Don Mincher
Encyclopedia
Donald Ray Mincher is an American
former Major League Baseball
first baseman
. He played from 1960-1972 for the original Washington Senators
, Minnesota Twins
, California Angels
, Seattle Pilots
, Oakland Athletics
, the new Washington Senators
, Texas Rangers
and again the Oakland Athletics, all of the American League
.
.249, 200 home run
s, and 643 runs batted in
. He was elected to the American League All-Star
team twice (1967 and 1969).
Mincher served as the first president and general manager of the Huntsville Stars
, the Double-A affiliate of the Oakland A's (1985–1998) and, later, the Milwaukee Brewers
(1999–present). He served in this role from 1985 until 2001. In 1994, Mincher and a group of local investors purchased the team from Larry Schmittou
to keep baseball in Huntsville.
In 2000, Mincher was named Interim President of the Southern League
, where the Stars play, when league president Arnold Fielkow left for an executive position with the New Orleans Saints
the National Football League
. Mincher resigned from his position with the Stars when his group sold the team to Miles Prentice
in early 2001. This cleared the way for the Southern League to remove the interim tag and they made him league president beginning with the 2001 season. He has served as league president since then.
Mincher continues to reside in his original hometown of Huntsville, Alabama. He was elected to the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame
in 2008. Though he never played for the team, the Huntsville Stars retired his number 5 in an on-field ceremony on June 6, 2008. In 2010 he was presented with the King of Baseball
award given by Minor League Baseball.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
former Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
first baseman
First baseman
First base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run for that player's team...
. He played from 1960-1972 for the original Washington Senators
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
, Minnesota Twins
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
, California Angels
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are a professional baseball team based in Anaheim, California, United States. The Angels are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The "Angels" name originates from the city in which the team started, Los Angeles...
, Seattle Pilots
Seattle Pilots
The Seattle Pilots were an American professional baseball team based in Seattle, Washington for one season, . The Pilots played home games at Sick's Stadium and were a member of the West Division of Major League Baseball's American League...
, Oakland Athletics
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
, the new Washington Senators
Texas Rangers (baseball)
The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...
, Texas Rangers
Texas Rangers (baseball)
The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...
and again the Oakland Athletics, all of the American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
.
Career
During a 13-year baseball career, Mincher hitBatting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
.249, 200 home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s, and 643 runs batted in
Run batted in
Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI...
. He was elected to the American League All-Star
Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also known as the "Midsummer Classic", is an annual baseball game between players from the National League and the American League, currently selected by a combination of fans, players, coaches, and managers...
team twice (1967 and 1969).
Mincher served as the first president and general manager of the Huntsville Stars
Huntsville Stars
The Huntsville Stars are a minor league baseball team of the Southern League and are the Double-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Huntsville, Alabama and are named for the space industry with which Huntsville is economically tied .The Stars play their home games at Joe W...
, the Double-A affiliate of the Oakland A's (1985–1998) and, later, the Milwaukee Brewers
Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers are a professional baseball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, currently playing in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
(1999–present). He served in this role from 1985 until 2001. In 1994, Mincher and a group of local investors purchased the team from Larry Schmittou
Larry Schmittou
Larry Schmittou is an American entrepreneur. He currently owns a S&S Family Entertainment LLC, which operates a chain of bowling centers. He is a former coach of the Vanderbilt University baseball team. From the late 1970s to the mid 1990s, he was the owner of several minor league baseball teams...
to keep baseball in Huntsville.
In 2000, Mincher was named Interim President of the Southern League
Southern League (baseball)
The Southern League is a minor league baseball league which operates in the Southern United States. It is classified a Double-A league. The original league was formed in , and shut down in . A new league, the Southern Association, was formed in , consisting of twelve teams...
, where the Stars play, when league president Arnold Fielkow left for an executive position with the New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
. Mincher resigned from his position with the Stars when his group sold the team to Miles Prentice
Miles Prentice
E. Miles Prentice, III is an attorney in New York City and owner of minor league baseball teams.Prentice was born in New Jersey and received an AB from Washington & Jefferson College in 1964 and his law degree from the University of Michigan in 1967 and was admitted to the bar in New York in 1973...
in early 2001. This cleared the way for the Southern League to remove the interim tag and they made him league president beginning with the 2001 season. He has served as league president since then.
Mincher continues to reside in his original hometown of Huntsville, Alabama. He was elected to the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame
Alabama Sports Hall of Fame
The Alabama Sports Hall of Fame is a state museum located in Birmingham, Alabama, dedicated to communicating the state’s athletic history...
in 2008. Though he never played for the team, the Huntsville Stars retired his number 5 in an on-field ceremony on June 6, 2008. In 2010 he was presented with the King of Baseball
King of Baseball
King of Baseball is a ceremonial title awarded by Minor League Baseball to one person each year in recognition of longtime dedication and service to professional baseball.- Background :The title was first awarded in 1951...
award given by Minor League Baseball.
Facts
- Mincher was only one of seven players to don the uniforms of both the original and expansion Washington Senators teams, the others being Camilo PascualCamilo PascualCamilo Alberto Pascual is a former Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. During an 18-year baseball career , he played for the Washington Senators , the second Washington Senators franchise, Cincinnati Reds, Los Angeles Dodgers, and the Cleveland Indians...
, Pedro RamosPedro RamosPedro Ramos Guerra was a Major League pitcher with a 15-year career from 1955 to 1967, and again from 1969 to 1970...
, Johnny SchaiveJohnny SchaiveJohn Edward Schaive was a backup second and third baseman who played in Major League Baseball between the and seasons. Listed at 5' 8", 175 lb., Schaive batted and threw right-handed. He was born in Springfield, Illinois.Schaive spent 14 years in baseball as a player, manager, coach and scout...
, Roy SieversRoy SieversRoy Edward Sievers is a former first baseman/left fielder in Major League Baseball. From through , Sievers played for the St. Louis Browns , the original Washington Senators , Chicago White Sox , Philadelphia Phillies , and finally the new Senators...
, Zoilo VersallesZoilo VersallesZoilo Casanova Versalles Rodriguez , 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...
and Hal WoodeshickHal WoodeshickHarold Joseph Woodeshick was an American left-handed pitcher who spent eleven seasons in Major League Baseball with the Detroit Tigers , Cleveland Indians , both Washington Senators , Houston Colt .45s/Astros and St. Louis Cardinals...
. He is also the only person to have played on both Senators teams and for the Twins and for the Rangers.
- On June 9, 1966, in the seventh inning of a game against the Kansas City AthleticsOakland AthleticsThe Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
, Mincher was one of five Twins players to hit home runs. The others were Harmon KillebrewHarmon KillebrewHarmon Clayton Killebrew , 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 , he played for the Washington Senators, a team which later became the Minnesota Twins, and...
, Tony OlivaTony OlivaTony Pedro Oliva is a former Major League Baseball right fielder and designated hitter. He played his entire 15-year baseball career for the Minnesota Twins . He batted left-handed and threw right-handed...
, Rich RollinsRich RollinsRichard John Rollins is an American former Major League Baseball third baseman. He played with the Minnesota Twins , Seattle Pilots , Milwaukee Brewers and Cleveland Indians...
and Versalles. These five home runs still stand as a Major League record for the most home runs batted in a single inning, and were hit off starter Catfish HunterCatfish HunterJames Augustus "Catfish" Hunter , was a Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. During a 15-year baseball career, he pitched from 1965-1979 for both the Oakland Athletics and the New York Yankees...
(three) and reliever Paul LindbladPaul LindbladPaul Aaron Lindblad was an American Major League Baseball left-handed middle-relief pitcher. During his career, he pitched primarily for the Kansas City and Oakland Athletics. At the time of his retirement in , he had recorded the seventh-most appearances of any left-hander in history.Lindblad...
(two).