Outfielder Michael Clete Thomas played for the Twins in 2012 and 2013. He was born in Jacksonville, Florida, went to high school in Lynn Haven Florida, attended Auburn University, and was drafted by Detroit in the fifth round in 2005. His minor league numbers aren’t awful, but there’s nothing at all impressive about them, either. In 2007, he hit .280 with a .764 OPS in the Eastern League, and on the strength of that he found himself on the Detroit Tigers’ opening day roster in 2008. He actually played pretty well, batting .295 in late April when he sent down. He came back in late May and stayed with the Tigers until the all-star break, when despite the fact that he was still hitting .284 he was sent down again. That was as good as it would ever get for Clete Thomas with the Tigers, though. He was back with them for most of 2009 and played in over a hundred games, but hit only .240. He was hurt for most of 2010, played in AAA and didn’t do much in 2011. He started 2012 in Detroit, but appeared in only three games before being placed on waivers in mid-April. Minnesota chose him and immediately made him their starting right fielder, a decision they stuck with for all of seven games. Thomas was in Rochester by early May and stayed there the rest of the season. He batted .232 there with an OPS of .686. He began 2013 in Rochester and did very well, leading to a promotion to the majors in early June. He started over half the Twins’ games the rest of the way, most of them in center field, and was–not good. He drew a good number of walks and was a decent defensive player, but that’s about all he had going for him. In 104 games as a Twin, he hit .214/.290/.307 in 351 at-bats. A free agent after the 2013 season, he signed with Philadelphia, didn’t do much in AAA, and was released in mid-August. In the old days, when teams carried more position players on the bench, he might’ve had a shot as a fifth outfielder/pinch-runner. In the days in which we live, however, there was no place for him. After baseball, Clete Thomas was a commercial insurance agent at Adcock-Adcock Insurance Agency in Tampa, Florida for a few years. One article indicated, he had gone back to Auburn and was majoring in communication, although as old as that article is he must have graduated by now. He also was an instructor with Dugout Sports Training in Panama City, Florida, which is partially owned by ex-Twin Kevin Tolar.
Saturday, November 14, 2026
November 14
Friday, November 13, 2026
November 13
Jackie Price played one season in the major leagues, but was better known as a baseball entertainer. He is sometimes called a “baseball clown”, but that’s not really accurate, because he really performed tricks more than actually clowning.
Right-hander Johnny Ike Sutton played for Minnesota in the second half of 1978. Born in Dallas, he attended the University of Plano (a school which no longer exists) and was chosen by Texas in the third round of the January draft of 1974. He was a starting pitcher his first year in the minors, but switched almost exclusively to the bullpen after that. He did well his first two minor league seasons but after a poor 1976 season at AAA he was traded to St. Louis for Mike Wallace. He pitched the first and last months of 1977 for the Cardinals, and did fairly well, although in only 24.1 innings: he had an ERA of 2.59 and a WHIP of 1.52. He had a good year for AAA New Orleans as well, but was left unprotected in the Rule 5 draft and claimed by Minnesota. The Twins apparently worked something out with St. Louis, because Sutton started the season in AAA. He did a decent job in Toledo, and was called up to the majors in early July. He did a decent job in Minnesota, too, posting a 3.45 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP. The highlight of his time there was a game on August 7 in Seattle, when he pitched nine shutout innings of relief, giving up only five hits, in what turned out to be a 14-inning loss to the Mariners. The Twins apparently let him go after the season, however; in 1979 he was in AAA for San Diego and Oakland. He had a poor year, and was out of baseball in 1981. He tried to come back, pitching three games in the Philadelphia system in 1982 and working in the Mariners’ organization in 1983, but it was not to be. At last report, John Sutton had returned to the Dallas area.
Right-hander Jason William Simontacchi did not play for the Twins, but he was in their farm system in 2001. He was born in Mountain View, California, went to high school in Sunnyvale, California, attended Albertson College and San Jose State, and was drafted by Kansas City in the twenty-first round in 1996. He pitched poorly in Class A with the Royals and was released on July 30, 1997. He pitched for Springfield in the independent Pioneer League in 1998, had an excellent year there, and signed with Pittsburgh for 1999. He did all right in Class A that year, but was still released after the season. Simontacchi pitched in Italy in 2000, signing with the Twins on September 27 of that year. The Twins sent him to AAA Edmonton, where he went 7-13, 5.34, 1.50 WHIP in 143.1 innings. He became a free agent after the 2001 season and signed with St. Louis. He got off to a hot start at AAA Memphis, going 5-1, 2.34 in six starts, and amazingly, by May 4, found himself in the Cardinals’ starting rotation. Even more amazingly, he did pretty well, going 11-5, 4.02, 1.31 WHIP in 143.1 innings (24 starts). He got his only full season in the majors in 2003 but could not sustain his success, being dropped from the starting rotation at mid-season and seeing his ERA go to 5.56 and his WHIP to 1.54. He went back and forth between AAA and the majors in 2004, doing decently at AAA but not well in the majors. He was released by St. Louis after the season and has been in and out of baseball ever since. He missed 2005 with a torn labrum. He pitched for independent Bridgeport in 2006, made it back to the majors for thirteen not-very-good starts for Washington in 2007, went to independent Long Island in 2008, and to independent Lancaster in 2010 before finally ending his playing career. According to howmanyofme.com, there is only one Jason Simontacchi living in the United States. He was a part-time baseball analyst on St. Louis sports talk radio, then became the pitching coach of the Peoria Chiefs in 2013, then moved up to the Springfield Cardinals from 2015-2017. He was the Kansas City Royals assistant pitching coordinator in 2018-2019 and became the head pitching coordinator in 2020. He was let go in September of 2022. He was the pitching coach for Italy in the 2023 World Baseball Classic. At last report, Jason Simontacchi had become a realtor in the St. Louis area.
Right-hander Luke Francis Bard did not play for the Twins, but he was in the farm system (mostly) from 2012-2018. Born and raised in Charlotte, North Carolina, he was drafted by Minnesota in the first round in 2012. He pitched very little through 2014 due to injuries. Finally healthy in 2015, he went 7-1, 2.58, 1.15 WHIP out of the bullpen in Cedar Rapids. He was not that good in high-A in 2016, but was still fairly decent. He went 4-3, 2.58, 1.34 WHIP in AA in 2017. He was turning twenty-seven by then, however, so the Twins left him unprotected and the Angels claimed him in the Rule 5 draft. He made eight appearances (11.2 innings) out of the Angels bullpen, going 0-0, 5.40, but with a 1.29 WHIP and thirteen strikeouts. He gave up four home runs, which accounts for the high ERA. At any rate, the Angels were not impressed and sent him back to the Twins at the end of April. He went to Rochester and did not do well. He became a free agent and returned to the Angels for 2019. He made the big club out of spring training and was with them most of the season. He pitched well at times and again had a low WHIP, but he was 3-3 with a 4.78 ERA. He appeared in six games for the Angels in 2020 and did not get much accomplished. He was still in their organization in 2021, but did not pitch due to injury and became a free agent after the season. He signed with Tampa Bay. He went to AAA, came up to the majors for two stints that added up to a month, and actually pitched pretty well. Still, he was waived in early August and claimed by the Yankees. He was at AAA for them but did make one successful appearance in the majors in late August. A free agent after the season, he signed with Toronto for 2023, but pitched poorly and was released in June and did not sign with anyone. That brought his playing career to an end. At last report, Luke Bard was an account manager for UFP Site Built.
Thursday, November 12, 2026
November 12
Aaron Heilman was drafted by Minnesota in the first round in 2000, but did not sign.
Alex Faedo is the nephew of ex-Twin Lenny Faedo.
Infielder Donald Earl Hill played in twenty-five games for the Twins in 1992. Born in Pomona, California, he attended Arizona State and was drafted by Oakland with the first pick in the secondary phase of the 1981 draft. He started slowly, but in 1983 he hit .314 with fourteen homers in a half-season at AAA, earning a trip to the majors. Hill was the starting shortstop for the Athletics for the last couple months of 1983, batting .266. Given the starting job in 1984, he hit .180 in April and found himself back in AAA. Brought back in July as a reserve, he did better, but still only hit .230 for the season. He bounced back to have good years at the bat in 1985 and 1986, hitting in the .280s, although with few walks and little power. In December of 1986, he was traded to the White Sox, and his career went down hill after that. He went from a semi-regular in 1987 to a part-time player in 1988 to being released in 1989 spring training. Oakland signed him, sent him to AAA, and released him in August. He signed with the Angels in January of 1990, and was there for two years as a reserve infielder. A free agent after the 1991 season, Hill came to the Twins. He spent the first half of 1992 in Minnesota and did a good job at the plate, hitting .294, although in only 51 at-bats. He was released in July, and was not picked up by anyone. At last report, Donnie Hill was a golf instructor at Strawberry Farms Golf Course, a course developed by former major leaguer Doug DeCinces in Orange County, California.
Gregory Carpenter Gagne was the shortstop for the Twins in their World Championship years. Born in Fall River, Massachusetts, he attended Somerset High School in Somerset, Massachusetts, and was drafted by the Yankees in the fifth round in 1979. He started slowly, but had a solid year in 1981 at Class A Greensboro, hitting .297 with a .445 slugging percentage. In April of 1982, Gagne was traded along with Paul Boris and Ron Davis to the Twins for Roy Smalley. He got cups of coffee with the Twins in 1983 and 1984, was the semi-regular shortstop in 1985 (sharing the position with Alvaro Espinoza and the returned Smalley) and became the regular in 1986. A solid defensive player, he could be counted on to hit somewhere around .250 with about ten home runs every season. A free agent after the 1992 season, Gagne signed with Kansas City, where he played for three years. His best season came in 1993, when he hit .280 with 10 homers and finished 22nd in the MVP voting. A free agent after the 1995 campaign, he signed with the Dodgers and played for them for two more years, retiring after the 1997 season. As a Twin, Greg Gagne batted .249/.292/.385 with an OPS+ of 83; oddly, his OPS+ for each of the teams he played for was 83. Gagne tied a major league record by hitting two inside-the-park homers in one game on October 4, 1986. After his retirement, Gagne moved back to Somerset. He was the head baseball coach for Bishop Feehan High School in Attleboro, Massachusetts for eleven years. Gagne was inducted into the Minnesota Twins Hall of Fame in September of 2010.
Catcher Jeffrey Scott Reed played for the Twins from 1984-1986, at the beginning of a career that stretched for parts of seventeen seasons. Born and raised in Joliet, Illinois, Reed was taken by Minnesota with the 12th pick of the 1980 draft. He had a big year in Class A Visalia in 1982, hitting .329. He was never able to repeat that success, but got big-league cups of coffee in 1984 and 1985 and was the Twins' backup catcher in 1986. In February of 1987, Reed was traded with Al Cardwood, Neal Heaton, and Yorkis Perez to Montreal for Tom Nieto and Jeff Reardon. He was the Expos' backup catcher for a year and a half, and then was traded to Cincinnati. Reed was a part-time player for Cincinnati through 1991, doing a solid job for the Reds. He was injured for most of 1992, and was a free agent after the season. Signing with San Francisco, Reed was the Giants' backup catcher through 1995. A free agent again after that season, he moved on to Colorado, where Reed enjoyed his best seasons. In his three and a half years with the Rockies, Reed hit .286 as a part-time catcher, hitting 36 home runs. He slipped to .255 in 1999, however, and was released in July. He caught on with the Cubs, finished the season there, and played for them again in 2000, but hit only .214 in a reserve role. He went to spring training with the Cubs in 2001, but did not make the team. Reed played with the Phillies' AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre that year. Scranton is apparently the home of the Jeff Reed fan club, founded in 1988 by a young fan who was looking for an alternative hero to the more popular players of the day, much like a young Jeff A once chose Sal Butera as his favorite player. Reed remains extremely popular in Scranton. As a Twin, Jeff Reed hit .224/.293/.311 for an OPS+ of 64. For his career, though, he spent parts of seventeen years in the big leagues, and there aren't too many people who can say that. Jeff Reed was the batting coach for the Elizabethton Twins from 2002-2019, which was the last year the team played. At last report, he was a high school baseball coach for Providence Academy in Johnson City, Tennessee.
Utility player Ryan Michael Kreidler came to the Twins in 2026. Born and raised in Davis, California, he attended UCLA and was drafted by Detroit in the fourth round in 2019. He was not an outstanding batter even in college, although he did hit .300 in his final season there. He hit well in a couple of months' worth of AAA games in 2021, but struggled there in 2022. Despite that, he got a September call-up that year. He was in the majors the first month of 2023, but was injured and was back in the minors when he got healthy. He again dealth with injuries in 2024 but was in the majors for about half the season. He did not hit in either big league season, and when he again didn't hit at the start of 2025 the Tigers sent him back to AAA and then waived him in late August. He was claimed by Pittsburgh and finished the year in AAA for them. The Pirates waived him after the season and he was claimed by Minnesota. He was in the majors most of the season, played over 35 big-league games (105) for the first time, and had his best offensive season. It still wasn't very good--.216/.286/.389. He turns twenty-nine today. In 431 major league at-bats he has hit .183/.252/.290. The only thing he really offers is defensive versatility. That's nice, of course, but you'd like even your utility players to hit a little bit. He's still with the Twins, though, and will presumably be given another chance in 2027.
Wednesday, November 11, 2026
November 11
Sadly, Joe Battin wasn't much good at battin'. An infielder, he batted .225/.241/.281. His career spanned ten seasons, though, so I assume he was really good at fieldin'.
Al Schacht played in the majors for three years, but was better known as "The Clown Prince of Baseball".
On this Veterans' Day, we would like to thank all current and former members of the military for their service.
Outfielder George Washington Case did not play for the Twins, but he was their first base coach in 1968. He was born in Trenton, New Jersey, went to high school in Hightstown, New Jersey, and began his professional career with York/Trenton in the NYP League in 1936. He batted .332 in 113 games there in 1937 and in September was a starting outfielder for Washington. He showed he belonged: in twenty-two games he batted .289/.312/.400. He was still just twenty-one, but he would not go back to the minors. He was a starting outfielder for Washington through 1945, seeing more time in left than anywhere else but getting a substantial number of games at all three outfield positions. He batted over .300 three times and over .290 two more times. He was not a home run hitter--his season high was five, in 1940 and 1942--but he did average twenty-five doubles in those years. He also drew around fifty walks a season and averaged over forty stolen bases, with a high of sixty-one in 1943 (he led the league in stolen bases five times while with Washington). He made three all-star teams. He didn't seem to have declined much through 1945, but he had some shoulder problems, and so was traded to Cleveland before the 1946 season. He led the league in stolen bases for a sixth time but otherwise had a poor year, batting just .225 with an OPS of .576. He was traded back to Washington for 1947, but was injured much of the season, did not do much when he did play, and retired after that. He coached at Rutgers University from 1950-1960, was a coach for Washington from 1961-1963, managed in the Pacific Coast League for a couple of years, and was the Twins' first base coach in 1968. He also worked as a minor league instructor for the Yankees and Seattle. George Case passed away on January 23, 1989, in his home town of Trenton, New Jersey.
Right-hander Ralph Ronald Musselman did not play for the Twins, but was in their farm system for a couple of months in 1987. Born and raised in Wilmington, North Carolina, he attended Clemson and was drafted by Seattle in the fifth round in 1977. He had apparently been rather highly regarded, as he has been drafted twice previously. He struggled early in his career, spending three years in class A and not having much success until his third season there, when he became mostly a relief pitcher. He started to climb after that, getting to AAA in 1981. After a solid year in the Salt Lake City bullpen in 1982, Musselman made his major league debut for Seattle in August and was not awful for the last month and a half of the season. After that season, however, he was traded to Texas for Pat Putnam. He moved back to starting for AAA Oklahoma City, but was unsuccessful. He went back to the bullpen in 1984 and pitched better, but was sold to Toronto in early June. He appeared in 36 games for the Blue Jays over the next two seasons and again was not awful. He was a free agent after the 1985 season, signed with Cleveland, was released in spring training, signed back with Toronto, and was back in the minors for 1986. He had his best year in the minors for Syracuse that season, making 20 starts and 13 relief appearances, but by then he was 31 and no longer a prospect. A free agent again after the season, the Twins signed Musselman for 1987 and sent him to AAA Portland. He was pretty awful there, going 3-10, 6.62 in 14 appearances, 10 of them starts. The Twins sent him to the Orioles in mid-June as the player to be named later in a deal that netted the Twins Ricky Jones. He did fairly well in AAA Rochester, but did not make it back to the majors and ended his playing career after the season. As a big leaguer, he was 4-2, 3.73, 1.51 WHIP in 89.1 innings. He appeared in 48 games, 4 of them starts. After leaving baseball, he returned to Wilmington and went into the landscaping business. After that he pursued a career as a realtor in the Wilmington area. Most recently, he was the owner of Salty's Tavern, also in Wilmington. He is the father of professional golfer Lucas Glover, but divorced Glover's mother many years ago and has had little contact with Glover since. He was inducted into the Greater Wilmington Sports Hall of Fame in 2025.
Left-hander John Douglas Hobbs appeared in four games for the Twins in 1981. He was born in Philadelphia, went to Lynchburg College, one of two big leaguers the school has produced (Lefty Thomas). He was drafted by Seattle in the seventh round in 1978. He spent six seasons in the minors, and frankly, it’s hard to see why, as he never had much success above low Class A. He did strike out a lot of guys, though. After nearly two high-A seasons in which he went 18-16, 4.91, 1.74 WHIP, he was promoted to AA for the first time in 1980. His combined numbers for the 1980 season were 9-14, 4.39, 1.50 WHIP, and he was unsurprisingly left unprotected in the Rule 5 draft. The Twins saw that he struck out 124 batters in 160 innings, and saw that they were desperate for pitchers, so they drafted him. He was in AAA Orlando most of the year and went 11-7, although with a 4.08 ERA and a 1.47 WHIP. That was good enough for the Twins to bring him up to the majors and give him four appearances. In 5.2 innings, he went 0-0, 3.18, 1.94 WHIP, allowing 2 runs on 5 hits and 6 walks. Those are his career numbers, as he never got back to the big leagues. He spent two more undistinguished seasons in Orlando, then his playing career came to an end after the 1983 campaign. After leaving baseball he was employed by Univision, starting as a regional sales representative and eventually becoming head of the Dallas sales office. He then joined the Hispanic Broadcasting Corporation in 1999 and oversaw its growth from 37 to 72 stations. It merged with Univision in 2003 to become Univision Radio and Hobbs came with them, become executive vice president/director of corporate sales. He joined the Spanish Broadcasting System (SBS) in March of 2013 as executive vice president of corporate sales, staying there through 2015. At last report, he was the president of reVOLVER podcasts, a "premier bilingual podcast and video streaming platform that targets a fast growing Latino audience."
Tuesday, November 10, 2026
November 10
Calvin Coolidge Ermer was a longtime manager and coach in the Twins organization, managing the major league club briefly in 1967-1968. As a player, he was primarily a second baseman. Born in Baltimore, Ermer began his playing career in Class D in the New York Giants organization in 1942, then missed three years due to World War II, when he served in the Marines. Upon his return, he played in the minors through 1951, playing in the Washington, Detroit, and Philadelphia Athletics organizations. He played in one major league game, for Washington in 1947. He went 0-for-3, but handled seven chances in the field flawlessly. He briefly managed Class B Charlotte in 1947, but did not really begin his managing career until 1950, when he was the player-manager for Class D Orlando. With the exception of three seasons from 1958-1960, his entire managing career was in the Washington/Minnesota organization, although he was a major league coach with other clubs. His record as manager of the Twins was 145-129. Ermer retired from managing in 1984. He never really "retired", however, becoming a scout for the Twins. Ermer was not only interested in baseball; he also coached soccer at the University of Maryland. Cal Ermer passed away on August 8, 2009 in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where he had lived for 57 years.
Right-hander Paul Gayton Thormodsgard played for the Twins from 1977-1979. Born in San Francisco, he was signed by Cincinnati as a free agent in 1971. He had a good year at Class A in 1973, posting an ERA of 2.36, but when he slumped the following year he was released. Thormodsgard was out of baseball in 1975, but the Twins signed him in December, and after a mediocre year in Class A in 1976, the Twins put him in their starting rotation for 1977. Given his track record, he pitched surprisingly well, going 11-15 with a 4.62 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP. In 1978, he got off to a 1-6 start, even though he wasn't pitching that much worse than he had before, and he was demoted to AAA Toledo, where he pitched well in five games and then missed the rest of the season with an injured groin. He had another strong year in Toledo in 1979, getting a September call-up, but was traded to Philadelphia that off-season for Pete Mackanin. He had another good year at AAA in 1980, mostly in relief, but was out of baseball after that. He didn't strike out many, but he didn't walk many either, nor did he give up a lot of home runs. In his major league career, all with the Twins, he was 12-21 with a 4.84 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP. Not that he would have been great, but it seems like teams were awfully quick to give up on him. At last report, Paul Thormodsgard was living in Scottsdale, Arizona and owned a company called Tessitas Secret, a beauty salon which also makes and sells hand lotions and creams.
Left-hander Kenneth Scott Rogers played for the Twins in 2003, one of his twenty major league seasons. He was born in Savannah, Georgia, went to high school in Plant City, Florida, and was drafted by Texas in the 39th round in 1982 at age 17. Presumably due to his low draft selection, Rogers pitched in relief for much of his minor league career, not starting regularly until 1988. He proved that he belonged in the rotation, but still had never pitched above AA at this point. Still, in 1989, the Rangers brought him up to the big leagues, and he surprised them by pitching very well out of the bullpen, appearing in 73 games and posting a 2.93 ERA. Rogers remained in the bullpen through 1992, serving as the closer for a while in 1990, when he saved 15 games, and leading the league in appearances in 1992. Moved to the rotation in 1993, he did well there also, making the all-star team in 1995, when he won 17 games. Rogers was a free agent after that season and signed with the Yankees. Things did not go well for him in New York, and after two mediocre seasons he was traded to Oakland for Scott Brosius. He got back to normal in Oakland, and pitched well for a season and a half before being traded to the Mets. He finished 1999 there, and then became a free agent. He went back to the Rangers for three years, winning two Gold Gloves. A free agent again, Rogers came to the Twins for 2003. He had a good season for Minnesota, going 13-8 with a 4.57 ERA. He went back to Texas the next year and pitched well there for two years, making the all-star team both seasons and winning two more Gold Gloves. A free agent again, he moved on to Detroit, where at age 41 he won 17 games, made the all-star team again, won another Gold Glove, and finished fifth in the Cy Young voting. Rogers was injured much of 2007 and had a down year in 2008, although he made 30 starts at age 43. A free agent at the end of the season, Rogers opted for retirement. He won 219 games in his major league career, which is even more remarkable when you consider that he did not get into a major league rotation until he was 28. He is a member of the Texas Rangers Hall of Fame. At last report, Kenny Rogers was living in Westlake, Texas, and was helping to build houses for Habitat for Humanity.
Outfielder Robert Leon Huskey played for Minnesota for the first half of 2000. He was born in Anadarko, Oklahoma, went to high school in Lawton, Oklahoma, and was drafted by the Mets in the seventh round in 1989. He showed power in the minors, hitting 26 homers with Class A Columbia in 1991, 25 with AA Binghamton in 1993, and 28 with AAA Norfolk in 1995. He got a September call up in 1993, spent a month and a half with the Mets in 1995, and arrived for good in 1996. He had three solid years for the Mets, hitting .274 and averaging 17 homers as an almost-regular. After the 1998 season, Huskey was traded to Seattle, and moved on to Boston in late July. He again had a solid year, hitting .282 with 22 homers as an almost-regular. A free agent after the 1999 season, he signed with the Twins. It did not go well: in half a season, Huskey put up a line of .223/.306/.353, with 5 homers and 27 RBIs. On July 15, Minnesota traded him with Todd Walker to Colorado for Todd Sears and cash. He got going again in Colorado, hitting .348 in 92 at-bats. The Rockies were not terribly impressed, however, and sent him to AAA Colorado Springs for 2001. He hit .323 there with 19 home runs, but did not get called up to the majors and was let go after the season. No one picked him up, and Huskey's career was over. He was the last Minnesota player to wear the number 42. He was a regular at New York Mets' fantasy camps. Butch Huskey passed away on August 14, 2026 from a pulmonary embolism at the young age of fifty-four.
Second baseman Brian Adam Dinkelman played for the Twins in 2011. Born and raised in Centralia, Illinois, he attended McKendree University, one of two big-leaguers the school has produced (the other is ex-Twin Jay Ward). He was drafted by Minnesota in the eighth round in 2006. He hit well in the low minors, struggled some when he reached New Britain in 2008, but did better there in 2009. He reached AAA Rochester in 2010 and wasn't bad, but wasn't all that good, either. He again had a pretty nondescript year for Rochester in 2011 but still got about six weeks in the majors, playing for two weeks in June when the Twins had a shortage of infielders and coming back as a September call-up. He did better than expected, hitting .301/.346/.315 in 73 at-bats. Those would turn out to be his career numbers--he played in Rochester in 2012 and 2013, but did not return to Minnesota. He became a free agent after the 2013 season and did not sign with anyone, ending his playing career. Brian Dinkelman was a coach for the GCL Twins in 2015 and was the batting coach for the Cedar Rapids Kernels in 2016-2018. He was the Kernels' manager from 2019-2024, was manager of the Wichita Wind Surge in 2025, and was manager of the St. Paul Saints in 2026.
Right-hander Matthew W. Magill appeared in forty games for the Twins in 2018. Born and raised in Simi Valley, California, he was drafted by the Dodgers in the 31st round in 2008. A starter in his early seasons, he pitched well in the low minors, struggled when promoted to high-A in 2011 at age 21, but bounced back to have a solid year in AA in 2012. He started 2013 in AAA but was promoted to the big leagues in late April of 2013 to make six starts. He was not very good, however, posting an ERA of 6.51, and he would not make it back to the majors for three years. He had a poor year in AAA in 2014, and was traded to Cincinnati after the season. He was apparently injured, making only three AAA starts for the Reds in 2015. He was converted to the bullpen in 2016 and did not do all that well, but got a September call-up anyway and made four scoreless appearances. He gave up three runs in his other appearance, however, so his numbers still didn't look very good. A free agent after the season, he signed with San Diego and again spent the year in AAA. The Twins signed him for 2018 and sent him to AAA, but after five appearances there brought him to the majors in late April and he stayed the rest of the season. For a while it looked like the Twins might have found something--through June 16 he had pitched 23.2 innings and had an ERA of 1.14. In the second half of the season, however, he had an ERA of 4.22 and a WHIP of 1.88. He was not particularly better in 2019, so the Twins sold him to Seattle on July 21. As a Twin, he was 5-3, 4.02, 1.48 WHIP in 68 games (85 innings). He appeared in eleven games for the Mariners in 2020. His numbers don't look good, but are skewed by a couple of bad outings--he was unscored upon in nine of his eleven apperances. He signed with Seattle for 2021 but did not pitch, apparently due to injury. He then retired in April of 2022. He was never really able to put it together, but he played in the majors for parts of five seasons and appeared in 112 games, and there aren't lots of people who can say that. Well, they could say it, but for a lot of them it wouldn't be true. Anyway, in May of 2023 Matt Magill became the mental performance coordinator for the Texas Rangers. He also owns CO2 Tactics, providing professional training and coaching in the Phoenix area.
Monday, November 9, 2026
November 9
Bob Wren was the head coach of Ohio University from 1949-1972.
Jim Riggleman managed San Diego, the Cubs, Seattle, and Washington.
Left-hander Charles Hamilton James appeared in eight games for the Twins in 2011. He was born in Atlanta, went to high school in Mableton, Georgia, and was drafted by Atlanta in the twentieth round in 2002. A starter for most of his minor league career, he did quite well, rose fairly rapidly, and after an outstanding 2005 season in which he excelled at three different minor league levels, he made his major league debut on September 28 of that year. He started 2006 in the majors and was doing well out of the bullpen in a limited role, but apparently got caught in a numbers game and went back to AAA in early May. He was back in the majors by late June, this time in the starting rotation. He did a solid job as a starter, going 11-4, 3.93, 1.27 WHIP with 85 strikeouts in 107.2 innings. He spent all of 2007 with the Braves and was still decent enough, going 11-10, 4.24, 1.38. In 2008, however, he struggled in two of his first three starts and was sent to the minors. He pitched well in AAA, but was only called up briefly a couple of times that year, and has never really gotten another chance. He missed all of 2009 due to injury and when he came back in 2010 it was in the Washington organization as a relief pitcher. He pitched well in the minors, but never got called up, was a free agent after the season, and signed with Minnesota for 2011. He pitched quite well in Rochester, going 3-2, 2.30, 1.21 WHIP in 62.2 innings (38 appearances). He was called up to the Twins twice, for a total of about three weeks, and went 0-0, 6.10, 1.66 WHIP in 10.1 innings (8 appearances). The Twins did not retain him for 2012 and he signed with the Mets. He was decent enough for AAA Buffalo, but the Mets released him in early July and he did not sign with another team. His record indicates that he might have helped somebody if given the chance, but several teams had the opportunity to give him that chance and didn't do it. At last report, Chuck James was living in the Atlanta area and was a sales consultant for Window World, Inc.
Right-hander Joel Martin Zumaya did not play for the Twins, but went to spring training with them in 2012. Born and raised in Chula Vista, California, he was drafted by Detroit in the eleventh round in 2002. A starter throughout his minor league career, he pitched very well for a couple of years, stumbled in 2004 when promoted to high-A, but came back and pitched very well at AA and AAA in 2005. He made the Tigers out of spring training in 2006 and had a tremendous year as a set-up man, going 6-3, 1.94, 1.18 WHIP in 62 appearances (83.1 innings). He got off to a good start in 2007, but then started a string of injuries that has never really stopped. He missed much of 2007 with a ruptured tendon in his finger, injured his shoulder in 2008, and had a wrist injury in 2009. He got off to a good start in 2010, but in late June broke a bone in his elbow. He missed the rest of that season and all of 2011. He wanted to try to come back, and Minnesota gave him the chance in 2012. He threw thirteen pitches of batting practice before rupturing his ulnar collateral ligament, requiring Tommy John surgery. He again attempted to come back, but in February of 2014 finally realized that it was not to be. At last report, Joel Zumaya was living in Chula Vista, California, and was a professional fisherman.
First baseman/outfielder Alexander David Kirilloff played for the Twins from 2020-2024. Born and raised in Pittsburgh, he was drafted out of high school by the Twins in the first round (fifteenth pick) of the 2016 draft. He had a fine year with Elizabethton in 2016, but then missed the 2017 season due to Tommy John surgery. He had a tremendous 2018 season split between Cedar Rapids and Fort Myers, but had a not-so-tremendous 2019 season in Pensacola. We don't mean to overstate that--he wasn't awful by any means, but .283/.343/.413 were not quite the numbers hoped for, especially in the power department. He was on the Twins' sixty-man roster for all of 2020, but did not get the call until the post-season, when he was added to the playoff roster. He got a start for the Twins in Game Two and went 1-for-4. He started 2021 in St. Paul but was quickly brought to the majors. He got off a slow start, but was doing fairly well until he was injured in July, which brought an end to his season. He started 2022 with the Twins, but struggled and went back down to AAA for a couple of months. He hit tremendously there and came back to the majors in mid-June. He did much better for a month and a half, but then an injury again brought his season to an early end. He did well in 2023 when healthy, but again missed time due to injury. 2024 was a struggle, as he was again injured much of the season. After the season, he decided that he was tired of being injured all the time, and retired. His final major league numbers are .248/.309/.412 in 799 at-bats. At last report, Alex Kirilloff was a real estate specialist for Keller Williams Elite Realty in Fort Myers, Florida.
Sunday, November 8, 2026
November 8
Bucky Harris was a star for the franchise when it was in Washington in the 1920s.
Outfielder Joseph Rudolph Nossek played for the Twins from 1964-1966. He was born in Cleveland, attended Ohio University, then was signed by the Twins as a free agent in 1961. He posted decent averages in the minors, batting .293 at AAA Dallas-Ft. Worth as a 22-year-old. He spent the first month of 1964 with Minnesota, but got into only seven games and batted only once, popping up. He hit only .238 that year at AAA, but spent the next three years in the big leagues as a part-time outfielder. He hit .218 for the Twins in 1965 in 170 at-bats, but started most of the 1965 World Series games in center field, ahead of all-star Jimmie Hall. Nossek was sold in May of 1966 to the Kansas City Athletics. He had his best season in 1966, hitting .261, although with few walks and little power. He slumped to .205 in 1967, and spent all of 1968 at AAA. Nossek was traded to St. Louis in 1969, and went to Milwaukee in 1971, spending all of those years at AAA with the exception of 12 big league at-bats. As a Twin, Joe Nossek played in 98 games and got 171 at-bats. He hit .216/.249/.304, with 2 home runs. After his playing career ended, Nossek got into coaching at the major league level, and developed a reputation for being adept at stealing signs. He was a coach for the Twins in 1976 and also was a coach for the White Sox. He then did some scouting for the Houston Astros. He is a member of the Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame. He lived in Amherst, Ohio in retirement. Joe Nossek passed away on February 12, 2026.
Outfielder Eric Todd Anthony did not play for the Twins, but he went to spring training with them in 1997. He was born in San Diego, went to high school in Houston, and was drafted by Houston in the thirty-fourth round in 1986. He attracted attention in 1988 when he hit .273 with 29 home runs for Class A Asheville. He followed that by hitting .292 with 31 homers in 1989 in a year spent mostly at AA Columbus. He got about a month and a half in the majors that season. He spent most of 1990 and about two months of 1991 in the majors as a reserve, but did not hit. Despite that, he was the regular right fielder for the Astros in 1992 and 1993. He still did not hit for average, although he did show double-digit home run power. He then started bouncing around. Anthony was traded to Seattle for 1994, signed with Cincinnati as a free agent for 1995, was sold to Colorado on July 30, 1996, and became a free agent after the season. He signed with Minnesota that off-season. The Twins had him in spring training but released him on March 26. Texas signed him the next day but released him again about a month later. Anthony then signed with the Dodgers, finishing the season there. Anthony went to Japan in 1998, came back to the Dodgers in 1989-1990, spending two full years at AAA Albuquerque, played in the Atlantic League in 2000, and was in the Mexican League in 2001 before ending his playing career. He was never a star, but he got nearly two thousand at-bats in the big leagues over nine seasons, which is pretty good for a thirty-fourth round draft choice. Apparently, his biological father is Willie Davis, although he did not find that out until taking a DNA test later in life. At last report, Eric Anthony was living in the Houston area. His wife, Robin, has a business selling herbal health products.
Infielder Jose Antonio (Dono) Offerman played for the Twins in 2004 near the end of a fairly long career. Born in San Pedro de Macoris, Puerto Rico, Offerman signed with the Dodgers as a free agent in 1986. He arrived in Los Angeles with quite a bit of hype in August of 1990, having hit over .300 in his minor league career. He never quite lived up to it, but he became the regular shortstop for the Dodgers in 1992, a position he held most of the next four seasons. He was rather error-prone, making over 30 errors in a season three times. His best year as a Dodger was his last one, 1995, when he batted .287 and made the all-star team. That off-season, Offerman was traded to Kansas City and began moving around the infield, finally settling at second base. He had his best seasons in Kansas City, hitting over .300 in his three years there and leading the league in triples in 1998. A free agent after that season, Offerman signed with Boston. He had another good year in 1999, batting .294, leading the league in triples again, and making his second all-star team. He started to decline after that, however, and was traded to Seattle in August of 2002. He became a free agent after the season and signed with Montreal, but was released before the season started. Offerman spent 2003 playing for Bridgeport in the independent Atlantic League, but then signed with Minnesota in February of 2004. He did a decent job for the Twins as a part-time player, batting .256/.363/.395 in 172 at-bats and leading the league in pinch hits. Let go after the season, Offerman moved on to Philadelphia and the Mets, played another year of independent ball, and then went to the Mexican League, where he was played through 2009. While he was playing in the Atlantic League in 2007, he hit catcher Johnathan Nathans in the head with a bat during a brawl, which in 2014 resulted in a $940,000 judgment being awarded to Nathans. Offerman also managed Licey in the Dominican Winter League, but was banned for life in January of 2010 when, during an argument, he punched the first base umpire and knocked him to the ground. That suspension was apparently lifted in February of 2013, and he managed Licey in 2014. He did not manage them after that, however. He then operated the Jose Offerman Baseball Academy , but he was back managing in the Mexican League in 2024 and 2025, being named Mexican League Manager of the Year in 2024. It does not appear that he was managing in 2026, however. Wikipedia says "He is the father of former WWE ring announcer and former reality television star JoJo Offerman." Some of us no idea who that is.
Infielder Nicholas Paul Punto played for the Twins from 2004-2010. He was born in San Diego, attended high school in Mission Viejo, California, and then went to Saddleback College, also in Mission Viejo. Punto was drafted by Philadelphia in the 21st round in 1998. He spent five full seasons in the minors, hitting as high as .305 with Class A Clearwater in 1999 and as low as .229 with AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in 2001. He got September callups in 2001 and 2002 and was with Philadelphia almost all of 2003 as a reserve infielder. He was traded to the Twins in December of 2003 with Carlos Silva and Bobby Korecky for Eric Milton. He was strictly a reserve in 2004, but became a mostly-regular in 2005. He was a regular in 2006 and 2007, when he had his best and worst seasons; his best season was 2006, when he hit .290; his worst was 2007, when he tried to play through injuries and hit .210. He only played in over a hundred games once after that, but continued to see substantial playing time throughout his tenure with the Twins. In seven seasons as a Twin, Nick Punto hit .248/.323/.324, for an OPS+ of 74. The Twins declined his option for 2011 and he signed with St. Louis. He missed time with injuries, but had a solid year for the Cardinals when healthy, mostly playing second base. He moved on to Boston for 2012, but hit only .200 and was traded to the Dodgers in late August along with Josh Beckett, Carl Crawford, and Adrian Gonzalez. Used mostly as a reserve, he did a decent enough job for the Dodgers that season and continued to do so in 2013. A free agent again after the season, he signed with Oakland but did not do much for them. He signed with Arizona for 2015 but did not play, saying he wanted to spend more time with his family. He is a member of the Saddleback College Athletics Hall of Fame. He was a baseball coach for Santa Margarita Catholic High School baseball in California, then became a coach for the San Diego Padres in 2025, a job he still holds. He was rumored to be a candidate for the Twins' managerial job in 2026, but did not get it. He will, however, always be remembered by Twins fans whenever we see someone slide into first base.