Lou Lombardo, Ken Trinkle and Pete Milne

Sometimes I just pick a random team and random players from same team and run with it. This time I picked the 1948 New York Giants.

Lou Lombardo pitched for the Giants for just that one season as a 19-year-old. He started in the business as a 15-year-old! After a couple ineffective appearances, that was it for Lou in the majors and he was shipped back to the minors, and then to the Tigers' system in 1949. This isn't documented on his Baseball-Reference page, but I found the deal here, in the Toledo Blade of May 7, 1949:

“Mud Hens General Manager Bob Evans’ plans to bolster his club’s wobbly mound staff received another shot in the arm today as he announced the purchase of Lou Lombardo, 21-year-old southpaw, from the Minneapolis Millers.”

 

Lombardo finished his career in lower minors after that season, out of baseball at age 25.

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Ken Trinkle was a pretty good relief specialist who led the NL in appearances in 1946 and 1947 with an ERA under 4. He was dealt to the Phillies in 1949, and was sent to their minors in 1950 and 1951. 

In 1952, he goes from the Phillies' Baltimore team to Louisville in the Red Sox organization, with no deal mentioned on his Baseball-Reference page. We uncovered this from the Milwaukee Journal of June 26, 1952:

 “Gordie Mueller, one of the leading relief pitchers of the American association two years ago, has been traded by Louisville to Baltimore for pitcher Ken Trinkle, 32 year old right hander, formerly with the New York Giants.”

Both Trinkle and Mueller (who played for the Red Sox in 1950) ended their careers in 1952.

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Pete Milne, an outfielder, served a few years in the Cleveland low minors before going to the Giants, spending parts of three seasons in the majors. 

In AAA he was a very good hitter; and the Giants sent him to independent Oakland in the PCL for the 1952 season in a trade not mentioned on his Baseball-Reference page.

I found the deal here, in the Kansas City Times of Dec. 5, 1951:

“The Oakland baseball club announced today the outright purchase of William (Pete) Milne, left-handed hitting and throwing outfielder, from Minneapolis of the American Association. The price was not disclosed.”

 

Milne played very well for the Oaks for three seasons before going to Sacramento for 1955 in a deal described here in the Lodi News-Sentinel of March 29, 1955:

“Joe Brovia, one of O’Doul’s favorite ballplayers, will be in right field instead of Pete Milne. The latter went to Sacramento in a straight swap for long-faced Joe.”

 

That article was a preview of the Oaks' 1955 season. After a poor 1955, Milne played one more year in AA Mobile before calling it a career.

"Ox" Brovia, a big homerun hitter in the PCL. would get one short trip to the majors with the Reds in 1955.

 

Lombardo from www.attheplate.com

Trinkle from  www.baseball-birthdays.com

Mueller from  www.pinterest.com

Milne from  www.amazon.com

Brovia stolen from richardleutzinger.com

Marino Pieretti's Travels

Marino Pieretti maybe better known for what he did after his playing career than his pitching during it.

He broke into the majors in 1945 with the Senators, having been drafted from PCL Portland. IN that rookie year, he went 14-13 with a nice 3.32 ERA, allowing just 3 homeruns in over 233 innings!
The next few seasons didn't go quite as well for Pieretti, and he went to the White Sox and finally Cleveland in 1950. Pieretti's major league Baseball reference page stops there, but he was far from done pitching.

Cleveland sold Pieretti back to Portland (by then independent) for 1951. From the St. Petersburg Times of Jan. 15 1951:

“The Cleveland Indians Saturday (Jan. 13) announced the sale of Pitcher Marino Pieretti to Portland of the Pacific Coast League.”

 

Pieretti thrived again in Portland, he had won 26 games for them back in 1944, and he won 34 games over two seasons this time around. For 1953, he was sent in a deal involving four former major leaguers to Sacramento. The Eugene Register-Guard of May 8, 1953 had an article on the trade, and a hitch that caused some higher-ups to step in:

“George Trautman, minor league boss, ruled Thursday that Portland has a player coming from the Solons because of the retirement from baseball of Orval Grove. Grove, a pitcher, was traded to Portland along with Glenn Elliott for Joe Brovia and Marino Pieretti. But he quit baseball before he reported to the Portland camp.”

Grove did indeed retire, and I couldn't find who was sent in his place.

Pieretti continued to pitch well in the PCL, winning 12, 16 and 19 games for the Solons, when the Majors came calling. From the Sarasota Journal of Dec. 2 1955:

“Right-handed pitcher Mario Pieretti, 34, of Sacramento in the Pacific Coast League has been purchased by the Philadelphia Phillies for an undisclosed sum.”

Part of that "sum" was "disclosed" in a bit from the Desert Sun of March 23, 1956:

"The Solons obtained on option from the Philadelphia Phillies lefthanded pitcher Ronald Mrozinski as part of the sale price for hurler Marino Pieretti.”

But for Pieretti, he would never see the regular season field for the Phils. From the Albuquerque Journal of April 20, 1956:

“Righthanded pitcher Marino Pieretti, who won 19 games for the Sacramento Solons last year, was returned to the Pacific Coast League club Thursday by the Philadelphia Phillies. Dave Kelley, Solon personnel manager, said he was informed of the move by Roy Hamey. Phils general manager. Pieretti went to the Phillies in a conditional sale last fall.”

The Solons were done with Pieretti, and sent him quickly to Los Angeles. One day later, in fact. From the Santa Cruz Sentinel of April 22, 1956:

"The Sacramento Solons. of the Pacific Coast league yesterday announced the sale of righthanded pitcher Marino Pieretti to the Los Angeles Angels. Pieretti won 19 games for Sacramento last year. The price was not disclosed.”

Pieretti didn't have the greatest season, and was doing a lot of coaching in L.A., which he continues through some lower minor league stops and locally in California for years. The Italy-born Pieretti was quite a beloved figure and it would behoove you to look up what he was able to do for younger players.

 

 Badly misspelled Pieretti and Brovia both from richardleutzinger.com

Grove from armchairgm.wikia.com 

Elliott from www.ootpdevelopments.com

Mrozinski from www.phillysportpast.com