Tony Roig, an Unknown Draftee?

Tony Roig had an extremely long career as a professional baseball player. Starting with Troy and Lafayette at age 20 in 1948, he played until 1968, his last year of six in Japan.

His major league career consisted of just three partial seasons with the Washington Senators. After the 1957 season at Chattanooga, the Senators' AA team, he was drafted by the Dodgers and stashed at Spokane for three years.

His Baseball Reference entry ends his transaction history there, but he went to the White Sox organization for a couple years before heading to Japan. We were able to track that transaction down, in two parts...

From the Spokane Daily Chronicle of Nov. 29, 1960..

“Yesterday, at the major league draft meeting in Louisville, Spokane lost five players, two of them 1960 regulars, to major league clubs. Infielder Tony Roig was drafted by the White Sox and pitcher Ray Semproch to the new Washington club in the American League.”

 

Okay. Both Baseball Reference and Retrosheet have the Semproch drafting, but not the Roig one. How did he get to San Diego?

The Spokane Daily Chronicle of April 6, 1961:

“...the Chicago White Sox, who drafted Roig from Spokane last winter, announced Wednesday he has been sold to the San Diego Padres, White Sox farm club in that loop.”

Roig transferred to the Indianapolis ChiSox farm team in 1962, then to Japan the next season.

I wonder why his being drafted by Chicago wasn't listed?

Tony Roig 1967 Japanese baseball card picture lifted from Bob Lemke's blog at boblemke.blogspot.com .

You should go there and read it all.

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

 

 
 

Tom Qualters Timeline Resolved

Tom Qualters is best known as a bonus baby pitcher for the Phillies that gave up 6 earned runs in one-third of an inning in his first appearance as a teenager, then didn't play at all the next year.

He went on to the White Sox and injured his arm, and then bounced around in the minors for a couple years. In 1959 he spent the whole year at AAA Indianapolis, but then it becomes confusing.

Qualters' Baseball Reference minor league page has him playing for three teams in 1960.

This SABR article on Phillies' bonus babies has Qualters doing the following in 1960:

"Qualters then began the nomad stage of his career, bouncing from Indianapolis to Houston and then San Diego in 1960 (7–9, 4.47 combined)"

Which would make sense, given that he played for Indy for all of 1959, logically he would have started there in 1960. But it ain't so...

 The Terre Haute Star of July 13, 1960 has the following:

"INDIANAPOLIS, July 12.—(UPI) —The Indianapolis Indians today announced the signing of a new pitcher as Manager Ted Beard attempted to push his sagging team from the American Association cellar. Tom Qualters, 25 years old a right-hander, was signed as a free agent. He was released by the Houston team, where he had a 3-2 record and an earned run average of 5.57, appearing in nine games in relief."

So he didn't start the season at Indy. And we find in this article from  the Salt Lake Tribune of April 10, 1960, that he didn't start the season in Houston, either:

"INDIO, CALIF., April 9 (UPI)—Righthander Tom Qualters halted a four-game losing streak for the San Diego Padres here Saturday by stopping the Portland Beavers, "

So the correct timeline is San Diego, then Houston, then Indianapolis. We don't know how he got to San Diego or Houston yet, but we at least know the order.

Various sources indicate that Qualters started 1961 in Indianapolis, then went to Dallas, tried to retire, and went instead to single A Williamsport to player-coach for awhile before finally cashing it in.

So we have a lot of questions to resolve about Qualters' last two seasons!

Qualters from www.ootpdevelopments.com

John Purdin Keeps Getting Sold to Hawaii!

Ex-Dodger week continues with John Purdin. Purdin was a pretty good starting pitcher during a time when that was not good enough to make the Dodgers' rotation. He bounced a bit between AAA and the big club, and was pretty effective in 1968, but couldn't get going in 1969 and found himself back in the minors.

In 1970, Purdin goes from Spokane to Hawaii during the season, in a move described on his Baseball reference major league page as: 

July, 1970: Sent from the Los Angeles Dodgers to the California Angels in an unknown transaction. (Date given is approximate. Exact date is uncertain.) 

Unknown no more!  From the Daily Chronicle of Centralia, WA of July 18, 1970...

“Purdin Sale Told SPOKANE (AP) The Spokane Baseball Club announced the sale Friday night of Indian hurler John Purdin to the Pacific Coast League Hawaii Islanders. Purdin compiled a 6-6 season record with the Indians and holds a 3.40 earned run average He went to the mound in (25?) contests, started in 14 games and was credited with five saves. Purdin was sold for an undisclosed amount.”

Friday would have been July 17. Hawaii was the Angels' AAA at the time.

Purdin was then picked up by the White Sox in a trade for spring training. The new Sox manager, Chuck Tanner, was a fan of Purdin's at Hawaii and wanted to give him a shot. Purdin, however, didn't make the club and went back to Hawaii, and the Padres' organization, in this deal:

From the Pottstown Mercury of April 2, 1971... 

 “The Chicago White Sox reduced their roster to the opening day 25-player limit Thursday when outfielder Pat Kelly was optioned to the White Sox’ Tucson farm club and pitcher John Purdin was sold to Hawaii of the Pacific Coast League.”

..and that is where Purdin finished his career. Another ex-Dodger next time!

Purdin pic from www.tradingcarddb.com

Joe "Moses" Shipley

Joe Shipley was a hard-throwing, quite wild pitcher who made the majors with the Giants and White Sox in the late 50's through 1963. Here are his listed transactions from his Baseball Reference major league page...

• Before 1954 Season: Sent from Vidalia (Georgia State) to the New York Giants in an unknown transaction.
• Before 1962 Season: Released by the San Francisco Giants.
• Before 1962 Season: Signed as a Free Agent with the St. Louis Cardinals.
• July 24, 1962: Traded by the St. Louis Cardinals to the Chicago White Sox for Alan Brice. 

Pretty cut and dried, except for the 1954 deal. Well, these don't explain trips to the Cleveland AAA Salt Lake City team in 1961, single-A Portsmouth (A's) in 1961, and Indianapolis in 1962...AND El Paso in 1965 (Angels). There are a LOT of references to check...

First, how he got to Salt Lake... from The Deseret News of Jan. 3, 1961...

“Salt Lake’s Bees had run their roster of Pacific Coast League effectives to three today with the announcement of a purchase of big, fire-balling Joe (Moses) Shipley from Tacoma’s Giants.”

Herman Franks was big on Shipley, Franks was running that Indians' AAA club. However, the Shipley affair didn't last long in Salt Lake...

From the  Deseret News of June 7, 1961...

“The Bees also announced that pitcher Joe Shipley had been sent to Portsmouth, Va. In the South Atlantic League. Shipley had a 1-4 record in 16 appearances on the mound.”

Oops. Shipley started the 1962 season at Tulsa, the Cardinals' AA team, then was picked up by Indianapolis, the White Sox AAA affiliate: from The Franklin Evening Star of July 26, 1962...

“Indians Purchase Tulsa Moundsman. INDIANAPOLIS - Joe Shipley, a big right-handed pitcher with Tulsa of the Texas League, has been purchased by the Indianapolis Indians and will join the Tribe in time for Sunday's home stand.”

Shipley was purchased from Indianapolis by the Sox in 1963, then sent back with the recall of Joel Horlen. In 1964, he started with Indianapolis, and finished with Jacksonville for the Cardinals. I haven't been able to find that deal.

I DID find that he started 1965 in Reynosa and the Mexican League, and the last transaction and final stop of his career would be El Paso and the Angels' AA team...

From the El Paso Post-Herald of June 1, 1965...

“...the Los Angeles Angels sent Joe Shipley, tall right hander, to El Paso. Shipley was with the Tulsa Oilers in 1962 and won nine games. He was acquired yesterday from the Reynosa Club of the Mexican League.”

After a while as El Paso, that was it for Joe Shipley. If anyone can find the 1964 transaction between Indianapolis and Jacksonville, we can put a good capper on the travels of Moses.

Shipley from the great cardsthatneverwere.blogspot.com