Posted on 02/11/2018 8:22:36 AM PST by EveningStar
Ernie Banks, Gene Conley and Hank Aaron finished behind him for Rookie of the Year in 1954.
In 1961, he was the last player to hit an inside-the-park home run in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Three months later, he was to score the last run ever there.
To make room for him as a promising rookie, the Cardinals traded away a future Hall of Fame outfielder.
Teammate Stan Musial helped him adjust his swing just before his trade to the Dodgers.
Later, he managed the Prince William Yankees in 1987. Giants’ hitting coach (and likely future MLB manager) Nensley (Bam Bam) Meulens was one of his charges. Meulens hit 25 home runs that year.
Their first four years in LA, 1958-61, before Dodger Stadium opened in 1962.
LA Wrigley Field, where the minor-league Angels played (and the major-league version played their first season) and where "Home Run Derby" was filmed, was available. Yet they chose to try to make the Coliseum a baseball park.
The great Charlie Neal, later one of the original Mets. Stengel said, “I’m giving Charlie Neal third base.” (Leaving us to wonder how they were going to play without it.)
That team finished 40-120.
Al Downing was another "bonus baby" -- with the Yankees. His first year in the majors, 1961, he got in all of 9 innings pitched.
The closest equivalent today would be a player selected in the Rule 5 draft, who must be kept in the majors all season or returned to his prior team for half the price.
Of course, they had that then, too. In the 1950s, the best pick ever was made by Branch Rickey for the Pirates. He had just left the Brooklyn organization and noticed an outfielder on their Montreal AAA club roster. You might have heard of teh guy. His name was Roberto Clemente.
In his book, You're Missin' a Great Game, former MLB manager Whitey Herzog advocated bringing back the bonus rule, with a minimum amount of $100,000, as a way to mitigte the money advantages that teams like the Yankees and Dodgers have. (Good book, BTW.)
Oops. The Moon trade was for Gino Cimolli
Yes, but they made another deal to make room for him.
Prior to the 1954 season, Moon’s rookie year, the Cardinals traded Hall of Famer Enos (Country) Slaughter to the Yankees to make room for Moon.
Slaughter was near the end of his career, but was still effective enough to help the Yankees.
That is the trade that is referred to.
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