October 11

Will White (1854)

Buttercup Dickerson (1858)

Eddie Dyer (1899)

Bob Chipman (1918)

Joe Ginsberg (1926)

Bill Fischer (1930)

Bob Stinson (1945)

Orlando Hernandez (1965)

Gregg Olson (1966)

Joe Roa (1971)

Dmitri Young (1973)

Mike Duvall (1974)

Ty Wigginton (1977)

Gio Urshela (1991)

Mickey Gasper (1995)

Josh Winder (1996)

Right-hander William Charles Fischer made nine appearances for the Twins in 1964. He was born in Wausau, Wisconsin and was signed by the White Sox as a free agent in 1948. He went through the minor league levels roughly a year at a time, but it was a lot tougher then, because the levels went down to Class D. He reached Class A in 1951, but then missed two years due to military service. On his return in 1954, he spent two years at AA Memphis, then was promoted to AAA in 1956. He made his major league debut that year, pitching in three games of relief early in the season. Fischer played his first full season in the majors in 1957 and pitched well, but stumbled in 1958 and was traded to Detroit. He continued to stumble in Detroit and was taken on waivers by the then Washington Senators, for whom he finished the season. He was in the Senators' rotation in 1959, and did better, but not all that well. In July of 1960, Fischer was traded back to the Tigers, and in August of 1961 moved on to Kansas City. He had his best years with the Athletics, appearing in 94 games over 2 1/3 seasons and posting an ERA of 3.97.  In 1962, he went 84 1/3 innings without allowing a walk, a record which apparently still stands. In the off-season of 1963, however, Kansas City left him off their forty-man roster, and he was taken by the Twins in the rule 5 draft. Fischer was apparently injured for much of the season--he pitched nine games in relief in April and May, but did not pitch again the rest of the year. The Twins released him after the season, and he signed with the White Sox' organization. Fischer spent the next four seasons at AAA for the White Sox, but never got another chance at the majors. As a Twin, Bill Fischer was 0-1 in 7.1 innings, posting a 7.36 ERA. After leaving the White Sox, Fischer was no longer a player, but he never left baseball. He was a scout and minor-league pitching instructor for the Royals, a pitching coach for Cincinnati, Boston, and Tampa Bay, and the minor-league pitching coach for the Braves. He came back to the Royals as senior pitching adviser in 2007.  One source indicated he had retired in 2012, but if so it didn't take, as he remained the Royals' senior pitching adviser until he passed away on October 30, 2018.

Right-handed reliever Gregg Olson made eleven appearances for the Twins in 1997. He should not be confused with catcher Greg Olson, who also played for the Twins. To keep them straight, remember that the catcher is Gregory William Olson, whereas the pitcher is Greggory William Olson. Gregg Olson was born in Scribner, Nebraska. He attended Omaha Northwest High School, leading his team to four consecutive state baseball championships. He attended Auburn University and was chosen with the fourth pick of the 1988 draft by the Baltimore Orioles. Olson pitched in only sixteen minor-league games, eight in Class A and eight in AA, before being called up to the majors that same year. He became the Orioles' closer in 1989, a job he held through 1993. He was Rookie of the Year in 1989, the first relief pitcher to win that award, and finished sixth in the Cy Young voting and 12th for Most Valuable Player that year. He made his only all-star team the following season. Olson did a good job as the Orioles' closer, getting 160 saves in five seasons. He tore a ligament in his elbow in August of 2003. A free agent, he signed with the Braves, and things immediately fell apart. Olson missed the first two months of the season, and when he came back he was awful, finally being sent to AAA Richmond. Control seems to have been the main culprit, as his walks per nine innings jumped significantly. He suffered through a lot of injuries over the next few seasons. He split 1995 between Cleveland and Kansas City, doing a decent job for the Royals in a set-up role. In 1996, Olson was part of the St. Louis, Cincinnati, Detroit, and Houston organizations, pitching in the big leagues for Detroit and Houston. The Twins signed him for 1997, but released him in mid-May after he had appeared in only 11 games and pitched 8.1 innings. The Royals signed him and sent him to AAA Omaha, where he suddenly found his control again. He finished the year doing a good job for Kansas City and then went to Arizona, where he became the closer in 1998 for the first time since leaving Baltimore. He got 44 saves in two seasons for the Diamondbacks and then moved on to the Dodgers, where he pitched for a year and a half before being released in late June of 2001. As a Twin, he had no record and an ERA of 18.36. Gregg Olson was inducted into the Orioles' Hall of Fame in 2008 and the Auburn Baseball Hall of Fame in 2010. After he retired, he was a baseball commentator for ESPN and for MASN on Baltimore Orioles broadcasts.  He was a technical adviser for Fox on the TV program "Pitch".  He is also the co-author of a book, "We Got to Play Baseball", which is a collection of short stories from former players, managers, coaches, etc.  At last report, Gregg Olson was a commentator for ESPN radio.

Right-handed reliever Joseph Rodger Roa pitched for the Twins in 2004. He was born in Southfield, Michigan, went to high school in Hazel Park, Michigan, and was drafted by Atlanta in the 18th round in 1989. A starter in the minors, he spent two years in rookie ball, two years in Class A, over a year in class AA, and nearly two years in AAA, pitching pretty well at each stop. Along the way, he was traded to the Mets in August of 1991 and to the Indians in November of 1994. He got a September callup with the Indians in 1995, but was back in AAA in 1996, making only one appearance with Cleveland that year. In December, Roa was on the move again, being traded to the Giants. He was in the Giants bullpen for the first half of 1997, but did not pitch all that well and was back in the minors. It would be five years before he would get back to the major leagues. Roa pitched for AAA Fresno in 1998. He signed with the Royals for 1999, but was released in spring training, and did not play in organized baseball that year. In 2000, he was back in the Cleveland organization, moving on to the Marlins' system in 2001 and the Phillies organization in 2002. He was still pitching well at every minor league stop, but in 2002 he really put together a season for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, going 14-0 with a 1.86 ERA and a 0.89 WHIP. That got people's attention, and by the end of July, Roa was in the Phillies' rotation. That was the only time he was a major league starter, however. He was decent that year, but after a poor start in 2003, Roa was back on the move. He was released in June, signed with Colorado, was placed on waivers in July, and was chosen by San Diego. After the season, he signed with the Twins, and spent 2004 with in the Minnesota bullpen. He was adequate, but nothing more, and was released again after the season. Roa signed with Pittsburgh in 2005 and pitched six games with AAA Indianapolis. He tried again with the Pirates in 2006, but was released in spring training and called it a career. He appeared in 48 games as a Twin, all in relief, and pitched 71 innings. He was 2-3 with a 4.50 ERA and a 1.54 WHIP. At last report, Joe Roa was living in Chesterfield, Michigan.  He was elected to the Buffalo Baseball Hall of Fame in 2018.

Left-hander Michael Alan Duvall made eight appearances for the Twins in 2001. Born and raised in Warrenton, Virginia, he attended Potomac State College and was drafted by the Florida Marlins in the 19th round in 1995 and he pitched very well in his first three years in the minors. Duvall was chosen by the Devil Rays in the 1998 expansion draft. He pitched pretty well for AAA Durham in 1998, getting three major-league appearances as a September call-up. Duvall's only full season in the majors was 1999, when he made 40 appearances for Tampa Bay as a reliever. He did not give up that many hits, but he walked 27 in only 40 innings, a number that will generally get you sent back to the minors. Sure enough, in 2000, Duvall was back in the minors. The Devil Rays released him during spring training of 2001, and he was signed by the Twins six days later. He did not have a particularly good year for AAA Edmonton in 2001, but received a September call-up anyway, appearing in eight games with the Twins. Out with an injury for all of 2002, he came back in 2003, pitching for AAA Rochester, but was unimpressive, and his career was over. Mike Duvall pitched 4.2 innings as a Twin, with no won-loss record and an ERA of 7.71.  He was inducted into the Potomac State Hall of Fame in 2015. At last report, Mike Duvall was an area manager for Performance Food Service in Fort Myers, Florida.

Infielder Giovanny Urshela played for the Twins in 2022.  He was born in Cartagena, Colombia and signed with Cleveland as a free agent in 2008.  He was only sixteen at the time, so he did not show much power early on.  His first good offensive year was in 2012, when he batted .278 with fourteen home runs in high-A.  He had a solid year in AA in 2013, continued to play well when promoted to AAA in 2014, and reached the majors in June of 2015.  He did not hit, however, and was back in AAA in 2016.  He got back to the majors in July of 2017 but again did not hit.  In May of 2018 Cleveland gave up on him, trading him to Toronto for a player to be named later or cash.  He played in nineteen games for the Blue Jays, but they were not impressed, either, and sold him to the Yankees in August.  He did not play for them that year, but in 2019 he became their regular third baseman and rewarded them with his best season, batting .314 with 21 home runs.  He continued to be their starting third baseman through 2021, and continued to play well, but after the 2021 season he was traded to Minnesota with Gary Sanchez for Josh Donaldson, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, and Ben Rortvedt.  He had a solid 2022 for the Twins, batting .285/.338/.429.  That would be his only season in Minnesota, as he was traded again after the season to the Angels for Alejandro Hidalgo.  He was having another good season, batting .299, when he was injured in mid-June and missed the rest of the season.  He signed with Detroit for 2024, but did not do much and was released in mid-August.  He signed with Atlanta a couple days later and finished the season with them.  He signed with the Sacramento Athletics for 2025, but didn't get much accomplished and was released in August.  The Twins signed him for 2026, but he was released in spring training and did not sign with anyone, bringing an end to his playing career.  At last report, Gio Urshela was the manager of the Columbian national team.

Utility player Michael "Mickey" Gasper played for the Twins in 2025.  Born and raised in Merrimack, New Hampshire, he attended Bryant University, one of three major league players that school has produced.  He was drafted by the Yankees in the twenty-seventh round in 2018.  He hit well in college, although he never showed much power.  He had a solid season in high-A in 2019, missed the COVID season of 2020 and missed much of 2021 due to injury, but had a strong season in AA in 2022.  He struggled in AAA in 2023, however, and as he was now twenty-seven, the Yankees left him unprotected for the Rule 5 draft and he was claimed by Boston.  He hit very well in AAA for them in 2024 and reached the majors for about a month and a half, going 0-for-18 as a little-used reserve.  He was traded to the Twins after the season for Jovani Moran.  He split the 2025 season between St. Paul and Minneapolis, batting very well in St. Paul and not very well in Minneapolis.  He appeared in forty-five games for the Twins, starting twenty-four of them, including eight starts at designated hitter.  He batted .158/.257/.195 in 133 at-bats.  The Twins waived him in January of 2026.  He was claimed by Washington, waived again two weeks later, and was claimed by Boston.  He again hit very well in AAA, spent about half the season in the majors, and improbably was a key player for the Red Sox in their run to the playoffs, hitting ten home runs in 191 at-bats and posting an OPS of .823.  He turns thirty-one today.  We're skeptical that he suddenly solved major league pitching at age thirty, but it's always possible.  At any rate, Mickey Gasper will almost certainly have a major league job when the 2027 season starts, whenever that may be.

Right-handed reliever Joshua Stewart Winder played for the Twins from 2022-2024.  He was born in Richmond, Virginia, attended Virginia Military Institute, and was drafted by Minnesota in the seventh round in 2018.  He was a starter for all of his college career and most of his minor league career.  He pitched well in rookie and Class A ball in 2018-2019, missed the COVID year of 2020, and came back to pitch well in AA in 2021.  He was with the Twins for most of 2022 but missed time due to injury, going 4-6, 4.70 in fifteen games (eleven starts).  He went to the bullpen in 2023, again missed time due to injury, and when healthy pitched substantially better in the majors than he did in AAA.  He wasn't great for the Twins, but he wasn't awful, either, going 2-1, 4.15 in nineteen appearances.  He was injured much of 2024 and did not do well in AAA when he could pitch.  He still got four appearances in the majors, though, and actually did pretty well in them.  He signed with Arizona for 2025 but it was determined that he needed Tommy John surgery and he was released in spring training.  He signed with Philadelphia in September of 2026, but has not yet pitched in the majors or the minors.  Josh Winder is 6-7, 4.39, 1.30 WHIP with 85 strikeouts in 110.2 innings (38 games, 11 starts), all with the Twins.  He turns thirty today.  He's still young enough that he could come back, but of course he wasn't all that good before.  We certainly wish him well, however, with whatever life may hold for him.

October 10

Otto Hess (1878)

Bill Killefer (1887)

Wally Berger (1905)

John Stone (1905)

Emery Adams (1911)

Floyd Baker (1916)

Bobby Tiefenauer (1929)

Don Schaly (1937)

Gene Tenace (1946)

Roger Metzger (1947)

Terry Enyart (1950)

Les Straker (1959)

Jim Weaver (1959)

Ramon Martinez (1972)

Placido Polanco (1975)

Pat Burrell (1976)

Brad Ziegler (1979)

Troy Tulowitzki (1984)

Andrew McCutchen (1986)

Jeurys Familia (1989)

Shelby Miller (1990)

Kolten Wong (1990)

Don Schaly was the head baseball coach at Marietta College for forty years.  His teams reached the finals of the Division III College World Series ten times, winning three times.

Kolten Wong was drafted by Minnesota in the sixteenth round in 2008, but did not sign.

We would like to wish a happy birthday to Can of Corn's Niblet.

Left-hander Terry Gene Enyart did not play for the Twins, but he was in their farm system for over four years. He was born in Ironton, Ohio, went to high school in Titusville, Florida, attended Chipola Junior College in Marianna, Florida, and was chosen by Philadelphia with the seventh pick of the 1969 January draft. For reasons that are unclear, he left the Phillies organization in April of that year, and was signed by Minnesota as a free agent in May of 1969. He pitched fairly well but had trouble with his control, walking over five batters per nine innings in his first three seasons in the minors. He seemed to have conquered that in 1972, his second year at AA, when he dropped his walks to 3.2 per nine innings. He took a step backward in 1973, however, and the Twins released him early in the season. He signed with Montreal in late June of 1973 and they again sent him to AA, making him a full-time reliever (he had both started and relieved in the Twins’ organization). He moved up to AAA in 1974, and while he was still walking quite a few batters he pitched well enough to make his major league debut in mid-June. He appeared in two games, worked 1.2 innings, and gave up six runs (three earned) on four hits and four walks. Those are his major league totals; he went back to AAA in early July and never made it back to the big leagues. He was with Montreal through 1977, then went to the Oakland organization for over two seasons. At mid-season of 1980 he went to the Detroit system, pitching in AA, and then his playing career was over. His life after baseball did not go well, as he developed problems with alcohol. Sadly, Terry Enyart passed away on February 15, 2007 in Zephyrhills, Florida, shooting himself following a domestic altercation.

Right-hander Lester Paul (Bolnalda) Straker pitched for the Twins in 1987 and 1988. He was born in Ciudad Bolivar, Venezuela and signed by Cincinnati as a free agent in 1977. He pitched well in rookie and A ball, but flopped in a couple of tries at AA with the Reds. He became a minor-league free agent after the 1983 season, and signed with Oakland. Sent to AA again, Straker's numbers were better in 1984, but still nothing to get excited about, and the Athletics released him. The Twins signed Straker in January of 1985 and sent him to AA one more time. Now 25, Straker finally had a good year there, winning 16 games with a 3.08 ERA for Orlando. He did fairly well again in 1986 at AAA Toledo, and came to the Twins the following year. Straker was in the Twins' rotation for a year and a half, doing a steady, decent job, and was a substantial contributor to the 1987 World Championship. He was the first Venezuelan ever to pitch in the World Series. He was injured in June of 1988, missing two and a half months of the season. He came back in September and pitched well, but it was to be his last shot at the big leagues. Straker was sent to AAA Portland in 1989, and did not pitch well enough to get called back up. He signed with Montreal in 1990, but made only three appearances with AAA Indianapolis before his career came to an end. In his big league career, all of which was with the Twins, Les Straker appeared in 47 games, 40 of them starts. He was 10-15 with a 4.22 ERA in 237 innings, with an ERA+ of 105.  In recent years, he has been an instructor in the low minors with the Philadelphia Phillies.  He was the pitching coach of one of their Dominican Summer League entries from 2017-2025, but doesnot appear to have held that job in 2026.  Thus, no information about what Les Straker is doing now was readily available.  It's possible, of course, that he retired.

Outfielder James Francis Weaver did not play for the Twins, but was in their minor league system for over five years. He was born in Kingston, New York, went to Florida State, and was drafted by Minnesota in the second round in 1980. He showed some power in the minors, hitting double-digit home runs each season from 1982-1987, but struggled to keep his average up as he advanced to higher levels. The Tigers chose him in the 1984 rule 5 draft and tried to keep him in the majors, but when he had only seven at-bats in late May of 1985 they sent him back to the Twins. On August 1 of 1985 the Twins traded him to Cleveland along with Jay Bell, Curt Wardle, and a player to be named later (Rich Yett) for Bert Blyleven. He stayed with the Indians through 1986, then was released. He signed with Seattle and had a good year at AAA Calgary, getting a September call-up. He got four more at-bats, but was released again after the season. He signed with Houston for 1988, moved on to the White Sox for 1989, was traded to San Francisco in mid-August, and got another September call-up, getting twenty at-bats this time. He played in AAA for Seattle in 1990, then his playing career came to an end. His lifetime major league numbers are .161/.235/.290 in 31 at-bats.  At last report, Jim Weaver was living in Parrish, Florida.

October 9

Dave Rowe (1854)

Al Maul (1865)

Rube Marquard (1866)

Branch Russell (1895)

Joe Sewell (1898)

Mike Hershberger (1939)

Joe Pepitone (1940)

Freddie Patek (1944)

Bob Moose (1947)

Steve Palermo (1949)

Brian Downing (1950)

Randy Lerch (1954)

Felix Fermin (1963)

Danny Mota (1975)

Brian Roberts (1977)

Mark McLemore (1980)

Jason Pridie (1983)

Derek Holland (1986)

David Phelps (1986)

Starling Marte (1988)

Jake Lamb (1990)

Steve Palermo was a major league umpire from 1977-1991, when he was shot and paralyzed while trying to prevent a robbery.  He became Supervisor of Umpires in 2000 until his death in 2017.

Right-hander Daniel Avila Mota appeared in four games for the Twins in 2000. He was born in El Saibo, Dominican Republic, went to high school in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and was signed by the Yankees as a free agent in 1994. Used exclusively as a relief pitcher, he pitched well in the low levels of the Yankees minor-league system for three years. On February 6, 1998, he was traded to the Twins along with Brian Buchanan, Cristian Guzman, Eric Milton, and cash for Chuck Knoblauch. The Twins kept Mota at Class A in 1998, and he continued to pitch well. They finally promoted hit to AA for six games in 1999 and to AAA for four games in 2000. Mota got a September call-up in 2000, appearing in four games and pitching a total of 5.1 innings. He started 2001 in AAA Salt Lake, but did not pitch well and was moved on to Las Vegas in the Dodgers organization. Possibly he was injured that year; while it was his first bad year in the minors, it was also his last year in organized baseball. He did have a stint in the Mexican League in 2003, but then Mota was done. In his big-league career, all of which was with the Twins, Danny Mota had no record and had an 8.44 ERA, giving up five runs on ten hits in 5.1 innings. At last report, Danny Mota had returned to the Dominican Republic.

Left-hander Mark Steven McLemore did not play for the Twins, but was in spring training with them in 2010. He was born in Sacramento, went to high school in Loomis, California, attended Oregon State, and was drafted by Houston in the fourth round in 2002. He struggled a little early in his minor league career, but pitched pretty well in the minors from 2004-2007. He both started and relieved in the minors, and may have had some injury problems, as he never appeared in more than thirty-seven games nor pitched as many as a hundred innings in a minor league season. He made his major league debut in 2007, spending a little over half the season with the Astros. He went 3-0, 3.86, 1.69 WHIP in 35 innings spread over 29 games. He then missed all of 2008, presumably with an injury, and became a free agent after the season. He re-signed with Houston for 2009 but was in AAA all year, making eighteen rather mediocre starts. The Twins took him to spring training in 2010, but released him just prior to the beginning of the season. He went unsigned, and pitched for the Chico Outlaws of the independent Golden Baseball League.  He signed with Florida for 2011, but was released in late April after making four appearances for AAA New Orleans, ending his playing career.  Mark McLemore was living in Granite Bay, California at last report.

Outfielder Jason Orville Pridie played in eleven games for the Twins in 2008-2009. He was born in Phoenix, went to high school in Prescott, Arizona, and was drafted by Tampa Bay in the second round in 2002. He hit very well in rookie ball, and did not do badly at Class A in 2004, hitting .276 with 17 homers and 11 triples. Pridie struggled in his first couple of years in AA, but put things together in 2007, hitting .290 in a half-season there. He continued to hit at AAA, hitting .318 in a half-season at Durham that same year. The Twins had been interested in Pridie for some time, and had taken him in the rule 5 draft in December of 2005, but returned him to Tampa Bay at the end of spring training. Finally, in November of 2007, the Twins traded Jason Bartlett, Matt Garza, and Eduardo Morlan to Tampa Bay for Pridie, Brendan Harris, and Delmon Young. Pridie spent most of 2008-2009 at AAA Rochester, playing in eleven big league games as a defensive replacement or a pinch runner and going 0-for-4 with a walk. He had a couple of decent seasons in Rochester, but nothing more. The Twins put him on waivers in February of 2010 and he was claimed by the Mets. He battled injuries in 2010, but played decently for AAA Buffalo when healthy.  In 2011, at age 27, he finally got somewhat of a shot in the majors, appearing in 101 games (but getting only 208 at-bats) with the Mets in almost a full season.  He was often used as a defensive replacement, but batted 29 times as a pinch-hitter.  His offensive numbers were unimpressive, but he drew a fair number of walks and stole seven bases.  A free agent after the season, he signed with Oakland for 2012, was granted free agency in mid-June, and signed with Philadelphia a week and a half later.  He was in AAA most of the season and played well.  He also got about three weeks in the majors, going 3-for-10 with a double and a home run.  He was again a free agent after the season and signed with Baltimore for 2013.  He had a solid enough year for AAA Norfolk and got a September call-up, going 2-for-10.  It was much the same story in 2014, except it was for Colorado--a solid enough year in AAA and a cup of coffee in the majors, going 0-for-4 this time,  2015 was another verse of the same story--signed with Oakland, had a fine year in AAA, and got a September call-up, this time going 0-for-9.   He signed with Hiroshima in the Japanese League for 2016, but spent the season in the minor league there, too.  He signed with Arizona for 2017 but was released in late March.  He appeared in two games for Puebla of the Mexican League that year but was then released, ending his playing career.  At last report, Jason Pridie made a series of baseball training videos under the name Base Knox Training, operated AZ Dingers, a baseball training facility in Mesa, Arizona, and was a firefighter in Queen Creek, Arizona.

October 8

Ping Bodie (1887)

Donie Bush (1887)

Doc Crandall (1887)

Wally Moses (1910)

Danny Murtaugh (1917)

Catfish Metkovich (1920)

Ed Kirkpatrick (1924)

Don Pepper (1943)

Paul Splittorff (1946)

Rick Stelmaszek (1948)

Enos Cabell (1949)

Jerry Reed (1955)

Mike Morgan (1959)

J. T. Bruett (1967)

Olmedo Saenz (1970)

Antoan Richardson (1983)

Cody Eppley (1985)

Taylor Featherston (1989)

Right-hander Jerry Reed was drafted by the Twins in the eleventh round in 1973, but did not sign.

Catcher Richard Francis Stelmaszek did not play for the Twins, but was a coach for them for many years. Born and raised in Chicago, he was drafted by Washington in the eleventh round in 1967. He was in the Senators’ minor-league system for four seasons, with his best year coming in 1969 when he hit .288 for Class A Shelby. He reached AAA in 1971 and made his major league debut that season, going 0-for-9 as a reserve catcher for Washington. He was still a member of the Washington/Texas franchise in 1972, but was loaned to the Cincinnati and San Diego organizations at various times. He began 1973 with Texas, again as a reserve, but after going 1-for-9 was traded to California. He spent most of the year in AAA, getting 26 at-bats with the Angels. He was again in AAA at the start of 1974 when he was traded to the Cubs in late July. The Cubs were apparently without a backup catcher option that year, because Stelmaszek stayed with them the rest of the season, hitting .227 in 44 at-bats. That would be his major league swan song. He was in AAA for the Cubs in 1975, was traded to the Yankees’ AAA team in 1976, and went back to the Rangers’ organization in 1977. After that, the Twins hired him, and he managed their Class A franchise in Wisconsin Rapids from 1978-1980 (he also caught 23 games in 1978). He joined the major league coaching staff in 1981 and remained with the Twins through 2012. His tenure as a Twins’ coach was the third longest in major league history, behind Manny Mota and record-holder Nick Altrock, who was a coach for Washington for forty-two years.  He was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in December of 2016 and passed away on November 6, 2017.

Well-traveled right-hander Michael Thomas Morgan played for the Twins for most of 1998. He was born in Tulare, California and went to high school in Las Vegas. Drafted by the Oakland Athletics with the fourth pick in the 1978 draft, Morgan was immediately placed in the big-league starting rotation at age 18. The experiment did not work, and after three starts, all losses, he was sent to AAA Vancouver for the rest of the season. He was really not yet ready for Vancouver, either, but on his second try at AAA, in 1979, he had a pretty good season. He was again promoted to the majors that year, but still was not ready. He spent all of 1980 in AAA, and then was traded to the Yankees. The Yankees sent him to AA for 1981, where he was still somewhat young for the league at 21. 1982 was Morgan’s first full season in the big leagues, and it was his best to date, but still, he was only 7-11 with a 4.37 ERA and a 1.56 WHIP. In the off-season, Morgan was traded to Toronto. He was with the Blue Jays for most of the 1983 season, pitching mostly in relief, but spent 1984 in AAA Syracuse. That off-season, the Mariners selected him in the rule 5 draft. Morgan was injured for much of the 1985 season, but when he came back in 1986, he was finally ready for the big leagues. He still wasn’t great, but he was good enough to stay in the Mariners’ rotation for the next two seasons. After that, he was traded to the Orioles, but was with them for only the 1988 season before being sent to the Dodgers. In 1989, eleven years after making his major league debut, Morgan finally had a good season, posting a 2.53 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP. He was with the Dodgers for three years, making the all-star team in 1991. Morgan then became a free agent and moved on to the Cubs, where he was very good in 1992, decent in 1993, and pretty bad in 1994. He moved to the Cardinals in June of 1995, to the Reds in September of 1996, and signed with the Twins on December 16, 1997. Now 38 years old, Morgan did a decent job for the Twins, going 4-2 in seventeen starts with a 3.49 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP. This was the late ’90s Twins, however; by August they were about 95 games out of first place, so they traded Morgan to the Cubs for Scott Downs. The Cubs hoped Morgan would help them in their playoff push, but he pitched poorly for them and became a free agent after the season. He moved on to Texas for 1999, and then to the Arizona Diamondbacks, where he pitched in relief for three years, finally retiring after the 2002 season at age 42. He was never a star, but he was in the majors for at least part of twenty-two seasons. At last report, Mike Morgan was living in Ogden, Utah, where he owns World Championship Outfitters, which takes people on private hunts with Morgan as a guide.  He also is a youth baseball instructor with Ultimate Sports.  In addition, he created the Robinson’s Transport Wounded Warrior Hunt, a hunt for members of the military who have received the Purple Heart.

Outfielder Joseph Timothy Bruett played for the Twins from 1992-1993. He was born in Milwaukee. He attended the University of Minnesota (where he is still second on the career stolen bases list) and was drafted by the Twins in the 11th round in 1988. He was in Class A for three years, hitting for a decent average, but showing no power whatsoever. After hitting .307 in Visalia in 1990, Bruett was jumped to AAA, and made his major-league debut in 1992 as a defensive replacement and pinch-runner. He began 1993 with the Twins in the same role. Returned to Portland in early May, he hit .322 with an OBP of .421. It did him no good, however; not only did Bruett not get a September call-up, when he could not repeat his success in 1994 he was sent to Cleveland. He never played for the Indians, going instead to AAA Charlotte. He moved on to Omaha in the Royals’ organization in 1995, played independent ball in 1996 with the St. Paul Saints, and then was finished. J. T. Bruett’s entire big league career was with the Twins. He appeared in 73 games, but got only 96 at-bats. He hit .250/.314/.313 with no homers and 3 RBIs. Bruett was an assistant baseball coach at the University of Illinois at Chicago, was Director of Athletic Compliance at the University of Minnesota for eight years, and in July of 2015 was named Director of the Lindahl Academic Center of the University of Minnesota.

Outfielder Antoan Edward Richardson has not played for the Twins yet, but was in their farm system in 2013.  He was born in Nassau, Bahamas, went to high school in Delray Beach, Florida and Plantation, Florida, attended Palm Beach Community College and Vanderbilt, and was drafted by San Francisco in the thirty-fifth round in 2005.  He spent over four years in the Giants organization, playing well in Rookie and Class A ball but not doing much above that.  He was released in June of 2009 and was with independent Schaumberg in the Northern League the rest of the season.  He signed with Atlanta for 2010 but was released early in the season and went back to Schaumberg.  The Braves signed him again in late May and he was in AA most of the rest of the year.  He was in AA most of the 2011 season, too, and after a fairly good year he got a September call-up.  He appeared in nine games for the Braves, five as a pinch-runner and four as a pinch-hitter, going 2-for-4 with a stolen base.  A free agent after the season, he signed with Baltimore for 2012 and again was in AA, again having a fairly good year.  Once again a free agent, he signed with Minnesota for 2013.  He again started in AA, but after hitting .336 in 119 at-bats he was promoted to Rochester.  He was okay there, hitting .265/.381/.358.  Those numbers reveal what Richardson is:  a singles hitter who draws a lot of walks.  He also can steal bases, with 344 of them in ten minor league seasons.  A free agent once more after the 2013 season, he signed with the Yankees and had AAA numbers that were almost identical to what he'd done in Rochester in 2013.  He got a September call-up and went 5-for-16 with a walk and five stolen bases.  He signed with Texas for 2015 but appears to have been injured most of the season.  He signed with Pittsburgh for 2016, was released in late April, signed with the Dodgers, was released again in late June, and finished up the season in the Atlantic League.  His playing career ended after that.  He was the first base coach for San Francisco from 2019-2023, held the same job for the Mets from 2024-2025, and is the first base coach for Atlanta in 2026.

Right-hander Cody Allen Eppley did not play for the Twins, but was in their minor league system for part of 2013.  Born and raised in Dillsburg, Pennsylvania, he attended Virginia Commonwealth and was drafted by Texas in the forty-third round in 2008.  A relief pitcher his entire career, he did very well through AA but then struggled upon reaching AAA in 2010.  He apparently got off to a good start in 2011, because he was promoted to the Rangers and was with them for about a month.  He actually did fairly well in limited action, with his numbers skewed by one horrible outing where he gave up six runs in a third of an inning.  He wasn't all that good in AAA, though, and was placed on waivers at the start of the 2012 season.  The Yankees claimed him and he was in the majors most of the season.  He appears to have been something of a ROOGY, as he appeared in 59 games but pitched only 46 innings.  He did okay in that role, going 1-2, 3.33, 1.37 WHIP.  He began 2013 in New York, but was sent to AAA after only two appearances and was released in early June.  The Twins signed him about a week later and sent him to Rochester.  He made 22 appearances for Rochester, pitching 24 innings and going 2-0, 4.88, 1.50 WHIP.  The Twins released him in late August and he finished out the year with Lancaster in the Atlantic League.  He signed with Pittsburgh for 2014, pitched poorly in fourteen AAA innings, and was released.  He finished the season with Lancaster in the Atlantic League and did very well there.  He has been in the Atlantic League since, playing first for Lancaster, then for Southern Maryland, then back to Lancaster last season.  His career major league numbers are 2-3, 4.61, 1.47 WHIP in 71 games (56.2 innings).  He did not pitch well for Lancaster in 2019 and retired after the season, becoming the pitching coach for Lancaster in 2020.  At last report, Cody Eppley was a financial representative for Edward Jones in Lancaster.

Infielder Taylor Joseph Featherston did not play for the Twins, but was in AAA for them for a couple of months in 2018.  He was born in Houston, went to high school in Katy, Texas, attended TCU, and was drafted by Colorado in the fifth round in 2011.  He hit well in the low minors and did okay in AA in 2014.  Based on that and a strong AFL performance, the Cubs took him in the Rule 5 draft and sold him to the Angels.  The Angels made him their utility infielder in 2015, but he didn't hit a lick, batting .162/.212/.247 in 169 plate appearances.  He was with the team all season despite that--presumably he was considered an excellent fielder.  He was sold to Philadelphia before the 2016 season and was mostly at AAA, but got another month in the majors, where he again didn't hit.  He started 2017 in AAA again and was sold to Tampa Bay in June.  He again got a month or so in the majors and again didn't hit.  The Twins signed him for 2018, sent him to AAA, and released him in mid-June.  He spent about a month with Kansas City in the American Association, then finished the year in AA for Cincinnati.  He signed with the Royals for 2019 and was mostly at AA.  In AAA for the Twins he batted .167/.270/.278 in 213 plate appearances.  His major league line is .160/.221/.256 in 244 plate appearances.  That's pretty much the definition of "futility infielder".  His playing career came to an end after the 2019 season.  wikipedia says that he is married to a woman whose first name is also Taylor.  He was a coach in the Seattle organization in 2022.  At last report, Taylor Featherston was a broker for Whitebox Real Estate in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.

October 7

Fleet Walker (1856)

Brickyard Kennedy (1867)

Bill Walker (1903)

Chuck Klein (1904)

Frank Baumholtz (1918)

Grady Hatton (1922)

Bud Daley (1932)

Phil Ortega (1939)

Jose Cardenal (1943)

Rich DeLucia (1964)

Evan Longoria (1985)

Alex Cobb (1987)

Mookie Betts (1992)

Kohl Stewart (1994)

Moses Fleetwood "Fleet" Walker is credited as the first African-American to play major league baseball.  A catcher, he appeared in forty-two games for the Toledo Blue Stockings of the American Association in 1884, until rival owners and players demanded that he be removed from the roster.  In those forty-two games, he batted .263/.325/.316.

Right-hander Kohl Robert Stewart made his Twins debut in 2018.  Born and raised in Houston, he was drafted by Minnesota with the fourth pick of the 2013 draft.  He pitched quite well in the low minors, reaching low-A in 2014, high-A in 2015, and AA in 2016.  He started to have control issues, however, and they got worse when he repeated AA in 2017.  He seemed to overcome them in 2018 in AA, made seven appearances in AAA, and then reached the majors in mid-August.  He made four August starts and did not do very well, but did much better in four "primary pitcher" appearances in September. The control issues returned in 2019, however, as he pitched poorly in nine major league appearances and not much better in nineteen starts in Rochester.  The Twins allowed him to become a free agent and he signed with Baltimore.  He was on the Orioles' sixty-man roster but did not pitch for them.  He was a free agent again after the season and signed with the Cubs for 2021.  He pitched very well in 26 AAA innings, not very well in 13.2 major league innings, but missed most of the season and all of 2022 due to injury.  He signed with Kansas City for 2023, but could not pitch for them and was released after the season, bringing his playing career to an end.  Kohl Stewart is currently a business development manager for Keystone Concrete Placement in Houston.

October 6

Pop Snyder (1854)

Jerry Grote (1942)

Gene Clines (1946)

Gary Gentry (1946)

Victor Bernal (1953)

Alfredo Griffin (1957)

Oil Can Boyd (1959)

Rich Yett (1962)

Ruben Sierra (1965)

Archi Cianfrocco (1966)

Darren Oliver (1970)

Freddy Garcia (1976)

Andrew Albers (1985)

Right-hander Victor Bernal was drafted by the Twins in the 1975 January draft, but the pick was voided. He went on to be chosen by San Diego in the June draft of 1975 and played in fifteen games for the Padres in 1977.

Right-hander Richard Martin Yett made one start for the Twins in 1985 and appeared in four games for them in 1990. He was born in Pomona, California, went to high school in Chino, California, and was drafted by the Twins in the 26th round in 1980. A starting pitcher for his entire minor league career, Yett moved up one level every year, posting unspectacular but fairly decent numbers at each stop along the way. His best year appears to have been with AAA Toledo in 1984, when he went 12-9 with a 3.25 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP. Yett made the Twins out of spring training in 1985 and started the fifth game of the season. He lasted just one-third of an inning, walking two, throwing a wild pitch, having one man reach on an error, and givine up a single before being removed. He was then sent back to Toledo, where he was unable to repeat his success of the prior year there. After the AAA season he was the player to be named later in the deal which also sent Jay Bell, Curt Wardle, and Jim Weaver to Cleveland for Bert Blyleven. Yett was a reliever for the Indians in 1986 and most of 1987, and did not pitch particularly well for them, but these were the mid-80s Indians, so rather than being sent back to the minors he was moved into the starting rotation in August of 1987. He stayed in the rotation for all of 1988 and the first couple of months of 1989, but when he continued to not pitch well, he was finally sent to the bullpen. Yett was released by the Indians after the 1989 season, and was re-signed by the Twins. He made the Twins out of spring training and pitched well in four relief appearances in 1990, but was sent back to AAA Portland, where he reverted to form. His career came to an end after that season. As a Twin, Rich Yett had no decisions, and had an ERA of 3.86 in 4.2 innings. At last report, Rich Yett was a high school pitching coach in the Phoenix, Arizona area.

Outfielder Ruben Angel (Garcia) Sierra appeared in fourteen games for the Twins in 2006, at the end of his long career. He was born in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico, went to high school in Carolina, Puerto Rico, and was signed by the Texas Rangers as a free agent in 1982. He was always young for his league, getting promoted to AA at age 19 and AAA at age 20. He was in AAA for only two months before being promoted to the Rangers, where he was instantly installed as a regular outfielder. He remained in the Rangers’ outfield until August 31, 1992. Sierra finished sixth in the rookie of the year balloting in 1986. His best year as a Ranger was 1989, when he led the league in RBIs, slugging percentage, total bases, and triples and finished second in the MVP voting to Robin Yount. Sierra made his first all-star team that year, and also won a silver slugger award. He would make two more all-star teams as a Ranger, and finished eighth in the MVP voting in 1991. He was traded to the Athletics at the 1992 trade deadline, and remained there for about three years. His average declined when he left Texas, but he continued to hit for power and drive in runs, making the all-star team again in 1994. Sierra began to move around quite a bit after that. He was traded to the Yankees at the July trading deadline in 1995, to the Tigers at the July deadline in 1996, and to Cincinnati after the 1996 season. After a slow start in 1997, the Reds released him in May; he signed with Toronto, but was released again in June. Sierra moved on to the White Sox for 1998, but was again released a couple months into the season, and finished out the year with Norfolk in the Mets’ organization. He spent 1999 playing for Atlantic City in the independent Atlantic League, and it looked like he was probably done. He signed with Cleveland for 2000, was released in spring training, and went to the Mexican League. In May, however, his original team, the Rangers, took a chance on him. Sierra had a big year at AAA Oklahoma that year, and made it back to the big leagues with the Rangers in September. He had a strong 2001 for Texas, but was released after the season. On the move again, he went to Seattle for 2002, came back to the Rangers in 2003, and was traded to the Yankees in June of 2003. Sierra remained fairly productive through 2004, but age finally caught up to him in 2005. The Twins signed him before the 2006 season, but at age 40, he had nothing left, and he was released in July. He got a spring training invitation with the Mets in 2007, but did not make the team. Ruben Sierra played only 14 games as a Twin, all as a DH or pinch-hitter. He had only 28 at-bats, and hit .179 with no homers and four runs batted in. For his career, however, Sierra hit .268/.315/.450, with 2,152 hits and 306 home runs. He was elected to the Texas Rangers Hall of Fame in 2009.  His page at b-r.com indicates that he owns show horses, but that appears to be a different Ruben Sierra.  He has recorded three CDs of salsa music and is available for personal appearances through his website, therubensierra.com.  At last report he was dividing his time between Fort Worth, Texas, and Miami. His son, Ruben Sierra, Jr., spent three years as an outfielder in the Texas Rangers’ organization.

Left-hander Andrew Albers made ten starts for the Twins in 2013 and six more appearances for them in 2016.  Born and raised in North Battleford, Saskatchewan, Canada, he attended the University of Kentucky and was drafted by San Diego in the tenth round in 2008.  The Padres didn't give him much of a chance.  He pitched seven innings in the Arizona Summer League in 2008, going 1-0, 0.00.  One assumes he was hurt in 2009, as he did not play, and he was released in March of 2010.  He spent 2010 pitching in relief for Quebec in the CanAm League and did well, going 3-0, 1.40, 0.99 WHIP in 40 appearances.  The Twins signed him for 2011 and sent him to Fort Myers.  He quickly proved that he was too good for that league and spent the rest of the year in New Britain, where he continued to pitch well.  He did not become a full-time starter until 2012, when he again pitched for New Britain and went 4-3, 3.75, 1.25 WHIP in 98.1 innings (he again missed time due to injury).  He made twenty-two starts for Rochester in 2013 and again did very well, going 11-5, 2.86, 1.18 WHIP.  Promoted to the Twins in August, he made ten starts.  In his best four, he went 2-0, 0.57; in the other six, he went 0-5, 7.85.  For the season, he was 2-5, 4.05, 1.18 WHIP in 60 innings.  Given the state of the Twins rotation, one would've thought he might get more of a shot, but instead he was released in late January of 2014 and went to play in Korea.  He did not do well there.  He came back to North America, signing with Toronto for 2015.  He was sent to AAA and did not do well there, either, but still made one more appearance in the majors, pitching 2.2 innings and giving up a run on a solo homer.  He started 2016 in the Atlantic League, signed with the Twins in late April, pitched decently in Rochester, and spent much of the last two months of the season in the majors, making six appearances (two starts).  He turns thirty-one today.  In his two stints as a Twin, he was 2-5, 4.44, 1.35 WHIP in 77 innings.  A free agent after the season, he signed with Atlanta for 2017, had an excellent year in AAA, and was sold to Seattle in mid-August.  He pitched very well for them in nine major league appearances, including six starts.  It didn't help him, as he was released in December.  He played in Japan in 2018-2019.  He had an excellent season for Orix in 2018, but did not do as well in 2019.  He remained with Orix for 2020 and had a better season.  At that time we said, "It seems unlikely that we will see him in the majors again."  Well, it may have been unlikely, but he did it.  He signed with the Twins for 2021, had a solid season in AAA, and made five appearances for the Twins.  It would be a better story if he'd done well, but in fact he posted an ERA of 7.58 in 19 innings.  He signed with Seattle for 2022, but did not make the team and did not play for anyone in 2022.  He did participate in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, but that appears to have brought his playing career to an end.  He was the pitching coach for the Saskatoon Berries in the Western Canada Baseball League in 2024 and is currently a coach for the Going Yard Academy in Saskatoon.

October 5

Henry Chadwick (1824)

John Reilly (1858)

Claude Ritchey (1873)

Jim Bagby (1889)

Sam West (1904)

Si Johnson (1906)

Andy Kosco (1941)

Dan Fife (1949)

Onix Concepcion (1957)

Randy Bush (1958)

Rey Sanchez (1965)

Brandon Puffer (1975)

Tanner Roark (1986)

Zack Littell (1995)

Henry Chadwick is often considered the father of baseball.  He wrote the first rule book, created the box score, and was the first to keep track of singles, doubles, triples, and home runs.

Outfielder Andrew John Kosco played for the Twins from 1965-1967. He was born in Mom A’s original home town of Youngstown, Ohio, went to high school in Struthers, Ohio, and was signed by the Tigers as a free agent in 1959. Kosco’s early minor league record is mixed, at best. He hit .273 with 22 homers for Class B Durham in 1960, and hit .284 for Class A Knoxville in 1962. However, he hit .208 in 1963 in a year split between the Class AA teams of the Tigers and Cubs. His sixth minor-league season, in 1964, found Kosco back in Class A, in the Northern League. The Tigers gave up on him and released him in early June, but he was still only 22, so the Twins gave him a chance. He was clearly too good for the Northern League, hitting .346 with 28 homers in 1964. Promoted to AAA Denver in 1965, Kosco continued to bash the ball, hitting .327 with 27 homers before getting called up to the Twins in August. He was with Minnesota all of 1966, but received little playing time, starting only 35 games and hitting only .222. He started 1967 in Minnesota, but got only 28 at-bats before being sent back to Denver in early May. He had another good year there, but the Twins apparently gave up on him and sold him to Oakland. The Athletics left him unprotected, and Kosco was chosen by the Yankees in the rule 5 draft. He finally got regular playing time in 1968, but hit only .240 with 15 home runs. This was a low-offense era, so that’s better than it might sound, but it still was nothing to get excited about, and the Yankees traded Kosco to the Dodgers after the season. He was a mostly-regular for the Dodgers in 1969, but his numbers did not signficantly improve, and he was reduced to part-time status in 1970. He spent the rest of his career moving around. Kosco was traded to the Brewers for 1971, split 1972 between California and Boston, and went to the Reds in 1973. He actually had a pretty good season for Cincinnati, hitting .280 with nine home runs in 118 at-bats, but in 1974 he slumped to .189 and was released. He signed with Philadelphia and spent 1975 playing for AAA Toledo, but he did not play well there, and his career was over. As a Twin, Andy Kosco hit .216/.243/.295 with 3 home runs and 23 RBIs in 241 at-bats spread over three years. He studied law during the off-seasons, but after his playing days were over, Kosco went into the insurance business and had a successful career as an insurance salesman in his home town of Youngstown.  His two sons both played minor league baseball, with one of them reaching AAA. After retirement, he remained active in attending various baseball association alumni events.  Andy Kosco passed away on December 19, 2025, in Youngstown.

Right-hander Danny Wayne Fife played for the Twins from 1973-1974. He was born in Harrisburg, Illinois, went to high school in Clarkston, Michigan and attended the University of Michigan. He was drafted by the Tigers in the secondary phase of the 1971 June draft. He had a fine year in Class A that season, and did well again in AA in 1972. The Tigers, however, were trying to get another division championship out of an aging team, and so traded Fife along with some cash to the Twins for Jim Perry in March of 1973. He did not pitch particularly well for AAA Tacoma, but was still promoted to the Twins in August. Control, which had not been that much of a problem in the low minors, bothered him in Tacoma, and continued to bother him in Minnesota. Fife made the Twins at the start of 1974 but did not stay long, going back to Tacoma after pitching only 4.2 innings in four games. He had an awful season in Tacoma that year, and in 1975 found himself back in AA Orlando. He appeared in only eight games there, pitching better but not all that well, and then his career was over. As a Twin, Dan Fife was pitched 56.1 innings in 14 games, seven of them starts. He was 3-2 with a 5.43 ERA. Fife became a successful high school baseball and basketball coach in Clarkston, Michigan and was the athletic director of Clarkston Community Schools until  his retirement in 2016.  He was inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in 2019.  His son, Dane Fife, was a long-time college basketball coach.  Dan Fife passed away on May 30, 2024 due to complications from Alzheimer's Disease.

Outfielder Robert Randall Bush played for the Twins from 1982-1993. He was born in Dover, Delaware, and attended the University of New Orleans. He was drafted by the Twins in the second round in 1979, and was never a member of any other organization. He did little his first couple of years in the minors, but had a breakout year in 1981, hitting .290 with 22 homers for AA Orlando. He got off to a strong start in 1982 at AAA Toledo, and was in Minnesota by the first of May. Bush was a semi-to-mostly regular outfielder and DH for the Twins from 1983-1989, getting about 300 to 400 at bats every season except 1985, when he had only 234. He would hit around .250 to .260 consistently, usually providing about 10-15 homers. Bush was reduced to more of reserve/pinch hitting role from 1990-93. He had an excellent year in that role in the world championship season of 1991, hitting .303 with six home runs in 165 at-bats. The vagaries of small sample size caught up with him the next year, as he slumped to .214. Bush got off to a poor start in 1993, was released in late June, and decided to retire. Randy Bush played in parts of 12 seasons for the Twins, appearing in 1,219 games. He batted .251/.334/.413, with 96 home runs and a career OPS+ of 102. Bush was the head baseball coach at his alma matter from 2000-2004, and was a long-time assistant general manager for the Chicago Cubs, serving as interim GM before the hiring of Theo Epstein.  At last report, he was a senior advisor for baseball operations for the Cubs.  He is a member of the Eastern Shore Baseball Hall of Fame.

Right-hander Brandon Duane Puffer never reached the big leagues with the Twins, but he was drafted by them. He was born in Downey, California, went to high school in Mission Viejo, California, and was drafted by Minnesota in the twenty-seventh round in 1994. The Twins apparently didn’t think much of him; they used him in relief in the rookie-level Gulf Coast League for two years, and despite the fact that he pitched fairly well, they released him in May of 1996. He was in the Angels’ organization for two years, and reached Class A, but after a good year in 1997 he was again released. Puffer was persistent, however, and signed with the Reds. He made it to AA briefly in 1998, but was back in Class A in 1999. Despite posting an ERA under two in the Midwest League, he was released again after the season. Puffer signed with Colorado, was released in May of 2000, went to Somerset of the independent Atlantic League, and signed with Houston in July. He finally put things together in the Astros’ organization, or maybe he just got with a team that would give him a chance. He dominated the AA Texas League in 2001, and after starting well in AAA in 2002, Puffer was promoted to Houston in mid-April. It would be wonderful to report that his persistence paid off in a long and successful major-league career, but it was not to be. Puffer suffered control trouble in the majors, something that had not been that much of a problem in the minor leagues. He split 2003 between Houston and AAA New Orleans, but was released after the season. Puffer signed with San Diego for 2004, and was promoted to the Padres in mid-May, but was sold to Boston in July and spent the rest of the year in AAA Pawtucket. Released again after the season, he moved on to AAA Fresno in the Giants’ organization for 2005, making it back to the big leagues for three games. Those were his last games in the big leagues. Puffer played with the Houston, Oakland, and Texas organizations from 2006-2008, but did not made it back to the majors. Sadly, in July of 2009, Brandon Puffer was found guilty of burglary of a habitation with intent to commit a felony (sexual assault) therein. He was sentenced to five years in prison, but was paroled in 2011.  He appears to have gotten his life straightened out, working for the Round Rock Express from 2012-2014. and speaking at Fellowship of Christian Athletes camps.  He was an insurance agent for IHC Financial Group in the Austin, Texas area from 2014-2016, then returned to the Round Rock Express as pitching coach from 2016-2017.  He has written a book about his life, "From the Bullpen to the State Pen."  At last report, Brandon Puffer was the co-founder and an instructor at GPS Texas Baseball in Georgetown, Texas.

Right-hander Zack Stuart Littell was with the Twins from 2018-2020.  He was born in Mebane, North Carolina, went to high school in Haw River, North Carolina, and was drafted by Seattle in the eleventh round in 2013.  He was not impressive in his first few years in the minors, although it should be noted he was quite young.  He made a substantial improvement in 2016, when he went 13-6, 2.66, 1.16 WHIP in a season split between low-A and high-A.  He was traded to the Yankees before the 2017 season, then was traded again at the July deadline, this time to Minnesota for Jaime Garcia.  He went a combined 19-1, 2.69, 1.22 WHIP in a season split between high-A and AA.  He spent most of 2018 in AAA Rochester, doing decently enough although not outstanding.  He was called up to the Twins three times that season, making one start in June, one in July, and then getting a September call-up.  He went 0-2, 6.20, 1.77 WHIP, but those numbers are skewed by his bad first major league start in June.  He started 2019 back in Rochester, but made a couple of big-league appearances in May and came up to stay in mid-June.  He made a transition from starter to short reliever in the majors and made it very well.  He went 6-0, 2.68, 1.16 WHIP.  If you throw out one bad game in May, his number are off the charts:  0.83 ERA, 0.98 WHIP in 32.2 innings (28 games).  In 2020, however, he spent most of the year on the injured list, appearing in just six games.   The Twins allowed him to become a free agent and he signed with San Francisco.  He had an excellent year in relief for the Giants in 2021, but did not do well at all in 2022.  A free agent after the season, he signed with Texas for 2023, was sold to Boston in early May, waived a week later, and was claimed by Tampa Bay.  Surprisingly, at least to the teams that gave up on him, he had a fine season, posting a 3.93 ERA and a WHIP of 1.15 in 87 innings.  At that point, we said, "he will be in somebody's bullpen in 2024."  Well, we were wrong, as he was in the Tampa Bay starting rotation in 2024.  He did very well there, too, posting an ERA of 3.63 with a WHIP of 1.25.  He was having another fine season with the Rays in 2025 when he was traded to Cincinnati at the deadline.  A free after the season, he signed with Washington for 2026.  He did not pitch very well there, although he wasn't awful, but he was still released in early August.  He signed with Arizona but was released again after just three games.  As a Twin, he was 6-2, 4.52, 1.48 WHIP in 63.2 innings (43 games).  He turns thirty-one today.   Given how teams are always looking for pitching, it seems likely that he'll go to spring training with somebody in 2027.