June 3

Ameal Brooks (1907)

Don Osborn (1908)

Barney Morris (1910)

Jim Gentile (1934)

Steve Dalkowski (1939)

Duane Josephson (1942)

Ron Keller (1943)

Ed Glynn (1953)

Barry Lyons (1960)

Steve Lyons (1960)

Nelson Liriano (1964)

Carl Everett (1971)

Bryan Rekar (1972)

Jose Molina (1975)

Travis Hafner (1977)

Harrison Bader (1994)

Ryan Jeffers (1997)

Luis Gil (1998)

Don Osborn won 201 games in the minors.  He later was a minor league manager, pitching coach, and scout.

Some old-timers say Steve Dalkowski had the fastest fastball ever.  He struck out 1,396 batters in 995 minor league innings.  However, he also walked 1,354, which is why he never made the majors.

Right-hander Ronald Lee Keller made nine total appearances with the Twins in 1966 and 1968.  He was born in Indianapolis and attended Indiana University.  The Twins drafted him in the eighth round in 1965.  After a strong year at Class A St. Cloud in 1965, he started 1966 in at Class A Wilson, was promoted after seven starts to AA Charlotte, was promoted after seven appearances (six starts) to AAA Denver, and made eight appearances (seven starts) there.  He also made two appearances in Minnesota in July, allowing four runs (three earned) in 5.1 innings.  Perhaps all the packing and unpacking got to him, because while he was excellent all along the way in 1966, he never had a good season again.  He was in AAA Denver for all of 1967 and most of 1968, making six appearances in the majors in the latter year.  He made seven appearances that year, posting an ERA of 2.81 in 16 innings.  His totals as a Twin were 0-1, 3.38 with a WHIP of 1.41 in 21.1 innings.  He appeared in nine games, making one start.  1968 was Keller’s last season as an active player.  He went to spring training with the Twins in 1969, but when the Twins wanted to send him back to AAA he decided he had nothing left to prove there and retired.  After baseball, he became an investment advisor and was the president of Keller Investment Management in Greenville, South Carolina until his retirement.  It appears that he now works with the Boys and Girls Club in Cashiers, North Carolina.  Ron Keller’s son, Jason, is a successful playwright and screenwriter and his wife, Susan, is an actress and spokesperson.

Infielder Nelson Arturo (Bonilla) Liriano is one of the two best Minnesota Twins players ever named “Liriano”.  He played for the Twins for about two months of 1990.  Liriano was born in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic and signed with Toronto as a free agent in 1982.  He had some decent years in the minors, hitting in the .280s a couple of times, but nothing to really make anyone sit up and take notice.  Still, he made it to the majors in late August of 1987 and  stayed for over three years.  He hit in the .260s for the Blue Jays in 1988 and 1989, achieving more-or-less regular status as a second baseman in 1989.  He had slipped back to part-time status in 1990, however, when he was traded to Minnesota with Pedro Munoz for John Candelaria in late July.  He was the Twins’ regular second baseman the rest of the way, hitting .254/.332/.357 in 185 at-bats.  The Twins released Liriano at the end of spring training in 1991 and he signed with Kansas City.  He was in the minors almost the entire season, getting only about two weeks in the majors.  Let go after that season, he was in AAA for Cleveland in 1992.  He moved on to Colorado for 1993-1994, starting the former season in the minors but getting called up after hitting .358 in 293 at-bats in Colorado Springs.  He then got four full seasons in the majors, serving as a part-time player for the Rockies, the Pirates, (1995-1996) and the Dodgers (1997).  his highest at-bat total in those years was 259, but he was a solid player in his role.  He started 1998 back with the Rockies, but was sent back to AAA after starting 0-for-17.  That’s how his major league career ended; Liriano hit .315 with Colorado Springs, but never made it back to the big leagues.  His playing career ended after that season.  He remained in baseball for a while as a minor league coach and manager, mostly in the Royals organization.  He was the bench coach for the AA Northwest Arkansas Naturals in the Texas League in 2019.  He was slated to be the bench coach of Idaho Falls in the Pioneer League in 2020, but of course there was no minor league season in 2020 and now Idaho Falls no longer has a team.  One source says that Nelson Liriano has returned to the Dominican Republic, but that could not be confirmed.

Outfielder Harrison Joseph Bader was with the Twins for four months in 2025.  Born and raised in the Bronx, he attended the University of Florida and was drafted by St. Louis in the third round in 2015.  He hit for high averages in college, but with no power until his final season, when he swatted seventeen home runs.  A solid batter and a plus defender in the minors, he made his major league debut with the Cardinals in 2017.  He remained with St. Louis through 2022 and was what he was in the minors--a solid batter and a plus defender.  He won his only Gold Glove in 2021, but was always highly regarded on defense.  He was traded to the Yankees in August of 2022 and remained there through 2023.  His batting fell off in those seasons, and he became a free agent, signing with the Mets for 2024.  He remained a good fielder and a so-so batter, became a free agent again, and signed with Minnesota in 2025.  With the Twins, his batting stroke returned, at least so far, and he was having a much better season than anyone could have expected when he was traded to Philadelphia at the deadline for Hendry Mendez and Geremy Villoria.  He had a strong finish to the 2025 season with the Phillies, became a free agent, and signed with San Francisco.  Unfortunately, things are not going well for him there--he missed a month of the season, and has batted poorly when he could play. He turns thirty-two today.  It could simply be a slump, or it could be that Harrison Bader is nearing the end.  As they say, time will tell.

Catcher Ryan Michael Jeffers has been with the Twins since 2020.  He was born in Raleigh, North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina--Wilmington, and was drafted by the Twins in the second round in 2018.  He hit well in the low minors that season and did okay, but nothing special, in a 2019 split between high-A and AA.  He was pressed into service at the major league level in the second half of the abbreviated 2020 season due to injuries to the Twins catching staff and actually did pretty well, batting .273 with an OPS of .786 in 83 at-bats.  Given a share of the catching job in 2021, he proved himself not ready at the plate, batting just .199.  His 2022 was pretty similar.  In 2023, however, he took a major step forward, batting .276/.369/.490 as a half-time player.  He did not match that in 2024, but still did okay as a half-time catcher under Rocco Baldelli's odd alternating catcher system.  He often was the designated hitter when not catching.  2025 was similar to 2024, okay but nothing special.  In 2026, finally made the regular catcher, he was having the best season of his career when he was injured a couple of weeks ago.  He turns twenty-nine today.  Assuming a return to health, Ryan Jeffers should be a solid major league catcher for at least a few more seasons.

Right-hander Luis Angel Gil did not play for the Twins, but he was initially signed by them.  He was born in Azua, Dominican Republic, and signed with the Twins as an international free agent in 2015.  He pitched that season in the Dominican Summer League, where he struck out quite a few, but also walked quite a few and did not have a good season.  He did not pitch at all in 2016 and was back in the DSL in 2017, where he did a lot better.  After that season, the Twins traded him to the Yankees for Jake Cave.  He split 2019 between low-A and high-A, missed all of 2020 when there was no minor league season, split 2021 between AA and AAA, and came up to the majors for six starts late in the season.  He did not give up a run in the first three, pitching 15.2 scoreless innings.  He gave up ten runs in the last three (13.2 innings), giving him a season ERA of 3.07.  He did not pitch well in six 2022 AAA starts, nor did he pitch well in one start for the Yankees in 2022, and then he had Tommy John surgery.  He missed all of 2023 (except for two starts in Class A), but had a fine 2024, winning the Rookie of the Year award.  He has missed much of 2025, again due to injury, but pitched well when he could pitch.  He pitched poorly in four starts in 2026 before again being shut down due to injury.  He turns twenty-eight today.  If he can get and stay healthy, he looks like he could be a very good pitcher.  Doing that, however, has been a problem for him so far.

June 2

Jack O’Connor (1866)

Frank Verdi (1926)

Bob Lillis (1930)

Larry Jackson (1931)

Bob Bennett (1933)

Jerry Lumpe (1933)

Gene Michael (1938)

Horace Clarke (1940)

Jim Maloney (1940)

Roger Freed (1946)

Jack O’Connor (1958)

Darnell Coles (1962)

Bryan Harvey (1963)

Mike Stanton (1967)

Kurt Abbott (1969)

Raul Ibanez (1972)

Neifi Perez (1973)

Jared Burton (1981)

Tim Stauffer (1982)

Chris Martin (1986)

Bob Bennett was the baseball coach at Fresno State for many years, winning 1,302 games.

Roger Freed was drafted by Minnesota in 1966, but the pick was voided.

Infielder Frank Michael Verdi did not play for the Twins, but he was in their minor league system in 1961.  He was born in Brooklyn and signed with the Yankees as a free agent in 1946.  His minor league stats vary widely form one year to the next, with averages of over .300 mixed with averages in the .250s and .260s.  There were a lot more levels in the minors back then, so Verdi did not reach AAA until 1953.  He also made his big league debut that season, coming into a game on May 10 in the sixth inning as a defensive replacement.  He played one inning at shortstop, handling zero chances, and was pinch-hit for in the seventh.  That was the sum and substance of his major league career:  he never played in another big league game.  He was in the minors for several years after that, perhaps hoping for another chance at the majors or perhaps just enjoying making a living by playing baseball.  He was known for his ability to pull off the hidden ball trick, executing it successfully seven times in 1949.  He was in AAA most of that time.  He stayed with the Yankees through 1954, went to Kansas City in 1955-56, was with the Cubs toward the end of 1956, was with the Cardinals from 1957-59, then was signed by the then Washington franchise for 1960, playing for AAA Charleston.  He was still with the franchise when it moved to Minnesota in 1961, and spent the season with AAA Syracuse, not only playing but also managing the team.  He hit .287/.362/.308 in 195 at-bats as a reserve infielder and as a manager went 44-44.  That started him on a long career as a minor league manager.  He was the manager again in Syracuse in 1962 (it was no longer a Twins farm team that year), then went into the Yankees organization from 1963-1970, winning three league championships (two with AAA Syracuse).  He continued to manage (with a couple of years off) in the minors through 1985, winning another league championship with AAA Columbus in 1981.  He retired after the 1985 season, but came out of retirement in 1993 to manage the Sioux Falls Canaries in the Northern League from 1993-1995.  He was inducted into the International League Hall of Fame in 2008.  His son, Mike, also managed for several years in the minors.  Frank Verdi passed away from a heart attack on July 9, 2010 in New Port Richey, Florida.

There have been two major league players named “Jack O’Connor”; both of them were born on this day.  Left-hander Jack William O’Connor pitched for the Twins from 1981-1984.  He was born in Twenty-nine Palms, California, and went to high school in Yucca Valley, California.  He was drafted by Montreal in the ninth round in 1976.  He was in the Expos organization for five years.  O’Connor pitched mostly in Class A and did fairly well there, but did not do so well in brief trials at higher levels.  The Twins took a chance on him in the Rule 5 draft after the 1980 season and kept him in the majors all of 1981.  He was kept in the bullpen all season and did not get a lot of work, appearing in 28 games and pitching only 35.1 innings.  O’Connor started 1982 in the majors but was sent back to AAA after two scoreless innings.  He returned in early June and was in the starting rotation by July, staying there the rest of the season.  He wasn’t terrible, which is about as good as it got for the Twins’ rotation in 1982.  He began 1983 in the rotation, but after a couple of decent outings things fell apart for him, and he was in the bullpen by mid-May.  He was not much better there, went back to AAA for a couple of months, and did not do a lot better upon his return either.  O’Connor had an excellent year in the Toledo bullpen in 1984 and pitched well in two appearances in his September call-up.  By then, however, the Twins had given up on him, and after the season they traded him to Montreal for Mike Stenhouse.  He got about two months in the majors in 1985 with the Expos, had mediocre numbers, and was released the following March.  O’Connor signed with Seattle for 1986, pitched badly in AAA, and became a free agent after the season.  He signed with Baltimore for 1987 and battled his way back to the majors, spending nearly half the year with the Orioles.  His pitching in the majors was not significantly better, however, and O’Connor once again became a free agent after the season.  He signed with Toronto and was with AAA Syracuse for two years, not pitching badly but not getting another chance at the big time, either.  Jack O’Connor’s playing career came to an end after the 1989 season.  As a Twin, he was 13-14, 4.99 with a WHIP of 1.62.  He pitched 249 innings and made 80 appearances, 27 of them starts.  No information about Jack O’Connor’s life after the close of his playing career was readily available.

Infielder Kurt Thomas Abbott did not play for the Twins, but went to spring training with them in 2002.  He was born in Zanesville, Ohio, went to high school in St. Petersburg, Florida, and was drafted by Oakland in the fifteenth round in 1989.  He did not hit much until 1993, when he hit .319 with 12 homers and 11 triples for AAA Tacoma, numbers which got him a September call-up.  They also got him a trade, as he was sent to the Florida Marlins that off-season.  He was their mostly-regular shortstop the next two seasons and had a pretty good year in 1995, batting .255 with 17 homers in 420 at-bats.  It did not lead to any more playing time, however, as he became a frequently-used utility player over the next two seasons.  Abbott was traded to Oakland before the 1998 season and was traded again in early June, this time to Colorado.  He stayed with Colorado through the 1999 season and did pretty well as a part-time player, batting .273.  That was as good as it would get for him, though.  He became a free agent after the season and was a reserve infielder for the Mets in 2000, but batted only .217.  A free agent again, he signed with Atlanta for 2001 but missed most of the season with injuries.  The Twins signed Abbott for 2002, but he continued to be bothered by injuries and was released in spring training.  He played a few games in AAA for the Yankees that season and was in AAA for St. Louis in 2003, but then his playing career was over.  Kurt Abbott then became a deputy sheriff in Martin County, Florida.  Unfortunately, he was arrested in 2013 for DUI and was placed on administrative leave.  Its unclear whether he lost his job because of that or if he left for other reasons, but at last report, Kurt Abbott was working for Masco Coatings, Inc.

Right-hander Levi Jared Burton joined the Twins in 2012.  Born and raised in Westminster, South Carolina, he attended Western Carolina University and was drafted by Oakland in the eighth round in 2002.  A reliever most of his career, he struggled in the low minors, not reaching AA until 2006.  He reached the majors in 2007, however, and has been there for at least part of every season since.  It did not happen with the Athletics, though.  Instead, he was taken by Cincinnati in the Rule 5 draft after the 2006 season.  Pitching a limited number of innings, he was pretty good in 2007 and 2008, but not so good in 2009.  He battled injuries in 2010 and 2011, and was mostly in AAA when he was healthy enough to pitch.  He became a free agent after the 2011 season and signed with Minnesota.  He had an excellent year for the Twins in 2012, a not-as-excellent but still pretty good year in 2013, and did not pitch well, although he wasn't terrible, in 2014.  As a Twin Jared Burton was 8-16, 3.47, 1.16 WHIP in 192 innings (203 appearances).  He became a free agent after the 2014 season, signed with the Yankees, was released in spring training, re-signed with the Yankees three days later, was released in May, and signed with Texas.  He pitched well in twelve appearances for AAA Round Rock, but was released at the end of June, bringing his playing career to an end.  No information about what Jared Burton has done since then was readily available.

Right-hander Timothy James Stauffer appeared in thirteen games for the Twins in 2015.  He was born in Portland, Maine, went to high school in Saratoga Springs, New York, attended the University of Richmond, and was drafted by San Diego with the fourth pick of the 2003 draft.  A starter early in his career, he did very well in the low minors but struggled when he reached AAA.  He made his major league debut in 2005 but spent most of his time in AAA through 2007.  He missed the entire 2008 season, but came back in 2009 to pitch well in both the minors and the majors.  He spent most of 2010 pitching out of the San Diego bullpen and had an excellent season.  Returned to a starting role in 2011, he had another solid year.  He again missed most of 2012 with injury, but came back in 2013 to have a decent season in relief for the Padres.  He was not as good, but wasn't terrible, in the Padres bullpen in 2014.  A free agent after that season, he signed with Minnesota for 2015.  One suspects that he may still not have been healthy:  he missed a month due to injury, and when active he was pretty bad.  His numbers as a Twin were 1-0, 6.60, 2.07 WHIP in fifteen innings.  The Twins released him in mid-June, he signed with the Mets in August, continued to not pitch well, and became a free agent after the season.  He signed with Arizona for 2016 but was released at the end of spring training, ending his playing career.  He is a member of the Richmond Athletics Hall of Fame.  No information about what Tim Stauffer is doing these days was readily available.

June 1

Ted Breitenstein (1869)

Otto Miller (1889)

Hank Severeid (1891)

Guy Morton (1893)

Johnny Mostil (1896)

Ray Moore (1926)

Jack Kralick (1935)

Roy Majtyka (1939)

Dean Chance (1941)

Randy Hundley (1942)

Ken McMullen (1942)

Jeff Nelson (1965)

Derek Lowe (1973)

Carlos Zambrano (1981)

Andrew Stevenson (1994)

Roy Majtyka was a long-time minor-league manager, winning 1,832 games.

Jeff Nelson was a major league umpire from 1997-2023.

Right-hander Raymond Leroy Moore pitched for the Twins from 1961-1963.  He was born in Meadows, Maryland, went to high school in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, and signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers as a free agent in 1947.  He had good ERAs in the minors and did not give up a lot of hits, but walked a lot of batters, slowing his rise to the majors.  He was with the Dodgers for two months in 1952 and made one appearance there in 1953.  1953 was when he finally started to get things under control, and after he had another good year at AAA St. Paul in 1954 he finally got to the majors to stay at the start of the 1955 season.  It was not with the Dodgers, however, as he was traded to Baltimore after the 1954 campaign.  He started 1955 in the Oriole bullpen, but got into the rotation in late July and mostly stayed there the rest of his time with Baltimore.  He was a solid rotation starter for them through 1957, when he was traded to the White Sox in a deal that involved Larry Doby.  He remained in the rotation through 1958, but moved to the bullpen the following year, where he would stay the rest of his career.  He got off to a poor start in 1960 and was sold to Washington in mid-June.  He pitched well for them the rest of the year and came to Minnesota with the franchise in 1961.  He was in the Twins’ bullpen for three years, pitching okay his first two before falling apart in 1963.  His playing career came to an end after that season.  As a Twin, he was 13-10, 5.03 with a WHIP of 1.50 in 159 innings over 126 games.  Ray Moore passed away on March 2, 1995 in Clinton, Maryland.

Left-hander John Francis “Jack” Kralick also pitched for the Twins from 1961-1963.  He was born in Youngstown, Ohio and went to Michigan State before signing with the White Sox as a free agent in 1955.  He spent a little over three years in the low minors for them, pitching only thirteen games above Class B.  He had a decent but unspectacular record, apparently did not impress anyone, and was released in June of 1958.  He signed as a free agent with Washington in September.  Surprisingly, he started 1959 in the majors, but was sent down after five appearances and had a solid season at AA in 1959.  He started 1960 in the Washington bullpen, moved to the majors in late June, and stayed there through 1964.  He came to Minnesota with the franchise in 1961 and was a solid rotation starter, posting ERAs in the mid-to-upper threes and throwing a no-hitter in 1962.  In May of 1963, Kralick was traded to Cleveland for Jim Perry.  He got off to a bad start in 1965 and was removed from the rotation in mid-June.  He had a decent year as a reliever in 1966, but got off to a slow start in 1967 and was sold to the Mets on June 1.  He did not pitch for the Mets, however, as he was involved in a car accident which left him not just with a cracked rib but also double vision, a problem which did not clear up for a year.  By then, he had decided to move on with his life and retired as a player.  As a Twin, Jack Kralick was 26-26, 3.74 with a WHIP of 1.28 in 501.1 innings.  It appears that after he finished playing, he moved to Watertown, South Dakota and worked for a school supply company, then lived in Alaska for a while, then moved to Mexico in 1998.  Jack Kralick passed away in San Blas, Nayarit, Mexico on September 18, 2012.

Right-hander Wilmer Dean Chance pitched for the Twins from 1967-1969.  He was born in Wooster, Ohio and went to high school in Wayne, Ohio.  He signed with Baltimore as a free agent in 1959.  He had two fine years in the low minors, but was left unprotected and was chosen by Washington in the expansion draft.  The Senators traded him to the Angels that same day.  He had another good year in AAA in 1961, got a September call-up, and never looked back.  He was shifted from the rotation to the bullpen and back again a couple of times in 1962, pitching well enough in both roles to finish third in Rookie of the Year voting.  Chance’s best year as an Angel was 1964, when he went 20-9, 1.65.  He led the league in wins, ERA, complete games, shutouts, innings pitched, ERA+, and fewest home runs, won the Cy Young Award, and finished fifth in MVP voting.  He remained a solid starter for the Angels through 1966, then was traded to the Twins with a player to be named later (Jackie Hernandez) for Pete Cimino, Jimmie Hall, and Don Mincher.  He did an excellent job for the Twins for three years, although he missed two months of the third season with injuries.  As a Twin, he was 41-34, 2.67 with a WHIP of 1.07 in 664 innings.  His best year as a Twin was his first one, 1967, when he won 20 games, starts, innings, and complete games, and made the all-star team for the second time.  After the 1969 campaign, the Twins traded Chance to Cleveland with Bob Miller, Graig Nettles, and Ted Uhlaender for Luis Tiant and Stan Williams.  He had a mediocre year for the Indians, was sold to the Mets in mid-September, and was traded to Detroit after the season.  He had another mediocre year for the Tigers and ended his playing career after the 1971 season.  After leaving baseball he became a boxing manager and promoter, was one of the founders of the International Boxing Association, and became its president in 2006, a position he held until his death.  Dean Chance passed away in his home town of Wooster, Ohio on October 11, 2015.

Catcher Cecil Randolph “Randy” Hundley played for the Twins in 1974.  He was born in Martinsville, Virginia, went to high school in Bassett, Virginia, and signed with San Francisco as a free agent in 1960.  He did not do a lot in the minors until 1963, when he hit .325 with 23 homers for AA El Paso.  He did not sustain that when promoted to AAA in 1964, nor did he improve in 1965.  Still, he got cups of coffee in the majors both of those seasons.  He was traded to the Cubs that off-season, and was in the majors to stay.  He was the Cubs’ regular catcher from 1966-1969.  He finished fourth in Rookie of the Year voting in 1966, despite hitting only .236 (he did hit 19 home runs).  He won the Gold Glove the following year.  Hundley missed half of 1970 and most of 1971 with injuries.  He more-or-less regained the regular catching job in 1972, but what offense he had shown in the past was gone.  After two more sub-par years with the Cubs, Hundley was traded to Minnesota before the 1974 season for George Mitterwald.  Injuries cropped up again, and he played in only 32 games, hitting .193/.228/.216 in 88 at-bats.  The Twins released him after the season and he signed with San Diego.  He was the backup catcher there in 1975 and was sold back to the Cubs after the season.  He remained with the Cubs for two years, but was injured much of the time and rarely played.  His playing career came to an end after 1977.  His son, Todd Hundley, had a substantial playing career of his own.  Hundley is credited with originating the idea of fantasy camps and operated several of them at one time, though he now is involved only in the Cubs’ fantasy camp.  At last report, Randy Hundley was still living in the Chicago area.

Outfielder Andrew Patrick Stevenson played in twenty-five games for the Twins in 2023.  Born and raised in Lafayette, Louisiana, he attended LSU and was drafted by Washington in the second round in 2015.  He was in Class A in 2015, reached AA in 2016, AAA in 2017, and got to the majors in late July of 2017.  He then bounced back-and-forth between AAA and the majors through 2021, never getting a full season in the majors and only once getting more than a hundred at-bats there.  He had speed, with 183 stolen bases in the minors.  He presumably played good defense, as he was primarily a center fielder.  Unfortunately for him, he never hit much, which means that his role in the majors was as a bench player/defensive replacement.  He spent all of 2022 in AAA and for the first time in his career showed power, hitting thirty-one doubles and sixteen home runs.  By this time, however, he was twenty-eight years old, so the Nationals were not particularly impressed.  He signed with the Twins for 2023 and spent the summer in St. Paul, but came to the majors for the entire month of September.  He was used mostly as a pinch-runner and defensive replacement.  He played in twenty-five games but got just thirty-seven at-bats, batting .189/.250/.216.  He became a free agent after the season and signed with the Nippon Ham Fighters in Japan for 2024.  He began 2025 in the Mexican League, but signed with Tampa Bay in late April and is currently playing in AAA.  He turns thirty-one today.  As we've said numerous times, as long as you're still playing, there's still a chance.  Maybe Andrew Stevenson will get another crack at the major leagues.

May 31

Socks Seibold (1896)

Edward Bennett Williams (1920)

Russ Goetz (1930)

Ray Washburn (1938)

Tippy Martinez (1950)

Joe Orsulak (1962)

Kenny Lofton (1967)

Bill Miller (1967)

Dave Roberts (1972)

Ray Olmedo (1981)

Jake Peavy (1981)

Edward Bennett Williams was the owner of the Baltimore Orioles from 1979-1988.

Russ Goetz was an American League umpire from 1968-1983.

Bill Miller has been a major league umpire since 2000.

Left-handed reliever Felix Anthony “Tippy” Martinez appeared in three games for the Twins in 1988.  Born and raised in La Junta, Colorado, he and Mike Oquist, whose birthday was yesterday, are the only two major league players born in that town.  He went to Colorado State and signed with the Yankees as a free agent in 1972.  He was primarily a reliever in the minors other than 1975, when he started 14 games for AAA Syracuse.  He pitched very well in the minors, posting ERAs under three in both 1973 and 1975.  He made his big-league debut in 1974 and came up to stay in mid-July of 1975.  He was almost exclusively a reliever in the majors, making only two big league starts, both in 1975.  He did a fine job for the Yankees, but was traded to Baltimore in mid-June of 1976 as part of a ten-player trade that included numerous good ballplayers.  He did a fine job with the Orioles as well, pitching well every year from 1976-1983 with the exception of 1978.  He was never “the closer” for Baltimore, but had double digit saves in five consecutive seasons from 1980-1984 with a high of 21 in 1983.  That was probably his best season, as he pitched the most innings (103.1), his lowest ERA (2.35), and his lowest WHIP (1.09).  He also made the all-star team that year.  He started to slip in 1984; his ERA was still below four, but his WHIP soared to 1.53.  He had a poor 1985, struggled in 1986, and was released in June of 1987.  Martinez was out of baseball the rest of that year, but signed as a free agent with the Twins on April 4, 1988.  It did not work–he pitched in three games, lasted four innings, and gave up eight runs on eight hits and four walks.  After that, his playing career was over.  Martinez is best remembered for a game in 1983 in which he picked off three baserunners in an inning with emergency catcher Lenn Sakata behind the plate, but he was an excellent relief pitcher for several years.  Tippy Martinez was the pitching coach for York in the Atlantic League from 2006-2009.  At last report, Tippy Martinez was living in Towson, Maryland.  There is a city park named after him in his home town of La Junta and he is a member of the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame.  His daughter, Courtney, was an excellent college lacrosse player and was the lacrosse coach at Arizona State for two seasons, and his son, Jacen, played baseball at Towson University and was a minor league infielder for two seasons.  His granddaughter, Casey, played soccer for the University of Maryland.

Infielder Rainer Gustavo Olmedo did not play for the Twins, but he was in their minor league system in 2013.  Born and raised in Maracay, Aragua, Venezuela, he signed with Cincinnati as a free agent in 1999.  He was never a great hitter in the minors, but after a decent start in AA in 2003 and a quick stop in AAA that same year, Ray Olmedo was called up to the Reds in late May and stayed the rest of the season as a utility infielder.  He was up and down with the Reds through 2006, never getting a full season in the majors but always getting some time there.  He had some decent years in AAA, although certainly nothing to get excited about.  In the majors, though, he was pretty much a zero offensively, hitting .230 with an OPS of .566.  He was waived after the 2006 season and claimed by Toronto.  He continued to be the same player in 2007; decent but nothing special in AAA, and basically nothing at all in the majors.  After that, he started moving around a lot.  He was waived by Toronto on Feb. 1, 2008 and claimed by Pittsburgh; waived again at the end of February and claimed by Philadelphia, then released a month later and signed by Washington for whom he played in AAA in 2008.  He was in AAA with Tampa Bay in 2009, signed with Texas for 2010 but was traded to Milwaukee before the season started and was in AAA for them, was back in AAA for Tampa Bay in 2011, and signed with the White Sox for 2012.  In all that time he remained pretty much the same player he had always been, but despite that he found himself back in the majors for the last two months of 2012.  A free agent after the 2012 season, he signed with Minnesota and once again played in AAA in 2013, this time in Rochester, where he hit .234/.316/.298.  A free agent once more after the season, he signed with Tampa Bay and spent 2014 playing for AAA Durham, for whom he again didn't hit.  He played in Italy in 2015-16 and then his playing career came to an end.  I don't mean to sound too harsh about him.  He played in 218 major league games, and there are not many people who can say that.  But in those 218 major league games, he hit .230, had an OPS of .566, and had an OPS+ of 50, making him essentially the Drew Butera of middle infielders.  Ray Olmedo was a coach in the Angels' organization for several seasons, most recently with AAA Salt Lake in 2021-2022.  At last report, he was the third base coach for Laguna in the Mexican League.

May 30

Amos Rusie (1871)

Turkey Mike Donlin (1878)

Rube Oldring (1884)

Al Mamaux (1894)

Twink Twining (1894)

Laymon Yokely (1906)

Turk Lown (1924)

Mel Nelson (1936)

Mike Sadek (1946)

Dana DeMuth (1956)

Mike LaCoss (1956)

Mike Oquist (1968)

John Courtright (1970)

Scott Eyre (1972)

Manny Ramirez (1972)

Mark Kiger (1980)

Fernando Salas (1985)

Tony Watson (1985)

Zack Wheeler (1990)

Dana DeMuth was a major league umpire from 1983 to 2019.

Mark Kiger is the only player to have played in the major leagues in the post-season but never have played in a regular season game.  An infielder, he was added to the Oakland roster when Mark Ellis fractured a finger.  He appeared in two games in the 2006 ALCS but did not bat.

Left-hander Melvin Frederick Nelson pitched for the Twins in 1965 and 1967.  He was born in San Diego.  He played as an outfielder for independent teams from 1954-1955, then signed as a pitcher with St. Louis as a free agent in 1956.  His minor league record was not bad but not terribly impressive, either.  He both started and relieved every year in the minors.  Nelson was apparently loaned to the Dodgers’ organization in 1960, where he had a fine year, going 13-7, 3.69 for AAA Spokane.  He was called up to the Cardinals at the end of the season, pitching eight innings over two appearances.  He had a poor year at AAA in 1961, then apparently battled injuries in 1962.  Nelson was sold to the Los Angeles Angels after the 1962 season and was in the majors much of the 1963 campaign.  He did not pitch well, however, posting an ERA of 5.30 and a WHIP of 1.65 in 52.2 innings over 36 appearances.  He began 1964 at AAA and then was sold to the Twins in late May.  Minnesota made him a full-time starter in AAA Atlanta, and he had a fine season, going 9-12, 2.96 with a WHIP of 1.15.  Nelson then went into the Minnesota bullpen in 1965, his only full season in the majors.  He went 0-4, 4.12 with a WHIP of 1.46 in 54.2 innings over 28 appearances.  He had a poor year in AAA in 1966, when he both started and relieved, but a good year in 1967, when he was made a full-time reliever.  He made one appearance for the Twins that year, pitching one-third of an inning.  After the season, the Twins sold Nelson to St. Louis.  He got brief appearances in the majors the next two seasons, pitching well in 18 outings in 1968 and poorly in 8 outings in 1969.  He pitched at AAA for Atlanta in 1970, then his playing career was over.  He then was a long-time scout, last working for the Houston Astros in 2006.  He then worked for Stater Bros. Markets, working in the Construction, Building, and Development Department, until his retirement in 2010.  Mel Nelson passed away on November 26, 2021 in Highland, California.

Catcher Michael George Sadek did not play for the Twins, but was in their minor league system for three years.  He was born in Minneapolis, went to high school in Richfield, Minnesota, and attended the University of Minnesota.  He was drafted by Minnesota in the fifth round of the June Secondary draft in 1967.  He was half-way decent on offense in Class A but hit only .192 when promoted to AA in 1969.  Unsurprisingly left unprotected, Sadek was selected by San Francisco in the Rule 5 draft.  Something was obviously worked out, because he spent the next three years at AAA Phoenix as a part-time catcher.  He was apparently thought of as a good defensive catcher, because he did not hit in the minors with the exception of 1971, when he hit .309 in 220 at-bats, his only minor league season above .270.  Sadek’s first full year in the majors was 1973, when he was a seldom-used third catcher for the Giants.  He was back in AAA for 1974 and 1975 until early June, when he finally left the minors behind for good.  Sadek was a reserve catcher for the Giants through 1981, never getting more than 151 at-bats.  He generally hit in the .230s, with his best offensive year coming in 1980 when he hit .252.  In total, he played in parts of eight seasons in the majors, batting 813 times for a .226 average.  He worked for the Giants as assistant director for community affairs for a while.  He also served as a body double for Robert DeNiro in the movie “The Fan” for the scenes in which DiNiro is throwing a baseball.  Mike Sadek passed away on January 20, 2021 in San Andreas, California.

Right-hander Michael Lee Oquist did not play for the Twins, but was in their farm system in 2001.  Born and raised in La Junta, Colorado, he attended the University of Arkansas and was drafted by Baltimore in the thirteenth round in 1989.  He pitched well in the low minors, but struggled for a while when promoted to higher levels.  He got things going in 1993 at AAA Rochester, going 9-8, 3.50, 1.24 WHIP, and made his major league debut with the Orioles at the end of that season.  He went back-and-forth between Rochester and Baltimore in 1994 and 1995, starting in Rochester but mostly coming out of the bullpen in the majors.  A free agent after the 1995 season, he signed with San Diego and had a fine year in AAA, going 9-4, 2.89 before coming up to the majors at the end of the season and continuing to do well in eight games.  The Padres were not overly impressed, though, and allowed him to become a free agent.  He signed with Oakland and spent most of the next three seasons in the Athletics’ starting rotation.  He did that despite the fact that he did not pitch well there:  he was 20-27, 5.63, 1.52 WHIP in 423.1 innings.  He became a free agent after the 1999 season, spent 2000 in AAA with Detroit, became a free agent again, and signed with Minnesota for 2001.  He was in AAA Edmonton all year, going 5-8, 4.15, 1.46 WHIP in 20 starts.  He was out of baseball in 2002, went to the independent Atlantic League in 2003, and was in AA with Oakland in 2004 before his playing career came to an end.  It appears that Mike Oquist has moved back to LaJunta and is the part-owner of Valley Plumbing and Heating, a family business.  His son, Dallas, pitched for Colorado State.

Left-hander John Charles Courtright did not play for the Twins, but was in their farm system in 1995 and 1996.  He was born in Marion, Ohio, attended Duke University, and was drafted by Cincinnati in the eighth round in 1991.  He rose at a pace of about a level a year, reaching AAA in 1994.  He was called up to the majors in early May of 1995 and made his major league debut May 6, allowing one run on two hits in the eighth inning of a 13-11 victory for the Reds over the Mets.  Unfortunately for Courtright, that was also his major league swan song; he was sent back to AAA and never made it back to the majors again.  On June 8, 1995 he was traded to Minnesota for David McCarty.  He made 17 starts for AAA Salt Lake, going 3-7, 6.80.  He was no better in 1996, going 1-1, 6.61 in 14 appearances (three starts) for AA Hardware City.  He moved on to the Baltimore organization at the end of 1996 and was back in the Cincinnati system in 1997, but whatever he had was gone, and he was out of baseball after that.  At last report, John Courtright was living in Ann Arbor, Michigan and had become a sports agent with Independent Sports and Entertainment.

May 29

Bob Hope (1903)

George McQuinn (1910)

Loel Passe (1917)

Fred White (1936)

Fay Vincent (1938)

John Kennedy (1941)

Blue Moon Odom (1945)

Jamie Allen (1958)

Mike Stenhouse (1958)

Eric Davis (1962)

Charlie Hayes (1965)

Trever Miller (1973)

Jerry Hairston (1976)

Matt Macri (1982)

Steven Matz (1991)

Nick Wittgren (1991)

Patrick Bailey (1999)

Paul Skenes (2002)

Comedian and actor Bob Hope was a long-time part-owner of the Cleveland Indians and was on their Board of Directors.

Loel Passe broadcast Houston Astros games from the team’s inception through 1976.  Along the way, he worked with two Hall of Fame broadcasters, Gene Elston and Harry Kalas.

Fred White broadcast Kansas City Royals games from 1974-1998.

Fay Vincent was the commissioner of baseball from 1989-1992.

Third baseman Jamie Allen was drafted by Minnesota with the tenth pick of the 1976 draft, but did not sign.

Catcher Patrick Bailey was drafted by Minnesota in the thirty-seventh round in 2017, but did not sign.

We would also like to wish a very happy anniversary to Mr. and Mrs. brianS.

Outfielder/first baseman Michael Steven Stenhouse played for the Twins in 1985.  He was born in Pueblo, Colorado, attended Harvard, and was drafted by Montreal in the first round of the January Secondary draft in 1980.  His father, Dave Stenhouse, pitched for the Washington Senators in the 1960s.  He hit very well in the minors, but never got much of a chance in the big leagues.  In 1982, Stenhouse hit .289 with 25 homers, 101 walks and an OPS of .949 in AAA Wichita.  His reward for that was to get one major league at-bat as a pinch-hitter in the last game of the season.  In 1983, he did even better in Wichita, hitting .355 with 25 homers and 95 walks in 109 games, for an OPS of 1.172.  He was called up to the majors in late July but rarely played, getting only 40 at-bats.  Granted, the Expos had a pretty good team them, with an outfield of Tim Raines, Andre Dawson, and Warren Cromartie with Al Oliver at first base, but that’s still not much playing time for a guy with that kind of record.  In 1984 Cromartie and Oliver were gone, but while the Expos kept Stanhouse on the roster for all but six weeks he still didn’t play much, with nearly half of his appearances coming as a pinch-hitter while the Expos played people like Jim Wohlford, Miguel Dilone, Tony Scott, and Max Venable in the outfield and Terry Francona and Dan Driessen at first.  Stanhouse did not take advantage of his sporadic playing time, hitting only .183 in 175 at-bats, although he did draw 26 walks.  That was as much as the Expos needed to see, though, as they traded him to Minnesota that off-season for Jack O’Connor.  The Twins gave Stenhouse his only full season in the majors, but did not play him any more, preferring to use Mickey Hatcher in left and Roy Smalley at DH.  He batted on 179 times, hitting .223/.330/.335.  The Twins traded him to Boston for Charlie Mitchell after the season.  He was with the Red Sox for about two months and batted 21 times, playing in AAA the rest of the year.  Stenhouse played in 1987 in AAA for Detroit, then his playing career came to an end.  His big league numbers don’t look like much, but given his minor league record, one has to wonder what he might have done if he’d ever been given a chance to play.  He toured with Bill Lee’s Grey Sox club for a while and did some broadcasting for the Expos in 1996.  At last report, Mike Stenhouse was the CEO of the Rhode Island Center for Freedom and Prosperity, a free-enterprise public policy think tank.

Infielder Matthew Michael Macri played 18 games for the Twins in 2008.  Born and raised in Des Moines, Macri was drafted by Colorado in the fifth round in 2004.  He hit .333 his first pro season at Class A Tri-City, but did not do as well again.  He repeated AA, hitting .298 there in 2007, but was traded to Minnesota in mid-August of that year for Ramon Ortiz.  The Twins started him in AAA, and he was there the rest of his time with the Twins with the exception of a couple of months in 2008.  He was in Minnesota from late May to late June of that year and later got a September call-up.  He hit well in that brief trial, going 11-for-34 for a line of .324/.361/.441.  He did nothing close to that in AAA, however, hitting .251/.316/.433 there in about 1,200 at-bats.  The Twins let him go after the 2010 season, he signed with Colorado, and spent 2011 playing for AAA Colorado Springs.  He became a free agent after the season and his playing career came to an end.  At last report, Matt Macri was the director of Solutions and Tenant Experience Partnerships for VTS, Inc., a computer software company, in the Chicago area.

Right-handed reliever Nicholas James Wittgren did not play for the Twins, but was in their minor league system in 2024.  He was born in Torrance, California, went to high school in Lafayette, Indiana, attended Purdue University, and was drafted by Miami in the ninth round in 2012.  A reliever throughout his career, he did very well in the minors but still was brought along slowly, not reaching AAA until 2015 and making his major league debut in 2016.  He had a fine 2016 season, but could not repeat it in 2017 and found himself back at AAA for about half of 2018.  He was traded to Cleveland that off-season and spent three seasons with the Indians/Guardians.  He was very good the first two, but struggled in 2021 as his strikeout rate dropped significantly.  He signed with St. Louis for 2022 but had a poor season and was released in early July.  He signed with Kansas City for 2023, but again had a poor season and was "granted free agency" in mid-August.  He signed with Seattle a few days later but could not get out of AAA with them.  He signed with the Twins in late April of 2024.  He spent a couple of weeks in AA, then was promoted to AAA, where he did not do very well.  He played winter ball, but did not sign with anyone for 2025.  He did, however, pitch for Germany in the World Baseball Classic, but that ended his playing career. One wonders if he was injured--his strikeout rate went from 10.6 (2020) to 8.3 (2021) to 5.3 (2022) and 5.6 (2023).  It seems like there must have been some reason for that.  Nick Wittgren is the pitching coach for the Columbus Clippers in 2026.

May 28

Spider Baum (1882)

Jim Thorpe (1887)

Warren Giles (1896)

John Allyn (1917)

Bob Kuzava (1923)

Frank Saucier (1926)

Kirk Gibson (1957)

Bill Doran (1958)

Duane Ward (1964)

Mike Maksudian (1966)

Mike Difelice (1969)

Jhonny Peralta (1982)

Craig Kimbrel (1988)

Lester Oliveros (1988)

Huascar Ynoa (1998)

Spider Baum won 325 games in the minors between 1902-1920.  267 of those wins came in the Pacific Coast League.

Warren Giles was president of the National League from 1951-1969.

John Allyn was the owner of the Chicago White Sox from 1961-1975.

Frank Saucier is the player Eddie Gaedel pinch-hit for in 1951.

Catcher/first baseman Michael Bryant Maksudian played in five games for the Twins in 1993.  He was born in Belleville, Illinois, went to high school in Parsippany, New Jersey, and attended the University of South Alabama.  He was signed by the White Sox as a free agent in 1987.  He was a fairly solid hitter in the minors, but did not hit well enough for a first baseman and did not really play in the field well enough to play elsewhere.  The White Sox traded Maksudian to the Mets in August of 1988.  The Mets released him late in spring training of 1989, and he played that season with independent Miami in the Florida State League.  Toronto signed him that off-season, and he stayed in the Blue Jays’ system for three years, getting three at-bats in the majors in 1992.  Toronto waived him after the 1992 season, and the Twins claimed him.  He had a solid year in AAA Portland, hitting .314, and was with Minnesota for about two weeks in June.  He started four games at first base and played one inning at third.  He went 2-for-12 with a double and four walks, giving him a line of .167/.353/.250.  He became a free agent after the season and signed with the Cubs.  He again hit over .300 in the minors, this time getting two months in the majors, his longest stint.  Maksudian was used primarily as a pinch-hitter and did well in that role, batting .269 with 10 walks in 26 at-bats.  The Cubs allowed him to become a free agent after the season, and he signed with Oakland.  He was in AAA all of 1995 and then his playing career came to an end.  His chief claim to fame as a player was an ability to eat various kinds of insects.  At last report, Mike Maksudian was a senior technology consultant for Insight Direct in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Right-hander Lester Jesus (Blanco) Oliveros played for the Twins in 2011, 2012, and 2014.  Born in Maracay, Aragua, Venezuela, he was signed by Detroit as a free agent in 2005.  A reliever his entire career, he struggled his first year at each new level, but seemed to figure something out in his second year at each level.  He struck out a lot of batters but also walked too many batters.  He made his major league debut in 2011, spending most of July with the Tigers and appearing in nine games, two against the Twins.  He must have impressed them, because in mid-August he was selected as the player to be named later in the deal that also sent Cole Nelson to the Twins for Delmon Young.  He made ten appearances with the Twins, working 13.1 innings.  He had no record and a 4.05 ERA, giving up 13 hits and 7 walks while striking out nine.  He split 2012 between New Britain and Rochester and pitched well in each place.  He even seemed to gain control, getting his walk rate down to 2.8.  He was a free agent after the season and re-signed with Minnesota, but was on the disabled list almost all season.  He pitched well in Rochester in 2014 and got a September call-up, looking really bad in his first two appearances but doing well after that.  He was back in Rochester in 2015 and pitched decently when healthy but battled shoulder injuries much of the season.  A free agent after the season, he signed with Kansas City for 2016 but was unable to play for them.  He was released in August and it appeared that his playing career had come to an end.  Surprisingly, though it had not.  He came back to pitch in the Venezuelan Winter League in 2019 and pitched there through 2023.  He started pitching in the Mexican League in 2021 and did very well there through 2023.  As a Twin he was 0-1, 5.06, 1.45 WHIP in 21.1 innings (18 games).  One would think he did well enough that he could've kept pitching in Mexico if he wanted to, but he apparently decided that it was time to move on to the next phase of his life.  At last report, Lester Oliveros was living in Lakeland, Florida.

Right-hander Huascar Jose Ynoa did not play for the Twins, but he was in the low minors for them for two and a half seasons.  He was born in Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic and signed with the Twins as a free agent in 2014 at age sixteen.  He pitched very well in the Dominican Summer League in 2015 and in the Gulf Coast League in 2016.  He struggled in six starts in Elizabethton in 2017 and was traded to Atlanta for Jaime Garcia, Anthony Recker, and cash.  He continued to struggle that season, but did well at Class A in 2018.  He pitched well in three starts in high-A in 2019, did not do well in six relief appearances at AA, continued to struggle when promoted to AAA, but still made two relief appearances for the Braves.  As one would expect he did not do very well.  He made nine appearances for Atlanta in 2020,   He started very strongly in 2021, but was fractured his right hand punching a dugout wall in mid-May and, while he came back to pitch, could not get much accomplished the rest of the season.  He was then taken off the post-season roster due to what was called shoulder inflammation.  He started 2022 with Atlanta and did poorly in two appearances.  He pitched poorly in AAA, too, and it turned out that he needed Tommy John surgery.  He missed all of 2023 and tried to come back in 2024, but pitched poorly in AAA.  A free agent after the season, he signed back with the Twins for 2025, but was released in April after five terrible appearances.  He went to the Mexican League and didn't do very well there, either.  He did pitch well in winter ball, which got him a minor league contract with the Angels, but he hasn't been able to get much accomplished in AAA.  We hear a lot about the successful Tommy John surgeries, but it remains a risky proposition, and some guys never do come back from it.  Sadly, it looks like Huascar Ynoa is one of those guys.  He turns twenty-eight today, and we wish him well.