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Midre Cummings is the ninth of 10 major leaguers hailing from the U.S. Virgin Islands. Growing up on St. Croix, he learned the fundamentals from Horace Clarke and Elmo Plaskett. Cummings moved to Miami in 1989 and became a supplemental first-round pick of the Twins in 1990. In 1992, Minnesota traded him to the Pirates with Denny Neagle for John Smiley. Saddled with high expectations as a prospect, the young Midre displayed only tantalizing glimpses of his potential, plus an inscrutable air. And so -- rightly or wrongly -- he was labeled "enigma" for much of his pro career. Yet Cummings has persevered. He has twice led the AL in pinch hits, coming off the bench for nine in 1998 and tying for the MLB high in 2000 with 15.
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