TWINS TRIVIA is hopefully a fun and informative site that will help you to better enjoy the Minnesota Twins and their wonderful history. “History never looks like history when you are living through it” – John Gardner, former Secretary of Health
The 2012 Little League World Series began play in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania on August 16 and will culminate with the championship game on August 26. This year is the 66th playing of the Little League World Series. The sixteen-team tournament has eight International teams (Caribbean, Japan, Canada, Europe, Mexico, Asia-Pacific, Middle East & Africa and Latin America) and eight U.S. teams (New England, Northwest, Southeast, Great Lakes, Mid-Atlantic, West, Southwest, and Midwest). In 2011, the Ocean View Little League of Huntington Beach, California defeated Hamamatsu Minami Little League of Hamamatsu City, Japan 2–1 in the World Championship game.
Three former Minnesota Twins players have participated in this grand event.
Minnesota Twins prospect Clete Thomas was a member of the 1996 Panama City, Florida club that advanced to United States final before losing to Cranston, Rhode Island.
Minnesota Twins infielder Sean Burroughs, who was the ninth overall pick in the 1998 First-Year Player Draft was a member of both the 1992 and 1993 Long Beach, California teams that won back-to-back Little League World Series titles.
Jason Marquis a Twins pitcher earlier this season and currently with the San Diego Padres was a member of the Staten Island, NY 1991 LLWS team.
Six Little League teams from Minnesota that have gone on to play in the Little League Baseball World Series. Players for each team are typically the “All Stars” from the geographic area of each league. The players are chosen after the Little League regular season has ended. The Minnesota teams that have participated are listed below. Most of these Minnesota teams have been able to get past the first round, but no Minnesota team has made it beyond round two of Little League Baseball World Series play.
1963 – Duluth Central LL team from the Duluth area1985 East Tonka LL from the Minnetonka area1994 Brooklyn Center American LL from the Brooklyn Center area1995 Little Lakes West LL from the Arden Hills area2007 Coon Rapids National LL from the Coon Rapids area2010 Plymouth-New Hope LL from the Plymouth area
The only two players to participate in a Little League World Series, a College World Series and a MLB World Series are Ed Vosberg and Jason Varitek.
MLB recently announced that San Francisco Giants outfielder Melky Cabrera has received a 50-game suspension without pay after testing positive for Testosterone, a performance-enhancing substance in violation of Major League Baseball’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. Cabrera responded by accepting the punishment, apologized to his team and his fans and admitted he did it.
What more needs to be said? Apparently the baseball media just can’t believe that there is still cheating in baseball and any sports station or blog you visit wants to know why Cabrera did it. Why would a guy leading the league in runs scored and in hits and plays for a team just one game or so out of the division lead do such a thing? To me the answer is simple, when you want something so badly, you do not spend a lot of time thinking about the consequences of getting caught because you think you are smart enough to avoid getting caught. This kind of thinking is human nature and we all do these kinds of things, just maybe not on the same level. When you drove in to work this morning did you speed, go faster than the speed limit? You know it is illegal to go faster than the speed limit but yet you went ahead and did it because the odds are that you won’t get caught and besides, everyone is doing it. You know that if you get caught there will be a fine and a probable increase in your insurance rates but you didn’t give those possible issues a second thought did you? What about people who rob a bank, they know there is a chance they will get caught but they do it anyway. What about the people who cheat on their spouses, they know the consequences will be severe if they get caught but in their mind they won’t be one of those that will get caught.
That is the way the life is, people are always looking to better their personal situation or satisfy their needs, it is not about the consequences. If consequences were upper most in our minds we would not be doing the things that society says are wrong or immoral. We as humans always want more, we want to be the best at everything we do. How much time do you think that Melky Cabrera or any other baseball player for that matter that has taken performance enhancing substance has spent thinking about the impacts that their actions will have on their teammates, family or friends? Not much I think, there are few among us who are in a position to cast stones. We do the best we can in our lives and life goes on, I am not defending Melky Cabrera or what Melky Cabrera did here, I am just saying that we all need to understand that we are all far from perfect and we need to understand that these kinds of things have been going on since the beginning of time and that they will go on long after we are gone. It is called life.
The Twins announced after today’s 8-4 loss to the Tigers at Target Field that they have optioned shortstop Brian Dozier to Rochester and called up Pedro Florimon. Surprised? I am, I know that Dozier is struggling but the team is going nowhere so what do the Twins have to lose by allowing Dozier to learn the game in the big leagues versus in AAA Rochester. Manager Gardenhire sat Dozier for the second straight game after a questionable fielding play the other day when he threw to first instead of throwing home for a force play or trying for a double play and the mistake allowed what amounted to the winning run scoring in a game against the Tampa Rays. I also thought that Dozier made a mistake there but sitting him for 2 days and then sending him down does not seem like the right message to me. I know that Terry Ryan is sending Dozier a message here but with the Twins playing like they are and it is mid-August, why bother? The Twins are going to call Dozier back up on September 1st anyway. It just seems to me that the Twins are “rubbing Dozier’s nose in it” and I don’t like it.
The Twins picked the switch-hitting Pedro Florimon off waivers from the Baltimore Orioles in December of 2011. The 25 year-old Florimon is known for his slick fielding but his hitting has always been his Achilles heel. Florimon was 1 for 8 in 4 games for the Orioles in 2011. This season Florimon started in New Britain where he played just 30 games before being bumped up to Rochester. In Rochester, Florimon is hitting .251 in 341 plate appearances with 16 doubles, 2 triples and 3 home runs with 21 RBI’s and 6 stolen bases in 13 attempts. I know the Twins want to see what Florimon can do in the big leagues but why do it now versus waiting a couple of weeks for September 1 to come along?
The home run hitters of baseball have been idolized by baseball fans for years, but what about those “Punch-and-Judy” hitters that just have not been able to put one out over the fence and haven’t even been lucky enough to get an inside the park home run? These guys probably could not hit one out even if you let them stand on second base and hit. A Punch-and-Judy is said of a hitter who tends to hit well-placed but weakly-hit balls for singles. The first reference was made by former Los Angeles Dodgers manager Walter Alston when asked about a home run by Willie McCovey of the San Francisco Giants. “When he belts a home run, he does it with such authority it seems like an act of God. You can’t cry about it. He’s not a Punch and Judy belter.”
From what I can determine, the player with the most at bats in the big leagues without ever getting a home run is Bill Holbert. Holbert was a catcher who played a little outfield and infield in 1876 and 1878-1888 with six different teams. Holbert is credited with 2,335 official at bats without hitting a single round tripper. But that was a long time ago and if you look at more modern times, the record holder is Tom “Rebel” Oliver, an outfielder with the Boston Red Sox from 1930-1933 who had 1,931 official at bats and 534 hits but not a homer in the bunch.
So let’s see who among Twins position players going back to 1961 with 100 or more at bats were or are true “Punch-and-Judy” type hitters and who had the most official at bats without a four-bagger on their Minnesota Twins resume.
Al Newman
Number 1 on this list is Al Newman. Newman played 2B/SS/3B for the Twins from 1987-1991 when they played in the Metrodome and Al had 1,647 at bats in a Twins uniform and he failed to hit a single home run. Newman also played for Montreal in 1985-1986 and for Texas in 1992. Between those three teams Newman had 2,107 at bats and he had one home run. Newman’s only career home run took place on July 6, 1986 at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium off Atlanta Braves starter Zane Smith.
Number 2 on the list is current Twins outfielder Ben Revere. Revere has been with the Twins off and on since 2010 and during those three season he has 809 at bats through August 12, 2012 without a home run to his credit but he has a ways to go to catch up with Al Newman.
Number 3 on the list is SS/2B Houston Jiminez. Jiminez played for Minnesota in 1983-1984 and had 384 at bats in a Twins uni without a single home run. Jiminez also played for the Pirates in 1987 and the Indians in 1988. Jiminez had 411 career at bats without a homer.
Fourth on the list is SS Luis Gomez. Gomez played for the Twins from 1974-1977 and had 362 official at bats without a long ball. Gomez went on to play for the Blue Jays in 1978-1979 and the Braves in 1980-1981 but when his career ended he had 1,251 major league at bats and a “0” in the home run column.
In the fifth spot on this list is another current Twins player, 2B/SS/3B Jamey Carroll. Through today Carroll has 352 Twins at bats and he still has not cleared the fences. Carroll is in his 11th big league season and is playing for his sixth team and he has hit 12 home runs in his 3,326 career big league at bats.
Number six on our list is catcher Junior Ortiz. Ortiz played in the big leagues for 13 seasons with 5 organizations and he did hit 5 home runs in 1,894 at bats but as a Twins catcher in 1990-1991 he had 304 at bats and not a single home run. Maybe that is why he wore the number “0” on his back as a Minnesota Twin?
Lucky number seven on the list is yet another current Minnesota Twins player, fan favorite (NOT) Tsuyoshi Nishioka who has played 2B and SS. Nishioka has 233 big league at bats to his credit and zero home runs.
Eighth on the list is a Liriano, no, not Francisco but 2B Nelson Liriano. Nelson Liriano has 25 home runs in his 11 seasons and 2,216 at bats in the bigs but as a Minnesota Twin in 1990 he came up empty in the home run column in 185 at bats
Ninth we have another catcher, Jose Morales. Morales was with the Twins parts of 2007, 2009-2010 and hit .297 in 158 at bats but none of the long ball variety. Morales spent 2011 in Colorado and had 60 AB’s there but again came away without a home run.
Number 10 on the Twins homerless list is SS/2B Sergio Ferrer. Ferrer had zero home runs in 138 at bats as a Twin in 1974-1975. Ferrer played for the Mets in part of 1978-1979 and had 40 more at bats there with zero long balls.
Eleventh on the Twins homerless list we have 2B/3B Dan Monzon who came up void of any home runs in his 131 career big league at bats in 1972-1973 with the Minnesota Twins.
Our twelfth and final Minnesota Twins position player with 100 or more at bats with zero home runs is catcher Bruce Look. Look spent all of his 118 big league at bats with the Twins in 1968 and he had no luck hitting one out of the park.
So between these 12 position players we have 4,821 Twins at bats and not a single home run in the group. Isn’t it strange that three players (numbers 2, 5, and 7) on this list are currently playing for the 2012 Twins? That completes a look at the position players with 100 or more at bats with zero home runs on their Twins resumes. The two Twins pitchers with the most at bats as Twins with zero home runs are Mudcat Grant who had 298 regular season at bats in a Twins uni with no homers. We all know about the Mudcat’s home run in-game 6 of the 1965 World Series against the Dodgers and Grant did hit 6 home runs in his 14 year big league career but he did not hit any for the Twins. The other pitcher is Bert Blyleven who had 451 career at bats with zero home runs and 235 of these at bats were as a Minnesota Twins pitcher.
UPDATE AS OF SEPTEMBER 4, 2012 – Jamey Carroll homered against the Chicago White Sox pitcher Hector Santiago at US Cellular Field in the fifth inning of yesterdays game to end his Twins streak of 412 consecutive at bats without a home run. This streak of 412 homer less games moves him up to number 3 on the Twins list behind Al Newman and Ben Revere.
CORRECTION as of September 5, 2012 – It was brought to my attention that I missed outfielder Jason Tyner who had 442 Twins at bats before hitting a home run off Jake Westbrooke at Jacobs Field on July 28, 2007. Todate Jason Tyner career home run count stands at 1. This would put Tyner number 3 on the Twins list.
However; the original intent of my story was to list the Twins with the most at bats that had zero home runs on their entire Twins resume and not really to list the most consective Twins at bats without a homer, thus Jamey Carroll and Jason Tyner really would not belong on this list.
When you talk about free agency there are some fans that believe that you should trade the player and take what you can get in return before the player leaves and there are those that believe you should let the free agent walk and take your compensation or supplemental pick and you will come out ahead. Who is right? I guess it comes down to how much of a risk taker you are, do you take the players that are offered in a deal or do you think you are better off drafting a player and hope that you can sign him and that he developes into the player you think he can be. The money comes in to play too when you consider the signing bonus and the costs that you will incur in developing that player over the years. What about the time? How long will it take to develop that player before he can help the team.
But now the rules are changing, teams can no longer obtain draft pick compensation for any players acquired midseason. The other part of the change to keep in mind is that teams that keep their players now obtain one compensatory draft pick for losing a top free agent, whereas they previously obtained two selections. If a team loses a player who turned down a qualifying offer to sign elsewhere, the player’s original team will obtain a single compensatory selection between the first and second rounds of the draft (the qualifying offers, which are based on the average salary of baseball’s 125 best-paid players, are expected to be worth $12.5MM or so in 2013). Meanwhile, the team that signs the free agent will lose a first round selection (though the top ten picks are protected). However, that lost first round pick no longer goes to the player’s former team. Instead, the pick disappears and the first round becomes condensed.
Over the years the Twins have traded players that were about to become free agents and they have lost a number of players to free agency for a variety of reasons. Let’s take a look at the Minnesota Twins round 1 supplemental picks over the years.
Travis Harrison (Twins-1s-2011) – Supplemental pick for loss of free agent infielder Orlando Hudson. Harrison is currently playing 3B at Elizabethton.
Hudson Boyd (Twins-1s-2011) – Supplemental pick for loss of free agent pitcher Jesse Crain. Boyd is currently pitching in Elizabethton.
Matt Bashore (Twins-1s-2009) – Supplemental pick for loss of free agent pitcher Dennys Reyes. Bashore was in the Twins organization for 3 years pitching in only 13 games (sat out all of 2010 with injury) before the Twins released him this past spring. Now in Yankee organization pitching in “A” ball.
Carlos Gutierrez (Twins-1-2008) – Pick from the Angels as compensation for free agent outfielder Torii Hunter. Gutierrez is currently pitching in Rochester.
Shooter Hunt (Twins-1s-2008) – Supplemental Pick for loss of free agent outfielder Torii Hunter. Hunt was a minor league rule 5 pick by the Cardinals from the Twins after the 2011 season but no longer appears to be in their organization.
Hank Sanchez (Twins-1s-2005) – Supplemental pick for loss of free agent 3B Corey Koskie. Never got above “A” ball for the Twins and he was released after the 2009 season.
Glen Perkins (Twins-1-2004) – Pick from Mariners as compensation for free agent pitcher Eddie Guardado. Perkins has pitched for the Twins since 2006 and is currently the teams closer.
Kyle Waldrop (Twins-1-2004) – Pick from Cubs as compensation for free agent pitcher LaTroy Hawkins. Waldrop has been with the Twins off and on in 2011-2012 pitching in a total of 11 games.
Matt Fox (Twins-1s-2004) – Supplemental pick for loss of free agent pitcher Eddie Guardado. Fox pitched in 1 game for the Twins in 2010 before being claimed by the Red Sox via waivers later in 2010. Currently pitching in “AA” ball for the Mariners organization.
Jay Rainville (Twins-1s-2004) – Supplemental pick for loss of free agent pitcher LaTroy Hawkins. Was in the Twins minor league system for 5 season getting as high as “AA” before the Twins let him go. Out of baseball.
Aaron Heilman (Twins-1s-2000) – Supplemental Pick for loss of free agent pitcher Mike Trombley. The Twins could not sign Heilman. The Mets picked Heilman in 2001 and he pitched in the big leagues from 2003-2011, now in “AAA” in the Rangers organization.
Matt LeCroy (Twins-1s-1997) – Supplemental pick for failure to sign 1996 No. 1 choice 1B Travis Lee. Played for the Twins from 2000-2005 and again in 2007. Played for Washington in 2006. Now a manager in the Nationals minor league system
Travis Miller (Twins-1s-1994) – Supplemental pick for failure to sign 1993 No. 1 choice catcher Jason Varitek. Pitched for the Twins from 1996-2002.
Torii Hunter (Twins-1-1993) – Pick from Reds as compensation for free agent pitcher John Smiley. Played for the Twins from 1997-2007 before becoming a FA himself and signing with the Angels where he still plays today.
Marc Barcelo (Twins-1s-1993) – Supplemental pick for loss of free agent pitcher John Smiley. LHP Barcelo pitched in the Twins system between 1993-1997 reaching “AAA” but never got a call to the big leagues.
Kelcey Mucker (Twins-1s-1993) – Supplemental pick for loss of free agent SS Greg Gagne. Mucker played in the Twins system from 1993-1999 but never got above “AA” ball.
Scott Stahoviak (Twins-1s-1991) – Supplemental pick for loss of free agent 3B Gary Gaetti. Played in 344 games in a Twins uniform at 1B/3B in 1993 and 1995-1998.
Midre Cummings (Twins-1s-1990) – Supplemental pick for loss of free agent closer Jeff Reardon. Cummings was traded to the Pirates along with Denny Neagle for pitcher John Smiley in March of 1992. Cummings played in the big leagues from 1993-2001 and 2004-2005 but only played in 100 or more games during one season and that was split between two teams. Played briefly for the Twins between 1999-2000.
You can make a pretty solid argument by looking at the 18 supplemental picks between 1990-2011 that there is just one star in the bunch, Torii Hunter. Glen Perkins, Travis Miller and Aaron Heilman (who the Twins were unable to sign) were serviceable big league pitchers. A number of the players on this list never put on a big league uniform.
Bottom line? It is kind of a damned if you do and damned if you don’t. There is no good answer here and every situation is different. Just another one of those things that makes baseball the interesting game that it is.
The Twins are sending reliever Anthony Swarzak to the DL due to a strained rotor cuff and calling up reliever Luis Perdomo from Rochester. The 28-year-old Perdomo was promoted from New Britain to Rochester earlier this season and since his promotion Perdomo is 2-1 with 7 saves and an ERA 0.92 in 19+ innings. During his stay in Rochester, Perdomo has struck out 18 and walked 2.
Perdomo was the Twins Minor League Player of the week earlier this month. The 28-year old Perdomo was originally signed as an amateur free agent by the Cleveland Indians in 2003 but since then has been with the Cardinals, Giants, and Padres before signing as a FA with Minnesota this past November. Luis has been in the minors for 7 seasons posting a 21-30 record with a 3.41 ERA, a 1.25 WHIP and strikes out about 8.6 batters per 9 innings. Perdomo has pitched in the big leagues with the Padres in 2009 appearing in 35 games and in 2010 but that season he pitched in just one game. When Perdomo pitches in a Twins game, he will be the 23rd pitcher Minnesota has used this season (not counting Drew Butera).
The Twins announced after todays loss at Detroit that that they have optioned 1B Chris Parmelee to Rochester and called up RHP Samuel Deduno and plan to start him on Saturday against the leagues top team, the Texas Rangers. I like Parmelee a lot but he is being short changed with the Twins and he needs to play. On the other hand, I understand that Gardy has no position for him right now and with the All-Star break coming up, why not send him to Rochester and give him a chance to get some game action. Who knows, in a couple of weeks with the trading deadline coming up, there might be some opens spots on the Twins roster.
Samuel Deduno
The 29 year old Deduno is being called up and will see his first big league action of 2012 after seeing 4 games (2.2 innings) with the Rockies in 2010 and 2 games (3 innings) with the Padres last season. Deduno was originally signed by the Rockies in March of 2003 as an amateur free agent but was signed off waivers by the San Diego Padres in January of 2011. He became a free agent in November 2011 and almost immediaetly signed with Minnesota. In his 8 seasons in the minors Deduno has a 45-45 record with a 4.18 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP. In Rochester this season Deduno has started 9 games and has a 1-2 record with nice 2.14 ERA and a WHIP of only 1.17 . Having said that, Deduno has only pitched 42 innings which comes out to less than 5 innings a start and that is being caused primarily by his 4.7 bases on balls per 9 innings so control is an issue for Sam but on the plus side, he has only given up 27 hits in those 42 innings. So if the Texas Rangers are swinging, Deduno has a chance. Welcome to the Twins Sam! When Deduno appears in a Twins game, he will be the 40th different player the Twins have used this season and we haven’t gotten to the All-Star game yet.
I have no issue with the Twins organization giving these guys a shot, who knows when you might catch lightning in a bottle.
This morning I pick up the Star and Tribune and the front page headline is “Wild lands biggest catch”. There is no mention of the Minnesota Twins in the Sports section until page C4 and that is a short blurb titled “Gardy, Mauer join recruiting process” that talks about how they helped to recruit hockey free agents Zach Parise and Ryan Suter to the Minnesota Wild. The Twins game story from last nights 5-1 loss to the Tigers is on the LAST page of the Sports section, page C8. Today is July 5th, the MLB All-Star game is less than a week away and the Tribune puts baseball on pages 7 and 8, that is just plain disgusting. I know that signing Parise and Suter is a big deal but this is just ridiculous. At this rate when the Vikings open their pre-season camp I might not even be able to read anything about the Twins for the rest of the year. With the Wild, Vikings, and even the Timberwolves improving their teams, interest in Twins baseball may be dropping quickly. The Twins need to do something to right the ship that is taking on water and fighting to stay afloat.
Before the 2012 season started I thought that if the Twins stayed fairly healthy that they would finish the 2012 season at 78-84 but now with the team at the half way point in the season their record stands at a disappointing 35-46 and on pace to finish at 70-92, just seven games better than last years injury plagued season 99 loss season. The sad part is that there is not a lot of reason to be optimistic in the short-term with the Twins starting pitching in such wretched shape. I know that Scott Diamond has pitched well Francisco Liriano has pitched decently the last few games but we all know that Liriano will be traded before the month is out and rightfully so. The rest of the starting staff is in shambles and I don’t see Walters or DeVries as part of the solution long-term. Scott Baker is out for the season and I like Baker but I don’t think I would throw $9 million in his direction but if I could sign him for less than that, I make it happen. The bullpen has for the most part pitched well but how long can they continue to do so if they have to throw as many innings as they have so far?
The Twins have several directions they can go, they can force feed some of their young pitchers but that would be a big gamble and could take some time and Twins season ticket-holders numbers will drop like a rock. If Twins fans quit paying to watch their home town boys then the revenue drops and we all know what that means. Ownership could go out on the free agent market and find some starters but that will take big bucks and that has not been the road that the Twins have ever traveled. It might however; be a road that ownership is forced to take if they still want fans to be willing to spend part of their hard-earned dollars on a Twins ticket. Minnesota fans will always pay to watch the Vikings and if the Wild and Timberwolves get hot the Twins will be in deep do-do. Any marketing or sales person worth his salt will tell you that it is always better and less expensive to retain a customer than it is to find a new customer. I always have been and always will be a Twins fan but there are a lot of “fair weather” fans that will drop the Twins like a hot potato if the team does not show them that they can put a fun and competitive team on the diamond. The last option is to trade some of their position players for pitching but everyone is looking for pitching so that is not an easy path either. The Twins are on the edge here, the next few weeks will begin to show us what direction this team is headed.
What would I do? It is always easy to spend other people’s money but here is my take on things. First off, I listen to any and all offers and I make any deal that I think will help me get better and that means that no player either in the big leagues or in the minors is untouchable. Not every trade works out the way you plan but some changes are necessary. It is easy to fall in love with your players but the bottom line is the won-loss record and if our players are so good, why aren’t we winning? I think the Twins need to acquire one big time starter like a Zack Greinke that can lead the staff and that will cost some money but it is something that needs to get done. The rest of the starting staff will need to be put together from with in the organization. I am not saying it will be easy but if ownership wants to keep butts in the Target Field seats they have to spend some money to make this team competitive while the Twins young stars in the minors learn the game. The fans have shown that they will support this team if they put a competitive team on the field, now it is time for the Pohlad’s to step up and show the fans that they mean business.
After yet another failed start yesterday the Twins sent Liam Hendriks back to Rochester and called up Cole DeVries to take his place in the starting rotation. The Twins staked Hendriks to a 6-1 lead in Detroit yesterday but he couldn’t hold the lead and manager Gardenhire was forced to pull Hendriks in the bottom of the fifth after he gave up a single, a walk, a double and a walk without retiring a batter.
Hendriks started four games in 2011 as a 22 year-old and eight games so far in 2012 and he is winless with a career mark of 0-7 and having given up 86 hits in 61.2 innings with a 6.71 ERA and a 1.65 WHIP. Hendriks has pitched well in AAA Rochester but he can’t seem to transfer that success to the big leagues.
No pitcher in team franchise history has started 12 games and not put up a “W” going back to 1901. Here are the pitchers that have had 5 or more career starts in a Twins uniform and have not been credited with a victory.
1. RHP Liam Hendriks signed as an amateur free agent in 2007 has pitched in 12 games, all starts for Minnesota in 2011 and 2012 and his record stands at 0-7.
2. RHP Terry Felton a Twins 2nd round pick in 1976 pitched for the Twins from 1979-1982 and appeared in 55 games with 10 starts and finished his big league career with a 0-16 record and 3 saves. Felton had a career ERA of 5.53 and a 1.52 WHIP. Felton never pitched in the big leagues again.
3. LHP Bryan Oelkers was the Twins first round pick (4th over all) in 1982 and he pitched in 10 games, starting 8 for the Twins in 1983 and he put up an 0-5 record to go with his 8.65 ERA and his 2.13 WHIP. Oelkers was eventually traded to Cleveland where he won 3 games.
4. RHP Greg W. Harris was signed by the Twins as a free agent in April of 1995 after 7 big league seasons in San Diego and Colorado and he pitched in 7 games for Minnesota with 6 starts. The Twins released him in August after Harris went 0-5 with a 8.82 ERA and a 2.02 WHIP. Harris never pitched in the big leagues again.
5. RHP Shane Bowers was the Twins 21st round pick in 1993 and he pitched in Minnesota in 1997 starting all 5 games that he pitched in and posting an 0-3 record with a 8.05 ERA and a 1.84 WHIP. Bowers never threw another inning in the big leagues.
6. LHP Brad Thomas was signed by the Twins as a free agent in 1997 after being released by the Los Angeles Dodgers. Thomas pitched for the Twins in 2001 and 2003-2004 pitching in 11 games, starting 5 and posting an 0-3 record with a 9.89 ERA and a 2.16 WHIP. Thomas went on to pitch for the Tigers in 2010-2011 and went 6-3 there.
