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reds1 · 01-04-2022, 12:00 AM

January 1, 1956

Looking Back: The 1945-46 Amateur Draft

The 1945-46 draft class was definitely top-heavy as the first three picks have gone on to enjoy hall of fame or near-hall of fame careers. But there were many useful players taken in the first and subsequent rounds as well that are currently thriving in the United Leagues. But as always, there were at least one or two players drafted in the first round whose resulting careers were hugely disappointing.

Below is a summary of the best players selected, a couple of busts and one late round standout:

Cream of the Crop:

CF Raymond Williams – 1st overall pick by the Cobourg Red Stockings/Redlegs

Career: .320/.390/.556, 1343 G, 5268 AB, 1688 H, 264-2B, 111-3B, 252 HR, 953 RBI, 982 R, 592 BB, 416 K, 122 SB, 117 CS, .946 OPS, 155 OPS+, 152 wRC+, 63.7 WAR

Achievements:

• 8-time All-Star
• 1949-50 Eastern League Babe Ruth Award
• 1951-52 Eastern League Babe Ruth Award
• 1950-51 All-Star Game MVP
• 3 selections to the All-Braeland Team
• 10-time Batter of the Month
• 12-time Player of the Week
• Hit for the Cycle – March 10, 1955

What the original scouting report said:

“Williams has the makings of a rock-solid player in the United Leagues, as his greatest strength is perhaps that he has few weaknesses. He should hit for good contact with a bit of power, to go along with strong defense and above-average speed.”

Comments: The scouts and Cobourg got it right: if there was anyone who was a sure thing, it was Williams. Currently the top-rated position player in the United Leagues, Williams is a 5-tool player with few weaknesses. In 1949-50, he hit .353, his personal best. Four years later in 1953-54 when he batted .332, he hit for 45 home runs and 377 total bases, both ULB records. He currently leads in career SLG with .5562, ahead of Hall of Fame member Paul Hooks (.5553).

Although he has yet to win a Ball Hawk Award, he has always been a solid outfielder with incredible range (65) and throwing arm (70). Perhaps his only weakness has been in base stealing. Despite being one of the fastest players (75) with amazing stealing (75) and baserunning abilities (70), he has barely stolen more bases (122) than he has been caught stealing (117). But that is nitpicking. Williams has been and continues to be a cornerstone player whose resume is missing only a championship ring.

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SS Zhao-hui Qian – 2nd overall pick originally by the Wellington Athletics

Career: .290/.349/.425, 1299 G, 5088 AB, 1476 H, 246-2B, 57-3B, 109 HR, 616 RBI, 712 R, 486 BB, 533 K, 92 SB, 52 CS, .774 OPS, 115 OPS+, 121 wRC+, 46.0 WAR

Achievements:

• 4-time All-Star
• 1 selection to the All-Braeland Team
• 3-time Ball Hawk Award winner
• 8-time Player of the Week

What the original scouting report said:

“Qian hails from Taiwan and has the tools to be a stalwart at shortstop for years. He is sure handed in the field and blessed with outstanding speed. Like Williams who was selected before him, Qian should hit for high average. He will not be a home run threat however.”

Comments: Qian did indeed become a stalwart shortstop almost immediately when he reached the majors, winning two Ball Hawk Awards for the Athletics before being traded in January 1950 to the Hespeler Stars in a deal that saw OF Jim Mars and RHP Troy Conlin head to Wellington in return. After leading off for Wellington, Qian served as Hespeler’s No. 3 hitter and later, their clean-up hitter in a talent-poor squad. There, he developed some decent power, hitting a career high of 22 home runs in 1953-54. From 1952 to 1954, he was rated as the top shortstop in the United Leagues and remains in the top 10 this season. But Qian has yet to get a taste the playoffs, as he is saddled with a team that has been unable to get its act together. And at 32-years of age, you have to wonder if time is running out on the gifted shortstop.

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2B/3B Dominic Dudding – 3rd overall pick by the Downie Chiefs

Career: .313/.381/.513, 1204 G, 4592 AB, 1436 H, 241-2B, 63-3B, 184 HR, 821 RBI, 756 R, 512 BB, 303 K, 43 SB, 37 CS, .893 OPS, 147 OPS+, 142 wRC+, 47.2 WAR

Achievements:

• 8-time All-Star
• 3 selections to the All-Braeland Team
• 1949-50 Eastern League Pennant Series MVP
• 3-time Batter of the Month
• 11-time Player of the Week
• Finished 2nd in Eastern League Babe Ruth Award voting twice

What the original scouting report said:

“The second Braeland City native selected, the Chiefs also went with a player with similar skills as the first two picks: plus contact potential, some pop and speed. The hot corner is considered his strongest position in the field.”

Comments: Dudding was the third-straight player taken in the draft that delivered on his promise. While he never developed into a base stealing threat nor into an award-winning defender, he was no slouch in either. But it was with his bat that he really made his mark. In 1948-49, his first full season, he led the entire United Leagues in home runs (30) and RBIs (134). For the next two seasons, he was the top-rated third baseman in the Leagues. Then in 1951-52, he made the move to second base and was the top-rated 2B for two seasons until Patrick Lidgate made his ascendancy in 1953. Since then, Dudding has been a comfortable No. 2 and has never left the Top 10 for all position players until this season (No. 14). At age 23, Dudding helped the Chiefs to a United Cup Championship, batting .350/.395/675 in 9 playoff games and picked up MVP honours in the Eastern League Pennant Series. Like Cobourg’s Raymond Williams, he is still in his prime and should continue as one the top players in the ULB for the foreseeable future.

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RHP Magtanggol Jajoco – 6th overall pick by the Stratford Barons

Career: 121-80, 30 SV, 3.50 ERA, 194 GS, 1743.0 IP, 715 BB, 893 K, 111 CG, 22 SHO, 1.34 WHIP, .269 BABIP, 3.62 FIP, 32.4 WAR, 117 ERA+

Achievements:

• 3-time All-Star
• 1951-52 Eastern League Satchel Paige Award
• 1953-54 Eastern League Satchel Paige Award
• 5-time Pitcher of the Month
• 1-time Player of the Week

What the original scouting report said:

“Jaojoco, from the Philippines, has the makings of carving out a pretty good career in the ULB, with respectable stuff, incredible movement and decent command. His velocity is certainly not off the charts, but he has a nice arsenal of pitches.”

Comments: Jaojoco was the first pitcher selected in the draft and the best. The Barons selected another pitcher in the second round, 28-year old RHP Ted Smith. Both have been mainstays in Stratford’s starting rotation, but Jaojoco went on to establish himself as one of the top pitchers in the United Leagues, albeit for a short time. In October 1946 he was declared the No. 2-rated prospect and by the early 1950’s, he delivered on that promise, eventually being ranked as the top pitcher in the United Leagues in 1953-54. In that stretch, he won two Eastern League Satchel Paige Awards and finished 3rd in the voting in 1952-53.

This year, he has slipped out of the Top 20 rankings for pitchers and is no longer the best pitcher on his club. But he remains effective and continues to show flashes of his previous greatness, as witnessed by his snaring Pitcher of the Month honours this past November.

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Biggest Draft Disappointments:

The first round produced premium talent that is still making it presence felt in the United Leagues. However, there were a couple of players that proved to be busts and downright frustrating:

RHP Freddie Trerise – 8th overall pick originally by the Braeland City Monarchs

Career: 36-46, 5 SV, 4.63 ERA, 113 GS, 682.2 IP, 494 BB, 330 K, 4 CG, 1 SHO, 1.67 WHIP, .269 BABIP, 4.75 FIP, 3.4 WAR, 89 ERA+

Minor League Achievements:

• 2-time Player of the Week
• 1-time All-Star

What the original scouting report said:

“The Monarchs select a Pulberry kid who has the potential to be a terrific pitcher in the ULB. Trerise has nice stuff, top-notch movement and above-average control with three good pitches. Scouts considered him the best pitcher available in the draft.”

Comments: The scouts weren’t necessarily wrong. Trerise may have been the best pitcher in the draft and was drafted only a couple of picks after Jaojoco. His minor league start was promising, pitching a no-hitter in Double-A in January 1946 and leading his team in a number of pitching categories that first minor league season. The following season, he was rated 4th overall among prospects, was selected to the Triple-A All-Star Game and won a Triple-A championship. But during that same season he tore a finger tendon, and it was all down hill from there. The following year he had fallen to No. 62 among prospects and repeatedly got injured, missing multiple seasons with torn elbow ligaments, torn labrums and dealing with a chronic back ailment when he wasn't on the long-term injury list.

Finally in 1953, Braeland City gave up on him and he has drifted from one minor league team to another. Today, he is toiling as a reliver in Triple-A in the Cobourg Redlegs organization, dealing with bouts of wildness no doubt caused by repeated arm injuries over the years. His experience elicits more sadness than frustration for me now, as I didn’t realize just how much his career was done in by injuries.

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OF Louie Pate – 10th overall pick by the Sherburn Tigers

Career: .286/.332/.421, 871 G, 2777 AB, 795 H, 170-2B, 23-3B, 53 HR, 372 RBI, 361 R, 187 BB, 198 K, 7 SB, 9 CS, .753 OPS, 111 OPS+, 115 wRC+, 6.6 WAR

Achievements:

• 2-time Player of the Week

Minor League Achievements:

• 2-time Player of the Week
• 1954-55 East Coast League Josh Gibson Award (Triple-A)

What the original scouting report said:

“Considered the top prospect available in the draft, Pate remained on the board until the 10th pick, made by the Tigers. While the young outfielder from Delamere should hold his own at the plate, I expect his so-so defense and mediocre speed caused him to drop down the board.”

Comments: OK, here is one the scouts got flat-out wrong. After being drafted, Pate was rated only #62 among prospects, clearly not “the top prospect available in the draft”. He did show some promise in 1950 and 1951, winning a couple of Player of the Week Awards. His best year in the majors was in 1950-51, where he batted .311/.343/.438, 11 HR, 70 RBI, 24 BB, 2.0 WAR in 573 at-bats. But he mysteriously regressed quickly after that. Both his hitting and defense became indifferent. Perhaps it was his attitude; Pate was known for having a disruptive personality and his scouting report states that “Teammates have run out of patience with his selfish attitude”.

Sherburn finally ran of patience when they finally released him in October 1954. He joined the Kingston Pelicans organization a few days later and that is where he currently resides. His time in Triple-A has not been unproductive, however. Last season, he won a couple of Player of the Week Awards as well as the 1954 Triple-A Josh Gibson Award for best hitter. But the Pelicans show no inclination of promoting him and his days as a major league hitter are probably long behind him. And he can’t blame injuries for that either.

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Later-Round Standout:

The later rounds of this draft were a pleasant surprise as a number of players, especially pitchers, are enjoying productive careers in the United Leagues. An honourable mention is 28-year old RHP Vinnie Snell, a 98th overall pick (7th round) by the Wellington Athletics. Snell (45-40, 3.80 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 104 ERA+) has been improving with each passing year and earned his first all-star selection last season. He is on pace to earn his second this year.

But one player in particular was the clear choice for me:

RHP Marcus Turvill – 115th overall pick (Round 8, Pick 3) originally by the Downie Chiefs.

Career: 94-48, 2 SV, 2.97 ERA, 94 GS, 772.2 IP, 193 BB, 564 K, 42 CG, 11 SHO, 1.08 WHIP, .253 BABIP, 3.32 FIP, 18.0 WAR, 137 ERA+

Achievements:

• 3-time All-Star
• 1-time Pitcher of the Month
• 4-time Rookie of the Month
• Finished 2nd in 1953-54 Eastern League Satchel Paige Award voting

Comments: Selected in the final round of the draft, Turvill did not appear to be a diamond in the rough, at least not at first. In 1947-48 in Double-A, Turvill pitched in 60 games and went 15-4, 8 SV, 2.65 ERA, 155 WHIP. The following season though saw him lose 9 months due to a torn UCL, but he bounced back in 1949-50, pitching 19-6, 3.86 ERA, 1.34 WHIP. Despite that, Downie allowed him to leave as a minor league free agent in April 1951 and he soon joined Cobourg’s minor league system. That is where he began his transformation into a major league pitcher. His stuff while slowing improving over the years, jumped from 50/55 in July 1951 to 70/75 in September 1952, and has remained at 70/70 since then. It has been his stuff and three great pitches (fastball – 60/60; curveball – 65/65; changeup – 60/60) that has seen him thrive in the major leagues since he was called up for good in 1952-53. Goodness knows it hasn’t been his movement (25/25) which has never been impressive, although his control is respectable (50/50).

In that initial season, he won four Rookie of the Month honours and finished 3rd in the voting for Rookie of the Year. As recently as July 1954, he was rated No. 7 among pitchers and has become a league leader in shutouts over the past two seasons. Last season, he tied the record for most shutouts in a season with 8 and despite having only 4 seasons under his belt, he leads the United Leagues in five career categories: Hits allowed/9 IP (7.47), K/9 IP (6.57), Walk + Hits/IP (1.08), Opp. AVG (.2253) and Opp. OBP (.2813). Not bad for a player selected 115th out of a class of 128.

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01-04-2022, 12:00 AM	#733
reds1 Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2002 Location: Winnipeg Posts: 3,919	January 1, 1956 Looking Back: The 1945-46 Amateur Draft The 1945-46 draft class was definitely top-heavy as the first three picks have gone on to enjoy hall of fame or near-hall of fame careers. But there were many useful players taken in the first and subsequent rounds as well that are currently thriving in the United Leagues. But as always, there were at least one or two players drafted in the first round whose resulting careers were hugely disappointing. Below is a summary of the best players selected, a couple of busts and one late round standout: Cream of the Crop: CF Raymond Williams – 1st overall pick by the Cobourg Red Stockings/Redlegs Career: .320/.390/.556, 1343 G, 5268 AB, 1688 H, 264-2B, 111-3B, 252 HR, 953 RBI, 982 R, 592 BB, 416 K, 122 SB, 117 CS, .946 OPS, 155 OPS+, 152 wRC+, 63.7 WAR Achievements: • 8-time All-Star • 1949-50 Eastern League Babe Ruth Award • 1951-52 Eastern League Babe Ruth Award • 1950-51 All-Star Game MVP • 3 selections to the All-Braeland Team • 10-time Batter of the Month • 12-time Player of the Week • Hit for the Cycle – March 10, 1955 What the original scouting report said: “Williams has the makings of a rock-solid player in the United Leagues, as his greatest strength is perhaps that he has few weaknesses. He should hit for good contact with a bit of power, to go along with strong defense and above-average speed.” *Comments:* The scouts and Cobourg got it right: if there was anyone who was a sure thing, it was Williams. Currently the top-rated position player in the United Leagues, Williams is a 5-tool player with few weaknesses. In 1949-50, he hit .353, his personal best. Four years later in 1953-54 when he batted .332, he hit for 45 home runs and 377 total bases, both ULB records. He currently leads in career SLG with .5562, ahead of Hall of Fame member Paul Hooks (.5553). Although he has yet to win a Ball Hawk Award, he has always been a solid outfielder with incredible range (65) and throwing arm (70). Perhaps his only weakness has been in base stealing. Despite being one of the fastest players (75) with amazing stealing (75) and baserunning abilities (70), he has barely stolen more bases (122) than he has been caught stealing (117). But that is nitpicking. Williams has been and continues to be a cornerstone player whose resume is missing only a championship ring. -------- SS Zhao-hui Qian – 2nd overall pick originally by the Wellington Athletics Career: .290/.349/.425, 1299 G, 5088 AB, 1476 H, 246-2B, 57-3B, 109 HR, 616 RBI, 712 R, 486 BB, 533 K, 92 SB, 52 CS, .774 OPS, 115 OPS+, 121 wRC+, 46.0 WAR Achievements: • 4-time All-Star • 1 selection to the All-Braeland Team • 3-time Ball Hawk Award winner • 8-time Player of the Week What the original scouting report said: “Qian hails from Taiwan and has the tools to be a stalwart at shortstop for years. He is sure handed in the field and blessed with outstanding speed. Like Williams who was selected before him, Qian should hit for high average. He will not be a home run threat however.” *Comments:* Qian did indeed become a stalwart shortstop almost immediately when he reached the majors, winning two Ball Hawk Awards for the Athletics before being traded in January 1950 to the Hespeler Stars in a deal that saw OF Jim Mars and RHP Troy Conlin head to Wellington in return. After leading off for Wellington, Qian served as Hespeler’s No. 3 hitter and later, their clean-up hitter in a talent-poor squad. There, he developed some decent power, hitting a career high of 22 home runs in 1953-54. From 1952 to 1954, he was rated as the top shortstop in the United Leagues and remains in the top 10 this season. But Qian has yet to get a taste the playoffs, as he is saddled with a team that has been unable to get its act together. And at 32-years of age, you have to wonder if time is running out on the gifted shortstop. -------- 2B/3B Dominic Dudding – 3rd overall pick by the Downie Chiefs Career: .313/.381/.513, 1204 G, 4592 AB, 1436 H, 241-2B, 63-3B, 184 HR, 821 RBI, 756 R, 512 BB, 303 K, 43 SB, 37 CS, .893 OPS, 147 OPS+, 142 wRC+, 47.2 WAR Achievements: • 8-time All-Star • 3 selections to the All-Braeland Team • 1949-50 Eastern League Pennant Series MVP • 3-time Batter of the Month • 11-time Player of the Week • Finished 2nd in Eastern League Babe Ruth Award voting twice What the original scouting report said: “The second Braeland City native selected, the Chiefs also went with a player with similar skills as the first two picks: plus contact potential, some pop and speed. The hot corner is considered his strongest position in the field.” *Comments:* Dudding was the third-straight player taken in the draft that delivered on his promise. While he never developed into a base stealing threat nor into an award-winning defender, he was no slouch in either. But it was with his bat that he really made his mark. In 1948-49, his first full season, he led the entire United Leagues in home runs (30) and RBIs (134). For the next two seasons, he was the top-rated third baseman in the Leagues. Then in 1951-52, he made the move to second base and was the top-rated 2B for two seasons until Patrick Lidgate made his ascendancy in 1953. Since then, Dudding has been a comfortable No. 2 and has never left the Top 10 for all position players until this season (No. 14). At age 23, Dudding helped the Chiefs to a United Cup Championship, batting .350/.395/675 in 9 playoff games and picked up MVP honours in the Eastern League Pennant Series. Like Cobourg’s Raymond Williams, he is still in his prime and should continue as one the top players in the ULB for the foreseeable future. -------- RHP Magtanggol Jajoco – 6th overall pick by the Stratford Barons Career: 121-80, 30 SV, 3.50 ERA, 194 GS, 1743.0 IP, 715 BB, 893 K, 111 CG, 22 SHO, 1.34 WHIP, .269 BABIP, 3.62 FIP, 32.4 WAR, 117 ERA+ Achievements: • 3-time All-Star • 1951-52 Eastern League Satchel Paige Award • 1953-54 Eastern League Satchel Paige Award • 5-time Pitcher of the Month • 1-time Player of the Week What the original scouting report said: “Jaojoco, from the Philippines, has the makings of carving out a pretty good career in the ULB, with respectable stuff, incredible movement and decent command. His velocity is certainly not off the charts, but he has a nice arsenal of pitches.” *Comments:* Jaojoco was the first pitcher selected in the draft and the best. The Barons selected another pitcher in the second round, 28-year old RHP Ted Smith. Both have been mainstays in Stratford’s starting rotation, but Jaojoco went on to establish himself as one of the top pitchers in the United Leagues, albeit for a short time. In October 1946 he was declared the No. 2-rated prospect and by the early 1950’s, he delivered on that promise, eventually being ranked as the top pitcher in the United Leagues in 1953-54. In that stretch, he won two Eastern League Satchel Paige Awards and finished 3rd in the voting in 1952-53. This year, he has slipped out of the Top 20 rankings for pitchers and is no longer the best pitcher on his club. But he remains effective and continues to show flashes of his previous greatness, as witnessed by his snaring Pitcher of the Month honours this past November. -------- Biggest Draft Disappointments: The first round produced premium talent that is still making it presence felt in the United Leagues. However, there were a couple of players that proved to be busts and downright frustrating: RHP Freddie Trerise – 8th overall pick originally by the Braeland City Monarchs Career: 36-46, 5 SV, 4.63 ERA, 113 GS, 682.2 IP, 494 BB, 330 K, 4 CG, 1 SHO, 1.67 WHIP, .269 BABIP, 4.75 FIP, 3.4 WAR, 89 ERA+ Minor League Achievements: • 2-time Player of the Week • 1-time All-Star What the original scouting report said: “The Monarchs select a Pulberry kid who has the potential to be a terrific pitcher in the ULB. Trerise has nice stuff, top-notch movement and above-average control with three good pitches. Scouts considered him the best pitcher available in the draft.” *Comments:* The scouts weren’t necessarily wrong. Trerise may have been the best pitcher in the draft and was drafted only a couple of picks after Jaojoco. His minor league start was promising, pitching a no-hitter in Double-A in January 1946 and leading his team in a number of pitching categories that first minor league season. The following season, he was rated 4th overall among prospects, was selected to the Triple-A All-Star Game and won a Triple-A championship. But during that same season he tore a finger tendon, and it was all down hill from there. The following year he had fallen to No. 62 among prospects and repeatedly got injured, missing multiple seasons with torn elbow ligaments, torn labrums and dealing with a chronic back ailment when he wasn't on the long-term injury list. Finally in 1953, Braeland City gave up on him and he has drifted from one minor league team to another. Today, he is toiling as a reliver in Triple-A in the Cobourg Redlegs organization, dealing with bouts of wildness no doubt caused by repeated arm injuries over the years. His experience elicits more sadness than frustration for me now, as I didn’t realize just how much his career was done in by injuries. -------- OF Louie Pate – 10th overall pick by the Sherburn Tigers Career: .286/.332/.421, 871 G, 2777 AB, 795 H, 170-2B, 23-3B, 53 HR, 372 RBI, 361 R, 187 BB, 198 K, 7 SB, 9 CS, .753 OPS, 111 OPS+, 115 wRC+, 6.6 WAR Achievements: • 2-time Player of the Week Minor League Achievements: • 2-time Player of the Week • 1954-55 East Coast League Josh Gibson Award (Triple-A) What the original scouting report said: “Considered the top prospect available in the draft, Pate remained on the board until the 10th pick, made by the Tigers. While the young outfielder from Delamere should hold his own at the plate, I expect his so-so defense and mediocre speed caused him to drop down the board.” *Comments:* OK, here is one the scouts got flat-out wrong. After being drafted, Pate was rated only #62 among prospects, clearly not “the top prospect available in the draft”. He did show some promise in 1950 and 1951, winning a couple of Player of the Week Awards. His best year in the majors was in 1950-51, where he batted .311/.343/.438, 11 HR, 70 RBI, 24 BB, 2.0 WAR in 573 at-bats. But he mysteriously regressed quickly after that. Both his hitting and defense became indifferent. Perhaps it was his attitude; Pate was known for having a disruptive personality and his scouting report states that “Teammates have run out of patience with his selfish attitude”. Sherburn finally ran of patience when they finally released him in October 1954. He joined the Kingston Pelicans organization a few days later and that is where he currently resides. His time in Triple-A has not been unproductive, however. Last season, he won a couple of Player of the Week Awards as well as the 1954 Triple-A Josh Gibson Award for best hitter. But the Pelicans show no inclination of promoting him and his days as a major league hitter are probably long behind him. And he can’t blame injuries for that either. -------- Later-Round Standout: The later rounds of this draft were a pleasant surprise as a number of players, especially pitchers, are enjoying productive careers in the United Leagues. An honourable mention is 28-year old RHP Vinnie Snell, a 98th overall pick (7th round) by the Wellington Athletics. Snell (45-40, 3.80 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 104 ERA+) has been improving with each passing year and earned his first all-star selection last season. He is on pace to earn his second this year. But one player in particular was the clear choice for me: RHP Marcus Turvill – 115th overall pick (Round 8, Pick 3) originally by the Downie Chiefs. Career: 94-48, 2 SV, 2.97 ERA, 94 GS, 772.2 IP, 193 BB, 564 K, 42 CG, 11 SHO, 1.08 WHIP, .253 BABIP, 3.32 FIP, 18.0 WAR, 137 ERA+ Achievements: • 3-time All-Star • 1-time Pitcher of the Month • 4-time Rookie of the Month • Finished 2nd in 1953-54 Eastern League Satchel Paige Award voting *Comments:* Selected in the final round of the draft, Turvill did not appear to be a diamond in the rough, at least not at first. In 1947-48 in Double-A, Turvill pitched in 60 games and went 15-4, 8 SV, 2.65 ERA, 155 WHIP. The following season though saw him lose 9 months due to a torn UCL, but he bounced back in 1949-50, pitching 19-6, 3.86 ERA, 1.34 WHIP. Despite that, Downie allowed him to leave as a minor league free agent in April 1951 and he soon joined Cobourg’s minor league system. That is where he began his transformation into a major league pitcher. His stuff while slowing improving over the years, jumped from 50/55 in July 1951 to 70/75 in September 1952, and has remained at 70/70 since then. It has been his stuff and three great pitches (fastball – 60/60; curveball – 65/65; changeup – 60/60) that has seen him thrive in the major leagues since he was called up for good in 1952-53. Goodness knows it hasn’t been his movement (25/25) which has never been impressive, although his control is respectable (50/50). In that initial season, he won four Rookie of the Month honours and finished 3rd in the voting for Rookie of the Year. As recently as July 1954, he was rated No. 7 among pitchers and has become a league leader in shutouts over the past two seasons. Last season, he tied the record for most shutouts in a season with 8 and despite having only 4 seasons under his belt, he leads the United Leagues in five career categories: Hits allowed/9 IP (7.47), K/9 IP (6.57), Walk + Hits/IP (1.08), Opp. AVG (.2253) and Opp. OBP (.2813). Not bad for a player selected 115th out of a class of 128. -------- __________________ United Leagues of Braeland