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Last month, we learned the jersey numbers of the Twins’ first five off season acquisitions. Today, as was brought to my attention on the Twinkie Town slack by a fellow who once made sandwiches for a living, team communications director Dustin Morse announced the numbers for several other noteworthy signings and non-roster invitees. Below, I’ll write far too much about them.
Skipping those discussed in the first article and proceeding numerically:
Josh Donaldson: #24
Last worn by: C.J. Cron, 2019
While Donaldson’s signature number is 20, that’s currently worn by Eddie Rosario, and Donaldson has either not yet been able to acquire the number or has accepted #24 for the year. If the former, they’ll have all spring to settle the score.
Jhoulys Chacin: #45
Last worn by: Taylor Motter, 2018
A pair of clarifications regarding the “last worn by”: it always lists the last player to wear the number in the regular season. Last year, assistant pitching coach Jeremy Hefner wore #45, but as he is now the Mets’ pitching coach, the number has become available for Chacin. Chacin has always worn a number in the 40s, but 45 is his most-donned number, worn for six years as a member of the Rockies (his first six years in the majors) and for a year and a portion with the Brewers. Motter appeared in nine games for Minnesota in 2018 and played terribly.
Brent Rooker: #50
Last worn by: Aaron Slegers, 2018
Rooker wore #66 last spring, but that number is currently on the jersey belonging to Jorge Alcala. Rooker’s new uniform last belonged to the tall right-hander Slegers, who is now in the Rays organization.
Luke Raley: #57
Last worn by: Ryan Pressly, 2018
Raley wore #57 last spring as well. If he keeps the number while playing in a Minnesota uniform, he’ll be the first Twin to wear #57 who was not a pitcher. All 11 Twins to wear 57 — most recently Pressly, most famously Johan Santana — have been moundsmen.
Royce Lewis: #75
Last worn by: N/A
Here’s another repeat from last spring. There’s pretty much no chance Lewis keeps this one long-term.
Alex Kirilloff: #76
Last worn by: Felix Jorge, 2017
This is the third repeat in a row — what’s up with that? Anyway, Kirilloff’s #76 is, interestingly, the reverse of the number another highly-touted corner outfielder wore in his first appearance in the majors... that’s Max Kepler’s #67 at the tail of 2015’s September call-ups before he took #26 the following season. Jorge made two starts for the Twins in 2017, thus far the only two starts of his major league career.
Trevor Larnach: #81
Last worn by: N/A
Larnach wearing #81 surprises me, as the Twins usually reserve the high 70s for catchers and pitchers; last year, non-roster catcher Wynston Sawyer wore the number. The only Twin to wear a number in the 80s was Ryan Eades’ cameo last year in which he became the first major leaguer ever to wear #80.
Ryan Jeffers: #87
Last worn by: MarQueis Gray, 2014 N/A
Of course Gray was a Viking, not a Twin, but that #87 looks odd. The Twins have only issued numbers up to #81 over the last few springs, so skipping over a few numbers and going straight to #87 stands out. But I’m sure Jeffers will make it look good.