September 22

Doc Powers (1870)

Hooks Dauss (1889)

Urban Shocker (1890)

Ira Flagstead (1893)

Harry Walker (1918)

Bob Lemon (1920)

Tommy Lasorda (1927)

Ken Aspromonte (1931)

Jim Fairey (1944)

Larry Dierker (1946)

Jeffrey Leonard (1955)

Wally Backman (1959)

Vince Coleman (1961)

Bob Geren (1961)

Mark Guthrie (1965)

Mike Matheny (1970)

Carlos Correa (1994)

Calvin Faucher (1995)

Four players born on this date made their debuts in 2019.  That may not be a record, but it is unusual.

Outfielder James Burke Fairey did not play for the Twins, but was in AAA for them in 1974. He was born in Orangeburg, South Carolina and attended Erskine College in Due West, South Carolina, the most successful of six major league players to come from that school. The Dodgers signed him as a free agent in 1965. He batted over .300 for three consecutive years in the Dodgers’ minor league system and averaged 13 homers per season, although his home run total went down each year. He made his major league debut in 1968, spending the entire year as a reserve outfielder. He batted only .199 in 156 at-bats, however, and was left unprotected in the expansion draft. Montreal chose him and he went back to AAA for the 1969 season, playing for the Expos as a September call-up. He made the team in 1970, though, and stayed for three seasons as a back-up outfielder, getting around 200 at-bats per season and hitting around .240. He was released in late March of 1973 and signed back with the Dodgers, getting a September call-up after spending most of the season at AAA. After the season, he was traded to Minnesota with G. Mike Floyd for Glenn Ezell and Charlie Manuel. Fairey was at AAA all of 1974 and had a good season, hitting .302/.391/.495 with 16 home runs. It did not get him to the majors, however, and he moved on to the San Diego system in 1975. He played for AAA Hawaii for three seasons, averaging around .300 with double-digit home runs, but never got a call-up to the big leagues. He remained in baseball after his playing career ended, first as a minor league manager for the Cubs and then as a scout for San Francisco and for Texas.  At last report, Jim Fairey was living in Clemson, South Carolina.  His grandson, Chad Fairey, played for Clemson University in 2019-2021.

Infielder Walter Wayne Backman played for the Twins in 1989. He was born in Hillsboro, Oregon, went to high school in Beaverton, Oregon, and was drafted by the Mets in the first round in 1977. A shortstop in his early minor league career, he was moved to second base when he reached AAA Tidewater in 1980. He hit for a good average in the minors, although with little power, and set a personal high for walks in the 1980 season with 87. This earned him a September call-up. Backman suffered through an injury-plagued 1981, but became the Mets semi-regular second baseman in 1982, starting 73 games. He played decently for the Mets, but 1983 found him back in Tidewater, as he lost the second base job to Brian Giles. A .316 batting average for Tidewater that season enabled him to leave the minors behind for good. Backman was the regular second baseman for the Mets from 1984-85. He was reduced to part-time status in 1986-88, sharing second base with Tim Teufel, although Backman got the majority of the playing time. In December of 1988, Backman was traded to the Twins with Mike Santiago for Jeff Bumgarner, Steve Glasser, and Toby Nivens. Backman proceeded to have the worst season of his career, batting .231/.306/.284 in 299 at-bats in another injury-plagued season. The Twins allowed Backman to become a free agent, and he signed with Pittsburgh, where he bounced back to hit .292 in 1990. He became a free agent again, spending 1991-92 with Philadelphia. At the end of the line, he was signed briefly by Atlanta and Seattle in 1993, but was released by the Mariners in May and his playing career was over. Backman became a minor-league manager, and nearly died in 1998 when he was bitten by a brown recluse spider while managing in Bend, Oregon. He was named manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks on November 1, 2004. Unfortunately, a number of legal and financial problems came to light, and Backman was fired four days later. He made a comeback, however, as he managed the Brooklyn Cyclones in the Mets organization in 2010, was promoted to manager of AA Binghamton in 2011, was the manager of AAA Buffalo in 2012, and was the manager of AAA Las Vegas from 2013-16.  He was not the manager there in 2017; it's unclear whether he resigned or was fired, but it seems clear neither side was particularly interested in seeing the relationship continue.   He became the manager of Monclova in the Mexican League in 2017, but was fired forty-two games into the season and became the bench coach of Puebla.  He was the manager of the independent New Britain Bees in 2018 and was the manager of the independent Long Island Ducks from 2019-2023, when he was replaced by Lew Ford.  He is currently the manager of the Staten Island FerryHawks in the Atlantic League.  Wally Backman was inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 2002.

Left-hander Mark Andrew Guthrie played for the Twins from 1989-1995. He was born in Buffalo, went to high school in Venice, Florida, attended LSU, and was drafted by the Twins in the seventh round in 1987. He came through the minors quickly, making his major-league debut with the Twins in July of 1989. Used mostly in relief, Guthrie was a solid pitcher for Minnesota through 1992. He had injury problems in 1993, was still battling them in 1994, and in 1995 he was traded with Kevin Tapani to the Dodgers in a deadline deal for Ron Coomer, Greg Hansell, Jose Parra, and Chris Latham. After three and a half decent years with the Dodgers, Guthrie became a free agent in 1999 and signed with Boston, only to be included in another deadline deal that sent him to the Cubs. He then started moving around, going to Tampa Bay, Toronto, Oakland, the Mets, and back to the Cubs before his career ended after the 2003 season. Mark Guthrie appeared in 243 games for the Twins, going 29-27 with 8 saves, a 4.19 ERA, and a 1.43 WHIP in 489.2 innings. He was never a star, but was usually a fairly dependable reliever. He played in the big leagues for 14 years and was in the post-season five times, including pitching in four games of the 1991 World Series with the Twins. At last report, Mark Guthrie was the General Manager of Florida Burn, which appears to be an organization of high-school age all-star teams.

Shortstop/third baseman Carlos Javier Correa played for the Twins from 2022-2025.  He was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico, went to high school in Gurabo, Puerto Rico, and was drafted by Houston with the first pick of the 2012 draft.  He hit well pretty much throughout the minor leagues and reached the majors to stay (other than rehab assignments) in June of 2015.  He has posted an OPS of over .800 in six of his eight seasons and over .900 in two of them.  He was Rookie of the Year in 2015 and made the all-star team in 2017 and 2021.  He also won a Gold Glove in 2021 and finished fifth in MVP voting that year.  His best season, at least in terms of offense, was probably 2017, when he batted .315. hit twenty-four home runs, and posted his highest OPS at .941.  He remained an Astro through 2021, then became a free agent and signed with the Twins.  He had a solid season in 2022 and opted out of his contract, but when health concerns scared away a couple of teams he came back to the Twins.  Battling plantar fasciitis all season, he had a down year in 2023, although he still played well in the field.  He had an excellent 2024 when he could play, making his third all-star team, but missed substantial time due to injury.  He was having a down year in 2025 when he was traded to Houston for Matt Mikulski at the trade deadline.  Moved to third base, he rebounded as an Astro  He was injured most of 2026, however, playing just thirty-two games. When he first came up, he'd steal a base occasionally, but he's stolen only six bases since 2017 and only one since 2019.  He turns thirty-two today.  As a Twin, he batted .271/.345/.440 in 1692 at-bats.  He is perhaps not the superstar that he's sometimes made out to be, but when healthy he's definitely a fine ballplayer.  The "when healthy" part is the tricky bit, but we wish him well.

Right-handed reliever Calvin Faucher did not play for the Twins, but was in their farm system from 2017-2021.  He was born in Chula Vista, California, attended the University of California-Irvine, and was drafted by Minnesota in the tenth round in 2017.  He pitched very well in Elizabethton that year but struggled after that.  He posted ERAs over four in Class A in 2018 and 2019, did not pitch in 2020, and had an ERA of over seven in AA in 2021 when he was traded to Tampa Bay with Nelson Cruz for Joe Ryan and Drew Strotman.  The Rays apparently saw something the Twins did not, because Faucher immediately started pitching well in AA and AAA for them in 2021.  He was not as good, but still decent in AAA in 2022 and came up to the Rays early in the season.  He had a disastrous outing in May (five runs in one inning) which skews his ERA, but other than that he did okay for them in 2022.  He started 2023 in the majors but pitched poorly, went to the minors, and missed time due to injury.  He was traded to Miami after the season and had a decent year in 2024, a better year in 2025, and another good year in 2026.  He turns thirty-one today.  He started late, but Calvin Faucher is having a solid major league career.

September 21

Tom Brown (1860)

Elmer Smith (1892)

Eldon Auker (1910)

Max Butcher (1910)

Joe Haynes (1917)

John McHale (1921)

Jerry Zimmerman (1934)

Jerry Fosnow (1940)

Sudden Sam McDowell (1942)

Aurelio Lopez (1948)

Danny Cox (1959)

Cecil Fielder (1963)

D. J. Dozier (1965)

Jason Christianson (1969)

Scott Spiezio (1972)

Doug Davis (1975)

Jeremy Jeffress (1987)

Aaron Bummer (1993)

Kyler Fedco (1999)

Joe Haynes played for the Twins franchise while it was in Washington for four years, then coached for three, then was with the team as executive vice-president through 1967, when he passed away from a heart attack.

John McHale was the general manager of the Tigers, the Braves, and the Expos.

Better known for his football career, William Henry “D. J.” Dozier played in 25 games for the New York Mets in 1992.

Catcher Gerald Robert Zimmerman played for the Twins from 1962-1968. He was born in Omaha, went to high school in Milwaukie, Oregon, and was signed as a free agent by the Red Sox in 1952. He spent nine years in the minors before reaching the major leagues. In those nine years, he hit as high as .302 with Class D Corning in 1954, and as low as .179 at AAA in 1959. He never hit with any power, with a high of seven home runs in a season. The Red Sox released him midway through that 1959 season. Zimmerman signed the same day with the Orioles organization, but they released him at the end of the year. In 1960, he was signed by the Reds, and hit .279 with AAA Seattle. The next year, Zimmerman was in Cincinnati. The Reds used five catchers in 1961, and he caught more than anyone with 76 games, although he batted only .206. He also caught in two games of the World Series that year, although he did not bat. Cincinnati apparently decided he was not the answer to their catching problems, and traded him to Minnesota after the 1961 season for Dan Dobbek. Zimmerman then embarked on a substantial career as the Twins’ reserve catcher, mostly backing up Earl Battey. He never hit a lot, but had a reputation as a fine defensive catcher and an excellent handler of pitchers. He was also very popular in the clubhouse. He made it to another World Series with the Twins, in 1965, and again caught in two games, this time getting to bat once (he was 0-for-1). In 1967, Zimmerman became the Twins’ bullpen coach while remaining an active player. That year, however, due to injuries to Battey, Zimmerman caught 104 games, the most he caught in a big league season. He was not up to the task, batting only .167. 1967, of course, was when the Twins came within one game of the World Series; one has to think that an average offensive performance out of the catching position might have made the difference. Zimmerman’s performance apparently told the Twins something; the next year, he got only 45 at-bats backing up Johnny Roseboro. He was released by the Twins in spring training of 1969, and his playing career was over. In seven years with the Twins, he batted .204/.273/.242 in 790 at-bats, hitting 3 home runs and posting an OPS of .514. After retiring as an active player, Zimmerman became a bullpen coach for Gene Mauch, first in Montreal (1969-75) and then with the Twins (1976-80). During an umpires’ strike in 1978, he and another coach, Don Leppert of the Blue Jays, umpired an inning of a major league game, the last two active coaches to do so. In the 1980s, Zimmerman was a scout for the Yankees and the Orioles. Jerry Zimmerman passed away on September 9, 1998, in Neskowin, Oregon.

Left-hander Gerald Eugene Fosnow played for the Twins from 1964-1965. Born and raised in Deshler, Ohio, he was signed by Cleveland as a free agent in 1959. He did reasonably well in his first couple of years in the low minors, but was injured for much of 1961, and found himself in the Twins organization for 1962. The move suited him, as he posted ERAs under 3.00 in his first two years in the Twins’ system. He was converted to relief pitching in 1964, and had an ERA of 3.23 and a WHIP of 0.94 for AAA Atlanta. He was with the Twins part of that season, but pitched poorly in only seven games. Fosnow appeared in 29 games with the Twins in 1965, and gave up well under a hit per inning, but had control trouble and was returned to the minors. The Twins released Fosnow after the 1966 season, and he signed with the Dodgers. He had a very good year pitching in relief for AAA Spokane in 1967, but when that good year did not result in another chance in the majors, Fosnow decided to retire at age 27. He apparently still makes appearances at card shows and baseball alumni events. Jerry Fosnow appeared in 36 major league games, all with the Twins. He pitched 57.1 innings, giving up 46 hits but 33 walks. He was 3-4 with a 5.65 career ERA.  At last report, Jerry Fosnow was living in DeBary, Florida and was the owner of Powerhouse Pressure Cleaning, although he no longer appears to be actively involved in the business.

Outfielder Kyler John Fedco appeared in fourteen games for the Twins in 2026.  He was born in Gibsonia, Pennsylvania, attended the University of Connecticut, and was drafted by Minnesota in the twelfth round in 2021.  He had a tremendous year in his last year in college, batting .398/.485/.673.  He struggled for much of his minor league career, reaching high-A in 2022 but not reaching AA until 2024, and not doing much in AA once he got there.  He suddenly developed power in 2025, hitting twenty-eight home runs between AA and AAA and batting a combined .258 with an OPS of .855.  He had another very good year in AAA in 2026, batting .274 with an OPS of .907.  He was promoted to the major for about three weeks in mid-June but wasn't really given much of a chance--he appeared in fourteen games but got just sixteen at-bats.  He went 0-for-16, but again, given his sporadic play, that really doesn't mean anything.  It was enough for the Twins, however, and they released him on September 1.  He signed with Pittsburgh, but has been injured and hasn't played for them.  He turns twenty-seven today, so he's not a kid.  But he's had two very good years in AAA, and sixteen at-bats spread over three weeks isn't enough to say he can't play.  We hope he'll get the chance in Pittsburgh that he didn't get in Minnesota.

September 20

Chuck Dressen (1894)

Zeke Bonura (1908)

Tom Tresh (1938)

Rich Morales (1943)

Roric Harrison (1946)

Pete Hamm (1947)

Mickey Klutts (1954)

Dave Gallagher (1960)

Pat Bangtson (1964)

Jason Bay (1978)

Ian Desmond (1985)

A. J. Ramos (1986)

Steve Lombardozzi (1988)

Ken Giles (1990)

Jeffrey Springs (1992)

This is the only date on which there are only two players to have been in the big leagues for ten seasons.  When we started doing this all those years ago, there were none.

Pat Bangtson was drafted by the Twins in 1987 and was in their system through 1991, reaching as high as AAA. He then worked as an assistant coach at Ohio State from 1992-2005, when he became the head coach at the University of Akron through 2011.

Right-hander Roric Edward Harrison appeared in nine games for the Twins in 1978. He was born in Los Angeles, went to high school in Westchester, California, and was signed by the Houston Astros as a free agent in 1965. He appears to have battled both injuries and ineffectiveness, as well as wildness, in the minors. In 1969, he was traded to the Seattle Pilots in a trade that involved Jim Bouton, and was traded to Baltimore just before the 1971 season. Something clicked with Harrison in 1971, as he suddenly went 15-5 with a 2.81 ERA and 1.14 WHIP for AAA Rochester. He was a very effective relief pitcher for the Orioles in 1972, but was traded to Atlanta after the season in a multi-player deal that included Pat Dobson, Davey Johnson, Johnny Oates, and Earl Williams. Converted to starting, he was much less effective for the Braves, posting ERAs mostly in the mid-to-upper fours. Still, Harrison stayed in the majors with Atlanta through June of 1975, when he was traded to Cleveland for Blue Moon Odom. Placed in the Indians rotation, he continued to be fairly mediocre, and was on the move again after the season, traded to St. Louis. Harrison was in the Cardinals, Tigers, and Pirates organizations during the next couple of years, and was eventually signed by the Twins as a free agent in late April of 1978. He was fairly mediocre in AAA Toledo, too, but still made nine relief appearances for the Twins, giving up 18 hits and 10 runs in 12 innings for an ERA of 7.50 and a WHIP of 2.42. His career came to an end after that season. Roric Harrison was the last American League pitcher to hit a home run in a regular season game prior to the designated hitter rule. He was named after the first king of Ireland. In 2001, Roric Harrison was inducted into the Rochester Red Wings Hall of Fame. At last report, Roric Harrison was the vice president for business development for Lexicon Relocation in Irvine, California.

Right-hander Peter Whitfield Hamm was with the Twins from 1970-1971. He was born in Buffalo, went to high school in Soquel, California, and was chosen by the Twins in the ninth round of the secondary phase of the 1967 draft out of Stanford. His minor league numbers look good, but it took him three years to get out of Class A. Hamm had a very good 1970 split between AA and AAA, and was briefly promoted to the Twins that year. He appeared in 10 games as a 22-year-old, going 0-2 with a 5.51 ERA. Hamm had another fine year at AAA Portland in 1971, giving up about a hit per inning with excellent control. He appeared in 13 games for the Twins that year, 8 of them starts, but did not do well, going 2-4 with a 6.75 ERA. Still, he was only 23, and after a year and a half of good pitching at AAA would seem to have been a promising young pitcher. Apparently, however, nobody who mattered thought so. The Twins sold Hamm to the White Sox in February of 1972. He never pitched for them, and instead 1973 found him pitching for Trois Rivieres, the AA affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. Hamm dominated at that level, winning 17 games with a 2.30 ERA and a 0.98 WHIP, but it was his last year in organized baseball. No information is readily available regarding why he did not get more of a chance, why his career came to an abrupt end, or what he might be doing now.

September 19

Yank Robinson (1859)

Stuffy McInnis (1890)

Roger Angell (1920)

Epitacio Torres (1921)

Bob Murphy (1924)

Duke Snider (1926)

Bob Turley (1930)

Bill Williams (1930)

Chris Short (1937)

Joe Morgan (1943)

Joe Ferguson (1946)

Masaji Hiramatsu (1947)

Joe Maddon (1954)

Charlie Reliford (1955)

Randy Myers (1962)

Jim Abbott (1967)

Pedro Munoz (1968)

Javier Valentin (1975)

Mike Smith (1977)

Nick Johnson (1978)

Scott Baker (1981)

Danny Valencia (1984)

Gio Gonzalez (1985)

George Springer (1989)

Luke Raley (1994)

Roger Angell wrote several books and essays on baseball.  He is the stepson of author and essayist E. B. White, who was the co-author of "The Elements of Style".

Outfielder Epitacio Torres was a star in the Negro Leagues and the Mexican League in the 1940s and 1950s.  He is a member of the Mexican League Hall of Fame.  Whitey Ford once described him as "the best player I've seen in my career."  He is also the father of major leaguer Hector Torres.

Bob Murphy was a baseball broadcaster from 1954-2003, spending most of that time broadcasting for the New York Mets.

Bill Williams was a National League umpire from 1963-1987.

Masaji Hiramatsu won over two hundred games in Japan, pitching for the Taiyo Whales.

Joe Maddon was interim manger of the Angels in 1996 and 1999, managed Tampa Bay from 2006-14, was the manager of the Chicago Cubs from 2015-2019, and managed the Angels from 2020-2022.

Charlie Reliford was a major league umpire from 1989-2009 and is currently a supervisor of umpires.

George Springer was drafted by Minnesota in the 48th round in 2008, but did not sign.

Outfielder Pedro Javier (Gonzalez) Munoz played for the Twins from 1990-1995. He was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico and was signed by the Blue Jays as a free agent in 1985. His first few years in the minors were not particularly distinguished, but he began to develop some power in 1989, hitting 19 homers for AA Knoxville. The next year, his average came around, as he hit .319 in AAA. That AAA year (1990) was split between Syracuse and Portland, as Munoz was traded to the Twins in July along with Nelson Liriano for John Candelaria. He got a September call-up that year and played quite a bit in September, batting .271 in 90 at-bats. Munoz was back in the minors at the start of 1991, but after batting .316 in Portland he came up to the Twins in early May and was in the majors to stay. By 1992, Munoz was a semi-regular in the corner outfield. He played there for the next four seasons, hitting well in every season except 1994, when he was bothered by injuries. Not a particularly good defensive outfielder, he was still occasionally used as a defensive replacement due to the fact that the other Twins corner outfielders included Randy Bush and Gene Larkin. Munoz was allowed to become a free agent after the 1995 season and signed with Oakland, but he was injured most of the season, and his career came to a close after the 1996 campaign. In just over six years for the Twins, Munoz batted .273/.315/.444 with 67 homers and 252 RBIs. No information about what Pedro Munoz has done since his playing career ended was readily available.

The brother of Jose Valentin, catcher Jose Javier (Rosario) Valentin played for the Twins from 1997-1999 and again in 2002. Born and raised in Manati, Puerto Rico, he was drafted in the third round of the 1993 draft by the Twins.  His father, also named Javier Valentin, has coached several Puerto Rican teams to the Junior League World Series. He never hit all that much in the minors with the exception of 1995, when Valentin batted .321 with 19 homers for Class A Fort Wayne. Even so, he was given a brief call-up in 1997 and had two full seasons in the majors in 1998 and 1999 backing up Terry Steinbach. Valentin was injured for much of 2000, and when healthy played at AAA Salt Lake, where he hit .357 in 140 at-bats. He remained at AAA in 2001 and 2002, hitting a total of 38 home runs for Edmonton in those years. He got four more at-bats with the Twins in 2002, but was traded twice during the off-season. First, the Twins traded him to Milwaukee with Matt Kinney for Gerry Oakes and Matt Yeatman; then, before the season started, the Brewers sent him to Tampa Bay. Valentin was only in Tampa for the 2003 season, and then moved on to Cincinnati, where he spent five years as a part-time catcher. He became a free agent after that, and signed with Washington. Let go by the Nationals, he was picked up by the Mets and played part of 2009 at AAA Buffalo, but was released on June 22, ending his playing career. Javier Valentin played in the big leagues for eight full years and parts of two others, and that’s not too bad. As a Twin, Valentin hit .230/.288/.350 with 8 homers and 46 RBIs in 391 at-bats. His nephew, Jesmuel Valentin, was an infielder in the Philadelphia organization, reaching AAA in 2016.  Javier Valentin became a minor league coach for the Twins in 2015 and was the batting coach for Rochester in 2019, but was not retained in that position for 2020.  In July of 2026 he became the manager of Oaxaca in the Mexican League.

Right-hander Michael Anthony Smith pitched three innings for the Twins in 2006. He was born in Norwood, Massachusetts, went to high school in Needham, Massachusetts, and was drafted by the Blue Jays in the fifth round of the 2000 draft out of the University of Richmond. He moved through the minors quickly, pitching well at every stop, and made his big-league debut with Toronto in April of 2002. Things did not go well, and after 14 games (6 starts) he was returned to AAA Syracuse. He had a good year there in 2002, but struggled for a couple of years after that. Released by the Blue Jays in spring training of 2005, he signed with the Phillies, but continued to struggle at AA Reading, and was released again after the season. He signed a minor-league contract with the Twins and pitched well enough in Rochester that he was asked to make one start with the big club. He lasted three innings, giving up four runs on five hits and three walks, and was back in Rochester again. The Twins released Smith after the season. He was in the Cardinals organization in 2007 and signed with the Cubs for 2008, but was released before the season started. Smith pitched in both independent leagues in 2008-2009, and also pitched in Taiwan in 2009. He pitched for the Broxton Rox of the Can-Am league in 2010, leading the league in wins and ERA and making the all-star team.  He had another fine season for the Rox in 2011 while also acting as the team’s pitching coach.  In 2012, he signed with Grosseto in the Italian Baseball League as a player/coach, making fourteen starts for them.  His playing career ended after that season.  At last report, Mike Smith was the Northeast Finance Manager for GDI Integrated Facility Services and was living in the Boston area.

Right-hander Timothy Scott Baker was with the Twins from 2005-2012. Born and raised in Shreveport, Louisiana, he was drafted by the Twins out of Oklahoma State in the second round in 2003. He was promoted rapidly through the Twins organization, and pitched very well at every stop with the exception of a short stint at AAA Rochester in 2004. He redeemed himself there in 2005, however, and made his big-league debut with the Twins in May of 2005 after only about 250 minor-league innings. He did well in 53 major league innings that year, but went backward in 2006, with an ERA over 6 in 16 starts. He pitched very well again in Rochester, however, and after 6 more minor-league starts in 2007 he returned to the majors to stay. Baker was solid in 2007 and pitched fairly well for the rest of his tenure with the Twins, despite a tendency to give up the long ball. His best season was 2008, when he went 11-4, 3.45 with a WHIP of 1.19. That season, Scott Baker became the first Twins’ pitcher to strike out four batters in an inning. He battled injuries in 2010 and 2011 and missed all of 2012 with an elbow injury.  A free agent after the season, he signed with the Cubs.  He missed most of the 2013 season as well, coming back to the Cubs in September.  A free agent again, he signed with Seattle, was released, was signed by Texas, was released again, but signed back with Texas a couple of days later.  He started the season in the bullpen but was recently placed in the starting rotation.  It didn't gone well for him.  He signed with the Yankees for 2015, we released in late March, and signed with the Dodgers.  He made two starts for them early in the season, one of which was fairly good and one of which wasn't.  He did pitch pretty well in AAA, but his playing career came to an end after the 2015 season.  He was a very effective pitcher when healthy, but unfortunately he couldn't stay healthy.  He is a member of the Oklahoma State Baseball Hall of Fame.  At last report, Scott Baker was working with Baseball Chapel in Minneapolis.

Corner infielder/outfielder Daniel Paul Valencia played for the Twins from 2010-2012. He was born in Miami and was drafted by Minnesota in the nineteenth round in 2006. He hit very well in the minors, averaging nearly .300 with double digit home runs. His best minor league season was 2008, when he hit .311 with 15 homers in a season split between Ft. Myers and New Britain. He struck out a lot early in his minor league career, but seems to have made progress in that area in recent years. He was hitting .292 in Rochester in 2010 when he was brought up due to injuries to infielders at the major league level. He became the regular third baseman in mid-July and held the job the rest of the season, hitting .311. No one expected him to do that his whole career, and he sure didn’t.  In 2011 he slumped to .246, and he was hitting .190  in May of 2012 when he was sent to the minors.  He came back up briefly at the end of July, but was traded in early August to Boston for Jeremias Pineda.  He played in a few games with the Red Sox in 2012, but was mostly in the minors.  He was sold to Baltimore after the 2012 season.  Splitting the season between AAA and the majors, he actually did very well for the Orioles, hitting .304 with eight home runs.  In the off-season, however, he was traded to Kansas City.  He was a part-time player for the Royals until late July, when he was traded to Toronto for ex-Twin Liam Hendriks and Erik Kratz.  He stayed with the Blue Jays until early August of 2015, when he was claimed off waivers by Oakland.  He stayed with the Athletics in 2016 and was an almost-regular utility player, seeing time at first, third, and the outfield.  He was a solid player for them, posting an OPS of nearly .800.  He was traded to Seattle after the 2016 season and became their regular first baseman.  His numbers were decent, but not really good enough for a first baseman.  A free agent, he signed with Baltimore for 2018 but was released him in mid-August.  He did not sign anywhere, and instead played for Team Israel.  He played for them in the European Baseball Championships, in the Africa/Europe 2020 Olympic Qualification Tournament, in the 2020 Olympics played in 2021, and in the 2023 World Baseball Classic.  He also played briefly for Long Island in the Atlantic League in 2021.  He turns thirty-nine today.  At last report, Danny Valencia was a real estate agent with Lang Realty in Delray Beach, Florida.

Outfielder Lucas John Raley did not play for the Twins, but was in their farm system in 2018 and 2019.  He was born in Hinckley, Ohio, attended Lake Erie College in Painesville, Ohio (one of two big leaguers the school has produced (Ryan Rua)), and was drafted by the Dodgers in the seventh round in 2016.  He hit well in the low minors and was still hitting well in AA in 2018 when he was traded to Minnesota with Logan Forsythe and Devin Smeltzer at the July deadline for Brian Dozier.  He continued to hit well in AA and had an excellent season in AAA in 2019, although he missed time due to injury.  In February of 2020 he was traded back to the Dodgers with Brusdar Graterol for Kenta Maeda, Jair Camargo, and cash.  He did not play in 2020, but started 2021 as a starting outfielder for the Dodgers.  That did not last long, though, as he didn't hit, fell to bench status, and then was sent back to AAA.  He has had a fine season there, but was traded to Tampa Bay for 2022.  He again had a fine year in AAA, but failed to hit in about six weeks for the Rays.  At that time, we wrote, "if he's going to have a major league career he needs to take advantage of his next chance.  If he doesn't, he may not get another one."   Well, the Rays gave him another chance in 2023, and he took advantage of it.  He was a mostly-regular at various positions, playing outfield, first base, and DH, and batted .249 with an OPS of .824.  He was traded to Seattle that off-season and has put up solid numbers in 2024.  He struggled in 2025, however, batting just .202 and briefly being sent back to AAA.  He has bounced back somewhat in 2026, but is not close to his 2023 numbers.  He turns thirty-two today.  He offers some position flexibility as a corner outfielder and a first baseman, but he's going to have to get it going with the bat if he's going to continue his major league career much longer.

September 18

This is a reprint from last year.

Heinie Groh (1889)

George Uhle (1898)

Sam Bankhead (1910)

Harvey Haddix (1925)

Lorn Brown (1938)

Dick Dietz (1941)

Ken Brett (1948)

Tony Scott (1951)

Ray Smith (1955)

Ryne Sandberg (1959)

Jeff Bronkey (1965)

Kevin Thompson (1979)

Joe Bisenius (1982)

Taylor Motter (1989)

Juan Minaya (1990)

Beau Burrows (1996)

Marcos Diplan (1996)

Lorn Brown was a baseball broadcaster from 1966-1988, calling games for the Chicago White Sox, the Milwaukee Brewers, and the New York Mets.

Kevin Thompson was drafted by Minnesota in the eighteenth round in 1998, but did not sign.

Joe Bisenius pitched briefly for Philadelphia and Washington.  He is from Sioux City and was somewhat of a local hero when I lived in that area.

Destined to be remembered as “George Brett’s brother”, left-hander Kenneth Alven Brett had a long career of his own. He was born in Brooklyn, went to high school in El Segundo, California, and was drafted by Boston with the fourth pick in the 1966 draft. After a slow start at Class A Oneonta that year, when he was only 17, Brett did very well in the minors, and came through the Red Sox’ system quickly. He made one appearance for Boston in 1967, who thought highly enough of him to include him on their World Series roster at age 18. He made the big leagues to stay in 1969. Used mostly in relief by the Red Sox, Brett did not do all that well. After the 1971 season, he was traded to Milwaukee in a multi-player deal that included Jim Lonborg, George Scott, and Tommy Harper. He pitched only one year for the Brewers before being traded again, this time to Philadelphia in a multi-player trade that included Lonborg (again), Don Money, and John Vukovich. He had his first good year in the majors with Philadelphia in 1973, winning 13 games with a 3.44 ERA. After the season, though, he was on the move again, traded to Pittsburgh for Dave Cash. Brett put in two solid seasons for the Pirates, but packed his suitcase again after the season. He was traded to the Yankees in December of 1975, to the White Sox in May of 1976, and to California in June of 1977. He consistently had an ERA in the mid-to-low threes most of those years, but in 1977 it ballooned to 4.5, and when he was no better in 1978, he was released. The Twins signed Brett in late April of 1979, and he spent just over a month with them before being released again on June 4. He appeared in nine games for the Twins (12.2 innings), getting no decisions and compiling an ERA of 4.97. Brett was signed by the Dodgers a week later and did well the rest of the year, but was released again after the season. It appeared that his career might be over, but in August of 1980, he signed with the Royals. He remained with the Royals in 1981, but that was his last year as an active player. He played parts of 14 big-league seasons and three postseasons. He was also an excellent batter, posting a line of .262/.291/.406 in 347 major league at-bats and batting over .300 in three seasons. After his playing career ended, he was involved with his brothers in the ownership of various minor league baseball and hockey teams. Ken Brett passed away on November 18, 2003 after a lengthy battle with brain cancer.

Catcher Raymond Edward Smith played for the Twins in parts of seasons from 1981 to 1983. He was born in Glendale, California, went to high school in San Diego, was signed by the Twins as a free agent in 1977 after attending the University of Oregon. He hit well at the low levels of the minors, but not as well at the higher levels, although he was not terrible there. He made the Twins out of spring training in 1981 as a reserve catcher, but played only 15 games before getting injured and missing the remainder of the season. Smith was back in the minors in 1982, although he did get a brief callup. 1983 was his only full season in the big leagues, as he appeared in 59 games with the Twins. He was back in the minors in 1984, and was traded after the season to San Diego for Floyd Chiffer. He batted .325 for AAA Las Vegas in 1985, but it wasn’t enough for the Padres, and they released him after the season. He signed with Oakland in 1986, but played only 15 games for AAA Tacoma before calling it a career. As a Twin, Smith hit .219/.259/.270 with 1 homer and 10 RBIs in 231 at-bats. After retiring as a player, Ray Smith became a minor league manager and was the very successful long-time manager of the Elizabethton Twins until that team was exterminated by major league baseball.  At last report, Ray Smith was an assistant athletic director for facilities and compliance at Milligan University in Elizabethton.

The only major league player born in Kabul, Afghanistan, right-hander Jacob Jeffery Bronkey went to high school in Klamath Falls, Oregon and was drafted by the Twins in the second round in 1986 out of Oklahoma State. He was in the Twins’ minor-league system for four years, but really only had one good season, in 1988 at Class A Visalia. The Twins released him after the 1989 season, and he signed with Texas. He was no better in their minor-league system until suddenly he was: out of nowhere, he posted a 2.68 ERA for AAA Oklahoma City in 1993, with a WHIP of 0.97. It was only 37 innings, but it was enough for the Rangers to call him up and use him in 21 games that year. After the season, Texas traded him to Milwaukee, for whom he pitched in 1994, his only full season in the majors. Bronkey pitched eight more games for the Brewers in 1995, but was injured and never was able to come back. In the majors, Bronkey was 2-2 with a 4.04 ERA in 69 innings. Jeff Bronkey now lives in Edmond, Oklahoma, where he is a pitching instructor for Oklahoma Fuel Athletics, a sports training facility.  His daughter, Sierra, played softball for the University of Arkansas.

Infielder/outfielder Taylor Davis Motter appeared in nine games for the Twins in 2018.  He was born in West Palm Beach, Florida, went to high school in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, attended Coastal Carolina University, and was drafted in the seventeenth round in 2011.  He played a variety of positions throughout his minor league career, which helped him continue to advance through the system.  He had a fine year for AAA Durham in 2015, batting .292 with an OPS of .837.  He was with the Rays for about six weeks in 2016, but only batted .188 and was in AAA the rest of the season, where he didn't hit much, either.  He was traded to Seattle after that season and was in the majors for all but about a month.  He was a semi-regular much of that time, starting about half the team's games at six different positions.  He batted just .198, however.  Despite that, he started 2018 with the Mariners as well, but was sent to AAA after two weeks.  He was waived in late May, claimed by Minnesota, and for no particular reason was brought to the majors for two weeks.  He went 1-for-19 with two walks, giving him a line of .053/.143/.053.  His one hit puts him ahead of Corky Miller on the Twins all-time list, but that's about it.  The Twins released him in late August, and to no one's surprise he was not picked up by anyone.   He was signed by Detroit for 2019, but was released after going 4-for-27 in AA.  Oakland picked him up and also sent him to AA, where he did a little better, but not that much.  He finished out the season with New Britain in the Atlantic League.  He played briefly in Korea in 2020, but didn't hit anything there, either.  He signed with Colorado for 2021, had a good year in AAA, came up to the majors in mid-August, was waived in early September, and was claimed by Boston, for whom he played in three games before being sent to AAA.  He signed with Cincinnati in late April 2022, went to AAA, got two more games in the majors, and was released in mid-July.  He signed with Atlanta about ten days later and was in AAA with them.  A year ago, we wrote "He'll probably get a spring training invitation in 2023, but there's no reason Taylor Motter should ever play in the major leagues again."  We maintain we were right on both counts.  He signed with the Cardinals for 2023, was inexplicably in the majors for about two months, and batted .171/.232/.211.  He was a free agent after the season and played in the Mexican League and the Atlantic League in 2024, batting well in both places.  We don't mean to be too harsh--he's probably a really nice guy.  He'd almost have to be to have gotten so many chances--but his major league numbers are .188/.258/.294 in 528 at-bats.  His playing career came to an end after 2024, and at last report he was working with Players Edge Consulting in Leesburg, Virginia.

Right-handed reliever Juan Gustavo Minaya played for the Twins in 2021 and 2022.  He was born in Maimon, Dominican Republic and signed with Houston as a free agent in 2008.  He didn't do much in his early minor league years, but the Astros stuck with him, and he finally broke through with a good season in AA in 2015.  He did fairly well, but nothing to shout about, in AAA in 2016 and was waived in late June, claimed by the White Sox.  For the next four seasons he bounced back-and-forth between AAA and Chicago, going 6-4, 3.93, 1.43 WHIP in 125 games (128.1 innings).  He struck out a lot of people and kept the ball in the ball park, but he also walked quite a few people.  He was a free agent after the 2019 season and signed with Minnesota for 2020.  He did not play that year, but started 2021 in AAA.  He did okay, but again nothing special, in AAA, but was called up for about a week at the end of May and came up to stay in mid-July.  He did better than one would expect--still walking too many, but also striking out a bunch and not giving up that many hits. He could not replicate that in 2022--he had a poor year in AAA, did not get much accomplished in six games in the majors, and was released in early September.  He signed with Washington and finished the season in AAA there. He signed with Pittsburgh for 2023 and did well in AA, but not very well in AAA.  He became a free agent after the season and went unsigned, so his playing career is presumably over.  As a Twin, he was 3-1, 3.08, 1.37 WHIP in 49.2 innings (35 games).  No information about what Juan Minaya is doing now was readily available, but he's posting on Instagram, so we assume he is alive and well.

Right-hander Beau Ray Burrows appeared in five games for the Twins in 2021.  He was born in Fort Worth, went to high school in Weatherford, Texas, and was drafted by Detroit in the first round in 2015.  He pitched well in the low minors, did okay in AA, but that's about as good as it's gotten for him.  He posted a 5.51 ERA and a 1.53 WHIP in AAA in 2019.  There was, of course, no minor league season in 2020, but he made five appearances in the majors going 0-0, 5.40 in 6.2 innings for the Tigers.  He started 2021 in AAA for Detroit, continued to pitch poorly, and was waived and claimed by Minnesota.  He has continued to pitch poorly in AAA for them, going 2-4, 5.59.  Despite that, he was allowed to pitch 5.1 innings for the Twins in 2021, going 0-1, 12.54, 2.36 WHIP.  His major league numbers, thus, are 0-1, 10.70, 1.98 WHIP.  He signed with the Dodgers in 2022 and had a poor year in AAA.  He signed with Atlanta for 2023 and again had a poor year in AAA.  The Twins signed him again in 2024 but released him in spring training.  He signed with Philadelphia, pitched poorly in AAA, was released in early June, and finished the season in the American Association, where he did not pitch well, either.  He began 2025 in the Mexican League, signed with Pittsburgh in early May, and did very well in AA but not well in AAA.  His career AAA numbers are 18-24, 6.07, 1.59 WHIP in 336.1 innings.  He turns twenty-nine today.  There's obviously something teams like about him, but until he shows signs that he can actually get the job done, there's no reason for Beau Burrows to be pitching in the majors.

Right-hander Marcos Antonio Diplan did not play for the Twins, but was in AA for them for about six weeks in 2019.  He was born in Santiago, Dominican Republic, and signed as a free agent with Texas in 2013.  He struck out a lot of guys, but also walked a lot of guys, and other than strikeout totals didn't really show much through 2019.  Texas traded him to Milwaukee before the 2015 season, and the Brewers sold him to Minnesota at the July deadline in 2019.  The Twins sent him to AA, where he went 0-1, 4.09, 1.55 WHIP with 10 strikeouts and seven walks in eleven innings.  The Twins waived him in mid-September and he was claimed by Detroit.  He never played for the Tigers, though, as he was waived again in early December and claimed by Baltimore.  He was in AAA most of the season and was not terrible, but not anything great, either.  Still, the Orioles called him up in early August and put him in the bullpen.  He actually did better than one would expect, going 1-0, 4.98, 1.25 WHIP in eighteen games.  He spent most of 2022 in AAA, appearing in five games in the majors.  The Orioles released him in early August.  He pitched briefly and poorly in Mexico in 2023, and that brought his playing career to an end.  He clearly had some talent, and if he could have just learned to throw strikes he might have been a good pitcher.  Of course, there have been many pitchers of whom that could be said.  No information about what Marcos Diplan might be doing now was readily available.

September 17

This is a reprint from last year.

Ezra Sutton (1850)

Willie Sudhoff (1874)

Frank Schulte (1882)

Sheriff Blake (1899)

Hughie Critz (1900)

Sam Streeter (1900)

Paul Hardy (1910)

Chase Riddle (1925)

Orlando Cepeda (1937)

Bobby Wine (1938)

Thad Bosley (1956)

John Franco (1960)

Dan Haren (1980)

Casey Crosby (1988)

Marcus Semien (1990)

Zack Granite (1992)

Jose Ramirez (1992)

James Marvel (1993)

Jordan Balazovic (1998)

Chase Riddle played in the minors from 1943-1962, managed in the minors from 1951-1962, was a scout from 1963-1978, and was the baseball coach at Troy State University from 1979-1990.

James Marvel was drafted by Minnesota in the thirty-seventh round in 2012, but did not sign.

Left-hander Casey William Crosby did not play for the Twins, but was in their minor league system in 2018.  Born and raised in Maple Park, Illinois, he was drafted by Detroit in the fifth round in 2007.  He pitched well in the low minors for two seasons, but missed almost all of the 2010 season due to injury.  He had a middling year in AA in 2011 but attracted attention after an excellent Arizona Fall League campaign after that season.  He was not particularly good in AAA in 2012, either, but made three starts in the majors anyway.  He went 1-1, but with a 9.49 ERA and a 2.11 WHIP.  Those turned out to be his career major league numbers.  He was in AAA Toledo through 2014, putting up worse numbers each season, and was finally released after that 2014 season.  He signed with Boston for 2015 but was released in March and it appeared that his playing career was over.  He came back to play for Lincoln in the independent American Association in 2017 and did very well in sixteen relief appearances.  That was enough for the Twins to sign him for 2018.  He again had injury problems, appearing in just sixteen games among the GCL, AA, and AAA.  He posted a combined 2.95 ERA, but with a 1.73 WHIP.  He was a free agent after the season and returned to independent ball, playing for Chicago in the American Association and for Lancaster in the Atlantic League,  He had done well in the Association through 2019, but struggled in 2020 and his playing career came to an end.  One has to say, though, that he got as much out of it as he could.  At last report Casey Crosby was a controller at Murray Commercial in the Chicago area.

Outfielder Zachary Thomas Granite played about half the season the Twins in 2017.  Born and raised on Staten Island, he went to Seton Hall and was drafted by Minnesota in the fourteenth round in 2013.  He was in Elizabethton in 2013 and Cedar Rapids in 2014, batting in the .280s but not drawing many walks and not showing much power.  He got off to an outstanding start in Cedar Rapids in 2015, batting .358 in 67 at-bats, and was promoted to Fort Myers.  He hit his first home run there and started drawing some walks, but otherwise didn't do much the rest of the season.  He did substantially better in Chattanooga in 2016, batting .295 with an OBP of .347 and 56 stolen bases.  He was even better in Rochester in 2017, batting .338 with an OBP of .392, and was promoted to Minnesota in early July.  His numbers with the Twins were .237/.321/.290 in 93 at-bats.  Unfortunately, 2018 was a lost year for him.  He battled injuries and batted poorly in AAA when he did play, hitting just .211 with an OPS of .527.  The Twins traded him to Texas in March of 2019 for Xavier Moore.  He batted .290 in AAA, but with an OPS of just .706.  He signed with the Yankees for 2020 but did not play.  He signed with the White Sox for 2021, did not have a very good year in AA, and retired in mid-July.  He has a great name and it would have been nice if things had gone differently, but they didn't.  At last report Zack Granite operated Zack Granite Baseball, which offers private baseball instruction in Middletown, New Jersey.

Right-handed reliever Jordan Balazovic appeared in eighteen games for the Twins in 2023.  He was born in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, and was drafted by the Twins in the fifth round in 2016.  He was a starter early in his career and pitched well in that role in the low minors, with the exception of a poor 2017 in the Gulf Coast League.  He missed the COVID year of 2020 but came back to have a fine year in AA in 2021.  He looked like he was on his way, but he had a disastrous 2022 in St. Paul.  Switched to the bullpen in 2023, he was better, but still not particularly good, in St. Paul.  Despite that, the Twins brought him up in mid-June and he stayed in the majors for two months.  He started very well, posting a 1.29 ERA (although with a 4.55 FIP) through eleven appearances.  After seven more appearances, however, his ERA was 4.44, his FIP was 6.01, and he was back in St. Paul.  He started 2024 in St. Paul, but pitched poorly and was released in early July.  He then went to Korea and had a decent year for the Doosan Bears, which is cool.  He signed with Detroit for 2025 and has spent the year in AAA, where he has been okay but nothing special.  He turns twenty-seven today.  He can probably pitch somewhere in 2026 if he wants to, but if he's going to have a substantial major league career he's going to have to kick it into gear soon.

September 16

Mack Eggleston (1896)

Heinie Mueller (1899)

Larry Brown (1901)

Hillbilly Bildilli (1912)

Gary Ross (1947)

Robin Yount (1955)

Orel Hershiser (1958)

Tim Raines (1959)

Mickey Tettleton (1960)

Mel Hall (1960)

Mark Parent (1961)

Chris Pittaro (1961)

Paul Shuey (1970)

Desi Relaford (1973)

Bobby Korecky (1979)

Brandon Moss (1983)

Gordon Beckham (1986)

Robbie Grossman (1989)

Jakob Junis (1992)

Infielder Christopher Francis Pittaro played in twenty-five games for the Twins from 1986-1987. Born and raised in Trenton, New Jersey was drafted out of the University of North Carolina by the Tigers in the sixth round in 1982. He had a couple of solid, but certainly not eye-popping, years in the minors, but after a hot spring training in 1985 he was proclaimed the Next Big Thing by Sparky Anderson. He wasn’t. Pittaro batted .242 with an OPS of .621 in 28 games for the Tigers in 1985 and had an awful year in AAA Nashville, hitting .194. It seems likely that he could not handle the pressure placed on him, although it also seems likely that he was really never all that good in the first place. In January of 1986, Pittaro was traded to the Twins with Alejandro Sanchez for Dave Engle. He spent three years at AAA for the Twins, posting decent but unspectacular numbers. Pittaro appeared briefly for the Twins in 1986 and 1987, playing in 25 games but getting only 33 at-bats. In those at-bats, he hit .182/.206/.182 with no extra-base hits and no RBIs. After his playing career ended in 1988, Pittaro became a minor-league coach and manager, was the director of professional scouting for the Oakland Athletics, and at last report was a special assistant to the general manager for Oakland, living in Hamilton, New Jersey.  He is a member of the Professional Baseball Scouts Hall of Fame. His father, Francis “Sonny” Pittaro, was an infielder in the Washington/Minnesota organization from 1960-1962, reaching as high as Class B.

Right-hander Robert John Korecky appeared in sixteen games for the Twins in 2008. He was born in Hillside, New Jersey, went to high school in Saline, Michigan, and was chosen in the 19th round of the 2002 draft by Philadelphia out of the University of Michigan. He had a couple of good years in the low minors for the Phillies, becoming a full-time reliever in 2003. After that season, Korecky became the player to be named later in the trade that also sent Nick Punto and Carlos Silva to the Twins for Eric Milton. He continued to post good numbers in the minors with the exception of 2005, when he had Tommy John surgery and missed almost the entire season. Korecky appeared in 16 games for the Twins in 2008, notching a 2-0 record and a 4.58 ERA with a 1.53 WHIP in 17.2 innings. He was placed on waivers in February of 2009 and was selected by the Arizona Diamondbacks. He spent most of the 2009 season at AAA Reno, although he did appear in five games for Arizona. A free agent after the season, he signed with the Angels for 2010, but did not make the team and instead played for the Winnipeg Goldeyes in the Northern League.  He signed with Toronto in 2011 and had two fine years in the minors for them, but did not get another chance in the majors.  He had a down year in 2013 in AAA for the Blue Jays, but bounced back to pitch extremely well there in 2014 and even appeared in two more major league games.  He was again in the Blue Jays' organization in 2015, but while his ERA was all right the rest of his numbers really weren't.  He was worse in AAA for the Blue Jays in 2016, and his playing career came to an end.  A fine batter in high school, Bobby Korecky holds the Michigan High School record for most hits in a season and was the first pitcher to get a hit in an American League game since the designated hitter rule was implemented in 1972. No information about what Bobby Korecky has been doing since 2016 was readily available.

Outfielder Robert Edward Grossman played for the Twins from 2016-2018.  He was born in San Diego, attended high school in Cypress, Texas, and was drafted by Pittsburgh in the sixth round in 2008.  He attracted attention in 2011 when he followed up a fine campaign with Class A Bradenton with an outstanding stint in the Arizona Fall League.  He was in AA in 2012 when he was traded to Houston at mid-season.  His 2013 season was split between AAA and the Astros, for whom he was okay but nothing special.  He was a starting outfielder for Houston for most of 2014 and drew quite a few walks, but really didn't do much else:  his line was .237/.333/.337.  He got off to a slow start as a reserve in 2015 and was sent back to AAA, where he spent most of the season.  The Astros gave up on him after that and he signed with Cleveland for 2016.  He was doing well for them in AAA, but they still released him in mid-May.  The Twins signed him the same day and quickly brought him to Minnesota, where he remained through the 2018 season.  He had a fine season for them offensively in 2016, batting .280/.386/.443.  He did not do as well after that, but he was still a fairly decent offensive player.  As a Twin, he batted .266/.371/.400 in 1310 plate appearances.  A free agent after the 2018 season, he signed with Oakland, for whom he was the mostly-regular left fielder.  He had a down year in 2019 but bounced back in 2020.  He was a free agent after the season and signed with Detroit, where he had a solid season as a regular corner outfielder.  He slumped in 2022, however, and was traded to Atlanta in early August.  He was a regular corner outfielder for them, too, but did not produce as they had hoped.  He signed with Texas for 2023 and bounced back to have a decent season as a mostly-regular.  He signed with the White Sox for 2024, was traded back to Texas in early May, was waived at the end of August and claimed by Kansas City.  He finished the season there, then his playing career came to an end.  It was a pretty solid career, though.  We thought he'd probably stay in baseball in some way, but if he has we didn't find it.  Thus, no information about what Robbie Grossman is doing now was readily available.