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