September 28

Lou Bierbauer (1865)

Wilbur Good (1885)

Jack Fournier (1889)

Whitey Witt (1895)

Al Evans (1916)

Dick Gernert (1928)

Grant Jackson (1942)

Pete Filson (1958)

Jerry Layne (1958)

Todd Worrell (1959)

Ed Vosberg (1961)

Charlie Kerfeld (1963)

Matt Vasgersian (1967)

Mike DeJean (1970)

Ryan Zimmerman (1984)

Nick Greenwood (1987)

Eddie Rosario (1991)

Manuel Margot (1994)

Jerry Layne has been a major league umpire since 1989.

Matt Vasgersian has been a major league baseball broadcaster since 1997.

Left-hander William Peter Filson played for the Twins from 1982-1986. He was born in Darby, Pennsylvania, attended Temple University, and was drafted by the Yankees in the ninth round in 1979. He pitched very well in the low minors, going 17-3 with a 1.89 ERA in a 1981 season split between Class A Fort Lauderdale and AA Nashville. In May of 1982, Filson was traded to the Twins with Larry Milbourne and John Pacella for Roger Erickson and Butch Wynegar. Filson was immediately placed in the Twins’ starting rotation, but after getting knocked around a few times was first sent to the bullpen and then to AAA Toledo. He had a mediocre year in Toledo. We’re talking about the early ’80s Twins, however, when having a mediocre year in AAA was good enough to get you on the big club. Sure enough, in 1983, Filson was on the big club. He stayed there the next three years, and actually pitched fairly well. He had ERAs from 3.4 to 4.1, and WHIPs consistenly around 1.3. Filson was used mostly in relief in those years, making an occasional spot start. In 1986, however, he got off to a poor start and spent most of the year in AAA. In September, he was traded to the White Sox for Kurt Walker, and was sent to the Yankees the following January. Filson had a fine 1987 at AAA Columbus, and finished the year with the Yankees, doing well in seven appearances. Unfortunately, he tore his rotator cuff, and missed all of 1988. Filson became a free agent after the season, and signed at the end of May, 1989 with Kansas City. He had a very good year with AAA Omaha in 1990, and made it back to the big leagues for a month and a half after a two-and-a-half year absence. He did not pitch well for the Royals, however. Filson was released after the 1990 season, and his career came to an end. He became a coach after his playing days, and has served as the pitching coach of the North Shore Spirit and the Newark Bears. As a Twin, Pete Filson pitched 323 innings in 130 games, 24 of them starts. He was 14-13 with an ERA of 3.98 and a WHIP of 1.36. At last report, he was an instructor at AFC Baseball, which is part of AFC Fitness of Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania.

Left-hander Nicholas Richard Greenwood did not play for the Twins, but was in their farm system in 2016.  He was born in Farmington, Connecticut, attended the University of Rhode Island, and was drafted by San Diego in the fourteenth round in 2009.  He was traded to St. Louis at the July trade deadline in 2010 in a three-team trade that included Corey Kluber and Jake Westbrook.  He had both started and relieved for the Padres, but went to the bullpen full time with St. Louis.  He reached AAA in 2012 but didn't do much there until 2014, when he got off to an excellent start and was promoted to the majors for most of the season.  He pitched in long relief (or at least what passes for long relief these days) and had an up-and-down year, mixing excellent appearances with very bad ones.  He went back to starting in 2015 and did poorly, despite which he made one appearance with the Cardinals in July.  He became a free agent after the season and signed with the Cubs, but was released during spring training.  He began 2016 with independent New Britain, but signed with the Twins in early May.  He made five starts in AA and eleven starts (sixteen appearances) in AAA and did well.  He signed with the Twins for 2017, but was injured and released on May 10 without playing for them.  He went back to independent New Britain and made fifteen starts for them, but did not pitch very well. He played a few games of winter ball after that, but then his playing career came to an end.  At last report, Nick Greenwood was a pitching coach for Wesleyan University of Middletown, Connecticut.  He was also a substitute teacher for the Cromwell school district in Cromwell, Connecticut.

Oufielder Eddie Manuel Rosario played for the Twins from 2015-2020.  Born and raised in Guayama, Puerto Rico, he was drafted by Minnesota in the fourth round in 2010.  He hit well throughout the low minors but did not do as well when he reached AA in 2013.  He had a poor year in AA in 2014, although he was still only 22.  He hit very well in the Arizona Fall League after that season, though, and started 2015 in AAA.  He didn't have a particularly strong April there, but was still called up to the majors in early May and stayed the rest of the season, hitting double digits in doubles, triples and homers while leading the league in triples.  He also showed a good arm in the outfield.  He got off to a slow start in 2016 and went to the minors for a month and a half in mid-May.  Some were already starting to write him off, but he came back to have a solid second half of the season.  He had his best season in 2017, batting .292/.332/.516 with 27 home runs, but his next three seasons were not far off.  As a Twin, he batted .277/.310/.478.  He was a free agent after the 2020 season and signed with Cleveland for 2021.  He had a down year there, especially in the power department, and was traded to Atlanta at the July deadline.  He rebounded and then some after the trade, posting an OPS of .903 and having an outstanding post-season, including being the MVP of the NLCS.  He could not carry it over to 2022, however, and is batting just 212 with an OPS of .587.  He rebounded again in 2023, batting .258 with an OPS of 768.  He signed with Washington for 2024, was released in July, signed with Atlanta, was released in August, signed with the Mets, and was released again.  He did not hit in any of those places.  He turns thirty-three today.  He's bounced back unexpectedly a couple of times, so we won't say he couldn't do it again, but it seems more likely that his playing career is over.

Outfielder Manuel Margot played for the Twins in 2024.  He was born in San Cristobal, Dominican Republic, and signed with Boston as a free agent in 2011.  He was never a great batter in the minors, although he did have some decent seasons.  His best offensive season was 2014, when he was still in Class A.  He was traded to San Diego after the 2015 season as part of a trade that brought Craig Kimbrel to Boston.  He made his major league debut in September of 2016 and came to the major to stay, other than some injury rehabs, in 2017.  He was their regular center fielder through 2019.  He had a decent season in 2017, batting .263 with an OPS of .721, but declined over the next two years and was traded to Tampa Bay in February of 2020.  He was a utility outfielder for the Rays, spending significant time at all three outfield positions.  He was okay in that role, posting some decent batting averages but with little power.  He spent four seasons with the Rays and was traded to the Dodgers in December of 2023 as part of the Tyler Glasnow traded.  He did not play for the Dodgers, and instead was traded to the Twins in February of 2024 with Rayne Doncon for Noah Miller.  He again saw time at all three outfield positions, batting .237/.290/.336 at this writing.  One must, of course, mention his pinch-hitting stats:  At this writing he is 0-for-30 with five walks, for a line of .000/.143/.000.  He had batted .213 as a pinch-hitter before the 2024 season.  He turns thirty today.  The chances are he'll sign with somebody for 2025, but I wouldn't bet on it being the Twins.

September 27

Jelly Gardner (1895)

Whit Wyatt (1907)

Dick Hall (1930)

Dave Wickersham (1935)

Gary Sutherland (1944)

Mike Schmidt (1949)

Bob Veselic (1955)

Don Schulze (1962)

Todd Blyleven (1972)

Vicente Padilla (1977)

Jon Rauch (1978)

Jon Garland (1979)

Matt Shoemaker (1986)

Simeon Woods Richardson (2000)

Todd Blyleven is, as you probably know, the son of Bert Blyleven. He pitched in the minor leagues for seven years, getting as high as AA, then was a scout for eight years.

Right-hander Robert Mitchell Veselic played for the Twins in 1980 and 1981. He was born in Pittsburgh, attended high school in Walnut, California, and was drafted by the Twins in 1976 with the ninth pick in the draft. A starting pitcher for his entire minor-league career, he came through the minors a level at a time, posting ERAs in the low-to-mid threes for Class A Visalia (1978), Class AA Orlando (1979), and Class AAA Toledo (1980). He won 18 games with Visalia. Twice he pitched over 200 innings in a minor-league season, and two other times he pitched over 170 innings. For comparison, the International League leader in innings pitched in 2010 had 165. Veselic earned September callups in both 1980 and 1981, and did fairly well. In six appearances, all in relief, he pitched 26.2 innings and went 1-1 with an ERA of 3.38, although with a WHIP of 1.43. He averaged over four innings per relief appearance, which says something both about him and about the Twins’ pitching staff at the time. Veselic had a poor year in Toledo in 1982, and was traded to Houston in January of 1983 for Rick Lysander. He again had a poor year for AAA Tucson, and his playing career came to an end after the 1983 season, although he did play in the Senior Professional Baseball Association in 1990. Sadly, Bob Veselic passed away from cancer on December 26, 1995 at the age of 40.

Right-hander Donald Arthur Schulze did not play for the Twins, but went to spring training with them in 1988. Born and raised in Roselle, Illinois, he was drafted by the Cubs with the eleventh pick of the 1980 draft. He had two solid years in class A, then skipped AA and went to AAA in 1983. He did not pitch all that well there, but still got a September call-up and made three starts for the Cubs that season. He was back in AAA in 1984, making one start for the Cubs in late May, when he was traded to Cleveland in mid-June in a multi-player deal that included, among others, Joe Carter, Mel Hall, future Twin George Frazier, and Rick Sutcliffe. He went back and forth between Cleveland and AAA Maine through 1986, although he spent nearly all of 1986 in Cleveland. He began 1987 back in AAA, then was traded to the Mets in mid-May. He went 11-1 in 15 starts at AAA Tidewater and also spent about three weeks in the majors. He became a free agent after the season and signed with Minnesota for 1988, but was traded to Detroit in late March for Karl Best. Schulze had a very good year in AAA for the Tigers, but did not get a call-up and signed with the Yankees after the season. He made two starts for the Yankees in 1989, then was traded to San Diego that included ex-Twin Freddie Toliver, future Twin Mike Pagliarulo, and Walt Terrell. He was with the Padres for two months but was seldom used, logging only 24.1 innings. San Diego released him after the season and he headed to Japan, where he pitched through 1992. He returned to the U. S. in 1993 and pitched in AAA for the Orioles, but had a mediocre year and his playing career came to an end. He was out of baseball for a while, but returned in 2006 as a coach. He has coached in the minors for Oakland since then, and is currently the pitching coach of the Lansing Lugnuts.

Right-handed reliever Jon Erich Rauch is tall and has a tattoo on his neck. Rauch played for the Twins from late August of 2009 through 2010. He was born in Louisville, Kentucky, went to high school in Oldham County, Kentucky, attended Morehead State University, and was drafted by the White Sox in the third round in 1999. A starting pitcher in the minors, he had a strong year in Class A and AA in 2000. Rauch was injured for much of 2001, making only six starts for AAA Charlotte. He made the White Sox at the start of 2002, but was returned to the minors after making only eight appearances, six of them starts. Rauch had a couple of decent but unspectacular years in Charlotte in 2002-03. He made two starts for the White Sox in 2004 before being traded to Montreal in July. He became a relief pitcher for the Expos/Nationals, and had some fine seasons with them, appearing in over 80 games in 2006 and again in 2007. He was having another good year with the Nationals in 2008 when he was traded to Arizona in July. He pitched poorly for the Diamondbacks in 2008, but was doing better in 2009 when the Twins acquired him on August 28 for Kevin Mulvey. He pitched well for them the rest of the season, and when Joe Nathan was injured Rauch became the Twins’ closer at the start of 2010. He did well in the beginning, but hit a rough patch in July and was replaced as closer by Matt Capps. He returned to a set-up role and overall did well in 2010.  As a Twin, he was 8-2, 21 saves, 2.82 ERA, 1.28 WHIP in 76 appearances (73.1 innings).  He was a free agent after the 2010 season and signed with Toronto, where he did not do as well in a 2011 season marred by injury.  A free agent again after that season, he signed with the Mets, for whom he pitched very well in 2012.  A free agent after the season, he signed with Miami for 2013 but pitched poorly in fifteen games and was released in late May.  He signed with Baltimore on June 1 and made ten appearances with AAA Norfolk.  He did all right there, but was still released at the end of June.  He signed with Kansas City for 2014 but was released again in late March, bringing his playing career to an end.  Rauch is the tallest man to appear in a major league game, and is also the tallest man to hit a home run, off Roger Clemens on August 13, 2004.  Jon Rauch was the owner of Bullpen Garage, a custom off-road shop specializing in Jeeps and Ford Raptors, in the Tucson area from 2015-2022.  He is currently a project manager and office manager for Sun Valley Construction, also in the Tucson area.

Right-hander David Matthew Shoemaker was with the Twins for about four months in 2021.  He was born in Wyandotte, Michigan, went to high school in Trenton, Michigan, attended Eastern Michigan University, and was signed by the Angels as a free agent in 2008.  He did well in the lower minors but struggled in AAA for a few years, which may have had something to do with the fact that the Angels' AAA team was in Salt Lake City at the time.  The Angels saw something in him, despite his poor AAA numbers.  They brought him up for a late-season start in 2013, started him in the majors in 2014, and after about a month back in AAA brought him to the majors to stay in mid-May.  He had a tremendous season when he came back, going 16-4, 3.04.  He was never able to match that, but he was an average major league pitcher from 2015-2017.  He started having injury problems in 2017, however, and made only eighteen major league starts combined from 2018-2020.  After the 2018 season he was a free agent and signed with Toronto, for whom he pitched in 2019-2020.  He wasn't bad when he could pitch, he just couldn't pitch very often.  He signed with Minnesota for 2021 and, to be honest, was awful.  There were a few good starts mixed in, but his final line was 3-8, 8.06.  The Twins released him in early August.  He signed with the Giants and did not particularly well in AAA.  He was a free agent after the season and signed with Yomiuri in Japan for 2022.  He had a decent season there, but that brought his playing career to an end.  No information about what Matt Shoemaker has done since then was readily available.

Right-hander Simeon Woods Richardson made one appearance for the Twins in 2022 and another in 2023.  Born and raised in Sugar Land, Texas, he was drafted by the Mets in the second round in 2018.  A starter throughout his minor league career, he was having a mediocre year in Class A in 2019 (as an eighteen-year-old) when he was traded to Toronto in late July in a deal involving Marcus Stroman.  He pitched much better in six high-A starts for the Blue Jays that season, missed the COVID year of 2020,   He had a poor year in AA in 2021, although he was still only twenty, and was again traded in late July.  This time he was sent to Minnesota along with Austin Martin for Jose Berrios.  He did not do well in AA for the Twins in 2021 either, but he had a fine 2022.  He pitched well in fifteen AA starts, did even better in seven AAA starts, and made his major league debut at the end of the season, giving up three runs (two earned) in five innings.  In 2023, however, he got off to a horrible start in St. Paul.  His numbers for the first half of the season were 0-5, 7.47, 1.87 WHIP.  He must have figured something out, though, because in the second half he went 7-1, 3.11, 1.23 WHIP.  He made one appearance for the Twins in 2023, allowing five runs in 4.2 innings.  He began 2024 in St. Paul, but after three starts there, injuries in Minnesota cause him to be called up to the majors.  He's done okay there, going 5-5, 4.17, 1.29 WHIP.  He turns twenty-four today.  Time will tell, but there's every reason to hope Simone Woods Richardson will be a solid major league pitcher.

September 26

Gus Schmelz (1850)

Bob Coleman (1890)

Bobby Shantz (1925)

Mel McGaha (1926)

Dave Duncan (1945)

Jim Gideon (1953)

Rich Gedman (1959)

Steve Buechele (1961)

Dave Martinez (1964)

Brian Shouse (1968)

Brian Looney (1969)

Sean Doolittle (1986)

Chris Archer (1988)

Jordan Luplow (1993)

Gus Schmelz managed several teams in the late 19th century.  He is one of the few who became a manager without having played professionally.

Bob Coleman managed in the minor leagues for thirty-five years.  He had the most wins as a minor league manager when he retired, 2,496, a mark since passed by Stan Wasiak.

Former Knicks player Mel McGaha was the manager of the Kansas City Athletics from 1964-1965.

Right-hander James Leslie Gideon did not play for the Twins, but he was in their minor league system for a few years. He was born in Taylor, Texas, went to high school in Bellaire, Texas, and attended the University of Texas. He was then drafted by Texas in the first round of the 1975 draft. He had two starts in rookie ball, where he pitched sixteen innings and allowed just three hits and no runs. He then was jumped to AAA, where he did not pitch well. Despite that, he was brought to the majors for one start in mid-September. He lasted 5.2 innings, giving up six runs (five earned) on seven hits and five walks. He started 1976 in AAA for Texas but was traded to Minnesota on June 1 along with Mike Cubbage, Bill Singer, and Roy Smalley for Bert Blyleven and Danny Thompson. He had a poor year in 1976 and then started to suffer injuries. He pitched badly in 1977, missed all of 1978, and was able to pitch only 43 innings of AA in 1979. The Twins released him after that season. He tried to make a comeback with the Rangers in 1982, but did not do well in AA and his playing career ended. The one start he made in September of 1975 turned out to be his only major league appearance. Still, he did get one, which is one more than most of us get.  He was inducted into the University of Texas Hall of Fame in 1992 and into the National College Baseball Hall of Fame in 2020. Jim Gideon was an employee benefits broker at William Gammon Benefits and then with Higginbotham Associates, both in Austin, Texas, until his retirement.

Left-hander Brian James Looney did not pitch for the Twins, but he was in their minor league system in 1997. He was born in New Haven, Connecticut, went to high school in Cheshire, Connecticut, attended Boston University, and was drafted by Montreal in the tenth round in 1991. Most of his first two years in the minors were spent in Class A, where he pitched very well. He made eight starts in AA in 1993, then was jumped to the majors for a September call-up, pitching six innings over three games. He had a fair-to-middling year in AAA in 1994, making one big league appearance in early June. The Expos then apparently gave up on him, sending him to Boston after the 1994 season “as part of a conditional deal”. He pitched decently, but no more in AAA for the Red Sox for two years, but pitched poorly in three appearances in the majors in 1995. After the 1996 season, Boston sent him to Minnesota as the player to be named later for Pat Mahomes. He was apparently injured part of the 1997 season, as he made only 17 relief appearances and pitched a total of 24.2 innings for AAA Salt Lake. He did well in the innings he pitched, but was let go after the season. He then bounced around the minors for several more years, but never made it back to the big leagues. He was in AAA with the Yankees in 1998, with Detroit and Philadelphia in 1999, with Florida and Cleveland in 2000, was back in the Yankees’ system in 2001, was with Pittsburgh and Baltimore in 2002, and with Colorado in 2003. He then pitched in the Atlantic League through 2005. It is unclear where he went after that, but he pitched in Italy in 2008.  At last report, Brian Looney was the owner of Hamden Yards, a baseball instructional facility in Hamden, Connecticut.

Right-handed starter Christopher Alan Archer pitched for the Twins in 2022.  He was born in Raleigh, North Carolina, went to high school in Clayton, North Carolina, and was drafted by Cleveland in the fifth round in 2006.  He did not do much in the low minors, but he did strike out quite a few guys, so the Cubs traded for him before the 2009 season.  He was much better for them, reaching AA in 2010 at the still young age of twenty-one.  The Cubs then traded him to Tampa Bay before the 2011 season in a multi-player deal that included, among others, ex-Twins Sam Fuld and Matt Garza.  He reached the majors in 2012 and came up to stay in 2013.  He had some fine years for the Rays, finishing third in Rookie of the Year voting in 2013, making the all-star team in 2015 and 2017 (leading the league in starts both years), and finishing fifth in Cy Young voting in 2015.  He also led the league in losses in 2016, but he had an ERA of 4.02, a FIP of 3.81, and a WHIP of 1.24, indicating that he was mostly the victim of bad luck.  2017, however, was the last really good year he had.  He wasn't terrible in 2018, but was traded at the July deadline for Tyler Glasnow, Austin Meadows, and a player to be named later who turned out to be Shane Baz.  That was quite a win for the Rays, although it clearly wasn't Archer's fault.  2018 is when he started having injuries that have plagued him the rest of his career to this point.  He was okay the rest of 2018, had a down year in 2019, did not play in 2020, and became a free agent.  The Rays signed him back for 2021, but could not work any magic with him and he became a free agent again after the season.  The Twins signed him for 2022, and he went 2-8, but with an ERA of 4.56 and a WHIP of 1.32 in twenty-five starts.  The downside, of course, is that he pitched only 102.2 innings in those starts, which is barely over four innings per start.  He became a free agent again after the season and went unsigned, so his playing career is presumably over.  At last report, Chris Archer was an assistant in baseball operations for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Outfielder/first baseman Jordan Thomas Luplow played for the Twins for the last two months of 2023.  He was born in Visalia, California, went to high school in Clovis, California, attended Cal State--Fresno, and was drafted by Pittsburgh in the third round in 2014.  He took a while to get going, spending three years at various levels of Class A, but took off in 2017, starting at AA, moving up to AAA, and making his major league debut in late July of that year.  He didn't hit, however, and so started 2018 back in AAA.  He again got called up in July, and he again didn't hit.  He was traded to Cleveland after the season.  He spent most of the season in the majors and had his first good year, batting .276 with fifteen homers and an OPS of .923 as a part-time player.  He went back not hitting in the COVID year of 2020, and when he did not hit again in the first part of 2021 he was traded to Tampa Bay.  He was okay as a part-time player for the Rays but was traded to Arizona after the season.  He again did not hit and became a free agent after the 2022 season.  He signed with Atlanta for 2023, was waived in early April and claimed by Toronto, was waived again in early August and claimed by Minnesota.  As a Twin, he batted .206/.315/.349, numbers which are in line with his career numbers.  A free agent again after the season, he signed with Atlanta, was released in spring training, and signed with Philadelphia.  He spent the 2024 season in AAA, where he was okay but nothing special.  He turns thirty-one today.  In the old days, when teams carried five or six outfielders, he might have had a role on a major league squad.  Today, however, it appears that Jordan Luplow's playing career is probably about over.

September 25

Pat Malone (1902)

Phil Rizzuto (1917)

Johnny Sain (1917)

Sal Butera (1952)

Glenn Hubbard (1957)

Geno Petralli (1959)

Oscar Munoz (1969)

David Weathers (1969)

Tony Womack (1969)

Wil Nieves (1977)

Joel Pineiro (1978)

Rocco Baldelli (1981)

Vance Worley (1987)

Ben Rortvedt (1997)

Right-hander John Franklin Sain did not play for the Twins, but was their pitching coach from 1965-1966. He was born in Havana, Arkansas and signed with Detroit as a free agent in 1936. He was in Class D for four seasons, the best of which was the last when he went 18-10, 3.27 in 1939. He was let go after that season and signed with the Boston Braves. They sent him to Class A for two seasons, then brought him to the majors in 1942. He was fairly mediocre that year, pitching mostly out of the bullpen, then missed the next two years due to military service. When he came back in 1946 he was a starter, and a great one. He won twenty games four of the next five years, had over twenty complete games in four of the next five years, and averaged over 273 innings in those five years. He was famously part of the 1948 pennant winning Braves whose rotation was “Spahn and Sain, then pray for rain,” although their third and fourth starters, Bill Voiselle and Vern Bickford, don’t appear to have been all that bad. That 1948 season, in which he pitched a league-leading 314.2 innings, appears to have taken something out of him, because even though he won twenty games again in 1950 he was never the same pitcher. He was traded to the Yankees late in 1951 and did have some good years with them, years in which his innings were limited by pitching in as a reliever part of the time. In 1954 he was used exclusively in relief as their closer, although the term was not in use at the time. He pitched 77 innings in 45 games, posted an ERA of 3.16 and a WHIP of 1.05, and led the league with 22 saves. That was his last good year, however; when he got off to a poor start in 1955 he was traded to the Kansas City Athletics and was released in mid-July, ending his playing career. After his career he became a pitching coach for Kansas City (1959), the Yankees (1961-1963), Minnesota (1965-1966), Detroit (1967-1969), the White Sox (1971-1975), and Atlanta (1977, 1985-1986). He was known for emphasizing throwing and de-emphasizing conditioning exercises such as running, saying “You don’t run the ball over the plate. If running did it, they’d recruit pitchers off track teams.” His pitchers loved him, and were often successful under him, but he frequently clashed with managers, which is why he moved around a lot. In 1985, he was on the same coaching staff as Leo Mazzone, who later became a renowned pitching coach in his own right. Johnny Sain passed away on November 7, 2006 in Downers Grove, Illinois, and was buried in his home town of Havana, Arkansas.

Catcher Salvatore Philip Butera played for the Twins from 1980-1982 and again in 1987. He was born in Richmond Hill, New York and was signed by the Twins as a free agent in 1972. He was never a strong hitter in the minors, and spent nearly four years in AAA. He had a good year in 1979, however, hitting .297 at AAA Toledo, and made it to the big leagues with the Twins the next year. Butera was a backup catcher for the Twins from 1980-82, hitting for a fair average, drawing a decent number of walks, and providing no power whatsoever. Near the end of 1983 spring training, the Twins traded Butera to Detroit for Stine Poole and cash. He was in AAA Evansville for most of 1983. He again batted .297 at AAA, but got only five at bats with Detroit. Released after the season, he signed with Montreal. With AAA Indianapolis most of 1984, Butera won the backup catcher job with the Expos in 1985. He batted only .200, however, and was traded to Cincinnati after the season in a multi-player swap. Butera was the Reds’ reserve catcher for 1986 and early 1987, but was released in May. The Twins re-signed him three days later. Butera batted only .171 for the Twins in 1987, but went 2-for-3 in the ALCS and got a World Series ring. Released by the Twins in March of 1988, he signed with Toronto, which is where he finished his career in 1989. He also played for the Orlando Juice in the short-lived Senior Professional Baseball Association. As a Twin, Sal Butera had 489 at-bats spread over four seasons. He batted .233/.303/.274, hitting one home run (off Dave Schmidt) and driving in 40 runs.  He is a member of the Suffolk Sports Hall of Fame. He has done some minor-league managing and scouting, and was the bullpen coach for the Toronto Blue Jays in 1998. Sal Butera is currently a scout for Toronto. His son, Drew Butera, played for the Twins from 2010-2013.

Right-hander Juan Oscar Munoz appeared in ten games for the Twins in 1995. He was born in Hialeah, Florida, went to the University of Miami, and was drafted in the fifth round by Cleveland in 1990. Munoz was in the Cleveland organization for two seasons, pitching well at Class A, but not as well for AA Canton-Akron as a 21-year-old. In late March of 1992, Munoz was traded along with Curtis Leskanic to the Twins for Paul Sorrento. He had a good year for AA Nashville in 1993, but that was pretty much where he topped out. He had high ERAs with AAA Salt Lake in 1994 and 1995, but he had winning records, and it was a hitters’ league, so the Twins called him up for the last two months of 1995. He appeared in ten games for the Twins, making three starts. He again had a winning record, going 2-1, but had a 5.60 ERA in 35.1 innings with a 1.61 WHIP. The Twins put Munoz on waivers after the 1995 season, and he was taken by Baltimore. He was in AAA Rochester all of 1996, never making it back to the big leagues, and his playing career ended after that season. He managed Class A Bakersfield in 2003.  At last report, Oscar Munoz was the president of REO Workforce, Inc. and was living in Miami.

Outfielder Rocco Dan Baldelli did not play for the Twins but has been their manager since 2019.  He was born in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, went to high school in Warwick, Rhode Island, and was drafted by Tampa Bay with the sixth pick of the first round in 2000.  He started slowly in the minors, but his career took off in 2002, when he went from Class A to AAA.  He began 2003 as the Devil Rays' starting center fielder and finished third in Rookie of the Year voting,  He remained the starting center fielder in 2004.  In both years he put up solid batting averages, but did not walk much and had only moderate power.  His playing career went downhill from there, due mostly to his physical condition.  He missed 2005 with a shoulder injury which required Tommy John surgery.  He came back in June of 2006 and had the best year of his career, batting .302 with an OPS of .871.  Still just twenty-four, it was thought that big things were ahead.  Instead, he suffered a debilitating illness which was eventually determined to be channelopathy.  He was able to play in just 63 games for the Rays over the next two seasons.  A free agent, he signed with Boston for 2009 but again could play in just 62 games.  He signed back with the Rays for 2010, but played in just ten games before finally having to accept the fact that his physical condition would not allow him to continue as an active player.  His career numbers are .278/.323/.433 in 2065 plate appearances.  He worked for the Rays in scouting and player development from 2011-2014, was a coach for them from 2015-2018, and became the manager of the Twins in 2019.  His team won the division that year and he was named American League Manager of the Year, the youngest man ever to win the award.  His team won the division again in 2020, but had a poor season in 2021, finishing last.  In 2022 they held first place in a weak division for much of the season, but collapsed down the stretch.  In 2023, again in a weak division, the Twins won going away when the rest of the teams in the division traded many of their good players at the deadline.  In 2024, in a stronger division, the Twins again collapsed down the stretch.  Time will tell, but one assumes Rocco Baldelli will remain the Twins' manager in 2025.

Right-hander Vance Richard Worley pitched for the Twins in 2013.  Born and raised in Sacramento, he attended Cal State--Long Beach and was drafted by Philadelphia in 2008.  He did very well in Class A that season, struggled some when promoted to AA in 2009, but did better when he repeated AA in 2010.  He made his major league debut that year, making one start in late July and then getting a September callup, and did quite well.  He started 2011 in AAA but spent most of the season with the Phillies and had an outstanding year, going 11-3, 3.01, 1.23 WHIP with 8.1 strikeouts per nine innings.  He finished third in Rookie of the Year voting, behind Craig Kimbrel and Freddie Freeman.  He was not nearly as good in 2012, but still wasn't awful, going 6-9, 4.20, but with an alarming 1.51 WHIP.  In December of 2012, the Phillies traded him to Minnesota with Trevor May for Ben Revere.  Worley was placed in the Twins starting rotation at the start of the year and was dreadful, going 1-5, 7.22 with a WHIP of 1.99.  Sent to AAA in late May, he did somewhat better, but still not very well, going a deceiving 6-3, 3.88 with a WHIP of 1.41 in nine starts before being shut down due to injury.  The Twins sold him to Pittsburgh in March of 2014.  He started in AAA but came up to the majors in mid-June, was placed in the starting rotation, and pitched very well, once again looking like the pitcher who impressed people with Philadelphia in 2011.  He started 2015 in the Pirates' rotation but was moved to the bullpen in mid-May.  He has did a good job for Pittsburgh in long relief, but was waived after the season and selected by Baltimore.  Used mostly out of the bullpen, he again did a solid job in 2016.  A free agent after the season, he signed with Washington for 2017 but was released in late March.  He signed with Miami a few days later and was sent to AAA, where he was used as a starter.  After eight starts, which were not all that good, he came up to the Marlins in late May.  Used both as a starter and in relief, he did not get much accomplished in either role.  He signed with Cincinnati for 2018, was released in early April, was signed by the Mets, and was released again in late June after four poor starts in AAA, although it appears that he may have been pitching through an injury.  He did not pitch in 2019.  He signed with Somerset of the Atlantic League for 2020, but the Atlantic League did not play in 2020.  There was a rumor in August of 2020 that the Phillies would sign him, but it appears that nothing came of it.  He started 2021 with Kane County in the American Association and did well enough for the Mets to sign him and send him to AAA.  Unfortunately, it did not go well for him there.  He was back with Kane County in 2022 and did not pitch very well there, either.  A year ago, we said, "it appears likely that it's time for Vance Worley to decide what he wants to do in the next phase of his life."  He apparently agreed, and became the pitching coach Penn State Abington in 2023.

Catcher Benjamin Thomas Rortvedt came up to the Twins in 2021.  He was born in Madison, Wisconsin, went to high school in Verona, Wisconsin, and was drafted by Minnesota in the second round in 2016.  He progressed about a level a season, reaching in rookie ball in 2016, in low A in 2017, in high-A in 2018, and in AA in 2019.  He has never hit much--his highest batting average is .262 in a 2018 season split between low-A and high-A.  His highest OPS is .713 in a 2019 season split between high-A and AA.  He has split 2021 between AAA and the majors, coming up due to injuries to Mitch Garver.  He continued to not hit, batting .169/.229/.281 in 89 at-bats.  The Twins traded him with Josh Donaldson and Isiah Kiner-Falefa to the Yankees for Gary Sanchez and Gio Urshela before the 2022 season.  He was at AAA all season and again didn't hit, although he also dealt with some injuries.  He split 2023 between AAA and the majors, actually hitting well in AAA but not in the big leagues. He is reputed to be an excellent defender.  A year ago, we said, "If he can just get his average in vicinity of the Mendoza line, it's possible that Ben Rortvedt could be around for quite a while."  Well, he got it above the Mendoza line in 2024, and had his first full season in the majors as a part-time catcher for Tampa Bay.  So again, if he can just contribute a little on offense, we could see Ben Rortvedt in a big-league uniform for several years.

September 24

Mike Gonzalez (1890)

Tommie Dukes (1906)

Dixie Walker (1910)

Clyde Vollmer (1921)

George Banks (1938)

Chuck Nieson (1942)

Norm Angelini (1947)

Eric Soderholm (1948)

Hubie Brooks (1956)

Jim Acker (1958)

Rafael Palmeiro (1964)

Scott Leius (1965)

Bernard Gilkey (1966)

Kevin Millar (1971)

John McDonald (1974)

Levale Speigner (1980)

Hunter Strickland (1988)

Outfielder/third baseman George Edward Banks played for the Twins from 1962-1964. He was born in Pacolet Mills, South Carolina, and was signed by the Yankees as a free agent in 1957. He showed substantial power in the low minors, hitting 56 homers in 1960-61, but could not get above Class A with the Yankees organization. After the 1961 season, Banks was chosen by the Twins in the Rule 5 draft. Given his lack of experience at high levels, he did well for the Twins in limited duty in 1962: .252/.372/.408 in 103 at-bats. That was to be the most he would ever play in the majors, however. He had a good year for AAA Dallas/Ft. Worth in 1963, playing briefly with the Twins that year. In 1964, he got off to a poor start for AAA Atlanta, and was traded in June to Cleveland along with Lee Stange for Mudcat Grant. He continued to slug the ball at AAA, but got only brief major league appearances with the Indians through 1966. The Indians let him go after 1966, and he spent a year each in the California and Philadelphia organizations, but never made it back to the majors. George Banks hit 223 minor-league home runs in 11 seasons, but only 9 in the big leagues in 221 at-bats. As a Twin, he hit .211/.327/.377 with 7 home runs and 23 RBIs in 175 at-bats. George Banks passed away on March 1, 1985.

Right-hander Charles Bassett Nieson made two appearances for the Twins in 1964. He was born in Hanford, California, attended Cal State—Fresno, and was signed by the Twins as a free agent in 1962. He did not have a lot of luck in the minors, going 6-12 in 1963 and 4-17 in 1964 despite ERAs around 4.00, which was not that bad even in the 1960s. The Twins gave him a September call-up in 1964, and he pitched two innings over two games, giving up one run. That was to be his only time in the majors: his lifetime ERA is 4.50, with the run he gave up coming on a homer by Frank Malzone. Nieson remained in the Twins organization for a few more years, having fair-to-poor results for AAA Denver in 1965-66. He had good years for AA Charlotte from 1967-69, but again did poorly when promoted to Denver in 1968. 1969 was his last season in organized baseball. At last report, Chuck Nieson was living in Clinton, Minnesota, where he enjoys fishing and was the Big Stone Walleye champion in 2010.

Third baseman Eric Thane Soderholm played for the Twins from 1971-1975. He was born in Cortland, New York, went to high school in Miami, and was chosen by the Twins with the first pick of the secondary phase of the 1968 January draft. Initially a shortstop, he began playing some third base in 1970 and was moved there permanently in 1971. A low average slugger who drew a good number of walks in the minors, Soderholm reached the Twins in 1971 after a good year with AAA Portland. He stayed in the majors in 1972, but hit only .188, and was returned to Portland for most of 1973. He won the third base job in 1974 and had two seasons as a regular for the Twins. He was a solid contributor in those two seasons, batting around .280 with a total of 21 homers and 35 doubles. He injured his knee in 1975, and missed all of 1976, becoming a free agent after that season. Signed by the White Sox, he was a productive player for them as well, winning comeback player of the year in 1977. He hit 51 homers and drove in 168 runs for the White Sox over 2 1/2 seasons. Soderholm was traded to the Rangers in June of 1979. He finished the season with them, and signed with the Yankees for 1980. He did well for the Yankees when he was able to play, but suffered injuries there as well, and 1980 would be his last season. He was invited to spring training with the Cubs in 1982, but decided that his knees could no longer handle the strain of playing. As a Twin, he hit .257/.336/.389 in 1,345 at-bats. After his playing career ended, Soderholm did some scouting for the Cubs for a couple of years, and then went into business for himself. He opened a youth baseball camp as well as a ticket agency. At last report, Eric Soderholm owned the SoderWorld Wellness Center and Academy of Willowbrook, Illinois, with his wife, his daughter, Misty, and his son, Chad.

Infielder Scott Thomas Leius played for the Twins from 1990-1995. He was born in Yonkers, New York, and was drafted out of Concordia College by the Twins in the 13th round in 1986. He did not hit well in the minors with the exception of 1989, when he batted .303 with 22 doubles for AA Orlando. Despite hitting only .229 the next year for AAA Portland, Leius got a September callup in 1990 and was in the majors to stay in 1991. He batted .286 as a platoon third baseman (with Mike Pagliarulo) that year, and was a solid contributor to the Twins’ world championship team. He would never hit that well again, however. Given an expanded role with the 1992 team, he went down to .249. Leius was hurt for most of the 1993 season. He came back to hit in the .240s again in 1994 and 1995 as a semi-regular, and became a free agent after the season. Free agency did not treat Leius well. He suffered a variety of injuries, and never stayed in the majors for a full season again. Leius was in the Cleveland organization in 1996, with the White Sox system in 1997, and in the Kansas City organization in 1998. He played 37 games with the Royals in an injury-filled 1999, and called it a career after that. As a Twin, Scott Leius hit .252/.316/.353 in 1,373 at-bats. He played well in his one World Series, hitting .357 with a home run that was the game-winning run in game 2. A good defensive player, he finished second in gold glove balloting in 1994. He did some coaching for the Royals, and at last report was a senior client executive for Sirius, a CDW Company, in the Twin Cities area.

Right-hander Jimmy Levale Speigner did not play for the Twins, but was in their minor league system. Born and raised in Thomasville, Georgia, he went to Auburn and was drafted in the 14th round by Minnesota in 2003. He pitched well in the low minors in 2003 and 2004. He did not do as well in 2005 as a starter in AA New Britain, but did much better as a reliever for the Rock Cats in 2006. He pitched poorly in a couple of brief stints at AAA Rochester, however, and when the Twins left him off the forty-man roster, he was chosen by Washington in the rule 5 draft after the 2006 season. Speigner struggled in the majors in 2007, with the exception of one game in June. The Nationals worked out a trade with the Twins for Darnell McDonald, and sent him to the minors. Speigner had a good year in the minors in 2008, but again failed a brief trial in the big leagues. Levale Speigner spent 2009 in the Florida Marlins organization, pitching well in a season split between AA and AAA. A free agent after the season, he moved on to the Seattle organization. He had a rather mediocre year out of the bullpen for AAA Tacoma. He did not sign with anyone for 2011; rather, he became an insurance agent and at last report was a registered representative for American Global Wealth Management in Opelika, Alabama, which is where ex-Twin Roy Lee Jackson is from. 

September 23

Heinie Wagner (1880)

Lefty Stewart (1900)

Jim Rooker (1942)

Woody Woodward (1942)

Dennis Lamp (1952)

Jim Morrison (1952)

Tony Fossas (1957)

Jim Winn (1959)

Pete Harnisch (1966)

Jeff Cirillo (1969)

Brent Abernathy (1977)

Mike Gosling (1980)

Matt Kemp (1984)

Joba Chamberlain (1985)

Trevor May (1989)

Left-hander Tony Fossas was drafted by the Twins in the ninth round in 1978, but did not sign.

Right-hander James Francis Winn made nine appearances for the Twins in 1988. He was born in Stockton, California, attended John Brown University in Siloam Springs, Arkansas (the only major leaguer ever to come from that school), and was drafted by Pittsburgh in the first round of the 1981. He did not have eye-popping numbers in the low minors, and struggled with injuries most of his career, never logging as many as 70 innings in a minor-league season. Winn made the Pirates in 1983 on the strength of an excellent spring training. He did not last long that year, pitching only eleven innings before being sent to AAA Hawaii. He became a relief pitcher in 1983, and did well then and in 1984 in Hawaii, getting another brief callup with Pittsburgh in the latter season. Winn was with the Pirates almost all of 1985 and all of 1986, with fair-to-middling results. He was traded to the White Sox just before the 1987 season and spent all year in Chicago, pitching similarly for them. Released by the White Sox near the end of 1988 spring training, he was signed by the Twins and sent to AAA Portland, where he pitched well enough to get called up to Minnesota. Winn pitched in nine games for the Twins that year, mostly in mop-up relief. He was 1-0 that year, but with an ERA of 6.00 and a WHIP of 2.05 in 21 innings. If he was left-handed, he probably would have gotten another chance somewhere, but he was a righty, and his playing career was over after 1988. At last report, Jim Winn was working in sales for Conco Companies in the Springfield, Missouri area.

Third baseman Jeffrey Howard Cirillo played for the Twins for about four months in 2007. He was born in Pasadena, California, went to high school in Burbank, California, went to USC, and was drafted by Milwaukee in the 11th round in 1991. He hit well at every stop in the minors, made his major league debut in 1994, and was in the big leagues to stay as of 1995. Cirillo was with the Brewers through 1999. He made the all-star team, batted over .320 three times, and hit double-digit home runs four times in that period. In December of 1999, Cirillo was traded to Colorado in a three-team trade that also involved Oakland. He continued to hit well, averaging .320 in two years with the Rockies and hitting 28 home runs. Traded to Seattle in December of 2001, Cirillo went into a decline. He batted only .234 with 8 homers in two years with the Mariners, had an injury-plagued season in 2004 with San Diego, and it appeared that his career might be coming to an end. Given a last chance back with Milwaukee. however, Cirillo rebounded. He averaged over .300 as a part-time player for the Brewers in 2005-06. Signed by the Twins as a free agent in 2007, he batted .261/.327/.386 in 153 at-bats with two home runs. Cirillo was placed on waivers in August, and was selected by the Diamondbacks, where he finished his career. A good defender, he is tied for the major league record in consecutive errorless games at third base with 99. He did some television for the Brewers in 2008, and was a scout for the Angels as well as coaching at Bellevue High School in Washington. He is also part-owner of the Walla Walla Sweets and the Yakima Valley Pippens, teams which plays in the West Coast League, a summer collegiate wood bat league.  He was going to manage the Sweets in 2020, but the League season was cancelled.  He was going to manage them in 2021, but stepped aside to take care of his wife, who was very seriously injured in an auto accident.  His son, Connor, was an infielder at USC.  At last report, Jeff Cirillo was living in Medina, Washington and was a scout for the Seattle Mariners.

Second baseman Michael Brent Abernathy played in twenty-four games for the Twins in 2005. Born and raised in Atlanta, he was drafted by Toronto in the second round in 1986. He was a high-average hitter with decent doubles power in the minors, although he did hit 13 homers for AA Knoxville in 1999. In July of 2000, Abernathy was traded to Tampa Bay for Mark Guthrie and Steve Trachsel. He played in the 2000 Olympics. Abernathy came up to the Devil Rays in late June of 2001 and was the regular second baseman most of the rest of the year. He was the regular again in 2002, but hit only .242. In April of 2003, Abernathy was placed on waivers and chosen by Kansas City. He spent the rest of his career bouncing from one team to another, coming to the Twins in 2005 after stints with the Detroit and Cleveland organizations. He batted .326 in Rochester that year, but only .239 in 67 at-bats with the Twins, with one home run and six RBIs. That was to be Abernathy’s last shot at the big leagues. After the 2005 season, he logged time in the Milwaukee, Philadelphia, and Washington organizations, and also played for the Long Island Ducks in 2008. Abernathy always hit for a good average in the minors, but was never able to translate that into major league success. Brent Abernathy did some coaching with USA baseball as well as some high school teams.  At last report, he was the managing partner of Integrity Marketing Group in Fort Walton Beach, Florida.

Left-hander Michael Frederick Gosling never actually played with the Twins, but was in their minor league system for two months in 2009. He was born in Madison, Wisconsin and went to high school in Salt Lake City, where he once struck out six batters in an inning (two passed balls and a throwing error on a dropped third strike). He was drafted by the Twins in the fourteenth round in 1998, but went to Stanford instead. He was then drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the second round in 2001. Gosling pitched well for AA El Paso in 2002. He did not pitch so well for AAA Tucson, posting ERAs above 5.5 in three consecutive seasons, 2003-05. He suffered a torn labrum and torn rotator cuff in 2003. He was given chances in the big leagues in 2004-05 and actually did a little better there than in the minors, although not enough better to indicate any substantive improvement. The Reds picked him up on waivers in February of 2006. Gosling seemed to finally take a moderate step forward in 2007, as he had a good year at AAA Louisville. It did not result in success in the majors, however: in 23 games and 33 innings with Cincinnati, he posted a 4.91 ERA and a WHIP of 2.12. Gosling was placed on waivers again after the 2007 season, and was selected by Toronto. He had a decent year at AAA Syracuse in 2008, but was not called up to the majors. Allowed to become a free agent, he was signed by the Twins in January of 2009 and sent to AAA Rochester, where he vultured seven wins despite not pitching all that well. Part way into the season, Gosling exercised an out clause in his contract and was given his release. He then signed with Cleveland. The Indians sent him to AAA Columbus, where he continued to not pitch very well. Despite that, he spent about two months in the majors, pitching 25 innings with no record, a 5.04 ERA, and a 1.64 WHIP. He returned to Columbus at the start of the 2010 season and pitched well, posting an ERA of 2.96 in 27.1 innings, but apparently saw the writing on the wall and retired on May 17. After his baseball career ended, Mike Gosling entered law school and at last report was an attorney with Glaser Weil in Encinitas, California.

Right-hander Trevor Joseph May pitched for the Twins from 2014-2020.  He was born in Longview, Washington, went to high school in Kelso, Washington, and was drafted by Philadelphia in the fourth round in 2008.  He did well in low A in 2009 and continued to do well there in 2010, went to high A for half of 2010 and all of 2011, and reached AA in 2012.  He struck out a lot of batters everywhere he went, but he had a poor year overall in AA at age 22 and was traded to Minnesota after the season along with Vance Worley for Ben Revere.  He didn't do all that well in New Britain in 2013, but when promoted to Rochester in 2014 he got much better, going 8-6, 2.84, 1.16 WHIP.  One of the things that has improved is his control, going from 4.7 walks per nine innings in 2012 to 4.0 in 2013 to 3.6 in Rochester in 2014.  His strikeouts went down some but were at a high rate of 8.6 per nine innings in Rochester.  He was promoted to Minnesota in early August of 2014, and to say that it did not go well would be an understatement.  He started 2015 in the Twins rotation but even though he didn't pitch badly there he was moved to the bullpen in early July.  He pitched very well there and was a valuable contributor to the Twins' run at a playoff spot.  Promised a chance to start in the off-season, he made three starts in spring training and was then sent to the bullpen.  He had a poor year there, probably because he was pitching with a broken bone in his back.  He was told to prepare to be a starter again in the 2016-17 off-season, but he missed the entire 2017 season with a torn ligament in his arm.  He came back in late July of 2018 and pitched pretty well in relief, convincing the Twins the bullpen was where he belonged.  He was very good in 2019 and still pretty good, though not quite as good, in 2020.  He struck out more and walked fewer, but gave up more hits and especially more home runs.  He became a free agent after the 2020 season and signed with the Mets.  He had a solid season in 2021 but struggled in 2022.  A free agent after the season, he signed with Oakland for 2023, for whom he was been the closer and was okay, not great but not terrible.  Again a free agent after the season, he chose to retire from playing baseball.  He is currently involved in various podcasts as well as gaming ventures.

September 22

Doc Powers (1870)

Hooks Dauss (1889)

Urban Shocker (1890)

Ira Flagstead (1893)

Harry Walker (1918)

Bob Lemon (1920)

Tommy Lasorda (1927)

Ken Aspromonte (1931)

Jim Fairey (1944)

Larry Dierker (1946)

Jeffrey Leonard (1955)

Wally Backman (1959)

Vince Coleman (1961)

Bob Geren (1961)

Mark Guthrie (1965)

Mike Matheny (1970)

Carlos Correa (1994)

Calvin Faucher (1995)

Four players born on this date made their debuts in 2019.  That may not be a record, but it is unusual.

Outfielder James Burke Fairey did not play for the Twins, but was in AAA for them in 1974. He was born in Orangeburg, South Carolina and attended Erskine College in Due West, South Carolina, the most successful of six major league players to come from that school. The Dodgers signed him as a free agent in 1965. He batted over .300 for three consecutive years in the Dodgers’ minor league system and averaged 13 homers per season, although his home run total went down each year. He made his major league debut in 1968, spending the entire year as a reserve outfielder. He batted only .199 in 156 at-bats, however, and was left unprotected in the expansion draft. Montreal chose him and he went back to AAA for the 1969 season, playing for the Expos as a September call-up. He made the team in 1970, though, and stayed for three seasons as a back-up outfielder, getting around 200 at-bats per season and hitting around .240. He was released in late March of 1973 and signed back with the Dodgers, getting a September call-up after spending most of the season at AAA. After the season, he was traded to Minnesota with G. Mike Floyd for Glenn Ezell and Charlie Manuel. Fairey was at AAA all of 1974 and had a good season, hitting .302/.391/.495 with 16 home runs. It did not get him to the majors, however, and he moved on to the San Diego system in 1975. He played for AAA Hawaii for three seasons, averaging around .300 with double-digit home runs, but never got a call-up to the big leagues. He remained in baseball after his playing career ended, first as a minor league manager for the Cubs and then as a scout for San Francisco and for Texas.  At last report, Jim Fairey was living in Clemson, South Carolina.  His grandson, Chad Fairey, played for Clemson University in 2019-2021.

Infielder Walter Wayne Backman played for the Twins in 1989. He was born in Hillsboro, Oregon, went to high school in Beaverton, Oregon, and was drafted by the Mets in the first round in 1977. A shortstop in his early minor league career, he was moved to second base when he reached AAA Tidewater in 1980. He hit for a good average in the minors, although with little power, and set a personal high for walks in the 1980 season with 87. This earned him a September call-up. Backman suffered through an injury-plagued 1981, but became the Mets semi-regular second baseman in 1982, starting 73 games. He played decently for the Mets, but 1983 found him back in Tidewater, as he lost the second base job to Brian Giles. A .316 batting average for Tidewater that season enabled him to leave the minors behind for good. Backman was the regular second baseman for the Mets from 1984-85. He was reduced to part-time status in 1986-88, sharing second base with Tim Teufel, although Backman got the majority of the playing time. In December of 1988, Backman was traded to the Twins with Mike Santiago for Jeff Bumgarner, Steve Glasser, and Toby Nivens. Backman proceeded to have the worst season of his career, batting .231/.306/.284 in 299 at-bats in another injury-plagued season. The Twins allowed Backman to become a free agent, and he signed with Pittsburgh, where he bounced back to hit .292 in 1990. He became a free agent again, spending 1991-92 with Philadelphia. At the end of the line, he was signed briefly by Atlanta and Seattle in 1993, but was released by the Mariners in May and his playing career was over. Backman became a minor-league manager, and nearly died in 1998 when he was bitten by a brown recluse spider while managing in Bend, Oregon. He was named manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks on November 1, 2004. Unfortunately, a number of legal and financial problems came to light, and Backman was fired four days later. He made a comeback, however, as he managed the Brooklyn Cyclones in the Mets organization in 2010, was promoted to manager of AA Binghamton in 2011, was the manager of AAA Buffalo in 2012, and was the manager of AAA Las Vegas from 2013-16.  He was not the manager there in 2017; it's unclear whether he resigned or was fired, but it seems clear neither side was particularly interested in seeing the relationship continue.   He became the manager of Monclova in the Mexican League in 2017, but was fired forty-two games into the season and became the bench coach of Puebla.  He was the manager of the independent New Britain Bees in 2018 and was the manager of the independent Long Island Ducks from 2019-2023, when he was replaced by Lew Ford.  Wally Backman was inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 2002.  No information about what he has done in 2024 was readily available.

Left-hander Mark Andrew Guthrie played for the Twins from 1989-1995. He was born in Buffalo, went to high school in Venice, Florida, attended LSU, and was drafted by the Twins in the seventh round in 1987. He came through the minors quickly, making his major-league debut with the Twins in July of 1989. Used mostly in relief, Guthrie was a solid pitcher for Minnesota through 1992. He had injury problems in 1993, was still battling them in 1994, and in 1995 he was traded with Kevin Tapani to the Dodgers in a deadline deal for Ron Coomer, Greg Hansell, Jose Parra, and Chris Latham. After three and a half decent years with the Dodgers, Guthrie became a free agent in 1999 and signed with Boston, only to be included in another deadline deal that sent him to the Cubs. He then started moving around, going to Tampa Bay, Toronto, Oakland, the Mets, and back to the Cubs before his career ended after the 2003 season. Mark Guthrie appeared in 243 games for the Twins, going 29-27 with 8 saves, a 4.19 ERA, and a 1.43 WHIP in 489.2 innings. He was never a star, but was usually a fairly dependable reliever. He played in the big leagues for 14 years and was in the post-season five times, including pitching in four games of the 1991 World Series with the Twins. At last report, Mark Guthrie was the General Manager of Florida Burn, which appears to be an organization of high-school age all-star teams.

Shortstop Carlos Javier Correa played for the Twins in 2022.  He was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico, went to high school in Gurabo, Puerto Rico, and was drafted by Houston with the first pick of the 2012 draft.  He hit well pretty much throughout the minor leagues and reached the majors to stay (other than rehab assignments) in June of 2015.  He has posted an OPS of over .800 in six of his eight seasons and over .900 in two of them.  He was Rookie of the Year in 2015 and made the all-star team in 2017 and 2021.  He also won a Gold Glove in 2021 and finished fifth in MVP voting that year.  His best season, at least in terms of offense, was probably 2017, when he batted .315. hit twenty-four home runs, and posted his highest OPS at .941.  He remained an Astro through 2021, then became a free agent and signed with the Twins.  He had a solid season in 2022 and opted out of his contract, but when health concerns scared away a couple of teams he came back to the Twins.  Battling plantar fasciitis all season, he had a down year in 2023, although he still played well in the field.  He had an excellent 2024 when he could play, making his third all-star team, but missed substantial time due to injury. When he first came up, he'd steal a base occasionally, but he's stolen only six bases since 2017 and his last one is in 2019.  He turns thirty today.  As a Twin, he is batting .273/.349/.454 in 1325 at-bats.  He is perhaps not the superstar that he's sometimes made out to be, but when healthy he's definitely an excellent ballplayer.  The "when healthy" part is the tricky bit.  He's signed through 2029, so we can expect to see Carlos Correa in a Twins uniform for a few more seasons.

Right-handed reliever Calvin Faucher did not play for the Twins, but was in their farm system from 2017-2021.  He was born in Chula Vista, California, attended the University of California-Irvine, and was drafted by Minnesota in the tenth round in 2017.  He pitched very well in Elizabethton that year but struggled after that.  He posted ERAs over four in Class A in 2018 and 2019, did not pitch in 2020, and had an ERA of over seven in AA in 2021 when he was traded to Tampa Bay with Nelson Cruz for Joe Ryan and Drew Strotman.  The Rays apparently saw something the Twins did not, because Faucher immediately started pitching well in AA and AAA for them in 2021.  He was not as good, but still decent in AAA in 2022 and came up to the Rays early in the season.  He had a disastrous outing in May (five runs in one inning) which skews his ERA, but other than that he did okay for them in 2022.  He started 2023 in the majors but pitched poorly, went to the minors, and missed time due to injury.  He was traded to Miami after the season and has had a decent year in 2024, posting an ERA of 3.19 (although with a WHIP of 1.40)  He turns twenty-nine today.  If he can continue to improve, Calvin Faucher might have a decent major league career.  Of course, that's a big "if".

September 21

Tom Brown (1860)

Elmer Smith (1892)

Eldon Auker (1910)

Max Butcher (1910)

Joe Haynes (1917)

John McHale (1921)

Jerry Zimmerman (1934)

Jerry Fosnow (1940)

Sudden Sam McDowell (1942)

Aurelio Lopez (1948)

Danny Cox (1959)

Cecil Fielder (1963)

D. J. Dozier (1965)

Jason Christianson (1969)

Scott Spiezio (1972)

Doug Davis (1975)

Jeremy Jeffress (1987)

Joe Haynes played for the Twins franchise while it was in Washington for four years, then coached for three, then was with the team as executive vice-president through 1967, when he passed away from a heart attack.

John McHale was the general manager of the Tigers, the Braves, and the Expos.

Better known for his football career, William Henry “D. J.” Dozier played in 25 games for the New York Mets in 1992.

Catcher Gerald Robert Zimmerman played for the Twins from 1962-1968. He was born in Omaha, went to high school in Milwaukie, Oregon, and was signed as a free agent by the Red Sox in 1952. He spent nine years in the minors before reaching the major leagues. In those nine years, he hit as high as .302 with Class D Corning in 1954, and as low as .179 at AAA in 1959. He never hit with any power, with a high of seven home runs in a season. The Red Sox released him midway through that 1959 season. Zimmerman signed the same day with the Orioles organization, but they released him at the end of the year. In 1960, he was signed by the Reds, and hit .279 with AAA Seattle. The next year, Zimmerman was in Cincinnati. The Reds used five catchers in 1961, and he caught more than anyone with 76 games, although he batted only .206. He also caught in two games of the World Series that year, although he did not bat. Cincinnati apparently decided he was not the answer to their catching problems, and traded him to Minnesota after the 1961 season for Dan Dobbek. Zimmerman then embarked on a substantial career as the Twins’ reserve catcher, mostly backing up Earl Battey. He never hit a lot, but had a reputation as a fine defensive catcher and an excellent handler of pitchers. He was also very popular in the clubhouse. He made it to another World Series with the Twins, in 1965, and again caught in two games, this time getting to bat once (he was 0-for-1). In 1967, Zimmerman became the Twins’ bullpen coach while remaining an active player. That year, however, due to injuries to Battey, Zimmerman caught 104 games, the most he caught in a big league season. He was not up to the task, batting only .167. 1967, of course, was when the Twins came within one game of the World Series; one has to think that an average offensive performance out of the catching position might have made the difference. Zimmerman’s performance apparently told the Twins something; the next year, he got only 45 at-bats backing up Johnny Roseboro. He was released by the Twins in spring training of 1969, and his playing career was over. In seven years with the Twins, he batted .204/.273/.242 in 790 at-bats, hitting 3 home runs and posting an OPS of .514. After retiring as an active player, Zimmerman became a bullpen coach for Gene Mauch, first in Montreal (1969-75) and then with the Twins (1976-80). During an umpires’ strike in 1978, he and another coach, Don Leppert of the Blue Jays, umpired an inning of a major league game, the last two active coaches to do so. In the 1980s, Zimmerman was a scout for the Yankees and the Orioles. Jerry Zimmerman passed away on September 9, 1998, in Neskowin, Oregon.

Left-hander Gerald Eugene Fosnow played for the Twins from 1964-1965. Born and raised in Deshler, Ohio, he was signed by Cleveland as a free agent in 1959. He did reasonably well in his first couple of years in the low minors, but was injured for much of 1961, and found himself in the Twins organization for 1962. The move suited him, as he posted ERAs under 3.00 in his first two years in the Twins’ system. He was converted to relief pitching in 1964, and had an ERA of 3.23 and a WHIP of 0.94 for AAA Atlanta. He was with the Twins part of that season, but pitched poorly in only seven games. Fosnow appeared in 29 games with the Twins in 1965, and gave up well under a hit per inning, but had control trouble and was returned to the minors. The Twins released Fosnow after the 1966 season, and he signed with the Dodgers. He had a very good year pitching in relief for AAA Spokane in 1967, but when that good year did not result in another chance in the majors, Fosnow decided to retire at age 27. He apparently still makes appearances at card shows and baseball alumni events. Jerry Fosnow appeared in 36 major league games, all with the Twins. He pitched 57.1 innings, giving up 46 hits but 33 walks. He was 3-4 with a 5.65 career ERA.  At last report, Jerry Fosnow was living in DeBary, Florida and was the owner of Powerhouse Pressure Cleaning, although he no longer appears to be actively involved in the business.

September 20

Chuck Dressen (1894)

Zeke Bonura (1908)

Tom Tresh (1938)

Rich Morales (1943)

Roric Harrison (1946)

Pete Hamm (1947)

Mickey Klutts (1954)

Pat Bangtson (1964)

Jason Bay (1978)

Ian Desmond (1985)

Steve Lombardozzi (1988)

I believe this is the only date on which there are only two players to have been in the big leagues for ten seasons.

Pat Bangtson was drafted by the Twins in 1987 and was in their system through 1991, reaching as high as AAA. He then worked as an assistant coach at Ohio State from 1992-2005, when he became the head coach at the University of Akron through 2011.

Right-hander Roric Edward Harrison appeared in nine games for the Twins in 1978. He was born in Los Angeles, went to high school in Westchester, California, and was signed by the Houston Astros as a free agent in 1965. He appears to have battled both injuries and ineffectiveness, as well as wildness, in the minors. In 1969, he was traded to the Seattle Pilots in a trade that involved Jim Bouton, and was traded to Baltimore just before the 1971 season. Something clicked with Harrison in 1971, as he suddenly went 15-5 with a 2.81 ERA and 1.14 WHIP for AAA Rochester. He was a very effective relief pitcher for the Orioles in 1972, but was traded to Atlanta after the season in a multi-player deal that included Pat Dobson, Davey Johnson, Johnny Oates, and Earl Williams. Converted to starting, he was much less effective for the Braves, posting ERAs mostly in the mid-to-upper fours. Still, Harrison stayed in the majors with Atlanta through June of 1975, when he was traded to Cleveland for Blue Moon Odom. Placed in the Indians rotation, he continued to be fairly mediocre, and was on the move again after the season, traded to St. Louis. Harrison was in the Cardinals, Tigers, and Pirates organizations during the next couple of years, and was eventually signed by the Twins as a free agent in late April of 1978. He was fairly mediocre in AAA Toledo, too, but still made nine relief appearances for the Twins, giving up 18 hits and 10 runs in 12 innings for an ERA of 7.50 and a WHIP of 2.42. His career came to an end after that season. Roric Harrison was the last American League pitcher to hit a home run in a regular season game prior to the designated hitter rule. He was named after the first king of Ireland. In 2001, Roric Harrison was inducted into the Rochester Red Wings Hall of Fame. At last report, Roric Harrison was the vice president for business development for Lexicon Relocation in Irvine, California.

Right-hander Peter Whitfield Hamm was with the Twins from 1970-1971. He was born in Buffalo, went to high school in Soquel, California, and was chosen by the Twins in the ninth round of the secondary phase of the 1967 draft out of Stanford. His minor league numbers look good, but it took him three years to get out of Class A. Hamm had a very good 1970 split between AA and AAA, and was briefly promoted to the Twins that year. He appeared in 10 games as a 22-year-old, going 0-2 with a 5.51 ERA. Hamm had another fine year at AAA Portland in 1971, giving up about a hit per inning with excellent control. He appeared in 13 games for the Twins that year, 8 of them starts, but did not do well, going 2-4 with a 6.75 ERA. Still, he was only 23, and after a year and a half of good pitching at AAA would seem to have been a promising young pitcher. Apparently, however, nobody who mattered thought so. The Twins sold Hamm to the White Sox in February of 1972. He never pitched for them, and instead 1973 found him pitching for Trois Rivieres, the AA affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. Hamm dominated at that level, winning 17 games with a 2.30 ERA and a 0.98 WHIP, but it was his last year in organized baseball. No information is readily available regarding why he did not get more of a chance, why his career came to an abrupt end, or what he might be doing now.