Herb Moford: Original Conditional Met

Herb Moford was a pitcher in the fifties and 1962 in the majors, with several teams including the original Mets. As a matter of fact, he was in the first Met game that counted in 1962.

He first made the majors with the Browns in 1955, then had a nice season with Detroit in 1958, a short stay in Boston in 1959, then his Mets experience.

His Baseball Reference major league page has a couple of transaction anomalies on it:

 December 2, 1958: Traded by the Detroit Tigers to the Boston Red Sox for Lou Berberet. 
 Before 1960 Season: Sent from the Boston Red Sox to the Baltimore Orioles in an unknown transaction. (Date given is approximate. Exact date is uncertain.) 
 December 2, 1961: Purchased by the New York Mets from the Baltimore Orioles.

The 1960 transaction was a minor league deal. Moford had been optioned by the the Red Sox to Miami in 1959, Baltimore's minor league team.  The transaction itself came here, in this article from the January 13, 1960 Miami News...

“Recommendations by manager Paul Richards of the Baltimore Orioles played a major part in the Marlin’s purchase of pitcher Herb Moford yesterday.

Moford, who compiles a 7-7 record for the Marlins last year, had been with the Miami club on option from the Boston red Sox.

…

To get Moford Miami sent outfielder Joe Durham to Vancouver, Vancouver sent pitcher Erv Palica to Minneapolis (a Boston farm) and the Marlins paid $15,000 to Minneapolis to complete the deal.”

Durham's move was between two Oriole AAA teams. Palica's Baseball Reference major league page has him being released by the Orioles in 1957, but that now doesn't seem quite right. I'll look more into Palica's career later.

Moford stays in the O's organization through 1963, with that stop in New York for the Mets. In fact, he went right back to Rochester after his Mets stint.  The Warren County Observer for May 7, 1962 had an article that explains things:

“In order to make room for the new Miller, the Mets returned pitcher Herb Moford, purchased conditionally, to Rochester of the International League.”

The new Miller being the second Bob Miller on the Mets. The important part of that line is the word CONDITIONALLY. That would change the Dec. 1961 transaction to a conditional purchase with Moford being returned in May 1962.

Lots more in the queue! Thank you for reading and please share among other baseball nuts.

 

 Herb pic lifted from

en.wikipedia.org

Howie Judson, Bubba Church and Ed Winceniak

Howie Judson was a pretty fair pitcher in the late forties thru the early fifties that came out on the unlucky side more often than not in the majors. His 1-14 mark for the White Sox in 1949 came with a 4.58 ERA and a team that lost 91 games.

Judson, a former Fighting Illini, went to the Reds in 1953, and despite a pretty fair 1954, was sent to the minors never to return.

His Baseball Reference minor league page has him playing for independent Seattle in 1955.

From the Palm Beach Post of Apr 1, 1955:

“{Yesterday} The Cincinnati Redlegs sold Pitcher Howie Judson to Seattle of the Pacific Coast League.”

During 1957, Judson headed East and South, to the Miami Marlins.

From the book "The Forgotten Marlins: A Tribute to the 1956-1960 Original Miami Marlins" by Sam Zygner:

“Four ex-major leaguers were acquired on June 12 and 13….and Howie Judson and Bubba Church were purchased from Seattle of the Pacific Coast League.”

Judson took his time getting there according to the June 21, 1957 Miami Sunday News... 

“Judson supposedly left Seattle June 11 for Miami. As yet, he is among the missing.”

This would also put the transaction as June 11, 1957.

In the off-season, Judson went back west, to the Cubs' Portland AAA team. 

Haven't come up with the actual transaction data, but it had to occur between the end of the 1957 playoffs and this note from the Feb. 26, 1958 Spokane Daily Chronicle:

“Pitcher Howie Judson and first baseman Bruce M’intosh have signed their contracts with the Portland Beavers baseball team.”

By the way, that is exactly how McIntosh was spelled in the article. He was a career minor leaguer who never played for Portland.

Judson had one more stop to make, independent Denver in 1959. From the Twin Falls Daily News of Thursday. Dec. 4, 1958..

“WASHINGTON, Dec. 4 —The Denver club of the American Association on Wednesday purchased shortstop Ed Winceniak and pitcher Howie Judson from Portland of the Pacific Coast league.”

Judson, who was gradually losing his sight, finished that year at Denver,

Odds and ends: Church's deal above was odd since he had sat out a full season after the Cubs sold him to Sacramento. The Winceniak deal above was also not previously listed on his Baseball Reference page.

Judson and Church from comc.com

Winceniak from Amazon