Quote:
Originally Posted by Cusick
The attached photo is from the Rocky Mount (NC) Telegram of Aug. 30, 1962. It shows Bert Barth with the Rocky Mount Leafs. He was quite a slugger that year with 33 HR and 136 RBI.
He was on the Baltimore Orioles' spring roster in 1959. He was a non-roster invitee with the Orioles in 1957 and 1958. If anyone wants to see a photo of him in an Orioles uniform, speak up and I'll post it.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/r...d=barth-001alb |
Nice work, finding that. I'd love to see him in an Orioles uni.
About Bert Barth (from John-William Greenbaum at
Baseball By The Letters):
Bert Barth was perhaps one of the first victims of “prospect hype”. Signed by Baltimore in 1957, he was literally compared to Babe Ruth. Yes, Babe Ruth. Could he hit? Yes, and from everyone’s recollections, he could do so at a Major League level. Could he pitch? Yes, but not well enough to make it on a Major League level. Bert threw a high 90’s fastball that was flat as a pancake and a slider that just kinda spun. But nobody could really agree if he was a pitcher, a first baseman, a third baseman, or an outfielder. It started to get to him and the pitching interfered with his hitting mechanics. Finally released, he began to tear up the Carolina League when he no longer had to pitch. But baseball was no longer fun for Bert. All that shifting around had turned it into one big chore. He retired at the age of 25, almost a lock to make the Major Leagues.