February 27

Walter Briggs (1877)
Cy Perkins (1896)
Hilton Smith (1907)
Bill Capps (1919)
Buck Elliott (1919)
Connie Ryan (1920)
John Wockenfuss (1949)
Ron Hassey (1953)
Greg Cadaret (1962)
Pete Smith (1966)
Matt Stairs (1968)
Willie Banks (1969)
Craig Monroe (1977)
Denard Span (1984)

Right-hander Willie Anthony Banks pitched for the Twins in the early 1990s.  He was born in Jersey City and attended high school there.  He was drafted by Minnesota with the third pick of the 1987 draft.  Banks was up and down in the minors.  He was very wild in his first two seasons, walking 169 batters in 190 innings.  He pitched well for Class A Visalia in 1989, but less well for AA Orlando in 1990 and AAA Portland in 1991.  Banks made his big league debut in 1991, making three not-very-good starts in August.  In 1992, however, he seemed to be putting things together:  he went 6-1, 1.92 in eleven starts in Portland, and was called up to the majors and placed in the Twins' starting rotation in early June.  He lasted two months there, going 4-4, 4.62 before being sent to the bullpen for the rest of the season.  Banks was in the starting rotation for all of 1993, his first full season in the majors.  He went 11-12, 4.04, but with a WHIP of 1.54.  After the season, he was traded to the Cubs for Dave Stevens and Matt Walbeck.  Banks was in the Cubs' rotation in 1994 until he got hurt in August, but did not pitch particularly well.  Moved to the bullpen for 1995, he pitched quite badly and was traded to the Dodgers in July.  He made six starts for the Dodgers, was placed on waivers, and was chosen by the Marlins.  He made nine starts for Florida, was waived again after the season, and was chosen by Philadelphia.  The Phillies released him in March of 1996, and he did not play baseball that season.  He signed with the Yankees for 1997 and pitched well in AAA, getting a September call-up.  He got off to a poor start in 1998 and was traded to Arizona.  He pitched pretty well out of the bullpen for the expansion Diamondbacks, but he was allowed to become a free agent after the season.  Banks went to Japan for 1999, but in 2000 came back to play in the Mets' organization.  He returned to the Diamondbacks' organization for 2001, was released in August, and was picked up by Boston.  He actually pitched quite well out of the Red Sox' bullpen, going 2-1, 2.72 with a WHIP of 1.11 for the rest of 2001 and all of 2002 (49.2 innings).  Boston let him go after 2002, however; he was in AAA with the Yankees and Cubs in 2003, and was in independent ball in 2004 and 2005.  Banks’ mother passed away in 2006, which plunged him into a severe depression and contemplating suicide.  Instead, however, he returned to baseball, reaching out to his friend Tim Raines, manager of the Newark Bears.  Raines offered him a job as a pitcher/pitching coach, jobs he has held ever since.  Banks also works as an instructor for The Ball Park at Farmingdale, a sports training facility in Farmingdale, New Jersey.

Outfielder Craig Keystone Monroe played for the Twins in 2008.  Born in Texarkana, Texas, he attended high school there, then was drafted by Texas in the eight round in 1995.  His minor league numbers were unimpressive until he started to develop power in 1998:  he hit 17 homers in each of 1998 and 1999 and hit 20 homers in each of 2000 and 2001.  Monroe made his major league debut in 2001, getting called up to the Rangers in late July and staying the rest of the season.  He batted only 52 times in the majors, hitting .212, and was placed on waivers after the season.  He was selected by Detroit and hit .321 in AAA Toledo in 2002, although with only ten homers.  He also got 25 at-bats in the majors, hitting .120.  Monroe started 2003 in the minors, but was called up within a few weeks and came to stay.  He was the regular left-fielder and hit 23 homers, although he hit only .240.  He remained a regular outfielder for the Tigers until he was traded in August of 2007.  His best average as a Tiger was .293 in 2004; the most home runs he hit was 28 in 2006.  That was as good as it would get.  Monroe was having a poor year in 2007 when he was traded to the Cubs.  The change of scenery did not help him, and he was sent to Minnesota after the season "as part of a conditional deal."  Used mostly as a designated hitter/pinch hitter, Monroe hit only .202/.274/.405 in 163 at-bats in 2008 and was released in August.  He signed with Pittsburgh for 2009 but was used sparingly and again did not hit.  He was released in July, bringing his playing career to an end.  Monroe is a cousin of Chicago Bears defensive back Nathan Vasher.  Monroe's mother's first name is Marilyn.  At last report, Craig Monroe was living in Frisco, Texas and was part-owner of a restaurant, Twenty7.

Outfielder Keiunta Denard Span has been a member of the Twins since 2008.  He was born in Tampa and went to high school there.  The Twins drafted him in the first round in 2002.  His minor league record is okay, but not spectacular--he never really had a bad year, but he never really had an outstanding year, either, although he did attract attention when he hit .339 in 186 at-bats in Ft. Myers in 2005.  He started 2008 with Minnesota, but was sent down in late April when he was hitting .258 with no extra-base hits.  He hit .340 in 156 at-bats in Rochester, and was back in Minnesota by the end of June.  He became the regular right fielder in the absence of Michael Cuddyer and ended the season hitting .294.  In 2009, playing primarily in center but all over the outfield to some extent, Span hit .311 and led the league in triples with 10.  The trade of Carlos Gomez made Span the regular center fielder in 2010, but he did not respond well; while he again hit ten triples, he hit only .264 with an OBP of .331.  2011 was no better; he again hit .264 with an OBP of .328 in a concussion-plagued season.  He turns 28 today.  2012 will go a long way toward determining just how good Denard Span is ever going to be.