September 10

Barney Pelty (1880)

High Pockets Kelly (1895)

Sammy Hale (1896)

Poindexter Williams (1897)

Hoss Walker (1904)

Ted Kluszewski (1924)

Roger Maris (1934)

Len Whitehouse (1957)

Randy Johnson (1963)

Riccardo Ingram (1966)

Danys Baez (1977)

Joey Votto (1983)

Anthony Swarzak (1985)

Neil Walker (1985)

Paul Goldschmidt (1987)

Mike Baumann (1995)

Pierson Ohl (1999)

Mike Baumann was drafted by the Twins in the thirty-fourth round in 2014, but did not sign.

We would also like to wish a very happy birthday to the Philosofer's eldest child.

Left-hander Leonard Joseph Whitehouse played for the Twins from 1983-1985. He was born in Burlington, Vermont and was signed by the Texas Rangers as a free agent in 1976. He did not pitch very well in the minors, having only one season (1981 in AA Wichita) in which his ERA was under 4.00. He was left-handed, however, and so he got a September call-up with the Rangers in 1981, and after spending 1982 in AAA Denver he was traded to the Twins for John Pacella. Whitehouse was with the Twins for a little over two seasons, appearing in 60 games in 1983, 30 in 1984, and five in 1985. He actually seemed to pitch better in the big-leagues than he did in the minors: in his two full seasons with the Twins he was 9-3 with 3 saves and a 3.86 ERA. Whitehouse pitched poorly in 1985, however, both in his short stint with the Twins and in AAA Toledo, and was released. He pitched for AA Glens Falls in the Tigers organization in 1986 before calling it a career. At last report, Len Whitehouse was coaching high school and American Legion baseball in his home town of Burlington, Vermont.  He was an assistant coach and did furniture upholstery for Saint Michael's College for some time.  At last report he was a pitching coach for the Louisville Slugger Warriors Amputee Baseball Team, a team that "consists of U.S. Military Veterans, Active Duty personnel, wounded warriors and current and former amputee college baseball players. All of these highly skilled athletes come from all walks of life. They have either suffered a loss of limb, partial limb, digits, eye, and serious limb deformities, plus have other prostheses all due to congenital, disease, or trauma-related reasons."  We had no idea such a team existed, but it's a really cool thing, and it's really cool of Len Whitehouse to work with them.

Outfielder Riccardo Benay Ingram got eight at-bats with the Twins in 1985. He was born in Douglas, Georgia, went to Georgia Tech, and was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the fourth round in 1987. Ingram spent two years in Class A and two more in AA. In this third year at AAA Toledo, 1994, he got a brief trial with the Tigers, going 5- for-23 (.217) with 2 RBIs. Ingram became a minor-league free agent and signed with the Twins organization for 1995. Ingram had his best season that year at AAA Salt Lake, batting .348 with 43 doubles and 12 home runs. He earned another short stint in the majors, going 1-for-8 in four games with the Twins. He again became a free agent after the season, and signed with the Padres organization, spending 1996 in AAA Las Vegas. After retiring as a player, Riccardo Ingram was a coach and manager in the Twins’ organization. Riccardo Ingram is a member of the Georgia Tech Hall of Fame, starring in both baseball and football while at the school.  He passed away from cancer on March 31, 2015 in Lilburn, Georgia.

Right-hander Anthony Ray Swarzak pitched for the Twins in 2009 and from 2011-14. He was born in Ft. Lauderdale, went to high school in Davie, Florida, and was drafted by the Twins in the second round in 2004. He pitched pretty well at every minor league stop with the exception of his stint in New Britain in 2008, where he went 3-8 with a 5.67 ERA; however, he redeemed himself by going 5-0 with a 1.80 ERA in seven starts in Rochester. Swarzak was suspended for fifty games in 2007 for violating baseball’s drug policy–reportedly, he had used marijuana. Swarzak again pitched well in Rochester in 2009, and earned a trial in Minnesota. He did not do well there, going 3-7 with a 6.25 ERA in 59 innings. He had an awful season in Rochester in 2010, going 5-12, 6.21, 1.62 WHIP in 111.2 innings.  He bounced back in 2011, doing reasonably well in Rochester and also reasonably well in Minnesota after being called up to the Twins in mid-May.  2012 was his first full season in the majors.  He had a fine year as a long reliever for the Twins in 2013.  He had a poor year in 2014, however, and was allowed to become a free agent after the season.  As a Twin he was 16-24, 4.48, although his numbers are substantially better as a reliever than as a starter.  He signed with Cleveland and made ten appearances with them, but was released on June 15 and went to Korea, where he did not pitch very well.  He came back to the United States in 2016, signed with the Yankees, started the season in AAA, came up to the big club in early June, and stayed there until going on the disabled list in late August with rotator cuff tendinitis.  A free agent after the season, he signed with the White Sox for 2017 and pitched very well, well enough that Milwaukee traded for him to help in their playoff drive.  He signed with the Mets for 2018 but that did not go well.  He missed time with injuries and did not do well when he was able to pitch.  He was traded to Seattle during the off-season as part of the deal that brought Robinson Cano to the Mets, and was traded again in mid-May to Atlanta.  A free agent again, he signed with Philadelphia for 2020, was released in late June, signed with the Phillies again two weeks later, and was released again just before the 2020 season.  He did not play in that year, but signed with Arizona for 2021.  He pitched poorly in six games, was released in late April, and signed with Kansas City in mid-May.  He pitched poorly for them, too, and was released in mid-July, bringing his playing career to an end.  At last report, Anthony Swarzak was coaching little league baseball in the Fort Lauderdale area.

Right-hander Pierson Blaine Ohl played for the Twins for the last two months of 2025.  He was born in Moorpark, California, attended Grand Canyon University, and was drafted by the Twins in the fourteenth round in 2021.  He was very effective in college, but did not have impressive strikeout totals until his last year there.  He had a fine half-season in AA in 2023, but struggled when he pitched a full season there in 2024.  He did much better there in 2025 and pitched well in 27.1 AAA innings as well.  He struggled in his time in the majors in 2025, going 0-3, 5.10 with a WHIP of 1.50 in thirty innings (fourteen games, three starts).  He was traded to Colorado before the 2026 season along with Edouard Julien for Jace Kaminska and cash.  He has been unable to pitch for the Rockies, having undergone Tommy John surgery in late February of 2026.  He appears to have excellent control, walking only 1.3 men per nine innings in the minors.  He turns twenty-seven today.  That's not old, but it's not really young, either.  He obviously first has to get healthy again, and second has to show that he can actually get big league batters out.  We hope he can do both of those things, but time will tell.

September 9

Abner Dalrymple (1857)

Frank Chance (1876)

Dots Miller (1886)

Doc Johnston (1887)

Frankie Frisch (1898)

Waite Hoyt (1899)

Hugh Mulcahy (1913)

Jay Ward (1938)

Paul Roof (1942)

Jerry Mumphrey (1952)

Tom Foley (1959)

Alvin Davis (1960)

Jim Corsi (1961)

Todd Zeile (1965)

Joey Hamilton (1970)

Dan Miceli (1970)

Mike Hampton (1972)

Felix Rodriguez (1972)

Edwin Jackson (1983)

Kyle Davies (1983)

Alex Romero (1983)

Michael Bowden (1986)

Billy Hamilton (1990)

Dots Miller’s given name was John.  He got the nickname “Dots” because when he first came up, a sportswriter asked teammate Honus Wagner who the new guy was.  Wagner, in his thick German accent, said, “Dot’s Miller.”

Hugh Mulcahy has one of the worst nicknames in the history of baseball.  In four seasons as a starting pitcher for the Phillies, he twice led the league in losses.  He went 45-89 for his career, leading to the nickname “Losing Pitcher Mulcahy”.

The brother of Phil Roof, Paul Roof was a pitcher for four seasons in the Braves’ system, never going higher than Class A.  He was actually on the Braves' major league roster as a September call-up in 1961, but did not appear in a game.

Utility player John Francis Ward played briefly for the Twins in 1963 and 1964. He was born in Brookfield, Missouri and was signed by the Yankees as a free agent in 1956. He hit very well in the low minors, hitting exactly .300 in three years in Class D and C. He spent most of 1958 in the Washington organization, then was selected off waivers by the Kansas City Athletics. Ward was pretty average in AA and AAA, and was traded to the Dodgers after the 1961 season in a multi-player deal. He came to the Twins organization in July of 1962 in a trade for Bert Cueto. Ward was in the Twins’ organization through mid-1964, went to the Giants, came back to the Twins’ organization in 1965, went to Japan in 1966, went to Cleveland in 1967, came back to the Twins’ organization in 1968, went back to Cleveland for 1969, was with the Reds’ organization in 1970, and went to the Kansas City Royals’ organization in 1971. He got brief trials with the Twins in 1963 and 1964, batting .174/.283/.239 in 46 at-bats. Ward was also in the big leagues briefly in 1971 with Cincinnati, going 0-for-3. He showed some power in the minors, hitting 241 minor-league home runs, but never hit for a high average, and never got enough of a chance to see if he could have been a low-average slugger in the big leagues. After retiring as an active player, Jay Ward had a lengthy career as a minor league coach and manager. He then was the co-owner of a hitting school (with Wade Boggs) in Tampa, Florida, before retiring, first to Springfield, Missouri, then to Troy, Montana, where he enjoyed hunting and fishing.  Jay Ward passed away in Troy on February 24, 2012.

Right-hander Hiram Kyle Davies did not play for the Twins, but was in their farm system in 2013.  He was born in Decatur, Georgia, went to high school in Stockbridge, Georgia, and was drafted by Atlanta in the fourth round in 2001.  He pitched quite well in the minors and reached the majors in 2005 at the age of twenty-one.  He struggled there, though, and continued to struggle through 2007, when he was traded to Kansas City at the July deadline for Octavio Dotel.  He stayed with the Royals through 2011, although his first and only full year in the majors was 2010.  From 2005 through 2011, Kyle Davies appeared in 151 games, making 144 starts.  He went 43-65, 5.59, with a 1.62 WHIP.  In his "best" season, 2008, he went 9-7, 4.06, but with a WHIP of 1.45.  The Royals finally gave up on him after the 2011 season.  He stayed out of baseball for 2012, but Minnesota signed him for 2013.  He was hurt most of the year, however, making only twelve minor league starts, one in the GCL, five for Fort Myers, and six for New Britain.  A free agent again after the season, he signed with Cleveland and spent most of the year in AAA Columbus, where he was okay but nothing special.  He signed with the Yankees for 2015 and surprisingly made the team, making one very good appearance in April before being sent to AAA, where he remained the rest of the season.  He went to Japan for 2016 and had a fairly solid year.  He does not appear to have pitched anywhere in 2017, but he came back in 2018, pitching for Somerset in the Atlantic League and moving on to Lancaster for 2019.  That brought his playing career to an end.  His major league numbers are 43-65, 5.57, 1.62 WHIP.  It says something about how some organizations operate that a pitcher with his record was given one hundred forty-four major league starts.  At last report, Kyle Davies lived in McDonough, Georgia and was a vice president/project manager for the family construction company, Davies General Contracting.

Outfielder Alexander Rafael (Galban) Romero did not play for the Twins, but was in their minor league system for five seasons. He was born in Maracaibo, Venezuela, and was signed by the Twins as a free agent in 2002. He worked his way up the ladder one level at a time, playing rookie ball in 2002, low Class A in 2003, high Class A in 2004, and Class AA in 2005, hitting at or very near .300 at every stop. He slumped a little in 2006, batting .263 in a year split between AA and AAA, and the Twins placed him on waivers after the season. Romero was selected by the Diamondbacks. He hit very well in AAA Tucson in 2007, and split 2008 and 2009 between AA and Arizona. Romero hit well over .300 each year in AAA, but in the majors hit .239/.279/.339 in 280 major league at-bats, with 2 homers and 30 RBIs in sporadic playing time.  He was a free agent after the 2009 season and signed with Atlanta, but was released in late June and was not picked up by anyone.  After the season, however, he signed with Florida, and hit very well in a season split between AA and AAA.  He became a free agent and was not signed, so he went to the Mexican League for 2012 and hit extremely well.  In 2013 he moved on to Italy and had an awesome year there.  He played in winter ball that year and every year since, and played in the Mexican League again in 2016 and 2017, batting quite well.  He went back to Italy for 2018-2019.  He has continued to play winter ball in Venezuela and hit very well there through the 2023-2024 season.  He hit very well everywhere he played, really, so he might have been able to help somebody in the majors if he'd been given the chance.  He never was, though, and that's how it goes sometimes.  At last report, Alex Romero had returned to Venezuela.

Right-hander Michael Matthew Bowden did not pitch for the Twins, but was in their minor league system at the end of 2015.  He was born in Winfield, Illinois, went to high school in Aurora, Illinois, and was drafted by Boston in the first round of the 2005 draft with the forty-seventh pick.  He pitched well in the low minors, struggled when promoted to AA in 2007, but did very well when he repeated AA in 2008, getting moved up to AAA for six starts and even making his major league debut in late August.  He had a solid year in AAA in 2009 and got to the majors at the end of August.  His numbers look awful, but two really bad outings skew them to an extent.  He continued to bounce back and forth between AAA and the Red Sox through 2011, pitching well in AAA but never doing a lot in the majors.  He was traded to the Cubs in 2012 and was with them for about half the season.  That's been his best season in the majors, as he went 0-0, 2.95, 1.26 WHIP with 29 strikeouts in 36.2 innings (30 games).  He stayed with the Cubs in 2013 and again got half a season in the majors, not doing quite as well but not doing too badly, either.  He went to Japan for 2014 but came back to the United States in 2015, signing with Cincinnati.  They sold him to Baltimore in April.  The Orioles sent him to AAA and he didn't pitch badly there, but they released him in mid-July.  He signed with Minnesota and was sent to Rochester, where he finished the season.  He then went to Korea to play ball in 2016-17 and had a couple of decent seasons.  He decided not to return to Korea for 2018 and did not play anywhere, but the Dodgers signed him for the 2019 season.  He made five minor league starts and was released in early June.  He finished the year with High Point in the Atlantic League.  He did not play in 2020 but pitched very well for Chicago in the American Association in 2021, which brought closure to his playing career.  His major league numbers are 3-5, 4.51, 1.40 WHIP.   He appeared in 103 games, all but two in relief, and pitched 133.2 innings.  At last report, Michael Bowden was living in the Chicago area and was the pitching coach for Nazareth Academy.

Outfielder Billy R. Hamilton played in seventeen games for the Twins in 2022.  Born and raised in Taylorsville, Mississippi, he was drafted by Cincinnati in the second round in 2009.  He stole a ton of bases in the minors, stealing 103 in Class A in 2011 and 155 in a 2012 split between high-A and AA.  He reached the majors in 2013 and for the most part stayed there through 2021.  He was the regular or mostly-regular center fielder for the Reds from 2014-2018 and stole over fifty bases for four of those five seasons.  Unfortunately, his best batting average over that span was .260, and because he doesn't walk much or hit for much power, his best OPS was .664.  The Reds allowed him to become a free agent after the 2018 season and he bounced after that.  He signed with Kansas City for 2019, was waived in mid-August and claimed by Atlanta, signed with the Giants for 2020, was traded to the Mets in early August, was waived and claimed by the Cubs in early September, signed with Cleveland, was released in spring training, signed with the White Sox, became a free agent after the season, signed with Seattle for 2022, was released in early June, signed with Miami a few weeks later, was released in mid-August, and signed with Minnesota a couple of weeks later.  As a Twin, he was in seventeen games but came to bat only eight times, going 0-for-7 with a walk, stealing three bases and scoring four runs.  He was a free agent again after the season and signed with the White Sox for 2023.  He spent most of the season at AAA but appeared in three major league games, going 0-for-2.  He went to Mexico and has played there since 2024.  Throughout his career he has remained who he is:  someone who's fast and plays good defense, but can't hit.  He turns thirty-six today.  If he could've learned to steal first, he'd have been a star.  As it is, while we're all for someone playing as long as someone will let them play, it appears that it's time for Billy Hamilton to decide what the next phase of his life will look like.

September 8

Val Picinich (1896)

Buck Leonard (1907)

Jim Bagby (1916)

Steve Hargan (1942)

Ken Forsch (1946)

Don Aase (1954)

Mike Dyer (1966)

Gil Meche (1978)

Nick Hundley (1983)

Rob Delaney (1984)

Logan Schafer (1986)

Gerrit Cole (1990)

Dan Altavilla (1992)

First baseman Buck Leonard was a star in the Negro Leagues.  He was a teammate of Josh Gibson on the Homestead Grays, and was considered the Lou Gehrig to Gibson's Babe Ruth.

Right-hander Michael Lawrence Dyer appeared in sixteen games for the Twins in 1989. He was born in Upland, California, attended Citrus College in Glendora, California, and was drafted in the fourth round by the Twins in the 1986 draft. He did very well in his first two years in the minors, winning 16 games with Class A Kenosha in 1987, but his ERA crept up at higher levels. It was over four for the first time with AAA Portland in 1989, but he came up to the Twins in late June and stayed the rest of the season as the fifth starter. He pitched in 16 games with the Twins that year, 12 of them starts. Dyer was 4-7 with a 4.82 ERA and a 1.56 WHIP in 71 innings for the Twins that season. He was apparently injured after that, as he pitched only 2.1 minor league innings in 1990 and did not pitch at all in 1991. He was back in 1992, but did not pitch well in Portland and became a six-year free agent after the season. Dyer then began bouncing around the minors, pitching in the Indians and Cubs organizations in 1993 and the Pirates organization in 1994. Surprisingly, he did well as the closer at AAA Buffalo, and was called up to the Pirates that season. He then spent two full seasons in the big leagues, pitching for the Pirates in 1995 and the Expos in 1996 and doing reasonably well in both spots. Dyer signed with the Rockies in the 1996-97 off season, but did not make the team. He then signed with the Braves and was in AAA Richmond for 1997. He also pitched briefly in independent ball in 2000, then his playing career ended for good. No further information about Mike Dyer was readily available.

Right-handed reliever Robert James Delaney made one appearance for the Twins in 2010. He was born in Westwood, New Jersey, attended St. John’s, and was signed by Minnesota as a free agent in 2006. A reliever all the way, Delaney never started a game in either the majors or the minors. He struggled his first year, then put together consecutive awesome years in the low minors. He went 3-0, 1.03 with 35 saves with a 0.86 WHIP in a 2007 split between Beloit and Ft. Myers, and followed that by going 3-3, 1.23 with 18 saves and a WHIP of 0.83 in a 2008 split between Ft. Myers and New Britain. He was not as good in a year and a half in Rochester, going 14-12, 4.65 with 11 saves and a WHIP of 1.28 in 127.2 AAA innings spread over 97 games. He was with the Twins briefly in 2010 and appeared in one game, allowing a home run to the first batter he faced and allowing one more hit plus a walk, but no more runs, in one inning of work.  He was placed on waivers after the season and selected by Tampa Bay.  He had an outstanding season for AAA Durham in 2011, but turned that into only four more big league appearances, pitching well in two of them.  A free agent again after the season, he signed with Miami for 2012.  He again had a fine year in AAA, but was not called up to the majors.  A free agent once more, he signed with Baltimore for 2013 but was traded to the Angels in late April for Chris Snyder.  He did not do well, went on the disabled list in mid-June, and did not return.  He became a free agent after the season and went unsigned, bringing his playing career to an end.  He was a coach for the Sag Harbor Whalers in the Hamptons Collegiate Baseball League in 2014 and was an assistant pitching coach for Villanova University from 2018-2019.  At last report, Rob Delaney was the vice president of operations for Financial Partners Group in Red Bank, New Jersey.

Outfielder Logan Edward Schafer played for the Twins for a little over a month in 2016.  He was born in San Jose, went to high school in Los Gatos, California, attended both Cal Poly--San Luis Obispo and Cuesta College (also in San Luis Obispo--two other Twins attended that school, Rusty Kuntz and Doug Bernier, meaning that three of the five big leaguers that school has produced have played for the Twins), and was drafted by Milwaukee in the third round in 2008.  He did well in high-A in 2009 but was apparently injured for almost all of 2010, playing in only seven games.  He came back to have a fine season in 2011, batting .315 with an OPS of .824 in AA and AAA combined, and reached the majors as a September callup.  He did not do quite as well in AAA in 2012 but still had a solid season and again was a September callup.  He spent all of 2013 in the majors but could not break into an outfield of Ryan Braun, Carlos Gomez, and Nori Aoka, frequently being used as a pinch-hitter or pinch-runner.  He did not thrive in that role, batting only .211.  2014 was more of the same, as he batted just .181 as a part-time player and ended up spending about six weeks in AAA.  It was the same story in 2015, after which he became a free agent.  He signed with Washington for 2016, was released in late March, started 2016 in the Atlantic League, and signed with the Twins in early June.  They sent him to Rochester, where he wasn't terrible but wasn't all that good, either.  The Twins brought him up in late August, and he hit .238/.342/.317 in 63 at-bats.  He was a free agent after the season and signed with Baltimore.  He spent the season in AAA and again was neither terrible nor good.  He became a free agent after the 2017 season and his playing career came to an end.  On the one hand, you could argue that, given his minor league numbers, he might have been able to do something if he'd gotten a chance at the right time.  On the other hand you could argue that, given his major league numbers, he was fortunate to have spent as much time there as he did.  At last report, Logan Schafer was the director of sales for SewerAI, which is "transforming the way utilities maintain & rehab their underground infrastructure", in Chandler, Arizona.

Right-hander Daniel Altavilla did not play for the Twins, but was in AAA for them for a couple of months in 2026.  He was born in Greenock, Pennsylvania, went to high school in Elizabeth, Pennsylvania, attended Mercyhurst University (one of five from that school to make the majors), and was drafted by Seattle in the fifth round in 2014.  He was a starter in college and in his first two years of pro ball, but when he struggled he moved to the bullpen in 2016.  The move paid off, as he had an outstanding year in AA and made his major league debut in late August.  He started 2017 in the Mariners bullpen, but struggled and went back to AAA.  He was again outstanding there and came back to the majors in late August.  He was having a fine year in 2018 when he had an elbow injury that caused him to miss the rest of the season.  He has never been the same pitcher since.  He was traded to San Diego at the end of August 2020.  He had Tommy John surgery in June of 2021 and missed all of 2022.  He bounced around to various teams after that and also bounced between AAA and the majors.  He signed with Boston for 2023, with Kansas City for 2024, and with the White Sox for 2025.  He signed with the Twins for 2026, but after pitching poorly in AAA he was released in late May.  The Royals signed him, but he again pitched poorly in AAA and was released in early August.  Teams are always looking for pitching, so it's possible that he'll get another chance.  It seems more likely, though, that it's time for Dan Altavilla to decide what the next phase of his life will be.

September 7

Dave Foutz (1856)

Hooks Wiltse (1879)

Curt Davis (1903)

Red Longley (1909)

Tommy Matchick (1943)

Willie Crawford (1946)

Joe Rudi (1946)

Darren Bragg (1969)

Jason Isringhausen (1972)

Mark Prior (1980)

Wade Davis (1985)

Devin Smeltzer (1995)

Left-hander Devin Paul Smeltzer was with the Twins from 2019-2022.  He was born in Voorhees, New Jersey, and survived cancer which was diagnosed when he was just nine years old.  He went to high school in Pennsauken, New Jersey, attended Florida Gulf Coast University and San Jacinto College, and was drafted by the Dodgers in the fifth round in 2016.  He pitched pretty well in ten starts for Great Lakes in 2017, but didn't do much anywhere else in the Dodgers organization and was traded to Minnesota at the July deadline of 2018 along with Luke Raley and Logan Forsythe for Brian Dozier.  He did well in ten relief appearances for AA Chattanooga that season.  He began 2019 in AA Pensacola and dominated in five starts, leading to a promotion to Rochester.  He was up and down between the Twins and the Red Wings the rest of the season.  He pitched well for Rochester, even though his won-lost record didn't show it.  He did well for the Twins in eleven games (six starts), going 2-2, 3.86, 1.27 WHIP.  He did not do well in 2020, however, and missed almost the entire 2021 season due to injury.  He came back in 2022, however, and while he didn't pitch well in AAA he did pitch pretty well in Minnesota.  He became a free agent after the season and signed with Miami.  He made nine appearances in the majors, five of which were good and four of which were awful.  He spent most of the season at AAA and did not pitched well there.  He was in AAA again in 2024 and pitched better as a reliever, but the Marlins still released him in July.  He started 2025 pitching in Mexico, but was signed by Detroit in July.  Unfortunately, he was released a month later after three poor AAA starts.  He is back in the Mexican League in 2026, but it has not gone well.   He turns thirty-one today and is planning to pitch in the Mexican Pacific League this winter.  As we've said before, we're all for a guy continuing to play as long as someone will let him play.  It appears, though, that it may be time for Devin Smeltzer to decide what the next phase of his life will be.  We wish him well.

September 6

Oyster Burns (1864)

Red Faber (1888)

Tom Young (1902)

Tommy Thevenow (1903)

Johnny Lanning (1910)

Harry Danning (1911)

Vince DiMaggio (1912)

Hal Jeffcoat (1924)

Harry Dunlop (1933)

Fran Healy (1946)

Greg Olson (1960)

Roy Smith (1961)

Pat Meares (1968)

Derrek Lee (1975)

Micheal Nakamura (1976)

Jerry Blevins (1983)

Mitch Moreland (1985)

Tyler Austin (1991)

Harry Dunlop caught in the minors for fourteen years and was a coach for seventeen years.  He caught the minor league no-hitter in which Ron Necciai struck out twenty-seven batters and the back-to-back minor league no-hitters of Bill Bell.

Catcher Gregory William Olson appeared in three games for the Twins in 1989. He was born in Marshall, Minnesota, went to high school in Edina, Minnesota, attended the University of Minnesota, and was drafted by the Mets in the 7th round in 1982.  He should not be confused with pitcher Greggory William Olson, who also played for the Twins. The  G. W. Olson we’re dealing with here had not caught in high school, but was converted to catcher in college (oddly, he was moved from third base to catcher so Terry Steinbach could play third). He spent six years in the Mets’ minor-league system, usually as a part-time player, putting up offensive numbers that were not awful but that would not catch anyone’s attention, either. Olson became a six-year minor league free agent, and the Twins signed him after the 1988 season. He was in Portland for 1989, and did not do much on offense there either, hitting .235 in 247 at-bats. He was with the Twins for about a week from the end of June through the fourth of July, appearing in three games and going 1-for-2. The Twins let Olson go after the season, and he was signed by the Braves. He was a semi-regular for the Braves for four years. His best year was 1990 when he hit .262 in 298 at-bats and somehow made the all-star team. Released after the 1993 campaign, Olson signed with the Mets, but did not make it out of spring training. After his playing career ended, he became a manager for some independent league teams. Later, he got a real estate license.  At last report he was the general manager of Bearpath Golf & Country Club in Eden Prairie, Minnesota and was also a broker for Bearpath Realty.  Apparently, Bearpath is cool.

Right-hander LeRoy Purdy Smith pitched for the Twins from 1986-1990. Born and raised in Mount Vernon, New York, he attended Fordham University and was drafted by Philadelphia in the 3rd round of the 1979 draft. He did well early, spending a year in rookie and A ball, but after repeating AA he was traded after the 1982 season with two other players to Cleveland for John Denny. Smith was in AAA Charleston in 1983, and then split the next two years between AAA Maine and the Indians. After the 1985 campaign, he was traded with Ramon Romero to Minnesota for Bryan Oelkers and Ken Schrom. Smith was in AAA for most of the next three seasons, getting a brief call-up with Minnesota each year, before getting two full years in the majors in 1989 and 1990. Smith was in the starting rotation most of the time in those years, doing fairly well in 1989 and not as well in 1990. He became a free agent and signed with Baltimore for 1991. Smith split that year between Baltimore and AAA Rochester, was apparently out of baseball in 1992, and pitched in the Pittsburgh organization in 1993 before calling it a career. As a Twin, Smith was 19-18 with a 4.28 ERA and a 1.42 WHIP in 85 games, 54 of them starts. Roy Smith has spent time in the Dodgers’ and Pirates’ front office, including a stint as the interim general manager for the Pirates in 2001, and at last report was a scout for the New York Mets.

Shortstop Patrick James Meares played for the Twins from 1983-1988. He was born in Salina, Kansas, went to Wichita State, and was drafted in the 12th round by the Twins in 1990. He was rather up and down in his minor league career, but the Twins needed a shortstop after Greg Gagne became a free agent, and Meares got the job in 1993. His first three years, he somewhat shared the shortstop position with Jeff Reboulet, but he was the full-time regular for 1996-98. He did a solid job for the Twins, never making anyone’s all-star team but never being someone you looked to replace, either. He became a free agent after the 1998 season and signed with Pittsburgh, but had injury problems and never really panned out for them. His last game was in 2001; Meares was on the Pirates disabled list for two seasons after that. At one point, he filed a grievance, claiming that he was healthy enough to play, but the grievance was eventually dropped; by then, the Pirates apparently preferred to pay him to not play. As a Twin, Pat Meares batted .265/.301/.382 with 41 homers and 303 RBIs in 742 games.  He is a member of the Kansas Baseball Hall of Fame. At last report, it appeared that Pat Meares was living in Wichita, Kansas.

Sidearming reliever Micheal Yoshihide Nakamura appeared in twelve games for the Twins in 2003. He was born in Nara, Japan, went to high school in Melbourne, Australia, and was signed by the Twins as a free agent in 1997. He apparently had some injury problems in the minors, as he had good numbers but not very many innings. He had a strong 2003 in Rochester and got a trial with the Twins that year, but did not do well in limited opportunities. He was with the Twins for nearly a month and went 0-0, 7.82, giving up 11 runs and 20 hits in 12.2 innings over 12 games. Nakamura was placed on waivers early in 2004 and was selected by Toronto with similar results: good numbers in AAA but no success in the majors. He left American baseball after the 2004 season for Japan, where he remained for the rest of his career. He spent three years with the Nippon Ham Fighters, moved on to the Yomiuri Giants in 2009, and then went to the Seibu Lions. He has dual citizenship with Japan and Australia (his father is Japanese and his mother is Australian), and has played for the Australian Olympic and WBC teams. He seems to have done well in Japan–he appears to have been injured in 2011, but pitched well in 2012.  He did well enough in Japan that he might have been able to get another shot at the majors, but he appears to have not been interested, and retired from playing after the 2012 season.  At last report, Micheal Nakamura was the head of baseball performance for Baseball Victoria in Australia.

First baseman/outfielder Christopher Tyler Austin appeared in thirty-seven games for the Twins in 2018-2019.  Born and raised in Conyers, Georgia, he was drafted by the Yankees in the thirteenth round in 2010.  He hit really well in the low minors but struggled when he got to AA in 2013.  He did better when he repeated AA in 2014 but struggled again in AAA in 2015.  He put it together in 2016, though, batting .323/.415/.637 in 201 AAA at-bats.  He reached the majors for a couple of months in 2017 but was given very little chance to play, getting just forty at-bats.  He started 2018 as a part-time first baseman for the Yankees, hitting very well in April but not so well in May.  He was sent back to AAA in mid-June and was traded to Minnesota in late July with Luis Rijo for Lance Lynn and cash.  The Twins started him in Rochester but brought him to the majors in mid-August when Logan Morrison went on the disabled list.  He played regularly the rest of the season, mostly at DH.  He started 2019 with the Twins, but was traded to San Francisco in early April for Malique Ziegler.  He was a pinch-hitter/backup first baseman with the Giants, not playing much and not doing much when he did play.  He became a free agent in early August and signed with Milwaukee, for whom he played a similar role.  He then went to Japan, where he had some fine seasons playing for Yokahama from 2020-2025.  He also was an important part of the 2020 USA Olympic baseball team.  He signed with the Cubs for 2026, but suffered a knee injury that put him out for the season.  He turns thirty-five today, and his playing career is obviously in doubt.  As a Twin, Tyler Austin batted .236/.298/.488 with nine home runs in 141 plate appearances.  He had a very good career in Japan, however, and that's not nothing.  We wish him well.

September 5

Al Orth (1872)

Nap Lajoie (1874)

Lefty Leifield (1883)

Bingo DeMoss (1889)

Max Bishop (1899)

Merv Shea (1900)

Gene Bearden (1920)

Bill Mazeroski (1936)

Karl Kuehl (1937)

Tom Hallion (1956)

Candy Maldonado (1960)

Jeff Brantley (1963)

Jimmy Haynes (1972)

Rod Barajas (1975)

Randy Choate (1975)

Jason Hart (1977)

Ryan Spilborghs (1979)

Chris Young (1983)

Karl Kuehl was a coach for the Twins from 1977-1982.  He was a minor league manager for several seasons and also managed the Montreal Expos in 1976.  His minor league managing career started in 1959, when he managed the Salem Senators in the Northwest League at age 21.

Tom Hallion was a major league umpire from 1986-1999 and 2005-2022.

Left-handed reliever Randol Doyle Choate never actually played in a regular season game with the Twins, but he was in spring training with them in 2007. Born and raised in San Antonio, he attended Florida State and was drafted by the Yankees in the fifth round in 1977. He spent three years at Class A, but jumped to AAA in 2000 and rode the New York-Columbus shuttle from 2000-2003, appearing in 82 games for the Yankees over four seasons. The Yankees traded Choate to Montreal after the 2003 season, and the Expos traded him to Arizona at the end of 2004 spring training. He then started bouncing between Arizona and AAA Tucson, appearing in 114 games for the Diamondbacks from 2004-2007. After the 2006 season, Arizona released Choate and the Twins signed him, but Minnesota released him at the end of spring training and the Diamondbacks signed him again. Released by Arizona after 2007, he spent 2008 with AAA Nashville in the Milwaukee organization. Randy Choate signed with Tampa Bay for 2009. He was strictly a LOOGY for the Rays: over two seasons he appeared in 146 games but logged just 81 innings. He did well for them in that role, but was a free agent after the season and signed with Florida.  He pitched very well for the Marlins for a year and a half, then was traded to the Dodgers in late July.  After the season, he was a free agent again and signed with the Cardinals for 2013.  He again had a fine year in his role.  His numbers did not look particularly good in 2014, but he gave up half of his runs for the season in just two bad appearances.  Back with the Cardinals in 2015, he slipped a little, but was still a competent LOOGY.  He signed with Toronto for 2016, was released in late March, signed with the Dodgers in mid-June, but did not do well in AAA.  He went unsigned after the season and announced his retirement in February of 2017.  He played in parts of fifteen major league seasons, but did not get a full season until 2010.  He was a pretty good LOOGY for a long time, though.  At last report, Randy Choate was a certified substitute teacher in Davis, California.  He also was a laborer/flagger with GRS Sundberg, Inc., a general engineering contractor.

Outfielder Jason Wyatt Hart did not play for the Twins, but he was in their minor league system for a couple of months. He was born in Walnut Creek, California, went to high school in Fair Grove, Missouri, attended Missouri State University, and was drafted by Oakland in the fifth round in 1998. He had a couple of tremendous years in the low minors, hitting .326 with 30 homers at AA Midland in 2000. He stumbled when he reached AAA, however, hitting about .250 with around twenty homers a year over three seasons. Only one of those seasons was spent in the Athletics organization, as he was traded to Texas after the 2001 season in a multi-player deal. He was a September call-up for the Rangers in 2002, going 4-for-15 with 3 doubles in ten games. He was injured all of 2004, but there was no significant difference in his numbers when he came back in 2005. A free agent after the season, the Twins signed him for 2006 and sent him to Rochester. He hit .225/.267/.425 there in 80 at-bats, hitting four home runs and four doubles. On June 1, the Twins sent Hart back to Texas. He finished the season in AAA for them and then his playing career was over. He was the batting coach for the Rangers’ Arizona League affiliate in 2009, for the Hickory Crawdads, the Rangers’ Class A affiliate in the South Atlantic League in 2010-2011, and for the Frisco RoughRiders, the Rangers’ AA affiliate in the Texas League, in 2012-2019.  He would have been the batting coach for the Hickory Crawdads in 2020, but he does not appear to have been retained for 2021.  In 2022, however, he was the assistant batting coach of Las Vegas in the Oakland organization, and in 2023 became the assistant batting coach for the Miami Marlins.  He was let go after the 2024 season and was apparently out of baseball in 2025, but was the batting coach for the AA Frisco RoughRiders in the Rangers organization in 2026.  He was inducted into the Missouri State Athletics Hall of Fame in 2013 and the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 2021.

September 4

Tillie Walker (1887)

Eddie Waitkus (1919)

Hawk Harrelson (1941)

Paul Jata (1949)

Doyle Alexander (1950)

Frank White (1950)

Mike Piazza (1968)

Luis Lopez (1970)

Aaron Fultz (1973)

Pat Neshek (1980)

Jordan Schafer (1986)

Adam Duvall (1988)

Cody Martin (1989)

Andrelton Simmons (1989)

Aaron Slegers (1992)

Cody Martin was drafted by Minnesota in the 20th round in 2010, but did not sign.

Outfielder/first baseman Paul Jata did not play for the Twins, but was in their farm system in 1976.  He was born in Astoria, New York, went to high school on Long Island, and was drafted by Detroit in the fifth round in 1967.  His minor league numbers don't stick out, but he was always very young for his league, reaching AA at age 20 and AAA at age 21.  He made the Tigers out of spring training in 1972 at age 22 but was used mostly as a pinch-hitter/defensive replacement, getting only 71 at-bats through July 19.  At that point he was sent to the minors, coming back for three games as a September call-up.  Given his age and his role, he didn't do so badly:  .230/.296/.257 in 74 at-bats.  Unfortunately, those would be his major league career numbers.  He split 1973 between AA and AAA and had what may have been his best year in the minors.  After the season, he was traded to Minnesota for Jim Nettles.  He'd had numerous knee problems, however, and elected to retire.  After sitting out the 1974 and 1975 seasons, he decided to give baseball one more try.  He played in AA Orlando in 1976 but appeared in only 22 games, batting .242/.351/.306 as his knees apparently could not hold up.  His playing career ended after that.  At last report, it appeared that Paul Jata was living in Newport, Kentucky.

Left-handed reliever Richard Aaron Fultz played for the Twins in 2004. He was born in Memphis, went to high school in Munford, Tennessee, attended North Florida Community College, and was drafted by the Giants in 1992 in the sixth round. He pitched pretty well in rookie ball that year and in Class A in 1993, but was traded to the Twins in August of 1993 with Andres Duncan and Greg Brummett for Jim DeShaies. After just over two years (1994 and 1995) in the Twins system, Fultz was released, and he went back to the Giants. He generally had to repeat levels in the minors, with the result that he did not reach AAA until 1998. Fultz was not particularly impressive in AAA in either 1998 or 1999, but made the Giants with a strong spring training in 2000. Fultz spent three years with the Giants as a middle reliever, posting ERAs in the mid-fours, but was allowed to become a free agent after 2002 and signed with Texas. He did not pitch particularly well for the Rangers, and was again allowed to become a free agent, signing with the Twins for the 2004 campaign. Fultz appeared in 55 games for the Twins, going 3-3 with a 5.04 ERA and a 1.46 WHIP in 50 innings. The Twins placed him on waivers after the season, and he was selected by Philadelphia, for whom he had his best year in 2005, going 4-0 with a 2.24 ERA and a 0.97 WHIP in 72.1 innings. He did not repeat his success in 2006, and again became a free agent, signing with Cleveland for 2007. He did a good job for the Indians, going 4-3 with a 2.92 ERA in 37 innings, but was again released after the season. He has since played in the Detroit, Colorado, and Cincinnati organizations, as well as playing in Taiwan. Fultz played a little independent ball in 2009 before retiring in June.  In recent years he was a minor league pitching coach for the Phillies from 2011-2021.  At last report, he is living in Memphis and working as a safety coordinator for Image Enterprises.

Right-handed reliever Patrick John Neshek was with the Twins from 2006-2010. He was born in Madison, Wisconsin, went to high school in Park Center, Minnesota, and was drafted in the 45th round out of high school by the Twins in 1999. He did not sign, choosing instead to go to Butler University. The Twins kept watching him, and drafted him again in 2002 in the sixth round. He spent roughly a year at each minor league level, and pitched well at all of them, posting a WHIP below 1.00 in each of his first two minor league seasons. He came up to the Twins in July of 2006, and continued to pitch very well, becoming the Twins’ top set-up man. In 2007, he was one of five players who was in the running for the final spot in the all-star game, losing to Hideki Okajima. Neshek then began to battle injuries, undergoing Tommy John surgery, and missed most of 2008 and all of 2009. He came back in 2010, beginning and ending the season in Minnesota but spending most of it in Rochester, where he was decent but no more than that.  The Twins waived him in March of 2011 and he was claimed by San Diego.  He was up and down a few times in 2011; he’s was again decent but no more in AAA and not very good in the majors.  A free agent after the season, he signed with Baltimore for 2012 and pitched very well in AAA but did not get promoted.    He was purchased by Oakland in early August and was awesome in 24 appearances, striking out sixteen in 19.2 innings while posting an ERA of 1.37 and a WHIP of 0.81.  Unfortunately, he could not sustain it in 2013.  He wasn't awful, but he wasn't particularly good, either.  A free agent after the season, he signed with St. Louis and was not considered to have particularly good odds of making the team.  He not only made the team, he had an awesome year, going 7-2, 6 saves, 1.87 ERA, 0.79 WHIP in 67.1 innings (71 games).  He also made his first all-star team that year.  Despite that, the Cardinals allowed him to become a free agent, and he signed with Houston for 2015.  He was very good for them for two seasons.  After the 2016 season he was traded to Philadelphia.  He continued to be very good, but as the Phillies were a long way out of the race he was traded to Colorado in late July, for whom he continued to pitch well through 2018.  He was off to a good start in 2019, but then started to struggle and was injured (or, more likely, was injured and then started to struggle).  He went on the injured list in late May and made only one appearance after that.  He became a free agent after the season and did not signed with anyone, bringing his playing career to an end.   As a Twin, Pat Neshek was 11-6, 3.05, 1.01 WHIP.  He appeared in 132 games and pitched 129.2 innings.  At last report, Pat Neshek was living in Melbourne Beach, Florida, and was continuing to pursue baseball card and autograph collecting as well as spending time with family.

Outfielder Jordan James Schafer played in sixty-eight games for the Twins from 2014-2015.  He was born in Hammond, Indiana, went to high school in Winter Haven, Florida, and was drafted by Atlanta in the third round in 2005.  He started slowly, not doing much in rookie ball in 2005 or in Class A in 2006, but broke through in 2007, hitting .372 in low A and .294 in high A, where he spent most of the season.  He had a solid year in AA in 2008 and started 2009 as the Atlanta Braves' starting center fielder.  He didn't hit, however, and was sent to AAA in June, where he played in only nine games before getting hurt and missing the rest of the season.  He did nothing in the minors in 2010 and wasn't doing much in 2011 when he was promoted to Atlanta and made the starting centerfielder again in late May.  He hit better than he'd done in 2009, but not a lot better, and was traded to Houston in a deadline deal in late July.  He spent a month in AAA and then became the starting centerfielder for the Astros, where he continued to not hit much.  He was still the starter in 2012, but still didn't hit, and lost the job in early August.  He was waived after the season and went back to Atlanta, this time as a reserve.  He hit a little better in that role, but was doing nothing in 2014 when he was waived again and selected by Minnesota in early August.  He was the Twins starting left fielder the rest of the season and had the best stretch of his career, hitting .285 with an OPS of .707.  That was enough to convince the Twins to keep him around for the start of the 2015 season, but he went back to being who he had been, batting only .217 in 69 at-bats before being released in mid-June.  He did not sign with anyone the rest of the season, but signed with the Dodgers in 2016 with the idea of becoming a pitcher.  He appeared in thirty-nine minor league games, mostly in relief at AA.  It was kind of a mixed bag:  his ERA was 3.91, but his WHIP was 1.45.  On the other hand, he did strikeout 57 batters with only 18 walks in 48.1 innings.  A free agent after the season, he signed with St. Louis for 2017.  He injured his elbow, though, and appeared in only thirteen minor league games, all as an outfielder or DH.  In 2018, however, he signed with the Giants and returned to pitching, appearing in seven games in AAA.  He was released in early June and his playing career came to an end.  His numbers as a Twin (in 199 at-bats) were .261/.313/.327.  At last report, Jordan Schafer was an instructor with Clutch Baseball in Winter Haven, Florida.

Shortstop Andrelton Alexander Simmons came to the Twins for the 2021 season.  He was born in Mundo Nobo, Curacao, attended Western Oklahoma State College, and was drafted by Atlanta in the second round in 2010.  He hit fairly well in the low minors, was considered an excellent defender, and made the jump from AA to the majors in early June of 2012.  With the exception of some rehab assignments, he has been there ever since.  He did not bring his bat with him to Atlanta--an average of .256 with an OPS of .666 with the Braves--but he did bring his glove, winning two Gold Gloves.  He even finished fourteenth in MVP voting in 2013 despite batting just .248.  He was traded to the Angels after the 2015 season, and while he wasn't exactly Cal Ripken he did improve with the bat, posting an average of .281 with an OPS of .722 for them.  He also received two more Gold Gloves and more MVP consideration, finishing eighth in 2016 and fifteenth in 2017.  He was a free agent after the 2020 season and signed with Minnesota.  He was, to put it bluntly, awful at the plate, batting .223 with an OPS of .558.  He signed with the Cubs for 2022 and was even worse, batting .173 with an OPS of 431 before being released in early August.  He briefly played winter ball after that season, and he played for Curacao in the Caribbean Series in 2024, but after that he retired from baseball.  In his prime, he had a little pop in his bat--he hit fourteen homers in 2017 and eleven in 2018, but it disappeared after that.  At last report, Andrelton Simmons had founded Simba's Helping Hands, which "guides young individuals as they navigate the path to becoming adults."

Right-hander Aaron Allan Slegers appeared in eight games for the Twins from 2017-2018.  He was born in Scottsdale, Arizona, attended Indiana University--Bloomington and was drafted by Minnesota in the fifth round in 2013.  He was outstanding in just 19 innings for Elizabethton that season.  He was fairly good for Cedar Rapids in 2014 and did very well for Fort Myers in 2015, although he struggled in six starts in Chattanooga that season.  He was much better for Chattanooga in 2016 and had a fine season for Rochester in 2017.  He made four appearances for the Twins, one in August and three in September--the first was good, the others not so much.  In 2018 he again pitched well in Rochester but again not so well in Minnesota in four appearances.  The Twins waived him after the season, and he was claimed by Pittsburgh, but the Pirates sold him to Tampa Bay just before the 2019 season.  He spent the year in AAA other than one game in the majors in August.  He has made eleven appearances for the Rays in 2020 and did quite well.  The Rays were not particularly impressed, however, and traded him to the Angels in the off-season for "unknown compensation".  He began 2021 in the majors and started quite well, but got progressively worse.  He spent most of three months in the minors and did not do well there, either.  He was released in late August and signed back with the Rays.  He apparently was still injured as he made just two appearances, both in the Florida Complex League.  One wonders if the injury occurred in 2021, which would explain his poor performance.   He did not pitch at all in 2022 became a free agent after that season.  He announced his retirement in January of 2023 due to continuing shoulder problems.  As a Twin, he was 1-2, 5.90, 1.28 WHIP in 29 innings.  He is 6' 10", but still not as tall as his father, who is 7'0".  At last report, Aaron Slegers was a business development advisor for JMB Insurance in Scottsdale, Arizona.