MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL, MN – The Minnesota Twins announced plans to honor the life and legacy of former Vice President, Player Personnel Mike Radcliff, who passed away in February after a courageous three-plus-year battle with cancer. The ceremony will take place on Monday, July 3 prior to the Twins’ 7:10 p.m. game against the Kansas City Royals, Radcliff’s hometown team.
Members of the Radcliff family that will be in attendance on Monday include Sherry, Mike’s wife; daughter, Erin, her husband, Kevin Kuchenrither, and sons Reece and Jaxon; son, Brett Radcliff; and Mike’s brothers Dan, David and Mitch Radcliff. Additionally, most of the Twins’ amateur scouting staff will be in attendance, along with some current and former professional scouts.
Over the course of his 36-year tenure with the Twins, Radcliff provided guidance, mentorship and leadership across all areas of player evaluation – major league, minor league and amateur. He also helped oversee the club’s professional, amateur and international scouts. He was named 2011 Scout of the Year in the Midwest by his peers in Major League Baseball, was inducted into the Professional Scouts Hall of Fame in July of 2014 and elected to the Killebrew Root Beer Professional Scouts Hall of Fame in September 2021. In addition, Radcliff was the 2016 recipient of the George Genovese Lifetime Achievement Award in Scouting, given by the Professional Baseball Scouts Foundation, and the 2021 Herb Carneal Lifetime Achievement Award, voted on by the Diamond Awards Committee.
Below is a tentative timeline for Monday’s pregame ceremonies:
- 6:44 p.m.: Welcome & Introduction of the Radcliff family
- 6:46 p.m.: Mike Radcliff Tribute Video
- 6:50 p.m.: Welcome to Scouts in attendance
- 6:51 p.m.: Former general manager Terry Ryan speaks
- 6:54 p.m.: Presentation of a gift from the 2023 Twins team (presented by Jorge Polanco) to the Radcliff family, along with a $10,000 donation to the Minnesota Twins Community Fund in Mike Radcliff’s honor; the donation will help ensure future generations can play the game Mike loved and be accepted by siblings and Twins RBI participants Keegan and Kylee Erb
- 6:58 p.m.: Radcliff family speaks
- 7:00 p.m.: Ceremonial first pitch by Reece Kuchenrither, Radcliff’s grandson, caught by manager Rocco Baldelli
Additionally, Twins players and on-field staff will wear a special “m rad” jersey patch that night. The Erb siblings will watch Monday night’s game from the Mike Radcliff Scout Seats, seats 1-4 in Section 114, Row 5; starting in 2024, the seats will be marked with a special design memorializing Radcliff.