Monday, November 27, 2023

November 27

Bullet Joe Bush (1892)
Johnny Schmitz (1920)
Billy Moran (1933)
Jose Tartabull (1938)
Dave Giusti (1939)
Dan Spillner (1951)
Mike Scioscia (1958)
Randy Milligan (1961)
Tim Laker (1969)
Ivan Rodriguez (1971)
Willie Bloomquist (1977)
Jimmy Rollins (1978)
Kody Funderburk (1996)

Billy Moran was part of a three-team trade involving Minnesota, Cleveland, and the Los Angeles Angels. Minnesota acquired Frank Kostro and Jerry Kindall and sent Lenny Green and Vic Power to Los Angeles. Moran was sent from the Angels to Cleveland in that trade.

Left-handed reliever Kody Funderburk appeared in eleven games for the Twins in 2023.  He was born in Mesa, Arizona, attended Dallas Baptist University, and was drafted by Minnesota in the fifteenth round in 2018.  He actually had a very poor year in his last year in college, going 1-3, 6.84, 1.72 WHIP in fifty innings.  He did strike out fifty-three batters, which is probably why the Twins took a chance on him.  A starter in college and for much of his minor league career, he was not impressive in the low minors in 2018 or 2019.  He did not pitch in the COVID year of 2020, but he came back strong in 2021, posting a 2.55 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP in a season split between high-A and AA.  He had a good year in AA in 2022, when he began a shift to the bullpen.  He pitched very well in relief for St. Paul in 2023 and came up to the Twins in late August.  He gave up a run in his second appearance, but no more the rest of the season (nine games).  For the season he was 2-0, 0.75, 0.92 WHIP with nineteen strikeouts in twelve innings.  It's a small sample size, obviously, but we assume a spot in the Twins' bullpen in 2024 is his to lose.

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