Solving the Frank Kellert Mysteries

Frank Kellert was a first baseman in the majors with the Browns and Orioles, Dodgers and Cubs from 1953-1956. He hit .325 as a backup to Gil Hodges and pinch hitter for the Dodgers in 1955, and was 1-for-3 in that year's World Series. Sent to the Cubs the next year, he didn't perform nearly as well, and finished his career in the minors.

Kellert's Baseball Reference major league page reflects a few trades that happened while he was in the minors...

·  Before 1959 Season: Sent from the Boston Red Sox to the Cincinnati Redlegs in an unknown transaction.

·  May, 1959: Sent from the Cincinnati Redlegs to the Baltimore Orioles in an unknown transaction.

 UNKNOWN NO MORE!

Kellert had finished the 1958 season with Minneapolis in the Red Sox organization, then was sold to the Reds and Seattle.

From the Spokane Daily Chronicle of Jan 7, 1959... 

“The Seattle Rainiers baseball team today purchased shortstop Harry Malmberg and first baseman Frank Kellert from Minneapolis of the American Association.”

Malmberg spent a very short time in the majors, and this is a previously undocumented trade for him as well.

Back to Kellert, during the 1959 season, he went to Baltimore's AAA Miami team.

From the Evening Independent of May 15, 1959...

“Yesterday the club announced the purchase of first baseman Norm Zauchin and pitcher Vito Valentinetti from Washington of the American League and first baseman Frank Kellert from Seattle.”

"The club" being the Miami Marlins. The Zauchin and Valentinetti deals are previously known.

So we can close the book on the Frank Kellert Mysteries!

 Kellert pic from www.tradingcarddb.com 

Malmberg from

www.baseball-almanac.com

Ex-Dodger Week Continues: Don Bessent

Ex-Dodger week continues...Don Bessent had a couple fine years at the major league level with the Brooklyn Dodgers, including finishing third in the Rookie of the Year voting in 1955, but he found himself back in AAA by 1959.

Other than his first couple of years in the Yankees organization, Bessent played his entire career in the Dodgers' system, until 1962, when he splits the season between Jacksonville (Cleveland's AAA) and Rochester (Baltimore's AAA).

Bessent's Baseball-Reference major league page has no mention of how he got to those teams, so we head to the newspapers.

From the Spokane Daily Chronicle of Feb. 22, 1962...

“The (Spokane) Indians announced today that Bessent, a 30-year-old right-hander, has been sold to the Class AAA Jacksonville team.”

Bessent would only play in 10 games for Jacksonville before heading to Rochester: 

From  the "On a Silver Diamond" site in an article on the 1962 season:

"Sisler continued to deal, picking up in separate deals pitcher Don Bessant(sp) and third baseman Jim Woods from Jacksonville."

There were no players sent back to Jacksonville for Bessant, so I think we can safely assume a purchase.

Bessant's career was over after that 1963 season, and his life would end tragically in 1990 from alcohol poisoning.

A double ex-Dodger post next time.

 Bessent pic stolen from

www.ootpdevelopments.com