Found in the Lexibell files is this photo from July, 1955, of Orioles bonus baby Bruce Swango, one of nine signed between 1954-57 by GM Paul Richards. An 18-year-old Oklahoma prodigy, the Orioles (according to an accompanying Chicago Tribune story) outbid seven other teams for the right-hander, who signed for a reported $36,000. He averaged 17 strikeouts per game in high school, and once struck out all 21 batters he faced over a seven-inning game.
He was placed on the major league roster (hence the Sharman question), but he never played a game with the Orioles, or with any major league team. The problem: wildness, so bad that he could not even throw batting practice for the Orioles. When he was released after only nine weeks with the club, the team indicated he was intimidated by crowds -- which Swango denied.
The Yankees signed him in 1956 and tried unsuccessfully to move him to the outfield for a year. But he seemed back on the pitching track in 1958 when he went 10-4 with a no-hitter, but never rose above AA. Swango was in their system until early in the 1961 season, when he was loaned to the Twins. That off-season, the Twins officially acquired him in the Rule V draft, and he spent 1962-63 in AAA. But his career ended there.
