Minor League Workhorses: 1966-1970
We’re happily ready to go with another installment in this series. To review what we’re doing here: in an attempt to discover what has been the top end of pitcher usage levels in the minor leagues over the past decades, we:
– Record the top 10 pitchers in innings pitched in each minor league classification each season
– Compute the average stat lines of these top workhorses
– Compare the year-to-year changes
Remember that EP = Estimated number of pitches, using Tangotiger’s pitch estimation formula.
So far, we’ve done this for four five-year periods: 1946-1950, 1951-1955, 1956-1960, and 1961-1965. Now it’s time to get ourselves into the Nixon administration.
Our first category is the Triple-A leagues, including the Pacific Coast League, which operated under a unique “Open Classification” status from 1952 through 1957.
Class AAA/Open Top 10 Average Innings Leaders
Year Age G GS CG IP W L H BB SO ERA EP 1946 31 39 ? 24 280 18 15 262 78 157 2.69 4303 1947 32 39 ? 21 277 17 15 286 77 117 3.39 4290 1948 30 38 ? 18 251 16 13 268 93 122 3.93 4062 1949 30 41 ? 23 282 21 13 271 98 147 3.35 4448 1950 29 41 ? 21 283 19 14 270 102 133 3.46 4447 1951 28 36 32 18 249 16 12 220 98 123 3.22 3912 1952 31 40 34 20 270 18 14 238 79 135 2.76 4094 1953 29 42 34 18 266 19 13 253 84 115 3.30 4094 1954 29 39 34 17 258 17 13 229 101 162 3.15 4111 1955 29 39 34 19 259 19 13 237 76 129 2.88 3956 1956 28 38 32 17 245 16 13 244 85 133 3.43 3905 1957 25 35 31 14 233 16 11 215 92 139 3.29 3730 1958 28 35 30 14 226 15 11 209 76 127 3.31 3536 1959 29 36 31 13 233 15 11 226 73 122 3.31 3639 1960 27 38 30 13 225 14 12 226 66 121 3.37 3512 1961 28 36 30 11 218 14 9 214 65 123 3.47 3401 1962 28 35 30 13 225 14 10 219 67 139 3.28 3527 1963 26 38 30 14 224 15 13 220 61 143 3.50 3491 1964 24 36 30 12 217 13 12 198 65 166 3.08 3406 1965 24 33 30 11 215 14 11 209 65 140 3.61 3381 1966 23 33 31 13 224 14 11 218 67 151 3.36 3528 1967 26 35 31 14 231 15 12 226 65 131 3.05 3585 1968 25 35 32 17 241 16 11 220 60 151 2.77 3664 1969 ? 41 31 18 239 18 12 224 72 146 2.65 3719 1970 28 40 32 14 226 16 12 223 75 133 3.49 3587 1946-50 30 40 ? 21 275 18 14 271 90 135 3.37 4310 1951-55 29 39 34 18 260 18 13 235 88 133 3.06 4033 1956-60 27 37 31 14 232 15 12 224 78 128 3.34 3664 1961-65 26 35 30 12 220 14 11 212 64 142 3.39 3441 1966-70 26 37 31 15 232 16 12 222 68 142 3.05 3617
The trend toward the elimination of semi-independent, for-profit Triple-A leagues which had so changed the nature of these ace pitchers was abated somewhat in this period, as the Mexican League became a Triple-A league in 1967. The Mexican League had long operated outside the network of North American “Organized Baseball” (including its notorious attempt in 1946 to raid the major leagues of players), but in 1963 it was incorporated into the National Association as a Double-A league, and promoted to Triple-A status in ’67.
The Mexican League was a thriving and growing economic enterprise in these years, quite in contrast to the U.S. minors, which were generally struggling financially, utterly dependent upon major league subsidization for survival. Though some Mexican League players were acquired by major league organizations, none of its teams were owned or fully-affiliated farm teams in the manner of their U.S. counterparts. Thus most of the Mexican League ace pitchers were veterans, career Mexican League stars, and their influence can be seen in the bump upward in average age and average workload of these top workhorses beginning in 1967. (Indeed in 1969, nine of the top 10 Triple-A innings leaders were Mexican Leaguers whose ages are unknown to me, and so I can’t even calculate an average age for that season.) It is the case, however, that even the heaviest-worked Mexican Leaguers in these years had more moderate workloads than were common across Triple-A baseball until the late 1950s.
North of the border, Triple-A aces were younger prospects being groomed for the majors, and they were deployed in the more cautious manner that we saw emerging in the early 1960s.
Class AA Top 10 Average Innings Leaders
Year Age G GS CG IP W L H BB SO ERA EP 1946 29 38 ? ? 252 19 9 227 80 132 2.42 3874 1947 28 36 ? 20 253 18 11 238 77 132 2.83 3909 1948 25 40 ? 17 244 16 14 239 102 115 3.53 3938 1949 29 38 ? 17 239 16 11 242 85 99 3.57 3785 1950 27 40 ? 18 244 19 11 220 98 148 3.15 3908 1951 26 37 32 20 258 16 14 227 113 130 2.92 4123 1952 30 38 31 19 256 18 12 234 80 109 2.82 3913 1953 28 39 31 17 251 16 12 246 99 129 3.21 4036 1954 27 40 31 15 246 17 12 237 99 149 3.89 3982 1955 29 39 32 18 254 19 11 226 92 146 3.03 3985 1956 28 37 32 15 240 17 10 229 80 135 3.27 3775 1957 29 39 31 15 243 17 12 224 88 132 3.25 3826 1958 27 36 32 16 247 17 11 235 86 154 3.30 3920 1959 28 39 31 17 243 16 12 241 75 137 3.48 3820 1960 24 38 29 13 227 15 10 221 94 151 3.53 3716 1961 24 34 27 12 217 14 12 205 80 130 3.51 3462 1962 22 36 28 12 213 14 11 226 77 141 4.01 3485 1963 28 33 30 16 227 16 10 218 63 156 3.09 3551 1964 28 34 31 14 226 15 11 221 69 166 3.56 3592 1965 26 35 30 13 233 17 10 214 69 168 3.02 3645 1966 28 38 30 14 226 17 11 211 80 176 2.84 3642 1967 22 29 28 13 198 12 11 170 77 139 2.68 3153 1968 24 30 24 9 185 12 8 152 51 120 2.37 2791 1969 23 29 26 10 188 13 8 173 68 125 3.22 2992 1970 21 29 28 11 197 12 11 172 67 134 3.01 3086 1946-50 28 38 ? 18 246 18 11 233 88 125 3.10 3883 1951-55 28 38 32 18 253 17 12 234 97 133 3.17 4008 1956-60 27 38 31 15 240 16 11 230 85 142 3.37 3811 1961-65 26 34 29 14 223 15 11 217 72 152 3.44 3547 1966-70 24 31 27 11 199 13 10 176 69 139 2.83 3133
The promotion of the Mexican League from Double-A to Triple-A in 1967 is starkly evident here: the increase in both average age and workload that had begun with the Mexican League’s 1963 arrival immediately vanished. Indeed, over the rest of this period we see a group of Double-A aces that were younger and more less heavily worked than ever before. It became a rarity for a Double-A pitcher to make as many as 30 starts or work as many as 200 innings.
Class A Top 10 Average Innings Leaders
Year Age G GS CG IP W L H BB SO ERA EP 1946 24 33 ? 19 235 17 9 213 93 177 2.76 3805 1947 23 35 ? 14 227 15 11 213 80 144 3.05 3610 1948 25 38 ? 19 245 17 13 235 106 152 3.48 4013 1949 22 36 ? 18 245 16 13 223 100 140 3.11 3916 1950 ? 34 ? 21 250 16 13 236 105 132 3.34 4025 1951 23 36 31 21 254 18 12 223 103 156 2.95 4056 1952 ? 40 31 22 268 18 14 263 109 160 3.46 4360 1953 ? 41 31 21 264 18 15 279 98 115 3.77 4245 1954 23 37 31 21 254 18 11 227 101 157 3.07 4056 1955 23 33 29 19 229 16 10 216 91 141 3.15 3687 1956 22 35 28 16 227 15 12 195 103 160 3.18 3690 1957 23 36 30 19 240 16 11 227 93 154 3.42 3874 1958 20 35 30 13 229 16 10 211 96 140 3.16 3705 1959 23 36 29 15 226 16 11 216 69 147 3.29 3546 1960 21 31 29 12 207 14 11 187 91 146 3.41 3383 1961 23 31 28 15 213 14 11 190 74 137 3.02 3345 1962 22 32 27 15 210 14 11 190 79 173 3.28 3398 1963 19 33 29 16 225 16 9 198 85 194 3.03 3641 1964 22 32 27 15 214 14 11 194 81 203 3.40 3504 1965 20 33 28 15 222 15 11 195 91 194 2.98 3634 1966 21 32 28 17 222 15 10 195 63 159 2.76 3420 1967 20 32 27 14 208 14 10 184 79 173 2.68 3365 1968 21 31 26 13 209 16 9 182 66 180 2.67 3305 1969 21 32 27 14 209 15 9 182 65 154 2.39 3265 1970 21 30 27 14 214 14 11 185 67 148 2.34 3322 1946-50 24 35 ? 18 240 16 12 224 97 149 3.15 3874 1951-55 23 37 30 21 254 18 12 241 100 146 3.28 4081 1956-60 22 35 29 15 226 15 11 207 90 149 3.29 3639 1961-65 21 32 28 15 217 15 10 193 82 180 3.14 3504 1966-70 21 31 27 14 213 15 10 186 68 163 2.57 3335
The major restructuring of the minor league system which had taken place in 1963, eliminating Classifications B, C, and D, created a larger Class A than had existed previously. While the nomenclature of “High A” and “Low A” wasn’t in use at the time, it was clearly true that not all of the leagues classified as A were really equivalent. Still, even though they were all below Double-A, and all existing entirely as feeder farm clubs for the higher classifications, the sheer number of Class A leagues allows us to identify top ten innings leaders each season that are somewhat more elite, and thus heavier-worked, than those in Double-A.
The Mexican League had several of its own minor leagues within Class A in this period, but like their U.S. counterparts these leagues were stocked only with young prospects. The top pitcher workload patterns of the Mexican Class A leagues weren’t different from those in the U.S.
Rookie Class Top 10 Average Innings Leaders
Year Age G GS CG IP W L H BB SO ERA EP 1963 18 15 12 3 80 5 4 74 59 85 4.32 1486 1964 19 16 12 5 94 7 5 83 53 100 3.72 1642 1965 18 18 11 5 91 7 4 92 39 99 3.93 1562 1966 21 15 12 5 91 7 4 73 41 106 2.97 1523 1967 19 14 11 4 81 6 4 73 33 72 2.82 1328 1968 20 15 12 5 87 6 4 74 35 83 2.94 1415 1969 19 15 13 6 95 7 4 80 38 104 2.77 1569 1970 18 15 13 6 98 7 5 85 35 100 3.06 1593 1963-65 18 16 12 4 88 6 4 83 50 95 3.99 1563 1966-70 19 15 12 5 90 7 4 77 36 93 2.91 1486
This late-June-to-September league format, created in 1963 to accomodate newly-signed prospects as they left their high school or college programs, showed little change in the deployment of its top pitchers through 1970. However, it is notable, though perhaps it’s simply a coincidence, that these aces from 1966-70 were significantly more effective those those of 1963-65, as measured by baserunners allowed and ERA.
Class AAA Top 10 Workloads
Pitcher T Age Year League G GS CG IP W L H BB SO ERA EP Jim Horsford R ? 1969 Mexican 37 34 30 276 20 13 254 86 199 2.12 4342 Salvador Sanchez L ? 1969 Mexican 45 35 22 274 22 12 214 110 194 1.84 4315 Jim Horsford R ? 1968 Mexican 34 34 28 278 20 9 210 66 212 1.59 4126 Salvador Sanchez L ? 1970 Mexican 49 39 21 250 16 15 228 114 154 2.99 4085 Rich Robertson R 23 1968 Pac Coast 34 33 18 256 18 9 217 77 216 2.36 3998 Bill Whitby R 22 1966 Pac Coast 35 33 14 247 13 11 276 63 163 3.46 3947 Jim Ollom L 20 1966 Pac Coast 33 33 17 247 20 8 275 64 137 3.43 3910 Ramon Arano R ? 1967 Mexican 40 31 17 249 15 11 265 53 153 2.78 3861 Bob Garibaldi R 28 1970 Pac Coast 32 32 20 254 15 10 248 52 131 2.87 3816 Julious Grant L ? 1967 Mexican 38 31 14 229 11 16 244 89 169 3.27 3815
I don’t know anything about Horsford or Sanchez, other than that obviously they could really pitch, and were enjoying some big years in this period. In Horsford’s head-shot photo in the 1969 Sporting News Baseball Guide he appears vaguely Latino, though he sure doesn’t have a typically Mexican-sounding name.
Whitby and Ollom were both in the Minnesota organization, but neither was able to crack those excellent, deep Twins’ staffs of the mid-60s for much more than a cup of coffee. They were pitching their home games in Denver in ’66, which may help explain those very high hits allowed totals. For 1967, Ollom was given a spot on the Minnesota major league staff, but used in just 35 innings all year, while Whitby, still in Triple-A, put up a 4.21 ERA in 156 innings and was never again considered a serious prospect. Ollom was sent back to Denver in 1968, and he suffered through an 8.24 ERA meltdown in 71 innings in the unforgiving environment, and his days as a prospect were through as well.
Robertson and Garibaldi were both Bay Area products signed by the Giants out of Santa Clara University, Garibaldi to a $150,000 Bonus Baby contract. Neither would pitch an inning for the Giants’ organization below Triple-A, but neither would come close to fulfilling his promise at the big league level.
In the case of Garibaldi, San Francisco’s hesitance to give him a full big-league shot is somewhat explainable: after fulfulling the bonus-rule-requirement of spending his first pro year sitting on the major league bullpen bench, when farmed out to the Pacific Coast League Garibaldi didn’t impress, putting up so-so league-average-ish seasons every year from 1963 through 1967. But as Garibaldi matured he developed excellent control, and in 1968 he had a good year in Triple-A. Then it became odd that the Giants, who undertook a rather major overhaul of their pitching staff in 1969–70, never allowed Garibaldi a meaningful major league opportunity, despite his leading the PCL in wins in ’69, and putting up the very solid workhorse year in 1970 that we see above. In October of ’70 they traded Garibaldi to Kansas City, he failed to make the Royals’ staff, and never again saw the big league light of day.
Robertson’s case is even more puzzling. In his first pro year, 1966, he was excellent in the PCL, going 13-6 with a 2.80 ERA, but this didn’t gain him a promotion to the majors for 1967. Instead he spent another season in Triple-A, and this time led the league with 184 strikeouts in 190 innings. But still, the Giants decided that the 30-year-old Ron Herbel was more deserving of a spot on their staff, and left Robertson in the PCL for yet another full year in 1968, allowing him to compile the tremendous line we see above.
Finally in 1969, and especially in 1970, the Giants gave Robertson some serious big league innings, but it became increasingly clear that he’d left his best fastball behind somewhere in all that Triple-A work. By 1971 his shoulder was pretty close to shot. The White Sox gave him a tryout in the spring of ’72, but weren’t impressed, and at the age of 27 Robertson’s baseball career was finished.
Class AA Top 10 Workloads
Pitcher T Age Year League G GS CG IP W L H BB SO ERA EP Ramon Lopez R 33 1966 Mexican 47 32 22 266 17 18 195 96 309 2.50 4268 Camilo Estevis R ? 1966 Mexican 43 28 17 254 17 10 246 53 162 2.87 3861 Felipe Leal R ? 1966 Mexican 39 30 13 224 18 11 194 121 217 2.77 3849 Jose Pena R 23 1966 Mexican 37 32 12 235 19 7 209 96 161 2.80 3786 Julious Grant L ? 1966 Mexican 37 30 17 226 20 11 230 94 171 2.67 3770 Vicente Romo R 23 1966 Mexican 38 27 13 220 17 7 199 93 206 2.41 3655 Leon Everitt R 20 1967 Texas 32 30 16 222 15 13 195 83 200 3.45 3598 Jim Flynn R 21 1970 Texas 31 31 15 228 19 4 204 77 135 2.64 3556 John Duffie R 21 1967 Texas 29 29 22 229 16 9 208 53 171 2.40 3502 Evelio Hernandez R 34 1966 Mexican 40 31 15 215 18 10 221 69 143 3.35 3452
Last time, I speculated that perhaps we’d seen the last of the 300-strikeout minor league pitchers. Señor Lopez proves me wrong here. (So did an alert reader who reminded me that Dwight Gooden had a 300-K season in the early ’80s … ) A veteran minor league star from Cuba, Lopez had worked in the Cleveland organization from 1958-62 before landing in Mexico, and was given a few games in the majors by the Angels as a result of the spectacular work we see above.
Hernandez was another Cuban veteran, who’d had a chance with the Senators in the mid-1950s.
We saw Julious Grant above in his 1967 Triple-A Mexican League work, as well as last time for his 1965 toil. I don’t know anything about him other than that he was the brother of longtime big league standout pitcher Jim “Mudcat” Grant, and that his nickhame was “Swampfire,” making the Grant family the undisputed all-time champion family for weird and funky nicknames.
Pena and Romo would both get picked up by major league teams, and Romo would have a pretty nice big league career.
Everitt, Flynn, and Duffie were all Dodger organization prospects, putting up big numbers for their Albuquerque farm club. None would achieve more in the majors but the merest cup of coffee.
Class A Top 10 Workloads
Pitcher T Age Year League G GS CG IP W L H BB SO ERA EP Mark Schaeffer L 19 1967 Carolina 31 30 9 204 12 8 173 172 226 3.13 3876 Jon Warden L 20 1967 Carolina 31 30 14 219 15 11 175 137 196 2.88 3793 Jim Moyer R 20 1968 California 26 26 19 225 18 7 185 86 269 2.24 3715 Roberto Diaz R ? 1966 Mex Center 33 27 19 231 16 11 279 52 108 4.75 3656 Steve Luebber R 20 1970 Fla State 34 30 17 237 17 11 184 79 172 1.78 3646 Lynn McGlothen R 20 1970 Carolina 31 29 16 229 15 7 166 91 202 2.24 3618 Gustavo Guerrero L ? 1966 Mex Center 34 29 20 224 20 8 230 65 175 4.22 3597 Tim Sommer R ? 1966 California 32 30 15 226 11 17 213 67 179 2.87 3577 Julio Imbert L ? 1969 Mex S.E. 32 28 20 230 22 7 191 72 170 1.68 3558 Joe Henderson R 21 1968 California 29 28 11 213 17 8 188 100 186 2.49 3558
Of all these substantial young prospects, only McGlothen would achieve a significant major league career. Schaeffer and Warden would each work just a single big league year in short relief, while Luebber would kick around the fringes of several seasons without much success.
I remember both Moyer and Henderson. The former was a hugely regarded Giants’ prospect, who was never quite the same after the prodigious effort we see above; he would rise as high as Triple-A, but was never especially impressive after this. Henderson was the ace of my hometown San Jose Bees in the season we see above, and I followed his exploits daily. I was certain huge stardom awaited him. Instead, he spent the entire following season on the Disabled List and then on the Voluntarily Retired List. A year later, the Angels’ organization released him; he would catch on in the Mexican League and eventually work his way up to a few major league chances in the mid-1970s.
Rookie Class Top 10 Workloads
Pitcher T Age Year League G GS CG IP W L H BB SO ERA EP Larry Hutton R ? 1966 Pioneer 17 17 5 119 9 3 90 74 142 3.03 2095 Bob O'Brien L 20 1969 Pioneer 22 15 10 120 11 3 73 49 186 1.65 1977 Sandy Vance R 21 1968 Pioneer 18 15 10 118 14 3 91 51 150 2.52 1974 John Ferri R ? 1970 Pioneer 17 13 7 117 3 9 115 37 124 3.85 1927 Rich Zinniger L ? 1969 Pioneer 15 15 13 114 13 2 80 52 164 1.82 1925 Dick Lange R 21 1970 Pioneer 14 14 10 111 13 0 70 54 151 1.95 1853 Bruce Raible R ? 1970 Pioneer 15 14 7 113 9 4 87 38 119 2.71 1793 Mike Wallace L 18 1969 Appalachian 14 14 7 102 6 6 102 47 123 3.97 1789 Alonso Olivares R ? 1966 Pioneer 14 12 8 102 9 3 80 53 131 2.47 1762 Dean Burk R 18 1966 Pioneer 18 15 7 110 9 5 79 38 107 2.54 1719
The Ogden, Utah, operation of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ organization in the Pioneer League featured some highly impressive youngsters in this period. Hutton (was he related to Tommy Hutton? I don’t know), O’Brien, Vance, and Raible were all there as Dodger farmhands. None would succeed as major leaguers, though Vance and O’Brien each had a Chavez Ravine Venti.
It’s too soon to make a judgment yet—I need at least another five-year period worth of data—but at this point it appears as though the correlation between huge workhorse pitcher achievement at the Rookie League level and at the major league level is quite small.
Next Installment
Minor League Workhorses: 1971-1975
References & Resources
A rather small private Jesuit school, Santa Clara University has had a first-rate baseball program for decades, and never better than in the 1960s. Within the space of a few years in that decade , it produced both Garibaldi and Robertson, as well as Pete Magrini (whom we saw with a top AA workload season last time), plus Nelson Briles, Tim Cullen, John Boccabella, Alan Gallagher, Ernie Fazio, Bob Spence, Jan Dukes, Larry Loughlin, and Pat Jacquez.
I’m glad to say that I’ve known Robertson for over twenty years, since we met while working together at Hewlett-Packard. If you’re reading this, Rich, knock it off and get your lazy butt back to work.