Bob "Death to Flying Things" Ferguson (1845)
Zane Grey (1872)
George Burns (1893)
Pinky Hargrave (1896)
Pedro Cepeda (1906)
Don Hutson (1913) Jackie Robinson (1919) Ernie Banks (1931) Hank Aguirre (1931) Nolan Ryan (1947) Fred Kendall (1949)
Ted Power (1955)
Ed Wade (1956) Francisco Oliveras (1963) Yuniesky Betancourt (1982)
Better known as an author of western novels, Zane Grey played outfield for two years in the low minors, batting .323 in 86 games. He also wrote several books about baseball.
Pedro Cepeda is the father of Orlando Cepeda and is considered by some to have been a better player; he was known as the Babe Ruth of Puerto Rico.
Don Hutson, a charter member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, played in the low minors from 1936-1937, hitting .301 in 194 games.
Ray Hayworth (1904)
Pancho Coimbre (1909) Bill Rigney (1918) Hank Edwards (1919)
Frank Gravino (1923)
Bobby Bolin (1939) Sergio Ferrer (1951) Steve Sax (1960)
Mike Aldrete (1961)
John Habyan (1964)
Jason Schmidt (1973)
Pancho Coimbre was a star in the Caribbean Leagues and the Negro leagues in the 1940s. Roberto Clemente said that Coimbre was a better player than Clemente was. Coimbre played two full seasons in the Puerto Rican League in which he did not strike out.
George Wright (1847) Ducky Holmes (1869)
Bill Doak (1891)
Lyn Lary (1906)
Bob Muncrief (1916)
Pete Runnels (1928)
Harry Dunlop (1933)
Bill White (1934)
Fredi Gonzalez (1964) Kevin Tolar (1971)
Jermaine Dye (1974)
Magglio Ordonez (1974)
Lyle Overbay (1977)
Harry Dunlop caught in the minors for fourteen years and was a coach for seventeen years. He caught the minor league no-hitter in which Ron Necciai struck out twenty-seven batters and the back-to-back minor league no-hitters of Bill Bell.
Boston agrees to terms with Craig Breslow on a two-year contract.
Philadelphia agrees to terms with Delmon Young on a one-year contract.
Pittsburgh agrees to terms with Garrett Jones on a one-year contract.
San Francisco agrees to terms with Jose Mijares on a one-year contract.
Not ex-Twins, but the Dodgers named Sandy Koufax a special adviser to the chairman and Boston named Pedro Martinez a special assistant to the general manager.
Francis Richter (1854)
Kaiser Wilhelm (1874)
Tubby Spencer (1884)
George Blaeholder (1904)
Charlie Gelbert (1906)
Bob Nieman (1927)
Ray Knoblauch (1928) Bob Uecker (1935) Mike Pazik (1950) Rick Schu (1962)
Jeff Branson (1967)
Esteban German (1978) Andres Torres (1978) Ryan Rowland-Smith (1983)
Francis Richter was the editor of two influential early baseball publications, the Sporting Life and the Reach Guide.
The father of Chuck Knoblauch, Ray Knoblauch pitched in the minors from 1948-1957, going 54-51.
We would also like to wish a very happy birthday to Daneeka's Ghost.
Danny Richardson (1863)
Les Nunamaker (1889)
Kenichi Zenimura (1900) Ernie Harwell (1918) Bill Lucas (1936)
Jake O’Donnell (1939)
Wally Bunker (1945)
Vern Ruhle (1951) Kerry Taylor (1971) Dan Serafini (1974)
Better known as an NBA referee, Jake O’Donnell was an American League umpire from 1969-1972. He is the only person to have officiated both an NBA all-star game and a major league baseball all-star game.
Kenichi Zenimura was a long-time player and manager in Japan as well as an ambassador of the game of baseball. He helped organize Babe Ruth's tour of Japan in 1934 and is known as the Father of Japanese Baseball.
Dave Brain (1879)
Pinch Thomas (1888)
Cliff Heathcote (1898)
Flint Rhem (1901)
Jean Yawkey (1909)
Johnny Dickshot (1910) Ray Kelly (1914) Jack Brickhouse (1916) Walter Haas (1916) Dick Stigman (1936) Sandy Valdespino (1939) Jumbo Ozaki (1947)
Tim Stoddard (1953)
Atlee Hammaker (1958)
Neil Allen (1958)
Rob Dibble (1964)
Scott Kazmir (1984)
Better known as a professional golfer, Jumbo Ozaki played professional baseball in Japan for three seasons, pitching for two seasons and playing outfield for one.
Ray Kelly was a Philadelphia sportswriter who covered the Athletics and Phillies for fifty years and is in the sportswriteres wing of the Hall of Fame.
Ben Shibe (1838)
Red Donahue (1873)
Bobby Burke (1907)
Randy Gumpert (1918)
Chico Carrasquel (1926) Frank Sullivan (1930) Joe Amalfitano (1934)
Don Nottebart (1936) Paul Ratliff (1944) Kurt Bevacqua (1947)
Charlie Spikes (1951)
Alan Embree (1970)
Mark Wohlers (1970) Erubiel Durazo (1974) Brandon Duckworth (1976) Juan Rincon (1979)
Ira Thomas (1881)
Amos Strunk (1889)
Art Ehlers (1897)
Prince Oana (1910)
Chris Pelekoudas (1918)
Dave Leonhard (1941)
Senichi Hoshino (1947)
Mike Caldwell (1949)
Leon Roberts (1951)
Jeff Treadway (1963) Jimmy Anderson (1976) Chone Figgins (1978)
Ubaldo Jimenez (1984)
Art Ehlers did not play in the majors, but he spent his life in baseball. He owned several minor league teams at various times and was the general manager of the Philadelphia Athletics and the Baltimore Orioles. He also was a longtime scout for the Orioles.
We also want to wish a happy birthday to Rhubarb_Runner’s daughter.
Mike Tiernan (1867)
Lew Fonseca (1899) Sam Mele (1922) Danny O'Connell (1927)
William Wrigley (1933)
Johnny Oates (1946)
Bill Stein (1947)
Mike Krukow (1952)
Dave Smith (1955) Mike Smithson (1955)
Jose Uribe (1959)
Andy Hawkins (1960)
Darryl Motley (1960)
Chris Hammond (1966)
Tom Urbani (1968)
Rusty Greer (1969) Jason Ryan (1976)
Tom Urbani was drafted by Minnesota in the twenty-ninth round in 1989, but did not sign.
