added 08/19/2021 by Bob Hulsey
Back in 1958, the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants, arch-rivals on the field, agreed in tandem to leave New York City for the California coast. It was the first time Major League Baseball set roots outside the Northeast quadrant of the country. This opened the door for two new expansion teams to join the National League. The Mets were formed to replace the territory abandoned by the "Bums" and "Jints" and some crazy Texans, who promised to build an indoor air-conditioned stadium, were awarded a franchise for Houston.
After the 1961 World Series ended, the Mets and the Colt .45s (the Houston entry as selected in a 'Name That Team' contest) met to choose who would be on the rosters of their inaugural teams.
Rather than simply paying the league an expansion fee, players made eligible for selection were placed into price groups and the new teams essentially bought the rights to these players as selected, paying their expansion fees through the purchase of the players.
Therefore, the two new clubs could only choose from a slate of players made available by the other eight National League clubs and not the American League which were then treated like a fully separate entity. The A.L. had gone through their expansion draft the year before, filling out teams for the Los Angeles Angels and the reborn Washington Senators.
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Take a trip back to when JFK was president, Elvis was "king" and gasoline was just .31 cents a gallon. Let's see how the 1961 expansion draft might have played out differently.
Before the draft, the Colts had already signed some free agents. They included:
Carroll Sembera, P
Don Arlich, P
Dave Giusti, P
Hal Woodeshick, P
J.C. Hartman, IF
Glenn Vaughan, IF
Ron Davis, OF
Aaron Pointer, OF
Rusty Staub, OF
It should be noted that the simulation did not have Staub eligible for their amateur draft until that summer. The draft did not actually go into effect until 1965 but the simulation game conducts a draft every year to help replenish teams. Therefore, Staub doesn't appear for 1963 or beyond in this sim. In reality, Rusty appeared in 150 games for the 1963 Colts, batting .224 with six homers.
The first and largest phase of the '61 draft were players purchased for $75,000 apiece. Each of the eight established teams had to supply a list of 15 players off their 40-man rosters as submitted on September 20th. The lists had to include seven players from each club that was on their 25-man rosters as of August 31st.
Colts General Manager Paul Richards complained bitterly about how poor the talent pool of the draft was which actually prompted a smaller second draft after the 1962 season. If he'd had a crystal ball at the time, Richards might not have needed to protest.
A few teams hid some of their best players by not promoting them to the 40-man roster until after the draft was over. Among the players who were not available to the new clubs this way were pitchers Gaylord Perry, Bob Veale and Jack Hamilton, infielders Denis Menke, Ed Charles, Cookie Rojas, and Fred Whitfield, outfielders Manny Mota, Jose Cardenal and Jose Tartabull (all Giants), as well as catchers Joe Azcue, Jerry May and Don Pavletich. This was perfectly legitimate and are noted simply to show how some teams protected their top prospects from becoming property of the Mets or Colts.
For the purpose of this exercise, the Mets are selecting the same players they actually did select with one exception I'll get to later. The Mets, in instant competition with the cross-town New York Yankees for fans and headlines, took a few players strictly for their box office draw such as Gil Hodges and Gus Bell. Surprisingly, though, Richards took more players aged 30 or older (9) in the draft than did the Mets (5).
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Draft selections alternated between the two new teams so the Colts' next choice was Bob Aspromonte, an infielder with the Dodgers who was blocked from advancement. This turned out to be a wise choice so I left this pick as well.
After that, the Colts took (and I concurred) infielder Bob Lillis of St. Louis and pitcher Dick Drott of Chicago. Neither was of much use in the simulation so they were gone after the 1962 season.
Now comes the first real change. The Cubs had a player available that was a smarter choice than OF Al Heist so I replaced Heist on my list with lefty reliever Jim Brewer who was a dependable bullpen arm for much of the decade.
Next, OF Roman Mejias was taken from Pittsburgh. He became the star of the offense (.286, 24 HR, 76 RBIs) for the 1962 Colts but that was largely the end of his big league career, just as the simulation reflected. Still, I could concur with this pick from Richards.
George Williams was taken next from Philadelphia. He made it into all of five games for Houston. A much, much better selection would have been corner infielder Richie Allen, later known as Dick Allen, a future MVP and 7-time All-Star who finished a 15-year career in the majors with a .292 average and 351 homers. Still a year away from playing in the bigs, this more than makes up for not having Staub in my sim.
The next selection was also a mistake. It might have been one literally. Pitcher Jesse Hickman was chosen from the Phillies but he never played for Houston. I used this draft spot to claim pitcher Ray Culp from the Phils. Culp had 11 seasons in the bigs and won 122 games with a 3.58 ERA. He was a 17-game winner twice. Although just 20 years old at the time of the draft, the big Texan would go 14-11 in 1963 for Philadelphia. In the sim, however, he was still developing in the minors.
The following choice was catcher Merritt Ranew, a lefty-hitting backstop who led the Colts in triples (8) during Houston's inaugural season. For that, I'll keep him.
Now comes the only time I lifted a player from the Mets. Outfielder Jim Hickman was the brother of Jesse Hickman whom the Colts had taken earlier. The Mets took Hickman in a later, cheaper phase of the expansion draft from the Cardinals. I used an earlier pick and pricier phase to select him. Jim Hickman hit .252 with 159 homers over a 13-year career and made the All-Star team in his best year of 1970. Hickman, by the way, hit the game-winning single at that year's Midsummer Classic known for the collision Pete Rose had with Ray Fosse at home plate that ended the game. I'll presume Richards meant to take Jim, not Jesse.
At pick 21, the Colts took veteran lefty Bobby Shantz, and so did I. Shantz won the first game in franchise history but was quickly traded to St. Louis for OF Carl Warwick and pitcher John Anderson. Warwick was a key player during the sim and Anderson made for some good trade bait.
The Colts next selected 1B Norm Larker, which I concurred. Nicknamed "Dumbo" for his big ears, Larker was a two-time All-Star with the Dodgers but he was being pushed out as his skills diminished. He hit well in the sim but faded during the 1963 season and was traded, not unlike real life.
Next chosen was pitcher Sam Jones from the Giants who was quickly traded to Detroit for pitcher Bob Bruce who was the franchise's first 15-game winner (1964). Like the Bressoud pick, I left this selection mostly for whom he was traded for. I suppose I should mention here that I had the sim force trades that actually happened before June of 1962. After that, all trades were arranged through the trade AI in the simulation. I don't initiate the trades but let the AI suggest trades and then I negotiated from there.
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The 27th pick was for pitcher Paul Roof from Milwaukee. Richards claimed later Roof was injured and received lefty George Brunet from the Braves to square things. Instead of this, I drafted reliever Eddie Fisher of the Giants. Fisher would go on to pitch 15 years in the big leagues and became a well-regarded reliever. He didn't pitch well for me in the 1962 sim and was soon traded. Like the Hickmans, Roof had a brother who had a good major league career, catcher Phil Roof, who was eligible too, so perhaps Richards got brothers confused twice during the draft process.
Next chosen was righthander Ken Johnson from the Reds. He's remembered today as the pitcher who threw a nine-inning no-hitter in 1964 and lost. He was a key member in the sim seasons.
The last pick in the $75,000 phase was first baseman Dick Gernert from Cincinnati. I chose instead someone from the same team that only a psychic would have opted for. OF Vic Davalillo was pitcher Vic Davalillo at the time. I drafted him and converted him to the outfield, just as what happened in real life. Traded to Cleveland the following year, the 5-7 Venezuelan would have a 16-year career in the majors, batting .279, and was an All-Star in 1965.
Teams were then allowed to add more players in the $50,000 per player phase. The first taken by Richards was infielder Ed Olivares from St. Louis. Instead, I selected catcher Dick Dietz from the Giants. Dietz, in real life, didn't reach the majors until 1966 but lasted eight seasons and was an All-Star in 1970. In the sim, he gets called up and has an ever-increasing role.
Next selected was pitcher Jim Umbricht from the Pirates, a great human interest story who passed away from cancer in 1964. Of course, I'm going to let this choice stand.
The last choice in this round was pitcher Jim Golden from the Dodgers. Although Golden had some success in 1962, I chose instead to select veteran lefthander Wilmer "Vinegar Bend" Mizell from the Pirates. Mizell was in the Cardinals system back in the early 1950s and was one of the best players on the 1951 Houston Buffs team that won the Texas League title so this is somewhat of a sentimental pick. 1962 would see Mizell traded to the Mets in his final big league season.
Lastly came the "premium round" where a select few that were left off the earlier draft list were made available for the princely sum of $125,000 apiece. Houston's first choice was IF Joe Amalfitano. When told he had been bought for $125,000, Joey quipped, "I'll have to go out and buy another life insurance policy. I'm worth more than I thought."
I left Amalfitano with the Giants and chose instead his teammate Dick LeMay, a lefthander who had a 3.56 ERA in 27 games for San Francisco in 1961. He proved more useful in the sim than he did in real life.
The last three choices, pitcher Turk Farrell (LA), catcher Hal Smith (PIT) and outfielder Al Spangler (MIL) were all fine choices who bore out their usefulness in 1962. Farrell, a four-time All-Star in those expansion years, was bitter about the Dodgers listing him for the draft but the practical joker was not only a tough competitor on the mound but he left some great stories behind for the folks who had to play in those hot, humid, mosquito-infested games at Colt Stadium.
Post-draft acquisitions included:
Al Cicotte (P)
Dean Stone (P)
Joe Hoerner (P)
Jim Dickson (P)
John Bateman (C)
Mike White (OF)
This provided me with following sim roster to start the 1962 campaign:
Pitchers (19) - John Anderson, Don Arlich, Jim Brewer*, Bob Bruce, Al Cicotte, Ray Culp*, Jim Dickson, Dick Drott, Turk Farrell, Eddie Fisher*, Dave Giusti, Joe Hoerner, Ken Johnson, Dick LeMay*, Vinegar Bend Mizell*, Carroll Sembera, Dean Stone, Jim Umbricht, Hal Woodeshick
Catchers (4) - John Bateman, Dick Dietz*, Merritt Ranew, Hal Smith
Infielders (7) - Richie Allen*, Bob Aspromonte, Don Buddin, J.C. Hartman, Norm Larker, Bob Lillis, Glenn Vaughan
Outfielders (8) -Vic Davalillo*, Ron Davis, Jim Hickman*, Roman Mejias, Aaron Pointer, Al Spangler, Rusty Staub, Carl Warwick
(*) - not actual acquisitions by the Colt .45s.
Second baseman Billy Goodman was signed in May. The former batting titleist took over the position from Lillis. Joe Morgan was signed during the year and was sent to AA ball.
I configured the simulation with the same roster and began play, making several roster changes as simulated trade offers came in. My first trade was a big one, sending Anderson, Buddin and $20,000 to the World Champion Yankees for C Johnny Blanchard, pitchers Jim Bouton and Fred Kipp, SS Tony Kubek and OF Art Lopez. In fairness, Bouton was a year before his breakout season of 1963 and Kubek had lost his job at short to Tom Tresh due to military commitments and had a high salary ($84,000 in sim money).
A few other trades netted Ed Charles, reliever Howie Reed, reliever Claude Raymond and starting pitcher Chuck Estrada, who was the team's lone All-Star player. Catcher Smith was dealt to Detroit for middle infielder Jake Wood and lefty reliever Ron Nischwitz. Then Bruce and Goodman were also shipped to the Tigers for C Bill Freehan and (believe it or not) Joe Amalfitano.
Veterans held the team together while younger players made their way onto the roster. The real Colt 45s finished 64-96, in eighth place, in front of the Cubs and Mets. The sim Colt .45s also finished eighth at 70-92, ahead of the Braves and Cubs but behind the Mets. Strange thing though. The Pythag W-L was an even 81-81. A predictor of things to come?
With a core in place, it was time to call up the kids. I let many have a final full season in the minors before I brought up Joe Morgan, Jim Wynn, Richie Allen, Jim Bouton, Bill Freehan and Dick Dietz for 1963. All but Dietz were actual big leaguers that year.
The 1963 season began with a sweep of the Braves and, at the end of the month, the Colts were near the top of the standings at 16-10. Months of 16-12 and 18-9 had Houston in the lead at the end of June. Then came the dog days of summer. Houston was 14-13 in July and 12-16 in August, falling back into third place behind St. Louis and San Francisco.
The only meaningful trade I made during all of this was to send a fading Larker, who was platooning with Allen, to the Phillies for a fading Frank Torre who was also declining but not as fast. Torre took over the platoon with Allen, who hit .277 with 8 homers in his sim rookie season. Torre hit .287 with a pair of homers during the final three months.
Morgan (.261, 1 HR), Wynn (.197, 11 HRs), Freehan (.239, 6 HRs), Charles (.287, 14 HRs) and Bouton (14-12, 4.22 ERA) all made contributions but the big stars were veterans Estrada (18-8, 2.98 ERA), Farrell (15-11, 4.12 ERA), Umbricht (11-3, 2.12 ERA, 21 saves), Warwick (.262, 17 HRs), Kubek (.292, 8 HRs) and Aspromonte (.262, 6 HRs).
Down by 2-1/2 games entering September, the Colts went on a 21-5 run to finish at 97-65, in first place by four games over the Giants!
As strange as it was to finish nine games under Pythag in 1962, Houston ended 11 games over Pythag in 1963. They were below the league average in team batting average (.241), OPS (.657) and ERA (3.67) yet somehow pulled off a miracle season. Umbricht led the NL in saves and was named to the All-Star team as was Kubek, who was voted in as a starter.
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Here's the game-by-game rundown:
Game 1: Detroit at Houston (Bunning 16-15) vs (Estrada 18-8)
Down 5-2 early, the Colts battled back in the late innings to take a 6-5 lead with Spangler having a four-hit game. Detroit tied it in the ninth and the game went to extras. It ended with a suicide squeeze bunt by Torre that plated pinch-hitter Fred Valentine with the game-winner! Houston 7, Detroit 6.
Game 2: Detroit at Houston (Bruce 18-7) vs (Farrell 15-11)
A tight duel came down to the eighth inning when pinch-hitter Valentine doubled and later scored on a double by Kubek. Charles punched a two-out single up the middle for the go-ahead run. In the ninth, Giusti collected the save for a 3-2 triumph! Houston 3, Detroit 2.
Game 3: Houston at Detroit (Johnson 15-12) vs Lary (15-12)
Johnson tossed six innings of no-hit ball before running into trouble in the seventh. Brewer came in to retire Jim Northrup then Reed finished up with two innings of shutout ball. The only offense was a two-run homer by Wynn in the fourth. Houston 2, Detroit 0!
Game 4: Houston at Detoit (Estrada 18-8) vs Smith (15-11)
The Tigers took out their frustrations on Estrada, scoring ten times to put this away early. Houston's only response was a two-run shot by Aspromonte. Detroit 10, Houston 2.
Game 5: Houston at Detroit (Farrell 15-11) vs Bunning (16-15)
Farrell scattered seven hits and four walks in a complete game victory to win the World Series, four games to one! Charles drove in two early runs then Wynn blasted a two-run triple in the eighth. Kubek followed with an RBI triple in the ninth. Farrell had tossed eight shutout innings before laboring in the ninth. Because he had a four-run lead, he was left in to get the final out on a lazy fly by Steve Boros. Houston 5, Detroit 1.
Farrell (2-0, 17 IP, 1.59 ERA) was named the World Series MVP.
A ticker tape parade passes through downtown Houston as keys to the city are given to R.E. "Bob" Smith and Judge Roy Hofheinz for bringing a Worlds Championship to Houston so fast. Farrell, in accepting his Series MVP award, says with a wink he's so excited he might have left his car running without putting the engine in park. He tells reporters he still hates the Dodgers but now not as much.