Month: August 2024

Keirsey Jr. & Adams named Twins minor league Player and Pitcher of the Week

The Minnesota Twins have announced that Triple-A St. Paul outfielder DaShawn Keirsey Jr. and Double-A Wichita right-handed pitcher Travis Adams have been named Twins minor league Player and Pitcher of the Week.

DaShawn Keirsey Jr. was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 4th round of the 2018 MLB June Amateur Draft from University of Utah (Salt Lake City, UT). Keirsey signed for $600,000, way over the assigned slot value. MLB has Keirsey rated as the Twins 29th best prospect. For additional info on Keirsey please go here. Keirsey Jr, 27, played in five games for the Saints, hitting .474 (9-for-19) with two triples, two home runs, eight RBI and a 1.500 OPS, including a four-hit game on Thursday vs. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. On Tuesday, DaShawn became the fifth player in Saints history to reach 100 hits in a season.

Travis Adams was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 6th round of the 2021 MLB June Amateur Draft from California State University, Sacramento (Sacramento, CA) and signed for a reported $253,300. Adams, a California native is repeating Double AA-Wichita and having a much better season this year than he had last year. Adams, 24, made the starter on Thursday at Midland, pitching 6.0 scoreless innings with one hit allowed, one walk and a season-high 10 strikeouts. Short video of Adams pitching.

Twins Minor League Report, 8-23-2024

Former Twin Mike ‘Cubby’ Cubbage dies at 74

Mike Cubbage

Michael Lee Cubbage, was born July 21, 1950, in Charlottesville, Virginia and passed away on August 10, 2024 after a near year-long battle with cancer, his wife, Jan, confirmed Sunday night, August 11. Cubbage was 74 years old.

Affectionately called “Cubby” by friends, family, players and coaches, Cubbage was a former Major League Baseball player and a pro baseball manager. He retired a couple of years ago after serving as one of the top scouts for the Washington Nationals.

He was a three-sport star at Charlottesville’s Lane High School, standing out in football, basketball and baseball before moving on to become a two-sport star at the University of Virginia, playing quarterback on the football team and becoming an All-ACC selection in baseball. Cubbage came from a baseball family that included cousins Larry Haney and Chris Haney, both major leaguer’s.

Continue reading Former Twin Mike ‘Cubby’ Cubbage dies at 74

Winokur & Soto named Twins minor league Player and Pitcher of the Week

The Twins announced that Low-A Fort Myers infielder/outfielder Brandon Winokur and right-handed pitcher Charlee Soto have been named Twins minor league Player and Pitcher of the Week.

Brandon Winokur was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 3rd round of the 2023 MLB June Amateur Draft from Edison HS (Huntington Beach, CA). The Southern California native is described as a potential five-tool talent and signed for $1.5 million. Winokur is a 6’6″ right-handed batter who is playing shortstop, center field, third base and right field. MLB Pipeline currently has him rated as the Twins 12th best prospect. The is the second week in a row that Winokur has won this honor. Winokur, 19, posted a 1.042 OPS with five RBI in six games for the Mighty Mussels, including a three-homer game against Lakeland on Friday. Winokur three home run game video

Charlee Soto was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 1st round (34th) of the 2023 MLB June Amateur Draft from Reborn Christian Academy (Kissimmee, FL). MLB Pipeline has Soto rated as the Twins 11th best prospect. For additional info on Soto please go here. Soto, 18, made the start on Wednesday vs. Lakeland, pitching 5.0 scoreless innings, with four hits allowed, two walks and four strikeouts.

Twins Minor League Report, 8-23-2024

1961 Twins pitcher Gary Dotter passes away

Gary Richard Dotter was born in St. Louis, Missouri on August 7, 1942, to Florence Hassing Dotter and Richard N. Dotter and died on Saturday, July 27, 2024, from complications of Parkinson’s disease at the age of 81. 

Gary Dotter grew up playing sports, especially baseball. He graduated from Normandy High School and immediately signed with the St. Louis Cardinals Baseball Club at the age of 17 for a sizable bonus. Dotter spent his first season of pro ball with class D Keokuk in the Midwest League. Control was not his strong suite during his first season as he struck out 50 in 45 innings but also walked 31.

According to the 1961 Minnesota Twins media guide the Washington Senators lost the bidding duel for this promising southpaw with a good fastball and curveball in June of 1960 but succeeded in nabbing him for the $25,000 draft price from the Cardinals chain in December. The Twins sent him to the class B Wilson Tobs in the Carolina League. There in 25 starts, Dotter was 14-8 with a 3.09 ERA in 180.2 innings after throwing just 45 innings in his first pro season. The Twins were so impressed that they called him up in September. In his major league debut on September 10, 1961, the 19 year-old Dotter was called on the relieve Jack Kralick at Municipal Stadium against the Kansas City Athletics. Dotter entered the game in the third inning and pitched well but ran out of gas in the seventh and his line on the day was 4 innings pitched, six earned runs on six hits and four walks with two strikeouts. He pitched one more time in 1961 throwing two scoreless innings at Met Stadium in a Twins 12-5 loss to the Cleveland Indians. Pedro Ramos started that game and lost his 20th game of the season.

Dotter spent 1962 with class A Charlotte Hornets in the South Atlantic League and pitched well enough for the Twins to send him to triple-A Dallas-Fort Worth Rangers as a 20-year old. There Dotter pitched in 42 games with 21 starts throwing 166 innings. That September he was called up again appearing in two games throwing two innings with no hits and no runs allowed. Dotter made great strides in 1963 but in January 1964 the United States Army came calling and he was inducted on January 28, 1964 and missed a good part of the baseball season serving in the Army’s 6-month program. Dotter served in the Army reserves for six years. He made three appearances for the Twins late in the season and it turned out to be the last time that he would pitch in the major leagues.

How Dotter ended up in the Houston Astros organization in 1965 is unknown but he spent the rest of his pro ball career with the Astros in the minor leagues before calling it a career after the 1967 season.

In his big league career Gary Dotter appeared in 7 games, all in relief and pitched a total of 12.1 innings allowing 9 hits while striking out 10 and walking 7 and posted a 5.11 ERA. After retiring from baseball Gary moved to Wichita Falls, Texas where he owned racehorses with Carter McGregor. He was a graduate of Midwestern State University from which he received a business degree.
On June 20, 1970, Gary married Christi White in Wichita Falls. Their marriage lasted 54 years.

Gary’s business career was in the computer/bookkeeping/accounting fields. In 2001 the couple moved to Trophy Club, Texas. Gary retired from Perot Systems in 2007. The couple then moved to Pecan Plantation south of Granbury, Texas. Through the years, Gary enjoyed cycling, working cattle on his land near Henrietta, Texas, and later, golfing after retirement. He also was a long-time member of the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association.

Gary is survived by his wife, Christi Dotter, sons David (Vi) of Alpine, Texas, Will of Austin, Texas and grandchildren, Jessie, Liem, Danh, and surrogate granddaughter Trang Pham, his sister, Linda Kamler, nephew Brian Kamler (Suzanne), niece Tricia Palmer (Jason), and several great-nieces and nephews.

Twinstrivia.com would like to pass on our condolences to the Dotter family, friends and fans.

Gary Richard Dotter obituary

Winokur & Morris named Twins minor league Player and Pitcher of the Week

The Minnesota Twins have named Low-A Fort Myers infielder/outfielder Brandon Winokur and Double-A Wichita right-handed pitcher Andrew Morris as Twins minor league Player and Pitcher of the Week.

Brandon Winokur was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 3rd round of the 2023 MLB June Amateur Draft from Edison HS (Huntington Beach, CA). The Southern California native is described as a potential five-tool talent and signed for $1.5 million. Winokur is a 6’6″ right-handed batter who is playing shortstop, center field, third base and right field. MLB Pipeline currently has him rated as the Twins 12th best prospect. Winokur, 19, played in four games for the Mighty Mussels, hitting .333 (5-for-15) with two home runs, three RBI and a 1.145 OPS. Short video clip of Winokur.

Andrew Morris was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 4th round of the 2022 MLB June Amateur Draft from Texas Tech University (Lubbock, TX). Morris signed with Minnesota for a reported signing bonus of $500K and is no stranger to this list. MLB Pipeline has him rated as the Twins 18th best prospect with an expected MLB debut in 2025. Morris, 22, made the start on Wednesday at Corpus Christi, pitching 7 shutout innings, with two hits allowed, one walk and nine strikeouts.

Twins Minor League Report, 8-14-2024

Twins retire Washington Senators ‘W’

The Twins retired the Washington Senators' "W" during a pregame ceremony honoring the Senators' 1924 World Series championship ahead of their series finale against the Cleveland Guardians on Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024, at Target Field in Minneapolis. / Nolan O'Hara / Bring Me The News
The Twins retired the Washington Senators’ “W” during a pregame ceremony honoring the Senators’ 1924 World Series championship ahead of their series finale against the Cleveland Guardians on Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024, at Target Field in Minneapolis. / Nolan O’Hara / Bring Me The News

The Twins retired the Washington Senators’ “W” during a pregame ceremony honoring the 100th anniversary of the 1924 World Series Senators team ahead of Sunday afternoon’s series finale against the Cleveland Guardians at Target Field in Minneapolis.

Here is what Wikipedia has about the Washington Senators 1924 World Series.

In 1924, Griffith named 27-year-old second baseman Bucky Harris player-manager. Led by the hitting of Goose Goslin and Sam Rice, and a solid pitching staff headlined by the 36-year-old Johnson, the Senators captured their first American League pennant, two games ahead of Babe Ruth and the New York Yankees.

“The Senators faced John McGraw’s heavily favored New York Giants in the 1924 World Series. Despite Johnson losing both of his starts, the Senators kept pace to tie the Series at three games apiece and force Game 7. The Senators trailed the Giants 3–1 in the eighth inning of Game 7, when Bucky Harris hit a routine ground ball to third which hit a pebble and took a bad hop over Giants third baseman Freddie Lindstrom. Two runners scored on the play, tying the score at three. In the ninth inning with the game tied, 3–3, Harris brought in an aging Johnson to pitch on just one day of rest – he had been the losing pitcher in Game 5. Johnson held the Giants scoreless into extra innings. In the bottom of the 12th inning, Muddy Ruel hit a high foul ball near home plate. The Giants’ catcher, Hank Gowdy, dropped his protective face mask to field the ball but, failing to toss the mask aside, stumbled over it and dropped the ball, thus giving Ruel another chance to bat. On the next pitch, Ruel hit a double and, then proceeded to score the winning run when Earl McNeely hit a ground ball that took another bad hop over Lindstrom’s head. It was the only World Series triumph for the franchise during their 60-year tenure in Washington.“

The “W” is the 10th number — or letter — retired by the Twins, joining Harmon Killebrew (No. 3), Rod Carew (No. 29), Tony Oliva (No. 6), Kent Hrbek (No. 14), Kirby Puckett (No. 34), Bert Blyleven (No. 28), Tom Kelly (No. 10), Joe Mauer (No. 7) and Jim Kaat (No. 36).

Twins Press Release 081124 _ _ MLB Pressbox

Keirsey Jr. & Hall named Twins minor league Player and Pitcher of the Week

The Twins announced that triple-A St. Paul outfielder DaShawn Keirsey Jr. and Low-A Fort Myers right-handed pitcher Tanner Hall have been named Twins minor league Player and Pitcher of Week.

Drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 4th round of the 2018 MLB June Amateur Draft from University of Utah (Salt Lake City, UT). Keirsey signed for $600,000, way over the assigned slot value. MLB has Keirsey rated as the Twins 29th best prospect. For additional info on Keirsey please go here. Keirsey, 27, a San Diego, CA native played in six games for the Saints, hitting .320 (8-for-25) with one double, one home run, three RBI, six runs scored and an .850 OPS.

Tanner Hall was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 4th round of the 2023 MLB June Amateur Draft from University of Southern Mississippi (Hattiesburg, MS). Hall signed with Minnesota for a reported $510,000. Hall, 22, started on Thursday, August 1 vs. St. Lucie, allowing two runs on four hits in 6.0 innings pitched, with one walk and nine strikeouts. Hall has already had an exciting start to his career, striking out 4 in one inning on July 6 and then on August 1 threw an immaculate inning.

Cespedes & Raya named Twins minor league Player and Pitcher of the Week

On July 28th the Twins announced that High-A Cedar Rapids infielder Rubel Cespedes and Double-A Wichita right-handed pitcher Marco Raya have been named Twins minor league Player and Pitcher of the Week. Yes, I am behind again.

Rubel Cespedes was signed by the Twins out of the Dominican Republic as part of the 2019 international class. Cespedes spent 2019 & 2021 in the rookie league and then spent 2022 2023 in Low A ball. The 23 year old left-handed hitter is playing at first, second and third base but most of his time has been at the hot corner. Cespedes seems to be having a breakout season in 2024 and thus far is slashing .287/.359/.448. The Azua, Dominican Republic native Cespedes, played in six games for the Kernels, hitting .391 (9-for-23) with three home runs, eight RBI, three walks and a 1.264 OPS, including a two-homer game on Sunday vs. Wisconsin.

Marco Raya was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 4th round of the 2020 MLB June Amateur Draft from United South HS (Laredo, TX). Raya had committed to Texas Tech but signed with the Twins instead for a bonus of $410,000. The Laredo, Texas native is ranked as the club’s eighth-best prospect by MLB.com and third best pitcher. For more info on Raya please go here. I think Raya could have an exciting future if he can stay healthy. Raya has not pitched more than 65 innings in pro ball but he is currently at 63.1 innings so hopefully he can be stretched out some this year. That said, the Twins treat him with kid gloves. Raya, 21, made the start on Friday at Amarillo, pitching a season-high 5.0 scoreless innings, with one hit allowed, no walks and five strikeouts. I believe this is his second pitcher of the week award this year.

Twins Minor League Report, 7-31-2024