Jeff A

There do not appear to be any players with connections to the Minnesota Twins who were born on this day.

Also posted at wgom.org Gerry Arrigo (1941) Jim Strickland (1946) Scott Aldred (1968) Damon Hollins (1974) ​Left-hander Gerald William Arrigo pitched for the Twins in the early 1960s. Born and raised in Chicago, he signed with the home town White Sox in 1960. After a fine season in Class D Clinton the Twins chose him in that off-season’s first year player draft. He did not do particularly well in 1961 but was called up for a month anyway, working 10.2 innings in seven appearances. He was better in the minors in 1962, making one appearance in the majors as a September call-up. He pitched well in AA in 1963, again getting a September call-up. In 1964, still only 23, Arrigo got his first full year in the majors, making twelve starts and twenty-nine relief appearances for the Twins. He did okay, going 7-4, 3.84 with a WHIP of 1.35 in 105.1 innings. He was substantially better working out of the bullpen than in the rotation. After the season, however, Arrigo was traded to Cincinnati for Cesar Tovar. He was in the majors most of the season but did not pitch well, and when he got off to a slow start in 1966 he was sold to the Mets. He pitched in New York for about three months, then was sold back to Cincinnati, finishing the season at AAA. He then got three full seasons with the Reds, working mostly out of the bullpen in 1967 and mostly in the rotation in 1968-1969. In the first two of those years he pitched pretty well, but he had a bad year in 1969 and was traded to the White Sox after the season. He started 1970 in Chicago but was awful and finished the season in AAA. Arrigo made three appearances in AAA for Atlanta in 1971, then his playing career ended. No information about Gerry Arrigo’s life after baseball was readily available. Left-hander James Michael Strickland pitched for the Twins in the early 1970s. He was born in Los Angeles, went to high school in Lakewood, California, and signed with the Dodgers as a free agent in 1964. He was in the Dodgers’ system for three seasons and posted quite unimpressive numbers, although he did strike out quite a few batters. He then missed the 1967-1968 seasons due to military service. He was a much better pitcher when he returned, having a decent season in for AA Albuquerque in 1969 and an outstanding one there in 1970. The Twins selected him in the minor league draft that off-season, and after thirteen outstanding appearances at AAA Portland they brought him up the big club. He was not used very often, but did very well when given the chance, posting an ERA of 1.44 and a WHIP of 1.21 in 31.1 innings over 24 games. 1972 was similar: he started at AAA, pitched very well, came up to Minnesota at mid-season, and continued to pitch very well but seldom. 1973, however, was a different story. Strickland had a poor year at AAA and was awful in seven big-league appearances. The Twins apparently gave up on him after that, trading him with Mike Brooks to Cleveland for Bill Butler and Dick Colpaert. As a Twin, Jim Strickland was 4-2, 2.72 with a WHIP of 1.39. He pitched 72.2 innings in 56 relief appearances. He got straightened out somewhat in the Indians’ minor league system, pitching fairly well for two years and getting a September call-up in 1975. He had a poor year in 1976, however, and his playing career came to an end. No information about what Jim Strickland has done after that was readily available, but from accounts he appears to be a very nice man. Left-hander Scott Phillip Aldred pitched for the Twins from 1996-1997. He was born in Flint, Michigan, went to high school in Montrose, Michigan, and was drafted by Detroit in the sixteenth round in 1986. His early minor league numbers are rather bland–he never stunk it up, but he was never really good, either. He was promoted to AAA in 1990 and got a September call-up despite not having a very good year in Toledo. He was marginally better in AAA in 1991, which resulted in two and a half months with the Tigers. He started 1992 in the majors, was terrible, and went back to Toledo in mid-June, where he was merely bad. He was taken by Colorado in the expansion draft, which worked about as well as one would expect, and was waived at the end of April, selected by Montreal. He apparently was injured early in his tenure with the Expos, as he appeared in only three games. He missed all of 1994, was released, and signed back with Detroit for 1995. He made 15 appearances in the low minors, did pretty well, started 1996 in the Tigers’ rotation, was awful again, and was waived in late May, selected by Minnesota. The Twins made him their fifth starter and he continued to be bad. He began 1997 in the rotation, was even worse, and was finally sent back to AAA in mid-June. The Twins let him go after the season; as a Twin, Scott Aldred was 8-15, 6.10 with a WHIP of 1.54. He worked 199.1 innings over 42 appearances, 32 of them starts. He signed with Tampa Bay for 1998. He was not pitching very well in AAA for the Devil Rays but was brought up in mid-May, placed in the bullpen, and had what for him was a decent year (he set a record that year, since broken, for the most appearances in a season without a decision). He could not sustain it in 1999, however, and was traded in late July to Philadelphia. He was marginally adequate the rest of the season, but started poorly in 2000 and was done as a major leaguer by late May. He kept at it, though; Aldred was in the Yankees’ organization in 2001, the Dodgers’ system in 2002, and the Red Sox’ chain in 2003. He then pitched for Somerset in the Atlantic League in 2004 before hanging it up for good. Scott Aldred has become a minor league coach since then, working in Charleston (2006), Trenton (2007-2008), and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (2009-present). Outfielder Damon Hollins did not play for the Twins, but was in their farm system for a few months in 2001. He was born in Fairfield, California, went to high school in Vallejo, California, and was drafted by Atlanta in the fourth round in 1992. He hit .321 in rookie ball in 1993 and then started to develop power, hitting 23 homers in Class A in 1994 and 18 in AA in 1995. He had a bad year in 1996, when he apparently was battling injuries, but bounced back to hit 20 homers in AAA Richmond in 1997. He made his major league debut in 1998, but got only six at-bats in three games before being sent back to AAA. In September he was traded to the Dodgers, for whom he got nine more at-bats. For some time, it looked like that would be the extent of his major league career. The Dodgers released him after the season. He signed with Cincinnati for 1999, was a free agent after the season, signed with Milwaukee for 2000, and was a free agent after the season again. He was decent in AAA in those years, but did nothing to attract any attention. The Twins signed him for 2001 and sent him to AAA Edmonton. He played in 69 games there, hitting .276/.342/.405 in 232 at-bats. He was traded back to the Braves’ organization on July 22 in a conditional deal. He stayed there through 2004, each year putting up decent numbers but never getting another shot at the big leagues. In 2004, he hit .301 with 20 homers for Richmond, also getting another ten days in the majors that year. He was a free agent after the season and signed with Tampa Bay. Hollins started the year in the minors, but was called up in a month and became a major league regular for the first time at the age of 30. He played in 241 games for the Devil Rays over the next two seasons and hit 28 home runs, but batted only .239. A free agent after the 2006 season, he went to Japan for 2007, then signed with Kansas City and spent 2008 in Omaha. He signed with Philadelphia for 2009, but did not make the team and his playing career ended. Still, his persistence got him almost two full years in the big leagues, which is more than a lot of people can say. Since his playing career ended, Damon Hollins has been coaching in the Kansas City system, serving as a coach for Wilmington in 2012 and Idaho Falls in 2013.

Also posted at wgom.org Gerry Arrigo (1941) Jim Strickland (1946) Scott Aldred (1968) Damon Hollins (1974) ​Left-hander Gerald William Arrigo pitched for the Twins in the early 1960s. Born and raised in Chicago, he signed with the home town White Sox in 1960. After a fine season in Class D Clinton the Twins chose him in that off-season’s first year player draft. He did not do particularly well in 1961 but was called up for a month anyway, working 10.2 innings in seven appearances. He was better in the minors in 1962, making one appearance in the majors as a September call-up. He pitched well in AA in 1963, again getting a September call-up. In 1964, still only 23, Arrigo got his first full year in the majors, making twelve starts and twenty-nine relief appearances for the Twins. He did okay, going 7-4, 3.84 with a WHIP of 1.35 in 105.1 innings. He was substantially better working out of the bullpen than in the rotation. After the season, however, Arrigo was traded to Cincinnati for Cesar Tovar. He was in the majors most of the season but did not pitch well, and when he got off to a slow start in 1966 he was sold to the Mets. He pitched in New York for about three months, then was sold back to Cincinnati, finishing the season at AAA. He then got three full seasons with the Reds, working mostly out of the bullpen in 1967 and mostly in the rotation in 1968-1969. In the first two of those years he pitched pretty well, but he had a bad year in 1969 and was traded to the White Sox after the season. He started 1970 in Chicago but was awful and finished the season in AAA. Arrigo made three appearances in AAA for Atlanta in 1971, then his playing career ended. No information about Gerry Arrigo’s life after baseball was readily available. Left-hander James Michael Strickland pitched for the Twins in the early 1970s. He was born in Los Angeles, went to high school in Lakewood, California, and signed with the Dodgers as a free agent in 1964. He was in the Dodgers’ system for three seasons and posted quite unimpressive numbers, although he did strike out quite a few batters. He then missed the 1967-1968 seasons due to military service. He was a much better pitcher when he returned, having a decent season in for AA Albuquerque in 1969 and an outstanding one there in 1970. The Twins selected him in the minor league draft that off-season, and after thirteen outstanding appearances at AAA Portland they brought him up the big club. He was not used very often, but did very well when given the chance, posting an ERA of 1.44 and a WHIP of 1.21 in 31.1 innings over 24 games. 1972 was similar: he started at AAA, pitched very well, came up to Minnesota at mid-season, and continued to pitch very well but seldom. 1973, however, was a different story. Strickland had a poor year at AAA and was awful in seven big-league appearances. The Twins apparently gave up on him after that, trading him with Mike Brooks to Cleveland for Bill Butler and Dick Colpaert. As a Twin, Jim Strickland was 4-2, 2.72 with a WHIP of 1.39. He pitched 72.2 innings in 56 relief appearances. He got straightened out somewhat in the Indians’ minor league system, pitching fairly well for two years and getting a September call-up in 1975. He had a poor year in 1976, however, and his playing career came to an end. No information about what Jim Strickland has done after that was readily available, but from accounts he appears to be a very nice man. Left-hander Scott Phillip Aldred pitched for the Twins from 1996-1997. He was born in Flint, Michigan, went to high school in Montrose, Michigan, and was drafted by Detroit in the sixteenth round in 1986. His early minor league numbers are rather bland–he never stunk it up, but he was never really good, either. He was promoted to AAA in 1990 and got a September call-up despite not having a very good year in Toledo. He was marginally better in AAA in 1991, which resulted in two and a half months with the Tigers. He started 1992 in the majors, was terrible, and went back to Toledo in mid-June, where he was merely bad. He was taken by Colorado in the expansion draft, which worked about as well as one would expect, and was waived at the end of April, selected by Montreal. He apparently was injured early in his tenure with the Expos, as he appeared in only three games. He missed all of 1994, was released, and signed back with Detroit for 1995. He made 15 appearances in the low minors, did pretty well, started 1996 in the Tigers’ rotation, was awful again, and was waived in late May, selected by Minnesota. The Twins made him their fifth starter and he continued to be bad. He began 1997 in the rotation, was even worse, and was finally sent back to AAA in mid-June. The Twins let him go after the season; as a Twin, Scott Aldred was 8-15, 6.10 with a WHIP of 1.54. He worked 199.1 innings over 42 appearances, 32 of them starts. He signed with Tampa Bay for 1998. He was not pitching very well in AAA for the Devil Rays but was brought up in mid-May, placed in the bullpen, and had what for him was a decent year (he set a record that year, since broken, for the most appearances in a season without a decision). He could not sustain it in 1999, however, and was traded in late July to Philadelphia. He was marginally adequate the rest of the season, but started poorly in 2000 and was done as a major leaguer by late May. He kept at it, though; Aldred was in the Yankees’ organization in 2001, the Dodgers’ system in 2002, and the Red Sox’ chain in 2003. He then pitched for Somerset in the Atlantic League in 2004 before hanging it up for good. Scott Aldred has become a minor league coach since then, working in Charleston (2006), Trenton (2007-2008), and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (2009-present). Outfielder Damon Hollins did not play for the Twins, but was in their farm system for a few months in 2001. He was born in Fairfield, California, went to high school in Vallejo, California, and was drafted by Atlanta in the fourth round in 1992. He hit .321 in rookie ball in 1993 and then started to develop power, hitting 23 homers in Class A in 1994 and 18 in AA in 1995. He had a bad year in 1996, when he apparently was battling injuries, but bounced back to hit 20 homers in AAA Richmond in 1997. He made his major league debut in 1998, but got only six at-bats in three games before being sent back to AAA. In September he was traded to the Dodgers, for whom he got nine more at-bats. For some time, it looked like that would be the extent of his major league career. The Dodgers released him after the season. He signed with Cincinnati for 1999, was a free agent after the season, signed with Milwaukee for 2000, and was a free agent after the season again. He was decent in AAA in those years, but did nothing to attract any attention. The Twins signed him for 2001 and sent him to AAA Edmonton. He played in 69 games there, hitting .276/.342/.405 in 232 at-bats. He was traded back to the Braves’ organization on July 22 in a conditional deal. He stayed there through 2004, each year putting up decent numbers but never getting another shot at the big leagues. In 2004, he hit .301 with 20 homers for Richmond, also getting another ten days in the majors that year. He was a free agent after the season and signed with Tampa Bay. Hollins started the year in the minors, but was called up in a month and became a major league regular for the first time at the age of 30. He played in 241 games for the Devil Rays over the next two seasons and hit 28 home runs, but batted only .239. A free agent after the 2006 season, he went to Japan for 2007, then signed with Kansas City and spent 2008 in Omaha. He signed with Philadelphia for 2009, but did not make the team and his playing career ended. Still, his persistence got him almost two full years in the big leagues, which is more than a lot of people can say. Since his playing career ended, Damon Hollins has been coaching in the Kansas City system, serving as a coach for Wilmington in 2012 and Idaho Falls in 2013.

Also posted at wgom.org Danny Morris (1946) Bobby Keppel (1982) ​Right-hander Danny Walker Morris pitched a total of six games for the Twins from 1968-1969. Born in Greenville, Kentucky, Morris signed with the Twins as a free agent in 1964. He had an excellent year in Class A Wisconsin Rapids in 1965, going 16-8, 2.16 with a WHIP of 1.00 in 225 innings. He struggled for a while as he went up the minor league ladder, but had a good year in 1968 at AAA Denver, going 16-15 with a 3.94 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP. He got a September call-up that year and did well in limited duty, posting a 1.69 ERA in 10.2 innings. That was as good as it would get for Morris, however. He was with the Twins for about three weeks in June of 1969, but did not pitch well there or at Denver that season. He continued to struggle at AAA in 1970 in Evansville and 1971 in Portland. He had a good year at AA in 1972, but again had trouble in eight AAA appearances. He never went to another organization, and his playing career came to an end after the 1972 season. As a Twin, Danny Morris was 0-2, 2.81 in 16 innings. He appeared in six games, three of them starts. As you might guess, this world contains lots of people named Danny Morris; however, no information about “our” Danny Morris was readily available. Right-hander Robert Griffin Keppel pitched for the Twins for a little over half of 2009. Born in St. Louis, he was drafted by the Mets in the first round in 2000. He was a starting pitcher most of his minor league career. He appears to have battled injuries much of the time, as his games and innings pitched numbers make it appear that he may have missed at least a little time nearly every season. His effectiveness went up and down; Keppel’s best year was probably 2003, when he went 9-4, 2.97 with a WHIP of 1.20 in 109 innings. He was released by the Mets in May of 2005 despite the fact that he had made five pretty good starts at AAA Norfolk. He was out of baseball the rest of the season, signing with Kansas City the next February. Keppel made eight appearances (six starts) with the Royals in 2006, but did not pitch well either there or at AAA and became a free agent after the season. He signed with Colorado for 2007 and made four relief appearances for the Rockies in April, but again had a poor year both there and at AAA. He moved on to the Marlins organization for 2008, again pitched poorly, and signed with Minnesota for 2009. In Rochester, he had his first good season in some time, going 3-3, 2.49 with a 1.15 WHIP in 55.2 innings before being called up to the Twins in late June. He stayed the rest of the season, going 1-1, 4.83 with a 1.56 WHIP in 54 innings. He made 37 appearances, all in relief. The Twins released him in January of last year. He signed with the Nippon Ham Fighters in Japan in 2010, had a couple of fine seasons there, missed most of 2012 due to injury, and appears to still be pitching for Nippon Ham in 2013. He also does some volunteer work with LifeTeen, a Catholic youth ministry program.

Also posted at wgom.org Danny Morris (1946) Bobby Keppel (1982) ​Right-hander Danny Walker Morris pitched a total of six games for the Twins from 1968-1969. Born in Greenville, Kentucky, Morris signed with the Twins as a free agent in 1964. He had an excellent year in Class A Wisconsin Rapids in 1965, going 16-8, 2.16 with a WHIP of 1.00 in 225 innings. He struggled for a while as he went up the minor league ladder, but had a good year in 1968 at AAA Denver, going 16-15 with a 3.94 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP. He got a September call-up that year and did well in limited duty, posting a 1.69 ERA in 10.2 innings. That was as good as it would get for Morris, however. He was with the Twins for about three weeks in June of 1969, but did not pitch well there or at Denver that season. He continued to struggle at AAA in 1970 in Evansville and 1971 in Portland. He had a good year at AA in 1972, but again had trouble in eight AAA appearances. He never went to another organization, and his playing career came to an end after the 1972 season. As a Twin, Danny Morris was 0-2, 2.81 in 16 innings. He appeared in six games, three of them starts. As you might guess, this world contains lots of people named Danny Morris; however, no information about “our” Danny Morris was readily available. Right-hander Robert Griffin Keppel pitched for the Twins for a little over half of 2009. Born in St. Louis, he was drafted by the Mets in the first round in 2000. He was a starting pitcher most of his minor league career. He appears to have battled injuries much of the time, as his games and innings pitched numbers make it appear that he may have missed at least a little time nearly every season. His effectiveness went up and down; Keppel’s best year was probably 2003, when he went 9-4, 2.97 with a WHIP of 1.20 in 109 innings. He was released by the Mets in May of 2005 despite the fact that he had made five pretty good starts at AAA Norfolk. He was out of baseball the rest of the season, signing with Kansas City the next February. Keppel made eight appearances (six starts) with the Royals in 2006, but did not pitch well either there or at AAA and became a free agent after the season. He signed with Colorado for 2007 and made four relief appearances for the Rockies in April, but again had a poor year both there and at AAA. He moved on to the Marlins organization for 2008, again pitched poorly, and signed with Minnesota for 2009. In Rochester, he had his first good season in some time, going 3-3, 2.49 with a 1.15 WHIP in 55.2 innings before being called up to the Twins in late June. He stayed the rest of the season, going 1-1, 4.83 with a 1.56 WHIP in 54 innings. He made 37 appearances, all in relief. The Twins released him in January of last year. He signed with the Nippon Ham Fighters in Japan in 2010, had a couple of fine seasons there, missed most of 2012 due to injury, and appears to still be pitching for Nippon Ham in 2013. He also does some volunteer work with LifeTeen, a Catholic youth ministry program.

I agree. If you love it, keep doing it until they make you stop.

Also posted at wgom.org Ed Palmquist (1933) Scott Ullger (1955) Right-hander Edwin Lee Palmquist appeared in nine games for the Twins in 1961. Born and raised in Los Angeles, he signed as a free agent with Brooklyn in 1951. He was with Class C Santa Barbara through 1952, then served in the military for two years. He returned to organized baseball in 1955, but either still had a military obligation or was battling injuries, because he played very little until 1957. Converted to relief in 1959, he had an excellent year for AAA St. Paul, posting an ERA of 2.09 and a WHIP of 1.06 in 125 innings. He began 1960 with AAA Spokane, but was called up the now Los Angeles Dodgers in late June and stayed the rest of the year. He did not pitch often but did well when given a chance, posting a 2.54 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP in 39 innings. He began 1961 with the Dodgers, but after only five appearances was traded to Minnesota with Joe Altobelli for Ernie Oravetz and cash. He made nine appearances for the Twins, two of them starts, and did not do well, going 1-1, 9.43 with a 2.19 WHIP in 21 innings. He apparently got hurt in mid-June, or perhaps he was hurt when the Twins got him, but at any rate he missed the rest of the season. He made three appearances for AAA Vancouver in the Twins’ organization in 1962, but then his playing career in America was over, although he apparently did some pitching in Japan in 1963. He eventually moved to Grants Pass, Oregon, where he passed away on July 10, 2010. First baseman Scott Matthew Ullger got 79 at-bats with the Twins in 1983. He was born in New York and attended St. John’s. He was drafted by Minnesota in the eighteenth round in 1977. The Twins never really settled on a position for him; he played shortstop and third base in 1977-1978, was a third baseman in 1979, and an outfielder from 1980-1982. He did not play first base at all until 1981, and then only 21 games’ worth. On offense, his best season was probably 1978, when he hit .320 with 20 homers at Class A Visalia. He also hit 20 home runs for AA Orlando in 1981, although he hit only .269; he also had a solid year for AAA Toledo in 1982. Ullger then got his only time in the big leagues as a player, spending the entire 1983 season as Kent Hrbek’s backup at first base. He got only 79 at-bats, hitting .190/.247/.241. He then went back to AAA Toledo for three years, doing a solid but unspectacular job for the Mud Hens. He moved to the Baltimore organization for 1987 and then his playing career ended. Ullger then became a minor league manager for the Twins, working in Visalia (1988-1990), Orlando (1991), Portland (1992-1993), and Salt Lake (1994). He has been a part of the Twins’ major league coaching staff since 1995, serving at times as first base coach, third base coach, batting coach, and bench coach. Scott Ullger is currently the first base coach for the Minnesota Twins.

Also posted at wgom.org Ed Palmquist (1933) Scott Ullger (1955) Right-hander Edwin Lee Palmquist appeared in nine games for the Twins in 1961. Born and raised in Los Angeles, he signed as a free agent with Brooklyn in 1951. He was with Class C Santa Barbara through 1952, then served in the military for two years. He returned to organized baseball in 1955, but either still had a military obligation or was battling injuries, because he played very little until 1957. Converted to relief in 1959, he had an excellent year for AAA St. Paul, posting an ERA of 2.09 and a WHIP of 1.06 in 125 innings. He began 1960 with AAA Spokane, but was called up the now Los Angeles Dodgers in late June and stayed the rest of the year. He did not pitch often but did well when given a chance, posting a 2.54 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP in 39 innings. He began 1961 with the Dodgers, but after only five appearances was traded to Minnesota with Joe Altobelli for Ernie Oravetz and cash. He made nine appearances for the Twins, two of them starts, and did not do well, going 1-1, 9.43 with a 2.19 WHIP in 21 innings. He apparently got hurt in mid-June, or perhaps he was hurt when the Twins got him, but at any rate he missed the rest of the season. He made three appearances for AAA Vancouver in the Twins’ organization in 1962, but then his playing career in America was over, although he apparently did some pitching in Japan in 1963. He eventually moved to Grants Pass, Oregon, where he passed away on July 10, 2010. First baseman Scott Matthew Ullger got 79 at-bats with the Twins in 1983. He was born in New York and attended St. John’s. He was drafted by Minnesota in the eighteenth round in 1977. The Twins never really settled on a position for him; he played shortstop and third base in 1977-1978, was a third baseman in 1979, and an outfielder from 1980-1982. He did not play first base at all until 1981, and then only 21 games’ worth. On offense, his best season was probably 1978, when he hit .320 with 20 homers at Class A Visalia. He also hit 20 home runs for AA Orlando in 1981, although he hit only .269; he also had a solid year for AAA Toledo in 1982. Ullger then got his only time in the big leagues as a player, spending the entire 1983 season as Kent Hrbek’s backup at first base. He got only 79 at-bats, hitting .190/.247/.241. He then went back to AAA Toledo for three years, doing a solid but unspectacular job for the Mud Hens. He moved to the Baltimore organization for 1987 and then his playing career ended. Ullger then became a minor league manager for the Twins, working in Visalia (1988-1990), Orlando (1991), Portland (1992-1993), and Salt Lake (1994). He has been a part of the Twins’ major league coaching staff since 1995, serving at times as first base coach, third base coach, batting coach, and bench coach. Scott Ullger is currently the first base coach for the Minnesota Twins.

Also posted at wgom.org Jake Jacobs (1937) Bruce Look (1943) Tom Edens (1961) Outfielder Lamar Gary “Jake” Jacobs appeared in four games for the Twins in 1961. He was born in Youngstown, Ohio, went to college at Ohio University (playing on the same team as another future Twin, Joe Nossek), and signed with Washington as a free agent in 1959. He did not hit for power in the minors, but hit for around .300 for three seasons, the first at Class D Sanford, the second at Class A Charlotte, and the third at AAA Syracuse. He got a September call-up that second year, 1960, and appeared in six games for Washington, four as a pinch-runner and two as a pinch-hitter. He went 0-for-2. He got another September call-up the third year, 1961, and appeared in four games for what was now the Twins, starting two games in centerfield, pinch-hitting once, and being used as a defensive replacement once. He went 2-for-8. That was the extent of Jacobs’ major league career. He played in the Twins’ organization for two more seasons, one in AAA Vancouver and one in AA Charlotte, hitting in the .250s both seasons. Then, his playing career was over. He went into the insurance business after that, selling insurance back in his home town of Youngstown for twenty-five years. He also became involved in the YMCA and was a deacon in his local church. Jake Jacobs passed away in Palmetto, Florida on July 26, 2010. Bruce Michael Look was the Twins’ backup catcher in 1968. Born and raised in Lansing, Michigan, he attended Michigan State and was signed by Milwaukee as a free agent in 1964. After one year in the Braves’ system, he was selected by the Dodgers in the first-year player draft. He was in the Dodgers’ system for three season, going as high as AAA in 1967. He did not have much power, but hit for decent averages, especially considering the era. His best was 1967, when he hit .270 for AAA Spokane. The Twins then chose him in the Rule 5 draft and kept him in the majors for 1968, his only big league season. Look hit .246/.353/.380 in 118 at-bats for the Twins, playing in 59 games. In 19 of those games he was used as a pinch-hitter, going 2-for-16 with two walks and a sacrifice fly. Take away his pinch-hitting duties and he hit .265, which was pretty good for 1968. After that season, Look went back to AAA for two seasons. Prior to the 1971 campaign, he was sent to the Yankees in “an unknown transaction.” The Yankees traded Look to Milwaukee (now the Brewers) in mid-season, and he went to the Orioles after the year ended, but never got back to the majors. He did not play for the Orioles either; his playing career ended after the 1971 season. His brother, Dean, played three games for the White Sox in 1961. Bruce Look is currently the national sales manager for Spinus, L. L. C., a seller of medical devices based in Saginaw, Michigan. Right-hander Thomas Patrick Edens pitched briefly for the Twins in 1991 and then pitched for them for all of 1992. He was born in Ontario, Oregon, went to high school in Fruitland, Idaho, and attended Lewis-Clark State College. He was drafted by Kansas City in the fourteenth round in 1983. He was unimpressive in his first season, but the Mets apparently thought they saw something in him, as they traded for him in April of 1984. A starter in the minors, he pitched well in the Mets’ chain, reaching AAA in 1986 and getting a brief shot at the majors in 1987, making two starts in June. The Mets sent him back to the minors for the next two years, then traded him to Philadelphia in mid-July. The Phillies converted Edens to relief, and after the season he signed with Milwaukee for 1990. He did not pitch all that well in Denver, mainly due to wildness, but the Brewers brought him up in late May and he stayed the rest of the season. He became a free agent after that year and signed with Minnesota. The Twins converted him back to a starter for AAA Portland and he had a fine season, getting called up to the majors in late August and making six starts for the Twins down the stretch of the pennant race. He went back to relief in 1992, staying with the Twins all season. He was a solid member of the bullpen that year, going 6-3 with three saves, an ERA of 2.83, and a WHIP of 1.32 in 76.1 innings over 52 appearances. The Twins left him unprotected in the expansion draft after the season. He was selected by Florida and immediately traded to Houston in a deal involving Hector Carrasco. He had another good year for the Astros in 1993, but was not doing as well in 1994 and was traded to Philadelphia in late July. He did a good job for the Phillies down the stretch, but was released after the season and signed with the Cubs. He was in AAA most of the season and pitched well, but got only five appearances in the majors. Those were his last five big league appearances. He pitched poorly in AAA for Baltimore in 1996 and then his playing career was over. At last report, Tom Edens was living in Clarkston, Washington.

Also posted at wgom.org Jake Jacobs (1937) Bruce Look (1943) Tom Edens (1961) Outfielder Lamar Gary “Jake” Jacobs appeared in four games for the Twins in 1961. He was born in Youngstown, Ohio, went to college at Ohio University (playing on the same team as another future Twin, Joe Nossek), and signed with Washington as a free agent in 1959. He did not hit for power in the minors, but hit for around .300 for three seasons, the first at Class D Sanford, the second at Class A Charlotte, and the third at AAA Syracuse. He got a September call-up that second year, 1960, and appeared in six games for Washington, four as a pinch-runner and two as a pinch-hitter. He went 0-for-2. He got another September call-up the third year, 1961, and appeared in four games for what was now the Twins, starting two games in centerfield, pinch-hitting once, and being used as a defensive replacement once. He went 2-for-8. That was the extent of Jacobs’ major league career. He played in the Twins’ organization for two more seasons, one in AAA Vancouver and one in AA Charlotte, hitting in the .250s both seasons. Then, his playing career was over. He went into the insurance business after that, selling insurance back in his home town of Youngstown for twenty-five years. He also became involved in the YMCA and was a deacon in his local church. Jake Jacobs passed away in Palmetto, Florida on July 26, 2010. Bruce Michael Look was the Twins’ backup catcher in 1968. Born and raised in Lansing, Michigan, he attended Michigan State and was signed by Milwaukee as a free agent in 1964. After one year in the Braves’ system, he was selected by the Dodgers in the first-year player draft. He was in the Dodgers’ system for three season, going as high as AAA in 1967. He did not have much power, but hit for decent averages, especially considering the era. His best was 1967, when he hit .270 for AAA Spokane. The Twins then chose him in the Rule 5 draft and kept him in the majors for 1968, his only big league season. Look hit .246/.353/.380 in 118 at-bats for the Twins, playing in 59 games. In 19 of those games he was used as a pinch-hitter, going 2-for-16 with two walks and a sacrifice fly. Take away his pinch-hitting duties and he hit .265, which was pretty good for 1968. After that season, Look went back to AAA for two seasons. Prior to the 1971 campaign, he was sent to the Yankees in “an unknown transaction.” The Yankees traded Look to Milwaukee (now the Brewers) in mid-season, and he went to the Orioles after the year ended, but never got back to the majors. He did not play for the Orioles either; his playing career ended after the 1971 season. His brother, Dean, played three games for the White Sox in 1961. Bruce Look is currently the national sales manager for Spinus, L. L. C., a seller of medical devices based in Saginaw, Michigan. Right-hander Thomas Patrick Edens pitched briefly for the Twins in 1991 and then pitched for them for all of 1992. He was born in Ontario, Oregon, went to high school in Fruitland, Idaho, and attended Lewis-Clark State College. He was drafted by Kansas City in the fourteenth round in 1983. He was unimpressive in his first season, but the Mets apparently thought they saw something in him, as they traded for him in April of 1984. A starter in the minors, he pitched well in the Mets’ chain, reaching AAA in 1986 and getting a brief shot at the majors in 1987, making two starts in June. The Mets sent him back to the minors for the next two years, then traded him to Philadelphia in mid-July. The Phillies converted Edens to relief, and after the season he signed with Milwaukee for 1990. He did not pitch all that well in Denver, mainly due to wildness, but the Brewers brought him up in late May and he stayed the rest of the season. He became a free agent after that year and signed with Minnesota. The Twins converted him back to a starter for AAA Portland and he had a fine season, getting called up to the majors in late August and making six starts for the Twins down the stretch of the pennant race. He went back to relief in 1992, staying with the Twins all season. He was a solid member of the bullpen that year, going 6-3 with three saves, an ERA of 2.83, and a WHIP of 1.32 in 76.1 innings over 52 appearances. The Twins left him unprotected in the expansion draft after the season. He was selected by Florida and immediately traded to Houston in a deal involving Hector Carrasco. He had another good year for the Astros in 1993, but was not doing as well in 1994 and was traded to Philadelphia in late July. He did a good job for the Phillies down the stretch, but was released after the season and signed with the Cubs. He was in AAA most of the season and pitched well, but got only five appearances in the majors. Those were his last five big league appearances. He pitched poorly in AAA for Baltimore in 1996 and then his playing career was over. At last report, Tom Edens was living in Clarkston, Washington.

Also posted at wgom.org Joe Grzenda (1937) Pete Magrini (1942) Carmelo Castillo (1958) Left-hander Joseph Charles Grzenda made 38 appearances for the Twins in 1969. He was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, went to high school in Moosic, Pennsylvania, and signed with the Tigers as a free agent in 1955. He was mostly a starter in the minors, and after a poor first season did pretty well for the most part. He started 1961 in the majors but was sent back after only 5.2 innings over four games. After the 1961 season he struggled for a couple of years due to injuries. He was shifted to the bullpen in 1963 but continued to struggle and was released in late July. He signed with the Kansas City Athletics for 1964 and was with the A’s for two and a half months, but did not pitch well either there or at AAA. He went down to AA the next two years, and pitched extremely well, posting ERAs under two in 1966 and 1967. He was in the majors just over two months in 1966 and pitched well, but in mid-August of 1967 Grzenda was traded to the Mets. He finished the season with them and continued to pitch well, but after the season was sold to Minnesota. Grzenda had a good year in AAA Denver in 1968, and in 1969 got his first full season in the majors. He was not used a lot, but did not do too badly, going 4-1, 3.88 with a WHIP of 1.42 in 48.2 innings over 38 appearances. In late March of 1970, however, Grzenda was traded to Washington with Charley Walters for Brant Alyea. He was in the Senators’ bullpen for two years, pitching poorly in 1970 but having an outstanding year in 1971. He was traded to St. Louis that off-season, and apparently left the magic behind in Washington, as he had a poor year in 1972. He then spent two years in AAA, pitching in the Yankees’ organization in 1973 and in the Braves’ chain in 1974, but could not get back to the major leagues. After his playing career ended, he was offered a chance to be a pitching coach in the Yankees’ organization, but decided he could not support his family on the amount he was offered. He worked as a security guard, then worked for an auto battery manufacturer in Dunsmore, Pennsylvania for 25 years before retiring. Joe Grzenda was the pitcher at the end of the last game the Washington Senators ever played. He kept the ball, and he formally presented it to the new Washington franchise in April of 2005 for use in the ceremonial first pitch of the first home game for the Washington Nationals. Right-hander Peter Alexander Magrini did not play for the Twins but was originally signed by them. He was born in San Francisco, went to high school in Santa Rosa, California, attended Santa Clara University, and signed with Minnesota as a free agent in 1964. He had a good year for Class A Wilson and was chosen by Boston in the first-year player draft that off-season. He pitched very well in the minors, consistently posting good ERAs and good WHIPs as both a starter and a reliever, but did not get much of a chance in the majors. In fact, his major league career consists of three games with the Red Sox in April and May of 1966. He made two relief appearances and one start, going 0-1, 9.82 in 7.1 innings. He moved on to the Yankees’ organization for 1968 and again pitched very well in the minors, but again it did him no good. He had a down year in AAA in 1969 and his playing career was over at age 27. In four seasons at AAA, Magrini had a 3.09 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP in 475 innings. One has to think he might have done something in the big leagues if he had been given the chance. At last report, Pete Magrini had returned to Santa Rosa and was the owner of an automobile dealership. Outfielder Monte Carmelo Castillo, also known as Carmen Castillo, played for the Twins from 1989-1991. He was born in San Pedro de Macoris, Puerto Rico and signed with Phildelphia as a free agent in 1978. He was drafted by Cleveland in December of 1978 in the minor league draft. He posted decent averages with moderate power in the minors, nothing bad but nothing to attract a lot of attention, either. He came up to the majors in mid-July of 1982, and with the exception of a couple of brief demotions was a part-time player in the majors for the next nine years. He was generally a platoon player and pinch hitter, used primarily against left-handed pitching. He didn’t do badly in that role, hitting .250-.280 with moderate power. In late March of 1989, Castillo was traded to Minnesota for Keith Atherton. Already 31, he was decent his first season with the Twins, but then went into decline. The Twins released him in early May of 1991. Castillo signed with Milwaukee a couple of weeks later and hit well in AAA Denver, but did not make it back to the big leagues and his career came to an end after the season. As a Twin, Carmelo Castillo hit .240/.279/.373 in 367 at-bats. He managed the DSL Rangers in 1991, but no information about what Carmelo Castillo has done since then was readily available.

Also posted at wgom.org Joe Grzenda (1937) Pete Magrini (1942) Carmelo Castillo (1958) Left-hander Joseph Charles Grzenda made 38 appearances for the Twins in 1969. He was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, went to high school in Moosic, Pennsylvania, and signed with the Tigers as a free agent in 1955. He was mostly a starter in the minors, and after a poor first season did pretty well for the most part. He started 1961 in the majors but was sent back after only 5.2 innings over four games. After the 1961 season he struggled for a couple of years due to injuries. He was shifted to the bullpen in 1963 but continued to struggle and was released in late July. He signed with the Kansas City Athletics for 1964 and was with the A’s for two and a half months, but did not pitch well either there or at AAA. He went down to AA the next two years, and pitched extremely well, posting ERAs under two in 1966 and 1967. He was in the majors just over two months in 1966 and pitched well, but in mid-August of 1967 Grzenda was traded to the Mets. He finished the season with them and continued to pitch well, but after the season was sold to Minnesota. Grzenda had a good year in AAA Denver in 1968, and in 1969 got his first full season in the majors. He was not used a lot, but did not do too badly, going 4-1, 3.88 with a WHIP of 1.42 in 48.2 innings over 38 appearances. In late March of 1970, however, Grzenda was traded to Washington with Charley Walters for Brant Alyea. He was in the Senators’ bullpen for two years, pitching poorly in 1970 but having an outstanding year in 1971. He was traded to St. Louis that off-season, and apparently left the magic behind in Washington, as he had a poor year in 1972. He then spent two years in AAA, pitching in the Yankees’ organization in 1973 and in the Braves’ chain in 1974, but could not get back to the major leagues. After his playing career ended, he was offered a chance to be a pitching coach in the Yankees’ organization, but decided he could not support his family on the amount he was offered. He worked as a security guard, then worked for an auto battery manufacturer in Dunsmore, Pennsylvania for 25 years before retiring. Joe Grzenda was the pitcher at the end of the last game the Washington Senators ever played. He kept the ball, and he formally presented it to the new Washington franchise in April of 2005 for use in the ceremonial first pitch of the first home game for the Washington Nationals. Right-hander Peter Alexander Magrini did not play for the Twins but was originally signed by them. He was born in San Francisco, went to high school in Santa Rosa, California, attended Santa Clara University, and signed with Minnesota as a free agent in 1964. He had a good year for Class A Wilson and was chosen by Boston in the first-year player draft that off-season. He pitched very well in the minors, consistently posting good ERAs and good WHIPs as both a starter and a reliever, but did not get much of a chance in the majors. In fact, his major league career consists of three games with the Red Sox in April and May of 1966. He made two relief appearances and one start, going 0-1, 9.82 in 7.1 innings. He moved on to the Yankees’ organization for 1968 and again pitched very well in the minors, but again it did him no good. He had a down year in AAA in 1969 and his playing career was over at age 27. In four seasons at AAA, Magrini had a 3.09 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP in 475 innings. One has to think he might have done something in the big leagues if he had been given the chance. At last report, Pete Magrini had returned to Santa Rosa and was the owner of an automobile dealership. Outfielder Monte Carmelo Castillo, also known as Carmen Castillo, played for the Twins from 1989-1991. He was born in San Pedro de Macoris, Puerto Rico and signed with Phildelphia as a free agent in 1978. He was drafted by Cleveland in December of 1978 in the minor league draft. He posted decent averages with moderate power in the minors, nothing bad but nothing to attract a lot of attention, either. He came up to the majors in mid-July of 1982, and with the exception of a couple of brief demotions was a part-time player in the majors for the next nine years. He was generally a platoon player and pinch hitter, used primarily against left-handed pitching. He didn’t do badly in that role, hitting .250-.280 with moderate power. In late March of 1989, Castillo was traded to Minnesota for Keith Atherton. Already 31, he was decent his first season with the Twins, but then went into decline. The Twins released him in early May of 1991. Castillo signed with Milwaukee a couple of weeks later and hit well in AAA Denver, but did not make it back to the big leagues and his career came to an end after the season. As a Twin, Carmelo Castillo hit .240/.279/.373 in 367 at-bats. He managed the DSL Rangers in 1991, but no information about what Carmelo Castillo has done since then was readily available.

Also posted at wgom.org George Mitterwald (1945) Tim Laudner (1958) Donaldo Mendez (1978) Virgil Vasquez (1982) Catcher George Eugene Mitterwald played for the Twins in 1966 and from 1968-1973. He was born in Berkeley, California, went to high school in Hayward, California, and attended Chabot College in Hayward. He signed with the Twins as a free agent in 1965. He had an excellent year at Class A St. Cloud in 1965, then settled in as a rather mediocre minor league hitter. He got a September call-up in 1966 and another in 1968 before coming to the majors to stay. He was the backup to Johnny Roseboro in 1969, then became the mostly regular catcher. He remained in that role from 1970-1971, but in 1972 Mitterwald had a poor year even by his standards, and shared the job with Glenn Borgmann, Phil Roof, and Rick Dempsey. He regained the starting job in 1973 and had his best year as a Twin, hitting .259 with 16 home runs. The Twins apparently decided that was as good as it was ever going to get and traded him that Mitterwald to the Cubs that off-season for Randy Hundley. As a Twin, George Mitterwald hit .239/.304/.373 in 1,578 at-bats. He was then a part-time catcher for the Cubs for the next four years. Mitterwald became a free agent after the 1977 campaign and signed with Seattle. He played poorly in AAA for the Mariners and his playing career came to an end. He then went into coaching and managing, serving as the bullpen coach for Oakland (1979-1982), as the manager of Modesto (1983-1985) and Orlando (1986-1987), and as bench coach for the Yankees (1988). He managed in the independent Northern League from 1996-1998. He was inducted into the Chabot College Hall of Fame in 2000. No information about what George Mitterwald has been doing since then was readily available. Catcher Timothy Jon Laudner was a catcher for the Twins throughout the 1980s. He was born in Mason City, Iowa, went to high school in Minneapolis, and attended the University of Missouri. He was drafted by Minnesota in the third round of the 1979 draft. Laudner had indifferent minor league numbers for two season, then hit .284 with 42 homers with Orlando in 1981. That got him a call-up in late August, and when Butch Wynegar was traded in May of 1982 Laudner became the regular catcher. Unfortunately, the 42-home-run season turned out to be a fluke; he never hit more than 16 in any other season, majors or minors. Because he never showed power and his average never really developed, either, Laudner was never the full-time catcher after 1982, sharing the job with Dave Engle (1983-84), Mark Salas (1985-1986), Sal Butera (1987), Tom Nieto (1987-1988), and Brian Harper (1988-1989). Despite that, Laudner made the all-star team in 1988. He was hitting .290 at the end of June that year, but fell to .251 by year’s end. Laudner never played for another organization, retiring after the 1989 campaign. He hit .225/.292/.391 with 77 homers in 2,038 at-bats. After his playing career ended, he worked in the heating and air conditioning industry for a while, then got back into baseball. Tim Laudner currently is as an instructor and part-owner of Big League Baseball Camp in Minnetonka and also works as a part-time analyst for Fox Sports North. Shortstop Donaldo Alfonso Mendez did not play for the Twins, but was in their farm system for a couple of months in 2006. Born and raised in Barquisimeto, Venezuela, he signed with Houston as a free agent in 1995. He stayed in the low minors and did not hit anything until 2000, when he batted .270 and stole 39 bases for Class A Michigan. His OPS was still only .683, but that was enough for San Diego to take him in the rule 5 draft and keep him in the majors all season. A reserve shortstop, he appeared in 46 games, got 118 at-bats, and hit .153. Not surprisingly, he was back in the minors in 2002. He never really did learn to hit; his lifetime average in the minors was .239, a figure that falls to .228 when you take out his years in independent leagues. He stayed with the Padres through 2003, getting another month in the majors in his final year with them. He moved on to Pittsburgh in 2004 and San Francisco in 2005. He was hitting .272 with Newark in the Atlantic League when the Twins signed him on July 6, 2006. He went to Rochester and actually put up very good numbers in limited playing time: in 19 games, he batted 29 times and hit .270/.300/.621 with three homers. The Twins were not fooled, and allowed him to become a free agent after the season. He played in independent leagues through 2008, then ended his playing career. At last report, Donaldo Mendez was working for the Gonzalez Sports Academy in San Diego. Right-hander Virgil Matthew Vasquez has not played for the Twins, but is in their farm system. Born and raised in Santa Barbara, California, he was drafted by Detroit in the seventh round in 2003. He was somewhat up and down in his minor league career, but seemed to break through in 2007, going 12-5 in AAA with a 3.48 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP. He appeared in five big-league games for the Tigers that year, and while he did not do well in them, he still appeared to be on his way. Instead, he went backward. He had a poor year in AAA in 2008, was placed on waivers, and was selected by Boston. Before the 2009 season started, he was waived twice more, being selected by San Diego and then by Pittsburgh. The good news, of course, is that there was always someone who wanted him. He did fairly well in AAA for the Pirates and got back to the big leagues for nearly half the season. He spent over a month in the Pittsburgh rotation, but again did not do well. After the 2009 season he was traded to Tampa Bay for a player to be named later. He was okay, but nothing more, in AAA for the Rays and became a free agent after the season. He signed with the Angels for 2011, but was released in April and spent 2011 in the Atlantic League, with a couple of starts in Australia. He was back in the Atlantic League in 2012, then signed with Minnesota for 2013. He has been pitching for Rochester but has not been particularly good. He turns 31 today. He has put it together at times, so it’s possible that he’ll do it again, but it’s unlikely that we will see Virgil Vasquez in a major league uniform again.

Also posted at wgom.org George Mitterwald (1945) Tim Laudner (1958) Donaldo Mendez (1978) Virgil Vasquez (1982) Catcher George Eugene Mitterwald played for the Twins in 1966 and from 1968-1973. He was born in Berkeley, California, went to high school in Hayward, California, and attended Chabot College in Hayward. He signed with the Twins as a free agent in 1965. He had an excellent year at Class A St. Cloud in 1965, then settled in as a rather mediocre minor league hitter. He got a September call-up in 1966 and another in 1968 before coming to the majors to stay. He was the backup to Johnny Roseboro in 1969, then became the mostly regular catcher. He remained in that role from 1970-1971, but in 1972 Mitterwald had a poor year even by his standards, and shared the job with Glenn Borgmann, Phil Roof, and Rick Dempsey. He regained the starting job in 1973 and had his best year as a Twin, hitting .259 with 16 home runs. The Twins apparently decided that was as good as it was ever going to get and traded him that Mitterwald to the Cubs that off-season for Randy Hundley. As a Twin, George Mitterwald hit .239/.304/.373 in 1,578 at-bats. He was then a part-time catcher for the Cubs for the next four years. Mitterwald became a free agent after the 1977 campaign and signed with Seattle. He played poorly in AAA for the Mariners and his playing career came to an end. He then went into coaching and managing, serving as the bullpen coach for Oakland (1979-1982), as the manager of Modesto (1983-1985) and Orlando (1986-1987), and as bench coach for the Yankees (1988). He managed in the independent Northern League from 1996-1998. He was inducted into the Chabot College Hall of Fame in 2000. No information about what George Mitterwald has been doing since then was readily available. Catcher Timothy Jon Laudner was a catcher for the Twins throughout the 1980s. He was born in Mason City, Iowa, went to high school in Minneapolis, and attended the University of Missouri. He was drafted by Minnesota in the third round of the 1979 draft. Laudner had indifferent minor league numbers for two season, then hit .284 with 42 homers with Orlando in 1981. That got him a call-up in late August, and when Butch Wynegar was traded in May of 1982 Laudner became the regular catcher. Unfortunately, the 42-home-run season turned out to be a fluke; he never hit more than 16 in any other season, majors or minors. Because he never showed power and his average never really developed, either, Laudner was never the full-time catcher after 1982, sharing the job with Dave Engle (1983-84), Mark Salas (1985-1986), Sal Butera (1987), Tom Nieto (1987-1988), and Brian Harper (1988-1989). Despite that, Laudner made the all-star team in 1988. He was hitting .290 at the end of June that year, but fell to .251 by year’s end. Laudner never played for another organization, retiring after the 1989 campaign. He hit .225/.292/.391 with 77 homers in 2,038 at-bats. After his playing career ended, he worked in the heating and air conditioning industry for a while, then got back into baseball. Tim Laudner currently is as an instructor and part-owner of Big League Baseball Camp in Minnetonka and also works as a part-time analyst for Fox Sports North. Shortstop Donaldo Alfonso Mendez did not play for the Twins, but was in their farm system for a couple of months in 2006. Born and raised in Barquisimeto, Venezuela, he signed with Houston as a free agent in 1995. He stayed in the low minors and did not hit anything until 2000, when he batted .270 and stole 39 bases for Class A Michigan. His OPS was still only .683, but that was enough for San Diego to take him in the rule 5 draft and keep him in the majors all season. A reserve shortstop, he appeared in 46 games, got 118 at-bats, and hit .153. Not surprisingly, he was back in the minors in 2002. He never really did learn to hit; his lifetime average in the minors was .239, a figure that falls to .228 when you take out his years in independent leagues. He stayed with the Padres through 2003, getting another month in the majors in his final year with them. He moved on to Pittsburgh in 2004 and San Francisco in 2005. He was hitting .272 with Newark in the Atlantic League when the Twins signed him on July 6, 2006. He went to Rochester and actually put up very good numbers in limited playing time: in 19 games, he batted 29 times and hit .270/.300/.621 with three homers. The Twins were not fooled, and allowed him to become a free agent after the season. He played in independent leagues through 2008, then ended his playing career. At last report, Donaldo Mendez was working for the Gonzalez Sports Academy in San Diego. Right-hander Virgil Matthew Vasquez has not played for the Twins, but is in their farm system. Born and raised in Santa Barbara, California, he was drafted by Detroit in the seventh round in 2003. He was somewhat up and down in his minor league career, but seemed to break through in 2007, going 12-5 in AAA with a 3.48 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP. He appeared in five big-league games for the Tigers that year, and while he did not do well in them, he still appeared to be on his way. Instead, he went backward. He had a poor year in AAA in 2008, was placed on waivers, and was selected by Boston. Before the 2009 season started, he was waived twice more, being selected by San Diego and then by Pittsburgh. The good news, of course, is that there was always someone who wanted him. He did fairly well in AAA for the Pirates and got back to the big leagues for nearly half the season. He spent over a month in the Pittsburgh rotation, but again did not do well. After the 2009 season he was traded to Tampa Bay for a player to be named later. He was okay, but nothing more, in AAA for the Rays and became a free agent after the season. He signed with the Angels for 2011, but was released in April and spent 2011 in the Atlantic League, with a couple of starts in Australia. He was back in the Atlantic League in 2012, then signed with Minnesota for 2013. He has been pitching for Rochester but has not been particularly good. He turns 31 today. He has put it together at times, so it’s possible that he’ll do it again, but it’s unlikely that we will see Virgil Vasquez in a major league uniform again.

Also posted at wgom.org Bobby Randall (1948) David Lamb (1975) Second baseman Robert Lee Randall played for the Twins in the late 1970s. He was born in Norton, Kansas, went to high school in Gove, Kansas, and attended Kansas State. He was drafted by the Dodgers in the second round of the June Secondary draft in 1969. He never showed power in the minors, and his average was up and down; his best year was 1974, when he hit .338 for AAA Albuquerque. After the 1975 season, Randall was traded to Minnesota for Danny Walton. He was instantly installed as the regular second baseman, but when he proved inadequate offensively he was platooned with Rob Wilfong for the next three years. He was a solid defensive player, but never hit well enough to justify his place in the lineup. His batting average sometimes made him look adequate–his highest was .270 in 1978–but he had no power and did not draw walks, so his highest OPS was .650, also in 1978. Randall was a fine bunter, achieving double-digit sacrifice bunts every season. The Twins released Randall at the end of spring training of 1980, signed him again on May 16, released him again on June 3, signed him again on June 18, and released him again on July 16, this time for good. He never played for another team. Bobby Randall’s career numbers are .257/.310/.311 in 1,325 at-bats. He then went into college coaching, serving as an assistant coach at Iowa State from 1981-1984, head coach at Iowa State from 1985-1995, and head coach at Kansas from 1996-2002. He also got a master’s degree in economics at Kansas State. At last report, Bobby Randall was living in Manhattan, Kansas and was a part-time professor of economics and statistics at Manhattan Christian College. Infielder David Christian Lamb appeared in seven games for the Twins in 2002. He was born in West Hills, California, went to high school in Newbury Park, California, and was drafted by Baltimore in the second round in 1993. It took him a while to get started, but he hit right around .300 from 1997-1998 in the minor leagues. The Orioles did not put him on the 40-man roster, however, and he was selected by Tampa Bay in the Rule 5 draft after the 1998 season. He was with the Devil Rays in 1999 as a utility infielder, batting .226. Tampa Bay waived him in February of 2000 and the Mets picked him up. He was in the big leagues for about three weeks, again as a reserve, and had a poor year in AAA. He became a free agent after the season, signed with Anaheim, was released at the end of spring training of 2001, signed with Colorado, was unspectacular in AA, was released in August, and signed with Florida the same day, going to AAA for the rest of the year. Lamb signed with Minnesota for 2002. He had a solid season in AAA Edmonton, hitting .309 with ten homers, and got a September call-up. He went 1-for-10, but replaced Denny Hocking on the ALCS roster that year, appearing in two games but not getting a time at bat. Lamb was back with the Twins’ AAA team, now at Rochester, for 2003. He had a mediocre season and his playing career came to an end. At last report, David Lamb was a batting and fielding instructor for Hitting Zone, a baseball instructional facility located in Westlake Village, California.

Also posted at wgom.org Bobby Randall (1948) David Lamb (1975) Second baseman Robert Lee Randall played for the Twins in the late 1970s. He was born in Norton, Kansas, went to high school in Gove, Kansas, and attended Kansas State. He was drafted by the Dodgers in the second round of the June Secondary draft in 1969. He never showed power in the minors, and his average was up and down; his best year was 1974, when he hit .338 for AAA Albuquerque. After the 1975 season, Randall was traded to Minnesota for Danny Walton. He was instantly installed as the regular second baseman, but when he proved inadequate offensively he was platooned with Rob Wilfong for the next three years. He was a solid defensive player, but never hit well enough to justify his place in the lineup. His batting average sometimes made him look adequate–his highest was .270 in 1978–but he had no power and did not draw walks, so his highest OPS was .650, also in 1978. Randall was a fine bunter, achieving double-digit sacrifice bunts every season. The Twins released Randall at the end of spring training of 1980, signed him again on May 16, released him again on June 3, signed him again on June 18, and released him again on July 16, this time for good. He never played for another team. Bobby Randall’s career numbers are .257/.310/.311 in 1,325 at-bats. He then went into college coaching, serving as an assistant coach at Iowa State from 1981-1984, head coach at Iowa State from 1985-1995, and head coach at Kansas from 1996-2002. He also got a master’s degree in economics at Kansas State. At last report, Bobby Randall was living in Manhattan, Kansas and was a part-time professor of economics and statistics at Manhattan Christian College. Infielder David Christian Lamb appeared in seven games for the Twins in 2002. He was born in West Hills, California, went to high school in Newbury Park, California, and was drafted by Baltimore in the second round in 1993. It took him a while to get started, but he hit right around .300 from 1997-1998 in the minor leagues. The Orioles did not put him on the 40-man roster, however, and he was selected by Tampa Bay in the Rule 5 draft after the 1998 season. He was with the Devil Rays in 1999 as a utility infielder, batting .226. Tampa Bay waived him in February of 2000 and the Mets picked him up. He was in the big leagues for about three weeks, again as a reserve, and had a poor year in AAA. He became a free agent after the season, signed with Anaheim, was released at the end of spring training of 2001, signed with Colorado, was unspectacular in AA, was released in August, and signed with Florida the same day, going to AAA for the rest of the year. Lamb signed with Minnesota for 2002. He had a solid season in AAA Edmonton, hitting .309 with ten homers, and got a September call-up. He went 1-for-10, but replaced Denny Hocking on the ALCS roster that year, appearing in two games but not getting a time at bat. Lamb was back with the Twins’ AAA team, now at Rochester, for 2003. He had a mediocre season and his playing career came to an end. At last report, David Lamb was a batting and fielding instructor for Hitting Zone, a baseball instructional facility located in Westlake Village, California.

Also posted at wgom.org J. C. Romero (1976) ​Left-hander Juan Carlos ”J. C.” Romero from 1999-2005. He was born in San Piedras, Puerto Rico, went to high school in San Juan, and then attended the University of Mobile. He was drafted by Minnesota in the 21st round in 1997. He was a reliever throughout his early minor league career, did very well, and made the majors for the first time in September of 1999. He bounced back and forth between the majors and AAA for the next two seasons, mostly used as a starter in those seasons. He pitched well in AAA, but not very well at all in the majors. In 2002, Romero became a reliever again and had a tremendous year, going 9-2, 1.89 with a WHIP of 1.21 in 81 innings and 81 appearances. He then was up and down, having a poor year in 2003, a better year in 2004, and a worse year again in 2005. As a Twin, J. C. Romero was 25-20, 4.38 with a WHIP of 1.48. He appeared in 327 games, 22 of them starts, and pitched 407.2 innings. After the 2005 season, the Twins traded Romero to the Anaheim Angels for Alexi Casilla. He was pretty awful for the Angels in 2006, became a free agent, and signed with Boston. He was not very good there, either, and was released in June. Romero signed with Philadelphia a few days later and seemed reborn. He pitched very well the rest of 2007 and again in 2008, helping the Phillies win the World Series. He was suspended for fifty games in 2009, and has been bothered by injuries and wildness since his return. He earned the title “well-traveled reliever” in 2011, playing for Philadelphia, Washington, the Yankees, and Colorado. He signed with St. Louis for 2012, was released in mid-May, and was signed by Baltimore. He pitched well in AAA, but was released again in mid-July. He signed with Cleveland, pitched well in AAA, and was traded back to Baltimore in mid-August. The Orioles put him in their bullpen, but he was not very good and was made a free agent after two weeks. He didn't give up, though. He signed with Washington in late March and is currently pitching fairly well for them in AAA. He's 37, and one would think his time was about up, but (say it with me) "he is left-handed". It would not be a shock if somehow J. C. Romero found his way back to the big leagues again.

Also posted at wgom.org J. C. Romero (1976) ​Left-hander Juan Carlos ”J. C.” Romero from 1999-2005. He was born in San Piedras, Puerto Rico, went to high school in San Juan, and then attended the University of Mobile. He was drafted by Minnesota in the 21st round in 1997. He was a reliever throughout his early minor league career, did very well, and made the majors for the first time in September of 1999. He bounced back and forth between the majors and AAA for the next two seasons, mostly used as a starter in those seasons. He pitched well in AAA, but not very well at all in the majors. In 2002, Romero became a reliever again and had a tremendous year, going 9-2, 1.89 with a WHIP of 1.21 in 81 innings and 81 appearances. He then was up and down, having a poor year in 2003, a better year in 2004, and a worse year again in 2005. As a Twin, J. C. Romero was 25-20, 4.38 with a WHIP of 1.48. He appeared in 327 games, 22 of them starts, and pitched 407.2 innings. After the 2005 season, the Twins traded Romero to the Anaheim Angels for Alexi Casilla. He was pretty awful for the Angels in 2006, became a free agent, and signed with Boston. He was not very good there, either, and was released in June. Romero signed with Philadelphia a few days later and seemed reborn. He pitched very well the rest of 2007 and again in 2008, helping the Phillies win the World Series. He was suspended for fifty games in 2009, and has been bothered by injuries and wildness since his return. He earned the title “well-traveled reliever” in 2011, playing for Philadelphia, Washington, the Yankees, and Colorado. He signed with St. Louis for 2012, was released in mid-May, and was signed by Baltimore. He pitched well in AAA, but was released again in mid-July. He signed with Cleveland, pitched well in AAA, and was traded back to Baltimore in mid-August. The Orioles put him in their bullpen, but he was not very good and was made a free agent after two weeks. He didn't give up, though. He signed with Washington in late March and is currently pitching fairly well for them in AAA. He's 37, and one would think his time was about up, but (say it with me) "he is left-handed". It would not be a shock if somehow J. C. Romero found his way back to the big leagues again.

Sorry, I was gone yesterday. We'll have today's birthdays later today. Ron Keller (1943) Jim Dwyer (1950) Nelson Liriano (1964) Right-hander Ronald Lee Keller made nine total appearances with the Twins in 1966 and 1968. He was born in Indianapolis and attended Indiana University. The Twins drafted him in the eighth round in 1965. After a strong year at Class A St. Cloud in 1965, he started 1966 in at Class A Wilson, was promoted after seven starts to AA Charlotte, was promoted after seven appearances (six starts) to AAA Denver, and made eight appearances (seven starts) there. He also made two appearances in Minnesota in July, allowing four runs (three earned) in 5.1 innings. Perhaps all the packing and unpacking got to him, because while he was excellent all along the way in 1966, he never had a good season again. He was in AAA Denver for all of 1967 and most of 1968, making six appearances in the majors in the latter year. He made seven appearances that year, posting an ERA of 2.81 in 16 innings. His totals as a Twin were 0-1, 3.38 with a WHIP of 1.41 in 21.1 innings. He appeared in nine games, making one start. 1968 was Keller’s last season as an active player. One wonders if injuries were his problem, but no information about that was readily available. Ron Keller’s son, Jason, is a successful playwright and screenwriter and his wife, Susan, is an actress and spokesperson, but no information about what Ron Keller himself is doing was readily available. Outfielder/DH James Edward Dwyer played for the Twins for part of the 1988, 1989, and 1990 seasons. He was born in Evergreen Park, Illinois, went to high school in Oaklawn, Illinois, and attended Southern Illinois University. He was drafted by St. Louis in the eleventh round in 1971. He was always a high-average hitter in the minors, posting an average of over .300 in every year in which he played more than eight games. He first reached the majors in 1973, but bounced back and forth between St. Louis and AAA until he was traded to Montreal in July of 1975. He finished the season with the Expos and did fairly well, but when he started poorly in 1976 he was on the move again, traded to the Mets in July. Most of his time there was spent in the minors and then he was once again traded, this time to the Cubs. Dwyer hit .332 with 18 homers and 12 triples for AAA Wichita for an OPS of 1.041 in 1977. All it got him was a release as soon as the season was over. Now heading into his age 28 season, he signed with St. Louis. Dwyer finally got his first full season in the majors, but it wasn’t all with the Cardinals; he was traded to San Francisco in mid-June. He didn’t get much chance to play with either team, and did not do much with the chances he had. In March of 1979, the Giants sold him to Boston. He was a part-time player for the Red Sox for two years and did fairly well, posting his best major league season up to that time. He became a free agent after the 1980 season and moved to Baltimore, where he finally found a home. He was never a regular, but he was a part-time outfielder for the Orioles for the next seven years, helping the Orioles win a world championship in 1983. He started an eighth year, 1988, with Baltimore, but played little and was traded in late August to the Twins for a player to be named later (Doug Kline). He finished the season with Minnesota, hitting .293 with 2 homers in 41 at-bats. Dwyer was with the Twins most of 1989 and again hit well, posting an average of .316 as a left-handed DH, but was traded back to Montreal in late August for a player to be named later (Alonzo Powell). He was traded back to the Twins that off-season for Jim Davins. Now 40, he got off to a slow start in 1990 and elected to retire in late June. As a Twin, Jim Dwyer hit .289/.387/.380 in 329 at-bats (145 games). He was never a star, and in fact was never a regular; the highest number of at-bats he got in a season was 260. Still, he was a big league ball player for all or part of eighteen seasons, and there are not a lot of people who can say that. Since his playing days ended, Jim Dywer has been a coach and manager in the Twins organization, coaching at Portland (1991), managing at Ft. Wayne (1992) and Kenosha (1993-1994), coaching at New Britain (1995-1996), serving as minor league hitting coordinator (1997-2005), and coaching at Ft. Myers (2006-present). Infielder Nelson Arturo (Bonilla) Liriano is the second-best Minnesota Twins player ever named “Liriano”. He played for the Twins for about two months of 1990. Liriano was born in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic and signed with Toronto as a free agent in 1982. He had some decent years in the minors, hitting in the .280s a couple of times, but nothing to really make anyone sit up and take notice. Still, he made it to the majors in late August of 1987 and stayed for over three years. He hit in the .260s for the Blue Jays in 1988 and 1989, achieving more-or-less regular status as a second baseman in 1989. He had slipped back to part-time status in 1990, however, when he was traded to Minnesota with Pedro Munoz for John Candelaria in late July. He was the Twins’ regular second baseman the rest of the way, hitting .254/.332/.357 in 185 at-bats. The Twins released Liriano at the end of spring training in 1991 and he signed with Kansas City. He was in the minors almost the entire season, getting only about two weeks in the majors. Let go after that season, he was in AAA for Cleveland in 1992. He moved on to Colorado for 1993-1994, starting the former season in the minors but getting called up after hitting .358 in 293 at-bats in Colorado Springs. He then got four full seasons in the majors, serving as a part-time player for the Rockies, the Pirates, (1995-1996) and the Dodgers (1997). his highest at-bat total in those years was 259, but he was a solid player in his role. He started 1998 back with the Rockies, but was sent back to AAA after starting 0-for-17. That’s how his major league career ended; Liriano hit .315 with Colorado Springs, but never made it back to the big leagues. His playing career ended after that season. Since then, he has remained in baseball as a minor league coach and manager. He managed the DSL Rockies from 2000-2001, was a coach at Wichita from 2002-2005, was a coach for the ASL Royals in 2006, coached at Wilmington from 2007-2008, was the manager of the Burlington Royals in the Appalachian League from 2009-2011, and was a batting coach for the ASL Royals in 2012. In 2013, Nelson Liriano is the batting coach of the Northwest Arkansas Naturals, the AA Royals affiliate.

Sorry, I was gone yesterday. We'll have today's birthdays later today. Ron Keller (1943) Jim Dwyer (1950) Nelson Liriano (1964) Right-hander Ronald Lee Keller made nine total appearances with the Twins in 1966 and 1968. He was born in Indianapolis and attended Indiana University. The Twins drafted him in the eighth round in 1965. After a strong year at Class A St. Cloud in 1965, he started 1966 in at Class A Wilson, was promoted after seven starts to AA Charlotte, was promoted after seven appearances (six starts) to AAA Denver, and made eight appearances (seven starts) there. He also made two appearances in Minnesota in July, allowing four runs (three earned) in 5.1 innings. Perhaps all the packing and unpacking got to him, because while he was excellent all along the way in 1966, he never had a good season again. He was in AAA Denver for all of 1967 and most of 1968, making six appearances in the majors in the latter year. He made seven appearances that year, posting an ERA of 2.81 in 16 innings. His totals as a Twin were 0-1, 3.38 with a WHIP of 1.41 in 21.1 innings. He appeared in nine games, making one start. 1968 was Keller’s last season as an active player. One wonders if injuries were his problem, but no information about that was readily available. Ron Keller’s son, Jason, is a successful playwright and screenwriter and his wife, Susan, is an actress and spokesperson, but no information about what Ron Keller himself is doing was readily available. Outfielder/DH James Edward Dwyer played for the Twins for part of the 1988, 1989, and 1990 seasons. He was born in Evergreen Park, Illinois, went to high school in Oaklawn, Illinois, and attended Southern Illinois University. He was drafted by St. Louis in the eleventh round in 1971. He was always a high-average hitter in the minors, posting an average of over .300 in every year in which he played more than eight games. He first reached the majors in 1973, but bounced back and forth between St. Louis and AAA until he was traded to Montreal in July of 1975. He finished the season with the Expos and did fairly well, but when he started poorly in 1976 he was on the move again, traded to the Mets in July. Most of his time there was spent in the minors and then he was once again traded, this time to the Cubs. Dwyer hit .332 with 18 homers and 12 triples for AAA Wichita for an OPS of 1.041 in 1977. All it got him was a release as soon as the season was over. Now heading into his age 28 season, he signed with St. Louis. Dwyer finally got his first full season in the majors, but it wasn’t all with the Cardinals; he was traded to San Francisco in mid-June. He didn’t get much chance to play with either team, and did not do much with the chances he had. In March of 1979, the Giants sold him to Boston. He was a part-time player for the Red Sox for two years and did fairly well, posting his best major league season up to that time. He became a free agent after the 1980 season and moved to Baltimore, where he finally found a home. He was never a regular, but he was a part-time outfielder for the Orioles for the next seven years, helping the Orioles win a world championship in 1983. He started an eighth year, 1988, with Baltimore, but played little and was traded in late August to the Twins for a player to be named later (Doug Kline). He finished the season with Minnesota, hitting .293 with 2 homers in 41 at-bats. Dwyer was with the Twins most of 1989 and again hit well, posting an average of .316 as a left-handed DH, but was traded back to Montreal in late August for a player to be named later (Alonzo Powell). He was traded back to the Twins that off-season for Jim Davins. Now 40, he got off to a slow start in 1990 and elected to retire in late June. As a Twin, Jim Dwyer hit .289/.387/.380 in 329 at-bats (145 games). He was never a star, and in fact was never a regular; the highest number of at-bats he got in a season was 260. Still, he was a big league ball player for all or part of eighteen seasons, and there are not a lot of people who can say that. Since his playing days ended, Jim Dywer has been a coach and manager in the Twins organization, coaching at Portland (1991), managing at Ft. Wayne (1992) and Kenosha (1993-1994), coaching at New Britain (1995-1996), serving as minor league hitting coordinator (1997-2005), and coaching at Ft. Myers (2006-present). Infielder Nelson Arturo (Bonilla) Liriano is the second-best Minnesota Twins player ever named “Liriano”. He played for the Twins for about two months of 1990. Liriano was born in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic and signed with Toronto as a free agent in 1982. He had some decent years in the minors, hitting in the .280s a couple of times, but nothing to really make anyone sit up and take notice. Still, he made it to the majors in late August of 1987 and stayed for over three years. He hit in the .260s for the Blue Jays in 1988 and 1989, achieving more-or-less regular status as a second baseman in 1989. He had slipped back to part-time status in 1990, however, when he was traded to Minnesota with Pedro Munoz for John Candelaria in late July. He was the Twins’ regular second baseman the rest of the way, hitting .254/.332/.357 in 185 at-bats. The Twins released Liriano at the end of spring training in 1991 and he signed with Kansas City. He was in the minors almost the entire season, getting only about two weeks in the majors. Let go after that season, he was in AAA for Cleveland in 1992. He moved on to Colorado for 1993-1994, starting the former season in the minors but getting called up after hitting .358 in 293 at-bats in Colorado Springs. He then got four full seasons in the majors, serving as a part-time player for the Rockies, the Pirates, (1995-1996) and the Dodgers (1997). his highest at-bat total in those years was 259, but he was a solid player in his role. He started 1998 back with the Rockies, but was sent back to AAA after starting 0-for-17. That’s how his major league career ended; Liriano hit .315 with Colorado Springs, but never made it back to the big leagues. His playing career ended after that season. Since then, he has remained in baseball as a minor league coach and manager. He managed the DSL Rockies from 2000-2001, was a coach at Wichita from 2002-2005, was a coach for the ASL Royals in 2006, coached at Wilmington from 2007-2008, was the manager of the Burlington Royals in the Appalachian League from 2009-2011, and was a batting coach for the ASL Royals in 2012. In 2013, Nelson Liriano is the batting coach of the Northwest Arkansas Naturals, the AA Royals affiliate.

Also posted at wgom.org Frank Verdi (1926) Jack O'Connor (1958) Kurt Abbott (1969) Jared Burton (1981) Infielder Frank Michael Verdi did not play for the Twins, but he was in their minor league system in 1961. He was born in Brooklyn and signed with the Yankees as a free agent in 1946. His minor league stats vary widely form one year to the next, with averages of over .300 mixed with averages in the .250s and .260s. There were a lot more levels in the minors back then, so Verdi did not reach AAA until 1953. He also made his big league debut that season, coming into a game on May 10 in the sixth inning as a defensive replacement. He played one inning at shortstop, handling zero chances, and was pinch-hit for in the seventh. That was the sum and substance of his major league career: he never played in another big league game. He was in the minors for several years after that, perhaps hoping for another chance at the majors or perhaps just enjoying making a living by playing baseball. He was known for his ability to pull off the hidden ball trick, executing it successfully seven times in 1949. He was in AAA most of that time. He stayed with the Yankees through 1954, went to Kansas City in 1955-56, was with the Cubs toward the end of 1956, was with the Cardinals from 1957-59, then was signed by the then Washington franchise for 1960, playing for AAA Charleston. He was still with the franchise when it moved to Minnesota in 1961, and spent the season with AAA Syracuse, not only playing but also managing the team. He hit .287/.362/.308 in 195 at-bats as a reserve infielder and as a manager went 44-44. That started him on a long career as a minor league manager. He was the manager again in Syracuse in 1962 (it was no longer a Twins farm team that year), then went into the Yankees organization from 1963-1970, winning three league championships (two with AAA Syracuse). He continued to manage (with a couple of years off) in the minors through 1985, winning another league championship with AAA Columbus in 1981. He retired after the 1985 season, but came out of retirement in 1993 to manage the Sioux Falls Canaries in the Northern League from 1993-1995. He was inducted into the International League Hall of Fame in 2008. His son, Mike, also managed for several years in the minors. Frank Verdi passed away from a heart attack on July 9, 2010 in New Port Richey, Florida. There have been two major league players named “Jack O’Connor”; both of them were born on this day. Left-hander Jack William O’Connor pitched for the Twins from 1981-1984. He was born in Twenty-nine Palms, California, and went to high school in Yucca Valley, California. He was drafted by Montreal in the ninth round in 1976. He was in the Expos organization for five years. O’Connor pitched mostly in Class A and did fairly well there, but did not do so well in brief trials at higher levels. The Twins took a chance on him in the Rule 5 draft after the 1980 season and kept him in the majors all of 1981. He was kept in the bullpen all season and did not get a lot of work, appearing in 28 games and pitching only 35.1 innings. O’Connor started 1982 in the majors but was sent back to AAA after two scoreless innings. He returned in early June and was in the starting rotation by July, staying there the rest of the season. He wasn’t terrible, which is about as good as it got for the Twins’ rotation in 1982. He began 1983 in the rotation, but after a couple of decent outings things fell apart for him, and he was in the bullpen by mid-May. He was not much better there, went back to AAA for a couple of months, and did not do a lot better upon his return either. O’Connor had an excellent year in the Toledo bullpen in 1984 and pitched well in two appearances in his September call-up. By then, however, the Twins had given up on him, and after the season they traded him to Montreal for Mike Stenhouse. He got about two months in the majors in 1985 with the Expos, had mediocre numbers, and was released the following March. O’Connor signed with Seattle for 1986, pitched badly in AAA, and became a free agent after the season. He signed with Baltimore for 1987 and battled his way back to the majors, spending nearly half the year with the Orioles. His pitching in the majors was not significantly better, however, and O’Connor once again became a free agent after the season. He signed with Toronto and was with AAA Syracuse for two years, not pitching badly but not getting another chance at the big time, either. Jack O’Connor’s playing career came to an end after the 1989 season. As a Twin, he was 13-14, 4.99 with a WHIP of 1.62. He pitched 249 innings and made 80 appearances, 27 of them starts. No information about Jack O’Connor’s life after the close of his playing career was readily available. Infielder Kurt Thomas Abbott did not play for the Twins, but went to spring training with them in 2002. He was born in Zanesville, Ohio, went to high school in St. Petersburg, Florida, and was drafted by Oakland in the fifteenth round in 1989. He did not hit much until 1993, when he hit .319 with 12 homers and 11 triples for AAA Tacoma, numbers which got him a September call-up. They also got him a trade, as he was sent to the Florida Marlins that off-season. He was their mostly-regular shortstop the next two seasons and had a pretty good year in 1995, batting .255 with 17 homers in 420 at-bats. It did not lead to any more playing time, however, as he became a frequently-used utility player over the next two seasons. Abbott was traded to Oakland before the 1998 season and was traded again in early June, this time to Colorado. He stayed with Colorado through the 1999 season and did pretty well as a part-time player, batting .273. That was as good as it would get for him, though. He became a free agent after the season and was a reserve infielder for the Mets in 2000, but batted only .217. A free agent again, he signed with Atlanta for 2001 but missed most of the season with injuries. The Twins signed Abbott for 2002, but he continued to be bothered by injuries and was released in spring training. He played a few games in AAA for the Yankees that season and was in AAA for St. Louis in 2003, but then his playing career was over. Kurt Abbott then became a deputy sheriff in Martin County, Florida. Unfortunately, he was arrested a year ago for DUI and was placed on administrative leave. What happened after that is unclear; there are lots of news reports of his arrest, but none can be found that followed up with the outcome of his case. Until hearing news to the contrary, one assumes he is still employed as a deputy by Martin County. Right-hander Levi Jared Burton joined the Twins in 2012. Born and raised in Westminster, South Carolina, he attended Western Carolina University and was drafted by Oakland in the eighth round in 2002. A reliever most of his career, he struggled in the low minors, not reaching AA until 2006. He reached the majors in 2007, however, and has been there for at least part of every season since. It did not happen with the Athletics, though. Instead, he was taken by Cincinnati in the Rule 5 draft after the 2006 season. Pitching a limited number of innings, he was pretty good in 2007 and 2008, but not so good in 2009. He battled injuries in 2010 and 2011, and was mostly in AAA when he was healthy enough to pitch. He became a free agent after the 2011 season and signed with Minnesota. A year ago, we wrote, “He’s 31 today and will never be a star, but there’s a chance Jared Burton could be a useful relief pitcher for at least a few years yet.” Well, so far, so good. He was one of the few reliable pitchers the Twins had in 2012, going 3-2 with five saves, a 2.18 ERA, and a 0.92 WHIP. He made 64 appearances and struck out 55 batters in 62 innings. He’s 32 now, of course, and is off to a good start again for the Twins. A set-up man’s career is always somewhat tenuous, but it’s possible that Jared Burton might be a good relief pitcher for some time to come.

Also posted at wgom.org Frank Verdi (1926) Jack O'Connor (1958) Kurt Abbott (1969) Jared Burton (1981) Infielder Frank Michael Verdi did not play for the Twins, but he was in their minor league system in 1961. He was born in Brooklyn and signed with the Yankees as a free agent in 1946. His minor league stats vary widely form one year to the next, with averages of over .300 mixed with averages in the .250s and .260s. There were a lot more levels in the minors back then, so Verdi did not reach AAA until 1953. He also made his big league debut that season, coming into a game on May 10 in the sixth inning as a defensive replacement. He played one inning at shortstop, handling zero chances, and was pinch-hit for in the seventh. That was the sum and substance of his major league career: he never played in another big league game. He was in the minors for several years after that, perhaps hoping for another chance at the majors or perhaps just enjoying making a living by playing baseball. He was known for his ability to pull off the hidden ball trick, executing it successfully seven times in 1949. He was in AAA most of that time. He stayed with the Yankees through 1954, went to Kansas City in 1955-56, was with the Cubs toward the end of 1956, was with the Cardinals from 1957-59, then was signed by the then Washington franchise for 1960, playing for AAA Charleston. He was still with the franchise when it moved to Minnesota in 1961, and spent the season with AAA Syracuse, not only playing but also managing the team. He hit .287/.362/.308 in 195 at-bats as a reserve infielder and as a manager went 44-44. That started him on a long career as a minor league manager. He was the manager again in Syracuse in 1962 (it was no longer a Twins farm team that year), then went into the Yankees organization from 1963-1970, winning three league championships (two with AAA Syracuse). He continued to manage (with a couple of years off) in the minors through 1985, winning another league championship with AAA Columbus in 1981. He retired after the 1985 season, but came out of retirement in 1993 to manage the Sioux Falls Canaries in the Northern League from 1993-1995. He was inducted into the International League Hall of Fame in 2008. His son, Mike, also managed for several years in the minors. Frank Verdi passed away from a heart attack on July 9, 2010 in New Port Richey, Florida. There have been two major league players named “Jack O’Connor”; both of them were born on this day. Left-hander Jack William O’Connor pitched for the Twins from 1981-1984. He was born in Twenty-nine Palms, California, and went to high school in Yucca Valley, California. He was drafted by Montreal in the ninth round in 1976. He was in the Expos organization for five years. O’Connor pitched mostly in Class A and did fairly well there, but did not do so well in brief trials at higher levels. The Twins took a chance on him in the Rule 5 draft after the 1980 season and kept him in the majors all of 1981. He was kept in the bullpen all season and did not get a lot of work, appearing in 28 games and pitching only 35.1 innings. O’Connor started 1982 in the majors but was sent back to AAA after two scoreless innings. He returned in early June and was in the starting rotation by July, staying there the rest of the season. He wasn’t terrible, which is about as good as it got for the Twins’ rotation in 1982. He began 1983 in the rotation, but after a couple of decent outings things fell apart for him, and he was in the bullpen by mid-May. He was not much better there, went back to AAA for a couple of months, and did not do a lot better upon his return either. O’Connor had an excellent year in the Toledo bullpen in 1984 and pitched well in two appearances in his September call-up. By then, however, the Twins had given up on him, and after the season they traded him to Montreal for Mike Stenhouse. He got about two months in the majors in 1985 with the Expos, had mediocre numbers, and was released the following March. O’Connor signed with Seattle for 1986, pitched badly in AAA, and became a free agent after the season. He signed with Baltimore for 1987 and battled his way back to the majors, spending nearly half the year with the Orioles. His pitching in the majors was not significantly better, however, and O’Connor once again became a free agent after the season. He signed with Toronto and was with AAA Syracuse for two years, not pitching badly but not getting another chance at the big time, either. Jack O’Connor’s playing career came to an end after the 1989 season. As a Twin, he was 13-14, 4.99 with a WHIP of 1.62. He pitched 249 innings and made 80 appearances, 27 of them starts. No information about Jack O’Connor’s life after the close of his playing career was readily available. Infielder Kurt Thomas Abbott did not play for the Twins, but went to spring training with them in 2002. He was born in Zanesville, Ohio, went to high school in St. Petersburg, Florida, and was drafted by Oakland in the fifteenth round in 1989. He did not hit much until 1993, when he hit .319 with 12 homers and 11 triples for AAA Tacoma, numbers which got him a September call-up. They also got him a trade, as he was sent to the Florida Marlins that off-season. He was their mostly-regular shortstop the next two seasons and had a pretty good year in 1995, batting .255 with 17 homers in 420 at-bats. It did not lead to any more playing time, however, as he became a frequently-used utility player over the next two seasons. Abbott was traded to Oakland before the 1998 season and was traded again in early June, this time to Colorado. He stayed with Colorado through the 1999 season and did pretty well as a part-time player, batting .273. That was as good as it would get for him, though. He became a free agent after the season and was a reserve infielder for the Mets in 2000, but batted only .217. A free agent again, he signed with Atlanta for 2001 but missed most of the season with injuries. The Twins signed Abbott for 2002, but he continued to be bothered by injuries and was released in spring training. He played a few games in AAA for the Yankees that season and was in AAA for St. Louis in 2003, but then his playing career was over. Kurt Abbott then became a deputy sheriff in Martin County, Florida. Unfortunately, he was arrested a year ago for DUI and was placed on administrative leave. What happened after that is unclear; there are lots of news reports of his arrest, but none can be found that followed up with the outcome of his case. Until hearing news to the contrary, one assumes he is still employed as a deputy by Martin County. Right-hander Levi Jared Burton joined the Twins in 2012. Born and raised in Westminster, South Carolina, he attended Western Carolina University and was drafted by Oakland in the eighth round in 2002. A reliever most of his career, he struggled in the low minors, not reaching AA until 2006. He reached the majors in 2007, however, and has been there for at least part of every season since. It did not happen with the Athletics, though. Instead, he was taken by Cincinnati in the Rule 5 draft after the 2006 season. Pitching a limited number of innings, he was pretty good in 2007 and 2008, but not so good in 2009. He battled injuries in 2010 and 2011, and was mostly in AAA when he was healthy enough to pitch. He became a free agent after the 2011 season and signed with Minnesota. A year ago, we wrote, “He’s 31 today and will never be a star, but there’s a chance Jared Burton could be a useful relief pitcher for at least a few years yet.” Well, so far, so good. He was one of the few reliable pitchers the Twins had in 2012, going 3-2 with five saves, a 2.18 ERA, and a 0.92 WHIP. He made 64 appearances and struck out 55 batters in 62 innings. He’s 32 now, of course, and is off to a good start again for the Twins. A set-up man’s career is always somewhat tenuous, but it’s possible that Jared Burton might be a good relief pitcher for some time to come.

Also posted at wgom.org Ray Moore (1926) Jack Kralick (1935) Dean Chance (1941) Randy Hundley (1942) Right-hander Raymond Leroy Moore pitched for the Twins from 1961-1963. He was born in Meadows, Maryland, went to high school in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, and signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers as a free agent in 1947. He had good ERAs in the minors and did not give up a lot of hits, but walked a lot of batters, slowing his rise to the majors. He was with the Dodgers for two months in 1952 and made one appearance there in 1953. 1953 was when he finally started to get things under control, and after he had another good year at AAA St. Paul in 1954 he finally got to the majors to stay at the start of the 1955 season. It was not with the Dodgers, however, as he was traded to Baltimore after the 1954 campaign. He started 1955 in the Oriole bullpen, but got into the rotation in late July and mostly stayed there the rest of his time with Baltimore. He was a solid rotation starter for them through 1957, when he was traded to the White Sox in a deal that involved Larry Doby. He remained in the rotation through 1958, but moved to the bullpen the following year, where he would stay the rest of his career. He got off to a poor start in 1960 and was sold to Washington in mid-June. He pitched well for them the rest of the year and came to Minnesota with the franchise in 1961. He was in the Twins’ bullpen for three years, pitching okay his first two before falling apart in 1963. His playing career came to an end after that season. As a Twin, he was 13-10, 5.03 with a WHIP of 1.50 in 159 innings over 126 games. Ray Moore passed away on March 2, 1995 in Clinton, Maryland. Left-hander John Francis “Jack” Kralick also pitched for the Twins from 1961-1963. He was born in Youngstown, Ohio and went to Michigan State before signing with the White Sox as a free agent in 1955. He spent a little over three years in the low minors for them, pitching only thirteen games above Class B. He had a decent but unspectacular record, apparently did not impress anyone, and was released in June of 1958. He signed as a free agent with Washington in September. Surprisingly, he started 1959 in the majors, but was sent down after five appearances and had a solid season at AA in 1959. He started 1960 in the Washington bullpen, moved to the majors in late June, and stayed there through 1964. He came to Minnesota with the franchise in 1961 and was a solid rotation starter, posting ERAs in the mid-to-upper threes and throwing a no-hitter in 1962. In May of 1963, Kralick was traded to Cleveland for Jim Perry. He got off to a bad start in 1965 and was removed from the rotation in mid-June. He had a decent year as a reliever in 1966, but got off to a slow start in 1967 and was sold to the Mets on June 1. He did not pitch for the Mets, however, as he was involved in a car accident which left him not just with a cracked rib but also double vision, a problem which did not clear up for a year. By then, he had decided to move on with his life, and retired as a player. As a Twin, Jack Kralick was 26-26, 3.74 with a WHIP of 1.28 in 501.1 innings. It appears that after he finished playing, he moved to Watertown, South Dakota and worked for a school supply company, then lived in Alaska for a while, then moved to Mexico in 1998. Jack Kralick passed away in San Blas, Nayarit, Mexico on September 18, 2012. Right-hander Wilmer Dean Chance pitched for the Twins from 1967-1969. He was born in Wooster, Ohio and went to high school in Wayne, Ohio. He signed with Baltimore as a free agent in 1959. He had two fine years in the low minors, but was left unprotected and was chosen by Washington in the expansion draft. The Senators traded him to the Angels that same day. He had another good year in AAA in 1961, got a September call-up, and never looked back. He was shifted from the rotation to the bullpen and back again a couple of times in 1962, pitching well enough in both roles to finish third in Rookie of the Year voting. Chance’s best year as an Angel was 1964, when he went 20-9, 1.65. He led the league in wins, ERA, complete games, shutouts, innings pitched, ERA+, and fewest home runs, won the Cy Young Award, and finished fifth in MVP voting. He remained a solid starter for the Angels through 1966, then was traded to the Twins with a player to be named later (Jackie Hernandez) for Pete Cimino, Jimmie Hall, and Don Mincher. He did an excellent job for the Twins for three years, although he missed two months of the third season with injuries. As a Twin, he was 41-34, 2.67 with a WHIP of 1.07 in 664 innings. His best year as a Twin was his first one, 1967, when he won 20 games, starts, innings, and complete games, and made the all-star team for the second time. After the 1969 campaign, the Twins traded Chance to Cleveland with Bob Miller, Graig Nettles, and Ted Uhlaender for Luis Tiant and Stan Williams. He had a mediocre year for the Indians, was sold to the Mets in mid-September, and was traded to Detroit after the season. He had another mediocre year for the Tigers and ended his playing career after the 1971 season. After leaving baseball he became a boxing manager and promoter, was one of the founders of the International Boxing Association, and became its president in 2006, a position he still held at last report. Dean Chance currently lives in his home town of Wooster, Ohio. Catcher Cecil Randolph “Randy” Hundley played for the Twins in 1974. He was born in Martinsville, Virginia, went to high school in Bassett, Virginia, and signed with San Francisco as a free agent in 1960. He did not do a lot in the minors until 1963, when he hit .325 with 23 homers for AA El Paso. He did not sustain that when promoted to AAA in 1964, nor did he improve in 1965. Still, he got cups of coffee in the majors both of those seasons. He was traded to the Cubs that off-season, and was in the majors to stay. He was the Cubs’ regular catcher from 1966-1969. He finished fourth in Rookie of the Year voting in 1966, despite hitting only .236 (he did hit 19 home runs). He won the Gold Glove the following year. Hundley missed half of 1970 and most of 1971 with injuries. He more-or-less regained the regular catching job in 1972, but what offense he had shown in the past was gone. After two more sub-par years with the Cubs, Hundley was traded to Minnesota before the 1974 season for George Mitterwald. Injuries cropped up again, and he played in only 32 games, hitting .193/.228/.216 in 88 at-bats. The Twins released him after the season and he signed with San Diego. He was the backup catcher there in 1975 and was sold back to the Cubs after the season. He remained with the Cubs for two years, but was injured much of the time and rarely played. His playing career came to an end after 1977. His son, Todd Hundley, had a substantial playing career of his own. Hundley is credited with originating the idea of fantasy camps and operated several of them at one time, though he now is involved only in the Cubs’ fantasy camp. At last report, Randy Hundley was still living in the Chicago area.

Also posted at wgom.org Ray Moore (1926) Jack Kralick (1935) Dean Chance (1941) Randy Hundley (1942) Right-hander Raymond Leroy Moore pitched for the Twins from 1961-1963. He was born in Meadows, Maryland, went to high school in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, and signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers as a free agent in 1947. He had good ERAs in the minors and did not give up a lot of hits, but walked a lot of batters, slowing his rise to the majors. He was with the Dodgers for two months in 1952 and made one appearance there in 1953. 1953 was when he finally started to get things under control, and after he had another good year at AAA St. Paul in 1954 he finally got to the majors to stay at the start of the 1955 season. It was not with the Dodgers, however, as he was traded to Baltimore after the 1954 campaign. He started 1955 in the Oriole bullpen, but got into the rotation in late July and mostly stayed there the rest of his time with Baltimore. He was a solid rotation starter for them through 1957, when he was traded to the White Sox in a deal that involved Larry Doby. He remained in the rotation through 1958, but moved to the bullpen the following year, where he would stay the rest of his career. He got off to a poor start in 1960 and was sold to Washington in mid-June. He pitched well for them the rest of the year and came to Minnesota with the franchise in 1961. He was in the Twins’ bullpen for three years, pitching okay his first two before falling apart in 1963. His playing career came to an end after that season. As a Twin, he was 13-10, 5.03 with a WHIP of 1.50 in 159 innings over 126 games. Ray Moore passed away on March 2, 1995 in Clinton, Maryland. Left-hander John Francis “Jack” Kralick also pitched for the Twins from 1961-1963. He was born in Youngstown, Ohio and went to Michigan State before signing with the White Sox as a free agent in 1955. He spent a little over three years in the low minors for them, pitching only thirteen games above Class B. He had a decent but unspectacular record, apparently did not impress anyone, and was released in June of 1958. He signed as a free agent with Washington in September. Surprisingly, he started 1959 in the majors, but was sent down after five appearances and had a solid season at AA in 1959. He started 1960 in the Washington bullpen, moved to the majors in late June, and stayed there through 1964. He came to Minnesota with the franchise in 1961 and was a solid rotation starter, posting ERAs in the mid-to-upper threes and throwing a no-hitter in 1962. In May of 1963, Kralick was traded to Cleveland for Jim Perry. He got off to a bad start in 1965 and was removed from the rotation in mid-June. He had a decent year as a reliever in 1966, but got off to a slow start in 1967 and was sold to the Mets on June 1. He did not pitch for the Mets, however, as he was involved in a car accident which left him not just with a cracked rib but also double vision, a problem which did not clear up for a year. By then, he had decided to move on with his life, and retired as a player. As a Twin, Jack Kralick was 26-26, 3.74 with a WHIP of 1.28 in 501.1 innings. It appears that after he finished playing, he moved to Watertown, South Dakota and worked for a school supply company, then lived in Alaska for a while, then moved to Mexico in 1998. Jack Kralick passed away in San Blas, Nayarit, Mexico on September 18, 2012. Right-hander Wilmer Dean Chance pitched for the Twins from 1967-1969. He was born in Wooster, Ohio and went to high school in Wayne, Ohio. He signed with Baltimore as a free agent in 1959. He had two fine years in the low minors, but was left unprotected and was chosen by Washington in the expansion draft. The Senators traded him to the Angels that same day. He had another good year in AAA in 1961, got a September call-up, and never looked back. He was shifted from the rotation to the bullpen and back again a couple of times in 1962, pitching well enough in both roles to finish third in Rookie of the Year voting. Chance’s best year as an Angel was 1964, when he went 20-9, 1.65. He led the league in wins, ERA, complete games, shutouts, innings pitched, ERA+, and fewest home runs, won the Cy Young Award, and finished fifth in MVP voting. He remained a solid starter for the Angels through 1966, then was traded to the Twins with a player to be named later (Jackie Hernandez) for Pete Cimino, Jimmie Hall, and Don Mincher. He did an excellent job for the Twins for three years, although he missed two months of the third season with injuries. As a Twin, he was 41-34, 2.67 with a WHIP of 1.07 in 664 innings. His best year as a Twin was his first one, 1967, when he won 20 games, starts, innings, and complete games, and made the all-star team for the second time. After the 1969 campaign, the Twins traded Chance to Cleveland with Bob Miller, Graig Nettles, and Ted Uhlaender for Luis Tiant and Stan Williams. He had a mediocre year for the Indians, was sold to the Mets in mid-September, and was traded to Detroit after the season. He had another mediocre year for the Tigers and ended his playing career after the 1971 season. After leaving baseball he became a boxing manager and promoter, was one of the founders of the International Boxing Association, and became its president in 2006, a position he still held at last report. Dean Chance currently lives in his home town of Wooster, Ohio. Catcher Cecil Randolph “Randy” Hundley played for the Twins in 1974. He was born in Martinsville, Virginia, went to high school in Bassett, Virginia, and signed with San Francisco as a free agent in 1960. He did not do a lot in the minors until 1963, when he hit .325 with 23 homers for AA El Paso. He did not sustain that when promoted to AAA in 1964, nor did he improve in 1965. Still, he got cups of coffee in the majors both of those seasons. He was traded to the Cubs that off-season, and was in the majors to stay. He was the Cubs’ regular catcher from 1966-1969. He finished fourth in Rookie of the Year voting in 1966, despite hitting only .236 (he did hit 19 home runs). He won the Gold Glove the following year. Hundley missed half of 1970 and most of 1971 with injuries. He more-or-less regained the regular catching job in 1972, but what offense he had shown in the past was gone. After two more sub-par years with the Cubs, Hundley was traded to Minnesota before the 1974 season for George Mitterwald. Injuries cropped up again, and he played in only 32 games, hitting .193/.228/.216 in 88 at-bats. The Twins released him after the season and he signed with San Diego. He was the backup catcher there in 1975 and was sold back to the Cubs after the season. He remained with the Cubs for two years, but was injured much of the time and rarely played. His playing career came to an end after 1977. His son, Todd Hundley, had a substantial playing career of his own. Hundley is credited with originating the idea of fantasy camps and operated several of them at one time, though he now is involved only in the Cubs’ fantasy camp. At last report, Randy Hundley was still living in the Chicago area.

Also posted at wgom.org Tippy Martinez (1950) Ray Olmedo (1981) Left-handed reliever Felix Anthony “Tippy” Martinez appeared in three games for the Twins in 1988. Born and raised in La Junta, Colorado, he and Mike Oquist, whose birthday was yesterday, are the only two major league players born in that town. He went to Colorado State and signed with the Yankees as a free agent in 1972. He was primarily a reliever in the minors other than 1975, when he started 14 games for AAA Syracuse. He pitched very well in the minors, posting ERAs under three in both 1973 and 1975. He made his big-league debut in 1974 and came up to stay in mid-July of 1975. He was almost exclusively a reliever in the majors, making only two big league starts, both in 1975. He did a fine job for the Yankees, but was traded to Baltimore in mid-June of 1976 as part of a ten-player trade that included numerous good ballplayers. He did a fine job with the Orioles as well, pitching well every year from 1976-1983 with the exception of 1978. He was never “the closer” for Baltimore, but had double digit saves in five consecutive seasons from 1980-1984 with a high of 21 in 1983. That was probably his best season, as he pitched the most innings (103.1), his lowest ERA (2.35), and his lowest WHIP (1.09). He also made the all-star team that year. He started to slip in 1984; his ERA was still below four, but his WHIP soared to 1.53. He had a poor 1985, struggled in 1986, and was released in June of 1987. Martinez was out of baseball the rest of that year, but signed as a free agent with the Twins on April 4, 1988. It did not work–he pitched in three games, lasted four innings, and gave up eight runs on eight hits and four walks. After that, his playing career was over. Martinez is best remembered for a game in 1983 in which he picked off three baserunners in an inning with emergency catcher Lenn Sakata behind the plate, but he was an excellent relief pitcher for several years. Tippy Martinez was the pitching coach for York in the Atlantic League from 2006-2009, but was not retained in that position for 2010. At last report, Tippy Martinez was living in Towson, Maryland. There is a city park named after him in his home town of La Junta. Infielder Rainer Gustavo Olmedo has not played for the Twins yet, but he is in their minor league system in 2013. Born and raised in Maracay, Aragua, Venezuela, he signed with Cincinnati as a free agent in 1999. He was never a great hitter in the minors, but after a decent start in AA in 2003, and after a quick stop in AAA that same year, Ray Olmedo was called up to the Reds in late May and stayed the rest of the season as a utility infielder. He was up and down with the Reds through 2006, never getting a full season in the majors but always getting some time there. He had some decent years in AAA, although certainly nothing to get excited about. In the majors, though, he was pretty much a zero offensively, hitting .230 with an OPS of .573. He was waived after the 2006 season and claimed by Toronto. He continued to be the same player in 2007; decent but nothing special in AAA, and basically nothing at all in the majors. After that, he started moving around a lot. He was waived by Toronto on Feb. 1, 2008 and claimed by Pittsburgh; waived again at the end of February and claimed by Philadelphia, then released a month later and signed by Washington for whom he played in AAA in 2008. He was in AAA with Tampa Bay in 2009, signed with Texas for 2010 but was traded to Milwaukee before the season started and was in AAA for them, was back in AAA for Tampa Bay in 2011, and signed with the White Sox for 2012. In all that time he remained pretty much the same player he had always been, but despite that he found himself back in the majors for the last two months of 2012. A free agent after the 2012 season, he signed with Minnesota and is, once again, playing in AAA, this time in Rochester. I don’t mean to sound too harsh about him. He has played in 218 major league games, and there are not many people who can say that. Who knows, he may even play in some more before he’s done, because for whatever reason, someone always seems willing to sign him and send him to AAA. But in those 218 major league games, he has hit .230, has an OPS of .566, and has an OPS+ of 50. He’s basically the Drew Butera of middle infielders, and there’s really no reason, other than a catastrophic run of injuries, that he should ever be on a major league roster again.