August 6

Sam Mertes (1872)
Sherry Magee (1884)
Ray Blades (1896)
Jim Turner (1903)
Prez Jones (1905)
Clem Labine (1926)
Ray Culp (1941)
Andy Messersmith (1945)
Ken Phelps (1954)
Ron Davis (1955)
Bob Horner (1957)
Stan Belinda (1966)
Chris Heintz (1974)
Luis Vizcaino (1974)
Jake McGee (1986)
Wilmer Flores (1991)
John Gant (1992)
Woo-Suk Go (1998)

Prez Jones was the president of Grambling University and started the school's baseball team.

Right-handed reliever Ronald Gene Davis pitched for the Twins from 1982-1986.  Born and raised in Houston, he was drafted by the Cubs in the third round in the January draft in 1976.  He was a starter in the minors, and a rather mediocre one, but did substantially better when moved to the bullpen in 1978.  What prompted the move was Davis’ trade to the Yankees in June of 1978 for Ken Holtzman.  He appeared briefly with the Yankees that year and then spent the next three seasons in New York, pitching very well as a set-up man for Goose Gossage.  He won 27 games out of the bullpen with 22 saves in three seasons, regularly posting ERAs below three.  He made the all-star team in 1981, a rarity for a set-up man.  In April of 1982, he was traded to Minnesota along with Paul Boris and Greg Gagne for Roy Smalley.  He was immediately installed as the closer, and mixed some brilliant performances with some memorable meltdowns over roughly four and a half years with the Twins.  He appeared in 286 games as a Twin, averaging nearly a strikeout per inning, but going 19-40 with 108 saves, an ERA of 4.51, and a WHIP of 1.49.  He fell apart in 1986, posting an ERA over nine and losing the closer role before being traded to the Cubs in August along with Dewayne Coleman for Julius McDougal, Ray Fontenot, and George Frazier.  He bounced around after that.  The Cubs released him in August of 1987; he finished the season with the Dodgers but was released again in March of 1988.  The Giants signed him and he pitched in AAA Phoenix for two seasons, not doing badly but only getting back to the big leagues at the end of the 1988 season.  He went to Japan for the 1989 season.  The Yankees gave him one last chance in 1990, sending him to AAA Columbus, but he could never get his old form back, and his playing career ended after that season.  At last report, Ron Davis was the owner and operator of Team Davis Baseball in Scottsdale, Arizona, which “offers several levels of competitive baseball teams” as well as private lessons.  His son, Ike Davis, was a first baseman who played in the majors from 2010-2016.

Catcher Christopher John Heintz played briefly for the Twins from 2005-2007.  He was born in Syosset, New York, went to high school in Clearwater, Florida, and was drafted in the 19th round by the White Sox in 1996.  He was in the White Sox’ system for six years, hitting well at Class A but not as well at higher levels.   He went to the Cardinals and had a good year for them, hitting .314 at AA New Haven.  St. Louis allowed him to become a free agent after the season, though, and he signed with the Pirates organization.  Heintz did not have a particularly good year at AA Altoona, and was now 29, so he was allowed to become a free agent again and signed with Minnesota in November of 2003.  He had only had ten at-bats above AA at that point, but the Twins sent him to AAA Rochester.  He was a decent but unspectacular batter there, posting better batting averages than one might expect, but without many walks or much power.  Still, he was a catcher, and the Twins are always looking for a third or fourth catcher, so he got brief appearances with the big club.  He was a September call-up in 2005 and 2006 and had three stints with them in 2007, totaling nearly half the season.  He had 82 at-bats in those appearances, batting .232/.267/.268.  Let go by the Twins after 2007, he signed with the Baltimore organization and spent 2008 at AAA Norfolk, after which his playing career ended.  He was the hitting coach for the Beloit Snappers in 2009 and was scheduled to manage the GCL Twins in 2010, but chose instead to take a job as hitting coach with the University of South Florida, a school Heintz had attended.  He continued in that position through the 2014 season.  At last report, Chris Heintz was the minor league hitting coach for the Philadelphia Phillies.  He was inducted into the University of South Florida Athletic Hall of Fame in 2013.

Right-hander John Michael Gant was with the Twins for the last two months of the 2021 season. He was born in Savannah, Georgia, went to high school in Wesley Chapel, Florida, and was drafted by the Mets in the twenty-first round in 2011.  A starter in the minors, he struggled in his first couple of years.  The Mets stuck with him, though, and he rewarded them with solid seasons in 2013 in low-A and 2014 in high-A.  He started well in 2015 in AA and was traded to Atlanta in late July.  He started 2016 with the Braves and bounced between AAA and the majors on a few occasions.  He wasn't awful that season, but he wasn't particularly good, either, and was traded to St. Louis after the season.  He spent most of 2017 in AAA but got a September call-up.  He started 2018 back in AAA, but after eight excellent starts he finally came to the majors to stay.  It seems like he was a veteran by then, but he was still just twenty-five.  He both started and relieved in 2018, but was strictly a reliever in 2019 and 2020, pitching very well in all three seasons.  Atlanta moved him back to the starting rotation in 2021 and he did well for the first two months of the season, but after four consecutive poor starts in June he was shifted back to the bullpen.  He was traded to the Twins on July 30 of 2021 along with Evan Sisk for J. A. Happ and cash.  It did not work out very well:  as a Twin Gant was 1-5, 5.91, 1.37 WHIP in 33.2 innings (14 games).  He became a free agent and signed to play in Japan, but missed all of 2022 due to injury and made only three appearances in 2023 before being released on July 1.  It appears that he did not play in 2024, but came back to play for Long Island in the Atlantic League in 2025 and then was signed by Kansas City in May of that season.  He pitched poorly in AAA, however, and became a free agent after the season.  He signed with Wei Chuan in Taiwan for 2026 and is pitching very well there.  He turns thirty-four today.  We don't expect to see him in the majors again, but he appears to be one of those guys who will keep playing as long as someone, somewhere, will let him play.  And we see nothing wrong with that.

Right-handed reliever Woo-Suk Go has appeared in four games for the Twins so far in 2026.  He was born in Ganghwa-gun, South Korea and started pitching in the KBO in 2017 at the age of eighteen.  He pitched there through 2023, all with the LG Twins, and had some excellent seasons there.  He has been a reliever for his entire career.  He came to America in 2024, signing with San Diego, but he was traded to Miami in early May in a trade involving ex-Twin Luis Arraez.  He struggled that season in both AAA and AA, and was released in May of 2025.  He signed with Detroit about a week later and continued to struggle.  He was off to a good start in AAA in 2026 when he was sold to Minnesota in early July.  He appeared in four games for the Twins and, putting in simply, was not very good, going 0-0, 9.00, 2.50 WHIP, although with five strikeouts in four innings.  He then was sent to AAA, where he was ejected in his first appearance and then suspended for using an illegal substance in his glove, all without actually throwing a pitch for St. Paul.  He turns twenty-seven today.  He did pitch very well for Korea in three games in the WBC.  We hope he can get it together and be a productive pitcher.

August 5

Hiraoka Hiroshi (1856)
Pepper Bassett (1919)
Bill Pleis (1937)
Dwight Siebler (1937)
Tommie Aaron (1939)
Nelson Briles (1943)
Bernie Carbo (1947)
Rick Mahler (1953)
Dave Rozema (1956)
Steve Gasser (1967)
John Olerud (1968)
Carlos Pulido (1971)
John Wasdin (1972)
Bobby Kielty (1976)
Eric Hinske (1977)
Mark Mulder (1977)
Carl Crawford (1981)

Hiraoka Hiroshi is considered by some to be the father of Japanese Baseball.

Catcher Pepper Bassett was a seven-time all-star in the Negro Leagues.

Right-hander Steve Gasser did not play for the Twins, but was in their minor league system for four years before being traded to the Mets in the Wally Backman deal.  A second round draft choice, he did not play in the major leagues.

William Pleis pitched for the Twins from 1961-1966.  He was born in St. Louis, went to high school in Kirkwood, Missouri, and started in professional baseball with then-independent Orlando in the Florida State League.  He was traded to the Washington organization in mid-August for $250 plus two players.  He appears to have remained the Senators’ property throughout his minor league career, despite the fact that he played for teams in the Cubs and Red Sox organization as well as for independent Memphis.  He did not play for Washington, but was an original Twin, making the team out of spring training in 1961 at the age of 23.  He spent part of 1961 and 1962, all of 1963-1965, and part of 1966 with them, mostly in relief.  His ERA got lower in each of his six seasons with the Twins, going from a high of 4.95 to a low of 1.93.  He never pitched more than 68 innings in a season.  In his last years, he was essentially a LOOGY before anyone knew what a LOOGY was.  For his career, all with Minnesota, he appeared in 190 games, ten of them starts, but worked only 280.2 innings.  He was 21-16 with 13 saves and a 4.07 ERA.  The Twins let him go after the 1966 season.  He spent two more years at AAA, one for Washington and one for Boston, but never made it back to the big leagues.  His nickname was “Shorty”, despite the fact that at 5’10″ he was not particularly short for his era.  He scouted for the Dodgers for several years before retiring.  His son, Scott Pleis, was the scouting director for the Detroit Tigers.  Bill Pleis passed away on October 17, 2025 at the age of eighty-eight.

Dwight Leroy Siebler pitched for the Twins from 1963-1967.  He was born in Columbus, Nebraska, went to high school in Omaha, attended the University of Nebraska, and signed with  Philadelphia as a free agent in 1958.  While his minor league records are incomplete, those that exist show that he pitched pretty well in the Phillies’ system.  Philadelphia gave up on him, though, and in August of 1963 he was sold to Minnesota.  Siebler pitched for at least part of the next five seasons for the Twins.  He was used primarily as a starter in AAA, but pitched mostly in relief for the Twins.  He was going to be the Twins’ fourth starter in 1964, but the Twins decided he needed to change his delivery, which caused his curve ball not to break very well, and he was sent back to AAA.  He pitched quite well in AAA, going 11-7, 3.37 for Denver in 1965, but got only limited chances with the Twins, never appearing in more than nine games in a season except for 1966.  That was his only full season in the majors, and even though he was with the team all year he was seldom used, appearing in 23 games and working only 49.2 innings.  He was back in the minors in 1967, appearing in only two more games for the Twins.  He did pretty well in the majors in the chances he got:   his record in the majors, all for the Twins, was 4-3 with 1 save and a 3.45 ERA in 117.1 innings.  Siebler asked for a trade, but the Twins refused to trade him, so he retired after the season.  After leaving baseball, he moved to Gretna, Nebraska where he worked in the family’s heating and air conditioning business, and where, according to wikipedia, he “raised a small village of children”.  He also became an accomplished bowler, rolling at least one 300 game.  He lived in semi-retirement in Gretna for several years, helping in the heating and air conditioning business a couple of days a week, before eventually moving to Omaha.  Dwight Siebler passed away on June 16, 2021 in Omaha at the age of eighty-three.

Left-hander Juan Carlos (Valera) Pulido pitched for the Twins in 1994, then again from 2003-2004.  Born and raised in Caracas, Venezuela, he was signed by the Twins as a free agent in 1989 at the age of 17.  He pitched very well in the low minors, and had good won-lost records in the higher minors, although his ERAs there were not particularly good.  He spent all of 1994 with the Twins, going 3-7 with a 5.98 ERA in 19 games, 14 of them starts, before being injured in early August.  He was back in AA in 1995, again having a good won-lost record but a poor ERA, and then was released.  He was in AAA for the Cubs in 1996, the Expos in 1997, and the Mets in 1998 before getting released. He played for an independent team in the Atlantic League the rest of 1998 and in 1999, went to Japan from 2000-2001, and pitched in Mexico in 2002.  He was signed by the Twins again after the 2002 season and had a fine year in Rochester in 2003, getting called up to the big club in late August.  He started 2004 with the Twins, but did not do well; he was sent to AAA in late April and was allowed to become a free agent after the seaon.  For his career, he appeared in 32 games with the Twins, 15 of them starts.  He was 3-8 with a 5.98 ERA in 111.1 innings.  He spent two more years in the Mexican League before his playing career came to an end.  He may not have had a long career, but one has to admire his tenacity.  He holds the record for longest gap in major league service time, with the exception of Satchel Paige and Minnie Minoso who made brief returns as publicity stunts.  He was the pitching coach of the AZL Rangers’ organization in 2007.  He is a member of the Magallanes Hall of Fame.  Carlos Pulido passed away on December 28, 2023 in Caracas at the young age of fifty-two.

Outfielder Robert Michael Kielty played for the Twins from 2001-2003.  He was born in Fontana, California, went to high school in Moreno Valley, California, and attended USC, Riverside Community college, and the University of Mississippi.  He was signed by Minnesota as a free agent in 1999.  He had some decent years in the minors, putting up double digit home runs every season.  He was with Minnesota for roughly half of the 2001 season, then came up to stay in 2002.  He was with the Twins until the middle of 2003, generally sharing time with Dustan Mohr in right field, though he also served as a reserve center fielder.  He was traded to Toronto in July of 2003 for Shannon Stewart and a player to be named later (Dave Gassner).  As a Twin, he hit .269/.375/.444 in 631 at-bats.  He spent the rest of 2003 with Toronto, and then was traded to Oakland for Ted Lilly.  He had a poor year in 2004, but bounced back nicely to put up solid numbers in 2005 and 2006 as a part-time player.  He did not do well in 2007, however, and was released by Oakland at the end of August.  He signed with Boston, finished the season there as a reserve, and that was the last he played in the major leagues.  Kielty started 2008 in AAA with the Red Sox, was released in mid-July, and signed back with the Twins to finish out the season in Rochester.  He signed with the Mets for 2009, was sent to AAA Buffalo, was released in late June, and his playing career appeared to be over.  There was a report in February of 2010 that he was going to try to come back as a pitcher, but nothing seems to have come of it.  In 2011, however, he came back as an outfielder, signing with San Diego.  He spent time on the disabled list but played well at AAA when healthy.  He was with York in the Atlantic League in 2012, but batted only .221 and decided to call it quits.  He spent parts of seven years in the big leagues, though, getting over two thousand plate appearances, which isn't bad for a part-time player.  Bobby Kielty and his wife are currently the owners of Kielty Realty in Sun City, California.  He also was the head baseball coach for Lake Elsinore High School in Lake Elsinore, California and an assistant tennis coach for the University of California-Riverside, so he certainly keeps himself busy.

August 4

Jake Beckley (1867)
Dolf Luque (1890)
Chick Galloway (1896)
Ski Melillo (1899)
Bill Hallahan (1902)
Joe Strong (1902)
George Caster (1907)
Tuck Stainback (1911)
Luke Easter (1915)
Don Kolloway (1918)
Dallas Green (1934)
Frank Kostro (1937)
Ray Oyler (1937)
Johnny Grubb (1948)
Roger Clemens (1962)
B. J. Surhoff (1964)
Matt Merullo (1965)
Troy O’Leary (1969)
Bob Howry (1973)
Eric Milton (1975)
Scott Linebrink (1976)
Josh Roenicke (1982)
Jason Adam (1991)
Orlando Arcia (1994)

While this is a pretty good day for names, it should be pointed out that none of these players was listed here because of his name.  In fact, each of them had a substantial baseball career.

Infielder/outfielder Frank Jerry Kostro played for the Twins from 1964-65 and 1967-1969.  He was born in Windber, Pennsylvania, went to high school in Pittsburgh, and signed with Detroit as a free agent in 1956.  He was generally a high-average hitter without a lot of power in the minors.  He hit .332 at Class D Jamestown in 1956, then settled in as a guy who would hit about .270-.290 at pretty much every level.  He broke out of that in 1962, when he hit .321 with 13 homers and 97 RBIs for AAA Denver.  He got a September call-up that year, and started 1963 in the majors with Detroit.  He saw most of his time as a reserve third baseman, but also played some at first and both corner outfield positions.  He was traded to the Angels at mid-season, where the same pattern continued.  He began 1964 in AAA, where he was hitting .344 when he was traded to Minnesota as part of a three-team trade (including Cleveland) in which the Twins acquired Kostro and Jerry Kindall in exchange for Lenny Green and Vic Power.  The Twins often used him as a pinch-hitter; when he did play, he was all over the diamond, playing third, second, first, left, and right.  He did well with his limited opportunities in 1964, hitting .272 in 103 at-bats, but in 1965 he hit just .161 in 31 at-bats and was sent back to the minors in mid-June.  He stayed there through the 1966 season, continuing to hit well at AAA.  He started 1967 at AAA as well, but was brought up in mid-June after hitting .369 there.  He still did not get to play, however, batting only 31 times the rest of the season.  1968 was Kostro’s only full season in the majors, but he still got only 108 at-bats.  He was back in AAA the next season, hit .311, but only got two major league at-bats in a September call-up.  His American playing career ended after that season, although he played in Japan in 1970.  As a Twin, he hit .251/.292/.331 in 275 at-bats spread over five seasons.  He hit .311 in ten AAA seasons; one has to think he could have helped a major league team if he’d been given a chance to play.  Frank Kostro is the owner of Kostro Insurance of Denver, is active in baseball alumni events, and was also an accomplished handball player.

Catcher Matthew Bates Merullo played for the Twins in 1995.  He came from a baseball family:  his grandfather, Lennie Merullo, was a shortstop for the Cubs in the 1940s and his father, Boots Merullo, played in the Pittsburgh organization.  Matt was born in Winchester, Massachusettes, attended the University of North Carolina, and was drafted by the White Sox in the seventh round in 1986.  He hit for good averages in the minors, although without much power.  He was promoted from AA in 1988 to the majors in1989, backing up Carlton Fisk, but was sent back to the minors after two months.  He continued to hit well in AA and made it back to the majors at the start of the 1991 season, again backing up Fisk but also acting as a reserve first baseman.  He played a similar role in 1992, but was sent back to the minors in mid-June when he was hitting only .180.  He mostly stayed in AAA through 1994, getting only brief call-ups to the majors.  He hit very well there, batting .332 in 1993 and .300 in 1994, with twelve home runs each season.  The latter of those seasons was in the Cleveland organization, to whom he was traded on March 30, 1994.  He became a free agent after that season and signed with Minnesota.  He stayed with the Twins for all of the 1995 season, backing up Matt Walbeck and making a few appearances at DH.  He had his best major league season for the Twins, hitting .285/.333/.379 in 195 at-bats.  The Twins did not retain him, however, and he was back in AAA in 1996, playing in the Cubs and Angels organizations.  His playing career came to an end after that season.  Matt Merullo operated Pro Advantage Baseball in Connecticut through 2008.  He was an area scout for the Arizona Diamondbacks and from 2013-2015 was a manager in the low minors of the Orioles organization.  He was also a scout for the Diamondbacks and coached at Fairfield University.  At last report, he was an assistant coach for Guilford High School in Connecticut.

Left-hander Eric Robert Milton played for the Twins from 1998-2003.  He was born in State College, Pennsylvania, went to high school in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, then attended the University of Maryland.  He was drafted by the Yankees in the first round in 1996.  He had a good season in the minors in 1997, split between A and AA, then was traded to Minnesota with Brian Buchanan, Cristian Guzman, Danny Mota, and cash for Chuck Knoblauch.  The Twins immediately put him into their starting rotation, where he stayed for five seasons.  After a rough rookie year he settled in as a decent, unspectacular starting pitcher, generally pitching around 200 innings and posting ERAs in the mid-fours.  He threw a no-hitter in 1999.  He had very good WHIPs and did not walk very many, but was susceptible to the home run.  He won fifteen games in 2001 and made the all-star team, but was not all that much better that season than in any other.  Milton missed most of 2003 due to injury, making only three starts in September.   After that season, he was traded to Philadelphia for Nick Punto, Carlos Silva, and a player to be named later (Bobby Korecky).  As a Twin, Eric Milton was 57-51, 4.76, 1.29 WHIP.  He appeared in 166 games, all but one a start, and worked 987.1 innings.  He was in Philadelphia for one season and pitched about the same as he had for the Twins, although due to the ballpark he gave up even more home runs.  A free agent after the season, he signed with Cincinnati, where he played for three seasons.  Things did not go well for Milton as a Red; again, the small ballpark apparently hurt him.  He suffered an elbow injury in 2007, missed all of 2008, and came back with the Dodgers in 2009, making five starts before missing the rest of the year with a herniated disk.  He went unsigned for 2010 and his playing career came to an end.  He became an assistant baseball coach at the University of Maryland in September of 2011 and was named the interim head coach in late June of 2012 when the team’s head coach took another job.  He did not hold the position long, however, as a new head coach was named in mid-July.  At last report, Eric Milton was the baseball coach of Severna Park High School in Severna Park, Maryland.

Right-hander Joshua James Roenicke pitched for the Twins in 2013.  He is the son of Gary Roenicke and the nephew of Ron Roenicke.  He is also the brother-in-law of Ian Desmond.  He was born in Baltimore, went to high school in Grass Valley, California, attended UCLA, and was drafted by Cincinnati in the tenth round in 2006.  A reliever from the start of his pro career, he moved up quickly and made his major league debut with the Reds in September of 2008.  He spent the next three years bouncing between AAA and the majors, but most of it was not with Cincinnati.  He was traded to Toronto at the July deadline in 2009 in a deal involving Scott Rolen.  He was in the Blue Jays organization until June of 2011, when he was placed on waivers and selected by Colorado.  He appeared in 59 major league games from 2009-2011 but pitched only 66.2 innings.  In 2012 Roenicke finally got his first full major league season and did okay, posting an ERA of 3.25 (although with a WHIP of 1.44) in 88.2 innings.  He was waived after the season and claimed by Minnesota.  He spent the entire season with the Twins but really didn't get a whole lot accomplished, putting up an ERA of 4.38 with a WHIP of 1.60 in 62 innings (63 games).  He was a free agent after the season and signed with Washington.  He spent 2014 with AAA Syracuse, where he did not find much success.  A free agent, he signed with Milwaukee and has spent 2015 with AAA Colorado Springs, for whom he continued to not pitch well.  He did not give up, though, and signed with the Angels for 2016.  He pitched well for them, but he spent the season at AA.  In 2017 he pitched in the Mexican League and did well there, too.  He then moved on to Taiwan, where he pitched from 2018-2020.  He tore a ligament in his elbow in August of that season, bringing his playing career to an end.  At last report, Josh Roenicke owned Roenicke Real Estate in Bradenton, Florida.

Right-hander Jason Kendall Adam did not play for the Twins, but was in their organization briefly in 2014.  Born and raised in Overland Park, Kansas, he was drafted in the fifth round by Kansas City in 2010.  He struck out a good number of guys and didn't walk too many, but otherwise his minor league numbers are not particularly impressive.  He reached AA in 2013 and made eight appearances in AAA in 2014, but was still in AA for most of the season.  On August 11 of 2014 he was traded to the Twins for Josh Willingham.  He made two appearances for AA New Britain, going 0-0, 5.14 in seven innings.  He then was injured, having some sort of elbow problem that was either mis-diagnosed or was just a lot more serious than people realized.  He missed all of 2015 and 2016, but he did not quit, and he signed with San Diego for 2017.  He made just eight minor league appearances for them, however, and was released in mid-August.  The Royals signed him five days later and he finished out the season in AA.  In 2018 he appears to finally be healthy again.  He made six appearances in AA, six more in AAA, and made his major league debut on August 5.  Unfortunately, he did not pitch well and was sold to Toronto in mid-March of 2019.  He started the season in the minors but got back to the majors on August 1 and pitched well out of the Blue Jays' bullpen the rest of the season.  Despite that, he was allowed to become a free agent again after the season and signed with the Cubs for 2020.  He did well in thirteen appearances for them that season,  He pitched poorly for the Cubs in 2021, however, and was released in late May.  They signed him back in mid-July, however, and he finished the season in the minors for them.   At that time, we said, "He has gone through a lot to get this far.  I don't know what the future holds for him, but I'm pretty sure that no matter what happens, he's not going to give up easily."  Well, not only did he not give up, he signed with Tampa Bay for 2022 and had a tremendous season for them.  He pitched well again in 2023 and was having another fine season for the Rays in 2024 when he was traded to San Diego at the trade deadline.  He has continued to pitch very well as a Padre, making the all-star team in 2025.  He turns thirty-five today, but there's no reason to think he won't be an effective relief pitcher for the next few years.

Infielder Orlando Jesus Arcia was with the Twins for about a month in 2026.  He was born in Anaco, Venezuela, and signed with Milwaukee as a free agent in 2010.  He had a fine year in AA in 2014 and reached the majors in 2016.  He was the regular shortstop for the Brewers through 2020, playing good defense while being up and down on offense.  In 2021, however, he got a slow start, was traded to Atlanta, and was sent to AAA, not getting back to the majors until July.  He as a part-time player for the Braves in 2022, but was their regular shortstop in 2023-2024, making the all-star team in 2023.  In 2025, however, he got off to another slow start and was released in late May.  He signed with Colorado a few days later and was a utility player for them, but did not hit.  A free agent, he signed with Minnesota for 2026.  He had a strong year in AAA for the Twins and did as well as could be expected when given a month in the majors, batting .271/.300/.354 in forty-eight at-bats.  It wasn't enough for the Twins, though, and he was released in late July.  He has not signed with anyone at this writing.  He turns thirty-two today.  He may very well get another chance, but then again, he may not.  We wish him well.

August 3

Silver Flint (1855)
Ed McFarland (1874)
Harry Heilmann (1894)
Jim Hegan (1920)
Roger Repoz (1940)
Dan Meyer (1952)
Bob Davidson (1952)
Jim Gott (1959)
Mike Jeffcoat (1959)
Sid Bream (1960)
Mackey Sasser (1962)
Kevin Elster (1964)
Rod Beck (1968)
Troy Glaus (1976)
Travis Bowyer (1981)
Mark Reynolds (1983)
Matt Joyce (1984)
Travis Blankenhorn (1996)

Bob Davidson was an umpire from 1985-1999 and 2005-2016.

The Twins have had five players named "Travis"; two of them were born on this day.  Right-hander Travis Charlton Bowyer made eight relief appearances for the Twins in 2005.  He was born in Lynchburg, Virginia, went to high school in Bedford, Virginia, and was drafted by Minnesota in the twentieth round in 1999.  He struggled as a starter, but turned things around when he was moved to the bullpen in 2002.  He had some outstanding seasons as a reliever in the Twins’ system; the best was the last one, 2005, when he went 4-2, 2.78 with 23 saves and a WHIP of 1.22 for AAA Rochester.  He got a September call-up with the Twins, pitching 9.2 innings.  He was 0-1, 5.59, but with a WHIP of 1.35.  He did very well until his last outing, in which he gave up five runs in one inning.  If you eliminate that, his numbers are 0-0, 1.04, 0.92 WHIP in 8.2 innings.  After the 2005 season, Bowyer was traded to Florida with Scott Tyler for Luis Castillo.  He was thought of as a potential closer but sadly, he suffered a torn rotator cuff that spring.  He spent a couple of years trying to come back, but was not able to do so.  It looked as if his career had come to an end, but apparently the desire to play ball had not left him.  He played amateur baseball for a few years, then attempted a comeback with Somerset of the Atlantic League in 2012.  He pitched in relief fifteen times and did fairly well before landing on the disabled list in mid-June.  No information was available regarding whether this injury was related to his previous injury, but he did not return and his playing career came to an end.  At last report, Travis Bowyer was living in Big Island, Virginia.

Infielder/outfielder Travis Allen Blankenhorn appeared in two games for the Twins in 2020-2021.  Born and raised in Pottsville, Pennsyvania, he was drafted by Minnesota in the third round in 2015.  His minor league numbers are not terrible, but not terribly impressive, either.  It should be pointed out that he was generally young for his league, however, so his numbers are probably better than they might appear at first glance.  His best year was 2016, when he batted .293 with an OPS of .850 in a season split between rookie ball and low A.  He also had a solid season in 2019, mostly in AA.  He appeared in one game for the Twins in 2020 and went 1-for-3 with a double and a hit-by-pitch.  He also appeared in one game for the Twins in 2021 as a pinch-runner and defensive replacement, scoring a run.  The Twins waived him in mid-May and he was claimed by the Dodgers.  They waived him ten days later and he was claimed by Seattle.  They waived him a week later and he was claimed by the Mets.  The good news in that for him is that someone has always wanted him.  He was with the Mets for about two months in 2021 and was used as a pinch-hitter/utility player, appearing in twenty-three games but getting just twenty-three at-bats.  He spent 2022 at AAA, getting into just one major league game.  A free agent after the season, he signed with Washington and has spent most of the next two summers in AAA, getting brief appearances in the majors.  He batted well in AAA, but it did not seem to help his major league prospects.  He signed with the Angels for 2025 and spent the summer in AA, not batting very well.  That brought his playing career to an end.  No information about what Travis Blankenhorn is doing this year was readily available.

August 2

Dummy Kihm (1873)
Pop Kelchner (1875)
War Sanders (1877)
Red Ames (1882)
John F. Kieran (1892)
Fuzzy Hufft (1901)
Tom Burgmeier (1943)
Bombo Rivera (1952)
Danny Sheaffer (1961)
Tim Wakefield (1966)
Matt Guerrier (1978)
Colby Lewis (1979)
Humberto Quintero (1979)
Grady Sizemore (1982)
Huston Street (1983)
Luke Hughes (1984)

A deaf mute, Dummy Kihm had 2,245 hits in seventeen minor league seasons.

Pop Kelchner was a scout for fifty years, most of them for the St. Louis Cardinals.

What was War good for?  Absolutely nothing, at least in a baseball sense.  In twelve games, War Sanders was 2-8, 5.64, 1.61 WHIP.  He also was 1-for-21 at the plate.

John F. Kieran was a long-time sportswriter in New York and was a panelist on the quiz show "Information, Please".

Fuzzy Hufft had 1,400 hits over seven seasons in the Pacific Coast League and served honorably in both World Wars.

We would also like to wish a happy birthday to UncleWalt’s youngest child.

Left-handed reliever Thomas Henry Burgmeier pitched for the Twins from 1974-1977.  He was born in St. Paul, went to high school in St. Cloud, and signed with Houston as a free agent in 1961.  He was a starter in the minors and struggled quite a bit; in fact, Houston released him in June of 1964.  He signed with the Angels about six weeks later, but continued to struggle the rest of that year.  His first good year in the minors was 1965, when he went 8-7, 3.21 for AAA Seattle.  He went backward in 1966, but came back in Seattle in 1967 to go 11-14, 2.78, 1.06 WHIP.  He spent all of the 1968 season in the Angels’ bullpen and did not do too badly, going 1-4, 4.33 but with a WHIP of 1.23.  He was left unprotected in the expansion draft, and was selected by Kansas City.  Burgmeier was in the Royals’ bullpen for a little over four years.  He did pretty well in the first three of them, but in 1972 he posted a WHIP of 1.81.  Control seems to have been his big issue, as he walked 33 in 55 innings.  He started 1973 in Kansas City, but was sent to the minors in early May after making only six big-league appearances.  The Royals gave up on him, sending him to Minnesota after the 1973 season for Ken Gill.  It was a good trade for the Twins, as Burgmeier did some solid work for them as a left-handed setup man.  Over four seasons, he went 24-16, 3.77, 1.28 WHIP with 23 saves.  He appeared in 214 games, working 380 innings.  In his last season as a Twin, 1977, his ERA ballooned to 5.09.  He was allowed to become a free agent and signed with Boston.  He pitched quite well for the Red Sox, posting an ERA under three in four of his five seasons there, with a WHIP of under 1.2 in three of those seasons.  He became a free agent after the 1982 campaign and signed with Oakland.  He continued to pitch very well there, going 9-7, 2.72, 1.21 WHIP over two years.  There is nothing in his record to indicate that he could not have continued to do that for a while, but he was forty years old and suffering from shoulder tendinitis, so he decided to retire after the 1984 season.  Burgmeier remained in baseball and was a  minor league pitching coach for many years.  Most of that time he was working for the Royals, most recently as the pitching coach in Omaha from 2006-2009.  He was also the bullpen coach for the major league team from 1998-2000.  At last report, Tom Burgmeier was retired and was living in Leawood, Kansas, but continued to be available for personal appearances and private lessons.

Popular outfielder Jesus Manuel “Bombo” Rivera played for the Twins from 1978-1980.  He was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico and was given the nickname "Bombo" by a youth baseball coach there.  He signed with Montreal as a free agent in 1970.  He started slowly, which was to be expected given his youth.  He came on to hit .290 with a .374 OBP for AA Quebec in 1974, and followed that up with .293 and a .390 OBP for AAA Memphis in 1975.  After 40 games in Memphis, Rivera made his major league debut for the Expos.  He stayed through 1976 as a reserve outfielder and didn’t do badly in limited play, hitting .268 in 194 at-bats.  He was back in AAA in 1977 and hit .302 with 17 homers and 14 triples.  By that time, though, the Expos had Andre Dawson, Ellis Valentine, and Warren Cromartie in their outfield, all of whom were in their early twenties, and they had no need for Rivera.  He was sold to Minnesota in October of 1977.  He was a corner outfielder who was generally used as a platoon player, sharing time with Hosken Powell.  He did okay for his first two seasons and fell apart in the third; as a Twin, Rivera hit .268/.321/.397 in 627 at-bats.  He was released by the Twins late in 1981 spring training and signed with Kansas City.  Rivera played for Omaha for most of three seasons and had his best year there in 1982, hitting .318 with 27 home runs.  He got a September call-up that year, going 1-for-10.  He was in the minors with both the Royals and Cardinals in 1983.  Rivera went to Japan in 1985-1986, hitting 31 homers in the former season.  He played in the Puerto Rican League through 1989.  At last report, Bombo Rivera continued to live in Puerto Rico and worked for a non-profit organization that offers free sports clinics to disadvantaged children.  He also worked as an umpire for youth baseball in Puerto Rico.  He was never a great player, but he was always popular.  He was the subject of a song by Garrison Keillor and was mentioned in the W. P. Kinsella novel "Shoeless Joe".  Bill James once wrote, "A chart of numbers that would put an actuary to sleep can be made to dance if you put it on one side of a card and Bombo Rivera’s picture on the other.”

Catcher Danny Todd Sheaffer did not play for the Twins, but was in their minor league system for two seasons.  He was born in Jacksonville, Florida, went to high school in Lewisbury, Pennsylvania, and then attended Clemson.  He was chosen by Boston in the first round of the January draft in 1981.  He was primarily a catcher, but played a handful of games both in the infield and the outfield.  He had some decent years in the minors, hitting .276 with 15 homers for Class A Winston-Salem in 1983 and .340 (in 243 at-bats) with AAA Pawtucket in 1985.  He was with the Red Sox for a couple of months in 1987 as a reserve but hit only .121 in 66 at-bats.  He became a free agent after the 1988 season and signed with Cleveland.  He was in AAA most of the 1989 season, although he was with the Indians for about three weeks.  Sheaffer moved on to the Pittsburgh organization for 1990, then signed with Minnesota as a free agent.  He was generally a part-time catcher in AAA Portland, although he also played a handful of games in the outfield and corner infield.  He hit .288 in two seasons there, but did not get a chance in the majors.  He signed with Colorado for 1993, surprisingly made the team as a backup catcher, and stayed there for two years, hitting .258 in limited duty.  He moved on to St. Louis in 1995 and oddly becoming a super-utility player at age 33.  He caught some, but also played a fair amount of corner infield and corner outfield.  He hit only .234 with a .624 OPS as a Cardinal, but was apparently considered a valuable reserve, as he stayed with St. Louis for three seasons.  He was in the minors for St. Louis in 1998, then his playing career ended.  For someone who had only 82 major league at-bats at age 30, he did quite well.  He remained in the Cardinals’ organization, managing in the minors for them from 2000-2006.  He then moved to the Astros and was their minor league catching instructor through 2012.  He was the manager of the Princeton Rays in the Appalachian League from 2013-2019.  He has produced a DVD on catching, "Firm Foundation Catching", which is endorsed by Yadier Molina and ex-Twin Jason Castro.  At last report, Danny Sheaffer was living in Mount Airy, North Carolina.  His son, David, played in the Mariners' organization from 2018-2022.  He has written a book, "Keep Digging", about his life as a baseball player and as a Christian.

Right-handed reliever Matthew Olson Guerrier was with the Twins from 2004-2010 and again in 2014.  He was born in Cleveland, went to high school in Shaker Heights, Ohio, and attended Kent State.  He was drafted by the White Sox in the tenth round in 1999.  He pitched very well in the White Sox’ chain for three seasons, the first two as a reliever, the third as a starter.  His combined ERA in those seasons was 2.80, as he rose as high as AAA in 2001.  The White Sox traded him to Pittsburgh in March of 2002.  He was in AAA Nashville for two seasons, still as a starting pitcher.  His won-lost records and ERAs were unimpressive, but he posted a combined WHIP of 1.25 with very good control.  The Pirates put Guerrier on waivers, and he was selected by Minnesota in November of 2003.  Still a starter in 2004, Guerrier was 5-10, but with an ERA of 3.19 and a WHIP of 1.11.  He had three stints with the Twins that season, starting two games and relieving in one in June, relieving in two games in August, and then getting a September call-up.  He became a permanent member of the bullpen at the start of the 2005 season and was there through 2010.  He pitched well for them every year but 2008.  He led the league in appearances in 2008 and 2009.  He was never a closer–he had exactly one save each season since 2006–but he was a valuable set-up man for the Twins.  He became a free agent after the 2010 season and signed with the Dodgers; his ERA was a little higher in 2011, but the rest of his numbers were similar to what he did for the Twins.  He was off to a good start in 2012 but injured his elbow in April and missed most of the season, coming back in late August.  He started poorly in 2013 and was traded to the Cubs in early July.  He pitched well for the Cubs in limited duty.  A free agent after the season, he signed with Minnesota for 2014.  He began the year in Rochester but was soon recalled to the majors.  He made twenty-seven appearances for the Twins and was not terrible, but was not all that good, either, and was released in late July, ending his playing career.  As a Twin, Matt Guerrier was 19-26, 3.40, 1.25 WHIP with 5 saves in exactly 500 innings (420 games).  Matt Guerrier was an assistant baseball coach for Briarwood Christian School in Birmingham, Alabama, and is currently a pitching coach with USA Baseball.

Outfielder Grady Sizemore did not play for the Twins, but became a coach for them in 2026.  He was born in Seattle, went to high school in Everett, Washington, and was drafted by Montreal in the third round in 2000.  He was solid in his early minor league career, but was traded to Cleveland in late June of 2002 in a multi-player deal that sent Bartolo Colon to Montreal.  He had an excellent 2003 season in AA and was playing well in AAA in 2004, when he was called up to the majors in July.  When he got there, he came to stay.  He was okay, but nothing special, that season, but he was only twenty-two.  He had a fine 2005 and made the all-star team each year from 2006-2008.  He started battling injuries after that, and missed two full seasons, 2012 and 2013.  He was never the same player after that. When he came back in 2014, it was with Boston.  They released him in mid-June and he finished the season with Philadelphia.  They released him the following June and he finished out 2015 with Tampa Bay.  He actually did fairly well with the Rays, but that was the end of the line for him as a player.  He was a special advisor for Cleveland in 2017 and was in the Arizona front office in 2023. He became a coach for the White Sox in 2024 and finished the season as the team's interim manager.  He went back to being a coach for the Sox in 2025, then moved on to the Twins as their first base coach.  You hear a lot of positive things about him, so we assume he's doing a good job.

Third baseman Luke Trevor Hughes played in two games for the Twins in 2010 and was with them for most of 2011.  He was born in Perth, Australia, and signed with Minnesota as a free agent in 2002.  He played both short and third in 2002, moved to second base for 2004-2005, shifted primarily to third in 2006, played second base and outfield in 2007, went back to primarily third base in 2008-2009, and was mostly playing second base in Rochester this season before getting injured.  He hit .305 in the Gulf Coast League in 2003 and .284 in Elizabethton in 2004, then struggled for a few of years before hitting .283 in AA New Britain in 2007.  He followed that up with his best minor league season, hitting .309 with 18 homers in a 2008 spent about two-thirds at New Britain and one-third in AAA Rochester.  He then seemed to go backward, hitting in the .250s in Rochester and New Britain.  He played in two games for the Twins in late April of 2010, replacing an injured Nick Punto, and went 2-for-7, hitting a home run in his first major league at-bat.  He suffered a strained left hip flexor in mid-May and did not play again.    He spent much of 2011 with the Twins, but did not do much with the opportunity, batting .223 with an OPS of .627 in nearly 300 at-bats.  He began 2012 in Rochester but was placed on waivers in late April and was selected by Oakland.  He played in four games for the Athletics, was sent to AAA Sacramento, didn’t do much there, and was released in mid-July.  He signed with Toronto on August 1 and hit well for a month in AAA, but did not get a September call-up.  He signed to play with an Australian Rules football team in April of 2013, but it appears that nothing really came of that.  He was back in the United States in 2015, playing with Lancaster in the Atlantic League.  He continued to play in the Australian League through 2019.  At last report, he was living in Perth and was coaching youth baseball.  It sounds like he will remain active in the Australian sports world for some time to come.  He also has a podcast, "Bloop & a Blast".

August 1

Frank Grant (1865)
Joe Shaute (1899)
George Sisler, Jr. (1917)
George Bamberger (1923)
Masaichi Kaneda (1933)
Pedro Cisneros (1939)
Tony Muser (1947)
Milt May (1950)
Pete Mackanin (1951)
Greg Gross (1952)
Dave Anderson (1960)
Gregg Jefferies (1967)
Brian Bohanon (1968)
Shigetoshi Hasegawa (1968)
Kevin Jarvis (1969)
Brandon Kintzler (1984)
Adam Jones (1985)
Madison Bumgarner (1989)
Kennys Vargas (1990)

Infielder Ulysses Franklin "Frank" Grant is considered one of the best African-American baseball players of the nineteenth century.

The son of the Hall of Famer, George Sisler, Jr. was a long-time minor league executive, winning the Minor League Executive of the Year award three times.  He served as International League president from 1965-1976 and is a member of the International League Hall of Fame.

Masaichi Kaneda won four hundred games over a twenty-year career in Japan.

Pedro Cisneros was commissioner of the Mexican League from 1982-99 and was the editor of the first Mexican League Encyclopedia.

We would also like to wish a very happy birthday to brianS' sister-in-law.

Infielder Pete Mackanin played for the Twins from 1980-1981.  Born and raised in Chicago, he was drafted by Washington in the fourth round in 1969.  He did not do much in the minors until 1973, when out of nowhere he hit .302 at AAA Spokane.  He spent two months with Texas that year, used mostly as a reserve shortstop behind Toby Harrah.  He showed that 1973 was no fluke by hitting .291 at Spokane in 1974, getting a September call-up.  The Rangers traded him to Montreal after the 1974 season.  That turned out to be a break for Mackanin, as he got a chance to play regularly for the Expos.  He was their starting second baseman for two seasons, but did not hit, batting in the .220s both years.  He lost his starting job in 1977 and spent most of 1978 in AAA before being chosen off waivers by Philadelphia in September.  He was apparently injured most of the 1979 campaign, as he played in only thirteen games in the majors and none in the minors.  After that season, Mackanin was traded to Minnesota for Paul Thormodsgaard.  In 1980 he shared second base with Rob Wilfong, although he also played a little shortstop.  He took more of a utility role in 1981.  As a Twin, he hit .252/.279/.346 in 544 at-bats.  He became a free agent after the 1981 season and signed with the White Sox, but was released in spring training of 1982.  He signed with Texas and spent the next three seasons in AAA, two of them in the Rangers' organization and one in the Cubs' chain.  He remained in baseball after his playing career ended.  He coached and managed in the minors for several years, then became the third base coach for Montreal from 1997-2001.  He was back in the minors for a couple of years, then became the bench coach for Pittsburgh.  He was their interim manager for about a month in 2005, then went back to the minors.  He became an advance scout for Cincinnati in 2007 and was their interim manager for half of that season.  He scouted for the Yankees in 2008, then became bench coach for Philadelphia in 2009.  He became the Phillies third base coach in 2014 and became their manager in 2015 when Ryne Sandberg resigned in late June.  He remained the manager through the end of the 2017 season, at which time he was let go.  He remained, however, a special assistant to the general manager for the Phillies and was a spring training instructor for them in 2020.  He was let go after the 2020 season and presumably retired.  At last report, Pete Mackanin was living in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Right-hander Kevin Jarvis appeared in six games for the Twins in 1997.  He was born in Lexington, Kentucky, went to high school in Tates Creek, Kentucky, and attended Wake Forest.  He was drafted by Cincinnati in the twenty-first round in 1991.  He did very well in the minors, going 10-2 with a 3.54 ERA in AAA Indianapolis in 1994.  He was on a shuttle between Indianapolis and Cincinnati that year, making four brief appearances with the big club.  Things went downhill from there, though.  He split 1995 between the majors and AAA, not pitching particularly well in either league.  He was in the Reds' rotation for much of 1996, but did not fare any better.  He began 1997 in the Cincinnati bullpen, was waived on May 2 and chosen by Detroit, was waived again on May 9 and selected by Minnesota.  He appeared in six games for the Twins, two of them starts.  In thirteen innings, he was 0-0, 12.46, 2.39 WHIP, allowing 18 runs on 23 hits and 8 walks.  The Twins waived him on June 17 and he was chosen by Detroit, where he finished the season.  He spent much of 1998 in Japan, but signed with Cincinnati for about two weeks in late August-early September.  He moved on to the Oakland organization in 1999 and to the Rockies' chain in 2000.  He pitched well at AAA in those years, but did nothing in the majors.  He signed with San Diego in 2001 and got his only full season in the majors, going 12-11, 4.79 and leading the league in home runs allowed.  He battled injuries in 2002-2003, but was in the Padres' rotation when healthy, with similar results.  He was traded to Seattle after the 2003 season.  The Mariners released him May 6, he signed with Colorado May 11, was released by the Rockies on July 6, and signed with Pittsburgh July 16, spending the rest of the season in AAA.  He signed with St. Louis for 2005, making four appearances for the Cardinals, moved on to Arizona for 2006 (appearing in five big league games), went to Boston at the end of August, appeared in four more, and then his career was over.  He had a career ERA of over six, yet appeared in parts of twelve major league seasons, made 118 starts and 69 relief appearances, and pitched 780.2 major league innings.  His lowest season ERA was 4.37, even including seasons where he pitched very few major league innings.  He holds the record with six seasons with an ERA above seven.  When you look at all the guys who pitch well in the minors year after year and can't get a shot, it's amazing that Kevin Jarvis got as many chances as he did.  He was a scout for a while, most recently for the Los Angeles Angels, but retired to spend more time with his family.  At last report, he was a business partner in VALYou Group, LLC and was living in Brentwood, Tennessee.

Right-hander Brandon Lee Kintzler pitched for the Twins from 2016 until yesterday.  He was born in Las Vegas, attended high school in Palo Verde, Nevada, attended Pasadena City College and Dixie State College of Utah (one of three big leaguers that school has produced), and was drafted by San Diego in the fortieth round in 2004.  He got as high as Class A for the Padres and actually pitched pretty well in the Midwest League, but as a fortieth-round draft choice he was apparently deemed expendable and was released before the 2016 season. He did not pitch at all that year, then spent over two years in the Northern League before signing with Milwaukee in July of 2009. He had been a starter in the Northern League and in AA in 2009, but he was returned to the bullpen in 2010 and was lights out in AA, almost as good in AAA, and completed an improbably journey to the majors as a September call-up that season.  The happy ending would be delayed, however, as he did not pitch well in September.  He battled injuries in 2011 and started 2012 all the way back in AA, but he got another September call-up, pitched well, and spent all of 2013 and 2014 with the Brewers.  He had another injury-plagued season in 2015, was allowed to become a free agent after the season, and signed with Minnesota.  He began the 2016 season as a setup man, but pitched well enough that when Glen Perkins went down in June he was given a shot at closing.  He made the most of it, saving seventeen games that season and twenty-eight for the Twins in 2017.  He also made his first all-star team in 2017.  Shortly thereafter, however, he was traded to Washington for Tyler Watson and international bonus slot money.  As a Twin, he was 2-4, 45 saves, 2.98, 1.19 WHIP.  He was not a classic "lockdown" closer, striking out about five and a half batters per nine innings, but he got the job done.  He was not used as a closer for the Nationals, but he did a good job for them.  He was traded to the Cubs at the July 2018 deadline and did not pitch well down the stretch, but he had a solid season for them in 2019.  A free agent after the season, he signed with Miami and had a fine season for them.  Again a free agent, he signed with Philadelphia for 2021 but had a poor year for them and was released in early August.  He tried to make a comeback with San Diego in 2022, signing in mid-August of that year, but after seven poor appearances in AAA he retired for good.  He is a member of the Dixie State Athletic Hall of Fame.  At last report, Brandon Kintzler had returned to his home town of Las Vegas.

First baseman Kennys Vargas played for the Twins from 2014-2017 and remains in their organization.  Born and raised in Canovanas, Puerto Rico, he signed with the Twins as a free agent in 2009.  He hit well at every stop in the minors, but was promoted slowly.  He spent 2009-2011 in rookie ball, was in Class A in 2012-2013, reached AA in 2014, then was suddenly promoted to the majors on the first of August of that year.  He did pretty well, although he was much better in August than he was in September.  A first baseman, he was mostly used at DH because the Twins had some guy named Mauer at first base.  He started 2015 with the Twins, did not hit well in April, hit very well for the first half of May, was sent back to tear up the International League for three weeks, came back to Minnesota for a month, then was suddenly demoted all the way back to AA.  He hit well in AA and hit well when promoted to AAA.  He started 2016 in AAA, but came back to the Twins in early July.  He bounced back and forth between AAA and the majors in 2017.  He has spent all of 2018 in Rochester, was released after the season, and spent 2019 playing in Japan.  He signed with the Tigers for 2020 but was released in July.  He then went to Mexico and has had six fine seasons in the Mexican League. As a Twin, he hit .249/.305/.433 in 718 at-bats.  He played well in stretches, but was never able to sustain it, and whenever he started to struggle the Twins sent him to Rochester rather than let him try to work his way out of it.  This author believed that if the Twins had just put him in the lineup and left him alone, Kennys Vargas could have been a productive player, but it didn't happen so we'll never know.  He turns thirty-six today.  It's unlikely that he'll get another chance in the majors (although stranger things have happened), but he can probably play in Mexico for a while yet if he wants to.

July 31

Joe Sugden (1870)
Laughing Larry Doyle (1886)
Art Nehf (1892)
Allen Russell (1893)
Neil Robinson (1907)
Elmer Riddle (1914)
Curt Gowdy (1919)
Hank Bauer (1922)
John Vukovich (1947)
Dave Dombrowski (1956)
Leon Durham (1957)
Mike Bielecki (1959)
Scott Bankhead (1963)
Ted Barrett (1965)
Gabe Kapler (1975)
Rene Rivera (1983)

Hall of Fame broadcaster Curt Gowdy was the voice of the NBC Game of the Week from 1965-1975.

Dave Dombrowski was the general manager of the Montreal Expos/Florida Marlins and of the Detroit Tigers, was currently the president of baseball operations for the Boston Red Sox, and is currently the president of baseball operations for the Philadelphia Phillies.

Ted Barrett was a major league umpire from 1994-2022.

Catcher Rene Rivera appeared in forty-five games for the Twins in 2011.  Born and raised in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, he was drafted by Seattle in the second round in 2001.  He spent the next seven years in the Mariners organization not doing much on offense, but still got three stints in the majors.  One assumes he was considered an excellent defensive catcher.  His best year in the minors appears to have been 2003, when he hit .275 with nine home runs for Class A Wisconsin.  He had a decent partial season at AA San Antonio in 2005 as well.  He actually hit .396 for Seattle that season, but it was only in 48 at-bats.  The next year, given 99 at-bats in the majors, he hit .152.  He became a minor league free agent after the 2007 season and started bouncing around.  He was in the Dodgers’ organization in 2008, in the Yankees’ system in 2009, and in the Mets’ chain in 2010.  The Twins signed him for 2011.  Rivera split the season between Rochester and Minnesota.  His half-season in Rochester was actually one of his better ones, as he hit .268 with an OPS of .775.  It did not translate to the majors, however, as he hit .144/.211/.202 for the Twins in 104 at-bats.  He stayed in the Twins’ organization through 2012, serving as a part-time catcher for Rochester, then signed with the Padres for 2013.  He actually was having a pretty good year in AAA Tucson when he was called up to the Padres as a reserve catcher in early July.  He stayed the rest of the year and had what by his standards was a good year, batting .254 (with an OPS of .596).  He made the Padres in 2014, got his first full season in the majors at age 30, and did better than anyone had a right to expect, hitting .252 with an OPS of .751.  After the season he was traded to Tampa Bay in a three-team multi-player trade that also included Washington.  He was the Rays backup catcher in 2015 and did nothing offensively, but played a substantial amount anyway.  The Rays released him at the end of March in 2016 and he signed with the Mets a few days later.  He started out in AAA but came up to the majors in late April and was the Mets backup catcher until August of 2017, when he was claimed on waivers by the Cubs.  He actually hit quite well for them in limited play down the stretch, but was a free agent again after the season and signed with the Angels for 2018.  He was waived in late August and finished out the season with Atlanta.  He signed with San Francisco for 2019, was released in spring training, and signed with the Mets, for whom he played a little over a month. He remained with the Mets in 2020, signed with Cleveland for 2021, was released in early July, and signed with Washington about a week later.  He played winter ball after that, but that was the end of his playing career, although he didn't announce his retirement until February of 2023.  Rene Rivera was the manager of the Frederick Keys in the MLB Draft League in 2023, was the bench coach for the Lakeland Flying Tigers in 2024, was the Lakeland manager in 2025, and is the manager of the West Michigan Whitecaps in 2026.