Mordecai Davidson (1845)
Frank Killen (1870)
Josh Billings (1891)
Firpo Marberry (1898)
Clyde Sukeforth (1901)
Steve Hamilton (1935)
Craig Swan (1950)
Juan Berenguer (1954)
Dave Engle (1956)
Steve Shields (1958)
Bob Tewksbury (1960)
Bo Jackson (1962)
Gary Wayne (1962)
Mark Lewis (1969)
Ray Durham (1971)
Matt Lawton (1971)
Shane Victorino (1980)
Rich Harden (1981)
Frank Killen (1870)
Josh Billings (1891)
Firpo Marberry (1898)
Clyde Sukeforth (1901)
Steve Hamilton (1935)
Craig Swan (1950)
Juan Berenguer (1954)
Dave Engle (1956)
Steve Shields (1958)
Bob Tewksbury (1960)
Bo Jackson (1962)
Gary Wayne (1962)
Mark Lewis (1969)
Ray Durham (1971)
Matt Lawton (1971)
Shane Victorino (1980)
Rich Harden (1981)
Mordecai Davidson was the owner of the Louisville Colonels in
the late 1880s. Under financial pressure, he tried to save money in a
variety of ways, including fining players each time the team lost. As a
result, he is credited with inspiring the first baseball players' strike.
Right-handed reliever Juan
Bautista Berenguer pitched four solid years for Minnesota, from 1987-1990, and
is still remembered fondly by Twins fans. Born in Aguadulce, Panama, Berenguer
was signed by the Mets as a free agent in 1975. He was a starting pitcher
throughout his minor league career. He pitched well there, striking out more
than a batter per inning, although his walk totals were uncomfortably high. He
pitched briefly with the Mets in 1978-1980, with varying success, but totalling
only 53 innings. The Mets traded him to Kansas City at the end of March, 1981.
This was Berenguer's first full season in the big leagues, but it was not all
with they Royals; they sold him to Toronto in early August. He did not have a
good year, going 2-13 with a 5.26 ERA, and was released the following March.
Detroit signed him, and sent him to AAA, where he had a mediocre season. He
made the team in 1983, however, and pitched well for them for two years, mostly
as a starter. In 1985, however, he slipped, and was traded to San Francisco
after the season. He pitched very well out of the bullpen for the Giants in
1986, posting a 2.70 ERA in 73.1 innings. It didn't impress the Giants, though;
they released him, and he was signed by Minnesota. Given his previous ups and
downs, Berenguer was remarkably consistent in his four years with the Twins,
posting ERAs in the mid-to-upper threes and WHIP of around 1.3 to 1.4. As a
Twin, he was 33-13 with nine saves, an ERA of 3.70, an ERA+ of 115, and a WHIP
of 1.36 over 211 appearances. At the end of the 1990 season, Berenguer became a
free agent, signing with Atlanta. He was a Brave for a season and a half. He
pitched well in 1991, but broke his pitching arm while wrestling with his
children and missed the Braves' playoff run. He pitched poorly in 1992, was
traded to Kansas City in July, and was released after the season. He played for
independent teams in Minnesota from 1994-1997 before hanging up the spikes for
good. At last report, Juan Berenguer was working for a Ford dealership and for a
Spanish-language television station in Minnesota.
Catcher/outfielder Dave Engle's father, Roy, was a high school
teammate of Ted Williams. Ralph David Engle is the brother-in-law of Tom
Brunansky. Born and raised in San Diego, he went to U.S.C. and was drafted by
California in the third round in 1978. A third baseman at the start of his
minor league career, Engle was only in the Angels organization for one year. In
February of 1979, he was traded to Minnesota with Paul Hartzell, Brad Havens,
and Ken Landreaux for Rod Carew. He batted over .300 in two of his three minor
league seasons, reaching the Twins in 1981. He was fifth in Rookie of the Year
balloting that season, despite hitting only .258. An outfielder his first
couple of years with the Twins, he was converted to catching in 1983 because a
scar in his eye, the result of a childhood accident, made it difficult for him
to see fly balls in the Metrodome. His bat responded to the move, as he had
what was easily his best season, batting .305. The next year, however, he
dropped to .266 (although he made the all-star team that year), and he never
came close to batting .300 again. He also developed a problem throwing the ball
back to the pitcher, limiting his ability to catch. Engle remained with the
Twins until January of 1986, when he was traded to Detroit for Chris Pittaro
and Alejandro Sanchez. The Tigers used him mostly at first base, but seldom
used him at all; he had only 86 at-bats when he was released in August. He was
with Montreal for a couple of years and Milwaukee for one, not seeing much
playing time with either team. He went into coaching in 1990, although he still
played a little in the minors through 1991. He remained active as a minor
league manager and coach at least through 2000 and was the Mets hitting coach
from at least 2001-2002. At last report, Dave Engle was a scout for the
Baltimore Orioles.
Right-hander Stephen Mack Shields came to Minnesota in 1989, at
the end of his major league career. Born and raised in Gadsden, Alabama, he was
drafted by Boston in the tenth round in 1977. His minor league record is a
rather mixed bag, as was his usage, as he was sometimes a starter, sometimes a
reliever. He did not get to AAA until his seventh minor league season, in 1983.
He was a free agent after that season and signed with the Braves. He was in
their organization for three seasons, reaching the majors for the first time in
1985 and spending parts of that and the next season with Atlanta. 1985 was the
only year he was used as a spot starter; the rest of his career was in the
bullpen. He was traded to Kansas City at the end of 1986, and was traded again
that off-season to Seattle. Shields again split the year between the majors and
AAA in 1987, became a free agent, and signed with the Yankees for 1988. He came
the closest he would come to a full season in the majors that year, coming to
New York May 1 and staying there the rest of the year. He pitched 82 innings
that year, the most he had in a major league season. The Yankees traded him to
Minnesota in March of 1989 for Balvino Galvez. Shields spent about a month with
the Twins that season, from mid-May to mid-June. He made eleven appearances,
pitching 17.1 innings and posting a 7.79 ERA. He was with AAA Portland the rest
of the season, did not do particularly well there either, and was released
after the season ended, bringing his playing career to a close. At last report,
Steve Shields had returned to Gadsden and was a city supervisor there.
Right-hander Robert Alan Tewksbury was with the Twins from
1997-1998, at the end of a fairly substantial career. Born in Concord, New
Hampshire, he attended Merrimack Valley High School in Penacook, New Hampshire.
He went to both Rutgers and Saint Leo University and was drafted by the Yankees
in the 19th round in 1981. He pitched very well throughout his minor league
career, making his major league debut with the Yankees in April of 1986. He
pitched well for them in 20 starts that year, but got off to a poor start in
1987 and was traded to the Cubs as part of a package for Steve Trout. Tewksbury
was apparently injured much of 1988, as he made only 11 appearances, ten of
them in the minor leagues. He pitched well in those appearances, but became a
free agent at the end of the year. Tewksbury signed with the Cardinals and
pitched well again in AAA in 1989, posting a 2.43 ERA in 28 starts. That
convinced the Cardinals, and Tewksbury was in their starting rotation for the
next five years. Control had never been a problem for him, but he became an
extreme control pitcher in those years, twice leading the league in fewest
walks per nine innings with 0.8 and twice leading the league in strikeout/walk
ratio despite striking out fewer than 100 batters. He made the all-star team in
1992, when he won 16 games, led the league in winning percentage, and finished
third in Cy Young voting. He had a poor year in 1994, however, and was allowed
to become a free agent. He did not sign until early April, when he joined the
Texas Rangers. He was fairly average for the Rangers, and was fairly average
the next year with San Diego. Tewksbury was again a free agent after the 1996
season, and signed with Minnesota. He was a Twin for two years, and was fairly
average for them, too. In two seasons for bad Twins teams, Bob Tewksbury was
15-26 with a 4.49 ERA and an ERA+ of 104. The Twins would likely have brought
him back in 1999 had he chosen to continue his career, but he had shoulder
problems and elected retirement instead. He then went back to school and
got a masters' degree in psychology at Boston University. At last report, Bob
Tewksbury was doing commentary working for the Red Sox as a sports
psychologist. He also does a lot of charitable work, primarily with the Boys
and Girls Clubs of America. He was inducted into the Saint Leo Sports Hall of
Fame in 1999.
Left-hander Gary Anthony Wayne was with the Twins from
1989-1992. A native of Dearborn, Michigan, Wayne attended the University of
Michigan and then was drafted by Montreal in the fourth round. He was a starter
early in his minor league career and struggled in that role. Switched to relief
in 1986, he had consecutive strong years, first in Class A, then in AA. He
suffered a broken foot in 1988, making only eight appearances, and was left
unprotected in the Rule 5 draft. Minnesota selected him, and he was with the
Twins at least part of the next four seasons, spending all of 1989 in Minnesota
and splitting 1990-1992 between the Twins and AAA. For the most part, he did a
solid job for the Twins. In 147 appearances, he posted an ERA of 3.44, an ERA+
of 120, and a WHIP of 1.31. In March of 1993, the Twins traded Wayne along with
Rob Wassenaar to Colorado for Brett Merriman. His career went downhill after
that; he had a poor year for the Rockies in 1993, became a free agent, signed
with the Dodgers, was sent to the minors in early June of 1994, and never made
it back to the majors. Gary Wayne's career ended after the 1994 season. At last
report, Gary Wayne was the managing director of Integrity Debt Solutions in
Denver.
Outfielder Matthew Lawton played for the Twins from 1995-2001.
He is variously listed as Matthew Lawton Jr. and Matthew Lawton III. Lawton was
born in Gulfport, Mississippi, attended Mississippi Gulf Coast Community
College, and was drafted by the Twins in the 13th round in 1991. He had some
solid, though unspectacular, years in the minor leagues, advancing a level per
season. He made a brief appearance with the Twins in September of 1995, was a
part-time player in 1996, and won a starting spot in the Twins' outfield in
1997. In 1998, he hit .278 with 21 homers, and the Twins promoted him as a
rising superstar. Possibly trying to live up to that, Lawton hit only .259 with
7 homers in 1999. The next year, 2000, was Lawton's best as a Twin--he topped
.300 for the only time in his career and made his first all-star appearance. He
was having another solid season in 2001 when the Twins traded him to the Mets
at the end of July for Rick Reed. Lawton finished out the year with the Mets,
then was traded to Cleveland, where he stayed for three seasons. He was a
part-time player his first two years, partly due to injuries, and hit for more
power (15 homers each season) but a lower average. A regular again in 2004, he
responded with a fine season, hitting .277 with 20 homers and making his second
all-star appearance. The Indians traded Lawton to Pittsburgh after the season,
and he began bouncing around. He was traded to the Cubs at the end of July of
2005 and moved to the Yankees at the end of August. A free agent after the
season, he was suspended for ten games in November for using steroids, a charge
which he admitted. Lawton signed with Seattle for 2006, but was seldom used and
was released at the end of May, bringing his playing career to a close. As a
Twin, Lawton hit .277/.379/.428 with 72 homers and an OPS+ of 107. At last
report, Matt Lawton had returned to his his hometown of Gulfport. In
April of 2013, he was arrested in what apparently was some sort of domestic
dispute, although details are hard to come by. It appears, though, that
either the charges were dropped or it was never that serious to begin with,
because in 2015 he coached his son's 11-12-year-old team to the Southwest
Regional in Cal Ripken Baseball.
Right-hander James Richard Harden did not pitch for the Twins,
but went to spring training with them in 2013 and was on their disabled list
for a while. Born and raised in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, he
attended Central Arizona College and was drafted by Oakland in the seventeenth
round in 2000. A starter his entire career, he reached AA in 2002 and AAA
in 2003. He got to the majors in late July of 2003 and was there to stay
with the exception of rehab starts, of which he had at least one every year.
He was not the most durable of pitchers, but he was always effective when
healthy. His best year for Oakland was 2005, when he went 10-5, 2.53 with
a 1.06 WHIP in 128 innings. He then made only thirteen starts over the
next two seasons. He came back in 2008 and was doing very well when he
was traded to the Cubs in mid-season. 2008 was the best year of his
career; he went a combined 10-2, 2.07, 1.06 WHIP in 25 starts. He only
pitched 148 innings, but he struck out 181 men in those innings. He was
still decent in 2009, but slid to 9-9, 4.09, 1.34 WHIP. It was all
downhill for Harden after that. A free agent, he signed with Texas for
2010 but had a poor year. A free agent again, he went back to Oakland for
2011 but could not get much done for them, either. He missed all of 2012
while recovering from shoulder surgery, but signed with Minnesota for 2013.
Unfortunately, it did not go well for him. He did not throw a pitch
in either the majors or the minors and was released around the first of August,
ending his playing career. No information about what Rich Harden is currently
up to was readily available.