Jack Rowe (1856)
Jimmy Austin (1879)
Sam Zoldak (1918)
Jim Pagliaroni (1937)
Brant Alyea (1940)
Ed Brinkman (1941)
Ken Roy (1941)
Masahiro Doi (1943)
Alan Foster (1946)
Jeff Grotewold (1965)
Mike Mussina (1968)
Reed Johnson (1976)
Vernon Wells (1978)
Jimmy Austin (1879)
Sam Zoldak (1918)
Jim Pagliaroni (1937)
Brant Alyea (1940)
Ed Brinkman (1941)
Ken Roy (1941)
Masahiro Doi (1943)
Alan Foster (1946)
Jeff Grotewold (1965)
Mike Mussina (1968)
Reed Johnson (1976)
Vernon Wells (1978)
Ken Roy was a minor league umpire for two years before becoming
a Catholic priest. He said that his umpiring career helped him in
ministry because it gave him more patience with people and made him a better
listener.
Masahiro Doi was a fifteen-time all-star in the Japanese Pacific
League, playing from 1962-1981.
Outfielder Garrabrant
Ryerson Alyea played for the Twins from 1970-1971, the first of which was the
best season of his career. Born in Passaic, New Jersey, he attended Rutherford
High School in Rutherford, New Jersey. He then went to Hofstra, and was signed
by Cincinnati as a free agent in 1962. He had a tremendous year for Class D
Geneva, hitting .319 with 32 home runs. After the 1962 season, Alyea was
drafted by Washington in the first-year draft. He jumped to Class A in 1963,
and advanced a level per season after that. He reached AAA in 1965, hitting 27
homers for Hawaii, earning a September callup. In 1966, however, he fell to .218
with 21 homers for Hawaii, and the next year, 1967, he found himself back in
AA. Alyea rebounded in 1968, hitting .253 with 31 home runs for AAA Buffalo,
and was back in the big-leagues by late July, this time to stay a while. He had
a mediocre season in 1969 as a part-time outfielder for the Senators, and was
traded to Minnesota in March of 1970 for Joe Grzenda and Charlie Walters. He
went on to have his best season in 1970, setting career highs in batting
average (.291), home runs (16), doubles (12), and RBIs (61), and at-bats (258).
The next year, however, he fell on his face, hitting only .177 with two homers.
Left unprotected, he was chosen by Oakland in that winter's rule 5 draft. He
did little for Oakland, was traded to St. Louis in May, did little there, and
was returned to the Athletics in July. He was traded to Texas in the
off-season, didn't make the team, went to AAA Pawtucket in the Boston
organization, and then retired. After baseball, Alyea went into bartending, the
insurance business, worked for a casino in Atlantic City, then worked for
a Volvo dealership in Huntington, Pennsylvania. At last report, Brant Alyea was
living in Pleasantville, New Jersey. His son, Brant Jose Alyea, born in
Nicaragua, played in the minor leagues from 1985-1990, briefly reaching AAA.
Catcher/first baseman Jeffrey Scott Grotewold, who shares his
first two names with your author, did not play for the Twins, but was in their
minor league system in 1993. He was born in Madera, California, went to the
University of San Diego, and was signed by Philadelphia as a free agent in
1986. He rose slowly through the Phillies’ system, reaching AA in 1989 and AAA
in 1991. Nothing about his minor league record is particularly noteworthy,
either for good or for bad. His best season was probably 1990, when he hit .269
with 15 homers and an OPS of .827. He reached the majors in 1992, spent nearly
the entire season there, and was used almost exclusively as a pinch-hitter,
playing 72 games but making just 75 plate appearances. In July of that
year, he hit three pinch-hit home runs in three consecutive days, setting a
record. He hit only four home runs in his major league career. In late
March of 1993, the Phillies traded Grotewald to Minnesota for minor league
infielder Mica Lewis. The Twins sent him to AAA Portland, where he did okay as
a reserve, hitting .252/.370/.450 in 151 at-bats. He signed with Detroit for
1994, was released late in spring training, and played in independent ball that
year. He then signed with Kansas City and spent two years playing in AAA Omaha,
getting about one month in the majors in 1995. His playing career ended after
the 1996 season. He then went into business, and has successfully started
Grotewold Construction, Inc., Carpet Station, Inc., and Motocinch, Inc. in the
Los Angeles area.
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