Minor League Baseball Players

[Cusick]

Charles Edward "Chuck" Koney was a second baseman on the Boston Red Sox spring rosters in 1947 and 1948. In those years, he was considered the heir apparent to Bobby Doerr, but obviously that didn't happen. Instead, his long-term connection to the Red Sox came as a baseball scout, as he was with them for over 40 years in that capacity. He died earlier this month on October 12.

[Merkle923]

I don't get the process by which these images of Miranda could possibly be identified as Horacio Pina or Vicente Romo.

Firstly, the player is clearly shown with "Seattle" on his uniform, and his uniform is clearly in the style of the '60s California Angels. The Angels operated their PCL farm club in Seattle - the Seattle Angels - only from 1965 through 1968. Therefore the player had to be with Seattle in a relatively short period of baseball history.

Neither Pina nor Romo ever played for Seattle. Neither was even in the Angels farm system during the time Seattle was in the PCL, thus wiping out the tiny chance that either player wore the uniform during minor league spring training or some kind of tryout. So why would you guess either of them? Because the player looks Latino?

Even if that's the logic, If you go to Baseball-Reference you can look at your leisure at the name of every Seattle Angel who ever existed. You'll find about a dozen of Hispanic descent (none of whom are Pina or Romo), nearly all of whom can be readily identified - and identified as being neither Pina nor Romo - by Google Image search.

If you eliminate all the impossibilities by diligent research, a couple of possibilities left over by the process of elimination can be useful and the penultimate step towards player identification. Just pulling a couple of names out of thin air - without checking to see if they'd ever played for the team depicted - helps nobody.

[BklynJace]

My Googling has come up empty, so thought I'd try here.

Does anyone have/has anyone seen a photo of Paul Blair during his lone '62 season as a Met minor-leaguer with the Santa Barbara Rancheros?

(Oddly, what might be his jacket went for not too much money in an auction last summer. Oh well.)

Many thanks for any help!

[rico43]

Originally Posted by Merkle923

I don't get the process by which these images of Miranda could possibly be identified as Horacio Pina or Vicente Romo.

Firstly, the player is clearly shown with "Seattle" on his uniform, and his uniform is clearly in the style of the '60s California Angels. The Angels operated their PCL farm club in Seattle - the Seattle Angels - only from 1965 through 1968. Therefore the player had to be with Seattle in a relatively short period of baseball history.

Neither Pina nor Romo ever played for Seattle. Neither was even in the Angels farm system during the time Seattle was in the PCL, thus wiping out the tiny chance that either player wore the uniform during minor league spring training or some kind of tryout. So why would you guess either of them? Because the player looks Latino?

Even if that's the logic, If you go to Baseball-Reference you can look at your leisure at the name of every Seattle Angel who ever existed. You'll find about a dozen of Hispanic descent (none of whom are Pina or Romo), nearly all of whom can be readily identified - and identified as being neither Pina nor Romo - by Google Image search.

If you eliminate all the impossibilities by diligent research, a couple of possibilities left over by the process of elimination can be useful and the penultimate step towards player identification. Just pulling a couple of names out of thin air - without checking to see if they'd ever played for the team depicted - helps nobody.

It was a careless, stupid error on my part. I called up the Portland roster on Baseball-Reference instead of Seattle. I simply got my 68 PCL teams mixed up while trying to do too much in the middle of the night. No excuses; one more reason I am happy this project is darn near over for me. Consider me chastised.

[rico43]

Meet Robert Pfaff! In the latest Topps Vault folder, the Braves' fifth round pick in 1984 played professionally for six years and never got above Class A and never played as many as 100 games in a season. But because teams need a slew of catchers every spring and Topps was and is in the business of shooting whoever is in camp, Robert Pfaff was captured for posterity in 1989, which would be his final pro season.

Thank goodness eBay had ID'd him in their new price listing, because even I, a lifetime Braves fan, had never even heard this gentleman's name, much less recognize him.

Following on the heels of Don Johnson and Jimmy Kremers, he adds to the growing roster of obscure Braves catchers who have confounded IDs -- or at least he would have!

[Merkle923]

Don't recognize this guy.

Seriously, White Sox images of Jordan are anything but scarce, but I don't know that I've ever seen him in that distinctive Topps style before:

[FatJack]

Ah the good old days. I recall a "discussion" in another forum that went on for weeks about this gentleman in a similar Vault pose to the first one here. Some were certain it was Pete Rose.

The Vault was kind enough to spit out two images of career minor leaguer Mickey Pless, today, to dispel any doubt about his identity.

[cordcoslor]

I'm looking for any team photos or individual photos of the 1969 Caldwell Cubs (Pioneer League).... does anyone have any information on this team?

[Cusick]

Ken Fremming was a pitcher on the 1951 Detroit Tigers' spring roster. He left the team in spring training to be inducted into the army during the Korean War. He died earlier this month on November 1. His obituary indicates that in 1946, he played in Esquire Magazine's All-American Boys Baseball Game in Wrigley Field, and he was voted the best high school pitcher east of the Mississippi.

[Merkle923]

How quickly expectations changed about ballplayers being clean shaven is underscored by this Topps posting of long-time A's farmhand Gil Marcano Gil Marcano Minor & Mexican Leagues Statistics & History | Baseball-Reference.com

As of Spring Training 1972 there hadn't been a big leaguer with a beard since Allen Benson in 1934, and not even a regular with a mustache since John Henry and Wally Schang circa 1914. But a year later, when Marcano reached the A's camp in Arizona, he looked like - well, he would've fit in nicely in the 2015 A.L. Cy Young balloting.

[keonleafs]

From Topps, Mack pitched 3 years of A ball in the Phillies system, and then 3 more of AA as a Cubs farmhand (1976-81). Seemed to have big control problem with his pitches...career BB 609 and 561 SO.

[rico43]

Steve Narleski labored in the minor leagues for eight seasons, trying to become the first third-generation player to reach the big leagues. But aside from a brief stay in Triple-A in 1983, his final pro season, he would get no closer than five full seasons with the Indians' Class AA team in Chattanooga.
His grandfather, Bill Narleski, was a WWI veteran who put in two seasons with the Red Sox (1929-30) but who played pro or semipro ball well past WWII, including a full season in the minors at age 45.
Bill had three baseball-loving sons. Ted played at UCLA and signed with Cleveland but quickly returned home to New Jersey for keeps -- but was later named to the South Jersey Sports Hall of Fame.
Bill's son Bob had a son, Bill Narleski, who signed with Cleveland after being drafted in 1987.
Ray Narleski, born in 1928, enjoyed six productive years in the majors, including being the de facto closer for the 1954 AL champion Indians. He was a two-time all-star before back and shoulder problems eroded his skills.
One of his sons, Jeff, was briefly in the Cubs' system.
Steve, born in 1955, had his best season was 1979, when he went 11-6, 3.46 with 12 saves in Chattanooga. Over his five seasons in Chattanooga, he pitched in 190 games -- more than any other pitcher in Chattanooga's long history.

[rico43]

Story broken by Baseball America's J.J. Cooper:

The greatest home run hitter the domestic minor leagues have ever seen has decided that 19 seasons is enough. Mike Hessman, the U.S. minor league career home run leader with 433 home runs, announced on Twitter on Saturday that he’s retiring to become a coach.

Hessman, 37, topped Buzz Arlett’s record of 432 home runs with a homer off of Lehigh Valley’s Dustin McGowan on Aug. 3 this year. It proved to be the last home run he ever hit. Hessman’s career minor league statistics seem almost unfathomable. He played 2,095 minor league games, had 1,095 runs scored and 1,795 hits and drove in 1,207 runs. Mexican League slugger Hector Espino holds the all-time minor league home run record with 484 home runs, all hit in the Mexican League.

Hessman’s career is equally remarkable for its longevity. He was drafted by the Braves in the 15th round of the 1996 draft–part of the same draft that netted Atlanta righthander Jason Marquis and infielder Mark DeRosa.
Hessman hit 15 or more home runs in each and every one of his 17 seasons of full-season ball in the States. Hessman took one year off from playing in the States, as he spent 2011 playing for Orix in Japan. Seven of his 13 Triple-A seasons came with the Toledo Mud Hens. It was fitting that he returned to Toledo for his final season and the record-breaking home run.

Although he will be remembered as a real-life Crash Davis who played year after year in the minors, Hessman did reach the majors with the Braves (2003-04), Tigers (2007-08) and Mets (2010). He hit 14 homers as a big leaguer.

[rico43]

[Cusick]

Joe Soskovic died three days ago on November 26 at age 90. Joe was on the Brooklyn Dodgers' spring rosters in 1944 and 1946. He was also one of those Sharman Society players who was called up to the majors during the regular season, but never got into a major league game. That happened to him when he joined the Dodgers in August of 1943.

While Joe played baseball under the name Soskovic, his real name was Joseph Szostkiewicz.

The photo on the left is from the Portsmouth (NH) Herald of August 23, 1943, and is a better version of another photo I have that contains a caption which announces his joining the Dodgers at that time. The photo on the right is from the Brooklyn Daily Eagle of July 30, 1946.

[FatJack]

Originally Posted by Cusick

Joe Soskovic died three days ago on November 26 at age 90.

Here's a CatsPajamas offering from eBay showing Joe in training camp with the 1948 St. Paul Saints (he would play for Nashua that year). Joe is fourth from the left in the top row (and much too small to try and isolate).

[Cusick]

Harry M. Land, Sr., died a few days ago on December 2. His baseball-reference.com record lists is birthdate only by year. His obit gives the specific date -- May 18, 1922. Harry was a catcher for five different minor league teams from 1940 through 1953, with time out for military service in 1944 and 1945. He also managed the Class D New Bern Bears (1950-51) and Class B Rock Hill Chiefs (1952). His photo is on the left. The photo comes from his obituary listing.

Harry M. Land, Jr., nicknamed Butch, was a minor league shortstop who made it as high as becoming a non-roster invitee to the Pittsburgh Pirates' spring camp in 1962. His photo is on the right. The photo comes from the Nevada State Journal (Reno) of August 17, 1963. It shows him with the Reno Silver Sox.

[rico43]

For the 1974 season, the Milwaukee Brewers' Class AAA team moved to Sacramento and was forced to play in a horseshoe-shaped football venue, Hughes Stadium. This abomination had a 233-foot left field fence (with a 40-foot high net) and was only 390 to center and 300 to right. In claustrophobic environment, the Solons hit 305 home runs and scored 937 runs. Twice, teams combined to hit 14 homers in one game.
Stephen McCartney, who had a rare color image posted in a new Topps Vault offering, was a 178-pound converted infielder who hit 32 home runs and had 30 assists in the cramped outfield. But his totals were surpassed by teammtes Sixto Lezcano (34 homers), Gorman Thomas (51 homers but with 175 strikeouts) and hometown boy Bill McNulty (55 homers, flirting with the PCL record of 61 set by Tony Lazzeri in a 198-game season). Top Brewers prospect Tom Bianco also had 28 homers. But McCartney, unlike any of the other hitters mentioned here, never reached the big leagues.

[rico43]

As much as Hughes Stadium was a playground for Sacramento's hitters in 1974 (305 homers) and 1975 (196 homers), it was a prison for the Brewers' Class AAA pitchers. While the team scored 937 runs, the Solons allowed 1,037 runs (a 6.37 team ERA) as the team went 66-78. One of the team's most talented arms, Tom Hausman, who went on to have a seven-year major league career, won 12 games but had a 6.00 ERA and allowed 50 home runs in 180 innings.
Another of the Brewers' top pitching prospects was former No. 1 pick Gary Cavello, a Seton Hall product who was drafted in 1971. In '72, he had a 2.72 ERA and eight saves, and in '74 he had a respectible enough 7-5 record, but his Sacramento season was a nightmare: 9.16 ERA, 40 home runs allowed in just 116 innings and a rash of baserunners (165 hits, 86 walks).
After the season, at age 26, Cavallo walked away from baseball and never threw another pitch.

[rico43]

The first Topps Vault images of one of the Angels' near-misses, Bill Merrifield, were unveiled today. Named to the Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame and a member of the ACC's 50th Anniversary team, Merrifield was a second-round pick of the Angels in 1983 after the shortstop was named the ACC's Player of the Year as both a sophomore and junior and earned first team All-America status.
He seemed well on his way after a .272-29-97 year in Class A Peoria in his first full pro season, then drove in 91 runs and made it all the way to Triple-A in 1985. At the end of yet another productive '86 season (.283-19-76), he was traded to the Pirates for second baseman Johnny Ray. At the end of spring training in '86, he found himself shuttled off to the Rangers for catcher Dave Sax. And the magic was gone: in 90 games that year, he hit .222 with only four homers in his final pro season. He still hit 94 homers in his pro career.
Now the regional director for athletic development for his alma mater, Bill might soon get a chance to be the father (and agent) of a major leaguer. His son, Whit Merrifield, drove in the College World Series-clinching run for South Carolina in 2010 and was subsequently drafted by the Royals. He just completed his first full season in Triple-A in 2015.