[PinsonHOF]

Here is one of my favorite players of my youth. I would make expansion teams on paper when I first took an interest in baseball. Living in Texas for a brief time I added to the 1977 expansion with the Dallas Pilots. My dad gave me a 1973 Baseball Almanac and there I found that Leon Ferguson had won 20 games for Yucatan of the Mexican league in 1972. Leonardo Sereze Ferguson was a wiry Panamanian of 5'11 and 150 lbs. He pitched in the Yankees organization from 1957 to 1966. His best season was in '63 when was equally outstanding for AA Columbus and AAA Richmond. Overall his record was 12-2 with a 1.87 ERA. That was his high water mark. It appears Ferguson had electric stuff particularly out of the bullpen but his Achilles heel was ball four. In 1.321 innings he walked 595 yet gave up only 57 home runs. Ferguson pitched at many levels for 18 seasons from 1957 and leaving statistical accountability in 1974 at age 35. I like to think he continued to hurl in Panama or in the winter leagues. At any level that is the mark of a man who is hard to hit. The image I have enclosed is from Leon Ferguson's brief stint with the Amarillo Gold Sox in 1962. Found on Ebay after I Googled Don Gile ...