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1961 Major League Baseball Expansion Draft
The 1961 MLB Expansion Draft was held by Major League Baseball on October 10, 1961, to fill the rosters of the New York Mets and the Houston Colt .45s, the new franchises which would enter the league in the 1962 season. The pool of players out of which they could select was limited to the existing National League ballclubs. Due to the poor performance of the Mets and Colt .45s after two seasons, another draft was held for the teams. The other existing National League clubs made four players from their 40-man roster available at $30,000 apiece. Only eight players could be selected between the two clubs. 1961 Draft ''* All-Star only before 1961 Expansion Draft'' 1963 Draft References External links Major League Baseball Historical Expansion Draftsbaseball-reference.comStarting Fresh – The Expansion of 1962 {{DEFAULTSORT:1961 Major League Baseball Expansion Draft Major League Baseball Expansion Draft, 1961 Major League Baseball expansion drafts Expansion draft An ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eddie Bressoud
Edward Francis Bressoud (born May 2, 1932) is a former shortstop in Major League Baseball who played from through for the New York / San Francisco Giants (1956–1961), Boston Red Sox (1962–1965), New York Mets (1966) and St. Louis Cardinals (1967). He batted and threw right-handed, stood tall and weighed . Early life Bressoud was born in Los Angeles, the fourth of seven children of Charles Bressoud, a native of Lima who had French ancestry. He graduated from George Washington High School then attended San Jose State University and the University of California, Los Angeles. He began his pro career in 1950 and missed two minor league seasons in military service during the Korean War. MLB career In 1956, Bill Rigney became the manager of the Giants. Bressoud had played shortstop for Rigney at Minneapolis in 1956, and Alvin Dark, the regular Giants' shortstop, had been injured in August 1955. During spring training, Rigney made plans to move Dark to third base and make Bres ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bob Lillis
Robert Perry Lillis (born June 2, 1930) is an American former infielder, manager, coach and scout in Major League Baseball (MLB). Lillis was an original member of the expansion Houston Colt .45s who remained with the club (renamed the Astros in ) for more than two decades and later became its manager. He threw and batted right-handed and was listed as tall and . Early life Lillis was born in Altadena, California, and he attended Pasadena High School, where he was an All-Southern California shortstop for the baseball team. Lillis played baseball at Pasadena City College and then transferred to the University of Southern California (USC). Playing career Lillis signed his first contract with the Brooklyn Dodgers in . A shortstop by trade, he spent eight years in the Dodger farm system, buried (along with many others) behind Hall of Famer Pee Wee Reese. In , the Dodgers' first season in Lillis's home city of Los Angeles, he made the Major League team. Lillis never claimed the reg ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
George Williams (second Baseman)
George Williams (October 23, 1939 – May 14, 2009) was an American professional baseball second baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for three different teams between the 1961 and 1964 seasons. Listed at , , Williams batted and threw right-handed. He was born in Detroit, Michigan. Williams entered the majors in 1961 with the Philadelphia Phillies, playing for them for one year before joining the Houston Colt .45's in 1962 and the Kansas City Athletics in 1964. In a three season career, Williams was a .230 hitter (31-for-135) with 15 runs and five runs batted in in 59 games including seven doubles without any home runs. An 11-season minor league veteran, Williams hit .277 with 71 homers and 430 RBI in 1,143 games for 10 teams from 1958 through 1968. In between, he played for the Leones del Caracas club of the Venezuelan Winter League during the 1966–1967 season. Williams died from lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98– ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Milwaukee Braves
The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The Braves were founded in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1871, as the Boston Red Stockings. After various name changes, the team eventually began operating as the Boston Braves in 1912, which lasted for most of the first half of the 20th century. Then, in 1953, the team moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and became the Milwaukee Braves, followed by their move to Atlanta in 1966. The name "Braves" originates from a term for a Native American warrior. They are nicknamed "the Bravos", and often referred to as "America's Team" in reference to the team's games being broadcast nationally on TBS from the 1970s until 2007, giving the team a nationwide fan base. The Braves and the Chicago Cubs are the National League's two remaining charter franchises. The team states it is "the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Félix Mantilla (baseball)
Félix Mantilla Lamela (born July 29, 1934) is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball utility player, who appeared mostly as an infielder. In his 11-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career, Mantilla played for the Milwaukee Braves (1956–61), New York Mets (1962), Boston Red Sox (1963–65), and Houston Astros (1966). He played second base the majority of his big league career (326 games), but also adeptly played shortstop (180), third base (143), outfield (156) and (in the latter part of his career), first base (16). Mantilla batted and threw right-handed. In 1953, Mantilla (along with Hank Aaron and career minor league outfielder Horace Garner) joined the Class-A Minor League Baseball (MiLB) Jacksonville Braves, of the South Atlantic League — which was (at that time) one of the first two integrated baseball teams in the Southern United States. (Mantilla and Aaron were roommates. In 1954, Aaron became the MLB Braves’ left fielder when Bobby Thomson broke his ankle. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Román Mejías
Román Mejías Gómez (August 9, 1925 – February 22, 2023) was a Cuban professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) in and from –1964 for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Houston Colt .45s and Boston Red Sox. He also played one season in Japan, in , for the Sankei Atoms. Listed as standing tall and weighing , he threw and batted right-handed. Biography Mejías was born to Manuel Mejías and Felipa Gómez in Manuelita Sugar Mill in the Las Villas province of Cuba; the MLB widely and consistently printed his birthplace as Abreus, Cuba. He had two younger sisters, Esperosa and Santa. When he was 17, he married Nicolasa Montero and the couple had two children, Rafaela and José. Mejías died in Menifee, California, on February 22, 2023, at the age of 97. Major League career Pittsburgh Pirates Mejías began his professional career in the Pirates' farm system in 1953. He spent his entire rookie campaign of 1955 on the Pittsburgh roster, appearing in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Association in 1881 under the name Pittsburgh Allegheny, the club joined the National League in 1887 and was a member of the National League East from 1969 through 1993. The Pirates have won five World Series championships, nine National League pennants, nine National League East division titles and made three appearances in the Wild Card Game. Despite struggling in the 1880s and 1890s, the Pirates were among the best teams in baseball shortly after the turn of the 20th century. They won three consecutive NL titles from 1901 to 1903, played in the inaugural World Series in 1903 and won their first World Series in 1909 behind Honus Wagner. The Pirates took part in arguably the most famous World Series ending, winning the 1960 World Series agains ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Joe Christopher
Joseph O'Neal Christopher (born December 13, 1935) is a former professional baseball outfielder, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from through . Listed at 5' 10", 175 lbs., he batted and threw right-handed. Christopher reached the big leagues with the 1959 Pittsburgh Pirates, spending three years there before moving to the New York Mets (1962–65) and Boston Red Sox (1966). While in Pittsburgh, Christopher was used as a backup in all three outfield positions for Bob Skinner ( LF), Bill Virdon ( CF), and Roberto Clemente ( RF). Christopher was first called up when Clemente was injured, making his debut in nothing less than Harvey Haddix's near-perfect game, on May 26, 1959. As a member of the 1960 World Series Champion Pirates, Christopher was a utility player, pinch-running in three games and scoring two runs (in games 2 and 5). Christopher became the Mets’ fifth pick in the 1961 MLB Expansion Draft. In 1964, he enjoyed easily his finest season as a major-league ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Al Heist
Alfred Michael Heist (October 5, 1927 – October 2, 2006) was an American professional baseball player, coach and scout. After a long career in the Pacific Coast League of the 1950s, the outfielder made his Major League debut at the age of 32 and appeared in 177 big-league games for the Chicago Cubs (1960–61) and the Houston Colt .45s (1962). He threw and batted right-handed, stood tall and weighed . Heist was born in Brooklyn, New York, and signed with the St. Louis Browns in 1949. Acquired by the top-level Sacramento Solons in 1955, he played almost six full seasons in California's capital before being traded to the Cubs on July 15, 1960. Two days later, he made his first Major League appearance, starting in center field against the St. Louis Cardinals and batting sixth in the lineup against right-hander Larry Jackson. In the seventh inning, he collected his first big-league hit, a single, one of four Chicago hits in a 6–0 shutout loss. He appeared in 41 games for ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Outfielder
An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to catch fly balls and ground balls then to return them to the infield for the out or before the runner advances, if there are any runners on the bases. As an outfielder, they normally play behind the six players located in the field. By convention, each of the nine defensive positions in baseball is numbered. The outfield positions are 7 (left field), 8 (center field) and 9 (right field). These numbers are shorthand designations useful in baseball scorekeeping and are not necessarily the same as the squad numbers worn on player uniforms. Outfielders named to the MLB All-Century Team are Hank Aaron, Ty Cobb, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, Stan Musial, Pete Rose, Babe Ruth, Ted Williams and Ken Griffey Jr. Strategy Players can ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gus Bell
David Russell "Gus" Bell Jr. (November 15, 1928 – May 7, 1995) was an American outfielder in Major League Baseball from 1950 through 1964, who played with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati Reds, New York Mets and Milwaukee Braves. He batted left-handed and threw right-handed, stood tall and weighed . In his 15-year MLB career, Bell was a .281 hitter with 1,823 hits, 311 doubles, 66 triples, 206 home runs and 942 runs batted in in 1,741 games played. He was a four-time National League All-Star. Defensively, he recorded a career .985 fielding percentage playing at all three outfield positions. He was nicknamed "Gus" as a youngster because he was a fan of longtime MLB player Gus Mancuso. Family A native of Louisville, Kentucky, and graduate of Bishop Benedict Joseph Flaget High School, Bell was the oldest member of a rare three-generation major league family. His son Buddy has been a third baseman, coach, manager and front-office executive in the majors since 1972, and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located on Chicago's North Side. The Cubs are one of two major league teams based in Chicago; the other, the Chicago White Sox, is a member of the American League (AL) Central division. The Cubs, first known as the White Stockings, were a founding member of the NL in 1876, becoming the Chicago Cubs in 1903. Throughout the club's history, the Cubs have played in a total of 11 World Series. The 1906 Cubs won 116 games, finishing 116–36 and posting a modern-era record winning percentage of , before losing the World Series to the Chicago White Sox ("The Hitless Wonders") by four games to two. The Cubs won back-to-back World Series championships in 1907 and 1908, becoming the first major league team to play in three consecutive World Series, an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
