Bill Hallman (1867)
Jack Stivetts (1868)
Big Jeff Pfeffer (1882)
Brick Owens (1885)
Tom Sheehan (1894)
Carson Bigbee (1895)
Mule Suttles (1900)
Marv Grissom (1918)
Dave Koslo (1920)
Moises Camacho (1932)
Moose Stubing (1938)
Balvino Galvez (1964)
Chien-Ming Wang (1980)
Jeff Mathis (1983)
Josmil Pinto (1989)
Jack Stivetts (1868)
Big Jeff Pfeffer (1882)
Brick Owens (1885)
Tom Sheehan (1894)
Carson Bigbee (1895)
Mule Suttles (1900)
Marv Grissom (1918)
Dave Koslo (1920)
Moises Camacho (1932)
Moose Stubing (1938)
Balvino Galvez (1964)
Chien-Ming Wang (1980)
Jeff Mathis (1983)
Josmil Pinto (1989)
There have been two players in the majors named Jeff Pfeffer.
They were brothers. "Big Jeff" Pfeffer was actually
Francis Xavier Pfeffer. Plain old Jeff Pfeffer was actually Edward Joseph
Pfeffer. "Big Jeff" was 6'1", 185 pounds. Plain old
Jeff was 6'3", 210.
Brick Owens was a longtime major league umpire. His first
name was Clarence. He got the nickname "Brick" after being hit
by one while umpiring a game in Pittsburg, Kansas early in his career.
Mule Suttles is sometimes credited as the all-time Negro Leagues
home run leader with 237. He swung a fifty-ounce bat.
One of the top second basemen in the history of the Mexican
League, Moises Camacho played there from 1951-1975. He was known as the
Rogers Hornsby of Mexico.
Right-hander Marvin Edward
Grissom did not play for the Twins, but was a coach for them from
1970-1971. He was born in Los Molinas, California and signed with the New
York Giants as a free agent in 1941. He made ten appearances with Class C
San Bernardino that season, then went to the Army for four years during World
War II. He came back in 1946 and spent the next three years primarily in
AAA, although he made four appearances for the Giants in 1946. After the
1947 season, he went to independent Sacramento, and then was chosen by Detroit
in the Rule 5 draft for 1949. He made occasional appearances for the
Tigers out of the bullpen and was largely ineffective. Back in AAA the
next season, he had two strong years there, winning 20 games and pitching 252 innings
for Seattle in the Pacific Coast League in 1951. He was traded to the
White Sox for 1952 and finally, at age 34, was in the big leagues to
stay. He was in the starting rotation that year and did fairly well, but
was traded to Boston after the season. He got off to a slow start, we
placed on waivers, and went back to the Giants. They moved him to the
bullpen, where he was an effective reliever for the next four years.
Grissom won ten games and saved 19 in 1954, making the all-star team
and receiving minor consideration for MVP. His best year, though, was
1956, when he posted an ERA of 1.56 and a WHIP of 1.08. He moved to San
Francisco with the team in 1958 but had a down year and was traded to St. Louis
after the season. He struggled in three appearances with the Cardinals
and his playing career ended at age 41. He was the first pitching coach
of the Los Angeles Angels, staying with the Angels through 1966. He moved
to the White Sox for 1967 and 1968, went back to the Angels for 1969, was with
the Twins for 1970 and 1971, was with the Cubs in 1975 and 1976, and went back
to the Angels again in 1977 and 1978. He retired to Red
Bluff, California, where he regularly showed up at local high school
baseball practices to help youngsters with their pitching. Marv Grissom
passed away in Red Bluff, California on September 18, 2005.
Right-hander Balvino (Jerez) Galvez did not play for the Twins,
but pitched in their minor league system in 1988. Born and raised in San
Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic, he signed with the Dodgers as a free
agent in 1981. His minor league numbers were pretty mediocre, but he kept
getting promoted a level per season, reaching AAA in 1986. He also
pitched for the Dodgers that year, spending two weeks with the big club in May
and then getting a September call-up. He did not pitch particularly worse
or better in the majors than he had in the minors. Galvez was traded to
Detroit in early May of 1987, and was traded to the Twins in March of 1988 for
Billy Beane. He spent most of the year in AAA Portland and went 11-7,
3.77, but with a WHIP of 1.48. In March of 1989 the Twins traded Galvez
to the Yankees for Steve Shields. He pitched poorly for AAA Columbus in
1989, pitched both poorly and briefly in the Montreal organization in 1990,
pitched fairly well in AAA for the Dodgers in 1992, but pitched briefly and
poorly in AA for the Cubs in 1993. He moved to China for 1994,
pitching for the Brother Elephants. He stayed for two years, then moved
to Japan for 1996, pitching for the Yomiuri Giants, staying through 2000.
He attempted to return to the United States in 2001, and appeared to have made
the rotation for Pittsburgh, but got into an argument with pitching coach Spin
Williams, stormed out of the clubhouse, and flew to the Dominican
Republic. He did not appear in organized baseball again. His son,
Brian Cavazos-Galvez, is an outfielder in the Dodgers' organization, reaching
AAA in 2012 but spending 2013 at AA. At last report, Balvino Galvez was
the owner of a baseball training facility in San Pedro de Macoris in
the Dominican Republic. His son, Brian Cavazos-Galvez, was an outfielder
in the Dodgers' organization.
Catcher Josmil Oswaldo Pinto played for the Twins in 2013.
He was born in Valencia, Carabobo, Venezuela and signed with Minnesota as
a free agent in 2006. He did not show a lot in his first couple of years,
although he was very young. He did well in 85 at-bats in the Gulf Coast
League in 2008 and attracted attention in 2009 with Elizabethton, hitting .332 with
thirteen home runs. He had a poor year with Beloit in 2010 and was only
somewhat better with Fort Myers in 2011, but got things going again in 2012,
hitting .295 with fourteen homers in a year spent mostly at Fort Myers.
He had a strong 2013 in New Britain, hitting .308 with fourteen homers,
continued hitting when given 70 at-bats in Rochester, and kept it going in a
September call-up to Minnesota, hitting .342/.398/.566 with four home runs in
76 at-bats. He started 2014 with the Twins and started well, but suffered
from inconsistent playing time and was sent back to AAA in early June, once
again getting a September call-up. He is not considered a good defensive
catcher, and it appears that the Twins held him back for that reason. He
was hit on the head with a bat early in 2015, and the effects of that probably
contributed to him having a poor season in AAA. The Twins waived him
after the season, he was claimed by San Diego, was waived again a month later,
and was claimed by Milwaukee. He had a fine year in AAA for the Brewers,
but got only five major league at-bats as a September call-up. He became
a free agent and signed with San Francisco. As a Twin, Josmil Pinto
batted .257/.339/.436 in 250 at-bats. There's no real reason to think he
couldn't hit in the majors, but he turns twenty-eight today, and it's looking
like he may never get the chance to prove it.