"Deron Johnson has been one of the prize prospects in the Yankee farm system since he broke in with Kearney, Nebraska, in 1956. And, this may be the year the 21-year-old Californian makes the grade.
Listed as an outfielder, Johnson played third base for Richmond in the International League part of last season and may be utilized by the Yankees in this capacity.
With Kearney, in the all-rookie loop, Johnson hit .329 and led the league in homers (24), runs scored (70) and runs batted in (78).
He moved to Binghamton of the Class A Eastern circuit and again won the home run crown (26) and scored the most runs (103). His 102 RBIs and .303 batting average moved him into Triple-A company in 1958.
With the I.L. Richmond Virginians in 1958, Deron's .260 average was hardly an appraisal of his value to the club. He had 27 four-baggers and drove home 103 tallies.
Last season, the 6'2", 200-pound slugger connected for the distance on 25 occasions and drove in 91 runs while hitting in .277. In the post-season playoffs, Johnson set a record with seven homers.
He may be a year away, but Deron Johnson is almost a sure bet to be in the Home of Champions in the not too distant future."
BILL SHORT
"Bill Short won 17, lost 6 for Richmond in '59. Yankee brass is counting on him to help a sagging and thin pitching staff."
-True Baseball Yearbook, 1960 Edition
L-L. International League's All-Star southpaw. Had outstanding 17-6, 2.48, including three shutouts. Fanned 133 in 178 IP. Married. Born Kingston, N.Y., resides Newburgh, N.Y.
Scouting Report: "Built like Whitey Ford, has really good stuff, adequate speed and real savvy and is a great competitor. Despite youth, could make it this year."
Baseball Digest, March 1960
"The most heralded rookie in the Yankee camp this spring was Billy Short, the stalwart little left-hander who was named the International League's outstanding pitcher with Richmond last season. But Bill unfortunately was delayed in reporting until he completed his six-month Army service and he did not get to St. Petersburg until April.
But read these 1959 credentials: named top southpaw in all AAA circuits by National Association baseball writers; started and won International League All-Star game over Pittsburgh Pirates; posted 2.46 earned run average, fanned 133 while walking only 62 in 179 innings.
Short has four basic pitches and gets them all over the plate. He's a student of the game, devoted to becoming a successful Yankee. He always wanted to be a Yankee, even in the days when he was an undefeated PONY League hurler in Newburgh, N.Y., where he makes his home."
-The New York Yankees Official 1960 Yearbook
William Ross Short (P) #46
Born November 27, 1937 in Kingston, N.Y., resides in Newburgh, N.Y. Height: 5-9, weight: 180. Bats left, throws left. Married.
-The New York Yankees Official 1960 Yearbook
Those Yankee Southpaws
FIRST IT WAS LOPAT
SECOND CAME FORD
NOW THERE'S SHORT
"Your Grandfather had the erroneous notion that all southpaws are nuts. The usual term applied to lefties was 'eccentric,' which means that they went off at a tangent. They supposedly didn't know how to control the ball or themselves. Grandpa may have picked up the idea by reading about Rube Waddell, who nearly drove Connie Mack crazy with his shenanigans in the 1900's while establishing strikeout records between snorts. Or the idea may have come from the fact that left-handers, being fewer than right-handers, are born with a quirk and therefore can't pitch right.
In fact, even Rube Waddell knew where the plate was, as his record attests. He averaged approximately three strikeouts to one base on balls during his meteoric career; or, to put it statistically, 2,375 to 791, one of the finest examples of control pitching in baseball history, left- or right-handed. And, during the half century since the Rube took a powder and vanished from the big league scene, southpaws have not only displayed remarkable ball-control; among them have been some of the brainiest and most accurate moundsmen in the game.
Today, by an odd coincidence, the New York Yankees have three southpaws on their payroll who qualify as masters of control and deep students of the art of pitching. One is Pitching Coach Ed Lopat, 'the Old Junkman,' a newspaper-coined term he derides. Second is Whitey Ford, the gutsy little gamecock who has done more than his share in bringing pennants to Yankee Stadium during the past decade. And third is a newcomer, Billy Short, the freshest shiny apple of Casey Stengel's eye.
These three southpaws, by an even odder coincidence, are alike in more ways than pitching styles. They are all about the same height: somewhere between five-nine and five-ten. Their playing weight was, in Lopat's case, and is for Ford and Short, approximately 180 pounds. They all have light brown hair, varying from Lopat's sandy to Ford's and Short's near-white-blond. And they all come from New York State, Short from the Newburgh-Kingston area in the Hudson Valley, and Lopat and Ford from the metropolis. In baseball terms, they are members of three generations; and Ford and Short are Lopat's pupils.
They are 'little' southpaws who, from the start of their careers, realized they could not overpower hitters with speed as did such heftier lefties as Lefty Grove or Lefty Gomez; or even break off a dazzling fast curve, as Herb Score before his eye injury. Each has had enough sense to think about his problem and to attempt a solution that would guarantee a long and successful career.
Let's take Eddie Lopat, the granddaddy of 'em all, first. "I had nothing but a good curve and fast ball when I broke in with the White Sox in 1943,' he says. 'If you look at my record, you'll see it wasn't enough. I decided to add a screwball and spent three years perfecting it. The change-up was even harder to master. Some boys, like Short, for instance, learn it quickly. By that, I don't mean that a pitcher can't learn how to throw at half-speed in a short time. But to control the change-up is something else again. And then to vary speeds, both with the curve and without it, means a fellow's got to work hard, day after day, between starting assignments, trying and trying until he has the trick down pat. That took me six years, and by that time I was already with the Yankees. In 1951, when I had my best year, 21 and 9, I experimented with the knuckle ball, but after a few months I gave it up because I couldn't control it.'
Lopat resents the term 'junkman' because he considers it a reflection on his integrity as a pitcher. 'From the start I understood there was more to pitching than just throwing speed and curves,' he says. 'Ted Lyons was the first to show me how to throw different speeds, while maintaining control of the ball. That was in 1946, and from then on I always had it in my mind. Finally, I got the hang of it, and began to pinpoint my pitches. I didn't have the power that Allie Reynolds had to pour a fast one over the plate. I had to work for the edges- and the edges are mighty thin.'
Eddie Ford was faster than Eddie Lopat when he first pitched for the Yankees in 1950, when Ford ran up a 9-1 record after being called up from Kansas City in midsummer. 'Whitey depended on his fast curve as his best pitch,' Lopat says. 'He could get it over the plate, outside for left-hand batters, and inside for righties. I was honored when Casey Stengel told me to take charge of Whitey before the World Series with the Phillies.
'Like Short, Whitey is a deep student of batters' form. And he has a remarkable memory. I only had to tell him once what a batter's weakness was. He remembered, and what's more, he could pitch to it and get the guy out.'
Four weeks after the 1960 season began Billy Short was truly the white-haired boy of the Yankee pitching staff. By May 10 he had started three complete games, going the route twice, yielding only 17 hits and six earned runs in 23 1/3 innings for a 2.35 average. His control was sub-par in comparison with his record at Richmond last year, 18 walks, against only 62 in 179 innings with the AAA I.L. club.
'Don't pay attention to Billy's walks in his early games,' Lopat warns. 'He reported late because of his Army service, and it takes three or four games for any pitcher to get his feet on the ground in the spring. But Billy, like Whitey Ford, has ice water in his veins; he's the aggressive type. You only have to watch him walk off the mound to the bench to know that he not only knows what's going on, but that he can handle it.'
Lopat rates Ford and Short as almost equal in temperament and ability at the same stage in their careers. 'Perhaps the edge should go to Whitey because he had a better fast curve,' he says. 'But Whitey didn't have a change-up; he couldn't throw at different speeds. Whitey is cockier; Short is quiet and unassuming, but don't mistake it for lack of grit.'
During a game in which the little southpaw held a 2-1 lead after the eighth inning, 'Ryne Duren was warming up in the bullpen,' says Casey Stengel. 'And I was ready to use him to hold Kansas City in the ninth. But this kid comes into the bench and sits down next to me and he said, 'Well, my arm's a little tired, but it's got enough in it to get 'em out in the ninth.' And get 'em out he did, one, two, three.'
Short again showed his good common pitching sense in his fourth start, against the Cleveland Indians on May 10. He gave the Indians three hits and a run in the first inning, then settled down, blanking them until the fifth, when he yielded two more safeties. Suddenly he called time. 'I can't break off a curve without a twinge in my elbow,' he told Casey. 'Of course, I can throw my slow stuff over. But do you want me to stay in?'
'That's real sense,' Casey said after the game. 'Some youngsters would have stuck it out because they were afraid they'd be accused of quitting with men on bases. Not this kid- he didn't want to take a chance on damaging his arm and missing his next start. And his quitting didn't hurt us. Bob Turley came in and stopped the Indians.'
Constant practice is Eddie Lopat's explanation of the secret of control. 'You may have all the nerve in the world, but unless you know what you're doing and then can do it, you can't throw a curve or a change-up on a two-and-nothing, three-and-one or three-and-two count and get away with it. Short does just that- and he's no wise old hand. He's just a beginner in the league.'
As baseball men say, Short 'moves the ball around.' His own explanation for his mastery of control at the early age of 23 is boyhood practice with his father, Al Short, a former semipro catcher around Kingston, N.Y. 'From the time I was six or seven, I'd go out in the back yard and throw it to my father,' he says. 'His glove was the target, and I had to get it over or lose that extra nickel allowance for candy.' He began to use the change-up at Newburgh High School when he was 15. In American Legion ball he baffled batters, fanning 19 of 21 in a seven-inning game. In the summer of 1952, his high school team won a trip to Yankee Stadium, an award given by the Newburgh-Beacon News. It was his first introduction to the Stadium. Later he went to the Stadium alone, working out for the late Paul Krichell, the Yankees' famed head scout. Billy is one of the last of Krich's many proteges and may well become as famous as the greatest of them.
That something extra is brains, plus guts.
Artie Nehf, the battling little lefty of John J. McGraw's New York Giants of the 1920's, had it. Nehf, too, was a control pitcher. He was at his best in crises, in big games, in the World Series. His curve was quick, his slow stuff accurate. As for his courage, listen ...
Nehf's chief patsies were the Pittsburgh Pirates, against whom he had a run of 16 consecutive victories in 1924. One day that summer, Carson Bigbee, the Pirate outfielder, drove a liner to the box that struck Nehf in the heart.
Nehf's teammates ran to the mound. Groggily he rose, shook his head, paced around the turf, picked up the ball. McGraw wanted to relieve him. 'Nuts!' he exploded. 'I got enough in me to lick these blankety-blanks!' And lick them he did, for his seventeenth straight.
Another miniature southpaw, with pinpoint control, curves and change-up, was Wee Willie Sherdel, who won 21 games for the Cardinals in 1928, and 165 games in his big league lifetime.
Willie was one of the few smart controllers of soft stuff in a day when pitchers were flabbergasted by home run sluggers who powdered the jack-rabbit ball. Willie, ace of the Cardinal staff, lost the opening game of the 1928 World Series to the terrible monsters of Murderers Row, 4-1. The Yanks of Ruth, Gehrig, Lazzeri & Co. swept the next two games. Manager Bill McKechnie sent Willie to stem the tide in the fourth contest.
And Willie, by hook, crook and brains, held a 2-1 lead as Babe Ruth came to bat with one out in the seventh. The little fellow slipped two strikes over on the Bambino. As Ruth stepped back, Willie fired another pitch through the strike zone. It was a 'quick pitch,' then legal in the National League, but Umpire Charlie Pfirman refused to call the Big Bam out because the quick pitch was barred in the American League.
A wild scene followed. Willie and the Cardinals raged. And then, of course, the Babe homered on the next pitch, and on the next Lou Gehrig, and Willie lost.
But the trick was typical of a smart southpaw, one of the brainy line of whom Whitey Ford and Billy Short are scions, with Eddie Lopat their proud mentor. There is nothing eccentric about them; they are highly disciplined pitchers, marksmen of the mound who can move the baseball around so much that hitters can't find it. The result is well-pitched games, artistically executed by lefties with brains."
-Charles Dexter (Baseball Digest, July 1960)
JOHN GABLER
"At 29, John Gabler is still a rookie. After two fine seasons at Denver, this 'stuff' pitcher is getting a good shot at making the Yankee varsity. Admittedly a slow starter and without a blazing fast ball, Johnny gets by with his variety and his know-how.
After the American Association season ended last fall, the lanky right-hander was called up to Yankee Stadium where he split two decisions, pitching quite effectively."
-The New York Yankees Official 1960 Yearbook
John Richard Gabler (P) #40
Born October 2, 1930 in Kansas City, Missouri, resides in Overland Park, Kansas. Height: 6-2, weight: 170. Bats - left and right, throws right. Married and father of one girl, Cynthia Lee (2).
-The New York Yankees Official 1960 Yearbook
"One of the veteran rookies on the Yankee roster, this Kansas City-born right-hander (he bats left, though) has been in the Yankee farm system since 1949. Now 29 years old, Gabler has reached the point of no return. He'll either stick this season or be dropped by New York.
The 6'2" twirler started with Belleville and moved up to Independence and Twin Falls before going into military service. Following his discharge, John reported to Modesto in 1954 and compiled a fine 13-9 mark with a 2.93 ERA. He then went up to double-A ball, spending two seasons in the Southern Association with Birmingham.
In 1957, at Denver, his record was 12-8 and in '58 he won the most games of his pro career, 19, while dropping seven for the Bears."
-New York Yankees 1960 Yearbook (Jay Publishing Co.)
L-R. In the Yankee system since '49. Had 14-8 and 3.39 for Denver (3A), walking only 39 in 194 IP, after 19-7 and 4.27 for same club in '58. Had 1-1 and 2.84 for 19-inning Yankee trial. Married. German. Born in Kansas City, resides in Overland Park, Kanas.
Scouting Report: "Has good control and fair breaking stuff. Also has poise in box and is good fielder. Fast ball is just fair, but he has a knuckler. May be a sleeper."
-Baseball Digest, March 1960
BILL BETHEL
"A control pitcher is hard to come by, so the Yankees are giving 30-year-old Bill Bethel a chance to make the grade at an age when many ball players have reached the end of the line.
The lanky 6'3" hurler was signed by the Yankee organization in 1950 and sent to Grand Forks. His 9-14 mark, 4.43 ERA and 115 walks certainly didn't label him as much of a candidate for a Stadium post at the time.
The Texan (born in Plainview and now residing in Corpus Christi) spent 1951, '52 and most of '53 in military service. He joined Quincy at the end of '53 and also spent the next season there before dropping out of Organized Ball in 1955.
Since his return in '56, Bethel has been with San Antonio, Binghamton, Richmond and Omaha."
-New York Yankees 1960 Yearbook (Jay Publishing Co.)
R-R. Veteran minor leaguer split '59 between two American Association (3A) teams (Houston, Omaha) to rank league's sixth in ERA (2.80) with 13-11. He K'd 114 but walked but 41 in 196 IP. Married. Born in Plainview, TX, resides in Corpus Christi, TX.
Scouting Report: "Forget about him as a big league prospect. Knows how to work on batters and is a fine fielder, but nearing 30 he has no chance to make grade."
-Baseball Digest, March 1960
MARK FREEMAN
"The 6'6" graduate of Louisiana State, where he gained fame as a teammate of the great Bob Petit in basketball, is the tallest man on the 1960 Yankee roster.
Freeman, who was 29 last December, joined the Yankee organization back in 1951 following his schooling at LSU. He appeared in seven games for Norfolk that summer, winning four and losing two, and was one of the brightest young hurlers in the farm system on the strength of a 2.68 ERA.
The next two seasons were spent at Binghamton, N.Y., and were average as Mark compiled a 13-12 record. After 13 games with Birmingham of the Southern Association in 1954, Freeman was drafted. In fact, he just made it because of his height.
Following his discharge, Freeman put in three years with Denver of the American Association. He was always good, but not quite good enough during spring training and his work in the American Association was again, only average.
Last season Freeman got his shot at the big time, four games, with the Yankees and Kansas City and then it was back to the minors for the Memphis-born resident of Denver."
-New York Yankees 1960 Yearbook (Jay Publishing Co.)
R-R. No-hitter against Vancouver Aug. 18 was included in 13-9 and 3.43 for Seattle (3A). Continued strikeout binge with 131 in 158 IP, after 175 in 202 IP for Denver (3A) in '58. Yank farmhand since '51. Married. Born in Memphis, resides in Denver.
Scouting Report: "Semi-side-arm fast ball pitcher with better than average stuff, but strictly a gamble in majors. Has poise and experience, but sometimes over-thinks."
-Baseball Digest, March 1960
HAL STOWE
"A former Clemson College star, Hal Stowe was signed by the Yankees last season and assigned to Fargo of the Class C Northern League.
He appeared in 13 games, working 95 innings, and compiled a 5-4 record. However, his earned run average was only 2.75 and he set 90 batters down on strikes while allowing only 33 free passes.
The 22-year-old Stowe is a lefty all the way. He and his wife and child live in his native Gastonia, North Carolina.
With Clemson, he led the team into the College World Series two years in a row. A six-footer, Stowe is probably two years away from the Stadium. But, on the strength of his showing in school and in his first year of pro ball, the Yankees feel they have a future big leaguer in Hal Stowe."
-New York Yankees 1960 Yearbook (Jay Publishing Co.)
L-L. Signed out of Clemson College last summer. Pitched 95 innings for Fargo (C) for 5-4, 2.75, completing five of 10 starts. Married. Born and resides in Gastonia, N.C.
Scouting Report: "Has a fine fast ball, but needs a better curve. Needs at least two of three years' more minor league experience."
-Baseball Digest, March 1960
FRITZ BRICKELL
"The smallest man on the Yankees' 1960 roster is infielder Fritz Brickell. His 5'5 1/2" gives him the distinction by half of an inch over veteran southpaw Bobby Shantz.
Following in his dad's footsteps (his dad, Fred Brickell, played for the Pirates and Phils from 1927 to 1933), Fritz has been in Organized Ball since 1953 when he broke in with Joplin, in Mickey Mantle's home territory.
The 25-year-old Wichita, Kansas, native moved up the Yankee ladder with stops at St. Joseph's, Binghamton and Denver before reaching the Stadium in 1958. He went back to Denver without swinging a bat in the American League and broke his leg while playing for the American Association in '58.
Last season Brickell was with both Richmond and the Yankees. He collected his first big league homer in Detroit and had a .256 mark with the parent club in 18 games. At Richmond his mark in 86 contests was .247 with eight circuit clouts."
-New York Yankees 1960 Yearbook (Jay Publishing Co.)
R-R. The ankle he broke in '58 didn't bother him, but his bat did. Dropped to .247 in 86 games for Richmond (3A) from '58's .266 and '57's .295, both for Denver (3A). Hit .256 in 39 at-bats for Yanks last fall. One of game's shortest players. Dad, Fritz, hit .281 in 501 games for Phils and Pirates, '27-'33. Married. Born and resides in Wichita, Kansas.
Scouting Report: "Covers ground arm and has good arm, but it's questionable whether he could handle major league pitching for respectable average."
-Baseball Digest, March 1960
JACK REED
"Rookie outfielder Jack Reed knows it's now or never if he's going to make the Yankees. At 27 you either have it or you don't and there's no waiting for next year.
The 6'1" graduate of Ole Miss hails from Silver City, Mississippi, and broke into Organized Ball with Quincy of the Three-Eye League in 1954. After 15 games he advanced to Winston-Salem where he turned in a .287 batting mark in 84 contests. With Binghamton of the Class A Eastern League in 1955, Reed hit .308 and led the circuit with 172 hits in 132 contests.
The slick-fielding Reed spent 1956 and 1957 in military service and was assigned to New Orleans of the Southern Association in 1958. With the Pelicans he achieved his best season to date, hitting .309 and slamming out 19 home runs.
Last season he was assigned to Richmond of the International League. His .262 average- with but seven homers and 36 runs batted in- is not indicative of his ability. A slight attack of hepatitis, which is now cured, took a lot of his strength away and prevented him from playing the type of ball he is capable of."
-New York Yankees 1960 Yearbook (Jay Publishing Co.)
R-R. Batting average dropped 47 points with rise from New Orleans (2A) to Richmond (3A). Only drove in 36 runs, including seven home runs, in 542 at-bats, 149 games. Signed out of University of Mississippi in '54. English. Married. Born and resides in Silver City, Mississippi.
Scouting Report: "A big strong guy with not much power at bat, but with lots of speed under foot. Stole 19 bases, covers wide territory and has good throwing arm. Yet likely never better than 3A."
-Baseball Digest, March 1960
JIM BRONSTAD
R-R. Was 6-8, 2.55 at Richmond (3A), yielding two homers in 120 innings, then got 29-inning, 16 game trial, including three starts, with the Yankees. Was 3-0, 5.28. Norwegian. Married. Born and resides in Fort Worth.
Scouting Report: "Has better than average fast ball, but control is only fair. Needs to add more breaking stuff to make grade in majors."
Baseball Digest, March 1960
ED DICK
L-L. Didn't pitch back to '58's 12-10, 4.47 for Richmond, with 7-10, 4.80 for same 3A club. Completed only three of 18 starts. Polish-Slovak. Born and raised in Chicago.
Scouting Report: "More a thrower than a pitcher just now and lacks control. Needs at least another season in 3A before ready for thorough big league trial."
-Baseball Digest, March 1960
GEORGE HANEY
L-R. Bonus boy who bowed with 70 innings for Kearney (D) with stout 6-1, 2.44 and 56 K's. Fourth in Nebraska State League in ERA. If he doesn't come through in box, may be converted into an outfielder as he has signs of a solid hitter. Born in Charlottesville, Va., resides in Barboursville, Va.
Scouting Report: "Has a fine fast ball, but needs experience in mastering curve and change up."
-Baseball Digest, March 1960
JESSE GONDER
L-R. In last two years drove in 169 runs and made 40 home runs- for six different clubs! Best was .328 with 42 RBI's in 51 games for San Antonio (2A) in '58. Also played with Clovis, Temple, Wenatchee, Monterrey and Seattle in '57-'58. Product of Oakland's famous McClymonds High. Negro. Married. Born in Monticello, Arkansas, resides in Oakland.
Scouting Report: "Has some good tools. Fine runner. Has some power, but is easily fooled at the plate. Seemed over his head in Coast League."
-Baseball Digest, March 1959
BILL STAFFORD
"Newest and youngest of the 11 Yankee pitchers is Bill Stafford, a 22-year-old right-hander from Athens, N.Y. Called up to the Yankees in mid-August, he has been one of the club's most effective pitchers down the stretch and boasts the team's lowest ERA. Purchased from the Richmond farm club, the lanky hurler has displayed excellent control in his brief big league fling."
-1960 World Series Official Souvenir Program
YANKEE STARS OF THE FUTURE
"In addition to the full roster of 39 men, eight other players trained with the Yankees at the St. Petersburg, Fla., camp this spring. Manager Casey Stengel and his staff are hopeful they will prove to be future Bomber regulars. Four of the group were pitchers, two were catchers and the other pair roamed the outfield.
Here's the rundown on them:
PITCHERS: Frank Carpin, 21-year-old Notre Dame alumnus from Newport News, Va. He posted a 12-9 mark with a 3.24 ERA for the Greensboro Class B Carolina League club in 1959; Tom Burrell, 18-year-old native of Staten Island, who hurled for the Yankee rookie team in the New York area. He was the surprise of this past winter's Yankee Florida Instructional League club; Bill Stafford, 21-year-old Athens, N.Y., right-hander, who was in camp last year. He was 1-0 with Binghamton and 1-8 with Richmond last season after winning 11 and compiling a 2.25 ERA with Binghamton in '58; Don Thompson, 27-year-old native of Arlington, Va., who fanned 150 while posting a 17-9 mark with a 3.73 ERA for Binghamton in '59.
Carpin, Burrell and Thompson are all southpaws.
CATCHERS: Dan Bishop, 21-year-old switch-hitter from Springfield, Mo., who was drafted from the Baltimore chain by the Binghamton club; Joe Miller, 25-year-old from Linden, N.J., who hit .340 for Binghamton despite being out most of the year with injuries.
OUTFIELDERS: Leroy Thomas, 24-year-old from St. Louis, who collected 25 homers, 123 RBIs and a .305 batting average at Binghamton last season; Don Lock, 23-year-old from Rago, Kansas, who, while performing for Greensboro of the Carolina loop in '59, led the league with 30 homers, 122 RBIs, 102 runs scored and 270 total bases while striking out 167 times. He batted .283.
Thomas bats left, while Miller and Lock are righties."
-New York Yankees 1960 Yearbook (Jay Publishing Co.)
