July 10

Jimmy McAleer (1864)
Bobby Lowe (1865)
John Heydler (1869)
Dick Lundy (1898)
Wayne Blackburn (1914)
Paul Pryor (1927)
Gene Alley (1940)
Hal McRae (1945)
Bob Bailor (1951)
Andre Dawson (1954)
Buddy Groom (1965)
Lee Stevens (1967)
Marty Cordova (1969)
ByungHo Park (1986)
Ryan Wheeler (1988)
Scott Alexander (1989)
Will Smith (1989)
Jonny Deluca (1998)

John Heydler was the president of the National League from 1918-1934.

Wayne Blackburn was a minor league infielder from 1936-1956.  He drew over 1,400 walks in his career.

Paul Pryor was a National League umpire from 1961-1981 and is an alumnus of the author’s alma mater, the University of South Dakota.

Jonny Deluca was drafted by Minnesota in the 39th round in 2017 but did not sign.

Outfielder Martin Kevin Cordova played for the Twins from 1995-1999.  Born and raised in Las Vegas, he was drafted by Minnesota in the tenth round in 1989.  He was young and took a few years to get going, but hit .341 with 28 homers for Class A Visalia in 1992.  He stumbled a little when promoted to AA the next year, but came back with a bang, hitting .358 with 19 homers and an OPS of 1.018 for AAA Salt Lake in 1994.  He was the Twins’ starting left fielder the next season and won the Rookie of the Year award with 24 home runs and a .277 average.  He was 25 years old and big things were predicted, but that was as good as it got for Cordova.  He had a good 1996, hitting .309 and driving in 111 runs, but then had a couple of off years, due partly to plantar fasciitis.  He bounced back some in 1999, hitting .285 with 14 homers, but became a free agent after the season and signed with Boston.  Surprisingly, the Red Sox cut Cordova late in spring training, and he signed with Toronto.  He had an undistinguished year there, went to Cleveland for 2001, and had something of a renaissance, hitting .301 with 20 home runs.  He went to Baltimore for 2002, but played only nine games in 2003 due to an elbow injury.  He missed all of 2004 with that injury.  He briefly tried to come back with Tampa Bay in 2005 but decided to retire instead.  As a Twin, Marty Cordova hit .277/.348/.451 in 2,322 at-bats.  At last report, Marty Cordova was the Chief Operating Officer of Bent Pixels, which helps people earn money from YouTube videos, and was living in Las Vegas.

Designated hitter/first baseman ByungHo Park played for the Twins in 2016.  He was born in Seoul, South Korea and began playing professional baseball in Korea at age eighteen with the LG Twins.  He missed two years due to military service, but the fact is that he did very little during his LG Twins years.  He was traded to the Nexen Heroes in 2011, and that's when his career took off.  In four and a half years with Nexen, he averaged .310/.401/.634 with 41 homers.  He was posted by Nexen to come to major leagues after the 2015 season and was won by the Twins.  He began 2016 as the Twins' designated hitter and batted .191/.275/.409 in 215 at-bats before getting sent to Rochester in late June.  He was hampered by sore wrists for much of the season, which the Twins belatedly realized might be a problem for a batter.  He finally went on the disabled list in late July and stayed there the rest of the season.  In 2017 he had a strong spring training but was sent to AAA anyway.  He missed about a month with a hamstring injury and did very poorly upon his return, but gradually improved so that his final numbers there don't look too bad.  He did not get back to the majors, though, and was released after the season.  He went back to Korea and had another strong season for the Nexen Heroes in 2018.  The team then became the Kiwoom Heroes, and Park continued to be a hero for them in 2019.  He stayed with Kiwoom through 2021 and did not hit for a good average, but continued to hit for power.  He moved on to the KT Wiz for 2022 and had his best year since 2019, posting an OPS of .909.  He did not match that in 2023, but still had a solid year.  He played for Samsung in 2024-2025, posting low batting averages but drawing walks and hitting home runs.  He has played in just one game for Kiwoom in 2026, making one think he either is injured or has decided to retire.  It's a shame that injuries kept him from having a better chance to show people in the United States what he could do.  He turns forty today.  We wish him well in whatever the rest of his life may hold.

The brother of ex-Twin Jason Wheeler, third baseman Ryan Gerard Wheeler did not play for the Twins, but he was in their farm system for a month and a half in 2015.  Born and raised in Torrance, California, he attended Loyola Marymount University and was drafted by Arizona in the fifth round.  He hit quite well in the minors and reached the majors for the Diamondbacks in the second half of the 2012 season.  Used as a reserve, he didn't do a whole lot and was traded to Colorado after the season.  He spent the next two seasons mostly at AAA, getting about a hundred major league at-bats in 2013-2014 combined.  He was waived in August of 2014 and claimed by the Angels.  He was in AAA for them until May of 2015, when he was released.  The Twins signed him on May 15 and he was hitting .233/.243/.315 in 73 at-bats for Rochester when he was released July 1.  He signed with Arizona for 2016 but was released in spring training and his playing career ended.  In his major league career, he hit .233/.280/.335 in 206 at-bats.  In AAA, however, he hit .305/.346/.459 in 1230 at-bats.  Given his success in AAA, it's surprising no one at least signed him to a minor league contract.  On the other hand, it could be that he simply decided it was time to get on with his life.  At last report, Ryan Wheeler was an executive vice-president of sales for Liquid IV, which sells "hydration-focused electrolyte drink mixes".

July 9

Jack Powell (1874)
Buck Herzog (1885)
Glenn Myatt (1897)
Wally Post (1929)
Marty Springstead (1937)
Mike Andrews (1943)
Hal Haydel (1944)
Sonny Jackson (1944)
Steve Luebber (1949)
Willie Wilson (1955)
Miguel Montero (1983)
Steven Okert (1991)

Marty Springstead was an American League umpire from 1966-1986.  He later was a supervisor of umpires.

Outfielder Walter Charles Post had 47 at-bats for the Twins in 1963, near the end of a solid career.  He was born in St. Wendelin, Ohio and signed with Cincinnati as a free agent in 1946.  Perhaps because of his youth, he did not play much in the minors in his first few seasons, but as he got older he played more and played well.  He hit .306 with 21 homers for AAA Buffalo in 1951 and .289 with 33 homers for AAA Indianapolis in 1953.  He played briefly with the Reds each season from 1951-1953, then made the team for good at the start of 1954.  He was the starting right fielder for the Reds for three seasons; easily the best was 1955, when he hit .309 with 40 homers and 109 RBIs.  He finished twelfth in MVP voting that year, the only season in which he received MVP consideration.  It was also the only time he topped .300 in a season.  He was a solid, unspectacular player.  He was also strikeout-prone, leading the league in that category three times.  After an off year in 1957, Post was traded to Philadelphia for Harvey Haddix.  His playing time was reduced some, but he was still the mostly regular right fielder with the Phillies.  He continued to be a solid contributor, but in June of 1960 he was traded back to Cincinnati.  Post was a part-time player for the Reds through mid-May of 1963, when he was sold to Minnesota.  He stayed with the Twins the rest of the season but rarely played, hitting .191/.224/.362 in 47 at-bats.  The Twins released him after the season and he signed with Cleveland, but got only eight at-bats before being released in mid-May.  He played in AAA for Detroit, then his playing career came to an end.  He returned to Ohio after his playing career ended, working for the Minster Canning Company.  He is the grandfather of Ohio State and NFL quarterback Bobby Hoying.  He was inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame in 1965.  Wally Post passed away from cancer on January 6, 1982, in St. Henry, Ohio.

Right-handed reliever John Harold Haydel appeared in 35 games for the Twins in 1970-1971.  Born and raised in Houma, Louisiana, he signed with the Milwaukee Braves as a free agent in 1962.  He had a decent first year in Class D Dublin and was chosen by Houston in the first-year player draft.  At the end of spring training, Houston sent Haydel to the Cubs.  He was a starter in the minors and did okay, progressing to AA in 1965 and spending two Phoenix for three years, not doing badly but not doing well enough to really attract anyone’s attention, either.  After the 1969 campaign, Minnesota chose Haydel in the Rule 5 draft.  Something must have been worked out, because Haydel was in AAA for most of 1970, coming to the Twins only as a September call-up.  In 1971 he came up to the Twins in late June and stayed the rest of the season.  His stint with the Twins was like most of his minor league career, neither great nor terrible.  As a Twin he was 6-2, 4.04 with a WHIP of 1.31.  He pitched 49 innings over 35 games, all in relief.  He had a bad year in AAA Tacoma in 1972, and then his playing career was over at age 27,  Hal Haydel moved back to Houma and was the general manager of Trapp Cadillac Chevrolet there.  He passed away on September 12, 2018.

Right-hander Stephen Lee Luebber pitched for the Twins in 1971-1972 and again in 1976.  He was born in Clinton, Missouri, went to high school in Joplin, Missouri, and was drafted by Minnesota in the thirteenth round in 1967.  Used mostly as a starter in the minors, he had some really good years, going 17-11, 1.78 in 237 innings at Class A Orlando in 1970 (as a 20-year-old), and 9-1, 1.97 at AA Charlotte in 96 innings at in 1971.  He was jumped from there to the big leagues in late June of 1971 and placed into the starting rotation at age 21.  He was not ready, going 2-5, 5.06 in 12 starts and six relief appearances.  He went to AAA in 1972 and had a solid year, working 215 innings, and got a September call-up.  He was apparently injured for part of 1973, working only 77 innings.  He resumed a heavy minor league workload the next season, throwing 176 innings in AA Orlando in 1974 and 224 innings in Orlando and AAA Tacoma in 1975.  Luebber was back with the Twins in 1976, his only full season in the majors.  Used in both starting and relief roles, he was not terrible, going 4-5, 4.00 in 119.1 innings.  The Twins sent him back to AAA in 1977, and released him after the season.  As a Twin, Steve Luebber was 6-10, 4.32 in 189.2 innings.  He appeared in 58 games, 24 of them starts.  He signed with the White Sox and was in AAA with them in 1978.  He moved on to Toronto in 1979, making one appearance in the majors with the Blue Jays.  He was released late in spring training in 1980, and signed with Baltimore.  He pitched well in AAA for them, making seven appearances with the Orioles in 1981.  He never made it back to the majors, but he hung around in the minors for a long time.  Luebber pitched in the Detroit and Texas organizations in 1983, for the Detroit and San Diego chains in 1984, and made appearances in the minors for San Diego from 1986-1988.  He also pitched for the Ft. Myers Sun Sox in the seniors league.  Luebber did not have much of a major league career, but one wonders what he might have done had he not thrown so many innings in the minors.  Since 1988, Luebber has been a pitching coach, working in the San Diego, Baltimore, Texas, and Florida organizations.  From 2007-15, he was the pitching coach for the Wilmington Blue Rocks in the Kansas City organization.  He was the pitching coach for AA Northwest Arkansas from 2016-18, returned to the Blue Rocks for the 2019 season, and was the pitching coach for High-A Quad Cities from 2021-2022.  He is currently the pitching coach for the Webb City Cardinals, a high school team in Webb City, Missouri.

Left-handed reliever Steven Chandler Okert pitched for the Twins in 2024.  Born in Riverside, California, he went to high school in Rowlett, Texas, and attended Grayson College and the University of Oklahoma.  He was drafted three times:  in the 43rd round by Milwaukee in 2010, in the 33rd round by Milwaukee in 2011, and in the fourth round by San Francisco in 2012.  He reached AA in 2014 and AAA in 2015.  He spent the next three seasons bouncing between San Francisco and AAA Sacramento, pitching well sometimes and not so well other times.  He was in Sacramento all of 2019 and did not pitch well there.  He became a free agent after that season and did not pitch at all in the COVID season of 2020.  He signed with Miami for 2021, started the season in AAA, but finally reached the majors to stay in late June of that year.  He pitched very well in 2021 and 2022, had a down year in 2023, was traded to Minnesota for Nick Gordon for the 2024 season.  He had a decent season for them for the most part, but had a few bad outings that skewed his ERA.  As a Twin, he was 3-2, 1 save, 5.09 ERA.  He became a free agent after the season and signed with Houston, for whom he had an excellent year in 2025 and so far has been even better in 2026.  He turns thirty-five today.  He'll never be a star, but as a good left-handed reliever, he should be around for at least a few more years yet.

July 8

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

July 7

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

July 6

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

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

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

July 5

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

July 4

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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