The King is Dead. Long Live the King (Yankees).

[Tribe1450]

Major League Baseball
Wednesday, November 10, 1954

News & Notes

Free agency is now underway and while there are some very big name legends available to sign, it is unclear how the process will end up laying out.

Initial rumors have Ted Williams in negotiations to stay with the Red Sox, while Allie Reynolds is apparently meeting almost daily with the Yankees trying to work out a contract that will keep him in pinstripes.

Other teams are starting to load up their trading block options, as more and more players are becoming "available" to other teams via the trade route.

The Hot-Stove league is certainly starting to heat up now in anticipation of the winter meetings taking place over the upcoming Thanksgiving weekend.

The newly created first-year amateur draft is set for Wednesday, December 1st. Teams are busy now scouting the available player list and conducting meetings and interviews with players and their families in the hopes of finding a key player to build their franchise around, or at least fine enough average players to keep their farm systems well stocked.

[Tribe1450]

Major League Baseball
Thursday, November 11, 1954

News & Notes

Our first trade of the off-season has occurred.

Thursday, November 11th, 1954
The Philadelphia Athletics traded 30-year-old starting pitcher Alex Kellner to the Brooklyn Dodgers, getting 21-year-old minor league center fielder Dave Roberts, 23-year-old minor league reliever Don Bessent and 22-year-old minor league reliever Rene Masip in return.

More teams are adding players to the "trading block," letting other teams know that they are open for business and will listen to offers.

Teams are trying to figure out their financial short and long term goals now that the new financial system for the league is fully operational.

It is unclear which teams may take a chance on signing one of the superstars currently available in free agency. Rumors persist that the Red Sox have the lead in the race to sign Ted Williams and the Yankees appear to be the front runner for the services of Allie Reynolds.

[Tribe1450]

Major League Baseball
Saturday, November 13, 1954

News & Notes

The Detroit Tigers have apparently entered into negotiations with Ted Williams. Sources say the Tigers were unsure about how to approach the superstar, worried that some type of tampering charges might be filed if they showed their interest publicly. They apparently reached out directly to commissioner Ford Frick, who said the new free agency process is in fact available to anyone and there are no restrictions in regards to communications with players.

The Tigers have apparently come in hard with an offer approaching $125,000 per year, a dollar amount that would make the Splendid Splinter the higest paid player in baseball.

[Tribe1450]

Major League Baseball
Monday, November 15, 1954

News & Notes

Negotiations between Ted Williams and the Detroit Tigers have apparently broken off. Williams became upset when an early winter snow storm hit Detroit over the weekend and left him stranded at the airport unable to get to his hotel. Tiger officials were unable to locate Ted after he started to find a taxi on his on and then was promptly taken to the wrong hotel. The entire fiasco left Williams storming off to the local train station where he promptly boarded a train for Boston. It is not clear if he may ready to sign with the Red Sox later this week.

[Tribe1450]

Major League Baseball
Wednesday, November 17, 1954

Trade

We have another trade to report and the Detroit Tigers are trying to reach out to Ted Williams again, this time they are attempting to set up a meeting at a hunting lodge in northern Minnesota where Ted has decided to stay for the next couple of weeks. It is unclear if Williams will accept any visitors in person, or if he will only entertain discussions over the phone.

[Tribe1450]

Major League Baseball
Thursday, November 18, 1954

Williams Signs with Yankees

Major League Baseball has been shaken to its core with the announcement that Ted Williams has signed a two-year contract with the New York Yankees.

The deal came as a complete shock to the entire league, including the Boston Red Sox and Detroit Tigers who had both decided to aggressively pursue the superstar.

As Williams was headed by train to a hunting lodge in northern Minnesota, he was tipped off by friends that the Detroit Tigers were sending a contingent of representatives to meet him there in the hopes of rekindling some type of negotiation. He became infuriated at the news and during a quick stop over in Cleveland, he got off the train and made reservations to return to Boston.

Much to William's surprise he ran into Casey Stengel and Dan Topping as he entered his first class room on the train back east. The three then spent the next several hours alone in the room. Porters on the train said the three ordered food and drinks, apparently steaks, salmon, shrimp, whiskey, vodka, gin and chocolate ice cream. The porters were also asked for a notary public to be made available upon the train's arrival at Grand Central Station in New York City.

The group got off the train in New York, and were quickly whisked away in a private limo. News of the apparent contract agreement then started to leak to local sports writers who at first did not believe any part of the story because the Wednesday trip to Minnesota was not supposed to end until Thursday evening when Williams was scheduled to arrive at the hunting lodge. He had told reporters that he would be available for a quick chat Sunday afternoon at the lodge.

At 9 am this morning, the three appeared before the media at Yankee offices in Yankee Stadium and announced that Williams had decided to sign with the Yankees on a two-year deal worth $98,000 per year. The second year of the deal will become guaranteed if he plays in at least 130 games in 1955.

Yogi Berra and Mickey Mantle were overjoyed when they heard the news this morning, with both saying they had no idea any negotiations were underway.

Dan Topping told reporters that once he heard Ted had initially talked with the Tigers, he decided that he would not take no for an answer and he would do everything in his power to sign the star. He called Casey Stengel about his plans and Casey told him whatever he needed he would get from him.

Red Sox fans, players and front office officials were stunned to hear the news this morning, thinking they had plenty of time to talk with the star over the winter. They all admitted that losing Ted to another team was bad enough, but losing him to the Yankees made the entire scenario almost unbearable.

The Tigers organization heard about the deal on the train ride north to Minnesota, rumors say they were just north of Oshkosh when they heard the news and were distraught when they could not find a nearby stop to get off the train. Tiger fans have already started protesting the entire fiasco with bon fires and picket lines in front of Briggs Stadium.

The Yankees will be well primed to make a run at another championship, which expects to see Ted Williams extremely motivated to win his first.

[Tribe1450]

Major League Baseball
Saturday, November 27, 1954

News & Notes

The winter meetings have a trade between Detroit and the Phillies. Not a blockbuster in terms of the league, but certainly a big trade between the two clubs as they solidify positions in their lineup, including the Tigers who have secured some serious thump.

Interest in Stan Musial now appears to be high from both the Tigers, who are trying to get over the sting of botching their attempt at signing Ted Williams, and the Red Sox who continue to reel after losing Williams to the Yankees.

[Tribe1450]

Major League Baseball
Tuesday, November 30, 1954

News & Notes

George Kell, a 7-time all-star is headed to the windy city to play for the White Sox. He signed a 2-year deal to handle the hot corner for the Sox.

The first every entry draft will be held tomorrow. It is not known how many teams have dedicated scouts to deal only with the 16 round event, or if team officials are spreading themselves out to handle potential free agent contract negotiations as well.

Tuesday, November 30th, 1954
Chicago White Sox: Signed free agent 3B George Kell to a 2-year contract worth a total of $126,000.

[Tribe1450]

Major League Baseball
Wednesday, December 1, 1954

Amateur Draft Day

The first ever amateur player selection draft will be taking place today.

One thing to note - the game changed my settings from a 16 round draft to a 91 round draft. The draft order stayed the same. I had to go into the league settings area to re-set the number of rounds to be 16. If I had not double checked the settings I would have had quite the massive draft situation, which would not have been what I was hoping for. Always double-check and save / backup your game whenever you come across a "large scale" event in your calendars.

[Tribe1450]

Major League Baseball
Wednesday, December 1, 1954

First Ever Player Entry Draft

Only 16 rounds in the draft - one round per team in the league.

The first 4 rounds of the draft includes players that must have their initial contracts negotiated with signing bonuses. The #1 overall pick has a slot of $20,000, which is below the MLB minimum yearly salary of $25,000. The scale slides downward throughout the first four rounds. Some teams, without budget room, may not be able to sign any of their first four picks, which means they will roll into next year's draft.


Round 1
Round 1, Pick 1 - Philadelphia Athletics: C John Romano, age 20
Round 1, Pick 2 - Pittsburgh Pirates: LF Norm Cash, age 20
Round 1, Pick 3 - Cincinnati Redlegs: CF Bob Allison, age 20
Round 1, Pick 4 - Detroit Tigers: 1B Orlando Cepeda, age 17
Round 1, Pick 5 - Washington Senators: SP Bill Monbouquette, age 18
Round 1, Pick 6 - Chicago Cubs: C Jim Pagliaroni, age 16
Round 1, Pick 7 - Baltimore Orioles: 2B Bob Johnson, age 18
Round 1, Pick 8 - Philadelphia Phillies: SP Jack Kralick, age 19
Round 1, Pick 9 - New York Giants: LF Leon Wagner, age 20
Round 1, Pick 10 - St. Louis Cardinals: SP Bob Lee, age 17
Round 1, Pick 11 - Boston Red Sox: C Johnny Blanchard, age 21
Round 1, Pick 12 - Chicago White Sox: C Douglas Wellman, age 21
Round 1, Pick 13 - New York Yankees: 3B Brooks Robinson, age 17
Round 1, Pick 14 - Milwaukee Braves: SP Dave Wickersham, age 19
Round 1, Pick 15 - Brooklyn Dodgers: SP Gary Bell, age 18
Round 1, Pick 16 - Cleveland Indians: RF Lenny Green, age 21

Round 2
Round 2, Pick 1 - Philadelphia Athletics: SP Sandy Koufax, age 18
Round 2, Pick 2 - Pittsburgh Pirates: SP Claude Raymond, age 17
Round 2, Pick 3 - Cincinnati Redlegs: SP Stan Williams, age 18
Round 2, Pick 4 - Detroit Tigers: LF Bob Thurman, age 37
Round 2, Pick 5 - Washington Senators: SP Johnny Kucks, age 21
Round 2, Pick 6 - Chicago Cubs: 3B Frank Malzone, age 24
Round 2, Pick 7 - Baltimore Orioles: 3B Jim Davenport, age 21
Round 2, Pick 8 - Philadelphia Phillies: C Bob Schmidt, age 21
Round 2, Pick 9 - New York Giants: RP Lindy McDaniel, age 18
Round 2, Pick 10 - St. Louis Cardinals: RP Frank Baumann, age 21
Round 2, Pick 11 - Boston Red Sox: 3B Wayne Causey, age 17
Round 2, Pick 12 - Chicago White Sox: C Jesse Gonder, age 18
Round 2, Pick 13 - Brooklyn Dodgers: C Don Leppert, age 23
Round 2, Pick 14 - Cleveland Indians: 1B Deacon Jones, age 20
Round 2, Pick 15 - New York Yankees: LF Joe Christopher, age 18
Round 2, Pick 16 - Milwaukee Braves: RP Bill Kunkel, age 18

Round 3
Round 3, Pick 1 - Philadelphia Athletics: C Arlan Barber, age 21
Round 3, Pick 2 - Pittsburgh Pirates: CF Warren Wilson, age 22
Round 3, Pick 3 - Cincinnati Redlegs: C Tony Cannizzo, age 19
Round 3, Pick 4 - Detroit Tigers: RP Paul Toth, age 19
Round 3, Pick 5 - Washington Senators: 1B Pancho Herrera, age 20
Round 3, Pick 6 - Chicago Cubs: 2B Clete Boyer, age 17
Round 3, Pick 7 - Baltimore Orioles: SS Jose Pagan, age 19
Round 3, Pick 8 - Philadelphia Phillies: C Joseph Zavattaro, age 21
Round 3, Pick 9 - New York Giants: SS Larry Raines, age 24
Round 3, Pick 10 - St. Louis Cardinals: C Joseph Miller, age 20
Round 3, Pick 11 - Boston Red Sox: C Joseph Theis, age 18
Round 3, Pick 12 - Chicago White Sox: CF Bill Causion, age 25
Round 3, Pick 13 - Brooklyn Dodgers: RF Henry Mitchell, age 17
Round 3, Pick 14 - Cleveland Indians: C Haywood Sullivan, age 23
Round 3, Pick 15 - New York Yankees: SP Tom Bowers, age 20
Round 3, Pick 16 - Milwaukee Braves: C Carl Wagner, age 21

Round 4
Round 4, Pick 1 - Philadelphia Athletics: LF Bubba Morton, age 22
Round 4, Pick 2 - Pittsburgh Pirates: C Pete Daley, age 24
Round 4, Pick 3 - Cincinnati Redlegs: SP Glen Hobbie, age 18
Round 4, Pick 4 - Detroit Tigers: LF Bubba Phillips, age 26
Round 4, Pick 5 - Washington Senators: SP Ted Abernathy, age 21
Round 4, Pick 6 - Chicago Cubs: LF Lou Clinton, age 17
Round 4, Pick 7 - Baltimore Orioles: SS Raul Dieppa, age 19
Round 4, Pick 8 - Philadelphia Phillies: C Jim Campbell, age 17
Round 4, Pick 9 - New York Giants: CF Gerald Sheehan, age 22
Round 4, Pick 10 - St. Louis Cardinals: C Edmund Zander, age 17
Round 4, Pick 11 - Boston Red Sox: C Tom Tarantino, age 17
Round 4, Pick 12 - Chicago White Sox: C George Seidel, age 22
Round 4, Pick 13 - Brooklyn Dodgers: CF Duke Carmel, age 17
Round 4, Pick 14 - Cleveland Indians: LF Sammy Miley, age 23
Round 4, Pick 15 - New York Yankees: 1B Lawrence Watson, age 18
Round 4, Pick 16 - Milwaukee Braves: SP Barry Latman, age 18

Round 5
Round 5, Pick 1 - Philadelphia Athletics: LF Jim McAnany, age 18
Round 5, Pick 2 - Pittsburgh Pirates: C Jerry Micham, age 24
Round 5, Pick 3 - Cincinnati Redlegs: C Bill Lachemann, age 20
Round 5, Pick 4 - Detroit Tigers: RF Ernie Oravetz, age 22
Round 5, Pick 5 - Washington Senators: SP George Susce, age 23
Round 5, Pick 6 - Chicago Cubs: SS Paul Bentley, age 22
Round 5, Pick 7 - Baltimore Orioles: RP Babe Birrer, age 26
Round 5, Pick 8 - Philadelphia Phillies: RP Charlie Drummond, age 24
Round 5, Pick 9 - New York Giants: C Choo Choo Coleman, age 19
Round 5, Pick 10 - St. Louis Cardinals: RF Buddy Gilbert, age 19
Round 5, Pick 11 - Boston Red Sox: CF Bill Lajoie, age 20
Round 5, Pick 12 - Chicago White Sox: 2B Lou Vassie, age 18
Round 5, Pick 13 - Brooklyn Dodgers: CF Jim McKnight, age 18
Round 5, Pick 14 - Cleveland Indians: CF Jackie Brown, age 19
Round 5, Pick 15 - New York Yankees: RF Terry Sparks, age 20
Round 5, Pick 16 - Milwaukee Braves: SP Orlando Pena, age 21

Round 6
Round 6, Pick 1 - Philadelphia Athletics: RP Red Swanson, age 18
Round 6, Pick 2 - Pittsburgh Pirates: SS Domingo Carrasquel, age 17
Round 6, Pick 3 - Cincinnati Redlegs: RP Verle Tiefenthaler, age 17
Round 6, Pick 4 - Detroit Tigers: LF Carroll Hardy, age 21
Round 6, Pick 5 - Washington Senators: SP Gerry Nelson, age 20
Round 6, Pick 6 - Chicago Cubs: SP Don Kaiser, age 19
Round 6, Pick 7 - Baltimore Orioles: RF Charles Tulner, age 21
Round 6, Pick 8 - Philadelphia Phillies: C Dick Harris, age 18
Round 6, Pick 9 - New York Giants: 2B Marv Breeding, age 20
Round 6, Pick 10 - St. Louis Cardinals: SS Ralph Flory, age 22
Round 6, Pick 11 - Boston Red Sox: 2B Pablo Garcia, age 31
Round 6, Pick 12 - Chicago White Sox: CF Manuel Romero, age 19
Round 6, Pick 13 - Brooklyn Dodgers: SP Connie Grob, age 22
Round 6, Pick 14 - Cleveland Indians: 2B Sammy Drake, age 20
Round 6, Pick 15 - New York Yankees: 1B Allan Milley, age 19
Round 6, Pick 16 - Milwaukee Braves: C Ray Zari, age 21

Round 7
Round 7, Pick 1 - Philadelphia Athletics: LF William McGuckin, age 22
Round 7, Pick 2 - Pittsburgh Pirates: SP Albert James, age 21
Round 7, Pick 3 - Cincinnati Redlegs: CF Peter Fannon, age 24
Round 7, Pick 4 - Detroit Tigers: RF Fran Boniar, age 22
Round 7, Pick 5 - Washington Senators: SP Al Jackson, age 18
Round 7, Pick 6 - Chicago Cubs: RP Floyd Wooldridge, age 26
Round 7, Pick 7 - Baltimore Orioles: 3B Don LeJohn, age 20
Round 7, Pick 8 - Philadelphia Phillies: CF Chuck Weatherspoon, age 23
Round 7, Pick 9 - New York Giants: 1B Jerome Stack, age 19
Round 7, Pick 10 - St. Louis Cardinals: SS Joseph Edgley, age 22
Round 7, Pick 11 - Boston Red Sox: CF Rod Kanehl, age 20
Round 7, Pick 12 - Chicago White Sox: C James Manning, age 24
Round 7, Pick 13 - Brooklyn Dodgers: LF Don Landrum, age 18
Round 7, Pick 14 - Cleveland Indians: 3B Charlie Randall, age 17
Round 7, Pick 15 - New York Yankees: SS Bob Jingling, age 21
Round 7, Pick 16 - Milwaukee Braves: CF Jim Small, age 17

Round 8
Round 8, Pick 1 - Philadelphia Athletics: CF Les Mattinson, age 21
Round 8, Pick 2 - Pittsburgh Pirates: SS Joseph Gauci, age 22
Round 8, Pick 3 - Cincinnati Redlegs: C Bob Roselli, age 22
Round 8, Pick 4 - Detroit Tigers: 1B Ray Barker, age 18
Round 8, Pick 5 - Washington Senators: SP Bill Short, age 17
Round 8, Pick 6 - Chicago Cubs: LF Vincent Magi, age 22
Round 8, Pick 7 - Baltimore Orioles: 2B Robert Deakin, age 20
Round 8, Pick 8 - Philadelphia Phillies: SS Federico Bojorquez, age 17
Round 8, Pick 9 - New York Giants: 1B Karl Kuehl, age 17
Round 8, Pick 10 - St. Louis Cardinals: CF John Wrye, age 19
Round 8, Pick 11 - Boston Red Sox: CF Albert Gohier, age 23
Round 8, Pick 12 - Chicago White Sox: C George Ettenger, age 20
Round 8, Pick 13 - Brooklyn Dodgers: LF Cliff Cook, age 18
Round 8, Pick 14 - Cleveland Indians: CF Sammy Hitcher, age 19
Round 8, Pick 15 - New York Yankees: LF Ronald Bennett, age 22
Round 8, Pick 16 - Milwaukee Braves: SP Ted Wills, age 20

Round 9
Round 9, Pick 1 - Philadelphia Athletics: 1B Jay Cooke, age 17
Round 9, Pick 2 - Pittsburgh Pirates: C Ronald Ott, age 18
Round 9, Pick 3 - Cincinnati Redlegs: C Jim Stoll, age 17
Round 9, Pick 4 - Detroit Tigers: 1B Nathan Dickerson, age 18
Round 9, Pick 5 - Washington Senators: SP Dallas Green, age 20
Round 9, Pick 6 - Chicago Cubs: RF Thomas Snow, age 21
Round 9, Pick 7 - Baltimore Orioles: 2B Terry Laschen, age 19
Round 9, Pick 8 - Philadelphia Phillies: 3B Don Eaddy, age 20
Round 9, Pick 9 - New York Giants: 2B Chet Boak, age 19
Round 9, Pick 10 - St. Louis Cardinals: C Charles Lasby, age 21
Round 9, Pick 11 - Boston Red Sox: RP Webbo Clarke, age 26
Round 9, Pick 12 - Chicago White Sox: CF Jim Pyburn, age 22
Round 9, Pick 13 - Brooklyn Dodgers: 1B John Jaciuk, age 23
Round 9, Pick 14 - Cleveland Indians: 2B Robert Wetzel, age 19
Round 9, Pick 15 - New York Yankees: 3B William Robertson, age 19
Round 9, Pick 16 - Milwaukee Braves: 2B Robert Maness, age 19

[Tribe1450]

Major League Baseball
Wednesday, December 1, 1954

First Year Player Draft (continued)

Some of the players drafted in the last few rounds have already been cut by the teams that drafted them, but each team has assigned their draft picks (rounds 5-16) to one of their minor league affiliate teams. The parent clubs have made corresponding moves to transfer or cut players from their current minor league rosters to make room for the new players.

Negotiations for the first 4 picks for each team will now begin.

A reminder that the AI does not know any names or the real life history associated with those names, only the ratings that are included today - and they will develop according to the OOTP development engine not real life history - i.e. Sandy Koufax falling to the 2nd round!

Free agency continues.


Round 10
Round 10, Pick 1 - Philadelphia Athletics: 2B Lawrence Cutler, age 22
Round 10, Pick 2 - Pittsburgh Pirates: C Frank Biskup, age 21
Round 10, Pick 3 - Cincinnati Redlegs: SS Don Bacon, age 19
Round 10, Pick 4 - Detroit Tigers: CF Bud Hull, age 23
Round 10, Pick 5 - Washington Senators: SP Fritz Ackley, age 17
Round 10, Pick 6 - Chicago Cubs: 1B Don Gile, age 19
Round 10, Pick 7 - Baltimore Orioles: 2B Pete Anthony, age 18
Round 10, Pick 8 - Philadelphia Phillies: C Daryl Westerfield, age 21
Round 10, Pick 9 - New York Giants: CF Glen Plaster, age 18
Round 10, Pick 10 - St. Louis Cardinals: CF Don Moitoza, age 18
Round 10, Pick 11 - Boston Red Sox: CF Ronnie Wilkins, age 17
Round 10, Pick 12 - Chicago White Sox: SP Wynn Hawkins, age 18
Round 10, Pick 13 - Brooklyn Dodgers: CF Carlos Castillo, age 21
Round 10, Pick 14 - Cleveland Indians: 3B James Burton, age 19
Round 10, Pick 15 - New York Yankees: 3B Al Cruz, age 18
Round 10, Pick 16 - Milwaukee Braves: SP Julio Navarro, age 18

Round 11
Round 11, Pick 1 - Philadelphia Athletics: RF Gerald Mason, age 21
Round 11, Pick 2 - Pittsburgh Pirates: C Richard Beck, age 19
Round 11, Pick 3 - Cincinnati Redlegs: C Charles Antak, age 21
Round 11, Pick 4 - Detroit Tigers: 1B Madison Slade, age 22
Round 11, Pick 5 - Washington Senators: SP Chuck Hickman, age 19
Round 11, Pick 6 - Chicago Cubs: SP Tom Borland, age 21
Round 11, Pick 7 - Baltimore Orioles: SS David Cortright, age 21
Round 11, Pick 8 - Philadelphia Phillies: SS William Bone, age 19
Round 11, Pick 9 - New York Giants: 2B Tony Asaro, age 18
Round 11, Pick 10 - St. Louis Cardinals: SS Jim Hughes, age 20
Round 11, Pick 11 - Boston Red Sox: SS Jose Duenas, age 21
Round 11, Pick 12 - Chicago White Sox: SS William Brashear, age 20
Round 11, Pick 13 - Brooklyn Dodgers: 3B Frederick Serley, age 22
Round 11, Pick 14 - Cleveland Indians: RP James DePalo, age 22
Round 11, Pick 15 - New York Yankees: LF Joseph Cintron, age 18
Round 11, Pick 16 - Milwaukee Braves: C James Zickel, age 21

Round 12
Round 12, Pick 1 - Philadelphia Athletics: LF Sheldon Brodsky, age 18
Round 12, Pick 2 - Pittsburgh Pirates: SS Wayne Coleman, age 16
Round 12, Pick 3 - Cincinnati Redlegs: 2B Fred Berger, age 21
Round 12, Pick 4 - Detroit Tigers: 1B Richard Patton, age 22
Round 12, Pick 5 - Washington Senators: SP Chi-Chi Olivo, age 26
Round 12, Pick 6 - Chicago Cubs: SP Librado Cesena, age 22
Round 12, Pick 7 - Baltimore Orioles: CF Jerry Waters, age 18
Round 12, Pick 8 - Philadelphia Phillies: C Gary Grosnickle, age 19
Round 12, Pick 9 - New York Giants: RP Gordie Sundin, age 17
Round 12, Pick 10 - St. Louis Cardinals: RP Roger Clapp, age 22
Round 12, Pick 11 - Boston Red Sox: 2B Ray Webster, age 17
Round 12, Pick 12 - Chicago White Sox: 2B Jack Bloomfield, age 22
Round 12, Pick 13 - Brooklyn Dodgers: CF Jerry Dunn, age 22
Round 12, Pick 14 - Cleveland Indians: CF Louis Caputo, age 18
Round 12, Pick 15 - New York Yankees: CF Regis Burns, age 23
Round 12, Pick 16 - Milwaukee Braves: RP Romeo Cadena, age 22

Round 13
Round 13, Pick 1 - Philadelphia Athletics: 2B George Smith, age 17
Round 13, Pick 2 - Pittsburgh Pirates: SP Diomedes Olivo, age 35
Round 13, Pick 3 - Cincinnati Redlegs: CF Jim Holstein, age 24
Round 13, Pick 4 - Detroit Tigers: RP Gilberto Garza, age 37
Round 13, Pick 5 - Washington Senators: SP Gustavo Muniz, age 18
Round 13, Pick 6 - Chicago Cubs: LF Thomas Nerad, age 23
Round 13, Pick 7 - Baltimore Orioles: LF Russ Gragg, age 20
Round 13, Pick 8 - Philadelphia Phillies: C David Dickerson, age 20
Round 13, Pick 9 - New York Giants: LF Joe Trenary, age 19
Round 13, Pick 10 - St. Louis Cardinals: SS Joey Lawrence, age 20
Round 13, Pick 11 - Boston Red Sox: SS Robert Hudson, age 20
Round 13, Pick 12 - Chicago White Sox: C Robert Marburger, age 18
Round 13, Pick 13 - Brooklyn Dodgers: LF Don Frailey, age 20
Round 13, Pick 14 - Cleveland Indians: LF Robert Fidler, age 18
Round 13, Pick 15 - New York Yankees: RP Enrique Castillo, age 26
Round 13, Pick 16 - Milwaukee Braves: C Jerry Marchand, age 23

Round 14
Round 14, Pick 1 - Philadelphia Athletics: LF Dale Bennetch, age 18
Round 14, Pick 2 - Pittsburgh Pirates: RF Albert Pellagrini, age 20
Round 14, Pick 3 - Cincinnati Redlegs: CF Thomas Bornman, age 18
Round 14, Pick 4 - Detroit Tigers: 3B Paul Studstill, age 18
Round 14, Pick 5 - Washington Senators: SP Dave Stenhouse, age 21
Round 14, Pick 6 - Chicago Cubs: LF Gustave Sancimino, age 18
Round 14, Pick 7 - Baltimore Orioles: LF Alfred Nagel, age 21
Round 14, Pick 8 - Philadelphia Phillies: CF Benjamin Bland, age 23
Round 14, Pick 9 - New York Giants: SS Lyle Krall, age 22
Round 14, Pick 10 - St. Louis Cardinals: C Wendell Antoine, age 19
Round 14, Pick 11 - Boston Red Sox: SS Ronald Weidenhammer, age 21
Round 14, Pick 12 - Chicago White Sox: SS Melvyn Provost, age 22
Round 14, Pick 13 - Brooklyn Dodgers: 2B Henry Studnicki, age 20
Round 14, Pick 14 - Cleveland Indians: RF Richard Lubinski, age 19
Round 14, Pick 15 - New York Yankees: SS Dale DeSilva, age 17
Round 14, Pick 16 - Milwaukee Braves: CF David Hammermeister, age 24

Round 15
Round 15, Pick 1 - Philadelphia Athletics: CF Alberto Alvarez, age 18
Round 15, Pick 2 - Pittsburgh Pirates: CF Albert Werneke, age 21
Round 15, Pick 3 - Cincinnati Redlegs: C John Croke, age 19
Round 15, Pick 4 - Detroit Tigers: 1B Hank O'Neal, age 25
Round 15, Pick 5 - Washington Senators: SP Bill Griffin, age 19
Round 15, Pick 6 - Chicago Cubs: 3B Joseph Lee, age 17
Round 15, Pick 7 - Baltimore Orioles: SP Jim Bronstad, age 18
Round 15, Pick 8 - Philadelphia Phillies: RP Frank Pickens, age 24
Round 15, Pick 9 - New York Giants: CF Jerry Williams, age 21
Round 15, Pick 10 - St. Louis Cardinals: C Willie Quezada, age 19
Round 15, Pick 11 - Boston Red Sox: CF Terry Wilson, age 19
Round 15, Pick 12 - Chicago White Sox: SS Jim Woolard, age 21
Round 15, Pick 13 - Brooklyn Dodgers: SS Raymond Krawczak, age 19
Round 15, Pick 14 - Cleveland Indians: CF Keith Mitchell, age 19
Round 15, Pick 15 - New York Yankees: 3B Milt Smith, age 25
Round 15, Pick 16 - Milwaukee Braves: C Ralph Platt, age 18

Round 16
Round 16, Pick 1 - Philadelphia Athletics: SS William Zukauskas, age 22
Round 16, Pick 2 - Pittsburgh Pirates: SS Keith Salisbury, age 21
Round 16, Pick 3 - Cincinnati Redlegs: LF Samuel Zivkovich, age 20
Round 16, Pick 4 - Detroit Tigers: 1B Edward Kopacz, age 20
Round 16, Pick 5 - Washington Senators: SP Ted Sadowski, age 18
Round 16, Pick 6 - Chicago Cubs: LF Felix Guzman, age 17
Round 16, Pick 7 - Baltimore Orioles: LF John Lowry, age 18
Round 16, Pick 8 - Philadelphia Phillies: SS Elder White, age 20
Round 16, Pick 9 - New York Giants: SS Henry Cameron, age 22
Round 16, Pick 10 - St. Louis Cardinals: C Connie Gravitte, age 21
Round 16, Pick 11 - Boston Red Sox: CF Ronald Bowie, age 22
Round 16, Pick 12 - Chicago White Sox: CF Ronald Glasgow, age 20
Round 16, Pick 13 - Brooklyn Dodgers: SP Donald Zitek, age 21
Round 16, Pick 14 - Cleveland Indians: SS Charley Massey, age 17
Round 16, Pick 15 - New York Yankees: RF Bob Jacoby, age 19
Round 16, Pick 16 - Milwaukee Braves: CF Hugo Guidotti, age 21

[Tribe1450]

Major League Baseball
Sunday, December 5, 1954

Musial Headed to Milwaukee!

Major League Baseball is dealing with another legendary player changing teams today, as superstar Stan Musial accepted a new 4-year contract to play with the Milwaukee Braves. While his AAV is slightly below his salary from 1954, his 4-year deal provides him with contract certainty and will likely push the Braves potent lineup into one of the best ever.

Cardinal fans are protesting the loss of their hero, and are placing the blame squarely at the feet of commissioner Frick and teams that have struggled to win since the end of the war.

Fans are becoming increasingly upset because it appears to them that the rich are getting richer and the worst teams are not getting the help they were promised.

A number of recent draft picks are also signing on with their new teams, accepting bonus checks that are in line with the projected "slots" for each pick.


Sunday, December 5th, 1954
Milwaukee Braves: Signed free agent LF Stan Musial to a 4-year contract worth a total of $448,000.

Friday, December 3rd, 1954
Philadelphia Phillies: Signed Jack Kralick to a minor league contract with a signing bonus of $24,200.
Milwaukee Braves: Signed Dave Wickersham to a minor league contract with a signing bonus of $28,600.

Thursday, December 2nd, 1954
Baltimore Orioles: Signed bench coach Greg Connors to a 2-year, $26,000 per year contract.
Washington Senators: Signed Johnny Kucks to a minor league contract with a signing bonus of $2,800.

Wednesday, December 1st, 1954
Baltimore Orioles: 1B Dick Kryhoski was designated for assignment, placed on waivers and taken off the 40-man roster.

[Tribe1450]

Major League Baseball
Monday, December 13, 1954

Hall Of Fame Voting Begins

[Tribe1450]

Major League Baseball
Tuesday, December 14, 1954

Rule V Draft

The league's annual Rule V draft occurred today and there were only 3 selections made in the first round. Each of the 16 teams drafted in reverse order of their 1954 regular season records.

The draft ends whenever and entire round goes by with no selections. That occurred this year in the 2nd round.

This procedures wraps up the last part to any large scale, league wide roster additions. Teams continue to negotiate with their recent draft picks over signing bonus compensation and free agent negotiations will also continue through the winter.

We will jump back in periodically through the winter with any transactions news that becomes newsworthy or of note to the league.

Round 1
Round 1, Pick 1 - Philadelphia Athletics: CL Bud Daley, from the Cleveland Indians.
Round 1, Pick 4 - Detroit Tigers: RP Bill Tremel, from the Chicago Cubs.
Round 1, Pick 5 - Washington Senators: RP Memo Luna, from the St. Louis Cardinals.

[Tribe1450]

Major League Baseball
Monday, December 27, 1954

News & Notes

Allie Reynolds has decided to stay with the Yankees, and has signed a 3-year contract that will take him through the age of 40. The Yankees had been rumored to be the front runners to land his services once the free agency period began.

Recent draft picks have been signing with more frequency during the past few days, since the deadline to sign a new rookie contract is fast approaching on New Year's Eve. There are still a few that have not signed and if they can not reach an agreement with the teams that drafted them, they will be returned to the draft pool for the 1955 first year player draft.


Monday, December 27th, 1954
New York Yankees: Signed free agent SP Allie Reynolds to a 3-year contract worth a total of $267,000.
New York Yankees: 3B Bobby W Brown was designated for assignment, placed on waivers and taken off the 40-man roster.
Philadelphia Athletics: RP Reggie Paxton was designated for assignment, placed on waivers and taken off the 40-man roster.
Washington Senators: Signed Pancho Herrera to a minor league contract with a signing bonus of $1,400.
Washington Senators: Signed Ted Abernathy to a minor league contract with a signing bonus of $1,000.
Cleveland Indians: Signed Lenny Green to a minor league contract with a signing bonus of $4,800.
Pittsburgh Pirates: Signed Claude Raymond to a minor league contract with a signing bonus of $19,800.
Chicago Cubs: Signed Jim Pagliaroni to a minor league contract with a signing bonus of $19,800.
Chicago Cubs: Signed Frank Malzone to a minor league contract with a signing bonus of $3,400.
Cincinnati Redlegs: Signed Tony Cannizzo to a minor league contract with a signing bonus of $3,600.
St. Louis Cardinals: Signed Frank Baumann to a minor league contract with a signing bonus of $2,400.

Sunday, December 26th, 1954
New York Yankees: Signed Brooks Robinson to a minor league contract with a signing bonus of $13,200.
Philadelphia Athletics: Signed John Romano to a minor league contract with a signing bonus of $20,000.
Washington Senators: Signed Bill Monbouquette to a minor league contract with a signing bonus of $30,800.
Brooklyn Dodgers: Signed Duke Carmel to a minor league contract with a signing bonus of $1,600.
Chicago Cubs: Signed Don Gile to a minor league contract with a signing bonus of $2,600.
Milwaukee Braves: Signed Barry Latman to a minor league contract with a signing bonus of $3,600.

Saturday, December 25th, 1954
Philadelphia Athletics: Signed Sandy Koufax to a minor league contract with a signing bonus of $5,000.
Baltimore Orioles: Signed Jose Pagan to a minor league contract with a signing bonus of $3,600.
Detroit Tigers: Signed Orlando Cepeda to a minor league contract with a signing bonus of $28,600.
Detroit Tigers: Signed Bob Thurman to a minor league contract with a signing bonus of $3,000.
Brooklyn Dodgers: Signed Henry Mitchell to a minor league contract with a signing bonus of $2,600.
New York Giants: Signed Lindy McDaniel to a minor league contract with a signing bonus of $3,600.
St. Louis Cardinals: Signed Joseph Miller to a minor league contract with a signing bonus of $1,600.

Friday, December 24th, 1954
New York Yankees: Signed Tom Bowers to a minor league contract with a signing bonus of $1,400.
Baltimore Orioles: Signed Jim Davenport to a minor league contract with a signing bonus of $3,200.
Brooklyn Dodgers: Signed Gary Bell to a minor league contract with a signing bonus of $23,000.
Philadelphia Phillies: Signed Bob Schmidt to a minor league contract with a signing bonus of $2,600.
Cincinnati Redlegs: Signed Bob Allison to a minor league contract with a signing bonus of $16,200.
St. Louis Cardinals: Signed Edmund Zander to a minor league contract with a signing bonus of $2,400.

Wednesday, December 22nd, 1954
Philadelphia Athletics: Signed Arlan Barber to a minor league contract with a signing bonus of $1,800.
Baltimore Orioles: Signed Raul Dieppa to a minor league contract with a signing bonus of $2,400.

Tuesday, December 21st, 1954
Cleveland Indians: Signed Haywood Sullivan to a minor league contract with a signing bonus of $1,400.
Philadelphia Phillies: Signed Jim Campbell to a minor league contract with a signing bonus of $2,400.

Sunday, December 19th, 1954
Brooklyn Dodgers: Signed Don Leppert to a minor league contract with a signing bonus of $2,400.

Saturday, December 18th, 1954
Boston Red Sox: Signed Joseph Theis to a minor league contract with a signing bonus of $2,400.
Cleveland Indians: Signed Sammy Miley to a minor league contract with a signing bonus of $1,000.
Detroit Tigers: Signed Paul Toth to a minor league contract with a signing bonus of $2,000.

Friday, December 17th, 1954
Chicago White Sox: Signed Jesse Gonder to a minor league contract with a signing bonus of $4,800.

Thursday, December 16th, 1954
Philadelphia Athletics: Signed bench coach Angel Diaz to a 2-year, $19,360 per year contract.
Milwaukee Braves: Signed Julio Navarro to a minor league contract with a signing bonus of $1,400.

Wednesday, December 15th, 1954
Detroit Tigers: Signed Bubba Phillips to a minor league contract with a signing bonus of $1,000.