September 12

Nick Young (1840)

Bob Groom (1884)

Fred Luderus (1885)

Spud Chandler (1907)

Charlie Keller (1916)

Andy Seminick (1920)

Stan Lopata (1925)

Albie Pearson (1934)

Mickey Lolich (1940)

John Montague (1947)

Scotti Madison (1959)

Thom Brennaman (1963)

Keith Hughes (1963)

Luis Castillo (1975)

Sean Burroughs (1980)

Macier Izturis (1980)

Carmen Pignatiello (1982)

Clayton Richard (1983)

Freddie Freeman (1989)

Jose Urena (1991)

Matt Wisler (1992)

Nick Young was the secretary of the National Association, was the first secretary of the National League, and was National League president from 1881-1903.

The son of broadcaster Marty Brennaman, Thom Brennaman broadcast games for the Cincinnati Reds, Chicago Cubs, and Arizona Diamondbacks, as well as the Fox Network.

Catcher Charles Scott “Scotti” Madison did not play for the Twins, but was drafted by them. Born and raised in Pensacola, Florida, he was drafted by the Twins in the third round of the 1980 draft out of Vanderbilt. Madison was started at AA Orlando and did not do well, batting only .230. Dropped down to Class A Visalia in 1981, he hit much better, and was traded to the Dodgers that offseason with Paul Voight in a trade that brought Bobby Castillo and Bobby Mitchell to the Twins. Madison slumped again when promoted to AA and AAA in 1982, but did better after that, batting over .300 in a 1983 split between AA San Antonio and AAA Albuquerque. He was purchased by the Tigers organization during 1984 spring training, and after a solid season at AA Birmingham and a good 1985 split between Birmingham and AAA Nashville, Madison was given a brief callup by the Tigers. He got another brief chance with the Tigers in 1986, but then became a free agent and signed with the Royals. He was named the most popular player on the Omaha Royals in 1987, and got to Kansas City briefly in both 1987 and 1988, and became a free agent again, signing with Cincinnati. In 1989, he played in 40 games with the Reds, his longest stint in the big leagues, getting 108 at-bats. He played third base for Cincinnati, despite not having played there much in the minors. Madison’s career ended after that year: he had a career batting average of .163 in 166 at-bats. Now living in Nashville, Scotti Madison was the founder of RAPHA Products Group, whose flagship product is the Triggerlite flashlight.  He has written two books, "Just a Phone Call Away", about his experiences in the minor leagues, and "The Other Side of the Earth", about dealing with a son who battled addiction.  He is currently a motivational speaker and podcast host, as well as being a consultant for TRC Worldwide Engineering and Horace Mann.

Outfielder Keith Wills Hughes did not play for the Twins, but was in AAA for them in 1992. He was born in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania and signed with Philadelphia as a free agent in 1981. He hit .329 with 15 homers in Class A in 1983, and in mid-1984 was traded to the Yankees in a deal that involved Shane Rawley. He hit .307 for the Yankees in AA in 1986. Hughes was with the Yankees briefly in 1987 but was traded back to Philadelphia in early June in a deal involving Mike Easler. He was with the Phillies for about two months that season, then was traded to Baltimore. He was with the Orioles the majority of the 1988 season, used mostly as a reserve right fielder. He was back in the minors in 1989, and after that season he was traded once again, this time to the Mets. He hit .309 in AAA and earned a September call-up, but was released after the season. He signed back with the Yankees for 1991, spent the season in AAA, and signed with Minnesota for 1992. He was in AAA Portland all year, hitting .271/.344/.416 in 221 at-bats. A free agent again after that season, he signed with Cincinnati, again spending most of the year in AAA but getting four at-bats in the majors. He was out of baseball in 1994, came back in 1995 to spend the season in AAA with the Royals, and then his playing career was over for good. As a major league player, he hit .204/.286/.284 in 201 at-bats. Keith Hughes now lives in Philadelphia and at last report was a sales manager for Millicare/EBC, a company which provides customized carpet maintenance programs for commercial businesses.

Second baseman Luis Antonio (Donato) Castillo played for the Twins in 2006-2007. He was born in San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic, went to high school in Humacao, Dominican Republic, and was signed by the Florida Marlins as a free agent in 1992 at age 16. He had a high batting average, although with almost no power, throughout the minor leagues, posting a career minor-league average of .303. He came up to the Marlins in 1996 as a part-time player, and did not get a full-time major league job until 1999, He made the most of it, hitting .302 and stealing 50 bases. Castillo remained the starting second baseman for the Marlins through 2005, hitting over .300 five times, making three all-star appearances, winning three gold gloves, and playing on two world championship teams. In the 2005-06 off-season, he was traded to the Twins for Scott Tyler and Travis Bowyer. Castillo was the starting second baseman for the Twins in 2006 and the first four months of 2007, and continued to hit as he had, batting .299/.357/.363 as a Twin. At the end of July, 2007, he was traded to the Mets for Drew Butera and Dustin Martin. Castillo hit poorly during an injury-plagued 2008, bounced back to hit .302 in 2009, but again hit poorly in an injury-plagued 2010.  The Mets released him in spring training; he signed with Philadelphia, but was released again nine days later, bringing his major league career to an end. He was investigated in August of 2019 in regard to a money laundering operation, but was later cleared.  At last report, Luis Castillo was living in Caldwell, New Jersey.

The son of big leaguer Jeff Burroughs, third baseman Sean Patrick Burroughs appeared in ten games for the Twins in 2012.  He was born in Atlanta and attended high school in Long Beach.  Along the way, he became a hero for a Long Beach team that twice won the Little League World Series.  He was drafted by San Diego in the first round in 1998 and played for the U. S. Olympic gold medal team in 2000.  He did not hit for much power in the minors but posted high batting averages.  He reached AAA in 2001 and was the starting third baseman for the Padres in 2002 at the age of only 21.  He started well, but slumped badly in May and was sent back to AAA, returning as a September call-up.  He was back as the starter in 2003-2004 and posted solid batting averages, but had no speed and no power.  He lost the starting job again in 2005, this time for good, and was traded to Tampa Bay at the end of the season.  He did little for the Devil Rays and was released in August.  He moved on to Seattle for 2007 but was released again in mid-June.  He was then out of baseball for four years, which he attributes to a drinking problem.  In 2011, he attempted a comeback with Arizona.  Still only thirty, he tore up the Pacific Coast League and was called up to the Diamondbacks in mid-May, where he did fairly well as a bench player.  He signed with Minnesota for 2012 and started the season in the majors, but got only seventeen at-bats in April, going 2-for-17, and was sent to Rochester, where he was decent but nothing more.  A free agent after the season, he signed with the Dodgers, but hit only .220 in 52 games of AA ball.  Since then he's been playing in the Atlantic League and did extremely well through 2017.  He hit .328 in 2017, so he probably could've continued playing, but it appears that he retired after that season.  Sadly, Sean Burroughs passed away from a fentanyl overdose in Long Beach, California on May 9, 2024, at the young age of forty-three.

Left-hander Carmen Peter Pignatiello did not play for the Twins, but was in AAA with them for about a month in 2009. He was born in Hammond, Indiana, went to high school in Lenox, Illinois, and was drafted by the Cubs in the twentieth round in 2000. He was a starter for much of his minor league career, but began switching to relief in 2005. He did pretty well in that role in 2006 and 2007, spending about three weeks in the majors with the Cubs in 2007, pitching two innings in four games. He began 2008 in the majors, appearing in two more games and pitching two-thirds of an inning before being sent back to AAA. He had a bad year in AAA that season and became a free agent after the season was over. The Twins signed him and sent him to AAA Rochester, where he pitched seven innings in four games, posted an ERA of 14.14, and was released on May 1. He finished the year with Schaumberg of the independent Northern League; then his playing career came to and end.  In his major league career, he appeared in six games, pitched 2.2 innings, and posted an ERA of 6.75.  Carmen Pignatiello was the pitching coach for the Joliet Slammers of the Frontier League from 2011-2012.  He currently owned a Nationwide Insurance agency in the Chicago area for several years.  At last report, he was a Property & Casualty Practice Leader for USI Insurance Services, also in the Chicago area.

Right-hander Matthew Robert Wisler pitched for the Twins in 2020.  Born and raised in Bryan, Ohio, he was drafted by San Diego in the seventh round in 2011.  He pitched well in the Padres organization through 2014, although he struggled when promoted to AAA at age 21.  He was traded to Atlanta in April of 2015 and made his major league debut for them in June of that year.  He went back-and-forth between AAA and the majors through 2018.  For the most part he wasn't really terrible in the majors, but he wasn't really good, either.  He was traded to Cincinnati at the July deadline in 2018 and pitched quite well for the Reds the rest of the way.  He could not continue that success in 2019, however.  He was traded to San Diego at the start of that season and was sold to Seattle on the fourth of July, not pitching well for either club.  The Mariners waived him after the season and he was claimed by Minnesota.  He pitched extremely well for the Twins, with numbers totally out of line with anything he'd done in his career.  His career numbers are 25-36, 4.59, 1.32 WHIP.  As a Twin, he was 0-1, 1.07, 1.15 WHIP.  He became a free agent after the season and signed with the Giants for 2021.  He lost whatever he had found, posting an ERA over six.  The Giants traded him to Tampa Bay and he found it again, going 2-3, 2.15, 0.92 WHIP.  He was having another solid season for the Rays in 2022, going 2-3, 2.25, 1.00 WHIP, when the Rays suddenly released him in early September.  Maybe they knew something.  Wisler signed with Detroit for 2023, was mediocre in AAA, was released in early August, signed with Toronto, and continued to be mediocre in AAA.   He became a free agent after the season and went unsigned, retiring on March 17, 2024. His career had lots of ups and downs--when he was up, he was really up, but when he was down, he was really down.  He is the co-founder of Elite Performance Medical, "empowering former athletes to transition to successful careers", in the Toledo area.

Right-hander Jose Miguel Urena appeared in four games for the Twins in 2025.  He was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and signed with the Florida Marlins as a free agent in 2008 at age sixteen.  He pitched well in the minors, but probably because of his age he advanced slowly, reaching AA in 2014.  He then was jumped to the majors in 2015, but was sent back to AAA after only two appearances.  He pitched well in AAA but not so well in the majors, posting an ERA of 5.40.  2016 was similar, but then he had two full and good years in the majors with the Marlins.  In 2019, however, he had injury problems, and did not pitch well when he could pitch.  He made five starts for Miami in 2020, then became a free agent.  He signed with Detroit for 2021, and that started a succession of years in which he got lots of practice in moving.  He played for Milwaukee and Colorado in 2022, for Colorado, Washington, and the White Sox in 2023, for Texas in 2024, and for the Mets, Toronto, the Dodgers, Minnesota, and the Angels in 2025.  He did have one good year in there, with the Rangers in 2024.  He moved to Japan for 2026, playing for Rakuten.  If you want to be positive, you can say there must have been something teams liked about him, because he kept getting chances.  As a Twin he was 0-1, 4.58, 1.42 WHIP in 17.2 innings (four games, three starts).  His career numbers are 44-78, 4.75, 1.40 WHIP in just under a thousand innings.  He turns thirty-five today.  It's entirely possible he'll move around some more, and that we'll see him back in the United States before he's done.

September 11

Con Daily (1864)

James Dunn (1866)

Steve Brodie (1868)

Frank Kitson (1869)

Ellis Clary (1916)

Eddie Miksis (1926)

Luis Garcia (1929)

Larry Bearnarth (1940)

Jackie Hernandez (1940)

Dave Roberts (1944)

Larry Cox (1947)

Jeff Newman (1948)

Brad Lesley (1958)

Scott Patterson (1958)

Don Slaught (1958)

Ellis Burks (1964)

Quinn Mack (1965)

Eduardo Perez (1969)

Frank Francisco (1979)

Toby Gardenhire (1982)

Jacoby Ellsbury (1983)

Andrew Cashner (1986)

Mike Moustakas (1988)

Nik Turley (1989)

Shawn Armstrong (1990)

James Dunn was the owner of the Cleveland Indians from 1916-1922.

Infielder Ellis Clary was a scout for the Twins for over two decades.

Luis Garcia is a member of both the Venezuelan Hall of Fame and the Caribbean Hall of Fame.

Actor Scott Patterson, best known for his role on The Gilmore Girls, was a minor league pitcher for seven seasons, pitching 373 AAA innings but not reaching the majors. He was in the Yankees and Braves systems.

Brad "the Animal" Lesley was drafted by the Twins in the seventh round of the 1977 January draft, but did not sign.

Quinn Mack is Shane Mack’s brother and got 21 at-bats with Seattle in 1994.

Toby Gardenhire, of course, is the son of the former Twins’ manager.  He was a player in the Twins’ minor league system, reaching AAA, was the manager of the St. Paul Saints, and is currently the Twins' major league field coordinator.

Additionally, it seems appropriate on this day to mention former minor league players Marty Boryczewski, Ralph Scorca, Mike Weinberg, and Brent Woodall, all of whom were killed in the terrorist attacks of 2001.

Shortstop Jacinto (Zulueta) “Jackie” Hernandez played for the Twins from 1967-1968. He was born in Central Tinguaro, Cuba, and was signed by the Cleveland Indians as a free agent in 1961. Originally signed as a catcher, he was quickly converted to shortstop. Hernandez had a reputation as an excellent fielder, which he needed, because he did not hit much as he came up through the ranks–his highest average was .260 at AA Charleston in 1964, his second year in AA. In May of 1965 the Indians released him, and he was signed by the California Angels the same day. Hernandez batted only .229 in AAA that year, but still was given a September callup with the Angels. He was with California all of 1966, but was strictly a pinch-runner/defensive replacement–he played in 58 games, but had only 26 plate appearances, scoring 19 runs while getting only one hit and one walk. At the start of the 1967 campaign, Hernandez was selected as the player to be named later in the trade which sent Dean Chance to the Twins for Pete Cimino, Jimmie Hall, and Don Mincher. He was with AAA Denver for most of 1967, and when he was with the Twins, he was used in pretty much the same role he’d had with California, playing in 29 games, but making only 30 plate appearances. In 1968, Hernandez became a part-time player, batting .176 in 199 at-bats as a sometimes shortstop. He was then left unprotected in the expansion draft, and was chosen by Kansas City. 1969 was his only year as a regular, and he hit about like he always did, batting .222 with 4 homers and 40 RBIs in over 500 at-bats. Reduced to part-time status in 1970, Hernandez was traded to Pittsburgh after the season in a multi-player deal that brought Fred Patek to the Royals. He played three seasons with the Pirates as a part-time player, including the World Championship year of 1971. He was back in the minors in 1974, calling it quits after batting .199 at AAA Charleston. As a Twin, Jackie Hernandez batted .172 in 227 at-bats spread over 112 games, with 2 home runs and 20 RBIs. Hernandez did a lot of managing and coaching in independent leauges, including coaching for the St. Paul Saints in 2003-2006 and managing the Charlotte County Redfish in the South Coast League in 2007.  From 1997-2013 he was an instructor at a hitting school in Miami.  He continued to be a spring training instructor for the Pittsburgh Pirates for several years after that.  Jackie Hernandez passed away from lung cancer on October 12, 2019.

Catcher Larry Eugene Cox did not play for the Twins, but he was in their minor league organization in 1976. He was born in Bluffton, Ohio, went to high school in Ottawa, Ohio, and signed with Philadelphia as a free agent in 1966, making his professional debut with Huron, SD in the Northern League that season. He hit .219 that season, the highest average he would have until 1971. He was converted into a pitcher in 1968 and did fairly well in Class A, but returned to catching the following season. He was loaned to the San Diego organization in 1972, but was back with the Phillies in 1973. Cox made his major league debut that year, catching one inning of a game in April without getting a chance to bat before being returned to AAA. He was with the Phillies for about half of 1974 and half of 1975, backing up Bob Boone. After the 1975 season, Cox was traded to Minnesota for Sergio Ferrer. He spent the 1976 campaign in AAA Tacoma and had his best minor league season, hitting .265 with 12 home runs for a .748 OPS, but was unable to beat out Glenn Borgmann for the backup catcher role on the big club. He was sold to Seattle after the season and spent the full year with the Mariners, the first of four full seasons Cox spent in the big leagues. He was traded to the Cubs after the 1977 season, but was traded back to Seattle in the spring of 1979. He is listed as the regular catcher for the Mariners in 1979 and 1980, and was the most used, but shared the position with Bob Stinson, Jerry Narron, and Marc Hill. He was traded to Texas after the 1980 season in a multi-player deal that included such notables as Rick Honeycutt, Willie Horton, and Richie Zisk. Cox was a seldom-used reserve in the first half of 1981, then was released in August as soon as the player strike ended. He signed with the Cubs for 1982, spending most of the season in the minors, and then his playing career came to an end. In parts of nine major league seasons, Larry Cox batted .221/.280/.314 in 825 at-bats. After his playing career ended, he became a minor league manager and coach in the Cubs’ organization. Larry Cox passed away on February 17, 1990 in Bellefontaine, Ohio, of a heart attack suffered while playing racquetball.

Left-hander Nikolas Carlyle Turley appeared in ten games for the Twins in 2017.  He was born in La Cañada, California, went to high school in Los Angeles, and was drafted by the Yankees in the fiftieth round in 2008.  He advanced slowly, spending two-plus seasons in the Gulf Coast League, reaching AA in 2013, and getting to AAA in 2014.  He did not do well there and became a free agent after the season, signing with San Francisco for 2015.  He stayed in AAA and continued to not do well, becoming a free agent again after the season.  He kept getting chances, though, signing with the White Sox for 2016, being released in late March, and signing with Boston in early April.  They sent him back to AA and he didn't do particularly well there, either.  He was released in July and finished the season with Somerset in the Atlantic League.  He found another team who'd give him a chance, though, signing with Minnesota for 2017.  Now twenty-seven, he pitched very well in five games at AA Chattanooga and continued to pitch well in AAA Rochester.  He was promoted to the Twins for three starts and was, unfortunately, awful.  He was sent back to AAA but promoted again in mid-August, making seven appearances out of the bullpen.  He did better, but still not very well.  As a Twin, Nik Turley was 0-2, 11.21, 2.15 WHIP in 17.2 innings (10 games, 3 starts).  He was waived in November and selected by Pittsburgh.  He then got an eighty-game suspension for using a PED and then was put on the disabled list with a sprained elbow, so he did not pitch in 2018.  He did not pitch in 2019 either.  After that season, we wrote, "He certainly faces long odds in coming back, but we wish him well."  He beat those odds, appearing in twenty-five games in Pittsburgh in 2020.  He was sold to Oakland after that season, claimed by the White Sox on waivers in late March, and pitched in AAA for them in 2021.  He moved to Japan in 2022 and pitched pretty well there through 2025.  He has not pitched in 2026, however, and as we could not find anything about him being injured we assume he chose to retire.  A member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, he had expressed a desire to do mission work after he retired from baseball, so it's possible that's what he's doing now.

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.