Due to personal time constraints, this is a reprint from last year which has not been updated. That means I did not get biographies written for Gio Urshela and Josh Winder. Sorry, guys. I'll try to get you next year.
Right-hander William Charles Fischer made nine appearances for the Twins in 1964. He was born in Wausau, Wisconsin and was signed by the White Sox as a free agent in 1948. He went through the minor league levels roughly a year at a time, but it was a lot tougher then, because the levels went down to Class D. He reached Class A in 1951, but then missed two years due to military service. On his return in 1954, he spent two years at AA Memphis, then was promoted to AAA in 1956. He made his major league debut that year, pitching in three games of relief early in the season. Fischer played his first full season in the majors in 1957 and pitched well, but stumbled in 1958 and was traded to Detroit. He continued to stumble in Detroit and was taken on waivers by the then Washington Senators, for whom he finished the season. He was in the Senators' rotation in 1959, and did better, but not all that well. In July of 1960, Fischer was traded back to the Tigers, and in August of 1961 moved on to Kansas City. He had his best years with the Athletics, appearing in 94 games over 2 1/3 seasons and posting an ERA of 3.97. In 1962, he went 84 1/3 innings without allowing a walk, a record which apparently still stands. In the off-season of 1963, however, Kansas City left him off their forty-man roster, and he was taken by the Twins in the rule 5 draft. Fischer was apparently injured for much of the season--he pitched nine games in relief in April and May, but did not pitch again the rest of the year. The Twins released him after the season, and he signed with the White Sox' organization. Fischer spent the next four seasons at AAA for the White Sox, but never got another chance at the majors. As a Twin, Bill Fischer was 0-1 in 7.1 innings, posting a 7.36 ERA. After leaving the White Sox, Fischer was no longer a player, but he never left baseball. He was a scout and minor-league pitching instructor for the Royals, a pitching coach for Cincinnati, Boston, and Tampa Bay, and the minor-league pitching coach for the Braves. He came back to the Royals as senior pitching adviser in 2007. One source indicated he had retired in 2012, but if so it didn't take, as he remained the Royals' senior pitching adviser until he passed away on October 30, 2018.
Right-handed reliever Gregg Olson made eleven appearances for the Twins in 1997. He should not be confused with catcher Greg Olson, who also played for the Twins. To keep them straight, remember that the catcher is Gregory William Olson, whereas the pitcher is Greggory William Olson. Gregg Olson was born in Scribner, Nebraska. He attended Omaha Northwest High School, leading his team to four consecutive state baseball championships. He attended Auburn University and was chosen with the fourth pick of the 1988 draft by the Baltimore Orioles. Olson pitched in only sixteen minor-league games, eight in Class A and eight in AA, before being called up to the majors that same year. He became the Orioles' closer in 1989, a job he held through 1993. He was Rookie of the Year in 1989, the first relief pitcher to win that award, and finished sixth in the Cy Young voting and 12th for Most Valuable Player that year. He made his only all-star team the following season. Olson did a good job as the Orioles' closer, getting 160 saves in five seasons. He tore a ligament in his elbow in August of 2003. A free agent, he signed with the Braves, and things immediately fell apart. Olson missed the first two months of the season, and when he came back he was awful, finally being sent to AAA Richmond. Control seems to have been the main culprit, as his walks per nine innings jumped significantly. He suffered through a lot of injuries over the next few seasons. He split 1995 between Cleveland and Kansas City, doing a decent job for the Royals in a set-up role. In 1996, Olson was part of the St. Louis, Cincinnati, Detroit, and Houston organizations, pitching in the big leagues for Detroit and Houston. The Twins signed him for 1997, but released him in mid-May after he had appeared in only 11 games and pitched 8.1 innings. The Royals signed him and sent him to AAA Omaha, where he suddenly found his control again. He finished the year doing a good job for Kansas City and then went to Arizona, where he became the closer in 1998 for the first time since leaving Baltimore. He got 44 saves in two seasons for the Diamondbacks and then moved on to the Dodgers, where he pitched for a year and a half before being released in late June of 2001. As a Twin, he had no record and an ERA of 18.36. Gregg Olson was inducted into the Orioles' Hall of Fame in 2008 and the Auburn Baseball Hall of Fame in 2010. At last report, he was a baseball commentator for ESPN and for MASN on Baltimore Orioles broadcasts. He was a technical adviser for Fox on the TV program "Pitch". He is also the co-author of a book, "We Got to Play Baseball", which is a collection of short stories from former players, managers, coaches, etc.
Right-handed reliever Joseph Rodger Roa pitched for the Twins in 2004. He was born in Southfield, Michigan, went to high school in Hazel Park, Michigan, and was drafted by Atlanta in the 18th round in 1989. A starter in the minors, he spent two years in rookie ball, two years in Class A, over a year in class AA, and nearly two years in AAA, pitching pretty well at each stop. Along the way, he was traded to the Mets in August of 1991 and to the Indians in November of 1994. He got a September callup with the Indians in 1995, but was back in AAA in 1996, making only one appearance with Cleveland that year. In December, Roa was on the move again, being traded to the Giants. He was in the Giants bullpen for the first half of 1997, but did not pitch all that well and was back in the minors. It would be five years before he would get back to the major leagues. Roa pitched for AAA Fresno in 1998. He signed with the Royals for 1999, but was released in spring training, and did not play in organized baseball that year. In 2000, he was back in the Cleveland organization, moving on to the Marlins' system in 2001 and the Phillies organization in 2002. He was still pitching well at every minor league stop, but in 2002 he really put together a season for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, going 14-0 with a 1.86 ERA and a 0.89 WHIP. That got people's attention, and by the end of July, Roa was in the Phillies' rotation. That was the only time he was a major league starter, however. He was decent that year, but after a poor start in 2003, Roa was back on the move. He was released in June, signed with Colorado, was placed on waivers in July, and was chosen by San Diego. After the season, he signed with the Twins, and spent 2004 with in the Minnesota bullpen. He was adequate, but nothing more, and was released again after the season. Roa signed with Pittsburgh in 2005 and pitched six games with AAA Indianapolis. He tried again with the Pirates in 2006, but was released in spring training and called it a career. He appeared in 48 games as a Twin, all in relief, and pitched 71 innings. He was 2-3 with a 4.50 ERA and a 1.54 WHIP. At last report, Joe Roa was living in Chesterfield, Michigan. He was elected to the Buffalo Baseball Hall of Fame in 2018.
Left-hander Michael Alan Duvall made eight appearances for the Twins in 2001. Born and raised in Warrenton, Virginia, he attended Potomac State College and was drafted by the Florida Marlins in the 19th round in 1995 and he pitched very well in his first three years in the minors. Duvall was chosen by the Devil Rays in the 1998 expansion draft. He pitched pretty well for AAA Durham in 1998, getting three major-league appearances as a September call-up. Duvall's only full season in the majors was 1999, when he made 40 appearances for Tampa Bay as a reliever. He did not give up that many hits, but he walked 27 in only 40 innings, a number that will generally get you sent back to the minors. Sure enough, in 2000, Duvall was back in the minors. The Devil Rays released him during spring training of 2001, and he was signed by the Twins six days later. He did not have a particularly good year for AAA Edmonton in 2001, but received a September call-up anyway, appearing in eight games with the Twins. Out with an injury for all of 2002, he came back in 2003, pitching for AAA Rochester, but was unimpressive, and his career was over. Mike Duvall pitched 4.2 innings as a Twin, with no won-loss record and an ERA of 7.71. He was inducted into the Potomac State Hall of Fame in 2015. At last report, Mike Duvall was an area manager for Performance Food Service in Fort Myers, Florida.
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