April 5

Bill Dinneen (1876)

Wid Conroy (1877)

Bill Lachemann (1934)

Ron Hansen (1938)

Rennie Stennett (1951)

Andy MacPhail (1953)

Cris Carpenter (1965)

Ross Gload (1976)

Jorge De La Rosa (1981)

John Curtiss (1993)

The brother of Rene and Marcel Lachemann, Bill Lachemann is a long-time minor league manager, coach, and scout.

Andy MacPhail, of course, was the general manager of the Twins from 1985 through 1994, a period which included both of the Twins' World Series titles.  He later worked for the Chicago Cubs, the Baltimore Orioles, and the Philadelphia Phillies.  He is the son of baseball executive Lee MacPhail and the grandson of baseball executive Larry MacPhail.

Right-hander John Pickens Curtiss played for the Twins in part of the 2017 and 2018 seasons.  He was born in Dallas, went to high school in Southlake, Texas, attended the University of Texas, and was drafted by Minnesota in the sixth round in 2014.  He both started and relieved early on but was a full-time reliever by 2015.  For the most part he pitched well in the low minors.  He started 2017 in AA and was moved up to AAA, pitching very well both places.  Well enough, in fact, that he was called up to Minnesota in late August and stayed the rest of the season.  He made nine appearances and was unscored upon in six of them, but the other three were so ugly that he ended with an ERA of 8.31.  He spent most of 2018 in AAA and again pitched well.  He also made two appearances for the Twins early in the season and later got a September call-up.  Again, he was unscored upon in six of his eight appearances, but the other two were bad enough that his ERA was 5.68.  After the season he was traded to the Angels for Daniel Ozoria.  He was released in June, signed with Philadelphia, and was released a few weeks later.  He signed with Tampa Bay for 2020.  A year ago, we said, "If he gets healthy there's still time for him to develop into an effective major league pitcher, but he needs to get it going in 2020, if there's a season in 2020."  Well, there was, at least to an extent, and he did, going 3-0, 2 saves, 1.80, 0.96 WHIP in 17 games (25 innings).  He was traded to Miami for 2021.  He pitched very well for the Marlins, but was traded to Milwaukee at the trade deadline.  He was able to make only six appearances for the Brewers before being injured again and had Tommy John surgery in September.  He was not expected to return until 2023, but the Mets signed him anyway in April of 2022 anyway.  He returned in 2023 and was in the majors for about six weeks, then had a poor year in AAA.  He signed with Colorado for 2024 and pitched decently in AAA, but was not good in three major league appearances.  As a Twin, John Curtiss was 0-1, 7.20, 1.53 WHIP in 15 innings (17 games).  He turns thirty-two today, has an injury history, and hasn't had a good year since 2021.  We wish him well, but the odds seem to be against him.

April 4

Bill Hinchman (1883)

John Hummel (1883)

Tris Speaker (1888)

Joe Vosmik (1910)

Mickey Owen (1916)

Gil Hodges (1924)

Gary Geiger (1937)

Bart Giamatti (1938)

Eddie Watt (1941)

Jim Fregosi (1942)

Mike Epstein (1943)

Nick Bremigan (1945)

Ray Fosse (1947)

Herm Schneider (1952)

Tom Herr (1956)

Brad Komminsk (1961)

Scott Rolen (1975)

Casey Daigle (1981)

Cameron Maybin (1987)

Martin Perez (1991)

Bart Giamatti was commissioner of baseball from April 1, 1989 until his death on September 1, 1989.

Nick Bremigan was an American League umpire from 1974-1988.

Herm Schneider was a trainer in major league baseball for forty years.

Second baseman Thomas Mitchell Herr was with the Twins for most of the 1988 season.  Born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, he signed with St. Louis as a free agent in 1974.  He hit for a high average with a good OBP in the minors, although he showed little power.  He reached AAA in 1978 and got to the majors for the first time in mid-August of 1979, staying for the rest of the season but getting only twelve at-bats.  He was with St. Louis for most of 1980 and finally left the minors behind for good in 1981, becoming the Cardinals' regular second baseman.  Somehow, he got minor consideration for MVP that year despite hitting .268 with an OPS of .674.  He was generally a decent but unspectacular singles hitter for St. Louis, but he did have a couple of very good years.  He was hitting .323 in early August of 1983 when he season was cut short by injury, and he hit .302 in 1985, when the Cardinals went to the World Series.  He was a productive offensive player in those years, but for the rest of his career in St. Louis he was a .260 hitter with a sub-.700 OPS.  In late April of 1988, Herr was traded to Minnesota for Tom Brunansky.  He missed about two months with injuries, but the rest of the time was who he had been most of his career, batting .263/.349/.320 in 304 at-bats.  After the season, the Twins traded him to Philadelphia with Eric Bullock and Tom Nieto for Shane Rawley and cash.  He had one of his better years for the Phillies in 1989, hitting .287.  In August of 1990, he was traded to the Mets.  He was with the Mets for about a year, but was released in August of 1991 when he hit .194.  The Giants signed him for the remainder of the season, but then Tom Herr's playing career was over.  After that, was a high school coach in Pennsylvania for twelve years, managed the Lancaster Barnstormers in the independent Atlantic  League from 2005-2006, managed the Class A Hagerstown Suns in 2007, and then returned to the Atlantic League as a coach for Lancaster in 2008.  He once again became the manager of the Barnstormers midway through the 2009 season, but was replaced by Butch Hobson after the 2010 season.  At last report, Tom Herr was still living in the Lancaster area and was the owner of WineRacks4U, a company that sells wine racks and other accessories, which somehow seems fitting.  He is a member of the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame and the Lancaster County Sports Hall of Fame.

Right-hander Sean Casey Daigle did not play for the Twins, but he was in their farm system for much of 2008.  He was born in Lake Charles, Louisiana, went to high school in Sulphur, Louisiana, and was drafted by Arizona in the first round in 1999.  A starter in his minor league career through 2004, he really never had much success, never posting an ERA below four nor a WHIP below 1.4.  Despite that, he was promoted to AA at the end of 2002, and skipped AAA, making his major league debut in the Diamondbacks rotation at the start of 2004.  Predictably, it did not go well; he was sent back to AAA after going 2-3, 7.16 in ten starts.  He moved to the bullpen in 2005 and had his first good minor league season, going 9-4, 2.67 for AA Tennessee, although still with a high WHIP.  He started 2006 in the majors and did okay out of the bullpen, going 0-0, 3.65 but with a WHIP of 1.62 in 12.1 innings.  He was back in AAA by late May.  He struggled through two AAA seasons and became a free agent after the 2007 campaign.  He signed with the Twins for 2008 and spent the season in Rochester.  He had what was probably his best season there, going 1-5, 3.78, 1.38 WHIP (the best of his career), but was still released in late August.  He signed with Houston for 2009 and spent two years in their organization.  Most of that time was in AAA, but he came back to the majors for about six weeks in 2010, going 1-1, 11.32 in 10.1 innings.  A free agent again after the season, he signed with San Francisco for 2011 but had a bad year at AAA Fresno, putting an end to his playing career.  At last report, he was living on a ranch in Sulphur, Louisiana with his wife, Jennie Finch.  They have three children, Ace, Diesel, and Paisley.

Left-hander Martin Perez pitched for the Twins in 2019.  He was born in Guanare, Venezuela and signed with Texas as a free agent in 2007.  He pitched well in the Sally League in 2009, but other than that struggled in the minors, although it should be pointed out that he was usually quite young for his league.  The Rangers stuck with him, and despite not having pitched all that well in AAA he made his major league debut in June of 2012.  He started 2013 back in the minors, but after going 5-1, 1.75 in six starts at Round Rock he was back in the majors. This time he was successful, going 10-6, 3.62.  He then missed most of 2014 and half of 2015 with Tommy John surgery.  He returned for the second half of 2015 and was pretty much an average pitcher through 2017.  He had a poor 2018, however, going 2-7, 6.22.  He became a free agent and signed with the Twins for 2019.  At that time we said, "If he can become even an average pitcher again it would certainly help the Twins this season."  It would have, but he couldn't.  As a Twin, he was 10-7, 5.12, 1.52 WHIP in 165.1 innings.  He appeared in thirty-two games, twenty-nine of them starts.  He signed with Boston for 2020, and was able to become an average pitcher again in twelve starts.  He was not as good in 2021 and was sent to the bullpen in early August.  A free agent after the season, he signed with Texas for 2022. Up to that point he had been an average pitcher at best, but in 2022 he had easily the best season of his career:  12-8, 2.89, 1.26 WHIP, with his first all-star appearance.  In 2023, however, he returned to who he had been before and was again sent to the bullpen in August.  He signed with Pittsburgh for 2024 and was not very good, but was traded to San Diego at the July deadline and pitched very well for the Padres in ten starts.  A free agent once more, he signed with the White Sox for 2025.  He turns thirty-four today.  For most of his career he's been an average starter at best, but an average starter still has value.  It would not be surprising to see Martin Perez in the majors for another year or two yet.

April 3

Guy Hecker (1856)

Henry McHenry (1910)

Larry Shepard (1919)

Alex Grammas (1926)

Art Ditmar (1929)

Wally Moon (1930)

Jerry Dale (1933)

Hawk Taylor (1939)

Larry Littleton (1954)

Darrell Jackson (1956)

Gary Pettis (1958)

Doug Baker (1961)

Chris Bosio (1963)

Mark Shapiro (1967)

Mike Lansing (1968)

Ryan Doumit (1981)

Kyle Phillips (1984)

Jay Bruce (1987)

Jason Kipnis (1987)

Guy Hecker is one of three pitchers to have won over fifty games in a season.  He is also the only pitcher to have won a batting title.

Larry Shepard managed Pittsburgh in 1968-1969.  Coincidentally, he was replaced by Alex Grammas.

Jerry Dale was a National League umpire from 1971-85.  He pitched in the minors for the Washington (now Minnesota) franchise from 1951-52.

Mark Shapiro was the general manager of the Cleveland Indians from 2001-10 and was president of that club from 2011-2015, when he became president of the Toronto Blue Jays.

Outfielder Larry Marvin Littleton did not play for the Twins, but was in their farm system in 1982.  He was born in Charlotte, North Carolina, attended the University of Georgia, and was drafted by Pittsburgh in 1976 in the first round (the sixth pick).  He showed power in the minors, producing double-digit home runs in four of his first five seasons, but struck out a lot and his batting averages, while decent, were unexceptional.  The Pirates gave up on him after the 1979 season, sending him to Cleveland as part of a deal for Larry Andersen.  He had a solid season for them in AAA in 1980 and began 1981 in the majors.  He stayed until late May but was used almost exclusively as a pinch hitter and defensive replacement, starting only five games.  He went 0-for-23 with three walks and went back to AAA.  He was still there in early July of 1982 when he was traded to Minnesota for Larry Milbourne.  The Twins kept him in AAA, sending him to Toledo.  His statistics as a Mud Hen are not available, but for the season in AAA he hit .274/.369/.448.  He moved on to the Philadelphia organization for 1983, then his playing career was over.  He is tied with Mike Potter for most at-bats by a non-pitcher without a hit.  Perhaps its better to be remembered for something than for nothing, but it’s obviously not what he’d hoped for when he was chosen with the sixth pick in the draft.  After his playing career ended, Larry Littleton went to work for Merrill Lynch.  At last report, he was a major account executive for Stericycle, Inc., a medical waste disposal company based in the Atlanta area.

Left-hander Darrell Preston Jackson pitched for the Twins from 1978-1982.  A small man (5'10", 150 lbs.), he was born and raised in Los Angeles and attended Arizona State.  Jackson was drafted by Minnesota in the ninth round in 1977.  He made ten excellent starts at AA Orlando in 1978, including nine no-hit innings in his minor league debut, and was in the Twins' starting rotation by mid-June.  Given his age and experience, he didn't do too badly, going 4-6, 4.48.  He began 1979 in AAA Toledo and again pitched pretty well, again coming up to Minnesota in June.  He saw more bullpen duty this time, but again did okay, going 4-4, 4.28 in 69.1 innings.  1980 was Jackson's only full season in the majors, and it was a pretty good one:  9-9, 3.87, WHIP of 1.34.  In 1981, however, he injured his shoulder, missing half the season.  He did not pitch well at all in 1982, and after that his playing career was over.  In that career, all of which was spent with the Twins, he went 20-27, 4.38.  He pitched 411 innings in 102 games, sixty of them starts.  Darrell Jackson battled addictions to drugs and alcohol during his career.  He now works with at-risk teens through an organization he founded called the 10-20 Club, which educates people between the ages of ten and twenty on the right paths to take in life.

Infielder Douglas Lee Baker played for the Twins for parts of three seasons from 1988-1990.  His brother, Dave Baker, played in the majors for Toronto in 1982.  Doug Baker was born in Fullerton, California, went to high school in Grenada Hills, California, and then attended Arizona State.  He was drafted by Detroit in the ninth round in 1982.  He was never much of a hitter; his highest batting average in the minors was .274 in 1986 in AAA Nashville, and his highest minor league home run total was eight in 1984 in AAA Evansville.  Still, he was in the majors for the second half of 1984, a month and a half of 1985, another month and a half of 1986, and a month of 1987.  Despite what should have been the vagaries of small sample size, he was remarkably consistent in those trials, never hitting more than .185 in any of them.  In February of 1988, Detroit traded Baker to Minnesota for Julius McDougal.  He continued to not hit in the minors, and he continued to get chances in the majors.  Baker was with the Twins for a month in 1988, for about half of 1989, and for the first week of 1990.  Small sample size finally worked in his favor in 1989, as he hit .295 in 78 at-bats.  In his career as a Twin, he hit .267/.347/.349 in 86 at-bats.  He became a free agent after the 1990 season and signed with Houston.  He played in AAA for the Astros in 1991, the eighth consecutive year he spent at least part of the season at AAA.  His playing career came to an end after the season.  He has remained active in baseball both as a scout and a coach.  At last report, Doug Baker was the owner of ATH Baseball Academy, a player development school in Perris, California.

Catcher/outfielder/first baseman Ryan Matthew Doumit played for the Twins in 2012 and 2013.  Born and raised in Moses Lake, Washington (well, not in the lake itself, probably, but in the town named after it), he was drafted by Pittsburgh in the second round in 1999.  He hit well in the minors, but rarely seems to have played a full season, presumably due to injuries.  He played 127 games in 2003, but other than that his highest total was 68 in 2002.  He reached the majors in 2005 and mostly stayed there, but he spent a little time in the minors every season through 2011.  One assumes, judging from the game and at-bat totals, that these were mostly rehab assignments.  Almost all of his minor league playing time was at catcher.  The majority of his major league playing time has been at that position, too, but he has played some first base and right field as well.  Prior to joining the Twins, he had only twice appeared in as many as a hundred major league games in a season, in 2008 and 2010.  He had spent his entire career with Pittsburgh until 2012, when he signed with Minnesota as a free agent.  He was the Twins' primary backup catcher in 2012-13, but spent significant time in the outfield and at designated hitter as well.  He played more for the Twins than he ever had before, and while he was nothing special he was not terrible, either, hitting .261/.317/.428 in nearly a thousand at-bats.  In December of 2013 the Twins traded him to Atlanta for Sean Gilmartin.  He was mostly used as a pinch-hitter, appearing in 100 games but starting only 17 in the field.  He did not thrive in the role, batting only .197 with an OPS of .553.  He became a free agent after the season and his playing career came to an end.  He has returned to Moses Lake where, at last report, he was an assistant coach for Big Bend Community College.  He also owned The Six Athletic Training Facility in Moses Lake.

Catcher Kyle Ray Phillips did not play for the Twins, but was drafted by them.  He was born in San Diego and went to high school in Lakeside, California.  He was drafted by the Twins in the tenth round in 2002.  He was in the Twins' farm system for five years, only getting 67 at-bats higher than Class A.  Phillips hit .289 at rookie-level Elizabethton in 2003, but followed that up with two years around .230 at Class A.  The Twins released him on April 1, 2006 and he signed with Milwaukee two days later.  He was in the Brewers' organization only one year, hitting .236 at Class A before being released again on March 24, 2007.  He signed with Toronto a week later, and either something finally clicked or he simply matured, because Phillips suddenly began hitting.  He hit .306 at Class A Dunedin in 2007, followed that up with another .306 at AA New Hampshire in 2008, and followed that with a .300 average at AAA Las Vegas in 2009.  He earned a September call-up that year and went 5-for-18 with three doubles.  He went to spring training with the Blue Jays in 2010, but did not make the team and was sent back to AAA.  Off to a poor start there, he was traded to San Diego in late June for a player to be named later.  He played well in AAA for the Padres the rest of the year.  Phillips became a free agent after the season, but signed back with San Diego for 2011.  Unfortunately, just as suddenly as he started hitting, he stopped again. He spent about half the season in the majors as a backup catcher, but hit just .171 in 76 at-bats.  A free agent again after the 2011 season, he signed with Toronto for 2012, but the contract was voided due to injury.  He instead spent 2012 as a scout for the Chicago Cubs.  He said that he wanted to play again in 2013, but apparently no baseball team wanted him to, so he remained a scout for the Cubs, a position he still held at last report.

April 2

Tommy Bond (1856)

Hughie Jennings (1869)

Bill Yancey (1902)

Luke Appling (1907)

Al Barlick (1915)

Vedie Himsl (1917)

Bobby Avila (1924)

Billy Pierce (1927)

Gordon Jones (1930)

Dick Radatz (1937)

Al Weis (1938)

Mike Kekich (1945)

Reggie Smith (1945)

Don Sutton (1945)

Daniel Okrent (1948)

Tom Johnson (1951)

Billy Sample (1955)

Hank Steinbrenner (1957)

Pete Incaviglia (1964)

Curtis Leskanic (1968)

Denny Hocking (1970)

Jon Lieber (1970)

Shortstop Bill Yancey played in the Negro Leagues for fourteen years, later becoming a manager, coach, and scout.

Al Barlick was a National League umpire from 1940-1970.

Vedie Himsl was a longtime coach and scout, primarily in the Cubs organization.  While pitching for St. John's (Minnesota) University, he struck out twenty batters in a game.

Daniel Okrent was one of the creators of the first fantasy baseball league.

Hank Steinbrenner is one of the owners of the New York Yankees, inheriting the team from his father in 2010.

We would also like to wish a very happy birthday to Lucy.

Outfielder Carl Reginald Smith did not play for the Twins, but spent his first year, 1963, in their farm system.  Smith was born in Shreveport, Louisiana, went to high school in Compton, California, and signed with Minnesota as a free agent in 1963.  He played in Wytheville in the rookie-level Appalachian League, hitting .257 with eight home runs in 253 at-bats.  He was then chosen by Boston in the first-year player draft, a decision that worked out well for the Red Sox.  He rose through the minors, hitting .320 at AAA Toronto in 1966.  He earned a September call-up that year and never returned to the minors.  He was a regular in the outfield for Boston through 1973.  As a member of the Red Sox, Smith finished second to Rod Carew in Rookie of the Year balloting in 1967, won a Gold Glove in 1968, made two all-star teams, and received minor consideration for MVP four times.  He led the league in doubles twice and led in total bases once.  He averaged over 20 homers a year and hit over .300 three times.  He had not slowed down in 1973, but after the season he was traded to St. Louis.  He continued to play well for the Cardinals, making the all-star team in 1974 and 1975 and finishing 11th in the MVP voting in 1974.  He was off to a slow start in 1976, however, and was traded to the Dodgers in mid-June.  It was a good deal for the Dodgers--Smith bounced back to make the all-star team in 1977 and 1978, finishing fourth in MVP balloting both years.  He led the league in both OBP and OPS+ in 1977.  He continued to play well in 1979 and 1980, making the all-star team the latter year, but had both seasons cut short with injuries.  He was used almost solely as a pinch-hitter in 1981, had a poor year, and became a free agent, signing with San Francisco.  He played first base for the Giants in 1982 and was the mostly regular, although he missed some time with injuries again.  He had a solid season, hitting .284 with 18 homers.  He then went to Japan, playing for the Yomiuri Giants for two years before his playing career came to an end.  Smith then became a coach for the Dodgers.  More recently, he has been involved in USA Baseball, serving as hitting coach for US teams in the Pan American Games, the baseball World Cup, the World Baseball Classic, and the Summer Olympics. Reggie Smith plays seven different musical instruments and holds a pilot's license.  He currently runs the Reggie Smith Academy, based in Encino, California, which consults with major league baseball organizations, conducts youth baseball camps, offers private and small-group instruction, and certifies coaches for amateur and school baseball leagues.

Right-handed reliever Thomas Raymond Johnson was a member of the Twins for five seasons, from 1974-1978.  Born and raised in St. Paul, he signed with Minnesota as a free agent in 1970.  He both started and relieved in the minors and had a decent year as a starter for Class A Wisconsin Rapids in 1972.  In 1973, however, he was primarily a reliever, and went to full-time bullpen status in 1974.  He pitched well as a relief pitcher, posting a 1.86 ERA in 87 innings at AA Orlando.  He got a September call-up that year, and spent the next two years bouncing between AAA Tacoma and Minnesota.  He pitched well both years in the minors, and in 1976 he pitched also pitched well in the majors.  By 1977, he was the Twins' closer, although he was not used as a closer is used today.  He appeared in 71 games, and in seventeen of those games he was brought in earlier than the seventh inning.  He pitched more than two innings 29 times, three innings or more twenty times, four ininngs or more nine times, more than five innings three times, and more than six innings twice.  For the season, he went 16-7, 3.13 in 146.2 innings of relief.  Unsurprisingly, this workload had consequences:  the next year, he posted a 5.51 ERA and a 1.81 WHIP.  He was out of baseball in 1979.  Johnson tried to make a comeback in AA with the White Sox in 1980 but pitched poorly, and his playing career was over.  After that, he attended Bethel Seminary in San Diego and was a pastor from 1982-2005.  In 2005, Tom Johnson moved to Bratislava, Slovakia, where he established and is president of the GoodSports Youth Center, which offers sports leagues and tournaments, tutoring, camps, English lessons, service learning activities and discipleship groups.

Outfielder William Amos Sample did not play for the Twins, but went to spring training with them in 1987.  He was born in Roanoke, Virginia, went to high school in Salem, Virginia, attended James Madison University (the first major league player to come from that school), and was drafted by Texas in the tenth round in 1976.  He quickly showed himself to be too good for the leagues in which he played, hitting .382 in rookie ball in 1976, .348 in AA in 1977, and .352 with 18 homers in AAA in 1978.  He got a September call-up in the latter season and, other than a rehab assignment, never went to the minors again.  He was not given a regular job for some time, however, instead platooning with Johnny Grubb for most of the 1979-1982 seasons.  For as well as he hit in the minors, his major league numbers were somewhat disappointing, although he was not terrible by any means.  He finally became a regular in 1983 and 1984, but after a poor 1984 campaign he was traded to the Yankees.  Used as a reserve, he did not do particularly well there, either, and moved on to Atlanta for 1986.  He had a good year as a reserve there, but became a free agent after the season.  He signed with Minnesota for 1987, but did not make the team and his playing career came to an end.  He then went into broadcasting, most recently working for mlb.com.  He also wrote and produced a movie, "Reunion 108", which was released in 2014.  In addition, he wrote a book, "My Year In Pinstripes", about his 1985 season with the Yankees.  A baseball field in Salem, Virginia has been named after him and he is in the James Madison University Hall of Fame.

Right-hander Curtis John Leskanic did not play for the Twins, but was in their farm system in 1992.  He was born in Homestead, Pennsylvania, attended LSU, and was drafted by Cleveland in the eighth round in 1989.  He had two pretty good years in Class A Kinston, then at the end of 1992 spring training was traded to Minnesota with Oscar Munoz for Paul Sorrento.  Promoted to AA, Leskanic did not have a particularly good season, was left unprotected in the expansion draft, and was chosen by Colorado.  He was a starter most of his minor league career, bouncing between the Rockies and AAA Colorado Springs in 1993 and 1994.  He moved to the bullpen in 1995 and had his first full season in the majors that year, leading the league in appearances.  He appeared in nearly as many games in 1996, but did not do nearly as well, as his ERA rose by nearly three runs.  He was back in the minors for 1997, had two more mediocre years in the majors in 1998 and 1999, and then was traded to Milwaukee.  He had back-to-back solid seasons for the Brewers, posting an ERA just over three in 143 game.  He then went through injuries, missing all of 2002 other than a few minor league rehab appearances.  He came back to have a good season in 2003 despite a trade to Kansas City in mid-July.  He had a poor start in 2004, getting released in mid-June.  He signed with Boston and did well there the rest of the year, but his playing career came to an end after that.  At last report, Curtis Leskanic was a scout for the Red Sox.  He also was the owner of Tres Jolie Medical Spa, "your home for Botox and facial fillers" in Lake Mary, Florida.  His cousin, Katrina Leskanich, was the lead singer of the group Katrina and the Waves.

Infielder Dennis Lee Hocking was a member of the Twins for at least part of eleven seasons, 1993-2003.  Born and raised in Torrance, California, he was drafted by Minnesota in the 52nd round.  He rose a level per year and generally had solid but unexceptional offensive numbers.  The one exception is 1992, when he hit .331 at Class A Visalia.  He was a shortstop throughout his minor league career.  He got a September call-up in 1993, was with the Twins for about three weeks in mid-summer of 1994, got another September call-up in 1995, was with Minnesota for about half of 1996, and finally made the team to stay in 1997.  As a Twin, he was the definition of a utilityman, playing every position but pitcher and catcher at some point.  He generally played in most of the team's games, but never had a regular position for any substantial period of time.  In 1997 his main positions were shortstop and third base; in 1998-1999 it was second base and shortstop; in 2000 it was outfield and second base; in 2001-2002 it was back to shortstop and second base; in 2003 it was second base and third base.  He went from a low average of .202 to a high of .298, getting from 198 to 386 at-bats.  For his career as a Twin, he hit .252/.310/351 in 2,204 at-bats.  Hocking became a free agent after the 2003 season and signed with Colorado, but he did not hit and was released in July.  He signed with the Cubs and finished the season at AAA Iowa.  Hocking moved on to Kansas City for 2005, spent most of the year in Omaha, and came back to the majors in early August.  After that, his playing career came to an end.  Since then, Denny Hocking was active in various broadcasting endeavors, was a minor league coach in the Baltimore Orioles' organization, and was the manager of the Inland Empire 66ers in the Angels organization from 2014-2015.  He was the Angels' minor league infield coordinator in 2016, then moved to the Mariners' system.  He was the batting coach for Peoria in 2017, the manager of the Clinton LumberKings, in 2018. and was the manager of the Modesto Nuts in 2019.  He now operates Big League Swings, a baseball/softball training facility in Yorba Linda, California, and is the manager of Team USA's 18U national team.  His son, Jarrod, plays baseball for UCLA.

April 1

Hugo Bezdek (1884)

Jeff Heath (1915)

Vern Hoscheit (1922)

Bo Schembechler (1929)

Giulio Glorioso (1931)

Ron Perranoski (1936)

Ted Sadowski (1936)

Phil Niekro (1939)

Rusty Staub (1944)

Willie Montanez (1948)

Mike Bacsik (1952)

Mike Kinnunen (1958)

Rich Amaral (1962)

Frank Castillo (1969)

Matt Herges (1970)

John Axford (1983)

Daniel Murphy (1985)

Hugo Bezdek is the only man to manage a major league team and coach an NFL team.  He was the manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1917-1919 and the coach of the Cleveland Rams in 1937.  He is also a member of the College Football Hall of Fame.

Vern Hoscheit was a long-time minor league manager, scout, and major league coach.  He was also the president of the Three-I League from 1960-61.

Better known as a college football coach, Bo Schembechler was the president of the Detroit Tigers from 1990-1992.

Giulio Glorioso won six ERA titles and four pitching triple crowns in Italy and is a member of the Italian Baseball Hall of Fame.

Left-handed reliever Ronald Peter Perranoski pitched for the Twins from 1968-1971.  His last name was originally “Perzanowski”, and he is a cousin of former Twins pitcher Stan Perzanowski.  He was born in Paterson, New Jersey and went to high school in Fair Lawn, New Jersey.  He attended Michigan State and was signed by the Cubs as a free agent in 1958.  He was a starter his first couple of years in the minors, struggling his first year but posting a 3.12 ERA with ten complete games in 1959 at AA San Antonio.  In April of 1960 he was traded to the Dodgers in a trade that also involved ex-Twin Johnny Goryl.  He pitched well for two AAA teams in 1960, but started his transition to the bullpen that season.  When he reached the Dodgers in 1961, he was used almost exclusively as a reliever (the only major league start of his career came in his rookie season).  He spent seven years in the Dodger bullpen and pitched very well.  His best season was probably 1963, when he went 16-3, 1.67 with 21 saves.  He led the league in winning percentage and appearances (69), pitching 129 innings of relief (one of seven seasons in which he pitched more than 100 relief innings).  Perranoski finished fourth in MVP voting that year.  He led the league in appearances three times as a Dodger.  After the 1967 season, Perranoski was traded to Minnesota with Bob Miller and Johnny Roseboro for Mudcat Grant and Zoilo Versalles.  Al Worthington was still the Twins' closer in 1968, but Perranoski pitched well in relief and got six saves.  He became the closer the next year and responded with two more fine seasons, leading the league in saves in consecutive years.  In 1971, however, it appears that age and the number of relief innings finally caught up with him.  He pitched poorly for the Twins, was placed on waivers at the end of July, and was claimed by Detroit.  He was with the Tigers for a year, getting his release in July of 1972.  The Dodgers re-signed him to finish out the year.  Perranoski signed with the Angels for 1973 but pitched in only eight games before ending his playing career.  As a Twin, Ron Perranoski was 25-29, 3.00 with 76 saves.  He pitched 360.1 innings over 244 games.  He was the Dodgers' minor league pitching coordinator from 1973-1980 and became the pitching coach of the Dodgers from 1981-1994.  He was elected to the National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame in 1983.  Perranoski was later the Giants' pitching coach and worked for some time in the Giants' front office as an assistant to the general manager in the areas of scouting and player development.  He then retired to Vero Beach, Florida, where Ron Perranoski passed away on October 2, 2020.

Right-handed reliever Theodore Sadowski was one of the original Minnesota Twins, playing for them in 1961 and 1962.  A native of Pittsburgh, he signed as a free agent with Washington in 1955.  He both started and relieved in the minors.  He rose slowly, not reaching AAA until 1960.  He had a solid season at Charleston that year, going 8-8, 3.15 in 44 appearances, seven of them starts.  Sadowski made his major league debut as a September call-up, but did not pitch well in nine appearances.  He came to Minnesota with the team in 1961 and made the team out of spring training, but was sent back to AAA in early June with an ERA well over six.  He pitched well at AAA Syracuse that year and once again started the season in the majors in 1962.  He again could not get the job done, and was sent back to AAA in early July with an ERA over five.  Sadowski continued to pitch well in AAA through 1963, had a poor year there in 1964, and pitched two more years in AA for the Twins before ending his career after the 1966 season.  His major league totals were 2-3, 5.76 in 43 appearances, two of them starts.  He pitched a total of 84.1 innings in the big leagues.  He apparently returned to his home town of Pittsburgh after leaving baseball, passing away there from cancer on July 18, 1993.

Right-handed reliever Michael James Bacsik played for the Twins in 1979 and 1980.  Born and raised in Dallas, he attended Trinity University and was signed by Texas as a free agent in 1973.  He really did not pitch very well in the minors--his lowest ERA in a season where he pitched more than 45 innings was 4.24 at Class A Gastonia in 1974--but he got several chances in the majors anyway.  Bacsik was with Texas for a month in 1975, for more than half the season in 1976, and for about a week in 1977.  In December of 1978 the Rangers finally gave up on Bacsik, trading him to Minnesota for Mac Scarce.  He had a good month in AAA Toledo in 1979, posting an ERA of 1.29 and a WHIP of 1.05 in 21 innings, and that was all the Twins needed to see--he came up and stayed the rest of the season.  He actually wasn't too bad:  4-2, 4.39, 1.37 WHIP in 65.2 innings.  He was having another decent year in AAA in 1980 when he was again called up in late June.  He again wasn't too bad, though nothing to get excited about:  no decisions and a 4.30 ERA.  After the season, however, the Twins traded Bacsik to Seattle for Steve Stroughter.  The Mariners released him at the end of spring training and his playing career came to an end.  He was inducted into the Trinity University Hall of Fame in 2005.  His son, also named Mike Bacsik, also pitched in the major leagues and is currently an analyst for the Texas Rangers.   At last report, it appeared that the elder Mike Bacsik has returned to the Dallas area, where he was coaching youth baseball and was involved in Texas Rangers Legacy, which promotes the heritage and history of the Rangers' baseball team.

Left-handed reliever Michael John Kinnunen pitched for Minnesota for about two-thirds of the season in 1980.  Born and raised in Seattle, he attended Washington State and was drafted by the Twins in the tenth round in 1979.  He was a starter that year, but shifted to the bullpen in 1980.  He was having a fine year in AAA Toledo when he was called up to the Twins.  Kinnunen appeared in 21 games for Minnesota, pitching 24.2 innings.  He had no record, a 5.11 ERA, and a 1.54 WHIP.  Those would be his career major league stats for several years.  He went back to Toledo in 1981, pitched poorly, and was traded to St. Louis after the season for Jeff Little.  He had a good half-season in AA for the Cardinals, but did not do well when promoted to AAA and was released just before the start of the 1983 season.  He signed with Montreal in late April and spent two years in their farm system, again pitching well at AA but not so well when given a chance at AAA.  He was traded to Kansas City for 1985 and did all right in relief for Omaha, but became a free agent after the season.  Baltimore signed him and he had a fine season in Rochester, earning a September call-up and a return to the majors in 1986.  He began the season with Baltimore in 1987 but did not pitch well and went back down to Rochester in mid-May.  He had another very good year there and got another September call-up.  The Orioles were not sufficiently impressed, however, and let him go after the season.  He pitched decently for AAA Columbus in the Yankees' organization in 1988, moved on the Dodgers' and Brewers' organizations in 1989, and then his playing career was over.  He played in the Puerto Rican Winter League several years during his playing career and at last report was living in Carolina, Puerto Rico, where he was the head of the baseball program for school sports.  Mike Kinnunen holds the record for most career pitching appearances without a decision of any kind:  win, loss, or save (48).

March 31

Bill Hallman (1867)

Jack Stivetts (1868)

Big Jeff Pfeffer (1882)

Brick Owens (1885)

Tom Sheehan (1894)

Carson Bigbee (1895)

George Mitchell (1900)

Mule Suttles (1900)

Marv Grissom (1918)

Dave Koslo (1920)

Moises Camacho (1932)

Moose Stubing (1938)

Balvino Galvez (1964)

Chien-Ming Wang (1980)

Jeff Mathis (1983)

Peter Bourjos (1987)

Josmil Pinto (1989)

There have been two players in the majors named Jeff Pfeffer.  They were brothers.  "Big Jeff" Pfeffer was actually Francis Xavier Pfeffer.  Plain old Jeff Pfeffer was actually Edward Joseph Pfeffer.  "Big Jeff" was 6'1", 185 pounds.  Plain old Jeff was 6'3", 210.

Brick Owens was a longtime major league umpire.  His first name was Clarence.  He got the nickname "Brick" after being hit by one while umpiring a game in Pittsburg, Kansas early in his career.

Mule Suttles is sometimes credited as the all-time Negro Leagues home run leader with 237.  He swung a fifty-ounce bat.

One of the top second basemen in the history of the Mexican League, Moises Camacho played  there from 1951-1975.  He was known as the Rogers Hornsby of Mexico.

Right-hander Marvin Edward Grissom did not play for the Twins, but was a coach for them from 1970-1971.  He was born in Los Molinas, California and signed with the New York Giants as a free agent in 1941.  He made ten appearances with Class C San Bernardino that season, then went to the Army for four years during World War II.  He came back in 1946 and spent the next three years primarily in AAA, although he made four appearances for the Giants in 1946.  After the 1947 season, he went to independent Sacramento, and then was chosen by Detroit in the Rule 5 draft for 1949.  He made occasional appearances for the Tigers out of the bullpen and was largely ineffective.  Back in AAA the next season, he had two strong years there, winning 20 games and pitching 252 innings for Seattle in the Pacific Coast League in 1951.  He was traded to the White Sox for 1952 and finally, at age 34, was in the big leagues to stay.  He was in the starting rotation that year and did fairly well, but was traded to Boston after the season.  He got off to a slow start, we placed on waivers, and went back to the Giants.  They moved him to the bullpen, where he was an effective reliever for the next four years.  Grissom won ten games and saved 19 in 1954, making the all-star team and receiving minor consideration for MVP.  His best year, though, was 1956, when he posted an ERA of 1.56 and a WHIP of 1.08.  He moved to San Francisco with the team in 1958 but had a down year and was traded to St. Louis after the season.  He struggled in three appearances with the Cardinals and his playing career ended at age 41.  He was the first pitching coach of the Los Angeles Angels, staying with the Angels through 1966.  He moved to the White Sox for 1967 and 1968, went back to the Angels for 1969, was with the Twins for 1970 and 1971, was with the Cubs in 1975 and 1976, and went back to the Angels again in 1977 and 1978.  He retired to Red Bluff, California, where he regularly showed up at local high school baseball practices to help youngsters with their pitching.  Marv Grissom passed away in Red Bluff, California on September 18, 2005.

Right-hander Balvino (Jerez) Galvez did not play for the Twins, but pitched in their minor league system in 1988.  Born and raised in San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic, he signed with the Dodgers as a free agent in 1981.  His minor league numbers were pretty mediocre, but he kept getting promoted a level per season, reaching AAA in 1986.  He also pitched for the Dodgers that year, spending two weeks with the big club in May and then getting a September call-up.  He did not pitch particularly worse or better in the majors than he had in the minors.  Galvez was traded to Detroit in early May of 1987, and was traded to the Twins in March of 1988 for Billy Beane.  He spent most of the year in AAA Portland and went 11-7, 3.77, but with a WHIP of 1.48.  In March of 1989 the Twins traded Galvez to the Yankees for Steve Shields.  He pitched poorly for AAA Columbus in 1989, pitched both poorly and briefly in the Montreal organization in 1990, pitched fairly well in AAA for the Dodgers in 1992, but pitched briefly and poorly in AA for the Cubs in 1993.  He moved to the Chinese Professional Baseball League for 1994, pitching for the Brother Elephants.  He stayed for two years, then moved to Japan for 1996, pitching for the Yomiuri Giants, staying through 2000.  He attempted to return to the United States in 2001, and appeared to have made the rotation for Pittsburgh, but got into an argument with pitching coach Spin Williams, stormed out of the clubhouse, and flew to the Dominican Republic.  He did not appear in organized baseball again.  His son, Brian Cavazos-Galvez, was an outfielder in the Dodgers' organization, reaching AAA in 2012 and again in 2014.  At last report, Balvino Galvez was the owner of a baseball training facility in San Pedro de Macoris in the Dominican Republic, but that last report is a few years old now.  His son, Brian Cavazos-Galvez, was an outfielder in the Dodgers' organization.

Catcher Josmil Oswaldo Pinto played for the Twins from 2013-2014.  He was born in Valencia, Carabobo, Venezuela and signed with Minnesota as a free agent in 2006.  He did not show a lot in his first couple of years, although he was very young.  He did well in 85 at-bats in the Gulf Coast League in 2008 and attracted attention in 2009 with Elizabethton, hitting .332 with thirteen home runs.  He had a poor year with Beloit in 2010 and was only somewhat better with Fort Myers in 2011, but got things going again in 2012, hitting .295 with fourteen homers in a year spent mostly at Fort Myers.  He had a strong 2013 in New Britain, hitting .308 with fourteen homers, continued hitting when given 70 at-bats in Rochester, and kept it going in a September call-up to Minnesota, hitting .342/.398/.566 with four home runs in 76 at-bats.  He started 2014 with the Twins and started well, but suffered from inconsistent playing time and was sent back to AAA in early June, once again getting a September call-up.  He was not considered a good defensive catcher, and it appears that the Twins held him back for that reason.  He was hit on the head with a bat early in 2015, and the effects of that probably contributed to him having a poor season in AAA.  The Twins waived him after the season, he was claimed by San Diego, was waived again a month later, and was claimed by Milwaukee.  He had a fine year in AAA for the Brewers, but got only five major league at-bats as a September call-up.  He became a free agent and signed with San Francisco, but did not play in 2017 and was released after the season.  He played winter ball in Venezuela through the 2020-21 season, did not play the following year, but has played in the Nicaraguan Winter League the last three years.  He turns thirty-six today.  As a Twin, Josmil Pinto batted .257/.339/.436 in 250 at-bats.  There's no real reason to think he couldn't have hit in the majors if he'd been given the chance, but for a variety of reasons he wasn't.  We wish him well in whatever the future may hold for him.

March 30

Bill Hallman (1867)

Jack Stivetts (1868)

Big Jeff Pfeffer (1882)

Brick Owens (1885)

Tom Sheehan (1894)

Carson Bigbee (1895)

George Mitchell (1900)

Mule Suttles (1900)

Marv Grissom (1918)

Dave Koslo (1920)

Moises Camacho (1932)

Moose Stubing (1938)

Balvino Galvez (1964)

Chien-Ming Wang (1980)

Jeff Mathis (1983)

Peter Bourjos (1987)

Josmil Pinto (1989)

There have been two players in the majors named Jeff Pfeffer.  They were brothers.  "Big Jeff" Pfeffer was actually Francis Xavier Pfeffer.  Plain old Jeff Pfeffer was actually Edward Joseph Pfeffer.  "Big Jeff" was 6'1", 185 pounds.  Plain old Jeff was 6'3", 210.

Brick Owens was a longtime major league umpire.  His first name was Clarence.  He got the nickname "Brick" after being hit by one while umpiring a game in Pittsburg, Kansas early in his career.

Mule Suttles is sometimes credited as the all-time Negro Leagues home run leader with 237.  He swung a fifty-ounce bat.

One of the top second basemen in the history of the Mexican League, Moises Camacho played  there from 1951-1975.  He was known as the Rogers Hornsby of Mexico.

Right-hander Marvin Edward Grissom did not play for the Twins, but was a coach for them from 1970-1971.  He was born in Los Molinas, California and signed with the New York Giants as a free agent in 1941.  He made ten appearances with Class C San Bernardino that season, then went to the Army for four years during World War II.  He came back in 1946 and spent the next three years primarily in AAA, although he made four appearances for the Giants in 1946.  After the 1947 season, he went to independent Sacramento, and then was chosen by Detroit in the Rule 5 draft for 1949.  He made occasional appearances for the Tigers out of the bullpen and was largely ineffective.  Back in AAA the next season, he had two strong years there, winning 20 games and pitching 252 innings for Seattle in the Pacific Coast League in 1951.  He was traded to the White Sox for 1952 and finally, at age 34, was in the big leagues to stay.  He was in the starting rotation that year and did fairly well, but was traded to Boston after the season.  He got off to a slow start, we placed on waivers, and went back to the Giants.  They moved him to the bullpen, where he was an effective reliever for the next four years.  Grissom won ten games and saved 19 in 1954, making the all-star team and receiving minor consideration for MVP.  His best year, though, was 1956, when he posted an ERA of 1.56 and a WHIP of 1.08.  He moved to San Francisco with the team in 1958 but had a down year and was traded to St. Louis after the season.  He struggled in three appearances with the Cardinals and his playing career ended at age 41.  He was the first pitching coach of the Los Angeles Angels, staying with the Angels through 1966.  He moved to the White Sox for 1967 and 1968, went back to the Angels for 1969, was with the Twins for 1970 and 1971, was with the Cubs in 1975 and 1976, and went back to the Angels again in 1977 and 1978.  He retired to Red Bluff, California, where he regularly showed up at local high school baseball practices to help youngsters with their pitching.  Marv Grissom passed away in Red Bluff, California on September 18, 2005.

Right-hander Balvino (Jerez) Galvez did not play for the Twins, but pitched in their minor league system in 1988.  Born and raised in San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic, he signed with the Dodgers as a free agent in 1981.  His minor league numbers were pretty mediocre, but he kept getting promoted a level per season, reaching AAA in 1986.  He also pitched for the Dodgers that year, spending two weeks with the big club in May and then getting a September call-up.  He did not pitch particularly worse or better in the majors than he had in the minors.  Galvez was traded to Detroit in early May of 1987, and was traded to the Twins in March of 1988 for Billy Beane.  He spent most of the year in AAA Portland and went 11-7, 3.77, but with a WHIP of 1.48.  In March of 1989 the Twins traded Galvez to the Yankees for Steve Shields.  He pitched poorly for AAA Columbus in 1989, pitched both poorly and briefly in the Montreal organization in 1990, pitched fairly well in AAA for the Dodgers in 1992, but pitched briefly and poorly in AA for the Cubs in 1993.  He moved to the Chinese Professional Baseball League for 1994, pitching for the Brother Elephants.  He stayed for two years, then moved to Japan for 1996, pitching for the Yomiuri Giants, staying through 2000.  He attempted to return to the United States in 2001, and appeared to have made the rotation for Pittsburgh, but got into an argument with pitching coach Spin Williams, stormed out of the clubhouse, and flew to the Dominican Republic.  He did not appear in organized baseball again.  His son, Brian Cavazos-Galvez, was an outfielder in the Dodgers' organization, reaching AAA in 2012 and again in 2014.  At last report, Balvino Galvez was the owner of a baseball training facility in San Pedro de Macoris in the Dominican Republic, but that last report is a few years old now.  His son, Brian Cavazos-Galvez, was an outfielder in the Dodgers' organization.

Catcher Josmil Oswaldo Pinto played for the Twins from 2013-2014.  He was born in Valencia, Carabobo, Venezuela and signed with Minnesota as a free agent in 2006.  He did not show a lot in his first couple of years, although he was very young.  He did well in 85 at-bats in the Gulf Coast League in 2008 and attracted attention in 2009 with Elizabethton, hitting .332 with thirteen home runs.  He had a poor year with Beloit in 2010 and was only somewhat better with Fort Myers in 2011, but got things going again in 2012, hitting .295 with fourteen homers in a year spent mostly at Fort Myers.  He had a strong 2013 in New Britain, hitting .308 with fourteen homers, continued hitting when given 70 at-bats in Rochester, and kept it going in a September call-up to Minnesota, hitting .342/.398/.566 with four home runs in 76 at-bats.  He started 2014 with the Twins and started well, but suffered from inconsistent playing time and was sent back to AAA in early June, once again getting a September call-up.  He was not considered a good defensive catcher, and it appears that the Twins held him back for that reason.  He was hit on the head with a bat early in 2015, and the effects of that probably contributed to him having a poor season in AAA.  The Twins waived him after the season, he was claimed by San Diego, was waived again a month later, and was claimed by Milwaukee.  He had a fine year in AAA for the Brewers, but got only five major league at-bats as a September call-up.  He became a free agent and signed with San Francisco, but did not play in 2017 and was released after the season.  He played winter ball in Venezuela through the 2020-21 season, did not play the following year, but has played in the Nicaraguan Winter League the last three years.  He turns thirty-six today.  As a Twin, Josmil Pinto batted .257/.339/.436 in 250 at-bats.  There's no real reason to think he couldn't have hit in the majors if he'd been given the chance, but for a variety of reasons he wasn't.  We wish him well in whatever the future may hold for him.