Jimmy Johnston (1889)
Rudy Hernandez (1931)
Jaime Jarrin (1935)
Doc Edwards (1936)
Bob Priddy (1939)
Dalton Jones (1943)
Steve Renko (1944)
Paul Assenmacher (1960)
Doug Henry (1963)
Luis Polonia (1963)
Mel Rojas (1966)
Joe Mays (1975)
Dan Wheeler (1977)
Pedro Florimon (1986)
Rudy Hernandez (1931)
Jaime Jarrin (1935)
Doc Edwards (1936)
Bob Priddy (1939)
Dalton Jones (1943)
Steve Renko (1944)
Paul Assenmacher (1960)
Doug Henry (1963)
Luis Polonia (1963)
Mel Rojas (1966)
Joe Mays (1975)
Dan Wheeler (1977)
Pedro Florimon (1986)
Pitcher Rudy Hernandez was a member of the old Washington
franchise in 1960, but was chosen by the new Washington franchise in the
expansion draft in December of 1960.
Jaime Jarrin has been the Dodgers' Spanish-language broadcaster
since 1959. For all the accolades Vin Scully has gotten (and they're
deserved), it would be nice if Jarrin got a little more attention.
Right-hander Joseph
Emerson Mays played for the Twins from 1999-2003 and again in 2005. He really
only had one good major league season, but he turned it into some substantial
money. A cousin of Carl Mays, he was born in Flint, Michigan, went to Southeast
High School in Bradenton, Florida, and was drafted by Seattle in the sixth
round in 1994. He pitched well in the minors, but took a long time to advance,
spending three and a half years combined in rookie and A ball. The first three
of those years were in the Mariners organization; at the end of the 1997
season, he was traded to Minnesota as the player to be named later in the deal
that sent Roberto Kelly to Seattle. He advanced to AA in 1998, then was jumped
to the big leagues in 1999. For a 23-year-old who had never pitched above AA,
he didn't do too badly. In 2000, however, he stumbled, going 7-15 with a 5.56
ERA and a 1.62 WHIP in 160 innings. Then, in 2001, he had by far his best
season, going 17-13 with a 3.16 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP. He led the league in ERA+
that year with 145 and made his only all-star appearance. The Twins rewarded
him with a long-term contract, but unfortunately, Mays almost immediately
started to have arm trouble, and never had a good year again. He struggled
through sub-par seasons with the Twins in 2002 and 2003, did not pitch at all
in 2004, and continued to struggle in 2005. He made 64 starts for
Minnesota in those years, posting an ERA well over five. A free agent after
2005, he bounced around, as teams kept hoping he would regain his 2001 form.
Mays started 2006 with Kansas City, was released in May, finished the season
with Cincinnati, signed with the Dodgers for 2007, went to the minors, and was
released in May again, his career over. At last report, Joe Mays had returned
to live in the Bradenton area.
Shortstop Pedro Alexander Florimon, Jr. has played for the Twins
since the last six weeks of 2012. He was born in La Romana, Dominican
Republic and signed with Baltimore as a free agent in 2004. He must have
played somewhere that season and in 2005, but his stats at b-r.com
begin in 2006. He hit .333 in 120 at-bats for Rookie-level Bluefield
that season, but struggled at bat since then. With the exception of seven
games in 2009, he did not get above Class A until half-way through the 2010
season, when he finally went to AA Bowie. He struggled there that season,
but in 2011 had his best batting season since rookie ball, hitting
.267/.344/.396. The Orioles were impressed enough to give him a September
call-up, in which he went 1-for-8. They weren't impressed enough to keep
him around, though, placing him on waivers in early December. The Twins
claimed him and sent him to New Britain. When he hit for a decent average
in a little over a month there, he was promoted to AAA, and in mid-August he
made his debut in Minnesota. He was the starting shortstop the rest of
the season, hitting .219/.269/.303. He was the Twins' regular shortstop
in 2013 and hit about the same. He started 2014 as the Twins' regular
shortstop, but his offense fell apart completely and he was sent to AAA in
early May. The Twins waived him in September and he was claimed by
Washington, but the Nationals waived him in November. He was claimed by
Pittsburgh. He started 2015 in the minors but got back to the Pirates for
nearly half the season, playing mostly as a pinch-runner or a defensive
replacement. He was again in AAA in 2016 but got a September call-up.
He's thirty today, his career minor league OPS is .681, and his major
league career OPS is .558, so it seems unlikely that he'll ever hit. He
can play defense, though, so it's possible he'll get another chance to be a
utility player.
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