Tag: Gary Dotter

Youngest Twins players to make their debuts

Who is the youngest Minnesota Twins player to make his major league debut wearing a Twins uniform? That would be right-handed pitcher Jim Manning who was born in L’Anse, Michigan on July 21, 1943 and went on to become a legendary high school basketball player winning All-State honors as a junior and as a senior. Jim held the U.P. record of most points scored in his four-year career with a total of 2,137 points, all without playing with a 3-point line. While in high school he was offered a full scholarship to the University of Wisconsin-Madison in basketball and according to Tom Briere of the Minneapolis Tribune, Manning was all set to sign a baseball-basketball scholarship with the Minnesota Gophers, but declined because his first love was always baseball and the Minnesota Twins snatched him up.

Jim Manning

After signing with the Twins for $20,000 fresh from high school, the Michigan native pitched in 12 games for Wytheville of the short-season Class D Appalachian League in 1961. Dividing his time between starting and relief, he went 2-2 with a 4.40 ERA. Others playing at Wytheville that season included future Hall of Famer Tony Oliva, who hit .410 in 64 games, and future Twins infielder and manager Frank Quilici.

Manning entered spring training 1962 with the Twins with the slimmest of chances to make the team. The Twins went with a youth movement in 1962, their second season in Minnesota after relocating from Washington, with The Sporting News commenting on the team’s “incubator infield” of 23-year-old third baseman Rich Rollins, 22-year-old second baseman Bernie Allen, and 22-year-old shortstop Zoilo Versalles. Joe Bonikowski, a 21-year-old pitcher, made the team with a strong spring training, as did a relative graybeard, 25-year-old rookie Lee Stange. (Starting pitcher Jim Kaat was 23 but was no newcomer, beginning his fourth season with the franchise. Manning, just 18 also pitched his way on to the team. He secured another niche in Twins history when he was issued jersey number 42, becoming the first Twin to wear that number although this point has been questioned.

Manning’s big league career consisted of just 5 games, all with the Minnesota Twins. The amazing part is that he did it at the age of 18 after appearing in just 12 games in the Appalachian League a year earlier.

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Former Twins players that passed away in 2024

Another trip around the Sun and it is once again time to to look back and remember former Minnesota Twins that have gotten the call to their final resting place. They may be gone from this earth but their memories remain.

Brant Alyea

Garrabrant Ryerson Alyea was born on December 8, 1940 in Passaic, New Jersey and passed away on February 4, 2024. Alyea, originally signed with the Cincinnati Reds in 1962 but made his major league debut with the Washington Senators in 1965. Alyea was traded to the Minnesota Twins on March 21, 1970 for pitchers Joe Grzenda and Charlie Walters. Yes, the same Charlie Walters that writes for the St. Paul Pioneer Press now days. Alyea, primarily a left fielder played for the Twins from 1970-1971 before being picked up in the Rule 5 draft (rules were different back then) by the Oakland A’s. Brant’s best season in pro ball was in 1970 with the Minnesota Twins. Alyea had a son, Brant Alyea Jr. that played minor league ball for Toronto, Texas and the New York Mets from 1985 to 1990. Brant Alyea played in the major leagues for all or parts of 1965, 1968-1972 appearing in 371 games for the Senators, Twins. A’s and Cardinals.

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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

Major League Debuts as Minnesota Twins – Beresford, Heintz, Bowyer, Becker, Hocking, Stahoviak, Jorgensen, Johnson, Adams, Morris, & Dotter

Lots of players that made their big league debut as a Minnesota Twin on September 10.

James Beresford

James Beresford (1B/3B/2B) – September 10, 2016 – Signed by the Minnesota Twins as an amateur free agent on August 13, 2005. Made his major league debut at Target Field as the starting third baseman hitting eighth. James was 1 for 4 with a sacrifice in 5 PA’s and helped celebrate a Twins 2-1 victory over the Indians.

Chris Heintz (C) – September 10, 2005 – Signed as a Free Agent with the Minnesota Twins on November 21, 2003. Heintz debuted as a replacement for Mike Redmond as the catcher with the Twins down 7-2 at Jacobs Field. The Twins ended up losing 7-5 and Heintz was in the on deck circle awaiting his first plate appearance when the game ended.

Travis Bowyer (P) – September 10, 2005 – Drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 20th round of the 1999 MLB June Amateur Draft. Bowyer debuted in the same game as Chris Heintz but Bowyer entered the game in relief with no outs and the bases full of Indians. Bowyer got the first batter on a sac fly and then threw a wild pitch moving the runners-up before allowing a single to score another run and his night was over at Jacobs Field in the 7-5 loss to Cleveland after 7 pitches.

Rich Becker (OF) – September 10, 1993 – Drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 3rd round of the 1990 amateur draft. Becker,  Hocking, and Stahoviak all debuted in the same game. Becker debuted in the lead-off spot while playing center field and went 2 for 5, both hits were doubles and he scored a run and struck out 3 times. Twins lost 3-2 in Arlington Stadium.

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