Bill Heltzel: Opened By Mistake?

I covered a lot of Bill Heltzel's transactions in an earlier blog post: Heltzel blog post.

Just now I found out a few more interesting tidbits of  how and why Heltzel got to Philadelphia and back to Indianapolis.

I found this article from the Eugene Register-Guard of July 14, 1944:

"The Philadelphia Phillies replaced their departing shortstop Ray Hamrick, who will be inducted into the Navy today, by purchasing William (Heinie) Heltzel from Indianapolis of the American association for an undisclosed sum."

That explains why the Phillies picked up the light-hitting Heltzel, he was an emergency filler for the club.

How did he go back to the Indianapolis club right afterwards? I couldn't find the answer to that until I stumbled across this August 18, 1992 column from the Philadelphia Daily-News' Philly.com website, and journalist Paul Hagen. In ti he references a 26-game road trip the Astros had just undertaken, and related a story about the 1944 Phillies having a 28-game road trip. From the article:

Next stop was St. Louis, where the Phils again lost three of four to fall into last place. After that series, a roster move was made. "Heinie Heltzel, the shortstop who spent two weeks proving to the Phillies that he can't play shortstop, was returned whence he came today," reported a newspaper. ''Acquired from Indianapolis on a look-before-you-pay basis, Heinie was returned to the American Association club with a tag inscribed, 'Opened by Mistake.' "

So from that we can deduce the sale was a conditional one, and Heltzel's performance didn't meet the conditions.

Hamrick picture from www.number5typecollection.com

Heltzel from Baseball-Reference.com

Joe Burns, Bill Heltzel and the Pitcher Who Skipped Out

Joe Burns played third base and the outfield for the Braves and Athletics from 1943 to 1945.

His Baseball-Reference site, in referring to him going from Boston to Philadelphia between 1943-1944, only has the following:

"Before 1944 Season: Sent from the Boston Braves to the Philadelphia Athletics in an unknown transaction."

We have been able to track this one down through Milwaukee newspapers of the time. This transaction involved two major leaguers, and a third player that went out of his way to avoid the majors.

We go back to the Milwaukee Journal of Sep. 12, 1943:

“The Boston Braves announced Saturday night they had purchased Jim Trexler, left handed pitcher, from the Indianapolis club of the American Association. Two players and an undisclosed sum of cash were included in the deal.”

“He will report to the Braves at the start of the 1944 season.”

Jim Trexler was a 33-year old career minor leaguer coming off back-to-back 19-win seasons. Given the shortage of solid arms at the time, this seems like a no-brainer for the Braves.

The two players involved in the deal were announced in the Jan. 14, 1944 Milwaukee Journal:

“John Quinn, secretary of the Boston Braves, announced Friday that Infielders Joe Burns and William Heltzel had been sent to the Indianapolis club of the American association to complete the deal for southpaw Pitcher James Trexler whom the Tribe bought last fall.”

Indianapolis was an independent minor league team at the time of this deal. Burns and Heltzel were coming from the major league club to Indianapolis, for the services of Trexel.

Is wasn't that easy. Trexler held out on the Braves for a bigger contract, then bolted for the armed services, never playing organized baseball again.

Burns was then sent to the Athletics. This from the Milwaukee Journal of July 6, 1944:

“The Indianapolis Indians Wednesday sold Second Baseman Joe Burns to the Philadelphia Athletics. Burns played 58 games with the Tribe, hit 70 times in 232 trips to the plate for an average of .302. last year he was with the Boston Braves.”

The Indians by then had a working agreement with the Athletics, but Burns was their property. Unknown transaction solved!

But what of Heltzel? He went to Philadelphia too, but in the National League. From, yes, the Milwaukee Journal of  July 14, 1944:

“Purchase by the Phillies of Infielder Bill Heltzel from Indianapolis was announced Thursday.”

 Heltzel's stay at Indianapolis was a bit turbulent, as earlier he had quit the club!

From the Indianapolis Star of June 3, 1944:

“Bill Heltzel, Indianapolis Indians' shortstop, has quit the club and left for his home at York, Pa., it was learned as the Tribesmen stopped off here yesterday”

 

A month later he was in PA, for the Phillies! Somehow, he was back in Indianapolis the next season. I have not been able to find how. After one season, he was bounced to the West coast:

From the Corvallis Gazette-Times of Jan 10, 1946:

"Pitcher Ira Hutchinson and Shortstop Bill Heltzel of Indianapolis of the American association have been acquired by the Seattle Rainiers of the Pacific Coast league, Rainier officials said last night. Terms were not disclosed ."

Heltzel hit just .132 in a short stint in Seattle, before finishing his career in hometown York.

Hutchinson played for several teams in the majors as mostly a reliever from the thirties to the forties, and we may take a look as some of his deals in a later blog.

Neither Heltzel's nor Hutchinson's transactions listed here were listed on their Baseball-Reference pages.

Top: Burns from www.baseballprospectus.com

Middle: Heltzel from Baseball Reference

Bottom: Hutchinson from

www.autographaddict.com