March 23

Elmer Smith (1868)

Gavvy Cravath (1881)

Cy Slapnicka (1886)

Ray Kremer (1893)

Johnny Moore (1902)

Bill Harvey (1908)

Johnny Logan (1927)

Jim Lemon (1928)

Lee May (1943)

George Scott (1944)

Pat Bourque (1947)

Lanny Frattare (1948)

Bo Diaz (1953)

Mike Remlinger (1966)

Chris Turner (1969)

Joel Peralta (1976)

Mark Buehrle (1979)

Dellin Betances (1988)

Isiah Kiner-Falefa (1995)

Austin Martin (1999)

Gavvy Cravath's given name is Clifford Carlton Cravath.  He got the nickname "Gavvy" because he once hit a ball that killed a seagull, which in Spanish is "gaviota".

Cy Slapnicka was a long-time scout.  Players he is credited with signing include Bob Feller, Lou Boudreau, and Herb Score.  Somehow, "Cy Slapnicka" just sounds like a name a baseball scout should have.

Lanny Frattare was a radio broadcaster for the Pirates from 1976-2008.

Outfielder James Robert Lemon was one of the original Minnesota Twins, staying with them into 1963.  Born and raised in Covington, Virginia, Lemon was signed by Cleveland as a free agent in 1948.  Lemon had some big years in the minors, hitting .287 with 39 home runs for AA Oklahoma City in 1950.  He made his big league debut that year, playing in 12 games for the Indians.  Lemon then missed the next two years due to military service, coming back in 1953.  He started the season with Cleveland, but did not hit, and was sent to the minors a month later.  He did not hit in the minors that year, either, and the Indians gave up on him, selling hit to Washington in 1954.  Sent back to Class A at age 26, he bounced back to hit .346.  He also spent nearly two months with Washington, hitting .234 as a part-time player.  He played well at AA in 1955, getting a September call-up.  In 1956, Lemon got his first chance at regular play in the majors, and he stayed a big-league regular for six years.  The starting right fielder for Washington, he hit .278 with 27 homers and a league-leading 11 triples.  He remained a reliable power hitter through the rest of the team's stay in Washington.  A move from right field to left field in 1959 did not slow him down:  he hit 33 home runs in 1959 and 38 in 1960.  Lemon also made the all-star team for the only time in 1960 and received minor MVP consideration in 1959 and 1960.  He came to Minnesota with the team in 1961, but had a down year, hitting only .258 with 14 homers.  He was injured much of 1962, playing in only 12 games, and his career was coming to a close.  The Twins sold him to Philadelphia in early May of 1963, he was sold again, to the White Sox, in late June, and after the season his playing career was over.  Lemon turned to managing and coaching:  he was a manager in the expansion Washington organization in 1964, the Twins' batting coach from 1965-1967, the manager of Washington in 1968, a scout for Minnesota for many years, the batting coach for the Twins from 1981-1984, and the manager of the GCL Twins in 1992.  He also was a basketball referee in the winter.  In 1987, he moved to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.  Jim Lemon passed away from melanoma on May 14, 2006 in Brandon, Mississippi.

First baseman Patrick Daniel Bourque spent about six weeks with the Twins in 1974.  A native of Worcester, Massachusetts, he attended Holy Cross and was drafted by the Cubs in the 33rd round in 1969.  He began his career with the Huron, South Dakota Cubs in the old Northern League that season.  The next year, 1970, Bourque hit .326 for Class A Quincy.  For such a low draft choice, he rose through the minor leagues quickly.  In 1971, he played at AA, AAA, and got a September call-up to the majors.  His 1971 and 1972 minor league seasons are quite similar:  a .279 average, 19 and 20 homers, respectively, an OPS of .871 and .862, respectively.  He was having a big year in AAA in 1973, hitting .347 with nine homers in 124 at-bats, when he was called up to the Cubs in mid-May.  He was the Cubs' regular first baseman for about two months, but did not hit and fell to reserve status.  In late August, Bourque was traded to Oakland and was a part-time DH/first baseman for the Athletics the rest of the season.  He remained with Oakland in 1974 as a bench player, but still did not hit and was traded to Minnesota in mid-August for Jim Holt.  Bourque shared first base with Craig Kusick the rest of the season, hitting .219/.296/.297 in 64 at-bats.  After the season, the Twins traded Bourque back to Oakland for Dennis Myers and Dan Ford, a trade that worked out pretty well for Minnesota; Bourque did not make the Athletics in 1975 and his playing career was over.  At last report, Pat Bourque was the head of public works for the City of Flagstaff, Arizona, but it appears that he has now retired.  He has also given private hitting instruction, and has participated in a variety of charitable baseball-related events in Arizona.

Catcher Christopher Wan Turner did not play for the Twins, but was briefly in their farm system in 1998.  He was born in Bowling Green, Kentucky, attended Western Kentucky University, and was drafted by California in the seventh round in 1991.  He did not hit much in the minors; his best season was probably 1992, when he hit .252/.410/.394 for Class A Quad Cities.  He never had an on-base percentage that high again, although he did continue to draw a good number of walks.  He jumped from A to AAA at the start of 1993 and reached the majors in late August of that season.  He was the Angels’ starting catcher the rest of the way and hit .280, but he would never hit as high again, nor would he ever be a regular again.  He shared catching duties with Greg Myers and Jorge Fabregas in 1994, getting the most at-bats he would ever get in a season, 149.  He was in the minors for the Angels most of the next three seasons, missing much of 1997 with injuries.  The Twins signed him in December of 1997, but released him on April 20 of 1998.  He did not play a game as a Twin in either the majors or the minors.  He finished the year in the Kansas City organization, getting nine major league at-bats.  He moved on to Cleveland for 1999, appearing in twelve more major league games, and was with the Yankees for 2000.  He made it back to the big leagues for most of the season in New York, getting 89 at-bats backing up Jorge Posada.  He signed with Philadelphia for 2001, but did not make the team and his playing career came to an end.  He was inducted into the Western Kentucky University Hall of Fame in 2001.  No information about what Chris Turner is doing now was readily available.

Infielder/outfielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa did not play for the Twins, but he was in their organization for about a day and a half in 2022.  Born and raised in Honolulu, he was drafted by Texas in the fourth round in 2013.  He spent three seasons in rookie and Class A ball, reached AA in 2016, and played just five games in AAA in 2018 before being jumped to the majors.  He generally hit for decent, but not exceptional, batting averages in the minors with very little power.  While primarily an infielder, he also did some catching in the minors beginning in 2016.  He was a reserve infielder and catcher with the Rangers from 2018-2019, made a full-time move back to the infield in 2020, and was the Rangers' starting shortstop in 2021.  He was traded to the Twins on March 12, 2022 with Ronny Henriquez for Mitch Garver, and the Twins said he would be their regular shortstop.  instead, he was traded to New York the next day with Josh Donaldson and Ben Rortvedt for Gio Urshela and Gary Sanchez.  He became the Yankees' regular shortstop and batted about like you'd expect him to bat.  His major league numbers are .261/.314/.346--that year he batted .261/.314/.327.  The Yankees decided to put Anthony Volpe at shortstop, and so Kiner-Falefa became a utility player, dividing his time pretty evenly among center, left, and third.  His offensive production remained about the same.  A free agent after the season, he signed with Toronto for 2024 and was having the best season of his career when he was traded to Pittsburgh at the July deadline.  He remained with the Pirates for most of 2025, went back to his normal offensive production, and was traded back to Toronto at the end of August.  He signed with Boston for 2026.  He turns thirty-one today.  He'll never be a star, but he should be a useful major league player for a few seasons yet.  He is a second cousin of Hall of Famer Ralph Kiner.

Outfielder/second baseman Christopher Austin Martin has played for the Twins in part of 2024 and 2025..  He was born in DeLand, Florida, attended high school in Jacksonville, went to Vanderbilt, and was drafted by Toronto in the first round in 2020.  He played all over the field at Vanderbilt and hit well wherever he played.  He wasn't in the Blue Jays' system long--at the July deadline in 2021 he was traded to Minnesota with Simeon Woods Richardson for Jose Berrios.  He has played all over the field in the minors, too, but most recently it has been outfield or second base.  He was solid, but nothing special, at the plate in the minors, but started 2024 in the majors and spent most of the year there.  Playing mostly outfield, he batted .253 with an OPS of .670.  He missed part of 2025 due to injury, but played very well in St. Paul and had a solid fifty games in Minnesota in 2025.  As a Twin, he has batted .265/.341/.357 in 389 at-bats.  He turns twenty-seven today.  He has almost no power, but he draws walks, has some speed, and can play all over the outfield and even at second base if necessary.  If he can hit for a decent average, he could have a decent major league career.

March 22

Jack Boyle (1866)

Ernie Quigley (1880)

Goldie Holt (1902)

Bob Elson (1904)

Dave Thomas (1905)

Marv Owen (1906)

George Crowe (1921)

Billy Goodman (1926)

Al Schroll (1932)

Gene Oliver (1935)

Frank Pulli (1935)

Dick Ellsworth (1940)

Ron Wojciak (1943)

Jake Brown (1948)

Eddie Bane (1952)

Bob Costas (1952)

Eric Rasmussen (1952)

Scott Bradley (1960)

Matt Sinatro (1960)

Rich Monteleone (1963)

Glenallen Hill (1965)

Sean Berry (1966)

Ramon Martinez (1968)

Cory Lidle (1972)

Juan Uribe (1979)

Mike Morse (1982)

Joe Smith (1984)

Dexter Fowler (1986)

Ike Davis (1987)

Ernie Quigley was a National League umpire for twenty-six years and then became the NL supervisor of umpires.

Goldie Holt is credited with teaching Charlie Hough to throw the knuckleball.

Bob Elson was a baseball broadcaster for over thirty years, mostly in Chicago.

Frank Pulli was a National League umpire from 1972-1999.

Ron Wojciak helped the Minnesota Golden Gophers win the College World Series in 1964 and played in the Twins’ farm system in 1965.  He passed away from lung cancer in 1966.

Jake Brown was drafted by Minnesota in the thirty-third round in 1967, but he did not sign.

Scott Bradley was drafted by Minnesota in the twelfth round in 1978, but he did not sign.

Right-hander Albert Bringhurst Schroll appeared in eleven games for the Twins in 1961.  Born in New Orleans, he attended Tulane and signed with Boston as a free agent in 1951.  He remained in the Red Sox system through 1959.  He moved around a lot, playing for two teams in 1951, three teams in 1952, two teams in 1956, and five teams in 1957.  Schroll reached AAA in 1955 and did fairly well, posting a 3.87 ERA at age 23, but spent the next two years in AA, again reaching AAA in 1958 with Minneapolis.  That was also the year he made his big league debut, spending about three weeks with Boston.  He did not do anything special in either the majors or the minors, and was traded to Philadelphia after the season.  He made three appearances for the Phillies in 1959 and was sent back to Boston, going back to AAA until mid-July.  After the season, Schroll was traded again, this time to the Cubs.  He had a fine season for AAA Houston in 1960, posting a 3.04 ERA.  He began 1961 in Houston, but when he got off to a slow start he was sold to Minnesota in June.  He pitched very well in eleven starts for AAA Syracuse and was promoted to the Twins in early August.  He made eleven appearances, eight of them starts, and went 4-4, 5.22 in fifty innings.  He pitched fairly well in AAA in 1962 and in AA in 1963, but that was the end of his playing career.  After that, he worked for Sears in Alexandria, Virginia.  Al Schroll passed away in Alexandria on November 30, 1999 at the age of 67.

Left-hander Edward Norman Bane was with the Twins for parts of three seasons, 1973 and 1975-1976.  He was born in Chicago and attended Arizona State.  He was drafted by the Twins with the eleventh pick of the 1973 draft.  He started his professional career in the majors, but was not ready, going 0-5, 4.92 in 60.1 innings.  He spent all of 1974 and almost all of 1975 in the minors, posting ERAs of just over four at AAA Tacoma.  He was promoted to Minnesota in September of 1975 and pitched very well in four starts, going 3-1, 2.86, although he walked 15 in 28 innings.  He was back in Tacoma at the start of 1976, but came to the majors in late June and was once again placed in the Twins' rotation.  He did not get much done, going 4-7, 5.11 in 79.1 innings.  Bane was back in Tacoma in 1977, and after another mediocre year he became a free agent.  The White Sox signed him and again sent him to AAA, but he did no better than he had before.  Bane missed all of 1979 with an injury.  The White Sox had no more use for him, and sent him to Kansas City to try to make a comeback.  He split 1980 between the AAA teams of the Royals and the Cubs, and then his playing career came to an end.  For his career, Eddie Bane was 7-13, 4.66 in 44 appearances, 25 of them starts.  He pitched 168 major league innings.  He managed in the low minors for Cleveland in the mid 1980s.  He has also done some scouting.  He was a special assistant to the general manager of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays from 1999 through 2003 and was the scouting director of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim from 2004-2010.  Eddie Bane was a scout for the Detroit Tigers in 2011 and 2012 and was a special assignment scout for the Boston Red Sox through 2019.  He then became a scout for the Mets, but was let go after the 2023 season.  There was no report of him being hired elsewhere, and he may have chosen to retire.  His son, Jaymie Bane, pitched in the Angels' organization from 1997-1999 and later was a scout for the Red Sox.  His brother, Dan Bane, was the CEO of Trader Joe's until his retirement in July of 2023.  His daughter, Veronica Bane, is described by wikipedia as a best-selling novelist.

Born Harold Ralph Rasmussen, right-hander Eric Ralph Rasmussen was a coach and coordinator in the Twins' system from 1996-2017. He was born in Racine, Wisconsin and attended the University of New Orleans.  He was drafted by St. Louis in the 32nd round in 1973.  Despite his low draft position, he made a rapid rise through the Cardinals system by pitching very well in the minors.  He made his big-league debut in late July of 1975 and stayed in the majors through 1980.  He was in the Cardinals' rotation through the end of 1975 and pitched well, but began 1976 in the bullpen, not rejoining the rotation until July.  He consistently posted ERAs in the mid-to-upper threes with St. Louis, but after a poor start in 1978 he was traded to San Diego in late May.  He split 1979 and 1980 between the bullpen and the rotation, pitching pretty well in 1979 but less well in 1980.  Surprisingly, the Padres released him late in spring training in 1981, and he went to Yucatan in the Mexican League.  He signed with St. Louis again in 1982, but again failed to make the team and this time was sold to Yucatan.  The Cardinals bought him back in mid-August, but he did not pitch particularly well.  Rasmussen started 1983 in St. Louis, but was sent down in early May after only six appearances.  He pitched very well in Louisville and was sold to Kansas City in early August.  Unfortunately, he did not do very well for the Royals, and he would never get back to the majors again.  He was in AAA for Houston in 1984, pitched for an independent team in 1985, pitched very well in AAA for Baltimore in 1986, and less well for the same team in 1987, after which his playing career came to an end.  Rasmussen joined the Twins' organization in 1996 as the pitching coach of the Ft. Myers Miracle.  He remained in Ft. Myers through 1997, moved to New Britain in 1998, then went back to Ft. Myers from 1999 through 2008.  In 2009, Eric Rasmussen became the minor league pitching coordinator for the Minnesota Twins, a position he held through 2017.  At last report he was the owner of equiteee.com.  The Equiteee is "designed to create a quick and correct swing that produces consistent hard contact and backspin that results in line drives."

A descendant of Robert Fulton, right-hander Cory Fulton Lidle did not play for the Twins, but spent two years in their minor-league system.  Born in Hollywood, he went to high school in Covina, California, and was signed by Minnesota as a free agent in 1990.  He did not begin playing professionally until 1991, and then spent three years in rookie ball.  He made four appearances in 1991 and pitched fairly well in relief in 1992, but the Twins released him in April of 1993.  He played for independent Pocatello in 1993 and was sold to Milwaukee after the season.  Lidle had a couple of decent years in the Brewers' system, reaching AA in 1995.  He was then traded to the Mets prior to the 1996 season.  He had a good year at AA in 1996 and was off to a strong start in AAA in 1997 when he was called up to the majors in early May.  He had a very good year in the Mets' bullpen, going 7-2, 3.53 with a 1.30 WHIP in 81.2 innings spread over 54 games.  He was left unprotected in the expansion draft, however, and was chosen by Arizona.  He suffered an elbow injured in 1998 and made only two minor league appearances.  He was waived after the season and taken by Tampa Bay.  He was apparently still injured in 1999, making only five major league and five minor league appearances.  He started very well in AAA in 2000, but did not do as well when called up to the majors in early-May, although he stayed with the Devil Rays through the end of the season.  Lidle was traded to Oakland before the 2001 season.  He had the best years of his career with the Athletics:  in two seasons, he was 21-16, 3.74 with a WHIP of 1.18.  He was traded to Toronto after the 2002 campaign and had a bad 2003, posting an ERA of 5.75.  He became a free agent, signed with Cincinnati for 2004, and was traded to Philadelphia in August.  He pitched well for the Phillies the rest of that season, but less well in 2005 and 2006.  Lidle was traded to the Yankees in late July and finished the season there.  Cory Lidle was killed in a plane crash on October 11, 2006.

Right-handed reliever Joseph Michael Smith was with the Twins for about four months in 2022.  He was born in Cincinnati, went to high school in Batavia, Ohio, attended Wright State, and was drafted by the Mets in the third round in 2006.  A reliever all the way, he pitched well in low A in 2006, not so well in ten AA appearances that year, but still started 2007 in the majors with the Mets.  He had a couple of good seasons with them and then was traded to Cleveland after the 2008 campaign.  He pitched well for them for five years, became a free agent, and signed with the Angels for 2014.  He continued to pitch well, serving as their closer for a couple of weeks and converting ten consecutive save chances.  He was traded to the Cubs in August of 2016, signed with Toronto for 2017, was traded to Cleveland at the July deadline, and signed with Houston for 2018.  He continued to pitch well through all that and pitched well for the Astros through 2019.  He opted out of the 2020 season and pitched very poorly when he came back in 2021.  As a result he was traded to Seattle in late July, and after the trade he started pitching like Joe Smith again.  He was a free agent after the 2021 season and signed with Minnesota for 2022.   He started really well for the Twins, going unscored upon in his first sixteen appearances, but then things fell apart, and with ERA was approaching five he was released in early August, bringing his playing career to an end.  It was a pretty good one, though.  He was never a star, but he was always a guy you were happy to have in your bullpen.  He played for fifteen major league seasons, appeared in 866 games, and posted an ERA of 3.14 with a WHIP of 1.19.  At last report, Joe Smith was living in New York City.  He and his wife founded HelpCureHD.org, which works to fight Huntington's Disease.  His wife is Allie LaForce, who works for TNT Sports.

Infielder Tristan Colby Gray has not played for the Twins yet, but is in spring training with them in 2026.  He was born in Houston, went to high school in Missouri City, Texas, attended Rice, and was drafted by Pittsburgh in the thirteenth round in 2017.  He did not have much power in college, but got on base very well.  That's still who he was in low A in 2017, and then he was traded to Tampa Bay.  In the Rays organization he turned into a low-average power hitter.  He hit thirty-three homers in AAA in 2022 and thirty more in AAA in 2023, but he batted just .230 with an OBP of .292.  Despite all the home runs, he played in just two games for the Rays, going 2-for-5 with a home run.  He was a free agent after the 2023 season and signed with Miami for 2024.  He was mostly in AAA for the Marlins, going 0-for-7 in the majors, and was waived in late August and selected by Oakland.  He was in eight games for Oakland, going 3-for-21, and signed with the White Sox for 2025.  He got his average up in AAA, but the power went away, and he was sold to Tampa Bay in late July.  He actually got some decent major league playing time over the last two months and was okay, but not actually good.  He was traded to Boston after the season, then traded to Minnesota in January 2026 for Nate Baez.  He turns thirty today and has yet to establish himself in the majors, batting .207/.264/.369 in 111 at-bats over three seasons.  He can play all over the infield, but that's really about the only thing he has going for him.  We wish him well, but it's hard to see him as more than just a stop-gap utility infielder in the major leagues.

March 21

Jack Herbert (1877)

Mysterious Walker (1894)

Bill McGowan (1896)

Shanty Hogan (1906)

Tommy Davis (1939)

Manny Sanguillen (1944)

Al Fitzmorris (1946)

Bill Plummer (1947)

Fernando Arroyo (1952)

Luis Leal (1957)

Shawon Dunston (1963)

Tim McIntosh (1965)

Cristian Guzman (1978)

Aaron Hill (1982)

Carlos Carrasco (1987)

Frankie Montas (1993)

Jack Herbert was a minor league manager in the early 1900s.  Among the teams he managed were the Pekin Celestials, the Cedar Rapids Rabbits, and the Cairo Egyptians.

Bill McGowan was an American League umpire from 1925-1954.  He worked the first all-star game and worked eight World Series.

Right-hander Fernando Arroyo pitched for the Twins from 1980-1982.  Born and raised in Sacramento, he was drafted by the Tigers in the tenth round in 1970.  He pitched very well in the low minors, stumbled in his first year at AAA in 1974, but had a 2.62 ERA and 1.16 WHIP there in 11 starts in 1975 when he was promoted to Detroit in late June.  He didn't do so badly for a 23-year-old:  2-1, 4.56 in 53.1 innings, mostly in relief.  Back in AAA in 1976, he had a poor year, but he still made the Tigers out of spring training in 1977 and was in the starting rotation by mid-May.  He was 8-18, but had an ERA of 4.17 and a WHIP of 1.33.  Unfortunately, no one could see past the eighteen losses, and Arroyo was in AAA for most of 1978 and 1979.  He was not particularly good there in 1978, but had a strong year in 1979.  After the 1979 season, though, Arroyo was traded to Minnesota for Jeff Holly.  He made eight starts in AAA Toledo and went 6-1, 1.62, resulting in a promotion to the Twins in early June.  He started in the bullpen, but was in the starting rotation in July and August.  He did fairly well there, going 4-5, 4.39 as a starter, but was removed from the rotation in September.  He was in the rotation for almost all of 1981 and again wasn't too bad, going 7-10, 3.93 with a 1.39 WHIP.  Arroyo began 1982 in the bullpen, but did not pitch well there, was in the minors by the first of May, and was released in mid-May.  As a Twin, Fernando Arroyo went 13-17, 4.30 in 234.1 innings over fifty games, thirty of them starts.  Oakland signed him, but he did not pitch well there either and was released again in late July.  The White Sox picked up Arroyo a couple days later.  He was in AAA with them through 1984.  He was sold to Yucatan in the Mexican League after the season, and pitched for them in 1985.  He hooked on with Oakland for 1986, making one last appearance in the majors before his playing career ended.  After that, Fernando Arroyo was a minor league manager and pitching coach for many years.  In 2008, he was the pitching coach of the Lotte Giants of the Korean League, but he appears to have held that position for only one season.  In 2010, Fernando Arroyo was inducted into the Mexican American Hall of Fame.  At last report, he was living in the Asheville, North Carolina area and was the president and CEO of ARMTRAK, which markets a teaching aid to show young baseball and softball players the proper throwing angle to improve command and to help avoid arm injury and which Arroyo is credited with inventing.

Utility player Timothy Allen McIntosh did not play for the Twins, but was in their farm system in 1994.  Born and raised in Minnetonka, Minnesota, he attended the University of Minnesota and was drafted by Milwaukee in the third round in 1986.  Initially an outfielder, he converted to catching in 1987.  He hit .302 with 20 home runs at Class A Beloit in 1987, but was still in Class A in 1988, presumably to work on catching skills.  He continued to produce good averages with double-digit home run power throughout his time in the minors, reaching AA in 1989 and AAA in 1990.  He made his major league debut in 1990 as well, getting five at-bats as a September call-up.  He got another September call-up in 1991, getting eleven at-bats this time, and started 1992 in the majors.  He was in the majors most of the season, but was seldom used, catching fourteen games, playing the outfield in ten, and playing first base in seven.  He started 1993 with the Brewers as well, but had only one at-bat when he was put on waivers and claimed by Montreal in mid-April.  He stuck with the Expos until late July, again as a seldom-used reserve, then finished the year in the minors.  He was a free agent after the season and signed with Minnesota for 1994.  He had a really good year at AAA Salt Lake, batting .338 with 18 homers and an OPS of .914, but despite the fact that the Twins catchers that year were Matt Walbeck and Derek Parks, he never got a call-up to the majors.  He was sold to the Nippon Ham Fighters for 1995, then came back to play in the Yankees’ system in 1996.  He got three more at-bats in the majors that season, which would prove to be his big league swan song.  He hung around for a few more years, playing in AAA for the Cubs in 1997 and for independent Sacramento in 1999, then was done for good.  He remained in baseball until 2020.  Most of those years were as a scout, most recently with the Los Angeles Angels.  In November of 2020, however, he went into real estate and is a salesman with Edina Realty in Wayzata, Minnesota.  His wife Laura had a television show, "Bringing It Home with Laura McIntosh".  For his career, Tim McIntosh hit .179/.211/.274 in 117 at-bats over five major league seasons.  He appeared in 71 major league games, starting only twenty.

Shortstop Cristian Guzman was with the Twins from 1999-2004.  Guzman was born and raised in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, he signed with the Yankees as a free agent in 1994.  He did not enter American organized baseball until 1996.  Guzman was in the low minors for the Yankees for two years and was okay, but nothing special.  In February of 1998, Guzman was traded to Minnesota along with Brian Buchanan, Eric Milton, Danny Mota, and cash for Chuck Knoblauch.  He spent one year at AA New Britain, where he was again decent but nothing special, and then was named the Twins starting shortstop in 1999, a position he held through 2004.  He was clearly not ready that year--at age 21, he hit .226 with an OPS of .543.  He improved from there, of course; Guzman's best season as a Twin was 2001, when he hit .302, made the all-star team, and finished 16th in MVP voting.  He led the league in triples three times as a Twin.  In his six years with Minnesota, Guzman hit .266/.303/.382 with 61 triples and 102 stolen bases.  Guzman became a free agent after the 2004 season and signed with Washington.  He had a poor year in 2005 and missed all of 2006 and part of 2007 with injuries.  He played well for the Nationals after that, hitting .305 from 2007 on and making another all-star team in 2008.  He was having another solid season in 2010 when he was traded to Texas at the July deadline.  He played poorly in Texas, hitting just .152 and battling injuries, and became a free agent.  He sat out the 2011 season, signed with Cleveland for 2012, but had trouble staying healthy and was released during spring training, ending his playing career.  At last report, Cristian Guzman had returned to the Dominican Republic and was working with young players there.  Interestingly (at least to us), there is a Cristian Guzman who is employed by the White Sox as a mental performance coach, but it is not the same one.

March 20

Bill Cammeyer (1821)

Mike Griffin (1865)

Joe McGinnity (1871)

Bob Connery (1880)

Walter Schmidt (1887)

Amanda Clement (1888)

Vern Kennedy (1907)

Clyde Shoun (1912)

Hank Izquierdo (1931)

George Altman (1933)

Pat Corrales (1941)

Rick Langford (1952)

Steve McCatty (1954)

Paul Mirabella (1954)

Si-jin Kim (1958)

Chris Hoiles (1965)

Manny Alexander (1971)

Brad Hand (1990)

Taj Bradley (2001)

Bill Cammeyer was involved in the early days of professional baseball.  He is credited as a pioneer who put a fence around his ballpark so he could charge admission.  He built a clubhouse, graded the diamond, created a very primitive set of stands for fans, and put a saloon inside the fence.

Bob Connery is the scout credited with discovering Rogers Hornsby and Tony Lazzeri.

Amanda Clement, born in Hudson, South Dakota, was the first woman to be paid to umpire a baseball game.  She umpired games in the Dakotas, Minnesota, Iowa, and Nebraska.  She umpired regularly from 1904-1910 and on an occasional basis into the 1920s.

Paul Mirabella was drafted by Minnesota in the sixteenth round in 1975, but did not sign.

Si-Jin Kim was a top pitcher in the first decade of Korean professional baseball.

Catcher Enrique Roberto (Valdes) "Hank" Izquierdo was a reserve catcher for the Twins for two months in 1967.  Born and raised in Matanzas, Cuba, he started playing in organized baseball in 1951.  He spent three years playing for the Galveston White Caps, and independent team in the Class B Gulf Coast League.  He went to independent Winston-Salem in 1954 before going to the Cleveland organization with Class B Keokuk in 1955.  He hit .302 that year, his fifth in Class B, and also played at least one game at each position that season.  When he moved higher, unfortunately, his hitting ability could not keep up.  Minor league transaction records from the 1950s are not good, but Izquierdo moved to the Baltimore organization sometime in 1956 and to the Cincinnati organization in 1957.  He spent five years in AAA for Cincinnati, playing in Havana and Jersey City.  He hit .190 in 998 at-bats over that five-year period.  He retired after the 1961 season to become the bullpen coach for Cleveland, but in 1963, he made a comeback with the Twins' organization.  He hit .297 playing in Class A at age 32.  He spent the next two years at AA before once again reaching AAA at age 35 in 1966.  He was hitting .300 in 1967 at AAA Denver and then, at age 36, Hank Izquierdo made his major league debut.  Used as a reserve, he went 7-for-26 with two doubles and two RBIs in the major leagues.  Izquierdo moved to the Houston organization, playing in AAA through 1969.  After the 1968 season, he was driving a taxi in Miami during the off-season and was shot in the stomach during a robbery, nearly dying.  His playing career ended in 1969 when he got into a fight with Ted Simmons in a AAA game and swung a bat at him, fortunately missing.  He managed in the Mexican League for several years and was a scout for the Twins from 1978-87.  He also scouted for the Cubs in 1988.  Hank Izquierdo passed away in West Palm Beach, Florida, on August 1, 2015.

Right-hander Taj Ali Bradley came to the Twins at the trade deadline in 2025.  He was born in Los Angeles, attended high school in Stone Mountain, Georgia, and was drafted by Tampa Bay in the fifth round in 2018.  He spent two years in rookie ball, then missed the 2020 COVID season.  He pitched very well in 2021 in Class A and high-A, did very well in AA in 2022, and was solid when promoted to AAA for twelve starts that year.  He was in the majors for most of 2023 but struggled quite a bit, and was no better when sent back to AAA for ten starts.  He was substantially better in 2024--not great, but certainly not bad, either.  2025 was similar--not terrible, but not really good, either--when he was traded to Minnesota at the deadline for Griffin Jax.  He made three starts in AAA and six for the Twins, pitching well in two of them and okay in one more.  He turns twenty-five today.  His top ten similarity scores through age twenty-four include Roy Halliday, but they also include Willie Fraser and Felipe Lira, so who knows how good he'll be.  But the Twins will give him every chance to prove he can be a major league pitcher.

March 19

Bill Wambsganss (1894)

Gee Walker (1908)

Robert Gaston (1910)

Bob Davids (1926)

Richie Ashburn (1927)

Al Solerno (1931)

Paul Ray Powell (1948)

Tim Corcoran (1953)

Mike Norris (1955)

Ivan Calderon (1962)

Jason LaRue (1974)

David Ross (1977)

Clayton Kershaw (1988)

Bob Davids was one of the founders of the Society for American Baseball Research.

Al Solerno was an American League umpire from 1961-1968.  His firing was one of the things that led to the formation of the first umpires union.

Outfielder Paul Ray Powell was with the Twins for about six weeks in 1971.  He was born in San Angelo, Texas and attended Arizona State.  He played both baseball and football at ASU, playing as a defensive back and as a place kicker (in 1968, he led the NCAA in scoring by kick).  He was chosen by Minnesota with the seventh pick of the 1969 draft.  He hit .291 in AAA Evansville in 1970 and started 1971 as a reserve outfielder on the big club.  He appeared in twenty games, making six starts, seven appearances as a pinch runner, two appearances as a pinch hitter, and was used as a defensive replacement five times.  He went 5-for-31 with one home run and was sent to the minors.  He had a poor year in AAA and after the season was traded to the Dodgers for Bobby Darwin.  Powell bounced back to hit .301 in AAA Albuquerque in 1972, and started 1973 with the Dodgers.  He didn't last long, however, playing in only two games and getting only one at-bat before being sent back to AAA.  Powell was in Albuquerque through 1975, getting ten more big league at bats in his last season.  His career came to an end after the 1975 season.  After leaving baseball, Paul Ray Powell entered the real estate business, and appears to have been rather successful.  At last report, he was living in the Phoenix area and was a real estate broker with Selna & Associates in Cornville, Arizona.  He had his number retired by Arizona State.

First baseman/outfielder Timothy Michael Corcoran played for the Twins for a month in 1981.  Born in Glendale, California, he attended Cal State--Los Angeles and signed with Detroit as a free agent in 1974.  He hit for a high average throughout the minors, hitting over .300 three times in four years.  He made his big-league debut in mid-May of 1977 as a reserve outfielder and continued to hit well, posting a .282 average in 103 at-bats.  1978 was Corcoran's first full year in the majors, as he platooned with John Wockenfuss in right field.  He hit for a decent average, but for no power whatsoever, and after getting off to a slow start in 1979, he was back at AAA.  He hit .338 there, which got him another shot at the majors in 1980.  He got another full year in the big leagues as a reserve first baseman/corner outfielder and did pretty well, hitting .288 with an OPS of .784 in 153 at-bats.  He was back in AAA in 1981 until he was traded to the Twins in September as the player to be named later in a deal that sent Ron Jackson to Detroit.  Corcoran played for the Twins the rest of the 1981 season, platooning at first base with Mickey Hatcher.  He hit .176/.259/.235 in 51 at-bats and was released prior to the 1982 campaign.  He signed with Philadelphia and again hit very well in AAA, averaging .300 over the next two years.  This got him two years in the majors with the Phillies as a reserve first baseman and outfielder.  He hit .341 in 208 at-bats in 1984, but hit .214 in 182 at-bats in 1985.  He was released after the season, signed with the Mets for 1986, got seven at-bats, and was released in June.  He was back in the minors with the Phillies in both 1987 and 1988, and then his playing career came to an end.  He was inducted into the Cal State--L. A. Hall of Fame in 1985.  At last report, Tim Corcoran was a scout for the Los Angeles Angels and works with the Angels Elite program.

March 18

Nixey Callahan (1874)
Johnny Cooney (1901)
Al Benton (1911)
Hiram Bithorn (1916)
Elbie Fletcher (1916)
Eddie Lake (1916)
Bob Broeg (1918)
Hal White (1919)
George Plimpton (1927)
Charley Pride (1938)
Pat Jarvis (1941)
Dwayne Murphy (1955)
Geronimo Berroa (1965)
Corky Miller (1976)
Tomo Ohka (1976)
Scott Podsednik (1976)
Fernando Rodney (1977)
Leury Garcia (1991)
J. T. Realmuto (1991)
Darren McCaughan (1996)
Chris Vallimont (1997)
Emmanuel Clase (1998)

Hiram Bithorn was the first Puerto Rican to play in the major leagues, making his first appearance for the Cubs in 1942.

Sportswriter Bob Broeg covered the St. Louis Cardinals for forty years and was on the Hall of Fame Board of Directors for twenty-eight years.

Author George Plimpton introduced the world to Sidd Finch in 1985.

Country singer Charley Pride pitched in the minor leagues for parts of three seasons from 1953-1960. He also played in the Negro Leagues for a couple of seasons as those leagues were nearing the end of their existence.

One of the finest fourth-string catchers in the history of baseball, Abraham Philip "Corky" Miller played for the Twins at the beginning of 2005. Born and raised in Yucaipa, California, he attended the University of Nevada--Reno and was signed by Cincinnati as a free agent in 1998. He had an excellent year in 2001 split between AA and AAA, hitting .309 with 16 home runs in 314 at-bats. That got him a September call-up, and was the first of ten consecutive years in which Miller played at least part of the season in both the majors and the minors. The most playing time Miller got in a major league season came in 2002, when he played in 39 games and had 114 at-bats for Cincinnati. He was placed on waivers after the 2004 season and was claimed by Minnesota. He started 2005 with the Twins and played in five games, getting twelve at-bats. As a Twin, Corky Miller hit .000/.000/.000. Sent to AAA at the end of April, he hit .229 there and became a free agent after the season. He started 2006 with Seattle, was released in mid-April, and finished the campaign with the Red Sox, for whom he went 0-for-4 (for the three-year period from 2004 through 2006, Miller's major league average was .018 (1-for-55)). He was with Atlanta for 2007 and 2008, signed with the White Sox for 2009, and was traded to Cincinnati in late June. He remained there for 2010, splitting the season between AAA and the majors, and actually had one of his better seasons, hitting .243/.282/.392 in 74 major league at-bats. He could not sustain his success in 2011, hitting .200 (although with an OBP of .348) in 145 at-bats for AAA Louisville. He bounced back in 2012 for Louisville, hitting .235 with an OBP of .386. He split 2013 between Louisville and the Reds, spending nearly half the season in Cincinnati and improbably hitting .257 with an OPS of .766. Okay, it was thirty-five at-bats, but still. In eleven partial seasons in the majors, Miller hit under .200 six times and under .100 four times. His career major league numbers were .193/.277/.306 in 539 at-bats. He spent 2014 in the Cincinnati organization as well, spending the season in Louisville. That brought his playing career to an end. Corky Miller was a coach in the Cincinnati organization with the Class A Dayton Dragons from 2015-16, was the roving catching instructor with the Reds in 2017, and was their catching coordinator in 2018-2019. He managed the Joliet Slammers in 2020, but went back to the Reds as their minor league catching instructor in 2021-2022.  At last report, he was an instructor with Chicago Elite Baseball.

Right-handed reliever Fernando Rodney was with the Twins for about four months in 2018. He was born in Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic, went to high school in San Pedro de Macoris, and signed with Detroit as a free agent in November of 1997. He was a reliever for almost his entire career, with the notable exception of ten starts in 2000 and ten more in 2001. He reached AA in 2001, got to AAA in 2002, and made his major league debut in May of 2002. It took him a while to get established--he split 2002 and 2003 between AAA and the majors, missed all of 2004, and finally came up to stay in 2005. He got a handful of saves with the Tigers, but Todd Jones was their closer through most of his stay with the team. Finally, in 2009, Rodney became the closer and got 37 saves, although his ERA was 4.40 and his WHIP was 1.47. He became a free agent after the 2009 season and signed with the Angels, who moved him into a setup role, although he again got a handful of saves. He signed with Tampa Bay as a free agent for 2012 and finally became a full-time closer. He had a tremendous season, saving 48 games while posting an ERA of 0.60 and a WHIP of 0.78. He allowed five earned runs in 74.2 innings. He made his first all-star team that year, finished third in Cy Young voting, and was thirteenth in MVP voting. He's obviously never matched that season, but he was a solid closer for the Rays in 2013 and for Seattle in 2014. Since then, he has pitched quite well at times and quite badly at other times. He was having a bad year with the Mariners in 2015 but pitched very well in September for the Cubs, to whom Seattle traded him. He signed with San Diego for 2016 and pitched very well for them, too, but then struggled when he was traded to Miami at the end of June. He signed with Arizona for 2017, then signed with Minnesota for 2018, and while he wasn't Mariano Rivera he mostly got the job done, going 3-2, 3.09 with twenty-five saves. The Twins traded him to Oakland in early August for Dakota Chalmers. He was used in a set-up role with the Athletics and was not particularly good, going 1-1, 3.92 with a 1.60 WHIP. He started 2019 with Oakland, but did not do very well and was released in late May. He signed with Washington a week later and did much better, making a solid contribution to the Nationals' bullpen. He signed with Houston in late July of 2020, but did not appear in the majors and was released in early September. He pitched for Tijuana in the Mexican League in 2021-2022 and pitched very well.  He had a poor year in the Mexican League in 2023, but again pitched in winter ball and did fairly well.  He did not pitch in 2024, but pitched for the Hamilton Cardinals of the Intercounty Baseball League in Canada in 2025 and it would not surprise us if he returned there in 2026.  He turns forty-nine today, and apparently is going to pitch as long as someone, somewhere, will let him pitch.

Right-hander Darren Scott McCaughan appeared in three games for the Twins in 2025.  He was born in Long Beach, California, went to high school in Los Alamitos, California, attended Cal State--Long Beach, and was drafted by Seattle in the twelfth round in 2017.  He had a tremendous college career, going 23-5, 2.31, 0.89 WHIP.  He pitched very well in high-A in 2018 and acquitted himself well in two AAA starts that season.  He pitched well in AA in 2019, but this time struggled in nine AAA starts.  He missed the 2020 COVID season and spent most of 2021 in AAA, making two major league appearances.  He was in AAA for all of 2022 and almost all of 2023, getting three more games in the big leagues.  He did not pitch well in any of those AAA seasons and was sold to Miami for 2024.  He split 2024 between AAA and the big leagues and also between Miami and Cleveland, who claimed him off waivers in early July.  He did not pitch well in any of those spots.  A free agent after the season, he signed with Minnesota for 2025.  He started the season with the Twins and actually pitched pretty well in three games, but was sent to AAA and reverted to form.  A free agent after the season, he signed with Cincinnati for 2026.  As a Twin, he was 0-0, 1.69, 1.13 WHIP in 5.1 innings.  In his career, however, he's 0-0, 6.02, 1.57 WHIP in 61.1 innings, and in AAA he's 31-40, 5.14, 1.31 WHIP in 643 innings.  There's obviously something about him that teams like, but he turns thirty today and has yet to have sustained success in AAA, much less in the majors.  But he's obviously a nice guy, and we wish him well.

Right-hander Chris Ryan Vallimont did not play for the Twins, but was in their minor league system from 2019-2022.  Born and raised in Erie, Pennsylvania, he attended Mercyhurst University in Erie (one of five major leaguers to have attended there), and was drafted by Miami in the fifth round in 2018.  He was a starter in the minors and continued to start for most of his minor league career.  He reached high-A in 2019 and made six solid starts for Jupiter before being traded to the Twins with Sergio Romo for Lewin Diaz.  He made four very good starts for Fort Myers in 2019, missed the 2020 COVID season, and spent almost all of 2021 in AA Wichita, where he pitched poorly in twenty-one starts.  He made six poor starts in Wichita in 2022, after which the Twins put him on waivers.  He was claimed by Baltimore in late May, made three excellent starts for AA Bowie, then spent the rest of the season in AAA.  He did not pitch well there in either 2022 or 2023.  Even so, he made what is so far his lone major league appearance on July 3, 2023, giving up no runs on one hit and striking out one in two-thirds of an inning.  He was sold to Cleveland three days later and spent the rest of the season back in AAA.  He became a free agent after the season and went unsigned until May, when the Dodgers signed him.  He pitched poorly in AAA for two months, was released, and finished the season with York in the Atlantic League, for whom he pitched well.  He did not, however, pitch well either for York on in the Mexican League in 2025.  He turns twenty-nine today and has no record of success above high-A.  He may get another shot in independent ball, or he may decide it's time to move on with his life.  But he did get to the majors, if only for one game, and most of us wish we could say that.  We wish him well.

March 17

Fred Pfeffer (1860)

Oscar Stanage (1883)

Joe Fitzgerald (1897)

Charlie Root (1899)

Sammy Baugh (1914)

Hank Sauer (1917)

Pete Reiser (1919)

Jimmie Hall (1938)

Vic Voltaggio (1941)

Cito Gaston (1944)

Kurt Russell (1951)

Tim Lollar (1956)

Frank Wren (1958)

Danny Ainge (1959)

John Smiley (1965)

Dan Masteller (1968)

Bill Mueller (1971)

Raul Chavez (1973)

Scott Downs (1976)

Robb Quinlan (1977)

Chris Davis (1986)

Juan Lagares (1989)

Jean Segura (1990)

Joe Fitzgerald had a long association with the Minnesota/Washington franchise, serving as bullpen catcher from 1945-1947, coach from 1948-1956, and scout from 1957 until he passed away in 1967.

Hall of Fame quarterback Sammy Baugh was an infielder in the minors for St. Louis in 1938, batting .200 in the American Association and the International League.

Vic Voltaggio was an American League umpire from 1997-1996.

Actor Kurt Russell spent three years in the low minors (1971-1973), batting .292 in 356 at-bats.

Frank Wren has been the general manager of the Baltimore Orioles and the Atlanta Braves.

NBA star Danny Ainge was a third baseman for Toronto from 1979-1981.

Outfielder Jimmie Randolph Hall played for the Twins from 1963-1966.  He was born in Mount Holly, North Carolina and went to high school in Belmont, North Carolina.  He then was signed by Washington as a free agent in 1956.  He hit .385 his first year at Class D Superior, but then had some less impressive years.  He really struggled upon reaching AAA, batting only .227  there in 1960.  He then apparently suffered from injuries, as he totalled only 141 minor league at-bats in 1961-1962.  The Twins saw something in him, though, because in 1963 he became a regular outfielder for the Twins.  Hall started mostly in center field, although he would often be shifted to left late in games to replace Harmon Killebrew there, with Lenny Green taking over in center.  He hit .260 with an amazing 33 home runs (his highest home run total in the minors had been 17 in 1958), setting a rookie record for homers and finishing third in Rookie of the Year voting behind Gary Peters and Pete Ward.  He made the all-star team the next two years and finished 13th in MVP voting in 1965.  He hit in the .280s with a home run total in the twenties both years.  He played full-time in center field both of those years.  In 1966, the acquisition of Ted Uhlaender moved Hall to left.  The move did not go well, as Hall dropped to .239, although he again hit twenty home runs.  After the season, Hall was traded to California with Pete Cimino and Don Mincher for Dean Chance and a player to be named later (Jackie Hernandez).  He was the regular right fielder for the Angels in 1967, hitting .249 with sixteen homers, which in 1967 was not as bad as it might sound today.  It still wasn't good enough, however;  Hall became a part-time player, was traded to Cleveland in June of 1968, moved on to the Yankees in April of 1969, to the Cubs in September, to Atlanta in June of 1970, and was released after the 1970 season.  He hit for neither power nor average in any of those years.  Hall played at AAA for San Diego in 1971, then ended his playing career.  As a Twin, Jimmie Hall hit .269/.334/.481 with 98 home runs in four seasons.  Some sources attribute his drop-off to a time when he was hit in the head with a pitch, but this happened in 1964 and he had a fine season in 1965, so it seems unlikely.  After his playing career ended, Hall moved back to Mount Holly, North Carolina, where he was still living at last report.  He is a member of the Gaston County (NC) Sports Hall of Fame.

Left-hander John Patrick Smiley pitched for the Twins in 1992.  He was born in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania and went to high school in Graterford, Pennsylvania.  He was drafted by Pittsburgh in the twelfth round in 1983.  He struggled early in his minor league career and was moved to the bullpen in 1986.  He had a very good year in relief, posting an ERA of 3.10 and a WHIP of 1.16 in 90 innings in Class A.  That got him a September call-up, and the next year he stayed in the majors, never going back to AA or AAA.  Smiley was used in relief in 1987 and did not do a whole lot, but he joined the starting rotation in 1988 and stayed in a major league rotation for ten years.  He was in the Pirates' rotation through 1991.  His last year with Pittsburgh was his best, as Smiley went 20-8, 3.08 in 207.2 innings.  He made his first all-star appearance that year, finished third in Cy Young voting, and was fourteenth in MVP balloting.  In March of 1992, Smiley was traded to the Twins for Midre Cummings and Denny Neagle.  He had an excellent year for the Twins, going 16-9, 3.21 with a 1.12 WHIP and setting a career high with 241 innings.  He became a free agent after the season and signed with Cincinnati.  Smiley struggled in 1993, dealing with both injuries and ineffectiveness.  He bounced back in 1994 and had three consecutive years with ERAs under four and WHIPs under 1.30.  He made the all-star team for the second time in 1995  He had a poor year in 1997, and an injury shortly after his mid-season trade to Cleveland led Smiley to retire after the 1997 season.  John Smiley was never a superstar, but he was a solid rotation starter for several years.  At last report, he was living in Trappe, Pennsylvania.

First baseman/outfielder Dan Patrick Masteller was with the Twins for a little over half of the 1995 season.  He was born in Toledo, attended Michigan State, and was drafted by Minnesota in the eleventh round in 1989.  He did not show much power in the minors, but hit over .300 for three consecutive years, most of which were in AAA Salt Lake.  He was in the third of those years when he was brought up to Minnesota in late June of 1995.  The left- handed hitter was used almost exclusively against right-handed pitching, sharing first base with Scott Stahoviak and also playing a little corner outfield.  Masteller played in 71 games that season, getting 198 at-bats.  He hit .237/.303/.343 with three homers and 21 RBIs.  Released after the season, he was signed by Montreal and again hit for a high average in AA, but apparently no one was impressed; he was let go in mid-season and finished the year in the independent North Atlantic League.  1996 was to be Masteller's last season in organized baseball.  At last report, Dan Masteller was a managing director and co-chairman of the board of directors of the Charles Schwab Corporation and was living in Akron, Ohio.

Left-hander Scott Jeremy Downs did not play for the Twins, but was in their farm system briefly in 1999.  Born and raised in Louisville, he attended the University of Kentucky and was drafted by the Cubs in the third round in 1997.  He pitched pretty well in their system for two seasons, but in November of 1998 he was the player to be named later in the deal that sent Mike Morgan to the Cubs.  He pitched 19.2 innings in New Britain and 9.2 innings in Ft. Myers, doing poorly for the former and well for the latter, when he was sent back to the Cubs on May 21 of 1999 along with Rick Aguilera for Kyle Lohse and Jason Ryan.  He made the Cubs starting rotation at the start of the 2000 season, but did not do well and was traded to Montreal at the July trading deadline for Rondell White.  He made one start for the Expos and then went down with an injury, missing the entire 2001 season.  He spent most of the next three years in the minors, making one major league start in 2003 and 12 in 2004.  After that season, he was released by the then Washington franchise and signed with Toronto.  He started the season in the minors but made it back to the big leagues for good in mid-May of 2005 and began a transition to the bullpen.  He began pitching better immediately, and started pitching really well as a LOOGY in 2007.   He was a free agent after the 2010 season, signed with the Angels, and continued to pitch well.  He stayed with the Angels until late July of 2013, when he was traded to Atlanta.  His numbers with the Braves were not particularly good, but as often happens with a LOOGY, a few bad outings make his performance look worse than it was.  He started 2014 with the White Sox, but the bad outings became more common and he was released at mid-season.  He signed with Kansas City a few days later and pitched much better the rest of the way.  He signed with Cleveland for 2015 but was released at the end of spring training and his playing career came to an end.  It was a pretty good career, though, especially when you consider that he really didn't put things together until he was thirty-one.  At last report, Scott Downs was living in Lexington, Kentucky and was the baseball coach of Lexington Catholic High School.