(LEBANON, Ill., June 3)—After toiling for parts of six seasons in the minor leagues, former McKendree University All-American Brian Dinkelman got the phone call every baseball player dreams of on Thursday afternoon.
Dinkelman, who has spent each of the last two seasons on the roster of the Triple-A Rochester Red Wings, has been promoted to Rochester's parent club, the Minnesota Twins. Dinkelman learned of the promotion late Thursday afternoon following the Red Wings' 8-0 victory over the Toledo Mud Hens.
“This is really exciting,” said Dinkelman on a phone call after arriving in Kansas City, where the Twins will play a weekend series. “Ever since I was a young kid, my dream has been to play major league baseball. Getting drafted by the Twins made that dream one step closer, and now the dream has come true. The last day has really been a blur, but I'm looking forward to this opportunity.”
After starring at Centralia High School, Dinkelman signed to play at McKendree in the spring of 2002. During his four-year career, Dinkelman virtually rewrote the Bearcats' record book. By the time his career came to a close in 2006, The Irvington, Ill., native established 25 McKendree program records, 24 of which he still holds today. Those marks include career marks for batting average (.426), runs scored (303), hits (373), doubles (96), home runs (59) and total bases (670).
On the national level, Dinkelman holds NAIA career records in five different categories: runs scored, hits, doubles, total bases, as well as assists (679). Dinkelman was the 2006 NAIA Baseball Player of the Year, a two-time first-team NAIA All-America selection (2004 and 2006), a second-team NAIA All-America honoree (2005) and was the American Midwest Conference Player of the Year in each of his last three seasons (2004-06).
“We are thrilled for Brian,” said McKendree baseball coach Jim Boehne, who was Dinkelman's mentor with the Bearcats from 2003-06. “He has reached a goal that every player who puts on a baseball uniform sets for himself. He has progressed through the Twins system and has succeeded at every level. If he gets the opportunity to show what he can do in Minnesota, then there is no doubt in my mind that he will succeed at the major league level. This is a great thing for Brian, his family and all those who have followed Brian's career from his days at McKendree. We're so proud of him.”
In the 2006 MLB First-Year Player Draft, Dinkelman was selected by Minnesota in the eighth round. He started his minor league career at Elizabethtown of the rookie-level Appalachian League, hitting .298 in 46 games. Dinkelman then continued to rise through each level of the Twins' minor-league organization, reaching Rochester for the start of the 2010 season. At the time of his promotion, Dinkelman was batting .296 with one home run and 10 RBI for the Red Wings. Dinkelman had posted hitting streaks of 14 and seven games at Rochester this year.
Dinkelman plans to be in uniform for the Twins game against the Kansas City Royals on Friday evening.
