted into the Cal State--L. A. Hall of Fame in 1985. No information about Tim Corcoran's life after his playing career ended was readily available.

​Also posted at wgom.org. Paul Powell (1948) Tim Corcoran (1953) Outfielder Paul Ray Powell was with the Twins for about six weeks in 1971. He was born in San Angelo, Texas and attended Arizona State. He played both baseball and football at ASU, playing as a defensive back and as a place kicker (in 1968, he led the NCAA in scoring by kick). He was chosen by Minnesota with the seventh pick of the 1969 draft. He hit .291 in AAA Evansville in 1970 and started 1971 as a reserve outfielder on the big club. He appeared in twenty games, making six starts, seven appearances as a pinch runner, two appearances as a pinch hitter, and was used as a defensive replacement five times. He went 5-for-31 with one home run and was sent to the minors. He had a poor year in AAA and after the season was traded to the Dodgers for Bobby Darwin. Powell bounced back to hit .301 in AAA Albuquerque in 1972, and started 1973 with the Dodgers. He didn't last long, however, playing in only two games and getting only one at-bat before being sent back to AAA. Powell was in Albuquerque through 1975, getting ten more big league at bats in his last season. His career came to an end after the 1975 season. After leaving baseball, Paul Ray Powell entered the real estate business, and appears to have been rather successful. At last report, he was a broker with Realty Executives, a real estate company with offices all over the country. First baseman/outfielder Timothy Michael Corcoran played for the Twins for a month in 1981. Born in Glendale, California, he attended Cal State--Los Angeles and signed with Detroit as a free agent in 1974. He hit for a high average throughout the minors, hitting over .300 three times in four years. He made his big-league debut in mid-May of 1977 as a reserve outfielder and continued to hit well, posting a .282 average in 103 at-bats. 1978 was Corcoran's first full year in the majors, as he platooned with John Wockenfuss in right field. He hit for a decent average, but for no power whatsoever, and after getting off to a slow start in 1979, he was back at AAA. He hit .338 there, which got him another shot at the majors in 1980. He got another full year in the big leagues as a reserve first baseman/corner outfielder and did pretty well, hitting .288 with an OPS of .784 in 153 at-bats. He was back in AAA in 1981 until he was traded to the Twins in September as the player to be named later in a deal that sent Ron Jackson to Detroit. Corcoran played for the Twins the rest of the 1981 season, platooning at first base with Mickey Hatcher. He hit .176/.259/.235 in 51 at-bats and was released prior to the 1982 campaign. He signed with Philadelphia and again hit very well in AAA, averaging .300 over the next two years. This got him two years in the majors with the Phillies as a reserve first baseman and outfielder. He hit .341 in 208 at-bats in 1984, but hit .214 in 182 at-bats in 1985. He was released after the season, signed with the Mets for 1986, got seven at-bats, and was released in June. He was back in the minors with the Phillies in both 1987 and 1988, and then his playing career came to an end. He was inducted into the Cal State--L. A. Hall of Fame in 1985. No information about Tim Corcoran's life after his playing career ended was readily available.

Paul Powell (1948) Tim Corcoran (1953) Outfielder Paul Ray Powell was with the Twins for about six weeks in 1971. He was born in San Angelo, Texas and attended Arizona State. He played both baseball and football at ASU, playing as a defensive back and as a place kicker (in 1968, he led the NCAA in scoring by kick). He was chosen by Minnesota with the seventh pick of the 1969 draft. He hit .291 in AAA Evansville in 1970 and started 1971 as a reserve outfielder on the big club. He appeared in twenty games, making six starts, seven appearances as a pinch runner, two appearances as a pinch hitter, and was used as a defensive replacement five times. He went 5-for-31 with one home run and was sent to the minors. He had a poor year in AAA and after the season was traded to the Dodgers for Bobby Darwin. Powell bounced back to hit .301 in AAA Albuquerque in 1972, and started 1973 with the Dodgers. He didn't last long, however, playing in only two games and getting only one at-bat before being sent back to AAA. Powell was in Albuquerque through 1975, getting ten more big league at bats in his last season. His career came to an end after the 1975 season. After leaving baseball, Paul Ray Powell entered the real estate business, and appears to have been rather successful. At last report, he was a broker with Realty Executives, a real estate company with offices all over the country. First baseman/outfielder Timothy Michael Corcoran played for the Twins for a month in 1981. Born in Glendale, California, he attended Cal State--Los Angeles and signed with Detroit as a free agent in 1974. He hit for a high average throughout the minors, hitting over .300 three times in four years. He made his big-league debut in mid-May of 1977 as a reserve outfielder and continued to hit well, posting a .282 average in 103 at-bats. 1978 was Corcoran's first full year in the majors, as he platooned with John Wockenfuss in right field. He hit for a decent average, but for no power whatsoever, and after getting off to a slow start in 1979, he was back at AAA. He hit .338 there, which got him another shot at the majors in 1980. He got another full year in the big leagues as a reserve first baseman/corner outfielder and did pretty well, hitting .288 with an OPS of .784 in 153 at-bats. He was back in AAA in 1981 until he was traded to the Twins in September as the player to be named later in a deal that sent Ron Jackson to Detroit. Corcoran played for the Twins the rest of the 1981 season, platooning at first base with Mickey Hatcher. He hit .176/.259/.235 in 51 at-bats and was released prior to the 1982 campaign. He signed with Philadelphia and again hit very well in AAA, averaging .300 over the next two years. This got him two years in the majors with the Phillies as a reserve first baseman and outfielder. He hit .341 in 208 at-bats in 1984, but hit .214 in 182 at-bats in 1985. He was released after the season, signed with the Mets for 1986, got seven at-bats, and was released in June. He was back in the minors with the Phillies in both 1987 and 1988, and then his playing career came to an end. He was inducted into the Cal State--L. A. Hall of Fame in 1985. No information about Tim Corcoran's life after his playing career ended was readily available.

Paul Powell (1948) Tim Corcoran (1953) Outfielder Paul Ray Powell was with the Twins for about six weeks in 1971. He was born in San Angelo, Texas and attended Arizona State. He played both baseball and football at ASU, playing as a defensive back and as a place kicker (in 1968, he led the NCAA in scoring by kick). He was chosen by Minnesota with the seventh pick of the 1969 draft. He hit .291 in AAA Evansville in 1970 and started 1971 as a reserve outfielder on the big club. He appeared in twenty games, making six starts, seven appearances as a pinch runner, two appearances as a pinch hitter, and was used as a defensive replacement five times. He went 5-for-31 with one home run and was sent to the minors. He had a poor year in AAA and after the season was traded to the Dodgers for Bobby Darwin. Powell bounced back to hit .301 in AAA Albuquerque in 1972, and started 1973 with the Dodgers. He didn't last long, however, playing in only two games and getting only one at-bat before being sent back to AAA. Powell was in Albuquerque through 1975, getting ten more big league at bats in his last season. His career came to an end after the 1975 season. After leaving baseball, Paul Ray Powell entered the real estate business, and appears to have been rather successful. At last report, he was a broker with Realty Executives, a real estate company with offices all over the country. First baseman/outfielder Timothy Michael Corcoran played for the Twins for a month in 1981. Born in Glendale, California, he attended Cal State--Los Angeles and signed with Detroit as a free agent in 1974. He hit for a high average throughout the minors, hitting over .300 three times in four years. He made his big-league debut in mid-May of 1977 as a reserve outfielder and continued to hit well, posting a .282 average in 103 at-bats. 1978 was Corcoran's first full year in the majors, as he platooned with John Wockenfuss in right field. He hit for a decent average, but for no power whatsoever, and after getting off to a slow start in 1979, he was back at AAA. He hit .338 there, which got him another shot at the majors in 1980. He got another full year in the big leagues as a reserve first baseman/corner outfielder and did pretty well, hitting .288 with an OPS of .784 in 153 at-bats. He was back in AAA in 1981 until he was traded to the Twins in September as the player to be named later in a deal that sent Ron Jackson to Detroit. Corcoran played for the Twins the rest of the 1981 season, platooning at first base with Mickey Hatcher. He hit .176/.259/.235 in 51 at-bats and was released prior to the 1982 campaign. He signed with Philadelphia and again hit very well in AAA, averaging .300 over the next two years. This got him two years in the majors with the Phillies as a reserve first baseman and outfielder. He hit .341 in 208 at-bats in 1984, but hit .214 in 182 at-bats in 1985. He was released after the season, signed with the Mets for 1986, got seven at-bats, and was released in June. He was back in the minors with the Phillies in both 1987 and 1988, and then his playing career came to an end. He was inducted into the Cal State--L. A. Hall of Fame in 1985. No information about Tim Corcoran's life after his playing career ended was readily available.

Also posted at wgom.org. Corky Miller (1976) One of the finest fourth-string catchers in the history of baseball, Abraham Philip "Corky" Miller played for the Twins at the beginning of 2005. Born and raised in Yucaipa, California, he attended the University of Nevada--Reno and was signed by Cincinnati as a free agent in 1998. He had an excellent year in 2001 split between AA and AAA, hitting .309 with 16 home runs in 314 at-bats. That got him a September call-up, and was the first of ten consecutive years in which Miller played at least part of the season in both the majors and the minors. The most playing time Miller has gotten in a major league season came in 2002, when he played in 39 games and had 114 at-bats for Cincinnati. He was placed on waivers after the 2004 season and was claimed by Minnesota. He started 2005 with the Twins and played in five games, getting twelve at-bats. As a Twin, Corky Miller hit .000/.000/.000. Sent to AAA at the end of April, he hit .229 there and became a free agent after the season. He started 2006 with Seattle, was released in mid-April, and finished the campaign with the Red Sox, for whom he went 0-for-4 (for a three-year period from 2004 through 2006, Miller's major league average was .018 (1-for-55)). He was with Atlanta for 2007 and 2008, signed with the White Sox for 2009, and was traded to Cincinnati in late June. He remained there for 2010, splitting the season between AAA and the majors, and actually had one of his better seasons, hitting .243/.282/.392 in 74 major league at-bats. He could not sustain his success in 2011, hitting .200 (although with an OBP of .348) in 145 at-bats for AAA Louisville. He bounced back in 2012 for Louisville, hitting .235 with an OBP of .386. In ten partial seasons in the majors, Miller hit under .200 six times and under .100 four times. His career major league numbers are .188/.270/.300 in 504 at-bats. Corky Miller is still in the Cincinnati organization, having signed with them for 2013. He turns 37 today. One has the feeling that Corky Miller will be in baseball in some capacity for at least the next thirty years.

Also posted at wgom.org. Corky Miller (1976) One of the finest fourth-string catchers in the history of baseball, Abraham Philip "Corky" Miller played for the Twins at the beginning of 2005. Born and raised in Yucaipa, California, he attended the University of Nevada--Reno and was signed by Cincinnati as a free agent in 1998. He had an excellent year in 2001 split between AA and AAA, hitting .309 with 16 home runs in 314 at-bats. That got him a September call-up, and was the first of ten consecutive years in which Miller played at least part of the season in both the majors and the minors. The most playing time Miller has gotten in a major league season came in 2002, when he played in 39 games and had 114 at-bats for Cincinnati. He was placed on waivers after the 2004 season and was claimed by Minnesota. He started 2005 with the Twins and played in five games, getting twelve at-bats. As a Twin, Corky Miller hit .000/.000/.000. Sent to AAA at the end of April, he hit .229 there and became a free agent after the season. He started 2006 with Seattle, was released in mid-April, and finished the campaign with the Red Sox, for whom he went 0-for-4 (for a three-year period from 2004 through 2006, Miller's major league average was .018 (1-for-55)). He was with Atlanta for 2007 and 2008, signed with the White Sox for 2009, and was traded to Cincinnati in late June. He remained there for 2010, splitting the season between AAA and the majors, and actually had one of his better seasons, hitting .243/.282/.392 in 74 major league at-bats. He could not sustain his success in 2011, hitting .200 (although with an OBP of .348) in 145 at-bats for AAA Louisville. He bounced back in 2012 for Louisville, hitting .235 with an OBP of .386. In ten partial seasons in the majors, Miller hit under .200 six times and under .100 four times. His career major league numbers are .188/.270/.300 in 504 at-bats. Corky Miller is still in the Cincinnati organization, having signed with them for 2013. He turns 37 today. One has the feeling that Corky Miller will be in baseball in some capacity for at least the next thirty years.

Also posted at wgom.org. John Smiley (1965) Dan Masteller (1968) Scott Downs (1976) Left-hander John Patrick Smiley pitched for the Twins in 1992. He was born in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania and went to high school in Graterford, Pennsylvania. He was drafted by Pittsburgh in the twelfth round in 1983. He struggled early in his minor league career and was moved to the bullpen in 1986. He had a very good year in relief, posting an ERA of 3.10 and a WHIP of 1.16 in 90 innings in Class A. That got him a September call-up, and the next year he stayed in the majors, never going back to AA or AAA. Smiley was used in relief in 1987 and did not do a whole lot, but he joined the starting rotation in 1988 and stayed in a major league rotation for ten years. He was in the Pirates' rotation through 1991. His last year with Pittsburgh was his best, as Smiley went 20-8, 3.08 in 207.2 innings. He made his first all-star appearance that year, finished third in Cy Young voting, and was fourteenth in MVP balloting. In March of 1992, Smiley was traded to the Twins for Midre Cummings and Denny Neagle. He had an excellent year for the Twins, going 16-9, 3.21 with a 1.12 WHIP and setting a career high with 241 innings. He became a free agent after the season and signed with Cincinnati. Smiley struggled in 1993, dealing with both injuries and ineffectiveness. He bounced back in 1994 and had three consecutive years with ERAs under four and WHIPs under 1.30. He made the all-star team for the second time in 1995 He had a poor year in 1997, and an injury shortly after his mid-season trade to Cleveland led Smiley to retire after the 1997 season. John Smiley was never a superstar, but he was a solid rotation starter for several years. At last report, he was living in Collegeville, Pennsylvania. First baseman/outfielder Dan Patrick Masteller was with the Twins for a little over half of the 1995 season. He was born in Toledo, attended Michigan State, and was drafted by Minnesota in the eleventh round in 1989. He did not show much power in the minors, but hit over .300 for three consecutive years, most of which were in AAA Salt Lake. He was in the third of those years when he was brought up to Minnesota in late June of 1995. The left- handed hitter was used almost exclusively against right-handed pitching, sharing first base with Scott Stahoviak and also playing a little corner outfield. Masteller played in 71 games that season, getting 198 at-bats. He hit .237/.303/.343 with three homers and 21 RBIs. Released after the season, he was signed by Montreal and again hit for a high average in AA, but apparently no one was impressed; he was let go in mid-season and finished the year in the independent North Atlantic League. 1996 was to be Masteller's last season in organized baseball. At last report, Dan Masteller was living in Akron, Ohio and was a senior vice president with CB Richard Ellis, a real estate investment broker which proclaims itself "the global leader in real estate services." Left-hander Scott Jeremy Downs did not play for the Twins, but was in their farm system briefly in 1999. Born and raised in Louisville, he attended the University of Kentucky and was drafted by the Cubs in the third round in 1997. He pitched pretty well in their system for two seasons, but in November of 1998 he was the player to be named later in the deal that sent Mike Morgan to the Cubs. He pitched 19.2 innings in New Britain and 9.2 innings in Ft. Myers, doing poorly for the former and well for the latter, when he was sent back to the Cubs on May 21 of 1999 along with Rick Aguilera for Kyle Lohse and Jason Ryan. He made the Cubs starting rotation at the start of the 2000 season, but did not do well and was traded to Montreal at the July trading deadline for Rondell White. He made one start for the Expos and then went down with an injury, missing the entire 2001 season. He spent most of the next three years in the minors, making one major league start in 2003 and 12 in 2004. After that season, he was released by the then Washington franchise and signed with Toronto. He started the season in the minors but made it back to the big leagues for good in mid-May of 2005 and began a transition to the bullpen. He began pitching better immediately, and started pitching really well as a LOOGY in 2007. He was a free agent after the 2010 season, signed with the Angels, and continued to pitch well. From 2007-2012, Downs has appeared in 379 games and pitched 334 innings. He is 17-17 with 25 saves, an ERA of 2.32, and a WHIP of 1.16. Last year was the worst of those years, but he still posted an ERA of 3.15 and a WHIP of 1.31. He's 37 today. It's possible last year signaled a decline that will have in out of baseball soon, but it's at least equally possible that Scott Downs can continue as a LOOGY for several more years.

Also posted at wgom.org. John Smiley (1965) Dan Masteller (1968) Scott Downs (1976) Left-hander John Patrick Smiley pitched for the Twins in 1992. He was born in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania and went to high school in Graterford, Pennsylvania. He was drafted by Pittsburgh in the twelfth round in 1983. He struggled early in his minor league career and was moved to the bullpen in 1986. He had a very good year in relief, posting an ERA of 3.10 and a WHIP of 1.16 in 90 innings in Class A. That got him a September call-up, and the next year he stayed in the majors, never going back to AA or AAA. Smiley was used in relief in 1987 and did not do a whole lot, but he joined the starting rotation in 1988 and stayed in a major league rotation for ten years. He was in the Pirates' rotation through 1991. His last year with Pittsburgh was his best, as Smiley went 20-8, 3.08 in 207.2 innings. He made his first all-star appearance that year, finished third in Cy Young voting, and was fourteenth in MVP balloting. In March of 1992, Smiley was traded to the Twins for Midre Cummings and Denny Neagle. He had an excellent year for the Twins, going 16-9, 3.21 with a 1.12 WHIP and setting a career high with 241 innings. He became a free agent after the season and signed with Cincinnati. Smiley struggled in 1993, dealing with both injuries and ineffectiveness. He bounced back in 1994 and had three consecutive years with ERAs under four and WHIPs under 1.30. He made the all-star team for the second time in 1995 He had a poor year in 1997, and an injury shortly after his mid-season trade to Cleveland led Smiley to retire after the 1997 season. John Smiley was never a superstar, but he was a solid rotation starter for several years. At last report, he was living in Collegeville, Pennsylvania. First baseman/outfielder Dan Patrick Masteller was with the Twins for a little over half of the 1995 season. He was born in Toledo, attended Michigan State, and was drafted by Minnesota in the eleventh round in 1989. He did not show much power in the minors, but hit over .300 for three consecutive years, most of which were in AAA Salt Lake. He was in the third of those years when he was brought up to Minnesota in late June of 1995. The left- handed hitter was used almost exclusively against right-handed pitching, sharing first base with Scott Stahoviak and also playing a little corner outfield. Masteller played in 71 games that season, getting 198 at-bats. He hit .237/.303/.343 with three homers and 21 RBIs. Released after the season, he was signed by Montreal and again hit for a high average in AA, but apparently no one was impressed; he was let go in mid-season and finished the year in the independent North Atlantic League. 1996 was to be Masteller's last season in organized baseball. At last report, Dan Masteller was living in Akron, Ohio and was a senior vice president with CB Richard Ellis, a real estate investment broker which proclaims itself "the global leader in real estate services." Left-hander Scott Jeremy Downs did not play for the Twins, but was in their farm system briefly in 1999. Born and raised in Louisville, he attended the University of Kentucky and was drafted by the Cubs in the third round in 1997. He pitched pretty well in their system for two seasons, but in November of 1998 he was the player to be named later in the deal that sent Mike Morgan to the Cubs. He pitched 19.2 innings in New Britain and 9.2 innings in Ft. Myers, doing poorly for the former and well for the latter, when he was sent back to the Cubs on May 21 of 1999 along with Rick Aguilera for Kyle Lohse and Jason Ryan. He made the Cubs starting rotation at the start of the 2000 season, but did not do well and was traded to Montreal at the July trading deadline for Rondell White. He made one start for the Expos and then went down with an injury, missing the entire 2001 season. He spent most of the next three years in the minors, making one major league start in 2003 and 12 in 2004. After that season, he was released by the then Washington franchise and signed with Toronto. He started the season in the minors but made it back to the big leagues for good in mid-May of 2005 and began a transition to the bullpen. He began pitching better immediately, and started pitching really well as a LOOGY in 2007. He was a free agent after the 2010 season, signed with the Angels, and continued to pitch well. From 2007-2012, Downs has appeared in 379 games and pitched 334 innings. He is 17-17 with 25 saves, an ERA of 2.32, and a WHIP of 1.16. Last year was the worst of those years, but he still posted an ERA of 3.15 and a WHIP of 1.31. He's 37 today. It's possible last year signaled a decline that will have in out of baseball soon, but it's at least equally possible that Scott Downs can continue as a LOOGY for several more years.

Also posted at wgom.org. Rick Renick (1944) Infielder/outfielder Warren Richard Renick played for the Twins from 1968-1972. Born and raised in London, Ohio, he attende Ohio State and was signed by Minnesota as a free agent in 1965. Renick did not show a whole lot of promise in the minors, although he did hit 20 homers at Class A Wilson in 1967. He was hitting .247 with ten homers at AAA Denver in 1968 when he was called up in mid-July to try to fill a void at shortstop. Renick held the starting shortstop job for about a month, but when he hit no better than the others the Twins had tried he went to the bench. Renick stuck in the majors, though, staying with Minnesota for the next four full seasons. He was used primarily at third base and left field the rest of his time in the big leagues. Renick never got 200 at-bats in a season, never batted higher than .245, and never hit more than seven home runs in a season. After the 1972 season, Renick played six years at AAA, four with the Twins and two in the Montreal organization. As a Twin, Rick Renick hit .221/.302/.373 in 553 at-bats over 276 games. For his last five seasons at AAA, Renick was a player-coach. His playing career ended after the 1978 season, and he became a coach for Kansas City from 1979-1981. He managed in AA for Montreal from 1982-1984, and then became a major league coach for the Expos from 1985-1986. Renick was a coach for the Twins from 1987-1990, then managed at AAA for the White Sox from 1991-1996. Renick coached in the majors for Pittsburgh from 1997-2000, for the Expos in 2001, and for Florida in 2002. Rick Renick appears to currently be living in retirement in Sarasota, Florida. His son, Josh, played in the minor leagues from 2001 through 2007, spending 2001-2003 in the Twins organization, before becoming an assistant coach for Tennessee Wesleyan College.

Also posted at wgom.org. Rick Renick (1944) Infielder/outfielder Warren Richard Renick played for the Twins from 1968-1972. Born and raised in London, Ohio, he attende Ohio State and was signed by Minnesota as a free agent in 1965. Renick did not show a whole lot of promise in the minors, although he did hit 20 homers at Class A Wilson in 1967. He was hitting .247 with ten homers at AAA Denver in 1968 when he was called up in mid-July to try to fill a void at shortstop. Renick held the starting shortstop job for about a month, but when he hit no better than the others the Twins had tried he went to the bench. Renick stuck in the majors, though, staying with Minnesota for the next four full seasons. He was used primarily at third base and left field the rest of his time in the big leagues. Renick never got 200 at-bats in a season, never batted higher than .245, and never hit more than seven home runs in a season. After the 1972 season, Renick played six years at AAA, four with the Twins and two in the Montreal organization. As a Twin, Rick Renick hit .221/.302/.373 in 553 at-bats over 276 games. For his last five seasons at AAA, Renick was a player-coach. His playing career ended after the 1978 season, and he became a coach for Kansas City from 1979-1981. He managed in AA for Montreal from 1982-1984, and then became a major league coach for the Expos from 1985-1986. Renick was a coach for the Twins from 1987-1990, then managed at AAA for the White Sox from 1991-1996. Renick coached in the majors for Pittsburgh from 1997-2000, for the Expos in 2001, and for Florida in 2002. Rick Renick appears to currently be living in retirement in Sarasota, Florida. His son, Josh, played in the minor leagues from 2001 through 2007, spending 2001-2003 in the Twins organization, before becoming an assistant coach for Tennessee Wesleyan College.

Wayne Granger (1944) Steve Stroughter (1952) Mickey Hatcher (1955) Mike Pagliarulo (1960) Dan Perkins (1975) Right-handed reliever Wayne Allan Granger was co-closer with Dave LaRoche in 1972. He was born in Springfield, Massachusetts, went to high school in Huntington, Massachusetts, and then attended Springfield College, the same school attended by ex-Twin Glenn Adams. Granger signed with St. Louis as a free agent in 1965. He was a starter that year, but shifted to the bullpen in 1966. He pitched quite well in the minors, reaching AAA in 1967. In 1968, after posting a 2.16 ERA and a 0.76 WHIP in 25 AAA innings, Granger made his big league debut in early June. He pitched very well the rest of the season, going 4-2, 2.25 with four saves in 44 innings. He was traded to Cincinnati after the season and did very well there for three years. He led the league in saves with 35 in 1970 and led the league in appearances in 1969 and 1971. He twice received consideration for the MVP award and finished eighth in Cy Young voting in 1970. After the 1971 season, Granger was traded to Minnesota for Tom Hall. He continued to pitch very well, going 4-6, 3.01 with 19 saves and a 1.24 WHIP for the Twins in 1972. After the season, though, Granger was on the move again, traded to St. Louis for John Cumberland and Larry Hisle. After that, he seemed to kind of hit the wall, and while he had a couple more decent years, he was never a top reliever again. Granger did not pitch particularly well for the Cardinals and was traded to the Yankees in August of 1973. The Yankees released him in late March of 1974 and Granger signed with the White Sox. He spent much of 1974 at AAA, and did not do well in the majors when he did pitch there. Released after the season, Granger signed with Houston for 1975 and was decent, but no more. He was released after the season and signed with Montreal for 1976. He was with the Expos for the first half of the season and was okay, but not very good, and was sent to the minors. The Expos released him in February of 1977, he signed with Atlanta, and was released again in March. Granger pitched in Mexico in 1977, apparently did not play in 1978, and then tried to come back with Montreal in 1979 but was ineffective in AAA, ending his playing career. Wayne Granger was inducted into the Cincinnati Reds' Hall of Fame in 1982. After leaving baseball, he worked for a sporting goods company, then at a boat dealership, and then started a billiard business that lasted for fourteen years, until his retirement. Outfielder Stephen Lewis Stroughter did not play for the Twins, but was in their minor league system for a couple of months in 1981. Born and raised in Visalia, California, he attended the College of the Sequoias and was drafted by San Francisco with the sixth pick of the 1971 June Secondary draft. He hit pretty well in the minors but his power was inconsistent at first, plus he struck out a lot, so he did not get to AA until 1974 and did not leave Class A behind for good until after the 1975 season. After that season, when he hit .301 with 15 homers for Fresno at age 23, he was sold to California. He had two fine years at AA El Paso and then went to AAA Salt Lake City, where he hit .325/.419/.535 in 1978. Not only did that not earn him a call-up to the majors, Stroughter was released at the end of spring training in 1979. He was out of baseball until the middle of June, when Seattle signed him. He had a couple of solid years at AAA Spokane in 1979 and 1980, but was traded to Minnesota after the 1980 season for Mike Bacsik. In 82 at-bats at Toledo, he hit .247/.317/.411 and then was sold back to Seattle at the end of May. He finished the season in Spokane, then finally made his major league debut at the start of the 1982 season. He was used almost exclusively as a bench player, getting only 40 at-bats by May 19. He did not impress in those at-bats and was sent back to AAA Salt Lake City. He was back with the Mariners for the month of July, but got only seven more at bats, hitting .170/.235/.255 for the season. Those would be his career major league numbers; he was in AAA for Toronto and in Japan in 1983, and then his playing career ended. He appears to have been limited defensively, but he hit .303/.377/.503 in 1,818 AAA at-bats. Much of that was in the Pacific Coast League, but it’s still hard to think he couldn’t have helped somebody if he’d been given the chance. After baseball, Steve Stroughter returned to Visalia, where he is an “independent entertainment professional.” Outfielder/first baseman/third baseman Mickey Vaughn Hatcher played for the Twins from 1981-1986. Hatcher was born in Cleveland, but went to high school in Mesa, Arizona and attended the University of Oklahoma, where he also played football. He was drafted by the Dodgers in the fifth round in 1977. He hit very well in the minors--his career minor league batting average is .339 in 1,403 at-bats. He split 1979 and 1980 between AAA and the majors, but his minor league success did not immediately translate to the majors, as he hit only .243 in 177 at-bats. In late March of 1981, Hatcher was traded to Minnesota with Kelly Snider and Matt Reeves for Ken Landreaux. While he only had one season in which he played in over 120 games (1984), Hatcher was a semi-regular, at least, in his six years with the Twins. He was generally used in the outfield, playing mostly in center in 1981, splitting time in the two corner outfield positions in 1982, playing mostly in right in 1983, and moving to left for 1984-1986. He topped .300 in consecutive years, 1983-1984. As a Twin, he hit .284/.315/.383 in 2,366 at-bats (672 games). Despite hitting .278 in 1986, Hatcher was released by the Twins in March of 1987. He signed with the Dodgers and played for them for four years as a reserve. He continued to hit for a high average in his first three years, but in the fourth year he dropped to .212. He played briefly for AAA Albuquerque in 1991, and then his playing career came to an end. Hatcher remained in baseball, coaching for the Texas Rangers in 1993 and 1994, managing and coaching in the minors, and coaching for the Dodgers in 1998. He became the batting coach of the Angels in 2000, a job he held until mid-May of 2012, when he reportedly clashed with Albert Pujols (note: it is a bad idea for the batting coach to clash with the best batter on the team). At last report, he had returned to the Dodgers as a special assistant to the general manager. Third baseman Michael Timothy Pagliarulo played for the Twins in the early 1990s. Born in Medford, Massachusetts, he attended the University of Miami and then was drafted by the Yankees in the sixth round in 1981. His batting averages in the minors were nothing special, but he hit for power (41 homers from 1982-1983) and drew a high number of walks. He was actually having a poor year in AAA Columbus in 1984 when he was brought up to the majors in early July to replace Toby Harrah. He remained the Yankees' third baseman through June of 1989. He never hit for average, but he hit 105 home runs in a Yankee uniform. When Pagliarulo hit in the .230s, his power numbers made him acceptable to the Yankees, but in 1988 both his power and his average dropped, and the next year he was traded to San Diego. His power never did come back, but he was able to raise his batting average, hitting .254 as the mostly-regular third baseman for the Padres in 1990. He became a free agent after the season and signed with Minnesota. Platooned with Scott Leius in 1991, Pagliarulo hit .279 for the World Champion Twins. He missed much of 1992 with injury, but came back in 1993 and was hitting .292 in late August when he was traded to Baltimore for a player to be named later (Erik Schullstrom). He finished the year at .303. As a Twin, Mike Pagilarulo hit .272/.317/.376 in 723 at-bats (246 games). He was a free agent in 1994 and played in Japan. He came back in 1995 as a platoon third baseman for Texas, but hit only .232, and his playing career came to an end. Mike Pagliarulo was the owner of the website dugoutcentral.com. He is currently a principal in an international sports consulting company called The Baseline Group as well as the founder of a nonprofit corporation called the Baseball Institute of Development, which collaborates with leading experts from various fields of sports and medicine to provide qualified resources and develop solutions to advance athletic performance knowledge. One of the officers of the Baseball Institute of Development is Dan Gladden. Pagliarulo’s son, also named Mike, played baseball for Dartmouth College. Right-hander Daniel Lee Perkins was with the Twins for much of 1999. A native of Miami, Perkins was drafted by Minnesota in the second round in 1993. His minor league numbers are not particularly impressive: a career ERA of 4.98 and a career WHIP of 1.50. He did have an excellent year at Ft. Myers in 1996, going 13-7, 2.96 with a 1.19 WHIP in 136 innings. Perkins reach AAA late in 1998 and got attention by going 5-0 in seven starts; however, his ERA was 4.82 and his WHIP 1.46, leading one to believe he benefitted from good run support. Still, he began 1999 in the Twins' bullpen, and became a member of the starting rotation for most of May and June. In all, he made twelve starts and seventeen relief appearances, going 1-7, 6.54 with a 1.85 WHIP. He was relatively effective as a reliever, with a 3.55 ERA and a 1.46 WHIP, but was disastrous as a starter. Oddly, he was much more effective against lefties: right-handers hit him at a .363/.419/.606 clip that year. 1999 would be Perkins' only year in the majors; after an awful 2000 at AAA Salt Lake the Twins let him go. He signed with Cleveland, but made only one start at AA Akron before ending his career. No information about what has happened to Dan Perkins since that time was readily available.

Wayne Granger (1944) Steve Stroughter (1952) Mickey Hatcher (1955) Mike Pagliarulo (1960) Dan Perkins (1975) Right-handed reliever Wayne Allan Granger was co-closer with Dave LaRoche in 1972. He was born in Springfield, Massachusetts, went to high school in Huntington, Massachusetts, and then attended Springfield College, the same school attended by ex-Twin Glenn Adams. Granger signed with St. Louis as a free agent in 1965. He was a starter that year, but shifted to the bullpen in 1966. He pitched quite well in the minors, reaching AAA in 1967. In 1968, after posting a 2.16 ERA and a 0.76 WHIP in 25 AAA innings, Granger made his big league debut in early June. He pitched very well the rest of the season, going 4-2, 2.25 with four saves in 44 innings. He was traded to Cincinnati after the season and did very well there for three years. He led the league in saves with 35 in 1970 and led the league in appearances in 1969 and 1971. He twice received consideration for the MVP award and finished eighth in Cy Young voting in 1970. After the 1971 season, Granger was traded to Minnesota for Tom Hall. He continued to pitch very well, going 4-6, 3.01 with 19 saves and a 1.24 WHIP for the Twins in 1972. After the season, though, Granger was on the move again, traded to St. Louis for John Cumberland and Larry Hisle. After that, he seemed to kind of hit the wall, and while he had a couple more decent years, he was never a top reliever again. Granger did not pitch particularly well for the Cardinals and was traded to the Yankees in August of 1973. The Yankees released him in late March of 1974 and Granger signed with the White Sox. He spent much of 1974 at AAA, and did not do well in the majors when he did pitch there. Released after the season, Granger signed with Houston for 1975 and was decent, but no more. He was released after the season and signed with Montreal for 1976. He was with the Expos for the first half of the season and was okay, but not very good, and was sent to the minors. The Expos released him in February of 1977, he signed with Atlanta, and was released again in March. Granger pitched in Mexico in 1977, apparently did not play in 1978, and then tried to come back with Montreal in 1979 but was ineffective in AAA, ending his playing career. Wayne Granger was inducted into the Cincinnati Reds' Hall of Fame in 1982. After leaving baseball, he worked for a sporting goods company, then at a boat dealership, and then started a billiard business that lasted for fourteen years, until his retirement. Outfielder Stephen Lewis Stroughter did not play for the Twins, but was in their minor league system for a couple of months in 1981. Born and raised in Visalia, California, he attended the College of the Sequoias and was drafted by San Francisco with the sixth pick of the 1971 June Secondary draft. He hit pretty well in the minors but his power was inconsistent at first, plus he struck out a lot, so he did not get to AA until 1974 and did not leave Class A behind for good until after the 1975 season. After that season, when he hit .301 with 15 homers for Fresno at age 23, he was sold to California. He had two fine years at AA El Paso and then went to AAA Salt Lake City, where he hit .325/.419/.535 in 1978. Not only did that not earn him a call-up to the majors, Stroughter was released at the end of spring training in 1979. He was out of baseball until the middle of June, when Seattle signed him. He had a couple of solid years at AAA Spokane in 1979 and 1980, but was traded to Minnesota after the 1980 season for Mike Bacsik. In 82 at-bats at Toledo, he hit .247/.317/.411 and then was sold back to Seattle at the end of May. He finished the season in Spokane, then finally made his major league debut at the start of the 1982 season. He was used almost exclusively as a bench player, getting only 40 at-bats by May 19. He did not impress in those at-bats and was sent back to AAA Salt Lake City. He was back with the Mariners for the month of July, but got only seven more at bats, hitting .170/.235/.255 for the season. Those would be his career major league numbers; he was in AAA for Toronto and in Japan in 1983, and then his playing career ended. He appears to have been limited defensively, but he hit .303/.377/.503 in 1,818 AAA at-bats. Much of that was in the Pacific Coast League, but it’s still hard to think he couldn’t have helped somebody if he’d been given the chance. After baseball, Steve Stroughter returned to Visalia, where he is an “independent entertainment professional.” Outfielder/first baseman/third baseman Mickey Vaughn Hatcher played for the Twins from 1981-1986. Hatcher was born in Cleveland, but went to high school in Mesa, Arizona and attended the University of Oklahoma, where he also played football. He was drafted by the Dodgers in the fifth round in 1977. He hit very well in the minors--his career minor league batting average is .339 in 1,403 at-bats. He split 1979 and 1980 between AAA and the majors, but his minor league success did not immediately translate to the majors, as he hit only .243 in 177 at-bats. In late March of 1981, Hatcher was traded to Minnesota with Kelly Snider and Matt Reeves for Ken Landreaux. While he only had one season in which he played in over 120 games (1984), Hatcher was a semi-regular, at least, in his six years with the Twins. He was generally used in the outfield, playing mostly in center in 1981, splitting time in the two corner outfield positions in 1982, playing mostly in right in 1983, and moving to left for 1984-1986. He topped .300 in consecutive years, 1983-1984. As a Twin, he hit .284/.315/.383 in 2,366 at-bats (672 games). Despite hitting .278 in 1986, Hatcher was released by the Twins in March of 1987. He signed with the Dodgers and played for them for four years as a reserve. He continued to hit for a high average in his first three years, but in the fourth year he dropped to .212. He played briefly for AAA Albuquerque in 1991, and then his playing career came to an end. Hatcher remained in baseball, coaching for the Texas Rangers in 1993 and 1994, managing and coaching in the minors, and coaching for the Dodgers in 1998. He became the batting coach of the Angels in 2000, a job he held until mid-May of 2012, when he reportedly clashed with Albert Pujols (note: it is a bad idea for the batting coach to clash with the best batter on the team). At last report, he had returned to the Dodgers as a special assistant to the general manager. Third baseman Michael Timothy Pagliarulo played for the Twins in the early 1990s. Born in Medford, Massachusetts, he attended the University of Miami and then was drafted by the Yankees in the sixth round in 1981. His batting averages in the minors were nothing special, but he hit for power (41 homers from 1982-1983) and drew a high number of walks. He was actually having a poor year in AAA Columbus in 1984 when he was brought up to the majors in early July to replace Toby Harrah. He remained the Yankees' third baseman through June of 1989. He never hit for average, but he hit 105 home runs in a Yankee uniform. When Pagliarulo hit in the .230s, his power numbers made him acceptable to the Yankees, but in 1988 both his power and his average dropped, and the next year he was traded to San Diego. His power never did come back, but he was able to raise his batting average, hitting .254 as the mostly-regular third baseman for the Padres in 1990. He became a free agent after the season and signed with Minnesota. Platooned with Scott Leius in 1991, Pagliarulo hit .279 for the World Champion Twins. He missed much of 1992 with injury, but came back in 1993 and was hitting .292 in late August when he was traded to Baltimore for a player to be named later (Erik Schullstrom). He finished the year at .303. As a Twin, Mike Pagilarulo hit .272/.317/.376 in 723 at-bats (246 games). He was a free agent in 1994 and played in Japan. He came back in 1995 as a platoon third baseman for Texas, but hit only .232, and his playing career came to an end. Mike Pagliarulo was the owner of the website dugoutcentral.com. He is currently a principal in an international sports consulting company called The Baseline Group as well as the founder of a nonprofit corporation called the Baseball Institute of Development, which collaborates with leading experts from various fields of sports and medicine to provide qualified resources and develop solutions to advance athletic performance knowledge. One of the officers of the Baseball Institute of Development is Dan Gladden. Pagliarulo’s son, also named Mike, played baseball for Dartmouth College. Right-hander Daniel Lee Perkins was with the Twins for much of 1999. A native of Miami, Perkins was drafted by Minnesota in the second round in 1993. His minor league numbers are not particularly impressive: a career ERA of 4.98 and a career WHIP of 1.50. He did have an excellent year at Ft. Myers in 1996, going 13-7, 2.96 with a 1.19 WHIP in 136 innings. Perkins reach AAA late in 1998 and got attention by going 5-0 in seven starts; however, his ERA was 4.82 and his WHIP 1.46, leading one to believe he benefitted from good run support. Still, he began 1999 in the Twins' bullpen, and became a member of the starting rotation for most of May and June. In all, he made twelve starts and seventeen relief appearances, going 1-7, 6.54 with a 1.85 WHIP. He was relatively effective as a reliever, with a 3.55 ERA and a 1.46 WHIP, but was disastrous as a starter. Oddly, he was much more effective against lefties: right-handers hit him at a .363/.419/.606 clip that year. 1999 would be Perkins' only year in the majors; after an awful 2000 at AAA Salt Lake the Twins let him go. He signed with Cleveland, but made only one start at AA Akron before ending his career. No information about what has happened to Dan Perkins since that time was readily available.