More About Milt Byrnes

We featured a trade involving Milt Byrnes in the last blog, but he had a couple more moves in this career that weren't chronicled on his Baseball Reference page.

After moving to the Yankees organization to the Browns' in the Ken Sears deal, Byrnes was sent to Louisville, in the Red Sox organization in 1948. From the Toledo Blade of June 8, 1948: 

“Louisville and Kansas City, eighth and seventh in the standings, completed a straight trade with Jack Robinson, pitcher, and Outfielder Milt Byrnes going to the Colonels for Outfielder Bill Sinton and Mickey Witek, second baseman.”

Robinson was called up to the parent Red Sox later, and Witek made an appearance for the Yankees later as well after a decently long previous career in the majors with the Giants. Further examination of both careers are needed. Sinton did not make the majors.

Byrnes was sold off to the Braves' Milwaukee club the next year according to the Milwaukee Journal of May 18, 1949:

“Center field, the Brewers’ most vulnerable position, will be filled Wednesday night by Milt Byrnes.”

“Jake Flowers, Milwaukee president, notified Manager Nick Cullop that he had purchased the outfielder from Louisville.”

Byrnes goes from the Braves group to the Senators AA team the next year, but that appears to be a free-agent signing, as he was released from Milwaukee.  The Milwaukee Journal of Oct. 17. 1949:

“Two players were released unconditionally Monday by the Milwaukee Baseball club – Nick Etten, first baseman, and Milt Byrnes, outfielder.”

 

Former major leaguer Etten had some interesting late-career moves, too. 

Byrnes finished in the Cubs minor leagues, and a year in single A.

Byrnes from ebay

Robinson on Louisville from outlet.historicimages.com

Mickey Witek from pinterest

Nick Etten from 

jimdoesnotknow.tumblr.com

  

Catcher Ken Sears

Ken Sears had two stints in the major leagues in the forties as a catcher, his Baseball-Reference page lists him as hitting .278 in 60 games for the 1943 Yankees, and .333 in  7 games for the Browns in 1946.

The page doesn't list any transactions for Sears, but we found a couple in searching the net:

First, how did Sears get from the Yankees organization to the Browns? This article from the April 5, 1946 Reading Eagle tells all:

“Catcher Ken Sears, obtained from the Yankees in a trade for Milt Byrnes, joined the Browns…”

Byrnes' Baseball-Reference page doesn't mention this either, but he went straight from the Browns to the Yankees' farm system that year.

Sears would move on one more time, from the Browns' minors to the Dodgers' system. From the St. Petersburg Times of May 7, 1947:

"Catcher Ken Sears, once with the Yankees in spring training here, has been sold by the San Antonio Missions to Bill Dickey’s Little Rock team in the Southern association.”

Odd that Sears didn't get more major league time with the batting average he was able to put up. Byrnes had a few extra moves too, we will see if we can uncover those transactions.

Sears pic from  pinstripebirthdays.mlblogs.com

Byrnes from ebay