3-29-08 3-29-08
Kenneth Jerry Adair was born in Sand Springs, OK, on December 1, 1936. He played for Huron in the Basin League in 1957 at the time he was attending Oklahoma University. While at college, he also played basketball for the U and the Phillips 76ers, a top AAU team.
Adair's first pro games were in the majors for the Baltimore Orioles beginning in September 1958 when he was in 11 hitting .105 with 19 at bats. He played in 12 games in 1959 for the O's batting .314 in 35 at bats. The right hander played short and second during those years. Also, in '59, he was in the Texas League where he hit .309 with 73 RBI.
In 1960, he had some good playing time in the International League for Miami batting .266. He only appeared in three games for the Orioles going 1-for-5. Beginning in 1961 and for the next five years, Adair played full seasons in Baltimore. Performing in 133, 139, 109, 155 and 157 games, he hit .264, .284, .228, .248 and .259 playing mostly second base. He had the best fielding percentage of any AL second baseman in 1964 and 1965.
On June 12, 1966, and after 17 games (.288), Baltimore traded him to Chicago White Sox with former Aberdeen Pheasant, Johnny Riddle, for pitcher Eddie Fisher. He had lost his job to Davy Johnson. With the Sox, he hit .243 in 105 games as a shortstop and second baseman.
On June 3, 1967, Chicago sent him [28g, .204] to the Red Sox for Don McMahon and Bob Snow. Adair hit well for the Sox (.291) and appeared in post-season play. His 1968 season was spent as a utility infielder at Boston as he played all infield positions in 74 games batting .216.
Jerry finished his MLB career with the Kansas City A's in 1969 and 1970. In '69, he was their regular second baseman batting .250 in 126 games. Most of his final pro year of 1970 was spent at Tulsa in the American Association where he hit .299. For the A's, he was in 7 games with 4 hits in 27 at bats.
Adair's MLB carrier average was .254 as he appeared in 1,165 games with a .294 OBP and .347 slugging %. He had 366 RBI and fielded .985 with 810 games at second, 310 at short and 46 at third.
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From the book "The Ballplayers":
"The often dour Adair brought a light bat, steady hands, and a tough attitude to the game. Hit in the mouth by a wild pitch during the first game of a doubleheader in 1964, he took 11 stitches and returned to play the entire second game. He holds the MLB record [as of 1990] (with Bobby Grich and Joe Morgan) for fewest errors in a season by a second baseman (five, in 1964). He also set MLB records with 89 consecutive games and 458 chances without an error from July 22, 1964, to May 6, 1965 with the Orioles. After hitting .300 for Haukyu in Japan in 1971, he returned to the States and was a coach for the A's [1972-1974] and Angels [1975]." - Bob Carroll
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In the early-1980s, he listed his job as "manual laborer" in Sand Springs, OK. Adair died from liver cancer on May 31,
1987, in Tulsa, OK. He was buried at Woodland Cemetery in Sand Springs.
Gary Allenson
Gary Martin Allenson was born in Culver City, CA, on Feb. 4, 1955. He played for the Basin League Sturgis Titans in 1973 as he was attending Arizona State. He signed in 1976 with Boston.
His first pro year was 1976 when he was a catcher in the Eastern League where he batted .238. After hitting .266 in the Florida State League in 1977, he moved up to the AAA International for a few games with a .250 average. Allenson spent all of his 1978 year in the IL batting .299 with 20 homers and 76 RBI.
Gary's next six years were played for the Red Sox. As a part-time receiver, he appeared in 108, 36, 47, 92, 84 and 35 for Boston from 1979-1984. His batting averages were .203, .357, .223, .205, .230 and .229 and he never hit more then six home runs or had more then 33 RBI.
On Feb. 25, 1985, he signed a free agent contract with Toronto where he played his last 14 MLB games batting .118 with 34 at bats. Also that year, he ended his pro tenure in the International League with a .249 average.
As a major leaguer, Allenson appeared in 416 games with a composite .221 average, .309 OBA and .325 slugging %. He played 399 games as a catcher, 8 as a third baseman and six at DH.
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From the book "The Ballplayers":
"Allenson was the International League MVP at Pawtucket in 1978. He shared catching duties in Boston with Carlton Fisk and later Rich Gedman. He might have lasted longer had he been better able to hit major league breaking pitches. - Jane Charnin-Aker
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Through the 2007 season, Allenson has been a minor league manager for 13 years and a major league coach for six years
(Red Sox - '92-'93 and Brewers - '00-'02). In 2007, he managed Norfolk in the International League. In the off season, he
lives in Cape Coral, FL.
Craig Anderson
Norman Craig Anderson was born on July 1, 1938, in Washington, DC. He pitched at Pierre in the late-1950s while attending Lehigh from which he graduated. Later, he received his masters from Southern Illinois U. .
Anderson started his pro career in 1960 in the Texas League where he had a excellent 1.68 ERA at Tulsa. He divided 1961 between AAA Portland (PCL) compiling a 2.06 ERA and, in June, came up to the St. Louis Cardinals for 25 games as a reliever. In 39 innings, he had a 3.26 ERA and allowed a .255 batting average. He was drafted by the New York Mets in the late-1961 expansion draft.
With the Mets in 1962 for his only complete MLB season, he pitched in 50 games with 14 starts. His ERA inflated to 5.35 with a 3-17 record. In 131 innings, he allowed 150 hits and walked 63 while striking out 62. His OBA was .278. Interestingly, two of his victories that year came on the same day. On May 12, the Mets sweep a doubleheader over the Braves with him appearing in relief during both games.
In 1963 and 1964, Craig mostly played at Buffalo (IL) [4.47, 9-12 and 2.96, 12-7]. At New York, he only appeared in 3 and 4 games for 9 and 13 innings allowing 17 and 21 hits with 3 walks each year for 8.68 and 5.54 ERAs. That finished his MLB career (82 g, 192 inn, 226 h, 81 w, 94 so, .286 oba, .357 oob, 5.10 ERA, 7-23 record).
Anderson continued to play at AAA Buffalo and Indianapolis in 1965 (5.02 and 3.27) and then ended it in 1966 at Jacksonville (IL) and Williamsport (Eastern) where he had 2.56 and 2.67 ERAs.
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From the book "The Ballplayers":
"The name Craig was unlucky with the early Mets. Anderson lost 16 straight with the original 1962 team and 19 in a row over three years. In NL history, the latter streak was rivaled only by teammate Roger Craig's 18 straight defeats in 1963." - Jane Charnin-Aker
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Craig became the athletic director at Lehigh U. and lived in Bethlehem, PA. He now lives in Dunnellon, FL.
Bob Apodaca
Robert John Apodaca was born on Jan., 30, 1950, in Los Angeles. He pitched for Chamberlain in 1969 and 1970 while attending California State in L.A.
Apodaca began his pro career the 1971 season in the California League (7-1, 3.60). In 1972 he moved up to the Texas League where he had a good 2.81 ERA and a 11-7 record. His 1973 season was spent at Tidewater (IL) and he combiled an excellent ERA of 1.80 (6-3). That got a promotion to the majors with the Mets where he appeared in one game in relief where he waked two and got no one out.
However, he spent the next four complete seasons ('74-'77) with New York pitching in 35, 46, 43 and 59 games for 92, 66, 90 and 84 innings with 3.50, 1.49, 2.81 and 3.43 ERAs. In 1975, he suffered a broken nose during the season. Apodaca never had another chance in the majors. An elbow injury caused him to miss the complete 1978 and 1980 seasons and he attempted to pitch for Tidewater in 1979 and in the Texas League in 1981 with poor results (15.75 and 7.56 ERAs).
In his MLB career, Bob played in 184 games for 361 innings allowing 312 hits and 131 walks while striking out 197. His ERA was an excellent 2.86 with a .236 OAV and .307 OOB.
After his playing time ended, he became a minor league coach (1981-96, 2002) and major league pitching coach (Mets -
'96-'99, Brewers - '00-'01 and Rockies '03-'07). During the off season, he lives in Port Saint Lucie, FL.
Stan Bahnsen
Stanley Raymond Bahnsen was born in Council Bluffs, IA,. on Dec. 15, 1944. He pitched for the Rapid City Chiefs in 1965 when attending the U. of Nebraska. He was the Yankees number one selection in the 1965 free agent draft.
After playing a few games for the Chiefs, he signed with the Yankees and played in the Southern League where he compiled a 2.72 ERA and a 2-2 record. In 1966, he had a good season in the International League (2.91 ERA, 10-7) and was called up to the Yankees in September. He started three games and relieved in another for 23 innings for a 3.52 ERA and 1-1 record. In 1967, he spent the season back in the International League (3.52, 9-11).
From 1968 through 1971 he was a starter for the Yanks appearing in 37, 40, 36 and 36 games with occasional relief appearances. He completed 267, 221, 233 and 242 innings for ERAs of 2.05, 3.83, 3.33 and 3.35 and 17-12, 9-16, 14-11 and 14-12 records. On December 2, 1971, Bahnsen was traded to the Chicago White Sox for Rich McKinney.
He was a starter for the White Sox from 1972-1974 getting into 43, 42 and 38 games for 252, 282 and 216 inning with 3.60, 3.57 and 4.70 ERAs and records of 21-16, 18-21 and 12-15. On June 15, 1975, after making 12 starts for the Sox (6.01 ERA and 4-6 record), he was dealt to Oakland with Chet Lemon and Dave Hamilton for Skip Pitlock. Stan pitched better for the A's in 21 games (100 inn.) going 6-7 with an 3.24 ERA.
Bahnsen's 1976 year was completely spent with Oakland as he was used in relief 21 times and made 14 starts for 143 innings for a 3.34 ERA and an 8-7 record. In 1977, he began the year with the A's (11g, 22 inn, 6.14 ERA), but was traded on May 22 to Montreal for Mike Jorgensen. With the Expos, he closed out the year as a starter in 22 games completing 127 innings for a 4.81 ERA and 8-9 record.
Becoming a reliever in 1978 for the Expos, he stayed with the team through the 1981 season appearing in 44, 55, 57 and 25 games with 75, 94, 91 and 49 completed innings. His ERAs were 3.84, 3.15, 3.05 and 4.98. He closed out his MLB record in 1982 with 7 games for the Angels (4.66) and 8 for the Phillies (1.35). He also pitched in the American Association where he earned a 4.89 ERA. His 1983 season was his last, as he pitched a few games for Portland (PCL) and compiled a 9.59 ERA.
In 16 major league seasons, Bahnsen pitched in 574 games (327 starts) completing 2,529 innings allowing 2,440 hits and 924 walks while striking out 1,359. His career ERA was 3.60, his OAV .255 and he had a .323 OOB with a 146-149 record.
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From the book "The Ballplayers":
"Bahnsen was 1968 AL rookie of the year...He had thrown a seven-inning no hitter with Toledo in 1966 and a seven-inning perfect game with Syracuse in 1967. In his 1966 major league debut, he struck out the side at Boston.
"...Desperate for third-base help, the Yankees dealt him to the White Sox straight up for Rich McKinney...in 1972 [he] set a since-broken MLB record by being removed in 36 of his 41 starts. On Aug. 21, 1973, against Cleveland, he had a no-hitter with two outs in the ninth when Walt Williams bounced a single over a drawn-in Bill Melton at third...On May 15, 1974, Bahnsen defeated Minnesota 1-0, retiring the first 23 batters before allowing a Bobby Darwin single..." - Richard C. Lindberg
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In the mid-1980s, Bahnsen was the head of U.S. operations for Caribbean Components [an electronics firm] and lived in
Pompano Beach, FL. He still resides there.
Bob Baird
Robert Allen Baird was born on Jan. 16, 1940, in Knoxville, TN. He pitched for the 1961 Sturgis Titans and attended Carson-Newman College. Baird signed with the Senators in 1962.
He made three stops in 1962 in the AL-FL League (2.98, 13-3), Carolina League (14.40, 0-3) and was called up to the Senators in September. He started three games for 11 innings allowing 13 hits and 8 walks for a 6.75 ERA. For Pensacola, the left hander struck out 20 batters in one game.
It was much the same in 1963 as he pitched in the NY-PA League (5.40, 4-3), Eastern League (4.71, 6-16) and five games (3 starts) for the Senators. Bob completed 12 innings giving up 12 hits and 7 walks with a 7.71 ERA. Those were his last appearances in the majors as he finished with a 0-4 record, 7.25 ERA in 22 innings with a .284 OBA and .394 OOA. He struck out ten men and allowed one home run.
Baird completed his pro career with seven stops during the 1964-1967 seasons of which only one was spent at AAA (1965-.6.98, 3-5).
He became a traveling salesmen. On April 2, 1974, he was shot by a woman in a Chattanooga, TN, motel room and died
from the wounds at the Erlanger Hospital in Chattanooga on April 11. Baird was buried at Lynnhurst Cemetery in
Knoxville.
Frank Baker
Frank Watts Baker was born in Bartow, FL, on Jan. 1, 1944. He played for Sturgis in the mid-1960s and the U. of Southern Mississippi. He was drafted in 1966, but did not sign. Baker signed with the Yankees in 1967.
It took nearly four years for Frank to reach the majors. In 1967, he was in the FL State League (.261), in '68, the Carolina League (.248) and in 1969-1970 at Syracuse [IL] (.244 and .259). In August, the Yankees brought him up the majors where he played shortstop in 35 games batting .231 with 117 at bats. The left hand hitter had a .323 OBP.
In 1971, he split the year between Syracuse (.231) and New York as he was in 43 big league games (79 at bats) hitting .139 with 38 games at short. Baker spent his complete 1972 season at Syracuse (.254) and on Jan. 5, 1973, he was traded to Baltimore for Tom Matchick.
He ended his major and pro career with the Orioles as an utility infielder in 1973-1974 and played during the post season. Baker played in 44 and 24 games batting .190 and .191. In his MLB 146 games, Frank hit .191 with 288 at bats and had a .294 OBP and .250 slugging %.
Baker now lives in rural Meridian, MS.
Dave Baldwin
David George Baldwin was born on March 30, 1938, in Tucson, AZ. He pitched for Rapid City in the late 1950s and attended the U. of Arizona. Baldwin was signed in 1959 by Philadelphia.
He started as a pro in 1959-1960 in the Eastern League (7.38, 3.02) before moving up for a few games to the AAA International League during the '60 season (no record). The next five years (1961-1965) he bounced between eight A, AA and AAA teams from Durham to Hawaii where he had a decent 3.55 ERA in 1965.
Baldwin also spent 1966 at Hawaii (PCL) with a good 3.27 ERA before he was brought up to Washington in September. There he pitched in 4 games in relief for 8 innings with a 3.86 ERA. The sidearm, right hander had his best pro season with the Senators in 1967 appearing in 58 games for 69 innings compiling an excellent 1.70 ERA with a .215 OAV and .285 OOB. He allowed only 53 hits, but walked 20.
Dave's 1968 season did not go as well as he pitched in 40 games for 42 innings and allowed 40 hits and walked 12 for a 4.07 ERA. He also pitched in the International League (3.71). It was much the same in '69 as he was in the minors - albeit in the Florida State League (3-5, 1.80) - and was in 43 games for the Senators where he finished 67 innings and had a 4.05 ERA. On Dec. 4, 1969, he was traded to Seattle for George Brunet.
The Pilots moved to Milwaukee before the 1970 season and Baldwin pitched very well in the PCL (1.33) and was in 28 Brewers' games for 35 innings allowing an ERA of 2.55. Most of his next three years (1971-1973) were at AAA (4.35, 2.67, 3.06), but he had one more chance with the White Sox in '73. He pitched in 3 games for 5 innings allowing 7 hits and 4 walks (3.60) and that ended his six years in the bigs. In his major league career, Dave was in 176 games for 225 innings allowing 190 hits and 89 walks while striking out 164 for a 3.08 ERA, .234 OBP and .316 OOB.
He pitched his last pro season in 1974 in the American Association (0.90) and the PCL (4.50). Looking back, Dave once said: "Mine was certainly an up-and-down career. This was due in large part to being a sidearm relief pitcher in a day when both sidearmers and relievers were highly suspect according to many managers."
Baldwin became a zoologist and anthropologist, during the off seasons, and earned a Ph.D. in genetics in 1979 and a M.S. in
systems engineering in 1983. He was a systems engineer for Phelps-Dodge Corp. in Phoenix in the mid-1980s. In addition
he wrote humor, children's stories and scientific articles while living in Tucson. He now lives in rural Yachats, OR.
Gary Beare
Gary Ray Beare was born on Aug. 22, 1952, in San Diego. He pitched for the 1973 Pierre Cowboys and attended California State at Long Beach. Beare was signed in 1974 by the Brewers.
He began his professional trek in 1974 in the NY-PA League (4.38, 4-4) and moved up to the Eastern League in 1975 (3.42, 3-9). Gary climbed the rest of the way in '76 starting in the Eastern (2.98, 10-10), then to the PCL (2.93, 1-4) and finally, in September, to Milwaukee where he started 5 games and relieved in another for 41 innings allowing 43 hits and 15 walks for a 3.29 ERA and 2-3 record.
His 1977 season was split between the PCL (2.56, 5-4) and the Brewers. In the majors, he relieved in 11 games and started 6 completing 59 innings for a 6.44 ERA and 3-3 record. Those appearances ended his major league run at 23 games and 100 innings as he allowed 106 hits and 53 walks while striking out 64. The right hander's record was 5-6 with a .275 OAV and .364 OOB.
From 1978-1980 he pitched in AAA PCL and the American Association for four teams with his best performance in 1980 at Hawaii (3.19). Otherwise, his ERAs were not outstanding (5.52, 4.00, 6.00). Beare ended his pro career in the Mexican League in 1981 with a good 2.67 ERA and 17-8 record. However, it was his last pro season.
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From the book "The Ballplayers":
"A hard luck hurler cut down by a sore arm in 1978, Beare got a 17-run explosion form the Brewers to beat the Indians in 1976." - Merrit Clifton
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Beare now lives in Poway, CA.
Larry Bearnarth
Lawrence Donald Bearnarth was born in New York City on September 11, 1941. He pitched for the 1961 Pierre Cowboys
and attended St. John's U. The Mets signed him in 1962 after a 32-2 career record in college. .
Bearnarth went right to the AAA International League in 1962 (6.67, 2-13) and the Mets, being what they were in 1963,
had him on the big club the whole year. The right hander made 58 appearances for 126 innings giving up 127 hits and 47
walks while striking out 48. His ERA was 3.42 with a .268 OAV and .340 OOB.
Things got worse in 1964 as he made 44 appearances and finished 78 innings for a 4.15 ERA. His 1965 season was split between the International League (2.25, 3-2) and the Mets as he made 40 appearances in the bigs for 61 innings compiling a 4.60 ERA. While playing in the Venezuela Winter League after that season, he responded to heckling fans by throwing a ball into the stands. The incident so angered the crowd that four policemen had to escort Bearnarth back to his hotel and, shortly thereafter, he left the country.
In 1966, he stayed up in the majors for the complete season but made only 29 appearances (54 innings) with a 4.45 ERA. Giving up 11 home runs hurt him badly. From 1967-1970, he was an AAA pitcher in the International League doing acceptable work (3.51, 3.51, 3.82, 3.36 ERAs). In 1971 he moved to the Brewers' American Association team (5.21, 5-6) and had his last taste of the majors with Milwaukee (2g, 10 inn, 18.00 ERA). In 173 major league games, he completed 323 innings allowing 350 innings with 135 walks and 124 k's. His career ERA was 4.13 and he had a .282 OAV and .358 OOB.
Bearnarth ended his pro career in 1972 in the International League making a few appearances at Peninsula (13.50). Thereafter, he began his career as a pitching coach culminating as the Expos coach in 1976 and 1985-91 and the Rockies in 1993-95. When he was not coaching, he was a major league scout.
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From the book "The Ballplayers":
"Sinker-baller Bearnarth led the 1963 Mets with 58 appearances. Casey Stengel referred to the 6'2" 205-ib intellectual as 'Big Ben'..." - Ken Turetzky
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On Dec. 31, 1999, he died from a heart attack at St. Anthony's Hospital in St. Petersburg, FL, and was buried there at
Memorial Park Cemetery.
Howie Bedell
Howard William Bedell was born on September 29, 1935 in Clearfield, PA. He played with the 1956 Watertown club while attending West Chester U. of PA. The Braves signed him in 1957.
Bedell spent all of the 1957 through 1961 seasons in the minors starting in the Pioneer, then to the South Association and Texas League and finally made the AAA PCL and American Association in 1960. In 1961, he had his break-out season at Louisville where he hit .327 with 63 RBI.
He started his 1962 season with Milwaukee, but hit only .196 in 58 games and 138 at bats. His OBP was .255 and he played outfield in 45 games. That rather poor performance caused more AAA games that year in the American Association (.283). But, while there, he tied an A.A. mark by hitting in 43 consecutive games. In 1963, he was back in the International for the complete year (.239).
From 1964 through 1967, Bedell was in AA ball in the Eastern and Texas Leagues with good averages of near or above .300. In 1966, he won the Eastern League batting crown and was the league's MVP and, the next year, was again with an Eastern League club (.284) and had his last hurrah in the majors with 9 games and 7 at bats for Philadelphia. The left hand batter was 1-for-7 with one walk as a pinch hitter. In one of his at bats, on June 8, he broke up Don Drysdale's 58 2/3 consecutive innings scoreless streak with a sac fly. His major league career was comprised of 67 games and 145 at bats with a .193 average, .255 OBP and .228 slugging %. He played in the outfield 45 times
After another year in the Eastern League in 1969, he retired. He stayed in baseball and eventually became the Kansas City
Royals Coordinator of Player Development. Bedell now lives in Pottstown, PA.
Dick Bertell
Richard George Bertell was born in Oak Park, IL, on Nov. 21, 1935. He played on the 1956 Winner Pheasants ball club and attended Iowa State where he helped his team win a Big Seven championship in 1957. That same year, he was signed by the Cubs.
It took seven stops from the Western League in 1957 to the American Association in 1960 for Bertell to reach the majors. He hit over .300 in 1958 (Western) and 1959 (Eastern). After batting .289 at Houston in 1960, the Cubs brought him up in September. He was 2-for-15 in 5 games as a catcher.
That started a string of four years with the Cubs as he played in 92, 77, 100 and 112 games from 1961-1964 batting .273, .302, .233 and .238. In 1962, he spent the first half of the year commuting on weekends between Army service at Ft. Knox, KY, and major league parks. On May 29, 1965, after playing 34 games for the Cubs (.214) he was traded to the Giants with Len Gabrielson for Harvey Kuenn, Ed Bailey and Bob Hendley. As a back-up to Tom Haller, he only was in 22 games the rest of the year batting .188.
In 1966, he spent the year at the Giants' AAA farm team in the PCL where he hit .245. The Cubs picked him up again for 1967, but he only played in 2 games with 6 at bats. He ended his pro career in the PCL that year with a .194 average. In his 444-game major league employment, Bertell batted .250 with a .307 OBP and .312 slugging %. In 438 games at catcher, his fielding % was .985.
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From the book "The Ballplayers":
"...Catching a career-high 110 games for the Cubs in 1964, Bertell tied for the NL lead in errors (11)....A knee injury kept him out for all of 1966..." - Sheldon Fairchild Stewart
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Bertell became a salesman for Williamette Industries in the mid-1980s while he lived in Mission Viejo, CA. He died on
Dec. 20, 1999, in Mission Viejo.
Bill Bethea
William Lamar "Spot" Bethea was born in Houston on Jan. 1, 1942. He played for Rapid City in the early 1960s and attended college at Texas U. The Cardinals signed him in 1963.
In 1963, Bethea played in the Pioneer (.371) and Texas Leagues (.218). He played the 1964 season in the Southern League (.258, 8 HR, 58 RBIs). In September, the Minnesota Twins called him up and he played 10 games at second base and shortstop with 30 at bats. He had 5 hits (.167) and 4 walks (.265 OBP), struck out 4 times and had 2 RBIs with one double. Bill never got back.
Bethea's '65 season was a return trip to the Southern League for two teams (.198) and he moved up to the AAA International League in 1966 (.215). He had another poor hitting average year in 1966 at the Eastern when he batted only .185. Bill went to the Texas League the next season ('67) and increased his average to .271. His final pro year was 1969 for Hawaii in the PCL (..225).
Bill became the assistant baseball coach at the University of Texas and is currently employed in the athletic department at
Arkansas State in Jonesboro, AR.
Dick Billings
Richard Arin Billings was born on Dec. 4, 1942, in Detroit. He played for Rapid City in the early 60s and earned a B.S. in education at Michigan State. The Senators signed him in 1965.
From 1965 through 1968, Billings played in the NY-PA (.264, Carolina (.312), Eastern (.227) and the International (.182) Leagues. In September 1968, the Senators elevated him to the majors as an outfielder and third baseman appearing in 12 games with 33 at bats. His average was .182 with a .289 OBP and .303 slugging %.
For 1969, he was in the Southern (.212) and International Leagues (.200) and had 27 Senators' games with 37 at bats (.135). In 1970, he did very well in the American Association hitting .305 with 15 homers and 67 RBIs while introducing "catcher" to his resume. Again, he played games for the Senators albeit only 11 with 24 at bats (.250) as a receiver.
The 1971 season was his first as a full-time major league player. Catching in 62 games and playing outfield in another 32, he hit .246 with a .299 average, .299 OBP and .338 slugging %. The Senators moved to Texas in 1972 and remained with the team through 1973 playing in 133 and 81 games with averages of .254 and .179. By '73, he was catching nearly full-time.
His 1974 season was spent with the Rangers for 16 games (.226) and, on Aug. 12, he was sold to St. Louis. With the Cards, he appeared in only one game and went 1-for-5 and was in the American Association (.227) for the rest of the year. Billings was back in the Association in 1975 (.294) and ended his major and pro career with 3 games for the Cards (0-for-3 as a pinch hitter. In his 400-game MLB experience, he hit .227 with 1,231 at bats. His OBP was .283 and he had a .304 slugging %. In the field he caught in 248 games, was in the outfield for 92 and at third for 12.
Billings was in the real estate business in the mid-1980s in Dallas. He now lives in Arlington, TX.
Steve Blateric
Steven Lawrence Blateric was born on March 20, 1944, in Denver. The right hander played on the 1965 Winner Pheasants
and attended the U. of Denver. He was signed by the Red Sox in 1966. Steve played with the Sioux Falls Packers in
1967 (2.65, 9-5).
Steve had short trials with 3 MLB teams. In 1971, he pitched 2 games for the Reds (2 inn, 5 h, 2 w, 0 so, 13.50). On September 16, 1972, he was sold to the Yankees where he pitched one game (4 inn, 2 h, 0 w, 0.00). He returned to the Reds thereafter and, on December 12, 1973, was traded to the Indians for Roger Freed.. He did not pitch for Cleveland, but, in 1975, appeared in 2 games for the Angels (4 inn, 9 h, 0 w, 1 so, 6.23).
In his 5 career big league games, all in relief, he totaled 11 innings with 16 hits and only 2 walks allowed with a 5.73 ERA and .333 OAV.
His minor league record was another thing altogether. He was with 19 different minor league teams over 13 seasons. His ERA was under 2.00 with 4 of the teams and under 3.00 with 5 more.
Blateric lives in Denver.
Steve Boros
Stephen Boros was born in Flint, MI, on Sept. 3, 1936. He played for Pierre in 1956 and at Michigan. The Tigers signed him in 1957 for $25,000.
After he was signed, Boros went directly to the Tigers and played in 24 games with 41 at bats (.146) as a third baseman and shortstop. His OPB was .167. He was a traveling man in 1958 playing in the Southern Association (.261), South Atlantic (.257), American Association (.077) and the Tigers for 6 games as mostly apparently a pinch runner (0-for-2 at the plate and one appearance at second base).
During his 1959 season, he stayed with one team in the Southern Association and had a good year (.305, 16 HR, 85 RBI). He moved up to the AAA American Association in 1960 and had even a better year (.317, 30, 119). Those years got him a promotion to Detroit where he played the next two seasons. As the main third baseman in 1961-1962, he batted .270 and .228 with 116 games each season. During those years, his OBP was .388 and .333 and he had 16 homers in '62. On Nov. 28, he was traded to the Cubs for Bob Anderson.
Boros' 1963 season was spent as a back-up first baseman, outfielder and pinch hitter with a .211 average, .304 OBP and .389 slugging % in only 41 games. He moved to the Cincinnati organization in 1964 playing in the PCL (.300) and then became the Reds' full-time third baseman for 117 games. His average was a decent .257, .344 OBP and .322 slugging %. He only hit 2 homers and had 31 RBIs.
He was back in the PCL in 1965 (.269, 12, 30) and got into only 2 games for the Reds where appeared as a third baseman. That was the end of his MLB career. Boros made 422 game appearances batting .245 with 1,255 at bats with a .346 OBP and .359 slugging %. Steve finished his pro years in 1966-1969 playing in all three AAA Leagues (.279, .190, .266, .272).
Boros stayed in baseball as a coach and manager. He was a major league coach for the Royals (1975-79 and 1993-1994), Expos (1981-1982) and the Orioles (1995). Steve managed the Oakland A's in 1983 (74-88, 4th) and 1984 (20-24, 5th) and the Padres in 1986 (74-88, 4th). He now lives in Deland, FL.
Derek Bryant
Derek Roszell Bryant was born on Oct. 9, 1951, in Lexington, KY. He played for the Mobridge Lakers in 1972 while attending Kentucky. The A's signed him in 1973.
It took six years (1973-1978) in the Midwest, Southern and PCL before Bryant had his one shot at the majors. He hit over .300 in '76 and '77 and came very close in '78. Bryant led the Southern League in hits in '75, and triples and stolen bases in '76. He made the A's out of spring training in 1979 and played 39 games with 106 at bats for a .179 average, .250 OBP and .217 slugging %. He did not homer and had 13 RBI and played errorless ball with 33 games in the outfield. They were his only appearances in the bigs. He finished the year in the PCL (.105).
From 1980-1981, Derek continued to play in the PCL (.342, .303). Still not getting a call back to the majors, he played out the string in the Mexican League from 1982 through 1988. Except for his first year there, he always hit well into the .300s. In 1984, he led the minors with 41 home runs and, in 1985, led with 38 doubles. He managed Monterrey in 1988.
He could be called a career minor leaguer, but ,oh, what a career - appeared in 1,670 games batting .322 with 970 RBI in
5,960 at bats. His last known address was in Lexington.
Larry Burchart
Larry Wayne Burchart was born in Tulsa on Feb. 8, 1946. He pitched for Pierre in 1966 and went to Oklahoma State where he helped lead them to a NCAA title in '65 and to third place in '66. Burchart was drafted in 1966, 1967 and early 1968, but did not sign. The Indians obtained draft rights from the Dodgers later in1968 and signed him.
His first pro year in the Pioneer League was excellent as he compiled a 1.95 ERA and 9-1 record. He moved up to the Texas League in 1968 and did not do as well (5.09, 0-2).
In any case, he stayed all of the 1969 season with Cleveland appearing as a reliever in 29 games for 42 innings allowing 42 hits and 24 walks with 26 strike outs and a 4.25 ERA, .266 OAV and .366 OOB. He missed much of the season with an injury. The right hander never returned to the majors.
Burchart only played two more years (1970-1971) both in the American Association (4.84, 5.10). In the mid-1980s, he was
a manager of a Savings and Loan Association in Tulsa where he still lives.
Jim Burton
Jim Scott Burton was born on Oct. 27, 1949, in Royal Oak, MI. He played with the 1969 Winner Pheasants and attended Michigan. The Red Sox drafted him in the first round in 1971 and he signed with them.
Burton made six stops in five years (1971-1975) before he had his big league chances. During those years, the left hander pitched in the Eastern and International Leagues with ERAs from 2.83 to 5.13 before he had a break out year in 1975 in the IL (1.53, 8-2). The Red Sox brought him to the majors in June and he got into 29 games (4 starts) for 53 innings allowing 58 hits and 19 walks while striking out 39. He posted a 2.89 ERA, .276 OAV. and .336 OOB. Unfortunately, he allowed the 7th game-winning bloop single to the Reds' Joe Morgan in the World Series that year.
He was back in the IL in 1976 and 1977 (5.59, 3.77) and had his last appearance in the majors for the Sox in '77 going 2 2/3 innings in one game allowing 2 hits, one walk and no runs. On May 29, 1978, he was traded to the Yankees organization for Leo Foster. He finished his pro career in the Carolina (2.93, 6-5) and International (5.48, 0-2) Leagues in 1978.
Jim now lives in the Charlotte, NC, area.
Mike Caldwell
Ralph Michael Caldwell was born in Tarboro, NC, on Jan. 22, 1949. He pitched for the Pierre Cowboys in 1969 while attending North Carolina State. The Padres signed him in 1971.
After pitching in the Northwest and Pioneer Leagues in 1971 (1.64, 3.66), the Padres called him up in September where he made 6 relief appearances for 7 innings giving up 4 hits and 3 walks while striking out 5. No earned runs were scored off him. Then, amazingly, the left hander stayed in the majors for the next 13 years.
He was with San Diego in 1972-1973 starting and releiving in 42 and 55 games with ERAs of 4.01 and 3.74 and records of 7-11 and 5-14. On Oct. 25, 1973, he was traded to the Giants for Willie McCovey and Bernie Williams.
Caldwell stayed with San Francisco from 1974-1976 generally starting during the first two years, then becoming a reliever. He pitched in 31, 38 and 50 games with 2.95, 4.79 and 4.86 ERAs and .249, .296 and .324 OAV. On Oct. 20, 1976, he was sent to St. Louis with John D'Acqisto and Dave Rader for Willie Crawford, Vic Harris and John Harris.
Before the 1977 season began (Mar. 29), he was traded to the Reds for Pat Darcy. After only 14 appearances with Cincinnati (24 inn., 4.01) he was transferred, on June 15, to Milwaukee for Dick O'Keefe and Garry Pyka. The Brewers immediately put him in their starting rotation where he stayed for the next eight years. Caldwell pitched in 21, 37, 30, 34, 24, 35, 32 and 26 games, from 1977-1984, getting records of 5-8, 22-9, 16-6, 13-11, 11-9, 17-13, 12-11 and 6-13. His ERAs, during those years were 4.58, 2.36, 3.29, 4.03, 3.93, 3.91, 4.53 and 4.64. He led the AL in complete games in '78 with 23 and had the league's best winning % in '79 (.727). Mike also appeared in the post seasons of 1981-1982.
In his 14-year MLB career, Caldwell was in 475 games for 2,408 innings allowing 2,581 hits and 597 walks while striking out 939. His ERA was 3.81, he had a .276 OAV and .322 OOA with a 137-130 record.
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From the book "The Ballplayers":
"Caldwell leaped from Class A to the Padres in 1971, his first pro year...he blossomed with a 14-5 mark in 1974. He then underwent elbow surgery and had trouble regaining his form...In 1978 he was AL Comeback Player of the Year...and shut out the World Champion Yankees three times. In 1979,...his eight consecutive victories set a Brewers record. After helping Milwaukee to the 1982 pennant...he was pounded by the Angels in his LCS start, but shut out the Cardinals in the World Series opener and also won Game Five.
"Caldwell used a three-quarters delivery, but threw sidearm to some lefties. His sinker was most effective, though he was accused of throwing a spitter. By 1984 his arm wore out, and he lost his fastball. Iron Mike retired as the Brewers' leader in complete games." - Merritt Clifton
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Mike now lives in Raleigh, NC.
Lou Camilli
Louis Steven Camilli was born in El Paso on Sept. 24, 1946. He played for Rapid City in 1965-1966 and graduated from Texas A&M. The Indians signed him in 1967.
Camilli played in the California and Eastern Leagues in 1967-1969. He hit .303 at Reno in '67. After a .276 year in the Eastern in 1969, Cleveland brought him up to the majors in early August. Playing at third base in 13 games, he was 0-for-14 at the plate with no walks.
At the AAA American Association in 1970, he hit .293, but continued his MLB hitless streak with the Indians going 0-for -15 in 16 games as an utility infielder. Back in the Association in 1971, he batted .306 and got another call to Cleveland. This time, in 39 games, he compiled a batting average going 16-for-81 (.198). His OBP was .270 and he played short for 23 games and second in 16 more.
Lou stuck with the Indians for the complete 1972 season as a middle-infielder, but only got into 39 games. In 41 at bats, he hit .146 with a .205 OBP. His good minor league hitting never made it to the majors as, in 107 MLB games and 151 at bats, he only batted .146 with a .213 OBP and .172 slugging %. In 24 games at short, 20 at second and 14 at third, his fielding % was .951.
His pro career ended after the 1973 year in the American Association (.281, 14 HR, 81 RBI). That good season did not
translate into any major league offers and he retired. In the mid-1980s, he was working for a securities business in
Albuquerque where he still resides. .
Dave Campbell
David Wilson Campbell was born in Manistee, MI, on Jan. 14, 1942. He played for the Sturgis Titans in the early 60s and at Michigan. The Tigers signed him in 1964.
From 1964 into 1967, Campbell climbed the latter from the Flor. State to Southern to International Leagues and after hitting 20 home runs with a .246 average in the IL during the 1967 season, Detroit promoted him to the majors in September. He got into two games and was 0-for-2 at the plate and played part of a game at first base.
In 1968 and 1969, he spent most of his seasons in the International (.265, .427), but did get into 9 and 32 Tigers' games going 1-for-9 and batting .103 in 39 at bats. He played in the field at first, second and third. On Dec. 4, 1969, he was traded with Pat Dobson to San Diego for Joe Niekro.
Campbell became the Padres regular second baseman in 1970 playing in 154 games with a .219 average, .270 OBP and .336 slugging % (he had 12 homers). The right hander continued with San Diego through the 1972 season hitting .227 and .240 as an utility infielder in 108 and 33 games.
The 1973 season was a travelog for Dave. He started the year by playing 33 games for the Padres (.224) and, on June 7, he was traded to St. Louis for Dwain Anderson. After appearing in 13 games (0-for-21) with the Cards, he was sent on Aug 18 with cash to Houston for Tommie Agee. For the Astros, he was 4-for-15 at the plate (.267) and continued as a utility guy including an appearance in the outfield.
The 1974 season was his last in the majors playing for Astros in 35 games with 23 at bats (.087) used mostly on defense. In his MLB carrer of 428 games and 1,252 at bats, he hit .213 with a .274 OBP and .311 slugging %. He played 275 games at second, 81 at third, 27 at first, 4 at short and 3 in the outfield. His composite fielding average was .971.
For whatever reason, Campbell played games in the Texas League in 1977 (.000) and even pitched some (6.00 ERA).
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From the book "The Ballplayers":
"Campbell's first MLB hit was a home run for the World Champion 1968 Tigers. After three short trials, Detroit sent the 6'1" Michigan native to San Diego. In 1970, his only season as a regular, Campbell led NL second basemen in putouts, assists and errors..." - Tom Jozwik
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After his playing career, Dave became a baseball announcer. He has gone from being a Padres' "color" commentator to a
job with ESPN. Campbell lives in Post Falls, ID.
Frank Carpin
Frank Dominic Carpin was born in Brooklyn on Sept. 14, 1938. He pitched for the 1958 Mitchell Kernels and attended Notre Dame. The Yankees signed him in 1959.
Carpin started his career in the Carolina League in '59 (3.24, 12-9). In 1960, he was in the Eastern (3.69, 11-8) and pitched in the International League in '61 (3.52, 7-9) and appeared to be one step away. However, after an ERA of 4.71 in the IL in 1962, he was sent to the Texas for the rest of the year (6.68).
The left hander was at AA South Atlantic League in 1963 (3.12, 15-9) and moved back by to the IL in 1964 where he had a good year with a 2.78 ERA. He moved to the Pittsburgh organization in 1965 playing first in the IL (2.67) and then, in May, was brought up to the Pirates. On May 24, he was the winning pitcher in relief for Columbus and the next day made his MLB debut and became the winning pitcher against the Cubs. For the Pirates, he made 39 appearances for 40 innings and compiled a 3.18 ERA, .243 OAV and .363 OOB.
Before the 1966 season, he was sent to the Houston organization with whom he was in the PCL (2.92, 3-5) and then brought up to the Astros where he made 10 appearances completing 6 innings and a 7.50 ERA. A bone spur appeared in his pitching elbow, during the season, and he was forced to retire. In 49 MLB games, he finished 46 innings allowing 44 hits and 30 walks while striking out 29. His career ERA was 3.74 and he had a .259 OAV and .379 OOB.
In the mid-1960s, Carpin worked for Payne Webber in Richmond, VA. He apparently still lives in the area.
Ron Cash
Ronald Forrest Cash was born on Nov. 20, 1949, in Atlanta. He played for the 1969 Mobridge Lakers and attended Florida State. Cash was drafted in 1967, 1968 and 1969, but did not sign until 1971 with Detroit.
In 1971-1973, he moved up quickly in the Tigers' organization from the NY-PA League (.333) to the Carolina (.301) then to the Southern and, in 1973, to the International (.301). Detroit promoted him to the bigs in September '73. There he played in 14 games as an outfielder-third baseman batting .410 in 39 at bats.
He had another chance with the Tigers in 1974 when he got into 20 games, hitting .226, playing at first and third. The rest of the season was in the American Association (.246). Cash had two more seasons in the A.A. in 1975-1976 (.271, .253), but never got another call back to the majors. In his 34-game MLB career, he batted .297 in 101 at bats and his OBP was .330 with a .347 slugging %. He played at first, third and in the outfield compiling a .950 fielding average.
Cash now lives in Tampa, FL.
Doug Clemens
Douglas Horace Clemens was born in Leesport, PA, on June 9, 1939. He played for Mitchell in the late 1950s and went to school at Syracuse on a football scholarship [a knee injury led him to baseball]. The Cardinals signed him in 1960.
After hitting .389 in the Pioneer League in 1960, the Cards brought him up for one game in October where he appeared defensively in the outfield. In 1961, he played most of the year in the Texas (.342) and International (.310) Leagues, but also played 6 games for St. :Louis where he hit .167 with 12 at bats. In 1962 and 1963, the left handed batter continued to play most of his games in the IL (.271, .278) and made 48 and 5 appearances with the Cards batting .237 and .167.
Clemens was in 33 Cardinals' games in 1964 (.205) before he was included in the six-player Lou Brock deal to the Chicago Cubs on June 15. For the Cubs, he hit .279 in 140 at bats and 54 games. As a nearly full time outfielder for Chicago in 1965, he played in a career-high 128 games, but batted only .221 with 4 home runs and 26 RBI. His OBP was .303 and he had a .288 slugging %. On Jan. 10, 1966, he was traded to Philadelphia for Wes Covington.
Finishing his MLB career with the Phillies from 1966-1968, he was an extra outfielder and pinch hitter in 79, 69 and 29 games compiling batting averages of .256, .178 and .211. On June 5, 6 and 7, 1967, Doug hit three consecutive pinch hit doubles. During his major league years, he played 452 games and had 920 at bats for a .229 average, .319 OBP and .321 slugging %. In 263 games in the outfield and one at first, his fielding average was .969.
Part of his last season, of 1968, was spent in the PCL (.249).
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From the book "The Ballplayers":
"A pinch-hitting specialist...He was platooned in centerfield and hit .279 [in '64]. After the Phillies acquired him...in 1966, he led the NL in pinch hit at bats in both 1966 and 1967. His career pinch hit batting average of .229 matched his overall average. - Merritt Clifton
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Clemens always admired Ted Williams and even named his son after him. In the mid-1980s, he was the Personnel and Sales
Manager of General Machine Products [a manufacturer of communications' tools and accessories] and lived in Churchville,
PA. He now lives in New Hope, PA.
Al Closter
Alan Edward Closter was born in Creighton, NE, on June 15, 1943. He pitched for Valentine in 1963 and 1964 while attending Iowa State. The Yankees signed him in 1965 and, later in Nov., he was drafted by the Indians in the "first year".player draft.
Closter played in the in the Appalachian and Carolina Leagues in 1965 before getting a one game shot on April 19, 1966, with the Senators [the Indians sold him to Washington on April 5]. He faced 3 batters, gave up one hit and 2 walks and got one out. On May 3, he was sold to the Yankees and he spent the rest of the year back in the Carolina (2.25).
In the Eastern League in '67, he had an excellent 1.74 ERA and, in 1968, he was at the Flor. State League (0.72) and the International (3.10). In 1969-1970, he stayed in the IL (3.76, 5.12). Finally, the left hander got back to the majors in 1971 splitting the year between the IL (4.98) and the Yankees (14 g, 28 inn., 33 h, 13 w, 22 k, 5.08).
He was back in the IL for nearly the full year in 1972 (2.88), but did appear in 2 Yankees games for 2 innings giving up 2 hits and 4 walks (11.57 ERA). Again, in '74, he was an IL pitcher for close to the complete year (3.67), but was traded in a 5-player deal to Atlanta where he made 4 appearances completing 4 innings allowing 7 hits and 4 walks (14.54 ERA). That ended his MLB experiences at 21 games and 35 innings. Al had given up 43 hits and 23 walks while striking out 26 for a 6.62 ERA, .303 OAV and .407 OOB.
Closter competed his pro career with two years (1974-1975) in the International (3.85, 3.14). In the mid-1980s, Al
worked in the stemory department of Philip Morris in Richmond, VA, where he still lives.
Pete Craig
Peter Joel Craig was born on July 10, 1940, in LaSalle, Ontario, Canada. He pitched for the Winner Pheasants in 1962 while attending the University of Detroit Mercy. In 1963 he signed with the Tigers and played that year with the Duluth-Superior Dukes (2.51 ERA, 7-5).
In April 1964, Washington claimed him on "first year player" waivers. He had three short trials with the Senators in 1964, 1965 and 1966. In September 1964, he appeared in 2 games with one start for 1 2/3 innings allowing 8 hits and 4 walks for a 48.60 ERA. In 1965, he started 3 games with 14 total innings giving up 18 hits and 8 walks with a 8.16 ERA. Finally, in 1966, he relieved in one game for 2 innings allowing 2 hits and 1 walk and a 4.50 ERA.
With only those 3 short stays, his career ERA was 11.50 in 18 innings (28 h, 13 w, 3 so) for a OAV of .368. Pete's minor league career was also short as he played from 1963 through 1967 for 6 teams having three 14 game winning seasons (2 in AAA). With 3 minor league teams, from 1963-1967, his ERA was near or under 3.00.
He became the manager of the Raleigh, NC, operation of Southern Office Furniture Distributors, Corp. Pete still lives in Raleigh.
Mike Cubbage
Michael Lee ("Cubbie") Cubbage was born on July 21, 1950, in Charlottesville, VA. He played for the 1970 Pierre
Cowboys and attended Virginia U. The Senators signed him in 1971.
During the 1971-1973 seasons, Mike moved up from the NY-PA (.345) to the Carolina to the Eastern (.312) and to AAA
PCL in 1974 (.316). However, in April 1974, he had a short 9-game stretch with the Rangers going 0-for-15 as a third and
second baseman.
Cubbage balanced the '75 season between the PCL (.313) and Texas (.224 in 143 at bats and 58 g). Starting the 1976 campaign with the Rangers (14g, .219), he was traded on June 1 in the Bert Blyleven/Roy Smalley deal to Minnesota. With the Twins, he became their starting second baseman and hit .260 in 104 games.
Mike stayed with the Twins for the next four years (1977-1980) getting into 129, 125, 94 and 103 games as a nearly full time third baseman the first two years and then a utility man the last two. His averages were .264, .282, .276 and .246 during those seasons. On Dec. 19, 1980, he signed as a free agent with the New York Mets.
For the Mets in '81, the left handed batter, played 67 games as mainly a pinch hitter with only 12 appearances in the field at third. He batted .213 and ended his MLB career. In 703 big league games, Cubbage batted .258 with 1,951 at bats with a .333 OBP and .369 slugging %. He played at third, first and second for a .952 fielding %.
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From the book "The Ballplayers":
"...the bespectacled red-head...In 115 games at third base in 1978, ...set a Twins fielding record (.971)...Plagued by back miseries, Cubbage finished with the Mets as the NL's most active and successful pinch hitter in 1981 (12 for 44)..." - Merritt Clifton
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Cubbage ended his pro playing career in the International League in 1982 (..268). Thereafter, he was a Mets' minor league
manager and long-time MLB coach (Mets: '90-'96; Astros: '97-'01; Red Sox: '02-'03). He managed the Mets for 9 games in
1991 (3-4) and was interim manager for six days in March 2002 for the Red Sox. Mike is a diabetic and had a
hyperglycemic event [a seizure] in April 2003 during a game while he was coaching at third and recovered fully. He lives in
Kenswick, VA.
Bobby Cuellar
Robert Cuellar was born on Aug. 20, 1952, in Alice, TX. He pitched for Chamberlain in 1971 and attended Texas U. The Rangers signed him in 1974.
He traveled up the Rangers' latter from 1974-1977 pitching in the Gulf Coast, Western Carolinas, Carolina (2.57), Texas (2.65) and the PCL before being called up in September '77. Cuellar relieved in 4 games completing 7 innings allowing 4 hits and 2 walks while striking out 3. His ERA was 1.35 and he had a .182 OAV and .250 OOB. It was the only major league trial he ever received.
From 1978-1980, he performed in the PCL with decent ERAs from 3.30 to 4.38 and was in the International League in 1981. The 1982 season found him in the Mexican League (2.45) and he moved back to the States in '83 at the California League. He finished his playing career in the PCL during the 1984-1985 seasons while he was breaking into minor league coaching.
For many years, Cuellar has been a minor league pitching coach including those at the the AAA level, such as Rochester
(IL). He lives in his hometown of Alice.
Bill Davis
Arthur Willard "Jolly Green Giant" Davis was born in Graceville, MN, on June 6, 1942. He played in the Basin League from 1961 to 1963 for Watertown and Pierre while attending (and graduating from) the University of Minnesota. He helped the Gophers win the Big Ten Title and NCAA World Series in '64 and captained their basketball team. The Indians signed him in 1964.
Davis played with in 1964 at the Eastern League (.292, 9 HR, 42 RBI) and he moved up to the PCL in 1965 where he had a terrific year (.311, 33, 106). At that point, he had to have been labeled a "can't miss". He got a promotion to Cleveland in September 1965 and was in 10 games as a pinch hitter going 3-for-10 with a double.
The 6'7" first baseman, spent nearly the whole season of 1966 back in the PCL having another good year (.274, 17, 48) and again had some games at the major league level. Davis played 23 games for the Indians with 9 in the field at first hitting .158 in 38 at bats. The left handed batter did not play in 1967 because he severed an Achilles tendon playing basketball during the off season and his career went downhill from there. His '68 season was completely spent at the PCL where his numbers were reduced to ..265, 12, 66. On Oct. 21, he was traded to San Diego for Zoilo Versalles.
In 1969, he made his final MLB appearances for the Padres in 31 games with 57 at bats hitting .175. In his 64-game big league experience, he batted .181 with a .283 OBP and .238 slugging %. He played 23 games at first with a .988 fielding %. The rest of the year, he played in the American Association for two teams [he was traded to the Cardinals organization on May 22 with Jerry DaVanon for John Sipin and Sonny Ruberto] (.290, 13, 55). The year also ended his pro career.
Davis was working in the insurance business in the mid-1980s while living in Minneapolis. He still resides there.
John DeMerit
John Stephen "Thumper" DeMerit was born on Jan. 8, 1936, in West Bend, WI. He played for the 1956 Pierre Cowboys and attended the University of Wisconsin playing on their baseball and basketball teams. The Braves signed him in 1957 for about $100,000.
His first pro experience came for the Milwaukee Braves in 1957. As a "bonus baby", he was in 33 games and 34 at bats batting .147 with one RBI. He played in the field as an outfielder 13 times. He finally got some good game experience in the Southern League during the 1958 season (.257, 13 HR, 70 RBI) and had 3 games and 3 at bats with the Braves (2-for-3).
In 1959, he had three stops in the South Atlantic (.251, 14, 58), Southern Association and for the Braves. DeMerit had only 5 at bats in 11 games with Milwaukee hitting .200. For some reason, he had limited playing time in 1960 appearing in only a few American Association games (.200).
John was apparently with the Braves the whole 1961 campaign, but only played in 32 games with 74 at bats. His average was .162 with a .225 OBP and .284 slugging %. He struck out 19 times and was in the outfield 21 times. His pro career ended with the New York Mets in 1962 where he had 16 more at bats in 14 games (.188)
In his 5-year, 132-at bats MLB trials, he batted .174 with a .227 OBP and .265 slugging %. He hit 3 home runs and had 7 RBI. His fielding average was perfect with 49 games in the field at outfielder.
DeMerit was a recreation director, in the early-1980s, at Port Washington, WI, where he still lives. .
Bill Dillman
William Howard Dillman was born in Trenton, NJ, on May 25, 1945. He pitched in 1965 for Pierre while attending Wake Forest. The Orioles signed him in 1965.
It only took two minor league seasons (1965-1966) in the Eastern (2.22, 5-3), Carolina (3.18) and Eastern League again (2.54, 9-5) for Dillman to reach the majors with Baltimore in 1967. Staying the whole year, he appeared in 32 games (15 starts) for 124 inning allowing 115 hits and 33 walks while striking out 69 for a 4.35 ERA, .249 OAV and .303 OOB. In his debut, he pitched 5 hitless innings in relief. Then he won his first 4 decisions. It seemed like a good start to a good career, but he didn't return in 1970.
The colorblind right hander was in the International League in 1968-1969 (3.87, 11-11 and 4.95, 5-6). On Dec. 5, 1969, he was sold to St. Louis He had three stops in 1970 in the American Association (4.50), International (4.36) and with the Montreal Expos. In his final MLB appearances, he was in 18 games for 31 innings giving up 28 hits and 18 walks for a 5.28 ERA.
Dillman played only those two years in the bigs making 50 appearances (15 starts) for a 7-12 record in 155 innings allowing 143 hits and 51 walks while striking out 86 for a 4.54 ERA, .250 OAV and .316 OOB.
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From the book "The Ballplayers":
"...hitters caught up with his strictly fastball-curveball repertoire." - Merritt Clifton
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He played out the string in the IL during the 1971-1972 seasons (5.51 and 4.20). In the mid-1980s, Dillman was an
administrative assistant to the president of a real estate investment company while living in Richboro, PA. He now lives in
Winter Park, FL.
Chuck Dobson
Charles Thomas Dobson was born in Kansas City, MO, on Jan. 10, 1944. He pitched in 1964 for the Valentine Hearts and at Kansas U. The A's signed him in 1965.
In 1965, Dobson pitched at the Northwest (2.90) and Southern Leagues (4.36). The A's kept him on the major league roster all of 1966 although most of it was spent on the DL with a sore arm. He did make 14 starts completing 84 innings allowing 71 hits and 50 walks while striking out 61. His ERA was 4.09 in spite of his heavy walk total.
Dobson came back from his injury in '67 and finished 198 innings in 32 games (29 starts) giving up 172 hits and 75 walks with a great 110 strike outs. He had a 3.69 ERA and 10-10 record. When the team moved to Oakland in 1968, he went along and stayed with the A's for the next 4 years (1968-1971). During those years, he appeared in 35, 35, 41 and 30 games as a starter with 226, 235, 267 and 189 innings for 12-14, 15-13, 16-15 and 15-5 records with 3.00, 3.86, 3.74 and 3.81 ERAs [he led AL pitchers in 1971 with 40 starts and 5 shutouts]. However, the heavy workload caught up with him in 1971 as he missed part of the season due to an elbow injury. Shortly thereafter, he had elbow surgery which derailed his carrer.
The injury also forced his 1972 season (what there was of it) to be spent in the Southern League (4.74, 0-3). In 1973, he pitched in the PCL with limited success (5.23, 9-13) and got into one A's game lasting 2 innings, but he allowed 6 hits and 2 walks (7.71 ERA). Dobson tried again with the Angels in 1974 for 5 starts and completed 30 innings with a 5.70 ERA, but spent the rest of the year in the PCL (3.67, 7-3) and Mexican (1.99, 10-2) Leagues.
His last MLB opportunies came in 1975 for the Angels in 9 games and 28 innings as the right hander had a 6.75 ERA. The rest of that season was at the AAA level PCL (4.16, 9-7). Dobson pitched in 202 major league games and completed 1,258 innings giving up 1,174 hits and 476 walks while striking out 758. His career ERA was 3.78 with a .247 OAV, .318 OOB and 74-69 record.
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From the book "The Ballplayers":
"Kansas City scout Whitey Herzog had only to look in the A's backyard to find Dobson, a 6'4" fireballer. Dobson threw a Northwest League no-hitter his first pro season, but was disabled much of his rookie 1966 season with a rotator cuff strain...He was on his way to 20 wins in 1971 with a 15-5 record in August, but recurring shoulder problems cut short his season, and eventually ended his career" [other sources say he had elbow problems] - Merritt Clifton
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He ended his pro years in 1976 at the PCL (3-3, 5.46). Dobson became an Angels' minor league pitching coach, pitched on
the U.S. Olympic team in 1986 and in the Senior Baseball Association in 1989. He has also been a player and coach in
many places around the world. Chuck still lives in his home town of Kansas City.
Duffy Dyer
Don Robert "Duffy" Dyer was born in Dayton, OH, on Aug. 15, 1945. He played for the Valentine Hearts in 1965 and attended Arizona State. The Mets signed him in 1965.
Four stops in 1966-1968 at the Western Carolinas, Eastern and International Leagues was all it took for Dyer to reach the majors in September '68 with the Mets. The catcher played in one game and was 1-for-3 at the plate. In New York's world championship year of 1969, Dyer was at the AAA International League most of the season (.313, 5 HR, 26 RBI). With the Mets, he was in 29 games and had 74 at bats for a .257 average. Duffy caught in 19 games.
From 1970-1974, he was the Mets back-up catcher in 59, 59, 94, 70 and 63 games with averages of .209, .231, .231, .185 and .211. On Oct. 22, 1974, he was traded to Pittsburgh for Gene Clines.
He continued in his back-up role with the Pirates from 1975-78 playing in 48, 69, 94 and 58 games hitting .227, .223, .241 and .211. On Nov. 28, 1978, he signed as a free agent with Montreal.
Playing in 28 Expos' games in 1979, he batted .243. On March 15, 1980, he was sent to Detroit for Jerry Manuel. Ending his MLB career in 1980-81 with the Tigers, he played in 48 and 2 games batting .185. Dyer played in 14 MLB seasons and 722 games with 1,993 at bats. His composite average was .221 with a .307 OBP and .315 slugging %. He caught 634 games with a .992 fielding average.
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From the book "The Ballplayers":
"Dyer caught for the Arizona State 1965 and 1966 College World Series champs as a teammate of Reggie Jackson, Sal Bando and Joe Keough. A poor hitter, he was backup for Jerry Grote on the 1969...and 1973...champion Mets, and for Manny Sanguillen on the division-winning 1975 Pirates..." - Merritt Clifton
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Duffy became a minor league manager for at least 11 seasons starting in 1985 in the Twins ('85) , Brewers ('86-'88) and
Orioles ('99-'00) organizations. He also managed in the Atlantic League in 2001-2002 and had a 560-514 minor league
win/loss record through the 2004 season. He was MLB coach for the Cubs ('83), Brewers ('89-'95), A's ('96-'98) and a
Mets' scout in 2003-04. In Jan. 2008 he was named a Padres roving minor league instructor. During the off-seasons he was
in real estate in Phoenix where he still lives.
Edward Michael Eden was born on May 22, 1949, at Fort Clayton in the Panama Canal Zone. He played for Winner in 1969 and attended Southern Illinois U. The Giants signed him in 1972.
From 1972-1976, Eden played in the Midwest, California (.301), Texas (.296) , PCL (.313, .320) and IL (.304) Leagues. On June 13, 1976, he was traded from the Giants to the Braves in the Darrell Evans deal. In August 1972, he was promoted to the Atlanta roster going 0-fo-8 in 5 games with 2 games at second base.
The switch-hitter played his 1977 season in the IL and again hit over .300 (.314). In 1978 he moved to the Cubs' organization and played most of the year in the American Association (.274) and had his last taste of the majors with the Cubs in 10 games/17 at bats and got his only 2 big league hits. In his 15 MLB games, he batted .080 with 25 at bats and had a .207 OBP with no extra base hits. Eden played errorless ball with 6 games at second and 5 at short.
He finished his pro career in the IL in 1979-1980 (.270, .257). He now lives in Tampa, FL.
Johnny Edwards
John Alban Edwards was born in Columbus, OH, on June 10, 1938. He caught for Pierre in the late 1950s while going to Ohio U. The Reds signed him in 1959.
Edwards made only three stops in the minor leagues from 1959-1961 at the California (.320), Southern (.293) and American Association (.264) before he settled in to a 14-year MLB career. In June 1961, Cincinnati brought him to the majors and he played 52 at catcher with 145 at bats for a .186 average. For the next 6 years (1962-1967) , he was generally the Reds starting catcher in 133, 148, 126, 114, 98 and 80 games hitting .254, .259, .281, .267, .191 and .206. He hit 17 homers in '65 and was chosen for the 1963, 1964 and 1965 All Star games. He led NL catchers in fielding % in 1963. On Feb. 8, 1968, he was traded to St. Louis for Pat Corrales and Jimy Williams.
In his only year with the Cardinals, he played 85 games and had 230 at bats for a .239 average. He played in the field in 54 games. On Oct. 11, 1968, the left handed batter was sent to Houston with Tommy Smith for Dave Giusti and Dave Adlesh. Edwards became a starter again for the Astros although, over the next few seasons, his playing time decreased. From 1969-1974, he appeared in 151, 140, 106, 108, 79 and 50 games with .232, .221, .233, .268, .244 and .222 batting averages. He had the best fielding % for NL catchers in 1969, 1970 and 1971.
Johnny played in 1,470 games in his 14 years and had 4,577 at bats compiling a .242 average, .314 OBP and .353 slugging %. He played 1,392 games at catcher with a .992 fielding %.
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From the book "The Ballplayers":
"Edwards was a durable, strong-armed, take-charge catcher whose intelligence matched his fine physical ability. A 6'4" 220-lb graduate of Ohio State, he set a MLB season record for catcher's total chances (helped by a pitching staff of strikeout artists) with 1,221 in 1969, his first year with Houston. When he retired five years later he held the NL career record for total chances by a catcher (9,745), since broken by Johnny Bench. Edwards won two Gold Gloves . As a rookie playing in the 1961 New York-Cincinnati World Series, he hit .364. He batted a career-high .281 for the 1964 Reds and had his best HR season in 1965 with 17" - Tom Jozwik
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By the mid-1980s, Edwards had become the assistant manager of quality control for Cameron Iron while living in Houston.
He now lives in Magnolia, TX.
Sammy Ellis
Samuel Joseph Ellis was born on Feb. 11, 1941, in Youngstown, OH. He pitched for Pierre about 1960 and attended Mississippi State. The Reds signed him in 1961.
Ellis had a very good start in the pros with a 1.89 ERA and 10-3 record in the South Atlantic League in 1961. That year he also appeared in some games in the International League (13.50). In 1962, he started with the Reds in 8 games and 4 starts for 28 innings, but walked 27 for a 6.75 ERA.. He then went down to the PCL (3.53, 12-6) [pitched a no-hitter] and also played there in 1963 (2.62, 12-10).
From 1964-1967, he became full-time Reds pitcher moving into the starting rotation in 1965. During those years, he appeared in 52, 44, 41 and 32 games, completing 122, 264, 221 and 176 innings for ERAs of 2.57, 3.79, 5.29 and 3.84 with 10-3, 22-10, 12-19 and 8-11 records. He was chosen for the 1965 All Star game. Of his 22-win1965 season, he once said, "The Reds scored a lot of runs for me. I thought the year before was a better year as far as being an asset to the team." Arm trouble plagued him more and more as the years went on. On Nov. 29, 1967, he was traded to California For Bob Kelso and Jorge Rubio.
With the Angels in 1968, he started 24 games and relieved in 18 more for 164 innings, a 3.95 ERA and 9-10 record. On Jan. 20, 1969, he was sent to the White Sox for Bill Voss and Andy Rubicotta. With the Sox in 1969, he made 10 appearances (5 starts) and finished 29 innings compiling a 5.83 ERA and 0-3 record. On June 13, Ellis was dwelt to Cleveland for Jack Hamilton. He did not play for the Indians, but instead spent the remainder of the year at their PCL farm team (4.41, 4-8). That ended his MLB career at 229 games and 1,004 innings. He gave up 967 hits and 378 walks while striking out 677 and compiled a career 4.15 ERA, .253 OAV, .323 OOB and 63-58 record in 140 starts.
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From the book "The Ballplayers":
"...his blazing fastball and dancing knuckleball were weakened by arm problems." - Rich Marazzi
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He played two more years in the minors (1970-1971) at the American Association (6.55) and the Southern League (3.72).
When his playing career ended, he became a minor league pitching instructor in the minors for the Yankees. Later he was a
major league pitching coach for the Yankees ('82-'84, '86), White Sox ('89-'91), Cubs ('92), Mariners ('93-94), Red Sox
('96) and Orioles ('00). He is also an excellent golfer having twice won the Baseball Players Association Tournament. Ellis
now lives in Dade City, FL.
Cal Emery
Calvin Wayne Emery was born on June 28, 1937, in Centre Hall, PA. He played for Watertown in 1957 and for Penn St [was named MVP of the College World Series in 1957 and also had a 10-1 record for them]. The Phillies signed him in 1958.
Emery had seven minor league stops from 1958-1963 to have his one major league chance. The tour included the California (.298, 17, 82), III (.323, 27, 129), Southern Atlantic (.388, 6, 34, American Association (.272, 5, 16), Southern Association (.292, 26, 94) and International (.292, 14,62 and .310, 19, 63). In July 1963, he was promoted to the Phillies for 16 games with 19 at bats. The left hander had 3 hits for a .158 average and did not walk. His slugging % was .211 and he played first in 2 games.
From 1964-1972, he played out the string for ten teams - nine in AAA. He had 30 homers in 1964 and 25 in 1965 [both in the PCL] and averages from .232 to .400.
Emery became a minor league hitting instructor for the Cubs and a major league coach for the White Sox in 1988. He now
lives in Broken Arrow, OK.
Sam Ewing
Samuel James Ewing was born in Lewisburg, TN. He played for the 1969 Rapid City Chiefs while attending Tenn. Emery was drafted 1967 through 1970, but did not sign. The White Sox signed him in 1971.
Ewing played in the Midwest (.363), PCL, Southern (.299) and American Association (.292) before his first MLB trial in September 1973 for the White Sox. The left hander got into 11 games and went 3-for-20 with his bat. He played first base in 4 games.
His 1974 and 1975 seasons were spent completely in the A.A. (.287, .318) and he played there most of 1976 (.351). Back with the Sox for 19 games in '76, he batted .220 with 41 at bats as a DH. Prior to the 1977 season, he was chosen in the expansion draft by the Toronto Blue Jays.
Sam stayed the whole year with the Jays in 1977 playing in the outfield and being their DH for 97 games and 244 plate appearances. His average was a healthy .287 with a .338 OBP and .385 slugging %. His '78 campaign was split between the IL (.233) and Toronto (40g, 56 ab, .179). That ended his big league career at 157 games and 361 at bats. Ewing's career average was .255 with a .308 OBP and .352 slugging. In the field, he played 49 games in the outfield and 7 at first with 48 experiences as a DH.
He did not play in 1979 and ended his pro career in the American Association (.337). He now lives in Franklyn, TN.
Jim Fairey
James Burke Fairey was born on Sept. 22, 1944, in Orangeburg, SC. He played for Rapid City in the mid-60s and was an All American at Erskine College. The Dodgers signed him in 1965.
In 1965-67, Fairey hit well enough in the California (.323), Texas (.301) and PCL (.303) to spend the complete 1968 season with the Dodgers. In 99 games and 156 at bats, he batted .199 with a .242 OBP. He was used in the outfield in 63 games.
While with Spokane (PCL) in 1967, he was involved in a crazy interference call during a game against Hawaii. The story: After stealing third, Fairey was knocked unconscious by the throw from the Hawaii catcher. The ball rolled into left field after hitting Jim on the head. He then rolled past the bag in an unconscious state after being struck. Third base coach Gordy Coleman lifted him back onto the base. At this point, the umpire called "interference" on Coleman invoking rule number 7.09 (i) and Fairey was called out not even realizing what had happened.
He moved to the Montreal organization in 1969 splitting the year between the PCL (.287) and the Expos where he performed in 20 games and had 49 at bats for a .286 average and was used mainly as a pinch hitter. Staying on the Expos roster for the complete 1970-1972 years, The left hander played in 92, 92 and 86 games with 211, 200 and 141 at bats as an outfield reserve and pinch hitter.
In 1973, he again became property of the Dodgers, but spent most of the year at their PCL farm club (.324). He then had his last taste of the majors appearing in 10 games as a pinch hitter going 2-for-9. In his 399-game MLB career, he batted .235 with 766 at bats. Jim had a .281 OBP and .317 slugging %. He played 230 games in the outfield with a .957 fielding %.
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From the book "The Ballplayers":
"Despite his excellent arm, Fairey became typecast as a lefthanded pinch hitter after smacking a pinch homer for L.A. in
1968 [off Elroy Race for his first MLB homer]. Taken by the Expos in the expansion draft, Fairey hit .254 lifetime in the
pinch and led the NL with 55 pinch-hitting appearances in 1972 - Merritt Clifton
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Fairey played the '74 through '77 years in the PCL compiling averages of .302, .293, .299 and .319 closing out his pro years.
He became a Giants scout while living in Clemson, SC, where he still lives.
Bill Faul
William Alvan Faul was born in Cincinnati on Apr. 21, 1940. He pitched for Winner in the mid-60s and graduated from Cincinnati U. where he was also a sprinter in track. During his college career, he struck out 19 and 24 in separate games. The Tigers signed him in 1962.
After a good performance in 1962 in the South Atlantic League (2.10, 6-2), the Tigers brought him up to the big club in September. He pitched one game in relief and lasted 1 2/3 innings before giving up 4 hits and 3 walks for a 32.40 ERA. In 1963, Faul stayed with the Tigers the complete season appearing in 28 games with 10 starts for 97 innings with a decent 4.64 ERA and 5-6 record.
His '64 year was nearly all played at the AAA level in the International League (4.05, 11-1). The right handed fastballer made one start for the Tigers going 5 innings for a 10.80 ERA. On Mar. 27, 1965, he was sold to the Cubs where he was in 17 games (16 starts) for 97 innings and had a 3.54 ERA and 6-6 record [the Cubs turned three triple plays behind him, during the season, to set a modern record]. That year he also pitched in the PCL (2.83, 4-7).
The 1966 year was the same story as he performed again in the PCL (4.75, 5-5) and with the Cubs (17 g, 51 inn, 5.08, 1-4).
Faul then played on six minor league teams from 1967-1970 in the PCL (2.52, 4.28, 2.15), Eastern (2.32) and American
Association (3.76) before he had his last taste of the majors with the Giants in 7 games and 10 innings for a 7.45 ERA. His
MLB career was closed at 71 games and 261 innings as he allowed 247 hits and 95 walks while striking out 164. His
composite ERA was 4.72, with a 12-16 record, .249 OAV and .322 OOB.
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From the book "The Ballplayers":
"The stocky righthander had an auspicious debut with two three-hit victories in his first three starts for the Tigers in 1963. Among his six triumphs for the 1965 Cubs, Faul tossed three shutouts." - Clarke Carmody
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Faul continued to play in the minors in 1971 at the PCL (4.79) and in 1973 in the Mexican (6.30) and Texas (6.00) Leagues.
He was known as a "flake"as he professed great knowledge of self-hypnosis, divinity and karate. In the mid-1980s, he was
managing a rock band (his daughter's) while living in Pleasant Plain, OH. He died on Feb. 21, 2002, in Cincinnati.
Eddie Fisher
Eddie Gene Fisher was born in Shreveport, LA, on July 16, 1936. He pitched for the 1956 and 1957 Mitchell Kernels while attending Oklahoma. The Giants signed him in 1958.
It did not take Fisher long to reach the majors as he only pitched in 1958 in the Texas League (3.53) and in the PCL (2.97) in '59 before starting his long MLB odyssey, in June '59, by appearing in 17 games (5 starts) for the Giants lasting 40 innings for a 7.87 ERA. Probably not yet ready for prime time, he played nearly all of the 1960 year at the PCL (3.31, 17-12). Fisher also got into 3 San Francisco games finishing 13 innings with a 3.55 ERA. The 1961 season was much the same with a time in the PCL (3.09, 9-5) and with the Giants (15 g, 34 inn, 5.35). On Nov. 30, he was traded with Dom Zanni, Verle Tiefenthaler and Bob Farley to the White Sox for Billy Pierce and Don Larsen.
That deal began four years with the White Sox (1962-65) when he appeared in 57, 33, 59 and 82 [led league) games for 183, 121, 125 and 165 innings with ERAs of 3.10, 3.95, 3.02 and 2.40. His records were 9-5, 9-8, 6-3 and 15-7 and he played in the 1965 All Star game. After 23 games with the Sox in 1966 (2.29), he was traded on June 12 to Baltimore for Jerry Adair and Johnnie Riddle. In 44 more games for the Orioles, that year, the reliever completed 72 innings for a 2.64 ERA.
Fisher stayed with Baltimore only through 1967 when he was called to pitch in 46 games for 90 innings compiling a 3.61 ERA. On Nov. 28, he was sent to Cleveland with Bob Scott and Johnny Scruggs for John O'Donoghue and Gordie Lund. For the Indians in 1968, he was in 54 games and 95 innings with a 2.65 ERA. On Oct. 8, he was dealt to the Angels for Jack Hamilton.
With California in 1969-1971, Eddie made it into 52, 67 and 57 ball games completing 97, 131 and 119 innings for 3.63, 3.04 and 2.72 ERAs. On Aug. 17, 1972, after he had pitched in 43 Angels' games (81 inn., 3.76 ERA), he was traded back to the White Sox for Bruce Miller and Bruce Kimm. As a Sox pitcher that year, he was in 6 games (4 starts) for 22 innings compiling a 4.43 ERA.
Fisher started his last MLB year with the Sox (26 g, 16 starts, 111 inn., 6-7, 4.88 ERA), but, on Aug. 29, he was sold to the Cardinals. Finishing up his big league career in St. Louis, he was in 6 games and 7 innings for an excellent 1.29 ERA. Over 15 years, 690 games and 1,538 innings, Eddie gave up 1,398 hits and 438 walks while striking out 812 for a 3.41 ERA, 85-70 record, .243 OAV and .299 OOB. He saved 81 games.
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From the book "The Ballplayers":
"The 6'2" 200-lb U. of Oklahoma graduate learned the knuckleball from Hoyt Wilhelm and in 1965 the two teamed in the Chicago bullpen that set a record with 53 saves.. That year Fisher led AL pitchers with...15 relief wins and saved 24, all career highs. He also pitched two shutout innings in the All-Star game. Fisher again led the AL with 67 appearances in 1966, but he split the season between Chicago and Baltimore...Fisher was known for his great Donald Duck impersonation." - Tom Jozwik
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In the early 1980s, Fisher was a bank manager in Altus, OK, where he still lives.
Fritz Fisher
Frederick Brown Fisher was born on Nov. 28, 1941, in Adrian, MI. He pitched the 1961 and 1962 seasons with Huron while attending Michigan [helped them win the NCAA championship in '62]. The Tigers signed him in 1963.
A good performance in the South Atlantic League (2.97, 10-6) in 1963, earned Fisher a promotion to the Southern (2.82) and International (6.84) Leagues in 1964. That year, he also made a relief appearance in his one-and-only major league game [for Detroit] on April 19 when he got one out [a strike out], but allowed 2 hits and 2 walks and a 108.0 ERA.
From 1965-1967, he played out the string in the Southern (2.37, 14-6) and International (5.57 and 2.74) Leagues. Fritz
(or "Fred") became a banker in Perrysburg, OH, by the mid-1980s. He now lives in Toledo, OH.
Shaun Fitzmaurice
Shaun Earle Fitzmaurice was born in Worcester, MA, on Aug. 25, 1942. He played for Huron in 1963-64 and for Notre Dame. The Mets signed him in 1965.
Stops in the Eastern (.262 and .307) and International (.219) Leagues during the seasons of 1965-66 preceded his only major league trial. In September 1966, Fitzmaurice played in 9 games and had 13 at bats with 2 hits (.154) for the Mets. He walked twice for a .257 OBP, had no extra base hits and struck out 6 times. In the outfield for 5 games, he did not commit an error.
The right hander performed in the Eastern (.200) and International (.235 and .173) Leagues in 1967-68. Then Shaun became a career IL player for the next 5 seasons (1969-73) for 2 teams with averages of .300, .263, .309, .199 and .248.
In the mid-1980s, he was owner and administrator of the Elwood Early Learning Center in Richmond, VA. He now lives in
Midlothian, VA
Bobby Floyd
Robert Nathan Floyd was born on Oct. 20, 1943, in Hawthorne, CA. He played for Winner in 1962-63 while attending UCLA. The Orioles signed him in 1964.
From 1964-1968, Floyd toiled in the Calf., Eastern, Northwest and International Leagues before being called to Baltimore in September 1968. [He claimed positive thinking was a big factor] As a shortstop, he played in 5 games going 1-for-9 at the plate. In the Orioles World Series year of '69, he was on the big league roster the whole year as a utility infielder batting .202 in 39 games and 84 at bats.
In 1970, he played at the AAA Baltimore affiliate in the IL (.290) and the Orioles (0-for-2 in 3 games) before being traded on June 15 to the K.C. A's for Moe Drabowsky. With the A's, he was in 14 games and had 43 at bats for a .326 mark. He also played at their IL farm team that year (.266).
In 1971-72, he split his years in AAA and with the A's. For K.C. he played in 31 and 61 games hitting .152 and .179 as their utility infielder. He stayed with the A's club the whole '73 season doing very well with his chances hitting .333 in 76 at bats for 51 games.
The 1974 season was his last in the majors as he again split it between the A's and the IL. In AAA, he batted .272, but only hit .111 for K.C. in 10 games and 9 at bats. His MLB career was 214 games with 425 at bats as he compiled a .219 average, .267 OBP and .286 slugging %. Floyd had a .940 fielding % with 98 games at short, 56 at second and 48 at third.
Bobby completed his pro years in 1975 in the American Association (.234) and, while coaching in the minors, tried pitching
in 1981 in the Eastern League. He became a minor league coach who once managed at the AAA level. Floyd now lives in
Saint Lucie, FL.
Jim French
Richard James French was born in Warren, OH, on Aug. 13, 1941. He caught at Sturgis and played/graduated at Ohio U. The Senators signed him in 1963.
French started in the Midwest (.286), Carolina (.270), Eastern and Pacific Coast Leagues in 1963-65 before he made the majors. In Sept. 1965, he was in 13 Senators' games for a .297 average with 37 at bats and 13 catching assignments.
From 1966-1968, he split his seasons between AAA (.231 and .268, .234, .263) and Washington where he played in 10, 6 and 59 games compiling averages of .208, .063 and .194. In 1969 and 1970, he spent his only complete seasons in the majors as the Senators back-up catcher in 63 and 69 games with .184 and .211 averages. Looking back, French has said the highlight of his career was playing for manager Ted Williams.
The left hand batter's 1971 year was spent in the American Association (.250), IL (.200) and he finished his MLB career with 14 games for Washington (.146). In his 234 game career, he batted .196 in 607 at bats with a .331 OBP and .262 slugging. His fielding average was .982 with 221 games behind the plate.
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From the book "The Ballplayers":
"French was a light-hitting backup catcher whose fine batting eye and ability to throw out baserunners weren't enough to keep him in the lineup. He was hampered by a 1966 leg injury, and was most used in 1969 and 1970, when he had more walks than hits each season. A horse named after French finished second in the 1971 Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes." - Warner Rockford
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French obtained his master's degree in finance from Indiana U. and became an option trader on the Pacific Stock Exchange
in San Francisco. He now lives in Chicago.
Gary Gentry
Gary Edward Gentry was born in Phoenix on Oct. 6, 1946. He pitched at Winner in the mid-1960s and at Arizona State [he was named the NCAA "Player of the Year" in 1967 after helping State win the National Championship] . Gentry was drafted in 1965 and 1966, but did not sign. The Mets signed him in 1967.
He played in the Eastern (1.59) and International (2.91) Leagues in 1967-1968. In 1969, the right hander made the Mets out of spring training and pitched for them through the 1972 season. [In game 3 of the '69 World Series, he pitched shutout ball into the 7th] A starter, he appeared in 35, 32, 32 and 32 games for 234, 188, 203 and 164 innings for 13-12, 9-9, 12-11 and 7-10 records and ERAs of 3.43, 3.68, 3.23 and 4.01. On Nov. 2, 1972, he was traded to the Braves with Dan Frisella for Felix Millan and George Stone.
Throughout 1973 and 1974, Gentry attempted to pitch with an elbow injury. In those years, he was in 16 and 3 games with 3.43 and 1.35 ERAs. The pain ended in 1975 as he pitched only 7 times for Atlanta (4.95) and appeared in some games in the Texas League. In an injury-shortened 157-game MLB career, he finished 903 innings (770 h, 369 w, 615 k) for a 3.56 ERA, .231 OAV, .312 OOB and 46-49 record.
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From the book "The Ballplayers":
"As a hard-throwing rookie, Gentry was an effective starter...With defensive help form Tommie Agee in centerfield, Gentry and Nolan Ryan combined to shut out Baltimore in Game Three of the '69 WS. His Nov. 1972 trade to Atlanta was followed by a ruinous elbow injury." - Christopher Renino
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In the mid-1980s, Gentry was in the real estate business in Phoenix where he still lives.
Rusty Gerhardt
Allen Russell "Rusty" Gerhardt was born on Aug. 13, 1950, in Baltimore. He played for Sturgis in the early 1970s while attending Clemson. The Padres signed him in 1972.
In three stops from 1972-1974 in the Northwest, Texas and PCL, he pitched well enough to be called up in July '74 to pitch in 23 games for the Padres. As a left handed reliever in all but one game, he finished 36 innings allowing 44 hits and 17 walks while striking out 22 for a 7.07 ERA, .308 OAV, .389 OOB and 2-1 record. Gerhardt never made it back.
From 1975-1979, he pitched for 8 teams in the PCL and Texas Leagues with unexceptional records. He also appeared in a few games in 1981 in the California League.
Gerhardt now lives in London, TX.
Bob Gibson
Robert Gibson was born in Omaha on Nov. 9, 1935. He pitched for Chamberlain in 1956 and 1957 and graduated from Creighton U. (NE). The Cardinals signed him in 1957.
Not immediately overpowering, Gibson pitched from 1957-1960 in the So. Atlantic (3.77) , American Association (4.29, 3.31 and 3.07) and International (2.45 and 2.85) Leagues. His 1959-1960 seasons were split between AAA and St. Louis. For the Cardinals, he was in 13 and 27 games for 76 and 87 innings compiling ERAs of 3.33 and 5.61.
Gibson then pitched the next 15 years (1961-1975) for St. Louis. His game appearances were: 35, 32, 36, 40, 38, 35, 24, 34, 35, 34, 31, 34, 25, 33 and 22 for 211, 234, 255, 287, 299, 280, 175, 305, 314, 294, 246, 278, 195, 240 and 109 innings. He compiled ERAs of 3.24, 2.85, 3.39, 3.01, 3.07, 2.44, 2.98, 1.12, 2.18, 3.12, 3.04, 2.46, 2.77, 3.83 and 5.04 and had 13-12, 15-13, 18-9, 19-12, 20-12, 21-12, 13-7, 22-9, 20-13, 23-7, 16-13, 19-11, 12-10, 11-13 and 3-10 records.
He was an All Star in 1962, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970 and 1972 and led the league in wins in 1970, winning % in 1970, complete games in 1969, shutouts in 1962, 1966, 1968 and 1971, strikeouts in 1968 and ERA in 1968.
Over his 528-game, 3,884 innings career, he had a 251-174 record, gave up 3,279 hits and 1,336 walks while striking out 3,117 for a 2.91 ERA, .228 OAV and .299 OOB.
--------------------
From the book "The Ballplayers":
"There have been few pitchers more intimidating or more dominating then Bob Gibson. His great physical stamina and tremendous concentrations gave him ans enormous edge enhanced by his willingness to pitch inside and sometime hit batters. His 1968 season is one of the very best ever turned in by a pitcher, and his stellar World Series performances made him the toughest pitcher in the Fall Classic since Whitey Ford and brought him Hall of Fame election in 1981. With a blazing fastball, darting slider, good curve and pinpoint control, from 1963 to 1972 Gibson averaged better than 19 wins per season. He struck out more than 200 batters nine times and led the NL four times in shutouts. In 1971 he no-hit the Pirates.
"Two aspects of Gibson's career demand special mention. In 1968 he pitched 13 shutouts on his way to a 1.12 ERA, the second-lowest since 1893 in 300 innings. During one stretch Gibson allowed only two runs over 92 innings. His strikeouts to innings ratio approached 1.0, while he walked only 62 batters all season. At one point he won fifteen games in succession. The second area...was World Series play. He won seven consecutive games and pitched eight straight complete games in World Series competition. Only...Ford owns more World Series victories than Gibson, who is also second all-time in WS strikeouts...His 35 total strikeouts in the 1968 WS were also a record...
"A sickly child who almost died, Gibson was found to have a heart murmur but went on to excel in basketball and baseball in high school. He accepted a basketball scholarship to Creighton U. and was the first person inducted into the school's Sports Hall of Fame. In 1957, Bob agreed to sign with the Cardinals for $4,000 and reported to the Omaha farm club. After the baseball campaign was complete, he joined the Harlem Globetrotters for a season. His Omaha manager, Johnny Keane, had great confidence in him, but two trials with the Cardinals had produced a 6-11 record and not much of an impression on the St. Louis manager, Solly Hemus. However, when Keane replaced Hemus in 1961, he put Gibson in the starting rotation to stay. Gibson blossomed in 1963, going 18-9 as the Cardinals contended following the acquisition of fine-fielding shortstop Dick Groat.
"Gibson retired as the winningest pitcher in Cardinals history. He became the second pitcher in history to fan 3,000 batters and also hurled 56 shutouts. His incredible career was accomplished despite a fractured leg (1962), a severely strained elbow (1966), a broken leg (1967) and badly torn ligaments and knee surgery (1973). After struggling through the 1975 campaign on bad legs, Gibson decided in early September that it was time to retire when light-hitting Pete LaCock powered a grand slam home run off him.
"Gibson proved quickly and repeatedly there simply wasn't an element of the game he hadn't mastered. From 1965 to 1973 he won nine consecutive Gold Gloves...He often helped his cause with the bats, laying down a successful bunt or hitting up the middle...In 1970 he batted .303 and was occasionally employed as a pinch hitter..." - Frank Olmstead
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Bob has been a major league coach for the Mets ('81), Braves ('82-'84) and Cardinals ('95) and also an occasional radio an
TV commentator. He lives in Bellevue, NE.
Dave Giusti
David John Giusti was born in Seneca Falls, NY, on Nov. 27, 1939. He pitched for Mitchell in about 1960 and graduated from Syracuse U.[Besides helping them finish 3rd in the 1961 College World Series, he also lettered in basketball]. The Colt 45s signed him in 1961.
He appeared in the Southern Association (2.29, 7-7) and American Association (3.00, 2-0) in 1961 and made the Houston roster out of spring training in 1962. For the Colt 45s, he was in 22 games (5 starts) for 74 innings allowing 82 hits and 30 walks for a 5.62 ERA. Also, in '62, he played in the Association (4.31, 2-3).
Giusti spent all of 1963 in the PCL (2.72, 13-11) and most of 1964 (3.87, 10-6). He did appear in relief in 8 games for Houston in '64 completing 26 innings with a 3.16 ERA. That good effort previewed four years as generally a starter for the Colts from 1965-1968. During those years, he was in 38, 34, 37 and 37 games for 131, 210, 222 and 251 innings with ERAs of 4.32, 4.20, 4.18 and 3.19 and records of 8-7, 15-14, 11-15 and 11-14. On Oct. 11, 1968, he was traded with Dave Adlesh to St. Louis for Johnny Edwards and Tommy Smith. Then he was chosen by the San Diego Padres in the expansion draft and they sent him back to the Cards on Dec. 3 for Danny Breeden, Ed Spiezio, Ron Davis and Phil Knuckles.
With the Cards, in 1969, he was only in 22 games (12 starts) with 100 innings for a 3.61 ERA and 3-7 record. On Oct. 21, he was dealt to Pittsburgh with Dave Ricketts for Carl Taylor and FrankVanzin. That began seven years as a reliever with the Pirates. From 1970-1976, he pitched in 66, 58, 54, 67, 64, 61 and 40 games for 103, 86, 75, 99, 106, 92 and 58 innings with 3.06, 2.93, 1.93, 2.37, 3.32, 2.95 and 4.32 ERAs. He was an All-Star in 1973, appeared in the post seasons in 1970, 1971, 1972, 1974 and 1975 and led the NL is saves in 1971 with 30. Dave also had more then 20 saves in 1970, 1972 and 1973.
On March 15, 1977, he was traded to Oakland in the Phil Garner deal. As an A's reliever, he was called into 40 games for 60 innings and had a 2.98 ERA. On August 5, the right hander was sold to the Cubs where he made 20 appearances for 25 innings compiling a 6.04 ERA. Giusti then called it quits to a 15-year MLB career. He had pitched in 668 games and 1,717 innings allowing 1,654 hits and 570 walks while striking out 1,103. His ERA was 3.60 with a .253 OAV, .315 OOB and 100-93 record.
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From the book "The Ballplayers":
"Palmball master Dave Giusti ranks among the best relievers in Pirate history. He began as a starter, leading Houston with 15 wins in 1966 and 186 strikeouts in 1968. After one disappointing season with the Cardinals (1969) he was obtained by Pittsburgh GM Joe L. Brown...Moved to the bullpen, Giusti led the NL with nine relief wins in 1970 and was named NL Fireman of the Year when his 30 saves led the league. He became the first NL pitcher to appear in every game of a four-game LCS (1971) and notched a record three saves. One of the first consistent relief aces, he had four more double-figure save years for Pittsburgh and in 1974 set the since-broken NL lifetime record for saves with 110. He finished...with 145 saves." - Morris Eckhouse
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During his playing years, he was a substitute teacher and received his master's degree in education from Syracuse. In the mid-1980s, Giusti was a sales rep for Millcraft Products (a machine and fabricating company) while living in Pittsburgh where his still resides.
Purnal Goldy
Purnal William Goldy was born in Camden, NY, on Nov. 28, 1937. He played for Watertown in 1957 and graduated from Temple University. The Tigers signed him in 1959.
Goldy played in the Carolina (.292), NY-Penn (.307), South Atlantic (.342 [won batting crown], 20 HR), Southern Assoc.(.351) and the American Association (.305 and .313) from 1959 through 1962. Part of his 1962 season was spent with the Tigers for 20 games and 70 at bats where he batted .229 with 3 home runs [two in one day]. He was in the International League in '63 (.261, 17 HR) and completed his MLB career with 9 games (8 at bats) for Detroit hitting .250 as a pinch hitter. In his 29-game, 78 at bat big league experience, he batted .231 with a .241 OBP and .385 slugging %. He played 15 games in the outfield and had a .964 fielding %.
Purnal completed his pro career with three teams in the PCL and IL in 1964-65. In the mid-1980s, Goldy was an estimator
for a commercial building contractor while living in Denver. He now lives in Littleton, CO.
Dick Green
Richard Larry Green was born in Sioux City, IA, on April 21, 1941. He played for Mitchell in the late 1950s and was signed by the A's in 1960.
In 1960-1963, Green went up the latter in the A's organization from the Flor. State, Northwest (.273, 18 HR), Texas (.285) and PCL. In Sept. '63 he made his debut with K.C. and played in 13 games with 37 at bats for a .270 average. He became an infield starter in 1964 at second and kept that role [except for 1967 when he played more at third] nearly every year through the 1974 season.
Over those years, Green played in 130, 133, 140, 122, 76, 136, 135, 144, 26, 133 and 100 games with averages of .264, .232, .250, .198, .233, .275, .190, .244, .286, .262 and .213. He had a back injury in 1972 [herniated disc surgery] and played in Oakland's post season games from 1971-1974. In his 12-year and 4,007 at bats MLB career, he batted .240 with a .305 OBP and .347 slugging. He had a .983 fielding % [led AL second basemen in 1969] as he played 1,158 games at second and 68 at third.
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From the book "The Ballplayers":
"Green was a superb-fielding, light-hitting second baseman, whose glove-work was a key to Oakland's three straight World Championships (1972-74) and a highlight of the 1974 WS. In the clincher, he was the pivot man in an exciting eighth-inning double play that preserved the A's 3-2 victory over the Dodgers...Usually a second baseman during his 12 years in Kansas City and Oakland, Green played every position and even caught two games. He had some power, reaching double figures in homers four times. His best year offensively was 1969, when he hit .275 with career highs of 64 RBI and 43 extra-base hits." - Tom Jozwik
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He moved to Rapid City, SD, during his playing days and, in the mid-1980s, was involved in a moving van business there.
Green still resides in Rapid City.
Rich Hacker
Richard Warren Hacker was born on October 6, 1947, in Belleville, IL. He played for Rapid City in the mid-1960s while attending Southern Illinois University where he was the team MVP in 1967 and was a member of the NCAA All District 4 Third Team. The Mets signed him in 1967.
He graduated from New Athens (IL) High School in 1965.and played for the Mankato Mets in 1967 (.221, 0 HR, 9 RBI) and led the league in fielding for shortstops. Rich is the nephew of Warren Hacker who was a 12-year MLB veteran from 1948-1961,
On March 31, 1971, Hacker was traded from the Mets to Montreal with Ron Swoboda for Don Hahn. He had a short
16-game MLB career after July that year with the Expos. In 33 at bats, he had 4 hits (..121) with 1 double, 2 RBI and 3
walks (.194 OBP). He played 16 games at shortstop.
In the minor leagues, from 1967-1973 and 1979, he played with 9 teams hitting over .300 in one season.
Hacker was a minor league manager and scout for the Padres in 1979-1980, a Midwest-area scout for the Blue Jays in 1981 and joined the Cardinals organization in November 1981 as special assignment scout and minor league manager. For the 1982-83 and 1985 seasons, Rich was the manager of the Johnson City Cardinals in the rookie Appalachian League. In 1984 he managed the Erie Cardinals to a second place finish in the class A NY-Penn League. From 1986-1990, Hacker was a major league coach with the St. Louis Cardinals and from 1991-1994 with the Toronto Blue Jays.
On July 12, 1993, he was hospitalized in serious but stable condition with injuries sustained in an automobile accident near St. Louis. He was in the intensive care unit at St. Louis University Hospital with a head injury and a fractured right ankle after being admitted at 1:35 A.M. as a conscious patient. Hacker was driving alone and was struck head-on by a car that was drag racing, the police said. He was on his way from St. Louis's Lambert Airport to his home in nearby Belleville, Ill.
Rich fully recovered from his injuries and still lives in Belleville.
Carroll Hardy
Carroll William Hardy was born on May 18, 1933, in Sturgis, SD. A standout athlete during his school days in Sturgis, he also starred in football, baseball and track at the University of Colorado. His track records include a long jump of 24' 2" and a 100-yard dash of ten-flat. In Carroll's last college football game, he ran for 238 yards and three touchdowns during an upset over Kansas State. Hardy also played baseball for the Pierre Cowboys in the Basin League in the mid-1950s. The Indians signed him in 1955.
In 1955, he begin his pro baseball career with the Indians' farm club at Reading in the class "A" Eastern League where he played in the outfield along side of Roger Maris. Carroll hit .265 with 5 HR and 31 RBI. That fall, he played defensive back, running back and punter for the San Francisco 49ers. He averaged 28 yards per reception.
In 1956, the Indians' GM, Hank Greenberg, asked Hardy to choose between baseball and football. Needless to say, he chose baseball. He was moved up in the organization to class AAA and the Indianapolis Indians in the American Association. There he hit .385 with 2 HR and 15 RBI. The next season was spent in the military.
Returning to baseball in 1958, he split the season with San Diego in the Pacific Coast League (.236, 2, 11) and the Cleveland Indians. His debut came on April 15 when walked as a pinch hitter and his stay lasted 27 games (47 at bats, .204 average, 1 HR, 6 RBI, .304 OBA). He played the outfield in 17 games. A highlight, of the season, was when he hit a pinch homer battling for Roger Maris. It was his first MLB home run.
The 1959 season was much the same as he played in the Pacific Coast League for Seattle (.254, 3, 21) and with second place Cleveland where he appeared in 32 games, batting .208 with 2 RBI and an OBA of .250. Fifteen of those games were spent in the outfield.
In 1960 he stayed the whole year in the majors. First for the Indians where he was in 29 games, hit only .111 (1 HR) and played 17 games in the outfield. On June 13, he was traded to the Red Sox with Russ Nixon for Marty Keough and Ted Bowsfield. During the rest of the year with the Sox, he got an opportunity to play more often (73 games) and hit a better .234 with 2 HR and 15 RBI. That year he became the only player to pinch hit for Ted Williams. Of course, the only reason Carroll got the chance was because Williams had to leave the game after he fouled a pitch off his instep (Hardy then lined into a double play).
The 1961 season was Carroll's best in the majors playing in 85 games for the sixth place Red Sox where he hit .263 with 3 HR and 36 RBI. His OBA was .330 and he appeared on the field in 76 games. He was 3 for 14 as a pinch hitter with one of those for Carl Yastrezemski in Yaz' rookie season.
He played more games in 1962 then in any other MLB season as he appeared in 115, but his average dipped to .215 with 8 HR and 54 RBI. He had a decent .321 OBA and was 0 for 7 as a pinch hitter for the eighth place Red Sox.
On December 10, his Sox career ended as he was traded to the expansion Houston Colt 45's for Dick Williams. In 1963, for the ninth place Harry Craft lead National League team, he appeared in only 15 games, hitting .227 with 3 RBI. Most of the year was spent at their Oklahoma City "AAA" farm team where he batted very well with an average of .316 and 16 HR/61 RBI.
In 1964 he again split the year between Oklahoma City (.321, 14, 28) and the Colt 45's where he played in 46 games batting .185 with 2 HR and 12 RBI. The Colts were not going anywhere and neither was Carroll.
The 1965 and 1966 seasons were spent in Denver for the Minnesota Twins organization. The high altitude helped his record in '65 as he hit .300 with 14 HR and 63 RBI. There was no question, he could play well at the AAA level. In 1966, his performance declined to .259, 6, 36.
In 1967, he got his last opportunity as a player in a major league uniform. Most of the year was again spent in Denver (.296, 2, 26), but the 34 year old Carroll also played in 11 games with the Twins in September in a stint which allowed him to qualify for a major league pension. Used almost exclusively as a pinch hitter and defensive replacement, he was 3 for 8 (3 for 7 as a pinch hitter) with one home run.
Carroll's pro playing career ended in 1968 with a couple of appearances with Denver. However, he then became the manager of the Twins' class "A" Northern League farm team in St. Cloud, MN. His team finished first with a 43-27 record. That season he managed future major leaguer, Dave Goltz and that was apparently his only attempt at managing a professional baseball team.
Carroll later became a scout and Director of Pro Personnel of the Denver Broncos. Thereafter, he was appointed as a scout
for the Kansas City Chiefs and lived in Steamboat Springs, CO. Hardy now resides in Longmont.
Bill Haywood
William Kiernan Haywood was born on Apr. 21, 1937, in Colon, Panama. He served four years in the Marines, after which Bill pitched for Pierre in 1962 while attending North Carolina U.[an All-American who graduated in '64] The Senators signed him in 1964.
From 1964-1968, Haywood hurled in the minors at the Carolina (1.80, 2.80 and 1.90), Eastern (5.17, 3.65 and 1.38) and the PCL (3.46). Beginning in July 1968, at the age of 31, he appeared in 14 games for the Senators going 23 innings allowing 27 hits and 12 walks while striking out 10. The right hander's ERA was 4.70 with a .314 OAV and .410 OOB. Bill never had another MLB chance.
Haywood pitched his last pro games in the Eastern League during the 1969 season (5.00). He was the head baseball coach at Western Carolina for 13 seasons (1969-81). His 1981 team owns the distinction of winning their first ever Southern Conference Championship. His WCU record was 251-181 that included NAIA District Six Championships in 1971 and 1972 and the 1981 Southern Conference's first division. Fourteen of his players signed professional contracts and two reached the major league level where each played several seasons.
He also managed in the Texas Rangers organization and was the Seattle Mariners' Assistant Director of Player Development
and Instruction and then the Director of Player Development - a job which ended in January 1987 after he made an
unfortunate comment, while speaking at a S.A.B.R. meeting, which was deemed racist by a politically correct and p. r. -
conscious Mariners organization. He now lives in Myrtle Beach, SC.
John Herrnstein
John Ellett Herrnstein was born in Hampton, VA, on March 31, 1938. He played for Pierre in 1957 while going to Michigan U. [captained their football team in '58, but a knee injury led him to baseball]. The Phillies signed him in 1958.
Herrnstein showed power in the minors from 1959-1962 with 10 home runs in the III, 16 in the Eastern (.305), 17 in the Southern Assoc.(.292) and 23 in the International League (.293). For the Phillies in September 1962, he played in 6 games with 5 official at bats with one hit.
In 1963, he had 22 homers with a .271 average in the IL. John also was in 15 games for Philadelphia going 2-for-12 with his first MLB homer. Herrnstein got his big chance in 1964 playing 125 games (303 at bats) for the Phillies in the outfield and at first. He hit .234 with only 6 home runs and 67 strikeouts.
He stayed with the Phills again the whole season of 1965 appearing as a pinch hitter, first baseman and outfielder. The left handed batter hit .200 in 85 at bats with one homer. John ended his MLB and pro career in 1966 in a travelog. Starting the year with the Phillies, he went 1-for-10 in 4 games and on, April 21, was traded to the Cubs with Adolfo Phillips and Ferguson Jenkins for Larry Jackson and Bob Buhl. In only 9 games for Chicago he went 3-for-17 and was dealt on May 29 to Atlanta for Marty Keough. With the Braves, he was in 17 games hitting .222.
Herrnstein retired after 239 games and 450 at bats. His average was .220 with a .272 OBP and .322 slugging %(8 homers, 14 doubles and 4 triples). He played 94 games in the outfield and 91 at first with a .983 fielding %.
In the mid-1980s, John was a Vice President of a savings and loan company while living in Dayton, OH. He now lives in
Chillicothe, OH.
Gene Hiser
Gene Taylor Hiser was born in Baltimore on Dec. 11, 1948. He played for Mobridge in 1969 while attending and graduating from Maryland University. The Cubs signed him in 1970 as their first round draft choice.
After playing for three minor league teams in 1970-71 in the Western Carolinas (.289) and PCL (.250 and .053), Hiser got his first taste of the big leagues in Aug. 1971. As a Cub he was in 17 games and had 29 at bats for a .207 average and .303 OBP as an outfielder.
In 1972, he was in the American Association (.282) and appeared in 32 Cubs games mostly as a left handed pinch hitter. He batted .196 with 46 at bats and 15 games in the outfield. His 1973 season was the only one spent entirely in the majors. For Chicago, he played in 100 games with only 109 at bats compiling a .174 average and .256 OBP. In 64 of those games, he played in the outfield.
His 1974-75 years were spent between the Association (.247 and .320) and the Cubs with whom he was in 12 and 45 games for 17 and 62 plate appearances hitting .235 and .242. That ended his MLB years at 5 with 206 games and 263 at bats. Gene batted .202 with a .291 OBP and .240 slugging % (he had one home run). He played 114 games in the outfield and one at first base compiling a .992 fielding %.
Hiser finished his pro career in 1976 for two teams in A.A. (.248). It is believed that he is the president of Barrett and Hiser
Financial Group in Chicago. He lives in Hoffman Estates, IL.
Ed Hobaugh
Edward Russell Hobaugh was born on June 27, 1934, in Kittanning, PA. He pitched for Yankton in the mid-1950s and attended Michigan State [was captain of their 1954 Big Ten Champs]. The White Sox signed him in 1956.
After a good 1956 season at the III League (2.95, 11-4), Hobaugh was in the military service in 1957-58. He was in the American Association in 1959 (3.85, 13-7) and the PCL in 1960 (4.29, 11-11). Apparently taken in the expansion draft by Washington, he was with the Senators all of the '61 campaign appearing in 26 games (18 starts) completing 126 innings allowing 146 hits and 64 walks for a 4.42 ERA, .281 OAV and .363 OOB. His record was 7-9.
In 1962, the right hander played in the International League (2.67) and for the Senators (26 g, 69 inn, 3.76 ERA). Hobaugh pitched some more games in the IL, for three teams, in 1963 (4.11, 6-7) and finished his MLB stats for the Senators in 9 games and 16 innings for a 6.19 ERA
As a major leaguer, Ed appeared in 61 games with 212 innings giving up 228 hits and 95 walks while striking out 115. His ERA was 4.34 and he had a .276 OAV, .352 OOB and 9-10 record. Habaugh then became a "lifer" in AAA playing in the PCL and IL from 1964-1969 for eight teams with generally decent numbers particularly with Columbus for four years.
In the mid-1980s, Hobaugh was a Health and P.E. teacher and baseball and soccer coach at Dayton (PA) High School. He
now lives in Ford City, PA.
Gary Holman
Gary Richard Holman was born in Long Beach, CA, on Jan. 25, 1944. He played for Rapid City in the early-1960s and attended USC [helped led them to a national championship in 1963]. The Dodgers signed him 1964.
Holman had a rather slow rise to the majors playing for six minor league teams in 1964-1968 in the Western Carolinas (.275), Calif., Eastern, Carolina (.282) and the IL (.267). Somewhere during those years, he became the property of the Washington Senators. In June 1968, he made his debut with them playing 75 games as a left handed first baseman and outfielder. He batted .294 in 85 at bats, had a .388 OBP and was named to the Topps Rookie All-Star team. The 1969 season was a bummer for Gene as he played in only 41 games for the Senators hitting .161 in 31 at bats and wound up at AAA (IL) for his final pro games (.264).
Gary played in 116 MLB games and had 116 at bats for a .259 average, .353 OBP and .328 slugging %. He played 44 errorless games at first base and 13 in the outfield.
By the mid-1980s, Holman was a school teacher in Brea, CA. He now lives in Wrightwood, CA.
Frank Howard
Frank Oliver "Hondo" Howard was born on Aug. 8, 1936, in Columbus, OH. He played for Rapid City in 1957 and attended Ohio State. The Dodgers signed him in 1958 for $108,000.
Even though he played his first three pro years (1958-1960) in the minors, he also made appearances for the Dodgers each year. He had 37 homers in the III in '58, 16 in the PCL and 27 in the Texas League in '59 [was "TSN"Minor League Player of the Year] and hit over .300 for four teams in those years. As a Dodger, he played in 8, 9 and 117 games with 1, 1 and 23 homers in 29, 21 and 448 at bats for .241, .143 and .268 averages.
From 1961-1964, he was a regular outfielder for the Dodgers in 92, 141, 123 and 134 games with 267, 493, 417 and 433 at bats. Howard hit 15, 31, 28 and 24 home runs with .296, .296, .273 and .226 averages. On Dec. 4, 1964, he was traded to Washington with Phil Ortega, Pete Richert, Dick Nen and Ken McMullen for Claude Osteen, John Kennedy and $100,000.
Big Frank then settled in on his best big league years. From 1965-1971, he played in 149, 146, 149, 158, 161, 161 and 153 games as an outfield-first baseman regular slugging 21, 18, 36, 44, 48, 44 and 26 home runs while hitting .289, .278, .256, .274, .296, .283 and .279. He was an All-Star in 1968, 1969, 1970 and 1971 and led the league in homers in 1968 and 1970. Howard also led the AL in RBI and walks in '70 and had the best league slugging % in 1968.
He moved with the Senators to Texas in 1972 playing in 95 games with a .244 average and 9 homers before being sold to Detroit on August 31. With the Tigers he completed the season batting .242 with one home run. In 1973, he completed his big league career with 85 games hitting 12 homers with a .256 average.
Howard played in 1,895 big league games with 6,488 at bats with 382 home runs, 1,119 RBI, 782 walks and 1,460 strikeouts. His composite average was .273 and he had an excellent .355 OBP and .499 slugging %. Frank played 1,435 games in the outfield and 334 at first with a .975 fielding %. He also was a DH in 76 games.
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From the book "The Ballplayers":
"The 6'8" 275 lb Howard captured NL Rookie of the Year honors in 1960 with the Dodgers, batting .268 with 23 HR and 77 RBI in 117 games. He hit 31 HR in 1962...The Senators' behemoth slugger went on a rampage in May 1968, hitting a MLB record 10 HR in 20 at bats over a stretch of six consecutive games. He finished the year with 44 HR, leading the AL. He hit a career-high 48 in 1969, but Harmon Killebrew beat him by one. Howard recaptured the HR crown (44) and added the RBI title (126) in 1970. In 1974 he went to Japan to play for Taiheiyo, but he hurt his back striking out in his first game and never played again.
"A warm and