John Werhas: Traded Halfway Across the World

John Werhas is an interesting fellow. A major athlete at USC, he didn't quite break into major league stardom, though he did have time with the Dodgers and Angels. His major league Baseball Reference page has just his first signing as a free agent with the Dodgers, and his subsequent trade to the Angels as transactions. He had a few more stops to go.

Somehow, he goes from the Angels in 1967, to the Phillies' San Diego AAA club in 1968. This article from the Buffalo Courier Express of March 15, 1968 does NOT help straighten things out:

In an article previewing the 1968 Buffalo AAA season: "Heading the list of candidates for the third base job is John Werhas.....Werhas, a third baseman most of his career, was purchased by the parent Washington Senators form the California Angels during the winter."

Well, that is wonderful. EXCEPT HE DIDN'T PLAY FOR BUFFALO THAT YEAR.

He went to San Diego, and then Hawaii in 1969. I haven't been able to find anything on those deals yet.

Then comes this for 1971 in the Times record of Troy, New York of Nov. 19, 1970..

"John Werhas, 32, an American Third baseman formerly with Los Angeles, California and the Pacific Coast league's Hawaii Islanders will play for the Central League's Taiyo Whales in 1911, Hie Japanese professional baseball club announced today."

This scanned article  from, I believe, a Honolulu newspaper, mentions Werhas was sold by Hawaii to Taiyo.

Werhas returned to the Hawaii club in a historical trade. From this SABR Asian Baseball Committee timeline entry:

'Former New York Yankee third-baseman Clete Boyer, now with the Pacific Coast Hawaii Islanders, is traded to the Taiyo Whales of Japan for John Werhas in what is billed as a “history-making deal … the first time that players were exchanged by American and Japanese teams.”

Werhas stayed with Hawaii until he was dealt to Eugene in a deal covered in the Joe Moeller blog entry last time.

Werhas is now a Senior Pastor at The Rock Community Church in Anaheim Hills, CA!

Completing Joe Moeller's Baseball Travels

Pitcher Joe Moeller spent his entire major league career with the Dodgers, having come up from the minors too quickly in 1962 after striking out a ridiculous 295 batters in 237 innings with three different minor league teams in 1961.

He was in and out of the majors with the parent club thru 1971, having been Rule V drafted in 1968 by Houston and returned. Otherwise, his major league Baseball Reference page is transaction-free...

Which doesn't explain his 1972 and 1973 seasons in the Padres and Phillies chains.

The Spokane Daily Chronicle of Feb. 26, 1972  has this:

"The Hawaii Islanders announced Friday the purchase of pitcher Joe Moeller from the Los Angeles Dodgers."

That would put that transaction on Feb. 25, 1972. Moeller spent that season in Hawaii, then was traded to Eugene during the 1973 season.

The Eugene Register-Guard of June 11, 1973  mentions this trade in passing...

"Gene Martin, the guy traded to Hawaii for Joe Moeller and John Werhas, made his first visit back..."

This transaction was unlisted on all three Baseball Reference pages.

Moeller finished his career in 1972 in Eugene.

So we get to tie up the loose transactions on Joe Moeller's career...next time we will look at John Werhas.

Moeller and Martin...