March 12

Abraham Mills (1884)

Denny Lyons (1866)

Leroy Matlock (1907)

Vern Law (1930)

Durwood Merrill (1938)

Johnny Callison (1939)

Jimmy Wynn (1942)

Bill Butler (1947)

Larry Rothschild (1954)

Ruppert Jones (1955)

Dale Murphy (1956)

Mike Quade (1957)

Darryl Strawberry (1962)

Shawn Gilbert (1965)

Steve Finley (1965)

Raul Mondesi (1971)

Greg Hansell (1971) 

David Lee (1973)

P. J. Walters (1985)

Max Meyer (1999)

Abraham Mills was president of the Mills Commission, which determined that Abner Doubleday invented the game of baseball in Cooperstown, New York in 1839.

Leroy Matlock was a star pitcher in the Negro Leagues in the 1930s.

Durwood Merrill was a major league umpire from 1977-2002.

Max Meyer was drafted by Minnesota in the thirty-fourth round in 2017 but did not sign.

Left-hander William Franklin Butler pitched for the Twins in parts of three seasons:  1974, 1975, and 1977.  He was born in Hyattsville, Maryland and went to high school in Herndon, Virginia.  He was drafted by Detroit in the 37th round in 1965.  He pitched pretty well in the low minors, but did not reach AA until the end of 1967.  He was shifted to the bullpen in 1968 and continued to pitch well in AA.  Butler was left unprotected in the expansion draft, however, and was selected by Kansas City.  He was with the Royals for all of 1969.  He went back to starting and did decently, going 9-10, 3.90 in 193.2 innings.  He was did about as well again in 1970, but started 1971 in AAA Omaha, coming back to Kansas City in late June.  He again did okay, but the Royals clearly had no faith in him, as the again started him in the minors in 1972 and then sold him to Cleveland in July.  He got a September call-up with the Indians and pitched well in 11.2 innings.  It did him no good, as he was in the minors all of 1973 and was traded to Minnesota after the season, along with Dick Colpaert, for Mike Brooks and Jim Strickland.  Butler made four good starts at AAA Tacoma and was called up to Minnesota in mid-May.  Used about equally as a starter and a reliever, Butler went 4-6, 4.10 with a 1.49 WHIP.  He was used more as a reliever in 1975, but did not do as well.  He had an unspectacular 1976 in Tacoma and did not do much better there in 1977, when he was shifted back to a starting role.  Butler was with the Twins for about a month that season, his last shot at the majors, and pitched poorly.  The Twins traded him to the Dodgers for Rex Hudson after the season.  He was in the AAA Albuquerque bullpen all season, pitched poorly, and his playing career was over.  At last report, it appeared that Bill Butler was living in Berkeley Springs, West Virginia and was working with youth there.

Outfielder/infielder Gregory Michael Quade did not play for the Twins, but he managed the Rochester Red Wings from 2015-2017.  He was born in Evanston, Illinois, went to the University of New Orleans, and was drafted by Pittsburgh in the twenty-second round in 1979.  He had some decent batting averages and drew a good number of walks, but had very little power.  He remained in the Pittsburgh organization through 1983 but spent nearly all of that time in Class A, only reaching AA for sixty-three games in 1981.  He was mostly an outfielder, but also played every position of the infield except first base and was twice used as a mop-up pitcher.  He became a minor-league manager in 1985 and has been a manager or coach most of the rest of the time.  In seventeen years as a minor league manager his teams have reached the playoffs eight times and won the league championship twice.  He was the manager of the Chicago Cubs at the end of 2010 and for all of 2011, where he joined a long list of managers who failed to win anything with the Cubs.  He was the manager of the Rochester Red Wings, the Twins' AAA team, from 2015-2017.  He was a roving outfield instructor the Twins in 2018 and was the outfield coordinator for the Twins from 2019-2025.  It appears, however, that he is no longer in that position.  No information about what Mike Quade is doing now was readily available.

Utility player Albert Shawn Gilbert was drafted by the Twins, but never played for them.  He was born in Camden, New Jersey, but went to high school in Avondale, Arizona.  He then attended Cal State--Fresno and Arizona State and was drafted by Minnesota in the 12th round in 1987.  He was in the Twins' minor league system for six years.  He was a shortstop for the first four years, shifted to the outfield in his fifth season, and played all over the place in year six.  His best season was 1988, when he hit .288, mostly for Class A Kenosha.  He had little power, never topping five home runs and not even hitting that many doubles.  He reached AAA in 1992, but hit only .245 in Portland.  Gilbert was placed on waivers after the season and signed with the White Sox.  He did no better at AAA for them, became a free agent after the season, and signed with Philadelphia.  He had a couple of mediocre years in AAA there, became a free agent again, and signed with the Mets.  He was not particularly better as a Met, but his persistence paid of in 1997, when he made his major league debut.  He came up in early June and was used mostly as a pinch-hitter/defensive replacement, getting 22 at-bats in 29 games.  Gilbert started 1998 in the Mets' system, then was traded to St. Louis in June.  Most of his 1998 was in the minors, although he got five major league at-bats (three with the Mets, two with St. Louis).  He became a free agent again after the season and signed with the Dodgers.  He had the best years of his career in AAA with the Dodgers, hitting over .300 for three consecutive years and in the .330s the last two years.  He was in his mid-thirties by then, and obviously not a prospect, but spent a month in the majors in 2000, used mostly as a defensive replacement.  He spent his last two years as a player at AAA in Pittsburgh, ending his playing career after the 2003 season.  He played seventeen years in the minors, twelve of them in AAA, but got only 47 at-bats in the majors, hitting .149.  Still, it's 47 more at-bats than most of us will ever get, and he got to spend seventeen years doing something he apparently loved doing.  He was an assistant baseball coach for Fresno Pacific University from 2009-2010, then was an assistant baseball coach for Long Beach State, and at last report was the head baseball coach at Servite High School in Orange County, California.

Right-hander Gregory Michael Hansell was a reliever for the Twins in 1996.  Born in Bellflower, California, he attended high school in La Palma, California and was drafted by Boston in the tenth round in 1989.  Originally a starter, he got off to a good start in the low minors, but was traded to the Mets in July of 1990 as part of a deal for first baseman Mike Marshall.  At the end of the year, he was traded again, this time to the Dodgers.  After a strong year in Class A Bakersfield in 1991, the Dodgers promoted Hansell as high as AAA in 1992.  He struggled there, but had a fine year after being moved to the bullpen in 1994.  He was apparently injured part of 1995, and was traded to the Twins at the July deadline along with Ron Coomer, Jose Parra, and a player to be named later (Chris Latham) for Kevin Tapani and Mark Guthrie.  the Twins kept him in the minors the rest of that season, but Hansell was in Minnesota in 1996, his only full season in the major leagues.  Used exclusively in relief, he was 3-0 with three saves in 50 appearances.  His ERA, however, was 5.69 and his WHIP was 1.53.  Less than impressed, the Twins put Hansell on waivers after the season.  He was claimed by Boston, but released in spring training of 1997, signing with Milwaukee.  He had a poor year in AAA for the Brewers and became a free agent after the season.  Hansell signed with Arizona, was released in March of 1998, signed with Oakland, and was traded to Kansas City in early May.  Again a free agent after 1998, he signed with San Francisco, was released right before the 1999 season, and signed with Pittsburgh.  He started the season in AAA but came up to the majors in mid-June and stayed the rest of the season.  He actually had a good year in limited use, posting a 3.89 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP in 39.1 innings.  It would be his last time in the big leagues, however; after the 1999 season, Hansell was sold to the Hanshin Tigers, where he stayed for three seasons.  In 2003, at age 32, he came back to the United States, pitched in the minors for the Yankees that season and for Arizona in 2004, and then his playing career came to an end.  Greg Hansell was an international scout for the Rakuten Eagles of Japan from 2005-2009.  He then worked with the Beverly Hills Sports Council from 2010-2012.  At last report, he was an instructor for Legends Baseball in Chandler, Arizona.

Right-hander David Emmer Lee did not play for the Twins, but was in their farm system in 2002.  Born and raised in Pittsburgh, he attended Mercyhurst College in Erie, Pennsylvania, one of two major league players the school has produced (John Costello).  He was drafted by Colorado in the twenty-third round in 1995.  A reliever all the way, he spent three years in Class A, then made only 16 appearances in AA and six in AAA before being jumped to the majors.  He was with the Rockies for most of 1999 and did okay in limited duty, going 3-2, 3.67, 1.47 WHIP in 49 innings spread over 36 appearances.  He began 2000 in the majors, but was sent back to AAA after only five appearances and spent most of the rest of the year there.  He was traded to the Yankees after the season, but before the 2001 campaign began he was traded again, this time to San Diego.  He was in the majors for almost all of the 2001 season and again did okay in limited duty, going 1-0, 3.70, although with a 1.62 WHIP in 48.2 innings over 41 appearances.  He was released after the season and signed with Minnesota for 2002.  He spent the entire year in Edmonton, going 9-1, 4.69, 1.71 WHIP in 64.2 innings.  He was with the Dodgers for 2003 but was traded to Cleveland in September and got a few appearances in the big leagues with them at the end of the year and again in 2004.  He was in the minors for the Mets, San Francisco, and St. Louis in 2005, signed with the Cubs for 2006, was released in spring training, and was in the minors for Houston, Florida, and Boston that year.  After that, he apparently ran out of teams to play for, and his playing career came to an end.  In his major league career, he was 5-2, 4.37, 1.64 WHIP in 115.1 innings.  He appeared in 96 games, all in relief.  At last report, David Lee was living in the Pittsburgh area and was a professional trainer for the David Lee Big League Experience.

Right-hander Phillip DeWayne "P. J." Walters pitched for the Twins in 2012.  He was born in Dothan, Alabama, went to high school in Mobile Alabama, attended the University of South Alabama, and was drafted by St. Louis in the eleventh round in 2006.  He was a reliever that season in short-season Class A, but has been primarily a starting pitcher since.  He pitched very well in the minors before hitting a bump in his first year of AAA, 2008.  Still, he began 2009 in the majors.  He was not ready, and so spent the season in Memphis.  He was not much better there in 2009 than he had been in 2008, but he did significantly better in 2010.  He made seven appearances in the big leagues that season.  He was again in AAA in 2011 but was called up to St. Louis in July, making four relief appearances before being traded to Toronto in an eight-player deal.  He made one appearance there before going back to AAA.  A free agent after the season, he signed with Minnesota for 2012.  He was not particularly impressive in AAA for them, but the Twins were looking for pitchers, so he made twelve starts in the big leagues, pitching fairly well in about half of them.  2013 was pretty much the same as 2012--he did not do that well in AAA, but made eight starts in the majors anyway.  He became a free agent after the season and signed with Kansas City.  He appeared in ten games of AAA, pitched poorly, and was sold to Toronto in late May.  He was in both AA and AAA for the Blue Jays but was released after the minor league season was over.  He signed with Philadelphia for 2015, was released at the end of spring training, played independent ball for a month, signed with the Dodgers in early May, and was sold to Washington in early June.  He did not get back to the majors and did not pitch well for any of those teams in the minors.  He was released by the Nationals before the 2016 season, ending his playing career.  As a Twin, he was 4-10, 5.79, 1.60 WHIP in twenty starts.  As a big leaguer, he was 6-10, 6.28, 1.58 WHIP in 152 innings.  He appeared in 40 games, 24 of them starts.  He pitched in AAA for parts of eight seasons and had combined numbers of 55-44, 4.74, 1.47 WHIP there.  At last report, P. J. Walters was living in Loxley, Alabama.

March 11

Bobby Winkles (1930)

Dock Ellis (1945)

Cesar Geronimo (1948)

Phil Bradley (1959)

Bryan Oelkers (1961)

Steve Reed (1965)

Salomon Torres (1972)

Bobby Abreu (1974)

Rich Hill (1980)

Dan Uggla (1980)

Frank Mata (1984)

Bobby Winkles was the head baseball coach at Arizona State from 1959-1971, winning three College World Series titles. He also managed and coached in the major leagues.

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

Left-hander Bryan Alois Oelkers made ten appearances for the Twins in 1983. Born in Zaragoza, Spain, Oelkers was the second player born in Spain to reach the major leagues (Al Cabrera, one game in 1913). He attended high school in Maryland Heights, Missouri and then attended Wichita State. After being named NCAA picher of the year in 1982, he was drafted by the Twins with the fourth pick of the 1982 draft, famously drafted ahead of Dwight Gooden. He made eight starts in the minors in 1982 and started 1983 in the Twins' starting rotation. He did well in two of his first three starts, but things went downhill after that. After five poor starts and a couple of poor relief appearances, Oelkers was sent to AAA, where he continued to pitch poorly. in 1984, he bounced back to go 16-11, 3.40 at AA Orlando, pitching a surprising 219.2 innings. He could not repeat his success in 1985 and was traded to Cleveland after the season along with Ken Schrom for Ramon Romero and Roy Smith. After nine successful starts in AAA Maine, Oelkers came up to the Indians in early June. Working mostly out of the bullpen, he did a decent but unexceptional job for them. It would be his last major league season. After a bad year at AAA Buffalo in 1987, the Indians let Oelkers go. He pitched at AAA for Montreal and the Cubs in 1988 and for St. Louis in 1989 before ending his playing career. He is a member of the Wichita State Hall of Fame. Bryan Oelkers was a senior vice president of customer implementation services for MasterCard Worldwide until his retirement.  At last report, he was living in Saint Albans, Missouri.

Left-hander Richard Joseph Hill pitched for the Twins in 2020.  He was born in Boston, went to high school in Milton, Massachusetts, and attended the University of Michigan.  He was drafted three times before finally signing with the Cubs as a fourth-round pick in 2002.  He struggled early in his minor league career but got it going in 2005, starting in AA, moving to AAA, and making ten appearances in the majors.  He was overmatched at the major league level that year, but did better in half a season in the majors in 2006.  2007 was his first full year in the majors and he was a solid starter for the Cubs.  Then, however, he started having injury troubles.  He also started moving around a lot.  He made just five starts for the Cubs in 2008, thirteen for Baltimore in 2009, made six relief appearances for Boston in 2010, and nine more in 2011.  He had a good half-season out of the bullpen for the Red Sox in 2012, then went to Cleveland for 2013 and was awful.  He made just sixteen appearances in 2014 for the Angels and Yankees and four more for Boston in 2015.  He went back to starting in 2015 and when healthy has pitched well for several years.  He made fourteen starts for Oakland in 2016 and then was traded to the Dodgers, where he stayed through 2019.  When he could pitch for the Dodgers he pitched well:  30-16, 3.16, 1.08 WHIP in 69 games.  A free agent after 2019, he signed with Minnesota for 2020.  He pitched well for the Twins, too:  in eight starts he was 2-2, 3.03, 1.16 WHIP over 38.2 innings.  He signed with Tampa Bay for 2021 and pitched quite well for them, but was traded to the Mets in late July, for whom he continued to pitch well.  He signed with Boston for 2022 and had a decent season.  Once again a free agent, he signed with Pittsburgh for 2023, and while he wasn't the worst pitcher in the league it appeared that age had finally caught up with him.  Pittsburgh traded him to San Diego on August 1, and he made five poor appearances for them.  A free agent after the season, he went unsigned for 2024 until mid-August, when Boston gave him a shot.  He made four appearances out of the bullpen for them and only gave up runs in one.  Still, the Red Sox released him in early September. He pitched for the U. S. National team in the November 2024 WSBC Premier12 tournament and was named the best starting pitcher in the tournament.  He went unsigned in 2025 until mid-May, when Kansas City picked him up.  He wasn't very good in AAA, but still made two starts for the Royals, where he wasn't awful but wasn't very good, either. He turns forty-six today and his playing career is probably over.  But then, we've written that before.

Right-handed reliever Frank Jesus Mata did not play for the Twins, but was originally signed by them. He was born in Barcelona, Venezuela, attended high school in Venezuela, and signed with Minnesota as a free agent in 2002. He played in the Venezuelan Summer League for two seasons before coming to Elizabethton in 2004. He pitched quite well there, but then missed the entire 2005 season with an injury. He struggled on his return in 2006 with Class A Beloit. In 2007 and 2008 he pitched well in Ft. Myers, but struggled in both years when promoted to AA New Britain. In New Britain for a full year in 2009, he did better but not all that great and became a free agent after the season. He signed with Baltimore for 2010 and pitched very well in AAA Norfolk, making the majors for a month. He was 0-0, 7.79, 1.85 WHIP in 17.1 innings spread over fifteen games, numbers that are skewed by a few really bad outings. A free agent again after the season, he signed with Florida for 2011, but did not pitch well. He played in the Mexican League in 2012 and played winter ball in Venezuela through 2015.  He also pitched one game for Venezuela in the Bolivarian Games in 2017 and pitched in France in 2018.  No information about what Frank Mata has done since then was readily available.

March 10

Gene DeMontreville (1873)

Art Herring (1906)

John Briggs (1944)

Wayne Twitchell (1948)

Greg Pavlick (1950)

Steve Howe (1958)

John Cangelosi (1963)

Mike Timlin (1966)

Aaron Bates (1984)

Greg Pavlick was a coach in the Mets organization for 26 years and was the rehabilitation pitching coordinator for the Yankees for several years after that.

First baseman/outfielder John Edward Briggs played with the Twins for about half of the 1975 season. Born and raised in Paterson, New Jersey, he attended Seton Hall and signed with Philadelphia as a free agent in 1962. He spent only one year in the minors--1963, when he hit .297 with 21 homers for Class A Bakersfield. Briggs joined the Phillies in 1964 and stayed until early 1971, but never got as many as 400 at-bats in a season. He was used primarily as a pinch hitter in 1964 but then received semi-regular play. A left-handed batter, he played almost exclusively against right-handed pitching. Briggs had a good eye at the plate: he hit only .251 as a Phillie, but had an OBP of .349. He was traded to Milwaukee in April of 1971, where he was able to shed his platoon status and become a full-time player. He did not do particularly better or worse as a full-time player than he had as a part-timer, although his home run number went up due to increased at-bats. He actually received six points in the MVP voting in 1973, a year when he hit .246 with 18 homers, 57 RBIs, and 15 stolen bases. In June of 1975, Briggs was traded to Minnesota for Bobby Darwin. As a Twin, John Briggs hit .231/.371/.360 in 264 at-bats, hitting seven homers and driving in 39 runs. He was released in February of 1976 and went to Japan for a year, ending his playing career after the season. After that, John Briggs returned to his home town of Paterson, New Jersey, and was a sergeant in the Paterson Sheriff's Department until his retirement.  A ballpark in Paterson has been named in his honor.  At last report, he was still living in Paterson.

Left-handed reliever Steven Roy Howe pitched for the Twins for about a month in 1985. He was born in Pontiac, Michigan and attended the University of Michigan. He was drafted by the Dodgers in the first round in 1979. He was a starter at AA San Antonio and pitched very well, going 6-2, 3.13 with a WHIP of 1.05. He began 1980 with the Dodgers and won the Rookie of the Year award, going 7-9 with 17 saves and an ERA of 2.66 in 59 appearances. He did an excellent job in relief for the Dodgers through 1983, making the all-star team in 1982. After the 1983 season, however, Howe was suspended for a year due to drug use. He was not the same when he came back, and the Dodgers released him in July of 1985. The Twins signed him in early August. He made 13 appearances for them, going 2-3, 6.16 in nineteen innings. He could not conquer his drug problems, however, and left the team in early September. Howe played some independent ball in 1986 and signed with Texas in July of 1987. He was in the big leagues with the Rangers for the last two months of the season and did okay, but drugs hit him again, and he was once again out of baseball. He did not play again until 1990, when he played for an independent team. Howe signed with the Yankees in 1991 and it appeared that the story might have a happy ending, as he pitched well out of the Yankee bullpen for four years. He pitched poorly in 1995, however, and in 1996 he again had drug problems. He pitched well for independent Sioux Falls in 1997, but injured his arm and was out of baseball for good. After his playing career ended, he wrote an autobiography and worked as a self-employed framing contractor in Lake Havasu City, Arizona. Steve Howe passed away in an automobile accident on April 28, 2007 in Coachella, California.

First baseman Aaron Bates did not play for the Twins, but was in their farm system for about a year. He was born in New York, went to high school in San Jose, California and Soquel, California, attended both San Jose State and North Carolina State, and was drafted by Boston in the third round in 2006. In 2007, playing mostly in the California League, he hit .306/435/.560 with 28 home runs. Unfortunately, he has not been able to repeat those power numbers, hitting no more than twelve homers in any year since. He reached AAA in 2009 and even spent a week in the majors that season, going 4-for-11 with a pair of doubles just before the all-star break. He stayed in the Red Sox organization through 2010, but after hitting only .240 in a full year at Pawtucket he was let go in 2011 spring training. He went unsigned until early May, when the Twins picked him up and sent him to Rochester. He had a fine season there, hitting .316/.408/.439. He has always drawn a good number of walks, posting a career OBP of .378 in six minor league seasons. The Twins did not give him a September call-up in 2011 despite needing a first baseman. Bates was a minor league free agent after 2011, but re-signed with the Twins organization for 2012. He got off to a slow start and was released in mid-May. He signed with the Cardinals, did not hit in 21 games of AAA, was released again, and finished the season playing for Sugar Land in the Atlantic League. He was still in Sugar Land for 2013 and had a fine year, batting .306. He signed with the Dodgers for 2014 but missed most of the season due to injury and his playing career came to an end.  Aaron Bates was a coach for the AZL Dodgers from 2015-16, was the batting coach for the Great Lakes Loons in 2017, and was the assistant batting coordinator for the Dodgers in 2018.  He has been a batting coach for the Dodgers since 2019.

March 9

Billy Southworth (1893)

Myril Hoag (1908)

Phil Seghi (1909)

Joe Paparella (1909)

Arky Vaughan (1912)

Jackie Jensen (1927)

Ron Kline (1932)

Jim Landis (1934)

Bert Campaneris (1942)

Darrel Chaney (1948)

John Curtis (1948)

Wendell Kim (1950)

Terry Mulholland (1963)

Benito Santiago (1965)

Vince Horsman (1967)

Aaron Boone (1973)

C. J. Nitkowski (1973)

Koyie Hill (1979)

Craig Stammen (1984)

Daniel Hudson (1987)

Yennier Cano (1994)

Phil Seghi was in baseball most of his life, serving as Cleveland Indians general manager from 1973-1985.

American League umpire Joe Paparella holds the record for most games umpired in a season, 176 in 1962.

Wendell Kim was a major league coach and minor league manager for many years.

Right-hander Ronald Lee Kline had a solid year for the Twins in 1967.  A native of Callery, Pennsylvania, Kline signed with Pittsburgh as a free agent in 1950.  He pitched very well in the low minors and reached the Pirates in 1952, jumping from Class B.  He appears not to have been ready--in 27 games, 11 starts, he went o-7, 5.49.  Kline then missed the next two years due to the Korean War.  Upon his return in 1955, he stayed in the big leagues, pitching for Pittsburgh from 1955 through 1959.  Used mostly as a starter, Kline was durable and consistent, pitching around 200 innings per year and posting WHIPs just over 1.3o.  He slipped a little in 1959, however, and was traded to St. Louis after the season.  After a poor 1960 for the Cardinals, Kline was sold to the Angels in April of 1961.  He continued to pitch poorly, was placed on waivers, and was claimed by Detroit in August.  He was moved to the bullpen in 1962 and did somewhat better, but not great, and was sold to Washington in March of 1963.  Kline saved his career in Washington.  He became the closer for the Senators and posted an ERA under three in four consecutive seasons.  He was 26-25 with 83 saves in that span, leading the league with 29 saves in 1965.  He was still pitching well in 1966, but after that season he was traded to Minnesota for Bernie Allen and Camilo Pascual.  The Twins had Al Worthington to close, so Kline became a setup man and had another fine year in 1967, going 7-1, 3.77 with a WHIP of 1.20.  He was on the move again after the season, though, traded to Pittsburgh for Bob Oliver.  He had an excellent 1968, going 12-5, 1.68 with a WHIP of 1.11.  That was his last good year, though.  Off to a poor start in 1969, Kline was traded to San Francisco in June, sold to Boston in July, and released by the Red Sox after the season.  He signed with Atlanta for 1970, but was released in June.  The Angels picked him up and he had a fine rest of the season in AAA Hawaii, but then his career was over.  After his retirement, Ron Kline returned to his home town of Callery, Pennsylvania, eventually serving as mayor.  Ron Kline passed away at his home in Callery on June 22, 2002.

Left-hander Terence John Mulholland pitched for the Twins in 2004 and 2005.  A Uniontown, Pennsylvania native, he attended Marietta College and was drafted by the Giants in the first round in 1984.  He pitched well in the low minors, but struggled when promoted to AAA in 1986.  Despite that, he was bounced back and forth between AAA and San Francisco in 1986.  He spent all of 1987 in AAA, still not pitching particularly well.  Mulholland went back to bouncing between AAA and the Giants in 1988 and 1989 until he was traded to Philadelphia in June of 1989.  He established himself as a Phillie; he became a rotation starter there and was a good one, posting an ERA under four for four consecutive years, 1990 through 1993.  He pitched a no-hitter in 1990, led the league in complete games (12) in 1992, and made the all-star team in 1993.  He was traded to the Yankees in February of 1994 and immediately collapsed.  He went 6-7, 6.49, became a free agent after the season, and signed with the Giants for 1995.  After another poor year he became a free agent again and went back to the Phillies, but was traded to Seattle at the end of July, 1996.  Mulholland pitched somewhat better that year, but continued to be on the move in 1997, signing with the Cubs at the start of the season but being selected off waivers by the Giants in August.  Mulholland went back to the Cubs for 1998, went to the bullpen, and suddenly was a good pitcher again, going 6-5, 2.89 in 112 innings.  He could not sustain his success, was traded to Atlanta in July of 1999, pitched poorly for the Braves in 2000, and was a free agent again.  He was with the Pirates and Dodgers in 2001 and with the Dodgers and Indians in 2002.  He stayed with Cleveland for 2003, but was pretty mediocre.  A free agent again after that campaign, Mulholland signed with Seattle again for 2004, but was sold to the Twins near the end of spring training.  He stuck with Minnesota for two years, the longest he had been with the same team in over a decade.  He did not pitch particularly well out of the Minnesota bullpen in the first half of the season, but the Twins were desperate for a fifth starter, so he went into the rotation in early July.  He was not great in that role, either, but managed to go 4-5 with an ERA just under five.  Late in the season he was paired with catcher Pat Borders, making them the oldest battery in major league history.  Moved back to the bullpen for 2005, he actually did somewhat better.  Still, he became a free agent after the season and signed with Arizona for 2006.  He began the season in the majors, but was quickly sent back to AAA, and was released in June ending his career.  It was a pretty good career, though, lasting twenty seasons and including two World Series teams.  At last report, Terry Mulholland was a part-owner of the Dirty Dogg Saloon in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Left-hander Vincent Stanley Joseph Horsman made six appearances for the Twins in 1995.  He was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and went to high school in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.  He signed with Toronto as a free agent in 1984.  He was mostly used in relief, although the one time he was used as a starter, 1987 at Class A Myrtle Beach, he went 7-7, 3.82 with a 1.22 WHIP.  Returned to the bullpen after that, Horsman continued to pitch pretty well.  After going 4-1, 2.34 in 80.2 innings in AA Knoxville in 1991, Horsman got a September call up.  Surprisingly, he was waived after that season and was claimed by Oakland.  He was with the Athletics for all of 1992, his only full season in the majors, and did quite well as a Loogy, going 2-1, 2.49 in 43.1 innings spread over 58 games.  Horsman started 1993 in the minors, but was called up in mid-June and placed in the same role.  He did not do as well, posting a 5.40 ERA in 25 innings spread over 40 appearances.  He split 1994 between Oakland and AAA, again used as a Loogy.  He was released after the season and signed with Minnesota just before the 1995 campaign.  He was in the majors for about two weeks that season, pitching nine innings over six games and giving up seven earned runs on twelve hits.  His best outing as a Twin came on May 7, when he pitched three scoreless innings in a seventeen inning loss to Cleveland.  He did not pitch particularly well in AAA, and was released in August.  Horsman pitched in AAA for Toronto in 1996, pitched in Taiwan in 1997, and pitched in AAA for Baltimore in 1998, and then his playing career was over.  Horsman was a batting practice pitcher for the Orioles from 1999 through 2004 and pitched for Dartmouth in the Baseball Canada Senior Championship in 2005.  Vince Horsman was the pitching coach for the Lansing Lugnuts in 2014, for the Dunedin Blue Jays in 2015, and was the pitching coach for the New Hampshire Fisher Cats from 2016-2019.   All are affiliates of the Toronto Blue Jays.  He was not retained by the Blue Jays for 2020, was the pitching coach for Team Italy in 2021, and at last report was the pitching coach of the Unilions in Taiwan.  He is a member of the Nova Scotia Sports Hall of Fame.

Left-hander Christopher John Nitkowski did not play for the Twins, but was in spring training with them in 2005.  He was born in Suffern, New York, went to high school in Ramsey, New Jersey, attended St. John’s, and was drafted by Cincinnati with the ninth pick of the draft in 1994.  He made 14 solid starts in AA that year, eight more the next, then went up to AAA.  He did not do particularly well there, but was jumped to the majors anyway.  He struggled through nine appearances, seven of them starts, then was traded to Detroit.  He pitched poorly for the Tigers as well and was back in AAA in 1996, although he was in the majors for about two months in the second half of the season.  He was traded to Houston after that year, put in a full year in AAA, and did fairly well.  He made the Astros as a reliever in 1998 and had his first (some might say his only) good year in the majors, going 3-3, 3.77 with 3 saves and a 1.21 WHIP.  He was traded back to Detroit for 1999.  He was decent for the Tigers that season, but it was pretty much down hill after that, as he only once posted an ERA below four and a half and never had a WHIP below 1.5.  His last full year in the majors was 2001, a year when he was traded to the Mets in September.  He signed with Houston for 2002, was released on March 25, re-signed three days later, released again on June 6, signed that same day with St. Louis, was released on July 21, and signed with Texas, where he finished the season.  He stayed in the Rangers’ organization for 2003, was with Atlanta and the Yankees in 2004, and signed with Minnesota for 2005.  The Twins released him on March 31 and he spent the summer in the Detroit and Washington organizations.  He was in the majors for part of each of those seasons.  He signed with Pittsburgh for 2006 and spent the entire year in AAA.  He then spent two seasons in Japan before moving to Korea for the 2009 and 2010 seasons.  He apparently did not play in 2011, but played in the Dominican Republic that winter.  He did well enough to sign with the Mets for 2012, pitching well in six AA relief appearances but not very well in fifteen AAA games.  He was again active in the Dominican League that winter, but then his playing career came to an end.  His major league career numbers are unimpressive, to say the least:  18-32, 5.37, 1.63 WHIP.  Still he was in the majors for parts of ten seasons, appeared in 336 games, and pitched 479 major league innings, which a lot of people would be happy to be able to say.   He is currently a host on MLB Network radio, was a broadcaster for the Texas Rangers from 2017-2023, and has been a broadcaster for the Atlanta Braves since 2024.

Right-handed reliever Yennier Cano made ten appearances for the Twins in 2022.  He was born in Ciego de Avila, Cuba, and pitched in Cuba from 2013-2016.  B-r.com does not list him pitching again until 2019--I assume the reason for that is known, and I assume his defection to the United States has to do with it, but I could not quickly find the reason.  At any rate, he did defect to the United States and signed with the Twins for the 2019 season.  He was twenty-five at that point and pitched made ten minor league appearances, mostly in high-A.  Then, of course, came the COVID season of 2020, and he did not pitch.  He started 2021 in AA and dominated in twelve appearances, but was not as successful in AAA (although not terrible, either).  He did much better in AAA in 2022 and came up to the Twins in May.  He made his major league debut on May 11 without throwing a pitch--he was announced into the game, but the game was rained out before the next inning started.  He pitched the next day when the game was resumed.  In ten games for the Twins he went 1-0, 9.22, 2.05 WHIP.  He was traded to Baltimore in early August with Juan Nunez, Cade Povich, and Juan Rojas for Jorge Lopez and cash.  He struggled in AAA for the Orioles and did worse in three major league appearances with Baltimore.  In 2023, however, his career turned around and he had an outstanding year, making the all-star team.  He was not quite as good in 2024, but still had a fine season.  2025, however, was a different story, as he got off to a good start, but had an ERA of over four in each month other than April.  He turns thirty-two today.  He will presumably be given another chance, but he's going to have to pitch substantially better in 2026 if he's going to remain part of the Orioles' bullpen.

March 8

Harry Lord (1882)

Pat Flaherty (1897)

Bobby Goff (1902)

Pete Fox (1909)

Ray Mueller (1912)

Al Gionfriddo (1922)

Carl Furillo (1922)

Jim Bouton (1939)

Jacques Doucet (1940)

Dick Allen (1942)

Jim Rice (1953)

John Butcher (1957)

Mark Salas (1961)

Lance Barksdale (1967)

Mike Moriarty (1974)

Juan Encarnacion (1976)

Hines Ward (1976)

Tommy Pham (1988)

David Festa (2000)

If you have a few minutes to spare, I would very much recommend reading Harry Lord’s biography at baseball-reference.com.

Pat Flaherty pitched in the minors from 1917-1921.  He also played in the NFL from 1923-1928, was a major in the Air Force, and appeared in about 250 movies from 1934 to the 1950s.

Bobby Goff played in the minor leagues for nineteen years, 1923-1941.  He also was a minor league manager and general manager and a major league scout, remaining in baseball until 1972.

Jacques Doucet was the French-language play-by-play announcer for the Montreal Expos from 1972 until the team left.

Lance Barksdale has been a major league umpire since 2000.

NFL star Hines Ward was drafted by the Florida Marlins in 1994, but did not sign.

Right-hander John Daniel Butcher pitched for the Twins from 1984 through mid-1986.  A native of Glendale, California, he attended Yavapai Community College and was drafted by Texas in the first round of the June secondary draft in 1977.  Butcher pitched well in the low minors, but then was a bit up and down.  He had a fine year in 1980 at AAA Charleston, resulting in his first September call-up.  He struggled the next year at AAA Wichita, but still got another September call-up.  Butcher got off to a strong start in AAA Denver in 1982, and was brought up for good in late May.  He made a few appearances out of the bullpen, then entered the starting rotation in mid-July.  Butcher was used mostly in relief in 1983 for the Rangers and pitched very well.  After the season, however, he was traded to Minnesota with Mike Smithson for Sam Sorce and Gary Ward.  The Twins immediately moved Butcher into the rotation and he had his best year, going 13-11, 3.44 in 1984.  In 1985 his ERA went up by over a run and a half, and after a slow start in 1986 he was traded to Cleveland for Neal Heaton.  He finished the season for the Indians, but did not pitch well there, either.  He apparently injured his arm that year and his career was over.  As a Twin, John Butcher was 24-28, 4.48 in just over 500 innings.  He made 84 appearances, 77 of them starts.  He is a member of the Pima County Sports Hall of Fame.  At last report, John Butcher was living in Glendale, California.

Palindromic catcher Mark Bruce Salas played for the Twins from 1985 until June of 1987.  He was born in Montebello, California, went to high school in La Puente, California, and was drafted by St. Louis in the 18th round in 1979.  He had been nothing special in the minors when all at once he hit .304 with 20 home runs in AA Arkansas in 1983.  He fell back to a more typical .244 with 12 homers the next year, despite which he made his major league debut for about a month from mid-June to mid-July.  Salas was not protected that offseason, and was chosen by Minnesota in the Rule 5 draft.  He shared catching duties with Tim Laudner in 1985 and 1986; Salas, as a left-handed batter, got the majority of the at-bats, but not by as much as one would expect.  He hit .300 in 360 at-bats in 1985, but only .233 in 258 at-bats in 1986.  He was hitting well in limited playing time in early June of 1987 when he was traded to the Yankees for Joe Niekro.  Things did not go well for Salas in New York, and after the season he was traded again, this time to the White Sox.  He spent 1988 in Chicago as a part-time catcher, was released at the end of spring training in 1989, and hooked on with Cleveland.  He was with AAA Colorado Springs much of the year and hit well there, but did little in thirty games with the Indians.  Released again at the end of the season, Salas moved on to Detroit for 1990 and was a reserve catcher there for two years before ending his career.  Salas' best season was clearly with the Twins in 1985; for his career as a Twin, he hit .279/.320/.440 in 663 at-bats.  Since his playing career ended, Mark Salas was employed mostly by the White Sox, for whom he was most recently working as bullpen catcher, but is no longer employed in that capacity.  It appears that he is now active in the Minnesota Twins Fantasy Camp.

Infielder Michael Thomas Moriarty did not play for the Twins, but was drafted by them.  Born in Camden, New Jersey, he attended high school in Pennsauken, New Jersey, and then went to Seton Hall.  He was drafted by Minnesota in the seventh round in 1985.  He was in the Twins' minor league system for six years, the last three and a half in AAA.  He hit between .220 and .260 in all six of those years, never hitting more than 13 home runs.  Moriarty became a minor league free agent after the 2001 season and played for several organizations before ending his career.  He signed with Baltimore for 2002 and surprisingly made the club out of spring training, but hit only .188 in 16 at-bats, his only stint in the big leagues.  Returned to the minors in early May, he hit .277 in Rochester, his best season in the minors.  Moriarty signed with Toronto for 2003, was released in June, signed with Houston in July, became a free agent after the season, signed with Colorado for 2004, was released in April, signed with Pittsburgh, was released after the season, signed with Boston for 2005, was released in April, signed with the Cubs, was moved on to Baltimore in May, and was released after the season, ending his career.  He played in AAA almost all of that time, hitting between .210 and .240.  Moriarty's primary position was shortstop, although he also saw time and second base and third base.  After his playing career was over, Mike Moriarty did some coaching in the Pittsburgh Pirates' minor league system and was an area scouting supervisor for the Seattle Mariners.  At last report, he was a market sales manager for Mitsubishi Electric Diamond Vision Systems in Marlton, New Jersey.

Right-handed pitcher David Festa made his major league debut for the Twins in 2024.  He was born in Verona, New Jersey, attended Seton Hall, and was drafted by the Twins  in the thirteenth round in 2021.  He hadn't done much at Seton Hall in his first two years, but had a very good 2021 season, which encouraged the Twins to take a chance on him.  He pitched well at both Class A levels in 2022, struggled when promoted to AA in 2023, and was nothing special at AAA in 2024, but was promoted to the Twins in late June due to injuries and a lack of better options.  He was nothing special in the majors, either, going 2-6, 4.90, 1.32 WHIP, although with 77 strikeouts in 64.1 innings.  He missed time in 2025 due to injury, but was very good in AAA in seven starts, though again was nothing special in the majors.  So far, David Festa is 5-10, 5.12, 1.30 WHIP with 130 strikeouts in 117.2 innings.  He has not pitched in 2026 spring training due to injury, and there has been talk of moving him to the bullpen.  But the Twins still lack better options, so if he's healthy there's a good chance we'll see him in the majors in 2026.

March 7

Ed Willett (1884)

Dave Danforth (1890)

Andy Porter (1911)

Andy Phillip (1922)

Bobo Holloman (1923)

Red Wilson (1929)

Galen Cisco (1936)

J. R. Richard (1950)

Jeff Burroughs (1951)

Albert Hall (1958)

Joe Carter (1960)

Jose Cano (1962)

German Gonzalez (1962)

Mauro Gozzo (1966)

Jeff Kent (1968)

Tyler Ladendorf (1988)

Justin Topa (1991)

Pablo Lopez (1996)

Michael Harris (2001)

A member of the basketball Hall of Fame, Andy Phillip played minor league baseball in 1947, 1949, and 1952, batting .281 in 123 games.

Bobo Holloman is sometimes referred to as the worst pitcher ever to throw a major league no-hitter.

The father of Robinson Cano, Jose Cano appeared in six games for Houston in 1989.

Right-handed reliever German Jose (Caraballo) Gonzalez pitched for the Twins in parts of two seasons, 1988 and 1989.  His career contains more questions than answers.  Born in Rio Caribe, Venezuela, he signed with Minnesota as a free agent in 1986.  Gonzalez was obviously playing baseball somewhere before that, but no information is readily available about it.  He pitched very well in the Twins' minor league system, posting a 2.51 ERA and a 1.12 WHIP in Class A Kenosha in 1987 and a 1.02 ERA and a 0.97 WHIP in AA Orlando in 1988.  He came up to Minnesota in early August of 1988 and pitched well, with a 3.38 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP in 21.1 innings.  He bounced back and forth between AAA and the majors in 1989, coming to the Twins on three separate occasions.  He wasn't great, but he wasn't awful, either, going 3-2, 4.66 in 29 innings.  After that, however, the trail comes to an abrupt halt; he never appeared in organized baseball after 1989.  One assumes that he continued pitching somewhere for a while, as he had done well enough to warrant more chances, but this could not be confirmed, nor was any information readily available about what he has done since.

Right-hander Mauro Paul "Goose" Gozzo made two appearances for the Twins in 1992.  He was born in New Britain, Connecticut and went to high school in Berlin, Connecticut.  He was then drafted by the Mets in the 13th round in 1984.  The Mets kept him in Class A for three years, the last two of which were pretty good, although as a reliever he never pitched more than 78 innings in a season.  In March of 1987 Gozzo was traded to Kansas City in a trade that also involved Rick Anderson.  He had two pretty undistinguished years in AA Memphis and was left unprotected after the season.  He was chosen in the minor league draft by Toronto.  Something apparently clicked for him with the Blue Jays, as he had two fine years in their minor league system.  He was called up to the majors in early August of 1989 and was okay, going 4-1, 4.83 with a 1.39 WHIP.  He was back in the minors in 1990 and had another strong season, but Toronto traded him to Cleveland in September.  He finished the season in the majors, but again was back at AAA in 1991.  Gozzo was mostly a starter in AAA with the Indians and did not pitch very well.  He became a free agent after the season and signed with Minnesota for 1992.  He both started and relieved at AAA Portland, did pretty well, and got a September callup.  Mauro Gozzo pitched a total of 1.2 innings for the Twins, giving up five runs on seven hits.  He became a free agent after the season, signing with the Mets.  He was in the Mets' system for two years, splitting those years between AAA and the majors.  Gozzo pitched fairly well for the Mets when used out of the bullpen, though less well when tried as a starter.  He moved on to the Cubs' system in 1995, did not make the big leagues with them, and then ended his playing career.  Mauro Gozzo currently operates Goose's Major League Instruction, providing year-round baseball training and instruction, in Wallingford, Connecticut.  He is also the director of Goose’s Gamers, an AAU baseball league in Wallingford. In addition, he was the manager of the New Britain Bees in 2019, was the pitching coach of the Long Island Ducks in 2020, and became the manager of the Gastonia Honey Hunters in 2021, now the Gastonia Ghost Peppers, a job he still held at last report  He has twin sons, Paul Gozzo and Sal Gozzo, who played baseball for Tulane University.  Paul did not play professionally but Sal did, reaching AAA in the Phillies organization and playing independent ball in 2023.

Infielder/outfielder Tyler James Ladendorf did not play for the Twins but was in their farm system for two seasons.  He was born in Park Ridge, Illinois, went to high school in Des Plaines, Illinois, attended Howard College, and was drafted by Minnesota in the second round in 2008.  He hit very little in the GCL that year, hit a lot for Elizabethton in 61 at-bats in 2009, but did not do much for Beloit in 60 at-bats that same year.  He was sent to Oakland at the trade deadline in 2009 for Orlando Cabrera.  He did not reach AA until 2011 and did not get more than a few cups of coffee at AAA until 2014.  Surprisingly, he began 2015 in the majors but was injured after going 2-for-10 and was sent back to AAA when he came off the disabled list.  He got a September call-up and went 2-for-7, making him 4-for-17 on the season.  He spent much of 2016 with Oakland as a pinch-runner/defensive substitute and hit almost nothing, batting .083/.102/.083 in 48 at-bats (50 games).  He became a free agent after the 2016 season and signed with the White Sox.  He spent 2017 in AAA, and while he wasn't terrible he wasn't very good, either.  He became a free agent after the season and signed with Toronto for 2018, but was sold to Arizona in late May.  One assumes he was dealing with injuries, as he played in just forty-five minor league games.  He played a few games in AAA for Tampa Bay in 2019, but spent most of the summer with High Point in the Atlantic League.  He was with Chicago in the American Association in 2020.  He signed with the Cubs for 2021 and spent most of the season in AAA Iowa, where he was not awful but not particularly good, either.  He played for High Point of the Atlantic League again in 2022, but that brought his playing career to an end.  Tyler Ladendorf was a AA batting coach for the Cubs in 2023 and was a AAA batting coach for Tampa Bay in 2024-2025.  He will be the batting coach for the high-A Spokane Indians in the Colorado organization in 2026.  He did not have a career OPS above .700 at any level other than rookie ball, which apparently proves the old adage that those who cannot do, teach.  We wish him well in his coaching career.

Right-handed reliever Justin Robert Topa will play for the Twins in 2024.  Born and raised in Binghamton, New York, he attended Long Island University--Brooklyn and was drafted by Pittsburgh in the seventeenth round in 2013.  He was a starter early in his minor league career and had a strong 2013 in low A, but struggled when promoted to high A in 2014.  He did not pitch in 2015, presumably due to injury, and made only ten relief appearances in 2016.  The Pirates gave up on him and released him, but after a strong 2017 in the Can-Am Association he signed with Texas for 2018.  He struggled in AA, was released after the season, and signed with Milwaukee for 2019.  He pitched well in AA and made his debut in the COVID season of 2020, posting an ERA of 2.35 in six games.  He dealt with injuries again in 2021 and made just four appearances in the majors, three of which were awful.  His 2022 AAA season was mediocre at best, but he still got a September call-up and did okay.  In 2023, however, everything suddenly clicked.  After three games in AAA he came up to the majors and had an outstanding season for Seattle.  In 75 games (69 innings) he went 5-4, 2.61, 1.15 WHIP with 61 strikeouts.  He was traded to the Twins in January of 2024 with Darren Bowen, Gabriel Gonzalez, and Anthony DeSclafani for Jorge Polanco.  He missed most of 2024 due to injury, and while he wasn't awful in 2025 he did not come close to repeating his 2023 season.  As a Twin, he is 1-5, 4 saves, 3.75, 1.40 WHIP.  He turns thirty-five today.  The Twins need relief pitchers, so he will probably be given another chance in 2026.

Right-handed starter Pablo Jose Lopez has played for the Twins since 2023.  He was born in Cabimas, Venezuela, and signed with Seattle as a free agent in 2012.  He was outstanding in 2013 in the Venezuelan Summer League.  He did not pitch in 2014, but picked up right where he left off in the Arizona Summer League in 2015.  He was struggling in high-A in 2017 when he was traded to Miami in July.  He immediately started pitching well again after the trade.  He began 2018 in AA, made four starts in AAA, and reached the majors in late June.  He wasn't outstanding, but certainly did well for a twenty-two year old.  He struggled at the major league level in 2019, but in the COVID season of 2020 put things together.  He has had an ERA below four and a WHIP below 1.2 every season from 2020 onward.  In January of 2023 he was traded to Minnesota with Byron Chourio and Jose Salas for Luis Arraez.  While Twins fans were sad to see Arraez go, the trade was understandable for a team that needed pitching. He pitched quite well in 2023-2024 but missed much of 2025 due to injury, although he still pitched well when he could pitch.  Sadly, he will miss all of 2026 due to Tommy John surgery.  As a Twin, he is 31-22, 3.68, 1.16 WHIP with 505 strikeouts in 455 innings.  He turns thirty today, and the Twins certainly hope he will come back strong in 2027.

March 6

Ring Lardner (1885)

Lefty Grove (1900)

Walter Cannady (1902)

Pete Gray (1915)

Bob Swift (1915)

Ted Abernathy (1933)

Cookie Rojas (1939)

Willie Stargell (1940)

Karl Best (1959)

Scott Stahoviak (1970)

Terry Adams (1973)

Marcus Thames (1977)

Clint Barmes (1979)

Jake Arrieta (1986)

Francisco Cervelli (1986)

Ross Detwiler (1986)

Author Ring Lardner wrote about a variety of subjects, but is probably most famous for writing about baseball.  If you haven't read any of his stuff, you really should.

As you probably know, Pete Gray played in 77 games for the St. Louis Browns in 1945 despite having only one arm.

Right-hander Karl Jon Best made eleven relief appearances for the Twins in 1988.  He was born in Aberdeen, Washington and went to high school in Kent, Washington.  He was drafted in the twelfth round in 1977.  His minor league numbers are unimpressive, due primarily to wildness.  His best minor league year was 1982, the only time he posted an ERA under four in a full minor league season.  He went 9-4, 3.45 that year, striking out 125 in 138.1 innings; however, he also walked 90.  He had been a starter to this point, but in 1983 he was moved to the bullpen.  It did not help his control any, but despite that, Best made brief appearances for the Mariners in 1983 and 1984.  He started 1985 in Seattle and actually pitched very well:  his ERA was 1.95 in 32.1 innings, his WHIP was 0.96, and he struck out 32 while walking only six.  Unfortunately, he was then injured in late June, and never had a year that good again.  In 1986 he was still adequate, but his wildness problems returned:  he walked 21 in 35.2 innings.  He was in the minors for all of 1987, getting traded to Detroit at mid-season.  In March of 1988, Best was traded to Minnesota for Don Schulze.  He began the season in Portland, but came up to the Twins in early May.  He pitched 12 innings, mostly in mop-up relief, and had an ERA of 6.00 and a WHIP of 1.83, giving up 15 hits and walking seven.  Best was returned to the minors in late June and was traded to San Francisco in mid-August for Alan Cockrell.  He finished out the season in AAA Phoenix and then his playing career was over.  At last report, Karl Best was the president of K-Best Construction in Snohomish, Washington; however, a Google search did not reveal any information about this company, so perhaps it has gone out of business.  His daughter Amanda, played basketball for the University of New Mexico.

First baseman Scott Edmund Stahoviak played his entire major league career with the Twins.  Born in Waukegan, Illinois, he attended high school in Mundelein, Illinois and went to Creighton University.  He was chosen by the Twins in the first round in 1991.  He hit pretty well in the minors, although with only moderate power.  His best minor league season was 1994, when he hit .318 with 41 doubles and 13 homers in AAA Salt Lake.  Stahoviak made his major league debut as a September call-up in 1993, returned in May of 1995, and had his only full season in 1996.  He was the regular first baseman for the Twins that season and actually did not do so badly, hitting .284 with an OBP of .376 and an OPS of .845.  It was not considered good enough, however, and in 1997 he shared the position with Greg Colbrunn.  Stahoviak fell to .229 that season, and was back in the minors in 1998.  He had a fine season in Salt Lake, hitting .316 with 33 doubles and 18 homers, but got only 19 at-bats in the big leagues.  He became a free agent after the season and signed with the Cubs.  He was at AAA for the Cubs for two years, but did not get back to the big leagues, and his playing career was over.  As a Twin, Scott Stahoviak hit .256/.335/.410 in just over a thousand at-bats.  He was the batting coach at the University of Illinois--Chicago from 2003-2005.  He was also a high school baseball coach and gym teacher in Mundelein, Illinois.  At last report, Scott Stahoviak was a physical education teacher at Maple School in Northbrook, Illinois.