Where Art Thou Kent Hrbek?

I told myself when I started this, not to get my hopes up. I seriously try. No matter how nonsensical it seems to me to not respond to a piece of mail like what I'm sending out, I still try and realize that everyone has their own prerogative. Some guys just don't like signing through the mail. Some guys simply don't have time to sign through the mail. Most of the guys I'm sending to though, should. And I make it really easy on them. All the tools are in the package I send. Just sign it, and mail it back.

But I need to be happy with the success I've had. I have sent 17 total items (plus two more dropped in the mail today) and received 11 of them back. That's pretty good. Some were complete surprises (Liam Hendriks, Brad Radke), others I was always confident of a return (Tom Kelly, Tom Brunansky). Of the guys I have not heard from, I don't really know what to think. I'm dumbfounded by Gene Larkin, and I understand not hearing from Miguel Sano and Joe Benson. Frank Viola traditionally is very good but takes an awful long time. Rick Aguilera, was a long shot to begin with, boasting a not so great track record of signing through the mail.

I know I should be happy with what I've got, but I can't help but be disappointed in Kent Hrbek.

Research showed Hrbek as a strong supporter of ALS. My wife's aunt is currently battling this and I touched on it in my letter of request to Hrbek. Research also showed that Hrbek is a fantastic through the mail signer if a small donation was made to the Minnesota ALS Foundation he helped start. Since I was sending him a baseball, I sent along a nice check.

Seven days ago I noticed in my bank account that the check was cashed. A scan of it even proves that Hrbek himself endorsed it! Two days later, a thank you card (for tax purposes) came in the mail to me, from the Minnesota ALS Foundation. Seven days ago . . . yet . . . no baseball from Herbie.

I have a hard time believing that the guy would cash my check and NOT sign my baseball and return it, but I'm beginning to worry that that is exactly what happened. 11 of my 17 requests have come back to me without a hitch, so I have a hard time believing it was lost in the process. I hope I hear from him soon, but my doubts are growing with each passing day.

Maybe he was too busy filming Taco Johns commercials.

Success #9: Liam Hendriks

 

I had written off the guys I sent balls to in Fort Myers. I sent baseballs to top Twins prospects Miguel Sano, Joe Benson, and Liam Hendriks when I learned they were among many that had shown up early to Spring Training workouts. I called the stadium later and spoke with a man that informed me that the Twins actually take over the mailing department during Spring Training and that the chance of the players seeing my item in a timely manner was pretty slim.

I literally crossed all three off of my "pending" list.

Then the mail came on Friday. I had two packages. Both through-the-mail successes. The first one I opened was a baseball signed by Australian pitcher Liam Hendriks.

Liam Hendriks came out of nowhere last year to impress in the Twins minor league system. He began the year at AA New Britain where he boasted a 2.70 ERA in 15 starts, prompting a promotion to AAA Rochester where he started 9 games and saw his ERA rise to 4.56. That didn't stop the Twins from calling him up near the end of last season to help the injury-plagued rotation. He started 4 games at the MLB level and only two resulted in decisions, both losses. His MLB ERA was 6.17. 

Kyle Gibson has been the guy to pay attention to in the last few seasons but after an elbow injury ended his 2011 season, Hendriks picked up the torch and ran with it. Hendriks was chosen to pitch in the 2011 Futures All Star game. All serious Twins followers have Hendriks ranked among the club's current top 10 prospects. Many even have Hendriks as high as the top 5 or just shy of it. Some prospects get promoted based on tools and potential. Others come out of nowhere to impress due to persistence and hard work. That's Hendriks. 

He has loads of potential and could possibly break onto the scene in a 2012 season where expectations are rather low for the team. There's not much room on the staff as of now, but once the season gets going, injury prone players like Scott Baker, Nick Blackburn, and Francisco Liriano as well as veterans like Carl Pavano and Jason Marquis may need to be bumped and Hendriks should be waiting in the wings.

Hendriks marks my first through the mail success of a player on the Twins current roster. He also marks my longest success (17 days).

Mailed: 2/7/12

Received: 2/24/12 (17 days)

Success #8: Camilo Pascual

 So just when I get disappointed, autographs start rolling in!

Camilo Pascual was a starting pitcher for the Twins in the 19060s. He started with Washington and came over when Calvin Griffith moved the team to the Twin Cities. The three seasons prior to the move, Pascual had turned in two seasons with ERAs south of 3.15 and one season with an ERA of 2.64. At the time, he was becoming one of the most feared pitchers in the league. With the Twins, he would become one of the best. With Pascual atop the rotation, alongside starters Jim Kaat, Jim Perry, and Mudcat Grant the Twins had a much feared pitching staff. Four seasons after the move, the young talent in the field and at the plate, paid off for the Twins and they won the AL pennant.

When I researched Pascual's career, Johan Santana eerily came to mind. Consistently low ERA and four straight 200+ strikeout seasons (leading the league) after the move to Minnesota. Near the end of his tenure with the Twins, Pascual began developing trouble in his arm and his numbers began to suffer. The Twins traded him back to Washington (an expansion team) where he pitched a few more years with them and various other teams before retiring.

Pascual returned to the organization in 1978 as pitching coach and would later become an international scout for many MLB teams. He's credited for the Oakland A's signing of Jose Canseco. This year, the Twins will honor him by inducting him into their own Hall of Fame. A well-deserved honor.

From what I could find, it didn't appear that Pascual was a reliable signer through the mail. I felt I was taking a chance with him. Or maybe my letters of request are better than I think! Either way, Pascual returned my baseball from his Miami, FL home in just 6 days, which seems to be the norm when I catch guys at home.

Mailed: 2/17/12
Received: 2/23/12 (6 days)

Success #7: Tom Brunansky

Despite my recent disappointment this week, last week was not so quiet. On Monday I received Tom Kelly and Jim Kaat's baseballs, and on Thursday, I received one from Tom "Bruno" Brunansky.

Before there was Michael Cuddyer, there was Tom Brunansky. He was a staple in right field for the Twins throughout the 1980s. He hit at least 20 HRs in each of his 6 complete seasons as a Twin. He was an All-Star in 1985 and in 1987 had a monster AL Championship series helping the Twins upset the Tigers. The Twins won the World Series over the St. Louis Cardinals that season but Brunansky was quiet in the series.

Following their World Series Championship, in a rather bold move with somewhat good intentions at the time, the Twins traded Brunansky to the Cardinals for second baseman Tom Herr. Herr had an awful impact on the clubhouse, complaining often about being in Minnesota and driving a wedge between once best friends, Gary Gaetti and Kent Hrbek. Herr was shipped out after the 1988 season. Meanwhile, Brunansky spent two full seasons in St. Louis and slugged over 20 HRs in each of them. Who knows what might have been if the Twins had kept Brunansky and never traded for Herr . . . maybe they wouldn't have needed 3 more seasons to get back to the World Series.

Brunansky played in 5-6 more seasons after being traded by the Twins but he has remained a fan favorite amongst fans and front office. In 2010 the Twins made Brunansky the hitting coach for one of their Rookie League teams and quickly promoted him to AA New Britain. This season, he'll be at AAA Rochester. I told him in my letter of request, that it's great the Twins are keeping a man like him close by!

I love it when guys inscribe their number. And the "Go Twins!" inscription is awesome!

Mailed: 2/7/12
Received: 2/16/12 (9 days)

Disappointment Setting In

On January 18, I mailed a baseball to Kevin Tapani. 10 days later I received my ball back signed. Since then, I have mailed out 17 baseballs. I didn't have high expectations at the time, but after receiving 7 back fairly quickly, my expectations raised. I got my hopes up. I thought I was making it easy for former players to sign and return balls to me and couldn't fathom why someone would discard one. I soon expected to get all of them back. Now, disappointment is setting in.

Guys like Tapani, Reardon, and Tom Kelly confirmed what I had uncovered while researching. They are great, timely signers through the mail. I didn't know what to expect from guys like Kaat and Gagne, but both surprised me with very fast returns.

I have decided that the three minor league players I sent mail to (Sano, Benson, and Hendriks) are long shots. I called Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers and spoke with a man who informed me that the Twins take over the mailing department during Spring Training and lots of fan mail gets lost in the shuffle.

That leaves 7 other baseballs out there in the world. Camilo Pascual and Rick Aguilera were just mailed late last week. Both were long shots, but worth a try. Besides it's too early to tell with them. Frank Viola is semi-reliable but takes an average of 2-3 months so I shouldn't be worried about him quite yet. And the 8x10 I sent to Brad Radke nearly 2 weeks ago, well I'm not even sure I sent it to an accurate address. However, Jim Perry is traditionally a very fast, reliable signer through the mail, and here I sit 23 days later still waiting. Kent Hrbek is another down-to-earth, reliable, and timely signer. 16 days is stretching beyond Hrbek's average response time. And then there's Gene Larkin . . . I feel like the best letter of request that I've written was to Gene Larkin. I don't know why I thought he'd be an easy get, but 23 days and no return.

Maybe patience is a virtue I just wasn't blessed with. Maybe I need to realize these guys have lives and may be busy and need to allow myself to be surprised a month or two from now. Yet every day, I return home from school excited to open the mailbox and see who I may have heard from. And lately, everyday that mailbox is merely full of bills. I sure hope my luck changes soon.

Success #6: Tom Kelly

Jim Kaat wasn't the only baseball I received on Monday. There were two packages in my mailbox!

On January 26, 2012, at the Minnesota Twins annual Diamond Awards Event, Tom Kelly received some incredible news. His #10 would be retired this year and added to the likes of Puckett, Killebrew, Carew, Oliva, Hrbek, and Blyleven. Deservedly so for a man that managed the organization to it's only two World Series Championships ('87 and '91).

Kelly was with the Twins for 16 seasons. He was part of the highest highs the club has ever experienced and the lowest lows (1,244 losses). He retired in 2001 paving the way for current manager Ron Gardenhire. Kelly lives near Minneapolis still and is very involved with the organization throughout the baseball season and in Spring Training. I love his guest stints as color man for Fox North as well!

TK's teams averaged a 4th place league finish in his 16 seasons at the helm, but not all of that was his fault. Ownership played it cheap and by the time TK retired in 2001, he had begun developing the young core group of players that would become a perennial contender in the 21st Century. Much of Gardy's success, is due in large part to Kelly's hard work.

I had heard that Kelly was a fantastic signer, however my worry was that I wasn't going to catch him before he departed for Fort Myers and Spring Training. Pitchers and catchers officially report tomorrow but many players are already there working out. He mailed a baseball back to me in just 6 days.

Mailed: 2/7/12
Received: 2/13/12 (6 days)

Success #5: Jim Kaat

Talk about longevity! In 25 seasons with MLB teams, Jim Kaat boasts a career ERA of 3.45! He had nearly 2,500 strikeouts and won 16 Gold Glove awards in his 25 seasons. All things considered, Jim Kaat should be in the Hall of Fame. He is in the Minnesota Twins Hall of Fame and many Twins fans believe his #36 should be retired as well. For now, that will have to suffice. Unless of course the veterans committee wises up and puts forth the effort to get him in the Hall.

I had a heck of a time tracking down Kaat's address. After reading about him and following his blog, he became someone I just had to get to sign a ball. I have a feeling he would have been one of my favorites from the Twins teams in the '60's. The only reason he didn't win a Cy Young in 1966, the year following the Twins' World Series loss to the Dodgers, but the league didn't separate AL from the NL and instead awarded just one pitcher. Sandy Koufax walked away with the honor.

I found a few addresses for Kaat with recent through the mail successes. However after stumbling upon a news article online, featuring Kaat in his Stuart, FL home along the St. Lucie river, suddenly the other addresses didn't make sense. Further research made it seem that Kaat has an agency handle his through the mail requests. I kept searching and soon enough stumbled upon an address in Stuart, FL and Google Earth would confirm it's location on the St. Lucie river. I took a shot and sent my request there, along with a $10 check. (Later I panicked upon uncovering a $25 fee request for through the mail autograph requests! And that Kaat was a stickler about paying, often sending back items unsigned!)

Well in just six short days, my risk became a success. Kaat returned my ball signed, and returned my check! Obviously I stumbled upon his home address and caught him at home! He did send along a donation envelope for a foundation he started in memory of his third wife, MaryAnn Kaat, implying that if I wanted to still donate a sum for the signed ball, to send the donation there. Kaat married his current (fourth) wife Margie a year after MaryAnn passed.

Mailed: 2/7/12
Received: 2/13/12 (6 days)