Johnny Hetki: The Price Was Not Disclosed

Johnny Hetki pitched in the majors off and on from the forties thru 1954. Mostly a reliever, he was a contact pitcher...didn't strike out a lot of batters, or walk them. He had a couple nice seasons, in 1946 with the Reds (6-6, 2.99 4 CG) and 1953 with Pittsburgh. In 1954, he had his second straight 50+ appearance season, and tied for the league lead in games finished with 46. His 4.99 ERA wasn't enough to keep him around a Pirate club desperate for anything to fall their way in the mid-fifties.

His Baseball Reference major league page keeps track of his transactions, but doesn't account for his going from the Pirates in 1954 to independent Toronto in 1955. The January 14, 1955 Indiana Gazette has that transaction:

“Johnny Hetki, 32-year-old right handed relief pitcher, was sold yesterday by the Pittsburgh Pirates to Toronto of the International League. The price was not disclosed.”

That seems kind of a quiet, sad way to sum up a major league career. Hetki played for Toronto for two years to finish out his career, he had been in Toronto in 1951 and 1952 in the Browns' organization.

So let's sum things up here on a better note: Johnny Hetki was a pretty fair pitcher in the majors and a solid minor leaguer...finishing up 101-71 in the minors, no mean feat.

Hetki pic from

www.baseball-almanac.com

 

Toronto Bounces Ed McGhee After One At-Bat

Ed McGhee was an outfielder for the White Sox, Philadelphia A's and the ChiSox again in the early fifties, He was pretty solid in the minors but never could quite land a regular job up top.

He came up first with the Sox in 1950 then was back in the minors for awhile. Trips to other teams' organizations were loans and he stayed in control of Chicago.

His last major league action was with the White Sox in 1955, and he was sent to AA Memphis early in the season. His Baseball Reference minor league page has him with one at-bat for independent Toronto in 1956, followed by the rest of the season in Charleston, Detroit's AAA team.

How did he get to Toronto? The Terre Haute Tribune of Oct. 9, 1955 has the deal...

"MEMPHIS CHICKS SELL ED McGHEE TO TORONTO - MEMPHIS, Tenn., Oct. 8.- The Memphis Chicks today announced the sale of centerfielder Ed McGhee to Toronto of the International League.  McGhee, who had trials with the Chicago White Sox and the old Philadelphia Athletics, hit .263 for the Chicks last season."

Whatever the Toronto team plans were for McGhee, they were awfully quick to bounce him out of town. He got exactly one pinch-hit at-bat for the Maple Leafs before he was sent to the Tigers' Charleston squad...from the Ottawa Citizen of Tuesday May 15, 1956...

“Toronto Maple Leafs of the International Baseball League Monday night announced the sale of outfielder Ed McGhee to Charleston of the American Association.”

McGhee would stay in Detroit's minors thru the end of his career.

What did Charleston see, or Toronto NOT see, in that one pinch-hit appearance?

McGhee pic swiped from

marketplace.beckett.com

 

 
 

The Travels of a Man Named Ebba

Ebba St. Claire was a big, switch-hitting catcher who played in the fifties or the Giants and Braves, who seemingly didn't get much of a chance at the big time given his abilities. He had quite a career in transactions though.

Ebba went to Minneapolis in 1954 after awhile up with the Giants, and suffered a head injury which curtailed his season dramatically. For the start of 1955, he found himself in Richmond:

The Troy (NY) Times Record of Jan 27, 1955 has this:

"Richmond Buys Ebba St. Claire Richmond, Va. (AP)--The Richmond Virginians of the international League yesterday announced the purchase of catcher Ebba St. Claire, 33, from Minneapolis of the American Association. He split last season with the New York Giants and Minneapolis, hilling .262 in 20 National League games and .188 in the Association. He was sidelined by a head injury after reporting to Minneapolis."

Richmond, an independent team at the time, dealt Ebba to Rochester before 1955 was over.

The Lincoln Evening Journal of Aug. 17, 1955...

"Catcher Ebba St. Claire, former major leaguer with the New York Giants, was sold to Rochester by the Richmond Virginians. Richmond is now left with only one catcher, Neil Watlington, who has been out with an injured hip the past two weeks. St. Claire was hitting .232 with the International League’s last place club. Rochester is in fourth place."

St. Claire plays in San Diego in 1956, for Cleveland's organization. I haven't been able to track that move down. San Diego bounces him to Sacramento after the season...

The Lodi News-Sentinel of Dec. 8, 1956 says:

“The Sacramento Solons of the Pacific Coast league have traded pitcher Chet Johnson to San Diego for catcher Ebba St.Claire …

Johnson, a 38-year-old left-hander, was sold to Shreveport of the Texas League last season but refused to report.”

Johnson was quite a guy, maybe we will look at him later. Ebba's travels weren't over yet, as he never played a game for Sacramento! It was off to Toronto for him...

The Milwaukee Journal of Feb. 28, 1957...

"Toronto’s baseball Maple Leafs purchased catcher Ebba St. Claire from Sacramento of the Pacific Coast League Thursday.”

The then-35-year-old St. Claire played the season at independent Toronto, then was loaned to the Braves' AA Atlanta farm team partway through the 1958 season before being released by Toronto. 

The Montreal Gazette of March 3, 1959...

“The Leafs also said former major league catcher Ebba St. Claire, 37, owned by Toronto and loaned last season to Atlanta of the Southern Association, has been released.”

That was it for St. Claire's playing career, he stayed in baseball afterwards, and his son, Randy St. Claire, made the majors as a pitcher. 

 

St. Claire pic lifted from www.ootpdevelopments.com