Updated 1-10-2022

Saint Paul Saints History 1940-1960

1940 1946 1952 1958

1941 1947 1953 1959

1942 1948 1954 1960

1943 1949 1955

1944 1950 1956

1945 1951 1957

Index to players, managers and ballpark bios

-----1940-----

The fifth decade of the Saint Paul Saints franchise started poorly as the club again finished in fifth place winning four less games (in six fewer games played) and attendance fell by nearly 57,000 fans [compared to 1939]. Only two players hit over .300 and two pitchers had ERAs under 4.00. In addition, there were seven players who played part of the season with other American Association teams which makes analysis difficult since currently existing minor league stats are not broken down by team, just league.



[Minnesota Historical Society]

Lexington Park Being Readied for Opening Day

It appears that deals were made, during the year, with Indianapolis [Gibby Brack and Dee Phillips for Jesse Newman and Lloyd Johnson], Milwaukee [Woody Abernathy for Ed Morgan] and Toledo [Saints obtained Vern Mackie].

The position of catcher was shared by last year's reserve Norm Schueter (.204 in 86 games), Vern Mackie (.224 for two A.A. teams), Neil Cornelius (.214 in 38 games) and a returnee bench player - Rufus Jackson (.245 in 15 games).

After hitting .229 in 40 games at first, the starting first baseman since 1938, LeRoy Anton went down to the Southern Association where he finished his pro career. Taking over first was Jesse Newman who was obtained from Indianapolis (.302 for two A.A. teams). Ollie Bejma (.297) returned as the second baseman after spending 1939 with the White Sox and Gil English (.317) also came back to lead the team in average, home runs (19), RBI (89) and slugging percentage. Newcomer John Gerlach (.247) played more at shortstop (81 games) then Lou Rogino (.241 in 67 games) and Dee Phillips who was sent to Indianapolis.

George Stumpf (.273) was the only returning outfielder and it appears that Ed Morgan (.292 for two A.A. teams) and Ralph McLeod (.269) were the other starters after the departure of Woody Abernathy (.281 for two A.A. teams) and Gibby Brack (.276 for two A.A. teams). Bob Reis (.273) was a power-hitting bench player with 16 homers as a outfielder (46 games) and infielder. He played third base in the year's All Star game.

Another All Star, Art Herring, returned to lead the team in victories (17-10) in 32 starts/239 innings and was second in ERA (3.80). Newcomer Bill Swift (13-10) led in two other categories with a 3.29 ERA and 1.15 WHIP with 24 starts as he compled 186 innings. Vedie Himsl (13-15) , in his second year, had an ERA of 4.05 and a 1.40 WHIP in 26 starts and 222 innings. Harry Taylor (5-15) returned for 22 starts and 150 frames, but didn't pitch very well (5.86, 1.64).

Other heavily-used pitchers were Tom Earley (12-12) who pitched in 139 frames with 17 starts and had an ERA of 4.47/ 1.56 WHIP and Lloyd Johnson, who after coming over from Indianapolis, was a starter (8-11 for two A.A. teams).

Ten other players were given a chance on the mound with veteran Saint Vic Frasier (3-4) [some sources spell his last name "Frazier"] getting into 18 games (7 starts) for 65 innings compiling a 5.40 ERA and 1.91 WHIP. Newcomers Al Fisher (1-3) got into 44 innings, Mac Beddingfield (0-0) in 20, Howie Belknap (0-1) in 15, Nate Andrews (1-3) in 24 and Ed Weiland (0-0), who played some games for the White Sox during the year, pitched in 21. The others (Jess Dobernic, Dwain Sloat, Ray Philps and Wilcy Moore) all returned for a few games each.

1940 Hitting

Main Pos-G

Bats

Age

AB

H

2b/3b

HR

Ave

Slg

OBP

RBI/SB

Birth Place

Norm Schlueter *#

C-96

R

24

294

60

13/6

4

204

330

303

37/0

Bellevue, IL

Jesse Newman @

1b-139

L

24

464

140

34/3

7

302

433

489

88/9

Ollie Bejma *

2b-149

R

33

549

163

33/2

14

297

441

421

69/9

South Bend, IN

Gil English *#

3b-127

R

31

480

152

15/9

19

317

504

410

89/6

Glenola, NC

John Gerlach *

SS81,3b12

R

23

316

78

3/0

1

247

266

320

31/8

Shullsburg, WI

George Stumpf *

OF-148

L

30

532

145

26/5

1

273

346

425

53/9

New Orleans

Woody Abernathy @

OF-135

L

32

506

142

35/4

10

281

425

352

87/5

Athens, AL

Gibby Brack *@

OF-134

R

32

475

131

26/7

18

276

474

413

99/7

Chicago

Ed Morgan *@

OF-128

L

26

435

127

30/7

7

292

441

379

48/14

Brady Lake, OH

Ralph McLeod *

OF-103

L

24

386

104

11/5

1

269

332

373

23/11

West Quincy, MA

Lou Rogino

SS-67

R

22

203

49

7/1

3

241

330

433

21/5

Bob Reis *

OF46,3b19,1b16

R

31

315

86

11/2

16

273

473

384

66/6

Woodside, NY

Vern Mackie @

C-52

R

39

125

28

3/0

1

224

272

304

10/0

LeRoy Anton

1b-43

R

27

153

35

7/1

8

229

444

340

21/2

Oakland, CA

Neil Clifford

C-44

R

25

126

27

5/1

0

214

270

278

12/0

Oakland, CA

Rufus Jackson

C-15

L

23

49

12

2/1

1

245

388

367

6/0

Dee Phillips #@

SS-16

R

21

49

9

1/1

0

184

245

2/?

Corsicana, TX

Keith Bissonnette

1b-5

R

20

20

3

0/0

0

150

150

3/0

Ed Hoffman

OF-6

R

20

17

8

1/0

1

471

706

4/0

Frank Madura

2b-?

L

26

1

250

3/?

1940 Pitching

Thrw

Age

G

GS

W-L

IP

H

BB

ERA

WHIP

SO

Birth Place

Art Herring *#

R

34

32

32

17-10

239

275

76

3.80

1.47

100

Altus, OK

Vedie Himsl

R

23

37

26

13-15

222

257

53

4.05

1.40

58

Bill Swift *#

R

32

30

24

13-10

186

163

51

3.29

1.15

97

Elmira, NY

Harry Taylor

R

21

39

22

5-15

150

178

68

5.86

1.64

54

East Glenn, IN

Lloyd Johnson *@

L

30

39

23

8-11

183

213

69

4.67

1.54

59

Santa Rosa, CA

Tom Earley *#

R

23

32

17

12-12

139

166

51

4.47

1.56

42

Boston

Vic Frasier *

R

36

18

7

3-4

65

94

30

5.40

1.91

19

Ruston, LA

Al Fisher

28

8

1-3

44

Marc Beddingfield

R

25

7

0-0

20

33

4

1.85

8

Howie Belknap

R

23

7

0-1

15

Manisique, MI

Ed Weiland #

R

26

7

0-0

21

33

14

2.24

8

Evanston, IL

Nate Andrews *#

R

27

5

1-3

24

21

14

6.38

1.46

Pembroke, NC

Jess Dobernic #

R

23

5

0-1

6

10

4

10.50

2.33

Mt. Olive, IL

Dwain Sloat #

L

22

5

0-0

8

11

5

7.88

2.00

4

Nokomis, IL

Ray Phelps *

R

37

4

0-0

6

6

3

1.50

1

Dunlap, TN

Wilcy Moore*

R

43

1

0-1

5

12

2

12.60

2.80

Bonita, TX

* = Prev MLB

# = Future MLB

@=played for another AA team



1940 Standings

W

L

Pct

GB

Attend.

Manager

Kansas City Blues

95

57

625

--

203,354

Columbus Red Birds

90

60

600

4

121,680

Minneapolis Millers

86

59

593

5.5

155,523

Louisville Colonels

75

75

500

19

206,529

St. Paul Saints

69

79

466

24

112,278

Babe Ganzel

Indianapolis Indians

62

84

425

30

97,859

Toledo Mud Hens

59

90

396

34.5

86,067

Milwaukee Brewers

58

90

392

35

72,489





John Gerlach played for Saint Paul in 1940. He was in 12 games for the Chicago White Sox in 1938-39 as a shortstop (8 games) and third baseman (one game). In 27 at bats, he had nine hits (.333) with a .419 OBP and .333 slugging %.

Gerlach was a pro player from only 1938-1941 with one year in the highest minor league classification. He died at age 82 on August 28, 1999, in Madison, WI.



Gilbert "Gibby" Brack was with the Saints for part of the 1940 season. He played 112 games for the Dodgers in 1937 (.274) and 40 games in 1938 (.214) before going to the Phillies for 72 contests (.287). His final big league year was 1939 when he performed in 91 Phillies games (.289).

He was an outfielder in 230 games and played first in 19 more (.967 fielding). Brack hit .279 in 315 major league games and 980 at bats with a .341 OBP and .436 slugging.

Brack played professional ball from 1933-1948 including four years in "AAA". Thereafter, he worked for Lone Star Steel in Longview, TX. Unfortunately, he died at age 51 in Greenville, TX, on Jan. 20, 1960. His body was found at a roadside park and the cause of death was determined to be suicide from a gunshot wound. Burial was at Memoryland Memorial Park in Greenville, TX.

Ed W. Morgan played part of the 1940 year with the St. Paul club. His first stint in the majors was in 1936 for the Cardinals when he played 8 games with a .278 average. During the next year, he completed his big league days with 31 games for the Dodgers (.188). He was in 39 major league games and had 66 at bats with a .212 average, .325 OBP and .303 slugging. Defensively, he had a .842 fielding average with 11 games in the outfield and 7 at first base.

Morgan was a pro performer from 1934-1950 with eight years in the American Association and managed in the minors from 1946-1950. Later he was a construction worker for the Cleveland (OH) Housing Authority. He died at age 67 on June 27, 1982, in Lakewood, OH. Cremation followed and burial was at the Hillcrest Memorial Park Cemetery in Bedford Heights, OH.



Ralph McLeod was with the 1940 Saints. He was in only six big league games with the Braves in September 1938. He had 7 at bats with 2 hits including one double (.286 average, .429 slugging). Ralph only had one appearance in the outfield.

He played as a pro from 1936-1940. He died on April 27, 2007, in Weymouth, MA, at age 91, after living in Wollaston, MA.


Robert "Bobby" Reis played for St. Paul teams in 1939-40 and 1942-43. In 1930-31, he was with the Dodgers for six and one game(s) going 6-for-21 as a third baseman. Back with Brooklyn in 1935, he spent the whole year in the Bigs as a utility player playing all positions [he was supposedly the first major leaguer to do so]. Bob was in 52 games with 85 at bats for a .247 average.

He finished his MLB career with more back-up duty for the Braves from 1936-1938 in 37, 45 and 34 games. During this tenure he added catcher and shortstop to his resume and hit .217, .244 and .184. In his major league 175 games and 301 at bats, he batted .233 with a .291 OBP and .279 slugging. Defensively, he was in 51 games as an outfielder and played every other position including 69 as a pitcher. As a hurler, he completed 243 innings, including 139 in 1936, allowing 262 hits and 144 walks with 52 strikeouts. His ERA was 4.27 with a .277 OAV .379 OOB and he had a 10-13 record.

-----

From the book "The Ballplayers":

"The versatile Reis played nearly every position during his career. Coming up as a third baseman, the singles hitter failed in two trials before reappearing in 1935 as an outfielder and pitcher. Traded to the Braves after the season, he was used primarily as a relief pitcher in 1936 and went 5-1 in that role. He caught one game in 1938 and filled in around the finfield when necessary." - Warner Rockford

-----

Reis was a professional ballplayer from 1930-40, 1942-43, 1946 and 1948. He then worked for the Fleishman Distillery and died, after a long illness, at the age of 64, in Saint Paul on May 1, 1973. Burial was at the Willow River Cemetery in Hudson, WI.



Damon "Dee" Phillips played for Saint Paul during part of the 1940 year. He played in 28 games as a shortstop for the Cincinnati Reds in 1942 hitting .202 in 84 at bats. In 1944, he was with the Boston Braves as their starting third baseman/shortstop appearing in 140 games with a .258 average. His career ended with 2 games in 1946 for the Braves (1 for 2 as a pinch hitter).

In his career 170 games and 575 at bats, the right hander batted .250 with a .296 OBP and .315 slugging %. His fielding average was .956.

In the minors, from 1938-1943 and 1947-1959, he played on 25 teams with averages over .300 in 3 seasons. He played at the AAA level for 12 years including four in the American Association. Dee played for the 1959 Fargo-Moorhead Twins (.176) as a player/manager.

Phillips served in the military in 1945 and 1946 and was a minor league manager from 1957-1961. Phillips lived for some time in Joinerville, TX, and died on November 4, 2004, at the age of 85, in Fort Worth.



Tom Earley pitched on the 1940 Saints. He was with the Braves from 1938-1942 as a starter/reliever in 2, 14, 4, 33 and 27 games for 11, 40, 16, 139 and 113 innings with ERAs of 3.27, 4.72, 3.86, 2.53 and 4.71. After serving in the U.S. Navy in 1943-44, he ended his big league years back with the Braves for 11 games and 41 innings (4.61 ERA).

Early's MLB career was 91 games, including 37 starts, for 360 innings as he allowed 349 hits and 143 walks while striking out 104. He had a strong ERA of 3.78, a .256 OAV, .330 OOB and an 18-24 record.

-----

From the book "The Ballplayers":

"Early wanted a tryout with the Red Sox but settled for signing with the Braves. After pitching for them for parts of five seasons, he went into the military where he damaged his arm irreparably, tearing ligaments playing first base." -- Norm Macht

-----

He pitched pro from 1936-1942 and 1945-1946. Later he became an expediter for the Fafnir Bearing Company in New Britain, CT, for 28 years. He died from a heart attack in his Roxbury, MA, apartment, at the age of 70, on April 5, 1988. His burial was at St. Mary's Cemetery in Nantucket, MA.

Vic Frasier [sometimes spelled "Frazier"] was a pitcher on the 1938-1940 Saint Paul clubs. After three minor league years, he joined the White Sox in 1931 and played with them through part of the 1933 season in 46, 29 and 10 games for 254, 146 and 20 innings with ERAs of 4.46, 6.23 and 8.85. He spent the rest of the '33 year with the Tigers in 20 games with a 6.64 ERA. He also pitched in 8 games for Detroit in 1934 (5.96).

His MLB career ended with 3 games with the Braves in 1937 and 10 for the White Sox in 1939. He made 126 big league appearances (68 starts) for 579 innings allowing 686 hits and 291 walks while striking out 170. Vic's composite ERA was 5.77 with a .293 OAV, .373 OOB and 23-38 record.

-----

From the book "The Ballplayers":

"Frazier's (sic) 1937 homesickness created a roster spot for Braves rookie Jim Tuner. Turner responded with 20 wins, seven more than Frazier had collected in his top season (1931 with Chicago)." - Tom Jozwik

-----

Frasier pitched as a pro from 1927-1929, 1931-1934 and 1936-1941. After baseball, he worked for the W.H. Brown Co. in Jacksonville, TX. He died at the age of 72 on Jan. 10, 1977, at the Neptune Hospital in Jacksonville and was buried at Mount Bethel Cemetery in Gary, TX.

Nate Andrews was a pitcher on the 1940 Saint Paul team. He was in 4 and 11 games for the Cardinals in 1937 and 1939 completing 9 and 16 innings. Nate also had short stretch with the Indians in 1940-1941 for 6 and 2 games. He finally got his real chance with the Braves in 1943-1945 for 36, 37 and 21 games (34, 34 and 19 starts) with 284, 257 and 138 innings with ERAs of 2.57, 3.22 and 4.58 and records of 14-20, 16-15 and 7-12. He was named to the 1944 National League All Star team.

His major league career ended with 7 games for the Reds and 3 for the Giants in 1946. In his big league years, he appeared in 127 games, including 97 starts, for 773 innings allowing 798 hits and 236 walks while getting 216 strikeouts. His ERA, over those games, was a good 3.46 with a .265 OAV, .321 OOB and 41-54 record.

Andrews was a professional pitcher from 1934-1947 and managed in the minors in 1947. He died at age 77 at Baptist Hospital in Winston-Salem, NC, on April 26, 1991. Burial was at the Rowland Cemetery in Rowland, NC.

Andrew "Jess" Dobernic pitched parts of the 1938-1940 seasons with the Saints. In 1939, he was in 4 games for the White Sox and his next big league appearances did not come until 1948-1949 for the Cubs (54 and 4 games) with 3.15 and 20.25 ERAs. His final MLB games were 14 for the Reds in '49 (9.78 ERA).

In his major league career, he was in 76 games, all in relief, for 112 innings as he allowed 107 hits and 66 walks while striking out 55. His ERA was 5.21 with a .247 OAV, .349 OOB and a 7-3 record.

He was in the service from 1943-45 and played pro ball from 1937-42 and 1946-54. Dobernic died at age 80 on July 16, 1998, in St. Louis, MO.

Ed Weiland was a pitcher on the 1940, 1943, 1946 and 1947 Saints squads. He had two five-game trials with the White Sox in 1940 and 1942. In total, he completed 24 innings allowing 33 hits and 10 walks as he struck out 7. His ERA was 8.25 with a .317 OAV, .377 OOB and no record.

He was a pro pitcher from 1937-1943 and 1946-47. Weiland died at age 56 on July 12, 1971, in Chicago.

Foster "Babe" Ganzel managed the Saints in 1938-1940. He was an outfielder for the 1927-1928 Senators in 13 and 10 games going 23-for-74 (.311) with a .378 OBP and .473 OOB.

He played pro ball from 1922-1937 (including eight years in the American Association - he led the league in RBI in 1932) and was a minor league manager from 1928-1934 and 1937-1941. In 1,796 minor league games, he batted .317 with 6,415 at bats. Ganzel died on Feb. 6, 1978, at the age of 76, at a hospital in Jacksonville, FL.

-----1941-----

After one league championship and two fifth place finishes, Babe Ganzel did not return as manager in Saint Paul. His replacement was 13-year big league veteran Red Kress who was 34 years old and had a .286 life-time batting average as a shortstop and utility infielder. In 1940, he was a major league coach with the Tigers, but did play 68 games at first base and shortstop for the Saints. In 1937, he spent the season in the American Association with Minneapolis.

Kress

Red's rookie managerial season ended poorly as St. Paul settled in seventh place losing 8 more games then in '40 having played 5 more games. Attendance was the league's worst as they lost about 37,000 fans from the previous season. The club hit at the same rate, but pitching performances were worse.

After Bill Swift (7-8) was dwelt to Brooklyn after 16 starts (3.19 ERA, 1.11 WHIP in 124 innings), Vedie Himsl (12-15) took over as the pitching corps leader. He led the team in victories, innings pitched (229) and WHIP of 1.34 (excluding Swift). Art Herring (11-17) pitched 190 innings and had a team-high 26 starts, but his ERA (4.59) and WHIP (1.48) suffered. Future National League star, Ken Raffensberger (10-9), came aboard for 32 games and 20 starts (156 innings) and pitched acceptably with a 4.85 ERA and 1.49 WHIP. Two other newcomers, Clay Smith (8-10, 148 inn., 5.41 ERA, 1.61 WHIP) and Dick Lanahan (5-14, 134 inn., 5.37 ERA, 1.66 WHIP) were the other mainstays in the rotation, but they did not pitch well.

Ten-year MLB veteran, Oral Hildebrand (5-3), joined the team and got into 16 contests (12 starts) and 78 innings for a decent 4.27 ERA but a high 1.62 WHIP. Dwain Sloat (1-6, 30g, 105 inn., 7.03, 2.09) and Mearl Strachan (2-4, 15g, 35 inn., 7.46, 2.26) returned to the Saints but pitched poorly. Lloyd Johnson (5-6 for two A.A. teams) started with the club, but went back to Indianapolis during the season. The final mound corps members were newcomers Bill Clemensen (0-2, 5.06 ERA), Dick Coffman (0-2, 5.48) and Steamboat Struss (0-0, 1.73 WHIP).

New starting catcher, Ed Fernandes (.268), had a decent year with 82 games behind the plate and was named to the league's All Star team. He was backed up by veteran bench player Norm Schlueter (.242) in 46 games and Herm Bauer (.269) in 24. A fourth catcher, Bus Payton, also made appearances with the Saints.

After Jesse Newman (.282 for two A.A. teams) was moved to Toledo, manager Kress took over at first base hitting .293 with 10 homers and 57 RBI. Ollie Bejma (.300) continued to be the starter at second base finishing as the runner-up in team hitting. Third baseman and All Star, Gil English (.316), continued to be the team's hitting star leading the club in hitting, slugging % and RBI (93). Leo Wells (.277) came back to the team as the regular shortstop. The infield reserves were Sig Gryska (.218 for two A.A. teams) who arrived during the season from Toledo and Frank Knox (.182) who played in 10 games.

For the second straight season, George Stumpf (.254) was the only returning regular outfielder. However, his performance was overshadowed by the play of Fern (given name "Jerome" and AKA "Danny") Bell (.284) who led the team in homers with 18 and was second in team RBI at 80. Frank Kalin (.295) was the other starter in 86 games. Frank Silvanic (.225 for two A.A. teams) was with the team until he was sent to Kansas City.

Would things get worse in 1942?

[St. Paul Pioneer Press]

Picture from May 1 Showing Ceremonial First Pitch (Red Kress at left and Ed "King of the Bleachers" Boldt as catcher)


1941 Hitting

Main Pos-G

Bats

Age

AB

H

2b/3b

HR

Ave

Slg

OBP

RBI/SB

Birth Place

Ed Fernandes #

C-102

S

23

257

69

16/4

4

268

385

615

48//2

Oakland, CA

Red Kress *

1b68,SS30

R

34

382

112

11/2

10

293

411

382

57/6

Columbia, CA

Ollie Bejma *

2b-123

R

34

417

125

8/1

3

300

345

405

53/5

South Bend, IN

Gil English *#

3b107,OF46

R

32

551

174

32/5

13

316

463

443

93/9

Glenola, NC

Leo Wells *#

SS122,3b30

R

24

602

167

16/7

5

277

352

364

26/22

Kansas City, KS

Fern Bell *

OF-151

R

28

567

161

31/1

18

284

437

388

80/10

Ada, OK

George Stumpf *

OF-144

L

31

472

120

18/6

1

254

324

379

51/6

New Orleans

Frank Kalin *

OF-94

R

24

329

97

17/2

5

295

404

343

36/33

Steubenville,OH

Jesse Newman @

1b-111

L

25

354

100

13/7

3

282

384

438

30/4

Frank Silvanic @

OF-98

R

24

289

65

11/1

10

225

374

339

44/4

Pittston, PA

Sig Gryska *@

2b61,3b52,1b23

R

26

450

98

19/1

14

218

358

318

49/9

Chicago

Norm Schlueter *#

C-47

R

25

157

38

5/2

1

242

299

312

10/2

Bellevue, IL

Herm Bauer

C-27

R

23

78

21

1/0

1

269

321

295

9/0

E. St. Louis, Ill

Frank Knox

2b-10

R

22

22

4

0/0

0

182

182

318

0/0

Bus Payton

C-11

R

27

27

5

3/0

0

185

296

222

1/0

1941 Pitching

Thrw

Age

G

GS

W-L

IP

H

BB

ERA

WHIP

SO

Birth Place

Art Herring *#

R

35

31

26

11-17

190

200

82

4.59

1.48

76

Altus, OK

Vedie Himsl

R

24

33

24

12-15

229

260

47

4.28

1.34

66

Ken Raffensberger *#

L

24

32

20

10-9

156

183

49

4.85

1.49

89

York, PA

Clay Smith *

R

27

30

20

8-10

148

180

59

5.41

1.61

75

Cambridge, KS

Dick Lanahan *

L

28

28

18

5-14

134

156

66

5.37

1.66

49

Wash., DC

Bill Swift *#

R

33

16

6

7-8

124

104

34

3.19

1.11

72

Elmira, NY

Oral Hildebrand *

R

34

16

12

5-3

78

98

28

4.27

1.62

38

Indianapolis

Dwain Sloat #

L

23

30

5

1-6

105

126

93

7.03

2.09

50

Nokomis, IL

Mearl Strachan

R

23

15

5

2-4

35

52

27

7.46

2.26

12

Northwood, NH

Lloyd Johnson *@

L

21

22

5-6

106

108

28

3.99

1.28

38

Santa Rosa, CA

Bill Clemensen *#

R

22

11

3

0-2

32

52

15

5.06

2.09

7

New Brunswick, NJ

Dick Coffman *#

R

35

11

0-2

23

32

4

5.48

1.57

2

Veto, AL

Steamboat Struss *

R

32

7

0-0

11

11

8

1.73

4

Riverdale, IL

Red Kress *

R

34

2

0-1

7

7

5

2.57

1.71

3

Columbia, CA

* = Prev MLB

# = Future MLB

@=played for another AA team

1941 Standings

W

L

Pct

GB

Attend.

Manager

Columbus Red Birds

95

58

621

--

159,534

Louisville Colonels

87

66

569

8

274,805

Kansas City Blues

85

69

552

10.5

137,820

Minneapolis Millers

83

70

542

12

118,707

Toledo Mud Hens

82

72

532

13.5

114,823

Indianapolis Indians

65

88

425

30

88,840

St. Paul Saints

61

92

399

34

75,178

Red Kress

Milwaukee Brewers

55

98

359

40

87,353



Ed Fernandes was a catcher on the 1941 Saint Paul club. He had a short stint with Pittsburgh in 1940 for 28 games and 33 at bats (.121). He returned the majors in 1946 for 14 games with the White Sox when he went 8-for-32. In his 42-game big league career, he hit .185 with a .338 OBP and .231 slugging. His fielding average was .952 in 39 games as a catcher.

He was a professional baseball player from 1936-1952 and 1954 and managed in 1952 and 1954. He served in the U.S. Navy during WWII and, after baseball, worked as a shipping clerk for Matson Ship Line. Fernandes died suddenly from complications of diabetes at age 50 on Nov. 27, 1968, in Kaiser Hospital in Hayward, CA. Burial was at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Hayward.



Fernando "Fern" or "Danny" Bell played on the Saints in 1941. He was a back-up outfielder for Pittsburgh in 1939 batting .286 in 83 games. The next year he only got into 6 games for the Bucs which ended his big league career. In 89 games and 265 at bats, he hit .283 with a .383 OBP and .385 slugging mark. He fielding % was .975 with 67 games in the outfield.

Bell played pro from 1931-1943 with three years in the American Association. He died at age 87 on Aug. 29, 2000, in Rancho Mirage, CA.



Frank Kalin [born "Kalinkiewicz"] was on the Saint Paul team of 1941. He only had two very short trials in the majors with the first coming in September 1940 for Pittsburgh when he was 0-for-3, in 3 games, and the second in 1943 for the White Sox in 4 contests as a pinch hitter (0-for-4). Frank played the outfield in two games.

Kalin was a pro player from 1938-1954 (incl. 7 years in the A.A.) with 1944-45 being spent in the U.S. Army. He died of natural causes at the age of 58 on Jan. 12, 1975, in Steubenville, OH, and was buried at St. Paul Catholic Church Cemetery in Weirton, WV.

Ken Raffensberger pitched on the 1941 edition of the Saints. He had a long 15-year career in the majors. In 1939, he was in one game for the Cardinals and then had 43 appearances for the Cubs in 1940 (3.38 ERA). His 1941 season was also with the Cubs for 10 games (4.50) before he came to St. Paul. In 1943, he was in only one game for the Phillies.

He had an All Star year in 1944 for Philadelphia with 37 games (31 starts) and 259 innings for a 13-20 record and 3.06 ERA. Ken was only in five games the Phils in 1945, but then settled in as a full-time big league pitcher. For the Phillies in 1946-1947, he was called into 39 and 10 games completing 196 and 41 innings for ERAs of 3.63 and 5.49. He led the league in saves in 1946. The remainder of the '46 year, he was with the Reds for 19 games and 107 innings with a 4.13 ERA.

The left-hander continued to play for the Reds from 1948-1954 in 40, 41, 38, 42, 38, 26 and 6 games finishing 180, 284, 239, 249, 247, 174 and 10 innings compiling ERAs of 3.84, 3.39, 4.26, 3.44, 2.81, 3.93 and 7.84 and 11-12, 18-17, 14-19, 16-17, 17-13, 7-14 and 0-2 records. He led the league in shutouts in 1949 and 1952.

In major league years encompassing 396 games (282 starts) and 2,151 innings, he allowed 2,257 hits and 449 walks while striking out 806. He ERA was 3.60 with a .267 OAV, .306 OOB and a 119-154 record.

-----

From the book "The Ballplayers":

"After a shoulder injury slowed his fastball, Raffensberger became a top control pitcher; over one four-year stretch he threw just two wild pitches. Representing the last-place Phillies in the 1944 All Star game, he was credited with the victory, but finished the season with a league high 20 losses...[He] led with 38 starts in '49. But in 1951, no NL pitcher lost more then Raffensberger's 17. He threw four career one-hitters, two against the Cardinals in 1948." - Norm Macht

-----

Raffensberger was a pro pitcher from 1937-1957 and he managed in the minors in 1956-57. He died at the age of 85 on Nov. 10, 2002, in York, PA.

Oral Hildebrand was a hurler on the 1941 Saint Paul club. He had a good 10-year MLB career. With the Indians in 1931-1936, he appeared in 5, 27, 36, 33, 34 and 36 games for 27, 129, 220, 198, 171 and 175 innings with ERAs of 4.39, 3.69, 3.76, 4.50, 3.94 and 4.90 and records of 2-1, 8-6, 16-11, 11-9, 9-8 and 10-11. He was named to the 1933 AL All Star team and led the league in shut outs that year.

From 1937-1938, he was a starter on the Browns for 30 and 23 games (201 and 163 innings) with ERAs of 5.14 and 5.69 and 8-17 and 8-10 records. His big league years ended in 1939-1940 with the Yankees in 21 and 13 contests and 127 and 19 innings as he compiled ERAs of 3.06 and 1.86 and records of 8-10 and 10-4.

Over his ten major league seasons, he appeared in 258 games (182 starts) with 1,431 innings as he allowed 1,490 hits and 623 walks while striking out 527. His composite ERA was 4.35 with a .267 OAV, .343 OOB and a 83-78 record.

-----

From the book "The Ballplayers":

"The rangy righthander was a star basketball player at Butler University before turning to baseball. His best season, (16-11, 3.76) in 1933 with the Indians earned him a spot on the AL's first All-Star Game roster." - Morris Eckhouse

-----

Hildebrand played pro from 1930-1942. Thereafter, he became a tool and die maker for the Link-Belt Division of FMC Corporation and retired in 1972. On Sept. 7, 1977, he died at the age of 70, at his home in Southport, IN, and was buried at Forest Lawn Memory Gardens in Greenwood, IN.

Bill Clemensen was a pitcher on the 1941 Saints team. He had limited major league chances over three seasons with the Pirates during the 1939, 1941 and 1946 seasons. He got into 12, 2 and one game(s) during those years for 27, 13 and 2 innings with ERAs of 7.33, 2.77 and 0.00. In total, he appeared in 15 games (2 starts) for 42 innings allowing 39 hits and 27 walks while striking out 19. He composite ERA was 5.57 with a .255 OAV, .377 OOB and a 1-1 record.

Clemensen was in the pros from 1937-1941 and 1946-1947. He served in the military from 1942-45 and was a superintendent for the California Youth Authority for 27 years. His death, at the age of 74, was on Feb. 18, 1994, caused by a heart attack. Burial was at Memorial Lawn Cemetery in Sacramento, CA.

Samuel "Dick" Coffman pitched with the Saints for part of the 1941 season. His major league career lasted 15 years with five teams. In 1927, he made 5 appearances for the Senators and finished 16 innings for a 3.38 ERA. From 1928-1932 he was with the Browns for 29, 27, 38, 32 and 9 games for 86, 53, 196, 169 and 61 innings with ERAs of 6.09, 5.98, 5.14, 3.88 and 3.10.

During the remainder of the '32 season, he was with the Senators for 22 contests and 76 innings (4.83). In 1933-1935, Dick was back with the Browns in 21, 40 and 41 games with 81, 173 and 144 innings compiling ERAs of 5.89, 4.53 and 6.14. Then he became a full-time relief pitcher for the Giants from 1936-1939 as he was called into 42, 42, 51 and 28 games with 3.90, 3.04, 3.48 and 3.08 ERAs. He led the league in appearances and saves in 1938.

For the Braves in 1940, he was in 31 games and 48 innings with a 5.40 ERA. His last MLB shot was in 1945 for the Phillies as he was in 14 games and 26 innings (5.13). Dick compiled 472 big league games (132 starts) and 1,460 innings allowing 1,782 hits and 463 walks for a 4.65 ERA, .302 OAV, .357 OOB and a 72-95 record.

-----

From the book "The Ballplayers":

"As a struggling starting pitcher for the lowly Browns, Coffman gained sudden recognition in August 1931 by pitching two 1-0 shutouts. He spent much of his later career in the bullpen and was among the first to log over 300 games as a reliever. With the Giants, he led the NL in relief wins in both 1936 and 1937...Dick was a more successful big leaguer than brother George "Slick" Coffman." - Bob Davids

-----

Coffman was a pro hurler from 1933-1946. He died at age 65 on March 24, 1972, at the Athens Nursing Home in Althens, AL and was buried at the Athens City Cemetery.



Clarence "Steamboat" Struss pitched for Saint Paul in 1941. On Sept. 30, 1934, he made his only major league appearance, a start for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He lasted 7 innings allowing 7 hits and 6 walks while striking out 3. His ERA was 6.43 with a .250 OAV, .382 OOB and a 0-1 record.

Struss pitched as a professional from 1931-39 and 1941. He died at age 76 on Sept. 12, 1985, in Grand Rapids, MI.

Ralph "Red" Kress managed and played for the Saints in 1941. "Red" played 7 games for the Browns in September 1927 hitting .304 with 23 at bats. That was followed by four years as their starting shortstop and, by 1931, a utility player. He hit .273, .305, .313 and .311 in 150, 147, 154 and 150 games. In 1932, after 14 games (.173) they traded him to the White Sox [April 27] where he played 135 games and hit .285. For the Sox in 1933, he was their first baseman, playing in 129 games and batting .248.

After 8 games for the Sox (.286), in 1934, Kress went to the Senators [May12] for 56 more games with an average of .228. With the Senators in 1935 and 1936, he appeared in 84 and 109 games with averages of .298 and .284. Also in 1935, he pitched in 3 games for 6 innings allowing 8 hits and 5 walks with 5 strikeouts and a 12.27 ERA. Back with the Browns for 150 games in 1938 [obtained Dec. 2, 1937], he batted .302 and led the league in shortstop's fielding percentage. Kress went to the Tigers after 13 Brownie games (.279) on May 13, 1939, and hit only .242 with 51 games and broke his leg.

His position player days ended in 1940, with the Tigers (.222 in 33 games). Red's last MLB performance was as a pitcher for the New York Giants when he relieved in a game for 4 innings giving up 5 hits and 1 walk with 1 strikeout. His ERA was 12.27.

As a major league position player, he played in 1,391 games with 5,087 at bats. His career batting average was .286 with a .347 OBP and .420 slugging %.

-----

The following is from "Baseball - The Biographical Encyclopedia":

"In his prime, Ralph "Red" Kress was a wide-ranging fielder who hit unusually well for a shortstop. Kress began his professional career in 1927 with Tulsa, where he was dubbed 'the boy wonder of the Western League.' By season's end he had replaced Jim Levey as the Browns' shortstop. In 1928 the 21-year-old Kress hit .273 and led the league in both assets and errors.

"In 1929 Kress came into his own, hitting .305 with 107 RBIs and leading all shortstops in fielding percentage. In 1930 he batted .313 with 16 homers and 112 RBIs and again led the league in errors. Moved to third base in 1931, he hit .311 with 114 RBIs and slammed another 16 home runs. The following season Kress was traded to the White Sox [on Apr. 27] and played a variety of positions . In 1934 he was swapped to the Senators [on May 12], but he never matched his early offensive performance and was farmed out to the minor leagues after the 1936 season. Kress spent 1937 in Minneapolis, where he led the American Association with 157 RBIs.

"The Red Sox drafted Kress but traded him back to St. Louis before the 1938 season. He hit .302 that year but in 1939 was dealt to Detroit [May 13 in a 10-player deal]. After being released by the Tigers in 1940, Kress returned to the minors and began a new career as a pitcher. On September 22, 1945, he pitched 8 1/3 innings of no-hit ball for Baltimore in the International League playoffs, but lost 1-0, in the ninth innings."

-----

As a minor leaguer in 1927, 1937, 1941-1946 and 1950-1951, he played on 9 teams In 1937, for the Minneapolis Millers, he hit .330 and led A.A. shortstops in total chances. He played for the Superior Blues in 1950 as a player(pitcher)/manager in 1950 (1-2, 2.00 ERA). Kress was also a minor league manager for 5 years with Sacramento, El Centro, Juarez and Daytona Beach. He was a major league coach for the Tigers (1940), Giants (1946-1949), Indians (1953-1960). Angels (1961) and the Mets (1962). He died on November 29, 1962, at the age of 55, due to a heart attack at his home in Canoga Park, CA, and was buried at the Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, CA.



-----1942-----

After the United States had finally entered the war in December 1941, the priority for young, healthy men was, of course, the defense of the country. Since playing professional baseball was a secondary occupation, the talent pool was reduced slowly, but surely over the next four years as more men entered the military service. The American Association, like all minor leagues, faced travel restrictions, some limits on night baseball and a shortage of materials causing the reduction of the quality of baseballs. [Home runs totals for all teams went down through the war years.]

From the 1941 squad, it appears the military took Dwain Sloat, Herm Bauer, Mearl Strachan and Bill Clemensen. Former Saints Leo Wells, Frank Kalin and Jesse Newman followed soon after.

Prior to the season, Red Kress was not invited back to manage the club and he was replaced by Virgil "Truck" Hannah who had been playing pro ball since 1909 and was 53 years old. He had been a catcher on the Yankees from 1918-1920 and had played, since that time, in the Pacific Coast League. Hannah had also managed Portland in 1925 and Los Angeles from 1937-1939. In addition, he was at the helm of the Memphis team in 1940-1941.

The Saints fell to last place with four less wins and again were last in league attendance. Their downward spiral from first to last took four years.

[Library of Congress]

Hannah

The Saints made wholesale changes to their offense which helped lead to the lowest team batting average since 1918, but the poor quality of baseballs contributed. Gil English (.253 for two A.A. teams) was the only regular position player to return and he was stationed in the outfield before being sent to Indianapolis. He was probably in a trade for outfielder Jake Powell (.324 for two A.A. teams) who apparently performed well for the Saints. The other outfield starter was Guy Curtright (.291) who led the team in home runs with 13 and had the best slugging %. Al Hunt (.247 for two A.A teams) also came over from Indianapolis and was a part-time regular. Future long-time major leaguer, Dave Philley (.237) was in 56 games for the Saints and may have left the team before the end of the season to enter the military.

Other players to see action in the outfield were long-time Saint George Stumpf who left after hitting .177 in 38 games, Keith Bissonnette (.237), who was in 42 contests, and Art Graham (.164) who went down to Memphis after 40 games.

The starter for most of the year at first base was former big league slugger Phil Weintraub (.268 for two A.A. teams) who left for Toledo during the season. Then taking over at first base was Bill Schalow who only hit .177 in 68 games and Saint Paul native-son Howie Schultz who got into 12 games batting .288.

Included on the year's All Star team was new second baseman Frank Drews (.256) who hit 11 homers. The best hitting newcomer was Jimmy Grant, at third, who led the club in hitting at .312 and in RBI (70). Newbie Dick Culler (.260) completed the infield regulars at shortstop. Sig Gryska (.189) returned as a seldom-used backup.

Stan Andrews (.240) was the catcher in 119 games and the back-up was again Norm Schlueter (.194 for two A.A. teams) before he was included in a deal to Indianapolis. From the Indians came John Pasek who had played on the Saints for four years from 1936-1939. It was that catcher's last pro year.

The pitching stats look good compared to the past couple of years, but with the league's offense reduced, they are probably misleading. The mound corps got a big boast by the return of Bill Swift (12-15) who led the club in ERA (3.15) and WHIP (1.15) in 28 starts and 220 innings. Vedie Himsl (16-13) was right behind him leading the team in wins and was second in WHIP (1.27) with a team-high 253 innings and 28 starts. Art Herring (13-11) also returned for 25 starts and 207 innings with a good 3.30 ERA and 1.33 WHIP. Newcomer George Coffman (3-12) completed a good front-four with 145 innings, 3.48 ERA, a 1.40 WHIP and he played in the All Star game.

Dick Lanahan's (4-14) stats improved some (4.72 ERA, 1.64 WHIP) and Clay Smith's (5-11) were about the same as they contributed 139 and 145 innings respectively. A young Morrie Martin (1-4) was the top relief pitcher appearing in 25 games and 71 innings for a 4.69 ERA and 1.65 WHIP. Newcomer Joe Bowman (3-12) had to have had better days as he compiled a poor 6.28 ERA and 1.71 WHIP with the Saints. Howie Belknap (0-5) returned but was shelled for a 7.00 ERA and 2.18 WHIP in 45 frames.

The 1942 roster included the following players who entered the service before the 1943 baseball season: Vedie Himsl, Dick Lanahan, Dave Philley, George Coffman and Morrie Martin.

[St. Paul Pioneer Press]

Packing Dirt at Lexington Park

1942 Hitting

Main Pos-G

Bats

Age

AB

H

2b/3b

HR

Ave

Slg

OBP

RBI/SB

Birth Place

Stan Andrews *#

C-124

R

25

375

90

21/3

2

240

325

320

41/0

Lynn, MA

Phil Weintraub *#@

1b-134

L

35

429

115

34/1

13

268

443

487

67/2

Chicago

Frank Drews #

2b-148

R

26

519

133

21/6

11

256

383

405

58/2

Buffalo, NY

Jim Grant #

3b-141

L

24

512

160

36/11

6

312

461

408

70/1

Racine, WI

Dick Culler #

SS-143

R

27

570

148

15/4

4

260

321

342

43/8

High Point, NC

Jake Powell *#@

OF-133

R

34

488

158

38/0

11

324

469

381

74/6

Silver Spring, MD

Gil English *#

OF-134

R

33

475

120

27/6

4

253

360

354

57/0

Glenola, NC

Guy Curtright #

OF-103

R

30

347

101

14/4

13

291

467

415

45/4

Holliday, MO

Al Hunt @

OF-105

L

29

372

92

21/6

5

247

376

328

27/8

Norm Schlueter *# @

C-90

R

26

278

54

13/2

0

194

255

273

28/0

Bellevue, IL

John Pasek * @

C-66

R

37

184

35

4/0

0

190

212

315

11/1

Niagara Falls, NY

Dave Philley *#

OF-56

S

22

173

41

12/2

0

237

329

324

13/6

Paris, TX

George Stumpf *

OF-38

L

32

124

22

4/2

0

177

242

323

6/1

New Orleans

Keith Bissonnette

OF-42

R

22

135

32

4/0

0

237

267

296

19/0

Art Graham

OF-40

L

33

128

21

4/0

1

164

219

359

5/1

Sommerville, MA

Bill Schalow

1b-68

R

20

192

34

3/1

1

177

219

281

15/1

Howie Schultz #

1b-12

R

20

52

15

4/2

1

288

500

288

8/0

Saint Paul

Sig Gryska *

2b-12

R

27

37

7

0/0

0

189

189

351

4/0

Chicago

Bob Reis *

R

33

0

109

5

Woodside, NY

Packy Rogers * @

R

29

3

232

36/?

Swoyerville, PA

Harold Younghans

?-1

R

20

0

0

0

1942 Pitching

Thrw

Age

G

GS

W-L

IP

H

BB

ERA

WHIP

SO

Birth Place

Vedie Himsl

R

27

37

28

16-13

253

283

39

3.56

1.27

74

Art Herring *#

R

36

29

25

13-11

207

187

89

3.30

1.33

93

Altus, OK

Bill Swift *#

R

34

30

28

12-15

220

197

56

3.15

1.15

103

Elmira, NY

George Coffman *

R

32

23

19

3-12

145

142

61

3.48

1.40

43

Veto, AL

Clay Smith *

R

28

31

17

5-11

139

182

53

5.44

1.69

72

Cambridge, KS

Dick Lanahan *

L

31

25

17

4-14

124

142

61

4.72

1.64

31

Wash., DC

Morrie Martin #

L

20

25

1-4

71

80

37

4.69

1.65

19

Dixon, MO

Joe Bowman *#

R

32

28

13

3-12

96

120

44

6.28

1.71

42

Kansas City, KS

Howie Belknap

R

23

13

4

0-5

45

56

42

7.00

2.18

11

Jake Powell *#@

R

34

1

0-0

5

3

1

0.80

1

Silver Spring, MD

* = Prev MLB

# = Future MLB

@=played for another AA team



1942 Standings

W

L

Pct

GB

Attend.

Manager

Kansas City Blues

84

69

549

--

113,372

Milwaukee Brewers

81

69

540

1.5

217,966

Columbus Red Birds

82

72

532

2.5

162,629

Toledo Mud Hens

78

73

517

5

110,164

Louisville Colonels

78

76

506

6.5

159,448

Indianapolis Indians

76

78

494

8.5

186,447

Minneapolis Millers

78

78

494

8.5

112,304

St. Paul Saints

57

97

370

27.5

73,990

Truck Hannah



Phil Weintraub was with the Saint Paul Saints in 1942. In 1933-1934, he played on the Giants part time as an outfielder-first baseman in 8 and 31 games with .200 and .351 averages. In 1935, he was with the club the complete season as a back up first baseman appearing in 64 games with 112 at bats (.241). After 49 games with the Reds in 1937 (.271), he returned to the Giants for 6 games (3-for-9).

During the 1938 year, he was a more-often-than-not starter at first base for the Phillies hitting .311 in 100 games and 351 at bats. He was unable to return to the majors until 1944-45 when he was in 104 and 82 contests with averages of .316 and .272 again for the Giants. In total, he played in 444 major league games with 1,382 at bats for a .295 average, .398 OBP and .440 slugging. He was stationed at first base during 293 games and in the outfield for 81 more (.990 fielding %).

-----

From the book "The Ballplayers":

A reserve outfielder and platooned first baseman, Weintraub was a heavy hitter in the minors. In 1934, he was helped to the first .400 season in Southern Association history by Nashville manager Chuck Dressen's ability to tip him off to pitches. As a Giant on April 30, 1944, he drove in 11 runs, one short of the ML record. He had the last hit in Philadelphia's Baker Bowl." - Norm Macht

-----

Weintraub was a professional ballplayer from 1932-1945 including four years in the American Association and also managed in 1946. In his minor league career, he played in 1,403 games and had 4,816 at bats for a .337 average [he hit 33 homers for Minneapolis in 1939 and 27 in 1940.] In 1983, he was diagnosed with lymphoma and lived until Jan. 21, 1987, when he died at age 79 from a heart attack at the Desert Hospital in Palm Springs, CA. Burial was at the Desert Memorial Park in Cathedral City, CA.

Dick Culler was a player on the 1942 Saints. His first taste of the big leagues was in September 1936 wen he played second base and shortstop in 9 games for the A's hitting .237. He wasn't back in the majors until 1943 when he appeared in 53 games for the White Sox batting .216. From 1944-47, he was with the Braves for 8, 136, 134 and 77 games batting .071, .262, .255 and .248. He was their starting shortstop in 1945-46.

His last MLB appearances came in 1948 for the Cubs (48 g - .169) and 1949 for the Giants (0-for-1). He was in 472 major league games with 1,527 at bats with a composite .244 average, .320 OBP and .281 slugging. As a fielder, he had a .954 fielding % with 398 games at short, 32 at third and 28 at second.

-----

From the book "The Ballplayers":

An all-conference basketball player at High Point (NC) College, Culler became a good fielder but was a light hitter. His only service as a MLB regular came in 1945-46, when he also did his best hitting (.262, .255) - Norm Macht

-----

Culler was in the pros in 1936 and from 1938-1950 and he managed in 1939. Thereafter, he operated Autographed Ball, Inc. and Coin Banks, Inc. in High Point, NC. Dick also was director of the nonprofit Downtown Development Corp. After being in declining heath for 15 months, he died at the age of 49 on June 16, 1964, at Memorial Hospital in Chapel Hill, NC. His burial was at Floral Garden Park Cemetery in High Point.

Gil English was a regular infielder on the 1939-1942 Saint Paul teams. He split the 1931-1932 seasons between the minors and the Giants getting into 3 and 59 big league games with .000 and .225 averages. He did not get back to the majors until 1936-1937 with one and 18 games for the Tigers (.000 and .262). The rest of his '37 season was spent with the Braves for 79 games (.290).

Gil stayed with the Braves as a utility player in 1938 for 53 games with a .248 average and had his last major league games for Brooklyn in 1944 (27 g, .152). His major league experiences came in 240 games and 791 at bats where he compiled a .245 average, .298 OBP and .321 slugging. As a fielder, he was positioned at third in 174 games, at short for 38, second for 16 and in the outfield in 3 contests. His fielding percentage was .950.

English performed as a professional baseball player from 1930-1946 with ten years in the A.A [led league in hitting in 1939]. He had eight minor league seasons when he batted better then .300 and performed in a total of 1,921 games and had 7,095 at bats with a career .306 mark. Gil became a scout for the Braves, Yankees and Giants and died at the age of 87 on August 31, 1996, at the Gray Brier Nursing Center in Trinity, NC. Burial was at the Mount Vernon Methodist Church Cemetery in Archdale, NC.

Guy Curtright was on the Saints roster for the complete 1942 season. From 1943-1946, he was an outfielder on the Chicago White Sox for 138, 72, 98 and 23 games with averages of .291, .253, .281 and .200. In his career, he was in 331 games and had 1,065 at bats with an average of .273 with a .363 OBP and .374 slugging. His fielding % was .973 with 278 games in the outfield.

As a pro, he played from 1934-1947 with seven years of averages over .300. During his minor league days, he earned a Master's Degree and, after baseball, became a high school athletic director in Denver from which he retired in 1983. He died at age 84 on August 23, 1997, at Sun City Center, FL, and cremation followed.


Jimmy Grant was on the Saints for most of the 1942 season. He went up to the White Sox in September 1942 for 12 games with a .167 average. He was back with the Sox in 1943 as he played third in 51 games and 58 in total with a .259 average. Sold to the Indians on Aug. 11, he batted .136 for the Tribe in 15 games.

In 1944 the left handed batter led the league in pinch at bats going 5 for 32 and had an overall .273 for the Indians. He also saw action at second and third bases in 24 games. In his 3-year career, he played in 146 games and had 354 at bats with an average of .246, 5 home runs, a .322 OBP and .367 slugging %. His fielding average was .907 in 70 games at third and 20 at second.

As a minor leaguer from 1937, 1939-42 and 1945-49, he played with 16 teams and hit over .300 for 6 seasons. He played for the 1937 Wausau Lumberjacks and the 1939-41 Grand Forks Chiefs hitting .275 in 1940 and ..331 in 1941.

Grant became a self-employed contractor in Racine before becoming a foreman for the Bukacek Construction Company also in Racine. He retired in 1969 because of ill health and was being treated at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, when he died at St. Mary's Hospital there on July 8, 1970, at the age of 51 . He was buried at the West Lawn Memorial Park in Racine.

Norm Schlueter caught for the 1939-1942 Saint Paul teams. He played 35 and 34 games for the White Sox in 1938-1939 hitting .229 and .232. His final big league year was 1944 with the Indians for 49 contests (.123). In his 118-game and 296 at bats career, his average was .186 with a .230 OBP and .236 slugging. During his 109 games behind the plate, he fielded .974.

Schlueter was a pro player from 1935-1948 including eight years in the A.A. He died on Oct. 6, 2004, in Belleville, IL, at the age of 88.

Dave Philley performed with the 1942 St. Paul Saints. He had a productive 18-year major league career which started with seven games for the White Sox in 1941. After he served three years in the military, he was with the Sox from 1946-1951 in 17, 143, 137, 146, 156 and 7 games with averages of .353, .258, .287, .286, .242 and .240.

During the 1951 year, he was traded to the A's where he completed the season with 125 games (.263). Dave then continued as a full-timer with them in 1952-1953 for 151 and 157 games with .263 and .303 averages. In 1954-55, he played for the Indians in 133 and 43 contests batting .226 and .298. The rest of his 1955 season and the first part of the '54 year, he played for Baltimore in 83 and 32 games (.299 and .205).

The reminder of his 1956 season was spent on the White Sox roster again for 86 games (.265) and he stayed with them for 22 games in 1957 (.324). Again traded during the season, he also appeared in 65 games with the Tigers in '57. In 1958-1959, he had the stability of staying with the same club - the Phillies - for the complete years batting .309 and .291 in 91 and 99 games.

He split the 1960 year between the Phillies (14 g, .333), the Giants (39 g, .164) and the Orioles (14 g, .265). In 1961, he stuck with Baltimore the complete year getting into 99 games with a .250 average. He final big league year was 1962 with the Red Sox with whom he made 38 appearances batting .143.

During his 1,904 major league games he had 6,296 at bats with an average of .270, .335 OBP and .377 slugging %. He was an outfielder in 1,454 games, at first for 125 and at third for 21 all with a composite .981 fielding %.

-----

From the book "The Ballplayers":

"Endowed with excellent speed and a fine arm, Philley led AL outfielders in assists three different years. But he is best remembered for his pinch hitting in the late 1950s. In 1958 the switch-hitter had a league-high 18 hits off the Phillies' bench, including eight consecutive pinch hits to end the season. On Opening day of 1959, he poked a pinch double establishing a record of nine straight successful pinch-hitting appearances. In 1961 Philley collected an AL record of 24 pinch hits with Baltimore. Overall, he hit .299 (93-for-311) off the bench." - Rich Marazzi

[As a pinch hitter in 1957, he was 12-for-29 (.413) and in 1958: 18-for-44 (.409)]

-----

Philley was a pro ballplayer from 1940-1963 and managed from 1963-1966. He became a scout for the Red Sox and was a cattle rancher in Texas. Dave died at his ranch near Paris, TX, on March 15, 2012, at age 91. He was found there slumped over the steering wheel of his vehicle apparently dying from a heart attack.

George Stumpf was a steady player with Saint Paul from 1938-1942. He played with the Red Sox from 1931-1933 in 7, 79 and 22 games batting .250, .201 and .341. George ended his major league years in 1936 with the White Sox in 10 games batting .273.

He was in 118 MLB games and had 260 at bats for a .235 average, .302 OBP and .296 slugging. As an outfielder in 77 contests, he fielded .969.

Stumpf played professionally from 1931-1948 which included 13 seasons in the American Association and he managed in 1948. During his minor league career, he played in 2,216 games with 8,254 at bats compiling a .289 average. He died at age 82 on March 6, 1993, in Metairie, LA.



Sig Gryska was with the Saints for part of the 1941-1942 seasons. His only big league appearances were in 1938-1939 when was in 7 and 18 games for the Browns as a shortstop. With 70 at bats, he hit .329 with a .405 OBP and .414 slugging. His fielding mark was .887 in 21 games.

Gryska was a pro player from 1935-1942 and served in the military during WWII. He died at age 79, on August 27, 1994, at Hines Memorial Hospital in Chicago and was buried at Resurrection Cemetery in Justice, IL.

Vedie Himsl pitched for Saint Paul from 1939-1942 and in 1946. He never appeared in a major league game, but played professionally from 1938-1942, 1946, 1950-51 and managed in the minors in 1950-51, 1957, 1961 and 1964. He also was a major league scout and major league coach for the Cubs in 1960-1964. During the Cubs "collage of coaches" period in 1961, he was "head coach" (manager) over three different time frames. The team's records, for those periods, were 5-6, 5-12 and 0-3.

Later, Himsl became the Cubs' director of scouting from which he retired in 1985. He died on March 15, 2004, in Chicago two weeks short of his 87th birthday.

William V. "Bill" Swift pitched for the Saint Paul clubs of 1940-1942. He was an 11-year veteran of the major leagues. From 1932-1939, he was a full-timer with Pittsburgh beginning as a starter and then becoming a reliever in 39, 37, 37, 39, 45, 36, 36 and 36 games with 214, 218, 213, 204, 262, 164, 150 and 130 innings for ERAs of 3.61, 3.13, 3.98, 2.70, 4.01, 3.95, 3.24 and 3.89 and 14-10, 14-10, 11-13, 15-8, 16-16, 9-10, 7-5 and 5-7 records.

In 1940, Bill was in 4 games for the Braves (2.89) and, in '41, nine for the Dodgers (3.27). Finally, in '43, he appeared in 18 for the White Sox (4.21). His record was 95-82 in 336 games (163 starts) and 1,638 innings as he allowed 1,682 hits and 351 walks while striking out 636. Swift's career ERA was 3.58 with a .263 OAV, .305 OOB and he had 20 saves.

-----

From the book "The Ballplayers":

"A sidearming fastball pitcher, Swift was successful his first five seasons with the Pirates, winning 70 games in the years 1932-36. Used mostly in relief his final six years, he won only 25 more. As a late-season pickup in 1941, he chipped in three victories and a save to help Brooklyn beat St. Louis for the NL pennant." - Jack Kavanagh

-----

Swift was a pro pitcher from 1928-1943 including five years in the A.A. Thereafter, he owned and operated Swift Shoe Repair Company. He died at age 61, on Feb. 23, 1969, at Polk General Hospital in Bartow, FL, and was buried at Oakhill Park in Lakeland, FL.

George "Slick" Coffman was a pitcher on the 1942 and 1945-1948 Saints clubs. He pitched in 28, 39 and 23 games for the Tigers in 1937-1939 completing 101, 96 and 42 innings with ERAs of 4.37, 6.02 and 6.38. His last big league year was 1940 when he was with the Browns for 31 games and 75 innings with a 6.27 ERA.

During his 121-game major league career, he finished 314 innings allowing 400 hits and 132 walks while striking out 89. His ERA was 5.60 with a .309 OAV and .375 OOB.

-----

From the book "The Ballplayer":

"Although Coffman had more self-confidence than stuff, in the cocky Alabaman's MLB debut, he beat Lefty Grove 4-2..." - Norm Macht

-----

Coffman was a pro hurler from 1934-1942 and 1946-1949 including eight years in the A.A. His brother, Dick, was also a Saints pitcher. He died at age 92, on May 8, 2003, in Birmingham, AL.

Dick Lanahan pitched for Saint Paul in 1941-1942 and 1945-1946. In 1935 and 1937, he was in 3 and 6 games for the Senators with 5.66 and 12.71 ERAs. He returned in 1940-1941 for 40 and 7 contests with Pittsburgh as he completed 108 and 12 innings for 4.25 and 5.25 ERAs.

In his MLB career, he appeared in 56 games with 13 starts completing 152 innings. He allowed 177 hits and 75 walks while striking out 62 for a 5.15 ERA, .288 OAV, .371 OOB and 6-13 record.

Lanahan performed professionally from 1935-1942, 1946 and 1948. He died at age 61 on March 12, 1975, in Rochester, MN.

Morris "Morrie" Martin ("Lefty") pitched for the Saints in 1942 and 1948-50.

Morrie was taken away from spring training in 1949 for 3 weeks because of an illness and eventual death in his family. However, he did first pitch in the majors that season for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 10 games including 4 starts. He gave up 39 hits, including 5 home runs, and 15 walks for a 7.04 ERA. During the 1950 spring training, he sprained his ankle and played the year in AAA. Martin came back in 1951 with the Philadelphia A's [obtained by a draft] and pitched through the 1953 season with them. During those years, he made 35 (3 starts), 5 (all starts) and 58 (11 starts) appearances with the limited games, in 1952, due to a broken finger. His ERAs were 3.78, 6.39 and 4.43. He had his career year in '51 going 11-4 and beating every AL club at least once before he collided with Indians' catcher Mike Hegan which ended his season.

In 1954, after 12 games with the A's (5.47), they traded him to the White Sox where he played 35 games for 70 innings giving up 52 hits and 24 walks for a 2.06 ERA. Morrie stayed all of the 1955 season with the Sox pitching in 37 games and 52 innings for a 3.63 ERA. Then, after 10 games in 1956, they sent him to the Orioles with whom he appeared in 9 games for a 10.80 ERA.

He went back to the minors for most of 1957, but did make 4 appearances with the St. Louis Cardinals with a 2.53 ERA. Morrie started the 1958 year with the Cards (17 games - 4.74 ERA) and then was traded to the Cleveland Indians where he pitched in 14 games and 19 innings for a 2.41 ERA. He ended his MLB career with the Chicago Cubs in 1959, with 3 games and a 19.29 ERA.

In a well-traveled 10-year journey, Morrie pitched 250 MLB games for 605 innings allowing 607 hits and 249 walks while striking out 245 for a 4.29 ERA and .262 OAV. His record was 38-34.

In the minor leagues from 1941-1942, 1946-1950, 1957 and 1959-1960, he pitched for 12 clubs. He had 5 years with ERAs under 3.00 and had 8 years at the AAA level. He pitched for the Grand Forks Chiefs in 1941 (16-7, 2.05 ERA).

Morrie served from 1943-1945 in World War II as a combat engineer and was wounded twice in action. He was in the first wave on Omaha Beach on D-Day and was awarded the Purple Heart with oak leaf cluster along with a EAME ribbon and five bronze stars.

Martin later was a salesman in the meat backing business. He also organized and coached youth baseball. Morrie resided in Washington, MO, where he died at home from lung cancer on May 25, 2010. Burial was at the St. Francis Borgia Cemetery in Washington.

James "Truck" Hannah managed St. Paul in 1942. He had three seasons as a backup catcher for the Yankees in 1918-1920 as he appeared in 90, 75 and 79 games with averages of .220, .238 and .247.

In his major league career, he was in 244 games with 736 at bats for a .235 batting average, .331 OBP and .300 slugging. His fielding average in 239 games was .973.

Hannah was a pro player from 1909-1938 and 1940 and he managed in 1925 and 1937-1942. He also coached from 1929-32 in the PCL. As a player, he was in 2,267 minor league games with 6,652 at bats for a .277 average which included 21 years in the PCL. He died at age 92, on April 27, 1982, in Valley Conv Hospital, Huntington Beach, CA. Death was caused by a chronic urinary infection and heart disease and cremation followed.

-----1943----

St. Paul and the Chicago White Sox discontinued their working relationship after seven years and the Saints were one of three teams in the league who played the season without a "parent" major league club. [Milwaukee and Minneapolis being the others.] Truck Hannah was replaced as manager by 31-year-old Francis "Salty" Parker who had played in the pros since 1927 with only 11 big league games in 1936 with the Tigers as a shortstop. He managed in the West Texas-New Mexico League in 1939, the East Texas League in 1940 and the Texas League in 1941-1942.

Parker's team was an improvement from the '42 club as they won ten more games and finished tied for seventh place only ½ game from sixth place. Attendance was up about 8,000 and they were no longer the worst draw in the American Association. Hitting was still quite poor with no regular hitting above .287 and the team leader in home runs hit only 11.

Parker

Stan Andrews (.242) was back as the most-used catcher (83 games), but he was pushed by Rae Blaemire who hit .301 with 64 starts. Vince Castino (.250) was in 16 games as a receiver.

Native-son Howie Schultz (.285) became the regular first baseman and was second in team RBI (53) and average. In August, he was sold to the Brooklyn Dodgers for $40,000 and four players. Frank Drews (.258) was back at second and manager Parker (.247) manned third most of the time. Shortstop was a liability with Don Blanchard (.200) used most often. Joe Orengo (.286) played part of the season with the Giants and Dodgers and got into 35 games as a short. Joe Vitter (.274) was a reserve infielder for 75 games and Ed Patrow (.186) was in 28 contests.

Jake Powell (.283) was the most productive outfielder leading the team in RBI (57) and was third in average. He also had the highest slugging percentage on the club and the most home runs. Another career minor leaguer, Chuck Baron (.287), was a newcomer, but led the team in hitting. Art Rebel (.262 for two A.A. teams) came over from Louisville and Glenn Chapman (.265) joined the team for 86 games. Red Marion (.336) was the best new offensive guy joining the team for 42 games after playing part of the season with the Senators.

After losing pitchers Vedie Himsl, Dick Lanahan, George Coffman and Morrie Martin to the war effort, St. Paul was lucky to find decent replacements. Floyd Speer (15-12) came on board to lead the team in victories, game starts (30), innings pitched (234) and tied for second in best WHIP (1.36). Another newcomer, James "Otho" Nitcholas (13-14), had the club's best ERA of 2.99 and WHIP of 1.17 in 226 innings and 27 starts. Art Herring (13-10) returned for 25 starts and 195 frames finishing second in team ERA (3.37) and tied for second in WHIP (1.36). Ed Weiland (11-16) also came back and had an acceptable year with a 3.80 ERA. Completing the main-line starters was returnee Joe Bowman (9-12) who, in 159 innings, had a 4.02 ERA and 1.47 WHIP.

Clay Smith (5-12) pitched better finishing with a 3.96 ERA and 1.42 WHIP, but still was unlucky at being credited with wins as he had 17 starts and 116 innings. Howie Belknap (3-5) also returned for 22 games and 73 innings, but did not pitch particularly well (5.79/1.74). Ernie Rudolph (3-3 for two A.A. teams) came over from Minneapolis, but his performance was not memorable.

Rube Melton (2-6) was a boast for the team after arriving from Brooklyn as, in 8 starts and 60 innings, he had a 3.30 ERA. Other pitchers who had mound duties were: LeRoy Hewette (0-1) who had a 3.75 ERA in 10 appearances; Joe Strincevich (1-3) compiled a poor ERA of 7.71 with 13 games/28 innings; Bob Mistele ((0-1, 5.54, 7 g, 26 inn.); Bob Reis, who returned as a pitcher this time (0-0, 13 inn., 2.92 WHIP); Julie Morgan and Norm Dillard.

After the season, Salty Parker, Rae Blaemire, Don Yohe, Ed Weiland, Bob Reis and LeRoy Hewette joined the war effort.

1943 Hitting

Main Pos-G

Bats

Age

AB

H

2b/3b

HR

Ave

Slg

OBP

RBI/SB

Birth Place

Stan Andrews *#

C-91

R

26

277

67

9/12

6

242

354

336

47/1

Lynn, MA

Howie Schultz #

1b-99

R

21

372

106

24/3

5

285

406

306

53/3

Saint Paul

Frank Drews #

2b-142

R

27

445

115

22/8

7

258

391

443

43/2

Buffalo, NY

Salty Parker *

3b-132

R

31

434

107

25/3

2

247

332

355

51/3

E. St. Louis, Ill

Don Blanchard

SS91,2b11

R

32

350

70

8/0

0

200

223

257

27/7

Lone Rock, IA

Al Hunt

OF-142

L

30

495

132

29/8

7

267

400

384

49/9

Jake Powell *#

OF-97

R

35

364

103

19/2

11

283

437

354

57/9

Silver Spring, MD

Chuck Baron

OF-118

L

30

334

96

9

2

287

371

380

28/8

Art Rebel #@

OF-102

L

29

317

83

19/3

1

262

350

331

37/5

Cincinnati

Glenn Chapman *

OF-86

R

37

260

69

14/5

1

265

369

331

19/4

Cambridge City, IN

Rae Blaemire *

C-72

R

32

219

66

7/3

2

301

388

361

30/0

Gary, IN

Jack Bolling *#

1b-34

L

26

118

33

7/1

0

280

356

322

14/3

Mobile, AL

Red Marion *

OF-42

R

29

125

42

4/1

4

336

480

440

18/2

Richburg, SC

Joe Orengo *#

SS-37

R

29

119

34

4/1

5

286

462

429

25/1

San Francisco

Ed Patrow

SS-28

R

27

70

13

2/0

0

186

214

486

1/0

Joe Vitter

3b-75

S

32

237

65

5/5

2

274

363

388

15/10

New Orleans

Vince Castino #

C-25

R

26

48

12

0/0

0

250

250

417

4/1

Willisville, IL

Lou Cardinal

C-1

R

25

2

0

0/0

0

000

000

0/0

Don Yohe

SS-1

R

24

2

1

0/0

0

500

500

0/0

Bob Reis *

P/PH-18

R

34

18

4

0/0

0

133

133

3

Woodside, NY

1943 Pitching

Thrw

Age

G

GS

W-L

IP

H

BB

ERA

WHIP

SO

Birth Place

Floyd Speer #

R

30

44

30

15-12

234

254

65

4.19

1.36

94

Booneville, AR

Otho Nitcholas #

R

35

36

27

13-14

226

218

47

2.99

1.17

59

McKinney, TX

Art Herring *#

R

37

25

25

13-10

195

189

77

3.37

1.36

83

Altus, OK

Ed Weiland #

R

29

34

23

11-16

187

195

100

3.80

1.58

51

Evanston, IL

Joe Bowman *# @

R

33

28

21

9-12

159

180

54

4.02

1.47

64

Kansas City, KS

Clay Smith *

R

29

21

17

5-12

116

129

36

3.96

1.42

46

Cambridge, KS

Ernie Rudolph # @

R

34

27

7

3-3

93

123

46

6.58

1.82

39

Black River Falls, WI

Howie Belknap

R

24

22

3-5

73

68

59

5.79

1.74

30

Rube Melton #

R

26

9

8

2-6

60

54

34

3.30

1.47

40

Cramerton, NC

LeRoy Hewette

L

21

10

0-1

24

25

23

3.75

2.00

12

Joe Strincevich

R

21

13

1-3

28

29

22

7.71

1.82

7

Bob Mistele

R

23

7

0-1

26

26

21

5.54

1.81

8

Bob Reis *

R

34

6

0-0

13

17

21

2.92

4

Woodside, NY

Julie Morgan

R

25

2

0-0

4

13

3

4.00

2

Norm Dillard

R

19

2

0-0

2

5

1

9.00

3.00

0

* = Prev MLB

# = Future MLB

@=played for another AA team



1943 Standings

W

L

Pct

GB

Attend.

Manager

Milwaukee Brewers

90

61

596

--

286,979

Indianapolis Indians

85

67

559

5.5

215,278

Columbus Red Birds

84

67

556

6

111,398

Toledo Mud Hens

76

76

500

14.5

102,621

Louisville Colonels

70

81

464

20

142,580

Minneapolis Millers

67

84

444

23

90,904

St. Paul Saints

67

85

441

23.5

82,116

Salty Parker

Kansas City Blues

67

85

441

23.5

79,010



Francis "Salty" Parker managed the St. Paul club of 1943 and also played in the infield. His only big league experience was in 11 games for the Tigers in 1936 when he batted .280 and had a .333 OBP and .360 slugging in 25 at bats. He was stationed at short for 7 games and at first for 2 - all with a .906 fielding %.

Parker was a professional baseball player from 1927-1943, 1945-1950, 1952, 1954 and 1957. He played in 2,105 minor league games with 7,306 at bats for a .278 average and managed in the minors from 1939-1942 and 1946-1957. Salty was a major league coach for the Giants (1958-61), Indians (1962), Angels (1964-66), Giants (1967), Astros (1968-72) and Angels again (1973-74). He also managed the Mets in 1967 for 11 games (4-7) and the Astros for one game (a win) in 1972. Salty died at age 79 on July 27, 1992, in Houston due to pancreatic cancer. Burial was at Forest Park Westheimer Cemetery in Houston.

Stan Andrews [born "Andruskewicz"] played for the Saints in 1942-1943. He was a seldom-used backup catcher for the Braves in 1939-1940 playing in only 13 and 19 games with .231 and .182 averages. Stan was back in the majors in 1944 for 4 games (1-for-8) and ended his big league stay in 1945 with 21 games for the Dodgers (.163) and 13 for the Phillies (.333).

He had played in 70 MLB games with 149 at bats compiling an average of .215 with a .259 OBP and .262 slugging. As a catcher in 61 contests, he fielded .938.

Andrews was a pro ball player from 1937-1951 and managed in 1948. He died at age 78 on June 10, 1995, in Bradenton, FL.

Howard "Howie" Schultz played for his hometown Saints in 1942-43 and 1945. The 6'6" Schultz played 45 games for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1943 as a first baseman batting .269. The right hander stayed with the Bums from 1944-1946 for 138, 39 and 90 games hitting .255, .239 and .253. He was reported to be a fan favorite in Brooklyn. However, after 2 games with them in 1947, he was sold to the Phillies for $50,000 on May 10 where he started at first base for 114 games with a .223 average. He was a Phillie for only 6 games in 1948 (.077) before he went to the Reds for 36 games and a .167 average. That was his last MLB year.

As a minor leaguer, he played from 1941-1943 and 1945 for 6 teams hitting over .300 for 2 of them. He played at class AAA for 3 years. He played for the Grand Forks Chiefs in 1941 (.277, 7 HR, 60 RBI) and 1942 (.289, 12, 66).

Howie also played professional basketball for six seasons with the Anderson Packers, Fort Wayne Pistons and Minneapolis Lakers. After he retired from professional baseball, he played for some Minnesota "town" baseball teams during the 1950's. During that time, he also became a high school and university instructor (Hamline U. in St. Paul) while coaching basketball and baseball at those schools. He lived in Stillwater, MN, and after fighting cancer for four months, died in Chaska on Oct. 30, 2009. Burial was at Sunset Cemetery in Minneapolis. .

A more complete biography is available at: http://bioproj.sabr.org/

.


Alvin "Jake" Powell was with the Saints in 1942-43. He made appearances in the majors in 11 seasons starting in 1930 when he was 0-for-4 in 3 games with the Senators. He was back with them in 1934-1936 for 9, 139 and 53 games batting .286, .312 and .295. During the '36 year, he was moved to the Yankees where he played 87 games with a .302 average.

Jake then stayed with the Yankees from 1937-1940 with declining playing time and batting averages in 97, 45, 31 and 12 games (.263, .256, .244 and .185). He returned to the bigs in 1943-1945 with Washington for 37, 96 and 31 contests compiling .265, .240 and .194 averages. During the '45 year, he went to the Phillies where he closed out his major league career in 48 games batting .231.

His MLB records in 688 games and 2,540 at bats were an average of .271 with a .320 OBP and .363 slugging. As an outfielder in 645 games, he fielded .975.

-----

From the book "The Ballplayers":

"Powell hit his peak with a 10-for-22 showing for the Yankees in the 1936 World Series. Reckless and prejudiced, he broke Tiger first baseman Hank Greenberg's wrist in 1935, continually fought with other players and was suspended in 1938 because of anti-black slurs during a radio interview..." - Fred Stein

-----

He played baseball from 1931-1945 and in 1948. On Nov. 4, 1948, he was taken to a Washington, DC, police station and interrogated regarding a bad check charge. During his time in the station, he obtained a gun and shot himself in the head killing himself at the age of 40. Burial was at St. John's Cemetery in Forest Glen, MD.



Art Rebel played on the St. Paul club in 1943. He had only two short stints in the majors. In 1938, he was in 7 games for the Phillies (2-for-9) and in 1945 he was with the Cardinals for 26 games and went 25-for-72. However, he never got back.

His MLB career encompassed 33 games and 81 at bats with a .333 average, .386 OBP and .383 slugging %. He fielded .978 in 21 outfield games.

Rebel was a pro ballplayer from 1936-1952 and managed in 1950-1951 and 1953-1955. As a player in the minors, he appeared in 1,920 games and had 6,909 at bats with a .301 average. He died on July 10, 2004, at the age of 89, in Tampa, FL.

Rea Blaemire played on the 1943 Saints. In September 1941, he played in his only two major league games for the New York Giants. As a right handed catcher he appeared in 2 games and had 5 at bats. He had 2 hits, both singles and did not walk or strike out. Defensively, he was perfect with a 1.000 fielding average.

He played on ten minor league teams from 1935-1943 and 1946, including two years in the American Association. Rae hit over .300 in 4 seasons. He played for and managed the 1946 Grand Forks Chiefs (.353, 2 HR, 21 RBI). It was his last professional season.

Blaemire became an executive in the Eastern Illinois Baseball League and was president from 1962-1965. He also was a partner in the Blaemire-Saddoris Implement Company and later worked for the Hannagan Implement Company and Reigel Motors until his retirement in 1975. His death came on December 23, 1975, at the Burnham City Hospital in Champaign, IN, at the age of 64.



Jack Bolling was with the 1943 Saint Paul club for part of the season. In 1939, he was in 69 games hitting .289 for the Phillies and in 56 contests for the 1944 Dodgers (.351). That was the extent of his major league appearances.

He batted a commutative .313 with a .361 OBP and .427 slugging in 125 MLB games with 342 at bats. He fielded .985 in 75 games as a first baseman.

As a pro, he played from 1936-1944 and in 1946. He died at age 81 on April 13, 1998, at a hospital in Panama City, FL.

Joe Orengo was an infielder on the 1943 Saint Paul Saints. He started his big league career with the Cardinals in 1939 for 7 games and then became a regular infielder for them in 129 games during the 1940 season (.287). In 1941, he moved to the Giants for 77 games batting .214. He was back with N.Y. in 1943 for 83 games (.218) before going to Brooklyn (7g, .200).

His major league years ended with 46 games for the Tigers in 1944 (.201) and 17 for the White Sox in 1945 (.067). As a MLB player, he appeared in 366 games with 1,120 at bats with a .237 average, .332 OBP and .346 slugging. He fielded .957 with 117 games at third, 87 at first, 86 at second and he also played at short.

Orengo was a pro baseball player from 1934-1946 including six years at AAA. He managed in 1946 and 1948-1950 and was the Giants' director of their Speaker's Bureau for 30 years. Joe died at age 73, on July 24, 1988, at his home in San Francisco from a heart attack. Burial was at Italian Cemetery in Daly City, CA.

Vince Castino was a performer on the 1943 Saints. He was used as a back up catcher from 1943 through the 1945 seasons for the White Sox [he was not in a military draft because of his 4F status]. He played in 33, 29 and 26 games during those seasons and batted .228, .231 and .222. In '43, he was one of only four AL players to hit grand slams. His MLB career encompassed 88 games and 215 at bats. He hit .228 with 2 home runs and 23 RBI. His fielding average was .976.

On October 14, 1945, Castino participated in Huron, South Dakota's "Baseball Pheastival" which combined baseball with pheasant hunting. After reaching their limit of birds, current and former players played a ballgame won by a team managed by Paul Waner over won led by Ted McGrew. Other stars who played included: Phil Cavaretta, Jeff Heath, Bob Swift, Dizzy Trout, Paul Derringer, Mort Cooper, Andy Pafko, Bill Nicholson, Allie Reynolds and others. Gate receipts went to a fund for youth baseball in the city. The day before the game, Kiki Cuyler, McGrew and Tom Greenwade conducted an all-day baseball clinic for young players.

In minor league baseball for the years 1936-43 and 1946-51, Vince played with 23 teams hitting over .300 for 2 of them. Castino's AAA other stops were at Toledo (AA) in 1946-47 and Sacramento (PCL) in 1948 and 1950. He played with the Eau Claire Bears in 1937 (.318, 1, 20) and 1938 (.255, 1, 44). He also played with them and Grand Forks in 1939 (combined .307, 4, 46) and Fargo-Moorhead in 1951 (.263, 4, 34).

He worked for 13 years as the circulation manager for the Sacramento Bee. Castino died in Sacramento, CA, at the Sutter Memorial Hospital on March 6, 1967, of lung cancer. He is buried at the St. Mary's Cemetery in Sacramento.



Floyd Speer pitched for the 1943 Saints. He had two cups of coffee in the majors with one game and one inning for the White Sox in 1943 (gave up one hit, 2 walks and one run) and 2 innings for them in 1944 (2 runs allowed). In his 3 games and 3 innings, he allowed 5 hits and 2 walks while striking out 2 for a 9.00 ERA, .417 OAV and .500 OOB.

Speer was a professional pitcher from 1938-1953. He became a clerk in a pharmacy and lived in North Little Rock, AR, for 35 years. He died at age 56 on March 22, 1969, in Little Rock. Burial was at Carolan Cemetery in Booneville, AR.

Joe Bowman pitched for 1942-1943 Saint Paul teams and had an 11-year major league career. It began in 1932 when he was in 7 games for the Phillies (8.18 ERA) and continued for 30 games with the Giants in 1934 (3.61 ERA in 107 innings). Joe then was back with the Phillies in 1935-1936 as a starter-reliever in 33 and 40 games (148 and 203 inn.)for ERAs of 4.25 and 5.04. He was a starting pitcher in the first-ever night major league game.

From 1937-1941, Bowman labored for the Pirates in 128, 60, 185, 188 and 69 innings during 30, 17, 37, 32, and 18 games with ERAs of 4.57, 4.65, 4.48, 4.46 and 2.99. He got back to the majors in 1944 for 26 games and 168 innings with a 4.81 ERA. He ended his MLB tenure in 1945 with 3 games for the Red Sox and 25 for the Reds (186 inn., 3.59 ERA).

Joe pitched in 298 big league games and finished 1,465 innings allowing 1,656 hits and 484 walks while striking out 502. His ERA was 4.40 with a .282 OAV, .341 OOB and a 77-96 record. A good hitting pitcher, he batted a career .221 with a .275 OBP in 639 at bats.

-----

From the book "The Ballplayers":

"The 6'1" 190-lb Bowman was one of two 20-game losers with the last-place 1936 Phillies and 33-38 in five years with stronger Pirate teams. After a sore arm and a sojourn in the minors, he bounced back with a 12-8 season with the wartime Red Sox. Often used as pinch hitter, he twice batted over .300." - Morris Eckhouse

-----

Bowman was a pro hurler from 1929-1950 and managed from 1947-1951. Later he became a scout and a baseball executive from which he retired in 1988. He died at age 74 on Nov. 22, 1990, at St. Joseph Hospital in Kansas City, MO. Burial was at Resurrection Cemetery in Lenexa, KS.

Clay Smith pitched on the 1941-1943 Saint Paul clubs. He had two short tours of duty in major league uniforms. In 1938, for the Cleveland Indians, he was in 4 games and 11 innings with a 6.55 ERA and in 1940, for the Detroit Tigers, he pitched 14 games, including 1 start, for 28 innings and a 5.08 ERA. His career ERA was 5.49 and his OAV was .309. He entered Game 4 of the 1940 World Series, with the Tigers losing in the third inning, and allowed one earned run in 4 innings, but the Tigers did not come back. They eventually lost the Series in 7 games to Cincinnati.

As a minor leaguer from 1935-1943, he pitched for 9 clubs having better then a 3.00 ERA for 2 of them. He was in AAA for 4 years. He pitched for the 1935 (5-3) and 1936 (15-5, 3.13) Fargo-Moorhead Twins and led the Northern League in ERA and win/loss percentage in 1936.

Prior to his pro baseball years, Clay attended Southwestern College and was on the wrestling and track teams. He is a member of the school's Athletic Hall of Fame and, in 2000, was inducted into the Kansas Baseball Hall of Fame. After his playing career, Smith returned to Cambridge, KS, where he became a rancher, mail carrier and a father as he and his wife raised two sons and a daughter. He died there on March 5, 2002, at the age of 85.

Rueben "Rube" Melton pitched part of the 1943 season for the Saints. He was with the Phillies in 1941-1942 for 25 and 42 games completing 84 and 209 innings with ERAs of 4.73 and 3.70. His final big league games were for the Dodgers in 1943-1944 and 1946-1947 in 30, 37, 24 and 4 contests with 119, 187, 100 and 5 innings compiling 3.92, 3.48, 1.99 and 13.50 ERAs.

During his 6-year MLB career, he was 30-50 in 162 games and 704 innings. He allowed 624 hits and 395 walks with 363 strikeouts. Rube compiled an ERA of 3.62, .241 OAV.and 344 OOB..

-----

From the book "The Ballplayers":

"An independent 6'5" country boy, Melton jumped the Cardinals organization and played two years of semi-pro ball before being reinstated in 1940. When St. Louis forgot to protect him in the draft, he was plucked by the Phillies.. He led NL pitchers in bases on balls in 1942, when he went 9-20. He was a cousin of Cliff Melton [8-year MLB pitcher]." - Jack Kavanagh

-----

Melton played pro from 1936-1937 and 1940-1951 and later he became a salesman for Chastain's, Inc. On September 11, 1971, he and his wife were killed in an automobile accident in Greer, SC. Rube was 54 years old and burial was at Woodlawn Memorial Park in Greenville, SC.

-----1944-----

As things were looking up for the allies in World War II, the Saint Paul Saints franchise also had an upswing. Most importantly, they became affiliated with the Brooklyn Dodgers who had teams in seven of the 13 minor leagues that were able to operate in 1944. The only other major league team who had that many players under contract was the St. Louis Cardinals. [The Braves had only one minor league team]. Both the Dodgers and Cards had two teams in the highest classification leagues. The Saints had to share the Dodgers' top prospects with Montreal of the International League.

Ray Blades was named manager and would be the last chosen under Saints owner Walter Seeger's tenure. Blades was 48 years old and had played pro baseball from 1920-1934 with appearances for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1922-28 and 1930-32 as an infielder and outfielder. He obtained much managerial experience at the helm of Columbus from 1933-35 and Rochester (IL) from 1936-38.

Blades

With limited resources, but also because of the limited resources of their opponents, Saint Paul finished in the first division for the first time since 1938. The fourth-placed club won 18 more games then in the previous season and drew about 34,000 more fans. The Saints fortunes had bottomed out in 1942 and would never reach those depths again.

No one on the pitching staff won more then 14 games, but the front liners had, for the most part, good to very good ERAs and WHIPs. Art Herring (8-5), now 38 years-old, was taken by the Dodgers after he had pitched in 15 games and 103 innings with an excellent 2.18 ERA and 1.09 WHIP. Ernie Rudolph (14-14) returned and made an about-face completing 200 innings with a 2.88 ERA and 1.21 WHIP in 27 starts. Otho Nitcholas (14-11) also came back and performed well in 218 innings and 28 starts (2.89 ERA, 1.24 WHIP). Newcomer Cy Buker (11-3) finished 128 frames in 23 starts for a quite good 3.23 ERA and 1.36 WHIP. Hank Camp (14-14), a new face and lifetime minor leaguer, led the team in games started (31), but his 4.69 ERA and 1.69 WHIP were high.

New guy, Willie Webb (10-7), filled in for Herring getting 17 starts and also had 16 relief appearances for 144 innings (3.56 ERA, 1.43 WHIP). Longtime Minneapolis Miller Wally Tauscher (6-7) had 13 starts in 36 games and pitched decently for a 43-year-old (139 inn, 3.88 ERA, 1.40 WHIP). Another heavily-used reliever was Frank Pugsley (2-2), a minor league lifer, who got into 30 contests and performed rather poorly (5.81 ERA, 2.03 WHIP).

Joe Strincevich (2-2) was again with the club and had 4 starts and 13 other appearances with an o.k. 4.03 ERA, but poor WHIP of 1.55. Claude Weaver (4-1) pitched acceptably in 48 innings (6 starts in 8 games) and finished with a 3.94 ERA and 1.35 WHIP. Gene Werth, Mineapolis-born Dick Furey and Don Ernst also made a few appearances in '44.

Only one-half of the eight regular position players ever played a game in the big leagues. New catcher Dom Castro played full time, but hit only .206. Chuck Baron (.303) was back, this time as a first baseman, and finished third in club hitting and RBI. Frank Drews (.248) continued as the regular second baseman and was an All Star until he was traded to the Boston Braves after 95 games. Lifetime minor leaguer, Bud Kimball (.243), joined the team as the starting third baseman and was second on the team with 16 home runs. Frank Piet (.275 for two A.A. teams) apparently played more at short then any other Saints player, but was traded to Louisville at mid-season.

Catcher Mike Sandlock (.308) was received in the Drews trade from the Braves and played well in 35 games. The back-up catchers were Tom Padden who came over from Minneapolis and Charlie Bates who was obtained from Kansas City. Joe Vitter (.273) returned as the prime infield replacement and played in the All Star game.

Red Marion (.345) became a regular outfielder leading the team in average and slugging percentage. He also was second in RBI. Glenn Chapman (.326) again played well, at age 38, finishing second in average and first in RBI (93). The third outfield regular was newcomer Carden Gillenwater (.296) who led the Saints in homers with 19. Fred Schulte was a reserve until sent to Indianapolis and Ed Badke (.237) made 28 appearances for the club in a season that found him playing in three different leagues.

Having qualified for the post season for the first time since 1938, Saint Paul defeated second-place Toledo four games to three in round one. In the finals, Louisville sweep the Saints winning the first four games.

The Saints stats include appearances, during the year, by five teenagers: Ken Mauer (17), Don Froehle (18), Walt King (19), Dick Furey (19) and Don Ernst (19). There were also five players who were 37 or more years-of-age.

**********

On July 12, Herman Bauer, who played in 27 games as a reserve catcher for St. Paul in 1941, was killed in action in France. He was 26 years old and was buried at the Normany American Cemetery.

**********

On September 29, Ardys "Art" Keller, who played for Toledo in 1942-43, died while serving with the 82nd Airborn in Vosges, France. He was 28 years old.

**********

Former Saints who were in the service or involved in national defense work through the 1945 season were: Leo Wells, Frank Kalin, Jesse Newman, Vedie Himsl, Dwain Sloat, Mearl Strachan, Bill Clemensen, Dave Philley, Bob Reis, Packy Rogers, Morrie Martin, Rae Blaemire, Jack Bolling, Don Yohe, Ed Weiland, Harry Taylor and Rube Melton.

1944 Hitting

Main Pos-G

Bats

Age

AB

H

2b/3b

HR

Ave

Slg

OBP

RBI/SB

Birth Place

Dom Castro

C-128

R

30

389

80

9/3

3

206

267

265

42/1

,CA

Chuck Baron

1b-148

L

31

541

164

29/11

5

303

425

386

73/15

Frank Drews #

2b-95

R

28

298

74

11/1

3

248

322

440

46/10

Buffalo, NY

Bud Kimball

3b-143

R

24

511

124

20/5

16

243

395

354

60/10

Armond, NB (Can)

Frank Piet @

SS-103

R

31

335

92

19/0

6

275

385

334

44/6

Glenn Chapman *

OF-146

R

38

528

172

28/4

4

326

417

428

93/13

Cambridge City, IN

Carden Gillenwater *#

OF-152

R

26

550

163

25/9

19

296

478

447

70/15

Riceville, TN

Red Marion *

OF-114

R

30

394

136

21/3

10

345

490

459

80/8

Richburg, SC

Joe Vitter

2b53,SS45,OF20,3b15

S

33

447

122

15/6

4

273

360

385

57/19

New Orleans

Mike Sandlock *#

C-35

S

29

120

37

5/0

1

308

375

433

15/0

Old Greenwich, CT

Fred Schulte *@

OF-37

R

43

99

19

5/0

0

192

242

263

5/0

Belvidere, IL

Ed Badke

OF-28

R

22

97

23

0/0

0

237

237

351

7/3

Tom Padden *@

C-69

R

36

145

33

7/0

1

228

297

366

13/0

Manchester, NH

Charlie Bates *@

C-13

R

37

26

6

1/1

0

231

346

346

3/0

Philadelphia

Don Froehle

?-1

R

18

1

0

0/0

0

000

000

0/?

Walt King

SS-9

R

19

9

1

0/0

0

111

111

1/0

Roy Eder

?-2

R

20

0

Ken Mauer

?-16

L

17

26

6

1/0

0

231

269

346

4/0

Jim Riskosky

OF-5

R

21

18

5

0/0

0

278

278

1/0

Frederick, CO

Lou Rochelli #

2b-5

R

25

16

2

1/0

0

125

188

0/0

Staunton, IL

1944 Pitching

Thrw

Age

G

GS

W-L

IP

H

BB

ERA

WHIP

SO

Birth Place

Otho Nitcholas #

R

36

29

28

14-11

218

231

40

2.89

1.24

75

McKinney, TX

Hank Camp

R

27

34

31

14-14

167

195

88

4.69

1.69

70

Ernie Rudolph #

R

35

34

27

14-14

200

161

81

2.88

1.21

123

Black River Falls, WI

Cy Buker #

R

25

25

23

11-3

128

125

49

3.23

1.36

62

Greenwood, WI

Willie Webb *

R

31

32

17

10-7

144

158

48

3.56

1.43

50

Atlanta

Art Herring *#

R

38

15

12

8-5

103

89

23

2.18

1.09

41

Altus, OK

Frank Punsley

R

27

30

2-2

62

71

55

5.81

2.03

20

Wally Tauscher *

R

43

36

13

6-7

139

152

43

3.88

1.40

53

LaSalle, IL

Joe Strincevich

R

22

17

4

2-2

58

58

32

4.03

1.55

14

Claude Weaver

R

39

8

6

4-1

48

50

15

3.94

1.35

14

Gene Werth

L

25

6

0-0

8

11

5

2.00

6

Dick Furey

R

19

5

0-0

8

9

4

1.63

5

Minneapolis

Don Ernst

L

19

1

0-0

0

0

2

no calc

0

* = Prev MLB

# = Future MLB

@=played for another AA team



1944 Standings

W

L

Pct

GB

Attend.

Manager

Milwaukee Brewers

102

51

667

--

235,840

Toledo Mud Hens

95

58

621

7

198,870

Louisville Colonels

85

63

574

14.5

224,035

St. Paul Saints

85

66

563

16

116,315

Ray Blades

Columbus Red Birds

86

67

562

16

140,995

Indianapolis Indians

57

93

380

43.5

121,100

Minneapolis Millers

54

97

358

47

82,759

Kansas City Blues

41

110

272

60

37,199

Frank Drews played on the Saints from 1942-1944. Thereafter, he was in 46 and 49 games for the Braves in 1944-1945 batting .206 and .204 as a second baseman. In his 95 big league games, he had 288 at bats for a .205 average, .306 OBP and .264 slugging. His fielding percentage was .967 during his 94 games at second.

Drews played as a professional in 1938-1939 and 1941-1952. He was also a member of the Western New York Softball Hall of Fame. Frank worked from the Chevrolet Motor Division in their forge plant in Tonawanda, NY, from 1953-1969 and died at age 55 on April 22, 1972, in Buffalo General Hospital in Buffalo, NY. Burial was at St. Stanislaus Cemetery in Buffalo.

Carden Gillenwater was with the Saints for the 1944 season. He first appeared in a big league uniform in September 1940 for 7 games with the Cardinals (4-for-25). In 1943, with the Dodgers, he played in 8 games and was 3-for-17. Card was an outfield starter in 1945 for Brooklyn getting into 144 games with a .288 average.

In 1946, he moved to the Red Sox for 99 contests batting .228 and he finished his major league time with 77 games for the Senators (.244). For his MLB career, he preformed in 335 games and had 1,004 at bats with a .260 average, .359 OBP and .348 slugging. In 296 games in the outfield, he fielded .979.

-----

From the book "The Ballplayers":

Gillenwater was a glittering defensive outfielder with speed and a strong arm, but disappointing bat. A regular only with the 1945 Braves, he hit a career high .288 and in 1946 tied a major league OF record with 12 putouts in a game." - Ed Walton

-----

Gillenwater played as a professional from 1937-1954 He died at age 82 on May 10, 2000, in Largo, FL.

Mike Sandlock played on the Saints in 1944 and 1946. He was with the Braves as an infielder for 2 games in 1942 and 30 more in 1944 (.100). In 1945-46, as mainly a catcher, he played for the Dodgers in 80 and 19 contests with averages of .282 and .147. His final big league chances came in 64 games for the 1953 Pirates (.231).

Mike was in a total of 195 MLB games with 446 at bats for a .240 average, .304 OBP and .305 slugging. He caught in 128 games, played shortstop in 31, third in 25 and second in 4 with a composite .989 fielding %. During most of the 1943-44 seasons, Sandlock was in the military.

Sandlock was a pro player from 1938-1954. He is currently living in Old Greenwich, CT, and since the death of Connie Marrero on April 23, 2014, he has been the oldest living former major league player. He was 100 on October 17, 2015. He was an active golfer into old age and stayed active in the BAAT organization, which helps older baseball players who do not have health insurance and may need some medical assistance. Death came on April 16, 2016 in Greenwich, CT.

Fred "Fritz" Schulte [born "Schult"] played for the Saints during part of the 1944 season. He was a regular outfielder with the Browns from 1927-1932 appearing in 60, 146, 121, 113, 134 and 146 games with averages of .317, .286, .307, .278, .304 and .294. Fritz led all AL outfielders in fielding percentage in 1929.

He then move on to the Senators for the seasons of 1933-1935 getting into 144, 136 and 76 games hitting .295, .298 and .265. Fred finished his big league years in 1936-1937 for the Pirates in 74 and 29 contests with averages of .261 and .100.

In his 1,179 MLB games and 4,259 at bats, his average was a good .291 with a .362 OBP and .408 slugging. As an outfielder in 1,060 games, he fielded .976.

-----

From the book "The Ballplayers":

"The mild-mannered Schulte was a reliable performer, a top center fielder and a consistent hitter. A Browns regular from 1928 through 1932, he was traded to the Senators and led AL outfielders in putouts as Washington won the 1933 pennant. In the World Series, which the Giants won in five games, Schulte led Washington hitters with a .333 average and four RBI. He later managed in the minors and scouted for four organizations from 1947 to 1964." - Jack Kavanagh

-----

Schulte was a pro ballplayer from 1924-1944 with seven seasons in the American Association. He managed in 1941, 1942 and 1946. Fritz died at age 82 on May 20, 1983, at the Northwoods Healthcare Centre in Belvidere, IL, after a long illness and was cremated.

Tom Padden was with the Saints for part of the 1944 season. He was mainly a backup catcher for Pittsburgh from 1932-1937 in 47, 30, 82, 97, 88 and 35 games with averages of .263, .211, .321, .272, .249 and .286. His last year was 1943 when he was in 17 games for the Phillies (.293) and 3 for the Senators (0-for-3).

He appeared in 399 MLB games with 1,170 at bats for a .272 average, .345 OBP and .321 slugging. His fielding average was .977 in 379 games as a catcher.

-----

From the book "The Ballplayers":

"A singles hitting catcher for six years with the Pirates, Padden was usually platooned with Earl Grace. His .324 was the best BA among NL catchers in 1934." - Morris Eckhouse

-----

Padden performed as a pro from 1928-1945 and managed in 1948. He then coached baseball before becoming a steward at the Daniel F. O'Connell Club in Manchester, NH. Tom died after a brief illness at the age of 64 on June 11, 1973, in Manchester. Burial was at New St. Joseph's Cemetery in Bedford, NH.



Charles W. "Charlie" Bates was with the St. Paul club of 1944. His only major league experience was in September 1927, with the A's, when he appeared in 9 games and had 38 at bats for a .237 average, .293 OBP and .395 slugging. His fielding % was .857 in 9 outfield games.

Bates played pro from 1924-1944 and 1946-1950 on an amazing 40 teams during those years [8 were in AAA]. He died at age 72 on Jan. 29, 1980, at a hospital in Topeka, KS, after working for the State of Kansas. Charlie lived in Topeka and the Lake Waubaunsee area for 34 years. Burial was at Memorial Park Cemetery in Topeka.

Cyril "Cy" Buker pitched for the 1944 and 1947 Saints. He pitched his only year in the majors in 1945. For the Dodgers, he relieved in 38 games and started 4 more with a decent 3.30 ERA. In 87 innings, he gave up 90 hits and 45 walks with 48 strikeouts. His OAV was .268 with a .356 OOB.

From 1940-44, 1946-48 and 1951-52, he played for 12 minor league teams. He played for the Wausau Lumberjacks in 1940. Buker became a successful high school coach living in Greenwood, WI, and died at age 93 on October 11, 2011.

Art Herring was a trusted Saints pitcher from 1936-1944. He played on the Tigers from 1929-1933 appearing in 4, 23, 35, 12 and 24 games completing 32, 78, 165, 22 and 61 innings for ERAs of 4.78, 5.33, 4.31, 5.24 and 3.84. In 1934, he had his first stint with the Dodgers in 14 games (6.20 ERA in 49 innings).

Art returned to the majors in 1939 with the White Sox getting into 7 games (14 innings) with a 5.65 ERA. After his years with the Saints, he pitched for Brooklyn in 1944-46 in 12, 22 and 35 contests finishing 55, 124 and 86 innings compiling 3.42, 3.48 and 3.35 ERAs. His final big league appearances were with the Pirates for 11 games in 1947 (8.44).

He was in 199 MLB games (56 starts) and completed 698 innings allowing 754 hits and 284 walks while striking out 243. His ERA was 4.32 with a .276 OAV .349 OOB and 34-38 record.

----

From the book "The Ballplayers":

"The wiry, 5'7" Herring was at his best in relief. After his first MLB tour, he slipped back to the minors. He resurfaced with Brooklyn at age 37, during the war-caused player shortage to have his best seasons." - Ed Walton

-----

Herring pitched professionally from 1929-1947 including 13 years at the AAA level. He died at age 89 on Dec. 2, 1995, at Marion General Hospital in Marion, IN, and was buried there at Grant Memorial Park.




-----1945-----

The roster of the St. Paul club, during the last war year, turned over more then any other time in their history. Forty-four players played at least one game. At times, it must have seemed like spring training.

Ray Blades stayed on board and led the team to another fourth place finish even though they won 11 fewer games. The most important sign was an increase, at the gate, of approximately 71,400 fans.

The Saints pitchers allowed lots of base runners as only two ended the year with WHIPs under 1.40. Newcomer Tom Sunkel (13-8) had the most starts with 28 and pitched the second-most innings (170) finishing with an acceptable 4.02 ERA, but a rather high 1.54 WHIP. Dick Lanahan (11-9) returned from the war effort and had 22 starts and 152 innings for a good 3.73 ERA and too-high WHIP of 1.66. The only All Star pitcher, from the Saints, was returnee Claude Weaver (15-10), a lifetime minor leaguer, who was first in innings (186), second in WHIP (1.22), third in ERA (3.19) in 45 games (20 starts). Thirty-seven-year-old Otho Nitcholas (11-6) came back to lead the club in ERA (2.90) and WHIP (1.22) with 19 starts and 143 innings sharing part of his expertise, during the season, with the Dodgers. Before he was brought up to Brooklyn after 15 games, future big league star Ralph Branca (6-5), performed quite well with a 3.33 ERA and 1.51 WHIP as a 19-year-old.

Willie Webb (8-11 for two teams) returned but was traded to Minneapolis apparently for two position players. Ernie Rudolph (3-7) also came back and had a decent year (4.56, 1.69) with 15 games and 77 innings. Bob Tart (3-11), who had a short pro career, pitched in 25 games and 83 innings compiling a 4.55 ERA and 1.84 WHIP. Hank Camp (1-3) returned for 11 games and 56 innings (4.98, 1.73) and short-time pro Gene Kelly (2-3) got into 16 contests and pitched well with a 3.04 ERA.

The hero of the staff had to be 44-year-old Wally Tauscher (8-7) who appeared in 61 games to break the "games appeared in one season" record of Chief LeRoy's that had stood since 1911. Tauscher completed 104 innings with a commendable 3.98 ERA and 1.40 WHIP. Another returnee from the war effort was George Coffman who got into 11 contests, but had a bad 1.81 WHIP. The only other double-figure inning eater was John Miller (1-1) who pitched badly (7.65, 2.15) in 10 games. Returnees Gene Werth and LeRoy Hewette got into a few games and George Danniels [some sources show "Daniels"] also got into a couple of games.

The offensive was pretty much of a rag-tag crew with most of the players not ever reaching the majors. Old pros Sam Narron (.253) and Bill Lewis (.292) shared the catching duties and Lou Cardinal (.217) joined the group after being obtained from Minneapolis in the Willie Webb deal. Another veteran, John Dantonio (.407), saw some action in nine games

Paul Schoendienst (.315) finished his military duties and became the starting first baseman and tied for the team lead in average. Saints' vet Joe Vitter (.250) was a regular at second and Bud Kimball (.315) returned to third. Kimball tied for the club lead in average, but led in home runs (22), slugging (.527) and RBI (95). Eighteen-year-old Tommy Brown (.286) split the season between the Saints and the Dodgers as a shortstop [he had more appearances (85) for St. Paul]. Bill Hart was also a Saint/Dodger, but was a sensation in Saint Paul, as in only 38 games and 136 at bats, he hit 17 homers (second on team), had 46 RBI and batted .368. On September 5, he hit four consecutive home runs with nine RBI v. Minneapolis. [He tied a league record set by Dale Alexander (KC) in 1935 and Ab Wright (Mpls) in 1940.]

Infield reserves included first baseman Howie Schultz, who could only play home games and those in Minneapolis because of his draft status. He got into 19 games hitting a cool .366 before the draft board, in June, allowed him to be called back up to the Dodgers [in August they sent him to Montreal]. Long-time minor leaguer, Cecil Dunn (.158), also got into 10 games at first. After being obtained from Minneapolis in the Webb trade, Arnie Berge, played all of the infield positions. Bill "Pete" Boaz (.152) had 43 opportunities at second, old pro Gene Corbett (.312) performed well in 10 games at first and second and Ed Scheiwe (.314) [some sources spell it "Schiewe] got into 64 games and batted well.

Glenn Chapman (.308), now 39, was the best outfielder of an undistinguished lot sharing the field most of the time with minor league lifer, Ed Yaeger (.227) and the returning Red Marion (.256 for two teams) before he was sent to Louisville. Don Lund (.263), Stan Platek (.240) and Frank Powaski (.133) also played as outfielders.

In their second post season in succession, the Saints defeated Indianapolis in round one four games to two. In the finals, Louisville won by the same count.

With the War ending toward the end of the season, minor league baseball would enter it's glory years.

**********

The National Association [of minor leagues] calculated that about 4,350 minor league players entered the military during the war. In addition, 1,420 players went into voluntary retirement, during those years, with a large number of these being men who worked in defense plants and on farms.

Baseball historians have determined that 41 minor league and two major league players lost their lives during the war.

**********

1945 Hitting

Main Pos-G

Bats

Age

AB

H

2b/3b

HR

Ave

Slg

OBP

RBI/SB

Birth Place

Sam Narron *

C-90

R

32

292

74

23/3

5

253

404

305

53/1

Middlesex, NC

Paul Schoendienst

1b-127

R

29

432

136

30/6

2

315

426

375

48/8

Joe Vitter

2b-127

S

34

468

117

25/5

5

250

357

393

45/9

New Orleans

Bud Kimball

3b-148

R

25

505

159

39/11

22

315

527

479

95/5

Tom Brown *#

SS-85

R

18

301

86

13/3

10

286

449

395

48/5

Brooklyn

Glenn Chapman *

OF-124

R

39

439

135

26/4

3

308

405

369

80/2

Cambridge City, IN

Red Marion * @

OF-116

R

31

348

89

16/1

1

256

316

491

44/4

Richburg, SC

Ed Yaeger

OF-93

S

20

330

75

5/3

0

227

261

376

23/10

Bill Lewis *

C-90

R

41

195

57

7/3

1

292

374

533

30/0

Ripley, TN

Arnie Berge @

Inf-89

R

26

273

71

17/1

1

260

341

344

34/3

Pete Boaz

2b-43

R

19

105

16

3/1

0

152

200

200

6/0

Lou Cardinal @

C-21

R

21

60

13

2/0

0

217

250

267

3/0

Gene Corbett *

1b,2b-10

L

32

16

5

1/0

1

312

562

313

3/0

Winona, MN

Bill Hart *#

SS-38

R

32

136

50

9/0

17

368

809

500

46/2

Wiconisco, PA

Don Lund #

OF-72

R

22

247

65

12/7

0

263

368

328

30/6

Detroit

Stan Plalek

OF-60

L

27

192

46

8/2

0

240

302

354

23/2

Ed Scheiwe

OF36,2b15

R

25

156

49

9/0

5

314

468

449

27/4

Howie Schultz *#

1b-19

R

23

82

30

4/0

1

366

451

402

13/3

Saint Paul

Jack Capelle

2b-3

5

1

0/0

0

200

200

0/0

John Dantonio *#

C-9

R

27

27

11

0/0

0

407

407

3/0

New Orleans

Cecil Dunn

1b-10

R

34

19

3

0/0

0

158

158

211

2/0

Linden, AL

J.C. Ford

C-2

L

31

1

0

0/0

0

000

000

0/0

Ken Mauer

Inf-16

L

18

26

3

2/0

0

115

193

346

3/0

Frank Powaski

OF-16

R

21

30

4

1/0

0

133

167

200

3/1

Marty Radmer

C-1

S

21

2

0

0/0

0

000

000

0/0

Pat Riley

OF-3

L

31

10

2

0/0

0

200

200

0/0

Carl Tucker

2b-24

R

24

38

6

1/0

0

158

184

289

1/0

Hank Welsch

OF-6

L

22

5

1

1/0

0

200

400

1/0

1945 Pitching

Thrw

Age

G

GS

W-L

IP

H

BB

ERA

WHIP

SO

Birth Place

Tom Sunkel *

L

33

28

28

13-8

170

177

85

4.02

1.54

134

Paris, IL

Dick Lanahan *

L

34

37

22

11-9

152

155

97

3.73

1.66

68

Wash., DC

Claude Weaver

R

40

45

20

15-10

186

185

46

3.19

1.24

54

Otho Nitcholas #

R

37

22

19

11-6

143

139

36

2.90

1.22

49

McKinney, TX

Willie Webb * @

R

32

31

17

8-11

148

176

43

5.72

1.48

46

Atlanta

Ralph Branca #

R

19

15

14

6-5

100

87

64

3.33

1.51

94

Mt. Vernon, NY

Ernie Rudolph #

R

36

15

12

3-7

77

82

48

4.56

1.69

37

Black River Falls, WI

Bob Tart

L

23

25

13

3-11

83

80

73

4.55

1.84

35

Hank Camp

R

28

11

9

1-3

56

70

27

4.98

1.73

23

Gene Kelly

R

19

16

2-3

74

64

40

3.04

1.41

38

Wally Tauscher *

R

44

61

8-7

104

105

41

3.98

1.40

35

LaSalle, IL

George Coffman *

R

35

11

0-0

21

25

13

1.81

6

Veto, AL

John Miller

R

24

10

1-1

20

20

23

7.65

2.15

11

Gene Werth

L

22

3

0-0

3

4

3

2.33

3

George Danniels

R

31

2

1

0-1

8

8

5

4.50

1.63

3

LeRoy Hewette

L

23

1

0-0

1

1

0

1.00

0

* = Prev MLB

# = Future MLB

@=played for another AA team



1945 Standings

W

L

Pct

GB

Attend.

Manager

Milwaukee Brewers

93

61

604

--

249,819

Indianapolis Indians

90

63

592

2.5

229,145

Louisville Colonels

84

70

545

10

265,083

St. Paul Saints

75

76

497

16.5

187,780

Ray Blades

Minneapolis Millers

72

81

471

20.5

122,376

Toledo Mud Hens

69

84

451

23.5

146,638

Kansas City Blues

65

86

430

26.5

92,853

Columbus Red Birds

63

90

412

29.5

87,248



William H. "Bill" or "Buddy" Lewis ended his pro career with the 1945 Saint Paul Saints. He played in 15 games for the Cardinals in 1933 as a catcher going 14-for-35 at the plate. In 1935-1936, he appeared in 6 and 29 games for the Braves with averages of .000 and .306.

Bill was in 50 major league games and had 101 at bats for a batting average of .327, OBP of .414 and .386 slugging %. His fielding percentage was .981 in 30 games as a receiver.

Lewis was a pro ballplayer from 1924-1927 and 1928-1945. In 1,824 minor league games, he had 5,626 at bats with a good .308 average. Five of those years were spent in the American Association. His obit states he managed in the minors, however, that can not be verified. Later he was a scout for the Cardinals and Mets and died at age 73 on Oct. 24, 1977, at his home in Memphis, TN. Burial was at Memorial Park Cemetery there.

Thomas M. "Tommy" Brown was the starting shortstop on the 1945 Saints. From 1944-1951 (excluding military service in 1946 – he was discharged in Apr. 1947) he was a utility player with the Dodgers in 46, 57, 15, 54, 41, 48 and 11 games with averages of .164, .245, .235, .241, .303, .291 and .160. The remainder of his '51 season was spent with the Phillies for 78 games and a .219 average.

In 1952, he split the year between the Phillies (18 g, .160) and the Cubs (61 g, .320). His big league career ended with 65 contests for the Cubs in 1953 (.196). Tommy had 494 big league games with 1,280 at bats for a .241 average, .292 OBP and .355 slugging. He fielded a composite .916 with 166 games at shortstop, 93 in the outfield, 50 at third and assorted others at second and first base.

----

From the book "The Ballplayers":

"Brown was just 16 when he broke in at shortstop with the wartime Dodgers in 1944, the youngest player ever to see regular action. On Aug. 20, 1945, at age 17, he became the youngest player to homer in the majors. His weak hitting made him a utility infielder after the war. However, he hit three consecutive homers in a Sept. 18, 1950 game." - Bob Davids

-----

Brown played as a pro from 1944-1945 and 1946-1959. After baseball, he lived in Nashville and worked in the Ford Glass Plant for 35 years. He now lives in Brentwood, TN, and turned 94 years old on Dec. 6, 2021.

Glenn Chapman played on the 1943-1945 Saint Paul teams. He had his only MLB experience in 1934 while playing for the Dodgers in 67 games as an outfielder/second baseman. In 93 at bats, he got 26 hits (,280) with 5 doubles, 1 homer and 10 RBI. He struck out 19 times and had an OBP of .330.

He played in the minors from 1930-1941 and 1943-1946 with 21 teams and 14 combined years in all three class AAA leagues. Glenn hit over .300 with 9 of the minor league teams for whom he played. He played for the Grand Forks Chiefs in 1946 (.280, 1, 8) as their playing manager. It was his only year as a manager.

Chapman died at age 82 on November 5, 1988, at the Reid Memorial Hospital in Richmond, IN, and is buried at the Lutheran Cemetery in Pershing, IN.



John "Red" Marion was a member of the 1943-1945 Saint Paul clubs. His only major league games were 4 for the Senators in 1935 and 14 for them in 1943. In those 18 games, he had 28 official at bats with a .179 average, .258 OBP and .321 slugging. He fielded .923 in 7 outfield games.

Marion performed as a pro player from 1933-1947 hitting over .300 eight times. He also had a pitching record during four of his minor league seasons. Red was a minor league manager in 1940-42, 1946-1959 and 1962-63. His brother, Marty, was a player, coach and manager in the majors. John lived to within two days of his 61st birthday, passing away on March 12, 1975, at Valley Medical Center in San Jose, CA. Death was caused by lactic acidosia and shock from hemorrhaging. Burial was at Cedar Lawn Memorial Park in Fremont, CA.

Sam Narron was a catcher on the 1945-1946 Saint Paul teams. His first taste of the majors was with the Cardinals in 4 games when he went 3-for-7 in September 1935. He capped his big league days with 10 games in each of the 1942 and 1943 campaigns (.400 and .091). Sam had experience in 24 MLB games with 28 at bats for a .286 average, .310 OBP and .283 slugging. He was perfect with his fielding in 6 games as a catcher.

Narron was a professional baseball player from 1934-1943 and 1945-1949 and managed in 1948. He was a major league coach from 1952-1964 for the Pirates. During those years and thereafter, he was a farmer, hunter, fisherman and volunteer fireman. He died at age 83 on Dec. 31, 1996, in Middlesex, NC, and was buried at Antioch Baptist Church Cemetery in Middlesex.

Gene Corbett played on the 1945 Saints. He played 3 partial MLB seasons in 1936, 1937 and 1938 for the Phillies. He came up in September 1936 and played in 6 games hitting .143 with 21 at bats. He was the second former Northern Leaguer to appear in a major league game with a September 19 debut (Bill Zuber appeared in a game on September 16). In 1937, he had 12 at bats in 7 games and got 4 hits. Finally, in 1938, he was in 24 games and had 75 at bats , but had only 6 hits (.080). He played first, second and third bases those years with 37 total games and a career batting average of .120 and OBP of .181. He had 2 home runs and 10 RBI with 14 strikeouts in 108 at bats.

As a minor league player from 1933-52, he was with 21 teams. He led the International League in doubles in 1940 and batting average in 1941. Gene hit over .300 in 8 seasons and had double-digit home runs in 4. In 2,126 minor league games, he hit .285. Born in Winona, MN, he played for the Winnipeg Maroons in 1933 (.327, 18 HR), 1934 (.330, 6) and 1935 (.335, 19, 126 RBI). He led the Northern league in home runs in 1933 and in RBI in 1935.

He continued with baseball as a minor league manager in the lower minors from 1947 through 1952 and moved to Salisbury, MD, in 1948. There he operated a sporting goods store on Main Street that later became a trophy business that he ran until his retirement in 2003. An active fisherman all his life, he never lost his touch and was still catching crappies into his 90s. Corbett died on January 28, 2009, in Salisbury at the age of 95. His remains were cremated and retained by the family.


Bill Hart was a performer on the 1945 Saint Paul Saints. He played three partial years with the Brooklyn Dodgers. In 1943, he came up in September and was in 8 games playing third base and shortstop and was at the plate 19 times with 3 hits (.158). In 1944, he was in 29 games with 23 at shortstop for a .176 average. In his last year of 1945, he played in 58 games with 161 at bats and an average of .230. He was at third base for 39 games and at short for 8. In 95 MLB games, he batted .207 with a .272 OBP and .307 slugging percentage. His fielding % was .924.

In the minors from 1935 and 1937-1952 he played with 18 teams. He hit over .300 in 6 seasons and was a AAA player for three years. For 7 seasons, he hit 15 or more home runs. Bill played for the Duluth Dukes in 1937 (.269, 18 HR, 77 RBI).

After his baseball retirement, Hart worked for the Reifs and Nestor Company of Lykens, PA. On July 29, 1968, at the age of 55, he died at the Holy Spirit Hospital in Lykens and was buried at the Wiconisco Cemetery in Wiconisco, PA.



William F. "Willie" or "Bill" Webb pitched on the 1944-1945 Saints. He got into one big league game for the Phillies on May 15, 1943. Bill pitched one inning allowing one hit, one walk and one earned run.

Webb pitched as a pro from 1941-1948 and in 1950 including three years in the American .Association. He was 22-5 in 1947 in the Georgia-Alabama League and later was a fireman for 27 years in the Atlanta Fire Department. Bill retired in 1974 and died at age 80 on June 1, 1994, in Cobb General Hospital in Austell, GA. Burial was at Cheatham Hill Memorial Park in Marietta, GA.

Ralph Branca pitched for the 1945 Saint Paul Saints. He was a steady performer on the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1944-1953 appearing in 21, 16, 24, 43, 36, 34, 43. 42, 16 and 7 games with 1, 15, 10, 36, 28, 27, 15, 27, 7 and 0 starts completing 45, 110, 67, 280, 216, 187, 142, 204, 61 and 11 innings for ERAs of 7.05, 3.04, 3.88, 2.67, 3.51, 4.39, 4.69, 3.26, 3.84 and 9.82 and records of 0-2, 5-6, 3-1, 21-12, 14-9, 13-5, 7-9, 13-12, 4-2 and 0-0. He was chosen for the All Star Games of 1947, 1948 and 1949 and appeared in the '48 contest.

The remainder of his 1953 season was spent with the Tigers where he appeared in 17 games (14 starts) and completed 102 innings for a 4-7 record and 4.05 ERA. His 1954 season was split between the Tigers (17 g, 5 s, 45 inn, 3-3, 5.76) and the Yankees (5 g, 3 s, 13 inn, 1-0, 2.84). He made his major league swan song with one game and 2 shutout innings for the Dodgers in 1956.

Ralph had pitched in 322 MLB seasons with 188 starts and 1,484 innings. He allowed 1,372 hits and 663 walks while striking out 829. Branca compiled a 3.79 ERA, .245 OAV, .328 OOB and an 88-68 record.

-----

From the book "The Ballplayers":

"The fact that he threw the pitch Bobby Thomson hit for 'the shot heard round the world' to win the 1951 playoff has obscured much of the rest of Branca's career. The one-time NYU basketball player was the starter and loser of the first two NL playoff games in 1946 and 1951. In 1947, he won 21 games for the Dodgers at age 21. In the WS that year, he won the sixth game, saved by Al Gionfriddo's famous catch of DiMaggio's drive. Before the '51 playoffs, Branca had worn '13' and good-naturedly posed with black cats. Afterward, he changed his number, but not his luck. An off-season pelvis injury all but ended his career and he won only twelve games over the next five years..." - Tom Gallagher

-----

Branca played as a pro from 1943-1956. Thereafter, he was in the life insurance business, became a broadcaster for the Mets and served as president of the Baseball Assistance Team, which provides financial aid to needy baseball figures. In his later years, he lived in Rye, NY, and died in a nursing home in Rye Brook, NY, at the age of 90 on November 23, 2016. Burial was at the Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Hawthorne, NY.



Ernie Rudolph pitched on the 1943-1945 St. Paul clubs. His last professional appearances came in the major leagues with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1945 for 7 games. He finished 9 innings giving up 12 hits and 7 walks while striking out 3 for a 5.19 ERA and .333 OAV.

In the minors in1937, 1941 and 1943-1945, he played for 5 teams with 3 seasons at class AAA. He pitched for the 1937 Crookston Pirates (11-10, 2.24 ERA) and the 1941 Eau Claire Bears (1-2). Rudolph played his first full season in pro baseball at age 28, but then did not pitch again for nearly four years, wound up in Class E, didn't pitch a second full season until he was 35 and made his major league debut at 36.

In 1946, he was a scout for the Dodgers. In 1948, Ernie starting scouting for the Browns where he helped sign Ryne Duren and, in 1959, he moved to the Braves. By 1969, he scouted for the Angels. Also, during those years, Rudolph was a car salesman for the Silvernail Chevrolet dealership in Black River Falls and worked as a counselor at the Black River Youth Camp. Ernie died on January 13, 2003, in Black River Falls.

Walt Tauscher pitched for the Saints in 1944-1945. He made 17 appearances for the 1928 Pirates completing 29 innings for a 4.91 ERA. His only other major league experience came in 1931 for the Senators as he got into 6 games and 12 innings with a 7.50.

Walt made 23 MLB relief appearances completing 41 innings and allowing 52 hits and 16 walks with 12 strikeouts. His ERA was 5.66 with a .333 OAV, .406 OOB and 1-0 record.

Tauscher pitched professionally from 1924-1948 including 13 years in the A.A. He was in 867 minor league games and finished 4,028 innings allowing 4,501 hits and 1,239 walks while striking out 1,389 for a life-time 4.32 ERA and 264-200 record. Walt managed in 1946 and 1948-1951. In 1947, he moved to Central Florida and died at age 91, on Nov. 27, 1992, in Winter Park. Burial was at Woodlawn Memorium in Orlando.








-----1946-----

Many familiar faces returned to Saint Paul as ball players and fans began rebuilding their lives after war. Ray Blades led the team to a third place finish with five more wins then in '45 and attendance exploded (as it did in all the minor leagues) upward by 102,000 (third in league). A one-game franchise attendance record was set on the season's opening day with 21,449 attendees.

[St. Paul Pioneer Press]

Lexington Park Fans On Hill in Front of Right Field Fence During Sell-Out

The offensive was still so-so, but the quality of players certainly improved as only two starters returned from '45. First-string catcher John Dantonio (.306) had played only a hand full of games for the club the previous year, but ended the '46 season second on the team in average. He was backed up by Cliff Dapper (.210) who was back from three years in WWII, George Savino (after he was obtained from Minneapolis) and Mike Sandlock (.177) who was with the Dodgers for part of the year.

New to the Saints, John Douglas (.307), returned from three years in the military and led the team in hitting as the starter at first base. Ed Basinski (.252) was another newcomer at second base and Bud Kimball (.256) returned at third, but his production had decreased although he finished second in homers with 13. Future longtime major league manager and WWII vet, Gene Mauch (.248), became the number one shortstop. Super-sub Joe Vitter (.228) was again on hand and Lou Rochelli (.237) returned as an infield back-up after spending 1945 in the military.

Eric Tipton (.276) joined the outfield crew and led the team in homers (19), slugging % (.477) and RBI being the first Saint to reach the 100 RBI mark since Pete Fleming in 1939. Saint Paul native Larry Rosenthal (.278) was back [his last appearance was in 1936]. To complete the starters, new face John Rizzo (.298) was third in average and homers; second in RBI and slugging % after serving his country in WWII from 1943-1945. The main outfield replacement was Homer Matney (.268) another newcomer and three-year WWII veteran. Don Lund (.200) played in 14 games before he had stops in two other minor leagues. Another Saint Paul native, Ken Staples, made one appearance on defense.

Pitcher Harry Taylor (15-7) returned after five seasons including three years in the military to tie for the league-lead in wins and club-lead in innings pitched with 181 in 25 starts for a 3.33 ERA (led team). He also pitched part of the season with the Dodgers. Newcomer Walt Nothe (3-11) was tied for second in team starts (24) in 154 innings for a 4.44 ERA after four years in the armed services. Never-old Otho Nitcholas (12-10) tied as club leader with 181 innings in 24 starts and had the best WHIP (1.26) on the team. Ed Weiland (10-12) also came back to the Saints after two years in WWII and got into 36 games (21 starts) with a 4.45 ERA.

New to the Saints, Dutch Dietz (9-8) was a veteran of the baseball wars and WWII. He had 39 appearances for the club with a good ERA of 3.83 and WHIP of 1.35. Tom Sunkel (6-6) [who was blind in one eye] returned for 16 starts and 91 innings (4.05 ERA/1.47 WHIP). On September 12, he pitched a no-hitter v. Louisville in a playoff game which was the first no-no by a Saint Paul pitcher since May 1932 when Slim Harriss turned the trick. [It was the only playoff no hitter in league history.]

Minor league lifer and WWII vet, Al Sherer (6-7) pitched well in 45 games finishing 116 innings with a 3.96 ERA and 1.37 WHIP. Long-time Saint Vedie Himsl (1-0) also was back from three years in the service and pitched in 27 games with limited results. Joining the reunion, was Dick Lahahan (5-1) who made his last appearances with the club before going down to the Southern Association and Dwain Sloat (2-2), now a four-year WWII survivor, who was in 11 games.

Completing the mound staff was future big leaguer Jack Banta (3-2) who pitched well in 8 games (2.89 ERA) and returnee Gene Kelly who pitched in four contests.

In the playoffs for the third year in-a-row, Saint Paul lost the first round to Louisville four games to one.

-----

Bob "Tex" Tarleton was the Saints' general manager for owner Walter Seeger. He had more then 35 years of baseball experience including as an umpire, scout and manager. Tex built some great teams for Dallas in the Texas League.

1946 Hitting

Main Pos-G

Bats

Age

AB

H

2b/3b

HR

Ave

Slg

OBP

RBI/SB

Birth Place

John Dantonio *

C-101

R

28

294

90

18/0

3

306

398

401

47/1

New Orleans

John Douglas *

1b-144

L

29

579

178

14/3

0

307

342

415

41/9

Thayer, WV

Ed Basinski *

2b-138

R

24

515

130

17/5

5

252

334

338

46/9

Buffalo, NY

Bud Kimball

3b-124

R

26

391

100

15/2

13

256

404

430

63/2

Armond, NB (Can)

Gene Mauch *#

SS-149

R

21

536

133

19/3

6

248

328

418

55/9

Salina, KS

Eric Tipton *#

OF-147

R

31

526

145

33/8

19

276

477

490

100/21

Petersburg, VA

Larry Rosenthal *

OF-135

L

36

457

127

26/3

8

278

400

499

57/7

Saint Paul

John Rizzo *

OF-110

R

34

369

110

16/4

12

298

461

436

88/3

Houston

Joe Vitter

OF65,1b12,3b11

S

35

281

64

12/4

2

228

320

438

26/9

New Orleans

Lou Rochelli *

3b-58

R

27

156

37

6/2

5

237

397

314

27/2

Staunton, IL

George Savino @

C-85

S

36

235

52

9/2

0

221

277

345

30/0

Natley, NJ

Cliff Dapper *

C-37

R

26

100

21

4/0

1

210

280

380

17/0

Los Angeles

Homer Matney

OF-57

R

25

153

41

8/2

0

268

346

353

22/1

, TX

Mike Sandlock *#

C-37

S

31

79

14

2/1

1

177

266

241

11/0

Old Greenwich, CT

Ernie Davis

OF-1

R

23

5

2

0/0

0

400

400

2/0

Don Lund #

OF-14

R

23

15

3

0/0

0

200

200

333

0/0

Detroit

Sam Narron *

C-2

R

36

2

0

0/0

0

000

000

0/0

Middlesex, NC

Ken Staples

OF-1

L

20

0

0/0

Saint Paul

1946 Pitching

Thrw

Age

G

GS

W-L

IP

H

BB

ERA

WHIP

SO

Birth Place

Harry Taylor #

R

27

29

25

15-7

181

149

98

3.33

1.36

91

East Glenn, IN

Walt Nothe

L

29

33

24

3-11

154

149

94

4.44

1.58

134

Philadelphia

Otho Nitcholas *

R

38

32

24

12-10

181

190

38

3.58

1.26

77

McKinney, TX

Ed Weiland #

R

32

36

21

10-12

170

181

75

4.45

1.51

75

Evanston, IL

Dutch Dietz *

R

34

39

17

9-8

155

154

55

3.83

1.35

53

Cincinnati

Tom Sunkel *

L

34

16

6

6-6

91

79

55

4.05

1.47

71

Paris, IL

George Coffman *

R

36

50

8-5

94

99

51

4.12

1.60

44

Veto, AL

Al Sherer

R

32

45

8

6-7

116

128

31

3.96

1.37

38

Quincy, IL

Vedie Himsl

R

29

27

1-0

51

63

15

5.29

1.53

9

Dick Lanahan *

L

35

16

9

5-1

59

63

28

3.66

1.54

24

Wash., DC

Dwain Sloat #

L

28

11

2-2

19

13

16

4.26

1.53

16

Nokomis, IL

Jack Banta #

R

21

8

7

3-2

56

49

28

2.89

1.38

49

Hutchinson, KS

Gene Kelly

R

20

4

0-0

7

7

3

1.43

5

* = Prev MLB

# = Future MLB

@=played for another AA team



1946 Standings

W

L

Pct

GB

Attend.

Manager

Louisville Colonels

92

61

601

--

355,241

Indianapolis Indians

88

65

575

4

317,223

St. Paul Saints

80

71

530

11

289,544

Ray Blades

Minneapolis Millers

76

75

503

15

242,603

Milwaukee Brewers

70

78

473

19.5

257,694

Toledo Mud Hens

69

84

451

23

234,062

Kansas City Blues

67

82

450

23

222,259

Columbus Red Birds

64

90

416

28.5

102,127



Ray Blades managed the Saint Paul clubs of 1944-1946. He played his complete 10-year major league career for the Cardinals. From 1922-1932 (excluding 1929), he was in 37, 98, 131, 122, 107, 61, 51, 45, 35 and 80 games with averages of .300, .246, .311, .342, .305, .317, .235, .396, .284 and .229.

He played in 767 MLB games and had 2,415 at bats for a composite .301 average with a .395 OBP and .460 slugging. Ray played 623 games in the outfield, 14 at third, 7 at second base and 4 at short with a fielding % of .963.

-----

From the book "The Ballplayers":

"Blades was an intelligent, aggressive reserve player for most of his 10 MLB seasons and he hit .300 in each of his three seasons as a starting outfielder for the Cardinals. After managing in the Cardinals farm system in the mid-1930s, Blades managed the parent club to 92 wins and second place in 1939, but was replaced with the Cardinals sputtered early in 1941." - Fred Stein

-----

Blades played as a pro from 1920-1934 and managed in the minors in 1933-1938 and 1944-1946. He was a major league coach for the Cardinals (1930-1932), Reds (1942), Dodgers (1947-1948), Cardinals (1951) and Cubs (1953-1956). His managing record for the Cardinals was; 1939: 92-61 (2nd) and 1940: 14-24 and he was also was at the helm of one Dodger game in 1948 (1-0). In addition, he served with the U.S. Army in France during WWI. Blades died at age 82 on May 18, 1979, at Lincoln Memorial Hospital in Lincoln, IL. His burial was at the IOOF Cemetery in McLeansboro, IL.

Ed Basinski played on the 1946 Saint Paul team. He was on the Dodgers in 1944-1945 and 1947 as an utility infielder in 39, 108 and 56 games batting .257, .262 and .199. Over his 203 big league games, he had 602 at bats for a .244 average, .292 OBP and .319 slugging. He played short in 104 games and second in 99 more - all with a fielding percentage of .925.

-----

From the book "The Ballplayers":

"Basinski went straight from the U. of Buffalo to the Dodgers, where he was the regular Brooklyn shortstop in 1945 while Pee Wee Reese was in the service." - Morris Eckhouse

-----

Basinski played as a pro from 1944-1959 with 13 seasons in the PCL. Basinski is a member of the PCL Hall of Fame, as well as the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in honor of his lengthy career with the Portland Beavers. He became an educator in Portland and lived in Milwaukie, OR, where he turned 99 before passing away on January 8, 2022, in Glastone,OR.

Gene Mauch was an infielder on the 1946 Saint Paul club. He first saw action in the majors in four games for the Dodgers in 1944 (.133). In 1947, he was with the Pirates for 16 games (.300) and then went back to Brooklyn for 12 contests in 1948 (.154) before moving on to the Cubs the rest of the season (53 g, .203). He stayed with the Cubs in 1949 compiling a .249 BA in 72 games as an utility infielder.

In 1950-1951, Gene performed in 48 and 19 games for the Braves (.231 and .100). He was with the Cardinals for part of the 1952 year (7 g, 0-for-3) and then was out of the Bigs until 1956-1957 when he finished his major league tenure in 7 and 65 games with the Red Sox (.320, .270).

He had been in 304 MLB games with 737 at bats for a .239 average, .335 OBP and .312 slugging. Gene was positioned at second base in 158 games, at short for 65 and at third for 17 with a composite fielding of .958.

-----

From the book "The Ballplayers":

"When he retired in spring training of 1988, Gene Mauch had managed more games and for more years (26) than anyone in major league history but Connie Mack, John McGraw and Bucky Harris. He also managed the longest without winning a pennant; he came close three times. Leading by 6 ½ games with two weeks to go, his 1964 Phillies collapsed, finishing in a tie for second. Many said he overworked his three best pitchers at the end of the race. His Angels won two division titles, but suffered heartbreaking losses in the ALCS. They needed to win one of the final three games in 1982 against Milwaukee, but failed to do so. In 1986, California was one strike away when Boston's Dave Henderson homered to win game five; The Red Sox then easily took the final two contests. When asked by brave reporters how he could deal with those memories, Mauch replied, 'I have an amazing ability to forget.'

"Mauch's playing career began in 1943 in the Dodger organization. He relied more on brains than on brawn. He had trials with five NL teams [and] in 1953...he became the 28-year-old playing manager of the Southern Association's Atlanta Crackers. 'I really wasn't ready,' he later admitted. He had a low boiling point, often fought with umpires and expected too much of his players. With an eye on again playing in the majors, he gave up managing. He batted .348 as the 1956 PCL All Star second baseman, then spent all of 1957 with the Red Sox.

"Testy and combative as a player, Mauch mellowed in his second chance as a manager, beginning in 1958 with Minneapolis. He took the Phillies' helm in 1960, survived 23 consecutive losses in 1961 and was named manager of the year in 1962 and 1964. He was thrown out by umpires only three times in his first five seasons. When he left Philadelphia in 1968, he had compiled 645 wins - second most in franchise history.

"Mauch was chosen to be the expanision1969 Expos manager and lasted through 1975 winning a third manager of the Year award in 1973. He guided the Twins from 1976 until his resignation in late August of 1980, when he tired of having teams in the rebuilding stage. He vowed not to manage any club but a contender. The following May, he replaced Jim Fregosi in California. He resigned after the 1982 ALCS loss, moved up to become Director of Player Personnel for two years and returned to the Angels dugout in 1985.

"Mauch was known as a sharp tactician who loved the sacrifice bunt and the pinch hitter. His detractors faulted him for over managing and for giving more signs than the Coast Guard. He like to make use of his entire roster. 'I wanted everybody to feel he has a chance to get into a game when he comes to the ballpark,', he said. 'I play guys when I want to so they'll be ready when I have to. I don't consider myself a motivator of players. I think it's an insult to a ballplayer to have to be motivated.'" - Norm Macht

-----

Mauch played from 1943-1959 and managed in the minors in 1953 and 1958-59. His complete MLB managerial record is: Phillies: 1960 (58-94, 4th); 1961 (47-107, 8th); 1962 (81-80, 7th); 1963 (87-75, 4th); 1964 (92-70, 2nd); 1965 (85-76, 6th); 1966 (87-75, 4th);1967 (82-80, 5th); 1968 (27-27), Expos: 1969 (52-110, 6th); 1970 (73-89, 6th); 1971 (71-90, 5th); 1972 (70-86 (5th); 1973 (79-83, 4th); 1974 (79-82, 4th); 1975 (75-87, 5th), Twins: 1976 (85-77, 3rd); 1977 (84-77, 4th); 1978 (73-89, 4th); 1979 (82-80, 4th); 1980 (54-74, 4th), Angels: 1981 (29-34); 1982 (93-69, 1st); 1985 (90-72, 2nd); 1986 (92-70, 1st) and 1987 (75-87, 6th). His record for 26 seasons was 1,902-2,037 (.483).

He died at age 79, on August 8, 2005, in Rancho Mirage, CA, following a two-year battle with cancer. His remains were cremated.

John Rizzo played for the Saints in 1946. He was with the Pirates from 1938-1940 in 143, 94 and 9 games with averages of .301, .261 and .119. The rest of his 1940 season was spent with the Reds (31 g, .282) and the Phillies (103 g, .292). He continued with the Phillies in 1941 for 99 games (.217) and finished with the Dodgers for 78 games (.230) in 1942. John hit 23 home runs and had 111 RBI in 1938 and had 24 homers in 1940.

His MLB career marks, in 557 games and 1,842 at bats, were an average of .270, .345 OBP and .435 slugging. He fielded .964 in 486 outfield games and 9 at third base.

Rizzo played professionally from 1932-1942 and 1946-1949 and managed in 1949. He served in the military in 1943-1945 and died at age 65 on Dec. 4, 1977, in Houston. Burial was at Calvary Cemetery there.

Lou Rochelli played on the Saint Paul clubs of 1944 and 1946. His only major league experience was with the Dodgers in 1944 for 5 games and 17 at bats as he hit .176 with a .263 OBP and .294 slugging. His fielding % was .964 with five games at second base.

Rochelli was a professional player from 1939-1957 and managed in the minors from 1947-1958 [highest classification was AA - The Texas League]. At the time of his death, at age 73, he was working at Radio Shack in Victoria, TX. He died on Oct. 23, 1992, in Victoria and was buried at Resurrection Cemetery there.

Cliff Dapper played on the 1946 Saints for part of the year. His taste of the big leagues came in eight games with the Dodgers in 1942 as he was 8-for-17 with a .526 OBP and .706 slugging. As a catcher in 8 games, he fielded 1.000.

The story goes that Earl Mann, who was president of the Atlanta Crackers, agreed in late 1948 to release announcer Ernie Harwell from his contract and let him join the Dodgers broadcasting crew if the Brooklyn team would send Cliff to Atlanta. There he played for and managed the 1949 Crackers.

Dapper was a pro ballplayer from 1938-1942 and 1946-1957 and was a minor league manager in 1949 and 1951-1957. He was in the military from 1943-1945. Following his baseball career, Dapper settled in Fallbrook, CA, buying a ranch along former Dodgers teammate Duke Snider where they made a good living farming avocados and lemons on 60 acres.

Dapper died at an assisted living facility in Fallbrook at the age of 91 on February 8, 2011. He was interred at the Riverside National Cemetery, Riverside CA.

James "Harry" Taylor pitched for the Saints in 1938-1940 and 1946-1950. He got into 4, 33 and 17 games (0, 20 and 13 starts) for the Dodgers in 1946-1948 completing 5, 162 and 81 innings with ERAs of 3.86, 3.11 and 5.36. He led the league with the lowest OAV (.225) in 1947.

He finished with the Red Sox in 1950-1952 in 3, 31 and 2 games for 1.42, 5.75 and 1.80 ERAs. All told, he appeared in 90 MLB games (44 starts) and competed 358 innings allowing 344 hits and 201 walks while striking out 127. His career ERA was 4.10 with a .258 OAV, .359 OOB and a 19-21 record.

-----

From the book "The Ballplayers":

"...he started game four of the [1947] World Series. But a sore arm forced his removal after he faced just four batters. In that game, Bill Bevins took a no-hitter into the ninth inning." - Jack Kavanagh

-----

Taylor pitched professionally from 1938-1940 and 1946-1952. He served from 1942-1945 in the military and farmed in the Shirkieville, IN, area. Later he worked for Bemis and Visqueen and then for St. Mary-of-the-Woods. Harry died after an extended illness at the age of 81 on Nov. 5, 2000, at Union Hospital in Terre Haute, IN. Burial was at Shepherd's Cemetery in Shepherdsville, IN.

Tom Sunkel pitched for Saint Paul in 1945-1946. He started his major league years with the Cardinals with 9 games in August-September 1937 (29 inn., 2.76 ERA). Tom came back to them with 20 games in 1939 for an ERA of 4.22 in 85 innings.

From 1941-1943, he appeared in 2, 19 and one game(s) for the Giants finishing 15, 64 and 3 innings with ERAs of 2.93, 4.81 and 10.13. His big league finale was in 1944 with the Dodgers for 12 games and 24 frames with a 7.50 ERA. In his 63 games (29 starts) and 220 innings, he gave up 218 hits and 133 walks while striking out 112. His career ERA was 4.53 with a .256 OAV, .358 OOB and 9-15 record.

-----

From the book "The Ballplayers":

"Sunkel's left eye was damaged by a popgun shot when he was a child. He developed a non-operable cataract in 1941, lost all sight in the eye and compensated by pitching and batting with his head cocked to one side." - Jack Kavanagh

-----

Sunkel pitched as a professional from 1934-1948 and managed from 1951-1954. He died at age 89 on April 6, 2002, in Paris, IL.

Jack Banta was a pitcher on the 1946 Saints. He appeared in 3, 2, 48 and 16 games for the Dodgers in 1947-1950 with ERAs of 7.04, 8.10, 3.37 and 4.35 [a perfect case of the more he pitched, the better he was] in 8, 3, 152 and 41 innings.

In total, he appeared in 69 MLB games (19 starts) for 205 innings as he allowed 176 hits and 113 walks while striking out 116. His career ERA was 3.78 with a .232 OAV, .339 OOB and a 14-12 record.

On the final day of the 1949 season, the Dodgers were one game in front of the Cardinals. They were playing the Phillies and had a 7-6 lead when Banta entered the game with two outs in the sixth inning. He gave up a game-tying single, but then allowed only one more hit the rest of the game as the Dodgers won 9-7 in ten innings.

-----

From the book "The Ballplayers":

"Banta, a sidearming reliever, had a 10-6 record for the 1949 Dodgers, winning the pennant-clinching game on the last day of the season. A 1950 arm injury ended his promising career." - Edward Maher

-----

Banta pitched as a pro from 1944-1952 and managed from 1953-1957. In the 1980s, he was employed by the Dillon Grocery chain in Hutchinson, KS. He died at age 81 from a cardiovascular disease on Sept. 17, 2006 in Hutchinson.






-----1947-----

Ray Blades moved up to Brooklyn as a coach and was replaced by veteran catcher (since 1932) and future major league manager Herman Franks. However, at the time, Franks had never managed before but had been a major leaguer from 1939-1941 and then served in the military from 1942-1945. A fiery type, he was not successful at St. Paul and his playing contract was sold to the A's on August 23 when it became evident that the club was not going anywhere and Philadelphia was looking for a back-up catcher. For the rest of the season, the Saints were managed by 44-year-old, 12-year big league veteran pitcher and Saints coach Curt Davis He also had no previous managerial experience except when he was at the helm of the team from August 1 through August 3 when Franks serviced a suspension for an overheated argument with an umpire.

Franks

Saint Paul finished in seventh place with 11 fewer wins and suffered a hit of 67,000 at the turnstiles. Their offense was up, but pitching suffered.

John Dantonio (.270) returned to share the catching job with newcomer Jack Paepke (.260). Manager Franks (.206) got into a number of games before he was injured in late June and then was in a few in August. First baseman John Douglas (.328) led the league in hits, the team in average and was second in club RBI. George Fallen (.258) came on board at second base and Lew Riggs (.315) was the regular third sacker finishing second in team batting. Another newcomer, Bob Ramazzotti (.305), played more at shortstop then any other Saint. The regular at third base since 1944, Bud Kimball, was traded to Louisville early in the season and a new guy in the infield, Al Brancato (.284), also played many games at third with good results. The back-ups at short were George Spears (.216) and Harold Younghans (.169).

All Star outfielder Eric Tipton (.308) again performed well leading the team in homers (19) and RBI (106). Joe Bastudik became a starter after he arrived from Milwaukee and Don Lund (.280) had his best year with the Saints leading the team in slugging and was second in homers with 16. Marv Rackley (.316) appeared in many games after being sent down by the Dodgers.

Historically, the most important player who played in a Saints uniform during the year, was future hall-of-famer Duke Snider. In only 66 games and 269 at bats, he clubbed 12 home runs, had 46 RBI and hit .316 with a .584 slugging percentage. He started the year with the Dodgers, was sent down to the Saints on July 4 and then called up again in September.

Native son Larry Rosenthal made his last appearances in a Saints uniform before going to Indianapolis and long-time utility player, Joe Vitter, got into five games before moving on to play in two other leagues during the year. Another reserve outfielder was Joe Tepsic (.302) who played well in 21 games.

The best performing pitcher was newcomer Phil Haugstad (16-6) who led the team in wins, innings pitched, games started, ERA (3.80) and WHIP (1.36) while being named to the league's All Star team. He was a Brooklyn Dodger before the end of the year as his contract was purchased by them for $15,000. Second in team innings pitched was another new guy, John Gabbard (11-15) who ate up innings but did not have the best ERA nor WHIP (5.28/1.60). Dutch Dietz (9-17) returned for 35 games/25 starts/184 innings ending with a worse record then in '46 (4.60 ERA/1.50 WHIP). The other double-figure games starter was newbie Lee Pfund (5-7) who had a 4.32 ERA and 1.41 WHIP in 18 games and 123 innings.

A reliever in 52 games, Saints veteran George Coffman had a good ERA of 3.93, but a poor WHIP (1.80). Interim manager Curt Davis (4-5) did a good job in 26 games compiling a 3.97 ERA and was second in team WHIP at 1.38. Otho Nitcholas (6-5) ended his Saint Paul tenure, after five seasons, with 19 appearances and a fair record (5.28/1.51). Morrie Martin (2-3) was back for the first time since 1942 and did quite well in 19 games (4-12/1.37) and Cy Buker was a club performer after being away two years, but then was dwelt to Milwaukee. MLB-veteran Ed Head (3-3) arrived late in the year for 12 games (5.16/1.67) and Al Sherer (0-3) had four return chances with limited success. In addition, Bob Tart was given another 11 opportunities (5.59, 2.03), Ed Weiland (0-4) came aboard for the final time (6.75/2.08), new Saint Mel Himes (1-1) did well in three games (1.96/1.22) and Bill Eggert (0-1) failed in three (11.77/2.23).

Impressed with the Saints operation and having a willing seller in Walter Seeger, local ownership of the club ended on November 20 when the Branch Rickey-led Brooklyn Dodgers purchased the team. After 46 years, the club's fortunes would now be directed from New York.

[St. Paul Pioneer Press]

Pre-game Fashion Show (Bob Ramazzoti and Herm Franks with models Eleonor DeJarlas and Donna Shoberg)

1947 Hitting

Main Pos-G

Bats

Age

AB

H

2b/3b

HR

Ave

Slg

OBP

RBI/SB

Birth Place

John Dantonio *

C-99

R

29

293

79

13/3

2

270

355

433

39/0

New Orleans

John Douglas *

1b-155

L

30

594

195

25/11

1

328

412

438

88/8

Thayer, WV

George Fallon *

2b-144

R

33

551

142

25/6

11

258

385

352

64/5

Jersey City, NJ

Lew Riggs *

3b-115

L

37

378

119

17/9

11

315

495

484

62/2

Mebane, NC

Bob Ramazzotti *#

SS-86

R

30

344

105

13/2

13

305

468

392

47/18

Elanora, PA

Eric Tipton *#

R-138

R

32

452

139

18/5

19

308

496

595

106/15

Petersburg, VA

Joe Bestudik @

OF-115

S

31

366

103

21/0

7

281

396

440

59/1

Springfield, IL

Don Lund #

OF-90

R

24

325

91

18/4

16

280

508

345

49/8

Detroit

Jack Paepke

C50,OF31

R

25

292

76

13/2

4

260

360

432

45/2

Provo, UT

Duke Snider #

OF-66

L

21

269

85

22/7

12

316

584

392

46/4

Los Angeles

Marv Rackley #

OF-60

L

26

234

74

10/4

2

316

419

423

22/7

Seneca, SC

Larry Rosenthal * @

OF-93

L

37

297

95

11/4

7

320

455

488

49/2

Saint Paul

Joe Tepsic

OF-21

R

24

63

19

2/2

1

302

444

317

12/13

Slovan, PA

Al Brancato * @

3b-76

R

28

232

66

10/3

4

284

405

435

23/1

Philadelphia

Herman Franks *#

C-49

L

33

102

21

3/2

2

206

333

390

16/0

Price, UT

Ken Mauer

SS-6

L

20

21

4

1/1

0

190

333

3/0

George Spears

SS-38

R

29

88

19

1/0

0

216

227

295

8/0

Hal Younghans

SS-33

R

25

118

20

2/1

0

169

203

237

14/0

Wayne Blackburn

OF-4

L

30

7

2

0/0

0

286

286

1/0

Harmon, OH

Ernie Davis

PH-5

R

24

3

0

0/0

0

000

000

1/0

Bud Kimball @

3b-104

R

27

301

71

8/2

11

236

385

415

46/1

Armond, NB (Can)

Ed Nulty

OF-3

L

24

12

3

0/0

0

250

250

2/0

Joe Vitter

OF-5

S

36

3

1

0/0

0

333

333

0/0

New Orleans

1947 Pitching

Thrw

Age

G

GS

W-L

IP

H

BB

ERA

WHIP

SO

Birth Place

Phil Haugstad #

R

23

37

28

16-6

230

199

114

3.8

1.36

145

Black River Falls, WI

John Gabbard

R

24

35

27

11-15

191

228

78

5.28

1.60

56

Hamilton, OH

Dutch Dietz *

R

35

35

25

9-17

184

203

73

4.6

1.50

59

Cincinnati

Lee Pfund *

R

29

18

16

5-7

123

132

42

4.32

1.41

28

Oak Park, IL

George Coffman *

R

37

52

6-4

71

84

44

3.93

1.80

20

Veto, AL

Curt Davis *

R

44

26

5

4-5

77

90

16

3.97

1.38

26

Greenfield, MO

Otho Nitcholas *

R

39

19

5

6-5

87

111

20

5.28

1.51

29

McKinney, TX

Al Sherer

R

33

4

3

0-3

20

23

10

6.75

1.65

6

Quincy, IL

Morrie Martin #

L

25

19

3

2-3

59

47

34

4.12

1.37

30

Dixon, MO

Cy Buker * @

R

28

34

16

8-8

139

178

71

5.31

1.79

52

Greenwood, WI

Ed Head *

R

29

12

3-3

61

74

28

5.16

1.67

19

Selma, AL

Bob Tart

L

25

11

1-2

37

40

35

5.59

2.03

22

Jack Paepke

R

25

5

0-4

24

32

21

7.88

2.21

13

Provo, UT

Ed Weiland *

R

33

8

0-4

24

37

13

6.75

2.08

14

Evanston, IL

Mel Himes

R

20

3

2

1-1

23

20

8

1.96

1.22

10

Bill Eggert

R

24

3

0-1

13

20

9

11.77

2.23

3

* = Prev MLB

# = Future MLB

@=played for another AA team



1947 Standings

W

L

Pct

GB

Attend.

Manager

Kansas City Blues

93

60

608

379,063

Louisville Colonels

85

68

556

8

339,872

Milwaukee Brewers

79

75

513

14.5

298,041

Minneapolis Millers

77

77

500

16.5

273,253

Columbus Red Birds

76

78

494

17.5

157,837

Indianapolis Indians

74

79

484

19

316,539

St. Paul Saints

69

83

454

24.5

222,331

Herman Franks/Curt Davis

Toledo Mud Hens

61

92

399

32

169,525

John "Fats" Dantonio was a catcher on the 1945-1947 St. Paul teams. He played in 3 games for the Dodgers in 1944 (1-for-7) and 47 for them in 1945 (.250). In his 50 big league games, he had 135 at bats for a .244 BA with a .301 OBP and .304 slugging. As a catcher in 48 games, he fielded .923.

Dantonio played as a pro from 1938-1948. He died at age 75 on May 28, 1993, in New Orleans.

Lew Riggs played on the 1947 Saint Paul Saints. He had a 10-year big league career beginning in 1932 with two games as a pinch hitter for the Cardinals (0-for-1). Lew then became the starting third baseman for the Reds from 1935-1938 for 142, 141, 122 and 142 games with averages of .278, .257, .242 and .252. He played in the 1936 All Star game.

Riggs stayed with the Reds one more season (1940) for 41 games (.292) before moving on to Brooklyn where he played in 1941-42 for 77 and 70 games with .305 and .278 averages. His swan song came in one game for the Dodgers in 1946 (0-for-4). In his 760 MLB games, he had 2,477 official at bats for a .262 average, .317 OBP and .375 OOB. He played at third for 627 games and also five at second and one at short with a .945 fielding mark.

-----

From the book "The Ballplayers":

"Tall and slender, Riggs was a good glove man but an unreliable hitter as the Red's third baseman for four years. He lost his job to Billy Werber in 1939 when Cincinnati won the NL pennant. He became a good pinch hitter, leading the NL [with 10] in 1941." - Edward Maher

-----

Riggs was a pro ballplayer from 1931-1950 (excluding military service in 1943-45) including five years in the American Association. He died after being ill for several months at the age of 65 at the VA Hospital in Durham, NC, on Aug. 12, 1975. Burial was at the Rock Creek Methodist Church Cemetery in Graham, NC.

Don Lund played on the Saint Paul clubs of 1945-1947. In 1945, he had three at bats without a hit in four games for the Dodgers. During the 1947-1948 seasons, he was in 11 and 27 games for the Dodgers with .300 and .188 averages. The remainder of his '48 year was with the Browns for 63 games (.248).

Don then moved to the Tigers with whom he was in 2 games in 1949 and 8 in 1952 (.304) before he became their regular right fielder in 1953 for 131 games with a .257 average. He lost his regular spot in 1954 and ended his big league years with 35 contests (.130).

Lund played in 281 MLB games and had 753 at bats with a career BA of .240 and a .305 OBP and .369 slugging. As an outfielder in 236 games, he fielded at a good .983 clip.

He played professionally from 1945-1954 and managed in 1956. Don was a major league coach with the Tigers in 1957-1958. Lund earned nine letters from the U. of Michigan [he was drafted by the NFL's Bears] and was their baseball coach in the early 1960s. From 1963-1970, he was the Tigers farm system director. Lund lived just outside of Ann Arbor, MI, near the University and he died at home from natural causes at age 90 on December 10, 2013. Burial was at the Forest Hill Cemetery in Ann Arbor.

Duke Snider played on the Saints during part of the 1947 season. His hall-of-fame career encompassed 18 seasons. For the Dodgers from 1947-1962, he played 40, 53, 146, 152, 150, 144, 153, 149, 148, 151, 139, 106, 126, 101, 85 and 80 games with batting averages of .241, .244, .292, .321, .277, .303, .336, .341, .309, .292, .274, .312, .308, .243, .296 and .278. His home run count from 1949-1961 was 23, 31, 29, 21, 42, 40, 42, 43, 40, 15, 23, 14 and 16. He hit over 100 RBIs in 1950, 1951, 1953, 1954, 1955 and 1956. He was named to the NL All Star teams from 1950-1956 and played in all except the '52 contest.

Duke led the league in runs scored in 1953-1955, hits in 1950, homers in 1956, RBI in 1955, slugging % in 1953 and 1956 and OBP in 1956. In 1963 he was traded to Mets where he hit .243 in 129 games and played in that year's All Star game. His final season was 1964 with the Giants (91 g, .210).

Snider was in 2,143 major league games and had 7,161 at bats compiling an average of .295 with a .381 OBP and .540 slugging percentage. He fielded .985 in 1,918 outfield games.

-----

From the book "The Ballplayers":

"Snider debuted in Brooklyn with Jackie Robinson in 1947, but it wasn't until 1949, after Branch Rickey hired George Sisler to help Snider 'establish an acquaintance with the strike zone,' that Snider showed the form that would make him the leading home run hitter of the 1950s, with 326... His power stroke was well suited to the bandbox structure of Ebbets Field and the drives he hit that didn't leave the ballpark regularly pounded the stadium's high right-field wall for extra bases...

"In 1955 'TSN' named Snider Major League Player of the Year in recognition of the completeness of his games...He was also speedy and graceful as an outfielder. Stan Musial named Snider, Carl Furillo and Andy Pafko 'the best-throwing outfield I ever saw.'..

"Although Snider did not hit lefthanders well, he was protected from facing them often by the Dodgers' lineup, which was heavily weighed with right handed hitters Reese, Robinson, Hodges, Campanella and Furillo. With those five Boys of Summer, Snider participated in five World Series from 1949 to 1956. He made his sixth and final appearance in 1959, en route to posting National League World Series home run and RBI records of 11 and 26. He hit four homers in each of the 1952 and 1955 Series and is the only man to accomplish that feat twice.

"Snider was not the darling of the press during his career. Over 50 newspaper articles castigated him following the publication of a 1956 Collier's article in which he told Roger Kahn that he wouldn't be playing baseball if it weren't for the money. Nevertheless, the was a favorite of Brooklyn fans, who rued his departure and that of the Dodgers to Los Angeles in 1958. From 1958 through 1961, the Dodgers played their home games in Los Angeles Coliseum, a football stadium converted to house the Dodgers. A vast right field compensated for a short left-field line and combined with injuries to end Snider's days as a dominant homer run hitter. Snider was named captain in 1962...

"The Mets acquired Snider for sentimental reasons in 1963 and he finished his career, ironically, with the Giants in 1964. After he retired, the Dodgers retired his uniform number 4..." - Tom Gallagher and Chris Renino

-----

Duke played as a pro from 1944-1964 (excluding 1945 when he was in military service). He then scouted for the Dodgers and Padres and managed in the minors from 1965-67 and in 1972 before becoming a major league coach for the Expos in 1974-75 and then their announcer from 1978-1986. At one time, he also was a broadcaster for the Padres. He was elected to baseball's Hall of Fame in 1980.

In 1995, Snider and another Hall of Famer, Willie McCovey, plead guilty to tax fraud for failing to report thousands of dollars earned by signing autographs when participating in sports memorabilia shows. "We have choices to make in our lives," Snider said. "I made the wrong choice." He was sentenced to two years of probation and fined $5,000.

Snider lived in Fallbrook, CA, and died at age 84 of natural causes at the Valle Vista Convalescent Hospital in Escondido, CA, on Feb. 27, 2011. Burial was at the Fallbrook Mosonic Cemetery.

Former Dodger catcher, Mike Scioscia said this about Duke: "What a nice man. This guy was so nice to all of us that went through the Dodger organization. …… He was very humble and for being one of the all-time greats, he had perspective."

Billy DeLury, a longtime Dodger front-office employee added: "He always had time to spend with you and sit down to talk to you. To me, that made him a class guy. He's going to be missed. He's going to be missed by our organization."





Lloyd "Dutch" Dietz pitched for Saint Paul in 1946 and 1947. He pitched for the Pirates during the 1940-1943 seasons in 4, 33, 40 and 8 games with ERAs of 5.87, 2.33, 3.95 and 6.00. The remainder of his '43 year was spent with the Phillies for 21 contests (6.50). He was used more then any other Pirates reliever in 1941 and1942.

In his 106 big league games, he completed 295 innings allowing 303 hits and 113 walks with 79 strike outs. His ERA was 3.87 with a .256 OAV, .334 OOB and had a 14-16 record.

Dietz pitched professionally from 1936-1949 (excluding 1944-1945). He became the recreation director for the City of Beaumont (TX) from 1950-1962 and then the personnel director for the city from 1962-1972. He died at age 60 on Oct. 29, 1972, at Baptist Hospital in Beaumont and was buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park there.

Otho Nitcholas pitched for the Saints from 1943-1947. He made appearances in only seven major league games for the Dodgers in 1945. As a reliever, he finished 19 innings allowing 19 hits and one walk with 4 strikeouts. His ERA was 5.30 with a .257 OAV, .267 OOB and 1-0 record.

Nitcholas was a pro pitcher in 1930, 1932-1938 and 1940-1953 including 11 seasons in AAA. As a minor leaguer, he was in 625 games with a 254-200 record completing 3,922 innings and allowing 4,382 hits and 741 walks while striking out 1,386. His ERA was 3.56 and he managed from 1950-1952. He then became the first chief of police in Plano, TX, and retired, with the same position, at McKinney, TX. Otho died within two days of his 78th birthday on Sept. 11, 1986, at the North Texas Medical Center in McKinney and was buried there at the Altoga Cemetery.

Ed Head pitched for the Saints in 1947. He pitched with the Dodgers in 1940, 1943-44 and 1946 in 13, 36, 47, 9 and 13 games for 39, 137, 170, 63 and 56 innings with ERAs of 4.12, 3.56, 3.66, 2.70 and 3.21.

Ed pitched in a total of 118 major league games and completed 465 innings allowing 434 hits and 174 walks while striking out 208. His composite ERA was 3.48 with a .245 OAV, .314 OOB and a 27-23 record.

Head was a pro hurler from 1939-1947 excluding 1945 when he was in the service. Ed managed from 1948-1956 and then worked for 25 years for the International Paper Company. He died at age 72 years, on Jan. 31, 1980, at Morehouse General Hospital after a brief illness. Burial was at Sardis Cemetery in West Monroe, LA.

Joe Vitter played on the Saints from 1943-1947. He never reached the majors.

Vitter played as a professional from 1934-1949 including five years in the A.A., two in the PCL and five in the Texas League. He hit over .300 five times and managed in 1948-1949. Joe died at age 83, on Feb. 19, 1995, in Denver.



Herman Franks managed and played for the 1947 Saints. He played 17 games for the Cardinals in 1939 (.059) and then was with the Dodgers in 1940-1941 (.183, .201). In 1947-1948, played 8 and 40 games for the Phillies hitting .200 and .224. His last major league game was in 1949 with the Giants when he went 2-for-3.

As a catcher, he played in 142 big league games with a .985 fielding mark. With 403 at bats in 188 games, he hit .199 with a .302 OBP and .275 slugging.

-----

From the book "The Ballplayers":

"A graduate of the U of Utah, Franks was a weak hitting backup catcher for several NL teams. He scouted for the Giants for a dozen years, then became manager of their Salt Lake City club in 1961. He managed the Giants to four straight second place finishes, 1965-68. He was also credited with straightening Willie Mays' financial affairs which were a mess when Franks arrived in San Francisco. After leaving the Giants, he had a successful business career and formed a group that tried to buy the Yankees in 1972, He came out of retirement to manage the Cubs for three seasons beginning in 1977 as a favor to his friend, Cubs GM Bob Kennedy." - Norm Macht

-----

Franks played as a pro from 1932-1942 and 1946-1949. He was in the military from 1942-1945 and was a minor league manager in 1947 and 1961. From 1956-1964, he was a Giants scout and G.M. of the Salt Lake City club. Herman was a major league coach with the Giants (1949-55, 1958 and 1964) and the Cubs (1970). His MLB managerial record was - Giants: 1965 (95-67, 2nd), 1966 (93-68, 2nd), 1967 (91-71, 2nd), and 1968 (88-74, 2nd) and Cubs: 1977 (81-81, 4th), 1978 (79-83, 3rd) and 1979 (78-77, 5th). In total, his record was 605-521 (.537). Franks was also the G.M. of the Cubs from May 1981-Nov. 1981.

He died at age 95 on March 30, 2009, at his home in Salt Lake City from congestive heart failure. His cremated ashes were given to his family.

Curt Davis pitched for and was the manger of, for a short time, the 1947 Saint Paul club. From 1934-1936 he performed for the Phillies in 51 (led league), 44 and 10 games with 31, 27 and 8 starts; 274, 231 and 60 innnings;19-17, 16-14 and 2-4 records and ERAs of 2.95, 3.66 and 4.62. The rest of his 1936 season was with the Cubs where he pitched in 24 games (20 starts) with a 3.00 ERA and 11-9 record. He pitched in the '36 All Star game.

He stayed with the Cubs in 1937 appearing in 28 games (14 starts) for 124 innings, 10-5 record and 4.08 ERA. He then moved to the Cardinals for the 1938-1940 seasons as he was in 40, 49 and 14 games (21, 31 and 7 starts) with 12-8, 22-16 and 0-4 records with ERAs of 3.63, 3.63 and 5.17. He was named to the '39 All Star team. After the 14 games with the Cards in '40, he was traded to the Dodgers where he played through 1946 in 22, 28, 32, 31, 31, 24 and 1 game(s) completing 137, 154, 206, 164, 194, 150 and 2 innings with 3.81, 2.97, 2.36, 3.78, 3.34, 3.25 and 13.50 ERAs.

In his good 13-year MLB career, he appeared in 429 games (281 starts) finishing 2,325 innings giving up 2,459 hits and 479 walks while striking out 684. His ERA was 3.42 with a .270 OAV, .310 OOB and 158-131 record.

----

From the book "The Ballplayers":

"Curt Davis, a 6'2" 185 lb...pitched in a NL-leading 51 games, winning 19, as a Phillies rookie in 1934. Davis won 15 or more three additional times during his career... Davis was named to the 1936 and 1939 NL All Star teams; he surrendered three runs in 2/3 of an inning as Carl Hubbell's reliever in the 1936 game and did not play in the 1939 game. Davis was the Dodgers starting and losing pitcher in the opening game of the 1941 World Series; the winner of that 3-2 contest was future Hall of Famer Red Ruffing. Davis was one of three players traded, along with cash, by the Cubs to the Cardinals for Dizzy Dean in 1938." - Tom Jozwik

-----

Davis pitched professionally from 1928-1947. After baseball, he became a self-employed real estate broker for 15 years. He died at age 62 on Oct. 12, 1965, at Inter-Community Hospital in Covina, CA, from a heart attack. Burial was at Oakdale Memorial Park in Glendora, CA.










-----1948-----

The post-war boom in baseball interest hit it's height for Saint Paul fans during the 1948-1949 seasons. The new owners (the Dodgers) named future hall-of-fame manager, Walter Alston, to head the team. He had played pro from 1935-1947 and had managed in the Mid-Atlantic League in 1940-42, Interstate League in 1944-45 and New England League in 1946. His only major league experience was one at bat, as a first baseman, for the 1936 Cardinals.

[Minnesota Historical Society]

Alston

Saints Brain Trust in 1948 (From left: Alston, GM Mel Jones, unknown, and Branch Rickey)

It was also the year that Branch Rickey integrated the American Association by sending Roy Campanella and Dan Bankhead to the Saints. Both had amiable personalities and were accepted well in St. Paul for the short times they were on the roster.

The team set a franchise record attendance with approximately 320,500 attendees [98,000 more fans then the previous season]. The club finished in third place with 14 additional victories and, for the first time, were the American Association playoff champions.

No pitcher won more then 14 games as Alston sent 16 pitchers to the hill during the year. Morrie Martin (13-11) had more innings (186) then any other hurler and led the club in WHIP (1.30) and strike outs (129). Returnee Phil Haugstad (12-8) was second in innings with 182, had an ERA of 4.25 and pitched a few games for the Dodgers. Newcomer Pat McGlothin (14-7) had the most wins and was third in innings (172) compiling a 4.81 ERA and 1.41 WHIP. His most spectacular win was a no- hitter on Sept 8 over Milwaukee which was only the seventh in Saints' history.

Mel Himes (11-6) returned after three games in '47 to finish 167 innings for a 4.85 ERA and 1.44 WHIP. Converted catcher Jack Paepke (7-8) had a good ERA of 3.93, but rather high WHIP (1.64). New face Charles Samaklis (10-10) had most appearances on the team (39) and completed 125 frames with an ERA/WHIP of 4.90/1.50. Newcomer Jim Romano (5-5) was the only other pitcher to reach triple figures in innings pitched (109) and led the club in ERA at 3.06.

Saints' vet George Coffman (5-6) relieved in 38 games for 62 innings and a 4.50 ERA. Future big leaguer, Dan Bankhead (4-0), arrived with the Saints after going 20-6 in the New England League and had good success with the Saints getting into six games and 35 innings with a 3.60 ERA. A young, Bob Ross (2-1), did not have as much luck ending with a 7.20 ERA in 40 innings and Harry Taylor (3-4/3.95 ERA) pitched in his fifth Saints season before being called up to the Dodgers.

Lee Pfund (0-1) came back for six games, but had a high 6.38 ERA, and Lee Griffeth got into his first game for the Saints and would be seen again by St. Paul fans. Heavily used in '47, John Gabbard, saw action in four games (2.77) but then was off to Portland where he ended his pro career. Also seeing action, on the mound for Saint Paul, was Joe Bielemeier (3g, 8.25 ERA) and Bill Eggert (1 g, 1.33 WHIP).

Catcher Ferrell Anderson (.294) joined the team for the first time in 1948 and was the starter until May 18 when future hall-of-famer Roy Campanella was sent to the Saint Paul. Campy, in 35 games and 123 at bats, batted .325 with a super .715 slugging % and 13 home runs as he found Lexington Park's left field fence very inviting. On June 21, the Dodgers, not surprisedly, called him back up, at which time Anderson returned to his starting duties. Another catcher in the mix (21 games) was Toby Atwell (.345) who led the team in hitting with 203 at bats and also played in the outfield . Former major leaguer, Stew Hofferth, also saw action in seven games, but went hitless and spent most of his last pro year in the Eastern Shore League. Future big leaguer, Tim Thompson, got into three games.

First base was the domain, for the third year, of John Douglas (.303) who was one of three regulars with an average over .300. Long-time Dodger employee, Danny Ozark (.226), was his main back-up. George Fallon (.259) returned as the starter at second and was backed up by last year's shortstop Bob Ramazzotti (.286) who became the team's utility guy. Young Buddy Hicks (.296) was the starter at short and the regular at third was the returning Al Brancato (.297) who also was at second in 48 contests. Newcomer Spider Jorgensen (.261) was stationed at third for 63 games and contributed greatly in the playoffs.

The only All Star on the club was Eric Tipton (.313) who was an outfield regular for the third year. He was third in team average, first in slugging %, home runs (26) [the most since 1938], RBI (126) [the most since 1935], stolen bases (14) and led all starters in OBP. Earl Naylor (.278) and Bob Addis (.314 -second on team) entered the Saints picture as outfield starters. The reserve was mainly career minor leaguer Dave Pluss (.271).

In the playoffs, Saint Paul defeated Indianapolis four games to two in the first round. They split the first four games and the Saints were behind 2-1 in the eighth inning of game five until Eric Tipton tied the game with a homer. In the ninth, Bob Addis threw out two Indianapolis players at the plate and the game went into extra innings. In the eleventh and twelfth, the Indians scored but were answered in kind by the Saints. Finally, in the thirteenth, Spider Jorgensen hit a homer over the right-field fence to win the game. In game six, Jorgensen again was the hero for the Saints with a two-run game-winning single in the eighth.

Next, the Saints played Columbus for the A.A. Championship, but were down three games to two in the series before Jorgensen hit a two-run home runs in fourteenth inning of game six to tie the series. In game seven, the Saints prevailed 5-3. Happy Days were there again!

The Saints played in the Junior World Series for the first time since 1931. They won game one, but then lost the next four to the International League champion and sister Dodgers affiliate, Montreal.

1948 Hitting

Main Pos-G

Bats

Age

AB

H

2b/3b

HR

Ave

Slg

OBP

RBI /SB

BB

Birth Place

Ferrell Anderson *

C-117

R

30

415

122

29/3

12

294

465

388

63/0

39

Maple City, KS

John Douglas *

1b-143

L

31

578

175

22/11

2

303

389

420

73/3

68

Thayer, WV

George Fallon *

2b-96

R

34

347

90

25/2

10

259

429

352

67/3

32

Jersey City, NJ

Al Brancato *

3b85,2b48(139)

R

29

505

150

27/7

9

297

420

402

76/1

53

Philadelphia

Buddy Hicks #

SS-137

S

21

534

158

26/5

5

296

391

429

61/10

71

E. Los Angeles

Eric Tipton *#

OF-148

R

33

540

169

35/10

28

313

570

526

126/14

115

Petersburg, VA

Earl Naylor *

OF-127

R

29

454

126

26/5

8

278

410

401

62/7

56

Kansas City,MO

Bob Addis #

OF-126

L

23

456

143

20/11

11

314

458

393

67/6

36

Mineral, OH

Dave Pluss

OF-73

L

28

203

55

8/4

7

271

453

478

33/1

42

Los Angeles

Spider Jorgensen #

3b-70

L

29

245

64

11/5

8

261

445

392

28/6

32

Folsom, CA

Toby Atwell #

OF33,C21(60)

L

24

203

70

16/3

3

345

498

502

39/3

32

Leesburg, VA

Bob Ramazzotti *#

SS31,InfOF16

R

31

175

50

8/2

5

286

440

360

30/4

13

Elanora, PA

Roy Campanella #

C35

R

27

123

40

5/2

13

325

715

512

39/0

23

Philadelphia

Danny Ozark

1b-23

R

25

62

14

1/0

5

226

484

403

12/0

11

Buffalo, NY

Stew Hofferth *

C-7

R

35

9

0

0/0

0

000

000

2/0

Logansport,IN

Jim Phillips

OF-6

R

24

8

0

0/0

0

000

000

0/0

Jim Baxes #

2b/1b-5

R

20

11

2

0/0

0

182

182

0/0

San Francisco

Tim Thompson #

C-3

L

24

6

2

0/1

0

333

667

?/0

Coalpoint, VA

1948 Pitching

Thrw

Age

G

GS

W-L

IP

H

BB

ERA

WHIP

SO

Birth Place

Pat McGlothin #

R

28

32

14-7

172

158

85

4.81

1.41

125

Coalfield, TN

Morrie Martin #

L

26

35

13-11

186

171

71

4.16

1.30

129

Dixon, MO

Phil Haugstad #

R

24

31

12-8

182

154

106

4.25

1.43

95

Black River Falls, WI

Mel Himes

R

21

30

11-6

167

171

70

4.85

1.44

114

Charlie Samaklis

R

29

39

10-10

125

134

53

4.90

1.50

86

Jack Paepke

R

26

27

7-8

149

146

98

3.93

1.64

70

Provo, UT

Jim Romano #

R

21

28

5-5

109

100

63

3.06

1.50

59

Brooklyn

George Coffman *

R

38

38

5-6

62

74

31

4.50

1.69

26

Veto, AL

Dan Bankhead #

R

28

6

4-0

35

34

18

3.60

1.49

22

Empire, AL

Harry Taylor #

R

29

9

3-4

57

54

30

3.95

1.47

39

East Glenn, IN

Bob Ross #

L

20

14

2-1

40

46

31

7.20

1.93

16

Fullerton, CA

Lee Pfund *

R

30

6

0-1

24

25

16

6.38

1.71

7

Oak Park, IL

Joe Bielemeier

R

21

3

0-1

12

19

3

8.25

1.83

2

Mt. Angel, OR

John Gabbard

R

25

4

0-0

13

13

8

2.77

1.62

3

Hamilton, OH

Bill Eggert

R

25

1

0-0

3

2

2

1.33

3

Lee Griffeth *

L

23

1

0-0

1

2

0

2.00

1

Carmel, NY

* = Prev MLB

# = Future MLB



1948 Standings

W

L

Pct

GB

Attend.

Manager

Indianapolis Indians

100

54

649

--

494,455

Milwaukee Brewers

89

65

576

11

364,510

St. Paul Saints

86

68

558

14

320,483

Walt Alston

Columbus Red Birds

81

73

526

19

216,388

Minneapolis Millers

77

77

500

23

274,890

Kansas City Blues

64

88

421

35

236,487

Toledo Mud Hens

61

91

401

38

114,310

Louisville Colonels

56

98

364

44

204,320



John Douglas was with the Saint Paul Saints from 1946-1949. He played in 5 major league games in 1945 for the Dodgers and was 0-for-9 at the plate. John walked twice for a OBP of .182 and played at first base in 4 games with a .971 fielding.

Douglas was a pro player from 1941-1953 (excluding his service years of 1942-1944) including eight years in the American Association. John hit over .300 in six seasons and later was associated with greyhound racetracks in Florida for 35 years and lived in Coral Gables for 42 years. He died on Feb. 11, 1984, at the age of 66 at the Baptist Hospital in Miami and was buried at Woodlawn Park Cemetery there.



George Fallon played on the Saints in 1947-1948. In Sept. 1937 he appeared in 4 games for the Dodgers going 2-for-8. From 1943-1945 he played for the Cardinals in 36, 69 and 24 games as a utility infielder hitting .231, .199 and .236.

During 133 major league games, he had 283 at bats for a .216 average, .286 OBP and .270 slugging. George played at second base during 82 games, at shortstop for 44 and at third for 6 - with a composite fielding % of .966.

Fallon was a pro player from 1935-1951 (including seven seasons at the AAA level) and managed in 1950-1952. He then worked 25 years for the Remington Shaver Company in CT. George died at age 80, after an extended illness, on Oct. 25, 1994, in Lake Worth, FL. Burial was at Palm Beach Memorial Park in Lantana, FL.



John "Spider" Jorgensen played for St. Paul in 1948. The wiry Jorgensen came up to the Dodgers in the spring of 1947 and was their clutch starting third baseman for 129 games with a .274 batting average. In the off season, he bruised his throwing arm from hunting and further injured it in the spring training of 1948. In 1948-1949 he only played in 31 and 53 games for averages of .300 and .269. After 2 games with the Bums in 1950, the left-handed hitter was traded to the Giants where he played in 24 games for a .135 average. He finished his MLB career in 1951, with New York, in 28 games and a .235 average.

In his 267 major league games, Spider batted .266 with a .359 OBP and .384 slugging %. His fielding average was .940 with 195 games at third base and 11 in the outfield. He finished his playing career in the Pacific Coast League for Oakland (1951-1955) and Vancouver (1956-1959). In 1960 was a player/manager at class C.

Jorgensen was a minor league player from 1941, 1946, 1948 and 1950-1960 and a minor league manager for 4 years (1960-62, 1969 ) . He managed the Winnipeg Goldeyes in 1969(26-43, 6th). Spider continued as a major league scout for the Philadelphia Phillies and the Cubs.

Jorgensen died on November 6, 2003, in Rancho Cucamonga, CA. His remains were cremated and interred at the Lakeside Memorial Lawn Cemetery, Folsom, California. At the time, Ontario High baseball coach Bob Beck commented on Spider’s scouting ability and on his character: "I don't think there is a person in the world who didn't love him. To my knowledge, he didn't have an enemy in the world. He had an unassuming manner about himself. He was just very friendly, accommodating, but he didn't miss a trick. He always knew what was going on."



Maurice "Toby" Atwell performed on the 1948 Saint Paul team. His first year in the majors was 1952 when he became the regular catcher for the Cubs and was named to the NL All Star team as he played in 107 games batting .290. Toby stayed with the Cubs through 24 games in 1953 (.230) and then went to the Pirates for 53 more appearances (.245).

From 1954-1956, he was in 96, 71 and 12 games for the Bucs batting .289, .213 and .111. He ended the '56 season (his last) with the Braves in 15 games (.167). In his 378 MLB games and 1,117 at bats, he batted .260 with a .357 OBP and .333 slugging. He caught in 344 contest with a .980 fielding percentage.

-----

From the book "The Ballplayers":

"This Army Air Corps veteran almost saw his career come to an end when he hurt his knee sliding while playing for Montreal in 1949...." - Rich Marazzi

-----

Atwell played as a pro from 1946-1958 including 8 years in AAA (four in the Amer. Assoc.). After baseball, he was employed doing special millwork in Leeburg, VA. He died at age 78, on Jan. 25, 2003, in Purcellville, VA.

Bob Ramazzotti played on the St. Paul clubs of 1947-1948. He played for the Dodgers in 1946 and 1948-1949 for 62, 4 and 5 games as a third/second baseman hitting .208, .000 and .154. The rest of the '49 year saw him with the Cubs for 65 games (.179). Bob continued with the Cubs from 1950-1953 in 61, 73, 50 and 26 contests with averages of .262, .247, .284 and .154.

He had a 7-year, 346-game MLB career with 651 at bats as he compiled a .230 average, .271 OBP and .291 OOB. He was stationed at second base in 126 games, at third for 82 and at short for 66 with a composite fielding mark of .966 (it was said that he had limited range).

Ramazzotti was a professional ballplayer from 1940-1954 (excluding his military service in 1942-1945). Later he worked for SFK Bearing Company in Altoona, PA. He died at age 83 on Feb. 15, 2000, in Altoona.

[Minnesota Historical Society]

Roy Campanella played for the Saints in 1948. He then played for the Dodgers from 1948-1957 in 83, 130, 126, 143, 128, 144, 111, 123, 124 and 103 games with averages of .258, .287, .281, .325, .269, .312, .207, .318, .219 and .242. His home run count from 1949-1957 was 22, 31, 33, 22, 41, 19, 32, 20 and 13 with 82, 89, 108, 97, 142, 51, 107, 73 and 62 RBI.

He led the league in fielding for catchers in 1952 and 1957 and RBI in 1953. The only years he was not named to the NL All Star teams were in 1948 and 1957. Roy was the NL MVP in 1951, 1953 and 1955. Campy played in 1,215 MLB games with 4,205 at bats for a .276 average, .362 OBP and .500 slugging %. In his 1,183 contests as a catcher, he fielded .988.

-----

From the book "The Ballplayers":

"...Just 5'9" but solidly built, he had already proven himself as a catcher during nine years in the Negro National League, the winter leagues and Mexico. In 12 additional seasons, 10 in the majors, he was one of the era's outstanding players and his leadership and indefatigable enthusiasm made him one of the most popular players in the game.

"...In October 1945, Campanella caught for a black all-star team in a five-game exhibition series against a squad of white major leaguers managed by Charlie Dressen. Dressen had orders to arrange an appointment for Campanella with the Brooklyn Dodgers, who later signed the catcher for their Nashua, NH, Class-B farm team, a club run by Buzzie Bavasi and managed by Walter Alston. Campanella...won the MVP award. In 1947, he advanced to Montreal...and again was named the MVP, despite a season-ending slump that cut his average to .273. Paul Richards, then the Buffalo manager, called him 'the best catcher in the business - major or minor leagues'.

"Campanella made the Dodgers in 1948, but his promotion to Brooklyn was delayed by Rickey's plan to have him integrate the American Association. The owner forced manager Leo Durocher to play the catcher in the outfield, where he was not successful and then sent him to St. Paul in May... Campanella returned to the Dodgers to stay. For the next nine years, he caught for outstanding Brooklyn teams whose members have been lionized as 'The Boys of Summer.' They won National League pennants in 1949, 1952, 1953, 1955 and 1956, narrowly missed two others and climaxed Brooklyn's baseball history with it's only World Series triumph in 1955.

"...Campanella's contributions to the Dodgers were remarkable...He fielded with grace that belied his physique and handled with distinction [their] pitching staff. Like those of many catchers, Campanella's career was punctuated by injuries. In spring training of 1954, he chipped a bone in the heel of his left hand and damaged a nerve. It affected his hitting and limited him to 111 games. Surgery helped in 1955, but the problem returned the next year. Then, in January 1958, Campanella was permanently disabled in an automobile accident. Returning home from his liquor store, which he ran in the off-season, he lost control of his car on an icy street. The car slammed into a telephone pole and flipped over, pinning him behind the steering wheel. The crash fractured his fifth cervical vertebra and damaged his spinal cord. He survived and endured years of therapy, living far beyond the normal span for quadriplegics, but his career was over. He committed himself to decades fo work in community relations for the Dodgers." - SG

-----

Roy played in the Negro Leagues from 1937-1945 and from 1946-1957 in the minors and majors. He was named to the Hall of Fame in 1969. He died at age 71, on Nov. 19, 1993, in Woodland Hills, CA, due to a heart attack. Cremation followed and he was buried in Forest Lawn in Hollywood Hills, CA.



Stew Hofferth played for a short time on the 1948 Saints club. He caught for the Braves in 1944-1946 for 66, 50 and 20 games hitting .200, .235 and .207. Stew was in 136 MLB games with 408 official at bats for a .216 average, .268 OBP and .277 slugging. He fielded .985 in 107 games behind the plate.

Hofferth played as a pro from 1936-1948 with four years in the A.A and managed in 1941-1942 and 1948. Thereafter, he was a steel worker for Inland Steel Company. He died at age 81 on March 7, 1994, at Porter Memorial Hospital in Valparaiso, IN, and was buried at St. Paul Lutheran Cemetery in Louts, IN.

Dimitrios "Jim" Baxes played for the Saints in 1948, 1950 and 1954. He had only one year in the majors for two teams. In 1959, he was in 11 games for the Dodgers (..303) and 77 for the Indians (.239). His MLB career average was .246 with a .310 OBP and .471 slugging in 280 at bats. He hit 17 home runs and 12 doubles and fielded .931 in 48 games at second base and 32 at third.

Baxes played as a professional from 1948-1961 (excluding military service in 1951-1952) and had five seasons with more then 20 home runs and 10 years in AAA. He then was a sheet metal worker for 33 years in the heating and air conditioning industry. Jim died from heart failure at the age of 68 on Nov. 14, 1996, in Garden Grove, CA, and was cremated. His remains were buried at Magnolia Memorial Park in Garden Grove.

Charles "Tim" Thompson caught on the Saint Paul clubs of 1948, 1951 and 1955. He was in 10 games for the Dodgers in 1954 hitting .154 and then was a semi-regular for the A's in 1956-1957 for 92 and 81 contests with averages of .272 and .204. His last taste of the majors was in 4 games for the Tigers in 1958 (.167).

Tim played in 187 MLB games with 517 at bats for a .238 career average and a .294 OBP and .338 slugging. As a catcher in 136 games, he fielded .986. [He wore glasses while catching.]

Thompson was a pro player from 1947-1962 and managed in 1961. He was a major league coach for the Cardinals in 1981 and later a scouting supervisor for them. Thereafter, he worked for the Orioles. He live in Lewistown, PA, where he passed away on October 25, 2021.



[Minnesota Historical Society]

Ezra "Pat" McGlothin pitched for the Saints in 1948 and 1951-1953. His only big experience came in 1949-1950 in 7 and one relief appearance(s) for the Dodgers when he completed 16 and 2 innings for ERAs of 4.60 and 13.50. His career ERA was 5.60 with a .261 OAV, .320 OOB and a 1-1 record in 18 innings as he allowed 18 hits and 6 walks with 13 strikeouts.

He attended the U. of Tennessee. McGlothin pitched as a professional from 1942-1954 (excluding his Navy years of 1943-1945). He was player-manager for the Knoxville Smokies in the mid-1950s. After baseball, he became the president and owner of Mutual Insurance Agency in Knoxville, TN, where he worked for more than 60 years, officially retiring at age 90.

Pat died at the University of Tennessee Medical Center (Knoxville) at the age of 93 on December 24, 2014. Burial was at the Highland Memorial Park in Knoxville.



Lee Pfund pitched for the 1947-1948 Saint Paul teams. He pitched in 15 games (10 starts) for the Dodgers in 1945 completing 62 innings allowing 69 hits and 35 walks while striking out 27. His ERA was 5.20 with a .274 OAV, .373 slugging and 3-2 record.

Pfund was a pro pitcher in 1941-1942 and 1944-1950. He coached baseball at Wheaton College (IL) in 1948-59 and 1961-1974 and basketball from 1951-1975. Lee died on June 2, 2016, in Carol Stream, IL.

His son, Randy, was the head coach of the L.A. Lakers and later general manager of the Miami Heat.

Dan Bankhead pitched for the Saints in 1948. He was a Dodgers pitcher in 1947 and 1950-1951 for 4, 41 and 1 game(s) finishing 10, 129 and 14 innings with ERAs of 7.20, 5.50 and 15.43. His MLB totals in 52 games (13 starts) and 153 innings (161 h, 110 w, 111 so) was an ERA of 6.52, a OAV of .277, .395 OOB and 9-5 record.

Dan was the first black ever to pitch in the majors and also hit a home run in his first big league plate appearance. His scouting report was: "good fastball and screwball, needed better control."

Bankhead was a pro pitcher in the negro leagues from 1940-1942 and in 1945-1946 (appeared in three All Star games) and served in the military in 1943-1945. He was a minor and major leaguer in 1947-1964 (pitched a no-hitter for Nashua in '48) and 1966. After 1952, he played in Mexico as a pitcher-first baseman-outfielder. He died one day short of this 56thbirthday on May 2, 1976 in Veteran's Hospital in Houston due to lung cancer.








----- 1949 -----

It was the closest pennant race in American Association history (to that point). The Saints led by 5 ½ games with eight days left in the year. Then they lost six in-a-row and Indianapolis did not. After the second-to-last day of the season, Saint Paul had a one-half game lead over Indianapolis with both clubs having double headers scheduled for the final day. Indianapolis won both games and St. Paul, with the help of Phil Haugstad's 14 innings [seven in each game], also won each of their games and first place by one-half game. [Due to a non-rescheduled rain out, the Saints played one less game then Indianapolis.] The Saints had not finished first since 1938.

Walt Alston returned and resided over a club who had it's first 20-game winner since 1936 and six of their starting eight position players hit over .300 - a feat which had been matched only a couple of times in franchise history. The club won seven more games then in '48 and set another club attendance record [391,269] drawing 32,400 additional fans. They manufactured runs by stealing 112 bases leading the Association for the first time since 1928. They added some power (second best in league) and great defense to produce perhaps one of the last great teams.

All Star Ferrell Anderson (.303) was the full-time catcher appearing in 128 games and he was backed-up by Sam Calderone (.316) who saw action in 35 games. Danny Ozark (.307) took over as the starting first baseman after John Douglas was traded and he was backed by newcomer Wayne Belardi (.242) who played in three leagues during the season. Hank Schenz (.345) played several positions but most often second base after he arrived from the Cubs. He tied for the team lead with 17 homers, was first in 525 slugging % and stolen bases and was second in team batting. Another newcomer, future long-time major leaguer Danny O'Connell (.314), tied for the home run lead and was second in RBI as the first-line third baseman. Buddy Hicks (.268) came back as the shortstop and was also an All Star. The infield reserves were former starter, Al Brancato (.229), and new guy Lou Welaj (.176). With O'Connell's good early performance at third, the club traded third baseman Nanny Fernandez who went on to become the league's MVP at Indianapolis that season. From the Indians came Grady Wilson, also a third sacker, who hit .337 in 40 league games.

Returning All Star outfielder Eric Tipton (.320) had another good year leading the club in RBI. Bob Addis (.346) and Earl Naylor (.283) returned as regulars with Addis leading the team in average before he moved on to Montreal. Naylor was pushed by newcomer Jim Pendleton (.274) who played in the field only five less games then Naylor. Pendleton was the first African-American to spend a complete season on a Saints roster.

Phil Haugstad (22-7), in his third year with the Saints, was the pitching hero leading the league in wins and the team in innings pitched (227), strike outs and ERA (2.85). Clem Labine (12-6) set a team record with 64 appearances as he pitched 139 innings for a 3.50 ERA. Harry Taylor (11-6) came back for 24 games and 118 innings and finished with a decent 3.89 ERA. Also returning were Jim Romano (10-12) who was second in innings, but had a high ERA of 4.64 and WHIP (1.61); Mel Himes (8-7) who compiled a 4.90 ERA in 112 innings (also spent time, during the year, in Montreal) and Lee Griffeth (4-1) a youngster with a good 3.47 ERA who was second on the team in appearances with 45.

Minor league lifer, George Brown (7-4), joined the team, but had a high ERA (5.34) in 31 games and 123 innings. Karl Morrison (4-2), a newbie in 14 games, performed at a fair level (5.01 ERA/1.93 WHIP) as a Saint and played in two other leagues during the year. Familiar faces Bill Eggert (3-2, 12 g, 44 IP, 5.73 ERA, 1.84 WHIP) [played his final pro year in three leagues]; Morrie Martin (3-6, 3.87, 1.44, 16 g, 79 inn.), who got a well-deserved promotion to the Dodgers during the season; and Bob Ross (0-0, 10 inn, 6.30, 2.00) also pitched for the Saints. Former major leaguer Ed Bahr came over from Indianapolis and, if we can assume he arrived early in the season, had a good year with a combined 8-9 record in 30 league games for a 3.52 ERA and 1.40 WHIP.

The club had no post-season success losing to Milwaukee four games to two in the first round of the playoffs. They were shut out by Norm Roy in game one, won the next two and were nearly no-hit by Roy in game four [The Saints first hit came with one out in the ninth]. The Brewers then won the final two games

. [Minnesota Historical Society]

Lexington Park in the Late 1940s

1949 Hitting

Main Pos-G

Bats

Age

AB

H

2b/3b

HR

Ave

Slg

OBP

RBI /SB

BB

Birth Place

Ferrell Anderson *

C-140

R

31

478

145

21/3

16

303

460

412

91/1

52

Maple City, KS

Danny Ozark

1b75,OF1(92)

R

26

277

85

14/2

13

307

513

433

48/4

35

Buffalo, NY

Hank Schenz *#

2b108,OF11(123)

R

30

516

178

26/8

17

345

525

421

77/30

39

New Richmond, OH

Danny O'Connell #

3b-138

R

22

493

155

29/1

17

314

481

438

102/7

61

Paterson, NJ

Buddy Hicks #

SS-151

S

22

530

142

23/1

4

268

338

479

62/5

112

E. Los Angeles

Eric Tipton *#

OF-146

R

34

516

165

35/12

13

320

510

525

106/11

106

Petersburg, VA

Bob Addis #

OF-127

L

24

492

170

36/10

6

346

496

484

74/12

68

Mineral, OH

Earl Naylor *

OF-104

R

30

290

82

14/2

13

283

479

393

58/2

32

Kansas City,MO

Jim Pendelton #

OF-105

R

25

347

95

9/5

6

274

380

401

39/27

44

St. Charles, MO

Al Brancato *

2b49,3bSS(63)

R

30

201

46

19/1

1

229

348

333

25/0

21

Philadelphia

Sam Calderone #

C60

R

23

136

43

5/0

4

316

441

412

29/1

13

Beverly, NJ

Grady Wilson # @

3b-40

R

27

113

38

8/0

3

336

487

425

21/0

10

Columbus, GA

Wayne Belardi #

1b-28

L

19

99

24

4/0

4

242

404

374

18/1

13

St. Helena, CA

John Douglas * @

1b-115

L

32

404

108

18/0

1

267

319

413

32/5

59

Thayer, WV

Lou Welaj

2b3b-23

L

28

17

3

0/0

0

176

176

471

2/0

5

Barnsboro, PA

Nanny Fernandez *#@

3b113,OF49

R

31

599

187

35/6

21

312

496

432

128/13

72

Wilmington, CA

Don Nicholas #

PR-8

L

19

0

0

0/2

Phoenix

Oscar Grimes *

3b-7

R

34

6

1

0/0

0

167

167

?/0

Mineral, OH

Ray Dabek

C-1

R

22

2

0

000

000

1949 Pitching

Thrw

Age

G

GS

W-L

IP

H

BB

ERA

WHIP

SO

Birth Place

Phil Haugstad * #

R

25

35

22-7

243

216

150

2.85

1.51

140

Black River Falls, WI

Clem Labine #

R

23

64

12-6

139

124

88

3.5

1.53

70

Lincoln, RI

Harry Taylor #

R

30

24

11-6

118

112

58

3.89

1.44

43

East Glenn, IN

Jim Romano #

R

22

36

10-12

161

170

89

4.64

1.61

71

Brooklyn

Mel Himes

R

22

18

8-7

112

110

69

4.9

1.60

36

George Brown

R

26

31

7-4

123

130

101

5.34

1.88

61

Lee Griffeth *

L

24

45

4-1

83

75

42

3.47

1.41

49

Carmel, NY

Karl Morrison

R

23

14

4-2

70

69

66

5.01

1.93

21

Bill Eggert

R

26

12

3-2

44

47

34

5.73

1.84

18

Morrie Martin #

L

27

16

3-6

79

83

31

3.87

1.44

51

Dixon, MO

Frank Laga

R

29

4

1-0

7

12

4

2.57

2.29

3

Chicago

Nick Andromidas

R

25

7

0-1

17

24

24

5.29

2.82

14

New York City

Bob Ross #

L

21

4

0-0

10

14

6

6.3

2.00

1

Fullerton, CA

Ed Bahr * @

R

30

30

8-9

138

128

65

3.52

1.40

47

Rouleau, SK (Can)

* = Prev MLB

# = Future MLB

@=played for another AA team



1949 Standings

W

L

Pct

GB

Attend.

Manager

St. Paul Saints

93

60

608

--

352,911

Walt Alston

Indianapolis Indians

93

61

604

0.5

413,973

Milwaukee Brewers

76

76

500

16.5

266,061

Minneapolis Millers

74

78

487

18.5

247,637

Kansas City Blues

71

80

470

21

216,754

Louisville Colonels

70

83

458

23

227,758

Columbus Red Birds

70

83

458

23

170,464

Toledo Mud Hens

64

90

416

29.5

103,712

Walter Alston managed the 1948-1949 Saint Paul teams. His only major league player appearance was on September 27, 1936, when he played first base and had one at bat for the St. Louis Cardinals. He struck out and fielded .500.

-----

From the book "The Ballplayers":

"Alston carved out a Hall of Fame career as a manager of the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers. A product of the 'Cradle of Coaches,' Miami (OH) University, Alston tried almost every position during a 13-year minor league playing career (1935-47). Initially a third baseman, he moved to first base in 1936 and led the Mid-Atlantic League with 35 homers...His first managerial assignment came while he was still a player, with Portsmouth (Mid-Atlantic) in 1940. He led the circuit in homers (28), but the club finished sixth. The following two years, Alston led the Mid-Atlantic in homers and RBI. He moved up, as a player only, to Rochester (IL), but was released in 1944.

"Branch Rickey, who knew Alston from his days as the Cardinal's GM, hired him a player-manager at Trenton (Interstate) on July 28, 1944, beginning Alston's 33-year run as a skipper in the Dodgers' organization. He spent two seasons at Trenton, one at Nashua, one at Pueblo and two at St. Paul. After leading St. Paul to the Junior World Series in 1949, Alston was promoted to Brooklyn's top [?] minor league club, Montreal. During four seasons in Canada, guiding many of Brooklyn's future stars, Alston's Royals never finished below second place. Finally, on November 24, 1953, Walter O'Malley named Alston to replace Charlie Dressen, who wanted a multi-year contract, a Dodger taboo.

"Alston served under 23 consecutive one-year contracts. Following charismatic helmsmen like Leo Durocher, Bert Shotton and Dressen, Alston kept a low profile in the dugout. A quiet, dignified leader, Walt refused to panic following a disappointing second-place finish in 1954. He proved he was boss in 1955, quelling clubhouse turmoil just before the start of the season. With a lineup of stars, Alston led Brooklyn to its only World Series in 1955 and a pennant in 1956.

"Alston adapted to his talent: the power-laden Brooklyn clubs, the pitching-rich Los Angeles Dodgers of the 1960s and the young team in the 1970s. Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale and Maury Wills led the group that earned four pennants in eight seasons from 1959 to 1966. Steve Garvey, Dave Lopes and Ron Cey headed Alston's last great team. At age 62, Alston guided his 1974 Dodgers to a seventh and final World Series. He was honored as Manager of the Year six times by Associated Press and five times by United Press International. In eight All-Star game assignments, he was the winning manager a record seven times. Alston was the first 1970s manager inducted into the Hall of Fame." - Morris Eckhouse

-----

His complete MLB managerial record (all for the Dodgers) was: 1954: 92-62 (2nd); 1955: 98-55 (1st, WS Champs); 1956: 93-61 (1st); 1957: 84-70 (3rd); 1958: 71-83 (7th); 1959: 88-68 (1st, WS Champs); 1960: 82-72 (4th); 1961: 89-65 (2nd); 1962: 102-63 (2nd); 1963: 99-63 (1st, WS Champs); 1964: 80-82 (6th); 1965: 97-65 (1st, WS Champs); 1966: 95-67 (1st); 1967: 73-89 (8th); 1968: 76-86 (7th); 1969: 85-77 (4th); 1970: 87-74 (2nd); 1971: 89-73 (2nd); 1972: 85-70 (3rd); 1973: 95-66 (2nd); 1974: 102-60 (1st); 1975: 88-74 (2nd); 1976: 90-68 (2nd). His career record was 2,040-1,613 (.558).

Walter's induction into the Hall of Fame was in 1983. He died at age 72 on Oct. 1, 1984, at the McCullough-Hyde Memorial Hospital in Oxford, OH, from heart disease after suffering a heart attack in early 1983. Burial was at Darrtown Cemetery in Darrtown, OH.

Hank Schenz played for Saint Paul in 1949. He was with the Cubs in 1946-1949 in 6, 7, 96 and 7 games hitting .261 in his 96-game year of '48. He then was a utility infielder for the Pirates in 1950-51 in 58 and 25 games batting .228 and .213. Hank ended the '51 season and his major league career with 8 games for the Giants.

He played in a total of 207 big league games and had 538 at bats for a .247 average, .291 OBP and .310 slugging. Defensively, he played second base in 118 games, 34 at third and 4 at short with a commutative fielding % of .974.

Schenz played as a professional from 1939-1942 and 1946-1955. He was in the U.S. Navy from 1943-1945 and, in the early 1980s, an estimator for Jack Moore Blacktop Company in Bethel, OH. Hank died at age 67 on May 12, 1988, at Christ Hospital in Cincinnati after suffering a massive heart attack. Burial was at Green Mount Cemetery in New Richmond, OH.

Danny O'Connell was a regular on the 1949 Saint Paul Saints. He became a 10-veteran of the major league wars. In 1950 and 1953 (he was in the U. S. Army from 1951-52), Danny was in 79 and 149 games for the Pirates hitting .292 and .294.

Danny moved on to the Braves in 1954-1957 as their starting second baseman in 146, 124, 139 and 48 games with averages of .279, .225, .239 and .235. He played the remainder of the '57 season with the Giants in 95 games (.266). Dan stayed with the Giants in 1958-59 for 107 and 34 games (.232 and .190). His big league career ended in 1961-1962 with the Senators for 138 and 84 contests where he hit .260 and .263.

He played in 1,143 MLB games and had 4,035 at bats with a .260 average, .335 OBP and .351 slugging %. Fieldingwise, his mark was .980 with 713 games at second, 335 at third and 68 at short.

-----

From the book "The Ballplayers":

"Branch Rickey upset Pittsburgh fans when he traded O'Connell, a husting and intelligent infielder, to the Braves in 1953. O'Connell became Milwaukee's second baseman for three seasons. Though he was considered the weak link in their awesome offense, on June 13, 1956, he tied a major league record with three triples in a game. He played with the Giants from June 1957 until his demotion in 1959, resurfaced with the new Washington Senators..." - Morris Eckhouse

-----

O'Connell was a professional ballplayer from 1946-1963 (excluding his service years of 1951-52) and he managed in 1963. He also was a major league coach for the Senators in 1963-64 and, thereafter, a representative of the Whippany Paper Works. Dan died at age 42 in Clifton, NJ, when his car left the road and hit a utility pole after he had suffered a heart attack. Burial was at Immaculate Conception Cemetery in Montclair, NJ.



Clarence "Buddy" Hicks was with the Saints in 1948-1949. His only big league games were in 1956 with the Tigers where he played in 26 games for a .213 average, .260 OBP and .255 slugging. He played 16 games at shortstop, 6 at second and one at first with a 1.000 fielding average.

Hicks was a pro player from 1944-1962 (excluding military service in 1945-46) and he managed from 1960-1969. In the early 1980s, he was manager for Automotive Warehouse Distributors in Bell, CA. He currently lives in Saint George, UT, and was 88 years old in Feb. 2015.


[Minnesota Historical Society]

Bob Addis played for the Saints in 1948-1949. He was with the Braves in 1950-1951 for 16 and 86 games with averages of .250 and .276. Bob moved on to the Cubs for the 1952-1953 seasons appearing in 93 and 10 contests hitting .295 and .167. His last big league taste was in 4 games with the Pirates in '53.

Bob accumulated 208 MLB games and had 534 at bats for a .281 average, .327 OBP and .341 slugging. As an outfielder in 135 games, his fielding % was .986. His scouting report was: "Speedy with little power".

Addis graduated from Kent State and played pro baseball from 1943-1956 (excluding his military service in 1944-45) but including five years in the American Association. He became the high school baseball coach at Euclid, OH, and later lived in Mentor, OH. He died in Euclid on November 15, 2016.

Sam Calderone caught for the 1949 Saint Paul club. He was a backup catcher for the Giants in 1950 and 1953 for 34 and 35 games hitting .299 and .222. Sam was in the same role for the Braves of 1954 (22 g, .379). In his 91 MLB games and 141 at bats, he batted .291 with a .324 OBP and .348 slugging %. He fielded .978 with 80 games as a receiver.

Calderone was a pro player from 1945-1958 (excluding service years of 1951-52) and including five years in AAA. He was a manager in 1960 and later became a liquor salesman in New Jersey. Sam died on November 28, 2006 in Mount Holly NJ. He was interred at the Laurel Hill Cemetery in Burlington, NJ. He was 80 and had been battling Parkinson's disease.

His wife was interviewed after his death. Her memories: “"He was sick for a while, but he never complained. He was diagnosed with the disease in 1994 when he was playing golf. He said he was going to give up the game because he was having trouble with his balance, so we took him to the doctors and they said he had Parkinson's."

After retiring from pro baseball, Calderone coached various teams in Burlington County and could often be found having a game of catch with the neighborhood children. "He'd say he was going out to cut the grass, but I'd see him out there, having a catch with the neighborhood children," Angie (his wife) said. "Sometimes the grass wouldn't be cut until dusk, but the kids would all have a great time and so would Sam.

"He also used to fix some of the children's gloves. And if he wasn't able to fix them, he'd tell them to leave the gloves overnight and then he'd go out and buy them a new one. He loved children and he loved baseball."





Grady Wilson played with the Saints during part of the 1949 season. His only taste of the big leagues were in 12 games for the Phillies in 1948. He had 10 at bats with one hit (a double), no walks and a .846 fielding percentage in 7 games at shortstop.

Wilson was a pro baseball player from 1946-1959 and managed in 1957, 1961-1964 and 1966. He died at age 80 on July 23, 2003, in Columbus, GA.

Wayne Belardi was on the St. Paul team part of the 1949 year. He was a back-up first baseman and pinch hitter for the Dodgers in 1950-1951 and 1953-1954. In 1953, he hit .239 with 1963 at bats. The remainder of his 1954 season was with the Tigers for 88 games where he batted .232.

Wayne stayed with the Tigers the remainder of his major league years of 1955-1956 for 3 and 79 games batting .279 in '56. He had played in 263 MLB games and had 592 at bats for a .242 average, .332 OBP and .422 slugging. As a first baseman in 149 contests, he fielded .987.

Belardi played as a pro from 1949-1957 with three years in AAA and had two years with more then 20 home runs at the AA level. After baseball, he entered the fruit industry in San Jose, CA, and later operated a bar and restaurant for five years. He died at age 63 on Oct. 21, 1993, at Dominican Hospital in Santa Cruz, CA, from a heart attack after suffering from cirrhosis of the liver for some time. His ashes were scattered off the coast of Santa Cruz.

Frolian [or Froilan] "Nanny" Fernandez was a third baseman/outfielder for the Saints during part of the '49 season. He was with the Braves as a starter in 1942 and 1946-1947 in 145, 115 and 83 games as he accumulated averages of .255, .255 and .206. His big league years came to a close in 1950 with 65 games for the Pirates (.258).

[His parents moved from Spain to California shortly before his birth.]

Nanny played in 408 MLB games and had 1,356 at bats for a .248 BA, .306 OBP and .334 slugging. He fielded .925 in 237 games at third, 60 at short and 66 in the outfield.

Fernandez' years as a pro were from 1939-1955, excluding his military service years of 1943-1945. In the early 1980s, he was a marine clerk for the longshoreman's union in Lomita, CA. All told, he was a longshoreman for 30 years and died at age 77 on Sept. 19, 1996, at Kaiser Foundation Hospital in Harbor City, CA, from nonalcoholic cirrhosis of the liver. He also had suffered from hepatitis "C" for ten years. Burial was at Green Hills Memorial Park in Verdes, CA.

Oscar Grimes was with the Saints in part of the 1949 year. He was a utility infielder for the Indians from 1938-1942 in 4, 119, 11, 77 and 51 games with averages of .200, .269, .000, .238 and .179. Oscar then moved to the Yankees for the 1943-1945 years appearing in 9, 116 and 142 games hitting .150, .279 and .265. [He led AL third basemen in errors in '45]. After 14 games with the Yanks in 1946 (.205), he ended his big league career with the A's in 59 games (.262).

He played in 602 MLB games and had 1,832 at bats with a BA of .256, OBP of .363 and .352 slugging. His fielding % was .940 with 257 games at third, 135 at second and he also played games at first and short.

His father, Ray, was a first baseman with the A's, Cubs and Phillies from 1920-1926. Oscar played as a pro from 1935-1950. He was a millwright at Republic Steel in Cleveland from 1951-1958 and a superintendent of a number of apartment buildings in the western suburbs of Cleveland from 1960-1982. He died at age 78 on May 19, 1993, at Hanbidge Centre in Westlake, OH, due to cancer and the complications of Alzheimer's. Burial was at Sunset Memorial Park in North Olmsted, OH.

Floyd "Bob" Ross pitched for Saint Paul in 1948-1949. He was a hurler on the 1950-1951 Senators for 6 and 11 games completing 13 and 32 innings for ERAs of 8.53 and 6.54. His last big league appearances were with for the Phillies in 1956 when he was in 3 games and 3 innings with a 8.10 ERA.

Bob was called into 20 MLB games (3 starts) finishing 48 innings allowing 55 hits and 38 walks while striking out 29. His ERA was 7.17 with a .299 OAV, .419 OOB and 0-2 record.

Ross was a professional pitcher from 1948-1959 excluding 1952-1953 when he served in the armed services. He played in the American Association for four seasons, graduated from Long Beach State and, in the early 1980s, was the assistant superintendent of schools in the Anaheim, CA, school district. He lives in San Jacinto, CA, and was 93 as of Nov. 2021.




-----1950-----

The Saint Paul franchise began play in their sixth decade with another quite good team. However, they did loss 10 more games and, with more television sets being purchased in the city, attendance dropped by the most-ever from one year to-the- next [a reduction of approximately 152,700]. They were now fourth, at the gate, in the steady-as-you-go American Association. But, the league would change radically in the next few years with the blame - again - going to television.

[Saint Paul's population stood at 309,474 in 1950 as compared to 163,065 in 1901.]

The Branch Rickey-less Dodgers [owner Walter O'Malley forced him to Pittsburgh] had Walter Alston swap his Saints' job with the manager of the Montreal Royals for the past four years, Clay Hopper. Hopper came to Saint Paul with a resume which included playing as a pro from 1926-1941 and managing in 1929-30, 1932-42 and 1946-1949. He had never reached the majors as a player.

Hopper

[St. Paul Pioneer Press]

New Popcorn Machine Installed at the Lex (GM Mel Jones, Cliff Replogie, Dick Ericson, Bill Turner, Ciel Welp, Tom Caulfied, Bruce Hosack and Elton Schiller)

Offensively, the St. Paul club dropped from a team average of .289 in 1949 to .261 in 1950. None of the most-used position players hit .300. Ferrell Anderson (.277) was the catching regular for the third straight year and played nearly full-time in 133 games. The main back-up was Guy Wellman (.153) who played his last pro season. Receiver Steve Lembo got into 11 games for the Saints and also played for the Dodgers and in Montreal during the season.

First base was ably manned by newcomer Lou Limmer (.277) who led the league in homers (29 - all but two on the road) and RBI (111) as a league All Star. Former starter, Danny Ozark (.185), went down to the Eastern League after 24 games. Also new to the squad, at second, was speedster Jack Cassini (.276) who led the league in stolen bases. Al Brancato (.235) moved back into the starting third baseman job and also played all of the other infield positions. Another All Star, Jim Pendleton (.299), switched from outfielder to shortstop leading the regulars in hitting and slugging percentage and was second in RBI with 98. [He also led the league with 19 triples]. Bob Bundy (.244) played in 39 games as a back-up at third and second and also played in two other leagues during the year. Returnee infielder Jim Baxes (.132) was with the team for 13 games and then was assigned to the PCL. .

Saints' outfield mainstay, Eric Tipton (.288) was back finishing second in team hitting and third in RBI. Earl Naylor (.283) also returned for 106 games and there were numerous other players who had duty in the outfield. Cliff Aberson (.256) played the field in 59 games [also played in two other leagues during the year] and another speedster, Don Nicholas, returned for 71 games (55 as an outfielder) and was second in the league with 35 stolen bases. Cal Abrams (.333) was called to Brooklyn after 58 contests and 192 at bats compiling a .667 OBP. Another part-time Dodger, during the season, was George Shuba (.256) who got into 36 Saints games. Bill Antonello (.243) was gone to the PCL after 38 games and John Simmons (.247) performed in three leagues in '50 including 31 games for St. Paul. As if the outfielder traffic jam wasn't bad enough, Ted Bartz (.172) was in 12 games and Clint Conatser in four. After the season, Bartz went into the military to help in the Allied efforts in Korea.

Top pitcher, Phil Haugstad (16-11), returned to lead the team in wins, starts, innings pitched and strike outs. Morrie Martin (14-9) was sent down by Brooklyn and compiled a team-leading 3.65 ERA in 28 starts and 197 innings as he ended his Saints days and was soon to become a regular big leaguer. Another long-time Saint, Harry Taylor (13-9), was second in innings pitched for a 4.02 ERA before being dwelt to the Red Sox. Clem Labine (11-7) saw action with the Dodgers after his 37 games and 128 innings with the Saints (4.99 ERA).

Newcomer, Ed Chandler (9-7) , a former big leaguer, completed 154 innings in 37 games for a 4.44 ERA and Ed Bahr (7-7) returned as a runner-up in best team ERA of 3.69 in his final pro year. Another ex-major leaguer, but new to St. Paul, Johnny VanCuyk (7-9) led the team with the best WHIP (1.37) in 152 innings. Lee Griffeth (2-5) came back with 29 appearances ending with a poor 5.94 ERA and 2.02 WHIP before going down to the Eastern League. .

Jim Romano [saw action with the Dodgers during year], George Brown and Nick Andromdas returned for a few mound appearances each and newcomers Jim Hughes, Chet Kehn [played in four leagues during his final pro season] and Fred Waters saw their first action in Saint Paul.

The Saints went down quickly in the playoffs losing their first four games to Indianapolis.

1950 Hitting

Main Pos-G

Bats

Age

AB

H

2b/3b

HR

Ave

Slg

OBP

RBI /SB

BB

Birth Place

Ferrell Anderson *

C-135

R

32

430

119

16/4

14

277

430

402

60/1

54

Maple City, KS

Lou Limmer #

1b-149

L

25

501

139

23/6

29

277

521

469

111/7

96

New York City

Jack Cassini #

2b112,3b17

R

31

532

147

14/7

6

276

363

410

52/36

71

Dearborn, MI

Al Brancato *

3b125,SS2b1b(134)

R

31

468

110

16/4

4

235

312

344

62/1

51

Philadelphia

Jim Pendelton #

SS-145

R

26

571

171

25/19

10

299

462

375

98/25

43

St. Charles, MO

Eric Tipton *#

OF-144

R

35

462

133

35/1

10

288

439

522

97/12

108

Petersburg, VA

Earl Naylor *

OF76,1b1

R

31

286

81

7/2

13

283

458

395

65/4

32

Kansas City,MO

Cliff Aberson *

OF-75

R

29

168

43

10/3

6

256

458

560

24/2

51

Chicago

Don Nicholas #

OF55,SS3b(71)

L

20

204

61

6/4

0

299

368

510

10/35

43

Phoenix

Cal Abrams #

OF57,1b1

L

26

192

64

8/1

3

333

432

667

16/5

64

Philadelphia

Guy Wellman

C-43

R

28

59

9

1/0

0

153

169

373

6/0

13

Bob Bundy

3b17,2b10

R

26

119

29

7/0

1

244

328

311

11/6

8

Kansas City,MO

Bill Antonello #

OF-38

R

23

136

33

6/2

6

243

449

316

15/0

10

Brooklyn

George Shuba *#

OF-36

L

26

117

30

3/1

4

256

402

359

19/1

12

Youngston, PA

John Simmons *

OF-31

R

26

85

21

4/1

2

247

388

365

17/2

10

Birmingham, AL

Danny Ozark

1b13,3bOF

R

27

54

10

0/0

1

185

241

259

6/0

4

Buffalo, NY

Jim Baxes #

2b-13

R

22

53

7

2/1

1

132

264

208

8/1

4

San Francisco

Ted Bartz

OF-12

R

25

29

5

2/0

0

172

241

241

1/0

2

Detroit

Steve Lembo #

C-11

R

24

29

7

2/0

0

241

310

310

5/0

2

Brooklyn

Clint Conatser *

OF-4

R

29

16

4

2/0

1

250

562

2/0

Los Angeles

1950 Pitching

Thrw

Age

G

GS

W-L

IP

H

BB

ERA

WHIP

SO

Birth Place

Phil Haugstad * #

R

26

36

32

16-11

229

216

125

3.89

1.49

137

Black River Falls, WI

Morrie Martin * #

L

28

31

28

14-9

197

216

62

3.65

1.41

114

Dixon, MO

Harry Taylor #

R

31

34

31

13-9

206

216

88

4.02

1.48

102

East Glenn, IN

Clem Labine #

R

24

37

13

11-7

128

139

64

4.99

1.59

64

Lincoln, RI

Ed Chandler *

R

33

37

19

9-7

154

178

56

4.44

1.52

53

Pinson, AL

Ed Bahr *

R

31

25

9

7-7

100

113

37

3.69

1.50

41

Rouleau, SK (Can)

John VanCuyk *

L

29

38

13

7-9

152

151

57

4.44

1.37

102

Little Chute, WI

Lee Griffeth *

L

25

29

3

2-5

53

74

33

5.94

2.02

18

Carmel, NY

Jim Romano #

R

23

2

2-0

16

6

4

0.63

14

Brooklyn

Jim Hughes #

R

27

6

1-0

7

19

9

23.14

4.00

7

Chicago

Fred Waters #

L

23

5

1-1

12

17

7

6.75

2.00

6

Benton, MS

Chet Kehn *

R

29

6

0-1

8

13

7

10.78

2.50

4

San Diego

George Brown

R

27

3

0-1

3

1

6

3

2.33

1

Nick Andromidas

R

26

9

0-0

24

27

19

5.63

1.92

9

New York City

Earl Naylor *

R

31

4

0-0

9

17

6

2.56

3

Kansas City,MO

* = Prev MLB

# = Future MLB



1950 Standings

W

L

Pct

GB

Attend.

Manager

Minneapolis Millers

90

64

584

--

238,285

Indianapolis Indians

85

67

559

4

294,451

Columbus Red Birds

84

69

549

5.5

170,950

St. Paul Saints

83

69

546

6

200,149

Clay Hopper

Louisville Colonels

82

71

536

7.5

219,429

Milwaukee Brewers

68

85

444

21.5

145,868

Toledo Mud Hens

65

87

428

24

88,393

Kansas City Blues

54

99

353

35.5

147,320

[Minnesota Historical Society]

Ferrell "Andy" Anderson was the mainline catcher for the 1948-1950 Saint Paul Saints. He played in 79 games for the Dodgers in 1946 compiling a .256 average and was in 18 games for the 1953 Cardinals (.286). In his 97 MLB games and 234 at bats, his BA was .261 with a .324 OBP and .338 slugging %. He fielded .968 in 82 games as a catcher.

Anderson was a pro player from 1939-1955 (excluding military service in 1943-1945) and managed in 1954-1955. [He hit over .300 in four seasons and played at the AAA level in five]. Andy was an all-conference lineman for two years at the U. of Kansas. From 1961-1978, he was a general agent for the Occidental Life Insurance Company. He died at age 60, on March 12, 1978, in Joplin, MO, after a year of poor health. Burial was at Ozark Memorial Park Cemetery in Joplin.



Lou Limmer was the Saints first baseman in 1950. He was in the majors only two full seasons for the A's in 1951 and 1954. During those seasons, he was in 94 and 115 games with averages of .159 and .231. He had 530 at bats in his career 209 MLB games for a .202 average, .287 OBP and .360 slugging. Defensively, he had a .988 fielding % in 137 games at first base.

-----

From the book "The Ballplayers":

"Limmer suffered a broken neck in 1948 [he also temporally lost his eyesight]...Despite outstanding minor league stats, he failed two MLB trials because of his low batting average and indifferent fielding." - Bob Carroll

-----

Lou had graduated from the Manhattan High School of Aviation and served in Army Air Corps during WWII.

Limmer was a pro player from 1946-1958. He led the Western League in homers in 1949 and the A.A. in home runs and RBI in 1950. He had seven seasons of hitting over 20 homers. In 1,362 minor league games and 4,836 at bats, he hit .279 with 244 homers. After baseball, he entered the air conditioning and refrigeration business in the Bronx. In retirement, he lived in Manalapan, NJ, and "wintered" in Florida, but always attended the A's alumni meetings in Philadelphia. He died at age 82, on April 1, 2007, in Boca Raton, FL, and was buried at Montefiore Cemetery in St. Albans, NY.

Cliff Aberson was on the Saints team of 1950. He performed for the Cubs in 1947-1949 in 47, 12 and 4 games hitting

.251 in his MLB 179 at bats with a .343 OBP and .408 slugging. As an outfielder in 49 games, his fielding percentage was .913.

Aberson was a professional baseball player from 1941-1954 (excluding his military service of 1943-1946) and also played pro football. Thereafter, he was a real estate agent in Fairfield, CA. He died at age 51, on June 23, 1973, at Kaiser Hospital in Vallejo, CA, from cancer of the esophagus. Burial was at Suisun-Fairfield Cemetery in Fairfield.

Cal Abrams played with the 1950 Saint Paul club. He was in 8, 38, 67 and 10 games for the Dodgers in 1949-1952 hitting .280 during his 67-game season of 1951. The remainder of his '52 year was spent with the Reds for 71 games and an average of .274.

He then played with Pittsburgh in 1953-1954 for 119 and 17 games (.286 and .143). After leaving the Pirates in '54, he was a starter with the Orioles for the rest of the year (115 g, .293). In 1955, he was in 118 games for Baltimore with a decreased .243 BA. His last big league games were with the White Sox in 1956 (4 g, .269).

In his 567 MLB games and 1,611 at bats, he batted .269 with a .387 OBP and .392 slugging. He played 441 games in the outfield for a .977 fielding %. His scouting report was: "weak arm and a singles hitter". He was thrown out at home by Richie Ashburn during the last game of the 1950 season to clinch the pennant for the Phillies.

Abrams played as a pro from 1946-1958 with seven season in AAA. In the early 1980s, he worked for a plastic company and also was involved with an old timers speakers bureau living at Hand Lake, Amagansett, NY. He also had owned several cocktail lounges on Long Island and worked for New York City's off-track betting business before retiring to Florida in the mid-1980s. He died at age 73, on Feb. 25, 1997, at North Ridge Medical Center in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, from a heart attack. Burial was at Star of David Memorial Gardens in North Lauderdale, FL.

George Shuba was with the Saints for part of the 1950 season. He played on the Dodgers from 1948-1950 and 1952-1955 in 63, 1, 34, 94, 74, 45 and 44 games as a spare outfielder. During those years, he batted .267, .000, .207, .305, .254, .154 and .275.

He played in 355 MLB games with 814 at bats for a .259 average, .359 OBP and .413 slugging. In 216 games in the outfield, his fielding percentage was .967. [His nickname was "shutgun" because his line drive hits came off his bat like bullets.]

-----

From the book "The Ballplayers":

"A utility outfielder and lefthanded pinch hitter during the Dodgers' Boys of Summer era, Shuba delivered a pinch-hit homer in the 1953 World Series opener...Knee surgery reduced his effectiveness after that season." - Ed Maher

-----

Shuba played as a pro from 1944-1957 and then became an employee of the U.S. Postal Service. In 2007, he co-wrote My Memories as a Brooklyn Dodger with Youngstown-area writer Greg Gulas.

He lived in Youngstown, OH, and died there on September 29, 2014. Burial was at Calvary Cemetery in Youngstown.



John E. Simmons played on the Saint Paul club in 1950. He had one full year in the majors with the Senators in 1949 for 62 games and 93 at bats. His BA was .215 with a .298 OBP and .215 OOB. Since he only played 26 games in the outfield (1.000 perfect fielding), it is assumed that he was more often used as a pinch hitter.

Simmons attended NYU and was a pro from 1946-1954 including parts of three seasons at the AAA level. He lived in Farmingdale, NY, and died there at age 84 on Aug. 1, 2008. Burial was at Calverton National Cemetery in Calverton, NY.



Steve Lembo played part of the 1950 season in St. Paul. He played in 5 and 2 games for the Dodgers in 1950 and 1952. In his 11 official at bats, he got 2 hits and walked once. He caught in all 7 games with a 1.000 fielding %.

Lembo was a professional catcher in 1944 and 1946-1952 with two years at AAA. In the early 1980s, he was working for Abraham and Strauss in New York. He died at age 63 in Flushing, NY, on Dec. 4, 1989. Burial was at St. Charles Cemetery in Farmingdale, NY.

Clint Conatser played for the Saint Paul club in 1950. He played in 10 games with the Fargo-Moorhead Twins in 1939 (303, 0, 3) and in 1940 (.236, 4, 26). Also in '39, he played for Logan [Mount.State] in 60 games batting .241 with 35 RBI and 37 games at Johnstown [Penn. State] (.283). In addition to playing for the Twins in 1940, he also appeared in 54 games for Flint [Mich. State] where he hit .327 with 44 RBI. His 1941 season was spent at Charleston, WV [Mid Atlantic] as he hit .248 in 74 games with 35 RBI. During this time, his contract was owned by the Indians. He serviced his country in the military from 1942 through 1945.

After the war, Conatser moved to the Tigers' organization and had a good year at Dallas [Texas] in 1946, where in 131 games, he batted .283 with 70 RBI. In 1947, for Buffalo [IL], he hit .279 with 8 home runs, before GM Paul Richards returned his contract to Detroit in July. Dallas immediately made a claim for him, but Tigers' GM Billy Evans sent him to Seattle [PCL]. The Rainiers only used him against left handers and he hit .298 with 5 homers in 54 games. After the season, he was again returned to the Detroit organization and they sold him to Buffalo [IL]. In November 1947, the Boston Braves drafted Conatser from Buffalo.

Clint made the Braves roster in 1948 when they let Danny Litwhiler go. "TSN" stated that Conatser had the best throwing arm of any Braves' outfielder that year and had good power and speed. He platooned with Jeff Heath in left field staying the complete year with the Boston Braves in 1948 getting into 90 games batting .277 with a OBP of .370. He appeared in the outfield in 76 games and was used as a pinch hitter 11 times with one hit.

A season highlight for him was on August 22. The Braves were in the pennant race and were facing the Dodgers who were ahead 3-2 in the 8th inning with one on. The pitcher, Erv Palica, was behind in the count 3-and-1 and threw a fast ball down the heart of the plate. Conatser homered to left to give the Braves a 4 to 3 victory and a NL lead which they did not relinquish the rest of the season. On September 29, Jeff Heath broke his ankle and Clint became a starting outfielder. In the 8th inning, on October 1, after having already made 7 putouts, he raced to catch a drive from Pee Wee Reese and dove to make a great catch. "TSN" thought he should not have risked injury since the Braves, at that point, had already clinched the NL pennant.

In the World Series, he appeared in 2 games and was 0 for 4 with one RBI (0 for 1 as a pinch hitter). His RBI came in the 8th inning of game 6, when he pinch hit with one out, bases loaded and the Braves trailing 4-1. Cleveland brought in knuckle baller Gene Bearden whose first two pitches were wide. The next pitch, a knuckler, was over the plate and Conatser hit a long drive to center which was caught by Thurman Tucker, and the runner on third tagged and scored to make it 4-2. The next batter, Phil Masi, doubled to make it 4-3, but the Indians held on to win the game and the Series.

During Spring Training 1949, Clint was competing against five others for outfield duty, but he was the only right handed hitter [there were two switch hitters]. He started the season platooning with Marv Richert in left field, but wound up splitting 1949 between AAA [Milwaukee] and the Braves, getting into 53 MLB games with an average of .263 and an OBP of .325. That was the extent of his ride in the majors. In 143 games and 376 at bats, he hit a decent .271 average with an OBP of .352. He slugged 6 home runs with 39 RBI and had a slugging % of .375. He was 4 for 21 as a pinch hitter.

Conatser spent the year at St. Paul [A.A.] (250, 1 HR, 2 RBI) and Hollywood [PCL] where he hit .231 with 7 homers and 27 RBI. In December, ending a working agreement with the Dodgers, Hollywood obtained outright title to Clint. With the Stars in '51, he again hit .231 and homered 9 times with 42 RBI. In October, Conatser played with Bob Lemon's "All Stars" in exhibition games at Los Angeles' Wrigley Field. Also on the team were Chuck Connors, Rocky Bridges and Tommy Thompson.

Clint ended his pro career with Portland (PCL) in 1952 by hitting .268 with 8 home runs and 38 RBI. All told, as a minor leaguer, he played with 14 teams. He had 3 seasons hitting .298 or better.

He lived in Laguna Hills, CA, and passed away there at age 99 on August 23, 2019.

Phil Haugstad pitched for the Saints in 1947-1950. Phil had one complete MLB season and three short tastes of the majors. He came up with the Dodgers in September 1947 and appeared in 6 games for 12 2/3 innings giving up 14 hits and 4 walks with an ERA of 2.84. In 1948, he was in only one game and one inning allowing no runs.

His next major league experience was in 1951 when he stayed the whole season with the Dodgers. In 21 games including 1 start he finished 31 innings allowing 28 hits and 24 walks with 22 strikeouts. His ERA was 6.46 and he had a .233 OAV. On May 25, 1952, Phil was sold to the Reds for the waiver price and finished his MLB career with 9 games for 12 innings and a 6.75 ERA.

In his 37 MLB games, the right hander completed 56 innings giving up 51 hits and 41 walks with 28 strikeouts for a 5.59 ERA and .241 OAV. His minor league career occurred from 1946-1950 and 1952-1955 for 10 teams. His best year was in 1949 for the St. Paul Saints where he went 22-7 with a 2.85 ERA.

Haugstad was a fastball-type pitcher for Alma Center High School in WI where he pitched 3 no-hitters. Like most fastballers, control was a problem. In a September 1949 article in "TSN", it was said that his standard m.o. was to walk 2 or 3 and hit at least one batter in the first inning of his games. He had a violent motion throwing himself a fair distance toward home pate with every pitch. In 1949 he claimed that he had learned much at spring training that year as he said: "I think I've got the control problem about licked." He had a good year at St. Paul in '49 as he won 22 games for the Saints which was the first time the team had a 20-game winner since 1936.

Phil served as an airplane mechanic for the U.S. Army Air Corps in WWII. He was in pro baseball from 1946-1955 [He pitched for the Grand Forks Chiefs in 1946 (15-13, 3.34 ERA)]. Phil owned and operated a logging and pulping business in his home town of Black River Falls from 1955 to 1991 where he also helped out with local town teams. He died at age 74 in Black River Falls Memorial Hospital on October 21, 1998, and is buried there at Riverside Cemetery.






Morris "Morrie" or " Lefty" Martin was a Saints pitcher in 1942 and 1947-1950. Morrie was taken away from spring training in 1949 for 3 weeks because of an illness and eventual death in his family. However, he did first pitch in the majors that season for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 10 games including 4 starts. He gave up 39 hits, including 5 home runs, and 15 walks for a 7.04 ERA. During the 1950 spring training, he sprained his ankle and played the year in AAA. Martin came back in 1951 with the Philadelphia A's [obtained by a draft] and pitched through the 1953 season with them. During those years, he made 35 (3 starts), 5 (all starts) and 58 (11 starts) appearances with the limited games, in 1952, due to a broken finger. His ERAs were 3.78, 6.39 and 4.43. He had his career year in '51 going 11-4 and beating every AL club at least once before he collided with Indians' catcher Mike Hegan which ended his season.

In 1954, after 12 games with the A's (5.47), they traded him to the White Sox where he played 35 games for 70 innings giving up 52 hits and 24 walks for a 2.06 ERA. Morrie stayed all of the 1955 season with the Sox pitching in 37 games and 52 innings for a 3.63 ERA. Then, after 10 games in 1956, they sent him to the Orioles with whom he appeared in 9 games for a 10.80 ERA.

He went back to the minors for most of 1957, but did make 4 appearances with the St. Louis Cardinals with a 2.53 ERA. Morrie started the 1958 year with the Cards (17 games - 4.74 ERA) and then was traded to the Cleveland Indians where he pitched in 14 games and 19 innings for a 2.41 ERA. He ended his MLB career with the Chicago Cubs in 1959, with 3 games and a 19.29 ERA.

In a well-traveled 10-year journey, Morrie pitched 250 MLB games for 605 innings allowing 607 hits and 249 walks while striking out 245 for a 4.29 ERA and .262 OAV. His record was 38-34.

In the minor leagues from 1941-1942, 1946-1950, 1957 and 1959-1960, he pitched for 12 clubs. He had 5 years with ERAs under 3.00 and had 8 years at the AAA level. He pitched for the Grand Forks Chiefs in 1941 (16-7, 2.05 ERA).

During WWII he was assigned to the First Army's 49th Combat Engineers. He participated in Operations Torch, Overlord and Cobra and the Battle of the Bulge and was wounded in action.


After baseball, Martin entered the meat backing business in Washington, MO, where he still lives. Martin died from lung cancer at age 87 at his home on May 25, 2010. He was buried at St Francis Borgia Cemetery, Washington MO.



Ed Chandler pitched for Saint Paul in 1950. His only major league experience came in 1947 for the Dodgers when he appeared in 15 games (one start) and 30 innings allowing 31 hits and 12 walks while striking out 8. His ERA was 6.37 with a .263 OAV, .331 OOB and 0-1 record.

Chandler was a professional hurler from 1941-1955 (excluding military service in 1942-1945) which includes five years in the PCL. He died on July 6, 2003, at the age of 81, in Las Vegas.

Ed Bahr was a pitcher on the Saint Paul Saints in 1949-1950. He got into 27 and 19 games for the Pirates in 1946-1947 with 137 and 82 innings for ERAs of 2.63 and 4.59. In his 46 MLB games (25 starts), he compiled 219 innings allowing 210 hits and 95 walks with 69 strikeouts for an ERA of 3.37, .257 OAV, .341 OOB and an 11-11 record.

Bahr pitched professionally from 1938-1950 (excluding his military service in 1942-1944) including four years in the American Association. He lived in Bothell, WA, and died at age 87 on April 6, 2007, in Fall City, WA [some sources say Seattle].

Jim R. Hughes was a Saints pitcher in 1950 and 1955. He pitched for the Dodgers from 1952-1956 in 6, 48, 60 (led league), 24 and 5 games as a relief pitcher for 19, 86, 87, 43 and 12 innings with ERAs of 1.45, 3.47, 3.22, 4.22 and 5.25. Jim led the NL with 24 saves in 1954.

After those 5 games with Brooklyn in '56, he went to the Cubs where he was in 25 games and 45 innings for an ERA of 5.16. In 1957, he wrapped up his big league seasons with 4 games for the White Sox (5 inn, 10.80). Over his 6-years, 172-game MLB career, he finished 296 innings allowing 278 hits and 165 walks with 165 strikeouts. He had an ERA of 3.83 and a 251 OAV, .344 OOB and 15-13 record.

Hughes was a pro ballplayer from 1946-1958 including seven years in AAA and managed in 1968. He stayed in baseball as a scout for the Blue Jays. Jim died at age 78 on Aug. 13, 2001, in Chicago due to a heart attack.

Fred Waters was a pitcher on the 1950 Saint Paul squad. His only big league experiences came in 1955-1956 for the Pirates in 2 and 23 games where he had ERAs of 3.60 and 2.82. Fred's MLB career ERA was a good 2.89 in 56 innings as he allowed 55 hits and 32 walks while striking out 14. He also had a .264 OAV, .365 OOB and 2-2 record.

Waters pitched professionally from 1949-1962 and was a minor league manager from 1964-1986 in the Twins organization. He also was a teacher, administrator and coach for high schools in Pensacola, FL, for 32 years. He died at age 62 on Aug. 28, 1989, at the West Florida Regional Medical Center in Pensacola from pancreatic cancer. Burial was at Roseland Park Cemetery in Hattiesburg, MS.



Chet Kehn was a short term pitcher on the 1950 Saints. He only had a cup of coffee in the majors for 3 games and 8 innings in 1942 for the Dodgers. In 3 innings, he completed 8 innings allowing 8 hits and 4 walks with 3 strikeouts. His ERA was 7.04 with a .267 OAV, .353 OOB and a 0-0 record.

As a pro, Kehn pitched from 1939-1950 (excluding 1943-1945) with seven years at the AAA level. He became a manager at a Handyman Hardware store in California. Death came at age 62 from a heart attack suffered in the [later named "Murphy"] Stadium parking lot in San Diego on April 5, 1984. Cremation followed.

Branch Rickey, as GM of the Dodgers, supplied players to the Saints from 1947-1949 and, many that he signed, contributed to the team well in the 1950s.. Without his good relationship with former club owner Walter Seeger, the Saint Paul franchise would not have been anywhere near as successful in it's post-war years.

-----

From the book "The Ballplayers":

"The honorific The Mahatma combined respect for Rickey's baseball sagacity with amusement at his pontifical manner and florid speech, which gave him the air of a con man playing a parson. He could have been either, but essentially he was the traditional American type, the sharp trader. The basis of his success was a nearly infallible eye for baseball talent. Over and over again, he was the potential in raw youth, brought hidden qualities to light and calculated precisely the productive time left in a veteran.

"...he created the spring-training complex at Vero Beach, where players by the hundreds could be instructed, evaluated and assigned. And he encouraged such innovations as batting cages, pitching machines, batting helmets and a string outline of the strike zone rigged over home plate for pitchers working on control.

"Rickey's all-seeing eye enhanced his knack for trades, for the always knew precisely the players he wanted and exactly the players he was prepared to give up. Add to this his psychological ploys and circumlocutory argument and his trading partners often departed shirtless, but persuaded he had done them a favor. Perhaps the eye also prompted the most significant action of his career: destruction of baseball's persistent discrimination against blacks. For however noble his motives, he was undeniably the first beneficiary of the change. It certainly was a brave move to sign Jackie Robinson, breaking the silently-upheld color barrier that had existed since the 1880s. But by exploiting the Negro Leagues as a new source of talent, Rickey built a dynasty that won the NL pennant seven times from 1947 through 1956.

"Rickey was not much of a ballplayer himself, although he came to the Reds in 1904 well-recommended as a catcher...but [he was] cut before he ever caught a game. The Browns and the Highlanders tried him as a backup catcher until an injured throwing arm ended his playing career. At New York, he was behind the plate on a day Washington stole 13 bases.

"By 1913 he had coached at the U. of Michigan, earned a law degree and taken a front-office job with the Browns. Toward the season's end he replaced George Stovall as field manager. His record was well under .500 and he never got along with Phil Ball, who took over the Browns in the maneuvering that divided the Federal League spoils. In 1919, after a brief military service, Rickey became president and field manager of the Cardinals. Soon he began his long and profitable partnership with hardheaded Sam Breadon, the automobile-dealer-turned-baseball-magnate.

"The Cardinals...cashbox was empty. ...Rickey, now vice president, made his first investment in a minor a minor league farm team. Branch also managed for seven seasons, again slightly under .500. After finishes between third place and seventh place, Breadon ousted him...[but] Rogers Hornsby...promptly took the squad Rickey had assemble to the first of many Cardinals pennants and World Championships. Rickey was now a man of prominence. Yet with success came other qualities...[He] was a slick article, an ambiguous personality...

"He was equally successful in Brooklyn in the 1940s, crowning his achievement with the skillfully manipulated introduction of Jackie Robinson. He was eventually squeezed out of the picture by Walter O'Malley, but even after moving to Los Angeles, the Dodgers continued to be successfully run according to his principles. In 1950, he undertook to put new life into the Pirates, but the Mahatma's magic was gone. After five doormat finishes, Joe L. Brown stepped in to take his place. However, Rickey did succeed in making the batting helmet standard gear during his time in Pittsburgh.

"In 1959 Rickey launched an effort to form a third major league, the Continental League. The majors reacted with alarm. They could not confront the new venture directly without raising antitrust concerns, so they preempted the new league's prime franchises in the expansion of 1961-62, an expansion Rickey had long advocated. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1967 by the Veterans Committee." - A. D. Suehsdorf

-----
Rickey died at age 83 on Dec. 9, 1965, in Columbia, MO, from a heart attack suffered while addressing the Missouri State Hall of Fame. [He had just been inducted into their hall of fame.] Burial was at the Rushtown Cemetery in Rushtown, OH



-----1951-----

Clay Hooper led the Saints to a second place finish - nine games out. They had won two more games, but attendance dropped another 28,000 fans. Other teams in the American Association were facing worse problems.

Johnny Rutherford (15-8) joined the club completing the second most innings (190), second best ERA (2.94) and tied for second most wins and in WHIP (1.30). He was the only Saint Paul player chosen for the league's All Star team. Pat McGlothin (15-7) returned tying for the lead in wins and tied for second in WHIP (1.30) while finishing with a club-leading 195 innings. Both Johnny and Pat started 24 games. Clem Labine (9-6) was in 20 games and had 15 starts [led team in ERA and was second in WHIP] before getting his first big league look with the Dodgers. Earl Mossor (9-10) had 22 starts in 27 appearances and completed 152 innings, but had a too high ERA and WHIP (4.80/1.53) after appearing in a few games for the Dodgers and pitching in the Southern Association. Minor league veteran, Bill Samson (8-9), made 18 starts and 11 relief appearances for 119 frames with an ERA of 5.14 and WHIP of 1.77.

Relief pitcher Al Epperly (13-4) was a new face for 34 games and 71 innings and led the team with the best WHIP (1.24) and had a good ERA of 3.80. Gaylord Lemish (5-6), who never made it to the majors, pitched the most games of any Saint that year (37), completed 111 innings, but his ERA (5.11) and WHIP (1.64) were not great. John VanCuyk (1-6) saw action in 36 contests and did not perform well (6.22 ERA, 1.72 WHIP).

Future Dodger star, Joe Black (4-3), spent more time in Montreal then St. Paul, but did make seven starts and had two relief appearances for 60 total innings compiling an excellent ERA of 2.25 and 1.13 WHIP. Jim Romano (2-5) came back for 16 games with a poor record (5.79 ERA, 1.68 WHIP). Kent Peterson (2-1) came from the Reds and was in 12 forgettable games (6.07 ERA, 1.83 WHIP). Marion Fricano (2-0), pitched in 9 games for the Saints, but played most of the year in the Southern Association and Nick Andromidas ended his pro career with one game for St. Paul after walking four in his only inning.

Catcher Tim Thompson (.296) returned to the Saints after a two-year absence and started 92 games behind the plate. The backups were Dick Teed (.222) for 65 games and long-time major leaguer Mickey Livingston (.182 in 6 games) who was also in games for the Dodgers and in the Texas League during the year.

Danny Ozark (.261) was a Saints returnee and had his best year, with the club, as the first base starter. He was third in homers with 15 and was spelled by Micky Rocco (.234) who last played on the Saints in 1937 and also had time with Portland and Kansas City during the season. Jack Cassini (.305) continued to be the second baseman finishing second in team hitting and leading in stolen bases (34). Future major leaguer, Don Hoak (.257), arrived after four years in the lower minors and was the main guy at third base. It was obvious that shortstop Jim Pendleton (.301) was headed for the majors soon, but he was road-blocked by the great Dodger infield and outfield of the early 50s. Jim led the team in homers with 21, slugging % and was third in average and second in RBI (79). Al Brancato (.258) was back for his fifth year as a (generally) infield reserve and the club also used Jack Lindsey (.205) and Dick Raklovits (.250) for infield duty. Raklovits was in military service during the 1952-53 seasons and ended his career after one year in the lower minors.

At age 36, Eric Tipton (.275), played his sixth and last season for the Saints and still led the club in RBI (81) and OBP (.506) in 121 games. Bill Antonello (.253) returned as an outfield starter and was second in home runs (17) and slugging %. Minor league-lifer Frank Marchio (.247) was the other outfield regular. Dick Whitman (.311) played well in 97 games to lead the team in hitting with 334 at bats after arriving from the Phillies. Don Nicholas (.241) was second in steals again with 16 before going down to the Southern Association after 40 games. Bob Bundy (.132) also saw action in 17 games [also played in Eastern and Texas Leagues during year] and old-Saint Earl Naylor had 16 at bats in 13 games, but was only credited with two hits.

The team, at least, got past the first round in the post-season playoffs defeating Louisville four games to one. However, in the finals, Milwaukee beat the good guys four games to two.

All left-handed hitters in Lexington Park were blessed on July 20 when a wind storm completely destroyed the right-field fence. A new 25-foot tall wall was built 35 feet closer (now 330 feet) which also eliminated the slope in front of the wall.

[Minnesota Historical Society]

Lexington Park After Installation of New Right Field Fence

**********

Lt. Carroll Sweiger died in action in Korea on October 4 at the age of 27. He was born in Baltimore on May 20, 1924, and pitched for Indianapolis in 1948.

**********

1951 Hitting

Main Pos-G

Bats

Age

AB

H

2b/3b

HR

Ave

Slg

OBP

RBI /SB

BB

Birth Place

Tim Thompson #

C-108

L

27

335

99

15/5

3

296

397

376

38/1

27

Coalpoint, VA

Danny Ozark

1b-124

R

28

376

98

21/1

15

261

441

423

74/1

61

Buffalo, NY

Jack Cassini #

2b-130

R

32

463

141

29/0

8

305

419

443

50/34

64

Dearborn, MI

Don Hoak #

3b110,SSOF (126)

R

23

366

94

10/4

5

257

347

443

34/4

68

Roulette, PA

Jim Pendelton #

SS-143

R

27

564

170

18/13

21

301

491

379

79/14

44

St. Charles, MO

Frank Marchio

OF-140

R

26

405

100

22/7

4

247

365

338

51/3

37

Eric Tipton *

OF-132

R

36

385

106

26/6

11

275

460

506

81/9

89

Petersburg, VA

Bill Antonello #

OF-116

R

24

363

92

13/7

17

253

468

333

65/4

29

Brooklyn

Dick Whitman *

OF-97

L

31

334

104

21/6

3

311

437

434

57/4

41

Woodburn, OR

Al Brancato *

3b40,2b371b4

R

32

264

68

8/0

8

258

379

383

41/1

33

Philadelphia

Dick Teed #

C-67

S

25

207

46

9/0

2

222

295

0.285

17/1

13

Springfield, MA

Don Nicholas #

OF-40

L

21

108

26

0/2

0

241

278

509

2/16

29

Phoenix

Dick Raklovits

3b13,SS(23)

L

23

36

9

2/0

0

250

306

333

3/0

3

Jack Lindsey

SS2b3b-17

R

24

39

8

0/1

0

205

256

256

3/1

2

Mickey Rocco * @

1b-72

L

35

175

41

7/1

7

234

406

440

27/0

36

Saint Paul

Bob Bundy

3bOF-17

R

27

38

5

0/0

0

132

132

237

0/1

4

Kansas City,MO

Earl Naylor *

OF-13

R

32

16

2

0/0

0

125

125

188

0/1

1

Kansas City,MO

Mickey Livingston *

C-6

R

37

11

2

0/0

1

182

455

3/0

Newberry, SC

Joe Torpey

2b-4

R

23

9

1

0/0

0

111

111

1/0

1951 Pitching

Thrw

Age

G

GS

W-L

IP

H

BB

ERA

WHIP

SO

Birth Place

Pat McGlothin #

R

31

30

24

15-7

195

184

69

3.78

1.30

91

Coalfield, TN

John Rutherford #

R

26

26

24

15-8

190

194

53

2.94

1.30

72

Bellevue, ON (Can)

Al Epperly *

R

33

34

1

13-4

71

65

23

3.80

1.24

33

Glidden, IA

Clem Labine #

R

25

20

15

9-6

117

104

42

2.62

1.25

63

Lincoln, RI

Earl Mossor #

R

26

27

22

9-10

152

164

69

4.80

1.53

87

Forbus, TN

Bill Samson

L

25

29

18

8-9

119

130

81

5.14

1.77

64

Gay Lemish

R

25

37

6

5-6

111

124

58

5.11

1.64

41

Joe Black #

R

27

9

7

4-3

60

44

24

2.25

1.13

35

Plainfield,NJ

John VanCuyk *

L

30

36

10

1-6

94

116

46

6.22

1.72

53

Little Chute, WI

Jim Romano #

R

24

16

13

2-5

73

73

50

5.79

1.68

25

Brooklyn

Marion Fricano #

R

28

9

2-0

35

29

17

4.89

1.31

14

Brant, NY

Kent Peterson *#

L

26

12

8

2-1

46

52

32

6.07

1.83

26

Goshen, UT

Lee Griffeth *

L

26

4

0-1

3

8

1

18.00

3.00

1

Carmel, NY

Nick Andromidas

R

27

1

0-0

1

0

4

18.00

4.00

0

New York City

* = Prev MLB

# = Future MLB

@=played for another AA team



1951 Standings

W

L

Pct

GB

Attend.

Manager

Milwaukee Brewers

94

57

623

--

245,066

St. Paul Saints

85

66

563

9

171,999

Clay Hopper

Kansas City Blues

81

70

536

13

242,118

Louisville Colonels

80

73

523

15

148,101

Minneapolis Millers

77

75

507

17.5

143,279

Toledo Mud Hens

70

82

481

24.5

99,932

Indianapolis Indians

68

84

447

26.5

181,241

Columbus Red Birds

53

101

344

42.5

102,320



Don Hoak was a member of the 1951 Saint Paul club. He was with the Dodgers in 1954-55 for 88 and 94 games hitting .245 and .240 as a back-up third baseman. Don then moved to the Cubs for 1956 in 121 games with a .215 average. His career turned around in 1957, for the Reds, as he hit .293 in 149 games, played in that season's All Star game and led the league in doubles and fielding % for third basemen.

He stayed with the Reds for the '58 year batting .261 in 114 games. Don's most productive years were with the Pirates during the 1959-1962 seasons when he played in 155, 155, 145 and 121 contests compiling averages of .294, .282, .298 and .241. He again led the league in fielding in '62.

His big league years closed out in 1963-1964, with the Phillies, for 115 and 6 games batting .231 and .000. In his MLB career, he was in 1,263 games and had 4,322 at bats with a .265 BA, .347 OBP and .396 slugging. In 1,199 games at third, he fielded a good .959.

-----

From the book "The Ballplayers":

"Hoak was an outspoken, brawling firebrand, the spiritual leader of the 1960 World Champion Pirates. A pro boxer as a teenager, he lost seven straight knockouts before giving up. He carried his pugnacity to the ballfield. He broke in sharing third base in Brooklyn with Billy Cox and Jackie Robinson. As Cub on May 2, 1956, he set a NL record by striking out six times in a game (17 innings). In 1957, he...earned an All Star Game berth in the Cincinnati ballot-box-stuffing incident. Traded to Pittsburgh, he led the Pirates in walks in 1959-61 and paced the 1960 championship team with 97 runs scored.

"In a Braves-Reds game on April 21, 1957, Hoak was on second and Gus Bell was on first when Wally Post grounded to shortstop. Hoak fielded the ball himself, flipping it to a stunned Johnny Logan at short. Hoak was out for getting hit by a batted ball, but the Reds still had two on and Post was credited with a single. The third such incident involving the Reds that season, it moved league presidents Warren Giles and Will Harridge to jointly announce a rule change that declared both the runner and the batter out if the runner intentionally interfered with a batted ball, with no runners allowed to advance.

"Hoak later managed in the Pittsburgh system. He died of a heart attack chasing his brother-in-law's stolen car on October 9, 1969, the day Danny Murtaugh was rehired as Pirates manager - a position Hoak had openly sought." - Morris Eckhouse

-----

Hoak played as a pro from 1947-1964 and managed in 1968-1969. He also was a U.S. Marine during WWII, a major league coach for the Phillies in 1967 and a Pirates broadcaster. He was 41 years old when he died in Pittsburgh and was buried at Fishing Creek Cemetery in Roulette, PA.

Jim Pendleton played with the St. Paul clubs of 1949-1951. He played for the Braves from 1953-1956 in 120, 71, 8 and 14 games with averages of .299, .200 and he went hitless in '55 and '56 with 10 and 11 official at bats those years. In 1957-1958, he played in 46 and 3 games for the Pirates with .305 and .333 hitting marks. Jim was in 65 games for the Reds in 1959 batting .257 and ended his big league years with 117 games for the expansion Colt 45s in 1962 (.246).

He performed in 444 MLB games and had 941 at bats compiling a .255 BA, .292 OBP and a .365 slugging. Defensively, he played 279 games in the outfield, 24 at third, 17 at short and also was positioned at first and second in a few games during his career. His career fielding percentage was .959.

-----

From the book "The Ballplayers":

"One of the top shortstops in the Negro National League during the late 1940s, Pendleton shaved two years off his age when he signed with the Dodgers. However, with Pee Wee Reese at short for Brooklyn, Jim sat in the minors for four years despite excellent hitting. Traded to the Braves in 1953, he switched to the outfield...in a part-time role..." - Merritt Clifton

-----

Pendleton was a pro from 1949-1963 (not including his professional year of 1948 in the Negro Leagues) and was at the AAA level during ten seasons. In the early 1980s, he was employed with the California Tanning Co. in St. Louis. He died at age 72 on March 20, 1996, in Houston and was buried at Houston's National Cemetery.

Bill Antonello played for the Saints in 1950-1951 and 1954. His only year in the big leagues was 1953 for the Dodgers when he appeared in 40 games and had 43 at bats for a .163 average, .200 OBP and .302 slugging. He played in the outfield for 25 games with a .964 fielding %.

Antonello was a pro player from 1946-1957 with six seasons at the AAA level. He was a WWII veteran and, after baseball, was a steam fitter in St. Paul and also worked on the Alaskan pipeline. He died at age 65 on March 4, 1993, in Fridley, MN, and was buried at the Fort Snelling National Cemetery in the Twins Cities.


Dick Teed was on the 1951 Saint Paul squad. On July 24, 1953, he made his only appearance in the major leagues. For the Dodgers, he pinch hit and struck out. He recalled his at bat: ”All I remember is that I was up there challenging (Max) Surkont. I struck out, but I went down taking good cuts.''

Teed served in the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II. After being honorably discharged in 1947. His service included the battle of Okinawa in 1945.

Teed was a pro from 1947-1965 (excluding 1956 and 1964), but including eight years in AAA. He managed in 1965-66 and then became a Phillies scout from 1968-1977 and a Dodgers scout until retirement in 1994. Teed was inducted into the National Baseball Scouts Hall of Fame at Camden Yards, Baltimore in 2001. In the early 1980s, he was living in Enfield, CT and later lived in Windsor, CT.

He died at 88 years of age in Newport, RI, on August 17, 2014. Burial was at the Windsor Veterans Memorial Cemeter in Windsor.





Don Nicholas was a played for St. Paul from 1949-1951. His only big league games were 3 and 7 for the White Sox in 1952 and 1954 as he failed to get a hit in 2 official plate appearances (he walked once) as a pinch hitter It appears that he was called into more games as a pinch runner as he scored 3 runs, but he never played defensively. .

Nicholas played pro baseball from 1948-1959 including eight years at the AAA level. He won minor league stolen base crowns in 1948-1949, 1952-1954 and 1957. Don lived in Garden Grove, CA, for at least 25 years and died there at the age of 77 on October 23, 2007. His remains were cremated.

Thompson "Mickey" Livingston caught for the Saints for part of the 1951 year. He had a long ten-year major league career which began in 1938 when he was in 2 games for the Senators. His next experiences came in 1941-1943 for the Phillies in 95, 89 and 84 games with averages of .203, .205 and .249. He also played 36 games for the Cubs in '43 (.261).

Mickey stayed with the Cubs from 1945-1947 appearing in 71, 66 and 19 games compiling averages of .254, .256 and .212. [In the '45 World Series, he had 3 doubles and 4 RBI]. He was in five more games during the '47 season for the Giants (.167). The catcher had 45 and 19 games for the Giants in 1948-1949 (.212, .298) and finished off the '49 year with the Braves in 28 contests (.234). In 1954, he was in his final big league games (2 g, 2-for-5) for the Dodgers.

During his 561-game and 1,490-at bats MLB career, he batted .238 with a .310 OBP and .326 slugging. He fielded .984 in his 483 games behind the plate [he also played first in 14 contests].

Livingston was a pro player from 1937-1956 (excluding his U.S. Army service year of 1944) and he managed from 1952-1956. After baseball, he was employed by Bethlehem Steel and was retired to Gilchrist, TX, by the early 1980s. He died at age 68 at the VA Hospital in Houston on April 3, 1983, and was buried at Rosemont Cemetery in Newberry, SC.

Johnny Rutherford pitched for St. Paul in 1951 and 1954-1955. His only year in the majors was 1952 for the Dodgers when he was in 22 games (11 starts) with 97 innings allowing 97 hits and 29 walks with 29 strikeouts. His ERA was 4.25 with a .262 OAV, .319 OOB and 7-7 record. In the 1952 World Series, he pitched one inning allowing one hit, one walk and collected one strikeout.

Rutherford was a pro from 1947-1955. After baseball, he went to Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine in Missouri, where the emphasis is on the inter-relationship of the muscular and skeletal systems in diagnosis and treatments. In the early 1980s, he practiced at the River Rouge Clinic in Dearborn, MI. He then lived in Bloomfield Hills, MI. John Rutherford, D.O., is now retired from the River Rouge Clinic in Deerborn, MI, and was 90 years old on May 5, 2015.



Joe Black pitched for the Saints in 1951. He was a relief pitcher for the Dodgers in 1952-1955 for 56, 34, 5 and 6 games as he completed 142, 73, 7 and 15 innings with ERAs of 2.15, 5.33, 11.57 and 2.93. Joe was 15-4 in '52.

The remainder of his '55 year was with the Reds in 32 appearances (11 starts) as he finished 102 innings with a 4.22 ERA. He was strictly a reliever for the Reds in 1956 in 32 contests and 62 innings (4.52). His final big league games were 7 for the Senators in 1957 (13 inn, 7.11 ERA). Joe pitched in 172 MLB games (16 starts) completing 414 innings allowing 391 hits and 129 walks while striking out 222. His career ERA was 3.91 with a .248 OAV, .306 OOB and 30-12 record.

-----

From the book "The Ballplayers":

"Joe Black, who began in the Negro Leagues, won Rookie of the Year honors as a 28-year-old reliever for the 1952 Dodgers. He won 14 in relief and added 15 saves, using a blazing fastball and tight curve. At seasons' end, Dodger manager Chuck Dressen started him twice (a win and a loss) to prepare him for the starting of the first game of the WS. He won 4-2, but then lost two close games (also starts) 2-0 and 4-2. His victory was the only one by a black pitcher in the WS until Mudcat Grant won in 1965.

"In spring training the next year, Dressen insisted that Black learn several new pitches. He lost control of the two that had brought him success and was never effective again." - Gerald Bierne

-----

Black pitched as a pro from 1951-1957 and was in the Negro Leagues from 1943-1950 excluding military service in 1943-1945.. He graduated from Morgan State U. and took postgraduate studies at Seton Hall and Rutgers. Later he became vice president for special markets at the Greyhound Corporation. Joe was also associated with the baseball's commissioner's office, a director of the Baseball Assistance Team, worked for the Diamondbacks in community relations and wrote the book "Ain't Nobody Better Then You". He died at age 78 on May 17, 2002, from prostate cancer in Phoenix, AZ, and was buried at Hillside Cemetery in Scotch Plains, NJ. .

John VanCuyk pitched for Saint Paul in 1950-1951. He had limited appearances in the majors for the Dodgers in 1947-1949 appearing in only 2, 3 and 2 games. In his 7 MLB games (no starts), he finished 10 innings allowing 12 hits and 3 walks while striking out 3. His ERA was 5.23 with a .293 OAV and .341 OOB. He had no big league decisions.

Van Cuyk pitched as a professional from 1940-1953 (excluding military service in the Army from 1941-1945), but it did include seven years at the AAA level. After playing semi-pro baseball in Rochester, MN, he moved there to sell automobiles and real estate. He died at age 89, on July 10, 2010, at the Gold Living Center West in Rochester and was buried at St. Agnes Cemetery in Kellogg, MN.

Jim Romano was a pitcher on the 1948-1951 Saint Paul clubs. He only got into 3 big league games (one start) in September 1950 for the Dodgers. He completed 6 innings allowing 8 hits and 2 walks while striking out 8. His ERA was 5.68 with a .296 OAV, .345 OOB and no decisions.

Romano performed at the pro level from 1946-1952. He became a NYC policeman and then retired to Deer Park, NY. Jim died at age 63 on Sept. 12, 1990, in NYC.

Kent Peterson pitched on the 1951 St. Paul Saints. He performed for the 1944 and 1947-1951 Reds in 1, 37, 43, 30, 9 and 9 games (mostly in relief) with ERAs of 0.00, 4.25, 4.60, 6.24, 7.20 and 6.52. His record was 6-13 in '47 and 2-15 in '48.

He returned to the majors in 1952-1953 for 3 and 15 games with the Phillies earning 0.00 and 6.67 ERAs. His MLB career constituted 147 games (43 starts) with 420 innings as he allowed 434 hits and 215 walks while striking out 208. His ERA was 4.95 with a .266 OAV, .357 OOB and 13-28 record.

Peterson was a pro hurler from 1944-1956 (excluding his military service in 1945-1946). In the early 1980s, he was employed in the home improvement business in Orem, UT. Kent was also involved in community activities and was an avid golfer who was inducted into the Utah Sports Hall of Fame. He died at age 69 on April 27, 1995, at the LDS Hospital in Salt Lake City from complications from an automobile accident in Highland, UT. Burial was at the Orem City Cemetery in Orem.

Robert "Clay" Hopper managed the 1950-1951 Saints. He never played in the majors. In the minors, as an outfielder, he played from 1926-1941 at class AA or less with 12 years of averages over .300. [He hit four home runs in one game for Danville on July 17, 1927.]

Clay was a minor league manger in 1929, 1931-1945 in the lower minors Then from 1946-1949 in the International League, 1950-1951 in the American Association and 1952-1956 in the PCL. His teams won five pennants over the course of his managerial career and he is #15 in wins for all minor league managers.

Hopper died at age 73 on April 17, 1976, in Greenwood, MS.

-----1952-----

Clay Hopper left the Dodgers' organization to manage Portland of the PCL. He was replaced by Clay Bryant who had managed in the Ohio St. League from 1944-47; Tri-State League in 1948 and 1950; Southern Atlantic League in 1949; and the Piedmont League in 1951. He had pitched pro ball from 1930-46 and was a major leaguer from 1935-40.

Bryant

Bryant's club dropped one place to third in the standings but lost another 47,000 at the box office with five less wins. Their attendance was now sixth in the league and had dropped to a little bit more then that of 1944. The American Association, which had been an unparalleled example of minor league stability for 50 years, had it's first franchise causality during the season. After drawing only 41,500 fans, the Toledo Mud Hens called it quits on June 20. The league shifted the franchise to Charleston, WV, and they drew about 122,000 the rest of the season.

Four of the regular position players hit over .300 and two heavily-used bench players also cleared that mark as the Saints offensive numbers were up. Frank Baldwin (.255) became the catcher in his only season with St. Paul and was backed up by Thad ("Ted") Bosiack (.274) for 40 games [also spent time in the Texas League in his last pro season]; Ray Cash (.212) in 23 games; and Merv Dornburg and Arnie Fischer with five games each.

Danny Ozark (.231) was the starter at first base for the final time and was spelled by 38-year-old Bert Haas (.251) who was new to the Saints. Mickey Rocco (.231) also got into 23 games with his home town club, but they were his swan song here. All Star Jack Cassini (.308) again had a good year at second with 35 steals. Newcomer and All Star Bob Wilson (.334) was the infield star at third base. He led the club in RBI with 117 and was second in average. Russ Rose (.226), a career minor leaguer, was the full-time shortstop. The Saints had an excellent infielder to plug any hole in Wayne Terwilliger (.312) as he was between major league assignments and compiled an excellent .568 OBP. Spook Jacobs (.232) also played at second in 15 games but was in the Southern Association most of the year. After four seasons, utility infielder Al Brancato played his last five games in a Saints uniform before going down to the Texas League.

Future Dodgers' regular, Sandy Amoros (.337), led the team in hitting, slugging %, OBP (of the regulars) and was second in RBI. He got the call to Brooklyn at the end of the season. Another future big leaguer, Gino Cimoli (.319) played well. The other outfield position was a platoon of Bill Sharman (.294) [he played pro basketball for 11 years and became a NBA hall-of-famer], and his left-handed counter-part, the returning Dick Whitman (.333) who was third in team hitting. Also playing as outfielders during the year were Frank Marchio (.276) and Gale Wade (.167) who both played in three leagues during the season

Leading the Saints pitchers was new hurler, Earl Mossor (14-13) who led the team in wins, strike outs and innings pitched finishing the year with a 3.94 ERA and 1.53 WHIP. Pat McGlothin (13-14) came back for a team-leading 31 starts, was second in innings pitched and had a decent 3.97 ERA and 1.45 WHIP. Also compiling similar numbers was new guy, Ron Negray (11-7) who completed 189 innings for a 3.95 ERA and 1.48 as he also made some appearances with the '52 Dodgers. It is not known at what point in the season Hugh Oser arrived from Minneapolis, but he did have a 11-9 league win/loss record with 173 innings for a 4.21 ERA and 1.58 WHIP.

Al Epperly (9-4) appeared in more games then any other pitcher (57) and had the club's second best ERA of 3.63 and 1.39 WHIP although he only completed 72 innings. Future long-time big leaguer Ray Moore (4-4) made 12 starts (3.46 ERA/1.60 WHIP) for the Saints and also pitched in the Texas League and for Dodgers in '52. Minor league lifer, Don Otten (9-9), was the only other pitcher to reach triple digits in innings as he finished with a 4.86 ERA and 1.60 WHIP.

Another MLB vet, Bud Byerly (3-2), came over from the Reds and made 23 appearances for 61 innings with the best ERA and WHIP of any Saints pitcher (3.54/1.38). Three other hurlers appeared in more the ten games: Tom Lakos (1-1), Joe Baliga (1-2) and Bill Glane (3-2). None performed very well. Eight other players made appearances of which some should be mentioned: Ken Lehman (3-1) came back from military service to pitch in 4 games for the Saints (3.75 ERA) and was with the Dodgers for a short time during the season; Rex Barney (0-1), a major-league vet who never fully conquered his wildness, was in four games and three innings, but walked 14 for a 51.00 ERA [they were his last in pro ball]; Earl Naylor, a former St. Paul regular outfielder pitched in two games (5.14 ERA/2.71 WHIP) and apparently had three other appearances as a pinch hitter; Clem Labine played nearly the complete season with the Dodgers, but did have two games with the Saints; and Marion Fricano went to the Phillies and pitched in the International League during the season.

The team made no mark in the post-season playoffs losing all four first round games to Milwaukee.

-----

"Rick" of La Crescent, MN, wrote the St. Paul Pioneer Press, in the late 1990s, with two memories of Lexington Park:

"In the olden days, the Saints always held a preseason rally at St. Paul Auditorium. I think it was 1951 that I first cheated. As you entered the building, you received a numbered ticket for the drawings. I went to the back of the building and went out the back door and then went around to the front again and received another ticket. I did this about 10 times and it really paid off. I won a season's pass for all the Saints' games!

"Another memory was the bank of dirt that rose up to the right-field fence, starting about 10 feet from the fence. One fine afternoon game, Duke Snider was setting on the bank by himself. I yelled to him and asked if I could get his autograph and he yelled back 'Sure, come here.' I couldn't believe it that I was actually going to go out on the field. He gave me his autograph and then chatted with me for a few minutes..."

**********

On August 8, Bob Neighbors died in action in Korea. He was born in Talibina, OK, on Nov. 9,1917, and was an infielder on the 1940 Toledo Mud Hens.

**********

1952 Hitting

Main Pos-G

Bats

Age

AB

H

2b/3b

HR

Ave

Slg

OBP

RBI /SB

BB

Birth Place

Frank Baldwin #

C-120

R

24

369

94

22/1

12

255

417

331

57/1

28

High Bridge, NJ

Danny Ozark

1b94,OF1

R

29

334

77

18/0

17

231

437

350

62/2

40

Buffalo, NY

Jack Cassini *

2b-133

R

33

504

155

23/4

3

308

387

425

37/35

59

Dearborn, MI

Bob Wilson *

3b151,2b1

R

27

626

209

31/9

13

334

474

374

117/7

25

Dallas

Russ Rose

SS-153

R

25

513

116

10/3

7

226

298

343

59/8

60

Sierra Madre, CA

Gino Cimoli #

OF-142

R

23

474

151

24/10

10

319

443

392

70/13

35

San Francisco

Sandy Amoros #

OF-129

L

22

489

165

24/10

19

337

544

470

78/14

65

Havana, Cuba

Bill Sharman

OF118,3b1(137)

R

26

411

121

16/4

16

294

470

365

77/2

29

Dick Whitman *

OF-116

L

32

415

136

27/5

6

333

465

434

83/5

44

Woodburn, OR

Bert Haas #

1b67,OF2

R

38

255

64

12/2

4

251

361

373

33/5

31

Naperville, IL

Wayne Terwilliger *#

2b27,SS3bOF(125)

R

27

125

39

6/0

4

312

456

568

17/1

32

Claire, MI

Thad Bosiack

C-41

R

33

106

29

0/1

0

274

292

321

6/1

5

Mickey Rocco *

1b-23

L

36

26

6

1/2

1

231

538

577

9/0

9

Saint Paul

Spook Jacobs #

2b15,SS1(17)

R

27

56

13

4/1

0

232

339

411

5/2

10

Cheswold, DE

Frank Marchio

OF-11

R

25

29

8

1/1

0

276

379

379

4/0

3

Gale Wade #

OF-9

L

23

12

2

1/0

0

167

250

1/0

Hollister, PA

Earl Naylor *

OF-7

R

33

9

1

0/0

0

111

111

0/0

Kansas City,MO

Merv Dornburg

C-5

R

26

13

4

1/0

0

308

385

1/0

Al Brancato *

SS3b-5

R

33

12

2

0/1

0

167

333

1/0

Philadelphia

Arnie Fischer

C-5

R

23

5

0

0/0

0

000

000

1/0

1952 Pitching

Thrw

Age

G

GS

W-L

IP

H

BB

ERA

WHIP

SO

Birth Place

Earl Mossor #

R

27

36

30

14-13

226

241

105

3.94

1.53

145

Forbus, TN

Pat McGlothin *

R

32

32

31

13-14

213

229

79

3.97

1.45

95

Coalfield, TN

Ron Negray #

R

22

46

21

11-7

189

177

102

3.95

1.48

102

Akron, OH

Al Epperly *

R

34

57

0

9-4

72

78

22

3.63

1.39

18

Glidden, IA

Don Otten

R

25

37

12

9-9

126

143

59

4.86

1.60

44

Ray Moore #

R

26

12

12

4-4

78

69

56

3.46

1.60

72

Meadows, MD

Bud Byerly *#

R

32

23

2

3-2

61

63

21

3.54

1.38

30

Webster Groves, MO

Tom Lakos

R

29

27

4

1-1

74

103

46

7.66

2.01

24

Joe Baliga

R

19

12

1-2

36

47

20

7.50

1.86

19

Bill Glane

L

25

11

3-2

33

37

26

9.55

1.91

23

Detroit

Pershing Mondorff

R

34

6

1-1

9

15

1

9.00

1.78

4

Emmitsburg, MD

Ken Lahman #

L

24

4

3-1

24

31

8

3.75

1.63

21

Seattle

Rex Barney *

R

28

4

0-1

3

7

14

51.00

7.00

4

Omaha

Bill Sampson

L

26

8

0-4

33

30

23

5.45

1.61

16

Earl Naylor *

R

33

2

0-1

7

5

14

5.14

2.71

2

Kansas City,MO

Clem Labine #

R

26

2

0-1

14

11

11

5.14

1.57

5

Lincoln, RI

Pete Nicolis

L

22

3

0-0

5

6

9

3.00

5

Marion Fricano #

R

29

2

0-0

6

12

2

6.00

2.33

2

Brant, NY

Hugh Oser @

R

24

34

10

11-9

173

176

98

4.21

1.58

80

* = Prev MLB

# = Future MLB

@=played for another AA team



1952 Standings

W

L

Pct

GB

Attend.

Manager

Milwaukee Brewers

101

53

656

--

195,839

Kansas City Blues

89

65

578

12

243,974

St. Paul Saints

80

74

519

21

125,769

Clay Bryant

Minneapolis Millers

79

75

513

22

120,185

Louisville Colonels

77

77

500

24

132,626

Indianapolis Indians

75

79

487

26

165,220

Columbus Red Birds

68

85

444

32.5

78,132

Toledo/Charleston

46

107

301

54.5

164,641





Frank Baldwin played for Saint Paul in 1952. His only big league games were in 1953 for the Reds when he played in 16 games with 20 at bats (.100). He had a .143 OBP and .100 slugging. As a catcher in 6 games, his fielding average was 1.000.

Baldwin was a pro player from 1947-1959 which included three seasons in the American Association. He died at age 78 on Nov 18, 2004, in Beaver, OR, and was buried at the Oak Hill Cemetery in Springdale, OH..

Edmundo "Sandy" Amoros was a player on the 1952 Saints squad. He played in 20, 79, 119, 114, 106, 5 and 9 games for the Dodgers. in 1952 and 1954-1960. During those years, he batted .250, .274, .247, .260, .277, .200 and .143. His final big league games were for the Tigers in 1960 (65 g, .149).

All told, he was in 517 MLB games with 1,311 at bats for a .255 BA, .363 OBP and .430 slugging. His fielding %, in 354 outfield games, was .976.

-----

From the book "The Ballplayers":

"The Cuban native, who spoke almost no English, was never more than a semi-regular in the Dodger outfield, but he's remembered for one great play, generally listed among the most outstanding in World Series history. In game seven of the 1955 WS, his sprinting catch of Yogi Berra's drive down the leftfield line was the key to Brooklyn's victory . According to winning pitcher Johnny Podres: 'As great a catch as Amoros made, his relay to Pee Wee [to double up Gil McDougald] was even better.' When a reporter asked Amoros if he thought he would make the catch, he said: 'I dunno. I just run like hell.'" - Tom Gallagher

-----

Amoros was a pro player from 1950 (Negro League) and 1952-1962. Thereafter, he worked for the NYC Parks Department. Later he moved to Miami and became nearly destitute and had failing health his last years - he lost a leg to diabetes, had circulatory problems and died from pneumonia. Death was on June 27, 1992, at the age of 62, at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami and he was buried there at Woodlawn Park Cemetery.


Berthold "Bert" Haas was a player on the 1952 St. Paul team. He came up with the Dodgers in 1937-1938 for 16 and one game(s) going 10-for-25 as an outfielder, first baseman and pinch hitter. Bert then played some good years for the Reds from 1942-1943 and 1946-1947 appearing in 154, 101, 140 and 135 games with averages of .239, .262, .264 and .286 performing at third base, first and in the outfield. He played in the 1947 All Star game.

The right hander then moved to the Phillies for 1948-1949 in 95 (.282) and 2 contests before he was traded to the Giants where he finished the '49 year hitting .260 in 54 games. His last major league year was 1951 with the White Sox as he appeared in 23 games (.163). In his 721-game MLB career, he had 2,440 at bats with a .264 average, .323 OBP and .355 slugging. He was stationed at first base in 311 games, at third for 241 and in the outfield in 97 with a composite fielding average of .991.

-----

From the book "The Ballplayers":

"When Haas arrived in the majors with Brooklyn, he pinch-hit four days in a row, collecting a single and tree doubles. Haas served in Italy during WWII. Aggressive and hard-hitting, he hit a career-high .286 in 1947." - Ed Walton

-----

Haas was a pro ballplayer from 1936-1952 (excluding his service years of 1944-1945) and 1955-1958. He managed in the minors in 1956-1958 and 1961-1962. Bert became a wholesale liquor store worker and was retired in Tampa by the early 1980s. He died there at the age of 85 on June 23, 1999. Cremation followed.

Wayne Terwilliger was a player on the 1952 Saint Paul Saints. He arrived in the majors with the Cubs in 1949-1951 for 36, 133 and 50 games batting .223, .242 and .214 as a second baseman. During the '51 season, he was traded to the Dodgers where he was in 37 games (.280). After his stay in St. Paul, he played on the Senators in 1953-1954 and was generally their starting second baseman hitting .252 and .208.

Wayne played on the Giants in 1955-1956 in 80 and 14 games (.257 and .222) and ended his big league stay with the A's in 1959-1960 for 74 and 2 games with averages of .267 and .000. He had 666 MLB games with 2,091 at bats and hit .240 with a .323 OBP and .325 slugging. Defensively, he was at second in 605 games, at third in 14 and at short in 6 (career fielding average was .974).

----

From the book "The Ballplayers":

"A star shortstop at Western Michigan University, Twig collected eight consecutive hits for the Cubs in 1949. The next year, he was included in the deal that sent Any Pafko to Brooklyn..." - Rich Marazzi

-----

Wayne remember his 1952 year with the Saints in his book "Terwilliger Bunts One":

"By '52 Lexington Park was definitely showing its age. The clubhouse was the smallest I ever saw in organized baseball. Left field was short because it ran up against the back wall of an indoor roller-skating rink; when you hit the ball onto the rook of the rink, you had a home run. The other memorable feature of Lexington Park: rats as big as rabbits. Our clubhouse was right next to the right-field stands, and the bullpen was in front on them. I went down there to warm up the pitcher a few times when I wasn't playing. The first time I did that, I said to one of my teammates, 'Look at all those rabbits running around under the stands.' He said, 'Hey, buddy, look again; those are no rabbits.' Sure enough, they were rats, and they were huge.

"We had a pretty good team, including three outfielders who became big names: Gino Cimoli, a future All Star; Sandy Amoros, who played on some great Dodgers teams; and Bill Sharman, who was an emerging basketball star. Bill Sharman had just started playing with the Boston Celtics, and I was surprised that they would let him play baseball. I guess it didn't hurt him, because he was an All-Star all through the '50s and they won a lot of championships. He was a decent baseball player, although he could shoot much better than he could hit. What surprised me was that he was slow. I couldn't believe it the first time I saw him run. He was a flat-footed runner, clop, clop, clop, to first base. I thought, wow, this is the great Bill Sharman? But his basketball specialty was free throws, so I guess he didn't need speed.

"The Saints and the Minneapolis Millers were cross-town rivals...the crowds really turned out. Since the Saints were the Dodgers' Triple A club and the Millers were the Giants', it was a little like the rivalry I'd experienced in New York. I heard that over the years there had been plenty of brawls on the field, and sometimes even among fans. We felt the rivalry, too, but in those days you put your energy into the play, not into a brawl. At one point during the season, I was hit in the head with a pitch that was pretty obviously intentional. When I finally could get up and walk off the field, my teammate Jack Cassini went in to run for me. On the first pitch to the next batter, Jack took off for second base. He went roaring in with his spikes high, and he practically undressed Daryl Spencer, covering the bag for the Millers. The ball went one way, Spencer's glove went another, and when the dust settled Spencer was leaving the field with torn pants and a limp. There was no bawl, it was just one tough play following another and the matter was settled.

"Jack Cassini was our regular second baseman, and the fact that he was having an especially good year with the bat kept me from playing as much as I should have. I was hitting just under .300 most of the season, which wasn't bad at all. I did better toward the end of the season, and in the last game I went three for three and boosted my average in .312, the highest of my career. It was good enough that the Washington Senators bought my contract from the Dodgers in the off-season..."

-----

Terwilliger was a marine involved in heavy fighting, in the Pacific, during WWII and played as a pro from 1948-1961 and was in a few games in 1964 and 1967-1968. He managed in the minors in 1961, 1963-1968, 1973, 1975 and 1980 (1224-1089 record). Wayne was a major league coach for the Senators/Rangers in 1969-1972 and 1981-1985 and the Twins from 1986-1994. Thereafter, he was involved in independent "pro" leagues: as a coach in Saint Paul from 1995-2002; manager in Fort Worth (2003-2005) and has stayed as a coach with Fort Worth from 2006 through 2010. He later lived in Weatherford, TX, where he died in hospice care after being treated for bladder cancer on February 3, 2021.

Al Brancato played on the Saints clubs of 1948-1952. All of his major league appearances were with the A's in 1939-1941 and 1945 as he performed in 21, 107, 144 and 10 games batting .206, .191, .234 and .118 as generally a shortstop.

He played 282 games and had 930 at bats for a .214 BA, .290 OBP and .290 slugging. His fielding average was .927 in 230 games at short and 52 at third. He was known for having a strong arm.

He served on a heavy cruiser in the Pacific during WWII, was involved in the 5th Fleet's baseball team's tour of the Pacific, a "storekeeper" on Tinian (who also organized boxing matches there) and was an Athletic Specialist at the Philadelphia Naval Yard.

Brancato lettered in four sports at South Philadelphia High School and was a pro player from 1938-1953 (not including his military service of 1942-1944) that includes seven seasons at the AAA level - six in the American Association.

After pro baseball, he worked at St. Josephs University as an assistant baseball coach under Jack Ramsay, the future NBA Hall of Famer. After two seasons as an assistant, he took over the program for six years as the head coach.

Brancato eventually settled into a quiet life in Delaware County and was a favorite at card shows, especially with the Philadelphia Athletics Historical Society. He remained a fan of the game and died at age 93 at an assisted living facility in Media, PA, on June 14, 2012. He was buried at the SS Peter and Paul Cemetery in Springfield, PA.





Forrest "Spook" Jacobs was a Saints infielder for part of the 1952 year. After graduating from high school in 1943, Jacobsenlisted in the United States Army where he served as a Sergeant during the war.

He played for the A's in 1954-1956 in 132, 13 and 32 games with averages of .258, .261 and .216 as a second baseman. Jacobs finished the '56 season and his big league career with 11 games for the Pirates (.162).

Spook was in 188 MLB games and had 665 at bats compiling a .247 average, .329 OBP and .274 slugging percentage. His fielding % was .971 in 180 games played at second.

Jacobs debut in the major leagues was on April 13, 1954, and he is apparently only one of two MLB players to go 4-for-4 in his first major league game. Spook was a pesky hitter who reached base by slapping balls through the infield. He got his "ghostly" nickname, in the minors, from his ability to dump hits just over the heads of opposing infielders. He was also known as being good in hit-and-run situations. He had an obvious lack of power -- no homers in portions of three seasons in the majors. Despite this, he was a terrific contact hitter -- striking out only 4 percent of his total big league plate appearances.

He was owned by the Dodgers' organization for eight years, but since they had a surplus of good infielders, he was never called up to the big club. Jacobs was involved in an on-the field disturbance while playing for Columbus in July 1955: Lou Lmmer of Toronto slid into him at second base, knocking Jacobs down. Spook then threw a punch and was ejected. Earlier that year, a sore arm caused the A's to sent him down to the minors. His arm got better and he was selected as the outstanding International League second baseman that season with a .316 average.

Playing for Hollywood (PCL) on April 11, 1957, Jacobs was injured when he collided with his double-play mate - shortstop Dick Smith - when both were chasing a fly ball . Spook was feared to have suffered a serious skull fracture after being carried from the field on a stretcher, but it was determined to be of only the "hairline" type. He returned to the Stars' lineup on May 7. Later that season, L.A. pitcher Tommy Lasorda hit Jacobs with a pitch which happened to follow a 400-foot home run by relief pitcher Fred Waters, that broke a 4-4 tie. Jacobs charged Lasorda and then fought with the Angels' second sacker, Sparky Anderson. Hollywood went on to score 7 runs in the 5th inning to win 11-4.

----

From the book "The Ballplayers":

"After years of minor league apprenticeship, the frail infielder was the regular A's second baseman in 1954, but his good glove couldn't compensate for his light bat..." - Jack Kavanagh

-----

Jacobs was a pro baseball player from 1946-1960 and managed in the Phillies organization in 1960. He then operated, over the next 42 years, a donut shop and a bus terminal-newsstand in Milford, DE. Spook also produced some autograph and baseball card shows and one of his proudest achievements was when his personal stamp collection was on display in Cooperstown at Baseball's Hall of Fame. He also coached baseball at Del Tech and the Milford Little League.

He was a member of seven Sports Halls of Fame - Delaware Baseball, Columbus Ohio, Cuban Baseball, Eastern Shore, Delaware, South Jersey and Salem County (NJ). Jacobs died in Milford at age 85 on Feb. 18, 2011, at the Delaware Hospice Center. He was buried at Milford Community Cemetery.



Gale Wade played for the Saints for part of the 1952 season. He was in a few games (9 and 10) for the Cubs in 1955-1956 as an outfielder hitting .182 and .000. In his MLB career, he had 45 at bats with a .133 average, .220 OBP and .222 slugging. His fielding mark was .870 with 12 outfield games.

Wade was a professional baseball player from 1947-1961 with five years in the American Association and five in the PCL. After baseball, he was an electrician and district manager for a rural electricity co-op. living in Nebo, NC. He turned 86 in Jan. 2015 and still lives in Nebo.



[Minnesota Historical Society]

Earl Naylor was on the Saints rosters during the years of 1948-1952 and 1955. He was an outfielder-pitcher for the Phillies in 1942 and just an outfielder in 1943 in 76 and 33 games batting .198 and .175. His ERA in 20 pitching performances (4 starts) in '42 was 6.12. His last big league games were in 1946, for the Dodgers, when he was used as a pinch hitter going 0-for-2 in 3 games.

In his 112 MLB games, he had 290 at bats with a .186 average, .248 OBP and .245 slugging. His fielding average was .971 in 67 outfield games and 20 as a pitcher. As a hurler, Earl completed 60 innings allowing 68 hits and 29 walks with a .283 OAV, .363 OOB and a 0-5 record.

Naylor was a pro player from 1937-1955 including ten years at the AAA level. He managed in 1953-1955 and died at age 70 on Jan. 16, 1990, in Winter Haven, FL. Burial was at the Snelling National Cemetery in the Twin Cities of MN.

Earl Mossor pitched for the Saints in 1951-1952 and 1954. He made 3 appearances for the Dodgers in 1951 completing 2 innings allowing 2 hits and 7 walks with one strikeout. His ERA was 32.40 with a .333 OAV, .692 OOB and no record.

Mossor was a professional hurler in 1946 and 1949-1959 including seven years in AAA. Thereafter, he became a sheet metal worker in Bethel, OH, and died at age 63, on Dec. 29, 1988, in Batavia, OH.

Ken Lehman pitched for Saint Paul in 1952. He was with the Dodgers in 1952 and 1956-1957 for 4, 25 and 3 games with ERAs of 5.28, 5.66 and 0.00. [He mopped up the Dodgers' game two loss in the '52 World Series.] Ken pitched the remainder of the '57 season with the Orioles getting into 30 games and 68 innings for a good 2.78 ERA. He stayed in Baltimore in 1958 with 31 appearances (3.48). His final major league games were 41 for the 1961 Phillies when he had a 4.26 ERA.

In his MLB career, he played in 134 games, including 13 starts, and finished 265 innings allowing 273 hits and 95 walks with 134 strikeouts. His ERA was 3.91 with a .272 OAV, .337 OOB and 14-10 record.

Lehman was a pro pitcher from 1947-1962 (excluding 1951 when he was in the service). He won 22 games for Montreal in 1955. Ken was the head baseball coach at the U. of Washington from 1964-1971. He then worked briefly as a logger in Alaska before spending 31 years as a bus driver and field-house janitor for the Mount Baker School District in Deming WA. Lehman died at age 82 on Dec. 4, 2010, in Sedro Woolley, WA. Cremation followed and his remains were given to the family.

"He was a tremendous guy that knew how to pitch in the big leagues," former teammate and Dodger manager Tommy Lasorda said after his passing. "A typical Dodger player; hard-nosed, and when he was on that mound, he was tough. Outstanding guy. I was shocked when I heard about his death."

His daughter was asked about how he handled being a former ball player. "He never brought up any of that kind of stuff unless people asked about it. He wasn't like, 'Oh, I used to play pro ball. Did you know I know so-and-so? Did you know I played with Jackie Robinson? Did you know this? Did you know that?' If somebody would find out, or send him a letter or something, he would be happy to talk to somebody about it, but he was never the first one to say that, so you never thought anything about him."

Lehman's son added: "Players, the kids he coached, teammates ---- you couldn't find a person that didn't like my dad. You couldn't find a person who wouldn't do anything in the world for my dad."



Rex Barney pitched a few games for the 1952 St. Paul club. He got into 9 games (8 starts) for the 1943 Dodgers (6.35 ERA - 41 walks in 46 innings). Then from 1946-1950, he appeared in 16, 28, 44, 38 and 20 games, for them, with ERAs of 5.87, 4.75, 3.10, 4.41 and 6.42. In 1948, he pitched a no-hitter and had a 15-13 record.

During his all-Dodgers career of 155 games (81 starts), he completed 598 innings allowing 474 hits and 410 walks with 336 strikeouts. His ERA was 4.31 with a .221 OAV, .350 OOB and a 35-31 record. His famous quote: "If home plate had been high and outside, I'd be in the Hall of Fame."

-----

From the book "The Ballplayers":

"Barney's fastball was unhittable but all too often unreachable. In six...seasons of unfulfilled promise, only in 1948 did he strike out more batters than he walked (138 to 122)...After that he grew progressively wilder, to the frustration of Dodger boss Branch Rickey, who even tried a hypnotist on him..." - John Devaney

-----

Barney was a pro pitcher in 1943 and 1946-1952. He served his country in the military in 1944-1945. Rex was a radio announcer, bartender and worked for a liquor distributor before returning to baseball as the public address announcer for the Orioles from 1974-1997 [he would announce "Sign that man to a contract" after a good foul ball catch by a fan]. In the 1990s, he co-wrote "Orioles Memories" and died at age 73, at his home in Baltimore from a heart attack on Aug. 12, 1997. Burial was at Lorraine Park in Baltimore, MD.

Clem Labine was a pitcher on the 1949-1952 St. Paul teams. He pitched for the Dodgers from 1950-1960 in 1, 14, 25, 37, 47, 60, 62, 58, 52, 56 and 13 games, mainly as a reliever, with ERAs of 4.50, 2.20, 5.14, 2.77, 4.15, 3.24, 3.35, 3.44, 4.15, 3.93 and 5.82. He was selected for 1956-1957 All Star games, led the league in appearances in 1955 (with a 13-5 record) and saves in 1956-1957.

The rest of his '60 year was with the Tigers (14 g, 5.12) and the Pirates (15 g, 1.48 ERA). Clem stuck with the Pirates in 1961 getting into 56 games for a 3.69 ERA and end his big league years in 1962 with 3 games for the Mets (11.25). He pitched in 513 MLB games (38 starts) and completed 1,080 innings allowing 1,043 hits and 396 walks while striking out 551. His ERA was 3.63 with a .256 OAV, .323 OOB and a 77-56 record.

-----

From the book "The Ballplayers":

"The free-spirited sinkerballer was one of baseball's premier relievers in the 1950s. The durable Labine helped the Dodgers to four pennants in Brooklyn and another in Los Angeles...He retired Dodger-killer Stan Musial 49 consecutive times. After leaving the Dodgers, Labine pitched for the Pirates in the 1960 WS.

"Two of Labine's brightest moments came in the unaccustomed role as a starter, a 10-0 victory over the Giants in the second game of the 1951 NL playoff and a 1-0 10-innings shutout of the Yankees in game six of the 1956 WS. Although never a threat at bat, Labine's three hits in 1955 were all home runs." - Joe Lawler

-----

Labine pitched as a pro from 1944-1962 (excluding service years of 1945-1946). He became the manager of a sports apparel company (Jacob Finklestein's and Sons) and later a bank executive while living in Woonsucket, RI. In late Feb. 2007, Clem was hospitalized for pneumonia, had two strokes and then exploratory brain surgery. He died on March 2, 2007, at the age of 80, in Vero Beach, FL, and cremation followed.

Marion Fricano was a pitcher on the 1951-1952 Saint Paul clubs. He pitched on the 1952-1955 A's appearing in 2, 39, 37 and 10 games with 5, 211, 152 and 20 innings for ERAs of 1.80, 3.88, 5.16 and 3.15.

His MLB career was 88 games with 43 starts as he finished 388 innings allowing 393 hits and 164 walks with 115 strikeouts. His ERA was 4.32 and he had a .264 OAV, .341 OOB and 15-23 record.

-----

From the book "The Ballplayers":

"Fricano made a promising 9-12, 3.88 ERA start as a 30-year-old rookie...in 1953. The next year, erratic control dropped him to 5-11 and 5.16. - Merritt Clifton

-----

Fricano was a pro pitcher from 1947-1961 including ten years in AAA (six in the American Association). He became a school teacher in upstate New York and was town supervisor in North Collins from 1961-1973. He had cancer and was visiting family in California when he died at age 52, in a hospital in Tijuana, Mexico, on May 16, 1978. Burial was at Holy Spirit Cemetery in North Collins, NY.



-----1953-----

In Clay Bryant's second year, St. Paul fell to sixth place with ten less wins. Thankfully, attendance leveled off and actually increased by 13,500. The Saints failed to finish in the first division for the first time since 1947.

[Records indicate that, from 1908-1952, Saint Paul was a cumulative sixth in the league in attendance.]

The move of the Boston Braves to Milwaukee was, of course, a big blow for the American Association. The Braves did do the league a favor, however, by supporting the return of Toledo to the league under new management and as the big league club's AAA farm team.

Pitching appeared to be the '53 team's long suit. Ray Moore (11-14) was back to tie for the team lead in wins, led the club in WHIP (1.28) and was second in innings (187) with 28 starts. He also had another taste of the majors with Brooklyn during the season. Bob Darnell (11-12) joined the club to lead them in innings pitched (228), starts and ERA (3.12) while tying in wins. Ron Negray (10-12) had another good year, with the Saints, completing 182 innings with 28 starts for an ERA of 3.91 and WHIP of 1.43. Life-time minor leaguer and new Saint, Wade Browning (3-13), made 19 starts and relieved 12 times for 146 innings with acceptable numbers (4.13 ERA/1.41 WHIP). Future major leaguer, Don Bessent (11-10), was a newcomer and tied in wins in 31 games (4.32/1.49) and former Saint Johnny VanCuyk's brother, Chris (4-8), joined the club for 36 games and had a rather high ERA of 5.38 and 1.60 WHIP.

Norm Fox (6-3), who was a new face and never reached the bigs, appeared in 35 games for 79 innings with a good 3.65 ERA and Pat McGlothin (5-2) was back for 29 games finishing with the second-best team ERA of 3.26 and WHIP (1.31). Another new guy, Hal Erickson (5-3), made a good first impression in 15 games (3.76 ERA/1.27 WHIP). So good, in fact, that he was picked up by the Tigers during the season. Hugh Oser (1-3) was back for 16 contests and had a good 3.71 ERA. Al Epperly (4-2) pitched his last games for the Saints [his '53 A.A. complete record appears to have been lost.] Bud Byerly pitched for awhile in St. Paul before being sent to Minneapolis (A.A. record: 10-7, 4.36, 1.30). And finally, veteran Pete Wojey (1-0) saw action in five games (3.46 ERA).

Five of the offensive position regulars from '52 left the team and their replacements were generally so-so. Catcher Ray Dabek (.229), who was a Saint in 1949, returned to start 109 games and he was backed up by veteran Dixie Howell (.314) in 64 games and also got into a few with the Dodgers during the year. Another former St. Paul player, first baseman Ted Bartz (.280), who was last seen in 1950, was the starter at first and played acceptably. Newcomer, Joe Lutz (.238), was in Bartz' shadow getting into 47 games.

Back for year number four and repeating as an All Star was second baseman Jack Cassini (.324) who led the team in hitting. Slugging third baseman, Bob Wilson (.317), also returned ending up second in hitting and first in team RBI (77). Completing the infield regulars was future baseball legend, Don Zimmer (.300), who in only 81 games hit 23 home runs to lead the team, had the second most RBI and was first in slugging %. His season ended on July 7 when he was hit in the head by a pitched ball. [For complete information, please see Zimmer's mini-bio elsewhere on this web page.] The club's reserve infielder was Jack Lindsey (.225) who had last seen action in St. Paul in 1951.

Saint Paul native, Walt Moryn (.306), saw his first action for his home town team hitting 13 home runs to finish second on the club in that department [he also played in Montreal during the year]. Gino Cimoli (.262) came back and was a steady outfielder in 143 games. Veteran Ray Coleman (.242) was the other regular and saw action in all but two of the Saints games. Dick Whitman (.251) returned as the number one outfield reserve in his last action for St. Paul [he also was in Montreal part of the season.] The other player to see outfield play was life-time minor leaguer Carlton "Allen" Leap (.194). Long-time Saint Danny Ozark made his last two St. Paul appearances as a player.

-----

In 2008, Bob Burt, a longtime St. Paul-area resident, recalled that there was a Lexington Park fan who usually bellowed "Come on, hit it over the 'Clesium' !" every time the Saints had a rally.- "Clesium" being the Coliseum Building right over the left-field fence.

He also remembered that future major league player and manager, Wes Westrum, who was in the stands for a game when his team was scheduled to play the Saints the next day [Westrum played for the Minneapolis Millers in 1941, 1942 and 1947], threaten a Saints player or players with some kind of mayhem the next day during their game. [Burt played against Westrum in Minnesota amateur games in the 1930s.]

-----

1953 Hitting

Main Pos-G

Bats

Age

AB

H

2b/3b

HR

Ave

Slg

OBP

RBI

SB

Birth Place

Ray Dabek

C-113

R

26

328

75

10/1

8

229

338

53

Ted Bartz

1b-149

R

28

529

148

20/8

7

280

388

69

Detroit

Jack Cassini *

2b-155

R

34

602

195

32/6

12

324

457

51

Dearborn, MI

Bob Wilson *

3b-147

R

28

575

182

32/5

12

317

452

77

Dallas

Don Zimmer #

SS-81

R

22

320

96

14/4

23

300

584

63

Cincinnati

Ray Coleman *

OF-152

L

31

532

129

21/4

7

242

336

57

Dunsmuir, CA

Gino Cimoli #

OF-145

R

24

546

143

21/7

3

262

342

52

San Francisco

Walt Moryn #

OF-87

L

27

304

93

12/03

13

306

493

38

Saint Paul

Jack Lindsey

SS-106

R

26

293

66

14/2

5

225

338

35

Dixie Howell *#

C-83

R

33

198

49

3/4

8

247

424

26

Louisville

Joe Lutz *

1b-76

L

28

172

41

8/1

9

238

453

28

Keokok, IA

Dick Whitman *

OF-58

L

33

211

53

12/2

3

251

370

26

Woodburn, OR

Allen Leap

OF-69

R

28

108

21

4/2

3

194

352

12

Danny Ozark

PH-2

R

30

1

1

0/0

0

1000

1000

0

Buffalo, NY

Ray Cash

C-6

R

28

0

385

0

Richmond, VA

1953 Pitching

Thrw

Age

G

GS

W-L

IP

H

BB

ERA

WHIP

SO

Birth Place

Ray Moore #

R

27

34

28

11-14

187

154

86

3.56

1.28

Meadows, MD

Bob Darnell #

R

23

32

31

11-12

228

215

131

3.12

1.52

Wewoka, OK

Ron Negray #

R

23

30

28

10-12

182

167

93

3.91

1.43

Akron, OH

Wade Browning

L

31

31

19

3-13

146

139

67

4.13

1.41

Don Bessent #

R

22

31

17

11-10

150

153

71

4.32

1.49

Jacksonville, FL

Chris VanCuyk *

L

26

36

8

4-8

92

114

33

5.38

1.60

Kimberly, WI

Norm Fox

R

25

35

2

6-3

79

66

60

3.65

1.59

Pat McGlothin *

R

33

29

9

5-2

105

112

26

3.26

1.31

Coalfield, TN

Hal Erickson #

R

34

15

10

5-3

67

74

11

3.76

1.27

Portland, OR

Hugh Oser

R

25

16

3

1-3

51

52

32

3.71

1.65

Bud Byerly *# @

R

33

38

17

10-7

159

173

33

4.36

1.30

Webster Groves, MO

Al Epperly *

R

35

4-2

Glidden, IA

Pete Wojey #

R

34

5

1-0

13

11

9

3.46

1.54

Stowe, PA

Marv Robertson

L

20

0-0

* = Prev MLB

# = Future MLB

@=played for another AA team



1953 Standings

W

L

Pct

GB

Attend.

Manager

Toledo Mud Hens

90

64

584

--

343,614

Kansas City Blues

88

66

571

2

247,556

Louisville Colonels

84

70

545

6

177,080

Indianapolis Indians

82

72

532

8

206,786

Minneapolis Millers

76

78

494

14

128,630

St. Paul Saints

72

82

468

18

139,348

Clay Bryant

Columbus Red Birds

64

90

416

26

84,995

Charlestown Senators

60

94

390

30

178,377

Jack Cassini played on Saint Paul clubs from 1950-1953. He had a short stay of 8 games in the majors for the Pirates in 1949 as a pinch runner. He never came to bat nor fielded a position, however, he did score 3 runs.

Cassini played as a pro from 1940-1955 (excluding his time in the Army Air Corp. of 1942-1945). He led his leagues in stolen bases in 1940-1941, 1947-1948, 1951 and 1952 having stolen 378 in 1,517 minor league games. As a second and third baseman, he had 5,677 at bats with a .304 average. Jack managed in 1955-1956, 1959-1960, 1962, 1964-66, 1969, and 1976-1977.

He managed in the minors 11 seasons, some as player-manager in 1955-56, 1959-60, 1962, 1964-66, 1969 and 1976-77 (all in class AA or lower - except 1977 which was in AAA) for the White Sox, Mets, Reds and Indians systems, and was a scout for Cincinnati, the Mets and Cleveland. All told, he was in baseball for 50 years.

At age 70, he retired to Florida but soon began to sell Fuller Brush products at Leisure World. After his wife died, while he was in his 80s, he moved to Mesa, AZ, but still continued to sell the Fuller Brush line in hair salons of Phoenix's "East Valley". Jack died on Sept. 20, 2010, at 90 years old.

"I could hit, and I could run like hell. There was only one guy who ever beat me in a foot race," Cassini once said. "And that was Jesse Owens."

Joe Garagiola was asked in 2008 if he remembered Cassini. "Yeah, I remember him," Garagiola said. "I can still see him now. Running, running, running." Former catcher Garagiola, said Cassini would get on base and change the game with his threat to steal. "All you could call was fastballs because he was gonna go," Garagiola said. "He was a good guy, too. He really was. A battler."

Eldred "Bud" Byerly pitched on the 1952-53 Saints' clubs. He was on the Cardinal teams of 1943-45 pitching in 2, 9 and 33 games for 13, 42 and 95 innings with ERAs of 3.46, 3.40 and 4.74. Bud returned to the majors with the Reds from 1950-52 for 4, 40 and 12 games completing 15, 66 and 25 innings for 2.45, 3.27 and 5.11 ERAs

After three more years in the minors, he made the Senators roster during the 1956-58 seasons getting into 25, 47 and 17 games and 53, 95 and 24 innings compiling ERAs of 2.96, 3.13 and 6.75. He also was in 18 games and 30 innings for the Red Sox in 1958 (1.78). Byerly finished his big league stay with the Giants in 1959-60 seeing action in 11 and 19 games with 13 and 22 innings and 1.38 and 5.32 ERAs.

In his 11 MLB seasons and 237 games (17 starts), he completed 492 innings allowing 519 hits and 167 walks with 209 strikeouts and a 3.70 ERA, .273 OAV, .335 OOB and a 22-22 record. .

Byerly played in the minors in 1940-44, 1946-50, 1952-56 and 1958-61 with 15 "AAA" seasons. After baseball, he worked in the office of construction companies in St. Louis. He died there at St. Anthony's Medical Center on January 26, 2012, at the age of 92.

Robert "Bob" Wilson performed on the 1952-1953 and 1958 St. Paul teams. His only taste of the big leagues was in 1958 for the Dodgers when he was in 3 games and had 5 at bats with one hit (a single). In only one of those games, did he played defensively in the outfield. In the minors, he was also a third baseman.

Wilson was a a participant in the Negro Leagues from 1947-1950 and was in the minors and majors from 1950-1960 with nine years at the AAA minor league level [He hit over .300 in seven of those seasons]. Bob was a WWII veteran and became the supervisor in support services for the Dallas, TX, school district. He died at age 60 on April 23, 1985, in Dallas and was buried at Lincoln Memorial Cemetery there.



Ray Coleman was a player on the 1953 Saints squad. He was off-and-on the Browns roster three different times. Ray played 110 and 17 games for them in 1947-1948 hitting .259 and .172. During the '48 season, he went to the Phillies for 68 contests (.243).

It was back to the Browns in 1950-1951 in 117 and 91 games batting .271 and .282. The rest of his '51 year was with the White Sox (51 g, .276). He stayed with the Sox for 85 games in 1952 (.215) and then finished his major league tenure again with the Browns during, '52 year, for 20 games (.196). Ray was in 559 MLB games and had 1729 at bats for a .258 average, .318 OBP and .374 slugging. He played 476 games in the outfield with a .980 fielding mark.

-----

From the book "The Ballplayers":

"Traded five times in five seasons...The Dodgers acquired Coleman, a fine defensive player, after the 1952 season as insurance for Duke Snider but stashed him at the AAA level [the Saints]." - Merritt Clifton

-----

Ray served in the Pacific for the U S Navy during World War II.


Coleman was a pro player from 1940-1956 (excluding his military service in 1943-1945). He had four seasons at the AAA level and became a tobacco and soybean farmer living in Mayfield, KS. He also was a bookkeeper during his working years and later lived in Hornbrook, CA. On September 18, 2010, he died in Norman, OK, at age 88.

[Minnesota Historical Society]

Homer "Dixie" Howell was on the Saint Paul club of 1953 and 1957-1958. He was a catcher for the 1947 Pirates getting into 76 games batting .276. Dixie then had four complete seasons with the Reds in 1949-1952 as a back-up receiver in 64, 82, 77 and 17 games with averages of .244, .223, .251 and .189.

His services were then acquired by the Dodgers and he appeared in 1, 16 and 7 game(s) for them in 1953 and 1955-1956. He got into 340 MLB games and had 910 at bats for a .246 average, .315 OBP and .337 slugging. Dixie caught in 319 games for a .984 fielding %.

Howell was a pro player from 1938-1958 (excluding his service time in 1944-1945). He managed in 1942 and 1961 and later became a realtor in Louisville. He died at age 70, on Oct. 5, 1990, in Binghamton, NY.



Rollin "Joe" Lutz was with the 1952 Saint Paul club. He was in 14 games and had 36 at bats for the Browns in 1951 for a .167 batting average, .286 OBP and .222 slugging. As a first baseman in 11 games, he fielded perfectly.

Lutz played as a pro in 1942 and 1946-1956. He was a marine in the Pacific during WWII and received his Bachelors and Masters degrees while playing baseball. Thereafter, he coached high school baseball, basketball and football in Argyle and Davenport, IA. Then he was athletic director of Parsons College (IA), the coach of Southern Illinois University in the 1960s (led them to the College World Series in 1968-1969), was Cleveland's coordinator of their minor league teams and a major league coach for them in 1972-1973. In 1974, he was a coach for Hiroshima in the Japanese Baseball League and was manager for 15 games in 1975. From 1976-1988, he was the executive director of the Boys Club in Sarasota, FL.

Lutz died at 83 years old on Oct. 20, 2008, from complications of diabetes and a stroke. Burial was at the National Veterans Cemetery in Sarasota.



Dick Whitman played with Saint Paul in 1951-1953. He played for the Dodgers in 1946-1949 for 104, 4, 60 and 23 games batting .260, .400, .291 and .184. Dick finished his major league days with the Phillies in 1950-1951 in 75 and 19 contests with averages of .250 and .118. He led the NL in pinch hits in 1950 going 12-for-39 in their pennant winning season.

He was in 285 MLB games and had 638 at bats with a .259 BA, .316 OBP and .335 slugging. As an outfielder in 185 games, he fielded .992.

Whitman was a pro player from 1942-1957 excluding 1943-1945 when he was in the service. He was a U. of Oregon athlete and became the maintenance manager of the San Jose (CA) water works while living in Campbell, CA. Dick died at age 82 on Feb. 12, 2003, in Peoria, AZ.

Danny Ozark played for the Saints in 1948-1953 and managed them in 1960. He never played a major league game.

-----

From the book "The Ballplayers":

"Signed as a first baseman by the Dodgers in 1942, Ozark played and managed in their farm system until 1964. He then coached for Walter Alston until he was named Phillies manager in 1973. He tried and easy-going, kid-glove approach, but by September '73, the players were in rebellion and the press was on his back. 'I felt like I was fighting five other clubs and the press,' he said. In a closed meeting near the end of the season, he told the players off, accusing them of acting like spoiled brats. He finished third the next year, then second. The Phillies won three Eastern Division titles from 1976 to 1978 but lost the LCS each time. Ozark was known to throw equipment in frustration and to toss reporters out of the clubhouse for dumb questions. Fired September 1, 1979, he returned to the Dodgers as a coach until 1982, then moved to the Giants where he was interium manager for the last two months of 1974." - Norm Macht

-----

Dan played as a pro from 1947-1959 [four seasons with average over .300] and managed in 1956-1964. He was a major league coach for the Dodgers (1965-72 and 1980-82) and the Giants (1983-84). Ozark managed the Phillies in 1973 (71-91, 6th), 1974 (80-82, 3rd), 1975 (86-76, 2nd), 1976 (101-61, 1st), 1977 (101-61, 1st), 1978 (90-72, 1st), 1979 (65-67, 5th) and the Giants in 1984 (24-32, 6th). The Phillies have never matched the three straight division titles of 1976-1978 attained by the teams he lead.

After baseball, Ozark lived in Vero Beach, FL, and died at his home there on May 7, 2009, at the age of 85. He was buried at Hillcrest Memorial Gardens in Fort Pierce, FL.

Harold "Hal" Erickson was a hurler on the 1953 Saints. His only big league chances came in 1953 when he was in 18 games (all in relief) for the Tigers completing 32 innings with a 4.73 ERA allowing 43 hits and 10 walks and struck out 19. His OAV was .323 with a .379 OOB and a 0-1 record.

In the minors, Erickson pitched from 1940-41 and 1946-55 with five years at class "AAA".

During WWII, Hal served his country in the Pacific as a member of the U.S. Army Air Corps. He died at age 88 in Ogden, UT, on Feb. 14, 2008, and was cremated.



Albert "Al" Epperly pitched for St. Paul from 1951-53. His major league appearances were 12 years apart - in 1938 for the Cubs (9 games, 27 inn, 3.67 ERA) and 1950 for the Dodgers (5 games, 9 inn, 2.00 ERA). In his 14 MLB games (4 starts) and 36 innings, he gave up 42 hits and 20 walks while striking out 13. His career ERA was 4.00 with a .294 OAV, .380 OOB and 2-0 record.

In the minors from 1936-43 and 1946-54, he pitched in 16 "AAA" seasons. He served in the military in WWII.

After baseball, he lived in Davenport, IA, where he served as Chief Deputy of the postal division of the Scott County Sheriff's office for 30 years. Epperly died at age 84 on Apr. 14, 2003, in McFarland, WI, was cremated and interred at Davenport Memorial Park.



Pete Wojey (born Wojciechowski) was a hurler on the '53 Saints. He was in 14 games for the Dodgers in 1954 allowing a 3.25 ERA in 28 innings. He finished his big league stay with two games each season in 1956-57 for the Tigers (4 inn/2.25 and 1 inn/0.00). In total, he completed 33 innings during his 18 games giving up 27 hits and 15 walks with 22 strikeouts. His ERA was 3.00 with an OAV of .233, .331 OOB and a 1-1 record.

Pete pitched in the minors from 1941, 1947-60 with eight seasons at class "AAA".

Wojey became the safety director for the Alabama Dry Dock and Ship Building Company in Mobile, AL. He died there at age 71 on Apr. 23, 1990, and was buried at the Memorial Gardens in Mobile.


-----1954-----

In his last year as Saint Paul manager, Clay Bryant was able to lead the team to three more wins and a fifth place finish (only two games out from a playoff spot). Attendance held steady for a power display by the club's offensive as, for the first time in franchise history, six players hit 15 or more home runs.

For the third straight year, the catching corp seemed rather nondescript with newcomer Herb Olson (.276) seeing action in 86 games after John Bucha (.352) went off to Buffalo. Bucha, in 74 games and 256 at bats, finished with a higher average and slugging % then any other player on the club. Receiver Ernie Yelen (.181) also saw action in 31 contests.

The infield of future-big leaguers Charley Neal (.291), Jim Baxes (.226) and Don Zimmer (.291) certainly were the "name" players on the team. Neal, the second baseman, had 18 homers [second on team] and was third in RBI with 66. Baxes (.226) returned to lead the team in homers with 22 although his average was not great. Zimmer (.291) again played very well in a Saints uniform with 17 home runs and 53 RBI (in only 73 games and 268 at bats) to the point that the Dodgers called him up to the big league club in July. New faces Rudy Rufer (.186) and Stan Rojek (.227) attempted to fill in for Zimmer at short.

Returnee Ted Bartz (.258) was the first base starter and he was backed up, for awhile, by Walt Moryn (.301) who also was called to the Dodgers after hitting 18 homers and getting 50 RBIs in only 71 games. Moryn played in an outfield that was basically comprised of no-names. Minor league lifer Bud Hutson (.300) was second in home runs with 21 and led in RBI at 81 which earned him several return tickets to St. Paul, but none to Brooklyn. Another long-time minor league player, John Golich (.294), was an outfield starter and the other most-used garden spot player was Bert Hemric (.350) who led the regulars in hitting. Ed Moore (.261) also saw much action as an outfielder. Otherwise, future Hall of Fame manager, Dick Williams (.247), appeared in 49 games as a first baseman/outfielder as he split time between St. Paul and Brooklyn and Gino Cimoli was transferred to Montreal after nine games.

Saints pitchers had quite good numbers in 1954 and were led by five veterans of the team. The stud of the group was Ron Negray (17-12), who was the team leader in victories and innings pitched with a 4.14 ERA/1.35 WHIP. Wade Browning (10-8) was second in innings completed, ERA (3.67) and first in WHIP at 1.28. The season was his high-minor highlight, but he never played a major league game. Don Bessent (12-13) and Bob Darnell (12-9) both were under the 4.00 ERA hurdle (3.93 and 3.85). Lastly, Ray Moore (8-7) appeared in 20 games to led the hurlers with a 3.21 ERA and was second in WHIP (1.29). Of the five, only Darnell saw action with the Dodgers during the year.

Bill Darden (5-5) was in a team-high 58 games with a very good 1.25 WHIP, Ernie Nevel (3-4) performed quite well in 37 contests (3.51/1.35), Ron Lee (3-8) and Norm Fox (1-1) didn't reach expectations (5.18/1.65 and 9.39/2.22). All four were new to St. Paul. After 13 games, the returning Earl Mossor (0-3, 5.82, 1.79) went down to the Texas League. Saints' vet, John Rutherford (2-1), appeared in 11 games and pitched well (3.37/1.32).

The other hurlers who saw action included former big-leaguer Bob Milliken (1-4) who did poorly in eight games, and minor league lifers Dick McCoy, Gil Mills and Charlie Page whose historical records are not complete.

[St. Paul Pioneer Press]

Clay Braynt and Stan Rojek Doing Some Pre-Game Dancing

1954 Hitting

Main Pos-G

Bats

Age

AB

H

2b/3b

HR

Ave

Slg

OBP

RBI

SB

Birth Place

Herb Olson

C-86

L

24

228

63

20/0

1

276

377

28

Wenatchee, WA

Ted Bartz

1b-145

R

29

500

129

15/5

14

258

392

53

Detroit

Charlie Neal #

2b-146

R

23

585

159

25/13

18

272

451

66

Longview, TX

Jim Baxes #

3b-148

R

26

523

118

14/6

22

226

402

73

San Francisco

Don Zimmer #

SS-73

R

23

268

78

9/6

17

291

560

53

Cincinnati

Bud Hutson

OF-142

R

28

493

148

17/4

21

300

479

81

Atkins, AR

John Golich

OF-120

R

26

364

107

19/2

9

294

431

58

Bert Hamric #

OF-88

L

26

309

108

14/7

12

350

557

45

Clarksburg, WV

John Bucha *

C-74

R

29

256

90

15/3

14

352

598

43

Allentown, PA

Rudy Rufer *

SS-62

R

28

167

31

2/0

1

186

216

9

Ridgewood, NY

Stan Rojek *

SS-52

R

35

132

30

7/0

0

227

280

7

N. Tonawanda, NY

Ed Moore

OF-109

R

25

268

70

14/2

15

261

496

48

Fort Worth, TX

Walt Moryn #

1bOF-71

L

28

269

81

9/3

18

301

558

50

Saint Paul

Dick Williams *#

1bOF-49

R

25

162

40

8/0

6

247

407

18

St. Louis

Ernie Yelen

C-31

R

29

83

15

2/0

1

181

241

8

Gino Cimoli #

OF-9

R

25

18

3

0/0

0

167

167

1

San Francisco

Bill Antonello #

OF-5

R

27

17

0

118

Brooklyn

Lou Landini

C-3

R

27

3

0

0/0

0

000

000

0

, Italy

Lyle Olsen

Inf-5

R

25

17

294

Clint Weaver

1bOF-7

L

27

7

0

0/0

0

000

000

0

1954 Pitching

Thrw

Age

G

GS

W-L

IP

H

BB

ERA

WHIP

SO

Birth Place

Ron Negray #

R

24

32

32

17-12

211

209

75

4.14

1.35

Akron,OH

Don Bessent #

R

23

35

26

12-13

183

187

67

3.93

1.39

Jacksonville, FL

Wade Browning

L

32

31

25

10-8

196

177

74

3.67

1.28

Bob Darnell #

R

24

28

24

12-9

180

174

86

3.85

1.44

Wewoka, OK

Ray Moore #

R

28

20

18

8-7

112

87

58

3.21

1.29

Meadows, MD

Ernie Nevel *

R

35

37

1

3-4

77

77

27

3.51

1.35

Charleston, NO

Bill Darden

R

28

58

0

5-5

89

78

33

3.74

1.25

Ron Lee

L

25

34

9

3-8

99

114

49

5.18

1.65

Norm Fox

R

26

13

0

1-1

23

32

19

9.39

2.22

Earl Mossor #

R

29

13

3

0-3

34

39

22

5.82

1.79

Forbus, TN

John Rutherford #

R

29

11

8

2-1

56

58

16

3.38

1.32

Bellevue, ON (Can)

Dick McCoy

L

25

9

0-1

Bob Milliken *

R

28

8

1-4

29

49

9

7.45

2.00

Majorsville, WV

Gil Mills

R

27

6

1-2

Charlie Page

R

18

2

0-0

Hillsdale, OK

* = Prev MLB

# = Future MLB



1954 Standings

W

L

Pct

GB

Attend.

Manager

Indianapolis Indians

95

57

625

--

282,979

Louisville Colonels

85

68

556

10.5

141,353

Minneapolis Millers

78

73

517

16.5

128,187

Columbus Red Birds

77

76

503

18.5

110,696

St. Paul Saints

75

78

490

20.5

134,006

Clay Bryant

Toledo Mud Hens

74

80

481

22

156,989

Kansas City Blues

68

85

444

27.5

141,905

Charlestown Senators

59

94

386

36.5

129,748

Charlie Neal played for the Saint Paul Saints in 1954. He was with the Dodgers from 1956-1961 getting into 62, 128, 140, 151, 139 and 108 games hitting .287, .270, .254, .287, .256 and .235. Charlie played in the All Star games of 1959-1960, tied for the league lead in triples in 1959 and also had the best fielding % for second basemen that year.

In 1962, he went to the expansion Mets and stayed with them through most of the '63 season appearing in 136 and 72 games batting .260 and .225. His final games of '63 and his big league career were performed for the Reds (34 g, .156). In his MLB career, he played 970 games and had 3,316 at bats for a .259 average, .331 OBP and .394 slugging (he had 22 homers in '58 and 19 in '59). As a fielder, his average was .978 with 663 games at second, 162 at short and 120 at third.

-----

From the book "The Ballplayers":

"Neal was one of the heroes of the 1959 World Series, hitting two home runs for the Dodgers in game two at Comiskey Park and driving in the winning run with the second, a two-run shot. For the Series, he hit .370 and slugged .667.

"The versatile Neal came up as a second baseman in 1956, was a shortstop and occasional third baseman in 1957 and finally won the second-base job in 1958. He led NL second basemen in double plays that year and the next, also leading in putouts...in 1959. The Dodgers moved in 1958 to Los Angeles, where they played in the oddly shaped Coliseum and that stadium's 251' left-field line accounted for Neal's jump form 12 HR in 1957 to 22 (in 473 at bats) in 1958. His best season came in 1959, when he made the All Star team for the first time, hit 19 HR and reached career highs in triples (tied with teammate Wally Moon for the NL lead), doubles (30), runs (103), RBI (83), steals (17) batting average (.287) and slugging (.464). His offense and playing time declined after that and he was obtained by the expansion Mets for the 1962 season, serving as their best infielder (no matter where he played) until he was traded to the Reds in mid-1963, his last season." - Warner Rockford

-----

Neal played as a professional from 1950-1963. After baseball, he entered the securities business and died at age 65, on Nov. 18, 1996, at Baylor Medical Center in Dallas from heart failure. He was buried at Grace Hill Cemetery in Longview, TX.

Don Zimmer was on the Saints clubs of 1953-1954. He played on Dodgers teams of 1954-1959 for 24, 88, 17, 84, 127 and 97 games with averages of .182, .239, .300, .219, .262 and .165. Don moved on to the Cubs for the 1960-1961 season for 132 and 128 contests hitting .258 and .252. He played in the 1961 All Star game.

His 1962 season was spent with two teams starting with the Mets (14 g, .077) and then the Reds (63 g, .250). He was back with the Dodgers for 22 games in 1963 (.217) and then went to the Senators for 83 more (.248). Zimmer ended his major league years in Washington in 1964-1965 with 121 and 95 games batting .246 and .199. In his MLB 12 years, he was in 1,095 games with 3,283 at bats for a .235 average, .291 OBP and .372 slugging. His fielding average was .941 with 375 games at third base, 294 at second, 268 at short, 33 at catcher and a handful in the outfield.

-----

From the book "Zim" by Don Zimmer with Bill Madden:

"And after the year I was having at St. Paul [1953], I really believed it was just a matter of time before the Dodgers would call me up. Little did I know, I was going to be closer to death than the big leagues in a couple of weeks. By the first week of July, I was hitting .300 and battling Wall Post...and Al Smith...for the American Association home runs title. We were finishing up a homestand against the Yankees' Kansas City farm team and I hit three homers against a lefthander named Bob Wiesler. That put me up by five over Post and Smith as we went on the road.

"The first stop was Columbus where we had a twi-light doubleheader against the Cardinals' top farm team. A big righthander named Jim Kirk was pitching the first game for Columbus. I remember as I came up the first time against him there was a bunch of trees in center field that didn't have many leaves on them and it was tough picking up the ball. The first pitch from Kirk was a ball up close to my head and I turned to the catcher and said 'I didn't see that ball too good, did you?' His reply was that between the trees in center field and the twilight it was hard to see. Sure enough, the next pitch hit me right square in the left side of the head and I went down like a KO'd boxer.

"The next thing I knew, Clay Bryant, our manager, was standing over me. I said to him, 'Am I bleeding?' And he said, 'No Zim, just lie still, you're OK.' But I was anything but Okay. The ball fractured my skull and that led to blood clots forming on my brain which required spinal taps every two or three days afterward in order to monitor my condition. Bryant's reassuring words were all I remembered until I woke up in White Cross Hospital six days later.

"My wife and my parents were standing there at my bedside, looking down on me and, to me, it looked like three each of them. I was seeing triple! Then I tried to say something and found out I couldn't speak either! My wife began to explain to me what had happened. Like I said, my skull had been fractured and there had been a blood clot on the left side. After first thinking I'd have a quick and full recovery, the doctors realized it was a lot worse. I had been hit on the side of the brain that was my speech center. They had to drill three holes in the left side of my skull to relieve the pressure, but when my condition didn't improve, a couple of days later they drilled another hole in the right side of my skull. People think I've not a metal plate in my head - that's always been the story - but the fact is they filled those holes up with what they call tantalum buttons that act kind of like corks in a bottle. I can therefore truthfully state that all of those players who played for me through the years and thought I sometimes managed like I had a hole in my head were wrong. I actually have four holes in my head!

"The doctor would come in every day and test my reflexes with a rubber mallet and a needle to my foot. Day after day, I didn't feel anything when he moved the needle to the right side of my foot and I was really scared. My father, who owned a wholesale fruit and vegetable company in Cincinnati, made the trip to Columbus every day to offer me encouragement. Finally, I began to regain some feeling , and each day Soot [his wife]...would help me walk around the hospital corridors. To help restore eyesight, the doctors fit my head with a brace so I couldn't turn it and had me do eye exercises, identifying objects by moving them back and forth in front of my eyes. After a few weeks of that, my sight was almost back to normal, but I had developed a stutter in my speech. The doctors also had me taking anti-convulsion pills. In the meantime, my weight had dropped from 170 to 124. All I could think about was what was going to happen to my career.

"Then one day, the Dodgers' front office chiefs, general manager Buzzie Bavasi and farm director Fresco Thompson, came to the hospital to check out my condition and offer their encouragement. They told me not to worry about playing baseball anymore. There would always be a job in the Dodger organization for me. That was the last thing I wanted to hear. I was only 22 years old and I was in the midst of my best season ever. I couldn't think about not playing anymore. Just the suggestion from them that I might not ever play again gave me the incentive to prove everybody wrong.

"After I was released from the hospital, they held a special day for me in St. Paul in September and I received dozens of telegrams from well-wishers. Two of them in particular were special and I still have them. The first was from the Columbus Redbirds team and it read: 'Congratulations to a great player on this your day. St. Paul will be missing its greatest shortstop next year when you're playing for the Dodgers.' The second read simply: 'Please accept my heartiest congratulations. I know your courage will continue to make your baseball career a bright one.' It was signed, Jim Kirk.

"...Knowing I had no chance of making the team [the Dodgers in 1954] that spring and that I was only going to get into games as Pee Wee's [Reese] backup in the eighth or ninth innings, I asked [Walter] Alston [Dodgers' manager] to send me out on the first round of cuts so I could play. He obligued me and sent me immediately to St. Paul were Clay Bryant was still the manager. [In spring training with the Saints, against Minneapolis Millers pitcher Pete Burnside, Zimmer swung at a pitch during a hit-and-run play and fouled the ball off his forehead and Buzzie Buvasi told him he was being sent home]. I assured him I was okay and managed to talk him out of it. Then once the regular season began, I started hitting homers again, just like the year before. This time, though, the opposing pitchers had begun to test me by knocking me down with regularity. It didn't bother me right then because I knew I had a part of it whipped. I wasn't afraid. I pretty much realized that the first time I faced Kirk again, early in the season in Columbus. I could tell he was scared to death, even though everyone knew hit hitting me in the head the year before was an accident...

"Even though I knew I had passed the point of any fear, when word of all these knockdowns got back to Brooklyn, Fresco Thompson was furious and ordered Bryant to start doing something to protect me. In a game against Toledo, it got especially nasty when their pitchers knocked me down a couple of times and afterward I heard two of their players, Bob Thorpe and Kermit Wahl, make some comments about how I could expect more of the same the next time we played them. We got back to St. Paul and out best pitcher that year, a lefthander named Wade Browning, called me aside before we were to play Toledo again, 'I'm going to look your way at short before facing every batter,' he said, 'and if you tug at your belt I'm gonna knock the guy at the plate on his ass. You got it?' I got it. When Thorpe came up in the first innng, I tugged at my belt and Browning threw a pitch right at his neck that just missed him. The next pitch didn't miss him. It was the same thing with Wahl. Browning had deliberately put the first two runners on base by hitting them. Now the third hitter in the inning...George Crowe, sees what's happening and he's halfway out of the batter's box as the first pitch from Browning comes in . That was the last time I had to give a tug. They had gotten the message..."

-----

From the book "The Ballplayers":

"...was Brooklyn's second baseman in the 1955 World Series. He was doing well in 1956 when a pitch from the Reds' Hal Jeffcoat fractured his cheekbone and ended his season.

"Built like a fireplug and nicknamed Popeye for his strength, the scrappy Zimmer came back again and was the Dodgers' starting shortstop in 1958, reaching career highs of 17 HR and 60 RBI. He lost the job to Maury Wills with a woeful 1959 season, spent his two busiest years with the 1960+61 Cubs and was an original New York Met. He finished his playing career in Japan...[He] was named Cubs manager by his high-school buddy, GM Jim Frey, for 1988. He won the division title and AP Manager of the Year in 1989 with unorthodox strategic moves (he likes the squeeze bunt with the bases loaded) and with lots of rookies and journeymen in his lineups." - Morris Eckhouse

-----

Zimmer played professional from 1949-1967 (excl. 1966) and managed in the minors from 1967-1970. He was a major league coach for the Expos (1971), Padres (1972), Red Sox (1974-76), Yankees (1983), Cubs (1984-86), Giants (1987), Red Sox (1992), Rockies (1993-96), Yankees (1996-2003) and, from 2004 to his death was a senior adviser with the Rays.

Don's major league managerial record: Padres- 1972 (54-85, 6th), 1973 (60-102, 6th); Red Sox- 1976 (42-34, 3rd), 1977 (97-64, 2nd), 1978 (99-64, 2nd), 1979 (91-69, 3rd), 1980 (82-73, 4th); Rangers- 1981 (57-48, 2nd and 3rd), 1982 (38-58, 6th) and Cubs- 1988 (77-85, 4th), 1989 (93-69, 1st), 1990 (77-85, 4th) and 1991 (18-19, 4th). His total record as a manager: 885-858 (.508). In 1999, when Joe Torre was being treated for prostate cancer, Zimmer filled in for him in 36 games.

Zimmer lived in Treasure Island, FL, and died in June 4, 2014, at the age of 83 in Dunedin, FL. Cremation followed. He had surgery on April 16, 2014, to repair a leaky heart valve and had undergone kidney dialysis after falling into a diabetic coma at his home in May 2012. He had visited the Rays’ Tropicana Field when his health permitted, and last appeared there at their season opener on March 31, 2014, when he talked with players in the clubhouse and was introduced to the ball park crowd while riding in a golf cart.



John Bucha was a Saints player in 1954 and 1956. He was a catcher for the Cardinals in 1948 and 1950 in 2 and 22 games and was in 60 games for the 1953 Tigers (.222). All told, his MLB career encompassed 84 games and 195 at bats. He hit .205 with a .295 OBP and .272 slugging percentage. He caught 74 games with a .980 fielding %.

Bucha played as a pro from 1943-1960 including four years when he hit over .300 and he had 14 seasons at the AAA level. He was a veteran of the U.S. Navy during WWII and later an iron worker in construction and a mink farmer near Danielsville, PA. He died at age 71 on Apr. 28, 1996, at St. Luke's Hospital in Bethlehem, PA, from a heart attack and was buried in Cedar Hill Memorial Park in Allentown, PA.



Rudy Rufer was on the Saints for part of the 1954 season. He had two cups of coffee with the Giants in 1949-1950 for 7 and 15 games when he batted .067 and .091. His MLB career average was .077 in 26 at bats with a .143 OBP and .077 slugging. As a shortstop in 15 games, he fielded .938.

Rudy attended Dartmouth and the University of Oklahoma.

Rufer was a pro player from 1948-1957 which included four years of experience in AAA. He managed in 1956-57 and then stayed in baseball as a special assignment scout for 25 years with the Dodgers. He lived in Malverne, NY, for many years and died from cancer at 83 in Lynbrook, NY, on October 25, 2010. Burial was at the Calverton National Cemetery in Calverton, NY.

While Rudy was recovering from a surgery, all of his valuable baseball memorabilia, including the 1954 World Series ring, was stolen by a nurse's aide.

Richard "Dick" Williams played for the 1954 Saint Paul Saints. He was a sometimes utility player for the Dodgers from 1951-1954 and 1956 appearing in 23, 36, 30, 16 and 7 games batting .200, .309, .218, .147 and .286. During the '56 season, he went to the Orioles getting into 87 games (.286) and then stayed with them into the 1957 year (47 g, .234) before going to the Indians for the rest of the year (67 g, .283).

Dick returned to Baltimore in 1958 for 128 games and batted a decent .276. In 1959-1960, he was with the A's for 130 and 127 contests hitting .266 and .288. He went back to the Orioles for the third time in 1961-1962 getting into 103 and 82 games (.206, .247) and finished with the Red Sox in 1963-1964 (.257, .159). In total, Williams played in 1,023 MLB games and had 2,959 at bats with a .260 average, .315 OBP and .392 slugging. He fielded .989 in 456 games in the outfield, 257 at third base, 200 at first and 10 at second.

-----

From the book "The Ballplayers":

"The emotional Williams is the only manger to win pennants with three different teams (Red Sox, A's and Pirates) [as of 1990] as well as win titles in all four divisions. But despite his team's successes, he always alienated management and players alike with his driving, hard-bitten, 'my way or the highway' attitude. He managed six different teams in a career that stretched over 21 years and often included clashes with similarly single-minded owners.

"A versatile performer in his playing days, Williams played three positions over a 13-year career with five teams...In 1967 he took over a Red Sox team that had finished ninth the year before and guided them through a successful four-team pennant race, before losing the World Series to the Cardinals in seven games. Red Sox owner Tom Yawkey grew impatient when Williams didn't repeat the feat in the following two years and Williams's relationship with his players, especially Carl Yastrzemski, started to deteriorate. Yawkey took Yaz's side and Williams was fired following a third-place finish in 1969.

"After Williams spent a year coaching with the expansion Expos, Charlie Finley hired him to manage the A's, a team with burgeoning stars on the verge of maturity. Williams, Finley's 11th manager in as many years, guided the A's to the division title in 1971, then to their first pennant in 41 years in 1972. Williams was often accused of over-managing and it almost cost the 1971 Series...They went on to win the first of three straight championships...[After the '73 Series, Williams quit] George Steinbrenner tried to hire Williams for the Yankees in 1974, but Williams was still under contract with Finley...[and] Joe Cronin [nixed] the deal for tampering....Right after the ['74] All Star break, Williams replaced Bobby Winkles as manager of the Angels. After finishing on higher than fourth in three seasons, Williams moved back to Montreal, this time to manage....In 1982, Williams went back to California as the manager of the Padres. He took the Padres fo their only World Series in 1984, where they were over-whelmed by the much stronger Tigers. Williams spent the last three years of his career managing for tight-fisted George Argyros in Seattle, but decided early in the 1988 season that he had enough of both cheap management and mediocre players and retired." - Stewart Wolpin

-----

In his book (written with Bill Plaschke) "No More Mr. Nice Guy", Williams only mentions Saint Paul in passing:

"The morning after I arrived home [in spring 1951 from the service] I called Buzzie Bavasi, the new Brooklyn general manager, and he told me that under a new rule I could demand 30 days in the big leagues because I was an ex-serviceman who had been on a major league roster when I was called to war. This was the government's way of saying our careers would not be penalized. But, Bavasi advised, I should go to triple-A St. Paul first because I'd missing spring training. I got on the first plane there. At the time my concern was not the army but a return to my normal life...

"...I was busy...cramming a missed spring training into one afternoon workout in St. Paul during an off-day immediately after I arrived. I took a few swings, the knee felt good [it had been injured in the service], the timing wasn't too far gone, I was ready to begin my long-overdue triple-A career. But after that first workout St. Paul manager Clay Hopper said that owner Mel Jones wanted to see me in his office. 'Dick,' Jones said when I arrived, 'you can't play here.' My jaw grew tight and my face red. 'Okay, so I missed spring training,' I replied. 'But I've played a couple of good years in Fort Worth and played this winter and I can get back in shape quickly...'

" 'Dick,' he interrupted, 'we aren't sending you down. We're sending you to Brooklyn. Two other teams claimed you off wartime waivers, which means you've got to play one full year in Brooklyn or else the Dodgers have to give you up.'...

"...I became increasingly alienated from players who didn't understand the art of heckling and just thought I had a big mouth. I'll never forget Pee Wee Reese ripping my ass after I got sent down to St. Paul one year. 'Those jokes will go over good in St. Paul.' he said..."

-----

Williams was a pro player from 1947-1964 and managed in the minors in 1965-66. He was a major league coach for the Expos in 1970 and the following are his records as a manager: Red Sox- 1967 (92-70, 1st), 1968 (86-76, 4th) and 1969 (82-71, 3rd); A's - 1971 (101-60, 1st), 1972 (93-62, WS Champs) and 1973 (94-68, WS Champs); Angels - 1974 (36-48, 6th), 1975 (72-89, 6th) and 1976 (36-57, 6th); Expos - 1977 (75-87, 5th), 1978 (76-86, 4th). 1979 (95-65, 2nd), 1980 (90-72, 2nd), 1981 (44-37, 3rd and 2nd); Padres - 1982 (81-81, 4th), 1983 (81-81, 4th), 1984 (92-70, 1st), 1985 (83-79, 3rd); Mariners - 1986 (58-75, 7th), 1987 (78-84, 4th) and 1988 (23-33, 6th). His total record was 1,571-1,451 (.520).

He was named to baseball's Hall of Fame in 2008. He died on July 7, 2011, from a ruptured aortic aneurysm at a hospital near his home in Henderson, Nev. He was 82.

"I don't think we would have won the first two titles without him, because he did what a manager is supposed to do -- he got the best out of us," former pitcher Vida Blue told the Oakland Tribune.

"I admired the man," said former player Ray Fosse who was also managed by Williams in Oakland. "I played for a lot of managers and I can't say there was one I respected more than Dick Williams, as a person and a manager. He was a good man."

"He was a brilliant and feisty leader, and universally recognized as one the greatest managers in major league history" said A's owner Lew Wolff.

Claiborne "Clay" Bryant managed the Saints in 1952-1954. He pitched for the Cubs from 1935-1940 appearing in 9, 26, 38, 44, 4 and 8 games (started 30 games in 1938) with 23, 57, 135, 270, 31 and 26 innings for ERAs of 5.16, 3.30, 4.26, 3.10, 5.74 and 4.78. He was 19-11 in 1938 and led the league in strikeouts.

In his MLB career, he was in 129 games (44 starts) with 543 innings allowing 511 hits and 262 walks while striking out 272. His ERA was 3.73 with a .249 OAV, .335 OOB and a 32-20 record.

-----

From the book "The Ballplayers":

"Bryant spent 45 years in baseball as a pitcher, coach and minor league manager. A .266 lifetime hitter, he won his own game on August 28, 1938 with a 10th inning grand slam. He went 19-11 for the 1938 pennant-winning Cubs, leading the NL in strikeouts and walks. In his World Series start in game three, he pitched almost five hitless innings before Joe Gordon started a Yankee stampede with a home run. Bryant's career was ruined by arm trouble the next year." - Dick Beverage

-----

Bryant pitched professionally from 1930-1946 (excluding the war years of 1942-43) and he managed in 1944-1960, 1963-1964, 1966, 1968-1969 and 1972. His minor league record was 1,727-1,680. He was a major league coach for the Dodgers (1961) and Indians (1967, 1974) and was a minor league pitching coach for the Dodgers in 1962. Clay died at age 87 on Apr. 9, 1999, in Fort Lauderdale, FL, and was buried there at Forest Lawn South Cemetery.



Gino Cimoli played on the St. Paul clubs of 1952-1954. He was on the Dodgers teams of 1956-1958 making 73, 142 and 109 appearances and batting .111, .293 and .246. Gino played in the '57 All Star game. He moved to the Cardinals for the 1959 year and played in 143 game with a .279 average.

In 1960-1961, he was with the Pirates in 101 and 21 games hitting .267 and .299 and finished the '61 season with the Braves (37 g, .197). Gino then went on to the A's for the 1962-1964 years with averages of .275, .263 and .000 in 152, 145 and 4 games. He led the league in triples in '62. The rest of his '64 season was spent with the Orioles (38 g, .138).

He ended his big league stay with 4 games for the Angels in 1965 (0-for-5). During his 10-year, 969-game and 3,054 at bat MLB career, he batted .265 with a .317 OBP and .383 slugging %. As an outfielder, he played 909 games with a .974 fielding percentage.

-----

From the book "The Ballplayers":

"The strong-armed journeyman outfielder and opposite-field hitter had a career high .293 BA for the Dodgers in 1957. Cimoli went to the Cardinals in Dec. 1958 for Wally Moon and Phil Paine, but was traded to Pittsburgh after the 1959 season. A fourth outfielder for the Pirates, he was a valuable replacement, especially when Bob Skinner was hurt during the 1960 World Series. Cimoli's pinch-single in game seven sparked a five-run rally that preceded Mazeroski's dramatic Series-ending homer..." - Morris Eckhouse

-----

Cimoli played as a pro from 1949-1965. After baseball, he was a driver for United Parcel and lived in Tiburon, CA. in 1990, the company honored Cimoli for completing 21 years of service without a traffic accident. Cimoli, then 60 years old and still working for the company, was referred to as "The Lou Gehrig of UPS." He also lived in Daly City, CA, and died at age 81 on February 12, 2011, in Roseville, CA, from kidney and heart complications. . His remains were interred at the Calvary Catholic Cemetery in Santa Rosa CA.

Ray Moore pitched on the 1952-1954 Saints. He was with the Dodgers in 1952-1953 for 14 and one game(s). From 1955-1957, he pitched with the Orioles in 46, 32, 34 games for ERAs of 3.92, 4.18 and 3.72. With the White Sox, he eventually became a full time reliever appearing in 32, 29 and 14 games during the 1958-1960 seasons with 3.82, 4.12 and 5.66 ERAs. The rest of his '60 year was in Washington where he made 37 appearances for a 2.88 ERA.

He finished his big league years with the Twins from 1961-1963 getting into 46, 49 and 31 games with a 3.67, 4.73 and 6.98 ERAs. In his MLB career, he was in 365 games (105 starts) for 1,073 innings allowing 935 hits and 560 walks while striking out 612. His ERA was 4.06 with a .238 OAV, .335 OOB and a 63-59 record.

-----

From the book "The Ballplayers":

"Moore was a righthanded fastballer who walked almost as many as he fanned. Offensively, he hit six home runs despite a .187 average. In December 1957 he was traded with Billy Goodman and Tito Francona to the White Sox for lefthander Jack Harshman and Larry Doby." - Norm Macht

-----

Moore pitched professionally from 1947-1963 and was in the U.S. Army serving in the Pacific during WWII. Thereafter, he was a tobacco farmer living in Upper Marlboro, MD. He died at age 69 on March 2, 1995, at Southern Maryland Hosptial in Clinton, MD, from cancer. Burial was at Cedar Hill Cemetery in Suitland, MD.



Ernie Nevel pitched for Saint Paul in 1954. He was a relief pitcher in parts of three big league seasons. For the Yankees in 1950-1951, he was in 3 and one game(s) and, for the Reds, he appeared in 10 games (6.10 ERA). His MLB career was 14 games (one start) and 21 innings allowing 27 hits and 8 walks with 9 strike outs. He had a 6.10 ERA, .329 OAV, .369 OOB and an 0-1 record.

Nevel was a pro pitcher from 1946-1954. Thereafter, he was an instructor at the Sho-Me Baseball Camp and lived in Branson, MO, for 29 years. He died at age 79 on July 10, 1988, at the Cox Medical Center in Springfield, MO, after a long illness. Burial was at Ozarks Memorial Park in Branson.



Bob Milliken played for Saint Paul in 1954 and 1957-1958. He pitched for the Dodgers in 1953-1954 getting into 37 and 24 games (10 and 3 starts) attaining 3.37 and 4.02 ERAs. In his MLB career, he finished 180 innings allowing 152 hits and 60 walks with 90 strikeouts for a 3.59 ERA, .225 OAV, .290 OOB and a 13-6 record. He injured his arm in 1950 and his arm problems came back in 1954.

Milliken was a pitcher at the professional level from 1947-1962 (excluding 1951-52 when he was in the military). He was a major league coach for the Cardinals (1965-1970 and 1976) and was a minor league pitching instructor and scout for them for many years. He died at age 80 on Jan. 3 or 4 [sources differ], 2007, in Clearwater, FL, and was cremated.



-----1955-----

The Dodgers swapped AAA managers by re-assigning Clay Bryant to Montreal and 40-year-old Max Macon to Saint Paul. Macon was a pitcher in pro ball from 1934-1944 and 1946-1955 although, later in his career, he appeared in minor league games as an outfielder and first baseman. He had played in the majors part or all of six seasons. He was an experienced manager having led teams since 1949. The Saints finished the year with the same record as in '54, but they dropped to sixth place with a loss of 15,700 at the turnstiles.

Macon

During the pre-season, the American Association had more franchise turmoil than at any time in their 53-year history. The Athletics pulled out of Philadelphia and settled in Kansas City ending it's days as a minor league city. In addition, Columbus (who had the worst attendance in the league for three straight years) lost their league grip when the St. Louis Cardinals bailed as their parent club and backed Omaha's entry into the league. The Kansas City franchise was awarded to Denver with the Yankees' blessing. [Columbus did gain an International League spot later].

The offense lost their name infielders from '54, but held up quite well. Tim Thompson (.313) came back to catch and led the team in hitting. He was backed by the returning Ernie Yelen (.267) who played his final pro year.

First base became the domain of future Dodger regular, Norm Larker (.302), who hit 14 homers with 71 RBI. Veteran Roy Hartsfield (.259) became the second baseman and led the club in homers with 26 and was second in RBI. Lyle Olsen (.311) played more games at third then any other Saint after appearing in a hand full of games for the team in '54. It was his career pro year as he finished second in team batting, however, it wasn't enough to ever get a call to the big leagues. Another life-time minor leaguer, Jasper Spears (.262), was the regular shortstop and the only St. Paul player named to the league's '55 All Star team. Stan Rojek (.227) was the main infield bench player as he ended his pro career during the season. Another third baseman was Willard Davis (.193) who spent more time in the Texas League. NBA player Bill Sharman (.262) played well in his last year in pro baseball as he split time between third base and outfield in 133 games.

Walt Moryn (.248) played nearly the whole year in his home town leading the club in RBI (88) and was second in home runs (25). His appearances with the Saints were his last in the minors as he was called up to the Dodgers toward the end of the season and stayed in the Bigs the rest of his career. Bud Hutson (.287) came back as an outfield regular leading the team in slugging % with 18 homers in 107 games. Bert Hamric (.291) was the other outfield starter and played some for Brooklyn during the year. Bob Borkowski (.338) played well in his limited time with the Saints (39 games) as he was between stints with the Reds and Dodgers. Ed Moore (.139) returned for 26 contests and then was sent down to the Texas League. Manager Macon played his last pro games with 14 at bats as apparently a pinch hitter and first baseman. Earl Naylor also closed out his career with eight at bats for the club.

Pitching seemed to slip from the previous year with youngster Chuck Templeton (14-9) leading the team in wins, innings pitched and was second in ERA (3.71) [He had a shot with the Dodgers at the end of the year]. Only one other hurler had an ERA under 4.00. Bob Darnell (9-9) came back to complete the second most innings but had high a high ERA (5.71) and WHIP (1.66). Veteran John Rutherford (6-10) was a regular in the starting rotation and was third in WHIP (1.39) as he ended his pro pitching career. Native St. Paul pitcher, Fred Baczewski (6-7), was the number-four starter after arriving from the Reds and didn't do too well (5.82/1.62). Don Bessent (8-5) split his season between the Saints and the Dodgers and was first in St. Paul team ERA (3.58) and second in WHIP (1.31).

Reliever Bill Darden (7-5) also returned for 42 games (4.90/1.51), but lost his "most games pitched" title to Rene Valdez (aka Valdes) (10-9) who pitched in 49 games and had the best WHIP (1.30) on the club. Ronnie Lee (2-1) came back and pitched less well (5.59/1.76) as he also spent much time in the Texas League. Former major leaguer, Dave Cole (3.-7), made some appearances with the Phillies during the season and never really settled in with the Saints as he had a 6.75 ERA and 1.84 WHIP.

Joe Baliga (2-6), who was last with the club in 1952 and then in the military in 1953-54, was in 22 games with a poor record (6.08/1.73). Ron Negray (4-3) played his final games for the Saints until 1957 as he was dwelt to the Phillies and another returnee, Jim Hughes (2-3) [last seen in 1950], was with the Dodgers during the year although his Saints' performances should be forgotten (6.00/2.17 in 9 games). Also getting into games for St. Paul, during the year, were: Armando Suarez (0-2) a Cuban native who played most of the year in the Mexican League; Ron Kump (2-1); Lou Hribar (0-0); and Clyde DeWitt (0-1) who ended his six-year pro career in St. Paul.

1955 Hitting

Main Pos-G

Bats

Age

AB

H

2b/3b

HR

Ave

Slg

OBP

RBI

SB

Birth Place

Tim Thompson #

C-121

L

31

390

122

32/3

3

313

433

38

Coalpoint, VA

Norm Larker #

1b-144

L

25

497

150

30/4

14

302

463

71

Beaver Meadows,PA

Roy Hartsfield *#

2b-145

R

30

564

146

21/5

26

259

452

85

Chattahoochee, GA

Lyle Olsen

3b-93

R

26

312

97

12/1

6

311

413

41

Jasper Spears

3b-154

R

25

637

167

12/7

16

262

410

76

Walt Moryn #

OF-148

L

29

533

132

26/9

25

248

471

88

Saint Paul

Bert Hamric #

OF-129

L

27

421

122

18/5

9

290

420

53

Clarksburg, WV

Bud Hutson

OF-107

R

29

362

104

17/5

18

287

511

71

Atkins, AR

Bill Sharman

3bOF-133

R

29

637

167

32/7

16

262

410

58

Ernie Yelen

C-71

R

30

202

54

11/2

0

267

342

19

Stan Rojek *

2b-71

R

36

132

30

5/1

0

227

280

8

N. Tonawanda, NY

Williard Davis

3b-35

R

25

88

17

6/0

2

193

330

7

Bob Borkowski *#

OF-39

R

29

133

45

10/1

3

338

496

25

Dayton, OH

Max Macon *

PH1b-7

L

40

14

357

Pensacola, FL

Ed Moore

OF-26

R

26

59

8

4/0

1

136

254

5

Fort Worth, TX

Pedro Almenares

OF-5

R

27

7

0

0/0

0

000

000

, Cuba

Earl Naylor *

PHOF-5

R

36

8

1

125

Kansas City,MO

1955 Pitching

Thrw

Age

G

GS

W-L

IP

H

BB

ERA

WHIP

SO

Birth Place

Chuck Templeton #

L

23

37

27

14-9

206

163

156

3.71

1.55

Detroit

Bob Darnell #

R

25

31

26

9-9

175

206

85

5.71

1.66

Wewoka, OK

John Rutherford #

R

30

29

22

6-10

166

188

42

4.88

1.39

Bellevue, ON (Can)

Fred Baczewski *#

L

29

26

16

6-7

102

116

49

5.82

1.62

Saint Paul

Don Bessent #

R

24

16

14

8-5

108

109

33

3.58

1.31

Jacksonville, FL

Bill Darden

R

29

42

6

7-5

101

119

34

4.90

1.51

Rene Valdez(s)

R

26

49

12

10-9

151

148

48

4.05

1.30

Guanabacoa, Cuba

Ron Lee

L

26

21

2-1

37

41

24

5.59

1.76

Dave Cole *

R

25

22

10

3-7

64

70

48

6.75

1.84

Williamsport, MO

Joe Baliga

R

22

22

7

2-6

74

97

31

6.08

1.73

Ron Negray #

R

25

9

4-3

66

60

26

4.77

1.30

Akron,OH

Jim Hughes #

R

32

9

2-3

18

22

17

6.00

2.17

Chicago

Armando Suarez

L

23

8

0-2

, Mexico

Ron Kump

R

24

5

2-1

Clyde DeWitt

R

27

4

0-1

Lou Hribar

R

20

3

0-0

* = Prev MLB

# = Future MLB



1955 Standings

W

L

Pct

GB

Attend.

Manager

Minneapolis Millers

92

62

597

--

177,307

Omaha Cardinals

84

70

545

8

316,012

Denver Bears

83

71

539

9

426,248

Louisville Colonels

83

71

539

9

139,948

Toledo Mud Hens

81

73

526

11

187,911

St. Paul Saints

75

78

490

16.5

118,318

Max Macon

Indianapolis Indians

67

86

439

24.5

129,517

Charlestown Senators

50

104

325

42

108,431

Walt Moryn played on his home town Saints in 1953-1955. He was on the Dodgers roster in 1954-1955 for 48 and 11 games hitting .275 and .263. Walt then moved on to the Cubs for the 1956-1960 seasons, where he had his best years. He performed in 147, 149, 143, 117 and 38 games with averages of .285, .289, .264, .234 and .294. Moryn was chosen for the 1958 All Star team and hit three homers in a game against the Dodgers. His shoestring catch with two outs in the ninth helped save a no-hitter for Don Cardwell in 1960. [Although he was never known as a great fielder.]

The rest of his '60 year was with the Cardinals where he played in 75 contests for a .245 average. His last year in the majors was 1961 when he played 17 games for the Cards (.125) and 40 for the Pirates (.200). He was in a total of 785 MLB games with 2,506 at bats for a .266 BA, .338 OBP and .446 slugging. Walt hit 23 homers in 1956 and 26 in 1958 (101 total). As an outfielder, his fielding average was .972 in 670 games.

Moryn served on an ammunition ship during WWII and played as a pro from 1948-1961. Later he became involved in liquor and bar businesses in the Cicero, IL, area. Also, he worked as a sporting goods manager for a department store and died at age 70, on July 21, 1996, at Central DuPage Hospital in Winfield, IL. Burial was at Assumption Cemetery in Glenwood, IL



Stan Rojek was on the St. Paul Saints in 1954-1955. He played on the Dodgers in 1942 and 1946-1947 in 1, 45 and 32 games batting .277 and .262 in '46-'47. Stan then went to the Pirates for 1948-1951, where he was a regular in '48-'49. During his days with the Bucs, he appeared in 156, 144, 76 and 8 games with averages of .290, .244, .257 and .188. He led the league in at bats and shortstop assists in 1948.

Early in the '51 season, he was sent to the Cardinals where he was in 51 games (.274). His final big league games were for the Browns in 1952 (9 g, .143). He played in 522 MLB games and had 1,764 at bats with a .266 average, .327 OBP and .326 slugging. His fielding average was .965 with 463 games at shortstop, 17 at second and 13 at third. He stole 32 bases with 24 coming in '48.

Rojek was a pro player from 1939-1955 (excluding his military service in the U.S. Army Air Corp from 1943-1945). He became an owner of a dairy while living in North Tonowanda, NY, and also ran Rojek's Park Manor Bowling Lanes there for 25 years. He died at age 78, on July 9, 1997, after a long illness at DeGraff Memorial Hospital in North Tonowanda. Burial was at Mount Oliver Cemetery in Buffalo, NY.



Bob Borkowski played for Saint Paul in 1955. He performed with the Reds from 1950-1955 in 85, 58, 126, 94, 73 and 25 games hitting .273, .157, .252, .269, .265 and .167. Bob ended his '55 season and major league career with 9 games for the Dodgers in 1955 (.105).

In his MLB years as a substitute and pinch hitter, he was in 470 games and had 1,170 at bats for a .251 average, .299 OBP and .346 slugging. He played 316 games in the outfield and 12 at first base for a .982 fielding percentage. He played pro ball from 1946-1958 including 946 in the minors (159 in AAA) hitting ,312.

On his eighteenth birthday in January 1944, Borkowski enlisted at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center and spent most of the next year in training. By 1945 he was stationed with the Navy in Hawaii. On several occasions Bob played or pitched batting practice for a service team while he was training on Oahu. A scout's son served as an umpire in the Hawaiian League. He referred the right-hander to his father, a Cubs' scout named Joe Kernan.

Borkowski originally was a pitcher in the minors (in 1946, he was 19-6), but when he hit .384 in '46, he became a position player until 1958.

After baseball, he returned home to Dayton, OH, and worked at a couple of different jobs representing some beer distributors. Bob also worked in Akron during the offseason, and later got a full time job with the city's Welfare Department. In 1968, he began working for the Schriber Company, a business that manufactured printing presses. After 20 years with Schriber, he retired in 1988. Bob still lives in Dayton and was 89 years old in Jan. 2015.



Bob Darnell pitched on the Saints from 1953-1955 and in 1958-1959. He only got into 6 and one game(s) for the 1954 and 1956 Dodgers completing 16 innings allowing 16 hits and 7 walks while striking out 5 for a very good 2.87 ERA and .271 OAV, .348 OOB with no record.

Darnell pitched as a pro from 1953-1961 with all of those years spent at the AAA level. Later, Bob moved to Springdale, AZ. He died at age 64, on Jan. 1, 1995, in Fredericksburg, TX, and was buried in the West Prong Cemetery in Medina, TX.



Fred Baczewski, who was a St. Paul native son, pitched for the Saints in 1955. In early 1953, he was in 9 games with the Cubs for a 6.30 ERA. He then moved to the Reds for the rest of that season and, during the years of 1954-1955, appeared in 24, 29 and 1 game(s) attaining ERAs of 3.45, 5.26 and 18.00.

Fred pitched in 63 MLB games (40 starts) and finished 279 innings allowing 306 hits and 111 walks with 104 strikeouts. His ERA was 4.45 with a .282 OAV, .351 OOB and 17-10 record.

Baczewski was a professional pitcher from 1947-1961 which included eight years in AAA. He was a foreman at ARCO for 15 years and died at age 50 on Nov. 14, 1976, at Brotman Memorial Hospital in Culver City, CA, from lung cancer. Burial was at Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City.



Don Bessent pitched for Saint Paul in 1953-1955 and 1959-1960. He was a reliever for the Dodgers in 1955-1958 appearing in 24, 38, 27 and 19 games with ERAs of 2.70, 2.50, 5.73 and 3.33. Don completed 211 innings in his 108 MLB games and allowed 196 hits and 88 walks with 118 strikeouts. His ERA was 3.33 with a .250 OAV, .327 OOB and 14-7 record. He led the Dodgers in ERA in 1955 and was the winning pitcher of game two of the '56 World Series.

Bessent was a pro from 1950-1962, later a mechanical engineer for Thompkins and Beckwith Co. and a sales manager for Pepsi-Cola Bottling while living in Jacksonville, FL. He died there at age 59, on July 7, 1990, and was buried at Oaklawn Cemetery in Jacksonville.



Rene Valdez (sometimes spelled "Valdes" in baseball records) pitched for Saint Paul in 1955. His only games in the bigs came in 1957, for the Dodgers, when he was in 5 contests and completed 13 innings allowing 13 hits and 7 walks while striking out 10. Rene's ERA was 5.54 with a .265 OAV, .357 OOB and a 1-1 record.

Valdez pitched as a professional from 1954-1961 with all but one year in AAA (he was 22-11 in '56). After baseball, he returned to his native Cuba (Havana) and later immigrated to Miami where he died on March 15, 2008, at the age of 79. Cremation followed.



Dave Cole pitched on the 1955 edition of the Saints. He had appeared in 4, 23 and 22 games for the Red Sox in 1950-1952 with ERAs of 1.13, 4.26 and 4.03. In 1953, he was in 10 games for the Braves (8.59) and then in 1954, 18 for the Cubs (5.36). His last taste of the majors was in 1955 when he was in 7 games for the Phillies (6.38).

When he was traded by the Cubs to the Phillies in 1955 for Roy Smalley, he was said to have remarked: "That's too bad; they're the only team I can beat.

Dave made appearances in 84 games (27 starts) finishing 237 innings allowing 221 hits and 199 walks with 119 strikeouts. His ERA was 4.93 with a .253 OAV, .395 OOB and a 6-16 record. His scouting report was: "good stuff and bad control."

Cole was a pro pitcher from 1948-1957. After baseball, he operated a Mack Truck dealership in Hagerstown, MD and retired from that job in 1987. In his home town of Williamsport, MD, he became a manager in their Little League and enjoyed other sports as a member of Potomac Fish and Game Club and the Williamsport Country Club.

He was elected to the Washington County Sports Hall of Fame in 1998 and served as a Williamsport town councilman along with serving as president of the Williamsport Lions Club and the country club. In retirement, he also lived in Miami. Cole died in Williamsport at age 81 on October 26, 2011, and was buried at the Greenlawn Memorial Park in Williamsport.



Ron Negray was a top pitcher for the Saint Paul Saints in 1952-1955 and 1957-1958. He had 4 games for the Dodgers in 1952 (3.46 ERA) and then had full trials with the Pirates in 1955-1956 for 19 and 39 games with ERAs of 3.52 and 4.18. His last major league shot came in 4 games with the Dodgers in 1958 (7.15).

Ron had pitched in 66 games with 15 starts and had finished 163 innings allowing 170 hits and 57 walks with 81 strikeouts. His ERA was 4.04 with a .271 OAV, .333 OOB and a 6-6 record.

He enjoyed telling the story of his first major league game (Dodgers): [He arrived several innings after the game started.] The clubhouse boy handed him a uniform so over-sized that “it looked like a potato sack.” Manager Chuck Dressen sent him out to the bullpen, where his new teammates merely stared. Nobody said a word. Starting pitcher Carl Erskine was hit hard, so the bullpen phone soon rang. A coach said, “Negray, get up. You’re going in.”

I warm up and go into the ballgame,” he says. “Campanella is the catcher. He comes out to the mound and says, ‘Who are you?’?” Neray pitched well, holding the Reds scoreless for three innings, thanks in large part to his speciality, an overhand curve.

He attended Kent State and was a pro from 1949-1963 with 11 years at the AAA level. After leaving baseball and for the rest of his working years, he was a sales representative for an athletic equipment company while he lived in Akron, OH. He lived there and in New Franklin OH during his final years. Ron died on November 8, 2018 in New Franklin, OH, and was buried at the Greenlawn Cemetery in Akron.

During his time with the Dodgers, he became a good friend with Jackie Robinson and often told his story about what a giving man Jackie was: “We were playing in Philadelphia when we clinched the pennant,” Negray said. “After the game was over, they gave out watches. I was one of the last ones [to join the team that year, having been called up from the minor leagues], and they forgot to give me a watch.

So Jackie Robinson came over and he said, ‘Here, Ron, you can have my watch.’” Negray later gave the priceless souvenir to his father, who cherished it for life.






-----1956-----

The Saints accomplished something very unusual in 1956. The Max Macon-led club finished with the same record as they had in 1954 and 1955 (75-78), but moved up in the standings to fifth. Attendance dropped for the third straight year by 16,300 to barely over 100,000. Veteran Roy Hartsfield finished the year at manager ascending to the post on August 31 and the club went 9-12 with him at the helm.

The Toledo franchise which had a three-year reprieve after losing their slot in the A.A., for the first time in June 1952, lost it for good during the 1955 post-season. The league awarded the franchise to Wichita, KS, and the Milwaukee Braves transferred their affiliation to that city. Then Cleveland dropped their ownership interest in Indianapolis and the city had to scramble to sell shares of stock to 6,700 fans in order to raise funds to keep the team there. In addition, with their eye on a possible major league team, the Minneapolis Millers left the band-box Nicollet Park and started play at Metropolitan Stadium, which was funded by $2.2 million of private individual capital, $1 million of local community bonds and $1.3 million of funds from 50 Minneapolis businessmen. It was built in the southeasterly suburb of Bloomington. [The purchase price of the 164-acre farmland was $478,899.] That, of course, caused ballpark envy by the city of Saint Paul as they began to plan their own big league park alternative.

Only one pitcher broke the 4.00 ERA barrier as the starters were led by two life-time minor leaguers. Glenn McMinn (14-11) had the most club victories, innings pitched and led in WHIP (1.33) as he finished with a 4.31 ERA. The only pitcher on the team to make the league's All Star team was John Jancse (11-8) who was second in innings and had a 4.39 ERA/1.41 WHIP. The number-three starter was the returning Chuck Templeton (6-9) whose ERA was 4.33, but he had a high WHIP of 1.66 [he played some games for Brooklyn during the season]. A 20-year-old Stan Williams (9-7, 4.54) made 22 starts which tied him with Templeton for third-high on team. Williams had arrived from the Texas League and was destined to be a full-time MLB pitcher.

Newcomer Joe Stanek (9-10) had 18 starting assignments for a 4.20 ERA and 1.63 WHIP. He never made the majors nor did John Forisz (3-7) [some sources show "Forizs"] who made a bad impression with a 6.61 ERA and 1.93 WHIP. The team leader in ERA (3.75) and who was second in WHIP (1.36) was Don Elston (7-8) as he played his last minor league games prior to eight years in the majors. Returnee Ron Lee (5-9) appeared in more games (51) then any other club pitcher and was second in ERA at 4.07.

Reliever and former big leaguer, Lee Wheat (6-3), arrived for 38 games with a good 1.28 WHIP, but had a higher-then-great ERA of 5.51. The returning Wade Browning (2-2) was in 27 games (4.89/1.58) and new guy John Ceplo (1-1) made appearances in 17 contests (4.94/1.58). Future major leaguer Ralph Mauriello (1-1) was in 10 games with a heightened record (5.36/1.93). Also Ron Kump returned for six games which ended his career; former Saints Pete Nicolis and Bill Darden pitched a hand full of games each and ex-major leaguer Karl Spooner attempted to come back from an injury, but only lasted four games.

Offensively, only two regular players hit better then .300 and only three had more then 15 home runs. All Star John Bucha (.284) moved up from being the '54 back-up catcher to starter in 109 games and his able reserve was future major league sub Joe Pignatano (.295).

Norm Larker (.309) got a return ticket to Saint Paul and led the club in hitting and was second in RBI (77). Veteran Roy Hartsfield (.287) came back to man second base and lead the club in homers (19) and RBI (80). Lyle Olsen (.276) returned for his third year and second as the regular third baseman. The new shortstop was future Dodger, Bob Lillis (.266), who finished second in team homers with 18 after two years in the military. Larry Curry (.306) played 114 games at second and in the outfield ending the year second in club batting. Don Eggert was in games at third and outfield before being traded to Charleston. The other infield reserve was Ed Winceniak (.273) who played some for the Cubs during the season.

Outfielder Solly Drake started the season like a house-a-fire hitting .333, with a .600 slugging % in 55 games and 195 at bats. That earned him a trade to the Cubs, but left the Saints rather short of outfielders. Bud Hutson (.248) and Bert Hamric (.299) came back and played in 119 and 117 games respectively as Hutson had the team's best slugging % and was third in homers. The other most-used outfielder was minor league-lifer Granville "Granny" Gladstone (.277). Two other experienced Saints players made some appearances as outfielders: Frank Marchio (.118) was with the Saints for the third year [played most of season in the Texas League] and Pedro Almenares (.227) for his second.

In the spring, ground was broken for a new Saints park at 1000 North Snelling Avenue and the ceremony was attended by Dodgers president Walter O'Malley. On June 13, he brought the Brooklyn Dodgers to Lexington Park for an exhibition game. They beat the Saints 7-2 and Saint Paul fans once again saw former Saints' players Duke Snider and Roy Campanella.

On September 5, 1956, with a crown of only about 2,000 fans, St. Paul ended it's regular season home schedule with Stan Williams shutting out Minneapolis. Roy Hartsfield hit the park's last home run in the last of the eighth as St. Paul won, 4-0. The Saints still had a chance at the post-season, but could not make up a three-game deficit behind fourth-place Minneapolis and no further Saint Paul Saints games were ever played at Lexington Park. It had served the city and team well.

["St. Paul Pioneer Press" writer Mark Tierney estimated, in an article dated September 2, 1956, that 7,630,000 fans had attended games at Lexington since 1908.]

[St. Paul Pioneer Press]

Fans Leaving Lexington Park through it's Lexington Avenue Gates

1956 Hitting

Main Pos-G

Bats

Age

AB

H

2b/3b

HR

Ave

Slg

OBP

RBI

SB

Birth Place

John Bucha *

C-109

R

31

338

96

17/1

13

284

456

57

Allentown, PA

Norm Larker #

1b-150

L

26

534

165

34/5

13

309

464

77

Beaver Meadows,PA

Roy Hartsfield *#

2bOF-140

R

31

502

144

24/3

19

287

460

80

Chattahoochee, GA

Lyle Olsen

3b-112

R

27

398

110

12/4

5

276

364

45

Bob Lillis #

SS-144

R

26

590

157

33/2

18

266

420

65

Altadena, CA

Granny Gladstone

OF-130

R

31

393

109

22/2

12

277

435

59

Panama Canal Zone

Bud Hutson

OF-119

R

30

371

92

16/7

17

248

466

67

Atkins, AR

Bert Hamric #

OF-117

L

28

381

114

16/6

10

299

451

52

Clarksburg, WV

Joe Pignatano #

C-81

R

27

224

66

11/1

5

295

420

29

Brooklyn

Lacey Curry

2bOF-114

R

28

399

122

21/4

4

306

409

43

Wichita Falls, TX

Don Eggert @

3bOF-101

R

28

311

71

12/4

13

228

418

55

Milwaukee

Solly Drake #

OF-55

S

26

195

65

13/6

9

333

600

27

Little Rock, AR

Frank Marchio

OF-14

R

29

17

2

0/0

0

118

118

1

Ed Winceniak #

2b3b-52

R

27

161

44

9/3

6

273

478

27

Chicago

Pedro Almenares

OF-13

R

28

22

5

0/0

0

227

227

2

, Cuba

Jim Koranda

OF-7

R

22

18

2

1/0

0

111

167

0

Chicago

Frank Scannelli

C-1

R

24

1

0

0/0

0

000

000

0

1956 Pitching

Thrw

Age

G

GS

W-L

IP

H

BB

ERA

WHIP

SO

Birth Place

John Jancse

R

25

31

26

11-8

158

173

50

4.39

1.41

Slippery Rock, PA

Glenn McMinn

R

23

38

23

14-11

188

188

62

4.31

1.33

Chillicothe, TX

Chuck Templeton #

L

24

27

22

6-9

135

123

101

4.33

1.66

Detroit

Stan Williams #

R

20

24

22

9-7

127

124

70

4.54

1.53

Enfield, NH

Joe Stanek

R

25

30

18

9-10

133

156

61

4.20

1.63

John Forisz(zs)

R

24

21

13

3-7

83

101

59

6.61

1.93

Bridgeport,CT

Don Elston *#

R

27

45

10

7-8

132

130

50

3.75

1.36

Campbellstown, OH

Ron Lee

L

27

50

1

5-9

95

92

41

4.07

1.40

Lee Wheat *

R

27

38

0

6-3

67

73

13

5.51

1.28

Edwardsville, IL

Wade Browning

L

34

27

3

2-2

57

58

32

4.89

1.58

John Ceplo

R

23

17

0

1-1

31

33

16

4.94

1.58

Ralph Mauriello #

R

22

10

7

1-1

42

43

38

5.36

1.93

Brooklyn

Ron Kump

R

25

6

1-0

Pete Nicolis

L

26

5

0-1

Bill Darden

R

30

4

0-0

Karl Spooner *

L

25

4

0-1

Oriskany Falls, NY

Marv Robertson

L

23

3

0-0

Miguel Radriguez

R

24

1

0-0

* = Prev MLB

# = Future MLB

@=played for another AA team



1956 Standings

W

L

Pct

GB

Attend.

Manager

Indianapolis Indians

92

62

597

--

231,189

Denver Bears

87

67

565

5

368,305

Omaha Cardinals

82

71

536

9.5

212,859

Minneapolis Millers

78

75

510

13.5

318,326

St. Paul Saints

75

78

490

16.5

102,004

Max Macon/Roy Hartsfield

Charlestown Senators

74

79

484

17.5

150,318

Wichita Braves

65

88

425

26.5

109,207

Louisville Colonels

60

93

392

31.5

78,842

Roy Hartsfield played for the Saints in 1955-1956 and he managed for 21 games in '56. He had played for the Braves in 1950-1952 in 107, 120 and 38 games with averages of .277, .271 and .262. In 976 MLB at bats, he hit .273 with a .324 OBP and .358 slugging. As their starting second baseman in 239 games, he fielded .959.

Hartsfield served in the Navy at the Great Lakes Naval Base. His description of his wartime experience: "I spent 10 months riding a banana boat between Mobile, AL, and Central America (Honduras and Guatemala). I was riding that boat when the war was over."

-----

From the book, The Ballplayers":

"A competent second baseman whose playing career was curtailed by injuries..." - Fred Stein

-----

Hartsfield passed on this information in later years: "I had a severe case of heat exhaustion before I went to the big leagues. I played in a double header in Savannah, GA and I became completely dehydrated. I didn't realize what was happening to me. Nothing like that had happened to me ever before. They took me to the hospital like it was all over. The second game of a doubleheader was when it hit me, got cramps like football players. The doctor told my wife, 'He'll never be the same in the heat anymore.' And he was absolutely right. I couldn't play doubleheaders. I played as long as I could but then I had to walk off the field. I realized at the same time, I was losing the job. They didn't pay two salaries for one job in those days. I have nothing against the Braves, they did everything they could to help me, sent me to every doctor you could think of. That was the reason. I have a lot of people ask me to this day why I didn't play longer. They didn't know that because I didn't tell anyone that. It didn't come out until later on."

Hartsfield was a professional baseball player from 1943-1961 (excluding military service in 1944-1945) and included seven years at the "AAA" level. He managed in the minors in 1956, 1958-1968 [Dodgers organization], 1973-76 [Padres], 1977-79 [Blue Jays], 1981 [Cubs] and 1983 [Reds] His minor league career record was 1437-1538 (.483). Roy was a major league coach for the Dodgers (1969-1972) and the Braves (1973). He was a major league manager for the Blue Jays in 1977 (54-107, 7th), 1978 (59-102, 7th) and 1979 (53-109, 7th). His major league totals were 166-318 (.343).

After retirement in 1984, he lived in East Ellijay, GA, in a three-story house on a golf course. Hartsfield died at age 85 from complications of liver cancer at his daughter's home in Ball Ground, GA, on Jan. 15, 2011. Burial was at Yukon Cemetery in Ellijay, GA.

After Roy's death, longtime Blue Jay Ernie Whitt talked about Hartsfield: "There were some disappointments when Roy kept sending me down out of Spring Training, but overall he was a good, laid back type of manager. He was very old school. I wouldn't say that he was a player's manager. I think he enjoyed the older players a little bit better than the younger players. He enjoyed telling war stories with the Southern drawl that he had and the Southern wit.

"He was always low profile. That was Roy. He had that country charm and he was never one for spotlights. That's the way that he was when he managed and even when he got out of managing, he kind of got back to his roots and enjoyed a nice, quiet life."

Bert Hamric was a St. Paul Saints player in 1954-1956. He was in 2 games for the Dodgers in 1955 (0-for-1) and the Orioles in 1958 for 8 contests (1-for-8) as a pinch hitter. Bert struck out 6 times and his only hit was a single.

Hamric played as a pro from 1950-1961 which included eight years at the AAA level. After baseball, he was a shipper for P.H. Glatpelter Paper Co. for 20 years in West Carrollton, OH. He died on Aug. 8, 1984, at the age of 56 at his home in Springboro, OH, and was buried there at Springboro Cemetery.

Joe Pignatano was a catcher on the 1956 St. Paul Saints. He played on the 1957-1960 Dodgers as a backup catcher in 8, 63, 52 and 58 games with averages of .214, .218, .237 and .233. Joe played a career-high 92 games for the A's in 1961 (.243) and then ended his big league career in 1962 with 7 games for the Giants (.200) and 27 for the Mets (.232).

He played in 307 MLB games and had 689 at bats for a batting average of .234, OBP of .332 and slugging of .351. As a catcher in 267 games, he fielded .990.

Pignatano played professionally from 1948-1964 excluding 1951-1952 when he served his country in the military. He was a major league coach for the Senators (1965-1967), Mets (1968-1981) and the Braves (1982-1985). He still lives in his home town of Brooklyn and was 92 in Aug. 2021. In retirement, he golfs and enjoys a pension from baseball that he says is “far greater then any salary I earned as a player or coach.” He also makes appearances at Dodgers and Mets Fantasy Camps. Pignatano has said that he always worked hard, and that all his employers “got their money’s worth.”

Solomon "Solly" Drake was an excellent performer on the 1956 Saint Paul club. He had trials with three major league teams starting in 1956 with the Cubs for 65 games (.256) and culminating in 1957 for 9 games with the Dodgers (.250) and 67 contests with the Phillies (.145).

Solly hit .232 in his 141 MLB games and 285 at bats with a .311 OBP and .295 slugging. He played in 94 games as an outfielder with a .989 fielding mark. His younger brother, Sammy, was a major league player from 1960-1962.

Drake was a pro baseball player from 1951-1961, not including 1952-1953 when he was in the service. After baseball, he lived in L.A. and became a minister at the Greater Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church. He passed away on August 18, 2021, in L.A.



Ed Winceniak played for the 1956 St. Paul team. He was in 15 and 17 big league games for the Reds batting .118 and .240. With 67 MLB at bats, he hit .209 with a .243 OBP and .299 slugging. He played third in 8 games, 5 at shortstop and 4 at second for a .955 fielding %.

Winceniak was a pro performer from 1948-1959 (excluding his service years in the Korean War of 1951-1953). He became a department supervisor for Republic Steel (industrial engineering) in Chicago. Also, during those summers, he was a part-time scout for the Atlanta Braves and Montreal Expos.  Later he worked for the Dekker Electric company and retired from them in 1993. He still lives in Chicago and turned 92 in Apr. 2021.


Don Elston pitched for the Saints in 1956. He became a very dependable relief pitcher for the Cubs in the late 50's to mid 60's. His first MLB appearances came in September 1953 for the Cubs with 2 games and 5 innings for a 14.40 ERA. He had to wait 4 more years for a return engagement as he pitched one game for the Dodgers in 1957 (obtained in a trade on May 23 for Jackie Collum and Vito Valentinetti) and then went back to the Cubs for 39 games including 14 starts. In 144 innings he allowed 139 hits and 55 walks while striking out 102 for a 3.56 ERA.

In 1958 and 1959 the hard-thrower led all NL pitchers in appearances with 69 [was a Cubs record] and 65 while posting ERAs of 2.88 and 3.32. Each year he pitched 97 innings and struck out 84 and 82 batters respectively. He played in the 1959 All-Star game. From 1960 through 1964 he continued to spell "r-e-l-i-e-f" for the Cubs appearing in 60, 58, 57, 51 and 48 games with 127, 93, 66, 70, 54 innings. His ERAs during those years were 3.40, 5.59, 2.44, 2.83 and 5.30.

Over his 9 MLB seasons, he pitched in 450 games for 756 innings giving up 702 hits, 327 walks and striking out 519 with 63 saves. His career ERA was 3.69 and he had an OAV of .251 and 63 saves. He once said: "The most important asset of a reliever is his temperament. I wasn't too crazy about the term 'ice water in his veins,'but that is a good description."

He played in the minor leagues from 1948-56 and 1965 for 10 teams. As a starter, he had 14 or more victories in 5 seasons and had 4 seasons with ERAs near or below 3.00. He pitched with the Sioux Falls Canaries in 1951 (4.36, 7-8) and 1952 (1.85, 18-6). His ERA in 1952 was the best in the league.

Don managed in the minor leagues in 1966 and then became a regional sales manager for Danly Die Set (a tool and die maker) in Chicago. On January 2, 1995, he died at the Evanston (IL) Hospital, at the age of 66, after suffering a heart attack. He was cremated.



Ralph Mauriello pitched for the Saints for part of the 1956 season. His big league experience was brief as he was in 3 games (2 starts) for the Dodgers in September 1958. He completed 12 innings allowing 10 hits and 8 walks while striking out 11 for a 4.63 ERA, .238 OAV, .360 OOB and a 1-1 record.

Mauriello was a pro hurler from 1953-1960. During his off seasons, he worked toward obtaining an electrical engineering degree from USC. He then earned a Masters Degree in Electrical Engineering from UCLA in 1965. For 30 years he was a computer design engineer and systems analyst with Litton Industries. He has lived in Canoga Park, CA, and in Moorpark, CA. Mauriello was 87 in Aug. 2021.

His hobby is singing. Ralph said in an interview: “I am a featured soloist for the San Fernando Valley Male Chorus and Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church choir. I also perform one-man 30 minute shows for special events such as birthday parties, anniversaries, etc… As well as entertainment for service clubs, churches, and women’s organizations.” Through 2010, he had sung the National Anthem at Dodger Stadium three times and he has also sung the anthem numerous times at the Forum and Staples Center for the Lakers and the Kings.



Karl Spooner pitched for the Saint Paul Saints in 1956. He had two trial appearances for the Dodgers in 1954 giving up only 7 hits and 6 walks in 18 innings with 27 strikeouts (0.00 ERA). In 1955, he had 26 appearances (14 starts) for a 3.65 ERA.

In his short MLB career, he pitched in 31 games and finished 117 hits allowing 86 hits and 47 walks with 105 strikeouts. His ERA was 3.09 with a .200 OAV, .286 OOB and a 10-6 record.

-----

From the book "The Ballplayers":

"Spooner joined the Dodgers at the end of the 1954 season and wowed the baseball world by pitching back-to-back shutouts against the Giants and Pirates, striking out 27 in the two games. He had deceptively long arms, a blazing fastball with movement and great confidence. But he injured his arm the following spring training, went 8-6, and lasted just one-third of an inning in his World Series start - his final major league appearance. " - Jack Kavanagh

-----

Spooner pitched professionally from 1951-1958. After baseball, he became a packing house manager for Hatfield Citrus Corp. in Vero Beach, FL. He died at age 52 on Apr. 10, 1984, at Indian River Memorial Hospital in Vero Beach from cancer. Burial was at Crestlawn Cemetery in Vero Beach.


----- 1957 -----

Construction of the new ball park was completed before the start of the season. It was financed for $2 million as part of a larger municipal bond and was built in the midway area of Saint Paul (an area which was approximately equal distance between downtown Saint Paul and downtown Minneapolis). Specifically, the location of the park was a few blocks southeast of the Minnesota State Fairgrounds in a below grade area directly east of Snelling Avenue which had been the location of a gravel pit with railroad tracks on the north and south sides of the property. It's nearest neighbor was the St. Paul Bureau of Civil Defense. In order to disburse traffic, a road (now know as "Energy Park Drive") was built between the park and railroad tracks on the south. However, as it turned out, the road was insufficient to handle traffic when attendance approached the park's capacity of about 10,200. Since the main north-south thoroughfare, in the area, is Snelling Avenue and it is on a much higher grade, access to it was a slow, convoluted one.

When Midway Stadium opened on April 25, the park's dimensions were 320 feet down both the right and left field lines and 410 to center with an 18-foot fence surrounding the playing field. As at Lexington Park, home plate was facing the southeast. The design included one seating deck which did not extend to the outfield fence, but did allow for the possibility of extending the seats to the fence and the addition of up to two more decks which would have expanded seating capacity to over 40,000. Of course, none of those expansion possibilities would come to fruition unless a major league team would locate there.

The stadium offered a large parking lot next to the park, more restrooms and amenities then Lexington and it's concrete construction was superior to the old park's wooden infrastructure. It's use was open to area high schools, colleges and most any team (baseball, softball, football) needing a large park.

SABR member Stew Thornley wrote an informational piece on the park, which is available on SABR's web site, and it included a 1957 quote from the then Saints' president Mel Jones (Walter Seeger had stepped down from the position in 1954): [Midway is] "a structure well worth seeing and talking about." [He was describing the large entrances and wide concourse area, which] "leads you to any one of eight, extra-wide ramps extending into the Stadium proper." The seats had color coding to match the color of the tickets: green = box seat near the field; grayish white = loge seats (upper level box seats); red = reserved seats; blue = general admission. Jones added: "Even a trip through the public rest rooms proves inviting. Completely tiled with face brick tiling from top to bottom, they offer the finest in comfort and sanitation."



[Minnesota Historical Society]

Midway Stadium on Opening Day 1957

Max Macon returned as manager and attendance did get a big bump, with the new park, as it nearly doubled from 1956 to just over 200,000. It also helped that the team won seven more games and finished in fourth place which was their highest standing since 1952. After comparing stats between the '56 and '57 Saints, one can reach the conclusion that it was much more of a pitcher's park then Lexington was.

In league news, the Louisville franchise was on life support as it became another community-owned club and had no major-league affiliation..

All Star Stan Williams (19-7) returned and pitched very well in his final full year with St. Paul. He led the league in strikeouts and the team in victories [the most since Phil Haugstad's 22 in 1949], innings pitched [the most since 1942] and was second in ERA (3.04). Bob Milliken (15-10) was number two in the rotation returning after three years to finish second in team wins and innings and had a good ERA of 3.63 and 1.34 WHIP. Ron Negray (11-7) returned after two years in the majors for a team-leading 2.74 ERA and 1.06 WHIP in 22 starts. He also pitched part of the year in the PCL. The fourth most-used starter was newcomer and life-time minor leaguer Dick Hanlon (6-9) who split the year between the Saints and the PCL finishing second in team WHIP (1.29). Before he was called up to the Dodgers [he also played for Montreal during season], Danny McDevitt (6-4) held A.A. hitters to a 1.86 ERA and 0.94 WHIP in ten starts. The other hurler to have double-digit starts was minor league lifer Ron Wells (4-5) who performed well with a 3.74 ERA and 1.38 WHIP with ten starts and ten relief appearances. But,Wells ended his career after the season.

Chuck Templeton (5-5) returned to tie for the most games pitched (37), but his record was not good (5.23 ERA/1.87 WHIP). Tied with Templeton in appearances was Mel Waters (5-3) who pitched much better (3.38 ERA/1.36 WHIP), but never got a call to the majors during his time in baseball. Lee Wheat (1-3) also came back for 26 games, but had a so-so pitching line (5.88 ERA/1.51 WHIP). Bob Walz (6-6) pitched for the Saints for his first and only time in 23 games with rather poor results of a 5.80 ERA and 1.66 WHIP. One of last year's main starters, Glenn McMinn (1-4), played in all three AAA leagues during the year, but did not pitch well for the Saints (5.52/1.64) in 10 games.

Ten other pitchers were in less then eight games including future major leaguer Dick Scott (1-3) who had control problems (9.00 ERA/2.44 WHIP) and former big leaguer Glenn Mickens (0-1) who only saw action in three games. Bob Hoffman (0-2) and Bob Wegner (0-1) ended their baseball careers after the season.

The catching spot reverted to old vet Dixie Howell (.231) - at least for 81 games - who had last been with St. Paul in 1953. Future MLB reserve, Norm Sherry (.244) caught 57 games and also played in the International League during the year. Mike Napoli (.255) and Herb Olson (.255) caught 19 and 18 games respectively. Only Olson had been with the Saints previously having last played in the capital city in 1954 [he also played in two other leagues during the season.]

The team leader in average was Norm Larker (.323) as the returning first baseman was second in slugging (.502) with 12 homers. The starting shortstop in '55, Jasper Spears (.268), returned to play second base and newcomer Dick Gray (.297) took over third base. Gray, a league All Star, led the team in RBI with 111 which was the most by any Saint since 1952 and he was second in team homers with 16. Bob Lillis (.259) came back to play shortstop again, but his home run count fell from 18 to 2 at Midway Stadium and his slugging % slipped from .420 to .329. Ex-big leaguer Dick Young (.251) was the most commonly used infield reserve getting into 77 contests. Lacey Curry (.333) hit well as an infield back-up in 41 games as did former major league, Jim Clark, who was 4-for-11 in five games.

Don Demeter (.309), who was between stints with the Dodgers, was the All Star outfield stud for the team. He led the team with 28 homers which was most hit by a St. Paul player since Lou Limmer had 29 in 1950. His average and RBI total were second on the team and he was first in team slugging in his only full season with the Saints. Future big leaguer and club newcomer, John Glenn (.269), was another outfield regular. Granny Gladstone (.252) returned seeing action in 77 games as an outfielder. Bud Hutson (.205) also returned for his fourth year in his old outfield spot (49 games), but then was sent down to the Southern Association. Bill Lajoie (.293) played well in his only St. Paul appearances (64 games) as he split the year between the Saints and Montreal. One other outfielder played more then a hand full of games - Crawford Davidson (.232).

In their first appearance in the playoffs since 1952, they won round one against Wichita four games to one. In the finals, they were defeated by Denver four games to two.

1957 Hitting

Main Pos-G

Bats

Age

AB

H

2b/3b

HR

Ave

Slg

OBP

RBI

SB

Birth Place

Dixie Howell *

C-94

R

37

260

60

15/3

2

231

305

86

Louisville

Norm Larker #

1b-146

L

23

538

174

36/12

12

323

502

68

Beaver Meadows,PA

Jasper Spears

2b-124

R

27

426

114

25/4

1

268

352

38

Dick Gray #

3b-153

R

26

558

166

27/7

16

297

457

111

Jefferson, PA

Bob Lillis #

SS-154

R

27

598

155

26/5

2

259

329

49

Altadena, CA

John Glenn #

OF-141

R

29

465

125

24/8

13

269

439

67

Moutrie, GA

Don Demeter *#

OF-134

R

22

447

138

17/6

28

309

562

86

Oklahoma City

Granny Gladstone

OF-83

R

32

254

64

15/3

3

252

370

32

Panama Canal Zone

Norm Sherry #

C-60

R

26

193

47

9/3

2

244

352

29

New York City

Bill Lajoie

OF-64

L

23

222

65

12/4

6

293

464

39

Wyandotte, MI

Bud Hutson

OF-68

R

31

166

34

12/2

2

205

337

24

Atkins, AR

Lacey Curry

2b-41

R

29

168

56

10/0

0

333

393

14

Wichita Falls, TX

Dick Young *

2b-77

L

29

223

56

8/8

2

251

386

18

Seattle

Mike Napoli

C-20

R

25

41

6

2/1

0

146

244

?

Herb Olson

C-19

L

27

51

13

2/0

0

255

294

2

Wenatchee, WA

Crawford Davidson

OF-20

L

31

69

16

3/0

1

232

319

8

Appomattox, VA

Jim Clark *

SS-5

R

30

11

4

364

Baggaley, PA

Bob Jenkins

OF-3

R

26

7

1

143

Hagerstown, MD

Elmer Kohorst

?-5

R

22

7

1

143

1957 Pitching

Thrw

Age

G

GS

W-L

IP

H

BB

ERA

WHIP

SO

Birth Place

Stan Williams #

R

21

35

34

19-7

246

188

148

3.04

1.37

223

Enfield, NH

Bob Milliken *

R

27

32

30

15-10

196

204

58

3.63

1.34

Majorsville, WV

Ron Negray *#

R

27

22

22

11-7

164

131

43

2.74

1.06

Akron,OH

Dick Hanlon

R

24

19

15

6-9

112

121

24

3.46

1.29

San Francisco

Ron Wells

R

23

20

10

4-5

89

90

33

3.74

1.38

Danny McDevitt #

L

25

11

10

6-4

87

53

29

1.86

0.94

New York City

Chuck Templeton *

L

25

37

9

5-5

105

107

89

5.23

1.87

Detroit

Mel Waters

R

29

37

0

5-3

64

62

25

3.38

1.36

Lee Wheat *

R

28

26

1

1-3

49

58

16

5.88

1.51

Edwardsville, IL

Glenn McMinn

R

24

10

7

1-4

44

55

17

5.52

1.64

Chillicothe, TX

Bob Walz

R

25

23

3

6-6

59

70

28

5.80

1.66

Jackson, MI

Dick Scott #

L

24

7

3

1-3

18

18

26

9.00

2.44

Portsmouth, NH

Bob Hoffman

R

27

6

0-2

Lou Hribar

R

22

4

1-1

Jerry Cade

L

25

6

4

1-1

33

25

16

3.82

1.24

Glenn Mickens *

R

27

3

0-1

Wilmar, CA

Bill Nishita

R

27

3

0-0

2

3

2

2.50

Bob Schassler

R

23

3

0-0

Bob Wegner

L

28

3

0-0

John Forisz(zs)

R

25

2

0-0

Bridgeport,CT

Gary McCormick

L

20

3

0-0

* = Prev MLB

# = Future MLB



1957 Standings

W

L

Pct

GB

Attend.

Manager

Wichita Braves

93

61

604

--

145,028

Denver Bears

90

64

584

3

305,625

Minneapolis Millers

85

69

552

8

256,113

St. Paul Saints

82

72

532

11

202,260

Max Macon

Omaha Cardinals

76

78

494

17

177,066

Indianapolis Indians

74

80

481

19

159,947

Charlestown Senators

67

87

435

26

124,144

Norm Larker played for Saint Paul in 1955-1957. He played with the Dodgers from 1958-1961 in 99, 108, 133 and 97 games with batting averages of .277, .289, .323 and .270. He went to the expansion Colt 45s in 1962 and hit .263 in 147 contests. His final major league season was 1963 when he played in 64 games for the Braves (.177) and 19 for the Giants (.071). He played in the 1960 All Star game.

Norm played in 667 big league games and had 1,953 at bats for a career .275 average, .351 OBP and .390 slugging. He played first base in 483 games and outfield in 82 more for a composite .991 fielding percentage. He was known to have been plagued by ulcers during his playing days.

-----

From the book "The Ballplayers":

"The hustling lefthander, who overcame the loss of a kidney, was considered as a fine fielder but an ordinary hitter until 1960. Suddenly, his line drives fell in and he finished with a .323 batting average, within one hit of the NL batting crown...He never came close to matching his '60 season..." - Joe Lawler

-----

Larker was a pro baseball player from 1949-1964 hitting over .300 in five seasons. He also played in Japan for two seasons. After baseball, he entered the export business and lived in Torrance, CA. He died at the age of 76, on March 12, 2007, in Long Beach, CA, and was buried at All Souls Cemetery there.

Norm Sherry caught for the 1957 St. Paul team. He was a backup catcher for the Dodgers from 1959-1962 making 2, 47, 47 and 35 appearances with averages of .333, .283, .256 and .182. Norm ended his MLB playing career in 1963 with 63 games for the Mets (.136).

He played in 194 MLB games with 497 at bats for a .215 average, .280 OBP and .346 slugging. As a catcher in 186 contests, he fielded .989.

Sherry played as a pro from 1950-1967 (ex. 1952-1953 when he was in the service) and managed in the minors from 1965-1967, 1969 and 1972-1975. He was a major league coach for the Angels (1970-1971 and 1976), Expos (1978-1981), Padres (1982-1984) and the Giants (1986-1991). He managed the Angels in 1976 (37-29, 4th) and 1977 (39-42, 5th) for a career major league managing record of 76-71 (.517).

Norm lived in San Diego and died in San Juan Capstrano of natural causes on March 8, 2021.



Richard E. "Dick" Young played for Saint Paul in 1957. He had two excursions with the Phillies in 1951-1952 for 15 and 5 games when he hit .235 and .222. In his 20-game and 77 at bat MLB career, he batted .234 with a .272 OBP and .312 slugging. Dick played second base in 17 games with a .909 fielding %.

Young played as a pro from 1948-1962 for 23 teams, seven of which were at the AAA level. After baseball, he was a payroll supervisor for Western Farmers Association in Lynnwood, WA. He now lives in Mesa, AZ, and was 87 in June 2015.



James "Jim" Clark [born James Petrosky] played on the 1957 Saints. His lone appearances in the majors were in 1948 for the Senators when he played in 9 games and had 12 at bats with 3 singles and no walks. He played shortstop and third base in one game each for a 1.000 fielding mark.

Clark was a professional player from 1948-1960 with three years in AAA. He owned and managed an apartment building for 15 years and died at his home in Santa Monica, CA, at the age of 63, on Oct. 24, 1990, from arteriosclerotic heart disease. Cremation followed and his ashes were scattered off the coast of Long Beach, CA.

Lee Wheat pitched for Saint Paul in 1956-1957. He was a pitcher for the A's in 1954-1955 for 8 and 3 games. In his 30 MLB innings, he allowed 46 hits and 12 walks with 8 strikeouts. His ERA was 6.82 with a .329 OAV, .386 OOB and a 0-2 record.

Wheat was a pro hurler from 1948-1959 excluding most of 1951 and all of 1952-1953 when he was in military service. He pitched at the AAA level for five seasons. Lee became the Athletic Director at Broward Community College in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. He died at age 78 on July 29, 2008, in Ft. Lauderdale from pneumonia and was cremated.


Lexington Park Epilogue

It should be noted that, over the years, Lexington Park also served as home to local amateur baseball and football teams. Also, it housed events as varied as bicycle racing and ballooning to boxing and wresting. In 1957, the park was demolished and a multi-business building was built on the western portion of the site including a Red Owl grocery store [along Dunlap]. In 1958, Red Owl placed a plaque in their dairy department's floor to indicate the location of the old park's home plate [their calculations were a bit off.] Red Owl eventually left and the property evolved into a discount store, a hardware store, back to a grocery and finally, by the mid-1990s, the only remaining tenant was a well-drilling company. At some point, through all of those changes, the plaque disappeared. In 1994, the Halsey Hall Chapter of the Society for American Baseball Research raised funds from former Saints players and fans to erect another marker. In April 1994, a new plaque was mounted on the outside of the structure. A few years later, the building was abandoned and torn down, but the new plaque was kept in storage by a SABR member.

At the east end of the original Lexington Park property, which had been curtained off by the park's left-field fence after it's 1916 remodel, the Colosseum Dance Hall/Skating Rink did not survive any longer then the park. However, in the northeast corner, the Prom Ballroom (also a food catering operation) stood until 1987. In the far northeast corner is a White Castle Hamburger restaurant which is the oldest surviving business on the property.

By 2005, the city and developers finally settled on a plan for the development of the site. In 2006, a TCF Bank opened in the former Colosseum location and the "new" plaque came out of hiding to be reinstalled in a baseball heritage display just a few yards northeast of the bank's front (east) door.

In 2007, an Alti Grocery Store opened at the site of Lexington's old ticket building and grandstand at the corner of University and Dunlap. Later the same year, further south down Dunlap, a non-profit social agency, the Wilder Foundation, opened a new office building. In addition, in the southwestern corner of the old Lexington Park property, a low-income apartment building was constructed. The southeastern portion of the property remained undeveloped as of Spring 2008.



Plaque (on ground) Indicating Site of Lexington Park (Alti is in upper right-hand corner) [April 2008]

Lexington's Old Ticket Building at University and Dunlap..........................Ticket Building Site in April 2008


Lexington Park Site from the South in April 2008 (TCF Bank is on the right and Wilder Building is on the left)



-----1958-----

After completion of the season, Max Macon had become the third most tenured manager in Saint Paul franchise history behind Mike Kelley and Nick Allen. It was his most difficult year because 40 players shifted in-and-out of the lineup with the best nine going to the Dodgers and seemingly most of the second tier, in their farm system, staying in Montreal who won the International League pennant. The Dodgers, now in Los Angeles, were treading water attempting to stay out of last place in the National League and took Norm Larker from the '57 team and, during the season: Don Demeter, Bob Wilson, Bob Lillis, Dick Gray, Don Miles, Roger Craig, Ron Negray, Danny McDevitt and Stan Williams. The players which were left led the team in a fall to seventh place with 12 less wins (then in '57) and attendance dropped by 70,000.

[Players on the '58 Montreal team included: Sandy Amoros, Tommy Davis, Solly Drake, Dick Gray, Bob Lennon, Sparky Anderson, Jackie Collum, Tommy LaSorta and Charlie Rabe.]

Bob Darnell (14-12) returned after three years to lead the team in victories and innings pitched with 27 starts. He also had a good ERA of 3.42 and WHIP of 1.36. Roger Craig (5-17) came on board between stints with the Dodgers and made 25 starts with the second-most innings and had acceptable numbers (3.91, 1.41), however, he obviously did not have much run support. Returnee Ron Negray (5-7) pitched in 24 games with rather a rather high ERA/WHIP of 4.85/1.69. It was still good enough for the Dodgers to promote him to their staff. Danny McDevitt (9-4) returned for 16 starts and did quite well with a 3.79 ERA and 1.49 WHIP before being called back up to the Dodgers. Another starter, Paul LaPalme, was a former major leaguer who the Saints obtained from Indianapolis at some point during the season. Assuming it was quite early in the year, he had good success as his A.A. numbers were: 12-8, 3.38 ERA, 1.21 WHIP. His ERA and WHIP would have led the team had he been with them the whole year.

Relievers and career minor-leaguers, Marty Stabiner (7-8) was in 123 innings for a 4.54 ERA and 1.48 WHIP and Charlie Ready (8-7) performed worse with an ERA of 5.12 and 1.63 WHIP in 116 frames. Omitting LaPalme, ex-major leaguer Dante "Leo" Cristante (5-5) led the team with the lowest ERA/WHIP (3.38/1.33) in 27 games and 88 innings. Former big-leaguers, Dick Scott (0-2) came back for 9 games, but had high numbers (6.26/1.91); Bob Milliken (1-3) pitched poorly in 8 games (7.09/1.76); and Stan Williams (2-3) made his last 8 starts in a Saints uniform with an excellent 2.81 ERA and 1.11 WHIP. Williams was then called up to the Dodgers and pitched in the majors most of the next 15 years.

After Dick Gray (.254) and All Star Bob Lillis (.272) were called to the Dodgers after 35 and 67 games respectively, there was not much talent left in the infield. [Gray also played in Montreal.] Third baseman Leon Carter was also traded to Indianapolis [exactly what point in the season is unknown] and hit .273 over the A.A. season. Jasper Spears (.205) played second and short in 123 games, former-sub Lacey Curry (.290) played more at short, but also at second and actually led the regulars in hitting. Charlie Williams came over from Indianapolis and probably played all infield positions except first and hit .277 in the league. Marty Devlin (.222), who was with Montreal most of the year, had 13 games at second. At first base, it is assumed that minor-league lifer Roy Hawes played more games then any other player after he was obtained from Wichita. However, with a league average of .199, he had to be spelled often - by the likes of outfielder/first baseman Felipe Montemayor (.212), who was second on the team with 13 home runs, and Larry Stankey (.244) who had 29 appearances at first but also played in two other leagues during the season.

The outfield situation was not much better after Don Demeter (.283) was promoted to the Dodgers after leading the team in homers with 14 and slugging % with only 80 games and All Star Bob Wilson (.349) was called to L.A. following 74 games. John Glenn (.284) was back for 111 outfield games and Felipe Montemayor patrolled the outfield in 76 contests. Billy Dashner (.198) was given an opportunity in 41 games and then sent to the Western League. Jack Lundquist was received from Minneapolis and had a A.A. average of .236 and then was sent to the Eastern League. Don Miles (.231) was around for 39 games after arriving from the Texas League and then went to the Dodgers. The club even called upon long-time major leaguer Chuck Harmon (.287) for help in 38 contests.

The most commonly used catcher (104 games) was Ken Worley (.248) [led team in RBI with 50], another minor league lifer and he was backed, for the third time, by 38-year-old Dixie Howell (.245) who retired as an active player after the season (played 36 games) with Saint Paul. Rene Friol (.323) had a good audition with the club in 28 games at receiver, but also was with Montreal during the year.

-----------------------

[Even with a MLB working agreement in '58, Louisville nearly folded in May as it's cash flow reached zero. About $20,000 was raised locally and the American Association made an emergency transfusion of $24,000 to keep the club operating the rest of the season.]

[St. Paul Pioneer Press]

Entrance to Midway Stadium

1958 Hitting

Main Pos-G

Bats

Age

AB

H

2b/3b

HR

Ave

Slg

OBP

RBI

SB

Birth Place

Ken Worley

C-120

R

27

367

91

16/6

5

248

365

50

Roy Hawes @

1b-106

L

32

322

64

11/1

4

199

276

36

Shiloh, IL

Jasper Spears

2bSS-123

R

28

380

78

12/2

8

205

311

43

Leon Carter @

3b-119

R

27

388

106

15/4

7

273

387

53

Lacey Curry

SS2b-137

R

30

335

155

27/13

7

290

428

48

Wichita Falls, TX

John Glenn #

OF-115

R

30

359

102

15/7

8

284

432

42

Moutrie, GA

Felipe Montemayor *

OF1b-132

L

28

340

72

14/5

13

212

397

41

Monterrey, Mex.

Don Demeter *#

OF-80

R

23

290

82

10/4

14

283

490

48

Oklahoma City

Bob Wilson #

OF-74

R

33

252

88

20/1

2

349

460

42

Dallas

Bob Lillis #

SS-67

R

28

272

74

10/6

3

272

386

17

Altadena, CA

Charlie Williams @

2b3bSS-133

R

30

451

125

29/0

6

277

381

49

Dyersburg, TN

Billy Dashner

OF-41

L

23

121

24

5/1

0

198

256

6

Dick Gray #

3b-35

R

27

130

33

1/0

6

254

400

19

Jefferson, PA

Dixie Howell *

C-39

R

38

94

23

2/0

1

245

298

3

Louisville

Jack Lundquist @

OF-46

L

28

110

26

6/2

1

236

355

9

Don Miles #

OF-39

L

22

130

30

4/1

5

231

392

22

Indianapolis

Larry Stankey

1b-29

L

25

86

21

6/2

3

244

465

13

Joliet, IL

Marty Devlin

2b-20

R

25

45

10

0/0

0

222

222

3

Rene Friol

C-31

R

25

93

30

6/2

0

323

430

18

Chuck Harmon *

OF-38

R

34

143

41

4/2

0

287

343

9

Washington, IN

Al Norris

1b-12

R

21

23

4

0/0

0

174

174

1

Los Angeles

Don Williams

C-7

R

22

13

6

462

Mobile, AL

1958 Pitching

Thrw

Age

G

GS

W-L

IP

H

BB

ERA

WHIP

SO

Birth Place

Bob Darnell *

R

28

28

27

14-12

216

207

87

3.42

1.36

Wewoka, OK

Roger Craig *#

R

28

28

25

5-17

182

180

77

3.91

1.41

Durham, NC

Paul LaPalme * @

L

35

36

20

12-8

168

159

44

3.38

1.21

Springfield, MA

Ron Negray *#

R

28

24

17

5-7

104

133

43

4.85

1.69

Akron,OH

Danny McDevitt #

L

26

16

16

9-4

102

101

51

3.79

1.49

New York City

Marty Stabiner

L

24

42

11

7-8

123

119

63

4.54

1.48

Charlie Ready

R

27

40

11

8-7

116

122

67

5.12

1.63

Leo Cristante *

R

32

27

8

5-5

88

94

23

3.38

1.33

Detroit

Jorge Sackey

R

26

12

0-3

24

19

Dick Scott #

L

25

9

2

0-2

23

29

15

6.26

1.91

Portsmouth, NH

Charlie Page

R

22

11

0-2

28

25

Hillsdale, OK

Mel Waters

R

30

11

0-0

17

Bob Milliken *

R

32

8

7

1-3

33

43

15

7.09

1.76

Majorsville, WV

Stan Williams * #

R

22

8

8

2-3

64

43

28

2.81

1.11

Enfield, NH

Glenn Mickens *

R

28

7

1-3

14

9

Wilmar, CA

Dick Duffy

L

28

6

1-0

13

11

George Barker

R

28

6

0-1

17

10

Leon Carter @

R

27

3

0-0

4

* = Prev MLB

# = Future MLB

@=played for another AA team



1958 Standings

W

L

Pct

GB

Attend.

Manager

Charlestown Senators

89

62

589

--

162,914

Wichita Braves

83

71

539

7.5

101,371

Minneapolis Millers

82

71

536

8

152,533

Denver Bears

78

71

523

10

228,262

Omaha Cardinals

80

74

519

10.5

157,715

Indianapolis Indians

72

82

468

18.5

162,565

St. Paul Saints

70

84

455

20.5

132,120

Max Macon

Louisville Colonels

56

95

371

33

96,883



Felipe "Monty" Montemayor played for the Saint Paul club of 1958. He was in 28 and 36 games for the Pirates in 1953 and 1955 with averages of .109 and .211. Felipe had 150 MLB at bats with a .173 average, .295 OBP and .287 slugging. As an outfielder in 40 games, his fielding percentage was .974.

Felipe attended the Institute of Technology in Mexico.

Montemayor played as a professional from 1948-1968 with 14 years in Mexican leagues. He played in 2,042 minor league games and had 6,606 at bats with a career .287 average and had four seasons with more then 20 home runs. Monty became a sports reporter in Monterey, Mexico. He now lives in Laredo, Mexico and was 94 in Feb. 2022.

[Minnesota Historical Society]

Don Demeter was on the Saints squads of 1957-1958. He was a member of the Dodgers in 1956 and 1958-1961 for 3, 43, 139, 64 and 15 games with averages of .333, .189, .256, .274 and .172. Don was traded to the Phillies during the '61 season where he played 106 games (.257, 20 HR). He then stayed with Philadelphia through the 1963 year playing in 153 and 154 games batting .307 and .258 with 29 and 22 homers.

Demeter next played for the Tigers in 1964-1966 appearing in 134, 122 and 32 games hitting .256, .278 and .212 with 22, 16 and 5 home runs. He played the rest of the '66 year and the first part of the '67 season with the Red Sox getting into 73 and 20 games (.292, .279). Don finished the '67 year and his major league career with the Indians (51 g, .207). He played in 1,109 MLB games and had 3,443 at bats for a .265 average, .309 OBP and .459 slugging. He hit 163 home runs and had 563 RBI. Defensively, he was an outfielder in 802 games, at third for 150 and at first for 112 - with a composite .990 fielding average.

-----

From the book "The Ballplayers":

"The slim, 6'4" righthanded slugger hit more then 20 HR each year from 1961 through 1964 and twice hit 3 in a game, with the Dodgers in 1959 and the Phillies in 1961. In his best offensive season, playing mostly third base for the '62 Phillies, Demeter batted .307 with 29 HR and 107 RBI. He set a MLB record for outfielders with 266 consecutive errorless games [229 chances], from September 1962 with the Phillies through July 1965 with the Tigers." - Allen Lewis

-----

Demeter played as a pro from 1953-1967. His brother, Steve, played in the majors from 1959-1960 and his son, Todd, was the Yankees number one draft choice in 1979, but never made the majors.

After his baseball career, Don became an insurance agent and founded a swimming pool installation company which his son Russ continued to run. He appeared in old-timers games for the Dodgers, while continuing to be very involved with his church, where he became pastor. He was the president of the AAA Oklahoma City 89ers baseball team in November 1973. Demeter also had an unsuccessful run for the state legislature in 1976 and, in 1999, he was inducted into the Brooklyn Dodgers Hall of Fame. Even in his later years, Don still did some swimming pool sales for his son. He lived in Oklahoma City when he jpassed away on November 29, 2021. Burial was in the Resthaven Memorial Gardens in OKC.


Bob Lillis was a member of the 1956-1958 Saint Paul teams. He was with the Dodgers in 1958-1961 getting into 20, 30, 48 and 19 games batting .391, .229, .267 and .111. Bob moved on to the Cardinals during the '61 year appearing in 86 games (.217). He then became an original Colt 45 playing with Houston the rest of his major league career of 1962-1967. During those years, he was in 129, 147, 109, 124, 68 and 37 contests with .249, .198, .268, .221, .232 and .244 averages.

Bob played in 817 MLB games and had 2,328 at bats for a .236 average, .271 OBP and .277 slugging. He was a shortstop in 530 games, at second in 174 and had 70 at third base. His fielding mark was .959.

-----

From the book "The Ballplayers":

"A native of Los Angeles, Lillis signed with Brooklyn in 1951 and appeared to be ready to replace Pee Wee Reese at shortstop in 1958, the year the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles. After injuries delayed his debut, he batted .391 in 20 games in 1958, but he lost the shortstop job to rookie Maury Wills in 1959. He was swapped to the Cardinals in mid-1961, drafted by the expansion Colt 45s that winter and was the team's MVP in its inaugural season. He batted a career-high .268 in 1964 and remained a Houston regular until 1966..." - Merritt Clifton

-----

Lillis attended USC.

lle played as a pro from 1951-1967 (excluding 1954-1955 when he was in the military). He was a scout and instructor in the Astros organization from 1968-1972 and a major league coach for them in 1967 and 1973-1982 and then with the Giants in 1986-1996. Bob managed Houston in 1982 (28-23, 5th), 1983 (85-77, 3rd), 1984 (80-82, 2nd) and 1985 (83-79, 3rd). His major league totals were: 276-261 (.514). He now lives in Orlando, FL and was 91 years old in June 2021.


Dick Gray was with the Saints teams of 1957-1958. He played in 58 and 21 games for the Dodgers in 1958-1959 batting .249 and .154. The rest of his '59 season was with the Cardinals (36 g, .314) where he also completed his big league years in 1960 (9 g, o-for-5).

Dick played in 124 MLB games and had 305 at bats with a .239 BA, .322 OBP and .420 slugging. His fielding percentage was .930 with 73 games at third, 13 at short, 6 at second an one in the outfield.

Gray played professionally from 1950-1962 excluding his military service in 1953-1954. He had five years at the AAA level and hit 24 homers in 1956. Dick graduated from Waynesburg College and worked for the Buena Vista School District maintenance department for many years retiring in 1993. In addition, he usually attended vintage baseball card shows and signed autographs. He was inducted into the Washington-Greene County Sports Hall of Fame in 2009. Gray died at age 81 in Anaheim, CA, on July 8, 2013. Cremation followed.


Don Miles played for St. Paul in 1958. Later that year he made his only appearances in a major league uniform getting into 8 games and having 22 at bats with the Dodgers. He had 4 hits (.182) - all singles - and a OBP of .217. As an outfielder in 5 games, he fielded perfectly.

Miles was a pro player from 1956-1960 and also played in 1965 and 1968. He attended the U. of Indianapolis and later lived in Houston. He died on April 26, 2011, in Houston, at age 75. Cremation followed and his ashes were given to his family.


Chuck Harmon played on the 1958 St. Paul club. He was a member of the 1954-1956 Reds batting .238, .253 and .000 in 94, 96 and 13 games. During the '56 season, he moved to the Cardinals where he played 20 and 9 games in 1956-1957 and hit .000 and .333. [He was 0-for-33 for the two teams in 1956]. His final big league games were for the Phillies in 1957 (57 g, .256).

Chuck was in 289 major league games and had 592 at bats for a .238 average, .298 OBP and .326 slugging. He played at third in 112 games, in the outfield in 82 and at first in 13 for a .952 fielding %.

-----

From the book "The Ballplayers":

"Harmon hit over .310 five consecutive years in the minors but never approached such numbers in the majors. As a star basketball player at the U. of Toledo, he led the school to the 1943 NIT finals." - Rich Marazzi

-----

Harmon was a pro from 1947-1961. He was a baseball scout for the Indians and Braves and also a basketball scout for the Pacers. In the early-1980s, he was the baseball promotions manager for MacGregor Sporting Goods and later an Administrative Assistant in the Hamilton County (OH) court system. He died on March 19, 2019, in Golf Manor, OH.

.

Roger Craig pitched for the 1958 Saints. He played for the Dodgers from 1955-1961 appearing in 21, 35, 32, 9, 29, 21 and 40 games completing 91, 199, 111, 32, 153, 116 and 113 innings with ERAs of 2.78, 3.71, 4.61, 4.50, 2.06, 3.27 and 6.15 and records of 5-3, 12-11, 6-9, 2-1, 11-5, 8-3 and 5-6.

He then was with the Mets in 1962-1963 for 42 and 46 games (233 and 236 innings) with 4.51 and 3.78 ERAs and 10-24 and 5-22 records. Roger was with the Cardinals in 1964 for 39 games and 166 innings (3.25 ERA) and then the Reds in 1965 (40 g, 3.64) and finished with the Phillies in '66 (14 g, 5.56).

Roger pitched in 12 MLB seasons appearing in 368 games (186 starts) with 1,536 innings allowing 1,528 hits and 522 walks while striking out 803. His ERA was 3.83 with a .259 OAV, .323 OOB and a 74-98 record.

-----

From the book "The Ballplayers":

"In 1986, 'Sports Illustrated' called Roger Craig 'the acknowledged maestro of the split-fingered fastball.' In 1985 he taught the split-finger to the Astros' Mike Scott who won the 1986 Cy Young award. Craig had previously managed the 1978-79 Padres and served as a scout and pitching coach, notably in Detroit, where he taught Jack Morris the split-finger. As a manager, Craig is noted for one-run tactics and for calling lots of pitchouts. He won the NL West title in 1987 and the NL pennant in 1989.

"With the fledgling Mets in 1962-63, Craig became the first pitcher to lead the NL in losses two straight years... He tied a league record in 1963 by dropping 18 straight decisions. Conversely, he tied the NL lead with four shutouts for Los Angeles in 1959 and won two World Series games, one each with Brooklyn and St. Louis." - Tom Jozwik

-----

Roger attended the University of North Carolina.

Craig pitched pro from 1950-1966 and managed in the minors in 1968. He was a major league coach for the Padres (1969-1972 and 1976-1977), Astros (1974-1975) and the Tigers (1980-1984). Roger managed the Padres in 1978 (84-78, 4th) and 1979 (68-93, 5th); Giants in 1985 (6-12, 6th), 1986 (83-79, 3rd), 1987 (90-72, 1st), 1988 (83-79, 4th), 1989 (92-71, 1st), 1990 (85-77, 3rd), 1991 (75-87, 4th) and 1992 (72-90, 5th). His MLB record was 738-737 (.500). He lives in Borrego Springs, CA, and was 91 in Feb. 2022.

Paul LaPalme pitched for the Saint Paul Saints in 1958. He was in 22, 31, 35 and 33 games for the Pirates in 1951-1954 completing 54, 59, 176 and 121 innings with ERAs of 6.29, 3.92, 4.59 and 5.52. Paul then spent the 1956 season with the Cardinals as a reliever appearing in 56 games and 92 innings for a 2.75 ERA.

After getting into one game for the Cards in 1956, he was in 11 for the Reds (4.67) and 29 with the White Sox (2.36). His major league time ended in 1957 with 35 appearances for the Sox (3.35). In his 253-game MLB career, he finished 616 innings allowing 645 hits and 272 walks with 277 strikeouts. His ERA was 4.42 with a .269 OAV, .345 OOB and a 24-45 record.

-----

From the book "The Ballplayers":

"LaPalme pitched a shutout in his first MLB game but suffered for much of his career with some of baseball's worst teams, the 1952-54 Pirates. The knuckleballer led the NL with eight wild pitches in '54. Despite his wildness, he had seven saves for the White Sox in 1957." - Morris Eckhouse

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LaPalme pitched as a pro from 1941-1959 not including 1943-1945 when he was in the military. He had seven years with ERAs at 3.00 or less. In the early-1980s, he was manager of an engraving company in Leominster, MA. He died in Leominster at the age of 86 on Febuary 7, 2010. Burial was at St. Leo's Cemetery, in Leominster.

Danny McDevitt pitched for the Saints in 1957-1958. He played for the Dodgers in 1957-1960 in 22, 13, 39 and 24 games (17, 10, 22 and 7 starts) with 119, 48, 145 and 53 innings completing ERAs of 3.25, 7.45, 3.97 and 4.25. He pitched a shut out over the Pirates in the last Dodgers game played at Ebbets Field on Sept. 24, 1957.

Dan pitched for the Yankees in 8 games in 1961 (7.82) and then, that same year, 16 for the Twins (2.36). His final year was 1962, with the A's, when he was in 33 games for a 5.82 ERA. Dan pitched in 155 MLB games (60 starts) finished 456 innings allowing 461 hits and 264 walks with 303 strikeouts. His ERA was 4.40 with a .265 OAV, .372 OOB and a 21-27 record.

McDevitt was a pro hurler from 1951-1963 excluding his military service years of 1953-1954. He graduated from St. Bonaventure U. and, in worked for the U.S. Department of Commerce - Economic Development Administration in Atlanta and lived in Conyers, GA. He also umpired minor league baseball for a short before moving to Georgia. After his government service, he developed real estate in the Social Circle, GA, area. He was inducted into the Binghamton (NY) Baseball Shrine in 2009.

McDevitt suffered a stroke in 2009 and died, at age 78, on Nov, 20, 2010 at Newton Medical Center in Covington, GA. He was buried at Lawnwood Memorial Park in Covington. GA.

Dick L. Scott pitched for Saint Paul in 1957-1958. He made 9 appearances for the Dodgers in 1963 (6.75) and 3 for the Cubs in 1964 (12.46). In his 16 MLB innings, he allowed 27 hits and 4 walks with 7 strikeouts. His ERA was 8.27 with a .365 OAV, .397 OOB and no major league record.

Scott played as a professional from 1956-1964 for 18 teams. In the mid-1980s, he was the repair parts manager for Davis Water and Waste Industries in Thomasville, GA. He passed away on Feb. 10, 2020, in Carroliton, GA.

Stan Williams pitched for Saint Paul in 1956-1958. He was with the Dodgers from 1958-1962 getting into 27, 35, 38, 41 and 40 games with 21, 15, 30, 35 and 28 starts completing 119, 125, 207, 235 and 186 innings and 9-7, 5-5, 14-10, 15-12 and 14-12 records. He played in the 1960 All Star game.

From 1963-1964, he was on the Yankees for 29 and 21 games (21 and 10 starts) and 146 and 82 innings with 3.21 and 3.84 ERAs. He then spent 1965 and 1967-1969 with the Indians pitching in 3, 16, 44 and 61 games completing 4, 79, 194 and 178 innings for ERAs of 6.23, 2.62, 2.50 and 3.94. Stan was in 68 and 46 games for the Twins in 1970-1971 compiling 1.99 and 4.15 ERAs. The rest of his 1971 season was with the Cardinals as he was called into 10 games (1.42). His final major league contests were with the Red Sox in 1972 (3 g, 6.23).

Stan pitched 14 MLB seasons and was in 482 games (208 starts) with 1,764 innings allowing 1,527 hits and 748 walks while striking out 1305 strikeouts. His ERA was 3.48 with a .232 OAV, .317 OOB and a 109-94 record.

-----

From the book "The Ballplayers":

"Williams was a hulking 6'4" 225-lb righthander with blistering speed and teammate's Don Drysdale's pitching personality. He loved to throw inside to batters and was widely, and appropriately, feared on the mound. But he never gained the control necessary to become a big winner.

"Williams won the second game of the 1959 tie-breaking playoff with the Braves to give the Dodgers the first playoff victory in their history. ..[In 1960] he became a regular member of the Dodger rotation and finished 14-10 with a 3.00 ERA. He struck out 205 to finish second in the league behind teammate Sandy Koufax...He helped New York to another AL flag in 1963...but he had an off year in 1964. The Yankees sold Williams to the Indians and he was converted exclusively to relief...He later became a coach with the Yankees serving as their 'eye in the sky' by positioning the outfielders from the press box."- WOR

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Williams was a professional pitcher from 1954-1972 and 1974. He was a minor league manager in 1974 and a major league coach for the Red Sox (1975-1976), White Sox (1977-1978), Yankees (1980-1982 and 1987-1988), Reds (1984 and 1990-1991) and the Mariners (1998-1999). He was also the advance scout for the Mariners in 2000-2003 and the Devil Rays in 2004. Stan lived in Lakewood, CA and died in Laughlin, NV, on February 20, 2021.



-----1959-----

Since the Dodgers were winning the '59 National League pennant, the Saints were able to keep nearly all of their best players and won 11 more games then the '58 squad [Montreal finished in 6th place]. However, attendance still dropped by 15,500. Manager Max Macon returned and had the distinction of tying for the second-longest term as a Saint Paul Saints manager. [Mike Kelley was first and Nick Allen tied Macon with five years at the helm.]

The league franchise turnovers accelerated when Wichita dropped out after only three seasons. They were replaced by the Texas League cities of Fort Worth, Dallas and Houston. Now with ten teams, the league divided into two divisions for the first time since 1934. The Saints were placed in the Eastern division with Louisville, Minneapolis, Indianapolis and Charleston and they followed an 162-game schedule.

Saint Paul finished with the fifth-best record in the league and fourth in their division because of very good pitching. Only two regular pitchers (of ten) had ERAs over 4.00. Fred Kipp (14-10) joined the club and led them in wins and innings pitched (3.21 ERA, 1.37 WHIP). [Kipp was called up to the Dodgers at the end of the season]. Newcomer Ed Roebuck (13-10) was second in wins and innings and had an good 2.98 ERA. Number-three starter was another new guy, Jim Golden (7-8), who had the third-most innings pitched with a 3.96 ERA. Don Bessent (7-5) was back for his fourth stint and had the team's second best ERA of 2.65 and a 1.34 WHIP.

Larry Sherry (6-7) was the only big roster loss to the Dodgers during the season, as he was taken to the higher calling after 15 starts and 115 innings (3.60/1.36). During his fifth season with the Saints, Bob Darnell, was traded to Omaha, but it is not known at what point in the season the transfer occurred. He ended the year with a league record of 4-12, 4.01 and 1.34. Former major leaguer, Jack Collum (9-6), also joined the Capital City club for 26 games and had decent numbers (3.41/1.42). Reliever Ed Palmquist (9-12) had the most appearances of any pitcher (59) and led the team with the lowest ERA (2.09) and WHIP (1.06).

Phil Clark and Marty Stabiner (6-4) were other returnees to the club. Clark played part of the season with the Cardinals and Omaha before arriving and had an A.A. record of 3-7, 3.47 and 1.35. Stabiner had the highest team ERA of 4.35 and a 1.57 WHIP as he also pitched for Montreal during the year. [There were years when a 4.35 ERA would have been considered excellent.] Old pro, Russ Meyer (5-5), also was in 13 games and pitched well (2.80 ERA/1.14 WHIP) after not playing in 1958. He had his last taste of the majors during the year and they were also his last pro appearances.

With the exception of first base, the infield was nondescript. Lacey Curry (.243) had more games at second then any other player in his fourth year with Saint Paul. Third baseman Joe Tanner arrived from Minneapolis and apparently was a regular ending the year with a league average of .274. The most commonly-used shortstop was Bobby Dolan (.230) who called it quits after the season. Three reserves were used at second, short and third: Jasper Spears (.135), in his fourth year, ended his career after 11 seasons; Gene Wallace (.313) had the best average of any player with over 200 at bats and played part of the year with Montreal; and Ed Richardson (.277). First baseman, Jim Gentile (.288), was the driving force of the Saints' offensive leading the club with 27 homers, 87 RBI, team slugging percentage and was tied for second in average.

John Glenn (.288) was back for his third tour-of-duty and tied for second in average and was second in homers (15), slugging % and RBI (67). Life-time minor leaguer, Chuck Soraci (.272), was an outfield regular as was Earl Robinson (.261) who had a future in the big leagues. The outfield subs were Sheldon Brodsky (.292) and Jim Koranda (.230) who had last been with the Saints in 1956 and also played in Montreal during the year. Future major league coach, Jimmy Williams (.194), also had a trial but was sent down to the Texas League.

At catcher, Rene Friol (.252) came back after hitting very well for a short time in '58 and started 108 games behind the plate. Veteran major leaguer, Dixie Walker, was obtained from Houston and had a league average of .268 for the year. Mike Napoli (.193) was back after a one year's absence and got into 26 games.

In August, it was announced that the Twin Cities of Saint Paul and Minneapolis would soon get a franchise in the Branch Rickey-envisioned Continental League. The Saint Paul Saints became an endangered species.



[Minnesota Historical Society]

Saints Action at Midway Stadium

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A most-remembered fan at Midway was Chuck Van Avery who was a boxing announcer and well-practiced heckler of opposition team players. On July 4, he baited Minneapolis manager Gene Mauch into a fight in the stadium's stands.

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1959 Hitting

Main Pos-G

Bats

Age

AB

H

2b/3b

HR

Ave

Slg

OBP

RBI

SB

Birth Place

Rene Friol

C-117

R

26

325

82

21/2

6

252

385

39

Jim Gentile #

1b-151

L

25

531

153

26/6

27

288

512

87

San Francisco

Lacey Curry

2bSS-94

R

31

354

86

16/4

2

243

328

30

Wichita Falls, TX

Joe Tanner @

3b2b-115

R

28

416

114

27/7

7

274

416

55

Laurel, MS

Bobby Dolan

SS-124

R

29

400

92

13/3

2

230

292

27

Evansville, IA

John Glenn #

OF-156

R

31

553

159

28/8

15

288

448

67

Moutrie, GA

Chuck Soraci

OF-128

L

25

423

115

19/1

4

272

350

45

Earl Robinson * #

OF-129

L

23

449

117

26/8

7

261

401

45

New Orleans

Rube Walker * @

C-103

L

33

280

75

10/0

5

268

357

36

Lenoir, NC

Jasper Spears

2bSS-38

R

29

96

13

3/0

0

135

167

7

Gene Wallace

SS2b3b-68

L

26

217

68

7/5

1

313

406

21

Ed Richardson

2b3b-53

L

26

159

44

10/4

3

277

447

14

Shelly Brodsky

OF-23

R

23

72

21

5/0

1

292

403

8

Jim Koranda

OF-54

R

25

187

43

10/2

3

230

353

19

Chicago

Mike Napoli

C-29

R

27

57

11

3/0

1

193

298

10

Jimmy Williams

OF-47

R

33

144

28

4/0

0

194

222

12

Toronto, ON (Can)

Wade Arnold

C-2

L

23

3

0

0/0

0

000

000

0

Bob Catton

C-7

R

22

15

4

0/0

0

267

267

0

New Orleans

Ernie Rodriguez

OF-11

L

22

16

2

1/0

0

125

188

2

1959 Pitching

Thrw

Age

G

GS

W-L

IP

H

BB

ERA

WHIP

SO

Birth Place

Fred Kipp * #

L

28

35

30

14-11

213

198

93

3.21

1.37

Piqua, KS

Ed Roebuck #

R

28

28

28

13-10

196

200

62

2.98

1.34

E. Millsboro, PA

Jim Golden #

R

23

30

22

7-8

159

169

70

3.96

1.50

Eldon, MO

Don Bessent #

R

28

20

18

7-5

119

111

48

2.65

1.34

Jacksonville, FL

Bob Darnell * @

R

29

47

16

4-12

166

160

63

4.01

1.34

Wewoka, OK

Larry Sherry #

R

24

15

15

6-7

115

103

53

3.60

1.36

Los Angeles

Jack Collum * #

L

32

26

14

9-6

116

133

32

3.41

1.42

Victor, IA

Ed Palmquist #

R

26

59

1

9-12

125

88

45

2.09

1.06

Los Angeles

Phil Clark * @

R

27

46

2

3-7

83

76

36

3.47

1.35

Albany, GA

Marty Stabiner

L

25

26

6

6-4

60

68

26

4.35

1.57

Russ Meyer *

R

36

13

11

5-5

90

85

18

2.80

1.14

Peru, IL

Mike Warnitsky

R

26

15

1-1

Chuck Ready

R

28

7

0-0

Leo Cristante *

R

23

4

0-0

* = Prev MLB

# = Future MLB

@=played for another AA team



1959 Standings

W

L

Pct

GB

Attend.

Manager

East

Louisville Colonels

97

65

599

--

222,854

Minneapolis Millers

95

67

586

2

160,167

Indianapolis Indians

86

76

531

11

249,384

St. Paul Saints

81

81

500

16

116,574

Max Macon

Charlestown Senators

77

84

478

19.5

102,774

West

Omaha Cardinals

83

78

516

--

116,088

Fort Worth Cats

81

81

500

2.5

97,315

Denver Bears

76

86

469

7.5

161,127

Dallas Rangers

75

87

463

8.5

130,334

Houston Bluffs

58

104

358

25.5

120,474



Max Macon managed the Saints in 1955-1959. He was a pitcher/first baseman and outfielder in the majors in 1938, 1940, 1942-1944 and 1947 for three teams. For the Cardinals in 1938, he pitched in 38 games (12 starts) and completed 129 innings for a 4.11 ERA. He pitched for the Dodgers in 1940 and 1942-1943 in 2, 14 and 25 games for ERAs of 22.50, 1.93 and 5.96. Max also made one pitching appearance each year, in 1944 and 1947, for 10 and one inning(s). He appeared in 81 games (29 starts) as a hurler with 297 innings allowing 307 hits and 128 walks with 90 strikeouts. Max had a 4.24 ERA, a.267 OAV, .345 OOB and a 17-19 record.

He hit .306 in 1938 with 36 at bats, .279 in 1942 with 43 at bats and .164 in 55 attempts in 1943. In 1944, Max played almost exclusively as a first baseman/outfielder batting .273 in 106 games. In his MLB career, he was at the plate officially 502 times with a .265 average, .288 OAV and .333 OOB. He was stationed at first in 75 games and in the outfield for 23. In those games and the 81 in which he pitched, Max fielded .965.

Macon was a pro player from 1934-1955 not including 1945-1946 when he was in the military. He was a minor league manager from 1949-1961 and in 1963. Later he was a scout and, all told, spent 41 years in baseball. He died at age 73 on Aug. 5, 1989, in Jupiter, FL, and was buried at Resthaven Memorial Park in Louisville.

Jim Gentile was on the 1959 Saint Paul Saints. He had two trials with the Dodgers in 1957-1958 for 4 and 12 games going 5-for-36 with one home run. Jim then had good years with the Orioles in 1960-1963 as he was their starting first baseman and played in 138, 148, 152 and 145 games batting .292, .302, .251 and .248 with 21, 46, 33 and 24 home runs. He played in the 1960, 1961 and 1962 All Star games. He was third in the AL MVP balloting in 1961.

Jim went to the A's for 1964-1965 and appeared in 136 and 38 contests with .251 and .246 averages and 28 and 10 homers. During the remainder of his '65 year and the first part of the '66 season, he was with the Astros getting into 81 and 49 games for averages of .242 and .243 and 7 home runs each year. He ended the '68 season and his big league career with the Indians in 33 games (.128, 2 HR).

He played in 936 MLB games and had 2,922 at bats for a .260 average, .372 OBP and .486 slugging. His totals included 179 home runs and 549 RBI. His fielding mark was .990 in his 854 games at first base.

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From the book "The Ballplayers":

"Since there was no room for a rookie first baseman on a team that already had Gil Hodges, Diamond Jim (so nicknamed by Roy Campanella, who considered the young left-handed slugger a diamond in the rough) languished for eight years in the Dodger farm system. Finally traded to Baltimore in 1961, the temperamental San Francisco native batted .302 with 46 HR - on only 147 hits - a club record 141 RBI [it was only one behind the Yankees' Roger Maris]. His five '61 grand slams, including two straight in one game, set a AL:record that stood until 1987." - Tom Jozwik

-----

Gentile was a professional hitter from 1952-1968 which included six years in AAA. He also played for one season in Japan. In the early-1980s, he managed an automotive center in Mesa, AZ, and, in 2001-2002 managed an independent team in Ft. Worth and in 2005 managed the Mid-Missouri Mavericks in the Frontier League. More recently, he acted as the hitting coach for Shaumberg, IL, in another independent league. He is now retired and lives in Edmond, OK, and was 87 in June, 2021.

Earl Robinson was a player on the 1959 Saints. He played a few games (8) for the Dodgers in 1958 going 3-for-15 and then moved to the Orioles for the rest of his big league years. Earl was in 96, 29 and 37 games for the O's from 1961-1962 and 1964 hitting .266, .286 and .273.

His MLB career was 170 games and 421 at bats for a .268 average, .342 OBP and .425 slugging. He played in the outfield during 133 games and had 6 at third all with a .980 fielding %.

Robinson was a pro player from 1958-1965 which included seven years at the AAA level. In the mid-1950s, he was a standout basketball player at the U. of California Upon retiring from baseball, he became head basketball coach at Merritt College in Oakland for the 1966-67 season Robinson later taught speech and communications classes at Laney College and worked with the Oakland A's in the 1980s as director of special projects. Also, he was an English teacher at Oakland's Castlemont High School and a former vice president for the Board of Trustees with the Oakland Zoo and served three years on the Board of Directors for the California Alumni Association. Robinson died at age 77 on July 4, 2014 in Fountain Valley, CA, after suffering from congestive heart failure and two heart attacks. Cremation followed.


Albert "Rube" Walker played for Saint Paul in 1959. He had an 11-year major league career which began with the Cubs in 1948-1951, when he was a backup catcher, for 79, 56, 74 and 37 games with batting averages of .275, .244, .230 and .234. Rube moved on to the Dodgers during the 1951 year getting into 36 games (.243) and then played 46, 43, 50, 48, 54, 60 and 25 games for them during the 1952-1958 seasons. He hit .259, .242, .181, .252, .212, .181 and .114 during those years.

Walker appeared in 608 MLB games with 1,585 at bats for a .227 hitting mark, .296 OBP and .341 slugging percentage. In his 466 games at catcher, he fielded .982.

-----

From the book "The Ballplayers":

"Walker was with the Dodgers for their 1951 NL playoff with the Giants, having been traded by the Cubs that June. Dodger catcher Roy Campanella had injured his thigh and despite his assertions he could play, manager Charley Dressen had Walker replace him for the second playoff game. Walker caught Clem Labine's shutout and hit a two-run homer. He also caught the final game and was behind the plate when pitcher Ralph Branca served up Bobby Thomson's [home run]...

"The soft-spoken Walker managed in the minors and became a low-key, patient pitching coach. After stints with the Dodgers and Senators, he coached Met pitchers for 14 years, beginning in 1968. When Joe Torre was fired as New York's manager in 1981, Walker accompanied him to Atlanta." - Norm Macht

-----

Walker played as a pro from 1944-1960 and managed from 1959-1964. He was a major league coach for the Dodgers (1968), Senators (1965-1967), Mets (1968-1981) and Braves (1982-1984). In addition, during his 49 years in baseball, he was a scout. Rube died at age 66, on Dec. 12, 1992, after a lengthy illness, at his home in Lenoir, NC. Burial was at Blue Ridge Memorial Park in Lenoir.

Fred Kipp pitched for the 1959 St. Paul Saints. He made appearances with the Dodgers during the 1957-1959 seasons for 1, 40 and 2 game(s). Fred completed 102 innings in '58 with a 5.01 ERA. His final major league games were with the Yankees in 1960 (4 g, 6.23). During his 47-game (9 starts) MLB career, he completed 113 innings allowing 119 hits and 48 walks with 64 strike outs. His ERA was 5.08 with a .274 OAV, .347 OOB and a 6-7 record.

Kipp was a professional pitcher from 1953-1962 excluding his military service in 1954. He graduated from Kansas State where he was an All-Conference basketball player. In the early-1980s, he was the owner/operator of an underground utility company and lived in Overland Park, KS. He is still involved with his heavy construction company which operates in the Kansas City area. Fred lives in that area and was 90 years old in Oct. 2021.


Ed Roebuck was with the 1959 St. Paul club. He pitched from 1955-1958 and 1960-1963 for the Dodgers getting into 47, 43, 44, 32, 58, 5, 64 and 29 games (all but one in relief) with ERAs of 4.71, 3.93, 2.71, 3.48, 2.78, 5.00, 3.09 and 4.24 in 84, 89, 96, 44, 117, 9, 119 and 40 innings.

He was traded to the Senators during the '63 season and finished the year with them (26 g, 3.30). Ed started the '64 season with Washington (2 g) and then moved on to the Phillies where he was in 60 games for a very good 2.21 ERA in 77 innings. He ended his big league tenure with them in 1965-1966 for 44 and 6 games compiling 3.40 and 6.00 ERAs.

Roebuck was called into 460 MLB games and finished 791 innings allowing 753 hits and 302 walks with 477 strikeouts. His career ERA was 3.35 with a .254 OAV, .329 OOB and a 52-31 record. It has been claimed that, because of his expertise with fungo bats, he was the only person to ever hit the roof at Houston's Astrodome.

-----

From the book "The Ballplayers":

"A solid complement to Clem Labine in the Dodger bullpen, Roebuck missed all of 1959 with a shoulder injury, but returned to win eight games and save eight in 1960 and he won ten with nine saves in 1962. On Sept. 4, 1957, he struck out twice in the eighth inning." - Jack Kavanagh

-----

Roebuck was a pro hurler from 1949-1967 with six years at the AAA level. After his playing days and until his retirement in 2004, he was a scout for the Dodgers, Phillies, Braves, Reds, Pirates and Red Sox. He lived in Lakewood, CA, and died there on June 14, 2018.



Larry Sherry pitched for Saint Paul in 1959. He was generally a relief pitcher for the Dodgers from 1958-1963 for 5, 23, 57, 53, 58 and 36 games completing 4, 94, 142, 95, 90 and 80 innings with 12.46, 2.19, 3.79, 3.90, 3.20 and 3.73 ERAs. Larry then went to the Tigers for the 1964-1967 seasons being brought into 38, 39, 55 and 20 games compiling ERAs of 3.66, 3.10, 3.82 and 6.43. The rest of his '67 year was spent with the Astros (29 g, 4.87). His major league career came to a close with 3 games for the Angles in 1968.

Larry appeared in 416 MLB games (16 starts) and finished 799 innings allowing 747 hits and 374 walks while striking out 606. His ERA was 3.67 with a .249 OAV, .339 OOB and a 53-44 record.

------

From the book "The Ballplayers":

A 24-year old rookie reliever called up by the Dodgers in the midst of the 1959 pennant race, Sherry went 7-2, won the first game of t best-of-three playoff with the Braves and became the hero of the World Series. Relieving in all four Dodger victories, he recorded saves in games two and three and wins in games four and six. In 12 2/3 innings of work, he allowed just one run and eight hits. For the first time in Series history, no member of either club's staff pitched a complete game.

"A power pitcher who threw a slider at several speeds, Sherry led the NL with 13 relief wins in 1960. He recorded 82 career saves, with a high of 20 for Detroit in 1966. He later returned to the Dodger organization as a minor league coach. Sherry was born with two club feet, but his problem was corrected by surgery with he was six. His brother, reserve catcher Norm Sherry, was a Dodger teammate from 1959-1962." - Rich Marazzi

-----
Sherry was a pro pitcher from 1953-1970 and managed in 1970-1972 and 1974. He was a major league coach for the Pirates (1977-1978) and Angels (1979-1980). Larry was also a minor league pitching instructor for the Dodgers for many years. He died at age 71, on Dec. 17, 2006, after a long battle with cancer, at his home in Mission Viejo, CA.


Ed Palmquist was a pitcher on the 1959 Saint Paul squad. He had a taste of the majors in 1960-1961 with 22 and 5 games for the Dodgers in 39 and 9 innings obtaining ERAs of 2.54 and 6.23. His final big league games were for the Twins in late 1961 (9 g, 9.43). He pitched 36 MLB games with 2 starts and competed 69 innings allowing 77 hits and 36 walks while striking out 36. His ERA was 5.11 with a .294 OAV, .391 OOB and a 1-3 record.

Palmquist was a pro from 1951-1962 not including 1953-1954 when he was in the U.S. military. He also played in Japan. After baseball, he entered the construction business in the Los Angeles area. He lived in Canoga Park, CA in later life and died on July 10, 2010, at the Marion Medical Center in Santa Maria, CA, at age 77. Cremation followed with the ashes given to his family.


Russ Meyer ("The Mad Monk") pitched for the Saints in 1959. Russ' first MLB games were in 1946 for the Chicago Cubs. In 4 games (1 start), he pitched 17 innings allowing 21 hits and 10 walks for a 3.18 ERA. He was a full-timer in 1947-1948 for the North Siders appearing in 23 and 29 games, with 2 and 26 starts for 45 and 165 innings with ERAs of 3.40 and 3.66. On Oct. 11, 1948, he was sold to the Phillies.

From 1949-1950 he was with Philadelphia pitching in 37, 32, 28 and 37 games, mostly as a starter, for 213, 160, 168 and 232 innings with 3.08, 5.30, 3.48 and 3.14 ERAs. He appeared in relief for 2 games of the 1950 World Series completing 1 2/3 innings and giving up 4 hits for a 5.40 ERA. Meyer was traded to Brooklyn on Feb. 16, 1953, in a 4-player/3-team deal.

With the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1953-1955 (he broke his shoulder blade in a collision in 1955) he was in 34, 36 and 18 games for 191, 180 and 73 innings compiling ERAs of 4.56, 3.99 and 5.42. He also was in the World Series of 1953 (1g, 4 1/3 inn, 8 h, 4 w, 6.23 ERA) and 1955 (1g, 5 2/3 inn, 4 h, 2 w, 0.00 ERA).

In June 1953, he caused media excitement when, after being ejected from a game, he was caught on television giving an objectionable gesture toward an umpire from the dugout. Warren Giles, the president of the National League, fined him $100 and suspended him for 3 days. In addition, it was reported that the Dodgers also fined him. Baseball Commissioner Ford Frick partially blamed television: "The fact is, television shares the responsibility with baseball in maintaining a high level of reportage through the cameras. Television must monitor itself. It must be cognizant of the fact that, while the dugout is in view of many fans, many players assume that it is in their private domain. Television must be careful about focusing its cameras on our dugouts. If the wrong picture is piped into the home, TV is injured just as badly as is baseball."

On Dec. 9, 1955, he was traded in a 5-player deal to the Chicago Cubs. For the Cubs in 20 games during the 1956 season (6.32 ERA) and pitched one game for the Reds that year after being claimed on Sept. 1 waivers. On Apr. 13, 1957, Boston claimed him and he appeared in 2 games (5 inn, 5.40 ERA). Meyer finished his MLB career in 1959 with the Kansas City A's for 18 games and a 4.50 ERA.

In his 13-year major league career, the RHP pitched in 319 games and finished 1,531 innings allowing 1,606 hits and 541 walks while striking out 672. His ERA was 3.99 and he had a .271 OAV. He was known for his hot temper as he once threw a resin bag in the air after being taken out of a game - it landed on his head. And, after being knocked out of a game, he once threw his spikes at the shower ceiling where they stuck. His nickname came from a football player in the 1930's by the name of Monk Meyer. Since Russ also played football in high school, the name stuck.

As a minor league player in 1942, 1944-1946, 1957 and 1959, he played on 7 teams with an ERA under 3.00 for 1 team. He was in AAA for 2 seasons. He played on the Superior Blues in 1942 (7-6, 4.21 ERA). Meyer was also a rabid bench jockey and could lose his cool on the mound after just a base hit or infielder's error.

Russ was in the military in 1943. He became the baseball coach at Illinois Valley Community College in Peru and a major league coach with the Yankees in 1992. His death came at age 75, on November 16, 1998, in Oglesby, IL.


Dante "Leo" Cristante pitched for the Saint Paul teams of 1958-1959. He got into 10 games for the Phillies in 1951 (4.91) and 20 contests for the Tigers in 1955 (3.19). In his 30 MLB games (2 starts), he completed 59 innings allowing 65 hits and 23 walks with 15 strike outs. His ERA was 3.84 with a .283 OAV, .350 OOB and a 1-2 record.

Cristante was a pro from 1947-1959 which included seven years at the AAA level. He became a quality inspector for Ford Motor Company. Leo died at age 50, on Aug. 24, 1977, at Oakwood Hospital in Dearbon, MI, and was buried at Lady of Hope Cemetery in Wyandotte, MI.



John Glenn played for the Saints from 1957-1960. His only major league experience was in 32 games for the Cardinals in 1960 when he had 31 at bats hitting .258 with a .256 OBP and .323 slugging. As an outfielder in 28 games, he fielded 1.000.

Glenn was a professional baseball player from 1950-1963 with eight seasons at the AAA level. In the mid-80s, he was working for a chemical company and living in Beverly, NJ. He now lives in Williamsboro, NJ, after resideing in Augusta, GA. He was 93 in July 2021.

-----1960-----

Former Saints player Danny Ozark was named manager in what turned out to be St. Paul's last minor league season. He played pro from 1942, but quit playing full time in 1957. Ozark had managed since 1956 in the Big Sky, Three I and Southern Atlanta Leagues. His '60 Saints team had a good year tying for third place and attendance was up by about 3,400 even though the schedule had been reduced from 162 games to 154.

The schedule returned to 154 contests because the league was paired to eight teams. Omaha left after five seasons and the Fort Worth and Dallas franchises combined into one.

That year, the Dodgers provided the Saints with much better infield talent. At first, was major league veteran Gail Harris (.315) who arrived from the Tigers to lead the team in homers (22), RBI (88) and in slugging %. He was also second in average. Johnny Goryl (.306) was between major league assignments and became the second base regular. Third baseman, Bob Aspromonte (.329), led the team in hitting and OBP before being called up to the Dodgers and Willie Miranda (.229) started at shortstop after seven MLB seasons. Lacey Curry (.230) was the main infield reserve in his tenth and final pro year. Al Norris (.272) also saw action before being sent to the PCL. Butch McCord (.268) was at first base for 17 games in his tenth year in the minors.

Rene Friol (.280) had his best year with St. Paul at catcher, but never made the majors [he played pro from 1954-1970]. Friol's back-up was another minor league-lifer Dan Gatta (.242).

All Star and future big leaguer, Carl Warwick (.292), led the outfielders with 19 home runs and 75 RBI. Long-time minor leaguer, Lee Handley (.290), was also a regular and Duke Carmel (.244) was the third outfield starter after coming from the Cardinals by way of Rochester. John Glenn (.307) played well in his fourth season with the Saints before going to Rochester and then the Cardinals for his only taste of the majors. Bob Lennon (.305) was back, but he spent most of the year with Montreal. Two other reserves from '59 returned for the same duty in 1960: Chuck Soraci (.296) and Shelley Brodsky (.296).

Pitching was not as good as in '59, except for All Star Jim Golden (20-9), who was the first Saints pitcher to win twenty games since Phil Haugstad in 1949. [It was the 35th time in franchise history for that milestone to be reached, but only the second since 1936.] He also led the league with the best ERA of 2.32 and the team in innings, starts and WHIP. Don Bessent (9-12) was back to finish second in team innings with an ERA of 4.42 and WHIP of 1.50. Jackie Collum (6-8) also returned for 24 starts with the team's third-most innings. Caroll Beringer (10-4) finally made the AAA level after 13 years and pitched well with a 3.78 ERA and 1.23 WHIP (second on team), but retired after the season. Old pro, Art Fowler (13-10), saw action in 36 games as he was in a respite from his major league years. Fowler's 2.94 ERA was second-best on the club.

Phil Clark (8-7) came back to lead the team in appearances with 60 (3.70/1.56) and former major-leaguer Freddy Rodriguez (4.38) was second in games at 51 (4.38/1.38). Marty Stabiner (1-4) returned for his third year with the Saints and his fifth overall, but called it quits during the year. Future major leaguer, Jim Donohue (5-5) came from Rochester and pitched well (3.38/1.31) in 24 games. Chris Nicolosi (5-3) came aboard splitting his final pro year (of ten) with the PCL. Future Dodger and Twin, Ron Perranoski (3-3), pitched in ten games, but saw more action in Montreal during the year.

The Saints, in their first playoff action since 1957, lost the first round to Louisville four games to two. In game six at Louisville on September 28, Saint Paul had a 4-1 lead after six innings, but the Colonels scored two in the seventh, one the eighth and one in the ninth to end the season...and close the books on the franchise. [For the record, their last game in Saint Paul was on September 25 with a 3-2 win in game three on the playoffs.]

[Minnesota Historical Society]

The Final Saint Paul Saints Team

Front row: Miranda, Nicolosi, Gatta, Warwick, Collum and Goryl

Middle: Aspromonte, Friol, Clark, Carroll Beringer (coach), Ozark, Lennon, Glenn and Harris

Back: Jim Wiesner (trainer), Handley, Bessent, Rodriguez, Stabiner, Golden, Fowler, Curry and John Matte (trainer)

1960 Hitting

Main Pos-G

Bats

Age

AB

H

2b/3b

HR

Ave

Slg

OBP

RBI

SB

Birth Place

Rene Friol

C-133

R

27

432

121

13/3

10

280

394

337

56

2

Gail Harris *

1b-117

L

29

438

138

21/9

22

315

555

374

88

4

Abingdon, VA

John Goryl #

2b-140

R

27

494

151

32/10

7

306

453

372

50

5

Cumberland, RI

Bob Aspromonte #

3b-102

R

22

368

121

18/7

2

329

432

392

45

8

Brooklyn

Willie Miranda *

SS-137

S

34

454

104

23/9

0

229

319

291

45

0

Velasco, Cuba

Carl Warwick #

OF-155

R

23

612

179

27/11

19

292

466

345

75

18

Dallas

Lee Handley

OF-110

R

25

331

96

15/2

5

290

393

345

41

0

Duke Carmel * #

OF-81

L

23

250

61

7/6

7

244

404

339

23

8

New York City

John Glenn #

OF-60

R

32

228

70

16/4

6

307

491

360

36

8

Moutrie, GA

Lacey Curry

2bSS-115

R

32

387

89

15/0

2

230

264

296

25

7

Wichita Falls, TX

Dan Gatta

C-57

R

25

124

30

3/0

4

242

363

299

15

1

Bob Lennon *

OF-70

L

32

213

65

14/3

9

305

526

362

36

3

Brooklyn

Al Norris

3b-25

R

23

81

22

4/0

3

272

432

298

17

0

Los Angeles

Chuck Soraci

OF-43

L

26

130

33

7/1

3

254

392

292

18

0

Shelly Brodsky

OF-18

R

24

27

8

1/0

0

296

333

321

2

0

Butch McCord

1b-17

L

35

56

15

0/1

1

268

357

317

6

0

Nashville

Frank Boniar

OF-3

R

28

3

0

0/0

0

000

000

0

0

Don Domenichelli

Inf-8

R

25

23

4

1/0

1

174

217

Nate Oliver #

SS-3

R

20

2

0

0/0

0

000

000

St. Petersburg, FL

Danny Ozark

PH-1

R

37

1

0

0/0

0

000

000

Buffalo, NY

Joe Tanner

3b-10

R

29

21

2

0/0

0

095

095

174

1

0

Laurel, MS

1960 Pitching

Thrw

Age

G

GS

W-L

IP

H

BB

ERA

WHIP

SO

Birth Place

Jim Golden #

R

24

42

32

20-9

237

205

85

2.32

1.22

Eldon, MO

Don Bessent #

R

29

36

25

9-12

163

174

70

4.42

1.50

Jacksonville, FL

Jack Collum *

L

33

34

24

6-8

158

188

57

4.04

1.55

Victor, IA

Carroll Beringer

R

32

33

23

10-4

150

162

22

3.78

1.23

Belwood, NE

Art Fowler * #

R

38

36

24

13-10

187

208

38

2.94

1.32

Converse, SC

Phil Clark *

R

28

60

3

8-7

112

126

49

3.70

1.56

Albany, GA

Freddy Rodriguez *

R

36

51

1

2-5

78

72

36

4.38

1.38

Havana, Cuba

Marty Stabiner

L

26

16

4

1-4

42

52

23

4.93

1.79

Jim Donohue #

R

22

24

8

5-5

80

72

33

3.38

1.31

St. Louis

Chris Nicolosi

R

32

36

1

5-3

63

70

23

4.57

1.48

St. Louis

Ron Perranoski #

L

24

10

5

3-3

40

33

10

1.57

1.08

Paterson, NJ

Burbon Wheeler

R

22

5

5

1-1

24

12

23

3.00

1.46

Dick Cronk

R

22

1

0-0

1

3

2

18.00

5.00

* = Prev MLB

# = Future MLB



1960 Standings

W

L

Pct

GB

Attend.

Manager

Denver Bears

88

66

571

--

269,783

Louisville Colonels

85

68

556

2.5

139,028

St. Paul Saints

83

71

539

5

119,926

Danny Ozark

Houston Bluffs

83

71

539

5

118,584

Minneapolis Millers

82

72

532

6

115,702

Charlestown Senators

65

88

425

22.5

95,976

Indianapolis Indians

65

89

422

23

162,123

Dallas-Ft.Worth Rangers

64

90

416

24

113,849



On October 26 at 2:15 PM (CST), it was announced that the Griffith-family owned Washington Senators would move their team to the Twin Cities. The Saints were officially dead. The American Association operated until 1962, reorganized and then played from 1969 through 1997.


[Minnesota Historical Society]

Ceremonies after the Final Saints Game

The Twins preferred to play in the old Minneapolis Millers park in Bloomington ("Metropolitan Stadium"). When a new multi-purpose indoor facility was chosen for the area in 1980, downtown Minneapolis was chosen as the site for the "Metrodome". After 15 years, the call was made for another Twins outdoor baseball-only park. This time, Saint Paul had a chance as, in the late 1990s, mayor Norm Coleman and a majority of the city council decided to authorize a voter referendum to finance (5 cents on every $20 purchase in the city) the construction of a park in downtown Saint Paul. The park's visitors could have had a similar view as at Pittsburgh's current "PNC" Park - a river, bridges and downtown skyscrapers. That vision ended when only 42% voted "yes".

-----

Condensed from two articles written, in the early 1980s, by Ken Haag in "The Eastsider":

"Post-war baseball...It was a time when the game of baseball was played dutiful, hard and fun. When the bleachers were packed with Skippy Knot Hole Gang Kids, when cigar smoke, sunburn and streetcars made Saturdays special - A time when the St. Paul 'Saints came marching in' to play ball at old Lexington Park in the post-war forties.

"The old Association was just a hairs-breadth away from being major league, and some of those teams would have fared well in the watered down expansion leagues of the majors today. The St. Paul Saints were an example of youth and seasoned pros...The Brooklyn Dodgers owned the Saints who sprung rookies with regular abandon. A phenom named Tommy Brown played shortstop in 1945 and often fired his throws into the dugout. A year later a red-eared youngster, Gene Mauch, played shortstop with the gutsy verve of a veteran. A 19-year old fireballing pitcher used Lexington ballyard as a launching pad to the majors. His name was Ralph Branca...

"Yes, it was a time of seventh innings stretches and flashy billboards rimming the outfield. It was a time of streetcar tokens, rationing tokens for sugar, and 'six-bit' bleacher seats for baseball. It was cold beer, warm sun and wafting blue cigar smoke; popcorn, peanuts and 'lucky number scorecards.'...The visiting teams always had grey uniforms. The managers always coached third base. For the seventh inning stretch fans would kick in unison on the wooden floor boarding to make for a rolling thunderous beckon. In the spring of '49 there were 21,000 fans at opening day. The outfield was roped off to hold them all...this in a park that held 10,000!

"There were 'knothole Gangs,' most popular player contests, All-Star games, and 'Coliseum Homers.' The ball players wives were always seated behind the home dugout. Bud Kimball, a third baseman, had a wife that looked like Hedy Lamar. Maybe that explained some of the lapses I had regarding the play on the field. Gene Mauch's wife was blonde and also resembled a movie star. If you stayed around after the game you rode the streetcar downtown with players...The players stayed at the St. Francis Hotel at Seventh and Wabasha, and Sunday afternoons, after the doubleheader, downtown was buzzing with fans, players and movie goers.

"Thrills were 'major league' all the way. But 'progress' was at hand. Soon Lexington Park was abandoned and torn down. Ditto to the Coliseum Roller Rink. And at Midway Stadium...the Saints played through 1960...But the teams were not of the postwar caliber. It was more of a revolving door act with rookies moving through St. Paul like a whistle stop...[After the Twins arrived, the former Saints' players] were gone forever, their images still harkening, though, to the time when the game was fun, when salaries were lower but were earned, when players were eager and hungry and played to the hilt, and when our pace of living glided along sometimes as slowly as the moon arching across the coal-dust skies over Lexington."

[Ken Haag is a St. Paul native.]



-----

Boyd "Gail" Harris played for Saint Paul in 1960. He was a reserve for the Giants in 1955-1957 in 79, 12 and 90 games batting .232, .132 and .240. With the Tigers from 1958-1960, he played in 134, 114 and 8 games with averages of .273, .221 and .000.

In his 437 MLB games and 1,331 at bats, he hit .240 with a .306 OBP and .406 slugging. He played first base in 367 games with a .986 fielding percentage.

-----

From the book "The Ballplayers":

"Harris was a power hitter but lacked consistency. In 1958 for the Tigers, his best season, he had 20 home runs and 83 RBI but led the AL first basemen in errors." - BC

-----

Harris was a professional baseball player from 1950-1961 and hit over 20 homers during five seasons. Gail worked for the Nationwide Insurance Company for 34 years retiring as a regional sales manager. He lived in Manassas, VA, and died in Gainesville, VA, on Nov. 14, 2012 at the age of 80. Cremation followed. His ashes were scattered at Costello Park in Manassas.

John Goryl played for the Saints in 1960. He first came up to the Bigs in 1957 for the Cubs getting into 9 games during the month of September and hit .211 in 38 at bats. In 1958, he stayed the whole year with the Cubs acting as their utility infielder in 83 games (44 at third and 35 at second) and batted .242. Only part of his 1959 season was with the Cubs as he hit .188 in 25 games. On April 8, 1960, he was traded to the Dodgers with Ron Perranoski, Lee Handley and $25,000 for Don Zimmer. Goryl never played for the Dodgers.

It took three years to return to MLB when in 1962, 1963 and 1964 he was the Twins' utility infielder playing in 37, 64 and 58 games at second, third and short. His averages those years where .192 (26 at bats), .287 (150 AB's - 9 home runs) and .140 (114 AB's). In 276 career MLB games, his batting average was .225 with an OBP of .306 and slugging % of .371. His fielding % was .960.

In the minor leagues from 1951-57, 1959-61, 1965 and 1967, he was with 15 teams. He hit over .300 in 5 seasons and played for the Eau Claire Bears in 1952 (.294, 8 HR, 25 RBI) when he was an infield mate with Hank Aaron and in 1954 (.314, 9, 90).

John was a minor league manager from 1966-1968, 1971-72 and 1976-1978., a major league coach for Minnesota (1968-69 and 1979-80) and Cleveland (1982-88 and 1997-99). He was also the major league manager of the Twins in 1980 (23-13) and 1981 (11-25). From 1999-2003, he served as the Indians' Defensive Coordinator and in 2004 he became their Advisor to Player Development. He lives in Apopka, FL, and turned 88 in October 2021.


Bob Aspromonte was a member of the 1960 St. Paul squad. He got into one game for the Dodgers in Sept. 1956 going 0-for-1 as a pinch hitter. Bob returned to the Dodgers for a few games in 1960-1961 (21 and 47) with averages of 182 and .241.

He then became a full time starter for the Colt 45s/Astros from 1962-1968 for 149, 136, 157, 152, 152, 137 and 124 games hitting .266, .214, .280, .263, .252, .294 and .225. Bob led NL third basemen in fielding in 1964 and 1966.

In 1969-1970 he was a part-timer for the Braves getting into 82 and 62 contests batting .253 and .213. His major league career ended in 1971 with the Mets with 104 games (.225). He played 13 years in the majors and was in 1,324 games and had 4,369 at bats for a .252 average, .310 OBP and .336 slugging. His career fielding % was .960 as he played 1,094 games at third, 61 in the outfield, 71 at short and a hand full each at first and second base.

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From the book "The Ballplayers":

"One of many major leaguers produced by Brooklyn's Lafayette High School (including his brother Ken and Sandy Koufax), Aspromonte debuted at age 18 and struck out...At the time of his retirement, he was the last active ex-Brooklyn Dodger. He was a regular with the original Houston expansion team in 1962 and stayed through 1968. The celebrated bachelor set a NL record for third basemen with 57 consecutive errorless games in 1962 and added a since-broken NL record for fewest errors at 3b (11) in 1964. He was strictly a pull hitter until 1967, when he batted a career-high .294 by hitting to all fields...he was the last original Colt 45 to leave the franchise." - Jane Charlin-Aker

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Aspromonte played as a pro from 1956-1971. In the early 1980s he operated a Coors Beer distributorshop in Houston. He still lives in Houston and turned 83 in June 20215.


Guillermo "Willie" Miranda was a Saints player in 1960. He was with the Senators for 7 games in 1951 (4-for-9) and then packed a travel bag for 1952 going from the White Sox (12 g, .250) to the Browns (7 g, .091) back to the White Sox (58 g, .218). In 1953, he began the year back with the Browns (17 g, .167) and then wound up with the Yankees (48 g, .224). He played in 92 games for the Yanks in 1954 hitting .250 and then finished his career with the Orioles from 1955-1959.

With the O's, he performed in 153, 148, 115, 102 and 65 games batting .255, .217, .194, .201 and .159. Over his MLB years, he got into 824 games with 1,914 at bats for a .221 average, .284 OBP and .271 slugging. He was at shortstop in 768 games, at third for 23, at second fir 12 and at first for one. His career fielding percentage was .962.

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From the book "The Ballplayers":

"...Quick and sure-handed, he led AL shortstops in every fielding category but average for Baltimore in 1955. He had good range and a strong arm that enabled him to throw out runners from deep in the hole. In 1959 he fled Cuba by hiding in the cockpit of a Pan Am plane; he returned two decades later to help family members escape by boat." - Norm Macht

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Miranda was a pro player from 1948-1961 and managed in 1968 and 1979. In the early-80s, he worked for Dixie Saw and Manufacturing Company in Baltimore. He died at age 70, on Sept. 7, 1996, in Baltimore and was buried there at Gardens of Faith Memorial Gardens.

Carl Warwick played on the 1960 St. Paul team. In 1961, he was with the Dodgers for 19 games (.091) and then went to the Cardinals for 55 more (.250). He stayed with the Cards for 13 games in 1962 (.348), at which point, he was traded to the Colt 45s (130 g, .260). Carl stuck with Houston in 1963 for 150 contests and a .254 average.

He then traveled back to the Cardinals performing for them in 1964-1965 hitting .259 and .156 in 88 and 50 games. Also, in '65, he got into 9 games with the Orioles (0-for-14). His big league years came to a close with 16 games for the Cubs in 1966 (.227). Carl's MLB career constituted 530 games and 1,462 at bats with a .248 average, .309 OBP and .360 slugging. He was an outfielder in 422 games at first in 6 with a .980 fielding mark.

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From the book "The Ballplayers":

"Warwick tied a World Series pinch-hitting record with the Cardinals in 1964, collecting three hits in four at bats off the bench. His pinch single drove in the go-ahead run in St. Louis' 9-5 opening game win over the Yankees." - Rich Marazzi

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In later years, Warwick believed he focused too much on hitting for power and admitted, “I wanted to hit 20 home runs and it probably cost me 20 or 30 points on my batting average.”i He was popular with teammates and coaches in Houston and Colt .45s manager Harry Craft praised Warwick’s willingness to listen and learn, calling him “a darned good subject “.

Warwick played as a pro from 1958-1966. He graduated from Texas Christian U. and, in the early-80s, owned the real estate company, Carl Wickwick and Associates, in Houston. Later, he started a corporate travel company called Questar Travel which he continues to own and operate. Warwick also served as Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Major League Baseball Alumni Association. Carl has listed his favorite hobbies as golfing, fishing and playing the piano and trumpet,

He still lives in Houston and was 85 years old in Feb. 2022.


Leon "Duke" Carmel was a member of the 1960 Saint Paul Saints. He had three trials with the Cardinals in 1959, 1960 and 1963 playing in 10, 4 and 57 games batting .130, .000 and .227. During the '63 season he was traded to the Mets where he played 47 more games (.235). In 1965, he ended his big league tenure with 6 games for the Yankees (.000).

Duke played in 124 MLB games and had 227 at bats with a .211 average, .295 OBP and .322 slugging. As an outfielder in 70 games and a first baseman in 23, he fielded .981.

Carmel played as a pro from 1955-1967 including nine years at the AAA level. He had four years where he hit more then 20 home runs including 1964 when he had 35. In the early-80s, he was a salesman for Capital Distributors on Long Island, NY. Later Carmel settled in Coram, NJ and was a salesman for a liquor store. He currently lives in Waretown, NY and was 84 in April 2021.


Bob Lennon played for the Saints in 1960. He played on the 1954 and 1956 Giants in 3 and 26 games batting .000 and .182. His finale was in 1957 with the Cubs for 9 games and a .143 average. Bob hit .143 in 38 games and 79 at bats with a .214 OBP and .228 slugging %. He fielded .900 in 25 games as an outfielder.

He played professionally from 1945-1961 (ex. military service in 1951). His claim to fame came in 1954 when he hit 64 home runs for Nashville whose team had a homer-friendly ballpark. [It was his only year leading a league in big flies.] Otherwise, he had four seasons when he hit more then 20 (24, 31, 25 and 28). He played in 1,784 minor league games and had 6,045 at bats for a .281 average hitting a career 278 home runs and collecting 1,067 RBI.

Lennon, who was an ironworker during his off-seasons, continued in that work after baseball and lived in Dix Mills, NY. He also did some "bird dog" scouting for the Yankees. He had two heart surgeries in the 1990s and died at age 76, on June 14, 2005, in Dix Hills. Burial was at Calverton National Cemetery in Calverton, NY.

Nate Oliver was with the Saints in 1960. He was an utility infielder for the Dodgers in 1963-1967 appearing in 65, 99, 8, 80 and 77 games with averages of .239, .243, 1.000, .193 and .237. Nate moved on to the Giants in 1968 getting into 36 games (.178) and then closed down his major league career in 1969 with one game for the Yankees and 44 with the Cubs (.159).

He got into 410 MLB games and had 954 at bats accumulating an average of .226 with a .284 OBP and .268 slugging. In the field, he was positioned at second in 291 games, at short for 50, 3 at second base and one in the outfield. His fielding average was .969.

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From the book "The Ballplayers":

"Oliver was supposed to make the Dodgers forget former second baseman Charlie Neal and push Jim Gilliam closer to retirement. His glove won him the opening day job in 1963 and again in 1966, but his bat did not let him keep it. An accomplished singer, he cut a record album and often performed 'The Star Spangled Banner'.' - Tom Gallagher

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Nate's dad (Jim Sr.) played in the Negro Leagues.

Oliver was a professional ball player from 1959-1971 and managed in 1988-1991 and 1998-1999. In the mid-80s, he was a station agent for BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) in Oakland and an A's clinic director. In 2000, he was an infield instructor in the Cubs organization and in 2003 became manager of a team in a Canadian independent league. Nate was a minor league bunting instructor for the White Sox in 2004-06 and in 2012 was a coach for UC club baseball. He still lives in Oakland and was 81 years old in Dec. 2021.

Jim Golden pitched for the Saint Paul Saints in 1959-1960. He was a pitcher on the staff of the Dodgers in 1960-1961 getting called into one and 20 game(s) with ERAs of 6.43 and 5.79. In 1962 he moved on the expansion Colt 45s where he made 37 appearances (4.07) and finished up with them for 3 games in 1963. On June 22, 1962, he beat the Mets 16-3, collected three hits (incl. two triples), scored two runs and drove in three.

In 1963, Golden’s time in the big leagues was ended by a right shoulder injury (later diagnosed as a rotator cuff tear). He tried to pitch through it in the minors, but was ineffective.

Jim appeared in 69 MLB games (20 starts) completing 208 innings allowing 233 hits and 76 walks with 115 strikeouts. His career ERA was 4.54 with a .282 OAV, .343 OOB and a 9-13 record. He hit .217 as a batter.

Golden was known as a quiet man. Sportswriter Joe Reichler once wrote: “He must be one of the most frugal men with words in the baseball world.” There were stories about him being rather shy on pre-game or post-game shows. Even after pitching a good game, he limited his answers to one or two words. One of his minor-league managers, Danny Ozark, nicknamed him “Gabby.” Jim's response: “My thought is that if you had to tell someone how good you are, maybe you’re not that good.”

Golden was a pro pitcher from 1954-1964 which included four seasons in AAA. In the mid-80s, he was employed in the quality control department of Goodyear Rubber Company in Topeka, KS, for 32 years. He still lives in Topeka today and turned 85 in March 2021.

Jack Collum was a pitcher on the 1959-1960 Saint Paul clubs. He was in a few games for the Cardinals during the 1951-1953 seasons (3, 2 and 7) and then was traded to the Reds where he played in 30, 36 and 32 games from 1953-1955. In those Reds' years, he had ERAs of 3.75, 3.76 and 3.63.

He went back to the Cards in 1956 (38 g, 4.20) and then moved on the Cubs (9 g, 6.75) and the Dodgers (3 g, 8.31) in 1957. He pitched in only 3 games (8.10) for the Dodgers in 1958 and was then out of the majors until 1962 when he got into 8 games for the Twins (11.15) and one for the Indians. In his sporadic 9-year MLB career, he was in 171 games (37 starts) and completed 464 innings allowing 480 hits and 173 walks with 171 strikeouts. His ERA was 4.15 with a .273 OAV, .344 OOB, a 32-28 record and 12 saves.

Collum was a pro hurler from 1947-1962 which included nine seasons at the AAA level. In the early-80s, he owned a gas station in Grinnel, IA. He died there at age 82 on Aug. 29, 2009, and burial was at the Rock Creek Cemetery in Grinnel.

[Minnesota Historical Society]

Art Fowler pitched for the Saints in 1960. He pitched for the Reds from 1954-1957 getting into 40, 46, 45 and 33 games with ERAs of 3.83, 3.90, .4.05 and 6.47 with 228, 208, 178 and 88 innings. In 1959, he was with the Dodgers in 36 games (5.31). Art finished with the Angels from 1961-1964 getting into 53, 48, 57 and 4 games compiling ERAs of 3.64, 2.81, .242 and 10.29.

Art was in 362 MLB games (90 starts) and completed 1,024 innings allowing 1,039 hits and 308 walks with 539 strikeouts. His ERA was 4.03 with a .265 OAV, .320 OOB, a 54-51 record and 32 saves.

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From the book "The Ballplayers":

"As a 48-year-old player and coach on Billy Martin's 1970 Denver team, Fowler saved 15 games and won 9 with a 1.59 ERA. He subsequently followed Martin as a pitching coach to several MLB cities...Mostly a reliever during his playing days, Fowler won a career-high 12 games for the 1954 Reds. His brother, Jesse, pitched with the Cardinals 30 years before Art's MLB debut." - Tom Jozik

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Fowler was a professional pitcher from 1944-1970 (excluding 1969) and he managed in 1970. He was a major league coach for the Angels (1964), Twins (1969), Tigers (1971-73), Rangers (1973-75), Yankees (1977-79, 1983, 1988) and the A's (1980-82). He died at age 84, on Jan. 29, 2007, in Spartanburg, SC, and was buried at Greenlawn Memorial Gardens there.

Phil J. Clark pitched for Saint Paul in 1959-1960. His big league career was limited to seven games each season in 1958-1959 for the Cardinals. He completed 15 innings allowing 19 hits and 11 walks while striking out 6 for a 7.98 ERA, .322 OAV, .429 OOB and a 0-2 record.

He he was a memorable and sympathetic figure in The Long Season, the memoir of the 1959 season written by teammate Jim Brosnan.

Clark was a pro pitcher from 1951-1961 excluding 1952 when he was in the military. He pitched in the American Association over five seasons. In the early-80s, he was an assistant principal at Merry Acres High School in Albany, GA. He lived in Orlando, FL, and turned 86 before he passed away on September 14, 2018.




Fernando "Freddy" Rodriguez pitched for the Saints team in 1960. He was in 7 games for the Cubs in 1958 and one for the Phillies in 1959. Freddy completed 9 innings and gave up 12 hits and 5 walks while striking out 6. His ERA was 8.68 with a .300 OAV, .404 OOB and no record.

Rodriguez was a professional from 1945-1962 including five years in AAA. In the minors he pitched in 592 games for 2,539 innings allowing 2,166 hits and 1,375 walks with 2,315 strikeouts. His ERA was 3.60 with a 150-149 record. After baseball, he moved back to Havana and then returned to the States where he died on June 11, 2009, in Miami, FL, at the age of 85.


Jim Donohue pitched for the Saint Paul team of 1960. His MLB experience came with 3 teams - all in 2 years. On June 15, 1960, he was traded by the Cardinals to the Dodgers for John Glenn, but never played for their major league team. Drafted by the Tigers in 1961 he appeared in 14 games with them as a reliever with a 3.54 ERA. On June 7, he was traded to the Los Angeles Angels for Jerry Casale where he finished the year with 38 games, including 7 as a starter, and a 4.31 ERA. He totaled 6 saves in his rookie year.

His 1962 season began with the Angels where he pitched quite well (12 games, 24 innings, 3.70 ERA). Then, on May 29, he was sent to the Twins for Don Lee with whom he appeared in 6 games for a 6.97 ERA. In his 2 MLB seasons, he was in 70 games and finished 155 innings allowing 152 hits and 82 walks for a 4.29 ERA and .259 opponent's batting average.

In the minor leagues from 1956-60 and 1962-64, he was with 14 clubs. He had 4 seasons with ERAs under 3.00. He pitched for the Winnipeg Goldeyes in 1957 (4.34 ERA, 7-7).

Jim became a manufacturer's representative with Hillerich and Bradsby (producer of the Louisville Slugger). He lived in St. Louis and died there on September 9, 2017.

Ron Perzanowski [later changed to Perranoski] pitched for Saint Paul in 1960.

In 1958-59, Ron traveled up the Cubs' organizational latter through the III and Texas Leagues. On Apr. 8, 1960, he was traded to the Dodgers with John Goryl, $25,000 and Lee Handley for Don Zimmer. His 1960 season was spent at the two Dodgers AAA affiliates in St. Paul (1.58) and then to the International League (2.87). Those were his last minor league games.

From 1961-1967, he was a prized reliever for Los Angeles in 53, 70, 69, 72, 59, 55 and 59 games for 107, 129, 125, 125, 105, 82 and 110 innings with ERAs of 2.65, 2.85, 1.67, 3.09, 2.24, 3.18 and 2.45. He led the league in appearances in 1962, 1963 and 1967 and had 20 saves or more in 1962-63. He had a 16-3 record in '63 and, on Sept. 12, 1966, struck out 6 consecutive batters in a game v. the Cardinals. The lefty was traded on Nov. 28, 1967, to the Twins with John Roseboro and Bob Miller for Mudcat Grant and Zoilo Versalles.

For Minnesota in 1968-1970, he was called into 66, 75 and 67 games for 87, 120 and 111 innings with 3.10, 2.11 and 2.43 ERAs. He led the league in saves in 1969-70 with 31 and 34.

Perranoski started the 1971 year with the Twins getting into 36 games (43 innings) and compiling a 6.75 ERA. On July 30, he was sold to Detroit where turned around his year with a 2.50 ERA in 11 games and 18 innings. His 1972 season was also split between two teams as he began the year with the Tigers appearing in 17 games (19 inn.) for a 7.71 ERA and finished the year back with the Dodgers (9 g, 17 inn., 2.70). His MLB career came to a close in 1973 for the California Angels as he made 8 appearances for a 4.09 ERA.

His MLB experience was in 737 games and 1,175 innings as he allowed 1,097 hits and 468 walks while striking out 687. He compiled a 2.79 ERA with a .250 OAV, .325 OOB and a 79-74 record. Ron saved 179 games.

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From the book "The Ballplayers":

"Originally signed by the Cubs, Perranoski went to the Dodger organization in 1960...Switched from starting to relieving, he was used exclusively against lefthanders when he first came to the Dodgers but became the stopper in 1962 and led the majors with 70 appearances. Using a fastball, curve and sinker [screwball], Perranoski remained the mainstay of the L.A. bullpen through 1967...Traded to Minnesota before the 1968 season, [he]...started slowly in the new league, but benefitted from increased work in 1969-70. He led the AL in saves and was "TSN" AL Fireman of the Year both seasons...." - Morris Eckhouse

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He pitched in the Basin League for the 1956 and 1957 Watertown clubs while attending and graduating from Michigan State. The Cubs signed him in 1958.

Ron stayed in baseball as a Dodgers' minor league coach in 1973-80. He became their major league pitching coach from 1981-94 and then moved to the Giants where he was a coach in the minors in 1995-96. Perranoski was also San Francisco's major league pitching coach in 1997-99 and then stayed in that organization to become a Special Assistant (2000-current). He lived in Vero Beach, FL, where he died on October 2, 2020.



James B. "Jimmy" Williams played for the Saints in 1959. He never reached the majors as a player.





Midway Stadium Epilogue

After minor league baseball ended in St. Paul, Midway Stadium continued to be the venue for amateur (including high school) baseball and football. It also served as the practice field for the Minnesota Vikings and housed two professional softball teams in the 1970s. Exhibitions, such as Eddie Feigner's softball team, wresting and concerts ["The Beachboys" appeared in the late 1970s], were also held there until the end come in 1981. It was decided that the cost of maintaining the facility was no longer worth it and a new industrial park ("Energy Park") was built in the area from Snelling Avenue (on the west) to Lexington Avenue (on the east). The city then built a small stadium ("Municipal Stadium") about two blocks west of Snelling for amateur sports. In the mid-1990s, it's name was changed to "Midway Stadium". It was torn down in 2015.

The independent St. Paul Saints started play in 1991 and stayed independent until 2021 when it once again became a minor league AAA affiliate – this time with the Minnesota Twins playing in a downtown park (CHS Field0 which opened in 2015.


View of Original Midway Stadium Location in Nov. 2008 (looking northwest)

Index to players, managers and ballpark bios:

Cliff Aberson

Cal Abrams

Bob Addis

Walter Alston

Sandy Amoros

Ferrell Anderson

Nate Andrews

Stan Andrews

Bill Antonello

Bob Aspromonte

Toby Atwell

Fred Baczewski

Ed Bahr

Frank Baldwin

Dan Bankhead



Jack Banta

Rex Barney

Ed Basinski

Charlie Bates

Jim Baxes

Wayne Belardi

Fern Bell

Don Bessent

Joe Black

Ray Blades

Rae Blaemire

Jack Bolling

Bob Borkowski

Joe Bowman

Gibby Brack

Ralph Branca

Al Brancato

Tommy Brown

Clay Bryant

John Bucha

Cy Buker

Bud Byerly

Sam Calderone

Roy Campanella

Duke Carmel

Jack Cassini

Vince Castino

Ed Chandler

Glenn Chapman

Gino Cimoli

Jim Clark

Phil Clark

Bill Clemensen

Dick Coffman

George Coffman

Dave Cole

Ray Coleman

Jack Collum

Clint Conatser



Gene Corbett

Roger Craig

Leo Cristante

Dick Culler

Guy Curtright

John Dantonio

Cliff Dapper

Curt Davis

Bob Darnell

Don Demeter

Dutch Dietz

Jess Dobernic

Jim Donahoe

John Douglas

Solly Drake

Frank Drews

Tom Earley

Don Elston

Gil English

Al Epperly

Hal Erickson

George Fallon

Ed Fernandes

Nanny Fernandez

Art Fowler

Herman Franks



Vic Frasier

Marion Fricano

Babe Ganzel



Jim Gentile

John Gerlach

Card Gillenwater

John Glenn

Jim Golden

John Goryl

Jimmy Grant

Dick Gray

Oscar Grimes

Sig Gryska

Bert Haas

Bert Hamric

Truck Hannah

Chuck Harmon

Gail Harris

Bill Hart

Roy Hartsfield

Phil Haugstad

Ed Head

Art Herring

Buddy Hicks

Oral Hildebrand

Vedie Himsl

Don Hoak

Stew Hofferth

Clay Hopper

Dixie Howell

Jim Hughes

Spook Jacobs

Spider Jorgenson

Frank Kalin

Chet Kehn

Fred Kipp

Red Kress

Clem Labine

Dick Lanahan

Paul LaPalme

Norm Larker

Ken Lehman

Steve Lembo

Bob Lennon

Bill Lewis

Lexington Park Epilogue

Bob Lillis

Lou Limmer

Mickey Livingston

Don Lund

Joe Lutz

Max Macon

Red Marion

Morrie Martin

Gene Mauch

Ralph Mauriello

Danny McDevitt

Pat McGlothin

Ralph McLeod

Rube Melton

Russ Meyer

Midway Stadium

Midway Stadium Epilogue



Don Miles

Bob Milliken

Willie Miranda

Felipe Montmayor

Ray Moore

Ed Morgan

Walt Moryn

Earl Mossor

Earl Naylor

Sam Narron

Charlie Neal

Ron Negray

Ernie Nevel

Don Nicholas

Otho Nitcholas



Danny O'Connell

Nate Oliver

Joe Orengo

Danny Ozark

Tom Padden

Ed Palmquist

Salty Parker



Jim Pendleton

Ron Perranoski

Kent Peterson

Lee Pfund

Dave Philley

Dee Phillips

Joe Pignatano

Jake Powell

Ken Raffensberger

Bob Ramazzotti

Art Rebel

Bob Reis

Branch Rickey

Lew Riggs

John Rizzo

Earl Robinson

Lou Rochelli

Freddy Rodriguez

Ed Roebuck

Stan Rojek

Jim Romano

Bob Ross

Ernie Rudolph

Rudy Rufer

John Rutherford

Mike Sandlock

Hank Schenz

Norm Schlueter

Fred Schulte

Howie Schultz

Dick Scott

Larry Sherry

Norm Sherry

George Shuba

John Simmons

Clay Smith

Duke Snider

Floyd Speer

Karl Spooner

Steamboat Struss

George Stumpf

Tom Sunkel

Bill Swift

Walt Tauscher

Harry Taylor

Dick Teed

Wayne Terwilliger

Tim Thompson

Rene Valdez

John VanCuyk

Joe Vitter

Gale Wade

Rube Walker

Carl Warwick

Fred Waters

Willie Webb

Ed Weiland

Phil Weintraub

Lee Wheat

Dick Whitman

Dick Williams

Jimmy Williams

Stan Williams

Bob Wilson

Grady Wilson

Ed Winceniak

Pete Wojey

Dick Young

Don Zimmer

Sources:

SABR Minor League Database (2008)

The Professional Baseball Player Database - 6.0 (edited by Pat Doyle)

"The Sporting News"

"The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball"-2nd edition; Edited by Lloyd Johnson/Miles Wolff (pub:Baseball Amer-1997)

"Total Baseball" - 6th edition edited by Thorn, Palmer et al; pub by Total Sports (1999)

"The Baseball Necrology" by Bill Lee; pub by McFarland and Co. (2003)

"The American Association" by Bill O'Neal; pub by Eakin Press (1991)

"The Ballplayers" edited by Mike Shatzkin; pub by Arbor House (1990)

"Ballparks of the St. Paul Saints" by Rex Hamann; pub in "The American Association Almanac" (May-June 2004)

"Top Managers of the American Association-part 1" by Rex Hamann; pub in "The American Association Almanac" (Nov. - Dec 2002)

"Baseball in Minnesota" by Stew Thornley; pub by Minnesota Historical Society Press (2006)

"Batter-Up!" by Ross Bernstein; pub by Nodin Press (2002)

"The Minor League Register" edited by Lloyd Johnson; pub by Baseball American (1994)

"Before the Dome" edited by David Anderson; pub by Nodin Press (1993)

"Take Me Out to the Ball Park" - second edition pub by "The Sporting News" (1989)

"Baseball Memories 1930-1939" by Marc Okkonen; pub. by Sterling (1994)

"Baseball - The Biographical Encyclopedia" edited by David Pietrusza, Matt Silverman and Mike Gershman; pub by Sport Classic Books (2003)

"From Arcade Street to Main Street" by James B. Bell; pub: Ramsey County Historical Society (2007)

"The American Association - Year by Year Stats...1902-1952" by Marshall D. Wright; pub: McFarland (1997)

wikopeda.com

"Terwilliger Bunts One" by Wayne Terwilliger with Nancy Peterson and Peter Boehm; pub: Insiders Guide (2006)

Dick Beverage

"No More Mr. Nice Guy" by Dick Williams and Bill Plaschke; pub. by Harcourt Brace Jovanovich (1990)

"Biographical Encyclopedia of the Negro Baseball Leagues" by James A. Riley; pub: Carroll and Graf (1994)





























































































































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