September 18

Heinie Groh (1889)

George Uhle (1898)

Harvey Haddix (1925)

Lorn Brown (1938)

Dick Dietz (1941)

Ken Brett (1948)

Tony Scott (1951)

Ray Smith (1955)

Ryne Sandberg (1959)

Jeff Bronkey (1965)

Kevin Thompson (1979)

Joe Bisenius (1982)

Taylor Motter (1989)

Lorn Brown was a baseball broadcaster from 1966-1988, calling games for the Chicago White Sox, the Milwaukee Brewers, and the New York Mets.

Kevin Thompson was drafted by Minnesota in the eighteenth round in 1998, but did not sign.

Joe Bisenius pitched briefly for Philadelphia and Washington.  He is from Sioux City and was somewhat of a local hero when I lived in that area.

Destined to be remembered as “George Brett’s brother”, left-hander Kenneth Alven Brett had a long career of his own. He was born in Brooklyn, went to high school in El Segundo, California, and was drafted by Boston with the fourth pick in the 1966 draft. After a slow start at Class A Oneonta that year, when he was only 17, Brett did very well in the minors, and came through the Red Sox’ system quickly. He made one appearance for Boston in 1967, who thought highly enough of him to include him on their World Series roster at age 18. He made the big leagues to stay in 1969. Used mostly in relief by the Red Sox, Brett did not do all that well. After the 1971 season, he was traded to Milwaukee in a multi-player deal that included Jim Lonborg, George Scott, and Tommy Harper. He pitched only one year for the Brewers before being traded again, this time to Philadelphia in a multi-player trade that included Lonborg (again), Don Money, and John Vukovich. He had his first good year in the majors with Philadelphia in 1973, winning 13 games with a 3.44 ERA. After the season, though, he was on the move again, traded to Pittsburgh for Dave Cash. Brett put in two solid seasons for the Pirates, but packed his suitcase again after the season. He was traded to the Yankees in December of 1975, to the White Sox in May of 1976, and to California in June of 1977. He consistently had an ERA in the mid-to-low threes most of those years, but in 1977 it ballooned to 4.5, and when he was no better in 1978, he was released. The Twins signed Brett in late April of 1979, and he spent just over a month with them before being released again on June 4. He appeared in nine games for the Twins (12.2 innings), getting no decisions and compiling an ERA of 4.97. Brett was signed by the Dodgers a week later and did well the rest of the year, but was released again after the season. It appeared that his career might be over, but in August of 1980, he signed with the Royals. He remained with the Royals in 1981, but that was his last year as an active player. He played parts of 14 big-league seasons and three postseasons. He was also an excellent batter, posting a line of .262/.291/.406 in 347 major league at-bats and batting over .300 in three seasons. After his playing career ended, he was involved with his brothers in the ownership of various minor league baseball and hockey teams. Ken Brett passed away on November 18, 2003 after a lengthy battle with brain cancer.

Catcher Raymond Edward Smith played for the Twins in parts of seasons from 1981 to 1983. He was born in Glendale, California, went to high school in San Diego, was signed by the Twins as a free agent in 1977 after attending the University of Oregon. He hit well at the low levels of the minors, but not as well at the higher levels, although he was not terrible there. He made the Twins out of spring training in 1981 as a reserve catcher, but played only 15 games before getting injured and missing the remainder of the season. Smith was back in the minors in 1982, although he did get a brief callup. 1983 was his only full season in the big leagues, as he appeared in 59 games with the Twins. He was back in the minors in 1984, and was traded after the season to San Diego for Floyd Chiffer. He batted .325 for AAA Las Vegas in 1985, but it wasn’t enough for the Padres, and they released him after the season. He signed with Oakland in 1986, but played only 15 games for AAA Tacoma before calling it a career. As a Twin, Smith hit .219/.259/.270 with 1 homer and 10 RBIs in 231 at-bats. After retiring as a player, Ray Smith became a minor league manager and is the very successful long-time manager of the Elizabethton Twins.

The only major league player born in Kabul, Afghanistan, right-hander Jacob Jeffery Bronkey went to high school in Klamath Falls, Oregon and was drafted by the Twins in the second round in 1986 out of Oklahoma State. He was in the Twins’ minor-league system for four years, but really only had one good season, in 1988 at Class A Visalia. The Twins released him after the 1989 season, and he signed with Texas. He was no better in their minor-league system until suddenly he was: out of nowhere, he posted a 2.68 ERA for AAA Oklahoma City in 1993, with a WHIP of 0.97. It was only 37 innings, but it was enough for the Rangers to call him up and use him in 21 games that year. After the season, Texas traded him to Milwaukee, for whom he pitched in 1994, his only full season in the majors. Bronkey pitched eight more games for the Brewers in 1995, but was injured and never was able to come back. In the majors, Bronkey was 2-2 with a 4.04 ERA in 69 innings. Jeff Bronkey now lives in Edmond, Oklahoma, where he is an instructor for Oklahoma Fuel Athletics, a sports training facility.  His daughter, Sierra, played softball for the University of Arkansas.

Infielder/outfielder Taylor Davis Motter appeared in nine games for the Twins in 2018.  He was born in West Palm Beach, Florida, went to high school in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, attended Coastal Carolina University, and was drafted in the seventeenth round in 2011.  He played a variety of positions throughout his minor league career, which helped him continue to advance through the system.  He had a fine year for AAA Durham in 2015, batting .292 with an OPS of .837.  He was with the Rays for about six weeks in 2016, but only batted .188 and was in AAA the rest of the season, where he didn't he much, either.  He was traded to Seattle after that season and was in the majors for all but about a month.  He was a semi-regular much of that time, starting about half the team's games at six different positions.  He batted just .198, however.  Despite that, he started 2018 with the Mariners as well, but was sent to AAA after two weeks.  He was waived in late May, claimed by Minnesota, and for no particular reason was brought to the majors for two weeks.  He went 1-for-19 with two walks, giving him a line of .053/.143/.053.  His one hit puts him ahead of Corky Miller on the Twins all-time list, but that's about it.  The Twins released him in late August, and to no one's surprise he was not picked up by anyone.   He was signed by Detroit for 2019, but was released after going 4-for-27 in AA.  Oakland picked him up and also sent him to AA, where he did a little better, but not that much.  He finished out the season with New Britain in the Atlantic League.  We don't mean to be too harsh--he's probably a really nice guy.  He'd almost have to be to keep getting chances--his major league numbers are .191/.263/.312 in 372 at-bats.  He may even get a spring training invitation in 2020--as a guy who can play lots of positions he can be minor league roster filler.  But unless someone has a rash of injuries, there's no reason Taylor Motter should ever play in the major leagues again.

September 17

Ezra Sutton (1850)

Willie Sudhoff (1874)

Frank Schulte (1882)

Sheriff Blake (1899)

Hughie Critz (1900)

Chase Riddle (1925)
Orlando Cepeda (1937)
Bobby Wine (1938)
Thad Bosley (1956)
John Franco (1960)
Dan Haren (1980)
Casey Crosby (1988)
Zack Granite (1992)
James Marvel (1993)

Chase Riddle played in the minors from 1943-1962, managed in the minors from 1951-1962, was a scout from 1963-1978, and was the baseball coach at Troy State University from 1979-1990.

James Marvel was drafted by Minnesota in the thirty-seventh round in 2012, but did not sign.

Left-hander Casey W. Crosby did not play for the Twins, but was in their minor league system in 2018.  Born and raised in Maple Park, Illinois, he was drafted by Detroit in the fifth round in 2007.  He pitched well in the low minors for two seasons, but missed almost all of the 2010 season due to injury.  He had a middling year in AA in 2011 but attracted attention after an excellent Arizona Fall League campaign after that season.  He was not particularly good in AAA in 2012, either, but made three starts in the majors anyway.  He went 1-1, but with a 9.49 ERA and a 2.11 WHIP.  So far, those are his career major league numbers.  He was in AAA Toledo through 2014, putting up worse numbers each season, and was finally released after that 2014 season.  He signed with Boston for 2015 but was released in March and it appeared that his playing career was over.  He came back to play for Lincoln in the independent American Association in 2017 and did very well in sixteen relief appearances.  That was enough for the Twins to sign him for 2018.  He again had injury problems, appearing in just sixteen games among the GCL, AA, and AAA.  He posted a combined 2.95 ERA, but with a 1.73 WHIP.  He was a free agent after the season and returned to independent ball, playing for Chicago in the American Association and for Lancaster in the Atlantic League  He turns thirty-one today, and his career AA numbers are 10-7, 4.14, 1.58 WHIP and his career AAA numbers are 9-14, 4.33, 1.50 WHIP.  He has done very well in independent ball, though, so he can probably pitch there for a few more years before deciding what the next phase of his life will be.

Outfielder Zachary Thomas Granite played about half the season the Twins in 2017.  Born and raised on Staten Island, he went to Seton Hall and was drafted by Minnesota in the fourteenth round in 2013.  He was in Elizabethton in 2013 and Cedar Rapids in 2014, batting in the .280s but not drawing many walks and not showing much power.  He got off to an outstanding start in Cedar Rapids in 2015, batting .358 in 67 at-bats, and was promoted to Fort Myers.  He hit his first home run there and started drawing some walks, but otherwise didn't do much the rest of the season.  He did substantially better in Chattanooga in 2016, batting .295 with an OBP of .347 and 56 stolen bases.  He was even better in Rochester in 2017, batting .338 with an OBP of .392, and was promoted to Minnesota in early July.  His numbers with the Twins were .237/.321/.290 in 93 at-bats.  Unfortunately, 2018 was a lost year for him.  He battled injuries and batted poorly in AAA when he did play, hitting just .211 with an OPS of .527.  The Twins traded him to Texas in March of 2019 for Xavier Moore.  He batted .290 in AAA, but with an OPS of just .706.  He turns twenty-seven today.  He could still have a decent career as a fourth outfielder who could play regularly for short stretches while someone was injured.  Time is starting to run out on him, though.

September 16

Heinie Mueller (1899)

Hillbilly Bildilli (1912)

Gary Ross (1947)
Robin Yount (1955)
Orel Hershiser (1958)
Tim Raines (1959)
Mickey Tettleton (1960)
Mel Hall (1960)
Mark Parent (1961)
Chris Pittaro (1961)
Paul Shuey (1970)
Desi Relaford (1973)
Bobby Korecky (1979)
Brandon Moss (1983)
Gordon Beckham (1986)
Robbie Grossman (1989)

Infielder Christopher Francis Pittaro played in twenty-five games for the Twins from 1986-1987. Born and raised in Trenton, New Jersey was drafted out of the University of North Carolina by the Tigers in the sixth round in 1982. He had a couple of solid, but certainly not eye-popping, years in the minors, but after a hot spring training in 1985 he was proclaimed the Next Big Thing by Sparky Anderson. He wasn’t. Pittaro batted .242 with an OPS of .621 in 28 games for the Tigers in 1985 and had an awful year in AAA Nashville, hitting .194. It seems likely that he could not handle the pressure placed on him, although it also seems likely that he was really never all that good in the first place. In January of 1986, Pittaro was traded to the Twins with Alejandro Sanchez for Dave Engle. He spent three years at AAA for the Twins, posting decent but unspectacular numbers. Pittaro appeared briefly for the Twins in 1986 and 1987, playing in 25 games but getting only 33 at-bats. In those at-bats, he hit .182/.206/.182 with no extra-base hits and no RBIs. After his playing career ended in 1988, Pittaro became a minor-league coach and manager, was the director of professional scouting for the Oakland Athletics, and at last report was a special assistant to the general manager for Oakland, living in Hamilton, New Jersey. His father, Francis “Sonny” Pittaro, was an infielder in the Washington/Minnesota organization from 1960-1962, reaching as high as Class B.

Right-hander Robert John Korecky appeared in sixteen games for the Twins in 2008. He was born in Hillside, New Jersey, went to high school in Saline, Michigan, and was chosen in the 19th round of the 2002 draft by Philadelphia out of the University of Michigan. He had a couple of good years in the low minors for the Phillies, becoming a full-time reliever in 2003. After that season, Korecky became the player to be named later in the trade that also sent Nick Punto and Carlos Silva to the Twins for Eric Milton. He continued to post good numbers in the minors with the exception of 2005, when he had Tommy John surgery and missed almost the entire season. Korecky appeared in 16 games for the Twins in 2008, notching a 2-0 record and a 4.58 ERA with a 1.53 WHIP in 17.2 innings. He was placed on waivers in February of 2009 and was selected by the Arizona Diamondbacks. He spent most of the 2009 season at AAA Reno, although he did appear in five games for Arizona. A free agent after the season, he signed with the Angels for 2010, but did not make the team and instead played for the Winnipeg Goldeyes in the Northern League.  He signed with Toronto in 2011 and had two fine years in the minors for them, but did not get another chance in the majors.  He had a down year in 2013 in AAA for the Blue Jays, but bounced back to pitch extremely well there in 2014 and even appeared in two more major league games.  He was again in the Blue Jays' organization in 2015, but while his ERA was all right the rest of his numbers really weren't.  He was worse in AAA for the Blue Jays in 2016, and his playing career came to an end.  A fine batter in high school, Bobby Korecky holds the Michigan High School record for most hits in a season and was the first pitcher to get a hit in an American League game since the designated hitter rule was implemented in 1972. No information about what Bobby Korecky has been doing since 2016 was readily available.

Outfielder Robert Edward Grossman has played for the Twins since 2016.  He was born in San Diego, attended high school in Cypress, Texas, and was drafted by Pittsburgh in the sixth round in 2008.  He attracted attention in 2011 when he followed up a fine campaign with Class A Bradenton with an outstanding stint in the Arizona Fall League.  He was in AA in 2012 when he was traded to Houston at mid-season.  His 2013 season was split between AAA and the Astros, for whom he was okay but nothing special.  He was a starting outfielder for Houston for most of 2014 and drew quite a few walks, but really didn't do much else:  his line was .237/.333/.337.  He got off to a slow start as a reserve in 2015 and was sent back to AAA, where he spent most of the season.  The Astros gave up on him after that and he signed with Cleveland for 2016.  He was doing well for them in AAA, but they still released him in mid-May.  The Twins signed him the same day and quickly brought him to Minnesota, where he has remained.  He had a fine season for them offensively in 2016, batting .280/.386/.443.  He has not done as well since then, but he has still been a fairly decent offensive player.  He turns twenty-nine today and will be a free agent at the end of the season.  Management seems to like him, so he might well be back in 2019.  At any rate, it seems likely that Robbie Grossman will be on somebody's roster next season.

September 15

Doc Bushong (1856)

Nick Altrock (1876)

Hugh McQuillan (1895)

Harry McCurdy (1899)

Fritz Ostermueller (1907)

Charley Smith (1937)

Gaylord Perry (1938)

Frank Linzy (1940)

Don Carrithers (1949)

John Pacella (1956)

John Christensen (1960)

Doug Simons (1966)

Paul Abbott (1967)

Rich Robertson (1968)

Matt Thornton (1976)

Right-hander Donald George Carrithers appeared in seven games for the Twins in 1977. Born and raised in Lynwood, California, he was drafted by San Francisco in the third round in 1967. Jumped to AAA Phoenix at age 19, he had a fine year there as a relief pitcher at age 20, going 9-1 with a 2.15 ERA, and made his major-league debut with the Giants in August of that year. He was a swing man for the Giants in 1971 and 1972, but after a poor year in ’72 he was switched to the bullpen in 1973 and traded to Montreal just before the start of the 1974 season. Carrithers pitched pretty well for the Expos in 1974 and 1975, posting ERAs in the low threes and WHIPs around 1.2, but slumped in 1976 and was purchased by the Twins just before the 1977 campaign. He was injured much of the season due to an auto accident, appearing in only seven games, all in relief. He was 0-1 in those seven appearances, with a 6.91 ERA in 14.1 innings. Released by the Twins during 1978 spring training, he went back to the Giants, and pitched in Phoenix for two years. He was decent, but no more, and after failing to get back to the majors in those two seasons, he called it a career. Carrithers was plagued by injuries for most of his career, a problem which was probably not helped by the fact that he was constantly bounced between relieving and starting. Don Carrithers is the third-youngest pitcher ever to start a game for the San Francisco Giants. He appears at various Giants’ alumni and charitable events, and at last report was living in Elk Grove, California.

Right-hander John Lewis Pacella made twenty-one appearances for the Twins in 1982. He was born in Brooklyn, went to high school in Oakdale, New York, and was drafted by the Mets in the fourth round in 1974. He was not all that impressive in the minors (although he wasn’t terrible), but got cups of coffee with the Mets in 1977 and 1979 before spending a full season there in 1980. Shuffled between the rotation and the bullpen, Pacella did not pitch well, and was traded twice before the next season started, going to San Diego in the off-season in a trade for Randy Jones and being sent to the Yankees late in spring training in a deal that involved Jerry Mumphrey and Ruppert Jones. He was in AAA Columbus in 1980, but made the Yankees at the start of 1981, appearing in three games for them before being traded to the Twins in May with Pete Filson, Larry Milbourne, and cash for Roger Erickson and Butch Wynegar. The Twins had an awful pitching staff in 1982, and Pacella was part of the awfulness, going 1-2 with a 7.32 ERA and a 1.9 WHIP in 51.2 innings. All but one of his 21 appearances was in relief. Minnesota traded Pacella to Texas in the off-season for Len Whitehouse. He made two more brief appearances in the big leagues, getting into six games for Baltimore in 1984 and five for Detroit in 1986. He pitched in Japan in 1987 and closed out his career in AAA in 1988, when he pitched for the Baltimore, Detroit, and Milwaukee organizations. John Pacella and Dan Briggs are the co-owners of Big League Baseball School, based in Worthington, Ohio, which develops leagues and offers instruction and clinics in both baseball and fast pitch softball.

Outfielder John Lawrence Christensen played in twenty-three games for the Twins in 1988. He was born in Downey, California, went to high school in Fullerton, California, and was drafted out of Cal State Fullerton by the Mets in the second round of the 1981 draft. He hit over .300 in each of his first three years in the minors, including AAA Tidewater in 1984 before getting a September callup that year. The next year, however, he inexplicably slumped to .212 at Tidewater. After the 1985 season, Christensen was traded to the Red Sox in a deal that involved Calvin Schiraldi and Bob Ojeda. He again struggled at AAA in 1986, and was traded to Seattle in a deal involving Dave Henderson and Spike Owen. He regained his hitting stroke in the minors in 1987, and spent a good portion of the year in the majors with the Mariners. Christensen was hitting well at AAA again in 1988, but the Mariners released him in May. Five days later he was signed by the Twins. He spent most of the rest of the year in AAA Portland, but got another September callup with the Twins. He was back in Portland in 1989, but started to decline, and he was released at the end of the season. John Christensen had 38 at-bats as a Twin, hitting .263/.349/.368 with five runs batted in. His brother Jim was a minor league infielder who played in the Twins’ organization.  It appears that John went into law enforcement for a while, but is no longer involved in that occupation. No further information about our John Christensen was readily available.

Left-hander Douglas Eugene Simons did not play for the Twins, but was drafted by them. He was born in Bakersfield, California and was drafted by Minnesota in the ninth round in 1988 out of Pepperdine University. He had three good minor-league years for the Twins, but was left unprotected and was chosen by the Mets in the rule 5 draft during the 1990-91 off-season. Simons spent all year of the 1991 season in the Mets bullpen, appearing in 42 games, going 2-3 with a 5.19 ERA, but giving up less than a hit per inning and posting a WHIP of 1.22. He was traded to Montreal just before the 1992 season and pitched well in AAA Indianapolis, earning a brief call-up with the Expos at the end of the season. That would be his major league swan song, however, and after another year at AAA with the Expos, a year at AAA with the Royals, a year of independent ball, and a final year in 1996 split between AA and AAA in the Houston organization, Simons’ career came to a close. Simons was a control pitcher, walking fewer than two batters per nine innings in three of his minor league seasons. Doug Simons is currently the head baseball coach at Covenant College in Lookout Mountain, Georgia.

Right-hander Paul David Abbott pitched for the Twins from 1990-1992. He was born in Van Nuys, California, went to high school in Fullerton, California, and was drafted in the third round by Minnesota in 1985. He was plagued by wildness in his early minor league career, walking over six men per nine innings through 1990. Despite that, he pitched in parts of three seasons for the Twins from 1990-92, throwing 93 innings in 28 games, ten of them starts. Abbott was 3-6 in those games, with a 5.03 ERA and 6.7 walks per nine innings. The Twins released him after the 1992 season, and he signed with Cleveland. He made five appearances for the Indians in 1993, spending the rest of the season in the minors. He bounced to the Royals, Cubs, Padres, and Mariners organizations, suffering numerous injuries along the way, but never giving up. Abbott’s remarkable perseverance was rewarded, as he battled his way back to the big-leagues with the Mariners in 1998 after a five-year absence. He had some solid years for Seattle, winning 17 games in 2001, but was released after a poor 2002 campaign. Abbott was in the majors with Kansas City in 2003 and with Tampa Bay and Philadelphia in 2004, but did not again have a good season. He pitched for a couple of independent teams in 2005 before ending his career at age 37. He remained in baseball as the pitching coach for Fullerton Junior College and as pitching coach and manager of the Orange County Fliers in the Golden Baseball League.  Since 2011 Paul Abbott has been a pitching coach in the Boston organization, coaching the Lowell Spinners until 2012, then moving up to the Greenville Drive in 2013-2014, then moving up further to the high-A Salem Red Sox in 2015-2017, and moving up another notch to AA Portland from 2018-2019.

Left-hander Richard Wayne Robertson played for the Twins from 1995-1997. He was born in Nacogdoches, Texas attended San Jacinto Junior College and Texas A&M, and was drafted out by the Pirates in the ninth round in 1990. He had some solid minor-league years for Pittsburgh, and made brief appearances in the majors in 1993 and 1994, pitching in seventeen games for the Pirates over those two years, all in relief. The Twins selected Robertson off waivers during the 1994-95 off-season, and brought him up to the majors after he went 5-0 with a 2.44 ERA in seven starts at AAA Salt Lake. Pitching mostly out of the bullpen that year, Robertson went 2-0 with a 3.83 ERA, but walked 31 batters in 51.2 innings. Placed in the starting rotation in 1996 and 1997, he continued to struggle with his control, leading the league in walks in 1996 (although he also led in shutouts with three). In three years with the Twins, Robertson was 17-29 with a 5.17 ERA. He became a free agent after the 1997 season and signed with Anaheim, spending most of the season with AAA Vancouver, although he did make five appearances with the big club. He pitched for the Colorado, Pittsburgh, Texas, and Cincinnati organizations in 1999 and in independent ball in 2000, at which point Rich Robertson’s playing career ended.  At last report, he was living in Waller, Texas.

September 14

Kid Nichols (1869)

Jerry Doggett (1916)

Jerry Coleman (1924)

Jim Fanning (1927)

Stan Williams (1936)

Jerry Don Gleaton (1957)

Tim Wallach (1957)

Mike Durant (1969)

David Bell (1972)

Chad Bradford (1974)

Delmon Young (1985)

Andrew Vasquez (1993)

Jerry Doggett was a broadcaster for the Dodgers from 1956-1987.

Right-hander Stanley Wilson Williams played for the Twins from 1970-1971. He was born in Enfield, New Hampshire, went to high school in Denver, and was signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers as a free agent in 1954. He was somewhat up and down in the minors, but after a strong 1957 at AAA St. Paul and a good start there in 1958, Williams was called up to the then Los Angeles Dodgers in May of 1958. He was with the Dodgers through the 1962 season, used mostly as a starter, but was traded in the 1962-63 off-season to the Yankees for Moose Skowron. He had a couple of seemingly solid years for New York, but apparently the Yankees weren’t impressed, because he was sold to Cleveland after the 1964 campaign. He spent most of 1965 and 1967 and all of 1966 in the minors, but made it back in 1968, putting in two good years for the Indians as a swing man. In December of 1969, Williams was traded to the Twins with Luis Tiant for Dean Chance, Bob Miller, Graig Nettles, and Ted Uhlaender. Used exclusively in relief for the Twins, he had a tremendous 1970, going 10-1 with a 1.99 ERA and a 1.03 WHIP in 113 innings. He did not repeat that in 1971, but was still decent; the Twins, however, were not, and so traded Williams to St. Louis on September 1 for Fred Rico and Dan Ford. As a Twin, he was 14-6, 2.87, 1.17 WHIP. He appeared in 114 games, pitching 191.1 innings. He pitched well for the Cardinals down the stretch, but was released after the season. He played briefly in the Angels organization and got back to the big leagues with Boston for three games in 1972. Stan Williams remained in baseball after his playing career ended, and was the pitching coach for Boston, the Yankees, Seattle, the White Sox, and Cincinnati. He also was a scout for Tampa Bay and Washington until his retirement in 2010.  Stan Williams is a member of the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame.

Catcher Michael Joseph Durant played in 40 games for the Twins in 1996. Born and raised in Columbus, Ohio, he was drafted by the Twins in the second round of the 1991 draft out of Ohio State. He had a decent but unspectacular minor league career, with his best year coming in 1994, when he batted .297 with 24 doubles for AAA Salt Lake. Durant made the Twins out of spring training in 1996 and played 40 games for them in three stints with the team that totaled a little more than half the season. He was the third catcher, playing behind Greg Myers and Matt Walbeck, and batted .210/.293/.247 with 5 RBIs in 81 at-bats. Sent back to the minors, he played for Salt Lake again in 1997, but batted only .206, and retired after that season. At last report, Mike Durant was the facilities coordinator for D1 Sports Training in Columbus.

Outfielder Delmon Damarcus Young played for the Twins from 2008-2011. He was born in Birmingham, Alabama, went to high school in Camarillo, California, and was chosen by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays with the first pick of the 2003 draft. He hit extremely well at Class A and AA, not quite as well, but still solidly enough, in AAA. Young was named Baseball America’s 2005 minor league player of the year, and despite being suspended for 50 games in 2006 for throwing a bat which hit the home plate umpire, made his debut in the majors with Tampa Bay in August of that year. Young played in every game for the Devil Rays in 2007, batting .288 with 13 homers and 93 RBIs as a 21-year-old, finishing second to Dustin Pedroia in Rookie of the Year voting. That off-season he was traded to the Twins with Brendan Harris and Jason Pridie for Eduardo Morlan, Jason Bartlett, and Matt Garza. Young hit for a decent average as a Twin and hit double digit home runs in his first three seasons there. In 2010, he set career highs in doubles, home runs, and RBIs, leading some to think he was about to live up to the stardom predicted for him when we was chosen first in the draft.  In 2011, however, he went backward, and was traded to Detroit in mid-August for Cole Nelson and a player to be named later (Lester Oliveros).  He did well for the Tigers the rest of the season.  He was used mostly at DH by the Tigers in 2012, and while he wasn’t awful, he did not do enough offensively for someone who has no defensive value.   A free agent after the season, he signed with Philadelphia.  He was their regular right fielder for about three months, and while he again wasn't awful, he wasn't very good, either.  The Phillies released him in mid-August and he signed with Tampa Bay, getting called up to the majors in September.  A free agent once more after the season, he signed with Baltimore and did fairly well as a reserve in 2014.   One suspects Buck Showalter did a good job of playing him against pitchers he could hit.  That didn't help him in 2015, though; his numbers dropped and he was released in July.  That seemed to bring his playing career to an end, out of baseball at age twenty-nine.  He was charged with battery after an incident at a club in Miami in February of 2016, but the charge was dropped in May when his accuser failed to appear at a hearing.  In 2017, he came back to baseball, playing in the Australian League.  He played in the Mexican League in 2018 and had a good season.  He also played well in the Venezuelan Winter League, but he does not appear to be playing anywhere in 2019.  As a Twin, Delmon Young batted .287/.324/.429 in three and a half seasons.  He turns thirty-four today.  He could probably play somewhere for a few more years if he wanted to, but perhaps he has decided that it's time to move on with his life.

Left-hander Andrew Jude Vasquez has pitched for the Twins in 2018.  Born and raised in Rancho Cucamonga, California, he attended the University of California at Santa Barbara and also attended Westmont College, also in Santa Barbara.  He was drafted by Minnesota in the thirty-second round in 2015.  He pitched really well in the low minors but remained in low Class A through 2017.  After a fine season in the Arizona Fall League he started 2018 in Fort Myers, went up to Chattanooga, was promoted to Rochester, and earned a September call-up.  He did not do well in the majors, but his 2018 combined minor league numbers were 1-2, 1.30, 1.02 WHIP with 108 strikeouts in 69.1 innings.  He looked ready to take a step forward to the majors, but instead he took a step backward.  He battled injuries and did not pitch well when he could pitch.  He turns twenty-six today.  If he can get healthy, and if he can pitch like he did before his injury, there's still time for him to have a substantial major league career.  But those are two pretty big ifs.

September 13

Mike McNally (1893)
Dutch Reuther (1893)
Pat Collins (1896)
Eddie Rommel (1897)
Rabbit Warstler (1903)
Thornton Lee (1906)
Ed Sudol (1920)
Rick Wise (1945)
Rick Dempsey (1949)
Jim Obradovich (1949)
Mike Fischlin (1955)
Erik Bennett (1968)
Bernie Williams (1968)
Denny Neagle (1968)
Brent Brede (1971)
Armando Rios (1971)
Daisuke Matsuzaka (1980)
Rickie Weeks (1982)
Marcus Walden (1988)
Andy Wilkins (1988)

Ed Sudol was a minor league first baseman from 1940-1953, never getting higher than AA.  He then became an umpire and was National League ump from 1957-1977.

Catcher John Rikard “Rick” Dempsey played briefly for the Twins from 1969-1972. He was born in Fayetteville, Tennessee, went to high school in Encino, California, and was drafted by the Twins in the 15th round in 1967. He hit well in Class A in 1968 and 1969, but not so well at higher levels. He was considered an excellent receiver, however, and was called up briefly by the Twins each year from 1969-72, getting a total of 66 at-bats in which he hit .227/.320/.273. In the 1972-73 off-season, Dempsey was traded to the Yankees for Danny Walton. He spent most of 1973 at AAA Syracuse, but then stuck with the Yankees as a backup catcher from 1974-June 1976. He was traded to Baltimore in a multi-player deal that included Tippy Martinez, Scott McGregor, Doyle Alexander, Elrod Hendricks, Ken Holtzman, and Grant Jackson. Dempsey was in Baltimore for the next ten years, never a superstar, but always a competent catcher. He appeared in two World Series’ with the Orioles, 1979 and 1983, and was MVP of the 1983 series. Dempsey slumped to a .208 average in 1986, and was allowed to become a free agent. He was with Cleveland in 1987, but appeared to be done, batting only .177 as a reserve. He signed with the Dodgers at the end of spring training of 1988, and found himself on another world series team, to which he contributed by batting .251 as a back-up catcher. Dempsey was with the Dodgers for three years, played for Milwaukee in 1991, and had a last hurrah with the Orioles before calling it a career after the 1992 season. He is probably best remembered for an imitation of Babe Ruth that he once did to entertain the fans during a rain delay. After retiring as a player, Rick Dempsey remained in baseball, first as a minor league manager, then as a major league coach, and most recently as a broadcaster for the Orioles.  He does motivational speaking and according to his website, "is also an accomplished singer and entertainer, performing with the Deanna Bogart Band."

First baseman James Thomas Obradovich did not play for the Twins, but was drafted by them. He was born in Fort Campbell, Kentucky, went to high school in Fort Knox, Kentucky, and was drafted by the Twins in the 24th round of the 1967 amateur draft. He was in the Twins minor league system through 1976, with the exception of 1971-72, when he was in the military, and with the exception of a brief time in 1974 when he was in the Braves’ system. He gradually developed some power in the minors, hitting over 20 homers in both 1975 and 1976 for AA Orlando. Released by the Twins shortly before the 1977 season, he signed with the Houston organization on the same day. He had his best minor league season with AAA Charleston in 1978, when he batted .306 with 21 homers. He got a September call-up with the Astros that year. He was back in Charleston in 1979, then spent a several years in the Mexican League before his playing career came to an end. In his big-league career, Jim Obradovich batted .176 (3-for-17) with a triple and 2 RBIs. Jim Obradovich passed away on March 3, 2012 in Lancaster, Kentucky, at the age of 62.

Right-hander Erik Hans Bennett appeared in twenty-four games for the Twins in 1996. He was born in Yreka, California, went to high school in Eureka, California, and was drafted in the fourth round by the California Angels in 1989 out of Cal State-Sacramento. He did well in the minors through 1982, but hit a bump in 1983, when he had an ERA over 6.00 and a WHIP of more than 1.5 in a season split between AA Midland and AAA Vancouver. A starter to that point, he was converted to relief in 1984 and had a strong season at Vancouver. Bennett made one appearance for the Angels in 1995, pitching one-third of an inning and retiring the only batter he faced. Playing the first part of the 1995 season in Vancouver, he was placed on waivers and selected by Houston, who sent him to AAA Tucson for the rest of the year. Bennett became a free agent after that year, and was signed by the Twins. He played for Minnesota early in 1996, appearing in 24 games. He was 2-0 with one save, but also had an ERA of 7.90 and a WHIP of 1.79 in 27.1 innings. Returned to AAA Salt Lake in early June, Bennett did not pitch particularly well there and was let go after the season. He hung around in the minors for several more years, pitching in the Cleveland and Houston organizations as well as for a variety of independent teams, but did not make it back to the major leagues. After his playing career ended, Erik Bennett went into coaching.  He was the pitching coach for the Salt Lake Bees through 2018, but does not appear to have held that position in 2019.  No information about what he was doing this past season was readily available.

Left-hander Dennis Edward Neagle appeared in seven games for the Twins in 1991. Born and raised in Gambrills, Maryland, he was drafted out of the University of Minnesota by the Twins in the third round in 1989. He pitched very well in the minors and advanced rapidly, reaching the Twins for seven games in 1991, three of them starts. Coming off their World Series victory, however, the Twins were trying to win now, and so traded Neagle along with Midre Cummings to Pittsburgh for John Smiley. He spent two years in the Pirates bullpen and then most of the next three as a starter before being traded to Atlanta in late August of 1996 in a trade that included Jason Schmidt. He had two fine years in Atlanta, finishing third in the Cy Young balloting in 1997, but was traded to Cincinnati in November of 1998 in a trade that included Bret Boone and Mike Remlinger. After a solid year and a half for the Reds, he was traded to the Yankees in July of 2000. Becoming a free agent at the end of the year, he signed with Colorado, but his time there was mainly marked by poor pitching and injuries. He signed with Tampa Bay for 2005, but could not play due to injury, and his career was over. Sadly, life after baseball was not easy for Neagle; he was convicted for a couple of DUIs as well as for patronizing a prostitute. Denny Neagle was also named in the Mitchell Report. In January of 2012, he filed a lawsuit against his former financial adviser.  No result of that lawsuit could be found.  As a Twin, he was 0-1 with a 4.05 ERA in 20 innings.  He is currently on the board of directors of the Connor Cares Foundation, whose mission is to further the education and training of lifesaving personnel at all public and private pools.  The foundation is named after Neagle's nephew, who drowned at age five in a country club pool.

Outfielder Brent David Brede played for the Twins in 1996-1997. He was born in Belleville, Illinois, went to high school in Trenton, Illinois, and was drafted by the Twins in the fifth round in 1990. He struggled some in the minors, but had a breakout year in AAA Salt Lake in 1996, batting .348 with 38 doubles and 11 home runs. That earned him a September call-up with the Twins in which he hit .300 in 20 at-bats. He again hit well in 1997 in a year split between Salt Lake and Minnesota, but he was left unprotected in the expansion draft, and was chosen by Arizona. Brede again hit well in AAA Tucson in 1998, but batted only .226 with the Diamondbacks, and was released after the season. He went to Japan in 1999, and then came back to the United States to play for AAA Nashville in the Pirates organization in 2000. He batted only .249, however, and his career was over. He hit .324/.417/.480 in 1176 AAA at-bats, but could never get anyone to just put him in the lineup and see what he could do in the majors. As a Twin, he hit .276/.346/.390 in 210 at-bats.  At last report, Brent Brede was a high school basketball coach and social studies teacher in Trenton, Illinois, where as a high school student he played on a state champion basketball team. He also operates a baseball instructional school in Trenton and coaches youth baseball there.

Outfielder Armando Rios did not play for the Twins, but was in spring training with them in 2005. He was born in Santurce, Puerto Rico, went to high school in Villa Fontana, Puerto Rico, attended North Carolina—Charlotte and LSU, and signed with San Francisco as a free agent in 1994. He hit well throughout the minor leagues, never posting a batting average lower than .280, and gradually developed power as well, hitting double-digit home runs each year after 1996. His best minor league season was 1998, when he hit .301 with 26 homers for AAA Fresno. Rios got a September call-up that season. He started 1999 in San Francisco as a reserve outfielder, but despite the fact that he was hitting .306 he was sent back to the minors in late June. In 2000 he was finally in the majors to stay, but was still a reserve, hitting in the .260s in consecutive seasons in a part-time role. At the July deadline in 2001 he was traded to Pittsburgh in a trade involve Jason Schmidt. He again hit in the .260s in 2002, but got even less chance to play in Pittsburgh than he had in San Francisco and was released after the season. He signed with the White Sox for 2003 and again hit well in AAA, but again did not get much of a chance to play in the majors. A free agent after the season, he signed with Florida, was released in spring training after only thirteen at-bats, went to the Mexican League, was in AAA with the Orioles for about three weeks in July, was sent to St. Louis, was with them for about a month in AAA, and was released in late August despite the fact that he was hitting .333. The Twins took him to Spring training in 2005, but he did not make the team. He played for the independent Long Island Ducks in 2005 and then his playing career was over. Rios hit .301/.379/.494 in 830 AAA at-bats and .269/.341/.445 in 1021 major league at-bats, but he never got a chance as more than a reserve at the major league level. He was one of the players named in the Mitchell Report, admitting to using performance-enhancing drugs to help recover from injuries to his knee, elbow, and shoulder. At last report, Armando Rios was living in Puerto Rico and was the president of Fundacion Armando Rios there.  He has also been involved in some baseball clinics in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Right-hander Marcus Walter Walden did not play for the Twins, but was in their minor league system in 2016.  Born and raised in Fresno, he attended Fresno City College and was drafted by Toronto in the ninth round in 2007.  It appears that he had injury problems, as he appeared in just thirty games from 2007-2009 and missed the entire 2010 season.  He came back to pitch quite well in 2011 and 2012, but he was still in A ball.  He had a poor year in AA in 2013 and was waived in April of 2014, claimed by Oakland.  He again did not pitch well in AA and became a free agent, signing with Cincinnati.  The Reds released him in April of 2015 and he spent the summer pitching for Lancaster in the Atlantic League.  The Twins signed him for 2016 and he had a surprisingly good year in the Rochester bullpen, going 1-1, 5 saves, 2.54, 1.17 WHIP.  He was twenty-seven that season, however.  He signed with Boston for 2017 and has stayed in their organization since that time.  He had a decent season in AAA that year and started the 2018 season in the majors, but was sent back to AAA after just eight appearances.  He again appears to have battled injuries.  He started 2019 in AAA but was brought up to the majors after one game and has stayed there all season.  He has pitched very well for the Red Sox, going 9-2, 2 saves, 3.38, 1.11 WHIP.  It's interesting--he really hadn't done much of anything in the minors for his first nine seasons there, but he kept finding a team to give him a chance, and he eventually was able to figure it out.  He turns thirty-one today.  The life of a relief pitcher is always rather tenuous, but he's had one good year, so there's no reason to think he can't have some more.

First baseman Andrew Robert Wilkins did not play for the Twins, but was in their minor league system in 2017.  He was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, went to high school in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, attended the University of Arkansas, and was drafted by the White Sox in the fifth round in 2010.  He hit 23 home runs in Class A in 2011 and 17 in AA in 2012.  He batted just .239 in the latter season, but had an OBP of .335.  He did well when he repeated AA for the first half of 2013 and was okay in AAA in 2013 as well, but for some reason (or for no reason) his walks went down significantly.  He had an outstanding year in AAA in 2014, batting .293 with 30 home runs, but the White Sox had Jose Abreu at first base, so Wilkins did not get promoted until September and played only sporadically then.  He was waived in March of 2015 and selected by Toronto, then was sold to the Dodgers in early May.  He was not as outstanding in AAA as in 2014, but still had a solid season. He had an interesting off-season after 2015:  he was waived by the Dodgers and selected by Baltimore in early September, waived by Baltimore and selected by Seattle in early December, waived by Seattle and selected by Texas two weeks later, and waived by Texas and selected by Milwaukee a week and a half after that.  He did not have a particularly good year in AAA for the Brewers in 2016, although he got about a month and a half in the majors as a pinch-hitter.  A free agent after the 2016 season, he started the 2017 season with SugarLand in the Atlantic League before signing with the Twins in mid-June.  He went to AA Chattanooga and had a fine year.  He remained in the Twins organization in 2018 and split the season between Chattanooga and Rochester.  He showed some power in Chattanooga but did not hit for average in either place.  He moved on to the Atlanta organization and played most of the year for AA Mississippi when he wasn't battling injuries.  In his two brief major league trials, he has played in 43 games but has started only 12 of them, getting just 67 at-bats.  It must be admitted that he hasn't done much with them, batting just .134/.194/.224.  He turns thirty-one today.  We wish him well, but it may be time for Andy Wilkins to move on to the next phase of his life.

September 12

Nick Young (1840)

Bob Groom (1884)

Fred Luderus (1885)

Spud Chandler (1907)

Charlie Keller (1916)

Andy Seminick (1920)

Stan Lopata (1925)

Albie Pearson (1934)

Mickey Lolich (1940)

John Montague (1947)
Scotti Madison (1959)
Thom Brennaman (1963)
Keith Hughes (1963)
Luis Castillo (1975)
Sean Burroughs (1980)
Macier Izturis (1980)
Carmen Pignatiello (1982)
Clayton Richard (1983)
Freddie Freeman (1989)

Nick Young was the secretary of the National Association, was the first secretary of the National League and was National League president from 1881-1903.

The son of broadcaster Marty Brennaman, Thom Brennaman has broadcast games for the Cincinnati Reds, Chicago Cubs, and Arizona Diamondbacks, as well as the Fox Network.

Catcher Charles Scott “Scotti” Madison did not play for the Twins, but was drafted by them. Born and raised in Pensacola, Florida, he was drafted by the Twins in the third round of the 1980 draft out of Vanderbilt. Madison was started at AA Orlando and did not do well, batting only .230. Dropped down to Class A Visalia in 1981, he hit much better, and was traded to the Dodgers that offseason with Paul Voight in a trade that brought Bobby Castillo and Bobby Mitchell to the Twins. Madison slumped again when promoted to AA and AAA in 1982, but did better after that, batting over .300 in a 1983 split between AA San Antonio and AAA Albuquerque. He was purchased by the Tigers organization during 1984 spring training, and after a solid season at AA Birmingham and a good 1985 split between Birmingham and AAA Nashville, Madison was given a brief callup by the Tigers. He got another brief chance with the Tigers in 1986, but then became a free agent and signed with the Royals. He was named the most popular player on the Omaha Royals in 1987, and got to Kansas City briefly in both 1987 and 1988, and became a free agent again, signing with Cincinnati. In 1989, he played in 40 games with the Reds, his longest stint in the big leagues, getting 108 at-bats. He played third base for Cincinnati, despite not having played there much in the minors. Madison’s career ended after that year: he had a career batting average of .163 in 166 at-bats. Now living in Georgia, Scotti Madison was the founder of RAPHA Products Group, whose flagship product is the Triggerlite flashlight.  At last report, he was a national account sales executive for Benefits Science Technologies.  He has also written two books, "Just a Phone Call Away", about his experiences in the minor leagues, and "The Other Side of the Earth", about dealing with a son who battled addiction.

Outfielder Keith Wills Hughes did not play for the Twins, but was in AAA for them in 1992. He was born in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania and signed with Philadelphia as a free agent in 1981. He hit .329 with 15 homers in Class A in 1983, and in mid-1984 was traded to the Yankees in a deal that involved Shane Rawley. He hit .307 for the Yankees in AA in 1986. Hughes was with the Yankees briefly in 1987 but was traded back to Philadelphia in early June in a deal involving Mike Easler. He was with the Phillies for about two months that season, then was traded to Baltimore. He was with the Orioles the majority of the 1988 season, used mostly as a reserve right fielder. He was back in the minors in 1989, and after that season he was traded once again, this time to the Mets. He hit .309 in AAA and earned a September call-up, but was released after the season. He signed back with the Yankees for 1991, spent the season in AAA, and signed with Minnesota for 1992. He was in AAA Portland all year, hitting .271/.344/.416 in 221 at-bats. A free agent again after that season, he signed with Cincinnati, again spending most of the year in AAA but getting four at-bats in the majors. He was out of baseball in 1994, came back in 1995 to spend the season in AAA with the Royals, and then his playing career was over for good. As a major league player, he hit .204/.286/.284 in 201 at-bats. Keith Hughes now lives in Philadelphia and at last report was a sales manager for Millicare/EBC, a company which provides customized carpet maintenance programs for commercial businesses.

Second baseman Luis Antonio (Donato) Castillo played for the Twins in 2006-2007. He was born in San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic, went to high school in Humacao, Dominican Republic, and was signed by the Florida Marlins as a free agent in 1992 at age 16. He had a high batting average, although with almost no power, throughout the minor leagues, posting a career minor-league average of .303. He came up to the Marlins in 1996 as a part-time player, and did not get a full-time major league job until 1999, He made the most of it, hitting .302 and stealing 50 bases. Castillo remained the starting second baseman for the Marlins through 2005, hitting over .300 five times, making three all-star appearances, winning three gold gloves, and playing on two world championship teams. In the 2005-06 off-season, he was traded to the Twins for Scott Tyler and Travis Bowyer. Castillo was the starting second baseman for the Twins in 2006 and the first four months of 2007, and continued to hit as he had, batting .299/.357/.363 as a Twin. At the end of July, 2007, he was traded to the Mets for Drew Butera and Dustin Martin. Castillo hit poorly during an injury-plagued 2008, bounced back to hit .302 in 2009, but again hit poorly in an injury-plagued 2010.  The Mets released him in spring training; he signed with Philadelphia, but was released again nine days later, bringing his major league career to an end. He was investigated in August of 2019 in regard to a money laundering operation, but was later cleared.  At last report, Luis Castillo was living in Caldwell, New Jersey.

The son of big leaguer Jeff Burroughs, third baseman Sean Patrick Burroughs appeared in ten games for the Twins in 2012.  He was born in Atlanta and attended high school in Long Beach.  Along the way, he became a hero for a Long Beach team that twice won the Little League World Series.  He was drafted by San Diego in the first round in 1998 and played for the U. S. Olympic gold medal team in 2000.  He did not hit for much power in the minors but posted high batting averages.  He reached AAA in 2001 and was the starting third baseman for the Padres in 2002 at the age of only 21.  He started well, but slumped badly in May and was sent back to AAA, returning as a September call-up.  He was back as the starter in 2003-2004 and posted solid batting averages, but had no speed and no power.  He lost the starting job again in 2005, this time for good, and was traded to Tampa Bay at the end of the season.  He did little for the Devil Rays and was released in August.  He moved on to Seattle for 2007 but was released again in mid-June.  He was then out of baseball for four years, which he attributes to a drinking problem.  In 2011, he attempted a comeback with Arizona.  Still only thirty, he tore up the Pacific Coast League and was called up to the Diamondbacks in mid-May, where he did fairly well as a bench player.  He signed with Minnesota for 2012 and started the season in the majors, but got only seventeen at-bats in April, going 2-for-17, and was sent to Rochester, where he was decent but nothing more.  A free agent after the season, he signed with the Dodgers, but hit only .220 in 52 games of AA ball.  Since then he's been playing in the Atlantic League and did extremely well through 2017.  He hit .328 in 2017, so he probably could've continued playing, but it appears that he retired after that season.  No information about what Sean Burroughs has been doing since then was readily available.

Left-hander Carmen Peter Pignatiello did not play for the Twins, but was in AAA with them for about a month in 2009. He was born in Hammond, Indiana, went to high school in Lenox, Illinois, and was drafted by the Cubs in the twentieth round in 2000. He was a starter for much of his minor league career, but began switching to relief in 2005. He did pretty well in that role in 2006 and 2007, spending about three weeks in the majors with the Cubs in 2007, pitching two innings in four games. He began 2008 in the majors, appearing in two more games and pitching two-thirds of an inning before being sent back to AAA. He had a bad year in AAA that season and became a free agent after the season was over. The Twins signed him and sent him to AAA Rochester, where he pitched seven innings in four games, posted an ERA of 14.14, and was released on May 1. He finished the year with Schaumberg of the independent Northern League; then his playing career came to and end.  In his major league career, he appeared in six games, pitched 2.2 innings, and posted an ERA of 6.75.  Carmen Pignatiello was the pitching coach for the Joliet Slammers of the Frontier League from 2011-2012.  He currently owns a Nationwide Insurance agency in the Chicago area.