The Minnesota Twins announced on Friday that longtime bullpen coach Rick Stelmaszek and former general manager Terry Ryan will both be inducted into the Twins Hall of Fame this summer. I think Ryan is one of the greatest individuals I’ve ever met in baseball, and I thought it would be interesting to share a few amusing anecdotes from our interactions.
Were you aware? When Rick Stelmaszek joined the Washington Senators in 1971, he was 22 years old. He was 0-for-9 in his six games of action. Ted Williams was not regarded as a great coach, but his manager was somewhat of a hitman.
In 1973, “Stelly” made a comeback to the major leagues, appearing in 22 games for the Angels after seven games with the Rangers. He participated in 25 Cubs games in 1974. He kept playing in the minor levels until 1978, when he concluded his career with 23 games played for the Twins’ low-A club, the Wisconsin Rapids. That season, he served as both the team’s player and manager. He managed the group for three years. He became a member of the Twins big-league staff in 1981 and stayed with the team until the 2012 campaign.
The Twins Hall of Fame now counts Ryan and Stelmaszek as its 39th and 40th inductees. This coming Saturday, August 10th, they will be inducted.
It may surprise you to learn that Terry Ryan had one of the best minor league seasons of any Twins bullpen pitcher.
In 1973, Ryan would have been 19 years old. After graduating from high school in Janesville, Wisconsin, in 1972, he was selected by the Twins. That season, the southpaw appeared in 43 games, all out of the bullpen. 13 saves during his 10-0 game. His WHIP was 1.11, and his ERA was 1.78. He has 27 walks and 55 strikeouts in 81 innings pitched.
Pitchers’ objectives fifty years ago were obviously a little different from their objectives now. Getting outs was a pitcher’s job, preferably as rapidly as possible to allow them to throw into extra innings. Not that there were pitch counts back then. Batters also had no desire to strike out.
Sadly, he experienced problems with his arms after that season. He played for Double-A Orlando from 1974 to 1976, but he was never able to repeat that kind of success. In fact, he struck out 24 batters and walked 29 in 57 innings during those three seasons.
Do you think Ryan preferred signing strike-throwers for a reason?
Ryan attended and graduated from the University of Wisconsin. He was hired by the Mets as an area scout in 1980. He worked for that organization for six years. Before the 1987 season, the Twins hired him at that point to serve as their scouting director. Andy MacPhail joined the Cubs late in the 1994 season after leaving the Twins. Ryan became the Twins general manager in September.
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