July 8

Hank O’Day (1862)
Ivey Wingo (1890)
Clint Brown (1903)
Salty Parker (1912)
Hector Lopez (1929)
Al Spangler (1933)
Darrell Brandon (1940)
Ken Sanders (1941)
Jim Ollom (1945)
Lerrin LaGrow (1948)
Alan Ashby (1951)
Terry Puhl (1956)
Bob Kipper (1964)
Jerome Walton (1965)
Bobby Ayala (1969)
Danny Ardoin (1974)
Jaime Garcia (1986)
Josh Harrison (1987)
Stephen Gonsalves (1994)

Hall of Fame umpire Hank O'Day was the home plate umpire in the first world series game in 1903.  He umpired in ten World Series.

Salty Parker was a long-time minor league manager and major league coach.

We would also like to wish a happy birthday to AMR’s daughter, Moss’ son, and FTLT's daughter.

Right-hander Darrell “Bucky” Brandon made three appearances for the Twins in 1969.  Born and raised in Nacogdoches, Texas, he signed with Pittsburgh as a free agent in 1959.  He made only one appearance in Class D for the Pirates, went to St. Louis, made only five appearances in Class D for the Cardinals in 1960, was out of baseball in 1961 (pitching semi-pro ball and working as a milkman), then went to the Houston organization.  He toiled there for four years and pitched pretty well, slowly making his way up the minor league system.  He reached AAA in 1965, then was traded to Boston.  He both started and relieved for the Red Sox for two season, not doing great but not doing too badly, either.  He was back in AAA in 1968, where he had a very good year, and also made eight appearances in the majors.  He was left unprotected in the expansion draft and was chosen by Seattle.  He again was mostly in the minors, making eight appearances in the big leagues with the Pilots, and was sold to Minnesota in early July.  The Twins mostly kept him in AAA, too; he made three appearances with Minnesota, two in July and one in September.  He pitched 3.1 innings, giving up three runs (one earned) on five hits and three walks.  The Twins released him at the end of spring training of 1970, and he signed with the White Sox.  He spent another year in AAA, pitching 214 innings there and winning 15 games.  The White Sox traded him to Philadelphia after the season.  It was the best thing that could have happened to him:  he got three more years in the majors in the Phillies bullpen.  He had a poor year in 1973, was in AAA for 1974, then his playing career came to an end.  After that, he operated pitching schools, first in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, later in Hanover, Massachusetts (one of his pupils was Orel Hershiser).  At last report, Darrell Brandon was living in Plymouth, Massachusetts, after retiring from the insurance business in 2013.

Left-handed reliever Jim Ollom appeared in twenty-four games for the Twins from 1966-1967.  Born and raised in Snohomish, Washington, he signed with the Yankees as a free agent in 1963.  He played rookie ball for them for one year, then was chosen by Minnesota in the first-year player draft.  He did better at AAA than he had done in the low minors, including winning 20 games for Denver in 1966, when he pitched 247 innings.  He made his major league debut with the Twins that year as a September call-up and was with them for all of 1967.  He was seldom used, however, appearing in only 21 games and working only 35 innings.  As a Twin, he was 0-1, 5.00 with a WHIP of only 1.13 in 45 innings.  He went back to the minors for 1968-1969, did not pitch well, and his playing career came to an end.  His lack of a major league career has been explained by saying that he had a major-league fastball but little else, as he could not consistently throw any breaking pitches for strikes.  At last report, Jim Ollom was living in Everett, Washington, and was a regional sales manager for a baking products company until his retirement.  He was also very active in youth baseball in that area.  He was inducted into the Snohomish County Sports Hall of Fame, along with former Twins pitching coach Rick Anderson and others, in 2023.

Left-hander Bob Kipper pitched for the Twins in 1992.  Born and raised in Aurora, Illinois, he was the eight pick of the draft in 1982, chosen by California.  He was in Class A for three years, but the third one, when he was still only 19, was a good one:  he went 18-8, 2.04 for Redwood.  He rose quickly after that, pitching well at every minor league stop.  He made the Angels out of spring training in 1985, but wasn’t ready and went back down after only two appearances.  In August, he was traded to Pittsburgh in a multi-player deal that included John Candelaria.  He was in the Pirates’ rotation most of 1986-1987, doing decently in 1986 and poorly in 1987.  He moved to the bullpen in 1988 and had some fairly good years as a middle reliever/set-up man.  His best year was 1989, when he had an ERA of 2.93 and a WHIP of 1.06 in 83 innings.  He had a weaker year in 1991, became a free agent, and signed with Minnesota.  He made 25 appearances with the Twins, going 3-3, 4.42 with a WHIP of 1.40 in 38.2 innings.  He was released at the end of July, and was not picked up by anyone.  He tried to make a comeback with the Mets in 1994, but abandoned it after pitching poorly in nine AAA outings.  Since then, he has been a minor league pitching coach, working mostly in the Red Sox’ organization.  Bob Kipper is currently the pitching coach of the Class A Greenville Drive.

Catcher Danny Ardoin appeared in fifteen games for the Twins in 2000.  He was born in Mamou, Louisiana, went to high school in Villa Platte, Louisiana, and attended McNeese State University.  He was drafted by Oakland in the fifth round in 1995.  He was in the minors with the Athletics for several years, not being horrible but not doing much to stand out, either, although he did hit sixteen home run at AA Huntsville in 1998.  In late July of 2000, Oakland traded Ardoin to Minnesota, where he became one of five catchers the Twins used that year (Matthew LeCroy, A. J. Pierzynski, Chad Moeller, Marcus Jensen).  He was with the Twins for about a month, hitting .125/.300/.250.  He was in AAA for the Twins in 2001, then was allowed to become a free agent.  He signed with Kansas City for 2002, was released in May, and signed with Texas.  He remained in the Rangers’ organization through 2004, making it back to the majors for three weeks in 2004.  He signed with Colorado for 2005 and spent much of the season with the Rockies, getting 210 at-bats in 80 games.  He was in the majors for much of 2006 as well, but was placed on waivers by the Rockies at the end of August and was selected by Baltimore.  He became a free agent after the season and signed with Washington for 2007, but was traded to Houston near the end of spring training.  He never got out of AAA there and was traded again in late August, this time to St. Louis.  A free agent after the season, he signed with the Dodgers, where he stayed through 2009.  He spent the majority of 2008 in the majors, although he was rarely used.  He did not sign with anyone in 2010, bringing his playing career to an end.  At last report, Danny Ardoin was living in Lake Charles, Louisiana and was in business development with The Broussard Group.

Left-hander Jaime Omar Garcia played in one game for the Twins in 2017.  He was born in Reynosa, Mexico, went to high school in Mission, Texas, and was drafted by St. Louis in the twenty-second round in 2005.  He came up quickly, reaching AA in 2007, AAA in 2008, and making ten appearances in the majors for the Cardinals in 2008.  He had injury problems in 2009, but spent the whole 2010 season in the St. Louis rotation and had a fine year.  He stayed with the Cardinals through 2016, and for the most part was a solid starting pitcher when he was able to pitch.  He often missed significant time due to injury, though, and averaged just twenty-one starts in those years.  He had a down year in 2016 and was traded to Atlanta after the season.  He was traded to Minnesota on July 24, when the Twins thought they would be buyers at the trade deadline.  Minnesota received Garcia, Anthony Recker and cash for Huascar Ynoa.  He made one good start for the Twins, striking out seven in 6.2 innings and giving up three runs on eight hits and three walks.  The Twins then decided they would be sellers and sent him to the Yankees for Dietrich Enns and Zack Littell.  He was not very good for the Yankees down the stretch, was allowed to become a free agent, and signed with Toronto for 2018, for whom he continued to be not very good while battling injuries.  The Blue Jays released him in late August.  He signed with the Cubs a couple of days later and finished out the season there.  He became a free agent after the season, made four appearances in winter ball, then announced his retirement.  He was a good pitcher when he was healthy.  At last report he was doing charitable work for Water Mission, a nonprofit Christian engineering organization that designs, builds, and implements safe water, sanitation, and hygiene solutions in developing countries.

Left-hander Stephen William Gonsalves appeared in seven games for the Twins in 2018.  Born and raised in San Diego, he was drafted by Minnesota in the fourth round in 2013.  He pitched very well throughout the minors but was brought along slowly, reaching Class A in 2014, AA in 2016, and AAA in 2017.  He spent the last six weeks of 2018 in Minnesota, making four starts and three appearances in which he was the "primary pitcher".  He did much better in the latter role, going 0-2, 11.68 as a starter and 2-0, 1.46 as a "primary pitcher".  He was injured most of 2019, making just eight minor league appearances.  The Twins waived him after the season and he signed with the Mets for 2020.  As a Twin he was 2-2, 6.57, 2.04 WHIP in 24.2 innings.  He did not play for the Mets in 2020, was waived in July, and was claimed by Boston, for whom he also did not play.  He was, however, in AAA with them in 2021 and made three big league appearances without great success.  He became a free agent after the season, signed with the Cubs, and made eight appearances in AAA.   He remained in the Cubs organization in 2023 and pitched poorly in AAA, still trying to come back from injuries.  He signed with the Dodgers in 2024 but again struggled in AAA, and was released in late May.  He signed with Colorado but did no better in AAA for them.  He has pitched in the Mexican League since 2025 and done fairly well.  He turns thirty-two today.  He had pitched very well in the minors prior to injury, but it has been a struggle for him since.  We wish him well, but it appears he will never be the pitcher he was before injuries took their toll.

July 7

George Moriarty (1885)
Double Duty Radcliffe (1902)
Satchel Paige (1906)
Billy Herman (1909)
Sammy White (1927)
John Gordon (1940)
Bill Melton (1945)
Tommy Moore (1948)
Len Barker (1955)
Dan Gladden (1957)
Glenn Hoffman (1958)
Tim Teufel (1958)
Dave Burba (1966)
Jeff Shaw (1966)
Chuck Knoblauch (1968)
Matt Mantei (1973)
Cory Provus (1978)
John Buck (1980)
Brandon McCarthy (1983)
Richard Lovelady (1995)

Ted “Double Duty” Radcliffe played in the Negro Leagues for many years.  He got his nickname because he would sometimes catch one game of a doubleheader and pitch the other.  He played professionally until 1954, when he retired at age 52.  He is the oldest player to ever appear in a professional baseball game, throwing one pitch for the Schaumberg Flyers of the Northern League in 1999 when he was 96.  I'm no expert on the Negro Leagues, but it seems to me that he should be in the Hall of Fame.

John Gordon was a radio broadcaster for the Twins from 1987 through 2011.

Tommy Moore was drafted by Minnesota in the twenty-eighth round in 1966, but did not sign.

Cory Provus was a radio broadcaster for the Twins from 2012-2023 and has been a television broadcaster for them since 2024.

Outfielder Clinton Daniel Gladden played for the Twins from 1987-1991.  He was born in San Jose, went to Cal State-Fresno, and signed with San Francisco as a free agent in 1979.  He hit over .300 each season in the minors except 1980, when he hit .299.  1980 was his best power year, as he hit 18 homers in a season split between A and AA.  He reached AAA in 1982, got a September call-up in 1983, and came up for good in late June of 1984.  He had a tremendous half-season, hitting .351 with an OPS of .857.  He never equaled those numbers, of course, and by 1986 he had become a part-time player.  That meant he was available in a trade, and after the 1986 the Twins acquired him along with David Blakely for Jose Dominguez, Ray Velasquez, and a player to be named later (Bryan Hickerson).  It was a good trade for the Twins as Gladden, who had played mostly center field in San Francisco, was installed as the starting left fielder for the Twins.  The Twins won the World Series in his first season in Minnesota, and Gladden was given credit for much of their improvement despite the fact that his numbers weren’t all that good, especially for a leadoff batter:  .241/.312/.361 with 25 stolen bases.  He would have better seasons than that, but oddly, the Twins again won the Series in 1991 when Gladden was having another down year:  .247/.306/.356 with 15 steals.  He became a free agent after the season, and as Gladden was now 34 the Twins elected not to sign him.  He went to Detroit, where he was a semi-regular left fielder for two undistinguished seasons, and then retired.  As a Twin, Dan Gladden hit .268/.318/.382 in 645 games.  In 2000, he became a radio broadcaster for the Twins, a position he currently holds.  He became a member of the Twins' Hall of Fame in 2024.  It's kind of amazing to think that he's been a Twins broadcaster for over twenty-five years now, but there it is.

Infielder Timothy Shawn Teufel played for the Twins from 1983-1985.  He was born in Greenwich, Connecticut, went to Clemson University, then was drafted by the Twins in the second round in 1980.  He started out in AA that seasons and did well there.  Nothing particularly stands out, but he hit for a good average, showed some power, and drew a good number of walks.  He was promoted to AAA in the latter part of the 1982 season, and had an awesome year there in 1983:  .323/.437/.577 with 27 homers, 100 RBIs, 103 runs, 102 walks, and an OPS of 1.015.  He also stole 13 bases.  That over-qualified him for a September call-up, and he was the Twins’ starting second baseman in 1984.  He did fairly well, finishing fourth in Rookie of the Year voting, but never really progressed the way the Twins thought he would.  His defense was considered suspect as well, and so after the 1985 season the Twins traded him to the Mets with Pat Crosby for Billy Beane, Joe Klink, and Bill Latham.  It was not a good trade for the Twins, as the three players they received did little or nothing and Teufel went on to play for eight more years.  He platooned with Wally Backman for much of his time with the Mets, years that were not particularly distinguished except for 1987, when he hit .308/.398/.545 with 14 homers in 299 at-bats.  Gregg Jefferies came along to take the second base position in 1989, and Teufel became more of a utility player.  The Mets traded Teufel to San Diego at then end of May, 1991 for Garry Templeton.  He stayed with the Padres through 1993, but didn’t do much and his playing career came to a close.  As a Twin, Tim Teufel hit .265/.342/.409 in 1,080 at-bats.  After his playing days, he joined the Mets organization as a minor league manager and coach.  He became a roving minor league infield instructor for the Mets in 2016, then became their infield coordinator.  He left the Mets after the 2022 season, but continues to make public appearances at team events.  At last report, he was living in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.

Second baseman Edward Charles Knoblauch played for the Twins from 1991-1997.  He was born in Houston, went to high school in Bellaire, Texas, went to Texas A&M, and was drafted by Minnesota in the first round in 1989.  He had two solid years in the minors and reached the majors to stay at the start of the 1991 season.  He was the Twins’ starting second baseman that year, hit .281, helped the team with the World Series, and was named Rookie of the Year.  As a Twin, he made the all-star team four times, won two Silver Slugger awards, one Gold Glove, and was in the top twenty for the MVP award three times.  His best year as a Twin was 1996, when he hit .341 with an OPS of .965, hit thirteen homers, and led the league with fourteen triples.  He signed a long-term contract with Minnesota after the 1996 season, but became unhappy there and was traded at his request to the Yankees for Brian Buchanan, Cristian Guzman, Eric Milton, Danny Mota and cash after the 1997 season.  He had some decent years with the Yankees, but never played as well as he had in Minnesota.  He also developed an inability to throw to first base, which is obviously a problem for an infielder.  The Yankees moved him to the outfield for 2001, but he declined offensively and was allowed to become a free agent after the season.  He signed with Kansas City for 2002, had a poor year as a part-time outfielder, and his playing career came to an end.  The circumstances of his departure from Minnesota soured Twins fans on him, but as a player for them, he hit .304/.391/.416 in 1,013 games.  Life after baseball does not seem to have gone particularly smoothly for him; he was implicated in the PED scandal in 2008 and pled guilty to assaulting his wife in 2009.  He seemed to be getting his life in order after that, but in 2014 he was again arrested for assaulting what was now his ex-wife.  No report on the resolution of that case was readily available, but at last report, Chuck Knoblauch was living in his native Houston and had started Knoblauch Baseball, which organizes teams and provides baseball instruction in the Houston area.  He was also involved in raising money for Multiple Myeloma Awareness programs.  He has managed to stay out of legal trouble in recent years, so it looks like he has his life straightened out at last.

Left-hander Richard Tyler Lovelady did not play for the Twins, but was in AAA with them for about two and a half months in 2025.  He was born in Hinesville, Georgia, attended Kennesaw State University, and was drafted by Kansas City in the tenth round in 2016.  A reliever since college, he pitched very well in the minors and reached the Royals at the start of 2019.  He did not pitch very well, however, and spent half the season back in AAA.  He made one appearance during the COVID season of 2020, pitched well in the majors for two months in 2021, but was injured at the end of the season and missed all of 2022 except for a few attempted rehab appearances.  He was sold to Atlanta at the start of the 2023 season, but was waived after four AAA appearances and claimed by Oakland.  He was with the Athletics for about half the season and was okay, but no more.  He signed with the Cubs for 2024, did not do very well, and was traded to Tampa Bay in mid-May.   He did fairly well as a Ray, but was once again a free agent after the season.  He signed with Toronto for 2025, was released after two appearances, and signed with the Twins in early April.  He pitched extremely well in St. Paul, but despite the Twins having holes in their bullpen they did not bring him up.  He asked for and received his release in mid-June and he signed with the Mets, for whom he pitched well in AAA but not well in the majors.  A free agent, he re-signed with the Mets in October of 2025, was claimed off waivers by Washington in January of 2026, and was claimed off waivers by the Mets in March.  He made six appearances for them, then was waived in April and claimed by Washington, for whom he is currently pitching.  He turns thirty-one today.  His AAA numbers are 6-9, 21 saves, 2.61, 1.10 WHIP.  His major league numbers are 7-17, 7 saves, 5.03, 1.45 WHIP.  Someone always wants a left-handed reliever, and with his AAA numbers someone will always stash him down there and hope he can fill a hole when they get injuries.  Richard Lovelady will probably be around baseball for a few years yet.

July 6

Roy Hartzell (1881)
Steve O’Neill (1891)
George Britt (1895)
Dale Ford (1942)
Willie Randolph (1954)
Jason Thompson (1954)
Lance Johnson (1963)
Omar Olivares (1967)
Greg Norton (1972)
Michael Ryan (1977)
Manny Machado (1992)
Andrew Benintendi (1994)

Dale Ford was a major league umpire from 1975-99.

Outfielder Michael Sean Ryan played for the Twins for parts of the seasons from 2002-2005.  Born and raised in Indiana, Pennsylvania, he was drafted by Minnesota in the fifth round in 1996.  Originally a third baseman, he shifted to second base in 1999 and to the outfield in 2000.  He had some good seasons in the minors; not eye-popping, but generally solid across the board, with good batting averages, a good number of walks, and moderate power.  In 2002, however, he suddenly hit 31 homers, well above his previous career high of 18.  That got him a September call-up, in which he went 1-for-11.  He had a down year at Rochester in 2003, but was still called up in early August and went on a tear.  He started most of the games down the stretch and hit .393/.441/.754 in 61 at-bats.  He started 2004 with the Twins as a reserve outfielder, but was sent down in mid-June when he hit only .239.  He continued to struggle at Rochester, hitting only .211.  He got things going again in 2005 and was promoted again in early June, but again did not do well as a reserve, hitting only .231.  The Twins allowed Ryan to become a free agent after the 2005 season, and Ryan started moving around.  He was in AAA for the Braves in 2006 and for the Pirates in 2007, started 2008 in the independent Atlantic League, signed with the Marlins in late July and finished the year at AAA for them, and remained with them at AAA for 2009.  He did not do so well the first couple of those years, but hit quite well in AAA for the Marlins, although not well enough to get back to the big leagues.  A free agent after the 2009 campaign, he signed with the Angels, and after a five year absence made it back to the majors for about six weeks in 2010 as a reserve outfielder, spending the rest of the season at AAA.  He became a free agent after the season and played for Caracas in the Venezuelan Winter League, but did not sign with anyone for 2011.  He did not give up, though, playing winter ball again and then signing with Pittsburgh for 2012.   He did not play for Pittsburgh, however, and his playing career came to an end.  As a Twin, Michael Ryan hit .265/.313/.408 in 260 at-bats.  He stayed with the Pirates, though, becoming manager of the West Virginia Power in the South Atlantic League from 2013-2014, moving up to the Bradenton Marauders from 2015-2016, and moving up to the Altoona Curve from 2017-2019.  The Pirates organization let him go after the 2019 season, and he was to be the manager of the Tennessee Smokies, AA affiliate of the Cubs, in the 2020 season if there had been one.  He was the manager of the High-A South Bend Cubs in 2021 and became manager of Tennessee in 2022.  He held that position at the start of the 2023 season, but apparently resigned in mid-June for personal reasons.  He was the bench coach of the Albuquerque Isotopes from 2024-2025, then moved to the AA Harvard Yard Goats, both in the Rockies' organization, in 2026.

July 5

Jack Farrell (1857)
Robert Brown (1876)
Charles Stoneham (1876)
Bump Hadley (1904)
Jack Krol (1936)
Curt Blefary (1943)
Gary Matthews (1950)
Rich Gossage (1951)
Dave Eiland (1966)
Tim Worrell (1967)
Bo Porter (1972)
Jesse Crain (1981)
Marco Estrada (1983)
Nick Anderson (1990)
Jorge Polanco (1993)
Shohei Ohtani (1994)

 Robert Brown owned various teams in Vancouver from 1910-45.  He was also president of the Western International League in 1953.  He is a member of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame.

Charles Stoneham owned the New York Giants from 1919 until his death in 1936.

Jack Krol was a long-time minor league manager and major league coach. coaching for St. Louis from 1977-80 and San Diego from 1981-86.

Right-handed reliever Jesse Alan Crain played for the Twins from 2004-2010.  He was born in Toronto, went to high school in Boulder, Colorado, and then attended the University of Houston.  He was drafted by Minnesota in the second round in 2002.  A reliever throughout his career, he had some tremendous seasons in the minors, posting a minor league career ERA of 2.00 and a WHIP of 0.94 in 180 minor league innings.  He was called up to the Twins in August of 2004, and with a brief exception was there through 2010.  He was very good through 2006, although his ERA and his WHIP went up every year.  In 2007, he started poorly, was injured, missed most of the season, and was not been as good after that.  He was decent, but no more, in 2008, but had a bad year in 2009, going back to AAA Rochester for a little over a month.  The demotion may have done him some good, as he pitched much better when he was brought back.  He got off to a rough start in 2010, but eventually righted the ship and had a pretty good season.  He became a free agent after the season and signed with the White Sox, for whom he pitched very well for two and a half seasons.  He was named to the all-star team in 2013, but was injured in late June and has not pitched since.  He became a free agent and signed with Houston, but spent all of 2014 on the disabled list.  A free agent again, he signed with the White Sox and pitched briefly for their rookie league team in Arizona in 2015, but that was all.  He became a free agent after the season and went unsigned, ending his playing career.  As a Twin, Jesse Crain was  33-21, 3.42, with a 1.26 WHIP and three saves.  He appeared in 376 games, pitching 382 innings.  At last report, he was living in Arizona.  He has started the Crain Family Foundation, which assists families and children who are in financial hardship due to unforeseen life events.  He is also a special advisor to the Glacier Range Riders, who are based in Kalispell, Montana and play in the Pioneer League.

Right-handed reliever Nick Paul Anderson did not play for the Twins, but was in their farm system for three seasons.  He was born in Crosby, Minnesota, went to high school in Brainerd, Minnesota, attended Mayville State University (the only major league player that school has so far produced), and was drafted by Milwaukee in the thirty-second round in 2012.  He did not sign, however, and instead spent the summer of 2012 and 2013 pitching for Rockford in the Frontier League.  He did not play in 2014, but he went back to the Frontier League in 2015, pitched very well, and in August of 2015 the Twins signed him.  He was dominant in Cedar Rapids for the rest of that season and the start of 2016, did fairly well in Fort Myers the rest of 2016, dominated both in Fort Myers and in Chattanooga in 2017, and pitched well in Rochester in 2018.  He was then traded to Miami that off-season for Brian Schales.  He made the team out of spring training in 2019 and did fairly well, but was traded to Tampa Bay at the July deadline.  He then began to dominate, going 5-1, 1.43, 0.96 WHIP in 42 games (37.2 innings) after the trade.  Unfortunately, he tore a ligament in his elbow during 2021 spring training.  He did not pitch for much of 2021 and did not do particularly well either in AAA or in a September call-up when he did pitch.  He had elbow surgery after the season and missed all of 2022.  He signed with Atlanta for 2023 and pitched quite well for them, but missed the second half of the season with a strained right shoulder.  He was sold to Kansas City after the season and was having a down year, though not awful, when he was released in mid-July.  He signed with the Dodgers, was released in late August, and finished the season in AAA with Baltimore.  He signed with the Cardinals for 2025, went to AAA, was released in late May, and signed with Colorado, where he finished the season.  He signed with the Athletics for 2026 and was pitching very well in AAA, but when it appeared no one would give him another shot at the majors he chose to retire.  He was a good reliever when healthy:  14-7, 3.43, 10 saves, 1.11 WHIP.  Unfortunately, he couldn't stay healthy.  We wish him well in whatever his future holds.

Infielder Jorge Luis (Pacheco) Polanco has been was with the Twins from 2014-2023.  He was born in San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic and signed with Minnesota as a free agent in 2009.  As he was only sixteen, it took a little while for his offense to develop.  In 2012, however, he hit .313 with an OPS of .903 at Elizabethton and followed that up by hitting .308 with an OPS of .813 at Cedar Rapids in 2013.  He began 2014 at Fort Myers, was called up to Minnesota in late June due to injuries to infielders, and then went back to Fort Myers, eventually being promoted to AA.  He started 2015 in AA, was promoted to AAA, and appeared in four more games in the majors.  He split 2016 between Rochester and Minnesota, struggling in his first appearance with the Twins but doing well upon his return in late July.  He was the Twins starting shortstop for 2017.  He had a miserable first four months, but saved his job, and possibly his career, by batting .373 with an OPS of 1.099 in August.  He then was suspended for the first half of the 2018 season for using performance enhancing drugs, but came back to have a fine second half.  He did even better the first half of 2019 and made his first all-star team.  He fell off in the second half but still had a fine season, batting .295 with 22 homers and an OPS of .841.  He was not able to match those numbers in 2020, posting an OPS of just .658.  Moved to second base for 2021, he bounced back to hit thirty-three home runs with an OPS of .826.  He trended down again in 2022, although his numbers remained decent.  He missed nearly half of 2023 due to injuries, but had a solid season when he could play.  The Twins traded him to Seattle after the 2023 season for Darren Bowen, Gabriel Gonzalez, Anthony DeSclafani, and Justin Topa.  He did not hit in 2024, but bounced back with a solid season in 2025.  A free agent, he signed with the Mets for 2026.  He was off to a slow start when he was injured three weeks into the season.  As a Twin, Polanco batted .269/.334/.437 in 3341 at-bats.  He turns thirty-three today.  Assuming a return to health, we expect Jorge Polanco to be in the majors for at least a couple more years yet.

July 4

Mickey Welch (1859)
George Mullin (1880)
Abe Saperstein (1903)
Chuck Tanner (1928)
Bill Tuttle (1929)
Peter Angelos (1929)
George Steinbrenner (1930)
John Sterling (1938)
Hal Lanier (1942)
Ed Armbrister (1948)
Wayne Nordhagen (1948)
Jim Beattie (1954)
Jose Oquendo (1963)
Vinny Castilla (1967)
Brendan Donnelly (1971)
Jay Canizaro (1973)
Jeff Harris (1974)
Jared Hughes (1985)

Best remembered as the founder of the Harlem Globetrotters, Abe Saperstein was a long-time executive in what were then known as the Negro Leagues.

Peter Angelos was the owner of the Baltimore Orioles from 1993 until his death in 2024.

George Steinbrenner was the owner of the New York Yankees from 1973 until his death in 2010.

John Sterling broadcast New York Yankees games from 1989-2024.

Outfielder Bill Tuttle played for the Twins from 1961-1963. He was born in Elmwood, Illinois, attended Bradley University, and signed with Detroit as a free agent in 1951. He was fairly mediocre in his first season, but had a big year in 1952 with three different clubs, earning a September call-up. He continued to play well in the minors in 1953, and by 1954 he was in the majors to stay. He became the Tigers’ starting center fielder, a job he held for four years. His numbers are fairly pedestrian; his best year in Detroit was 1955, when he hit .279 with 14 homers and an OPS of .757. After the 1957 season, he was sent to the Kansas City Athletics as part of a thirteen-player trade (it might have been easier for the owners to just swap franchises). He was the starting center fielder there for three seasons; for the most part he did about the same as he had done in Detroit, but in 1959 he hit .300, the only time he came close to that figure and the only time he got a vote for Most Valuable Player. On June 1, the Athletics traded him to Minnesota with a player to be named later for cash, Reno Bertoia, and Paul Giel (the player to be named later turned out to be Giel, who was returned to the Twins). Minnesota moved Tuttle to third base to replace Bertoia (he had played some shortstop in the minors). He was a reserve outfielder in 1962, used mostly as a defensive replacement, and was released on May 21, 1963, ending his career. As a Twin, he hit .236/.319/.321 in 496 at-bats. He continued to play for several years after that, toiling in AAA for the Boston, Detroit, and Yankees organizations through 1967, but never got back to the big leagues. He later contracted oral cancer, attributed to his use of chewing tobacco, and underwent several surgeries. As a result, he became an outspoken advocate against chewing tobacco. Bill Tuttle passed away in Anoka, Minnesota on July 27, 1998.

Infielder Jason Kyle ”Jay” Canizaro played for the Twins in 2000 and 2002. He was born in Beaumont, Texas, went to high school in Orange, Texas, and attended Oklahoma State. He was drafted by San Francisco in the fourth round in 1993. He was primarily a second baseman in the minors, although he played a fair amount of shortstop as well. He was a rather indifferent hitter throughout much of his minor-league career, although he did hit .293 in AA in 1995. He made his major league debut in 1996, spending about two months in San Francisco as a part-time second baseman. He didn’t make it back until 1999, when he got a September call-up after hitting .280 at AAA Fresno. The Giants released him at the end of spring training in 2000, and Minnesota signed him the next day. The Twins sent him to AAA Salt Lake, but when he hit .356 in the first month of the season they brought him to the big leagues. He shared the second base job with Denny Hocking and did better than might have been expected, hitting .269 with an OPS of .714 in 346 at-bats. He missed all of 2001 with a knee injury. He started 2002 with the Twins, but was sent back to AAA after two months of hitting .214, losing the second base job to Luis Rivas. Canizaro played in AAA for Tampa Bay in 2003, but then his playing career was over. At last report, Jay Canizaro was an executive vice president for Casey Equipment Pipe, LLC in Spring, Texas.

Right-hander Jeff Harris did not play for the Twins, but was drafted by them. He was born in Alameda, California, went to the University of San Francisco, and was drafted by Minnesota in the 28th round in 1995. He was a reliever throughout his career in the Twins’ farm system. He did well as high as AA, but flopped in two trials at AAA Salt Lake that totaled 80.2 innings. The Twins released him after the 2000 season and he moved to independent ball, where he became a starter. Harris played for Chico in the Western League from 2001-2002, tried to make a team in Taiwan, failed, signed to play for a team in China, left because of the SARS epidemic, finally played for Quebec in the Can-Am League in 2003, for Aguascalientes in the Mexican League in 2004, and back to Quebec also in 2004. Seattle bought him from Quebec in June of 2004. He both started and relieved that season at AAA and was not particularly impressive, but he got off to a strong start in 2005, posting WHIPs below 1.00 at both AA (34.1 innings) and AAA (68 innings). He called up in early August and was the fifth starter for the Mariners the rest of the season, going 2-5, 4.19 with a WHIP of 1.27. He began 2006 in the Seattle bullpen, but was sent down after only 3.1 innings. He didn’t do a lot in AAA and was released after the season. He went to Cleveland, for whom he spent two years at AAA Buffalo before his career came to an end after the 2008 season. Still, he got 57 innings in the big leagues, which isn’t bad for a 28th round draft choice who spent over three years in independent ball. After his playing career, Jeff Harris was a pitching coach in the Indians’ organization from 2009-2016 was a scout for the Philadelphia Phillies from 2016-2020, was a scout for the Washington Nationals from 2021-2023, and is currently a scout for the Cincinnati Reds. He is living in Chico, California.

July 3

Nig Cuppy (1869)
Curt Walker (1896)
Buddy Rosar (1914)
Art Fowler (1922)
Ed Roebuck (1931)
Cesar Tovar (1940)
John Verhoeven (1952)
Frank Tanana (1953)
Matt Keough (1955)
Danny Heep (1957)
Warren Newson (1964)
Greg Vaughn (1965)
Moises Alou (1966)
Brian Cashman (1967)
Juan Rivera (1978)
Edinson Volquez (1983)
Tommy Hunter (1986)
Yangervis Solarte (1987)

Brian Cashman has been the general manager of the New York Yankees since 1998.

Right-hander Art Fowler did not play for the Twins, but was their pitching coach in 1969.  He was born in Converse, South Carolina, went to high school in Spartanburg, South Carolina, and signed with the New York Giants as a free agent in 1944.  He spent ten years in the minors before getting a shot at the big leagues.  He pitched well for two years in the low minors, but flopped in 1946 when jumped from Class C to AAA.  Dropped back to Class A for 1947, he pitched well for a couple more years, then moved to the Boston Braves’ organization.  He was in their system for five years, pitching well except for a down year in 1951.  He pitched a lot in the minors, topping 200 innings six times, generally by quite a bit.  In 1953, Fowler made 31 starts and also made 25 relief appearances, for a total of 261 innings for AA Atlanta.  He was traded to Cincinnati before the 1954 season, which proved to be his big break.  He made the Reds at the start of the year and stayed thererelieve:  in his first three seasons with the Reds, he averaged 24 starts and 17 relief appearances, working an average of 200 innings.  He had a poor year in 1957, started in 1958 in the minors, and was traded at mid-season to the Dodgers in a trade that involved future Twin Johnny Klippstein.  He remained in the minors the rest of 1958, was with the Dodgers for much of 1959 but pitched poorly, had a strong year in AAA St. Paul in 1960, started in 1961 in the minors, and was sold to the Angels in late May of that year.  Once again a trade was a good thing for Fowler, as he was immediately placed in the Angels’ bullpen.  He stayed there for three very good years.  When he got off to a bad start in 1964, though, he was released in mid-May.  That brought his major league career to an end at age 41, but he kept pitching.  He was in the Twins’ minor league system for four years, toiling for AAA Denver, and did well as a reliever.  When Billy Martin became manager of the Twins in 1969, he named Fowler as his pitching coach, beginning an association which would last for many years.  When Martin was fired after the season, Fowler went back to Denver and resumed pitching, working sixty-eight innings (45 games) for AA Denver, now a Washington farm team.  At age 47, he posted an ERA of 1.59 with a WHIP of 1.22.  He then embarked on a long career as a pitching coach with Billy Martin, working for Detroit (1971-1973), Texas (1973-1975), the Yankees (1977-1979), Oakland (1980-1982), and the Yankees again (1983, 1988).  He retired after that and returned to his home town of Spartanburg, South Carolina, where he passed away on January 29, 2007.

Infielder/outfielder Cesar Tovar played for the Twins from 1965-1972.  He was born in Caracas, Venezuela, went to high school in Roosevelt, Venezuela, and signed with Cincinnati as a free agent in 1959.  He did quite well in the minors, hitting around .300 with surprising power for a man who’s listed at 5′ 9″, 155 pounds.  He played second base early in his minor league career.  He apparently was loaned to the Twins organization in 1963, playing for AAA Dallas, but was back with the Reds chain in 1964.  In those years he played mostly shortstop and outfield, with some time at third base as well.  After the 1964 season, Tovar was traded to Minnesota for Gerry Arrigo.  He started 1965 with the Twins but played sparingly, and was sent back to AAA for most of the season, coming back in September.  He made the team in 1966 and was a regular player for them through 1972, but was often a regular without a regular position.  In 1967 and 1968 he started games at six different positions, and in 1966 and 1969-1971 he started games at five different positions.  In 1966 he started more games at second base than any other position; in 1967 it was center field; in 1968, third base; in 1969-1970 it was center field again, in 1971 it was left field; and in 1972, right field.  Famously, he played all nine positions in a game in 1968.  Through all the position changes, he posted solid batting averages and on-base percentages and stole a good number of bases.  The power he had shown in the minors did not follow him to the big leagues, although he led the league in doubles and triples in 1970 and also hit ten home runs.  He received votes for Most Valuable Player five consecutive years, 1967-1971, finishing as high as seventh in 1967.  After a down year in 1972 Tovar was traded to Philadelphia for Joe Lis, Ken Reynolds, and Ken Sanders, a trade that infuriated then-manager Frank Quilici.  He was used as a utility player by the Phillies in 1973, again playing five different positions, and was sold to Texas after the season.  Playing primarily center and left, he bounced back to hit .292 as a regular again.  He went down in 1975, was sold to Oakland in late August, was released in August of 1976, finished the season with the Yankees, and then ended his playing career.  As a Twin, Cesar Tovar hit .281/.337/.377 in 1,090 games.  He was inducted into the Venezuelan Baseball Hall of Fame in 2003.  Cesar Tovar passed away in Caracas, Venezuela from pancreatic cancer on July 14, 1994.

Right-handed reliever John Verhoeven pitched for the Twins in 1980 and 1981.  He was born in Long Beach, California, went to the University of La Verne and Westmont College of Santa Barbara, California, one of two major league players to have attended that school (Jerry DaVanon).  He was drafted by California in the twelfth round in 1974.  A reliever from the beginning, he pitched well throughout his minor league career and was called up to the Angels in early July of 1976.  He was used sparingly but did well when called upon, posting a 3.38 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP in 37.1 innings.  He started 1977 in the majors but was sent down after only three appearances and then traded to the White Sox in mid-June.  He got a September call-up with the Pale Hose and again did well, but would not return to the big leagues for three years.  He had a medicore 1978 at AAA Iowa, then was sold to Minnesota.  He had a strong year in Toledo in 1979, pitching a hundred relief innings, and made the Twins at the start of 1980, staying for two full seasons.  He did a decent job for them:  as a Twin, he was 3-4, 3.98 with a WHIP of 1.38.  He appeared in 69 games and pitched 151.2 innings.  The Twins sold him to Boston after the season, and he never pitched in the majors again.  He pitched poorly in AAA for the Red Sox, did no better in AAA for Toronto, and was out of baseball after the 1982 season.  Some guys get long chances, other guys don’t.  He has stayed in baseball since his playing days.  Verhoeven operated the Grand Slam Baseball Academy in Anaheim from 1984-1990, was a college pitching coach at Cal State–Dominguez Hills (1991-1994), Pepperdine (1996), and Loyola Marymount (1997).  He then became the head baseball coach at Biola University of La Mirada, California, a position he held until he decided to quit after the 2013 college season.  He took the university to the NAIA World Series three times, in 2001, 2003, and 2005.   He then became the pitching coach of Azusa Pacific University for a few seasons before retiring.  At last report, John Verhoeven was living in Yorba Linda, California.

Infielder Yangervis Alfredo Solarte did not play for the Twins, but was in their minor league system from 2006-2011.  Born and raised in Valencia, Venezuela, he signed as a free agent with Minnesota in 2005.  He spent two years in rookie ball before reaching Class A in 2008.  He apparently was injured much of 2009.  There was not a whole lot to recommend him at that point, but he hit well in winter ball that year and came back to hit .320 in a half-season in Fort Myers.  He followed that up with a .329 average in a full season at New Britain.  He was only twenty-three at that point, but the Twins allowed him to become a minor league free agent and he signed with Texas.  He did fairly well for two years in AAA for the Rangers but did not get a call to the big leagues.  He became a free agent again and signed with the Yankees for 2014.  He became the Yankees' regular third baseman and did okay for them, but was traded to San Diego in late July.  He had a solid year for the Padres in 2015, batting .270 with fourteen homers.  He would probably be considered a utility player, in that he saw time at third, first, and second, but he started over a hundred of his team's games and played in all but ten of them.  He missed six weeks early in 2016 with injuries, but when healthy he did even better, batting around .286 with an OBP of .341 and fifteen home runs.  He played mostly third base in 2016 but was been mostly used at second in 2017.  His numbers went down but were not terrible and he actually hit more home runs (eighteen).  He was traded to Toronto before the 2018 season and went back to mostly third.  His numbers continued to go down and he became a free agent after the season.  He signed with San Francisco but did poorly in a utility role and was released in May.  He signed with Miami about a month later but was released again in early July and finished out the season with Hanshin in Japan.  He signed with Atlanta for 2020 and was in their sixty-man player pool, but did not play for them and was released in late August.  He had a fine season in the Mexican League in 2021 and did well there again in 2022.  He did not play anywhere in 2023, but he played winter ball that year and every year since and has played in the Mexican League since 2024.  He turns thirty-nine today.  It's quite unlikely that we will seem him in the majors again, but he's still batting well in the Mexican League, so he can probably continue to play there for a while yet if he wants to.

July 2

Grover Hartley (1888)
Cliff Bell (1896)
Hal Wagner (1915)
Dick Greco (1925)
Red Rush (1927)
Chuck Stobbs (1929)
Mike Reilly (1949)
Tony Armas (1953)
Jose Canseco (1964)
Ozzie Canseco (1964)
Joe Magrane (1964)
Sean Casey (1974)
Greg Dobbs (1978)
Angel Pagan (1982)
Samuel Deduno (1983)
Brett Cecil (1986)
Rene Tosoni (1986)

Grover Hartley is one of ten players named "Grover" to play in the major leagues. There has been only three since the 1930s and none since the 1960s.  I guess nobody names their kid "Grover" anymore.

Dick Greco played twelve seasons in the minors, hitting 328 home runs, but never got a chance in the majors.

Red Rush was a radio broadcaster for the White Sox, the Athletics, and the Cardinals.

Mike Reilly was a major league umpire from 1977-2010.

Left-hander Chuck Stobbs was an original Twin, appearing in twenty-four games for them in 1961.  He was born in Wheeling, West Virginia, went to high school in Norfolk, Virginia, and signed with Boston as a free agent in 1947.  He pitched very well that season for Class B Lynn, going 9-2, 1.72, got a September call-up at age 18, and never went back to the minors again.  He may have been injured in 1948, as he appeared in only six games, but after that he was a regular major league pitcher until the end of his playing career.  He was primarily a starting pitcher with Boston, and frankly was not a very good won despite decent won-lost records.  His ERA with Boston was 4.70 and his WHIP was 1.49, but he was 33-23.  He changed his socks from Red to White after the 1951 season, as he was traded to Chicago.  He was there only one year, both starting and relieving, and was traded to Washington for Mike Fornieles.  He had his best season in the majors in 1953, going 11-8, 3.29 with a 1.24 WHIP in 27 appearances, 20 of them starts.  During that year, he gave up what is generally considered to be the longest home run in major league history, a shot by Mickey Mantle that went completely out of Griffith Stadium and traveled an estimated 565 feet.  He had another good year in 1956, going 15-15, 3.60 in 37appearances, 33 of them starts.  Other than that, however, he did not do a lot for Washington.  He remained in their rotation for the most part, however, until he was placed on waivers in July of 1958.  He was claimed by St. Louis, which moved him into the bullpen.  He did quite well there in 39.2 innings, but the Cardinals released him during the off-season, and he signed back with Washington for 1959.  Now primarily a relief pitcher, he had two good years for them before the team moved to Minnesota.  He came with the team in 1961 but did not pitch well, posting a 7.46 ERA in 44.2 innings.  The Twins released him after the season, ending his playing career at age 32.  He became an insurance salesman for a while, and was a coach at George Washington University.  He moved to Florida in 1971, working at a baseball academy operated by the Kansas City Royals.  He then worked as a minor league instructor for the Cleveland Indians from 1980-1984.  He was inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame in 2002.  Chuck Stobbs passed away after a long battle with throat cancer on July 11, 2008.

Right-hander Samuel (Lake) Deduno played for the Twins from 2012-2014.  He was born in La Romana, Dominican Republic and signed with Colorado as a free agent in 2003.  A starter for most of his minor league career, he climbed a level a season (if you call A and high-A different levels) despite there being no good reason why he should have done so.  From 2005-2007, his lowest ERA was 4.80 and his lowest WHIP was 1.46.  He did not play in 2008, presumably due to injury, and when he came back in 2009 he was a much better pitcher.  He had a fine season in AA in 2009, and despite being injured much of 2010 pitched very well in six AAA starts.  He made his major league debut that season, appearing in four games for the Rockies in a late-season call-up.  By then, however, he was twenty-seven.  The Rockies no longer considered him a prospect and put him on waivers.  He was claimed by San Diego and actually started the season with the Padres, but was sent to AAA after only two appearances.  He did not do badly at AAA, but was allowed to become a free agent after the season and signed with Minnesota for 2012.  Sent to Rochester, he pitched well in nine starts and came up to Minnesota in July.  He finished the season in the rotation and wasn't awful, although he walked far too many batters.  He had control problems for most of his career, averaging five walks per nine innings in the minors.  He also struck out about nine and a half batters per nine innings, though, so he did well when he put the ball in the strike zone.  In 2013 he made three starts in Rochester before coming up to the Twins, and stayed in the rotation until he was injured at the end of August.  He actually did fairly well, going 8-8, 3.83 with a 1.35 WHIP.  He was able to significantly cut down on his walks while still throwing his primary pitch, the magical zoomball, which was described by catcher Ryan Doumit as being like catching a ninety-two mile an hour knuckleball.  He was with Minnesota for most of 2014, starting the season in the bullpen, moving to the starting rotation, and then moving back to the bullpen, but was waived at the end of August and claimed by Houston.  He finished 2014 and started 2015 in the majors, but was seldom used and was sent down in mid-May, then missed most of the rest of the season due to a hip injury.  His big league numbers in 2015 look awful, but are skewed by one appearance in which he was allowed to give up ten runs in 4.2 innings.  He became a free agent in 2016 and signed with Baltimore, but apparently was still injured, as his only appearances with the Orioles were in the Gulf Coast League.  That's the last we saw of him in the summer, but he pitched in winter ball through 2019 and did pretty well in relief.  As a Twin, he was 16-18, 4.26, 1.44 WHIP in 279 innings.  He then became a pitching coach in the Colorado Rockies organization.  He is currently the pitching coach for the DSL Rockies, where he is presumably teaching young pitchers how to throw the magical zoomball.

Outfielder Rene Michael Tosoni played for the Twins in 2011.  He was born in Toronto and drafted by Minnesota in the thirty-sixth round in 2005.  After spending some time in the Gulf Coast League, he hit .300 in a 2007 split between Elizabethton and Beloit and hit .300 again in Ft. Myers in 2008.  He then spent two years in New Britain and had solid seasons both times, although he missed much of 2010 with injuries.  He was the Most Valuable Player of the Futures Game in 2009, leading some to think he was better than he really was.  His numbers in Rochester in 2011  were not very good, but due to injuries and lack of depth, Tosoni made his major league debut with the Twins in late April and was up and down the rest of the season.  He did little for the Twins in sporadic playing time, which is about what one would expect.  He battled injuries again in 2012, did not play well in Rochester, was sent back to New Britain, did not do well there either, and finished the season on the disabled list.  A free agent after the season, he signed with Milwaukee for 2013 and had an undistinguished season in AA.  He was again a free agent and played with Sioux City, Sugarland, and Perth in 2014.  He was back with Sioux City in 2015 and was back with Sugarland in 2016, but that ended his playing career.  As a Twin, Rene Tosoni hit .203/.275/.343 in 172 at-bats.  He was the batting coach of the Class A Florida Fire Frogs in the Atlanta organization in 2018, but has apparently moved back to his native Canada and is the manager of the Coquitlam Reds, a premier youth baseball team in Vancouver, British Columbia.  He also is a scout for the Toronto Blue Jays and works as a pipelayer for Tybo Contracting in the Vancouver area.