Joseph Matthew Blanton (born December 11, 1980, in Nashville, Tennessee) is a starting pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball. He is nicknamed "Hamburger Joe".^{[citation needed]}

He graduated from Franklin-Simpson High School (Kentucky) in 1999. He pitched three seasons for the University of Kentucky. He posted a 13–12 record from 2000 to 2002, and led the Southeastern Conference with 133 strikeouts in his final season, finishing with a 4.59 ERA.

Blanton was selected by the Oakland Athletics with the New York Yankees' first round pick (24th overall) in the 2002 Major League Baseball Draft, acquired as compensation for the loss of free agent Jason Giambi. In 2003, while pitching for the Kane County Cougars and the Midland RockHounds, he ranked second in all of minor league baseball with a combined 174 strikeouts.

The next season, Blanton helped the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats win the Pacific Coast League with an 11–8 record and a 4.19 ERA. He struck out 143 batters in 176 innings, tossing one complete game in 26 starts. At the end of the Triple-A season, he was called up to the Athletics big league roster on September 18, 2004.

Michael Dana Butcher (born May 10, 1965 in Davenport, Iowa) is a retired Major League Baseball relief pitcher. He pitched for the California Angels from 1992 to 1995.

Butcher graduated from United Township High School in East Moline, Illinois in 1983. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the 4th round of the 1986 Major League Baseball Draft, but did not sign. He signed with the Kansas City Royals after being drafted in the 2nd round of the 1986 June Secondary draft. Butcher was released by the Royals in 1988 and then signed as a free agent with the California Angels, with whom he made his Major League debut in 1992. Butcher played his final Major League game in 1995, although he pitched in the Seattle Mariners', Cleveland Indians' and Angels' organizations until 1998.

He is currently the pitching coach for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, having served in that position since November 2006.

Timothy Leroy Lincecum (pronounced /ˈlɪnsɨkʌm/ LIN-sə-kum; born June 15, 1984) is an American professional baseball starting pitcher for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball. He has been nicknamed both "The Freak" and "The Franchise."

Lincecum is known for his long stride, unorthodox mechanics, and ability to generate high velocity despite his slight build: originally listed as 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) and 175 pounds. In part to add strength and durability, Lincecum put on about 15 pounds prior to the 2011 season.

Lincecum attended Liberty Senior High School in Renton, Washington, where he played two seasons of varsity baseball. As a senior he won state player of the year and led his school to the 2003 3A state championship title.

After high school Lincecum went on to pitch for the University of Washington. In 2006 he finished with a 12–4 record and a 1.94 ERA, 199 strikeouts, and three saves in 125⅓ innings as a Washington Husky. He won the 2006 Golden Spikes Award, which is awarded annually to the best amateur baseball player.

Kurtis Kiyoshi Suzuki (鈴木 清, Suzuki Kiyoshi^?) (born October 4, 1983) is a Major League Baseball catcher for the Oakland Athletics.

Suzuki played at Cal State Fullerton. Cal State Fullerton captured the 2004 College World Series championship, thanks to Suzuki's two-out RBI single in the bottom of the seventh inning, giving the Titans a 3-2 win over the Texas Longhorns. His time at Fullerton earned him the nickname "Kurt Klutch."^{[citation needed]}

That same year, he won the Johnny Bench Award as the country's top collegiate catcher. He was also selected All-American by two publications, Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball. He was also the recipient of the first ever Brooks Wallace Award.

Suzuki is regarded as a solid defender. The Athletics drafted Suzuki in the second round of the 2004 Major League Baseball Draft and assigned him to the Single-A Vancouver Canadians, where he batted .297 and committed just one error in 46 games.

His first full season of professional baseball came in 2005, with another Single-A team, the Stockton Ports. Playing in 114 games, Suzuki put up a .277 average, 12 home runs, 65 RBIs and a .440 slugging percentage.

Chris Wheeler (born August 9, 1945 in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey) is an announcer and color commentator for the Philadelphia Phillies in Major League Baseball. He is nicknamed "Wheels", or alternatively "Muffin".

Wheeler attended Marple Newtown High School in Pennsylvania and received a B.A. in journalism from Penn State University in 1967. Following graduation, he began his broadcasting career with WCAU radio in Philadelphia, where he was an airborne traffic reporter as well as a news writer and reporter. He later worked at WBBM in Chicago and CBS Radio in New York.

Wheeler joined the Phillies as assistant director of publicity and public relations in 1971 and began broadcasting in 1977. In 1982, he also was made director of the Phillies' community relations department. He was the camp coordinator for Phillies Dream Week from 1983 to 1999 and ran the team's speakers bureau from 1991 to 1997.