Another trip around the Sun is behind us and it is time once again to to look back and remember Minnesota Twins players of yesteryear that have left us. They may be gone from this earth but their memories always stay with us.
Bill Cambell was signed by the Minnesota Twins as an amateur free agent in September 1970 and debuted with the Twins against Cleveland on July 14, 1973. Campbell pitched for the Twins from 1973-1976 saving 51 games. After becoming a free agent after the 1976 season, “Soup” signed with the Boston Red Sox. After leaving the Red Sox, Campbell went on to pitch for the Cubs, Phillies, Cardinals, Tigers before he finished his big league career with Montreal in 1987. Campbell pitched in 455 games, all but nine in relief and had 126 Saves in his 15 season in the big leagues.
Alex Cole signed with the Minnesota Twins as a free agent in February of 1994 and left as a free agent after the 1995 season. Many fans remember Cole breaking his leg in a gruesome injury in May of 1995. Cole, an outfielder, played primarily in centerfield and appeared in 133 games hitting .304 with five home runs. Cole played in the majors from 1990-1996 with the Cleveland Indians, Twins, Rockies and the Red Sox.
Before the 1955 season, Dan Dobbek was signed by the Washington Senators as an amateur free agent. Scouts in the Washington organization were touting Dobbek as a potential power hitter in the mold of Harmon Killebrew when he came up to the Senators in 1959 after hitting 23 home runs for the Chattanooga Lookouts. Dobbek was one of the original Minnesota Twins when they moved from Washington and he played in the Twins first-ever game as a defensive replacement for outfielder Jim Lemon. A neck injury Dobbek incurred when he ran into a fence as a Twin in 1961 may have contributed to his short big league career that ended after the 1961 season. The Twins traded Dobbek to the Cincinnati Reds in January of 1962 for catcher Jerry Zimmerman but he never played in the major leagues again. Dobbek spent the remainder of his playing career in the minors, retiring after the 1963 season. Dobbek also played for the Elefantes de Cienfuegos of the Cuban Winter League and was a member of the 1960 Caribbean Series champion team. From 1959-1961 Dobbek played in 198 games hitting fifteen home runs while hitting .208.
George Frazier was traded by the Chicago Cubs with Julius McDougal (minors) and Ray Fontenot to the Minnesota Twins for Dewayne Coleman (minors) and Ron Davis on August 13, 1986. Frazier pitched in 69 games in Minnesota in his 1 and 1/2 year stay, posting a 6-6 record with 8 Saves and had a 4.83 ERA. Frazier was a member of the 1987 World Series winning team as a member of the Minnesota Twins. Frazier was sent to pitch for the Twins once in their postseason run. In Game 4 of the World Series, he was sent to pitch in the seventh inning. The Twins lost 7-2, but he pitched two effective innings in what ended up being his last major league appearance. Frazier became a free agent after the 1987 season and with no takers decided to retire. Over his ten-year career with five big league teams, Frazier appeared in 415 games and was credited with 35 wins, 29 saves, and a 4.20 ERA. Frazier served as a color analyst for the Twins in 1993 and for the Colorado Rockies from 1998 until 2015. Following that he did color commentary for Fox Sports during the Big 12 Baseball championship broadcasts while also serving as a color analyst for Oklahoma baseball on television from 2015 to 2023.
Roric Harrison was signed by the Minnesota Twins as a free agent on April 28, 1978 after spending time in the minor leagues since 1975. Harrison appeared in just nine games for Minnesota in 1978 going 0-1 with a 7.50 ERA and spent of his final season in pro ball with the Twins AAA Toledo team. Harrison was also a good hitting pitcher, and one of his most noteworthy accomplishments came with a bat in his hands. He made just 2 starts in his first big league season with the Baltimore Orioles, with the last one coming on October 3, the final game of the year. Harrison threw 6 innings of 1-run ball against Cleveland, and Grant Jackson pitched the final 3 innings in the 4-3 victory. Harrison also hit a sixth-inning home run off Cleveland starter Ray Lamb. Not only was it Harrison’s first major-league home run, it would be the last home run by an American League pitcher before the onset of the designated hitter rule. Almost 30 years would go by before another AL pitcher homered, thanks to the addition of interleague play. Bobby Witt Sr. of the Texas Rangers broke the dry spell when he hit a homer against Ismael Valdez of the Los Angeles Dodgers on June 30, 1997. Shortly after stepping away from the game, he began a career with Coldwell Banker, rising to the executive level for both the Residential Brokerage and Relocation Services divisions.
The Minnesota Twins beat out several clubs and signed fire-balling Danny Morris as an amateur free agent in June of 1964, for what Minnesota management called a five-figure bonus. Scout Ray Holton did the honors, and Morris was assigned to the Twins’ Cocoa Rookie League team in Melbourne, FL. Morris had his major league debut on September 10, 1968. Morris probably deserved more big league time with the Twins but the Twins excellent pitching staff kept Morris in the minors. Over parts of two seasons (1968-1969), Morris appeared in 6 games, including 3 starts, with the Twins. He had an 0-2 record, and in 16 innings, he allowed 16 hits and 5 earned runs for a 2.81 ERA. He walked 8 and fanned 7. After retiring from the MLB due to injuries–he moved to Oakland City, IN. to work along side his father, Clyde Morris, at Old Ben Coal. After Old Ben Coal closed, Danny opened Friends Bar Grill with his wife Donna in 1990. For 33 years he loved working at Friends and making lifelong friends that he cherished.
Cotton Nash, one of the greatest basketball players in the history of the University of Kentucky. He played in the NBA, the ABA as well as in MLB, as a first baseman and outfielder. When he graduated from college, Nash signed with a Los Angeles team — two of them, in fact. He was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA draft and also signed with the California Angels. In May of 1967 the California Angels traded Nash to the Chicago White Sox and Nash was called up for a cup of coffee at the tail end of 1967 and made his MLB debut at Fenway Park against the Red Sox going 0 of 2. Then in April 1969 the White Sox traded him to Pittsburgh for Ed Hobaugh but that trade was voided and in July of 1969 the White Sox traded Nash again, this time to the Minnesota Twins for a PTBNL that turned out to be Jerry Crider. Nash played in six games with the Twins in 1969 but he did get his first big league hit off of Steve Barber of the Seattle Pilots at Sick’s Stadium. In 1970 he played in four games with Minnesota so in his two seasons with the Twins he played in ten games and was 3 for 13 with a run scored and two RBI. That was it for Cotton Nash as a big leaguer although he continued to play minor league ball through 1972. His main sporting interest after retirement was breeding thoroughbred horses.
Carlos Pulido was signed at 18 in 1989 by Minnesota, the hard-throwing Pulido was a bright prospect in the Twins’ system, but a 1995 arm injury ruined his chances as a starter. After spending one season with the Twins in 1994, he spent the next decade in the minor leagues, as well as with the Orix BlueWave, before spending two more seasons with the Twins in 2003 and 2004. In his three-season MLB career, all with the Minnesota Twins, Pulido posted a 3–8 record with 47 strikeouts and a 5.98 ERA in 111.2 innings.
Sandy Valdespino was a Cuban outfielder who played for 7 seasons in the major leagues with the Minnesota Twins (1965-67), Atlanta Braves (1968), Houston Astros (1969), Seattle Pilots/Milwaukee Brewers (1969-70) and Kansas City Royals (1971). Like many of the Cuban and other Latin American ballplayers who ended up in the Washington Senators/Minnesota Twins organization, his journey into professional baseball started with scout “Papa Joe” Cambria when he signed with the Washington Senators in 1957 but did not make his MLB debut until April 12, 1965 with the Minnesota Twins. The Twins outfield was crowded, so Valdespino did not get much playing time but in spite of that was a huge fan favorite. Valdespino played in 5 of the 7 1965 World Series games against the Los Angeles Dodgers and their great pitching staff going 3 for 11 with a double and a run scored. The Atlanta Braves snapped up Valdespino after the 1967 season in the Rule 5 draft. Sadly when all was said and done, Valdespino came up two games short of qualifying for an MLB pension.
Happy New Year, John.
Nice tribute to those ball players
who left us in 2023.
Whether they had a proverbial “cup of coffee” or stayed for dinner and desert, they left an indelible impression in our minds and remind us of our own mortality and how precious each day is that we open our eyes from the pillow.
Thank you Paul and Happy New Year to you and your family.