June 6

Ed McKean (1864)

Jose Maria Fernandez (1896)

Fresco Thompson (1902)

Bill Dickey (1907)

Wild Bill Wright (1914)

Hector Espino (1939)

Merv Rettenmund (1943)

Bud Harrelson (1944)

Bobby Randall (1948)

Dave Bergman (1953)

Max Venable (1957)

Tony Graffanino (1972)

Brooks Kieschnick (1972)

David Lamb (1975)

Mark Ellis (1977)

Jeremy Affeldt (1979)

Matt Belisle (1980)

Anthony Rendon (1990)

 Wild Bill Wright was a star in the Negro Leagues in the 1930s and 1940s.

Hector Espino is considered the greatest player in the history of the Mexican League, hitting 453 home runs there.

Second baseman Robert Lee Randall played for the Twins in the late

1970s.  He was born in Norton, Kansas, went to high school in Gove, Kansas, and attended Kansas State.  He was drafted by the Dodgers in the second round of the June Secondary draft in 1969.  He never showed power in the minors, and his average was up and down; his best year was 1974, when he hit .338 for AAA Albuquerque.  After the 1975 season, Randall was traded to Minnesota for Danny Walton.  He was instantly installed as the regular second baseman, but when he proved inadequate offensively he was platooned with Rob Wilfong for the next three years.  He was a solid defensive player, but never hit well enough to justify his place in the lineup.  His batting average sometimes made him look adequate–his highest was .270 in 1978–but he had no power and did not draw walks, so his highest OPS was .650, also in 1978.  Randall was a fine bunter, achieving double-digit sacrifice bunts every season.  The Twins released Randall at the end of spring training of 1980, signed him again on May 16, released him again on June 3, signed him again on June 18, and released him again on July 16, this time for good.  He never played for another team.  Bobby Randall’s career numbers are .257/.310/.311 in 1,325 at-bats.  He then went into college coaching, serving as an assistant coach at Iowa State from 1981-1984, head coach at Iowa State from 1985-1995, and head coach at Kansas from 1996-2002.  He also got a master's degree in economics at Kansas State.  Bobby Randall lives in Manhattan, Kansas and was a professor of economics and statistics at Manhattan Christian College until his retirement.  He is a member of the Kansas Baseball Hall of Fame.

Infielder David Christian Lamb appeared in seven games for the Twins in 2002.  He was born in West Hills, California, went to high school in Newbury Park, California, and was drafted by Baltimore in the second round in 1993.  It took him a while to get started, but he hit right around .300 from 1997-1998 in the minor leagues.  The Orioles did not put him on the 40-man roster, however, and he was selected by Tampa Bay in the Rule 5 draft after the 1998 season.  He was with the Devil Rays in 1999 as a utility infielder, batting .226.  Tampa Bay waived him in February of 2000 and the Mets picked him up.  He was in the big leagues for about three weeks, again as a reserve, and had a poor year in AAA.  He became a free agent after the season, signed with Anaheim, was released at the end of spring training of 2001, signed with Colorado, was unspectacular in AA, was released in August, and signed with Florida the same day, going to AAA for the rest of the year.  Lamb signed with Minnesota for 2002.  He had a solid season in AAA Edmonton, hitting .309 with ten homers, and got a September call-up.  He went 1-for-10, but replaced Denny Hocking on the ALCS roster that year, appearing in two games but not getting a time at bat.  Lamb was back with the Twins’ AAA team, now at Rochester, for 2003.  He had a mediocre season and his playing career came to an end.  He then went into law enforcement, and at last report was an investigations professional for the Santa Rosa Police Deparment.

Right-hander Matthew Thomas Belisle was with the Twins in 2017 and 2018.  Born and raised in Austin, Texas, he was drafted by Atlanta in the second round in 1998.  He was a starter in the minors and did fairly well for the most part.  He had good control, not walking more than 2.5 batters per nine innings after leaving rookie ball.  He reached AAA in mid-2003 and had made three solid starts for the Braves there when he was traded to Cincinnati in mid-August.  He got a September call-up with the Reds that year but spent all of 2004 in AAA, where he had his first poor season.  Still, he made the Reds out of spring training in 2005 and spent the whole season with them, mostly in the bullpen, even though he did not pitch very well.  He didn't do very well in 2006 either, and continued to struggle when moved into the starting rotation in 2007.  He started 2008 in the rotation, too, but after six starts he went back to AAA.  He became a free agent after that season and signed with Colorado for 2009.  He started 2009 in the Rockies bullpen, but was inconsistent and was sent down after two months, coming back as a September call-up.  In 2010, however, something clicked, and he pitched well in the Rockies' bullpen for the next four seasons.  His best season there was probably 2010, when he appeared in 76 games and went 7-5 with 1 save, 2.93 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP.  He led the league in appearances in 2012 with 80.  He had a poor year in 2014, however, became a free agent and signed with St. Louis for 2015.  He posted a 2.67 ERA for them, but just a 1.46 WHIP.  His control deserted him, as he issued four walks per nine innings, easily the most of his career up to that point.  He again became a free agent and signed with Washington, where he found his control and was again a very good pitcher, posting a 1.76 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP in 2016.  Once again a free agent, he signed with Minnesota for 2017.  He was terrible for the first two months of the season but pitched very well after that, posting an ERA of 1.71 and a WHIP of 0.65 in the second half.  Once more a free agent, he signed with Cleveland for 2018.  He struggled in April but refused an assignment to AAA.  He became a free agent, re-signed with the Indians eight-days later and agreed to go to AAA, was released again in mid-June, and signed with the Twins a day later.  He stuck with the Twins the rest of the season but pitched poorly.  He became a free agent and did not sign with anyone for 2019, bringing his playing career to an end.  As a Twin, Matt Belisle was 3-3, 5.46, 1.43 WHIP in 87 games (84 innings).  At last report, it appeared that he was the owner of a ranch near Abilene, Texas.

June 5

Jack Chesbro (1874)

Sandy Thompson (1895)

Harry Williams (1905)

Eddie Joost (1916)

Lou Brissie (1924)

Duke Sims (1941)

Bill Spiers (1966)

Ray Lankford (1967)

Mike Coolbaugh (1972)

Russ Ortiz (1974)

Robinson Chirinos (1984)

Manny Pina (1987)

Jake Petricka (1988)

Andrew Heaney (1991)

Dereck Rodriguez (1992)

Joe Ryan (1996)

Royce Lewis (1999)

Prior to beginning his major league career, Lou Brissie served in World War II.  He suffered severe leg injuries, receiving the Bronze Star and two Purple Hearts, but overcame his injuries to spend seven years in the majors.

Mike Coolbaugh was the first base coach for the Tulsa Drillers when he was struck on the head with a line drive and killed.

Right-handed reliever Jacob Steven Petricka did not pitch for the Twins, but was in their minor league system for four months in 2022.  He was born in Northfield, Minnesota, went to high school in Fairibault, Minnesota, attended Indiana State, and was drafted in the second round by the White Sox in 2010.  It was actually the third time he was drafted, having been chosen by the White Sox in the 38th round in 2006 and by the Yankees in the 34th round in 2009.  He had a poor 2012 season split between high-A and AA, but came back strong in 2013, starting in AA, going to AAA, and reaching the majors in late August.  He did well for the White Sox that season and continued to pitch well through 2015, appearing in 145 games over that span.  He was injured much of 2016, appearing in only nine games.  He came back in 2017 but was terrible, leading one to think he was still not healthy.  The White Sox let him go and he signed with Toronto for 2018.  He pitched well in AAA for them, but was pretty mediocre in forty-one major league games.  He moved on to Milwaukee for 2019, did well in six major league appearances, and was traded to Texas in mid-June.  He was in AAA the rest of the season and was not very good.  He signed back with Toronto for 2020 but did not play.  He signed with the Angels for 2021, was mediocre in AAA, and awful in seven major league appearances.  He signed with the Twins for 2022 and was sent to St. Paul, where he wasn't terrible but wasn't particularly good, either.  He was released at the end of July, ending his playing career. He was simply never the same pitcher as he was before the injury.  At last report, Jake Petricka was co-owner of HTP Sports Academy in Apple Valley, Minnesota.

Right-hander Ivan Dereck Rodriguez was in the Twins' minor league system from 2011-2017 and played for the Twins from 2022-2023.  The son of Hall of Famer Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez, he was born in Arlington, Texas, went to high school in Opa-Locka Florida, and was drafted by Minnesota in the sixth round in 2011.  He was an outfielder at that time but did not hit, batting just .216 in three years of rookie ball.  He converted to pitching in 2014 and had an excellent year in relief at Elizabethton, posting a 1.05 ERA and a 1.05 WHIP in 25.2 innings.  He became a starter in 2015, still in Elizabethton, and continued to pitch well.  He struggled in Cedar Rapids in 2016, but did well for Fort Myers in 2017 and was solid for Chattanooga when he was moved up that same year.  The Twins decided to let him become a free agent, however, and he signed with San Francisco.  The Giants started him in AAA and brought him to the majors in late May.  He had a fine 2018 season, going 6-4, 2.81, 1.13 WHIP.  He went backward in 2019, however, going 6-11, 5.64, 1.46 WHIP and going back to AAA for six starts.  He went farther backward in 2020, making just two unsuccessful relief appearances in August.  He was a free agent after the season and signed with Colorado, for who he pitched poorly in AAA.  He signed back with the Twins for 2022.  He has been mediocre at best in AAA, and made two major league appearances for the Twins, pitching well in one of them.  He again started 2023 in AAA, did not accomplish much, made one  appearance for the Twins, was waived in mid-May, and was claimed by Atlanta.  He had a poor season in AAA for the Braves, but still made three major league appearance for the Braves, not doing well. As a Twin, he was 0-1, 4.32, 1.56 WHIP in three games (8.1 innings).   He pitched in the Mexican League in 2024-2025 and did not do very well there, either.  He did make nine good starts in winter ball, but he does not appear to be pitching anywhere in the 2026 season.  He turns thirty-four today.  We wish him well, but he's had more chances than most people get and has failed to take advantage of them.  It is probably time for Dereck Rodriguez to decide what to do in the next phase of his life.

Right-hander Joseph Philip Ryan has been with the Twins since 2021.  He was born in San Francisco, went to high school in San Anselmo, California, attended Cal State-Northridge and Cal State--Stanislaus, and was drafted by Tampa Bay in 2018.  He pitched well throughout the minors, reaching AA in 2019.  He probably would have pitched in AAA in 2020, but there was no 2020 minor league season, so he had to wait until 2021.  He pitched well there and for the U. S. Olympic team, and was traded to the Twins on July 22 with Drew Strotman for Nelson Cruz and Calvin Faucher.  When he returned from the Olympics he made two starts in St. Paul, then came to the majors, where he has remained.  He was a solid major league pitcher from the get-go, and remains one today.  He has missed some time due to injury, but most pitchers do.  He made his first all-star team in 2025 and is having his best season so far in 2026.  He is 49-39, 3.71, 1.05 WHIP with 789 strikeouts in 705.2 innings  Lots of things could happen, but at this writing he is on track to have the best season of his career in 2024.  He turns thirty today, which is older than it seems like he should be.  Still, there's no apparent reason why Joe Ryan should not remain a solid major league pitcher for several more seasons.

Third baseman Royce Allen Lewis came up to the Twins in 2022.  He was born in Aliso Viejo, California, went to high school in San Juan Capistrano, California, and was drafted by the Twins with the first pick of the 2017 draft.  He hit very well in 2018 in low A, less well but decently in high A, and didn't get much accomplished in a 2019 split between high-A and AA.  He did, however, hit very well in the Arizona Fall League after the 2019 season.  He did not play in the COVID season of 2020 and then tore his ACL, missing all of 2021.  In 2022 he hit very well in AAA and batted .300/.317/.550 in twelve major league games, then tore his ACL again.  He battled injuries again in 2023, but had an outstanding season when he was able to play.  Since then, however, it has been a struggle.  He has continued to battle injuries, and when he has been able to play his batting has declined every year, to the point where he was sent down to AAA a few weeks ago.  He is batting .246/.304/.435 in 1029 at-bats.  He turns twenty-seven today, so he's really not a young player anymore.  Royce Lewis appears to be at a turning point in his career, and which way it will go is anyone's guess.

June 4

Tim Murnane (1851)

Tony Venzon (1915)

Billy Hunter (1928)

John McNamara (1932)

Phil Linz (1939)

Terry Kennedy (1956)

Tony Pena (1957)

Kurt Stillwell (1965)

Scott Servais (1967)

Rick Wilkins (1967)

Darin Erstad (1974)

J. C. Romero (1976)

Aaron Nola (1993)

Cody Stashak (1994)

 Tim Murnane had a long and varied career in baseball, but is best remembered as a sportswriter in Boston.

Tony Venzon was a National League umpire from 1957-71.

John McNamara managed six different major league clubs, going to the World Series with Boston in 1986.

Left-hander Juan Carlos ”J. C.” Romero pitched for the Twins from 1999-2005.  He was born in San Piedras, Puerto Rico, went to high school in San Juan, and then attended the University of Mobile.  He was drafted by Minnesota in the 21st round in 1997.  He was a reliever throughout his early minor league career, did very well, and made the majors for the first time in September of 1999.  He bounced back and forth between the majors and AAA for the next two seasons, mostly used as a starter in those seasons.  He pitched well in AAA, but not very well at all in the majors.  In 2002, Romero became a reliever again and had a tremendous year, going 9-2, 1.89 with a WHIP of 1.21 in 81 innings and 81 appearances.  He then was up and down, having a poor year in 2003, a better year in 2004, and a worse year again in 2005.  As a Twin, J. C. Romero was 25-20, 4.38 with a WHIP of 1.48.  He appeared in 327 games, 22 of them starts, and pitched 407.2 innings.  After the 2005 season, the Twins traded Romero to the Anaheim Angels for Alexi Casilla.  He was pretty awful for the Angels in 2006, became a free agent, and signed with Boston.  He was not very good there, either, and was released in June.  Romero signed with Philadelphia a few days later and seemed reborn.  He pitched very well the rest of 2007 and again in 2008, helping the Phillies win the World Series.  He was suspended for fifty games in 2009, and has been bothered by injuries and wildness since his return.  He earned the title “well-traveled reliever” in 2011, playing for Philadelphia, Washington, the Yankees, and Colorado.   He signed with St. Louis for 2012, was released in mid-May, and was signed by Baltimore.  He pitched well in AAA, but was released again in mid-July.  He signed with Cleveland, pitched well in AAA, and was traded back to Baltimore in mid-August.  The Orioles put him in their bullpen, but he was not very good and was made a free agent after two weeks.  He didn't give up, though.  He signed with Washington in late March of 2013 and pitched well for them in AAA, but was still released in June.  He signed with Cleveland, finished out the season in AAA there, and became a free agent.  He pitched in the Mexican League and in the Atlantic League in 2015, doing well in both spots.  He does not seem to have pitched for anyone for 2016-17, but he has pitched in winter ball following both of those seasons. He also played in the World Baseball Classic in 2017.  That, however, brought his playing career to an end.  It was a pretty good career, though, especially for a twenty-first round draft choice.  At last report, J. C. Romero was a pitching coach for his alma mater, the University of Mobile.

Right-hander Cody William Stashak pitched for the Twins from 2019-2022.  He was born in Somers Point, New Jersey, went to high school in Mays Landing, New Jersey, attended St. John's University, and was drafted by Minnesota in the thirteenth round in 2015.  He was a starter through 2017 and pitched pretty well.  Moved to the bullpen in 2018, he had an outstanding year for AA Chattanooga.  He started 2019 in AA Pensacola, moved up to AAA, and came up to the majors in late July.  He pitched pretty well for the Twins, too, going 0-1, 3.24, 1.20 WHIP with 25 strikeouts in 25 innings (18 games).  He did even better in the abbreviated 2020 season, going 1-0, 3.00, 0.93 WHIP with 17 strikeouts in 15 innings (11 games).  In 2021, however, he was awful for two months, then missed the rest of the season due to injury.  He came back strong in the first part of 2022, but after about a month he once again went on the IL, missing the rest of the season with an injured shoulder. He became a free agent and was out of baseball until August of 2023, when he signed with San Francisco.  He made five AAA appearances that year, but did not do well.  He re-signed with San Francisco in 2024 and did better in AAA but still was not really very good, and was released in August.  He signed with Philadelphia for 2025 but was released in spring training.  He the split the season between Mexico and the Atlantic League, pitching well both places.  It didn't do him any good, though, as he does not appear to be pitching anywhere in 2026.  As a Twin, he was 4-1, 4.13, 1.19 WHIP in 72 innings (55 games).  We wish him well in whatever his future may hold.

June 3

Ameal Brooks (1907)

Don Osborn (1908)

Barney Morris (1910)

Jim Gentile (1934)

Steve Dalkowski (1939)

Duane Josephson (1942)

Ron Keller (1943)

Ed Glynn (1953)

Barry Lyons (1960)

Steve Lyons (1960)

Nelson Liriano (1964)

Carl Everett (1971)

Bryan Rekar (1972)

Jose Molina (1975)

Travis Hafner (1977)

Harrison Bader (1994)

Ryan Jeffers (1997)

Luis Gil (1998)

Don Osborn won 201 games in the minors.  He later was a minor league manager, pitching coach, and scout.

Some old-timers say Steve Dalkowski had the fastest fastball ever.  He struck out 1,396 batters in 995 minor league innings.  However, he also walked 1,354, which is why he never made the majors.

Right-hander Ronald Lee Keller made nine total appearances with the Twins in 1966 and 1968.  He was born in Indianapolis and attended Indiana University.  The Twins drafted him in the eighth round in 1965.  After a strong year at Class A St. Cloud in 1965, he started 1966 in at Class A Wilson, was promoted after seven starts to AA Charlotte, was promoted after seven appearances (six starts) to AAA Denver, and made eight appearances (seven starts) there.  He also made two appearances in Minnesota in July, allowing four runs (three earned) in 5.1 innings.  Perhaps all the packing and unpacking got to him, because while he was excellent all along the way in 1966, he never had a good season again.  He was in AAA Denver for all of 1967 and most of 1968, making six appearances in the majors in the latter year.  He made seven appearances that year, posting an ERA of 2.81 in 16 innings.  His totals as a Twin were 0-1, 3.38 with a WHIP of 1.41 in 21.1 innings.  He appeared in nine games, making one start.  1968 was Keller’s last season as an active player.  He went to spring training with the Twins in 1969, but when the Twins wanted to send him back to AAA he decided he had nothing left to prove there and retired.  After baseball, he became an investment advisor and was the president of Keller Investment Management in Greenville, South Carolina until his retirement.  It appears that he now works with the Boys and Girls Club in Cashiers, North Carolina.  Ron Keller’s son, Jason, is a successful playwright and screenwriter and his wife, Susan, is an actress and spokesperson.

Infielder Nelson Arturo (Bonilla) Liriano is one of the two best Minnesota Twins players ever named “Liriano”.  He played for the Twins for about two months of 1990.  Liriano was born in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic and signed with Toronto as a free agent in 1982.  He had some decent years in the minors, hitting in the .280s a couple of times, but nothing to really make anyone sit up and take notice.  Still, he made it to the majors in late August of 1987 and  stayed for over three years.  He hit in the .260s for the Blue Jays in 1988 and 1989, achieving more-or-less regular status as a second baseman in 1989.  He had slipped back to part-time status in 1990, however, when he was traded to Minnesota with Pedro Munoz for John Candelaria in late July.  He was the Twins’ regular second baseman the rest of the way, hitting .254/.332/.357 in 185 at-bats.  The Twins released Liriano at the end of spring training in 1991 and he signed with Kansas City.  He was in the minors almost the entire season, getting only about two weeks in the majors.  Let go after that season, he was in AAA for Cleveland in 1992.  He moved on to Colorado for 1993-1994, starting the former season in the minors but getting called up after hitting .358 in 293 at-bats in Colorado Springs.  He then got four full seasons in the majors, serving as a part-time player for the Rockies, the Pirates, (1995-1996) and the Dodgers (1997).  his highest at-bat total in those years was 259, but he was a solid player in his role.  He started 1998 back with the Rockies, but was sent back to AAA after starting 0-for-17.  That’s how his major league career ended; Liriano hit .315 with Colorado Springs, but never made it back to the big leagues.  His playing career ended after that season.  He remained in baseball for a while as a minor league coach and manager, mostly in the Royals organization.  He was the bench coach for the AA Northwest Arkansas Naturals in the Texas League in 2019.  He was slated to be the bench coach of Idaho Falls in the Pioneer League in 2020, but of course there was no minor league season in 2020 and now Idaho Falls no longer has a team.  One source says that Nelson Liriano has returned to the Dominican Republic, but that could not be confirmed.

Outfielder Harrison Joseph Bader was with the Twins for four months in 2025.  Born and raised in the Bronx, he attended the University of Florida and was drafted by St. Louis in the third round in 2015.  He hit for high averages in college, but with no power until his final season, when he swatted seventeen home runs.  A solid batter and a plus defender in the minors, he made his major league debut with the Cardinals in 2017.  He remained with St. Louis through 2022 and was what he was in the minors--a solid batter and a plus defender.  He won his only Gold Glove in 2021, but was always highly regarded on defense.  He was traded to the Yankees in August of 2022 and remained there through 2023.  His batting fell off in those seasons, and he became a free agent, signing with the Mets for 2024.  He remained a good fielder and a so-so batter, became a free agent again, and signed with Minnesota in 2025.  With the Twins, his batting stroke returned, at least so far, and he was having a much better season than anyone could have expected when he was traded to Philadelphia at the deadline for Hendry Mendez and Geremy Villoria.  He had a strong finish to the 2025 season with the Phillies, became a free agent, and signed with San Francisco.  Unfortunately, things are not going well for him there--he missed a month of the season, and has batted poorly when he could play. He turns thirty-two today.  It could simply be a slump, or it could be that Harrison Bader is nearing the end.  As they say, time will tell.

Catcher Ryan Michael Jeffers has been with the Twins since 2020.  He was born in Raleigh, North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina--Wilmington, and was drafted by the Twins in the second round in 2018.  He hit well in the low minors that season and did okay, but nothing special, in a 2019 split between high-A and AA.  He was pressed into service at the major league level in the second half of the abbreviated 2020 season due to injuries to the Twins catching staff and actually did pretty well, batting .273 with an OPS of .786 in 83 at-bats.  Given a share of the catching job in 2021, he proved himself not ready at the plate, batting just .199.  His 2022 was pretty similar.  In 2023, however, he took a major step forward, batting .276/.369/.490 as a half-time player.  He did not match that in 2024, but still did okay as a half-time catcher under Rocco Baldelli's odd alternating catcher system.  He often was the designated hitter when not catching.  2025 was similar to 2024, okay but nothing special.  In 2026, finally made the regular catcher, he was having the best season of his career when he was injured a couple of weeks ago.  He turns twenty-nine today.  Assuming a return to health, Ryan Jeffers should be a solid major league catcher for at least a few more seasons.

Right-hander Luis Angel Gil did not play for the Twins, but he was initially signed by them.  He was born in Azua, Dominican Republic, and signed with the Twins as an international free agent in 2015.  He pitched that season in the Dominican Summer League, where he struck out quite a few, but also walked quite a few and did not have a good season.  He did not pitch at all in 2016 and was back in the DSL in 2017, where he did a lot better.  After that season, the Twins traded him to the Yankees for Jake Cave.  He split 2019 between low-A and high-A, missed all of 2020 when there was no minor league season, split 2021 between AA and AAA, and came up to the majors for six starts late in the season.  He did not give up a run in the first three, pitching 15.2 scoreless innings.  He gave up ten runs in the last three (13.2 innings), giving him a season ERA of 3.07.  He did not pitch well in six 2022 AAA starts, nor did he pitch well in one start for the Yankees in 2022, and then he had Tommy John surgery.  He missed all of 2023 (except for two starts in Class A), but had a fine 2024, winning the Rookie of the Year award.  He has missed much of 2025, again due to injury, but pitched well when he could pitch.  He pitched poorly in four starts in 2026 before again being shut down due to injury.  He turns twenty-eight today.  If he can get and stay healthy, he looks like he could be a very good pitcher.  Doing that, however, has been a problem for him so far.

June 2

Jack O’Connor (1866)

Frank Verdi (1926)

Bob Lillis (1930)

Larry Jackson (1931)

Bob Bennett (1933)

Jerry Lumpe (1933)

Gene Michael (1938)

Horace Clarke (1940)

Jim Maloney (1940)

Roger Freed (1946)

Jack O’Connor (1958)

Darnell Coles (1962)

Bryan Harvey (1963)

Mike Stanton (1967)

Kurt Abbott (1969)

Raul Ibanez (1972)

Neifi Perez (1973)

Jared Burton (1981)

Tim Stauffer (1982)

Chris Martin (1986)

Bob Bennett was the baseball coach at Fresno State for many years, winning 1,302 games.

Roger Freed was drafted by Minnesota in 1966, but the pick was voided.

Infielder Frank Michael Verdi did not play for the Twins, but he was in their minor league system in 1961.  He was born in Brooklyn and signed with the Yankees as a free agent in 1946.  His minor league stats vary widely form one year to the next, with averages of over .300 mixed with averages in the .250s and .260s.  There were a lot more levels in the minors back then, so Verdi did not reach AAA until 1953.  He also made his big league debut that season, coming into a game on May 10 in the sixth inning as a defensive replacement.  He played one inning at shortstop, handling zero chances, and was pinch-hit for in the seventh.  That was the sum and substance of his major league career:  he never played in another big league game.  He was in the minors for several years after that, perhaps hoping for another chance at the majors or perhaps just enjoying making a living by playing baseball.  He was known for his ability to pull off the hidden ball trick, executing it successfully seven times in 1949.  He was in AAA most of that time.  He stayed with the Yankees through 1954, went to Kansas City in 1955-56, was with the Cubs toward the end of 1956, was with the Cardinals from 1957-59, then was signed by the then Washington franchise for 1960, playing for AAA Charleston.  He was still with the franchise when it moved to Minnesota in 1961, and spent the season with AAA Syracuse, not only playing but also managing the team.  He hit .287/.362/.308 in 195 at-bats as a reserve infielder and as a manager went 44-44.  That started him on a long career as a minor league manager.  He was the manager again in Syracuse in 1962 (it was no longer a Twins farm team that year), then went into the Yankees organization from 1963-1970, winning three league championships (two with AAA Syracuse).  He continued to manage (with a couple of years off) in the minors through 1985, winning another league championship with AAA Columbus in 1981.  He retired after the 1985 season, but came out of retirement in 1993 to manage the Sioux Falls Canaries in the Northern League from 1993-1995.  He was inducted into the International League Hall of Fame in 2008.  His son, Mike, also managed for several years in the minors.  Frank Verdi passed away from a heart attack on July 9, 2010 in New Port Richey, Florida.

There have been two major league players named “Jack O’Connor”; both of them were born on this day.  Left-hander Jack William O’Connor pitched for the Twins from 1981-1984.  He was born in Twenty-nine Palms, California, and went to high school in Yucca Valley, California.  He was drafted by Montreal in the ninth round in 1976.  He was in the Expos organization for five years.  O’Connor pitched mostly in Class A and did fairly well there, but did not do so well in brief trials at higher levels.  The Twins took a chance on him in the Rule 5 draft after the 1980 season and kept him in the majors all of 1981.  He was kept in the bullpen all season and did not get a lot of work, appearing in 28 games and pitching only 35.1 innings.  O’Connor started 1982 in the majors but was sent back to AAA after two scoreless innings.  He returned in early June and was in the starting rotation by July, staying there the rest of the season.  He wasn’t terrible, which is about as good as it got for the Twins’ rotation in 1982.  He began 1983 in the rotation, but after a couple of decent outings things fell apart for him, and he was in the bullpen by mid-May.  He was not much better there, went back to AAA for a couple of months, and did not do a lot better upon his return either.  O’Connor had an excellent year in the Toledo bullpen in 1984 and pitched well in two appearances in his September call-up.  By then, however, the Twins had given up on him, and after the season they traded him to Montreal for Mike Stenhouse.  He got about two months in the majors in 1985 with the Expos, had mediocre numbers, and was released the following March.  O’Connor signed with Seattle for 1986, pitched badly in AAA, and became a free agent after the season.  He signed with Baltimore for 1987 and battled his way back to the majors, spending nearly half the year with the Orioles.  His pitching in the majors was not significantly better, however, and O’Connor once again became a free agent after the season.  He signed with Toronto and was with AAA Syracuse for two years, not pitching badly but not getting another chance at the big time, either.  Jack O’Connor’s playing career came to an end after the 1989 season.  As a Twin, he was 13-14, 4.99 with a WHIP of 1.62.  He pitched 249 innings and made 80 appearances, 27 of them starts.  No information about Jack O’Connor’s life after the close of his playing career was readily available.

Infielder Kurt Thomas Abbott did not play for the Twins, but went to spring training with them in 2002.  He was born in Zanesville, Ohio, went to high school in St. Petersburg, Florida, and was drafted by Oakland in the fifteenth round in 1989.  He did not hit much until 1993, when he hit .319 with 12 homers and 11 triples for AAA Tacoma, numbers which got him a September call-up.  They also got him a trade, as he was sent to the Florida Marlins that off-season.  He was their mostly-regular shortstop the next two seasons and had a pretty good year in 1995, batting .255 with 17 homers in 420 at-bats.  It did not lead to any more playing time, however, as he became a frequently-used utility player over the next two seasons.  Abbott was traded to Oakland before the 1998 season and was traded again in early June, this time to Colorado.  He stayed with Colorado through the 1999 season and did pretty well as a part-time player, batting .273.  That was as good as it would get for him, though.  He became a free agent after the season and was a reserve infielder for the Mets in 2000, but batted only .217.  A free agent again, he signed with Atlanta for 2001 but missed most of the season with injuries.  The Twins signed Abbott for 2002, but he continued to be bothered by injuries and was released in spring training.  He played a few games in AAA for the Yankees that season and was in AAA for St. Louis in 2003, but then his playing career was over.  Kurt Abbott then became a deputy sheriff in Martin County, Florida.  Unfortunately, he was arrested in 2013 for DUI and was placed on administrative leave.  Its unclear whether he lost his job because of that or if he left for other reasons, but at last report, Kurt Abbott was working for Masco Coatings, Inc.

Right-hander Levi Jared Burton joined the Twins in 2012.  Born and raised in Westminster, South Carolina, he attended Western Carolina University and was drafted by Oakland in the eighth round in 2002.  A reliever most of his career, he struggled in the low minors, not reaching AA until 2006.  He reached the majors in 2007, however, and has been there for at least part of every season since.  It did not happen with the Athletics, though.  Instead, he was taken by Cincinnati in the Rule 5 draft after the 2006 season.  Pitching a limited number of innings, he was pretty good in 2007 and 2008, but not so good in 2009.  He battled injuries in 2010 and 2011, and was mostly in AAA when he was healthy enough to pitch.  He became a free agent after the 2011 season and signed with Minnesota.  He had an excellent year for the Twins in 2012, a not-as-excellent but still pretty good year in 2013, and did not pitch well, although he wasn't terrible, in 2014.  As a Twin Jared Burton was 8-16, 3.47, 1.16 WHIP in 192 innings (203 appearances).  He became a free agent after the 2014 season, signed with the Yankees, was released in spring training, re-signed with the Yankees three days later, was released in May, and signed with Texas.  He pitched well in twelve appearances for AAA Round Rock, but was released at the end of June, bringing his playing career to an end.  No information about what Jared Burton has done since then was readily available.

Right-hander Timothy James Stauffer appeared in thirteen games for the Twins in 2015.  He was born in Portland, Maine, went to high school in Saratoga Springs, New York, attended the University of Richmond, and was drafted by San Diego with the fourth pick of the 2003 draft.  A starter early in his career, he did very well in the low minors but struggled when he reached AAA.  He made his major league debut in 2005 but spent most of his time in AAA through 2007.  He missed the entire 2008 season, but came back in 2009 to pitch well in both the minors and the majors.  He spent most of 2010 pitching out of the San Diego bullpen and had an excellent season.  Returned to a starting role in 2011, he had another solid year.  He again missed most of 2012 with injury, but came back in 2013 to have a decent season in relief for the Padres.  He was not as good, but wasn't terrible, in the Padres bullpen in 2014.  A free agent after that season, he signed with Minnesota for 2015.  One suspects that he may still not have been healthy:  he missed a month due to injury, and when active he was pretty bad.  His numbers as a Twin were 1-0, 6.60, 2.07 WHIP in fifteen innings.  The Twins released him in mid-June, he signed with the Mets in August, continued to not pitch well, and became a free agent after the season.  He signed with Arizona for 2016 but was released at the end of spring training, ending his playing career.  He is a member of the Richmond Athletics Hall of Fame.  No information about what Tim Stauffer is doing these days was readily available.

June 1

Ted Breitenstein (1869)

Otto Miller (1889)

Hank Severeid (1891)

Guy Morton (1893)

Johnny Mostil (1896)

Ray Moore (1926)

Jack Kralick (1935)

Roy Majtyka (1939)

Dean Chance (1941)

Randy Hundley (1942)

Ken McMullen (1942)

Jeff Nelson (1965)

Derek Lowe (1973)

Carlos Zambrano (1981)

Andrew Stevenson (1994)

Roy Majtyka was a long-time minor-league manager, winning 1,832 games.

Jeff Nelson was a major league umpire from 1997-2023.

Right-hander Raymond Leroy Moore pitched for the Twins from 1961-1963.  He was born in Meadows, Maryland, went to high school in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, and signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers as a free agent in 1947.  He had good ERAs in the minors and did not give up a lot of hits, but walked a lot of batters, slowing his rise to the majors.  He was with the Dodgers for two months in 1952 and made one appearance there in 1953.  1953 was when he finally started to get things under control, and after he had another good year at AAA St. Paul in 1954 he finally got to the majors to stay at the start of the 1955 season.  It was not with the Dodgers, however, as he was traded to Baltimore after the 1954 campaign.  He started 1955 in the Oriole bullpen, but got into the rotation in late July and mostly stayed there the rest of his time with Baltimore.  He was a solid rotation starter for them through 1957, when he was traded to the White Sox in a deal that involved Larry Doby.  He remained in the rotation through 1958, but moved to the bullpen the following year, where he would stay the rest of his career.  He got off to a poor start in 1960 and was sold to Washington in mid-June.  He pitched well for them the rest of the year and came to Minnesota with the franchise in 1961.  He was in the Twins’ bullpen for three years, pitching okay his first two before falling apart in 1963.  His playing career came to an end after that season.  As a Twin, he was 13-10, 5.03 with a WHIP of 1.50 in 159 innings over 126 games.  Ray Moore passed away on March 2, 1995 in Clinton, Maryland.

Left-hander John Francis “Jack” Kralick also pitched for the Twins from 1961-1963.  He was born in Youngstown, Ohio and went to Michigan State before signing with the White Sox as a free agent in 1955.  He spent a little over three years in the low minors for them, pitching only thirteen games above Class B.  He had a decent but unspectacular record, apparently did not impress anyone, and was released in June of 1958.  He signed as a free agent with Washington in September.  Surprisingly, he started 1959 in the majors, but was sent down after five appearances and had a solid season at AA in 1959.  He started 1960 in the Washington bullpen, moved to the majors in late June, and stayed there through 1964.  He came to Minnesota with the franchise in 1961 and was a solid rotation starter, posting ERAs in the mid-to-upper threes and throwing a no-hitter in 1962.  In May of 1963, Kralick was traded to Cleveland for Jim Perry.  He got off to a bad start in 1965 and was removed from the rotation in mid-June.  He had a decent year as a reliever in 1966, but got off to a slow start in 1967 and was sold to the Mets on June 1.  He did not pitch for the Mets, however, as he was involved in a car accident which left him not just with a cracked rib but also double vision, a problem which did not clear up for a year.  By then, he had decided to move on with his life and retired as a player.  As a Twin, Jack Kralick was 26-26, 3.74 with a WHIP of 1.28 in 501.1 innings.  It appears that after he finished playing, he moved to Watertown, South Dakota and worked for a school supply company, then lived in Alaska for a while, then moved to Mexico in 1998.  Jack Kralick passed away in San Blas, Nayarit, Mexico on September 18, 2012.

Right-hander Wilmer Dean Chance pitched for the Twins from 1967-1969.  He was born in Wooster, Ohio and went to high school in Wayne, Ohio.  He signed with Baltimore as a free agent in 1959.  He had two fine years in the low minors, but was left unprotected and was chosen by Washington in the expansion draft.  The Senators traded him to the Angels that same day.  He had another good year in AAA in 1961, got a September call-up, and never looked back.  He was shifted from the rotation to the bullpen and back again a couple of times in 1962, pitching well enough in both roles to finish third in Rookie of the Year voting.  Chance’s best year as an Angel was 1964, when he went 20-9, 1.65.  He led the league in wins, ERA, complete games, shutouts, innings pitched, ERA+, and fewest home runs, won the Cy Young Award, and finished fifth in MVP voting.  He remained a solid starter for the Angels through 1966, then was traded to the Twins with a player to be named later (Jackie Hernandez) for Pete Cimino, Jimmie Hall, and Don Mincher.  He did an excellent job for the Twins for three years, although he missed two months of the third season with injuries.  As a Twin, he was 41-34, 2.67 with a WHIP of 1.07 in 664 innings.  His best year as a Twin was his first one, 1967, when he won 20 games, starts, innings, and complete games, and made the all-star team for the second time.  After the 1969 campaign, the Twins traded Chance to Cleveland with Bob Miller, Graig Nettles, and Ted Uhlaender for Luis Tiant and Stan Williams.  He had a mediocre year for the Indians, was sold to the Mets in mid-September, and was traded to Detroit after the season.  He had another mediocre year for the Tigers and ended his playing career after the 1971 season.  After leaving baseball he became a boxing manager and promoter, was one of the founders of the International Boxing Association, and became its president in 2006, a position he held until his death.  Dean Chance passed away in his home town of Wooster, Ohio on October 11, 2015.

Catcher Cecil Randolph “Randy” Hundley played for the Twins in 1974.  He was born in Martinsville, Virginia, went to high school in Bassett, Virginia, and signed with San Francisco as a free agent in 1960.  He did not do a lot in the minors until 1963, when he hit .325 with 23 homers for AA El Paso.  He did not sustain that when promoted to AAA in 1964, nor did he improve in 1965.  Still, he got cups of coffee in the majors both of those seasons.  He was traded to the Cubs that off-season, and was in the majors to stay.  He was the Cubs’ regular catcher from 1966-1969.  He finished fourth in Rookie of the Year voting in 1966, despite hitting only .236 (he did hit 19 home runs).  He won the Gold Glove the following year.  Hundley missed half of 1970 and most of 1971 with injuries.  He more-or-less regained the regular catching job in 1972, but what offense he had shown in the past was gone.  After two more sub-par years with the Cubs, Hundley was traded to Minnesota before the 1974 season for George Mitterwald.  Injuries cropped up again, and he played in only 32 games, hitting .193/.228/.216 in 88 at-bats.  The Twins released him after the season and he signed with San Diego.  He was the backup catcher there in 1975 and was sold back to the Cubs after the season.  He remained with the Cubs for two years, but was injured much of the time and rarely played.  His playing career came to an end after 1977.  His son, Todd Hundley, had a substantial playing career of his own.  Hundley is credited with originating the idea of fantasy camps and operated several of them at one time, though he now is involved only in the Cubs’ fantasy camp.  At last report, Randy Hundley was still living in the Chicago area.

Outfielder Andrew Patrick Stevenson played in twenty-five games for the Twins in 2023.  Born and raised in Lafayette, Louisiana, he attended LSU and was drafted by Washington in the second round in 2015.  He was in Class A in 2015, reached AA in 2016, AAA in 2017, and got to the majors in late July of 2017.  He then bounced back-and-forth between AAA and the majors through 2021, never getting a full season in the majors and only once getting more than a hundred at-bats there.  He had speed, with 183 stolen bases in the minors.  He presumably played good defense, as he was primarily a center fielder.  Unfortunately for him, he never hit much, which means that his role in the majors was as a bench player/defensive replacement.  He spent all of 2022 in AAA and for the first time in his career showed power, hitting thirty-one doubles and sixteen home runs.  By this time, however, he was twenty-eight years old, so the Nationals were not particularly impressed.  He signed with the Twins for 2023 and spent the summer in St. Paul, but came to the majors for the entire month of September.  He was used mostly as a pinch-runner and defensive replacement.  He played in twenty-five games but got just thirty-seven at-bats, batting .189/.250/.216.  He became a free agent after the season and signed with the Nippon Ham Fighters in Japan for 2024.  He began 2025 in the Mexican League, but signed with Tampa Bay in late April and is currently playing in AAA.  He turns thirty-one today.  As we've said numerous times, as long as you're still playing, there's still a chance.  Maybe Andrew Stevenson will get another crack at the major leagues.

May 31

Socks Seibold (1896)

Edward Bennett Williams (1920)

Russ Goetz (1930)

Ray Washburn (1938)

Tippy Martinez (1950)

Joe Orsulak (1962)

Kenny Lofton (1967)

Bill Miller (1967)

Dave Roberts (1972)

Ray Olmedo (1981)

Jake Peavy (1981)

Edward Bennett Williams was the owner of the Baltimore Orioles from 1979-1988.

Russ Goetz was an American League umpire from 1968-1983.

Bill Miller has been a major league umpire since 2000.

Left-handed reliever Felix Anthony “Tippy” Martinez appeared in three games for the Twins in 1988.  Born and raised in La Junta, Colorado, he and Mike Oquist, whose birthday was yesterday, are the only two major league players born in that town.  He went to Colorado State and signed with the Yankees as a free agent in 1972.  He was primarily a reliever in the minors other than 1975, when he started 14 games for AAA Syracuse.  He pitched very well in the minors, posting ERAs under three in both 1973 and 1975.  He made his big-league debut in 1974 and came up to stay in mid-July of 1975.  He was almost exclusively a reliever in the majors, making only two big league starts, both in 1975.  He did a fine job for the Yankees, but was traded to Baltimore in mid-June of 1976 as part of a ten-player trade that included numerous good ballplayers.  He did a fine job with the Orioles as well, pitching well every year from 1976-1983 with the exception of 1978.  He was never “the closer” for Baltimore, but had double digit saves in five consecutive seasons from 1980-1984 with a high of 21 in 1983.  That was probably his best season, as he pitched the most innings (103.1), his lowest ERA (2.35), and his lowest WHIP (1.09).  He also made the all-star team that year.  He started to slip in 1984; his ERA was still below four, but his WHIP soared to 1.53.  He had a poor 1985, struggled in 1986, and was released in June of 1987.  Martinez was out of baseball the rest of that year, but signed as a free agent with the Twins on April 4, 1988.  It did not work–he pitched in three games, lasted four innings, and gave up eight runs on eight hits and four walks.  After that, his playing career was over.  Martinez is best remembered for a game in 1983 in which he picked off three baserunners in an inning with emergency catcher Lenn Sakata behind the plate, but he was an excellent relief pitcher for several years.  Tippy Martinez was the pitching coach for York in the Atlantic League from 2006-2009.  At last report, Tippy Martinez was living in Towson, Maryland.  There is a city park named after him in his home town of La Junta and he is a member of the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame.  His daughter, Courtney, was an excellent college lacrosse player and was the lacrosse coach at Arizona State for two seasons, and his son, Jacen, played baseball at Towson University and was a minor league infielder for two seasons.  His granddaughter, Casey, played soccer for the University of Maryland.

Infielder Rainer Gustavo Olmedo did not play for the Twins, but he was in their minor league system in 2013.  Born and raised in Maracay, Aragua, Venezuela, he signed with Cincinnati as a free agent in 1999.  He was never a great hitter in the minors, but after a decent start in AA in 2003 and a quick stop in AAA that same year, Ray Olmedo was called up to the Reds in late May and stayed the rest of the season as a utility infielder.  He was up and down with the Reds through 2006, never getting a full season in the majors but always getting some time there.  He had some decent years in AAA, although certainly nothing to get excited about.  In the majors, though, he was pretty much a zero offensively, hitting .230 with an OPS of .566.  He was waived after the 2006 season and claimed by Toronto.  He continued to be the same player in 2007; decent but nothing special in AAA, and basically nothing at all in the majors.  After that, he started moving around a lot.  He was waived by Toronto on Feb. 1, 2008 and claimed by Pittsburgh; waived again at the end of February and claimed by Philadelphia, then released a month later and signed by Washington for whom he played in AAA in 2008.  He was in AAA with Tampa Bay in 2009, signed with Texas for 2010 but was traded to Milwaukee before the season started and was in AAA for them, was back in AAA for Tampa Bay in 2011, and signed with the White Sox for 2012.  In all that time he remained pretty much the same player he had always been, but despite that he found himself back in the majors for the last two months of 2012.  A free agent after the 2012 season, he signed with Minnesota and once again played in AAA in 2013, this time in Rochester, where he hit .234/.316/.298.  A free agent once more after the season, he signed with Tampa Bay and spent 2014 playing for AAA Durham, for whom he again didn't hit.  He played in Italy in 2015-16 and then his playing career came to an end.  I don't mean to sound too harsh about him.  He played in 218 major league games, and there are not many people who can say that.  But in those 218 major league games, he hit .230, had an OPS of .566, and had an OPS+ of 50, making him essentially the Drew Butera of middle infielders.  Ray Olmedo was a coach in the Angels' organization for several seasons, most recently with AAA Salt Lake in 2021-2022.  At last report, he was the third base coach for Laguna in the Mexican League.