Over the course of this simulation I will be adding a few short pieces on some of the players I had never heard of before, although some of you may be familiar with them. The first of these is on Athletics' #1 Draft Pick, SP Ed Head.
There is a fantastic article about this Footnote League player
HERE on SABR Bio, from which I have pilfered most of the following information.
The story of Ed Head makes Eddie Waitkus’ and Billy Jurges’ look almost dull in comparison.
In 1935, aged just 17, Ed Head was a passenger in a bus on his way to a semipro game in Mer Rouge, LA when it was rammed by another bus, killing his girlfriend – who was seated next to him – and crushing his left arm. He was, by trade, a southpaw pitcher. After an initial diagnosis that the arm would need to be amputated, Ed called his doctor uncle to save it, which he managed to do. But the arm was all but useless, and certainly unable to perform in its previous capacity. Rather than give up on his dream of making it to the Show, however, Ed Head taught himself how to pitch right-handed.
Just four years after the accident he made it to the Abbeville A’s of the Class-D Evangeline League, part of the Philadelphia Athletics’ farm system. There are two other more famous pitchers from that year’s Evangeline League group: HOFer “Prince” Hal Newhouser and Virgil Trucks, who would end up with more than 40 career WAR.
Sold to the Brooklyn Dodgers at the end of that season, Ed made a rapid rise in 1940 and got called up to the bigs in July. Pete Reiser was called up at the same time and made an instant impression, hitting .293 in 58 games that year, mostly as a 3B replacement for Cookie Lavagetto (who, somewhat coincidentally, is a member of the Chicago Orphans FL squad at the outset of this simulation). Head’s impact was less noticeable. He made his first MLB start on July 27 of that year, pitching a scoreless inning against the Cards, and went 1-2 down the stretch, before being sent down at the start of the 1941 campaign for some more seasoning.
Back with the Dodgers in 1942, Head started strongly, winning his first 5 starts of the season before eventually finishing with a 10-6 record and an ERA of 3.56. He again came out of the blocks well the following season, pitching 26+ straight scoreless innings at one point, before tailing off and coming on in relief more often than starting.
By this time the war was in full swing and Head eventually got drafted during the 1944 All-Star Break, missing the second half of ’44 and all of ’45 while serving with the Tank Destroyers Recruit Training Corps at Camp Hood North, TX.
Head made his return to the bigs in the finest style possible. On April 23, 1945 he started at Ebbets Field against the Boston Braves in front of a near-capacity crowd, and proceeded to no-hit them 5-0. But then, just a few weeks later he injured his arm and was never the same pitcher. His last appearance in the majors was an inning of mop-up work on August 25th.
As they say, up by the elevator, down by the goods lift.
Welcome to the Footnote League, Ed. Shine on you crazy diamond!
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