Prior to beginning his major league career, Lou Brissie served in World War II. He suffered severe leg injuries, receiving the Bronze Star and two Purple Hearts, but overcame his injuries to spend seven years in the majors.
Mike Coolbaugh was the first base coach for the Tulsa Drillers when he was struck on the head with a line drive and killed.
Right-handed reliever Jacob Steven Petricka did not pitch for the Twins, but was in their minor league system for four months in 2022. He was born in Northfield, Minnesota, went to high school in Fairibault, Minnesota, attended Indiana State, and was drafted in the second round by the White Sox in 2010. It was actually the third time he was drafted, having been chosen by the White Sox in the 38th round in 2006 and by the Yankees in the 34th round in 2009. He had a poor 2012 season split between high-A and AA, but came back strong in 2013, starting in AA, going to AAA, and reaching the majors in late August. He did well for the White Sox that season and continued to pitch well through 2015, appearing in 145 games over that span. He was injured much of 2016, appearing in only nine games. He came back in 2017 but was terrible, leading one to think he was still not healthy. The White Sox let him go and he signed with Toronto for 2018. He pitched well in AAA for them, but was pretty mediocre in forty-one major league games. He moved on to Milwaukee for 2019, did well in six major league appearances, and was traded to Texas in mid-June. He was in AAA the rest of the season and was not very good. He signed back with Toronto for 2020 but did not play. He signed with the Angels for 2021, was mediocre in AAA, and awful in seven major league appearances. He signed with the Twins for 2022 and was sent to St. Paul, where he wasn't terrible but wasn't particularly good, either. He was released at the end of July. He was simply never the same pitcher as he was before the injury, and his playing career is now over. At last report, Jake Petricka was co-owner of HTP Sports Academy in Apple Valley, Minnesota.
Right-hander Ivan Dereck Rodriguez was in the Twins' minor league system from 2011-2017 and played for the Twins from 2022-2023. The son of Hall of Famer Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez, he was born in Arlington, Texas, went to high school in Opa-Locka Florida, and was drafted by Minnesota in the sixth round in 2011. He was an outfielder at that time but did not hit, batting just .216 in three years of rookie ball. He converted to pitching in 2014 and had an excellent year in relief at Elizabethton, posting a 1.05 ERA and a 1.05 WHIP in 25.2 innings. He became a starter in 2015, still in Elizabethton, and continued to pitch well. He struggled in Cedar Rapids in 2016, but did well for Fort Myers in 2017 and was solid for Chattanooga when he was moved up that same year. The Twins decided to let him become a free agent, however, and he signed with San Francisco. The Giants started him in AAA and brought him to the majors in late May. He had a fine 2018 season, going 6-4, 2.81, 1.13 WHIP. He went backward in 2019, however, going 6-11, 5.64, 1.46 WHIP and going back to AAA for six starts. He went farther backward in 2020, making just two unsuccessful relief appearances in August. He was a free agent after the season and signed with Colorado, for who he pitched poorly in AAA. He signed back with the Twins for 2022. He has been mediocre at best in AAA, and made two major league appearances for the Twins, pitching well in one of them. He again started 2023 in AAA, did not accomplish much, made one appearance for the Twins, was waived in mid-May, and was claimed by Atlanta. He had a poor season in AAA for the Braves, but still made three major league appearance for the Braves, not doing well. As a Twin, he was 0-1, 4.32, 1.56 WHIP in three games (8.1 innings). He is pitching for Jalisco in the Mexican League in 2024 and is not doing very well there, either. He turns thirty-two today. We wish him well, but he's had more chances than most people get and has failed to take advantage of them. It may be time for Dereck Rodriguez to decide what to do in the next phase of his life.
Right-hander Joseph Philip Ryan has been with the Twins since 2021. He was born in San Francisco, went to high school in San Anselmo, California, attended Cal State-Northridge and Cal State--Stanislaus, and was drafted by Tampa Bay in 2018. He pitched well throughout the minors, reaching AA in 2019. He probably would have pitched in AAA in 2020, but there was no 2020 minor league season, so he had to wait until 2021. He pitched well there and for the U. S. Olympic team, and was traded to the Twins on July 22 with Drew Strotman for Nelson Cruz and Calvin Faucher. When he returned from the Olympics he made two starts in St. Paul, then came to the majors, where he has remained. He was a solid major league pitcher from the get-go, and remains one today. He is 30-26, 3.93, 1.09 WHIP. Lots of things could happen, but at this writing he is on track to have the best season of his career in 2024. He turns twenty-eight today. There's no apparent reason why Joe Ryan should not remain a solid major league pitcher for several more seasons.
Infielder/outfielder Royce Allen Lewis came up to the Twins in 2022. He was born in Aliso Viejo, California, went to high school in San Juan Capistrano, California, and was drafted by the Twins with the first pick of the 2017 draft. He hit very well in 2018 in low A, less well but decently in high A, and didn't get much accomplished in a 2019 split between high-A and AA. He did, however, hit very well in the Arizona Fall League after the 2019 season. He did not play in the COVID season of 2020 and then tore his ACL, missing all of 2021. In 2022 he hit very well in AAA and batted .300/.317/.550 in twelve major league games, then tore his ACL again. He battled injuries again in 2023, but had an outstanding season when he was able to play. He was the Twins' opening day third baseman in 2024, but so far opening day is the only day he has played, as he was injured in the third inning. He is currently on a rehab assignment in St. Paul. He turns twenty-five today. When he's been able to play, he's done really well: .313/.369/.564 with 18 home runs in 259 at-bats (71 games). If he can stay healthy, there is every reason to think Royce Lewis will have a very successful major league career.
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