Joe Mauer

Aaron Heilman
Aaron Michael Heilman (born November 12, 1978) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. Heilman was drafted by the New York Mets out of Notre Dame in 2001. He came up through the Mets system as a starting pitcher but was converted to a relief pitcher in 2005.
Heilman was born in Logansport, Indiana and attended Logansport High School, where he was a letterman in baseball. As a senior, he was a team M.V.P. and an All-State selection. Heilman graduated from Logansport High School in 1997.
After a successful college career at the University of Notre Dame, he was selected by the New York Mets in the first round of the 2001 amateur draft with the 18th overall pick. Heilman was a management information systems and philosophy major in the Mendoza College of Business at the University of Notre Dame.
He was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 55th round of the 1997 Major League Baseball Draft and by the Minnesota Twins in the first round (31st overall) of the 2000 Major League Baseball Draft, but did not sign either for either team.

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Adrian Gonzalez
Adrian Gonzalez (born May 8, 1982) is a Mexican-American professional baseball first baseman with the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball.
Gonzalez was the first overall pick in the 2000 Major League Baseball Draft by the Florida Marlins. He was traded to the Texas Rangers, and later to the San Diego Padres, where he was an All-Star selection four times and two-time Gold Glove winner. The four-time Padres team Most Valuable Player (MVP) was traded to the Boston Red Sox before entering the final year of his contract during the 2010 offseason.
Gonzalez was born in San Diego, but played for Mexico in the 2006 and 2009 World Baseball Classic. His nicknames include Gonzo and A-Gon.
Gonzalez was projected to be a late first-round pick out of Eastlake High School in Chula Vista, California, but he advanced with his senior year performance. In June 2000, Gonzalez became the first infield position player to be drafted first overall since Alex Rodriguez in 1993. He was given a $3 million signing bonus by the Florida Marlins. While in the Marlins organization, Gonzalez played with the Gulf Coast League Marlins, Kane County Cougars, Utica Blue Sox, Portland Sea Dogs (2002), Albuquerque Isotopes (2003), and Carolina Mudcats (2003). With the A level Kane County Cougars in his 2nd professional season, Gonzalez hit .312 with 17 home runs and 103 RBI's in 127 games.

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Al Chambers
Albert Eugene Chambers (born March 24, 1961 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania) is a former Major League Baseball player from 1983 to 1985 for the Seattle Mariners. Chambers was the first pick overall in the 1979 Major League Baseball Draft out of high school by the Mariners, but proved a disappointment, as he only appeared in fifty-seven games in his career.

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Al Kaline
Albert William "Al" Kaline (

/ˈkeɪlaɪn/; born December 19, 1934 in Baltimore, Maryland) is a former Major League Baseball right fielder. He is a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Kaline played his entire 22-year baseball career with the Detroit Tigers. Immediately after retiring from playing, he became the Tigers' TV color commentator, a position he held until 2002. Kaline still works for the Tigers as a front office official. Because of his lengthy career and longtime association with the Tigers organization, Kaline's nickname is "Mr. Tiger."
For most of his career, Kaline played in the outfield, mainly as a right fielder, where he was known for his strong throwing arm. Near the end of his career, he also played as first baseman and, in his last season, was the Tigers' designated hitter.
Kaline bypassed the minor league system and joined the team directly from Baltimore's Southern High School as an 18-year-old "bonus baby" signee, receiving $35,000 ($304,030 as of 2012), to sign with the Tigers. He made his major league debut on June 25, 1953 in Philadelphia as a late-inning replacement for outfielder Jim Delsing. Kaline wore No. 25 during his rookie campaign, but asked teammate Pat Mullin for his No. 6 after the 1953 season ended. Kaline, who was also known simply as "Six" in the Tiger clubhouse, wore the number for the rest of his major league playing career.

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Al Rosen
Albert Leonard Rosen (born February 29, 1924), nicknamed "Al", "Flip", and the "Hebrew Hammer", is a former American professional baseball player who was a third baseman and right-handed slugger in the Major Leagues for ten seasons in the 1940s and 1950s.
He played his entire 10-year career (1947–1956) with the Cleveland Indians in the American League, where he drove in 100 or more runs 5 years in a row, was a 4-time All-Star, twice led the league in home runs and twice in RBIs, and was an MVP. Rosen was extremely muscular, and had tremendous power and excellent bat control.
Rosen was a .285 career hitter, with 192 home runs and 717 RBIs in 1,044 games. He was selected for the All-Star Game every year between 1952 and 1955. Rosen appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated in 1955.
Rosen was born in Spartanburg, South Carolina. He and his family moved to Miami, Florida when he was three years old. He grew up in the southwest section of Miami, which is now the heart of Little Havana. Rosen grew up without a father, and was raised by three women: his grandmother, mother and aunt.

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Al Simmons
Aloysius Harry Simmons (May 22, 1902 – May 26, 1956), born Aloisius Szymanski, was an American baseball player. He played for two decades in the major leagues as an outfielder, and had his best years as a member of Connie Mack's Philadelphia Athletics during the 1930s. Simmons was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1953.
A "bucketfoot" hitter (his nickname was "Bucketfoot Al") who strode toward third base when hitting, Simmons starred as an outfielder for the Philadelphia Athletics during their heyday in the early 1930s, then went on to play for the Chicago White Sox, Detroit Tigers, Washington Senators, Boston Braves, Cincinnati Reds, and Boston Red Sox.
Simmons hit 307 career home runs, also compiling more hits than any right-handed batter in American League history until surpassed by Al Kaline. A deadly clutch hitter and a favorite of manager Connie Mack, Simmons won batting titles in 1930 and 1931 to help the A's to consecutive pennants. He recorded a .300 batting average and 100 or more runs batted in (RBI) in his first eleven major league seasons. Simmons' accumulated 2,000 hits in 1,390 games, which remains the shortest number of games needed to attain that mark in major league history.

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Albert Pujols
José Alberto Pujols Alcántara (born January 16, 1980), better known as Albert Pujols (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈalβert puˈxols]), is a Dominican-American professional baseball first baseman for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim of Major League Baseball. Pujols is considered one of the top players in Major League Baseball, and was the most feared hitter in baseball in 2008, according to a poll of all 30 MLB managers.
During his eleven seasons as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals, Pujols won the National League Rookie of the Year award in 2001, was selected as an All-Star nine times, and won the National League Most Valuable Player Award three times. He has also twice won the National League Hank Aaron Award, and has two World Series rings from the Cardinals' 2006 and 2011 titles.
At the end of the 2011 season, he led all active players in batting average (.328),slugging percentage (.617), and OPS (1.037), and ranked 37th in number of home runs in Major League Baseball history. He was selected by ESPN.com as the greatest player of the decade from 2000–09. He stands 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) tall, weighs 230 pounds (100 kg), and bats and throws right-handed.

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Alex Avila
Alexander Thomas Avila (born January 29, 1987) is an American professional baseball catcher with the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball. He is 5' 11" tall and weighs 210 pounds. Avila was born in Hialeah, Florida.
Avila played prep baseball at Archbishop McCarthy High School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the 34th round of the 2005 Major League Baseball Draft, but chose to attend the University of Alabama where he was an All-SEC selection. Following his junior year in which he hit .343 with 17 home runs and 62 RBI, he was then drafted by the Tigers in the fifth round of the 2008 Major League Baseball Draft.
Avila also played in the Cape Cod League following his sophomore year in 2007.
On August 6, 2009, Avila made his major league debut for the Tigers against the Baltimore Orioles where he had two hits scoring a run and batting one in. He started the following night, August 7, and in his first at bat of the game he hit his first career home run off pitcher Anthony Swarzak. He finished the 2009 season playing in just 29 games, with a .279 batting average, 5 home runs, and 14 runs batted in.

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Alex Burnett
Alex James Burnett (born July 26, 1987 in Westminster, California) is a right-handed relief pitcher for the Minnesota Twins. He is six feet tall and weighs 215 lbs., and was signed in the 12th round of the 2005 Major League Baseball Draft.
In 2007, Burnett was selected to Midwest League All-Star Game while playing with the Twins' low A affiliate, the Beloit Snappers. He ended the season with a 3.02 earned run average, which was fifth best in the league.
Burnett compiled a 5 - 2 record with a 3.36 ERA over 14 appearances (12 starts) in the first half of the 2008 season—helping his team capture the Florida State League first-half West Division title. Scout.com called him one of the best right-handed pitchers in the Twins' organization.
On August 21, 2008, in only six innings, Burnett struck out a career best ten Lakeland Flying Tigers in the Miracle's 8-1 win at Joker Marchant Stadium in Lakeland. Burnett, Carlos Gutierrez and Anthony Slama combined on a new season-high 17 strikeouts on the night.

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Alex Gordon
Alex Jonathan Gordon (born February 10, 1984 in Lincoln, Nebraska) is a Major League Baseball Outfielder for the Kansas City Royals.
Alex was born into a baseball-loving family in Lincoln, NE. Anecdotes indicate that all four of the Gordon Boys, Eric, Alex, Brett and Derek were named after famous baseball players. All of the boys played baseball from a very early age.
Gordon was a two-time Gatorade Nebraska Player of the Year after hitting .483 with 25 home runs and 112 RBI at Lincoln Southeast High School in Lincoln, Nebraska, from which he graduated in 2002.
Alex was a member of the 2004 U.S. National Team which had players from 15 different colleges. He helped lead Team USA to an 18–7 overall record, seeing the majority of his playing time at first base. He hit .388 with 4 home runs, 12 RBI and 18 runs scored in 24 contests and was named the top offensive player at the World University Baseball Championship in Tainan, Taiwan after leading all players with a .524 average (11-for-21) with 2 homers, 5 RBI and 8 runs scored in 8 games.

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Alex Johnson
Alexander Johnson (born December 7, 1942, in Helena, Arkansas is a former professional baseball player. He was an outfielder and designated hitter over parts of 13 seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals, Cincinnati Reds, California Angels, Cleveland Indians, Texas Rangers, New York Yankees and Detroit Tigers. While playing for Cincinnati in 1968 and 1969, he batted over .300 both times, finishing 4th and 6th, respectively, in batting average in the National League. However, in both years, he led National League outfielders in errors. Following the 1969 season, Johnson was traded with Chico Ruiz to the California Angels for pitchers Pedro Borbon‚ Jim McGlothlin, and Vern Geishert. Johnson had his best season in 1970, winning the American League batting title by a fraction of a percentage point over Carl Yastrzemski of the Boston Red Sox, although he led league outfielders in errors and was 2nd in grounding out into double plays. He played with 4 other teams before retiring, always with a potent bat but being a liability in the field.

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Alex Rodriguez
Alexander Emmanuel "Alex" Rodriguez (born July 27, 1975) is an American professional baseball third baseman with the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball. Known popularly by his nickname A-Rod, he previously played shortstop for the Seattle Mariners and the Texas Rangers.
Rodriguez is considered one of the best all-around baseball players of all time. He is the youngest player ever to hit 500 home runs, breaking the record Jimmie Foxx set in 1939, and the youngest to hit 600, besting Babe Ruth's record by over a year. Rodriguez has fourteen 100-RBI seasons in his career, more than any other player in history. On September 24, 2010, Rodriguez hit two home runs, surpassing Sammy Sosa's mark of 609 HRs, and became the all-time leader in home runs by a player of Hispanic descent.
In December 2007, Rodriguez and the Yankees agreed to a 10-year, $275 million contract. This contract was the richest contract in baseball history (breaking his previous record of $252 million).
In February 2009, after previously denying use of performance-enhancing drugs, including during a 2007 interview with Katie Couric on 60 Minutes, Rodriguez admitted to using steroids, saying he used them from 2001 to 2003 when playing for the Texas Rangers due to what he called "an enormous amount of pressure" to perform.

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Alexi Casilla
Alexi Casilla Lora (born July 20, 1984 in San Cristobal, Dominican Republic) is a Major League Baseball infielder for the Minnesota Twins.
Casilla was signed as a free agent by the Los Angeles Angels in 2003. On December 9, 2005, the Angels traded Casilla to the Minnesota Twins for pitcher J.C. Romero. Casilla made his major league debut with the Twins in September of 2006, playing in 9 games.
In 2007, after a brief callup with the Twins, Casilla became the every-day second baseman after Luis Castillo was traded to the New York Mets. Casilla struggled, producing a .222 batting average with no home runs in 189 at-bats.
In 2008, Casilla did not make the Twins Opening Day roster and instead started for the Twins Triple-A affiliate, the Rochester Red Wings. After an injury to infielder Nick Punto, Casilla was called up in May. On May 19, 2008, Casilla hit a three-run homer, his first career MLB home run against Texas Rangers. It was also his first hit of the 2008 season. Casilla spent the rest of the 2008 season as the Twins' starting second baseman and second hitter in the lineup.

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Alonzo Spellman
Alonzo Robert Spellman (born September 27, 1971 in Mount Holly Township, New Jersey) is a former American football defensive lineman in the National Football League who played for the Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys, and the Detroit Lions. He also played in the Arena Football League for the Las Vegas Gladiators, and has participated in mixed martial arts.
While attending Rancocas Valley Regional High School in Mount Holly Township, New Jersey, Spellman starred in both football and basketball. Spellman stood 6 feet 4 inches (1.93 m) tall and weighed approximately 250 pounds (110 kg). As a senior, in football, he won USA Today All-America honors and was named the New Jersey Player of the Year.
Spellman was a three year starter and team captain at Ohio State University.
Spellman was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the first round (22nd overall) of the 1992 NFL Draft and was one of the youngest defensive lineman ever selected, at 20 years old. He started all but one game in his first five seasons in the league, recording a total of 30 sacks.

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Andre Hastings
Andre Orlando Hastings (born November 7, 1970 in Atlanta, Georgia) is a former professional American football player who was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the third round of the 1993 NFL Draft. A 6'1", 190 lb (86 kg). wide receiver from the University of Georgia, Hastings played in 8 NFL seasons from 1993 to 2000 for the Pittsburgh Steelers, New Orleans Saints, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Hastings's biggest highlight of his career came during Super Bowl XXX when he caught 10 passes for 98 yards and returned 2 punts for 18 yards for the Steelers versus the Dallas Cowboys. Hastings most recent football appearance was for the Georgia Force of the Arena Football League in 2005 where he appeared in only one game.^{[citation needed]}
Hastings was given the nickname "fumble punts" for his habit of mishandling punt returns by Steelers radio broadcasters Bill Hillgrove and Myron Cope.^{[citation needed]}

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Andruw Jones
Andruw Rudolf Jones (born April 23, 1977) is a Curaçaoan baseball outfielder in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees. Jones has been a noted defensive specialist, and won the Rawlings Gold Glove Award for outfielders every year from 1998 through 2007. Jones has appeared in the All-Star Game five times, and he won both the Hank Aaron Award and a Silver Slugger Award for outfielders in 2005. In 2002, he was the inaugural National League (NL) All-Star Final Vote winner.
Jones made his debut during the 1996 season with the Atlanta Braves. In the 1996 World Series, Jones became the youngest player ever to hit a home run in the postseason, and just the second player ever to homer in his first 2 World Series at bats. The following season, Jones batted .231 with 18 home runs and finished 5th in voting for Rookie of the Year. In 1998, Jones batted .271 with 31 home runs and in 1999, he batted .275 with 26 home runs. Jones batted .303 with 36 home runs and 104 runs batted in (RBI) in 2000 and made his first All-Star team. The following season, Jones again blasted over 30 home runs and drove in 104 runs but his average dipped to .251 while his strikeouts increased. Jones played better in 2002 and 2003 and made the All-Star team in both seasons. However, Jones struggled in 2004 and failed to hit at least 30 home runs for the first time since 1999. However, in 2005, he led the league with 51 home runs and also led the NL with 128 RBI. He finished 2nd to Albert Pujols for National League MVP. In 2006, Jones batted .262 with 41 home runs and 129 RBI. In 2007, in his last season with the Braves, Jones batted just .222 with 26 home runs and 94 RBI.

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Andy Benes
Andrew Charles Benes (born August 20, 1967 in Evansville, Indiana) is a former Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. During a 14-year career from 1989 to 2002. Benes played for four different teams: the San Diego Padres, the Seattle Mariners, the St. Louis Cardinals and the Arizona Diamondbacks. His brother Alan also pitched in the Major Leagues, and was his teammate in 1996–97 and 2000–01. He and his brother Alan attended Evansville Lutheran School and Evansville Central High School.
Benes was the first person selected in the 1988 Major League Baseball Draft after playing college baseball at the University of Evansville. Benes pitched well enough in his first year to make it to the majors and be named National League Rookie Pitcher of the Year by The Sporting News. Benes was an All-Star in 1993 after a 15–15 season with the Padres, and led the Majors in losses with 14 and in strikeouts with 189 the next season. Benes finished third in the Cy Young Award balloting in 1996 after a 18–10, 3.83 earned run average season. After the 1997 season, Benes agreed to sign a 5-Yr / 30 Million dollar contract to return to the Cardinals. Unfortunately, the contract was signed after the deadline for players to re-sign with their 1997 teams. Benes would then have to wait until May 1 to re-sign Instead, Benes became one of the first players in Diamondbacks history when he signed as a free agent prior to the 1998 season and threw out the first pitch in the history of the franchise.

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Andy Katzenmoyer
Andrew Warren Katzenmoyer (born December 2, 1977) is a former American college and professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for two seasons. He played college football for Ohio State University, and became the first Butkus Award-winning middle linebacker to play for the Buckeyes. He was selected in the first round of the 1998 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots, and he played his entire professional career for the Patriots.
Katzenmoyer was born in Kettering, Ohio. He and his family moved to Westerville, Ohio when Andy was 5. He attended Westerville South High School, and played high school football for the Westerville South Wildcats.
Katzenmoyer attended Ohio State University, where he played for the Ohio State Buckeyes football team from 1996 to 1998. In the first game of his college career, he became the first true freshman to ever start at linebacker for the Buckeyes. As a junior in 1998, he was recognized as a consensus first-team All-American, and won the Dick Butkus Award and Jack Lambert Trophy.

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Anthony Swarzak
Anthony Ray Swarzak (born September 10, 1985 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida) is a Major League Baseball starting pitcher for the Minnesota Twins. The 6'4", 225 lb. right-hander was the Twins' second-round pick in the 2004 June draft.
Swarzak was #15 on the Baseball America Top Gulf Coast League Prospects list in 2004. He was Midwest League Pitcher of the Week (from May 23–30, 2005), the Twins' Pitcher of the Month (May 2005), Midwest League All-Star, and #8 on the Baseball America Top Midwest League Prospects list in 2005. In 2006 he was Florida State League Pitcher of the Week (from August 7–14, 2006) and a FSL Post-Season All-Star (2006).
Swarzak was one of the top rated prospects in the Twins' farm system before a fifty game suspension for violation of Minor League drug policy on April 20, 2007 sidetracked his career. He tested positive for marijuana. After having started the season with the Double A New Britain Rock Cats, upon his reinstatement from the restricted list on June 11, he was reassigned to Class A Advanced Fort Myers. After three games with the Miracle, he returned to New Britain.

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Babe Ruth
George Herman Ruth, Jr. (February 6, 1895 – August 16, 1948), best known as "Babe" Ruth and nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Sultan of Swat", was an American baseball player who spent 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) playing for three teams (1914–1935). Known for his hitting brilliance, Ruth set career records for home runs (714), slugging percentage (.690), runs batted in (RBI) (2,217), and on-base plus slugging (OPS) (1.164). Ruth originally entered the major leagues with the Boston Red Sox as a starting pitcher, but after he was sold to the New York Yankees in 1919, he converted to a full time right fielder. He subsequently became one of the league's most prolific hitters and with his home run hitting prowess, he helped the Yankees win seven pennants and four World Series titles. Ruth retired in 1935 after a short stint with the Boston Braves, and the following year, he became one of the first five players to be elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
Ruth was the first player to hit 60 home runs in one season (1927), a mark first eclipsed by Roger Maris in 1961 with 61. Ruth's lifetime record of 714 home runs stood until 1974 when it was surpassed by Hank Aaron. Unlike many power hitters, Ruth also hit for a high batting average: his .342 lifetime average is the tenth highest in baseball history, and in one season (1923) he batted .393, a Yankee record. Ruth dominated the era in which he played. He led the league in home runs during a season twelve times, slugging percentage and OPS thirteen times each, runs scored eight times, and RBIs six times. Each of those totals represents a modern record.

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Barry Bonds
Barry Lamar Bonds (born July 24, 1964) is an American former Major League Baseball outfielder. Bonds played from 1986 to 2007, for the Pittsburgh Pirates and San Francisco Giants. He is the son of former major league All-Star Bobby Bonds. He debuted in the Major Leagues with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1986 and joined the San Francisco Giants in 1993, where he stayed through 2007.
Bonds' accomplishments during his baseball career place him among the greatest baseball players of all-time. He has a record-setting seven Most Valuable Player awards, including a record-setting four consecutive MVPs. He is a 14-time All-Star and 8-time Gold Glove-winner. He holds numerous Major League Baseball records, including the all-time Major League Baseball home run record with 762 and the single-season Major League record for home runs with 73 (set in 2001), and is also the all-time career leader in both walks (2,558) and intentional walks (688).
Bonds has led a controversial career, notably as a central figure in baseball's steroids scandal. In 2007, he was indicted on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice for allegedly lying to the grand jury during the government's investigation of BALCO, by testifying that he never knowingly took any illegal steroids. The trial began March 21, 2011; he was convicted on April 13, 2011 on the obstruction of justice charge.

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Ben McDonald
Larry Benard McDonald (born November 24, 1967 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher.
McDonald prepped at Denham Springs High School, which is about 10 minutes east of Baton Rouge, and was both a basketball and baseball standout.
A collegiate star at Louisiana State University in both basketball and baseball, McDonald, who stands 6'7", led the 1988 US Olympic Team to a gold medal, winning complete games against host South Korea and Puerto Rico. During his three-year college career at LSU, McDonald twice helped his team reach the College World Series. His best collegiate season came in 1989, which he finished with a 14–4 record, a 3.49 ERA, and a Southeastern Conference record 202 strikeouts. That year, he was selected as a member of the All-America team, and he won the Golden Spikes Award.
That summer, the Baltimore Orioles made McDonald the first overall selection in the June draft. He had earlier been chosen by the Atlanta Braves in the 27th round of the 1986 draft, but decided to go to college at that time instead of signing. He signed with the Orioles on August 19, and on September 6, he made his major league debut. McDonald was the second member of his draft class to reach the majors, coming up three days after his Olympic teammate John Olerud.

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Ben Revere
Ben Daniel Revere (born May 3, 1988 in Atlanta, Georgia) is an outfielder for the Minnesota Twins. He is known for his blinding speed as well as his defense.
Before the Twins made Revere their first-round pick (28th overall) in the 2007 Major League Baseball Draft, he went to Lexington Catholic High School in Lexington, KY where he led them to the state title and was named MVP his junior year (2006).
He batted .325 with the Gulf Coast League Twins in his first season of professional ball, and was named a 2007 Gulf Coast League Postseason All-Star. The following season, with the Beloit Snappers, Revere's batting average jumped to .379 with 44 stolen bases and ten triples. His list of awards for the season include a Midwest League All-Star selection, MIDW Mid-season MVP, MIDW Postseason All-Star, MIDW Player of the Year, MIDW Prospect of the Year and the Sherry Robertson Award for Twins minor league player of the year. Baseball America named him to their 2008 High Class A All-Star team, and called him the Twins' second best prospect behind Aaron Hicks.

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Bengie Molina
Benjamin José "Bengie" Molina (born July 20, 1974, in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico), nicknamed "Big Money", is a former Major League Baseball catcher.
He is the older brother of major league catchers José Molina and Yadier Molina.
Initially regarded as a "good glove, no hit" catcher with a strong arm and an exceptional ball blocker, Molina won a Gold Glove as the top defensive player at his position in consecutive seasons in 2002 and 2003. But he also developed into a very good contact hitter and free-swinging power hitter. Between 2000 and 2007, he struck out just 331 times, and in 2000 led the American League in average at-bats between strikeouts, with 14.3.
However, at 5' 11" and weighing 225 pounds, he was regarded as one of the slowest baserunners of his day.
Molina graduated from the Maestro Ladí High School with honors in Vega Alta, Puerto Rico, and played shortstop for Arizona Western College in Yuma, Arizona, in 1991 and 1992.
Molina entered the major leagues by playing two games for the Anaheim Angels in 1998, and a handful of games in 1999. He became the Angels' regular catcher in 2000 and remained so through the 2005 season. Over his last few seasons with the Angels, his backup as catcher was his brother, José Molina. Bengie Molina got his first championship ring in 2002 after the Angels beat the San Francisco Giants in the 2002 World Series.

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Bernie Williams
Bernabé Williams Figueroa Jr. (born September 13, 1968) is a former Major League Baseball outfielder and Puerto Rican musician.
Growing up, Williams played classical guitar as well as baseball. He was also active in track and field, winning medals at an international meet at the age of 15. He was one of the world's best 400-meter runners for his age.
On his 17th birthday, he signed a professional contract with the New York Yankees organization.
Playing for the Yankees' Double-A team in Albany, he continued to develop his athletic skills — particularly as a switch hitter. Although viewed as a great prospect by Yankee management, his rise to the Majors was delayed by the solid outfield that the team had developed in the early 1990s.
Williams managed to break into the majors in 1991 to replace the injured Roberto Kelly for the second half of that season. He batted .238 in 320 at bats. He was demoted to the minors until Danny Tartabull was injured, and Williams earned his stay at center by putting up solid numbers.

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Bill Almon
William Francis Almon (born November 21, 1952) is a retired American baseball player who played in the major leagues from 1974 through 1988. A utility player, he played first base, second base, shortstop, third base, outfield and designated hitter. He played for the San Diego Padres, Montreal Expos, New York Mets, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Philadelphia Phillies of the National League, and the Chicago White Sox and Oakland A's in the American League.
Almon played collegiate baseball at Brown University. He was the first overall pick in the 1974 amateur draft, by the Padres.
Almon led all major league shortstops in putouts with 303 in 1977 and led the National League in sacrifice hits with 20 that same year. Almon's best season was in the strike shortened 1981 campaign when, as the starting shortstop for the Chicago White Sox, he hit .301 with 16 stolen bases.

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Bill Freehan
William Ashley Freehan (born November 29, 1941 in Detroit) is a former professional baseball player. He played his entire Major League Baseball career as a catcher for the Detroit Tigers. An eleven-time All-Star, and winner of five consecutive Gold Glove Awards, he was regarded as the premier catcher in the American League for several years.
Freehan attended the University of Michigan, where he set an all-time Big Ten Conference batting mark of .585 in 1961 and also played football. He signed with his hometown Tigers in 1961 for a $100,000 bonus, which his father withheld until he graduated in 1966, and broke in briefly with 4 games at the end of the season before returning to the minors in 1962. In 1963 he arrived in the majors to stay, working with former catcher Rick Ferrell on his defense and splitting catching duties with Gus Triandos, who was traded following the season. The 1964 campaign gave indications of what was to come; he batted .300 to finish sixth in the American League, along with 18 home runs and 80 runs batted in. He also earned the first of ten consecutive All-Star selections, and placed seventh in the Most Valuable Player Award balloting. In 1965 he led the American League in putouts for the first of six times, and received his first of his five consecutive Gold Gloves. In 1966 he again led the league in putouts, and also led in fielding percentage for the first of four times.

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Bill Mueller
William Richard Mueller (

/ˈmɪlər/; born March 17, 1971) is a former Major League Baseball third baseman. Mueller's playing career was spent with the San Francisco Giants (1996–2000, 2002), Chicago Cubs (2001–2002), Boston Red Sox (2003–2005), and Los Angeles Dodgers (2006). He won the American League batting title in 2003, and helped the Red Sox win the 2004 World Series. He was a switch hitter and threw right-handed.
As of the 2009 season, Mueller is serving in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization as a Special Assistant to General Manager Ned Colletti.
Mueller was born in Maryland Heights, Missouri and attended De Smet Jesuit High School and Southwest Missouri State University. He was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the 15th round of the 1993 MLB Draft.
Mueller made his professional debut with the Giants low A team, the Everett Giants, in 1993 and quickly rose through the Giants farm system, with stops in San Jose, Shreveport, and Phoenix before making his major league debut with the Giants as a pinch hitter on April 18, 1996 against the Chicago Cubs. He got his first career hit the following day, also as a pinch hitter, against Terry Adams.

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Billy Goodman
William Dale Goodman (March 22, 1926 – October 1, 1984) was an infielder and left-handed batter who played Major League Baseball with the Boston Red Sox (1947–57), Baltimore Orioles (1957), Chicago White Sox (1958–61) and Houston Colt .45's (1962).
Born in Concord, North Carolina, Goodman was an extremely versatile player capable of playing almost every position. In 1950 he led the American League in batting average with a .354 mark (one of five times he hit over .300), and was runner-up behind Phil Rizzuto in voting for the MVP Award. He also hit .290 or better 11 straight years (1948–58).
In his career, Goodman batted exactly .300, with 19 home runs, 591 RBI, 807 runs, 1691 hits, 299 doubles, 44 triples, 37 stolen bases, and 669 walks for a .376 on base percentage.
A two-time All-Star, Billy Goodman died in Sarasota, Florida, at age 58. He was inducted to the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame in November 2004.

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Bob Boone
Robert Raymond Boone (born November 19, 1947) is an American former catcher and manager in Major League Baseball who was a four-time All-Star. Born in San Diego, California, Bob Boone is the son of a major league player, the late third baseman Ray Boone, and the father of two major leaguers: former second baseman Bret Boone and former utility infielder Aaron Boone. All four family members were named All-Stars during their careers.
Bob Boone was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in the sixth round of the 1969 amateur draft after attending Stanford University, where he was admitted to the Zeta Psi fraternity. He was brought to the majors in late 1972, and, while he never had excellent hitting numbers, he was a phenomenal defensive catcher, committing only eight errors and allowing only three passed balls in the 1977 season. He made the National League All-Star team three times in a Phillies uniform, and helped the team win the 1980 World Series.
In 1982, the Phillies decided to trade the veteran catcher to the California Angels, following an unproductive year from Boone, and also as a possible retaliation for Boone's key role in leading the players in negotiations during the 1981 Major League Baseball strike. But Boone rebounded by throwing out 21 of the first 34 steal attempts and helping the Angels to the AL West title, and followed in 1983 with his fourth and final All-Star appearance.

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Bob Gorinski
Robert John Gorinski (born January 7, 1952 in Latrobe, Pennsylvania) is a retired Major League Baseball outfielder and designated hitter. He played one season (1977) for the Minnesota Twins, with a .195 batting average.
Gorinski is a native of Calumet, Pennsylvania and a graduate of Mount Pleasant Area High School in 1970. Gorinski was selected by the Minnesota Twins in the 1st round (22nd pick overall) of the 1970 Major League Baseball Draft. He made his Major League Baseball debut on April 10, 1977 for the Minnesota Twins.
Gorinski began his professional career in the Gulf Coast League in 1970. That season, while playing with the Sarasota Twins, he led the league with 6 home runs. By 1972, Gorinski advanced to playing Triple-A baseball in the Carolina League with the Twins' affiliate in Lynchburg. There he led the league with 23 home runs. The following year in 1974, he led the Southern League, while with the Orlando Twins, with 23 home runs and 100 RBIs. In 1976, he led the Pacific Coast League with 28 home runs and 110 RBIs, while with the Tacoma Twins.

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Bob Horner
James Robert "Bob" Horner (born August 6, 1957) is a former Major League Baseball third baseman/first baseman and right-handed batter who played for the Atlanta Braves (1978–1986) and St. Louis Cardinals (1988). Horner was hampered by assorted injuries for most of his major league career.
Horner was born in Junction City, Kansas but grew up in Glendale, Arizona, attending Apollo High School in Glendale where he set school records. His college career at Arizona State University included the first ever Golden Spikes Award. With his 9 home runs in 1976 he is tied with Ike Davis (2006) for third all-time by a Sun Devil freshman, two behind Barry Bonds (in 1983).
A second baseman for TSN's College All-America team in 1977 and 1978, Horner set an NCAA record with 58 career home runs for Arizona State, set a 25-homer season record, and was selected the MVP of 1977 College World Series.
Horner was drafted by Atlanta as the first overall pick of the 1978 amateur draft and made his debut in the same year. He is one of a handful of players to go directly to the starting lineup in the major leagues without spending a day in the minor leagues. In his first game, he belted a home run off Bert Blyleven of the Pirates. In 89 games, Horner batted .266 with 23 home runs, 63 runs batted in in 323 at bats, with an on-base percentage of .313 and a slugging percentage of .539. His 23 home runs led all National League third basemen in 1978. He won the National League Rookie of the Year honors over Ozzie Smith.

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Bobby Shantz
Robert Clayton Shantz (born September 26, 1925 in Pottstown, Pennsylvania) was a Major League Baseball pitcher for the Philadelphia Athletics (1949–1954), Kansas City Athletics (1955–1956), New York Yankees (1957–1960), Pittsburgh Pirates (1961), Houston Colt .45's (1962), St. Louis Cardinals (1962–1964), Chicago Cubs (1964), and the Philadelphia Phillies (1964).
A left-hander, Shantz began his career as a starting pitcher, but about halfway through he converted to a competent relief pitcher. In 1951 he added the knuckleball to his repertoire.
He enjoyed his best season in 1952 when he led the American League in wins (24) and won the MVP Award. In the process, he led the A's to their last winning season in Philadelphia. The 1952 A's had some excellent players, including batting champion Ferris Fain, home run hitter Gus Zernial, and fleet center fielder Dave Philly. But the club resumed its losing ways, drew fewer and fewer fans, and moved to Kansas City after the 1954 campaign.
A highly skilled fielder, Shantz won eight consecutive Gold Glove Awards from 1957 to 1964 (American League, 1957–60; National League, 1961–64; in 1957 the award was rendered for both leagues). Shantz also was selected for the All-Star Game in 1951, 1952 and 1957. In the fifth and final inning of the 1952 All Star Game, the left–handed Shantz exhibited his distinctive sidearm delivery and sharp curve. He struck out three respected hitters in a row: Whitey Lockman, Jackie Robinson, and Stan Musial.

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Bobby Ávila
Roberto Francisco Ávila González (April 2, 1924 – October 26, 2004) to Maria Gonzalez and Jorge Avila, was a Major League Baseball second baseman and right-handed batter who played for the Cleveland Indians (1949–58), Baltimore Orioles (1959), Boston Red Sox (1959), Milwaukee Braves (1959) and Tigres del México (1960). Born in Veracruz, Veracruz, México, he had a medium frame at 5' 10" (1.77 m) and 175 lb. (80 kg). He was better known in his homeland and other Latin American countries as "Beto" and in the majors as "Bobby".
In 1954 Ávila won the American League Batting Championship, edging out Ted Williams and Minnie Miñoso with a .341 batting average, while playing almost the entire season with a broken thumb. He also registered career highs in home runs (15), runs (112) and runs batted in (67).
In that same season, the Indians faced the New York Giants in the 1954 World Series, which matched the two leagues' champion bats, Ávila and Willie Mays; it was the third time that top batters in the majors played each other in the Series. Other matchups were Honus Wagner and Ty Cobb in 1909; Al Simmons and Chick Hafey in 1931.

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Boog Powell
John Wesley Powell (born August 17, 1941 in Lakeland, Florida) is a former major league first baseman who played for the Baltimore Orioles (1961–74), Cleveland Indians (1975–76) and Los Angeles Dodgers (1977). He was with the Orioles’ World Series Champion teams in 1966 and 1970, the American League Champion teams in 1966, 1969, 1970 and 1971, and the American League East Division Champion teams in 1969, 1970, 1971, 1973 and 1974. The 4-time All-Star won the American League's Most Valuable Player award in 1970 and in 1964 posted a .606 slugging percentage to lead the American League. He batted left-handed and threw right-handed, playing first base, outfield, and designated hitter.
Powell currently owns Boog's Barbecue, which sells barbecue sandwiches and ribs in two locations: on Eutaw Street at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, and the Boardwalk in Ocean City, Maryland. Boog Powell is an avid angler, kicking off the Maryland Fishing season with the governor.^{[citation needed]}
Boog (often misheard for "Boot") Powell joined the Orioles after leading the International League in home runs at Rochester in 1961. He spent his first three seasons in Baltimore as a slow-footed third baseman and left fielder before switching to first base in 1965. At the plate he was an immediate success, hitting 25 home runs in 1963; in 1964 he led the American League in slugging percentage (.606) while blasting a career-high 39 home runs despite missing several weeks because of a broken wrist. He slumped to .248 with 17 home runs in 1965, then won the American League Comeback player of the Year honors in 1966 (.287, 34 home runs, 109 runs batted in) while being hampered by a broken finger.

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Brad Ausmus
Bradley David "Brad" Ausmus (pronounced /ˈɔːsməs/; born April 14, 1969, in New Haven, Connecticut) is a former All Star catcher in Major League Baseball, and currently a special assistant for the San Diego Padres as well as the Manager for Israel's World Baseball Classic team.
In his 18-year major league playing career with the San Diego Padres, Detroit Tigers, Houston Astros, and Los Angeles Dodgers, he was a three-time Gold Glove Award winner (2001–02, 2006). He was also an All Star in 1999. He won the 2007 Darryl Kile Award "for integrity and courage," presented annually by local chapters of the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) to players on the Astros and St. Louis Cardinals.
A five-time league-leader at catcher in fielding percentage, he has also led the league twice each in percentage caught stealing and in range factor, and once each in putouts and assists.
He finished his career in 2010 ranked third in major league history with 12,839 putouts as a catcher, trailing only Iván Rodríguez and Jason Kendall, seventh in games caught with 1,938, and 10th in both range factor/game (7.12) and fielding percentage (.994). He also ranked first all-time among all Jewish major leaguers in career games played (1,971), fifth in hits (1,579), and eighth in runs batted in (607; directly behind Mike Lieberthal).

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Brian Brohm
Brian Joseph Brohm (born September 23, 1985) is an American football quarterback. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at Louisville.
Brohm has also played for the Buffalo Bills and Las Vegas Locomotives.
While passing for 10,579 yards and 119 touchdowns during his prep career, Brohm led the Trinity Shamrocks to the 4-A state title in 2001, 2002, and 2003. He was the MVP of all three title games, the most exciting of which was a 59-56 victory over Louisville Male and 2002 Mr. Football Michael Bush. Brohm threw for 555 yards and 7 TDs in that game. Brian was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated on November 18, 2002, while he was a junior in high school. Brohm was named 2003 Kentucky Mr. Football, USA Today Offensive Player of the Year and was the Gatorade Player of the Year for 2003. Brohm was named one of the top five quarterbacks in America by Rivals.com and was selected to participate in the 2004 U.S. Army All-American Bowl game in San Antonio, Texas.

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Brian Dozier
Brian "Big Bwoi" Dozier (born May 15, 1987) is a professional baseball infielder for the Minnesota Twins.
Dozier was drafted by the Twins in the eighth round of the 2009 MLB Draft out of the University of Southern Mississippi. The Twins invited Dozier to spring training in 2012.
On May 13, 2012, Dozier hit his first career Major League home run off Ricky Romero of the Toronto Blue Jays.

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Brian Duensing
Brian Matthew Duensing (born February 22, 1983 in Marysville, Kansas) is a major league baseball starting pitcher for the Minnesota Twins.
He was born in 1983, the same year as his teammate, catcher Joe Mauer.
Duensing went to Millard South High School in Omaha, Nebraska, where he earned second-team all-state honors in both his junior and senior years. His senior year he batted .429, and went 2-2 with a 3.78 earned run average on the mound. His combined record in two seasons of American Legion ball was 16-3 with 141 strikeouts. He had a 0.74 ERA, and a .522 batting average his second season.
Duensing was a college teammate of New York Yankees pitcher Joba Chamberlain and Kansas City Royals third baseman Alex Gordon at the University of Nebraska.
In 2002 as a freshman, Duensing went 6-2 with a 4.73 ERA and 60 strikeouts (versus 25 walks) in 78 innings over 18 appearances (12 starts). He replaced Shane Komine in the starting rotation in Big 12 play while Komine was injured. He won 6 games in a row before losing to Richmond in the Super Regional. He helped the Huskers reach the 2002 College World Series throwing 11.2 consecutive scoreless innings in the NCAA Regional and Super Regional until allowing three runs in the 9th. He was an honorable-mention freshman all-American and was on the Big 12 all-freshman team.

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Brien Taylor
Brien McKeiver Taylor (born December 26, 1971) is a former pitcher in minor league baseball. Chosen by the New York Yankees first overall in the 1991 Major League Baseball (MLB) draft, an arm injury shortened his professional career. Taylor is the second amateur player to be picked first overall in the MLB draft to never reach the major leagues. The first was Steve Chilcott, in 1966.
Taylor was born in Beaufort, North Carolina, to parents Willie Ray, who worked as a mason, and Bettie, who was a crab picker at the local seafood plant. He was the second of four children, named for the lead character in the movie Brian's Song.
Taylor attended East Carteret High School. In his senior season, Taylor threw 88 innings, striking out 213 hitters while walking 28. His fastball often hit 98 and 99 mph. In 2006, Scott Boras claimed that Taylor was the best high school pitcher he had seen in his life.

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Brock Berlin
Brock Sterling Berlin (born July 4, 1981) is a former American college and professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the University of Florida and the University of Miami. Berlin was signed by the Miami Dolphins of the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2005, and was also been a member of the Dallas Cowboys, St. Louis Rams and Detroit Lions.
Berlin was born in Shreveport, Louisiana, and attended Evangel Christian Academy in Shreveport. After quarterbacking Evangel Christian to three consecutive Louisiana state high school football championships, Berlin was one of the most hyped football recruits in history. He was recognized as a Parade All-American, and won numerous personal honors, including being named Gatorade National Player of the Year and USA Today National Offensive Player of the Year.
After a long recruiting battle for his services, Berlin chose to accept an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida, where he played for coach Steve Spurrier's Florida Gators football team during the 2000 and 2001 seasons. His career as a Florida Gator never panned out, though, as he found himself stuck behind classmate Rex Grossman on the team's depth chart. Given the chance to start the 2002 Orange Bowl because Grossman was benched for violating curfew, Berlin performed adequately. He engineered two scores out of six drives in the first 24 minutes, including one touchdown pass and two interceptions. Grossman came in late in the first half and played a brilliant game, solidifying his status as the Gators' starting quarterback for the following season. Berlin played in twelve games for the Gators over two seasons, throwing for 849 yards, 12 touchdowns, and 4 interceptions while completing 64 of 106 passes (60.4%).

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Brock Huard
Brock Anthony Huard (born April 15, 1976 in Seattle, Washington) is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). Brock's brother, Damon, also played quarterback at the University of Washington and later played in the National Football League. His younger brother, Luke Huard, is currently quarterbacks coach for Illinois State University.
Huard graduated from Puyallup High School in Puyallup, Washington in 1995. Huard enjoyed a prodigious football career in high school. He was the Gatorade National Player of the Year, All-State and Class AAA State Player-of-the-Year playing under father, Puyallup Head Football Coach Mike Huard. Huard was named an High School All-American by Parade Magazine, Super Prep, Blue Chip Illustrated, ESPN and Schutt.
Huard's career numbers with the Puyallup Vikings were very impressive completing 237 of 408 passes and passing for 45 touchdowns against only 10 interceptions. Huard also lettered in basketball, averaging 18.1 points and 7.5 rebounds as senior. In addition to his athletic exploits, Huard graduated from Puyallup with a 4.0 grade point average.

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Brooks Robinson
Brooks Calbert Robinson, Jr. (born May 18, 1937) is an American former professional baseball player. He played his entire 23-year major league career for the Baltimore Orioles (1955–1977). Nicknamed "The Human Vacuum Cleaner", he is generally acclaimed as the greatest defensive third-basemen in major league history. He won 16 consecutive Gold Glove Awards during his career, tied with pitcher Jim Kaat for the second most all-time for any player at any position. Robinson was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1983.
Born in Little Rock, Arkansas to Brooks Calbert and Ethel Mae (née Donkey) Robinson. His father worked for a large bakery in Little Rock, Colonial Bakery, and then went to work for the Little Rock Fire Department (rising to the rank of captain ), while his mother at first worked for Sears Roebuck & Company, and then in the controller's office at the state capitol. His father played second base for a semi-pro team. Young Brooks Robinson, Jr., delivered the Arkansas Gazette on his bike, and also operated the beer and sold wine at Lamar Porter Field.

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Bryan Bullington
Bryan Paul Bullington (born September 30, 1980 in Indianapolis, Indiana) is a right-handed pitcher for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp of Nippon Professional Baseball. He was the first overall pick of the 2002 Major League Baseball Draft.
In 1999, during his senior year at Madison Consolidated High School, he was 15-0, and pitched a 1 hit game to win the 1999 Indiana High School Athletic Association Baseball State Finals.
Bullington attended Ball State University. In 2002 for the Ball State Cardinals, he was 11-3 with a 2.86 ERA, and in 104 innings walked 18 while striking out 139. His 139 strikeouts was a new record for most strikeouts in a single season (standard college season).
Bullington was the first overall pick in the 2002 draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was the first player from the Mid-American Conference to be selected with the first pick in a major sport's draft. He was selected because the Pirates felt they had a better chance of signing him over other players in the draft such as Jon Lester, B. J. Upton, Prince Fielder, Scott Kazmir, Nick Swisher, and Cole Hamels.

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Bryan Oelkers
Bryan Alois Oelkers (born March 11, 1961 in Zaragoza, Spain) is a former a Major League Baseball pitcher. He attended college at Wichita State. He batted and threw left-handed. Oelkers played two years in the majors — 1983 with the Minnesota Twins and 1986 with the Cleveland Indians. In 45 career games, he had a 3–8 record. In 103.1 innings, he allowed 126 hits with an ERA of 6.01.
He is the first of four Major Leaguers from Spain in history, along with Al Cabrera, Al Pardo, and Danny Rios.

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Bryce Harper
Bryce Aron Max Harper (born October 16, 1992) is an American professional baseball outfielder with the Washington Nationals of Major League Baseball. Harper was selected by the Nationals with the first overall pick in the 2010 Major League Baseball Draft. He stands at 6 feet 3 inches and weighs 225 lbs.
Harper won the 2010 Golden Spikes Award, awarded annually to the best amateur baseball player. Going into the 2012 season, baseball prospect-watchers, including Baseball America, MLB.com, and Baseball Prospectus routinely ranked Harper as a top #3 prospect. He made his MLB debut with the Nationals on April 28, 2012.
Harper earned his General Educational Development after his sophomore year at Las Vegas High School in December 2009, making him eligible for the June 2010 amateur draft in order to begin his professional baseball career earlier. For the 2010 college season, 17-year-old Harper enrolled at the College of Southern Nevada of the Scenic West Athletic Conference (SWAC) in National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA). An advantage for Harper in his eventual transition to his professional career was that the SWAC, like MLB, uses wooden bats in conference play. In 66 games, he hit 31 home runs, 98 RBI, hitting .443/.526/.987 (AVG/OBP/SLG). His 31 home runs shattered the school's previous record of 12. He was named the 2010 SWAC Player of the Year. The next day, in a doubleheader, he went 2-for-5 with a three-run double in the first game, and in the second game went 6-for-6 with 4 home runs, a triple, and a double.

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Bubbles Hargrave
Eugene Franklin "Bubbles" Hargrave (July 15, 1892 – February 23, 1969) was an American catcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, and New York Yankees. He won the National League batting title in 1926 while playing for Cincinnati. Bubbles' younger brother, Pinky Hargrave, was also a major league catcher.
Hargrave was born in New Haven, Indiana. He started his professional baseball career in 1911 in the Central League and made his major league debut in 1913 with the Chicago Cubs. He was their backup catcher until 1915. From 1916 to 1920, he played mostly in the American Association. In 1920, he had a big season with the St. Paul Saints, batting .335 with 22 home runs and finishing second in the league batting race. St. Paul won the pennant.
Hargrave was then acquired by the Cincinnati Reds. He was their starting catcher for most of the 1920s and consistently put up good hitting numbers. In 1926, he won the National League batting title with a .353 average. The rules at the time required batting champions to play in at least 100 games, and Hargrave pinch hit several times to get to 105. He was the first catcher to lead the NL in batting average. In 1927, he led the league's catchers in fielding percentage.

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Buddy Myer
Charles Solomon "Buddy" Myer (March 16, 1904 – October 31, 1974) was an American second baseman in Major League Baseball from 1925 to 1941.
An excellent hitter, he batted .300 or better in eight full seasons, and retired with a career average of .303. He walked more than twice as many times as he struck out. Apart from a brief period with the Boston Red Sox in 1927–28, he spent his entire career with the Washington Senators.
Myer was born in Ellisville, Mississippi to a Jewish family.^{[citation needed]}
Myer decided to go to college at Mississippi A&M (now Mississippi State University). In 1923, he attracted many baseball scouts to watch him play. That same year, the Washington Senators offered him a contract. Buddy accepted the contract with the one condition, that he finish his college education. Myer graduated from Mississippi A&M in 1925.
He was discovered by baseball promoter, Joe Engel, who managed the Chattanooga Lookouts at Engel Stadium.
He broke in with the Senators in 1925 at the age of 21. In 1926 he batted .304. In May 1927 he was traded by the Senators to the Red Sox for Topper Rigney.

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Carl Pavano
Carl Anthony Pavano (born January 8, 1976) is an American Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher currently with the Minnesota Twins.
Pavano was selected by the Boston Red Sox in the 13th round of the 1994 amateur draft. He graduated from Southington High School located in Southington, Connecticut where his retired jersey still hangs. In 1996, with the A level Michigan Battle Cats, he was 6-6 with a 3.44 ERA in 22 starts. This earned him a number of honors including Baseball America first team Minor League All-Star, Double-A All-Star, Eastern League All-Star & Pitcher of the Year and Red Sox minor league player of the year. In 1997, with the AA Trenton Thunder, he was 16-5 with a 2.63 ERA in 26 stats and was selected as a Triple-A All-Star.
In November 1997, he was sent to Montreal, along with pitcher Tony Armas, Jr., in a trade that brought Pedro Martínez to Boston. Pavano made his Major League debut on May 23, 1998 by starting and pitching seven strong innings against the Philadelphia Phillies. He allowed one run and struck out six while allowing no walks. He recorded his first win on June 2, 1998 when he pitched 7.1 innings, also against the Phillies. Pavano is well-known for giving up Mark McGwire's 70th home run in the 1998 season. He pitched four and one-half seasons for the Expos, making 78 starts and had a record of 24-35 and an ERA of 4.83.

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Carl Yastrzemski
Carl Michael Yastrzemski (

/jəˈstrɛmski/; nicknamed "Yaz"; born August 22, 1939) is a former American Major League Baseball left fielder and first baseman. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1989. Yastrzemski played his entire 23-year baseball career with the Boston Red Sox (1961–1983). He was primarily a left fielder, with part of his later career played at first base and as a designated hitter. Yastrzemski is an 18-time All-Star, the possessor of seven Gold Gloves, a member of the 3000 hit club, and the first American League player in that club to also accumulate over 400 home runs. He is second on the all-time list for games played, and third for total at-bats. He is the Red Sox' all-time leader in career RBIs, runs, hits, singles, doubles, total bases, and games played, and is second on the team's list for home runs behind another Red Sox great, Ted Williams, his predecessor in left field. In 1967, Yastrzemski achieved a peak in his career, leading the Red Sox to the American League pennant for the first time in over two decades, in that season being voted the American League MVP, and being the most recent winner of the triple crown for batters in the major leagues.

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Carlton Fisk
Carlton Ernest Fisk (born December 26, 1947), nicknamed "Pudge" or "The Commander", is a retired Major League Baseball catcher. During a 24-year baseball career, he played for both the Boston Red Sox (1969, 1971–1980) and Chicago White Sox (1981–1993).
Fisk was known by the nickname "Pudge" due to his 6'2", 220 lb frame. He was the first player to be unanimously voted American League Rookie of the Year (1972). Fisk is best known for "waving fair" his game-winning home run in the 12th inning of Game 6 of the 1975 World Series. At the time of his retirement in 1993, he held the record for most home runs all-time by a catcher with 351 (since passed by Mike Piazza). Fisk held the record for most games played at the position of catcher (2,226) until June 17, 2009 when he was surpassed by another "Pudge," Iván Rodríguez. Fisk still holds the American League record for most years served behind the plate (24). Fisk was voted to the All-Star team 11 times and won 3 Silver Slugger Awards which is awarded annually to the best offensive player at each position. Fisk was known as a fierce competitor, a superb handler of pitchers and a natural on-field leader. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2000.

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Carney Lansford
Carney Ray Lansford (born February 7, 1957 in San Jose, California) is a former third baseman in Major League Baseball and the current hitting coach of the Colorado Rockies. Lansford, who played for the California Angels (1978–80), Boston Red Sox (1981–82) and Oakland Athletics (1983–92), batted and threw right-handed.
Originally drafted by the California Angels in the 3rd round of the 1975 Major League Baseball Draft, Lansford became the Angels' best rookie in 1978 and finished third in the overall AL Rookie of the Year vote. The Angels dealt Lansford to the Red Sox after the 1980 season. In 1981, he won the American League batting title in the strike-shortened season, becoming the league's first right-handed hitter to do so in 11 years. However, the emergence of Wade Boggs resulted in the Red Sox sending Lansford to Oakland^{[citation needed]} in a trade involving Tony Armas during the 1982 off-season. Lansford became the A's third baseman for their 1988 through 1992 dynasty, typically hitting second behind Rickey Henderson. Lansford narrowly missed winning his second batting title in 1989 with a .336 average to Minnesota's Kirby Puckett, who finished with a .339 average. Although his power numbers dropped off during those years, and he missed almost all the 1991 season, Lansford's speed and solid hitting made him a significant contributor. He played in three World Series with the A's, losing in 1988, 1990 and winning in 1989.

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Charlie Gehringer
Charles Leonard Gehringer (May 11, 1903 – January 21, 1993), nicknamed “The Mechanical Man,” was a German-American Major League Baseball second baseman who played 19 seasons (1924–42) for the Detroit Tigers. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1949.
Widely regarded as one of the greatest second basemen of all time, during his career Gehringer, who batted left-handed and threw with his right, compiled a .320 batting average and had seven seasons with more than 200 hits – a hit total never reached in a season by Ted Williams or Mickey Mantle and reached only once by Willie Mays. He was the American League batting champion in 1937 with a .371 average and was also named the American League’s Most Valuable Player. He was among the Top 10 vote recipients in the Most Valuable Player voting for seven straight years from 1932 to 1938. He was the starting second baseman and played every inning of the first six All Star Games.
Gehringer's career totals of 2,839 hits and 574 doubles both rank 19th in Major League history. Gehringer also led the Tigers to three American League pennants (1934, 1935, and 1940) and one World Series Championship (1935). Gehringer hit .379 in the 1934 World Series, and .375 in the 1935 Series.

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Chipper Jones
Larry Wayne "Chipper" Jones, Jr. (born April 24, 1972) is an American professional baseball third baseman with the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball. Although initially a shortstop, he has spent most of his career as the starting third baseman for the Braves. In 2002 and 2003, Jones primarily played left field, before returning to third base in 2004.
Jones debuted in 1993, and has played his entire career with the Atlanta Braves. Chipper won the 1999 National League Most Valuable Player Award, as well as the 1999 and 2000 National League Silver Slugger Award for third basemen. He currently holds the Braves team record for career on base percentage (.406), and on July 5, 2007, he passed Dale Murphy for third place on the Braves all-time career home run list.
In his career, through the 2011 season, Jones is a .304 hitter with 454 home runs, 1,455 walks, and 1,561 RBI in 2,387 games. He is behind only Eddie Murray on the all-time switch hitters career RBI list. He is considered one of the game's best all-around hitters, and one of the best switch hitters in the history of the game. He is the only switch hitter in Major League Baseball history to have a .300+ career (.304 at the end of the 2011 season) batting average and 400 or more home runs.

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Chris Leak
Christopher Patrick Leak (born May 3, 1985) is an American professional football player who is a quarterback for the Orlando Predators of the Arena Football League (AFL). He played college football for the University of Florida, and led the Florida Gators to victory in the 2007 BCS National Championship Game. Leak has also played professionally for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL), the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL), and the Jacksonville Sharks of the AFL.
Leak was born in Charlotte, North Carolina in 1985. He attended Independence High School in Charlotte, where he played for the Independence Patriots high school football team. In three years as the Patriots' starting quarterback, Leak led his team to three consecutive North Carolina 4-A state championships and losing only once as a starter under head coach Tommy Knotts. He set North Carolina state records for passing yards in a career (15,593) and completions in a career (1,013), as well as the national record for touchdown passes in a career (185). He was recognized as a Parade magazine All-American as well as Parade's Player of the Year in 2003. The Scout.com recruiting service ranked Leak as a five-star prospect and the third-best quarterback in the 2003 recruiting class.

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Chris Parmelee
Christopher Matthew Parmelee (born February 24, 1988) is a Major League Baseball first baseman/outfielder for the Minnesota Twins. He stands 6'1" and weighs 230 lbs., and bats and throws left handed.
The Twins selected Parmelee with their first round (20th overall) pick in the 2006 Major League Baseball Draft after he hit .407 with 11 home runs and 26 runs batted in as a senior at Chino Hills High School in Chino Hills, California. As soon as the Twins signed Parmelee, he instantly became one of the organizations top power hitting prospects and they are projecting him to be a potential impact player in the middle of their lineup within the next few years.
Parmelee began the 2009 season assigned to the Twins' advanced A affiliate, the Fort Myers Miracle-- with whom he batted .244 with five home runs and 28 RBIs in the first half of the season. He joined teammates David Bromberg, Carlos Gutierrez, Steven Hirschfeld, Spencer Steedley, Daniel Lehmann, Chris Cates, Steve Singleton and Ben Revere as All-stars for the Florida State League's Southern division, and won the home run derby held before the game.

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Chris Simms
Christopher David Simms (born August 29, 1980) is a former American football quarterback and current coaching assistant with the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the third round of in the 2003 NFL Draft. He played college football at Texas.
Simms has also played for the Denver Broncos and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He is the son of former New York Giants quarterback and Super Bowl XXI MVP Phil Simms and the older brother of current New York Jets quarterback Matt Simms.
Simms grew up in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey and attended Ramapo High School there, where he was a standout in both football and basketball. In football, he was a two-time All-State honoree, and was named the 1998 USA Today National Offensive Player of the Year. Simms graduated from Ramapo High School in 1999. After committing to the University of Tennessee during his senior year, Simms decommitted and enrolled at the University of Texas instead.
Simms played college football at the University of Texas at Austin. In a controversial decision, Simms was named starter over Major Applewhite in 2001, before Applewhite's senior season. After turning the ball over four times in the 2001 Big Twelve Championship Game, Simms gave way to fan favorite Applewhite, who nearly led Texas to a victory against Colorado (Texas lost 37-39). Applewhite later passed for a then school record 473 yards as the starter in the Holiday bowl. Simms played with Cedric Benson and Roy Williams his last three years of his college career.

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Chris Spielman
Charles Christopher Spielman (born October 11, 1965) is a former American football player and is currently an analyst for ESPN's coverage of college football games.
Spielman graduated from Washington High School in Massillon, Ohio, where he was awarded the Dial Award for the national high-school scholar-athlete of the year in 1983. He is a 1988 graduate of The Ohio State University with a degree in recreation education. He was a two-time All-American, intercepted 11 passes, and won the Lombardi Award as the best college football lineman or linebacker. Spielman was drafted 29th in the 1988 NFL Draft, by the Detroit Lions.
Spielman played eight seasons with the Lions (1988–95), and was a defensive stalwart during the team’s run to four playoff appearances, two NFC Central titles, and a berth in the 1992 NFC Championship Game.
He captained the Lions defense that was one of the best statistically in the NFL in the mid-1990s. Spielman is Detroit’s all-time leader in career tackles with 1,138 (since the team began recording tackles statistically in 1973.)

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Chuck Knoblauch
Edward Charles "Chuck" Knoblauch (

/ˈnɒblɔːk/; born July 7, 1968) is a retired Major League Baseball player. He played all or part of twelve seasons in the majors, from 1991 until 2002, for the Minnesota Twins (1991–97), New York Yankees (1998–2001) and Kansas City Royals (2002). He played mostly as a second baseman before moving to left field for his last two seasons.
Knoblauch was drafted in the 1st round of the 1986 amateur draft by the Philadelphia Phillies, but did not sign. He went on to play college baseball for Texas A&M University in College Station where he was a second team All-American. He played on the 1989 team that finished the season with 58 wins, the highest total in school history.
Knoblauch won the American League Rookie of the Year award and a World Series ring as a member of the 1991 Minnesota Twins. In Game 7 of the World Series, Knoblauch attempted to deceive Lonnie Smith by appearing to start a double play on a Terry Pendleton double (causing Smith to get only to 3rd base when he might have scored for the Atlanta Braves). Smith claimed that he lost track of the ball, and that Knoblauch's decoy with shortstop Greg Gagne had little to do with his base-running.

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Curtis Bray
Curtis Bray (born May 9, 1970) is the current defensive line coach for the Iowa State Cyclones football team. He has previously been a coach for Duquesne University, Western Kentucky University, Villanova University, the University of Pittsburgh and Temple University.
Bray attended Gateway High School in Monroeville, Pennsylvaniawhere he was a star athlete in football, basketball, and track. Bray followed in the foot steps of his father and uncles who played professionally with teams including the Cleveland Browns, Washington Redskins, Toronto Argonauts, and the N.Y. Giants. He was a starter in football from his freshman year of high school and contributed to record 33 victories of the 1984-1986 season teams. Further Bray led the Gators basketball team to the WPIAL playoffs in three seasons and won the state championship for javelin in his senior year. Bray was an academic All-American and received the Monroeville Citizen of the Year award. In 1987 he became the first defensive player to win the Gatorade National High School Football Player of the Year Award.

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Dale Alexander
David Dale Alexander (April 26, 1903 – March 2, 1979), nicknamed "Moose," was a Major League Baseball player for the Detroit Tigers (1929–1932) and Boston Red Sox (1932–1933). Dale "Moose" Alexander was a big 6 foot, 3 inch, 210 first baseman. He won the American League batting crown in 1932 and was one of the best hitters in baseball between 1929 and 1932, but a leg injury shortened his Major League career.
Born in Greeneville, Tennessee, Alexander first played professional baseball with his hometown team. Alexander hit .300 or better in five straight minor league seasons. In 1928, playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Alexander won the International League triple crown with a .380 batting average, 31 home runs, and 144 runs batted in.
In 1929, Alexander won the first baseman job with the Detroit Tigers. In his rookie season Alexander hit .343, scored 110 runs, led the American League with 215 hits, and was among the league leaders with 83 extra base hits (second in AL), 363 total bases (second in AL), 137 RBIs (third in AL), 25 home runs (fifth in the AL), a .580 slugging percentage (fifth in the AL), 43 doubles (fifth in AL), and 15 triples (fourth in AL).

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Dan Serafini
Daniel Joseph Serafini (born January 25, 1974, in San Francisco, California) is a left-handed Major League Baseball relief pitcher who is currently a free agent and coach/owner of Throw Like a Pro Baseball Academy.
Serafini was a first round draft pick in the 1992 Major League Baseball Draft when the Minnesota Twins selected him as the 26th overall pick. He was drafted right out of Serra High School.
He began his professional career after signing with the Twins when he played for the rookie league team, the GCL Twins. He played in 8 games in 1992 and posted a 1-0 record with a 3.64 ERA. In 1993, he played for the Fort Wayne Wizards, the Twins Single-A team. He made 27 starts and posted a 10-8 record with a 3.65 ERA. He played for the Fort Myers Miracle, the Twins High-A team, in 1994. He made 23 starts and had a 9-9 record with a 4.61 ERA. While with the Double-A New Britain Rock Cats in 1995, he was an All-Star in the Eastern League. Overall while with the Rock Cats, he went 12-9 with a 3.37 ERA. He also made one relief appearance for the Salt Lake Buzz, the Twins Triple-A affiliate, in 1995.

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Danny Goodwin
Danny Kay Goodwin (born September 2, 1953 in St. Louis, Missouri) was a Major League Baseball player from 1975 to 1982 for the California Angels, Minnesota Twins, and Oakland Athletics. Goodwin, who played a majority of his games as a designated hitter, is the only player to be the first overall pick in the Major League draft in two separate years. He was initially drafted first overall in 1971 by the Chicago White Sox, but chose to attend Southern University and A & M where Lou Brock had previously attended, as would future Brewer 2B Rickie Weeks. Four years later, he was selected by the California Angels. He appeared in 252 games for three teams over the next seven years. He appeared in 61 games at first base and 2 in the outfield, all for the Minnesota Twins, with all his other appearances as a designated hitter.
He played for the Nankai Hawks in Japanese Professional League in 1986.
In 2011, Goodwin became the first player from a Historically Black University to be inducted into the National College Baseball Hall of Fame. Goodwin enjoys that honor along side the late legendary baseball Coach and President of Grambling College - "Dr. Ralph Waldo Emerson Jones."

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Danny Valencia
Daniel Paul Valencia (born September 19, 1984, in Miami, Florida) is a third baseman for the Minnesota Twins.
In high school, he was all-county three times and all-state twice. In college, he was Southern Conference Freshman of the Year, second-team all-conference, and on his all-regional team. He was drafted while he was a junior at the University of Miami by the Twins in the 19th round of the 2006 Major League Baseball Draft, the 576th player overall.
In the minors, Valencia was an All-Star in the Appalachian League (2006), the Midwest League (2007), and the Florida State League (2008). He entered the 2010 season ranked as the sixth-best prospect of the Twins by Baseball America.
Valencia made his major league debut with the Twins in June 2010. He was named the third baseman on Baseball America's 2010 All-Rookie Team, and on the 2010 Topps Major League Rookie All-Star Team. In 2011, he led the Twins in RBIs, and led all major league third basemen in assists.
Valencia was born in Miami, Florida, to Michael and Mindy Valencia. He grew up in Boca Raton, Florida. He is Jewish, and says "People are shocked at first that I’m Jewish. I get teased in the clubhouse about being Jewish, but we all get teased about something. Going to Hebrew school and being a bar mitzvah … made my mom really happy. I wished I had been out playing baseball, but looking back at it now, I’m happy I did it.” His mother is also Jewish. His father is Cuban. Valencia has a sister, Laura.

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Darin Erstad
Darin Charles Erstad (pronounced /ˈdærən ˈɜrstæt/; born June 4, 1974 in Jamestown, North Dakota) is the head coach of the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers baseball team and a former Major League Baseball outfielder/first baseman. Prior to 2007, he had played with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim franchise (1996-2006) before signing with the Chicago White Sox in 2007. He batted and threw left-handed.
Erstad graduated in 1992 from Jamestown High School in Jamestown, North Dakota. He was a kicker and punter on the school football team, logging a school-record 50-yard field goal. Erstad also played hockey (36 goals and 24 assists in 26 games) and participated in track and field (winning state titles in 110 and 300-meter hurdles).
Erstad played American Legion baseball (Jamestown had no high school baseball team) and hit .492 with 18 home runs and 86 RBI for Jamestown in 1992. He was also 10-2 with a 2.18 ERA as a pitcher, and was named AP North Dakota Athlete of the Year in 1992.
Erstad attended the University of Nebraska, playing baseball there for three years and held the school record for career hits with 261. In his final year there, Erstad hit .410 with 19 home runs and 79 RBIs, earning First-Team All-American status and was a finalist for the 1995 Golden Spikes Award.

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Darin Mastroianni
Darin Paul Mastroianni (born August 26, 1985) is an American professional baseball outfielder for the Minnesota Twins of Major League Baseball.
Prior to playing professionally, Mastroianni was born in Mount Kisco, New York and attended Fox Lane High School in Bedford, New York and then Winthrop University and University of Southern Indiana. He was drafted by the Blue Jays in the 16th round of the 2007 amateur draft.
He played for the Auburn Doubledays in 2007, hitting .287 with three home runs, 26 RBI and 20 stolen bases in 68 games. In 2008, he hit .228 with three home runs, 25 RBI and 30 stolen bases for the Lansing Lugnuts. He split 2009 between the Dunedin Blue Jays and New Hampshire Fisher Cats, hitting a combined .297 with 70 stolen bases in 131 games. He played for the Fisher Cats again in 2010, hitting .301 with 46 stolen bases.
Mastroianni was called up to replace the newly acquired Kelly Johnson, who had to return to Arizona because he forgot his passport. He debuted for the Blue Jays on August 24, 2011, in center field. Mastroianni finished his debut 0-for-2 with a strikeout. He was designated for assignment before the 2012 season began.

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Darryl Strawberry
Darryl Eugene Strawberry (born March 12, 1962) is a former American Major League Baseball outfielder. Strawberry was well known for his play on the field and for his controversial behavior off it. Throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, Strawberry was one of the most feared sluggers in the game, known for his prodigious home runs and his intimidating presence in the batter's box with his 6-foot-6 frame and his long, looping swing that elicited comparisons to Ted Williams.
During his 17-year career, he helped lead the New York Mets to a World Series championship in 1986 and the New York Yankees to three World Series championships in 1996, 1998 and 1999. A popular player during his career, Strawberry was voted to the All-Star Game eight straight times from 1984–1991. Strawberry was formerly an analyst for SportsNet New York. His memoir, "Straw: Finding My Way," written in collaboration with author John Strausbaugh, was published on April 28, 2009 by Ecco, an imprint of HarperCollins publishers.

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David Clyde
David Eugene Clyde (born April 22, 1955 in Kansas City, Kansas) is a former left-handed Major League Baseball pitcher who played all or part of five seasons for the Texas Rangers (1973 to 1975) and Cleveland Indians (1978 to 1979). His once promising baseball career ended at age 26 because of arm injuries.
Clyde had a stellar high school baseball career at Westchester High School in Houston where he finished with a record of 18-0 as a senior and only three earned runs in 148 innings pitched. He was the first person selected in the 1973 MLB Draft. He received a $125,000 ($654,423 today) signing bonus, the highest bonus ever given to a draft pick at the time.
Rangers owner Bob Short was looking for some sort of spark to boost attendance. In their first year after moving from Washington, D.C., the Rangers had the second-smallest gate in the American League, ahead of only the Cleveland Indians. Clyde agreed to sign a contract, but wanted to make two starts in Arlington before heading to the minors. Clyde won his first ever Major League start, before 37,000 fans—the first sellout in Arlington Stadium history. He pitched well in his next start as well, and the Rangers dropped all plans to send him to the minors. The youngest player to play in a major league game in 1973, Clyde pitched a total of eighteen games (all starts) that season, finishing with a record of 4-8, with a 5.01 ERA.

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David McCarty
David Andrew McCarty (born November 23, 1969) is a former first baseman and outfielder in Major League Baseball. From 1993 through 2005, McCarty played with the Minnesota Twins (1993–1995), San Francisco Giants (1995–1996), Seattle Mariners (1998), Kansas City Royals (2000–2002), Tampa Bay Devil Rays (2002), Oakland Athletics (2003) and Boston Red Sox (2003–2005). He batted right-handed and threw left-handed.
McCarty was drafted by the Twins in the 1st round (3rd overall) of the 1991 Major League Baseball Draft. In an eleven-season career, he was a .242 hitter with 36 home runs and 175 RBI in 630 games.
A utility player in the purest sense, McCarty was a defensive first baseman and outfielder who occasionally was called upon to pitch. His most productive season came in 2000 for the Royals, when he posted career-highs in batting average (.278), home runs (12), RBI (68), runs (34), hits (75), doubles (14) and games played (103).
McCarty, who was released by the Boston Red Sox in May 2005, refused a minor league assignment. He retired and was a Red Sox analyst on NESN from July 1, 2005 until the end of the 2008 season.

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David Ortiz
David Américo Ortiz Arias (born November 18, 1975), nicknamed "Big Papi", is a Dominican-American professional baseball player with the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball. Previously, Ortiz played with the Minnesota Twins from 1997 until 2002. Ortiz is a seven-time All-Star and holds the Red Sox single season record for home runs in a regular season with 54, set during the 2006 season. In 2005, Red Sox ownership presented him with a plaque proclaiming Ortiz "the greatest clutch-hitter in the history of the Boston Red Sox".
Ortiz graduated from Estudia Espallat High School in the Dominican Republic and in 1992 he was signed by the Seattle Mariners who listed him as "David Arias". He played for the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, a Mariners farm team, until 1996, when he was traded to the Minnesota Twins as the player to be named later in an earlier trade for Dave Hollins. When he arrived in Minnesota, he informed the team that he preferred to be listed as "David Ortiz."
He made his Twins debut in September 1997. For a few years, he was moved back and forth between the Twins and their minor league affiliate in Connecticut, the New Britain Rock Cats. The Twins advanced to the American League Championship Series that year, where they lost to the Anaheim Angels. Despite showing flashes of talent, Ortiz's time with the Twins will be remembered as a series of injuries and inconsistency both in the field and at the plate. Ortiz suffered wrist injuries in both 1998 and 2001. He continued to experience knee problems in early 2002 that plagued him throughout the season, despite hitting 32 doubles, 20 home runs and 75 RBIs in 125 games. He was released by the Twins after the season. In six seasons with the Twins, Ortiz hit 58 home runs and 238 RBI.

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Delmon Young
Delmon Damarcus Young (born September 14, 1985) is an American professional baseball outfielder with the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball's American League. He is the younger brother of former major league outfielder and first baseman Dmitri Young. He was born in Montgomery, Alabama.
Young is known for having a strong and accurate throwing arm.Don Zimmer, now a consultant with the Rays, has compared Young's arm to that of Jesse Barfield or Raúl Mondesí. In terms of hitting ability, at 6'3", 205 pounds, he presents an intimidating and strong plate presence, and his potential has often been compared to that of Albert Belle.
Young graduated from Adolfo Camarillo High School in 2003, located in Camarillo, California, whereupon he was drafted first overall in the 2003 Major League Baseball Draft.
In 2005, Young hit .336 with 20 home runs, 71 RBI and an OPS of .968 in 2005, in 84 games with the Double-A Montgomery Biscuits, winning the Southern League Most Valuable Player despite playing barely more than half the season. Young was promoted to the Triple-A Durham Bulls on July 15, 2005, where he batted .285 with six home runs and 28 RBIs in 52 games. After the season was over, he was named Baseball America's Minor League Player of the Year and its number one overall prospect for the 2006 season. Young finished his minor league career with a .318 batting average.

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Denard Span
Keiunta Denard Span (born February 27, 1984 in Tampa, Florida) is an American Major League Baseball outfielder for the Minnesota Twins. He was selected by the Twins with the 20th overall pick in the 2002 Major League Baseball Draft from Tampa Catholic High School. Span turned down just over $2 million from Colorado in an offer for a predraft deal; he fell all the way to the 20th pick and cost himself around $800,000. He bats and throws left-handed and is known as one of the premier lead-off hitters in the AL due to his exceptional on-base percentage.
After being drafted by the Twins in 2002, Span signed with the Twins on August 15, 2002. He started his minor league at Elizabethon, Twins rookie affiliate in 2003. In 2004, he played for the Twins of the Gulf Coast League, only appearing in 5 games and for the Swing of the Quad Cities, now called the Quad Cities River Bandits of the Midwest League. In 2005, he started with Fort Myers Miracle, Twins Advanced A affiliate then was called up to the New Britain Rock Cats, the Twins Double-A affiliate. He spent the 2006 season as a member of the Rock Cats, and 2007 with the Triple-A Rochester Red Wings.

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Dennis Eckersley
Dennis Lee Eckersley (born October 3, 1954), nicknamed "Eck", is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher. Eckersley had success as a starter, but gained his greatest fame as a closer, becoming the first of only two pitchers in Major League history to have both a 20-win season and a 50-save season in a career (the other being John Smoltz).
He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2004, his first year of eligibility. He is also noted as the pitcher who gave up a dramatic, walk-off home run (a phrase Eckersley coined after this home run) to the injured Kirk Gibson in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series.
Eckersley was drafted by the Cleveland Indians out of Washington High School of Fremont, California, in the third round of the 1972 amateur draft, and made his Major League debut on April 12, 1975. He was the American League Rookie Pitcher of the Year in 1975, compiling a 13–7 record and 2.60 ERA. His unstyled, long hair, moustache, and live fastball made him an instant and identifiable fan favorite. Eckersley pitched reliably over three seasons with the Indians; he even threw the 200th no-hitter in history on May 30, 1977, against the California Angels.

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Denny McLain
Dennis Dale "Denny" McLain (born March 29, 1944) is an American former professional baseball player. He played as a pitcher in Major League Baseball for ten seasons, most notably for the Detroit Tigers. In 1968, McLain became the last pitcher in Major League Baseball to win 30 or more games during a season (31–6)— a feat accomplished by only thirteen players in the 20th century.
McLain was brash and outspoken, sometimes creating controversy by criticizing teammates and fans with little provocation. His stellar performance at the beginning of his professional baseball career was a marked contrast to his personal life, where he became associated with organized crime and was eventually convicted on charges of embezzlement and served time in prison.
McLain was born in Markham, Illinois and attended Mt. Carmel High School in Chicago, where he played on the baseball team as a shortstop and pitcher. As a teenager, he met his future wife, Sharyn Boudreau, the daughter of former major league player, Lou Boudreau. McLain was also musically talented, learning to play the organ from his father.

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Deolis Guerra
Deolis Alexander Guerra (born April 17, 1989) is a minor league right-handed pitcher in the Minnesota Twins' organization currently assigned to the Twins' Double-A affiliate, the New Britain Rock Cats.
Guerra was born in San Felix, Venezuela. He is 6'5" and weighs 200 lbs.
Guerra signed with the New York Mets as a non-drafted free agent on July 2, 2005. He was named South Atlantic League Pitcher of the Week on July 30, 2006. On July 8, 2007, Guerra represented the New York Mets' organization for the World Team in Major League Baseball's All-Star Futures Game.
Along with outfielder Carlos Gomez and pitchers Philip Humber and Kevin Mulvey, Guerra was traded to the Minnesota Twins for Johan Santana on January 29, 2008.^{[citation needed]}
With the Fort Myers Miracle, he compiled a 7-2 record with a 4.83 earned run average in the first half of the 2008 season—helping his team capture the Florida State League first-half West Division title. Guerra's first start in the second half of the 2008 season (Tuesday, July 1) was a 4-0 complete game shutout of the Tampa Yankees. He allowed only three hits, and retired 19 in a row between a first inning single by James Cooper and a one-out single by Andres Perez in the seventh. It marked the first shutout of Deolis’ professional career. For the second half, he went 4-7 with a 6.08 ERA in 13 starts.

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Derek Jeter
Derek Sanderson Jeter (

/ˈdʒiːtər/; born June 26, 1974) is an American baseball shortstop who has played 18 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees. A five-time World Series champion, Jeter has been a central figure of the Yankees during their success of the 1990s and 2000s due to his clubhouse presence, on-field leadership, hitting ability, and baserunning. He is the Yankees' all-time career leader in hits (3,155), games played (2,472), stolen bases (342), and at bats (10,066). His accolades include twelve All-Star selections, five Gold Glove Awards, four Silver Slugger Awards, two Hank Aaron Awards, and the Roberto Clemente Award. Jeter is the all-time MLB leader in hits by a shortstop, and the 28th player to reach 3,000 hits.
The Yankees drafted Jeter out of high school in 1992, and he debuted in the major leagues in 1995. The following year, he became the Yankees' starting shortstop, won the Rookie of the Year Award, and helped the team win the 1996 World Series. Jeter continued to contribute during the team's championship seasons of 1998–2000; he finished third in voting for the American League (AL) Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award in 1998, recorded multiple career-high numbers in 1999, and won both the All-Star Game MVP and World Series MVP Awards in 2000. He has consistently placed among the AL leaders in hits and runs scored for the past ten years, and since 2003 has served as the Yankees' team captain.

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Derek Parks
Derek Gavin Parks is a former Major League Baseball catcher. He played parts of three seasons in the majors, from 1992 until 1994, for the Minnesota Twins.

wn.com/Derek_Parks

Dick Allen
Richard Anthony Allen (born March 8, 1942 in Wampum, Pennsylvania) is a former Major League Baseball player and R&B singer. He played first and third base and outfield in Major League Baseball and ranked among his sport's top offensive producers of the 1960s and early 1970s. Most notably playing for the Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago White Sox, he led the American League in home runs twice, and led both leagues in slugging average (the AL twice) and on base percentage. His .534 career slugging average ranks among the highest in an era marked by low averages. He won the 1964 National League Rookie of the Year and 1972 AL MVP. He also spoke his mind, combatted racism, and bucked organizational hierarchy. Sabermetrician Bill James rated Dick Allen as the second-most controversial player in baseball history, behind Rogers Hornsby.
His older brother Hank was a reserve outfielder for three AL teams, and his younger brother Ron was briefly a first baseman with the 1972 St. Louis Cardinals.
Allen hit a baseball with an authority Philadelphia fans had not seen since Chuck Klein and Jimmie Foxx. The Phillies saw his potential immediately and signed him in 1960 for a large $70,000 bonus. His career got off to a turbulent start as he faced racial harassment while playing for the Phillies' minor league affiliate in Little Rock; residents staged protest parades against Allen, the local team's first black player. Nevertheless, he led the league in total bases.

wn.com/Dick_Allen

Dick Bremer
Richard J. Bremer (born March 1, 1956 in St. Paul, Minnesota) is a sports broadcaster for Fox Sports North. He does the play-by-play announcing for the Minnesota Twins and Minnesota Gophers men's basketball and other Minnesota sports. He partners up with Bert Blyleven for the Twins games.
Raised in the small town of Dumont Minnesota in Traverse County, Bremer was a graduate of Staples High School in Staples, Minnesota and St. Cloud State University in St. Cloud, Minnesota. His father was a Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod pastor. Bremer has done public speaking at churches across the midwest talking about his faith.
He began covering Twins games in the second year of the Metrodome's existence, 1983.
Before his broadcasting career, Bremer was a Disc Jockey for KCLD (St. Cloud). His nickname was "Duke in the Dark".
Bremer also took part in a Charter Communications commercial promoting watching football in High Definition.
Bremer has a son, Erik Bremer, and a daughter, Hannah.

wn.com/Dick_Bremer

Dick Ruthven
Richard David Ruthven (born March 27, 1951 in Sacramento, California) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher with a 14-year career from 1973 to 1986. He played for the Philadelphia Phillies, Atlanta Braves and Chicago Cubs all of the National League. During his career, Ruthven had a record of 123-127, an ERA of 4.14, and 1145 career strikeouts. His Phillies teams won the National League East title in 1978 and the World Series in 1980, and his Cubs team won the National League East title in 1984.
He attended Irvington High School (Fremont, California) and California State University, Fresno. He has three children, Erik, Sean and Tyler Ruthven.^{[citation needed]}
He was the first pick of the Philadelphia Phillies in the secondary phase of the 1973 amateur draft, and made his major league debut on April 17 of the same year. He had been drafted earlier by the Baltimore Orioles (20th round, 1969) and by the Minnesota Twins (1st round, 1972), but did not sign with either team.
In his rookie season of 1973, Ruthven pitched 25 games, starting 23. He finished the season 6-9 with a 4.21 earned run average for a team that finished in last place in the National League Eastern Division with a 71-91 record.

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Don Baylor
Donald Edward Baylor (born June 28, 1949) is a Major League Baseball coach currently the hitting coach for the Arizona Diamondbacks, and a former player and manager. During his 19-year playing career, he was a power hitter who played as a first baseman, outfielder, and designated hitter. He played for six different American League teams, primarily the Baltimore Orioles and California Angels. He later managed the expansion Colorado Rockies for six years and the Chicago Cubs for three.
Born in Austin, Texas, Baylor graduated from Austin High School. He starred in both baseball and football at Austin High, and was offered a scholarship to play football at Texas by legendary Longhorns coach Darrell Royal, which would have made him the first African American to play football at Texas. He opted to pursue a baseball career, enrolling at Blinn Junior College in Brenham, Texas.
He was drafted in the second round of the 1967 amateur draft by Baltimore. He played for the Orioles from 1970-1975. Before the 1976 season, the Orioles traded Baylor with Paul Mitchell and Mike Torrez to the Oakland Athletics for Reggie Jackson, Ken Holtzman, and Bill VanBommell. He signed with the California Angels as a free agent in 1977, with the New York Yankees in 1983 and the Boston Red Sox in 1986. In 1987, he was traded to the Minnesota Twins for a player to be named later. He signed with the Athletics for 1988, his final season as a player.

wn.com/Don_Baylor

Don Mattingly
Donald Arthur "Don" Mattingly (born April 20, 1961) is a former Major League Baseball first baseman and current manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Nicknamed "The Hit Man" and "Donnie Baseball", he played his entire 14-year major league baseball career for the New York Yankees (1982–1995).
Mattingly was named to the American League (AL) All-Star team six times. He won nine Gold Glove Awards, three Silver Slugger Awards, and was the 1985 AL Most Valuable Player. Mattingly served as captain of the Yankees from 1991 through 1995, and the Yankees retired his uniform number after his retirement. After his playing career, Mattingly served as a hitting coach for the Yankees and Dodgers prior to taking on his current position as manager of the Dodgers.
A graduate of Memorial High School in Evansville, Indiana in 1979, he led the Tigers to a state record 59 straight victories through the 1978-79 season. In 1978 the Tigers were crowned State Champions and were State Runners-up in 1979. Don was the L.V. Phillips Mental Attitude recipient in 1979. He was All-City, All-SIAC (Southern Indiana Athletic Conference), and All State in both 1978 and 1979. During the four years he played in high school the Tigers compiled a 94-9-1 won – loss record and Don hit .463. He still holds Memorial records for hits (152); doubles (29): triples (25 - also the state record); RBIs (140); and runs scored (99).

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Drew Butera
Andrew Edward Butera (born August 9, 1983 in Evansville, Illinois) is a major league baseball catcher for the Minnesota Twins. The 6'1", 210 lbs. right-hander is the son of former Major league catcher Sal Butera, who played for the Twins from 1980 to 1982 and again in 1987. They are the first father-son combo in Twins history.
Upon graduation from Bishop Moore High School in Orlando, Florida, Butera was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 48th round of the 2002 Major League Baseball Draft, but did not sign. He was then drafted in the fifth round of the 2005 Major League Baseball Draft out of the University of Central Florida by the New York Mets.
In 2007, Butera batted .258 with five home runs and 22 runs batted in for the St. Lucie Mets to be named a Florida State League All-Star. Following the All-Star game, Butera was promoted to the double A Binghamton Mets. After a month at Binghamton, he was dealt to the Twins at the trade deadline along with Dustin Martin for second baseman Luis Castillo. On November 19, 2008, he was added to the Twins' 40 man roster.

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Dustin Pedroia
Dustin Luis Pedroia (born August 17, 1983, in Woodland, California) is an American professional baseball second baseman. Pedroia has won several awards in Major League Baseball, including the 2007 American League Rookie of the Year and the 2008 AL MVP award. He also won a Silver Slugger as a second baseman and a Gold Glove in 2008 and 2011. He finished second overall in the AL in batting average in 2008. In addition to his offensive performance, Pedroia has been a major defensive contributor to the Red Sox.
Pedroia is listed by Major League Baseball and the Red Sox as 5' 8" (173 cm) and 165 pounds. In 2003 a USA Today article gave his height as 5' 7" (170 cm), and when he was in college the NCAA and Arizona State University gave his height as 5' 8".
Pedroia attended Woodland Senior High School in Woodland, California. Pedroia batted .445 his senior year and was chosen as his league's most valuable player. Good childhood friend and high school teamate Frankie Vartuli gave him some inspirational words before he started his college season. What was said on the rainy Thursday night during the phone conversation was, "In order to excel, you must be completely dedicated to your chosen sport. You must also be prepared to work hard and be willing to accept constructive criticism. Without one-hundred percent dedication, you won't be able to do this." Vartuli used the famous quote from Willie Mays to inspire the 5 foot 7 phenom to excel in college.

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Dwight Gooden
Dwight Eugene Gooden (born November 16, 1964), nicknamed "Doc Gooden" or "Dr. K", is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He was one of the most dominant and feared pitchers in the National League in the middle and late 1980s.
A native of Tampa, Florida, Dwight Gooden was drafted in the first round in 1982, the fifth player taken overall. He spent one season in the minors, in which he led the Class-A Carolina League in wins, strikeouts and ERA while playing for the Lynchburg Mets. Gooden had 300 strikeouts in 191 innings, a performance which convinced Triple-A Tidewater Tides manager, future Mets skipper Davey Johnson, that he was capable of making the unusual leap to the major league.
Gooden made his major-league debut on April 7, 1984 with the New York Mets at the age of 19. He quickly developed a reputation with his 98 MPH fastball and sweeping curveball, which was given the superlative nickname of "Lord Charles," in contrast with "Uncle Charlie," a common nickname for a curveball. He was dubbed "Dr. K," (by analogy with basketball's "Dr. J", Julius Erving, and also in reference to the letter "K" being the standard abbreviation for strikeout), which soon became shortened to "Doc". Gooden soon attracted a rooting section at Shea Stadium that called itself "The K Korner," and would hang up cards with a red "K" after each of his strikeouts.

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Earl Battey
Earl Jesse Battey, Jr. (January 5, 1935 – November 15, 2003) was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher for the Chicago White Sox (1955–1959), the Washington Senators (1960) and the Minnesota Twins (1961–1967). In the early 1960s, Battey was one of the top catchers in the American League, winning three consecutive Gold Glove Awards between 1960 and 1962.
Born in Los Angeles, California, Battey attended Jordan High School in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles. He was signed as an amateur free agent by the Chicago White Sox prior to the 1953 season. Battey was assigned to the Colorado Springs Sky Sox in the Single-A Western League where he began his baseball career by hitting only a .158 batting average in 26 games. The White Sox demoted him to the Waterloo White Hawks in the B-level Illinois-Indiana-Iowa League and Battey responded with a .292 average and 11 home runs in 129 games. In 1955, Battey was promoted to the Triple-A Charleston Senators in the American Association where, he hit for a .269 batting average along with 8 home runs and 71 runs batted in. His performance earned him a promotion to the major leagues where he made his debut with the White Sox on September 10, 1955 at the age of 20.

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Eddie Bane
Edward Norman Bane (born March 22, 1952) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher from 1973 to 1976 with the Minnesota Twins. He is currently serving as a Major League Scout with the Detroit Tigers.
Bane was a 1st round draft pick in the 1973 Major League Baseball Draft. He had a career record of 7-13 with a 4.66 ERA.
Bane has held several positions since retiring as a player, including special assistant to the GM for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays (1999–2003), and scouting director for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (2004–2010).
He is the brother of Dan Bane, the CEO of the retailer, Trader Joe's.

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Eddie Leon
Eduardo Antonio Leon (born August 11, 1946 in Tucson, Arizona) is a former Major League Baseball infielder of Mexican American descent, who played for eight seasons, splitting time as a shortstop and second baseman. He played for the Cleveland Indians from 1968 to 1972, the Chicago White Sox in 1973 and 1974, and the New York Yankees in 1975 until being released on May 5 of that year.

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Edgar Martínez
Edgar Martínez (born January 2, 1963 in New York City), nicknamed "Gar" and "Papi", is a former Major League Baseball third baseman and designated hitter. He spent his entire 18-year Major League career with the Seattle Mariners. He is the cousin of Carmelo Martínez.
On December 19, 1982, the Seattle Mariners signed Martínez to a minor league contract. Martínez worked his way through the Mariners minor league system, making stops with the Chattanooga Lookouts and the Calgary Cannons. Martínez made his major league debut on September 12, 1987, and became a fixture in the Mariners' lineup in 1990, replacing Jim Presley at third base. He began his career as a third baseman and won an American League batting title in 1992, but then he tore his hamstring during an exhibition game at BC Place Stadium in Vancouver, B.C. on an unzipped seam in the turf between first and second, just before the 1993 season, and never fully recovered.
Martínez became a full-time designated hitter in 1995, after missing the 1994 season to injury. To date, he is the only designated hitter ever to have won a batting title, winning it in 1995 with a .356 average.

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Elmer Flick
Elmer Harrison Flick (January 11, 1876 – January 9, 1971) was an American player in Major League Baseball from 1898 until 1910. An outfielder known predominantly for his solid batting and speed, Flick was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1963.
Born in Bedford, Ohio, Flick joined the Philadelphia Phillies in 1898, filling in for the injured Sam Thompson, and proved himself a capable big leaguer, batting .302 with 8 home runs, 13 triples and 81 RBIs. After the 1901 season, Flick was one of many star National League players who jumped to the fledgling American League, playing for the crosstown Philadelphia Athletics; but the Phillies obtained an injunction from the state Supreme Court prohibiting any player under contract with the Phillies from playing for another team. As a recourse, Flick and teammate Nap Lajoie signed instead with the Cleveland Naps, as the Pennsylvania injunction could not be enforced in Ohio; the two players often traveled separately from their teammates for the next year, never setting foot in Pennsylvania in order to avoid a subpoena. (While teammates with the Phillies, the pair had once engaged in a fistfight in which Lajoie's hand was broken.) Flick would spend the remainder of his career in Cleveland, and the contract dispute would be resolved when the leagues made peace in September 1903 with the National Agreement [1].

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Elston Howard
Elston Gene Howard (February 23, 1929 – December 14, 1980) was an American Negro League and Major League Baseball catcher, left fielder and coach. During a 14-year baseball career, he played from 1955–1968, primarily for the New York Yankees. The first African American player on the Yankees roster, he was named the American League's Most Valuable Player for the 1963 pennant winners after finishing third in the league in slugging average and fifth in home runs, becoming the first black player in AL history to win the honor. He won Gold Glove Awards in 1963 and 1964, in the latter season setting AL records for putouts and total chances in a season. His lifetime fielding percentage of .993 was a major league record from 1967 to 1973, and he retired among the AL career leaders in putouts (7th, 6,447) and total chances (9th, 6,977). One of the most regular World Series participants in history, he appeared in ten of them, winning six, and ranks among Series career leaders in several categories. His lifetime slugging average of .427 ranked fourth among AL catchers at the time of his retirement.

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Emmitt Smith
Emmitt James Smith, III (born May 15, 1969) is a retired American football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for fifteen seasons during the 1990s and 2000s. Smith played college football for the University of Florida, where he was an All-American. A first-round pick in the 1990 NFL Draft, he played professionally for the Dallas Cowboys and Arizona Cardinals of the NFL.
During his long professional career, he became the NFL's all-time rushing leader, breaking the record formerly held by Walter Payton, and played for three Super Bowl-winning Dallas Cowboys teams. Smith is the only running back to ever win a Super Bowl championship, the NFL Most Valuable Player award, the NFL rushing crown, and the Super Bowl Most Valuable Player award all in the same season (1993). He is also one of only four running backs to lead the NFL in rushing three or more consecutive seasons, joining Steve Van Buren, Jim Brown and Earl Campbell. Smith led the league in rushing and won the Super Bowl in the same year three times (1992, 1993, and 1995) when to that point it had never been done. Smith is also one of only two non-kickers in NFL history to score more than 1,000 career points (the other being Jerry Rice). Smith was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2010, and is the first player from the 1990 NFL Draft to be inducted.

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Eric Chavez
Eric Cesar Chavez (born on December 7, 1977) is an American Major League Baseball infielder for the New York Yankees. Chavez has previously played for the Oakland Athletics (1998–2010). Chavez has won six Rawlings Gold Glove Awards (2001–2006).
Chavez's high school success was such that in the 1996 Major League Baseball Draft, he was selected by the Oakland Athletics in the first round as the tenth pick. Chavez eventually chose a professional baseball career over a full scholarship at the University of Southern California (USC), signing with the Athletics on August 27, 1996. His time in the minor leagues was relatively short, lasting just under two seasons. He spent the 1997 season playing for the Visalia Oaks, the Single-A team in the Athletics' farm system. He played 134 games, all at third base, and hit .271 with 18 home runs and 100 RBI. Before the start of the 1998 season, Chavez was promoted to the Double-A Huntsville Stars. After 88 games, he had a batting average of .328, 28 home runs, 86 RBIs, 12 stolen bases, and a triple. His efforts caused him to be promoted to the Edmonton Trappers, where in 47 games he hit 11 home runs and had a .325 batting average. When Edmonton's season finished up on September 8, 1998, he was called up to the major leagues. He finished his minor league career by being named Minor League Player of the Year by Baseball America, as well as earning the J.G. Taylor Spink Award as the Topps/NAPBL Minor League Player of the Year.

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Erik Komatsu
Erik Komatsu (born October 1, 1987 in Camarillo, California) is a professional baseball outfielder for the Washington Nationals of Major League Baseball. His Japanese surname is inherited from his American born Japanese father; Komatsu was born and raised in California but his paternal grandmother is from Japan.
Komatsu played college baseball for Cal State Fullerton, Oxnard College and Vanguard University of Southern California.
In 2007 Komatsu was drafted by the New York Yankees, but did not sign, and in 2008 by the Milwaukee Brewers. He climbed his way from the Rookie League to AA in 3 years. He was named the Brewers' Minor League Player of the Year in 2010. In 2011, he first played for the Huntsville Stars and mid-year began playing for the Harrisburg Senators after he was traded from the Brewers to the Washington Nationals for Jerry Hairston, Jr. He was chosen by the Cardinals in the minor league phase of the 2011 Rule 5 Draft. On April 6, 2012, Komatsu collected an infield single in first Major League at-bat against the Milwaukee Brewers.

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Ernie Lombardi
Ernesto Natali "Ernie" Lombardi (April 6, 1908 – September 26, 1977), was a Major League Baseball catcher for the Brooklyn Robins, the Cincinnati Reds, the Boston Braves and the New York Giants during a Hall of Fame career that spanned 17 years, from 1931 to 1947. He had several nicknames, including "Schnozz", "Lumbago", "Bocci", "The Cyrano of the Iron Mask" and "Lom". Bill James called him "the slowest man to ever play major league baseball well." [1] He is listed at 6'3" and 230 lbs, but he probably approached 300 lbs towards the end of his career. He was also known as a gentle giant and this made him hugely popular among Cincinnati fans.
Ernie Lombardi started his professional baseball career for his hometown Oakland Oaks of the Pacific Coast League. He hit well (over .350 with power in 1929 and 1930) and had a strong arm. His talents were soon noticed by the Brooklyn Dodgers who purchased his contract for $50,000. Lombardi played his rookie season for the Robins in 1931 and played well (batting .297). Brooklyn had too many quality catchers at the time and Robins manager Wilbert Robinson contemplated using the strong-armed Lombardi as a pitcher. He was traded to the Cincinnati Reds shortly before the start of spring training for the 1932 season. Lombardi flourished his first year in Cincinnati, batting .303 with 11 home runs and 68 runs batted in. He became a national star in 1938 when he hit a league-leading .342 with 19 home runs, drove in 95 runs, and won the National League's MVP award. Ernie Lombardi became one of the Reds' most productive and popular players. He also has the distinction of catching both of Reds left-hander Johnny Vander Meer's back-to-back no-hitters, accomplished on June 11 and June 15, 1938. Vander Meer's feat has never been matched. Lombardi's hitting skills and leadership helped the Reds to the National League pennant in 1939 and 1940, and the World Series title in 1940.

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Evan Longoria
Evan Michael Longoria (born October 7, 1985) is a Major League Baseball third baseman for the Tampa Bay Rays. Formerly, Longoria was a star infielder for the Long Beach State University baseball team, the 2005 Cape Cod League MVP, and the 2006 Big West Co-Player of the Year.
He made his major league debut for the Rays in 2008, and was named to the American League team for the 2008 MLB All Star Game. Longoria was also named the 2008 American League Rookie of the Year on November 10. Longoria had one of the biggest hits in Rays history when he hit a walkoff homerun in extra innings of the last game of the 2011 season, snapping a tie with the Red Sox in the race for the American League wildcard spot and sending his team into the post season. This home run won a GIBBY award for the best walk off home run of the 2011 season.
Born in Downey, California, Longoria graduated from Saint John Bosco High School in Bellflower, CA. He was a two-year letterman in baseball and as a senior was a first team All-League selection. Longoria did not receive any scholarship offers to play college baseball. USC was the only program to consider him, but eventually backed out of recruiting him. At 6-foot-1 and 170 pounds, many baseball recruiters felt Longoria was too slim by Division I baseball standards. As a result, he attended Rio Hondo Community College during his freshman season before LBSU offered him a scholarship.

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Ferris Fain
Ferris Roy Fain (March 29, 1921 – October 18, 2001) was an American baseball first baseman in Major League Baseball who played nine seasons with the Philadelphia Athletics, Chicago White Sox, Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Indians in the American League.
Fain started his career with the San Francisco Seals of the Pacific Coast League. He was signed by the Philadelphia Athletics prior to the 1947 season where he became a two-time American League batting champion. Known for his explosive temper on and off the field it affected his playing ability, and the Athletics traded him after the 1952 season. Fain bounced around the league for a couple of years before retiring in 1955. In his later life, Fain became known for his troubles with the law, mainly growing marijuana.
Ferris Fain was born in San Antonio, Texas, the son of Oscar Fain, a jockey best known for leading his horse Duval to a second place finish in the 1912 Kentucky Derby and a domestic maid. He had a "very abusive" childhood, mainly at the hands of the father, who died when he was still a child. His mother was doing domestic work in order for the family to survive. He grew up in Oakland, California, where he graduated from Roosevelt High School. From 1939 through 1946 he was with the San Francisco Seals of the Pacific Coast League; he missed three seasons, 1943–45, owing to military service.

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Floyd Bannister
Floyd Franklin Bannister (born June 10, 1955 in Pierre, South Dakota) is a former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. During a 15-year baseball career, he pitched for the Houston Astros (1977–78), Seattle Mariners (1979–82), Chicago White Sox (1983–87), Kansas City Royals (1988–89), California Angels (1991), and the Texas Rangers (1992).
In 1973, as a high school senior, Bannister led his Kennedy High School team to a state championship, pitching 15 wins and 0 losses with a season ERA of 0.00.
Bannister went on to attend Arizona State University, where he was named college player of the year by The Sporting News as a junior. This led to his selection by the Houston Astros as the first overall pick of the 1976 amateur draft.
After pitching just seven games in the minors in 1976, Bannister opened the 1977 season with the Astros. He appeared in 24 games with an 8-9 record and a 4.04 earned run average. He spent one more season with the Astros before being traded to the Seattle Mariners. He spent four years in Seattle, with his last year there being perhaps his best. Bannister also played in the 1982 All-Star Game, and set a career high with 209 strikeouts.

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Francisco Liriano
Francisco Liriano y Casillas (born October 26, 1983, in Juan Barón, San Cristobal, Dominican Republic) is a left-handed Major League Baseball starting pitcher for the Minnesota Twins.
Liriano signed with the San Francisco Giants as an international free agent in 2000. He was traded along with pitchers Joe Nathan and Boof Bonser in exchange for catcher A. J. Pierzynski (now of the Chicago White Sox). Often compared to former teammate Johan Santana, another hard-throwing lefty, Liriano was touted as one of the "super-prospects" within the Minnesota Twins organization.^{[citation needed]} In 2005, he led all minor league pitchers in strikeouts, with 204. He made his major league debut in relief on September 5, 2005, against the Texas Rangers. He later joined the Twins' starting rotation and won his first game on September 30, 2005, against the Detroit Tigers. Liriano started the 2006 season in Minnesota's bullpen, but was promoted to the starting rotation in May, exchanging positions with struggling starter Carlos Silva. He won each of his first three starts.

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Frank Robinson
Frank Robinson (born August 31, 1935) is an American former Major League Baseball outfielder and manager. He played from 1956 to 1976, most notably for the Cincinnati Reds and the Baltimore Orioles. He is the only player to win league MVP honors in both the National and American Leagues. He won the Triple crown, was a member of two teams that won the World Series (the 1966 and 1970 Baltimore Orioles), and amassed the fourth-most career home runs at the time of his retirement (he is currently ninth). Robinson was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1982.
Robinson was the first African-American hired to serve as manager in Major League history. He managed the Cleveland Indians during the last two years of his playing career, compiling a 186–189 record. He went on to manage the San Francisco Giants, the Baltimore Orioles, and the Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals.
Robinson attended McClymonds High School in Oakland, California, where he was a basketball teammate of Bill Russell. During the off-season while playing for the Reds in the late 1950s, he attended Xavier University in Cincinnati.

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Fred Lynn
Fredric Michael "Fred" Lynn (born February 3, 1952) is an American former center fielder in Major League Baseball who played for the Boston Red Sox (1974–1980), California Angels (1981–1984), Baltimore Orioles (1985–1988), Detroit Tigers (1988–1989) and San Diego Padres (1990).
Fred Lynn was inducted into the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2002 and to the College Baseball Hall of Fame in 2007.
After graduation from USC, Lynn started his career for the Red Sox with a phenomenal 1975 season in which he won the Most Valuable Player and Rookie of the Year awards, the first player ever to win both in the same season. (The feat has since been duplicated by Seattle Mariners right fielder Ichiro Suzuki in 2001.) Lynn and fellow rookie outfielder Jim Rice were dubbed as the “Gold Dust Twins” because of their combined baseball talents. In 1975, Lynn led the American League in doubles, runs scored and slugging percentage, finished second in the batting race with a .331 average, and won a Gold Glove Award for his defensive play. On June 18 he bombed the Tigers with 3 HR, 10 RBI, and 16 total bases in one game.

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Garrett Gilbert
Garrett Gilbert (born July 1991) is an American football quarterback for SMU. He also attended the Texas Longhorns football team. Gilbert was regarded as one of the best high school quarterbacks of his class and was named the 2008 Offensive Player of the Year by USA Today.
The son of former NFL quarterback Gale Gilbert, he attended Lake Travis High School in Austin, Texas, where he broke the state record for most passing yards in a season with 4,827 yards during his junior season. The record was previously held by Graham Harrell. Gilbert again broke the same record his senior season, after compiling 4,851 passing yards. He finished his high school career with 12,537 passing yards, another state record which was previously held by Harrell.
Gilbert made his first high school start his sophomore year in the 2006 Texas Football Classic, where he led the Cavaliers to a 41-34 victory over Texas City. His performance caused Texas gridiron sportswriters to take notice, including Lone Star Gridiron's Chris Doelle who referred to Gilbert as "the best high school quarterback I have seen EVER."

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George Brett
George Howard Brett (born May 15, 1953), is an American former Major League Baseball third baseman, designated hitter, and first baseman. He played his entire 21-year baseball career for the Kansas City Royals. Brett's 3,154 career hits are the most by any third baseman in major league history, and 16th all-time. Brett is one of four players in MLB history to accumulate 3,000 hits, 300 home runs, and a career .300 batting average with the others being Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, and Stan Musial. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1999 on the first ballot.
Brett was born in Glen Dale, West Virginia. He was the youngest of four sons of a sports-minded family which included Ken, the second oldest, a major league pitcher who had pitched in the 1967 World Series at age 19. Brothers John (eldest) and Bobby had brief careers in the minor leagues. Although his three older brothers were born in Brooklyn, George was born in the northern panhandle of West Virginia. Jack & Ethel Brett then moved the family to the Midwest and three years later to El Segundo, a suburb of Los Angeles, just south of Los Angeles International Airport. George grew up hoping to follow in the footsteps of his three older brothers. He graduated from El Segundo High School in 1971 and was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the second round (29th overall) of the 1971 baseball draft. His high school teammate was pitcher Scott McGregor.

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George Kell
George Clyde Kell (August 23, 1922 – March 24, 2009) was an American baseball third baseman who played for the Philadelphia Athletics (1943–46), Detroit Tigers (1947–52), Boston Red Sox (1952–54), Chicago White Sox (1954–56), and Baltimore Orioles (1956–57) in the American League, who went on to become a baseball broadcaster for 40 years.
Kell was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1983.
In college, Kell played for Arkansas State University, where the baseball facility, Tomlinson Stadium–Kell Field, is named after him.
A solid right-handed hitter and a sure-handed fielder, Kell was a 10-time All-Star, batted over .300 nine times and topped the league's third basemen in assists and total chances four times and in fielding percentage seven times. He won his only batting title in 1949 (.343), denying Ted Williams his third Triple Crown; until the final week of the season, Williams had led the batting race. On October 2, 1949, Kell went 2-for-3 while Williams was hitless in two official at bats. Kell's final mark was .3429, Williams's .3427. One year later, Kell batted .340, leading the league with 218 hits and 56 doubles, but lost the batting title to Williams' teammate, Red Sox second baseman Billy Goodman.

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George Sisler
George Harold Sisler (March 24, 1893 – March 26, 1973), nicknamed "Gentleman George" and "Gorgeous George," was an American professional baseball player for 15 seasons, primarily as first baseman with the St. Louis Browns (now the Baltimore Orioles). From 1920 until 2004, Sisler held the Major League Baseball (MLB) record for most hits in a single season, a mark which stills stands for the 154-game season in which he played.
His 1922 season — during which he batted .420, hit safely in a then-record 41 consecutive games, led the American League in hits (246), stolen bases (51), and triples (18), and was, by general consensus, the best fielding first baseman in the game — is considered by many historians to be among the best individual all-around single-season performances in baseball history.
Sisler was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1939. In 1999, he received the eighth-largest number of first base-category votes in fan balloting for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team, and editors at The Sporting News named him 33rd on their list of "Baseball's 100 Greatest Players."

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Gerrit Cole
Gerrit Alan Cole (born September 8, 1990 in Newport Beach, California) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization. He was selected by the Pirates with the 1st overall selection in the 2011 Major League Baseball Draft. He pitched for the UCLA Bruins team at UCLA.
Cole attended Orange Lutheran High School. He was named to the USA Today All-USA high school baseball team. Baseball America rated him the 17th best prospect. He was named the ESPN Rise Athlete of the Month for three consecutive months in March, April, and May 2010.^{[citation needed]}
Cole was drafted by the New York Yankees in the first round (28th overall) of the 2008 Major League Baseball Draft. The Yankees, planning on offering Cole a bonus above the recommended amount for the slot, waited until the deadline to attempt to sign Cole^{[citation needed]}, by which time Cole had decided to follow through with his collegiate scholarship with UCLA. Despite being represented by Scott Boras, and though the Yankees were believed to be ready to offer upwards of $4 million, Cole never negotiated with the Yankees, as he was determined to attend college.

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Glen Perkins
Glen Weston Perkins (born March 2, 1983 in Stillwater, Minnesota) is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher for the Minnesota Twins. He made his major league debut with the Minnesota Twins in 2006. Perkins attended the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis-St. Paul and Stillwater Area High School in Oak Park Heights. Perkins earned his first Major league win on May 20, 2008, against the Texas Rangers.
Perkins played his college ball for the Minnesota Golden Gophers in 2003 and 2004. With the Gophers in 2003, he went 10-2 and posted a 2.91 ERA with 117 strikeouts. In his 2004 season with the Gophers, he went 9-3 and posted a 2.83 ERA with 113 strikeouts. Perkins was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 1st round of the 2004 Major League Baseball Draft, being picked 22nd overall.
Between the years of 2004-2008, Perkins played most of his games for the Minnesota Twins minor league system. He pitched for the Elizabethton Twins, Quad City Swing, Fort Myers Miracle, Gulf Coast Twins, New Britain Rock Cats, and the AAA Rochester Red Wings.In his three seasons with Minnesota Twins minor league teams, he pitched 386.2 innings, posting a 16-22 record with a 3.50 ERA and 380 strikeouts. He was ranked number 66 in Baseball America's Top 100 Prospects.

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Goose Goslin
Leon Allen "Goose" Goslin (October 16, 1900 – May 15, 1971) was a left fielder in Major League Baseball known for his powerful left-handed swing and dependable clutch hitting. He played 18 seasons with the Washington Senators, St. Louis Browns, and Detroit Tigers, from 1921 until 1938. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1968.
Born in Salem, New Jersey, Goslin was 16 when he left home to play on a touring semipro circuit of the Eastern seaboard, and by 19 had moved into the minors in South Carolina, where he was a pitcher. Goslin was discovered by famed scout, Joe Engel. After hearing from Engel, Senators owner Clark Griffith personally scouted Goslin and attended a Sally League game in which Goslin was playing for Columbia, South Carolina. A fly ball hit Goslin on the head, and another barely missed him. Goslin also hit three home runs in the game, and Griffith decided to take a chance on him.
Goslin’s difficulty in judging fly balls contributed to his nickname "Goose." Opposing players said Goslin resembled a bird flapping its wings when he ran after a ball with his arms waving. While not a great fielder, Goslin did have a good throwing arm, leading the American League in assists by an outfielder in 1924 and 1925. However, one year during spring training, Goslin wandered to an adjacent field where a track and field team was working out. Goslin tried the shot put, and his throwing arm was never the same afterward.

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Grant Irons
Grant Michael Irons (born July 7, 1979 in Middleburg Heights, Ohio) is an American football player who is a free agent, formerly playing for the Oakland Raiders. He played in 43 career games for the University of Notre Dame, making 26 starts at numerous positions on defense. He started playing for the Buffalo Bills in 2002. His father Gerald Irons also played for the Raiders. He is the cousin of Paul Irons, cousin once removed of Kenny Irons and David Irons and the brother of Jarrett Irons.
He was awarded the Dial Award for the national high-school scholar-athlete of the year in 1996.

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Greg Paulus
Gregory Russell Paulus (born July 3, 1986) is video coordinator for the Ohio State Buckeyes men's basketball team. Paulus is a former multi-sport athlete, playing college basketball as a point guard on the Duke University men's basketball team and later football at Syracuse University as a quarterback after graduating from Duke.
Paulus was born in Medina, Ohio and grew up in Appleton, Wisconsin before moving to the Syracuse suburb of Manlius, New York. He is the older brother of Mike Paulus, a quarterback on the William & Mary Tribe football team. Paulus was named New York State Mr. Basketball following his senior season at Christian Brothers Academy in Syracuse.
Paulus received scholarship offers to play football at the University of Miami and Notre Dame.^{[citation needed]} He also received basketball scholarship offers from Duke, Syracuse, Georgetown, Florida, and North Carolina. He chose to play basketball and joined the Duke Blue Devils.
Games: 36, PPG: 6.7, RPG: 2.8, APG: 5.2
Paulus was a member of the Duke team that finished with a 32–4 record and won the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) regular season and tournament championship. Paulus led the ACC in assists per game at 5.2. He set a Duke freshman record for assists in a game with 15 (with three turnovers) in a 104–77 home victory over Valparaiso on December 18, 2005; that assist total was only one away from the all-time single-game Duke record of 16, set by NCAA career assist leader Bobby Hurley. He was selected for the All-America freshman 2nd team.

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Gregg Jefferies
Gregory Scott "Gregg" Jefferies (born August 1, 1967 in Burlingame, California) is a retired infielder/outfielder in Major League Baseball who had a 14-year career from 1987 to 2000.
Drafted by the New York Mets out of Junípero Serra High School in San Mateo, California in the first round of the 1985 amateur draft (#20 overall), Jefferies hit .331 in his first year in the minor leagues, moving from Kingsport of the Appalachian League (rookie) to Jackson of the Texas League (AA) in two years. He was named Minor League Player of the Year for both 1986 and 1987, hitting .367 with 20 home runs, 48 doubles and 101 RBI for Jackson in the latter year, earning Jefferies a brief call-up the New York Mets at the end of the 1987 season. He went 3 for 6 in 6 games, at the age of 19, making him the youngest player in the Major Leagues that season.
The Mets decided they needed to make room for Jefferies, but didn't know where to play him, as the veteran team was full at the spots Jefferies played in the minor leagues (shortstop, third base and second base). The outfield was full also, with the team finding it difficult to get outfielders Lenny Dykstra and Mookie Wilson playing time alongside Darryl Strawberry and Kevin McReynolds, so Jefferies was sent to AAA Tidewater to start the 1988 season.

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Hal Newhouser
Harold "Prince Hal" Newhouser (May 20, 1921 – November 10, 1998) was an American pitcher for Major League Baseball who played 17 seasons from 1939 to 1955, mostly with the Detroit Tigers of the American League. Newhouser was considered to be the most dominating pitcher of the World War II era of baseball, winning a pitcher's triple crown for the Tigers in 1945.
Newhouser was a schoolboy star at Wilbur Wright High School in his hometown of Detroit, Michigan, signed by the Detroit Tigers in 1939 at the age of 18. He made his debut on September 29 of that year. In 1940, he earned a spot on the Tigers out of spring training and remained with the team until 1953.
In his first two full big-league seasons, the young left-hander was plagued with control problems, walking more batters than he struck out while posting records of 9–9 and 9–11. He improved in 1942 and 1943, posting excellent ERAs, but still losing more than he won on a team with a weak offense.
As World War II got under way, the Tigers moved up in the standings because several of their top players, including Newhouser, were classified as 4-F (ineligible to be drafted). Newhouser was 4-F due to a leaky heart valve; he attempted to join the service anyway but was turned down several times.^{[citation needed]}

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Hank Greenberg
Henry Benjamin "Hank" Greenberg (January 1, 1911 – September 4, 1986), nicknamed "Hammerin' Hank" or "The Hebrew Hammer," was an American professional baseball player in the 1930s and 1940s. A first baseman primarily for the Detroit Tigers, Greenberg was one of the premier power hitters of his generation. He hit 58 home runs in 1938, equaling Jimmie Foxx's 1932 mark for the most home runs in one season by any player between 1927 (when Babe Ruth set a record of 60) and 1961 (when Roger Maris surpassed it).
Greenberg was a five-time All-Star, was twice named the American League's Most Valuable Player, and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1956. Greenberg became the first major league player to hit 25 or more home runs in a season in each league. Greenberg is still the American League record holder for most RBIs in a single season by a right-handed batter—183 RBI in 1937 (a 154-game schedule.) Only left-handed batter Lou Gehrig's 184 RBI in 1931 surpasses Greenberg in the American League record books. Greenberg was sold to the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1947, became the very first baseball player to earn over $80,000/year in salary (he was paid $100,000, ($1,041,000 today) plus $25,000 that his contract with Detroit called for in the event they sold or traded him), and was one of the few opposing players publicly to welcome Jackie Robinson to the majors.[1]

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Harmon Killebrew
Harmon Clayton Killebrew (

/ˈkɪlɨbruː/; June 29, 1936 – May 17, 2011), nicknamed "Killer" and "Hammerin' Harmon", was an American professional baseball first baseman, third baseman, and left fielder. During his 22-year career in Major League Baseball (MLB), he played for the Washington Senators, a team which later became the Minnesota Twins, and the Kansas City Royals. When he retired, he was second only to Babe Ruth in American League (AL) home runs and was the AL career leader in home runs by a right-handed batter (since broken by Alex Rodriguez). He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1984.
Killebrew was a stocky 6-foot tall, 195-pound hitter with a compact swing that generated tremendous power. He became one of the AL's most feared power hitters of the 1960s, hitting 40 home runs in a season eight times. In 1965, he played in the World Series with the Minnesota Twins, who lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers. His finest season was 1969, when he hit 49 home runs, recorded 140 runs batted in (RBI), and won the AL Most Valuable Player Award. Killebrew led the league six times in home runs and three times in RBIs, and was named to eleven All-Star teams.

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Harold Baines
Harold Douglas Baines (born March 15, 1959 in Easton, Maryland) is a former right fielder and designated hitter in Major League Baseball who played for five American League teams from 1980 to 2001. He is best known for his three stints with the Chicago White Sox, the team on which he now serves as coach. He ranked 7th in AL history in games played (2,830) and 10th in runs batted in (1,628) upon his retirement. Noted as well for his power hitting in clutch situations, he is tied for 7th in AL history in grand slams (13), 4th in 3-home run games (3), and tied for 7th in major league history in walk-off home runs (10). Baines batted over .300 eight times and hit .324 in 31 career postseason games, topping the .350 mark in five separate series. A six-time All-Star, he led the AL in slugging average in 1984. He held the White Sox team record for career home runs from 1987 until Carlton Fisk passed him in 1990; his eventual total of 221 remains the club record for left-handed hitters, as do his 981 RBI and 585 extra base hits with the team. His 1,652 games as a designated hitter are a major league record, and he held the mark for career home runs as a DH (236) until Edgar Martínez passed him in 2004. With 1,628 RBI, Baines has the most RBI of any player eligible for the Hall of Fame not currently inducted.

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Harry Heilmann
Harry Edwin Heilmann (August 3, 1894 – July 9, 1951), nicknamed “Slug,” was a Major League Baseball player who played 17 seasons with the Detroit Tigers (1914, 1916–1929) and Cincinnati Reds (1930, 1932). He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1952.
Heilmann was a line drive hitter who won four American League batting crowns: in 1921, 1923, 1925 and 1927. He and Ted Williams are the last two American League players to hit .400, Heilmann having accomplished the feat in 1923 with a batting average of .403. Heilmann’s career batting average of .342 is the 12th-highest in major league history.
Heilmann was also an excellent slugger, ranking among the American League leaders in both slugging percentage and RBIs in 12 seasons. He is among the all-time Major League leaders in doubles with 542 (23rd all-time), triples with 151 (49th all-time) and RBIs with 1,539 (39th all-time). He played in 2,148 major league games, including 1,327 as a right fielder and 448 as a first baseman. Heilmann was also the first player to hit a home run in every major league ballpark in use during his career.

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Hart Lee Dykes
Hart Lee Dykes (born September 2, 1966 in Bay City, Texas) is a former professional American football player who played wide receiver for two seasons for the New England Patriots. He was awarded the Dial Award as the national high school scholar-athlete of the year in 1984. He played two seasons, with his career being cut short when he fractured his kneecap and because of an eye injury which occurred during a bar room fight with teammate Irving Fryar in 1990. He was also drafted into the Chicago White Sox minor league system in 1989. As of 2002, Dykes was the owner of a trucking company in Sugar Land, Texas.
He is perhaps best remembered for his involvement in NCAA recruiting corruption. Voluntarily dealing with an investigation, he was eventually granted immunity and detailed a bidding war that went on for his services between Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Illinois and Oklahoma State (all of whom ended up on probation). OSU paid him at least $23,000. Once he finally got to OSU, he was a member of a talented offense with Mike Gundy at quarterback, Thurman Thomas and later, Barry Sanders at running back.

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Harvey Kuenn
Harvey Edward Kuenn (December 4, 1930 – February 28, 1988) was an American player, coach, and manager in Major League Baseball. As a shortstop and outfielder, he played with the Detroit Tigers (1952–59), Cleveland Indians (1960), San Francisco Giants (1961–65), Chicago Cubs (1965–66), and Philadelphia Phillies (1966). He batted and threw right-handed. After retiring, Kuenn managed the Milwaukee Brewers (1975, 1982–83).
Kuenn (

/ˈkiːn/) was born in West Allis, Wisconsin, but raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and attended Lutheran High School. He once kicked a 53-yard field goal for Lutheran in a football game, which is tied for the eighth-longest field goal in Wisconsin high school football history. He played collegiate baseball at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he was a member of Delta Upsilon Fraternity. Signed by Detroit as an amateur free agent in 1952, Kuenn was named the starting shortstop after joining the team late in the season. In his first full season in 1953, he hit .308 with 94 runs and led the major leagues with 209 hits, setting a major league rookie record with 167 singles. He received the American League Rookie of the Year and TSN Rookie of the Year awards. Also in that season, he received the first of his ten consecutive selections to the All-Star Game.

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Heinie Manush
Henry Emmett Manush (July 20, 1901 – May 12, 1971), nicknamed "Heinie" due to his German heritage, was an American left fielder in Major League Baseball, and was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1964.
Manush spent 17 seasons in the majors, playing for the Detroit Tigers, St. Louis Browns, Washington Senators, Boston Red Sox, Brooklyn Dodgers, and Pittsburgh Pirates.
Manush was born in Tuscumbia, Alabama to German immigrant parents. Manush began his pro career in 1920 playing 6 games for the Portland Beavers in the Pacific Coast League. Moving to the then-B League Edmonton Eskimos in the Western Canada League in 1921, Manush hit .321 in 83 games. In 1922, he had a big season for the Omaha Buffaloes in the Western League, batting .376 with 20 home runs. That performance got him called up to the majors.
He followed his older brother, Philadelphia Athletics third baseman Frank Manush, to the major leagues in 1923 and quickly became known as a skillful hitter.
During his rookie season with the Tigers, he batted .334 in 308 at-bats while sharing an outfield with Ty Cobb, Harry Heilmann, Bobby Veach, and Bob Fothergill. In 1926, he led the American League with a batting average of .378 and finished second behind Babe Ruth in the statistical categories of slugging percentage (.564) and on-base plus slugging percentage (.985).

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Ichiro Suzuki
Ichiro Suzuki (鈴木一朗 Suzuki Ichirō^?), usually known simply as Ichiro (イチロー Ichirō^?) (born October 22, 1973) is a Japanese Major League Baseball right fielder for the Seattle Mariners. Ichiro has established a number of batting records, including the sport's single-season record for hits with 262. He had ten consecutive 200-hit seasons, the longest streak by any player, surpassing Wee Willie Keeler's streak of eight.
Ichiro moved to the United States in 2001 after playing nine years for the Orix Blue Wave in Japan's Pacific League. Posted by Orix after the 2000 season, Ichiro became Seattle's right fielder. The first Japanese-born everyday position player in the major leagues, Ichiro led the AL in batting average and stolen bases en route to being named Rookie of the Year and MVP.
Ichiro is the first MLB player to enter the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame (The Golden Players Club). He has been voted onto ten All-Star teams by the fans, winning the 2007 All-Star MVP Award for a three-hit performance that included the event's first-ever inside-the-park home run. Ichiro won a Gold Glove award in each of his first ten years in the major leagues, and has had seven hitting streaks of 20 or more games, with a high of 27.

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Iván Rodríguez
Iván Rodríguez Torres (born November 30, 1971), nicknamed "Pudge", is a retired Major League Baseball catcher. In his career, he played for the Texas Rangers (on two different tours, comprising the majority of his career), Florida Marlins, Detroit Tigers, New York Yankees, Houston Astros and Washington Nationals.
Rodríguez was awarded the AL MVP award in 1999. He is also regarded as one of the best defensive catchers of all time. Rodríguez won the World Series with the Marlins in 2003, and also played in the 2006 World Series while with the Tigers. On June 17, 2009, Rodríguez set a MLB record by catching his 2,227th game, passing Carlton Fisk. During his career, he had the best caught stealing percentage of any major league catcher, at 45.68%.
Rodríguez was born in Manati, Puerto Rico, and raised in Vega Baja. His father, Juan, worked for a U.S.-based construction company, and his mother, Eva Torres, was an elementary school teacher. Iván's first job involved delivering flyers in the shopping malls in Puerto Rico.

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Jackie Jensen
Jack Eugene Jensen (March 9, 1927 – July 14, 1982) was an American right fielder in Major League Baseball who played for three American League teams from 1950 to 1961, most notably the Boston Red Sox. He was named the AL's Most Valuable Player in 1958 after hitting 35 home runs and leading the league with 122 runs batted in; he also led the league in RBI two other years, and in triples and stolen bases once each. Respected for his throwing arm, he won a Gold Glove Award and led the AL in assists and double plays twice each. He retired in his early thirties as baseball expanded westward, due to an intense fear of flying. After being a two-sport star in college, Jensen was the first person to play in the Rose Bowl, the World Series, and the baseball All-Star Game.

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Jake Mauer
Donald Charles "Jake" Mauer (born December 20, 1978) is a former Minor League Baseball player, and former NCAA Division III baseball standout. As senior in 2001, he set the University of St. Thomas season record for hits with 83, and is the school's career leader in hits (243), runs (181) & games (187). He was inducted into the St. Thomas Athletic Hall of Fame in 2007.
Mauer was selected by the Minnesota Twins in the 23rd round of the 2001 Major League Baseball Draft (677 overall), the same draft that his younger brother and current Twins catcher, Joe Mauer, was selected number one overall. In five seasons in the Twins' farm system, Mauer compiled a .256 batting average with 82 runs batted in and no home runs.
After an elbow injury forced Mauer to retire following the 2005 season, he accepted a job as a Minor League coach with the Twins, and in 2008, was promoted to manager of the Gulf Coast League Twins. In Mauer's two seasons at the helm, the GCL Twins went 69-42, finishing in second and first, respectively, in the Gulf Coast League's Southern division. On October 21, 2009, he was named manager of the Fort Myers Miracle following Jeff Smith's promotion to the double A New Britain Rock Cats. Mauer's success in the Gulf Coast League did not carry over to the Florida State League, as he led the team to a 64-74 record his first season at the helm, its worst record since finishing 61-74 in 2004.

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Jamey Carroll
Jamey Blake Carroll (born February 18, 1974) is an American professional baseball infielder for the Minnesota Twins of Major League Baseball.
Carroll was born in Evansville, Indiana. In 1992, he graduated from Castle High School in Newburgh, Indiana. He later attended and graduated from the University of Evansville. He resides in Rockledge, Florida.
Drafted by the Montreal Expos in the 14th round of the 1996 Major League Baseball amateur draft, Carroll would make his Major League Baseball debut with the Expos on September 11, 2002 against the Chicago Cubs. He played third base and got two hits in three at-bats in that game. His first hit was a single to left field in the fourth inning against Alan Benes.
On October 3, 2004, Carroll scored the last ever run for the Expos franchise, as they were later relocated to Washington, D.C. Carroll was also the on-deck batter when Endy Chávez made the final out in Expos history at Shea Stadium.
On February 11, 2006, Carroll was traded to the Colorado Rockies for cash considerations.

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Jared Burton
Levi Jared Burton (born June 2, 1981 in Westminster, South Carolina) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Minnesota Twins of Major League Baseball.
He was originally selected by the Oakland Athletics in the eighth round of the 2002 Major League Baseball Draft. After spending five years in the Athletics minor league system, he became eligible for the 2006 Rule 5 Draft. He was selected in the Rule 5 draft by the Cincinnati Reds. Burton has spent three years in Cincinnati which has included 132 appearances and 138 innings pitched as a reliever.
The Oakland Athletics selected Burton out of Western Carolina University in the eighth round of the 2002 Major League Baseball Draft. He lost his remaining eligibility at Western Carolina by signing with Oakland on June 12, 2002. The A's sent him to their Single-A affiliate, the Vancouver Canadians. With Vancouver he had a 0–4 win–loss record with a 3.58 earned run average (ERA) in 13 games. He followed up his 2002 season with 15 appearances for the Kane County Cougars in 2003. With Kane County he improved both his win–loss ratio to a 2–1 and his ERA to 2.27. 2004, was less consistent for Burton splitting time between two of the Athletics farm teams, the Arizona League Athletics (AZL Athletics) (Rookie League) and the Modesto A's (Single-A). Burton had a 1–0 record and a 4.16 ERA with the AZL Athletics. While in Modesto he had a 3–2 win–loss ratio and a 4.78 ERA. Overall, Burton pitched a combined 53.2 innings in 15 games in 2004. Burton spent the 2005 season with the Stockton Ports, another Oakland Single-A affiliate and went 4–4 with a 2.60 ERA. 2006, would turn out to be Burton's final in Oakland's farm system and Burton spent it with the Midland Rockhounds. With the Rockhounds he had a 6–5 record and a 4.14 ERA while a then career high 53 appearances.

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Jason Giambi
Jason Gilbert Giambi (

/dʒiˈɑːmbi/; born January 8, 1971) is an American professional baseball first baseman with the Colorado Rockies of Major League Baseball.
He was the American League MVP in 2000 while with the Oakland Athletics, and is a five-time All-Star who has led the American League in walks four times, in on base percentage three times, and in doubles and in slugging percentage once each, and won the Silver Slugger award twice.
Giambi took performance-enhancing drugs during his career, for which use he has publicly apologized. Giambi was named one of the Top 10 Most Superstitious Athletes by Men's Fitness.
Giambi attended Sierra Vista Middle School in Covina, California. He then attended South Hills High School in his native West Covina, where he was a three-sport standout. Giambi was on the baseball team, whose roster also included his brother Jeremy and three other future Major Leaguers and teammates: infielder Shawn Wooten, pitchers Aaron Small and Cory Lidle. He batted .386 during his three years of varsity baseball, leading his team to the state finals as a senior. He was voted MVP in both baseball and basketball. In American football, he was an All-League quarterback.

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Jason Heyward
Jason Alias Heyward (born August 9, 1989 in Ridgewood, New Jersey), nicknamed J-Hey and J-Hey-Kid, is a Major League Baseball right fielder for the Atlanta Braves. He throws and bats left-handed.
Heyward was considered the consensus number one Major League Baseball prospect for the 2010 season. Baseball America, Keith Law of ESPN.com and Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com all listed Heyward as baseball's top prospect in 2010 season previews. In 2007, he was regarded as the top prospect in the Braves minor league system, according to Baseball America, being listed by the publication as the organization's best power hitter and having the best strike zone discipline in the system.
Heyward was born in Ridgewood, New Jersey but moved to Georgia soon after he was born. Heyward went to Henry County High School. He was selected 14th overall by Atlanta in the 2007 Major League Baseball Draft, and signed a deal worth $1.7 million – $170,000 more than MLB's slot recommendation of $1.53 million, and the same as the 2006 14th-slot amount that the Toronto Blue Jays gave Travis Snider on August 12, 2007.

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Jason Varitek
Jason Andrew Varitek (

/ˈværɨtɛk/; born April 11, 1972) is a former American professional baseball catcher. After being traded as a minor league prospect by the Seattle Mariners, Varitek played his entire major league career for the Boston Red Sox. A three-time All-Star and Gold Glove Award winner at catcher, and a Silver Slugger Award winner, Varitek was part of both the 2004 World Series and 2007 World Series Championship teams. In December 2004 he was named the captain of the Red Sox, only their fourth captain since 1923. He is a switch-hitter.
Varitek is one of only two players in the history of the sport to have played in the World Championship game of the Little League World Series, in the National Championship game of the College World Series, and in the Major League World Series (Ed Vosberg is the other). Varitek stands alone as the only baseball player in history to have played in the three aforementioned World Series along with playing in either the Olympic Baseball team or in the World Baseball Classic (he actually played in both the Olympics and the World Baseball Classic). His Lake Brantley High School baseball team won the Florida State Championship his senior year in 1990 and was named the number one high school baseball team in the nation by a USA Today poll. Varitek has caught an MLB-record four no-hitters. He has allowed 992 stolen bases, more than any active major league catcher.

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Jay Bell
Jay Stuart Bell (born December 11, 1965 in Eglin AFB, Florida) is a former Major League Baseball shortstop and second baseman who played for the Cleveland Indians (1986–88), Pittsburgh Pirates (1989–96), Kansas City Royals (1997), Arizona Diamondbacks (1998–2002) and New York Mets (2003). He played his high school baseball at J.M. Tate High School in Cantonment, FL
Bell maintained his reputation as one of the best shortstops in the 1990s.^{[citation needed]} His range was only average but he had a great knowledge of the hitters and positioned himself well. Originally a first-round pick of the Minnesota Twins in 1984, Bell made 129 errors over his first three minor-league seasons. The following year he was traded to the Indians in a deal that brought starter Bert Blyleven to Minnesota, and when he finally reached the majors in 1986 he faced Blyleven in his first major-league at-bat. Bell promptly ripped the first pitch he saw from Blyleven for a home run.
Bell won a Gold Glove Award award in 1993, breaking a string of thirteen straight National League Gold Gloves at shortstop by Ozzie Smith. It was also the first Gold Glove by a Pirate shortstop since Gene Alley's back-to-back honors in 1966 and 1967.

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Jay Bruce
Jay Allen Bruce (born April 3, 1987, from Beaumont, Texas) is a Major League Baseball outfielder for the Cincinnati Reds. He was selected 12th overall in the 2005 Major League Baseball Draft.
He bats and throws left-handed. He has been listed as a top prospect in both his league and as an outfielder overall. He is nicknamed Bruce Almighty.
Bruce attended West Brook High School in Beaumont, TX where he was selected as a third-team High School All-American. He was drafted 12th in the first round of the 2005 MLB Amateur draft.
Bruce's professional career began in 2005 in the GCL, playing for the Reds' lowest rookie team. He hit .270 in 37 games before moving on to the Reds' rookie affiliate Billings Mustangs. There he hit for a .257 batting average with 4 home runs and 13 RBI.
In 2006, he was bumped to the Reds' Low-A affiliate Dayton Dragons, where he excelled with a .291 average and 16 home runs, placing him in many top prospect lists. For the 2007 season, Bruce was placed with the Reds' high-A team, the Sarasota Reds, then quickly promoted to the Reds' Double-A team, the Chattanooga Lookouts. He was selected to the 2007 All-Star Futures Game. Bruce was then promoted to the Reds' Triple-A club, the Louisville Bats, where he ended the season by winning Baseball America Minor League Player of the Year Award.

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Jeff Burroughs
Jeffrey Alan (Jeff) Burroughs (born March 7, 1951 in Long Beach, California) is a former player in Major League Baseball. From 1970 through 1985, he played for the Washington Senators (1970–71), Texas Rangers (1972–76), Atlanta Braves (1977–80), Seattle Mariners (1981), Oakland Athletics (1982–84) and Toronto Blue Jays (1985). Burroughs batted and threw right-handed. He is the father of major league third baseman Sean Burroughs. In a 16-season career, Burroughs posted a .261 batting average with 240 home runs and 882 RBIs in 1689 games.
Burroughs was selected by the Washington Senators in the 1st round (1st pick) of the June 1969 draft. Late in the year, he joined the Senators at age of 19. Considered a "good bat-no field" kind of player, Burroughs was a considerable slugging threat during his playing days. Defensively, he was capable but slow.
In four full seasons with the Texas Rangers, Burroughs averaged 25.5 home runs a year with a high of 30 homers in 1973. His most productive season came in 1974, when he batted .301 with 25 home runs and a league-leading and career-high 118 RBIs and was selected the American League MVP, making him one of only six overall number-one picks to win the MVP title (the others are Chipper Jones, Alex Rodriguez, Ken Griffey, Jr., Joe Mauer and Josh Hamilton) and the first Ranger to win the award. During the 1974 season, Burroughs was at the center of the violent Ten Cent Beer Night debacle in Cleveland, where Burroughs was one of the targets of thrown objects and a few punches by unruly and inebriated Cleveland fans, in a game that was forfeited to Texas.

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Jeff Byers
Jeff Byers (born September 7, 1985) is an American football center for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League. He played his college football for the University of Southern California.
Byers attended Loveland High School, where he participated in basketball, track and excelled at football. In 2003 he played both offense and defense: That season, on defense as a linebacker, he had 203 tackles, 56 tackles for loss, 10 sacks, 14 forced fumbles and 3 fumble recoveries (with a touchdown). On offense, as a center he recorded 34 pancake blocks in one game and never allowed a sack in his career. Loveland won the Class 4A state championship in 2003. He was named the 2004 Gatorade Player of the Year, as the nation's top high school football player.
Although Byers arrived at USC as a center, the Trojans already had then-sophomore Ryan Kalil who kept the position for three seasons; as a result, he moved to left guard. As a freshman, Byers started 4 and played in all 13 games during the 2004 season, as the Trojans went on to win the National Championship.

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Jeff Francis
Jeffrey William Francis (born January 8, 1981, in North Delta, British Columbia) is a Canadian professional baseball pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball.
Francis attended Burnsview Junior Secondary School and North Delta Senior Secondary School in North Delta, British Columbia. After playing for the North Delta Blue Jays of the B.C. Premier Baseball League, the highest calibre junior league in Canada, Francis went on to pursue a major in physics at the University of British Columbia while playing for the UBC Thunderbirds. He was selected in the 1st round (9th pick overall) by the Colorado Rockies in the 2002 Major League Baseball Draft. Along with Adam Loewen, who was selected at fourth overall in the same draft, the two received much publicity as they were drafted higher than any other Canadian baseball players up to that time.^{[citation needed]} Francis was signed by Greg Hopkins.
In 2004, Francis was named Minor League Player of the Year by both Baseball America and USA Today, becoming the first player in Colorado Rockies organizational history to win either of the awards. He became the fourth different player to be honored in the same season by both publications, joining Andruw Jones (1995–1996), Rick Ankiel (1999), and Josh Beckett (2001). Combined between Double-A Tulsa and Triple-A Colorado Springs, Francis went 16–3 with a 2.21 ERA and .194 average against in 24 starts. He struck out 196 batters in 154.2 innings pitched, for a ratio of 11.4 per nine innings. He had more strikeouts than hits (108) and walks (29) combined.

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Jeff George
Jeffrey Scott George (born December 8, 1967) is a former American college and professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for thirteen seasons during the 1990s and early 2000s. He played college football for the University of Illinois. He was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts with the first overall pick of the 1990 NFL Draft, and also played for the Atlanta Falcons, Oakland Raiders, Minnesota Vikings, Washington Redskins and Seattle Seahawks of the NFL.
George was born in Indianapolis, Indiana. He attended Warren Central High School, where he was awarded the Dial Award for the national high-school scholar-athlete of the year in 1985 and was the first Gatorade National Player of the Year. Collegiately, he attended Purdue University and the University of Illinois.
George transferred after a year at Purdue University because the coach who recruited him, Leon Burtnett, was fired. Burtnett's replacement was Fred Akers, who had been known for his teams that used a run-heavy option type offense that required a more mobile quarterback. He subsequently committed to the University of Miami, but he backed out when coach Jimmy Johnson would not guarantee him a starting job at the passer-rich school. The schoolboy legend from Indianapolis ended up leaving the home-state school and became a Fighting Illini. He stayed at Illinois for two years, leaving with a year of eligibility remaining after being assured he would be drafted in the first five picks of the NFL draft (he was picked No. 1 overall).

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Jeff Kent
Jeffrey Franklin Kent (born March 7, 1968) is a retired Major League Baseball second baseman. Kent won the National League Most Valuable Player award in 2000 with the San Francisco Giants, and is the all-time leader in home runs among second basemen. He drove in 90 or more runs from 1997 to 2005, a streak of run production unprecedented for a second baseman, a position typically known for its defense. Kent is a five-time All-Star and his 560 career doubles put him tied for 21st on the all-time doubles list.
Born in Bellflower, California, Kent graduated from Edison High School in Huntington Beach, California. Kent played at UC Berkeley prior to being drafted in the 20th round of the 1989 amateur draft by the Toronto Blue Jays. Prior to attending college, Kent had a serious run-in with his Edison High School baseball coach; he was removed from the team as a result.^{[citation needed]}
After four seasons in the minor leagues, Kent was invited to spring training with the Toronto Blue Jays in 1992 and made the opening day roster. He made his debut on April 12 against the Baltimore Orioles and recorded his first career hit (a double) in the 6th inning against Jose Mesa. He hit his first home run on April 14 against New York Yankees pitcher Lee Guetterman. He saw limited at-bats early in the season; however, an injury to starting third baseman Kelly Gruber granted Kent a more regular role in the line-up.

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Jeff Manship
Jeffrey Michael Manship (born January 16, 1985, San Antonio, Texas) is a right-handed pitcher for the Minnesota Twins. He was the Twins' 14th round selection of the June 2006 Major League Baseball Draft.
Manship was member of Team USA's 16-under and 18-under Youth and Junior National Teams, winning a gold medal in 2001. At Ronald Reagan High School in San Antonio, he was an All-American with a 22-2 record and 0.65 earned run average his final two seasons (2002 & 2003) with four no-hitters (one perfect game), and a 7.9 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks out of high school, but chose instead to attend Notre Dame. He missed his entire freshman season at Notre Dame following reconstructive elbow surgery on February 11, 2004.
In Manship's first season of professional ball (2006), his combined effort for the Gulf Coast League Twins and Fort Myers Miracle was 22 strikeouts in 15 innings pitched with only two earned runs for a 1.20 ERA. He began the 2007 season with the Beloit Snappers of the Midwest League, going 7-1 with a 1.51 ERA to earn a Midwest League All-Star nod, and a promotion back up to Minnesota's advanced A affiliate in Fort Myers.

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Jelani Jenkins
Jelani Jenkins (born March 13, 1992) is an American football player. He currently starts at linebacker for the University of Florida. Jenkins was one of the highest ranked college recruits in the high school class of 2009.
Jenkins attended Our Lady Good Counsel in Olney, Maryland. As a junior he played full back and linebacker. He rushed for 1129 yards and 42 touchdowns at running back and had 60 tackles, four sacks, an interception, a forced fumble, and recovered two fumbles at linebacker. As a senior Jenkins rushed for 22 touchdowns and made 70 tackles. He was the first player in the 71-year history of the District's Pigskin Club to earn both Defensive Player of the Year and Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors. He was recognized as a Parade magazine All-American and was chosen to play in the 2009 Under Armour All-America Game.
Jenkins was one of the top high school football players in the class of 2009. Scout.com ranked him as the #7 overall player and the #1 linebacker, while Rivals.com ranked him the #10 overall recruit and #2 at linebacker (#1 was OLB Quyen Tran). Jenkins announced his decision to attend Florida on National Signing Day, February 4, 2009.

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Jeremy Hellickson
Jeremy Robert Hellickson (born April 8, 1987) is an American professional baseball pitcher with the Tampa Bay Rays of Major League Baseball. He was born in Des Moines, Iowa and attended Hoover High School. Following the 2011 season, Hellickson was named American League Rookie of the Year.
Hellickson was drafted by Tampa Bay in the 4th round of the 2005 Major League Baseball Draft. Baseball America rated him as the 18th best prospect in all of baseball going into the 2010 season. He was selected to play in the 2010 All-Star Futures Game and was the starting pitcher for U.S. team.
On August 2, 2010, Hellickson made his major league debut against Minnesota Twins. During his debut, he held the Twins to two runs over seven innings. He struck out six while walking two. He was optioned back to Triple-A Durham after the start. He was once again recalled to the majors on August 10 to take the spot of Wade Davis in the rotation. He made his second career start that day against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park, earning his second career victory after pitching seven shutout innings with three hits, seven strikeouts and no walks as the Rays won 8–0.

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Jim Rice
James Edward "Jim" Rice (born March 8, 1953), nicknamed "Jim Ed", is a former Major League Baseball left fielder.
Jim Rice played his entire career for the Boston Red Sox from 1974 to 1989. An 8-time American League (AL) All-Star, he was named the AL's Most Valuable Player in 1978 after becoming the first major league player in 19 years to hit for 400 total bases, and went on to become the ninth player to lead the major leagues in total bases in consecutive seasons, and join Ty Cobb as one of two players to lead the AL in total bases three years in a row. He batted .300 seven times, collected 100 runs batted in (RBI) eight times and 200 hits four times, and had eleven seasons with 20 home runs, also leading the league in home runs three times, RBIs and slugging average twice each.
In the late 1970s he was part of one of the sport's great outfields along with Fred Lynn and Dwight Evans, who was his teammate for his entire career; Rice continued the tradition of his predecessors Ted Williams and Carl Yastrzemski as a power-hitting left fielder who played his entire career for the Red Sox. He ended his career with a .502 slugging average, and then ranked tenth in AL history with 382 home runs; his career marks in homers, hits (2,452), RBI (1,451) and total bases (4,129) remain Red Sox records for a right-handed hitter, with Evans eventually surpassing his Boston records for career runs scored, at bats and extra base hits by a right-handed hitter. When Rice retired, his 1,503 career games in left field ranked seventh in AL history. Rice was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on July 26, 2009, as the 103rd member voted in by the BBWAA.

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Jim Sundberg
James Howard Sundberg (born May 18, 1951 in Galesburg, Illinois) is a former professional baseball catcher known for being one of the best defensive catchers of his era. He played for a number of Major League teams, most significantly the Texas Rangers and Kansas City Royals, with whom he won a World Championship. He batted and threw right-handed.
Sundberg graduated from the University of Iowa. While attending the University of Iowa he joined The Delta Upsilon Fraternity. On January 10, 1973, he was selected by Texas Rangers in the 1st round of the secondary free agent draft. In 1974, he made the rare jump from Class A level baseball to the major leagues with the Rangers. As a rookie, Sundberg was selected to be a reserve in the 1974 All-Star Game and finished fourth in the Rookie of the Year balloting (teammate Mike Hargrove won the award). Sundberg had 101 assists in 1975, becoming the first American League catcher to have more than 100 assists in a season since the end of the Second World War.

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Jimmie Foxx
James Emory "Jimmie" Foxx (October 22, 1907 – July 21, 1967), nicknamed "Double X" and "The Beast", was a right-handed American Major League Baseball first baseman and noted power hitter.
Foxx was the second major league player to hit 500 career home runs, after Babe Ruth. Attaining that plateau at age 32 years 336 days, he held the record for youngest to reach 500 for sixty-eight years, until superseded by Alex Rodriguez in 2007. His three career Most Valuable Player awards are tied for second all-time.
James Emory Foxx was born in Sudlersville, Maryland on October 22, 1907 to Dell and Mattie Foxx who were farmers. Dell Foxx had played baseball for a town team when he was younger and he instilled a love for the game in young Jimmie. Foxx did well in school but truly excelled in sports, particularly soccer, track and baseball of which he played all three in high school. He dropped out of high school early to join a minor league team managed by former Philadelphia Athletics great Frank "Home Run" Baker. Foxx had hoped to pitch or play third base, but since the team was short on catchers, Foxx moved behind the plate.

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Jimmy Clausen
James Richard "Jimmy" Clausen (born September 21, 1987) is an American football quarterback for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Panthers in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played college football at Notre Dame.
Clausen had an outstanding prep career at Oaks Christian High School in Westlake Village, California. In 2006, he threw 49 touchdown passes for the season to lead the Lions to their first ever Division III state title over Cardinal Newman High School (Santa Rosa, CA). Clausen never lost a football game he started in his prep career (42-0) and also holds the California state record for career touchdowns (146). He threw for 10,677 yards in his career at Oaks Christian. As a senior, Clausen won the 2006 Hall Trophy for the nation's top high school football player and was also named “Offensive Player of the Year” by the USA Today. Clausen was also named the Co Player of the Year, along with USC running back Joe McKnight, by Parade Magazine.

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Joe Benson
William Joseph Benson (born March 5, 1988 in Hinsdale, Illinois) is a Major League Baseball outfielder for the Minnesota Twins.
Benson was drafted by the Twins in the second round of the 2006 Major League Baseball Draft.
Benson participated in Spring Training for the Twins in 2011, but did not make the opening day roster and was subsequently assigned to the AA affiliate of the Twins, the New Britain Rock Cats, where he was given the starting job in center field. On September 6, 2011, Benson made his major league debut for the Minnesota Twins. He went without a hit a three at-bats, drawing a walk and striking out once. Benson's first major league hit was a single off of Detroit Tigers pitcher Max Scherzer on September 10, 2011.

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Joe DiMaggio
Giuseppe Paulo "Joe" DiMaggio (/dɨˈmɑːʒioʊ/ or /dɨˈmædʒioʊ/; November 25, 1914 – March 8, 1999), nicknamed "Joltin' Joe" and "The Yankee Clipper", was an American Major League Baseball center fielder who played his entire 13-year career for the New York Yankees. He is perhaps best known for his 56-game hitting streak (May 15 – July 16, 1941), a record that still stands. DiMaggio was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1955.
A three-time MVP winner and 13-time All-Star, DiMaggio is the only player to be selected for the All-Star Game in every season he played. During his thirteen years with the Yankees, the club won ten American League pennants and nine World Series championships.
At the time of his retirement, he ranked fifth in career home runs (361) and sixth in career slugging percentage (.579). He was voted the sport's greatest living player in a poll taken in the baseball centennial year of 1969.
His brothers Vince and Dom also became major league center fielders.
DiMaggio was born in Martinez, California, the eighth of nine children born to immigrants from Italy, Giuseppe (1872–1949) and Rosalia (Mercurio) DiMaggio (1878–1951). He was delivered by a midwife identified on his birth certificate as Mrs. J. Pico. He was named after his father; "Paolo" was in honor of Giuseppe's favorite saint, Saint Paul. The family moved to San Francisco, California, when Joe was a year old.

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Joe Gordon
Joseph Lowell Gordon (February 18, 1915 – April 14, 1978), nicknamed "Flash" in reference to the comic-book character Flash Gordon, was an American second baseman and manager in Major League Baseball who played for the New York Yankees and Cleveland Indians from 1938 to 1950. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2009.
Gordon was the outstanding player at his position during the 1940s, winning the 1942 American League MVP Award and being named to The Sporting News Major League All-Star Team in nine of his eleven seasons. Known for his acrobatic defense, he led the AL in assists four times and in double plays three times. He was the first AL second baseman to hit 20 home runs in a season, doing so seven times, holds the league mark for career HRs at second base (246), and he held the single-season record until 2001. He played a major role on the 1948 champion Indians, leading the team in homers and runs batted in. He ranked sixth in major league history in double plays (1,160) upon retiring, and was sixth in AL history in games (1,519), putouts (3,600), assists (4,706) and total chances (8,566) and seventh in fielding percentage (.970).

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Joe Mauer
Joseph Patrick Mauer (born April 19, 1983) is an American baseball catcher in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota Twins. He is the only catcher in MLB history to win three batting titles. He also won three consecutive Gold Glove awards (2008–2010), and the 2009 American League (AL) Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award.
Joe Mauer played football, basketball, and baseball for Saint Paul's Cretin-Derham Hall Raiders, the high school of Paul Molitor, a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. In his senior year he became the only athlete ever to be selected as the USA Today High School Player of the Year in two sports (football in 2000 as a quarterback and baseball in 2001 as a catcher).
In December 2009, Sports Illustrated magazine included Mauer in its article on ten "signature" moments in U.S. high-school sports in the 2000–2009 decade, referring to his selection by the Minnesota Twins as the first pick in the 2001 amateur draft.
Mauer attended the same high school as Baseball Hall of Famer and former Milwaukee Brewer Paul Molitor. Molitor has said that Mauer "has the best swing he had ever seen". Jim O'Neill, Mauer's baseball coach at Cretin-Derham Hall, said his former student "has been groomed for this job since he was a little boy. Mauer's dad, Jake, created a contraption for Joe he later named the 'Quickswing'. The device dropped balls down a tube from eye level and released them at waist level." Mauer had been asked to leave his T-ball league at the age of four, because he was hitting the ball too hard for the other players. "Another guy that came from Cretin-Derham Hall, Paul Molitor, was very similar, [and] had a good short swing," O'Neill said. "And they're both able to wait on the ball so long because they don't have the big swing. Like anything, you keep simple and keep it small or short, there's not a lot of holes in it and not a lot of room for errors."

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Joe Torre
Joseph Paul Torre (

/ˈtɔri/; born July 18, 1940) is an American former professional baseball player and manager. A nine-time All-Star, he played in Major League Baseball as a catcher, first baseman and a third baseman for the Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves, New York Mets, and the St. Louis Cardinals. After his retirement as a player, he later managed all three teams.
Torre managed the New York Yankees from 1996 to 2007. The Yankees reached the post season each year and won ten American League East Division titles, six American League pennants, four World Series titles, and compiled a .605 winning percentage overall. With 2,326 wins, he is currently ranked 5th on the list of Major League Baseball all-time managerial wins.
Torre followed in his brother Frank's footsteps when he was signed by the Milwaukee Braves as an amateur free agent in 1960. In his first season in the minor leagues with the Class A Eau Claire Braves, he won the 1960 Northern League batting championship with a .344 batting average. Torre made his major league debut late in the season on September 21, 1960. He was assigned to the Triple A Louisville Colonels for the 1961 season where, the Braves had planned to groom him as the eventual successor to their All-Star catcher, Del Crandall. However, those plans were changed when Crandall injured his throwing arm in May 1961, forcing the Braves to promote Torre to the major leagues with just over a year of minor league experience. Torre rose to the occasion, hitting for a .278 batting average with 21 doubles and 10 home runs. He finished the season ranked second to Billy Williams in the 1961 National League Rookie of the Year voting.

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Joe Vavra
Joseph Alan Vavra (born November 16, 1959 in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin) is a Major League Baseball hitting coach for the Minnesota Twins.
Vavra graduated in 1978 from Chippewa Falls High School where he was a captain and MVP baseball player his senior season. He played collegiate baseball for the University of Wisconsin–Stout from 1978 to 1982. He graduated with a degree in Industrial Technology.
Vavra was selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 1982 amateur player draft out of college. He played five years in the Dodger farm system making it to the AAA level in 1986. He never played in the major leagues this was due to two injuries, the first happened in his last triple A game when a runner was stealing and Vavra picked the throw from the catcher only to have the runners cleat shatter his thumb leaving him to have pins put in. The second and final setback was in the following years spring training when Vavra found out he had desert fever (Coccidioidomycosis), a disease that eats at your lungs, he finished the year and had to stop playing. Vavra has now been in Major League Baseball for over 20 years and now the hitting coach for the Minnesota Twins.

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Johan Santana
Johan Alexander Santana Araque (English pronunciation: /ˈjoʊhɑːn sænˈtænə/; born March 13, 1979) is a Venezuelan pitcher for New York Mets. He is a native of Tovar, a town in Merida state, Venezuela.
A two-time Cy Young Award winner with the Minnesota Twins, he was considered one of the best pitchers in baseball, with a pitch repertoire that included an 88–94 mph fastball, along with a circle changeup, generally considered his best pitch, and a slider. His warm-up music is the song "Smooth" by Rob Thomas and Carlos Santana. Santana was rated by Forbes as the 5th highest paid baseball player in MLB, the highest out of all pitchers. On June 1st, 2012, Santana threw the first no-hitter in New York Mets' history.
Santana was discovered in 1994 by Chance Partin, brother-in-law of Cheech Marin, who was a scout working for the Houston Astros at the time. He signed Santana and sent him to his academy in Guacara in January 1995. Santana did not like it and almost left, but Reiner convinced him to stay. While originally a center fielder, Santana was converted to a pitcher at the academy due to his arm speed. In 1999 he was named the Tovar Mérida Athlete of the Year.

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John Brantley
John Brantley, IV (born March 3, 1989) is an American football quarterback for the Baltimore Ravens. He was a highly sought-after recruit from Ocala, Florida, originally committing to Texas but then choosing Florida.
Brantley has family connections to the University of Florida. His father, John Brantley, III, also played quarterback there in the late 1970s and his uncle, Scot Brantley, played linebacker for the Gators and went on to the NFL.
Brantley attended Trinity Catholic High School in Ocala, Florida.
As a sophomore, Brantley threw for 1,201 yards, 17 touchdowns and one interception, while sharing time with senior Seth Varnadore. During his junior season, he threw for 2,835 yards, 41 touchdowns and five interceptions, leading Trinity Catholic to the Florida Class 2B state title. Brantley finished his high school career with an FHSAA record 99 touchdown passes, breaking the previous state mark of 98, held by Tim Tebow. Following his high school career, Brantley was invited to play in the 2007 U.S. Army All-American Bowl.

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John Olerud
John Garrett Olerud (

/ˈoʊləruːd/; nicknamed Big Rude, and Johnny O; born August 5, 1968), is a former American first baseman in Major League Baseball. Olerud played with the Toronto Blue Jays (1989–96), New York Mets (1997–99), Seattle Mariners (2000–2004), New York Yankees (2004) and Boston Red Sox (2005).
A patient, productive hitter throughout his career, Olerud won the American League batting title in 1993 and was runner-up for the National League batting title in 1998. Also a three-time Gold Glove winner, he was an excellent defensive first baseman and part of Sports Illustrated's "Greatest Infield Ever" with Edgardo Alfonzo, Rey Ordóñez, and Robin Ventura, when he played for the Mets.
In 1987, Olerud hit .414 with 5 HR and 20 RBIs. As a pitcher, he went 8-2 with a 3.00 ERA and was a freshman All-American.
In 1988, Olerud hit .464 with 23 HR, 81 RBIs, 108 hits, 204 total bases, and a .876 Slugging percentage. As a pitcher, he had an undefeated 15–0 season, and threw 113 Ks with a 2.49 ERA. He was a consensus All-American as both 1B and Pitcher and Baseball America College Player of the Year.

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John Paye
John Paye (born March 30, 1965 in Stanford, California) is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League and a high school basketball coach.
A graduate of Menlo School in Atherton, California, Paye lettered in baseball, basketball, and football. In his senior year of 1983, Menlo won the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Division II basketball championship. One of Paye's teammates was Eric Reveno, who played with Paye on Stanford's basketball team and is currently the basketball head coach at the University of Portland.
Paye continued as a starter in football and basketball at Stanford, and became the starting quarterback in his freshman year of 1983. That year, Paye also started at point guard for Stanford's basketball team. Paye was the last NCAA Division I athlete to start in both football and basketball as a freshman.^{[citation needed]}
In the 1984 season, he shared time at quarterback with Fred Buckley, and became the starter for the 1985 and 1986 season. In 1986, Paye led Stanford to the Gator Bowl against the Clemson Tigers. This was Stanford's first bowl appearance in 8 years, but Paye was unable to play due to a shoulder injury. Backup Greg Ennis started instead, and Stanford lost a close game 27-21.

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Johnathan Gray
Johnathan Gray (born c. 1994) is an American football running back for the University of Texas at Austin. He attended Aledo High School in Aledo, Texas. Gray earned a 2011 USA Today High School All-American nomination, and was also named Gatorade National Player of the Year. After becoming the first junior to win ESPN HS's Mr. Football USA, he became the first two-time winner of the award following the 2011 high school football season.
Gray chose the University of Texas over Arkansas, Auburn, TCU, and Texas A&M.
Gray attended Aledo High School in Aledo, Texas where he broke the all-time high school touchdown record with 205 eclipsing Mike Hart's record of 204 touchdowns. As a junior, he rushed for 323 yards and eight touchdowns in the Texas Class 4A Division II championship game against La Marque High School on December 17 at Cowboys Stadium, which gave him a total of 59 rushing touchdowns for the 2010 high school football season and surpassed Kenneth Hall's single-season record of 57 set in 1953. Gray had rushed for 252 yards and four touchdowns in the 2009 state championship victory over Brenham High School. In 2011, Gray led Aledo to its third straight state championship with 241 rushing yards. Along the way, he scored his 205th touchdown establishing the national high school career record. He finished his high school career first all-times in touchdowns and second all-time in points scored.

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Jon Rauch
Jon Erich Rauch (born September 27, 1978) is an American professional baseball pitcher currently with the New York Mets. At 6' 11" (2.11 m), he is the tallest player in Major League Baseball history. He is also an Olympic Gold Medalist.
Rauch attended and graduated from Oldham County High School. He grew up in Westport, Kentucky.
Rauch played baseball in college at Morehead State University, where he double majored in physics and business. He was also a member of the social fraternity Sigma Phi Epsilon, KY Zeta Chapter.
Rauch, weighing at 290-lbs, was drafted in the third round of the 1999 amateur draft by the Chicago White Sox. He debuted with the White Sox on April 2, 2002.
In 2002, Rauch's first stint in the big leagues resulted in a 6.59 ERA in eight games and six starts. He did not play in the majors in 2003, then returned to the majors in 2004 after a strong Triple-A campaign. However, against major league batters he again posted a high ERA of 6.23. In July 2004, Rauch was traded to the Montréal Expos along with Triple-A reliever Gary Majewski for Carl Everett.

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Jorge Posada
Jorge Rafael Posada Villeta (born August 17, 1971) is a retired Puerto Rican baseball catcher who played 17 years in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees from 1995 to 2011. Posada produced strong offensive numbers for his position, recording a .273 batting average, 275 home runs, and 1,065 runs batted in (RBIs) during his career. A switch hitter, Posada was a five-time All-Star, won five Silver Slugger Awards, and was on the roster for four World Series championship teams.
Drafted by the Yankees in 1990, Posada was originally an infielder before moving to catcher during his minor league career. He debuted in the major leagues in 1995, but it was not until 1998 that he found regular playing time. A solid-hitting catcher, Posada established himself as a mainstay in the Yankees lineup and as one of the "Core Four" players who contributed to the Yankees' winning seasons. In 2003, he finished third in voting for the American League (AL) Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award and became only the second Yankees catcher after Yogi Berra to hit 30 home runs in a season. Posada added one of his best seasons in 2007 at age 35 when he batted .338. Following a stint as designated hitter in 2011, he retired.

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Jose Canseco
José Canseco Capas, Jr. (born July 2, 1964), is a Cuban-American former Major League Baseball (MLB) outfielder, and designated hitter who is currently playing for the Worcester Tornadoes. He last played for the AAA Quintana Roo Tigres of the Mexican Baseball League, however he was banned from the Mexican League in 2012 for refusing to submit to a drug test and admitting to taking testosterone. He played for the Oakland Athletics (1985–1992, 1997) Texas Rangers (1992–1994), Boston Red Sox (1995–1996), Toronto Blue Jays (1998), Tampa Bay Devil Rays (1999–2000), New York Yankees (2000) and Chicago White Sox (2001). During his career, Canseco was a six-time All-Star, four-time Silver Slugger Award winner, American League (AL) Rookie of the Year, and AL Most Valuable Player.
Canseco has admitted using performance enhancing drugs during his playing career, and wrote a tell-all book, Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant 'Roids, Smash Hits & How Baseball Got Big, in which he claimed that the vast majority of MLB players use steroids.

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Josh Beckett
Joshua Patrick Beckett (born May 15, 1980) is an American professional baseball pitcher with the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball. During his career in the playoffs, he won the 2003 World Series MVP Award with the Florida Marlins, and received the 2007 ALCS MVP award with the Red Sox.
A resident of Spring, Texas, Beckett was discovered by Florida Marlins scout Bob Laurie. Beckett had signed a letter of intent to play with the Texas A&M Aggies but went pro. Beckett spent most of his early years with the Marlins as a member of the team's young staff, but injuries (most frequently blister problems) limited him to only 99 starts (102 appearances) from 2002 to 2005.
Beckett's major league debut was on September 4, 2001, against the Chicago Cubs, in which he gave up one hit over six shutout innings. He finished 2001 with four games started, a 2-2 record, and an ERA of 1.50.
Beckett won the 2003 World Series MVP Award with two strong performances on three days' rest. Teamed up with catcher Iván Rodríguez, he helped the Marlins win the World Series, defeating the New York Yankees. During Game 6 at Yankee Stadium, he shut out the Yankees in a complete game, striking out 9 batters and clinching the series by making the tag for the final out.

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Josh Booty
Joshua Gibson Booty (born April 29, 1975 in Starkville, Mississippi) is a retired National Football League quarterback and former Major League Baseball third baseman. He is the older brother of John David Booty.
Booty is a free agent quarterback for the National Football League.
Booty was taken as the 177th pick (6th round) of the 2001 NFL Draft by the Seattle Seahawks. He was the 11th quarterback taken, behind Michael Vick of Virginia Tech, Drew Brees of Purdue, Quincy Carter of Georgia, Marques Tuiasosopo of Washington, Chris Weinke of Florida State, Sage Rosenfels of Iowa State, Jesse Palmer of Florida, Mike McMahon of Rutgers, A.J. Feeley of Oregon and Josh Heupel of Oklahoma.
Booty went to Evangel Christian Academy in Shreveport, Louisiana. Booty was named to the All-Time National High School All-American team by Dick Butkus. Joe Namath, and John Elway were the other two QB's mentioned on the All-Time team.
As quarterback for the football team, he threw for 11,700 yards and 126 touchdowns, becoming the first high school player in history to throw for more than 10,000 yards (despite missing the last four games of his senior year because of a broken hand). Booty was named the USA Today Offensive Player of the Year and was named the National High School Player of the Year by at least six associations, including Parade and the Football News.

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Josh Hamilton
Joshua Holt Hamilton (born May 21, 1981) is an American professional baseball player. An outfielder, Hamilton has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) since 2007. A member of the Texas Rangers (2008–present), he also played for the Cincinnati Reds (2007). He is a four-time MLB All Star and American League Most Valuable Player in 2010.
He was the first overall pick in the 1999 MLB draft by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. He was considered a blue chip prospect until injuries and a drug addiction derailed his career, beginning in 2001. Prior to the 2007 season, Hamilton was selected by the Chicago Cubs (picking for the Cincinnati Reds) in the Rule 5 Draft. He made his MLB debut in 2007 with the Reds and had a successful rookie season. During the off-season he was traded to the Texas Rangers for Edinson Volquez and Daniel Ray Herrera.
After his torrid start to the 2008 season, Hamilton was named to the American League All Star team, and made the All-Star team the next three seasons as well. He also participated in the Home Run Derby, where he hit a record 28 home runs in the opening round and finished with 35 home runs, which was second-most all-time in derby history. Hamilton won the AL batting title in 2010. On October 22, 2010, Hamilton was selected as MVP of the 2010 ALCS. On November 23, 2010, Hamilton was named the 2010 AL MVP, earning 22 of 28 first-place votes. On May 8, 2012 Hamilton became the 16th player in Major League history to hit four home runs in a game, and set an AL record for total bases in a game with 18.

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Josh Willingham
Joshua David Willingham (born February 17, 1979 in Florence, Alabama) is an American Major League Baseball left fielder for the Minnesota Twins. He has played for the Florida Marlins, Washington Nationals and Oakland Athletics.
He was born in Florence, Alabama where he played high school baseball and basketball at Mars Hill Bible School. Willingham attended college at the University of North Alabama. He played shortstop and was a two-time All-Gulf South Conference selection (1999, 2000) and a 2-time American Baseball Coaches Association All American. He is a member of Sigma Chi fraternity, Eta Rho Chapter.
Willingham was drafted by the Florida Marlins in the 17th round of the 2000 Major League Baseball Draft. He made his MLB debut on July 6, 2004 against the Pittsburgh Pirates but did not garner regular playing time until 2006.
After struggling to find a fielding position for Willingham, as his advanced hitting abilities did not allow him the opportunity to develop defensively, the Marlins made Willingham their starting left-fielder during the 2006 season in wake of the Marlins's "marker correction" in the 2005 offseason.

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Julio Franco
Julio César Robles Franco (born August 23, 1958) is a former Major League Baseball infielder and designated hitter. In 2007, Franco was the oldest active player in the major leagues at the age of 49.
While Franco was an All-Star and posted above-average hitting statistics throughout his career, he is best known for being the oldest regular position player in Major League history. Franco was the all-time hits leader among Dominican-born players until surpassed in 2011 by Vladimir Guerrero. He made his debut on April 23, 1982, as a shortstop for the Philadelphia Phillies. During his long career, Franco saw significant time as a shortstop, second baseman, first baseman, and designated hitter.
As his career started, Franco was part of a 1982 five-for-one trade between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Cleveland Indians. The Phillies received highly regarded prospect, Von Hayes, in exchange for Manny Trillo, George Vukovich, Jay Baller, Jerry Willard, and Franco.
Franco hit over .300 in every season from 1986 to 1989. He also averaged over 20 stolen bases per season from 1983 through 1991. When he switched from shortstop to second baseman in 1988, he won four straight Silver Slugger Awards. Franco batted with a long whip-like swing with the heaviest bat allowed. Because of his batting style, Franco twice led the American League in grounding into double plays and was in the top-ten in that category seven times in the 1980s alone. He is seventh on the all-time list in ground-ball double plays and has just over 300.

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Justin Morneau
Justin Ernest George Morneau (born May 15, 1981) is a Canadian first baseman for the Minnesota Twins of Major League Baseball (MLB). At 6 feet 4 inches and 220 lbs, Morneau was drafted as a catcher by the Twins in 1999. He converted to first base in the minor leagues and made his MLB debut in 2003. He has held that position throughout his career and became the first Twin since Gary Gaetti in 1987–88 to hit 30 home runs in consecutive seasons. Along with fellow teammate Joe Mauer, they are considered one of the best hitting tandems in baseball.
A four-time All-Star, Morneau was the American League Most Valuable Player during the 2006 season by helping the Twins win their fourth division title in five years. He finished runner-up for MVP in 2008 and won two Silver Slugger Awards as well as the 2008 Home Run Derby. Internationally, Morneau represented Canada at the 2006 and 2009 World Baseball Classic.
Midway through the 2010 season, Morneau suffered a concussion while sliding into second base. The injury sidelined him for the remainder of the regular season and playoffs. Up to that point, he was a leading candidate for his second AL MVP award. Despite making the opening day roster in 2011, Morneau dealt with numerous injuries and sustained another concussion during the season that limited his production. Morneau recovered from his ailments and has since split time between designated hitter and first base for the Twins.

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Justin Upton
Justin Irvin Upton (born August 25, 1987, in Norfolk, Virginia) is a National Major League Baseball right fielder for the Arizona Diamondbacks.
He was selected first overall by the Diamondbacks in the 2005 Major League Baseball Draft. Justin is considered a 5-tool player, acknowledged for having hitting prowess as well as solid fielding capabilities. Justin and his brother B.J. Upton of the Tampa Bay Rays are the only brothers in Major League Baseball to ever be selected in the number one and two slots of a first round draft.
He was previously an all-district shortstop for Great Bridge High School in Chesapeake, Virginia, and was awarded the AFLAC National High School Player of the Year Award. He is also the brother of Tampa Bay Rays center fielder B.J. Upton, who was taken at the number two pick in the 2002 draft.
In his first professional season he played for Class-A South Bend Silver Hawks. He began 2007 with the Class-A Advanced Visalia Oaks, but was promoted to the AA Mobile BayBears after hitting .341 with 5 home runs for the Oaks in April.

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Justin Verlander
Justin Brooks Verlander (born February 20, 1983) is an American professional baseball pitcher with the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball.
In 2006, he was named the American League Rookie of the Year. On June 12, 2007, he pitched a no-hitter—the first ever at Comerica Park—against the Milwaukee Brewers, striking out 12 batters and walking four. He pitched a second no-hitter against the Toronto Blue Jays on May 7, 2011, in Toronto, walking one and facing the minimum 27 batters. On November 15, 2011, Verlander was named the 2011 AL Cy Young Award winner by a unanimous vote, becoming the first American League pitcher since Johan Santana in 2006 to win the award in such a fashion. On November 21, 2011, Verlander was voted the AL MVP, winning with 280 points over Jacoby Ellsbury's 242, completing a sweep of the Cy Young Award and MVP, a rare feat for a pitcher in the modern era.
His father Richard, who was president of the local Richmond, Virginia chapter of the Communications Workers of America, sent Justin to The Richmond Baseball Academy. Justin clocked 84 mph (135 km/h) shortly after joining the academy. His velocity kept climbing, and hit 86 MPH by the time he entered Goochland High School. He had been a top pitching prospect in high school, but his career suffered a setback when he came down with strep throat early in his senior season of baseball. A weakened Verlander topped out at 81 during that season, causing professional scouts to lose interest. After he recovered, his velocity reached 87 during his first year at Old Dominion.

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Kelly Stinnett
Kelly Lee Stinnett (born February 4, 1970 in Lawton, Oklahoma) is a retired Major League Baseball catcher. He played all or part of 14 seasons in the majors, from 1994 until 2007.
Stinnett attended Lawton High School in Lawton, Oklahoma and was a letterman in football, and baseball. He was an All-State selection in baseball and in football and he led his football team to the Oklahoma Class 5A State Championship. He played on this championship team with 2 other professional athletes - James Trapp and Will Shields. Trapp went to the NFL and played for the Raiders and Shields played for the Kansas City Chiefs.
He attended Seminole Junior College in Oklahoma, where in his freshman year he was All-Conference and All-Region after leading all junior college players with 30 home runs and 124 RBI. In his sophomore year, he was National Junior College Player of the Year and a first-team All-American. That year, he had a batting average of .399 and had 22 home runs and 97 RBI, leading his team to a First-place finish in the Junior College World Series.

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Kevin Willhite
Alfred Kevin Willhite (born May 4, 1963) is a former collegiate and professional American football player.
Willhite attended Cordova High School in Rancho Cordova, California, graduating in 1982. He was one of the greatest running backs in California prep history, rushing for 4,901 yards and scoring 72 touchdowns. He was selected into the Sac-Joaquin section Hall of Fame.
He was also a great prep sprinter. As a junior in 1981, he won the 200 meters at the California State track meet with a legal wind-aided time of 20.8. As a senior in 1982, he ran 100 meters in 10.5 and had a hand-timed 10.4.
In 1981, he was named the California prep athlete of the year (for football and track) and was separately named the California prep football player of the year. After his senior football year, he also earned three national honors. He received the Dial Award as the outstanding scholar-athlete of the year. Making the 1982 Parade Magazine All-American team, he was named the national back of the year, despite very highly recruited Marcus Dupree from Philadelphia, Mississippi, who became a freshman sensation with the Oklahoma Sooners as a true freshman in 1982, being a contender. He was also selected for the Sam B. Nicola Trophy as the National High school Player of the Year by the Touchdown Club of Columbus, Ohio in 1981. In the 1982 Long Beach Press Telegram Best in the West football recruits rankings, he received 10 votes for the best college running back prospect on the West Coast which was the most a recruit could receive.

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Kevin Youkilis
Kevin Edmund Youkilis (

/ˈjuːkəlɪs/; born March 15, 1979), also known as "Youk" (

/ˈjuːk/), is an American professional baseball player with the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball. A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, he was drafted by the Red Sox in 2001 after playing college baseball at the University of Cincinnati.
Known for his ability to get on base, Youkilis (while still a minor leaguer) was nicknamed "Euclis: The Greek God of Walks" in the best-selling book, Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game. A Gold Glove Award-winning first baseman, he once held baseball's record for most consecutive errorless games at first base (later broken by Casey Kotchman). He is also a three-time MLB All-Star, two-time World Series Champion, and winner of the 2008 Hank Aaron Award.
An intense performer on the playing field, Youkilis is known for his scrappiness, grittiness, dirt-stained jerseys, and home-plate collisions. He has excelled despite a physique that led many observers to underestimate his athletic ability: he was called "roly-poly" by his high school coach, "pudgy" by his college coach, a "fat kid" by general manager Billy Beane, and a "thicker-bodied guy" by the Red Sox scout who recruited him. Or, as Jackie MacMullan wrote for the Boston Globe: "He does not look like an MVP candidate; more a refrigerator repairman, a butcher, the man selling hammers behind the counter at the True Value hardware store." Youkilis was named to the Sporting News' list of the 50 greatest current players in baseball, ranking No. 36 on the list in 2009, No. 38 in 2010, and No. 35 in 2011.

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Kiehl Frazier
Kiehl Frazier (born October 2, 1992) is an American football quarterback. He currently attends Auburn University in his freshman year. Frazier was USA Today′s 2010 Offensive High School Football Player of the Year while playing at Shiloh Christian School in Springdale, Arkansas.

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Kirby Puckett
Kirby Puckett (March 14, 1960 – March 6, 2006) was an American Major League Baseball center fielder. He played his entire 12-year baseball career with the Minnesota Twins (1984–1995) and is the Twins franchise's all-time leader in career hits, runs, doubles, and total bases. At the time of his retirement, his .318 career batting average was the highest by any right-handed American League batter since Joe DiMaggio.
Puckett was the fourth baseball player during the 20th century to record 1,000 hits in his first five full calendar years in Major League Baseball, and was the second to record 2,000 hits during his first ten full calendar years. After being forced to retire at age 35 due to loss of vision in one eye from a central retinal vein occlusion, Puckett was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2001 in his first year of eligibility.
Puckett was born in Chicago, Illinois, and raised in Robert Taylor Homes, a housing project on Chicago's South Side (the escape from which he frequently referred back to during his career). He attended and played baseball for Calumet High School. After receiving no scholarship offers following graduation, Puckett at first went to work on an assembly line for Ford Motor Company. However he was given a chance to attend Bradley University and was a star on the baseball team, despite his under-sized 5' 8" frame, before the Minnesota Twins selected him in the 1st round (3rd pick) of the 1982 MLB Draft.

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Kris Benson
Kristin James Benson (born November 7, 1974) is a former Major League Baseball starting pitcher. Benson pitched for the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1999 to 2004, New York Mets from 2004 to 2005, Baltimore Orioles in 2006 to 2007, Texas Rangers in 2009, and Arizona Diamondbacks in 2010.
Benson was born in Superior, Wisconsin. The future All-American pitcher was born to baseball fan parents who chose names for each of their children that began names with "K," a nod to the letter used as the scorecard designation for a strikeout. Benson attended Sprayberry High School in Marietta, Georgia with future MLB All-Star Marlon Byrd. Benson was not drafted out of high school.
Benson attended Clemson University from 1993 to 1996. His teammates included fellow future major-leaguers Billy Koch and Matthew LeCroy both of whom played with him in the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. (Koch reported teammates referred to Benson as "The Messiah".) Benson went undefeated during the regular season of his junior year (14–0 with a 1.40 ERA) with 178 strikeouts in 142 innings pitched.

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Kyle Gibson
Kyle Benjamin Gibson (born October 23, 1987) is a pitcher in the Minnesota Twins organization. He is considered one of the top prospects in baseball.
Gibson transferred to Greenfield-Central High School from Cathedral High School between his freshman and sophomore years. He was ruled ineligible for varsity baseball by the IHSAA for his sophomore year due to the transfer. During his junior year, he was 7-2 and led the Cougars to a sectional championship and to the regional finals. In his senior year, he was 8-6 with a 0.98 ERA and 140 strikeouts. He led Greenfield to the Elite Eight by pitching all of his team's tournament games. He was named the Hancock County Player of the Year after his senior year. He was also named to the Indianapolis Star All-East team in both his junior and senior years. After his senior year, he was named All-East Player of the Year and made the Indiana All-Star Team.
Following his senior year, he was selected by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 36th round of the 2006 Major League Baseball Draft but chose to attend University of Missouri, where he played for the Missouri Tigers baseball team.

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Kyle Waldrop
Steven Kyle Waldrop (born October 27, 1985) is a professional baseball pitcher in the Minnesota Twins organization.
Kyle Waldrop was the Twins' third pick in the first round of the 2004 Major League Baseball draft, when the Twins had five first-round picks. He was the 25th player drafted that year.
A native of Knoxville, Tennessee and a 2004 graduate of Farragut High School in Farragut, Tennessee, Waldrop has played for Twins minor-league teams in Elizabethton, Tennessee, Beloit, Wisconsin, Fort Myers, Florida, New Britain, Connecticut, and Rochester, New York.
Waldrop missed the entire 2008 season due to a shoulder injury.
In 2011, he was one of six pitchers not on the Twins' major league roster to be invited to the team's spring training camp in Fort Myers.
On September 5, 2011, Waldrop was called up from Rochester with Brian Dinkelman.

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Kyle Wright
Kyle Wright (born October 18, 1984 in Danville, California) is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2008. He played college football at the University of Miami. Wright has also been a member of the San Francisco 49ers.
Wright began his high school career as starting quarterback on the Vintage High School JV team, in Napa, California. Following his freshman year, he transferred to Monte Vista High in Danville, becoming the second string quarterback for his first year and the starter his remaining 2 years. Wright was widely regarded as the nation's top high school quarterback for the 2002-2003 season, during which he was named the Gatorade National Player of the Year and SuperPrep National Player of the Year, as well as being ranked the fifth best overall player in the nation by both Scout recruiting magazine He participated in the 2003 U.S. Army All-American Bowl game.
Additionally, Wright was ranked the best pro-style quarterback in the class of 2003 by rivals.com while his cross-town rival, San Ramon Valley High School quarterback Sam Keller, future quarterback of ASU and Nebraska, was ranked ninth.

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Lamarcus Joyner
Lamarcus Joyner (born November 27, 1990) is an American football safety. He is a sophomore currently attending Florida State University. Joyner was named 2009 Defensive High School Player of the Year by USA Today.
A native of Miami, Florida, Joyner originally attended Southwest Miami High School, before transferring to St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Joyner chose FSU over Notre Dame, Ohio State, Tennessee, and Florida.

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Lamont Green
Lamont Green (born July 10, 1976) is a former American football linebacker. He played one game for the Atlanta Falcons in the 1999 NFL season before retiring due to injuries. Green was an All-Conference linebacker at Florida State University from 1994-1998. In his senior year, he was selected as team captain and played an integral part in the team's run for the National Championship in the 1999 Fiesta Bowl.
A Miami, Florida native, Green attended Miami Southridge High School, where he helped the Spartans to the Class 5A state championship and was named Defensive Player of the Year by USA Today. Considered the No. 1 high school football recruit in the nation in 1994, Green chose Florida State over the University of Miami.
Lamont received his bachelor's degree from Florida State in Criminology & Criminal Justice in 2002. He earned his master's degree in Education from Nova Southeastern University in 2007. Most recently he was named Academic Counselor for the Florida State Seminoles football team. He is currently the head coach of the football team and is one of the S.C.S.I. directors at South Miami Senior High School

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Lance Parrish
Lance Michael Parrish, aka "Big Wheel",(born June 15, 1956 in Clairton, Pennsylvania) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher for the Detroit Tigers (1977–1986), Philadelphia Phillies (1987–1988), California Angels (1989–1992), Seattle Mariners (1992), Cleveland Indians (1993), Pittsburgh Pirates (1994), and the Toronto Blue Jays (1995). He was regarded as one of the best catchers in the 1980s, for both his offensive and defensive play.
Parrish was drafted as a third baseman by the Detroit Tigers in the first round of the 1974 Major League Baseball draft. While playing for the Lakeland Tigers in the minor leagues, he was converted to a catcher. He reached the major leagues in 1977 on a part time basis, and by 1979 he had replaced Milt May as the team's regular catcher. In 1979, he also played winter baseball in Puerto Rico with the Mayaguez Indians. Parrish hit for a .286 batting average along with 24 home runs and 82 runs batted in during the 1980 season to earn his first American League All-Star team berth, as well as winning his first Silver Slugger Award.

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Lefty Grove
Robert Moses "Lefty" Grove (March 6, 1900 – May 22, 1975) was a professional baseball pitcher. After having success in the minor leagues during the early 1920s, Grove became a star in Major League Baseball with the American League's Philadelphia Athletics and Boston Red Sox, winning 300 games in his 17-year MLB career. He was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1947.
One of the greatest left-handed pitchers in major league history, Grove led the American League in wins in four separate seasons, in strikeouts seven years in a row, and had the league's lowest earned run average a record nine times. Over the course of the three years from 1929 to 1931 he twice won the pitcher's Triple Crown, leading the league in wins, strikeouts, and ERA, while amassing a 79-15 record as the ace for the Athletics' dynasty teams.
Born in Lonaconing, Maryland, Grove was a sandlot star in the Baltimore area during the 1910s. In 1920, he made his professional debut with the Martinsburg Mountaineers of the class-D Blue Ridge League, where he appeared in six games. In 59 innings pitched, Grove gave up just 30 hits, and he had an earned run average (ERA) of 1.68. His performance attracted the attention of Jack Dunn, the owner of the minor league Baltimore Orioles, who also discovered Babe Ruth.

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Lenny Faedo
Leonardo Lago Faedo is a former Major League Baseball shortstop. He played all or part of five seasons in the majors, from 1980 until 1984, for the Minnesota Twins.

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Lester Oliveros
Lester Jesus Oliveros Blanco (born May 28, 1988) is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher in the Minnesota Twins organization. He is 6'0" tall and he weighs 225 pounds.
Oliveros began his professional career in 2006, playing for the VSL Marlins/Tigers. That season, he went 1–3 with a 2.72 ERA in 20 games (two starts), striking out 46 batters in 39⅓ innings. In 2007, he pitched for the VSL Tigers, going 2–0 with a 1.41 ERA in 27 relief appearances, striking out 59 batters in 38⅓ innings. He moved to the United States in 2008, splitting the season between the Oneonta Tigers (15 games) and Lakeland Flying Tigers (five games), going a combined 2–3 with a 2.59 ERA. He struck out 37 batters in 31⅓ innings of work. In 2009, he pitched for the Flying Tigers (34 games) and Toledo Mud Hens (one game), posting a 4–2 record with a 4.02 ERA. Despite his inflated ERA, he managed once again to average more than one strikeout per inning, with 61 strikeouts in 56 innings pitched. He split 2010 between the Flying Tigers and Erie SeaWolves, going a combined 1–3 with a 3.65 ERA in 44 games, striking out 60 batters in 44⅓ innings.

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Levi Michael
Levi Burt Michael (born February 9, 1991 in Lexington, North Carolina) is a professional baseball shortstop in the Minnesota Twins organization. Michael attended the University of North Carolina, where he played college baseball for the North Carolina Tar Heels baseball team, prior to being drafted by the Twins in the first round of the 2011 Major League Baseball Draft. Michael is a switch hitter who throws right-handed.
Michael grew up in Welcome, North Carolina and attended North Davidson High School in Lexington, North Carolina and the University of North Carolina (UNC), where he played for the North Carolina Tar Heels baseball team, competing in the Atlantic Coast Conference. He graduated from high school in January 2009, a semester early, in order to enroll at UNC in time to play for the Tar Heels that February. As a freshman, Michael batted .290 with a .377 on-base percentage (OBP), a .527 slugging percentage (SLG), and 13 home runs. He was named to the Louisville Slugger Freshman All-America Team and National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Freshman All-America Second Team in 2009.

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Lew Fonseca
Lewis Albert Fonseca (January 21, 1899 – November 26, 1989) was an American first and second baseman in Major League Baseball for the Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies, Cleveland Indians, and Chicago White Sox over a 12-year career. While not a power hitter, he hit for average and was a good contact hitter for most of his career. He topped the .300 mark six times, with his best season coming in 1929 with the Indians, when he hit .369 to win the American League batting title, after coming off a 1928 season in which he broke his leg. His success was short-lived, however, as he broke his arm in 1930, and a torn ligament in his leg prematurely ended his playing career.
Fonseca is perhaps best known as one of the first men to use film in analyzing baseball games and finding flaws in players. It is said that his interest with cameras began while shooting Slide, Kelly, Slide in 1927. As manager of the Chicago White Sox, he used film extensively. After retiring from playing the game, he was director of promotions for both leagues. Fonseca worked on World Series highlight films for almost 25 years, as an editor and director, and occasionally narrated them as well. Television sportscaster Bob Costas wrote of Fonseca's narration: "[his] vocal stylings were somewhat less than mellifluous, but still endlessly entertaining."

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Liam Hendriks
Liam Johnson Hendriks (born 10 February 1989 in Perth, Western Australia) is an Major League Baseball starting pitcher currently playing for the Minnesota Twins. He is one of only a handful of active MLB players who hail from Australia.
He debuted for the Twins in 2007 pitching for the Gulf Coast League Twins. He led the team in strikeouts with 52. He was also named as a Twins Top 50 prospect.
He pitched for the Perth Heat in the 2008 Claxton Shield and went 3–0 with a 1.90 ERA and 25 K's, a competition high. Liam was then added to the Australian national team for the 2008 Final Olympic Qualification Tournament pitching five innings of work while only allowing one unearned run alongside two hits and a walk while striking out six.
Hendriks underwent back surgery that prevented him from playing in the minors in the 2008 season, but made the 2009 World Baseball Classic roster, the youngest Australian player in the Classic.
In 2009 Hendriks spent the season with the Class-A Beloit Snappers of the Midwest League and the Rookie-Level Elizabethton Twins of the Appalachian League. He went a combined 5–5 with a 3.55 ERA in 14 games, all starts.

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Lorenzo Booker
Lorenzo Booker (born June 14, 1984) is an American football running back who formerly played for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the third round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at Florida State.
Booker has also been a member of the Philadelphia Eagles and Hartford Colonials.
Booker attended St. Bonaventure High School in Ventura, California. In his senior year, Booker ran for 2878 yards and 50 touchdowns, and also had 16 receptions for 300 yards along with three more touchdowns. He was widely regarded as the nation's top running back prospect and was named a Parade All-American and to the PrepStar Dream Team. He also earned USA Today All-USA first-team honors and was ranked by Rivals.com as the number 3 overall prospect in the country and a five star recruit. In his junior year, Booker had an equally-impressive 3103 yards and 49 touchdowns, and for his three-year career had 8502 rushing yards and 137 touchdowns, both state records. During this time, he led his team a 42-0 record. After an initial verbal commitment to Notre Dame,Booker chose Florida State over Notre Dame and USC in a press conference televised nationally on ESPN. Following his high school career, Booker played in the 2002 U.S. Army All-American Bowl alongside fellow Florida State Seminoles Kamerion Wimbley and Buster Davis. Following his senior season, he was awarded the Gatorade High School Heisman, honoring the top high school athlete in the nation.

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Lou Boudreau
Louis "Lou" Boudreau (July 17, 1917 – August 10, 2001) was an American Major League Baseball player and manager. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1970. He was also a radio announcer for the Chicago Cubs of the National League.
In 1948, he won the American League Most Valuable Player Award and managed the Cleveland Indians to the World Series title.
Boudreau was an eight-time All Star Game selection, starting three times. He won the 1944 AL batting title (.327), and led the league in doubles in 1941, 1944, and 1947. He led AL shortstops in fielding eight times. Boudreau still holds the record for hitting the most consecutive doubles in a game (four), set on July 14, 1946.
Boudreau was born in Harvey, Illinois, to a father of French ancestry and a Jewish mother. He was raised Catholic. Boudreau graduated from Thornton Township High School in Harvey, Illinois. While at Thornton, Boudreau guided the "Flying Clouds" to three straight Illinois high school championship games, finishing first in 1933 and second in 1934 and 1935.

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Lou Gehrig
Henry Louis "Lou" or "Buster"Gehrig (June 19, 1903 – June 2, 1941) was an American baseball first baseman who played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees (1923–1939). Gehrig set several major league records, including most career grand slams (23) and most consecutive games played (2,130). Gehrig is chiefly remembered for his prowess as a hitter and his durability, a trait which earned him his nickname "The Iron Horse", as well as the pathos of his farewell from baseball at age 36, when he was stricken with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Gehrig was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1939. In 1969 he was voted the greatest first baseman of all time by the Baseball Writers' Association, and was the leading vote-getter on the Major League Baseball All-Century Team, chosen by fans in 1999.
A native of New York City, he played for the Yankees until his career was cut short by ALS, a disorder now commonly known in the United States and Canada as Lou Gehrig's disease. Over a 15-season span from 1925 through 1939, he played in 2,130 consecutive games. This streak ended only when Gehrig became disabled by the fatal neuromuscular disease that claimed his life two years later. His streak, long considered one of baseball's few unbreakable records, stood for 56 years, until finally broken by Cal Ripken, Jr., of the Baltimore Orioles on September 6, 1995.

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Luke Appling
Lucius Benjamin Appling (April 2, 1907 – January 3, 1991) was an American shortstop in Major League Baseball who played his entire career for the Chicago White Sox (1930–1950). He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1964.
Appling was born in High Point, North Carolina. He attended Oglethorpe College, but left during his sophomore year when he was signed by the Southern League Atlanta Crackers in 1930. He was a good hitter in his first year, but committed 42 errors in 104 games. The Chicago Cubs showed some interest at first, but decided not to sign him, and the White Sox ended up purchasing him from the Crackers for $20,000. He seemed a poor pickup initially, as his hitting fell off and his fielding failed to improve, but in 1933 he stopped trying to be a power hitter and had his first of nine straight .300 seasons. He interrupted his career to serve in World War II in 1944 and 1945.
Appling was a good leadoff hitter who topped the .400 mark in OBP eight times (1935–1937, 1939–1940, 1943, 1948–1949) and drew over 100 walks three times (1935, 1939, 1949), though he often batted third due to a lack of offensive talent on the White Sox. Indeed, this lack of talent insured that Appling never had a chance to play in a World Series. His best season was 1936, when he batted .388, knocked in 124 runs (his only 100-RBI season), scored 111 times, recorded 204 hits, and had a team-record 27-game hitting streak. His .388 average was good for the first batting title ever won by a shortstop (in the American League) and was the highest batting average recorded by a shortstop in the 20th century. Appling won another batting title in 1943 with a .328 average and also led the league in OBP that year (.419). Appling was selected to seven All-Star teams (1936, 1939–1941, 1943, 1946–47).

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Luke Hochevar
Luke Anthony Hochevar (

/hoʊˈtʃeɪvər/; born September 15, 1983) is an American professional baseball starting pitcher for the Kansas City Royals organization of Major League Baseball. He is an alumnus of the University of Tennessee. He throws and bats right-handed.
While attending Fowler High School in Fowler, Colorado, he was the 2A Player of the Year (senior year). During his senior year, he was also a member of the National Honor Society.^{[citation needed]}
Hochevar was selected by Los Angeles Dodgers in the 39th round (1,191st overall) of the 2002 MLB amateur entry draft, but decided on college instead. Hochevar attended University of Tennessee. In 2005, he struck out a school record 154 batters while posting a 15-3 record and 2.26 ERA for the season. He was named the Southeastern Conference Pitcher of the Year and won the Roger Clemens Award.
The Dodgers would select Hochevar again, this time in the first round (40th overall) of the 2005 draft. After heated, desperate negotiations among the Dodgers, Hochevar, and his agent Scott Boras, Hochevar suddenly switched agents to Matt Sosnick, accepted a $2.98 million signing bonus from scouting director Logan White, then returned to Boras the next day and reneged on the deal. Several months of lukewarm talks continued with Hochevar pitching in an independent league (where he struck out 34 batters in 22.2 innings), but amidst much bitterness, the two sides never came close to reaching a new agreement.

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Magglio Ordóñez
Magglio José Ordóñez Delgado (

/ɔrˈdoʊnjɛz/; born January 28, 1974) is a former Venezuelan Major League Baseball right fielder. He has played for the Chicago White Sox (1997–2004) and Detroit Tigers (2005–2011). Ordóñez is 5 feet 11 inches (1.80 m) tall and weighs 215 lb (98 kg).
In a 15-year major league career (through the end of the 2011 season), Ordóñez was a .309 hitter with 294 home runs and 1,236 RBIs in 1,848 games. He has been selected for the All-Star Game six times (1999–2001, 2003, and 2006–07) and has won three Silver Slugger awards (2000, 2002, and 2007). In 2007, he won the American League batting title with an average of .363. He also established a career high with 139 runs batted in, and finished runner-up to Alex Rodriguez in the AL Most Valuable Player award voting.
Ordóñez spent the first eight years of his major league career playing with the Chicago White Sox. In the five seasons prior to 2004, Ordóñez hit at least .300 with 29 home runs and 99 RBI, and reached the 30-home run, 100-RBI plateau in four of those seasons. He also collected over 70 extra-base hits from 2001 to 2003, but a collision with second baseman Willie Harris on Omar Vizquel's popup to right field during a May 19, 2004 game against the Cleveland Indians, cost him two trips to the disabled list and two surgeries on his left knee. He finished with .292, 9 home runs, and 37 RBI in 52 games.

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Manny Ramirez
Manuel Arístides "Manny" Ramírez Onelcida (born May 30, 1972) is a Dominican-American professional baseball outfielder and designated hitter who is currently with the Oakland Athletics organization. He was recognized for great batting skill and power, a nine-time Silver Slugger and one of 25 players to hit 500 career home runs. Ramirez's 21 grand slams are third all-time, and his 28 post-season home runs are the most by any player in MLB history. He was a fixture in the All-Star Game with 12 appearances including eleven consecutive beginning 1998. He appeared in the All-Star game in every season that he played with the Boston Red Sox.
Ramirez was allegedly among a group of 104 major league players who tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs during 2003. In 2009 he was suspended 50 games for violating baseball's drug policy by taking human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), a women's fertility drug. According to steroid dealer Victor Conte, hCG is often used to restart natural testosterone production after a steroid cycle.

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Mariano Rivera
Mariano Rivera (born November 29, 1969) is a Panamanian right-handed baseball pitcher who has played 18 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees. Nicknamed "Mo", Rivera has served as a relief pitcher for most of his career, and since 1997, he has been the Yankees' closer. A 12-time All-Star and five-time World Series champion, he is MLB's all-time leader in saves (608) and games finished (892). His accolades include five American League (AL) Rolaids Relief Man Awards, the 1999 World Series Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award, and the 2003 AL Championship Series MVP Award.
Rivera was signed by the Yankees organization in 1990 as an amateur free agent in Panama, and he debuted in the major leagues in 1995. Initially a starting pitcher, he struggled in the role and was consequently converted to a relief pitcher. After a breakthrough season in 1996 as a setup man, he became the Yankees' closer in 1997. In the following years, he established himself as one of baseball's top relievers, leading the major leagues in saves in 1999, 2001, and 2004. Rivera's presence in the late innings of games to record the final outs has contributed to the Yankees' success in the late-1990s and 2000s, particularly in the postseason where he has set numerous records, including lowest earned run average (ERA) (0.70) and most saves (42). His pitching repertoire consists primarily of one pitch, a sharp-breaking, mid-90s mile per hour (mph) cut fastball that has been called an all-time great pitch.

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Mark Prior
Mark William Prior (born September 7, 1980 in San Diego, California) is an American professional baseball pitcher. He pitched for the Chicago Cubs from 2002-2006 and is currently pitching in low A-Ball for the Boston Red Sox organization. His repertoire of pitches included a mid-90s mph fastball, a curveball, a slurve, and a changeup. He is also best known for a string of injuries that halted his major league career.
Prior graduated from the University of San Diego High School. He was originally drafted by the New York Yankees in the 1998 amateur draft, but they were unable to sign him to a contract.
Prior attended his father's alma mater', Vanderbilt University for his freshman year. He transferred to USC, where he won the Dick Howser Trophy, given annually to the national collegiate baseball player of the year. After becoming a professional baseball player, he continued his education on a part-time basis and received a business degree from USC Marshall School of Business in 2004. He was part of a pitching rotation that also boasted current Cleveland Indians pitcher Anthony Reyes.

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Mark Redman
Mark Allen Redman (born January 5, 1974 in San Diego, California) is a retired Major League Baseball left-handed starting pitcher.
A 1992 graduate of Escondido High School in California, he played baseball and football before attending The Master's College in Santa Clarita, California for one year and then transferring to the University of Oklahoma.
In his sophomore year at Oklahoma, Redman set school records for strikeouts (136) and innings pitched (135.1) during the regular season and posted a 5-0 record in post-season play as he helped the Sooners win the 1994 College World Series title.
Redman named 1st Team All-Big Eight, Big Eight Newcomer of the Year, NCAA All-Regional team and was a member of the College World Series All-Tournament team in 1994. In addition, he was selected as a 1st Team All-American in both of his seasons at Oklahoma.
Redman was selected by Detroit Tigers in 41st Round (1148th overall) of the 1992 amateur draft, but did not sign with the team. He would get drafted again in 1995 by the Minnesota Twins in 1st Round (13th overall) and would make his debut with the team on July 24, 1999. Redman was later a member of the 2003 World Series champion Florida Marlins, contributing 14 wins to the team.

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Marquette Smith
Marquette Smith (born July 14, 1972) is a former American football running back. Mostly known for his prep and college career, he spent two seasons with the Carolina Panthers, but knee injuries in successive years during the pre-season kept him off the field.
Smith was an All-American running back at Lake Howell High School in Winter Park, Florida. In 1990, he was named High School Football Player of the Year by Gatorade, and Offensive Player of the Year by USA Today. Considered to be the premier recruit in the class of 1991, Smith chose Florida State over Penn State and Florida. He could not live up to expectations, and decided to transfer to Central Florida after his redshirt sophomore season in 1994.
In only two season at UCF, he rushed for 2,569 yards, becoming third on the all-time career list. He is the only player in UCF history to rush for more than 1,000 yards in back-to-back seasons, and his 1,511 yards (with 14 touchdowns) in 1995 set the school's single-season record. Smith earned second team All-America honors in 1995, and was an honorable mention selection on the Orlando Sentinel's 25th Anniversary Football Team.

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Matt Anderson
Matthew Jason Anderson (born August 17, 1976 in Louisville, Kentucky) is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher.
Anderson attended St. Xavier High School, which was also attended by major leaguers Paul Byrd, Chris Burke, and Jack Savage. After high school, he went on to Rice University. In 1995, he was a Southwest Conference All-Star. In 1997 he was a Western Athletic Conference All-Star and a First Team College All-American. Anderson set Rice University school records for career wins (30) and saves (14), and he also posted a 1.82 ERA during his final year with the Owls. In the 1997 amateur entry draft, Anderson was picked first overall by the Detroit Tigers. He eventually signed with the team for a $2.5 million signing bonus.
Anderson was named top prospect in the Cape Cod League in 1996 and was named the 24th best prospect in 1998 by Baseball America. In 1998, he was called up by the Tigers from the minors, where he had an ERA under 0.70. In his first major league season, he went 5–1 with a 3.27 ERA in 42 games. He also struck out 44 batters in 44 innings pitched.

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Matt Barkley
Matthew Barkley (born September 8, 1990) is an American football quarterback for the Trojans football team. As a high school player, Barkley was named 2007 football Gatorade National Player of the Year, and then the 2007 Gatorade national male athlete of the year, becoming the first non-senior to win both awards. Barkley also won the 2007 Glenn Davis Award, given to best high school football player in Southern California, as well as the inaugural Joe Montana Award as the nation's top high school quarterback.
Barkley was rated as the first overall prospect in the nation for the Class of 2009 by ESPN. At one point, he was also rated the first overall prospect by Rivals.com (he ranked 5th in the final rankings). Quarterback coach Steve Clarkson described Barkley as a cross between Joe Montana and Tom Brady. He is projected to be the #1 pick in the 2013 NFL Draft.
Barkley attended Mater Dei High School of Santa Ana, California. In 2005, he became the first freshman quarterback to start at Mater Dei High School since Todd Marinovich. As a freshman he passed for 1,685 yards and 10 touchdowns, but suffered a season-ending injury (broken collarbone) during the playoffs in a quarter-final win over Colton High School. Ironically, the injury was caused by future USC teammate, running back Allen Bradford, who played linebacker in high school.

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Matt Capps
Matthew Dicus Capps (born September 3, 1983 in Douglasville, Georgia), is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher, currently pitching for the Minnesota Twins. He is a 2002 graduate of Alexander High School in Douglasville, where he lettered in football, basketball, cross-country and baseball before receiving a scholarship at LSU.
Capps was drafted by the Pirates in the 7th round of the 2002 Major League Baseball Draft. He was a starting pitcher until 2004, never advancing above A-level in the minor leagues.
In 2005, he was converted to a relief pitcher and his career took off. Though he started the season at A-level Hickory, he was promoted mid-season to the AA Altoona Curve and later to the AAA Indianapolis Indians for the International League playoffs. After Indianapolis's season ended, he was promoted to the Pirates on September 16 and made his debut that night.
The beginning of the 2006 season saw Capps break spring training with the Pirates. At first, Capps saw time only in safe situations, but, as the season wore on, he established himself as one of the most consistent and effective relievers in the Pittsburgh bullpen. Although only a rookie, Capps saw a lot of appearances as the Pirates' set-up man to closers Mike González and Salomón Torres.

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Matt Garza
Matthew Scott Garza (born November 26, 1983) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball.
Garza was born in Selma, California. He attended Washington Union High School and Fresno State.
He was the 25th pick in the first round of the 2005 Major League Baseball Draft, drafted by the Minnesota Twins.
Entering 2006, Garza was ranked as the Minnesota Twins seventh-best prospect by Baseball America. He gained attention for rising through the ranks of the Twins' minor league system, starting the season at Single-A Fort Myers and ending at the major league level, pitching with the Double-A New Britain Rock Cats and the Triple-A Rochester Red Wings in between. Garza was a combined 14–4 at the three minor league levels in 2006, with a 1.99 ERA and 154 strikeouts in 135 ⅔ innings. He earned All-Star berths in the Single-A Florida State League and Double-A Eastern League. Backed by those numbers, Garza earned the USA Today Minor League Player of the Year Award for 2006, the second consecutive year in which a Twin won the award (in 2005, Garza's teammate Francisco Liriano was the winner). On August 8, Minnesota purchased Garza's contract, promoting him to the majors to replace the injured Liriano. Garza is one of a small number of players to advance through the minors and reach the major league level in a single season. On August 11, his major league debut, Garza allowed seven earned runs in 2 ⅔ innings to the Toronto Blue Jays. Garza earned his first win on August 23 against the Baltimore Orioles, allowing just one unearned run in six innings.

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Matt Kemp
Matthew Ryan "Matt" Kemp (born September 23, 1984, in Midwest City, Oklahoma) is a Major League Baseball outfielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Kemp was drafted by the Dodgers in the 6th round of the 2003 draft and made his major league debut in 2006. In 2011, Kemp led the National League in runs scored (115), total bases (353), OPS+ (171), WAR (10.0), home runs (39), and runs batted in (115). Additionally, he became the first player to finish in the top two in both home runs and steals since Hank Aaron in 1963.
Kemp attended Midwest City High School, where he was a standout in basketball and baseball. He was teammates with Shelden Williams on the varsity basketball team that won the state title their junior year.
Kemp, along with Williams and three other teammates, was accused of raping a 19-year-old woman at the time of a high school all-star basketball tournament on January 20, 2002, at the Columbus, Ohio Hyatt hotel. The players were suspended from the team during the investigation. The woman did not press charges, and the district attorney opted to not pursue the matter due to a lack of evidence.

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Matt Nokes
Matthew Dodge Nokes (born October 31, 1963, in San Diego, California) is a retired American professional baseball catcher and designated hitter. He played eleven seasons in Major League Baseball for the San Francisco Giants (1985), the Detroit Tigers (1986–1990), New York Yankees (1990–1994), the Baltimore Orioles, and the Colorado Rockies (1995). He batted left-handed and threw right-handed. He also had experience at first base, third base, and left and right fields.
Nokes was drafted by the Giants in the 20th round of the 1981 amateur draft. He debuted in the major leagues on September 3, 1985 against the visiting Philadelphia Phillies, collecting two hits in four at bats. In 1987, his rookie year, he had his finest statistical season, batting .289, hitting 32 home runs, (at the time a record for a rookie Catcher) and driving in 87 runs. In that year, he was elected to the American League All-Star Game roster, won the Silver Slugger Award, selected to the Topps Rookie All-Star team, and finished third in voting for the American League Rookie of the Year award.

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Matt Wieters
Matthew Richard Wieters (born May 21, 1986) is a Major League Baseball catcher for the Baltimore Orioles. Wieters was drafted fifth overall in the 2007 Major League Baseball Draft. Wieters played college baseball for Georgia Tech, and his agent is Scott Boras. Wieters is a tall athletic hitter, standing 6 feet 5 inches tall. His ability to hit for power from both sides of the plate has drawn comparisons to Jorge Posada and Jason Varitek.
Wieters was born on May 21, 1986 in Goose Creek, South Carolina. Wieters played high school baseball at Stratford High School in Goose Creek, South Carolina. He played under Coach John Chalus, where Matt led the Knights to the AAAA state championship series. Wieters' high school team also featured Justin Smoak.
Wieters was a multi-talented star who earned numerous honors throughout his college career. He is one of just three players in Georgia Tech history to earn first-team All-America honors on at least two occasions. He was named a first-team All-America by Rivals.com and first-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference in 2007, first-team All-America by Baseball America and second-team All-ACC in 2006, and the ACC Rookie of the Year, Freshman All-America and first-team All-ACC in 2005.^{[citation needed]}

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Matthew LeCroy
Matthew Hanks LeCroy (born December 13, 1975 in Belton, South Carolina) is a former Major League Baseball catcher, first baseman, and designated hitter. During his time in the major leagues, LeCroy had the distinction of being the active player with the most plate appearances without a stolen base in his career.
LeCroy is a 1994 graduate of Belton-Honea Path High School in Honea Path, South Carolina and has attended Clemson University, pursuing a degree in elementary education.
LeCroy had a few good years of success with the Minnesota Twins in the early 2000s. He was always a threat to hit a home run, and has hit 60 in his career of limited at bats. He was dropped by the Twins in 2006, and signed a minor league contract with the Washington Nationals.
Though battling bone spurs in his throwing knee, LeCroy was asked to fill in during a May 25, 2006, game against the Houston Astros at a time when Washington's starting catcher, Brian Schneider and backup Wiki Gonzalez, were out with injuries. He was replaced with Robert Fick in the middle of the seventh inning after the Astros stole six bases and LeCroy committed two catching errors. After the game, manager Frank Robinson shed tears during the press conference regarding his removal of Matt in the middle of the seventh inning, which is usually considered embarrassing. LeCroy would then be designated for assignment July 18, and then played for the New Orleans Zephyrs, Washington's Triple-A team.

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Maurice Clarett
Maurice Edward Clarett (born October 29, 1983 in Youngstown, Ohio) is an American football running back for the Omaha Nighthawks of the United Football League. During his freshman year at Ohio State University in 2002, he helped lead the Buckeyes to a national championship. He is well known for unsuccessfully challenging the NFL's draft eligibility rules requiring a player to be three years removed from high school and for his tumultuous life outside of football, including his dismissal from Ohio State, several arrests, and later, imprisonment.
Maurice Clarett is the son of Myke Clarett Sr. and Michelle Renee Clarett (now divorced). His father is a businessman, who once worked as a Regional Representative for the Secretary of State in Ohio. His mother worked as a senior administrator for the Youngstown City Clerk of Court. He has an older brother named Marcus A. Clarett who was a defensive tackle for the University at Buffalo and another older brother, Michael Graham Clarett Jr. who was also serving time in the Ohio Penal System.

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Michael Cuddyer
Michael Brent Cuddyer (

/kəˈdaɪər/; born March 27, 1979) is an American professional baseball outfielder and first baseman with the Colorado Rockies of Major League Baseball. He bats and throws right-handed.
Cuddyer was born in Norfolk, Virginia and is a 1997 graduate of Great Bridge High School in Chesapeake, Virginia, where he was a standout athlete in baseball, basketball, and football. Cuddyer was named Virginia's Player of the Year and Gatorade National baseball Player of the Year in 1997. He was also a member of USA Today's All-Star and the USA Junior National teams in 1997.

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Mickey Cochrane
Gordon Stanley "Mickey" Cochrane (April 6, 1903 – June 28, 1962) was a professional baseball player and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher for the Philadelphia Athletics and Detroit Tigers. Cochrane was considered one of the best catchers in baseball history and is a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Cochrane was born in Bridgewater, Massachusetts to Northern Irish immigrant John Cochrane, whose father had immigrated to Ulster from Scotland and Scottish immigrant Sadie Campbell. He was also known as "Black Mike", because of his fiery, competitive nature. Cochrane was educated at Boston University where he played five sports, excelling at football and basketball. Although he considered himself better as a football player than as a baseball player, professional football wasn't as established as Major League Baseball at the time so, Cochrane signed a contract to play for the Portland Beavers of the Pacific Coast League in 1924.
After just one season in the minor leagues, Cochrane was promoted to the major leagues, making his debut with the Philadelphia Athletics on April 14, 1925 at the age of 22. He made an immediate impact by earning the starting catcher's assignment over Cy Perkins, who was considered one of the best catchers in the major leagues at the time. A left-handed batter, Cochrane ran well enough that manager Connie Mack would occasionally insert him into the leadoff spot in the batting order. Most frequently, Cochrane would bat third, but wherever he hit, his primary job was to get on base so that hard-hitting Al Simmons and Jimmie Foxx could drive him in. In May, he tied a major league record by hitting three home runs in a game. He ended his rookie season with a .331 batting average and a .397 on base percentage, helping the Athletics to a second place finish.

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Mickey Mantle
Mickey Charles Mantle (October 20, 1931 – August 13, 1995) was an American baseball center fielder who played 18 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees from 1951 to 1968. Mantle is regarded by many to be the greatest switch hitter of all time, and one of the greatest players in baseball history. Mantle was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974 and was elected to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team in 1999.
Mantle was noted for his hitting ability, both for average and for power.^{[citation needed]} He won the Triple Crown in 1956, leading MLB in batting average, home runs, and runs batted in (RBI). He received three American League (AL) Most Valuable Player (MVP) Awards and played in twenty All-Star games. Mantle appeared in 12 World Series, winning 7 of them. He holds the records for most World Series home runs (18), RBIs (40), runs (42), walks (43), extra-base hits (26), and total bases (123). He is also the career leader in walk-off home runs, with a combined thirteen, twelve in the regular season and one in the postseason.

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Mickey Tettleton
Mickey Lee Tettleton (born September 16, 1960 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma), is a former American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball for the Oakland Athletics, Baltimore Orioles, Detroit Tigers, and Texas Rangers. Although Tettleton played mostly as a catcher, he also played as a first baseman, an outfielder and as a designated hitter.
Tettleton was named after Baseball Hall of Fame member and fellow Oklahoman, Mickey Mantle, and like the former Yankee star, he was a switch hitter. He was recognized by his unusual batting stance: he stood almost straight up at the plate, holding his bat horizontal and, bending only when the pitcher began his delivery. He was also distinguished by the huge wad of chewing tobacco he kept in his cheek during games, as well as his claim that Froot Loops were the source of his hitting power.
Tettleton grew up in Oklahoma City where he attended Southeast High School before enrolling at Oklahoma State University. He played for the Oklahoma State Cowboys baseball team that reached the finals in the 1981 College World Series, before losing to the Arizona State Sun Devils. Tettleton was named to the 1981 College World Series All-Tournament Team as an outfielder.

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Mickey Vernon
James Barton "Mickey" Vernon (April 22, 1918 – September 24, 2008) was an American first baseman in Major League Baseball who played for the Washington Senators (1939–1948, 1950–1955) for the majority of his career, as well as four other teams: the Cleveland Indians (1949–1950, 1958), Boston Red Sox (1956–1957), Milwaukee Braves (1959) and Pittsburgh Pirates (1960). Despite missing two seasons to military service during World War II, he retired with 2,495 hits, and holds the major league record for career double plays at first base (2,044), as well as American League records for career games (2,227), putouts (19,754), assists (1,444) and total chances (21,408). He batted and threw left-handed.
Mickey Vernon was born in Marcus Hook, Pennsylvania, and attended Villanova University, before making his major league debut on July 8, 1939. He was the father of Gay Vernon.
Note: The picture at right is not Mickey Vernon. It is an error card from the 1953 Bowman Color set, and actually depicts Mickey's teammate Floyd Baker.

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Midre Cummings
Midre Almeric Cummings (born October 14, 1971 in St. Croix, Virgin Islands) is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. Cummings played for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1993-1997), Philadelphia Phillies (1997), Boston Red Sox (1998 and 2000), Minnesota Twins (1999-2000), Arizona Diamondbacks (2001), Tampa Bay Devil Rays (2004) and Baltimore Orioles (2005).
Cummings was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 1st round (29th overall) of the 1990 Major League Baseball Draft. On March 17, 1992, he was traded by the Twins along with Denny Neagle to the Pirates for John Smiley, making his major league debut for the Pirates in 1993. In his fifth season with the Pirates, he was claimed off waivers by the Phillies on July 8. Cummings was released by the Phillies on February 24, 1998, and signed with the Cincinnati Reds three days later only to be claimed off waivers by the Red Sox in spring training. The Red Sox released him on March 30, 1999, and Cummings signed with the Twins on May 14. On August 31, 2000, he was traded to the Red Sox for minor leaguer Hector De Los Santos. Cummings became a free agent after the season and signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

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Miguel Cabrera
José Miguel Cabrera Torres (born April 18, 1983) commonly known as Miguel Cabrera, and nicknamed "Miggy", or "Cabby", is a Venezuelan professional baseball third baseman with the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball. He bats and throws right-handed.
He is a six-time All-Star, having been selected to the National League All-Star Team in 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007, and also the American League All-Star Team in 2010 and 2011. Cabrera has started at least 100 games at first base, third base, left field and right field. He progressed through the Florida Marlins minor-league system, before being called up from the Double-A Carolina Mudcats in June 2003. Cabrera went on to provide boost needed to help the Florida Marlins win the World Series that year as their clean-up hitter.
Cabrera is widely considered to be one of the best pure hitters in baseball, hitting at a high average with power to all fields. He has posted at least 30 home runs in seven of his previous eight seasons while batting .320 during that period. Cabrera has also driven in over 100 runs every season aside from his rookie campaign when he played in only 87 games. He has been an MVP caliber player since entering the majors at just 20 years old, having received MVP votes in each of his nine major league seasons, and placing in the top five in the previous three. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim starting pitcher Dan Haren is quoted saying, "You're going to make good pitches, and [Cabrera] is going to hit them."

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Miguel Olivo
Miguel Eduardo Olivo Peña (born July 15, 1978 in Villa Vasquez, Dominican Republic) is a Major League Baseball catcher for the Seattle Mariners. He bats and throws right-handed.
Olivo was originally signed as an undrafted free agent by the Oakland Athletics in 1996 and played in the A's minor-league system through 2000. In December 2000, he was traded to the Chicago White Sox for Chad Bradford, an episode recounted in a chapter of the popular baseball/business book Moneyball, although Olivo was mentioned only in passing. In July 2001, while playing for White Sox Class AA affiliate Birmingham, Olivo was suspended for six games and barred from that year's All-Star Futures Game for using a corked bat. Olivo maintained the bat, which had an A's logo on it, had been given to him by a former teammate while playing in the Athletics system.
He made his major league debut on September 15, 2002 with the Chicago White Sox and played 6 games that year. He was traded from the Sox to the Seattle Mariners in June 2004 along with Jeremy Reed in exchange for Freddy Garcia and Ben Davis. After struggling with the Seattle Mariners he was traded to the San Diego Padres in 2005 for minor leaguer Daniel Mateo. A year later he was traded to the Florida Marlins in 2006.

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Miguel Tejada
Miguel Odalis Tejada (born on May 25, 1974, in Baní, Dominican Republic) is a Major League Baseball infielder in the Baltimore Orioles organization. He began his first six seasons of his career with the A's, where he began his streak of 1,152 consecutive games, that ended with the Orioles on June 22, 2007. In 2002, he was awarded the AL MVP award, and he was the MVP of the 2005 All-Star Game.
His nickname is "La Guagua" which means "the bus" in certain Spanish dialects, as Tejada was known for his ability to drive in runs. On February 11, 2009, he pleaded guilty to one count of perjury for lying to Congress in his testimony on whether or not Rafael Palmeiro lied about his steroid use.
Tejada grew up in extreme poverty in Baní, a city approximately 40 miles (65 km) southwest of Santo Domingo, capital of the Dominican Republic. Miguel Tejada grew up idolizing the Baltimore Orioles shortstop Cal Ripken Jr. Miguel Tejada's rise from the slums of Baní through the minors and into the Major Leagues is chronicled in the book Away Games: The Life and Times of a Latin Ballplayer by Marcos Breton and Jose Luis Villegas. Away Games describes the struggles of Dominican players in general and Tejada in particular as they arrive in the U.S. speaking very little English often in small towns playing for minor league teams with dreams of making it big.

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Mike Bielecki
Michael Joseph Bielecki (born July 31, 1959 in Baltimore, Maryland) was a professional baseball player who pitched in the Major Leagues from 1984–1997.
He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first round (8th pick) of the 1979 amateur draft (Secondary Phase). He made his debut on September 14, 1984.
In 1989, he won a career high 18 games for the Cubs.Nicknamed the Polish Prince By Harry Caray
In 1993, as an Indian, Bielecki had been invited to join Steve Olin, Tim Crews and Bob Ojeda on a fishing boat in spring training, but declined. The subsequent crash of the boat killed Olin and Crews, and nearly killed Ojeda.
Appeared in the 1996 World Series as a member of the Braves. His final game was on August 16, 1997.

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Mike Doss
Michael Allen Doss (born March 24, 1981) is a former American college and professional football player who was a safety in the National Football League (NFL) for six seasons during the early 2000s. He played college football for Ohio State University, earned All-American honors and was a member of a national championship team. He was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the second round of the 2003 NFL Draft, and played professionally for the Colts, Minnesota Vikings and Cincinnati Bengals of the NFL.
Doss was born in Canton, Ohio. He attended Canton McKinley High School, and played high school football for the McKinley Bulldogs. He led the Bulldogs to back-to-back state football championships, as well as a USA Today national championship as a running back, linebacker, and safety. As a senior, he had 1,454 yards rushing, 22 touchdowns, 111 tackles, and three interceptions and won all-state honors and an All-America honorable mention by USA Today.
Doss attended Ohio State University, where he played for the Ohio State Buckeyes football team from 1999 to 2002. He started 40 out of 50 career games and was a three-time All-Big Ten selection and a three-time first-team All-America choice by the Sporting News. He had 331 career tackles, eight interceptions, eight fumbles recovered, and six sacks. With Doss starting all 14 games as a senior, Ohio State won the BCS National Championship by defeating the Miami Hurricanes in the Fiesta Bowl, with Doss intercepting a Ken Dorsey pass to give Ohio State the lead. As as senior, he also was a consensus first-team All-American, the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year.

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Mike Ivie
Michael Wilson Ivie (born August 8, 1952 in Atlanta, Georgia), is a former Major League Baseball first baseman who played for the San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants, Houston Astros, and Detroit Tigers during his career from 1971 to 1983. In addition to playing first base, Ivie put in considerable time as a third baseman, a left fielder and was a designated hitter.
Mike Ivie was drafted first overall in the 1970 Major League Baseball Draft as a catcher by the San Diego Padres. He began his career in the Padres' minor league system, where he once hit 21 homers in 21 games. He made his major league debut as an 18-year-old in 1971. Even though he was a catcher in the minor leagues, he occasionally started as a third baseman, but was then moved to first base and made the Padres in 1974. During the 1978 off season, he was traded from the Padres to the San Francisco Giants in exchange for Derrel Thomas. After the 1978 season, Ivie was the talk of a trade rumor involving the Minnesota Twins to bring Rod Carew to the Giants. The trade fell through and Carew ended up with the then California Angels. Ivie went on to hit a career high 27 home runs and 89 RBI for the Giants in 1979.

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Mike Piazza
Michael Joseph Piazza (

/piːˈɑːtsə/ or /piːˈɑːzə/);^[which?] born September 4, 1968) is an American former Major League Baseball catcher. He played in his career with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Florida Marlins, New York Mets, San Diego Padres and the Oakland Athletics.
A 12-time All-Star, Piazza is often regarded as one of the best-hitting catchers of all time and holds the record for home runs hit by a catcher with 396, with a career total of 427. He had at least one RBI in 15 consecutive games for the New York Mets in 2000, the second-longest RBI streak ever (Ray Grimes of the Chicago Cubs had 17 consecutive games in 1922).
Piazza was born in Norristown, Pennsylvania. He grew up in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, the second-oldest son of Vince and Veronica, with brothers Vince Jr., Danny, Derek, Tony, and Tommy. Vince Piazza earned a fortune of more than $100 million in used cars and real estate, and attempted several times to purchase a Major League Baseball franchise. When the Dodgers—managed by Vince Piazza's childhood friend Tommy Lasorda, Tony Piazza's godfather—visited Philadelphia, Piazza visited the Dodger clubhouse and served as a batboy in the dugout.

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Mike Redmond
Michael Patrick Redmond (born May 5, 1971 in Seattle, Washington) is a former Major League Baseball catcher.
Redmond graduated from Gonzaga Preparatory School (Spokane, Washington) in 1989. He attended Gonzaga University. Mike and his wife Michele (née Rowe) have two sons.
Redmond made his Major League debut with the Florida Marlins on May 31, 1998. He played with the Marlins through the 2004 season (including their 2003 World Series championship) and signed a two-year contract with the Twins before the 2005 season.
During the 2008 season, Redmond frequently joined Dan Gladden on the Twins Radio Network live broadcasts prior to the game to give his insight from the dugout. On May 28, 2009, Redmond was ejected in a game against the Red Sox after a furious reaction to a safe call at home plate. This was his first career ejection.
On January 15, 2010, Redmond signed a 1-year contract with the Cleveland Indians.
Among active catchers with at least 600 games played, going into the 2010 season Redmond was first with a .996 career fielding percentage, ahead of Joe Mauer (.996), A.J. Pierzynski (.995), and Brad Ausmus (.994).

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Mike Stanley
Robert Michael Stanley (born June 25, 1963) is a former American college and professional baseball player who was a catcher in Major League Baseball for fifteen years. Stanley played college baseball for the University of Florida, and thereafter, he played professionally for the Texas Rangers (1986–1991), New York Yankees (1992–1995, 1997), Boston Red Sox (1996–1997, 1998–2000), Toronto Blue Jays (1998) and Oakland Athletics (2000). Stanley was a 1995 American League All-Star, won the 1993 Silver Slugger award at catcher, and was a member of the Yankees' 1995 Wild-card team and the Athletics' 2000 AL Western Division Championship team.
Stanley was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida in 1963. He received an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where he played for coach Jack Rhine and coach Joe Arnold's Florida Gators baseball team in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) competition from 1982 to 1985. Stanley primarily played catcher for the Gators, but sometimes played first and third base, and also served as the Gators' designated hitter periodically. He received Southeastern Conference (SEC) All-Tournament honors in 1982, and 1984 and 1985, and was a member of the NCAA Regional All-Tournament team in 1985. While Stanley was a Gator, the team won SEC regular season and SEC tournament championships in both 1982 and 1984. He remains the Gators' career record holder for runs scored and runs batted in (RBIs).

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Mike Trout
Michael Nelson Trout (born August 7, 1991 in Millville, New Jersey) is an American professional baseball outfielder for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim of Major League Baseball. He debuted with the Angels in 2011.
Trout was considered to be one of the top prospects in all of baseball and was named the second best overall prospect by Baseball America, during their midseason update in July 2010. Prior to the 2011 season, Trout was ranked #1 by ESPN's Keith Law in his 2011 top 100 prospects list. MLB's Jonathan Mayo also named Trout the #1 prospect in all of baseball during MLB Network's airing of MLB's Top 50 Prospects.
Trout's father, Jeff Trout, was a fifth round draft pick by the Minnesota Twins in 1983. Trout began playing baseball in Little League.
Trout attended Millville Senior High School in Millville, New Jersey. Initially a shortstop, Trout shifted to the outfield during his senior year. That year, he hit 18 home runs, a New Jersey high school record.
Trout committed to attend East Carolina University on a baseball scholarship. Though scouted by MLB teams, Trout was passed over by teams in the draft as players from New Jersey typically do not play baseball throughout the year, as they do in warmer states such as California, Texas, and Florida.

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Mitch Maier
Mitchell William Maier (born June 30, 1982) is an American professional baseball outfielder with the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball.
Maier was born in Petoskey, Michigan and attended the University of Toledo. In the 2003 Major League Baseball Draft, he was a first round selection. He was selected 30th overall by the Kansas City Royals.
Maier began his professional career in 2003 with the AZL Royals as a catcher. He played in 51 games, batted .350 and hit two home runs. In 2004, Maier was converted over to third base. He played for two Single-A teams in 2004, the Burlington Bees and the Wilmington Blue Rocks. In 2005, Maier was converted to another position again, this time to the outfield, due to the presence of third base prospect Mark Teahen in the organization. He played for the Single-A High Desert Mavericks in 2005 and also played for the Double-A Wichita Wranglers.
In 2006, Maier began the year at Double-A. He was named to the Texas League midseason All-Star team. He finished the minor league season with a .306 batting average and had 14 home runs in 138 games. Following the Wranglers elimination in the playoff finals, Maier was promoted to the major league club on September 20. He made his major league debut on September 23, 2006.

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Mitch Mustain
Mitchell Mustain (born February 27, 1988 in Springdale, Arkansas) is an MLB pitcher who is currently a member of the White Sox minor league organization of Major League Baseball. He did not play baseball in college, opting instead to pursue a football career. He played baseball at Springdale High School in Springdale, Arkansas. Mustain also played college football at USC. Mustain played his freshman year of college football at the University of Arkansas in 2006 before transferring to USC in 2007. Under NCAA transfer rules, he sat out the 2007 season and started playing for USC in the 2008 season.
Mustain was one of the most highly decorated high school football players in history, winning every national player of the year award, and was recruited by nearly every major college football program in the United States during the 2005-2006 school year. He played sparingly in his first game at Arkansas, but was named the starting quarterback by the second game of the season and achieved a record of 8–0 as a true freshman starter.

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Mo Vaughn
Maurice Samuel 'Mo' Vaughn (born December 15, 1967 in Norwalk, Connecticut), nicknamed "The Hit Dog", is a former Major League Baseball first baseman. He played from 1991 to 2003. Vaughn was a three-time All-Star selection and won the American League MVP award in 1995.
Vaughn played high school baseball at New Canaan Country School^{[dubious – discuss]} in New Canaan, Connecticut. He then moved on to play baseball at Seton Hall University, South Orange, New Jersey, along with seven-time All-Star Craig Biggio.
Vaughn became the center of the Red Sox's line-up in 1993, hitting 29 home runs and contributing 101 RBIs. In 1995, he established a reputation as one of the most feared hitters in the American League when he hit 39 home runs with 126 RBIs and a .300 average. He also garnered 11 stolen bases. His efforts, which led the Red Sox to the playoffs (only to lose to the Cleveland Indians in the American League Division Series), were rewarded with the American League MVP award.
Vaughn had his career year with the Red Sox in 1996, batting an average of .326, playing in 161 games, with 44 home runs, and 143 RBIs. On May 30, 1997 playing a game against the Yankees, Vaughn went 4-for-4 with three solo homers in the Red Sox's 10-4 win over the Yankees.

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Myron Rolle
Myron Rolle (born October 30, 1986 in Houston, Texas) is an American football safety for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Tennessee Titans, who valued his athleticism and intellect, in the sixth round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played college football at Florida State. He was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship and studied at St. Edmund Hall,Oxford University for the 2009–10 academic year in order to earn an MSc in Medical Anthropology. He was recently chosen as the second smartest professional athlete by the Sporting News.
Rolle was raised in Galloway, New Jersey where in 2009, December 10 was decreed "Myron Rolle Day" in his hometown. He attended middle school at Galloway Township Middle School. He first attended The Peddie School in Hightstown, New Jersey where he played the saxophone in the school band, sang in a school play, and was the sports editor of the school newspaper. He then transferred to the Hun School of Princeton and played high school football under head coach Dave Dudeck, where he was an All-American and made 112 tackles including 14 for loss. ESPN's recruiting services ranked Rolle as the number one high school prospect in the country.Rivals.com rated him the 12th-best player and the top athlete overall, as well as the best player from New Jersey in the 2006 recruiting class. In 2006, after a nation-wide search Rolle won the prestigious annually awarded Franklin D. Watkins Memorial Trophy, the premier African-American scholar/athlete award in America for high school males.

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Nap Lajoie
Napoléon "Nap" Lajoie (English pronunciation: /ˈlæʒəweɪ/; September 5, 1874 – February 7, 1959), also known as Larry Lajoie, was an American Major League Baseball second baseman. He was born in Woonsocket, Rhode Island. In his career as a second baseman, he was considered one of the greatest players of the fledgling American League in the early 20th century, and the most serious of Ty Cobb's challengers.
Lajoie was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1937.
Lajoie started his career in the National League with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1896. In 1901, in response to a league-wide salary cap of $2,400 per year, he jumped to the crosstown Philadelphia Athletics, owned by former Phillies' part-owner Benjamin Shibe and managed by Connie Mack. Lajoie's batting average that year was .426. That same year Lajoie became the second Major Leaguer to be intentionally walked with the bases loaded after Abner Dalrymple in 1881. Only four other players have done it since: Del Bissonette in 1928, Bill Nicholson in 1944, Barry Bonds in 1998, and Josh Hamilton in 2008.

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Nate Dammann
Nate Dammann is a coach with the Minnesota Twins. Dammann has served as a coach and as the team's bullpen catcher since 2007.
Dammann graduated in 2000 from MACCRAY High School, and later played baseball for Hamline University. He worked as a coach at a baseball camp run by former Twin Dan Gladden, when he learned the Twins were looking for a bullpen catcher and coach. Dammann was hired before the 2007 season.
In addition to his duties as bullpen catcher, Dammann has worked with the team's Latin American program.

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Ned Bolcar
Ned Francis Bolcar (born January 12, 1967) is a former American football linebacker. He played three seasons in the NFL, one with the Seattle Seahawks and two with the Miami Dolphins.
A native of Phillipsburg, New Jersey, Bolcar was a 1984 USA Today High School All-American selection. He played college football at the University of Notre Dame, where he was a two-time second team All-American (1987, 1989), and captained the 1988 national championship team.
Bolcar was a sixth-round selection in the 1990 NFL Draft by the Seattle Seahawks.

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Nellie Fox
Jacob Nelson Fox (December 25, 1927 – December 1, 1975) was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a second baseman on three teams, primarily the Chicago White Sox, for 19 seasons, from 1947 through 1965. He was the American League (AL) Most Valuable Player (MVP) in 1959 and played in 12 MLB All-Star games. Fox was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1997.
Fox was born in St. Thomas Township, Pennsylvania. He began his career with the Philadelphia Athletics in 1947, though he was never a full-time starter during his three seasons with the team. Fox was a member of the 1949 Philadelphia Athletics team that set a major league team record of 217 double plays, a record which still stood as of 2010. He appeared in 77 games that season and contributed to 68 of the team's record number of double plays. Traded to the White Sox October 29, 1949, Fox's career took off. He spent 14 seasons with Chicago, making 10 All-Star teams. He played his final two seasons (1964–65) with the Houston Colt .45s and Astros.

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Nick Blackburn
Robert Nicholas Blackburn (born February 24, 1982 in Ada, Oklahoma) is a Major League Baseball pitcher in the Minnesota Twins system. He graduated from Del City High School in Del City, Oklahoma. He attended Seminole State College. The 6-4, 227 pound right-hander was originally drafted by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the 34th round of the 2000 amateur entry draft. The Minnesota Twins then drafted him in the 29th round of the 2001 amateur entry draft. The Minnesota Twins signed him on May 21, 2002. From 2002 to 2007, he pitched 6 seasons for the Minnesota Twins minor league system. In 138 minor league appearances, he pitched 702 innings, posting 40-40 record with 434 strikeouts and a 3.68 ERA. His best season in the minors came in 2007, and after the season Baseball America ranked him as the Twins' No. 1 prospect. Since 2008 Blackburn has pitched for the major league Minnesota Twins.
Blackburn’s repertoire consists of a 2-seam fastball, sinker, 4-seam fastball, changeup, curveball, and slider. His fastball is not overpowering, usually in the high 80’s to low 90’s; however, his 6-4 stand makes his fastball “appear to get on batters faster than the miles per hour would indicate.” He normally uses his fastball to get hitters off-balance before he pitches his four breaking balls. He throws a nice curveball and tight slider. When pitching at his best, he can locate all five of his pitches for strikes, which can make him nearly unhittable.

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Nomar Garciaparra
Anthony Nomar Garciaparra (

/ˈnoʊmɑr ɡɑrˌsiːəˈpɑrə/; born July 23, 1973, in Whittier, California) is a former Major League Baseball player and current ESPN analyst. After playing parts of 9 seasons as an All-Star shortstop for the Boston Red Sox, he played third base, first base, and designated hitter for the Oakland Athletics, first base and third base for the Los Angeles Dodgers, and shortstop and third base for the Chicago Cubs. He is one of 13 players in Major League history to hit two grand slams during a single game, and the only player to achieve the feat at his home stadium.
Garciaparra attended St. Mary's of the Assumption School in Whittier, California for elementary school; for high school he attended St. John Bosco High School in Bellflower, California, where he excelled in football, soccer, and baseball, and had a 3.9 GPA. His teams won high school league championships in 1990–91, and he won the league MVP honors in 1991, his last year of high school. St. John Bosco High School retired Garciaparra's baseball jersey. St. John Bosco High School's Activities Office window is home to an area dedicated to Garciaparra's baseball career both at the school and with the Dodgers.

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Norm Cash
Norman Dalton Cash (November 10, 1934 – October 11, 1986) was an American first baseman in Major League Baseball who spent almost his entire career with the Detroit Tigers. An outstanding power hitter, his 377 career home runs were the fourth most by an American League left-handed hitter when he retired, behind Babe Ruth, Ted Williams and Lou Gehrig; his 373 home runs with the Tigers rank second in franchise history behind his teammate Al Kaline (399). He also led the AL in assists three times and fielding percentage twice; he ranked among the all-time leaders in assists (4th, 1317) and double plays (10th, 1347) upon his retirement, and was fifth in AL history in games at first base (1943). He was known to fans and teammates during his playing days as "Stormin' Norman."
Cash was born in Justiceburg, Garza County, Texas, and attended (what was then) Sul Ross State Teachers College, where he was All-Lone Star Conference in football as well as playing baseball; he was drafted by the Chicago Bears as a running back in 1955, but declined to play pro football. After signing with the Chicago White Sox in 1955, he spent 1957 in the military and made his debut with the team in 1958, seeing limited play as an outfielder and pinch hitter. He appeared in 58 games for the 1959 pennant-winners, but the midseason acquisition of Ted Kluszewski left him on the bench, and he was hitless in four pinch-hitting appearances in the World Series. In December of that year he was traded to the Cleveland Indians in an eight-player deal that brought Minnie Miñoso back to Chicago, but the Indians general manager Frank Lane traded Cash to Detroit for Steve Demeter, who would play only four more games; both Chicago and Cleveland were haunted by Cash for the next 15 years, as he won a batting title and a World Series ring in a Detroit uniform.

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Pat Burrell
Patrick Brian "Pat" Burrell (born October 10, 1976), nicknamed "Pat the Bat," is a former American professional baseball outfielder who played in Major League Baseball. He stands 6 feet 4 inches (1.93 m) tall and weighs 235 pounds (107 kg). He bats and throws right-handed. Previously, he played with the Philadelphia Phillies, the Tampa Bay Rays, and the San Francisco Giants.
Burrell attended the University of Miami, where he won the Golden Spikes Award in 1998. In 1998, he was the first overall draft pick by the Phillies. After two years in the minors, Burrell was called up by the Phillies in 2000, and he finished fourth in voting for the National League Rookie of the Year Award. After hitting 27 home runs in 2001 (the first of eight straight years in which he would hit at least 20), he hit a career-high 37 home runs in 2002 and finished 14th in NL Most Valuable Player Award voting. In 2003, he signed a six-year contract with the Phillies but batted a career-low .209 with 21 home runs. In 2004, he batted .257 with 24 home runs but missed several games with a wrist injury. He hit 32 home runs in 2005 and finished seventh in NL MVP Award voting after he set a career high with 117 RBI. In 2006, he batted .258 with 29 home runs and 95 RBI but was benched for a few games due to a slump after April. He batted .256 with 30 home runs in 2007 as the Phillies reached the playoffs for the first time in his career. Burrell hit a home run in the playoffs as the Phillies were swept in the first round. In 2008, he hit 33 home runs as the Phillies reached the playoffs again, winning the World Series.

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Paul Konerko
Paul Henry Konerko (

/kəˈnɛərkoʊ/; born March 5, 1976) is an American professional baseball first baseman who has played for the Chicago White Sox of Major League Baseball since 1999. He previously played with the Los Angeles Dodgers (1997–98) and the Cincinnati Reds (1998). Konerko helped the Chicago White Sox win the 2005 World Series, the franchise's first since 1917. Since 2006 he has served as team captain.
Born in Providence, Rhode Island, Konerko is of Polish (paternal) and Italian (maternal) descent. At Chaparral High School in Scottsdale, Arizona, Konerko was named the Arizona Republic/Phoenix Gazette Player of the Year as a senior, after leading his team to a Class 4-A state championship. Konerko hit .558 in 1994, the school season record until Ike Davis, who later became the first baseman for the New York Mets, hit .559 in 2003. Konerko also held the school season record in doubles, with 18, until Davis hit 23 doubles in 2003. He also held the school career record in doubles (44), until Davis passed him with 48 doubles.

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Paul Molitor
Paul Leo Molitor (born August 22, 1956), nicknamed "Molly" and "The Ignitor", is an American former Major League Baseball designated hitter and infielder. During his 21-year baseball career, he played for the Milwaukee Brewers (1978–1992), Toronto Blue Jays (1993–1995), and Minnesota Twins (1996–1998). In 2004, he was elected to the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility, becoming one of the first players who spent a significant portion of his career as a designated hitter to be enshrined. He was known for his exceptional hitting and speed.
Molitor was born in Saint Paul, Minnesota. After graduating from Cretin-Derham Hall High School, he was selected in the 28th round of the 1974 free agent draft as a pitcher by the St. Louis Cardinals, but opted instead to attend college at the University of Minnesota. He was a three year starter for the Golden Gophers, earning All American honors as a shortstop for his sophomore and junior years. After his junior year in college, he was selected third overall in the 1978 free agent draft by the Milwaukee Brewers. He signed with the Brewers and began his professional career in Iowa, playing for the Class A Burlington Bees of the Midwest League.

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Pete Runnels
James Edward "Pete" Runnels (January 28, 1928 – May 20, 1991) was a Major League Baseball infielder who played for the Washington Senators (1951–57), Boston Red Sox (1958–62) and Houston Colt .45s (1963–64). He batted left-handed and threw right-handed.
Runnels was born in Lufkin, Texas. A master at handling the bat, he was a notorious singles hitter who had one of the best eyes in the game, compiling an outstanding 1.35 walk-to-strikeout ratio (844-to-627). Altogether, he batted over .300 six times, once with the Senators, five with the Red Sox. Despite winning the batting title in 1960, he drove in just 35 runs, a record low for a batting title winner.
Solid and versatile with the glove, Runnels started as a shortstop with the Senators, but ultimately played 644 games at first base, 642 at second, 463 at shortstop, and 49 at third. Twice he led the American League in fielding percentage, at second base in 1960 (.986), and at first base in 1961 (.995). He was not a good base stealer: in 1952 he set the record for most attempted steals with no successes, at 10. In his career he stole 37 bases and was caught 51 times.

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Peyton Manning
Peyton Williams Manning (born March 24, 1976) is an American football quarterback for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). He played for the Indianapolis Colts for 14 seasons from 1998–2011. He is the son of former NFL quarterback Archie Manning and an elder brother of New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning.
Manning played college football at the University of Tennessee, leading the Volunteers to the 1997 SEC Championship in his senior season. He was chosen by the Indianapolis Colts with the first overall pick in the 1998 NFL Draft. From 1998 to 2010, he led the Colts to seven AFC South division championships, two AFC championships, and to a Super Bowl championship (Super Bowl XLI). He has won a record four league most valuable player awards, was the most valuable player of Super Bowl XLI, has been named to eleven Pro Bowls, has eleven 4,000-yard passing seasons (including a record six straight), and is the Indianapolis Colts' all-time leader in passing yards (54,828) and touchdown passes (399). In 2009, he was named the best player in the NFL and Fox Sports along with Sports Illustrated named him the NFL player of the decade of the 2000s.

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Phil Nevin
Phillip Joseph Nevin (born January 19, 1971 in Fullerton, California) is a retired American professional baseball player who spent twelve seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He is currently the manager of the Toledo Mud Hens, the Detroit Tigers Class-AAA affiliate, assigned to the International League. In MLB, he played for the Houston Astros (1995), Tigers (1995–1997), Anaheim Angels (1998), San Diego Padres (1999–2005), Texas Rangers (2005–2006), Chicago Cubs (2006) and Minnesota Twins (2006).
Nevin attended California State University, Fullerton where he played college baseball for the Cal State Fullerton Titans baseball team. Leading the Titans to the championship game in the 1992 College World Series (CWS), he named the CWS Most Outstanding Player and won the Golden Spikes Award. Chosen with the first-overall pick in the 1992 Major League Baseball Draft, Nevin went on to play in MLB for six teams across 12 seasons. He was selected to appear in the 2001 Major League Baseball All-Star Game.

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Phil Rizzuto
Philip Francis Rizzuto (September 25, 1917 – August 13, 2007), nicknamed "The Scooter", was an American Major League Baseball shortstop. He spent his entire 13-year baseball career for the New York Yankees (1941–1956). Rizzuto was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1994.
A popular figure on a team dynasty which captured 10 AL titles and seven World Championships in his 13 seasons, Rizzuto holds numerous World Series records for shortstops. His best statistical season was 1950, when he was named the American League's Most Valuable Player. Despite this offensive peak, Rizzuto was a classic "small ball" player, noted for his strong defense in the infield. The slick-fielding Rizzuto is also regarded as one of the best bunters in baseball history. When he retired, his 1,217 career double plays ranked second in major league history, trailing only Luke Appling's total of 1,424, and his .968 career fielding average trailed only Lou Boudreau's mark of .973 among AL shortstops.
Ted Williams once claimed that his Red Sox would have won most of the Yankees' 1940s and 1950s pennants if they had had Rizzuto at shortstop, but Rizzuto himself was more modest: "My stats don't shout. They kind of whisper."

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Rafael Betancourt
Rafael Jose Betancourt (born April 29, 1975) is a Major League Baseball right-handed relief pitcher for the Colorado Rockies.
He was originally signed as an amateur free agent by the Boston Red Sox in September 1999. The Red Sox released him following the 1999 season and then re-signed him as a free agent in December 2000 after he spent the 2000 season with the Yokohama BayStars. He was granted free agency again in October 2001.
After sitting out the 2002 season he signed with the Cleveland Indians as a minor league free agent and made his Major League debut for the Indians on July 13, 2003 against the Chicago White Sox.
On July 8, 2005 he became the sixth Major League player to be suspended for testing positive in steroids testing.
On January 23, 2008, he signed a new two-year contract with the Indians with a club option for 2010.
On July 22, 2009, Betancourt was traded to the Colorado Rockies for minor league pitcher Connor Graham. His $5.4 million dollar club option was declined at the end of the season, making him a free agent. Betancourt qualified as a Type A free agent, and was offered arbitration by the Rockies.

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Randy Johnson
Randall David "Randy" Johnson (born September 10, 1963), nicknamed "The Big Unit", is a former American Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. During a 22-year career, he pitched for six different teams.
The 6-foot-10-inch (2.08 m) Johnson was celebrated for having one of the most dominant fastballs in the game. He regularly approached, and occasionally exceeded, 100 miles per hour (160 km/h) during his prime. He also threw a hard, biting slider. Johnson won the Cy Young Award five times, second only to Roger Clemens' seven.
Johnson finished his career first in strikeouts per nine innings pitched among starting pitchers (10.67), second all-time in total strikeouts (4,875; first among left-handed pitchers), third in hit batsmen (188), tenth in fewest hits allowed per nine innings pitched (7.24), 22nd in wins (303), and 57th in shutouts (37). He pitched two no-hitters, the second of which was the 17th perfect game in baseball history.
Johnson was born in Walnut Creek, California, to Carol Hannah and Rollen Charles “Bud” Johnson. By the time he entered Livermore High School, he was a star in baseball and basketball. In 1982, as a senior, he struck out 121 batters in 66 innings, and threw a perfect game in his last high school start. He also played on a Bercovich team that assembled top players from throughout California. After high school he was drafted in 1982 by the Atlanta Braves in the 2nd round and offered $50,000 to sign. Instead, Johnson accepted a full athletic scholarship to USC, also playing 2 years of basketball. He continued to start at the University of Southern California under coach Rod Dedeaux, but often exhibited control problems.

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Ray Fosse
Raymond Earl Fosse (born April 4, 1947 in Marion, Illinois) is a former professional baseball player who was a catcher in the Major Leagues. He was drafted in the first round of the 1965 amateur draft by the Cleveland Indians. Fosse also holds the distinction of being the Indians' first ever draft pick, as 1965 was the first year of the Major League Baseball Draft. He batted and threw right-handed.
Fosse's career was one marked by numerous injuries. He made his Major League debut late in the 1967 season, but returned to the minor leagues in 1968. Fosse joined the Cleveland Indians in 1970, platooning alongside catcher Duke Sims. In the first half of 1970, Ray posted a .313 batting average with 16 home runs and 45 runs batted in. He hit in 23 consecutive games beginning June 9, the longest American League hitting streak since 1961. The manager for the American League in the 1970 All-Star Game, Earl Weaver, rewarded Fosse with a reserve role on the team.
Arguably, Ray Fosse is most famous for being bowled over by the Cincinnati Reds' Pete Rose at home plate in the last play of the 1970 All-Star Game. Rose scored the winning run, while the collision separated Fosse's right shoulder. The injury is often incorrectly cited as what caused the downfall of Fosse's career. In reality, Fosse played 42 games in the second half of 1970, hitting .297 and winning the American League Gold Glove Award. Rose asserted he was simply trying to win the game; however, he was widely criticized by some for over-aggressiveness in what essentially was an exhibition game. In a twist of fate, when Rose was sentenced to five months in prison for tax evasion, he was sent to the US penitentiary in Marion, Illinois, Fosse's hometown.

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Reggie Jackson
Reginald Martinez "Reggie" Jackson (born May 18, 1946) is an American former baseball right fielder who played 21 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for four different teams (1967–1987). He was nicknamed "Mr. October" for his clutch hitting in the postseason with the New York Yankees. Jackson won five consecutive American League West divisional pennants, three consecutive American League pennants and two consecutive World Series titles as a member of the Oakland Athletics (he did not play in the 1972 World Series due to injury) from 1971 to 1975; four American League East divisional pennants, three American League pennants and two consecutive World Series titles with the Yankees from 1977 to 1981; and two American League West divisional pennants with the California Angels in 1982 and 1986. He is perhaps best remembered for hitting three consecutive home runs in the clinching game of the 1977 World Series.
Jackson played for the Kansas City / Oakland Athletics (1967–1975, 1987), Baltimore Orioles (1976), New York Yankees (1977–1981), and California Angels (1982–1986). A 14-time All-Star and five-time World Series champion, Jackson won two Silver Slugger Awards, the 1973 American League (AL) Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award, two World Series MVP Awards, and the 1977 Babe Ruth Award.

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Rene Tosoni
Rene Michael Tosoni (July 2, 1986, Toronto, Ontario Canada) is an outfielder for the Minnesota Twins. He is six feet tall and weighs 194 lbs. He bats left-handed, yet plays his position right-handed.
Tosoni played youth baseball for the Coquitlam Reds of the B.C. Premier Baseball League. Although he was selected by the Twins in the 34th-round of the 2004 Major League Baseball Draft, he did not sign and was subsequently reselected by the Twins in the 36th-round of the 2005 Major League Baseball Draft.
Although Tosoni had a brief stint with the Gulf Coast League Twins to begin the year, he spent the majority of the 2008 season assigned to the Twins' advanced A affiliate, the Fort Myers Miracle. With the Miracle, he batted .325 with one home run and 17 RBIs in the first half of the 2008 season—helping his team capture the Florida State League first-half West Division title. Along with teammates Robert Delaney, Brian Dinkelman, Jeff Manship, Wilson Ramos, Anthony Slama and Danny Valencia, Tosoni was selected to represent Fort Myers in the 2008 Florida State League All-Star game, however, a broken leg prevented him from attending. He was assigned to the Miracle's seven day disabled list, and did not play from May 16 until August 26. For the season, his average fell to an even .300 upon his short return from the disabled list at the end of the season, however, his two run home run in the first inning was the deciding factor in the Miracle's 2-1 victory over the Dunedin Blue Jays in game one of the 2008 division playoffs.

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Rick Ankiel
Richard Alexander Ankiel (pronounced /ˈæŋkiːl/; born July 19, 1979) is a Major League Baseball outfielder for the Washington Nationals. He bats and throws left-handed.
Ankiel was a pitcher with the St. Louis Cardinals from 1999 until 2001, when he lost his ability to throw strikes consistently. After trying to regain his pitching form in the minor leagues, he switched to the outfield in early 2005. For two and a half years, he honed his skills as a hitter and fielder in the Cardinals' minor-league system. He was called up to the Cardinals on August 9, 2007, and made his second major-league "debut"—this time as an outfielder in right field—against the San Diego Padres in St. Louis. As a Cardinal (1999–2009), Ankiel hit 47 home runs as an outfielder and two as a pitcher. After a 2009 season in which he hit .231 with 11 home runs in 122 games, Ankiel became a free agent. Subsequently, he was signed by the Royals and later was traded to the Atlanta Braves. He is the first player since Babe Ruth to have won at least 10 games as a pitcher and also hit at least 50 home runs. Ankiel is also the only player other than Babe Ruth to both start a postseason game as a pitcher and hit a home run in the postseason as a position player.

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Rick Monday
Robert James "Rick" Monday, Jr. (born November 20, 1945 in Batesville, Arkansas) is a former center fielder in Major League Baseball and is currently a broadcast announcer. From 1966 through 1984, Monday, a center fielder for most of his career, played for the Kansas City/Oakland Athletics (1966–71), Chicago Cubs (1972–76) and Los Angeles Dodgers (1977–84). He batted and threw left-handed.
In a 19-season career, Monday compiled a .264 batting average with 241 home runs and 775 RBI. He was selected an All-Star in 1968 and 1978.
Monday began his baseball career starring at Santa Monica High School earning league honors.
Tommy Lasorda, then a scout for the Los Angeles Dodgers, offered Rick, and Rick's mother Nelda, $20,000 to sign with the Dodgers out of high school in 1963. But Arizona State University coach Bobby Winkles, who was also from Monday's native Arkansas, convinced them that he would look after Monday.
A star for the Sun Devils under head coach Winkles, on a team that included freshman Reggie Jackson, Monday led the Sun Devils to the 1965 College World Series championship (over Ohio State) and earned All-America and College Player of the Year honors. For the 1965 season he hit .359 with 34 extra-base hits.

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Rick Sofield
Richard Michael Sofield (born December 16, 1956), who is a former outfielder in Major League Baseball, is a coach for the Pittsburgh Pirates organization and will manage their Class-A South Atlantic League team the West Virginia Power during the 2012 season.
Sofield played for the Minnesota Twins from 1979 to 1981, appearing in 207 games and recording 612 at bats for a career average of .243.
After his playing career ended, he became the assistant baseball coach at the University of South Carolina and later the head coach at the University of Utah (1988 to 1994). After leaving Utah, he was a minor league manager for the Harrisburg Senators, Las Vegas 51s, and Colorado Springs Sky Sox.
He has been the head baseball coach at the University of South Carolina Beaufort and worked extensively with Baseball Factory, a player development and scouting service. His final day with USCB will be Monday, November 14, 2011. Sofield's record with the NAIA Sand Sharks over three seasons is 101-56. In 2011, USCB was ranked No. 18 in the NAIA Top 25, the highest spot in program history.

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Rick Stelmaszek
Richard Francis Stelmaszek (born October 8, 1948) is a former Major League Baseball catcher, and the current bullpen coach for the Minnesota Twins.
In 2012, Stelmaszek will observe his 32nd consecutive season on the Twins' coaching staff and is the longest-tenured coach in Minnesota history. Stelmaszek trails only Nick Altrock, who spent 42 consecutive years as a coach with the old Washington Senators (coincidentally, the pre-1961 predecessor of the Twins franchise) between 1912 and 1953, and Manny Mota, who entered his 33rd consecutive season with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2012, as the longest-tenured coach in baseball history.
Stelmaszek was drafted on June 6, 1967 by the expansion edition of the Washington Senators in the eleventh round of the 1967 Major League Baseball Draft out of Mendel High School in Chicago, Illinois, but didn't sign until August 28, keeping him from his minor league debut until 1968. The following year, Stelmaszek was assigned to Single-A and split time between the low Single-A Geneva Senators and the Salisbury Senators. In 1969, he was back at Single-A, this time for the Shelby Senators in the Western Carolina League and played well, hitting .288 with 5 homeruns and making the league All-Star team. In 1970, Stelmaszek was promoted to AA Pittsfield, but despite his overall production at the plate dropping (hitting only .246 with 4 home runs and 47 runs batted in in 128 games), he was again named to the league all-star team. 1971 would see him promoted to AAA Denver where he hit only .247 with almost no power (1 homerun, 1 triple and 1 double in 73 games), but he earned a call up and made his major league debut on June 25. However, after going hitless in nine at-bats, he was back in the minors within a month.

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Rickey Henderson
Richard Nelson Henley "Rickey" Henderson (born December 25, 1958) is an American former Major League Baseball left fielder who played for nine teams from 1979 to 2003, including four stints with his original team, the Oakland Athletics. Nicknamed The Man of Steal, he is widely regarded as the sport's greatest leadoff hitter and baserunner. He holds the major league records for career stolen bases, runs scored, unintentional walks and leadoff home runs. At the time of his last major league game in 2003, the ten-time American League (AL) All-Star ranked among the sport's top 100 all-time home run hitters and was its all-time leader in bases on balls. In 2009, he was inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame on his first ballot appearance.
In addition to the career steals record, Henderson also holds the single-season record for stolen bases (130 in 1982) and is the only player in AL history to steal 100 bases in a season, having done so three times. His 1,406 career steals is 50% higher than the previous record of 938 by Lou Brock. Henderson is the all-time stolen base leader for the Oakland A's and previously held the New York Yankees' franchise record from 1988-2011. He was among the league's top ten base stealers in 21 different seasons.

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Robin Yount
Robin R. Yount (

/ˈjɒnt/; nicknamed,"The Kid", and "Rockin' Robin", born September 16, 1955) is an American former Major League Baseball shortstop and center fielder. He spent his entire 20-year baseball career with the Milwaukee Brewers (1974–1993). In 1999, Yount was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.
Yount was born in Danville, Illinois. During his youth, his family moved to southern California, where he attended William Howard Taft High School in Woodland Hills.

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Robinson Canó
Robinson José Canó Mercedes (Spanish pronunciation: [ka no']; born October 22, 1982) is a Dominican baseball player who currently plays as a second baseman for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball. He made his MLB debut in 2005.
Canó is a three-time All-Star (2006, 2010, 2011) and Silver Slugger Award winner (2006, 2010, 2011). He won a Gold Glove Award (2010) and has been named American League Player of the Month twice (September 2006, April 2010). In 2011, Canó won the Home Run Derby. He was a member of the Yankees' 2009 World Series championship team.
His father, José Canó, signed with the Houston Astros in 1980 and pitched in six games for them in 1989. Robinson was named after baseball legend Jackie Robinson.
Canó grew up in the Dominican Republic, though he lived in New Jersey for three years. He spent seventh, eighth, and ninth grades in the Newark school system, attending Barringer High School for one year. When his family moved back to the Dominican Republic, Canó attended San Pedro Apostol High School in San Pedro de Macoris, where he played for the school's baseball and basketball teams. In the Dominican Winter Baseball League he plays for his hometown team, the Estrellas Orientales.

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Rocco Baldelli
Rocco Dan Baldelli (/ˈrɒkoʊ bɔːlˈdɛli/; born September 25, 1981 in Woonsocket, Rhode Island) is a former Major League Baseball outfielder and designated hitter. Because of his excellent size and speed, and in reference to his hometown, he was nicknamed, "The Woonsocket Rocket," early in his professional career. After a promising beginning to his baseball career, a mysterious metabolic/muscular disorder would lead to numerous injuries and force Baldelli to retire as a player at age 29.
Rocco Baldelli attended the PEGASUS Gifted and Talented middle-school program at La Salle Academy in Providence. He played baseball for the Rhode Island Tides, an AAU ball club. Then he switched to Bishop Hendricken High School in Warwick, Rhode Island, for high school There he posted a 4.25 grade point average. He was also a four sport star, earning all-state honors in baseball, indoor track, basketball, and volleyball and was selected in the first round of the 2000 amateur draft. Had he not signed with Tampa Bay, he would have attended Wake Forest University on a baseball scholarship. He also seriously considered attending Princeton University.

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Rod Carew
Rodney Cline "Rod" Carew (born October 1, 1945) is a former Major League Baseball first baseman, second baseman and coach. He played from 1967 to 1985 for the Minnesota Twins and the California Angels and was elected to the All-Star game every season except his last. In 1991, Carew was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. While Carew was never a home run threat (hitting fewer than 100 career home runs), he made a career out of being a consistent contact hitter. He threw right-handed and batted left-handed.
Carew is a Zonian and was born to a Panamanian mother on a train in the town of Gatún, which, at that time, was in the Panama Canal Zone. The train was racially segregated; white passengers were given the better forward cars, while non-whites, like Carew's mother, were forced to ride in the rearward cars. When she went into labor, a physician traveling on the train, Dr. Rodney Cline, delivered the baby. In appreciation for this, Mrs. Carew named the boy Rodney Cline Carew.

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Roger Clemens
William Roger Clemens (born August 4, 1962), nicknamed "The Rocket", is an American former baseball pitcher who played 23 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for four teams. Clemens was one of the most dominant pitchers in major league history, tallying 354 wins, a 3.12 earned run average (ERA), and 4,672 strikeouts, the third-most all time. An 11-time All-Star and two-time World Series champion, he won seven Cy Young Awards during his career, the most of any pitcher. Clemens was known for his fierce competitive nature and for his hard-throwing pitching style that he used to intimidate batters.
Clemens debuted in the major leagues in 1984 with the Boston Red Sox, whose pitching staff he anchored for 12 years. In 1986, he won the American League (AL) Cy Young Award, the AL Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award, and the All-Star Game MVP Award, and he struck out an MLB-record 20 batters in a single game. After the 1996 season, Clemens left Boston via free agency and joined the Toronto Blue Jays. In each of his two seasons with Toronto, Clemens won a Cy Young Award, as well as the pitching triple crown by leading the league in wins, ERA, and strikeouts. Prior to the 1999 season, Clemens was traded to the New York Yankees where he won his only two World Series titles. In 2003, he reached his 300th win and 4,000th strikeout in the same game. Clemens left for the Houston Astros in 2004, where he spent three seasons and won his seventh Cy Young Award. He rejoined the Yankees in 2007 for one last season.

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Roger Maris
Roger Eugene Maris (September 10, 1934 – December 14, 1985) was an American baseball right fielder who played 12 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) on four teams, from 1957 through 1968. Maris hit a record 61 home runs during the 1961 season for the New York Yankees, breaking Babe Ruth's single-season record of 60 home runs in 1927. Maris' record stood for the next 37 years.
Maris appeared in seven World Series games. He was a two-time American League (AL) Most Valuable Player (MVP) (1960–1961), seven-time All-Star (1959–62), and an AL Gold Glove winner in 1960. His accomplishment of 61 home runs in a season, which was greatly debated in its own time, came back to the forefront in 1998, when the record was broken by both Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa. On September 24, 2011, the 50th anniversary of Maris' home run record was celebrated in Yankee Stadium.
Roger Maris was the son of Croatian immigrants. He was born Roger Eugene Maras(he later changed his last name to Maris) in Hibbing, Minnesota. He grew up in Grand Forks and Fargo, North Dakota, where he attended Shanley High School. Maris, a gifted athlete, participated in many sports while in Fargo, and excelled at football and still holds the official high school record for most kickoff return touchdowns in a game, with four.

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Rollie Fingers
Roland Glen Fingers (born August 25, 1946) is a retired American Major League Baseball relief pitcher. During his 18-year baseball career, he pitched for the Oakland Athletics (1968–76), San Diego Padres (1977–80) and Milwaukee Brewers (1981–85). He became only the second reliever to be elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1992. Fingers is also one of only a few MLB players to have his number retired by more than one club (Oakland Athletics and Milwaukee Brewers).
Fingers was born in Steubenville, Ohio to George Michael Fingers and Edna Pearl (née Stafford) Fingers.
His father (who had also played minor league baseball for the St. Louis Cardinals and roomed with Stan Musial), worked in a Steubenville steel mill. George Fingers came home from work fed-up one day, said "That's it, we're moving to California," and sold the house for $1,500 and bought a car and took the family to Cucamonga. They could not afford hotels so they slept in sleeping bags beside the highway. After getting to California George Fingers had to eventually go back to work in another steel mill.

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Ron Blomberg
Ronald Mark Blomberg (born August 23, 1948, in Atlanta, Georgia), nicknamed Boomer, is a former Major League Baseball designated hitter, first baseman, and right fielder. He played for the New York Yankees (1969, 1971–76) and Chicago White Sox (1978), and he was the manager of the Bet Shemesh Blue Sox in the Israel Baseball League (2007). He was the first designated hitter in Major League Baseball history.
He batted left-handed, and threw right-handed.
In his 8-season career, Blomberg compiled a .293 batting average (391-for-1,333) with 52 home runs, 224 RBIs, 184 runs, 67 doubles, and 8 triples in 461 games. He added a .360 on base percentage and a .473 slugging average. For his career, he hit .304 against right-handers, and .304 with 2 out and runners in scoring position, as well as .325 when the score was tied.
Blomberg attended Druid Hills High School, earning four letters each in baseball, basketball, and track, and graduated in 1967. He was an all-star in baseball, football, and basketball. He is the only athlete ever chosen for the Parade All-America teams in football, basketball, and baseball.

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Ron Gardenhire
Ronald Clyde "Gardy" Gardenhire (born October 24, 1957) is a former Major League Baseball shortstop and current manager of the Minnesota Twins.
He is six feet (183 cm) tall and weighed 175 (79 kg) pounds during most of his baseball career.
Ron Gardenhire was born on a couch to a military family at the U.S. Army base in Butzbach, West Germany. Young Gardenhire expected to join the military, but his passion for baseball was also encouraged by his father. The family later settled in Oklahoma where he attended Okmulgee High School and college at the University of Texas at Austin.
He played five seasons of baseball in the National League with the New York Mets from 1981 to 1985. The Mets drafted him in the sixth round of the 1979 amateur draft. In his career, he played shortstop, second base, and third base. He was often plagued by injuries, especially to his hamstring. Only twice did he play in more than 70 games in a season, in 1982 and 1984. Following the 1986 season he was traded to the Minnesota Twins, where he played one season for their Triple-A affiliate before retiring.

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Ron Kittle
Ronald Dale (Ron) Kittle (born January 5, 1958 in Gary, Indiana) is a former left fielder and designated hitter in Major League Baseball who was known mostly for his home run power, being named the 1983 AL Rookie of the Year. From 1982 through 1991, Kittle played for the Chicago White Sox (1982–86, 1989, 1991), New York Yankees (1986–87), Cleveland Indians (1988) and Baltimore Orioles (1990). He batted and threw right-handed. Kittle was also a manager for the minor league Schaumburg Flyers.
A former steelworker who made his major league debut at nearly 25 years old, Kittle was popular on the Chicago White Sox when they won 99 games in 1983 to make their first playoff appearance since the 1959 World Series. That season, Kittle was selected an All-Star and won Rookie of the Year honors after hitting 35 home runs (club record for a rookie) and 100 RBI.
Kittle also hit 50 homers in the minor leagues with the Edmonton Trappers and has his jersey retired in Edmonton at Telus Field.
He was most well known for his line-drive rooftop home runs (7, an MLB record) at Comiskey Park (1910–1990).

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Ron Powlus
Ronald Lee Powlus (born July 16, 1974) is a former American football quarterback, former quarterbacks coach for the University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team, and current quarterbacks coach for the University of Kansas.
One of the most heavily-touted prospects in the history of high school football, he was an offensive standout at Berwick High School. Powlus was named Parade Magazine prep player of the year and USA Today offensive prep player of the year in 1992. After Powlus signed his letter of intent with Notre Dame that year, ESPN analyst Beano Cook predicted that Powlus would win the Heisman Trophy twice. This was extremely high praise considering that only one player in the history of college football, Archie Griffin, had won the trophy twice.
He never came close to matching the hype surrounding him in high school, though he had a few solid years for the Fighting Irish. Powlus was a two-time Irish captain who, before the ascent of Brady Quinn in 2005, held 20 school records. He started 42 of 44 regular-season games (Thomas Krug started in place of injurred Ron Powlus during the end of the 1995 season plus the 1996 Orange bowl) in which he played for the Irish (plus two bowl games) and finished with 558 career completions on 969 attempts for 7,602 yards and 52 touchdowns. He set the Irish single-game mark for TD passes in a game with four (three times) and at one point completed 14 straight passes. He set single-season marks in 1997 as a senior with his 182 completions and 298 attempts.

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Ronald Curry
Ronald Antonio Curry (born May 28, 1979 in Hampton, Virginia) is an American football wide receiver, currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the seventh round of the 2002 NFL Draft after playing college football at North Carolina.
Curry has also briefly been a member of the Detroit Lions and St. Louis Rams.
Ronald Curry was among the most celebrated athletes ever in the state of Virginia. Nationally, he was among the most sought after recruits in the country. Curry was an All-American in basketball and football at Hampton High School in Hampton, Virginia, where he was awarded the Dial Award for the national high-school scholar-athlete of the year in 1997. He won the McDonald's Slam Dunk contest and was MVP of the McDonald's All-American game. By most reports, his high school football coach favored Curry attending the University of Virginia and focusing on football, while his high school basketball coach favored the University of North Carolina to develop Curry into a prospect for the NBA. He verbally committed to play both basketball and football to Virginia before signing instead with rival North Carolina. This made him a very unpopular figure among Virginia fans, who referred to him by such terms as "Benedict Curry", "Benedict Ronald", or "WHN" (an abbreviation of "What's his name?"), and voted to make him the "Sports Jerk of the Year" in the Tank McNamara comic strip. Coincidentally, Curry's cousin Almondo "Muffin" Curry, a cornerback, later decided to attend Virginia.

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Ryan Doumit
Ryan Matthew Doumit (born April 3, 1981) is an American professional baseball catcher for the Minnesota Twins of Major League Baseball. He played the first seven years of his career for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
He attended Moses Lake High School.
Doumit was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 2nd round as the 59th overall selection in the 1999 Major League Baseball Draft.
After six seasons in the minor leagues, Doumit made his major league debut on June 5, 2005, against the Atlanta Braves. During his rookie season, Doumit played primarily as a backup catcher but also served as the Pirates' designated hitter in interleague games.
Over the next two seasons, Doumit suffered a variety of injuries, limiting him to 144 games. When healthy, he saw action as a catcher, first baseman, and right fielder.
In 2008, Doumit played exclusively as the Pirates' starting catcher. He was once again plagued by injury and missed three weeks with a broken thumb. He returned to the lineup and consistently kept his batting average above .330 throughout the rest of the summer. Doumit shared the National League's Player of the Week award for the week ending June 16, 2008, hitting .400 and 4 home runs during the week. On September 26, Doumit attempted to throw out Willie Harris trying to steal 2nd base, but instead plunked Pirates pitcher John Grabow; see [1]

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Ryan Perrilloux
Ryan Anthony Perrilloux (born January 1, 1987) is an American football quarterback and is a practice squad player for the New York Giants of the National Football League. He was signed by the Hartford Colonials as a street free agent in 2010. He played college football at Jacksonville State and Louisiana State University.
While playing for the LSU Tigers football team, he was removed for violating team rules. For two seasons at LSU, he backed up starters JaMarcus Russell and Matt Flynn. He has been compared to Donovan McNabb by recruiting analyst Tom Lemming.
Coached by Larry Dauterieve, Perrilloux had one of the most dominating prep careers in state history at East St. John High School in Reserve, Louisiana, totaling 12,705 yards of offense (9,024 passing; 3,680 rushing), which ranks second all-time for total offense. His 9,025 passing are fourth on the state's all-time passing list. In his four years at East St. John, Perrilloux had a total of 155 touchdowns (84 passing, 71 rushing). He racked up a Louisiana high school record 5,006 total yards of offense as a senior, including 3,546 yards passing and 1,460 yards rushing. In his final high school game in the state playoffs versus Evangel Christian Academy, Perrilloux accounted for 495 yards of offense.

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Scot Shields
Robert Scot Shields (born July 22, 1975 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida) is a former American Major League Baseball relief pitcher. He played his entire baseball career with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, serving as their setup man since 2005. He was the last member of the Anaheim Angels' 2002 World Series Championship team remaining on the team's roster when he announced his retirement in 2011.
He graduated from Fort Lauderdale High School and attended Lincoln Memorial University while majoring in kinesiology. He was drafted by the then-Anaheim Angels in the 38th round (1137th overall) of the 1997 Major League Baseball Draft.
He began his career as a reliever in 1997 with Low-A Boise, earning a 7-2 record with two saves and a 2.94 ERA. The next year, he moved to Single-A Cedar Rapids, compiling a 6-5 record, seven saves and a 3.65 ERA. In 1999, he split his time as a starter and a reliever at High-A Lake Elsinore, gaining a 10-3 record with a 2.52 ERA and one save. In nine starts, he pitched two complete games and one shutout. For his efforts that year, he was named Angels Minor League Pitcher of the Year. He was promoted to Triple-A Edmonton in 2000, where he struggled with a 7-13 record and a 5.41 ERA.

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Scott Diamond
Scott Michael Diamond (born July 30, 1986 in Guelph, Ontario, Canada) is a Canadian professional baseball pitcher for the Minnesota Twins of Major League Baseball.
Diamond received an athletic scholarship from Binghamton University,^{[citation needed]} where he played for the Binghamton Bearcats. He also played collegiate summer league baseball in 2006 and 2007.^{[citation needed]}
Diamond was not selected in the 2008 Major League Baseball amateur draft. He signed as an undrafted free-agent with the Atlanta Braves organization.
Diamond played for the Rome Braves and the Myrtle Beach Pelicans in 2008. He was awarded Myrtle Beach Pelicans pitcher of the year award after recording a 15-3 record and a 2.89 ERA. He played for the Mississippi Braves in 2009 and 2010 before being promoted to the Gwinnett Braves during the 2010 season.
Diamond was on the roster for Canada in the 2009 World Baseball Classic, where he made a relief appearance for 3 innings in their game against Italy at the Rogers Centre.^{[citation needed]}

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Scott Stahoviak
Scott Edmund Stahoviak is a former Minnesota Twins first baseman. He was born on March 6, 1970, in Waukegan, Illinois. He attended Creighton University, and was an integral part of Creighton's NCAA College World Series appearance in 1991. He batted left-handed and threw right-handed.
Stahoviak was drafted by the Twins in the first round with the twenty-seventh overall pick in the 1991 amateur draft. He signed with the Twins on June 13, 1991. He made his major league debut in 1993 and also played from 1995 through 1998. Stahoviak played at least part of every season in the minor leagues from 1991 until 2000 except 1996. His last two seasons were spent in the Chicago Cubs organization.
He taught as a gym teacher at Saint Norbert School in Northbrook, IL. He resigned in 2008 to pursue a new career.^{[citation needed]} He now coaches baseball at Carmel Catholic High School in Mundelein, Illinois.^{[citation needed]} He now teaches gym at Maple Middle School.

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Scott Ullger
Scott Matthew Ullger (born June 10, 1955 in New York, New York) is a former Major League Baseball player and current bench base coach of the Minnesota Twins. He was previously the Twins' third base coach from 2006–2010 and batting coach from 1998-2006. Ullger is frequently referred to as "Scotty" by Twins faithfuls and by broadcasters Bert Blyleven and Dick Bremer.
Ullger, from Plainview, New York, was drafted by the Twins in 1977 and called up in 1983 after a successful minor league career. This did not, however, translate to big league success as Ullger played only 35 games in the majors, primarily at first base, all in the 1983 season. Growing up in Plainview, he had a supportive nephew named Parker.
After his playing career, he got into coaching. Ullger became the manager of the Visalia Oaks in 1988, becoming the California League Manager of the Year in 1990. He also had successful runs with the Portland Beavers/Salt Lake Buzz when the team was the Twins' AAA affiliate.
In 1995, Ullger became the Twins’ first base coach. He went 3-2 in a brief unofficial managerial stint in 2002, while Manager Ron Gardenhire was absent. Following the 2005 season, Ullger was shifted and became the Twins’ new third base coach, a position which he held through the 2010 season. In December 2010 it was announced he would become the Twins' bench coach, swapping roles with Steve Liddle. This allows him to work more closely with Manager Ron Gardenhire as he has shown interest in managing a team one day.

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Seantrel Henderson
Seantrel Henderson (born January 21, 1992) is an American football offensive tackle for the University of Miami. He attended Cretin-Derham Hall High School and originally signed a letter of intent to play college football at the University of Southern California, but was released from his commitment in July 2010 and eventually committed to the University of Miami.
Tom Lemming called Henderson "a cross between Jonathan Ogden and Orlando Pace", two of the best offensive tackles in the NFL over the past decade, while Sports Illustrated described him "probably the most polished lineman of the past decade."
Henderson was considered the top overall player in his class by a number of recruiting services; Rivals.com named him their 2008 Junior of the Year, while USA Today named him to their All-American First-Team as one of only two juniors. Henderson made the All-USA team in 2009 again, and was also named Offensive Player of the Year, the first lineman to do so in the 28-year history of the award.

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Shawn Abner
Shawn Wesley Abner (born June 17, 1966 in Hamilton, Ohio) is a former Major League Baseball outfielder who played from 1987 to 1992. He is best known for being chosen first in the 1984 Major League Baseball Draft, although he would go on to have a marginal career.
Abner attended high school at Mechanicsburg Area High School in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, where he was identified by New York Mets scouts as an all-around "can't miss" outfield prospect after his sophomore year. He was also a star at football, and his number "16" was retired by the school for use in both sports. The Mets owned the first pick in the 1984 amateur draft and had had recent draft successes with Darryl Strawberry and Dwight Gooden, two players who became stars almost immediately despite their young age. Shawn Abner was chosen first in the draft; his brother Ben was also taken, in the fifth round by the Montreal Expos. Other players chosen in the first round included Bill Swift, Cory Snyder, Terry Mulholland, Jay Bell, Oddibe McDowell, and, perhaps most importantly, Mark McGwire.

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Shawon Dunston
Shawon Donnell Dunston (born March 21, 1963 in Brooklyn, New York) is a former shortstop and right-handed batter in Major League Baseball. He resides in Fremont, CA. He was the first overall pick in the 1982 MLB draft by the Chicago Cubs, and played for the Cubs (1985–95, 1997), San Francisco Giants (1996, 1998, 2001–02), Pittsburgh Pirates (1997), Cleveland Indians (1998), St. Louis Cardinals (1999, 2000) and New York Mets (1999). He played baseball in the summer for the Youth Service League
In 1988 and 1990 he joined double-play partner Ryne Sandberg as an All-Star and was a key contributor to the Cubs' NL East division title in 1989, hitting .278 with 20 doubles, 6 triples, 9 home runs, 60 runs batted in and 19 stolen bases. Dunston was a career .269 hitter with 150 home runs and 668 RBI in 1814 games. He seldom walked, so in spite of his decent batting average, his on-base percentage was the second worst of those with at least 4500 plate appearances during his 18 year career.
At the end of his career, he was used mainly as a fourth outfielder and a role player off the bench.

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Sherm Lollar
John Sherman Lollar, Jr., (August 23, 1924 – September 24, 1977) was a major league baseball player. He was a catcher for the Cleveland Indians (1946), New York Yankees (1947–1948), St. Louis Browns (1949–1951), and the Chicago White Sox (1952–1963). Although often overshadowed by his contemporary, Yogi Berra, Lollar was a seven-time American League All-Star, and was one of the best catchers in the major leagues during the 1950s. After his playing career ended, he was a coach in the major leagues and managed at the minor league level.
Lollar was born in Durham, Arkansas in the rural Ozark mountains. He was a batboy for the Fayetteville, Arkansas Class D minor league team in the Arkansas-Missouri League in the 1930s. In 1943 Lollar was signed as an 18 year-old by the Baltimore Orioles, which then was a minor league franchise in the International League. In 1945 he hit 34 home runs and led the International League with a .364 batting average, winning the league's Most Valuable Player award. Baltimore had a working agreement with the Cleveland Indians and sold Lollar to the Indians after the 1945 season. After making his major league debut in 1946, Lollar was a backup catcher in Cleveland behind Frankie Hayes and then Jim Hegan. He asked to be sent back to the minor leagues and his wish was granted.

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Snuffy Stirnweiss
George Henry "Snuffy" Stirnweiss (October 26, 1918 – September 15, 1958) was an American second baseman in Major League Baseball. From 1943 through 1952, Stirnweiss played for the New York Yankees (1943–50), St. Louis Browns (1950) and Cleveland Indians (1951–52). He batted and threw right-handed.
In a 10-season career, Stirnweiss was a .268 hitter with 29 home runs and 281 RBI in 1028 games played.
A native of New York City, Stirnweiss was an All-American halfback at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. After graduating in 1940, he was drafted by the Chicago Cardinals of the National Football League. Nevertheless, he cast his lot with baseball and signed with the New York Yankees organization, starting his major league career with the Yankees in 1943.
Stirnweiss was in three World Series and appeared in the All-Star Game in 1945 and 1946. He won the American League batting title in 1945 with a .309 average. On the final day of the season, he trailed Tony Cuccinello, whose final game had been rained out. After Stirnweiss singled in his first two at-bats, word came from the press box that he was ahead of Cuccinello and should sit out the rest of the game. He refused to do so, but then went out his next two times up. In the final inning, he singled. Without the additional 1-for-3, he would not have beaten Cuccinello. However, this fact was never discussed in the press.

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Spud Chandler
Spurgeon Ferdinand "Spud" Chandler (September 12, 1907 – January 9, 1990) was an American right-handed starting pitcher in major league baseball, who played his entire career for the New York Yankees from 1937 through 1947. He was named the American League's Most Valuable Player in 1943 after anchoring the team's pitching staff with 20 wins and only 4 losses as New York won its third consecutive pennant; his 1.64 earned run average in that season was the lowest by any major league pitcher between 1920 and 1967, and remains a Yankees team record. In eleven seasons, he never suffered a losing record; with a total of 109 wins and 43 losses, his career winning percentage of .717 is the highest of any pitcher with at least 100 victories since 1876.
Chandler attended the University of Georgia, near his birthplace and hometown of Royston, Georgia, and played football as a halfback, throwing a touchdown pass to help defeat Yale in a 1929 game dedicating a new stadium. He also pitched for the baseball team and competed on the track team. He was a brother of the Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity and graduated with a degree in agriculture. He spent five seasons in the Yankees organization after signing with the team, his favorite since boyhood. Chandler finally made his major league debut at age 29 on May 6, 1937, and went 7-4 that season with a 2.84 ERA and six complete games (including two shutouts). The following year he was 14-5, and in 1939 he was 3-0 in 11 relief appearances. Although the Yankees won the World Series in each of those years, Chandler did not appear in the postseason. Bothered by injuries during his early career, after records of 8-7 and 10-4 in 1940 and 1941 he improved further to 16-5 in 1942, finishing third in the AL with a 2.38 ERA and earning his first of four All-Star selections. He was the All-Star Game's winning pitcher in 1942. Chandler had one start in the World Series each year, but lost both times, as the Yankees won in 1941 and lost in 1942.

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Stephen Strasburg
Stephen James Strasburg (

/ˈstrɑːzbərɡ/; born July 20, 1988) is a right-handed pitcher for the Washington Nationals, who selected him with the first pick in the 2009 Major League Baseball Draft. Strasburg signed a record $15.1 million contract with the Nationals. He made his MLB debut with the Nationals in 2010.
Strasburg was called the "most-hyped pick in draft history" by ESPN and the "most hyped and closely watched pitching prospect in the history of baseball" by Sports Illustrated.
In 2008, as a sophomore at San Diego State University, Strasburg went 8–3 with a 1.58 ERA and 134 strikeouts in 98⅓ innings for the Aztecs. Four of his thirteen starts in 2008 were complete games, two of which were shutouts. On April 11 of that year, he struck out a Mountain West Conference record 23 batters in a game versus the University of Utah.
Strasburg finished the 2009 season 13–1 with a 1.32 ERA, 59 hits allowed, 16 earned runs, 19 walks, and 195 strikeouts in 109 innings pitched. In his final home start on May 8, 2009, Strasburg threw his first career no-hitter while striking out 17 Air Force batters. His lone loss came against the Virginia Cavaliers in the NCAA Regionals as Virginia advanced toward the College World Series, but he still struck out 15 in seven innings during the loss.

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Steve Brye
Stephen Robert Brye (born February 4, 1949 in Alameda, California) is a former outfielder in Major League Baseball who played for the Minnesota Twins, Milwaukee Brewers and Pittsburgh Pirates.
On June 6, 1967, Brye was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the first round of the amateur draft. He signed to play in the minor leagues in the Twins organization.
Brye made his major league debut on September 3, 1970 with the Twins at age 21. He was hitless in his only at bat in his debut. That year, Brye had a batting average of .182 in 11 at bats. In 1971, he hit .224 in 107 at bats. The next year, he hit .241 in 253 at bats. Brye hit .263 in 278 at bats in 1973. In 1974 he was given the chance to be a starter, and he hit .283 in 488 at bats. Brye was also the Twins leader in doubles in his only season as a starter. The next year, however, he hit .252 in 246 at bats. The next year, he hit .264 in 258 at bats. On March 21, 1977, Brye was purchased by from the Twins by the Brewers. In 1977, he hit .249 in 241 at bats. On March 30, 1978, Brye was released by the Brewers. Five days later, he signed with the Pirates, only to be released a few months later. In 1978, he hit .235 in 115 at bats. On February 7, 1979, he was signed by the San Diego Padres. However, he retired before he could play with the Padres.

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Steve Chilcott
Steven Lynn Chilcott (born September 23, 1948 in Lancaster, California) is a former baseball catcher from Antelope Valley High School in Lancaster, California, who was drafted by the New York Mets as the first overall pick in the 1966 Major League Baseball Draft, a spot ahead of Reggie Jackson. He was awarded a $75,000 signing bonus, which he invested in real estate.
He played six seasons in the minor leagues for the Mets and later the Yankees after the Mets released him before retiring due to injury, plateauing at Triple-A.
Chilcott played six seasons in the minor leagues before suffering career-ending injuries. As of May 2010, Chilcott and Brien Taylor are the only number-one picks in the baseball draft to retire without ever reaching the major leagues; however, the 2004 #1 overall pick, Matt Bush, has been on the Tampa Bay Rays 40-man roster but has yet to play in the Majors and could join Chilicott and Taylor on the list.

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Steve Liddle
Steven Michael Liddle (born March 4, 1959 in Nashville, Tennessee) is a Major League Baseball third base coach for the Minnesota Twins. He was previously the Twins' bench coach from 2002-2010 before swapping roles with Scott Ullger.

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Ted Williams
Theodore Samuel "Ted" Williams (August 30, 1918 – July 5, 2002) was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played his entire 21-year Major League Baseball career as the left fielder for the Boston Red Sox (1939–1942 and 1946–1960). Williams was a two-time American League Most Valuable Player (MVP) winner, led the league in batting six times, and won the Triple Crown twice. A nineteen-time All-Star, he had a career batting average of .344, with 521 home runs, and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1966. Williams recorded a hit 34 percent of the time; he reached base an astounding 48 percent of the time.
Williams was the last player in Major League Baseball to bat over .400 in a single season (.406 in 1941). Williams holds the highest career batting average of anyone with 500 or more home runs. His career year was 1941, when he hit .406 with 37 HR, 120 RBI, and 135 runs scored. His .551 on base percentage set a record that stood for 61 years. Nicknamed "The Kid", "The Splendid Splinter", "Teddy Ballgame", "The Thumper" and, because of his hitting prowess, "The Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived", Williams's career was twice interrupted by service as a U.S. Marine Corps fighter-bomber pilot. An avid sport fisherman, he hosted a television program about fishing, and he was inducted into the IGFA Fishing Hall of Fame.

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Terrelle Pryor
Terrelle Pryor (born June 20, 1989) is an American football quarterback for the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League. He was the starting quarterback for the Ohio State Buckeyes from 2008−2010. Considered the most recruited high school football-basketball athlete in southwestern Pennsylvania since Tom Clements, Pryor was widely regarded as the nation's top football prospect of 2008, and was named "Junior of the Year" by Rivals.com. Pryor originally hoped to be a two-sport athlete as he was also one of the nation's most heralded high school basketball players, but later chose to focus on football.
At Jeannette High School, Pryor was clocked at 4.4 seconds in the 40-yard dash, and because of his athleticism and 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) frame, he drew comparisons to former Texas standout Vince Young. Pryor also lived up to his recruiting ranking as a basketball player by leading the Jeannette Jayhawks to win their first WPIAL Championship in over 20 years, and then on to win the Pennsylvania PIAA state basketball championship game as a senior. During his junior year, he led the Jayhawks to their first Pennsylvania PIAA Class "AA" state football championship game where they lost to the Warriors of Wilson Area High School. During the 2007 football season, Pryor and the Jayhawks repeated as champions of the WPIAL. In the Pennsylvania state semi-finals against Wilmington, Terrelle became the first player in Pennsylvania history to run for 4,000 yards and also throw for 4,000 yards. The following week, Pryor led the Jayhawks to their first-ever Pennsylvania state championship by defeating the Dunmore Bucks, 49-21. At the conclusion of the season, Pryor had quarterbacked the Jayhawks to a Pennsylvania state season record of 860 points. Pryor's high school accomplishments include being the two-time Pennsylvania Player of the Year, the offensive Player of the Year and the MVP of the U.S. Army All-American Bowl.

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Terry Kirby
Terry Gayle Kirby (born January 20, 1970 in Hampton, Virginia), is a former professional American football player who played ten seasons in the NFL from 1993 to 2002. A 6'1" running back from the University of Virginia. He is the brother of baseball player Wayne Kirby.
During his high school playing days at Tabb High School in York County, Virginia, he was one of the most highly touted football players in the nation. In 1989, his senior year, he was selected to Parade 's All-America Team. He led his team to a state championship in 1987.
By the time he graduated high school he held numerous VHSL football records. Many have been broken but he still remains to this day in the top ten in many catergories. Those categories include: career scoring (618 points), rushing yards (7,428) and touchdowns (103); single season scoring (258 points), rushing yards (2,864) and touchdowns (43). His records for most career attempts, 100-yard games, and the streak of 26 consecutive games rushing 100-yards still stands today.

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Theo Epstein
Theo Nathan Epstein (born December 29, 1973) is the President of Baseball Operations for the Chicago Cubs.
On November 25, 2002, he became the youngest GM in the history of Major League Baseball when the Boston Red Sox hired him at the age of 28. In 2004, he was general manager of the club that won the first World Series championship by the Red Sox in 86 years and was in the position when the team won another championship in the 2007 season. Epstein resigned in October 2005, but was rehired as GM and Executive Vice President on January 24, 2006. On October 21, 2011 he resigned from his job in Boston to become President of Baseball Operations for the Chicago Cubs.
He attended Deerfield Academy (a 1991 graduate), and never played baseball for the Brookline High School Warriors, but dreamed of working for the Red Sox. Epstein has a fraternal twin brother, Paul Epstein; together they founded a charity, "Foundation to be Named Later." Epstein's grandfather, Philip G. Epstein, and great-uncle, Julius J. Epstein, won Academy Awards for the screenplay of Casablanca, while his father, the novelist Leslie Epstein, is the head of the Creative Writing Program at Boston University. Epstein's sister, Anya Epstein, was a writer for the television series Homicide: Life on the Street and Tell Me You Love Me. On January 1, 2007, Epstein married Marie Whitney, a volunteer at Horizons for Homeless Children. An early report on the marriage from Boston Globe sportswriter Gordon Edes reported the site of the wedding was Nathan's Famous hot dog stand at Coney Island. Edes later published a correction, noting that he had fallen for a prank by Theo's father, Leslie. The site and actual date of the wedding was never released, but the Boston Herald later published a story claiming the wedding took place on Red Sox owner John Henry's yacht in Saint Thomas. On December 12, 2007, Epstein's wife gave birth to the couple's first child, Jack, in Boston, Massachusetts.

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Thurman Munson
Thurman Lee Munson (June 7, 1947 – August 2, 1979) was an American Major League Baseball catcher. He played his entire 11-year career for the New York Yankees (1969–1979). A perennial All-Star, Munson is the only Yankee ever to win both the Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player awards.
Born in Akron, Ohio, Munson was selected as the fourth pick of the 1968 Major League Baseball Draft. Munson hit over .300 in his two seasons in the Minor Leagues, establishing himself as a hot prospect. He became the starting catcher late in the 1969 season, when the Yankees were reestablishing themselves after a few losing seasons. Munson played his first complete season in 1970, becoming Rookie of the Year after hitting .302.
Considered the "heart and soul" of the Yankees, Munson became the first team captain since Lou Gehrig. He led the Yankees to three consecutive World Series, winning two of them.
Munson died at age 32 while practicing landing his Cessna Citation at Akron-Canton Airport. Munson suffered a broken neck as result of the crash and his cause of death was asphyxiation. His two companions escaped the burned aircraft.

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Tim Beckham
Timothy Lamar Beckham (born January 27, 1990, in Griffin, Georgia) is a minor league shortstop for the Class AAA Durham Bulls of the International League. He was the first overall selection of the 2008 MLB Draft, and signed with the Rays on June 19, receiving a signing bonus of $6.15 million.
Beckham was rated by publications such as Baseball America as the top high school baseball prospect in the nation. Beckham is described as a potential five tool player at the major league level. Beckham runs the 60 yard dash in 6.35 seconds, and bench presses 280 lbs. He stands 6'3" and weighs 195 lbs.
Beckham, the youngest son of Jimmy and Ella Beckham, grew up in the Crestview Heights neighborhood of Griffin, Georgia. He often played baseball in his yard with his older brothers Stephen and Jeremy. During his younger years Beckham was involved in football, basketball and baseball. However, he quit baseball while in grade school to focus on football and basketball. Encouraged by his brothers, he got back into baseball, and began to excel. Jeremy introduced him to baseball coach Anthony Dye, who coached the Atlanta Blue Jays. Dye realized the potential Beckham possessed, and worked closely with him. Beckham was the shortstop for the Griffin JV baseball team as an eighth grader, and the varsity team at Griffin High School in 2005 as a freshman.

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Tim Belcher
Timothy Wayne Belcher (born October 19, 1961 in Mount Gilead, Ohio) is a retired Major League Baseball pitcher. He won the Sporting News Rookie Pitcher of the Year Award in 1988 for the National League. He is currently the pitching coach for the Cleveland Indians.
During his 14-year baseball career, Belcher pitched from 1987-2000 for seven different ballclubs: the Los Angeles Dodgers (1987-1991), Cincinnati Reds (1992-1993), Chicago White Sox (1993), Detroit Tigers (1994), Seattle Mariners (1995), Kansas City Royals (1996-1998), and Anaheim Angels (1999-2000).
Belcher played high school baseball at Highland High School (Sparta, Ohio) and intercollegiate varsity baseball at Mount Vernon Nazarene College in Mount Vernon, Ohio. He was the first draft pick in the 1983 Major League Baseball Entry Draft, selected by the Minnesota Twins. However, he refused to sign with the Twins, and instead was selected in the 1984 supplemental draft by the New York Yankees. He was picked up by the Oakland Athletics in the compensation pool.

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Tim Couch
Timothy Scott Couch (born July 31, 1977) is a former American college and professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for five seasons. He played college football for the University of Kentucky, and earned All-American honors. He was selected first overall by the Cleveland Browns in the 1999 NFL Draft, and he threw for over 11,000 passing yards during his NFL career.
Couch was born in Hyden, Kentucky. As a prep quarterback at Leslie County High School, he set a number of national high school records — most pass completions (872), passing yardage (12,104), touchdown passes (132), and passing percentage for a season (75.1). Following his senior 1995 season, he was recognized as Kentucky's Mr. Football. Recruiting analyst Tom Lemming called Couch the best quarterback prospect since Kyle Nowlin (St. Ignatius). ESPN ranked Couch as the No. 6 of the best high school athletes ever.
Couch also starred on the Leslie County High School basketball varsity team. He scored 36 points per game as a junior, which was the highest average in the state. Couch scored 3,023 points in his career, which as of April 2010 is good for the 26th highest total in Kentucky state history.

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Tim Foli
Timothy John Foli (born December 8, 1950), nicknamed Crazy Horse, is a former shortstop in Major League Baseball who played for the New York Mets, Montreal Expos, San Francisco Giants, Pittsburgh Pirates, California Angels and New York Yankees from 1970 to 1985. At age 17, Foli was the first pick in the Major League Baseball Draft in 1968 and went on to be a member of the 1979 World Series champion Pirates.
Foli was known as a fiery player who was a reliable fielder, but only an average hitter. Foli was a free swinger, especially in 1982 when he walked only 14 times, the lowest total ever for 150 or more games played (Ozzie Guillén broke Foli's notorious record three years later). His free swinging did not aim for the fences, however, as he averaged less than two home runs per season. His lack of power, combined with a lack of running speed (averaging approximately a stolen base every 20 games) resulted in Foli typically batting either second in the lineup or near the bottom. Although he accumulated few walks, Foli was also one of the most difficult to strikeout, posting the league's best strikeout percentage three times and finishing in the top ten five times. Foli hit well when it counted most as he compiled a .333 batting average in the 1979 postseason contributing to Pittsburgh's last World Championship. He was an accomplished bunter, finishing in the league top ten in sacrifice hits eight times including an American League-leading 26 in 1982.

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Tim Salmon
Timothy James "Tim" Salmon (born August 24, 1968 in Long Beach, California) is a former Major League Baseball right fielder and designated hitter who played his entire career with the California/Anaheim/Los Angeles Angels (appearing with the team under all three of its recent names). Known affectionately among Angels fans as the King Fish, he is considered one of the greatest players in the Angels' franchise history.
Salmon who had been selected in the third round of the Major League Baseball Draft in 1989 out of Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, made his major league debut in 1992, the same year that he won the Baseball America Minor League Player of the Year Award.
In his first full season the next year, when he hit 31 home runs with a .918 OPS, Salmon was named the American League's Rookie of the Year for 1993 and quickly became a favorite of the Angels' organization and a household name among the team's fans. He maintained his status as one of the league's elite power-hitting outfielders throughout the decade. He finished seventh in MVP voting totals for the first time in 1995, when he won a Silver Slugger Award, finished third in the league with a .330 batting average, and posted an OPS above 1.000. That year, he was the first major league player to get a hit off future closer for the New York Yankees, Mariano Rivera. He finished seventh again in 1997 when he had a career high 129 RBIs. After playing in fewer than 100 games in 1999, he tied a career high 34 home runs in 2000. From 1993 to 2000 he only had two OPS lines below .900 and he never finished below .860.

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Todd Marinovich
Todd Marvin Marinovich (born Marvin Scott Marinovich on July 4, 1969) is a former American and Canadian football quarterback. He played for the Los Angeles Raiders of the National Football League, and also in the Canadian Football League and Arena Football League. Marinovich is known for the well-documented, intense focus of his training as a young athlete, and his brief, unsuccessful career upon reaching the professional leagues due to drug addiction.
Marinovich was born Marvin Scott but his mother later changed his name to Todd Marvin. He grew up on the Balboa Peninsula of Newport Beach, California. His father, Marv Marinovich, had been a lineman and a captain for the University of Southern California (USC) Trojans during the 1962 national championship season, and player in the 1963 Rose Bowl. Marinovich's mother, Trudi (née Fertig), was a high school swimmer who dropped out of USC to marry Marv. Her brother Craig was a star USC quarterback at this time.
After harming his own NFL lineman career by overtraining and focusing too much on weight and bulk, Marv studied Eastern Bloc training methods and was hired by Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis as one of the NFL's first strength-and-conditioning coaches. Marv later opened his own athletic research center and applied the techniques to his young son, introducing athletic training before Marinovich could leave the crib and continuing it throughout his childhood and adolescence. Marv saw an opportunity to use techniques, focusing on speed and flexibility, that later formed the basis for modern core training. During her pregnancy, Trudi used no salt, sugar, alcohol, or tobacco; as a baby, Marinovich was fed only fresh vegetables, fruits, and raw milk.

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Todd Ritchie
Todd Everett Ritchie (born November 7, 1971 in Portsmouth, Virginia) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who played in the major leagues from 1997-2004.
Ritchie was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 1st round (12th overall) of the 1990 Major League Baseball Draft and made his major league debut on April 3, 1997. He pitched in 57 games for the Twins in 1997 and 1998.
On October 3, 1998, the Twins released him, and he signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates on December 22. Ritchie was used as a starting pitcher by the Pirates and in 1999, he won a career-high 15 games. He was their Opening Day starter in 2001, but after the season, on December 13, he was traded to the Chicago White Sox along with Lee Evans for Kip Wells, Sean Lowe, and Josh Fogg.
Ritchie struggled in 2002 though, losing 15 games with a 6.06 ERA, and becoming a free agent after the season. On January 14, 2003, he signed with the Milwaukee Brewers, but missed nearly the entire season with an injury. Ritchie signed as a free agent with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays for 2004, but spent most of the season in the minors. He signed with the Pirates for the 2005 season, but retired from baseball during spring training. He came out of retirement in 2008, signing a contract with the Colorado Rockies. Assigned to Single-A Modesto, Ritchie had a 3.18 ERA in 4 appearances before being promoted to Double-A Tulsa on June 25. In his one appearance for Tulsa, he gave up 8 earned runs in 5.2 innings and retired again.

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Todd Walker
Todd Arthur Walker (born May 25, 1973, in Bakersfield, California) is a former Major League Baseball infielder.
Walker attended LSU where he led the Tigers to the 1993 national championship. He also earned the 1993 College World Series Most Outstanding Player award. In 2006, Walker was elected to the LSU Hall of Fame. In July 2009, Walker was inducted into the College Baseball Hall of Fame in Lubbock, TX.
In 1994, the Minnesota Twins drafted Walker with the 8th pick in the 1st Round of the amateur draft. On August 30, 1996, Walker made his major league debut with the Twins. In 1998, Walker became the starting second baseman for the Twins, hitting .316 with 12 HR, 62 RBIs, and a career best 19 stolen bases.
Over the next season and a half, Walker's offensive performance began to decline, and the Twins traded Walker to the Colorado Rockies. He responded by hitting .316 through the rest of 2000 and .297 through the first half of 2001. Walker hit 12 home runs as a member of the Rockies that year.

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Tom Gordon
Thomas Gordon (born November 18, 1967, in Sebring, Florida), nicknamed "Flash", is a former Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He played with the Kansas City Royals (1988–95), Boston Red Sox (1996–99), Chicago Cubs (2001–02), Houston Astros (2002), Chicago White Sox (2003), New York Yankees (2004–05), Philadelphia Phillies (2006–08) and the Arizona Diamondbacks (2009).
Gordon attended Avon Park High School in Avon Park, Florida, and was a letterman in baseball.
Gordon began his career as a starting pitcher with the Kansas City Royals, first appearing in five games at the age of 20 late in the 1988 season. He became an immediate sensation in Kansas City the following year, posting a 17-9 record and a 3.64 ERA in his first full season, and he finished second in the 1989 Rookie of the Year balloting. Gordon also recorded 153 strikeouts in 1989, the tenth highest total in the American League, all of which earned him the nickname "Flash."
Gordon continued to post top-10 strikeout totals during the 1990 and 1991 seasons, but his number of wins dropped each year while his ERA crept upwards. Finally, in 1992 Gordon had one of the worst season of his career, posting a 6-10 record and a 4.59 ERA. He bounced back with seasons of 11 or 12 wins from 1993 to 1995, but he never quite regained his rookie form. Prior to the 1996 season, Gordon left Kansas City and signed as a free agent with the Boston Red Sox.

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Tony Oliva
Tony Pedro Oliva (born Antonio Oliva Lopez Hernandes Javique on July 20, 1938 in Pinar del Río, Cuba) is a former Major League Baseball right fielder and designated hitter. He played his entire 15-year baseball career for the Minnesota Twins (1962–1976). He batted left-handed and threw right-handed. His career was hampered by knee injuries, forcing him to become a designated hitter during his final four years of baseball.
Oliva was born in Pinar del Río Province, Cuba. He played baseball weekly with his father, brothers, and neighbors in a vacant lot near the Olivas' farm. Oliva's father, who worked in a tobacco factory and was famous for rolling the leaves to make the best cigars, was also a former semi-professional player who instructed Oliva and helped him become "the best hitter in Pinar del Río". A scout for the Minnesota Twins noticed him and brought him to the United States to play professionally. He was reluctant to leave his mother, father, and nine siblings, but his father encouraged him to become "rich and famous" in America.

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Tony Peña
Antonio Francisco Peña Padilla (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈtoni ˈpeɲa]; born June 4, 1957, in Monte Cristi, Dominican Republic) is a former professional baseball player, manager and current coach. He played as a catcher in Major League Baseball for the Pirates, Cardinals, Red Sox, Indians, White Sox, and Astros. Peña was the manager of the Kansas City Royals between 2002 and 2005. He currently is the bench coach for the New York Yankees. As a player, Peña was known for his defensive abilities as well as his unorthodox squat behind home plate.
Peña was signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates as an amateur free agent in 1975. Originally an outfielder, he didn't start playing as a catcher until 1977 while playing in the minor leagues. As a catcher, Peña adopted an unorthodox squat behind the plate when there were no runners on base, extending his left leg straight out while squatting on his right leg. He did this in order to help his pitchers keep their pitches low in the strike zone. In 1979 while playing for the Buffalo Bisons, Peña hit for a .313 batting average along with 34 home runs and 97 runs batted in. The following year with the Portland Beavers he posted a .323 batting average with a .367 on base percentage before making his major league debut with the Pirates on September 1, 1980.

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Torii Hunter
Victorii 'Torii' Kedar Hunter (

/ˈtɔriː/; born July 18, 1975) is a Major League Baseball right fielder for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
Hunter has taken away many home runs throughout his 13-year major league career by "climbing the fence" in the outfield. He has won nine consecutive Gold Glove Awards as an outfielder.
Hunter was selected as the Twins' first-round pick in 1993 out of high school, and made his first appearance with the Twins as a pinch runner in Baltimore on August 22, 1997. It was not until 1999 that Hunter began starting regularly, playing in 135 games for the Twins. He finished with only one error in 292 chances in the outfield.
Hunter exploded onto the scene in the beginning of April in 2000, but his batting average dropped to .207 by the end of May. He was subsequently sent down to Triple-A to work on his mechanics at the plate; however with Hunter's new approach at the plate, he caught fire in the month of June, capping it with a two-home run, seven-RBI game and being named the Twins' Minor League Player of the Week and Player of the Month. After a 16-game hitting streak, four consecutive games with home runs and three grand slams, Hunter was recalled by the Twins on July 28. Hunter was named both Best Defensive Outfielder and Most Exciting Player in Pacific Coast League by Baseball America for 2000.

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Travis Lee
Travis Lee (born May 26, 1975 in San Diego, California) is a former Major League Baseball first baseman.
Lee graduated from Capital High School in Olympia, Washington in 1993, where he also played football. Being ambidextrous Lee played as a lefty in baseball and as a QB for the Capital High football team threw with his right. While playing for San Diego State University in 1996, Lee won the Golden Spikes Award, annually given to the best amateur baseball player by USA Baseball. Lee was initially drafted as the second pick in the 1996 Major League Baseball Draft by the Minnesota Twins, but was declared a free agent by MLB after the Twins failed to tender him a contract within fifteen days of the end of the draft. He then signed a four-year, $10 million contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Lee played on the 1996 Olympic baseball team for the United States. The team went 7-2 with losses to Cuba in the preliminary round and Japan in the semifinals. The U.S. team won the Bronze medal by defeating Nicaragua.

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Travis Miller
Travis Eugene Miller (November 2, 1972 in Dayton, Ohio), is a retired Major League Baseball player who played pitcher from 1996-2002 for the Minnesota Twins.

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Travis Minor
Travis Minor (born June 30, 1979 in New Orleans, Louisiana) is a former American football running back. He was originally drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the third round of the 2001 NFL Draft and also played with the St. Louis Rams. He played college football at Florida State.
Minor attended Catholic High in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and won varsity letters in football and track. In football, he finished his high school career with 4,706 rushing yards and 52 touchdowns, and 62 receptions for 1,344 yards and 20 touchdowns. As a senior, he was named the USA Today Offensive Player of the Year. He also won the Gatorade National Player of the Year for the 1996-97 season.
Minor was a four-year letterman for the Florida State Seminoles where he started 33 of the 43 games in which he played during his career, including 30 starts over his final three years. He finished his career with 3,218 yards rushing and 28 touchdowns on 664 attempts, while also catching 106 passes for 831 yards and three scores and is the school's third all-time leading rusher, trailing only Warrick Dunn (3,959) and Greg Allen (3,769). He led team in rushing all four years and was a second-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference selection as a senior when he rushed for a career-high 923 yards and five touchdowns on 181 carries, and tallied a career-best 42 receptions for 333 yards. He played in the Senior Bowl following his senior season. Coincidentally, Travis Minor and Warrick Dunn also attended the same high school. (Catholic High, Baton Rouge) He was a sports management major.

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Trevor Plouffe
Trevor Patrick Plouffe (born June 15, 1986 in West Hills, California) is a professional baseball player.
After being named a 2004 Collegiate Baseball News High School All-American, Plouffe was drafted by the Minnesota Twins with the 20th overall pick in the 2004 Major League Baseball Draft. After signing for $1.5 million, Plouffe spent the 2004 season with the Rookie-level Elizabethton Twins. He batted .283 and was named the league's sixth best prospect by Baseball America. Plouffe spent 2005 with the Midwest League's Beloit Snappers, where he was again recognized as one of the league's top prospects, this time ranking 12th overall.
In 2006, Plouffe played for the Fort Myers Miracle of the Florida State League. During the season, he played third base in 25 games, the first time he had played a position other than shortstop as a professional.
In 2007, Plouffe was promoted to the Double-A New Britain Rock Cats. He was chosen as the Twins' Minor League Player of the Week (April 27-May 3), Eastern League Player of the Week (May 28-June 3) and an Arizona Fall League Rising Star.

wn.com/Trevor_Plouffe

Tris Speaker
Tristram E. Speaker (April 4, 1888 – December 8, 1958), nicknamed "Spoke" and "The Grey Eagle", was an American baseball player. Considered one of the best offensive and defensive center fielders in the history of Major League Baseball, he compiled a career batting average of .345 (sixth all-time), and still holds the record of 792 career doubles. Defensively, his career records for assists, double plays, and unassisted double plays by an outfielder still stand. His fielding glove was known as the place "where triples go to die."
Speaker led the Boston Red Sox to two World Series championships, and then carried the Cleveland Indians, as player-manager, to that team's first-ever World Series title. His innovations, most notably the platoon system and the infield rotation play, revolutionized the game. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in its second year of voting, 1937.
Tris Speaker was born on April 4, 1888 in Hubbard, Texas, to Archie and Nancy Poer Speaker. As a youth, he suffered a fractured right arm in a fall from a horse, forcing him to throw left-handed, which he continued to do throughout his baseball career. In 1905, Speaker played his only year of college baseball, for Fort Worth Polytechnic Institute. His left arm was severely injured in a football accident, to the extent that surgeons advised amputation. Tris refused, and fully recovered.

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Tsuyoshi Nishioka
Tsuyoshi Nishioka (西岡剛 Nishioka Tsuyoshi^?, born July 27, 1984 in Daitō, Osaka, Japan) is a professional baseball infielder who currently plays for the Minnesota Twins of Major League Baseball. He also played in Nippon Professional Baseball for the Chiba Lotte Marines from 2003–10.
Prior to joining the Twins, Nishioka was one of the few active switch hitters in Japanese professional baseball. He played in the 2006 World Baseball Classic as well as the 2008 Beijing Olympics as a member of the Japanese national team.
Nishioka was born in Daitō, Osaka, and grew up in the city of Nara. He played in the national tournament as a member of Kōriyama Senior while attending Nara Prefectural Heijō East Junior High School, starting baseball as a right-handed hitter and switched to the left side during junior high.
Nishioka had longed to attend noted baseball powerhouse PL Gakuen High School in Tondabayashi, Osaka, but suffered much disappointment when he was told he would not be chosen as a recipient of an athletic scholarship. He made up his mind to attend Osaka Tōin Senior High School in his birth place of Daitō instead, vowing to defeat PL Gakuen when he played the school later on. In all of the games that Osaka Tōin played during the three years (the equivalent of tenth through twelfth grades in the United States) that Nishioka spent at the school, it never once lost to PL Gakuen.

wn.com/Tsuyoshi_Nishioka

Ty Cobb
Tyrus Raymond "Ty" Cobb (December 18, 1886 – July 17, 1961), nicknamed "The Georgia Peach," was an American Major League Baseball outfielder. He was born in Narrows, Georgia. Cobb spent 22 seasons with the Detroit Tigers, the last six as the team's player-manager, and finished his career with the Philadelphia Athletics. In 1936, Cobb received the most votes of any player on the inaugural Baseball Hall of Fame ballot, receiving 222 out of a possible 226 votes.
Cobb is widely credited with setting 90 Major League Baseball records during his career. He still holds several records as of 2012, including the highest career batting average (.366 or .367, depending on source) and most career batting titles with 11 (or 12, depending on source). He retained many other records for almost a half century or more, including most career hits until 1985 (4,189 or 4,191, depending on source), most career runs (2,245 or 2,246 depending on source) until 2001, most career games played (3,035) and at bats (11,429 or 11,434 depending on source) until 1974, and the modern record for most career stolen bases (892) until 1977. He committed 271 errors in his career, the most by any American League outfielder.

wn.com/Ty_Cobb

Tyler Robertson
Below are the rosters of the minor league affiliates of the Minnesota Twins:
Oswaldo Celestino Arcia (born May 9, 1991) is a outfielder who is currently on the Minnesota Twins 40 man roster.
Arcia was added to the Twins 40 man roster on November 18, 2011.
Chris Cates (born April 15, 1985) is a minor league shortstop in the Minnesota Twins organization currently assigned to their Double A affiliate, the New Britain Rock Cats. He was selected by the Twins in the 38th round of the 2007 Major League Baseball Draft.
Cates graduated in 2003 from Brandon High School in Brandon, Florida where he was a four year letter winner in baseball. When he joined the University of Louisville Cardinals in 2004, he was the smallest player in NCAA Division I baseball. Despite standing only 5'3" tall and weighing just 145 lbs., his junior year he was named Third-Team All-Big East while leading the Louisville Cardinals with a .332 batting average and 47 runs scored.
Cates also played for the North Adams Steeplecats of the New England Collegiate Baseball League, a collegite summer baseball league. He won the Most Valuable Player award at the 2005 NECBL All-Star Game.

wn.com/Tyler_Robertson

Vida Blue
Vida Rochelle Blue Jr. (born July 28, 1949) is a former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. During a 17-year career, he pitched for the Oakland Athletics (1969–77), San Francisco Giants (1978–81; 1985–86), and Kansas City Royals (1982–83) He won the American League Cy Young award and Most Valuable Player Award in 1971. He is a six-time all-star, and is one of only four pitchers in major league history to start the all-star game for both the American League (1971) and the National League (1978); Roger Clemens, Randy Johnson and Roy Halladay would later duplicate the feat.
Blue, the oldest of six children, was born and raised in Mansfield, Louisiana. His father worked as a laborer in an iron foundry. In high school he pitched for the baseball team and also was the quarterback for the football team. In his senior year of high school, he threw for 3,400 yards and completed 35 touchdown passes while rushing for 1,600 yards in football. Also in his senior year, Blue threw a no-hitter. In seven innings pitched, Blue had 21 strikeouts. He received several offers to play college football, but his father died suddenly. Soon after, Blue signed a contract with the Oakland A's.

wn.com/Vida_Blue

Vladimir Guerrero
Vladimir Alvino Guerrero (born February 9, 1975, in Don Gregorio, Nizao, Dominican Republic) is a Major League Baseball right fielder and designated hitter. He is currently with the Toronto Blue Jays, having been offered a minor league contract and an "extended spring training" opportunity to get into game shape at the team's Dunedin, Florida facility before an expected summer call up.
In 2004, he was voted the American League MVP. He helped lead the Angels to five American League West championships (2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009), and was voted as one of the most feared hitters in baseball in a 2008 poll of all 30 major league managers.
A nine-time All Star, he is widely recognized as one of the best all-around players in the game because of his impressive offensive production, regularly hitting for power and average, and -- prior to injuries that robbed him of range -- stellar defense highlighted by one of the strongest throwing arms in baseball. He is also regarded as the game's premier "bad ball hitter," for his ability to consistently hit balls thrown well outside of his strike zone, a skill made evident on August 14, 2009, when Guerrero hit a pitch which bounced in front of home plate.

wn.com/Vladimir_Guerrero

Wade Boggs
Wade Anthony Boggs (born June 15, 1958) is an American former professional baseball third baseman. He spent his 18-year baseball career primarily with the Boston Red Sox, but also played for the New York Yankees, with whom he won his only World Series, and Tampa Bay Devil Rays, with whom he recorded his 3,000th hit. His hitting in the 1980s and 1990s made him a perennial contender for American League batting titles. Boggs was elected to the Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2004 and the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2005.
With 12 straight All-Star appearances, Boggs is third only to Brooks Robinson and George Brett in number of consecutive appearances as a third baseman. In 1999, he ranked number 95 on the Sporting News list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, and was a nominee for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team. Boggs, a 1976 graduate of Plant High School in Tampa, Florida, currently resides in the Tampa Palms neighborhood of Tampa.
Boggs played in the longest game in professional baseball history as a member of the Pawtucket Red Sox in 1981 against Cal Ripken, Jr. and the Rochester Red Wings.

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Wikipedia Persondata
wn.com/Wikipedia_Persondata

Willie Hernández
Guillermo "Willie" Hernández Villanueva (born November 14, 1954 in Aguada, Puerto Rico) is a former relief pitcher for the Chicago Cubs (1977–1983), Philadelphia Phillies (1983), and the Detroit Tigers (1984–1989). He threw and batted left-handed.
Hernández signed with the Philadelphia Phillies as an amateur free agent in 1973. He was selected by the Chicago Cubs from the Phillies in the 1976 Rule V Draft. In his first two years in the majors (1977 and 1978), Hernandez went 16–9 with a 3.03 ERA in '77 and a 3.77 ERA in '78. The Cubs gave him a try as a starter in 1980, but he went 1–9 that year in 7 starts and 53 games pitched.
From 1979 to 1982, Hernández was 9–19 and gave up 128 earned runs in that time. After being traded to the Phillies for Bill Johnson and Dick Ruthven, he went 8–4 with 3.29 ERA and 7 saves. The Phillies made the World Series that year, losing to the Baltimore Orioles in 5 games.
Prior to the 1984 season, Hernández was traded to the Detroit Tigers with Dave Bergman for Glenn Wilson and John Wockenfuss. He had a 9–3 record, 32 saves and a 1.92 ERA in 140 innings pitched, while recording 112 strikeouts. In the entire season, Hernandez gave up only 6 home runs, 30 runs, 36 base on balls, and 96 hits. His 32 saves came in 33 opportunities.

wn.com/Willie_Hernández

Yogi Berra
Lawrence Peter "Yogi" Berra (born May 12, 1925) is a former American Major League Baseball catcher, outfielder, and manager. He played almost his entire 19-year baseball career (1946–1965) for the New York Yankees. Berra was one of only four players to be named the Most Valuable Player of the American League three times and is one of only six managers to lead both American and National League teams to the World Series. As a player, coach, or manager, Berra appeared in 21 World Series. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1972.
Berra is widely regarded as one of the greatest catchers in baseball history. According to the win shares formula developed by sabermetrician Bill James, Berra is the greatest catcher of all time and the 52nd greatest non-pitching player in major-league history.
Berra, who quit school after the eighth grade, has a tendency toward malapropism and fracturing the English language. "It ain't over till it's over" is arguably his most famous example, often quoted. Simultaneously denying and confirming his reputation, Berra once stated, "I really didn't say everything I said."

wn.com/Yogi_Berra

Zoilo Versalles
Zoilo Casanova Versalles Rodriguez (/vɛərˈsaɪ/ vair-SY ; December 18, 1939 – June 9, 1995), nicknamed "Zorro", was a Cuban shortstop in Major League Baseball, who was considered a solid leadoff man, and a good baserunner whose speed helped him to cover a huge area at shortstop. He was the spark plug who led the 1965 Minnesota Twins to their first World Series, a year in which he also won the American League Most Valuable Player award.
Versalles was born in the Vedado neighborhood of Havana, Cuba and he had difficulty adjusting to life in the U.S., due largely to the language barrier and his fear of failure, leaving him eternally homesick for his native Cuba. Versalles was signed as an amateur free agent by the Washington Senators prior to the 1958 season and was assigned to the Elmira Pioneers in the Class D New York-Penn League where he held his own and hit .292 in 124 games. The following spring, he went north with the Senators and made his major league debut on 1 April 1959. However, he was obviously overmatched and after hitting .153 with 15 strikeouts in 59 at-bats, Versalles was sent back down and spent the rest of the season with the Fox Cities Foxes in the Class B Illinois-Indiana-Iowa League, hitting .278 with 9 home runs. In 1960 Versalles split time between Washington and AAA Charleston trying to grow as a player and work through a stereotype that he was too sure of himself and was thus incapable of taking instruction. Although he hit .278 at Charleston with 8 home runs, 50 RBI and 24 stolen bases, he committed 42 errors and had only a .940 fielding percentage.

wn.com/Zoilo_Versalles

Joe Mauer
Joe Mauer at bat on September 14, 2008
Minnesota Twins – No. 7
Catcher / First baseman^[1]
Born: (1983-04-19) April 19, 1983 (age 29) St. Paul, Minnesota
Bats: Left	Throws: Right
MLB debut
April 5, 2004 for the Minnesota Twins
Career statistics (through May 20, 2012)
Batting average	.322
Home runs	85
Runs batted in	521
On-base percentage	.403
Slugging percentage	.468
Teams
Minnesota Twins (2004–present)
Career highlights and awards
4× All-Star selection (2006, 2008, 2009, 2010) 2009 AL MVP 3× AL Batting Champion (2006, 2008, 2009) 3× Gold Glove Award winner (2008, 2009, 2010) 4× Silver Slugger Award winner (2006, 2008, 2009, 2010) MLB Home Run Derby participant (2009)

Persondata
Name	Mauer, Joe
Alternative names	Joey
Short description	Baseball player
Date of birth	April 19, 1983
Place of birth	Saint Paul, Minnesota
Date of death
Place of death

Torii Hunter

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim – No. 48
Right Fielder/center fielder
Born: (1975-07-18) July 18, 1975 (age 36) Pine Bluff, Arkansas
Bats: Right	Throws: Right
MLB debut
August 22, 1997 for the Minnesota Twins
Career statistics (through April 21, 2012)
Batting average	.274
Home runs	281
Runs batted in	1,057
Hits	1,834
Stolen bases	177
Teams
Minnesota Twins (1997–2007) Los Angeles Angels (2008–present)
Career highlights and awards
4x All-Star selection (2002, 2007, 2009, 2010) 9x Gold Glove Award winner (2001–09) Silver Slugger Award winner (2009) 2009 Branch Rickey Award 2007 Players Choice Award Marvin Miller Man of the Year

Preceded by Eric Chavez	American League Player of the Month April 2002	Succeeded by Jason Giambi
Preceded by Albert Pujols	Players Choice Marvin Miller Man of the Year 2007	Succeeded by Michael Young

Persondata
Name	Hunter, Torii
Alternative names
Short description	American baseball player
Date of birth	July 18, 1975
Place of birth	Pine Bluff, Arkansas
Date of death
Place of death

Sean Burroughs
Burroughs while with Arizona
Minnesota Twins – No. 37
Third baseman
Born: (1980-09-12) September 12, 1980 (age 31) Atlanta, Georgia
Bats: Left	Throws: Right
MLB debut
April 2, 2002 for the San Diego Padres
Career statistics (through 2011)
Batting average	.280
Home runs	12
Runs batted in	142
Teams
San Diego Padres (2002–2005) Tampa Bay Devil Rays (2006) Arizona Diamondbacks (2011) Minnesota Twins (2012–present)

Olympic medal record
Men’s baseball
Competitor for the United States
Gold	2000 Sydney	Team competition

Persondata
Name	Burroughs, Sean
Alternative names
Short description	Baseball player
Date of birth	September 12, 1980
Place of birth	Atlanta, Georgia
Date of death
Place of death

Francisco Liriano

Minnesota Twins – No. 47
Starting pitcher
Born: (1983-10-26) October 26, 1983 (age 28) San Cristóbal, Dominican Republic
Bats: Left	Throws: Left
MLB debut
September 5, 2005 for the Minnesota Twins
Career statistics (through May 20, 2012)
Win-loss record	47–47
Earned run average	4.36
Strikeouts	704
WHIP	1.36
Teams
Minnesota Twins (2005–present)
Career highlights and awards
All-Star selection (2006) 2x AL Rookie of the Month (June & July 2006) MLB.com Rookie of the Year (2006) AL Pitcher of the Month (April 2010) 2010 AL Comeback Player of the Year Pitched a no-hitter on May 3, 2011 against the Chicago White Sox.

Persondata
Name	Liriano, Francisco
Alternative names
Short description	Dominican Republic baseball player
Date of birth	October 26, 1983
Place of birth	San Cristóbal, Dominican Republic
Date of death
Place of death

Mauer, Joe Filmography

Famous quotes by Joe Mauer:

"Coming in, I had a lot of questions whether I'd go a whole year, ... Even though [doctors] said I should be all right, still, you have it in the back of your mind."

"You start feeling it's late, it's been a long year, ... You just try to battle through it. You have to fight through that and catch another second wind."

"It didn't feel too good and every inning after it kept getting worse."

"I was trying to hit the ball hard somewhere, but both times right at people,"

"Stuff-wise, he's been better. But he threw the changeup pretty well tonight."

"It was one of those nights I was seeing the ball well. Maybe it had something to do with Jacque moving behind me. I don't know, but it was a night I felt pretty good at the plate."

"It was one of those nights I was seeing it well, ... Maybe it had something to do with Jacque moving behind me. I had a couple of good at-bats. But tonight it felt good, felt comfortable at the plate."

"I had a couple of good at-bats. But tonight it felt good, felt comfortable at the plate."

"It was one of those nights I was seeing it well,"

"He tried talking to me, but I knew the guy had the ball. So I pretty much knew."

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