June 15th- June 21st, 1970
This Weeks Top Performers
Milwaukee Brewers 1B
Mike Hegan was 2 for 3 with 2 HRs and 4 RBIs in a 11-6 loss to the Orioles. The 27 year old is hitting .227 with 4 HRs and 19 RBIs in 53 games. Hegan was signed as an amateur free agent by the New York Yankees in August 1961, he was sold to the Seattle Pilots (Brewers) in June 1968.
Montreal Expos SP
Carl Morton allowed 5 hits and struck out 2 in a complete game 3-0 win over the Braves. The 26 year old is 2-9 with a 4.70 ERA in 17 games including 13 starts. Morton was originally signed by the Milwaukee Braves as an amateur free agent in August 1964, he was picked by the Expos in 1968 expansion draft from the Braves.
St Louis Cardinals SP
Steve Carlton allowed 4 hits and struck out 4 in a complete game 6-1 win over the Padres. The 25 year old is 8-2 with a 2.84 ERA in 14 starts. Carlton was signed by the Cardinals as an amateur free agent in October 1963.
Los Angeles Dodgers SP
Claude Osteen allowed 1 hit and struck out 5 in a complete game 4-0 win over the Pirates. The 30 year old is 7-5 with a 2.62 ERA in 17 starts. Osteen was originally signed by the Cincinnati Reds in July 1957 as an amateur free agent, he was traded by the Reds to the Seantors in exchange for cash and a player to be named later (Dave Sisler) in September 1961. Osteen was later traded by the Senators to the Dodgers along with
John Kennedy and cash for
Frank Howard,
Phil Ortega, Pete Richert,
Ken McMullen and a player to be named later (Dick Nen) in December 1964.
Boston Red Sox 3B
George Scott was 2 for 2 with 2 HRs and 5 RBIs in a 10-4 win over the Yankees. The 26 year old is hitting .300 with 15 HRs and 51 RBIs in 61 games. Scott was signed by the Red Sox in May 1962 as an amateur free agent.
Baltimore Orioles CF
Merv Rettenmund was 4 for 7 with 2 HRs and 5 RBIs in a double header sweep (3-2 and 26-0) of the Washington Senators. In game two, the Orioles scored 11 in the bottom of the 1st to open up a 11-0 lead. The 27 year old is hitting .320 with 7 HRs and 24 RBIs in 51 games. Rettenmund was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Orioles in November 1964.
Detroit Tigers LF
Willie Horton was 4 for 5 with 2 HRs and 7 RBIs in a 12-5 win over the Indians. The 27 year old is hitting .281 with 19 HRs and 57 RBIs in 63 games. Horton was signed as an amateur free agent by the Tigers in August 1961. Horton was named the AL Player of the Week.
Baltimore Orioles 1B
Boog Powell was 2 for 2 with 2 HRs and 3 RBIs in a 8-0 win over the Senators. The 28 year old is hitting .317 with 21 HRs and 58 RBIs in 66 games. Powell was signed by the Orioles as an amateur free agent in 1959.
St Louis Cardinals CF
Jose Cardenal was 8 for 11 with 2 HRs and 7 RBIs in a double header sweep (9-7 and 15-5) of the Cubs. The 26 year old is hitting .336 with 7 HRs and 37 RBIs in 61 games. Cardenal was originally signed by the Giants as an amateur free agent in September 1960, he was traded by the Giants to the California Angels for
Jack Hiatt in November 1964. In November 1967, Cardenal was traded to the Cleveland Indians in exchange for
Chuck Hinton, later the Indians traded him to the Cardinals for
Vada Pinson in November 1969.
Montreal Expos RF
Rusty Staub has his hitting streak snapped at 22 games in a 4-0 loss to the Braves. The 26 year old is hitting .362 with 15 HRs and 46 RBIs in 62 games. Staub was originally signed as an amateur free agent by the Houston Colt 45s (Astros) in September 1961, he was traded to the Expos for
Donn Clendenon (refused to report) and
Jesus Alou in January 1969. With Clendenon not reporting, the Expos sent
Jack Billingham and
Skip Guinn and cash to complete the trade.
California Angels LF
Alex Johnson has extended his hitting streak to 25 games in a 4-2 win over the Brewers. The 27 year old is hitting .282 with 5 HRs and 27 RBIs in 64 games. Johnson was originally signed by the Philadelphia Phillies in July 1961, he was traded by the Phillies with
Pat Corrales and
Art Mahaffey to the St Louis Cardinals in exchange for
Bill White,
Dick Groat and
Bob Uecker in October 1965. Johnson was traded by the Cardinals in January 1968 to the Cincinnati Reds for
Dick Simpson. The Reds then traded him to the California Angels along with
Chico Ruiz for
Jim McGlothin,
Vern Geishert and
Pedro Borbon in November 1969. Johnson's hitting streak was snapped at 25 games in a 3-0 win over the Brewers the next night.
Chicago Cubs 3B
Ron Santo was named the NL Player of the Week. The 30 year old is hitting .281 with 13 HRs and 40 RBIs in 62 games. Santo was signed by the Cubs as an amateur free agent in 1959.
This Weeks Major Transactions
Oakland Athletics SP
Blue Moon Odom will miss up to 6 weeks and has been placed on the DL. The 25 year old is 9-2 with a 2.41 ERA in 16 starts. Odom was an All Star in 1968. Odom had a choice, singing or baseball, but Odom chased baseball after maturity forced him into a voice change. Odom proved he can hit as well as pitch, he hit a Grand Slam against the Red Sox in June 1969.
The Baltimore Orioles have traded CF
Dave May to the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for RP
Dick Baney and RP
Buzz Stephen. The 26 year old May is hitting .294 with 2 HRs and 10 RBIs in 29 games with the Orioles. May is best know for being traded for Hank Aaron. Struggling to get playing time with the Orioles, the trade was made for 2 minor league pitchers. The 23 year old Baney has not pitched since 1969 when he was 0-0 with a 4.50 ERA in 1 start for the Seattle Pilots (Brewers). The 25 year old Stephen has not pitched in the MLB since 1968 when he was 1-1 with a 4.76 ERA in 2 starts for the Twins.
The Kansas City Royals have traded RP
Moe Drabowsky to the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for SS
Bobby Floyd. The 34 year old Drabowsky is 0-1 with a 2.84 ERA in 9 games (6 IPs). Known as a prankster, Drabowsky could pitch as well. The Polish born hurler, an arm injury in 1958 set back his effectiveness for about 4 years and ended back in the minors. One of Drabowsky's best known pranks was when he called the Athletics bull pen and pretended to be manager
Alvin Dark. He then pranked his former teammate
Lew Krausse by getting him to warm up, then sit back down and the third call was intended to get Krausse throwing again when his prank was discovered. The 26 year old Floyd is hitting .000 in 13 games for the Orioles.
The Cleveland Indians have traded SP
Bob Miller with RP
Barry Moore to the Chicago White Sox in exchange for CF
Buddy Bradford and RP
Tommie Sisk. The 31 year old Miller is 2-1 with 3 saves, a 6.21 ERA in 21 games for the Indians. Miller led the league with 74 games in 1964, and has 2 world series rings, 1963 and 1965 both with the Dodgers. Miller lost his first 12 decisions with the Mets in 1962, and ended his season 1-12 in 33 games including 21 starts. The 27 year old Moore was 4-4 with a 5.06 ERA in 11 games this year for the Indians. The 25 year old Bradford is hitting .242 with 6 HRs and 19 RBIs in 41 games for the White Sox. The 28 year old Sisk is 2-1 with a 5.67 ERA in 17 games for the White Sox.
The Atlanta Braves have released RP
Ron Kline. The 38 year old has not pitched this season in the MLB, he last pitched in 1969 when he was 0-1 with 6 saves, a 1.50 ERA in 38 games for the Pirates, Giants and Red Sox. A hunting accident in 1960 and left fragments of a shell in his eyes. Fortunately the fragments were removed without and damage to his eyesight.
The Oakland Athletics have purchased the contract of LF
Tommy Davis from the Houston Astros. The 31 year old is hitting .286 with 4 HRs and 25 RBIs in 60 games for the Astros. The 2-time All Star led the league in hits with 230 and 153 RBIs in 1962. Davis also won back to back batting titles in 1962 (.346) and 1963 (.326). Davis was limited to just 17 games in 1965 when he snapped his ankle on a close play at 1B.