#22 Ed Sadowski

1961 Topps

Edward Roman Sadowski
Catcher
Bats: Right , Throws: Right
Height: 5' 11" , Weight: 175 lb.
Born: January 19, 1931 in Pittsburgh, PA

Drafted 11th by the Los Angeles Angels from the Boston Red Sox in the 1960 expansion draft.

ANGELS DEBUT:
Entered game in the 5th as a defensive replacement for Faye Throneberry who pinch hit for Del Rice at catcher at Boston on April 17, 1961. Made 2 putouts. Was pinch-hit for in the 7th by Albie Pearson, and never batted.
Sometime before the 1965 season he was sent from the California Angels to the Milwaukee Braves in an unknown transaction.

ANGELS RECORD:
1961-1963
Batted .201 in 176 games over three seasons with the Halos.

wikipedia:
Sadowski batted and threw right-handed. He debuted on April 20, 1960 and played his final game on October, 1966. He is the brother of Bob Sadowski and Ted Sadowski, and uncle of Jim Sadowski.
Coming from a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania baseball family, Sadowski was a valuable backup catcher for Russ Nixon in Boston; Earl Averill and Buck Rodgers with the original Angels, and Joe Torre in Atlanta. In 1963 he appeared in a career-high 80 games and collected four home runs with 24 runs and 15 RBI, also career-numbers.
In a five-season career, Sadowski was a .202 hitter with 12 home runs and 39 RBI in 217 games.
Following his playing career, Sadowski served as a pitching coach for the Montreal Expos. He retired from baseball in 1970, becoming a physical education teacher in California. He died in Garden Grove at age 62, after suffering amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), sometimes called Lou Gehrig's disease.

#21 Tom Morgan

1961 Topps

Tom Stephen Morgan (Plowboy)
Pitcher
Bats: Right , Throws: Right
Height: 6' 2" , Weight: 195 lb.
Born: May 20, 1930 in ElMonte, CA

Purchased by the Los Angeles Angels from the Minnesota Twins on January 31, 1961.

ANGELS DEBUT:
Pitched in relief of Tex Clevenger (McBride start) giving up 1 run on 2 hits in 2 innings at Boston on April 17, 1961.
Later released by the Los Angeles Angels on October 14, 1963.

ANGELS RECORD:
1961-1963
Went 13-4 with a 2.86 ERA and 20 saves in 166.2 innings of relief.

baseballlibray:
Morgan made the jump from Class A to the Yankees as a 21-year-old in 1951. Used as a spot starter and middle reliever, he went 9-3 to help win a pennant. He pitched mostly in relief for three more Yankee pennant-winners before being traded to Kansas City in 1957. Known as Plowboy because of his stooped walk, exhibited in his frequent trips from the bullpen to the mound, Morgan went 8-2 as a reliever for the expansion 1961 Angels and retired in 1963 with 64 lifetime saves. He scouted, managed in the minors, and was an Angels pitching coach.

1963 Topps

#20 Ken Hamlin

1961 Topps

Kenneth Lee Hamlin
Infielder

Bats: Right , Throws: Right

Height: 5' 10" , Weight: 170 lb.
Born: May 18, 1935 in Detroit, MI

Drafted 15th by the Los Angeles Angels from the Kansas City Athletics in the 1960 expansion draft.

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ANGELS DEBUT:

Entered the game as a pinch runner for Steve Bilko (did not score) at Boston on April 17, 1961.

Later traded by the Los Angeles Angels with Russ Heman to Toronto (International) for Billy Moran on June 22, 1961.

ANGELS RECORD:

1961

In 42 games hit .209 while committing 6 errors in the field.

First pinch runner in Angels history.

1962 Topps

baseball-reference:

Hamlin was to be a slick-fielding middle infielder with a strong throwing arm and good range who would hit .241 in seven seasons between 1957 and 1966. A Detroit native, Ken was a graduate of Western Michigan University, where he earned second team honors when his team was beaten in the final round of the 1957 NCAA tournament.
Hamlin debuted in the majors with the Pirates in 1957 and was back in the Show in '59. He was traded to the Kansas City Athletics and was the everyday shortstop for the 1960 Athletics. However on December 14, 1960 he was drafted by the Los Angeles Angels from the Athletics in the 1960 expansion draft. Shortly thereafter (June 21, 1961) the Angels traded Ken along with Russ Heman to the Toronto Maple Leafs of the IL for Billy Moran. After 97 games with Toronto, where he hit .267, he was drafted by the Washington Senators on November 27, 1961 in the Rule V Draft.
Hamlin would spend 7 years in major league baseball (1957-66), ending his career in 1966 after appearing in 468 major league contests, hitting at a .241 clip and fielding the shortstop position with a .963 percentage.

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#19 Steve Bilko

1961 Topps

Stephen Thomas Bilko

First Baseman
Bats: Right , Throws: Right

Height: 6' 1" , Weight: 230 lb
Born: November 13, 1928 in Nanticoke, PA

Drafted 29th as a minor league selection by the Los Angeles Angels from the Detroit Tigers in the 1960 expansion draft.

ANGELS DEBUT:
Entered game in the 7th as a pinch hitter for Fritz Brickell and doubled scoring Ted Kluszewski at Boston on April 17, 1961.

Spent 1963 in the minors, then retired.

ANGELS RECORD:
1961-1962

Batted .282 with 28 HR and 97 RBI in 178 games.

Hit the last HR ever hit a LA's Wrigley Field.

1962 Post

baseball-reference:
Steve Bilko was a slugging first baseman who played parts of ten seasons in the majors but is best remembered for being a huge star in the minors.
Bilko began his pro career with the St. Louis Cardinals organization. From 1949 to 1952, he was primarily with the Rochester Red Wings, seeing limited playing time in the majors each year as well. With Rochester in 1949, he .310 with 34 homers and a league-best 125 RBI. He became the Cardinals regular first baseman in 1953 and hit .251 with 21 home runs and 84 RBI but struck out 125 times. He was sent to the Chicago Cubs the next season before returning to the minors for several years.
With the Los Angeles Angels, he led the Pacific Coast League in home runs each year from 1955 to 1957. In 1955, he hit .328 with 37 homers and 124 RBI. The next year, he did even better, winning the PCL Triple Crown with a .360-55-164 line. In 1957, he batted .300 with 56 home runs and 140 RBI. In 2003 he was elected to the Pacific Coast League Hall of Fame.
Following stints in the majors with the Cincinnati Reds, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Detroit Tigers, Bilko was selected by the expansion Los Angeles Angels in the expansion draft in 1960. He hit 20 home runs and had a slugging average of .544 in 294 at-bats for the team in 1961 and succeeded in drawing fans to the stands. After playing for the Angels again in 1962, he returned to the Rochester Red Wings for 1963, his last year in pro ball.

#18 Ken McBride

1961 Topps

Kenneth Faye McBride
Pitcher
Bats: Right , Throws: Right
Height: 6' 0" , Weight: 195 lb.
Born: August 12, 1935 in Huntsville, AL

Drafted 7th by the Los Angeles Angels from the Chicago White Sox in the 1960 expansion draft.

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ANGELS DEBUT:
Grounded out, third to first, advancing the runner to third. Was the starting pitcher taking the 3-2 loss at Boston on April 17, 1961. Later released by the Angels in 1965.

1947-66 Exhibit

ANGELS RECORD:
1961-1965
Went 40 and 48 in 120 games started, with a 3.81 ERA and 28 complete games.

3-time AL All-Star 1961-1963

1962 Topps

baseball-reference:
Ken would be 11-5 with the Indianapolis Indians in 1959 when he came up with the White Sox and lost his only decision in 11 appearances. He would spend most of 1960 with the San Diego Padres of the PCL before being chosen by the Los Angeles Angels in the expansion draft on December 14, 1960. Ken would prove real quick that Dean Chance and Bo Belinsky were not the only pitchers of note in the early years of the expansion Angels, winning 36 games in his first three years of the new franchise and being picked for the All-Star team in all 3 years, (1961-63).
In 1962 he finished 11-5 including 10 straight victories at one point, but missed the final weeks of the season after suffering cracked ribs in a collision at home plate. The right-hander then tied Chance for a team high 13 wins in 1963, the year he was named the American League starter in the All-Star Game in Cleveland, where he had been a three sport star in high school.
McBride would have arm problems the next two seasons, winning only four games, and this would end his mound career at age 30, after eight years in pro baseball with a 40-50 major league record with a 3.79 ERA.

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#17 Leon Wagner

1962 Post

Leon Lamar Wagner (Daddy Wags)
Outfielder
Bats: Left , Throws: Right
Height: 6' 1" , Weight: 195 lb.
Born: May 13, 1934 in Chattanooga, TN

Traded by Toronto (International) to the Los Angeles Angels for Lou Johnson on April 13, 1961.

1947-66 Exhibit

ANGELS DEBUT:
Grounded out to first base at Boston on April 17, 1961.
Later traded by the Los Angeles Angels to the Cleveland Indians for Barry Latman on December 2, 1963. The Cleveland Indians sent Joe Adcock (December 6, 1963) to the Los Angeles Angels to complete the trade.

ANGELS RECORD:
1961-1963
Hit .279 with 91 HR and 276 RBI as a regular starting outfielder.
First Angel aquired by an in-season trade.
37 HR and 107 RBI in 1962.
AL All-Star in 1962 and 1963, and won the All-Star MVP in 1963.

baseball-reference:
Leon Wagner (Daddy Wags) was the first big hitting star of the expansion Los Angeles Angels, whom he joined in 1961. He had broken in with the 1958 San Francisco Giants, hitting .317 and slugging .534, but he had to compete for playing time in the late 1950's with other youngsters such as Orlando Cepeda, Willie McCovey, and Felipe Alou.
Prior to playing in the majors, he played on the All-Army Champion Team with J.C. Hartman, Willie Kirkland, and music star Charley Pride.
He had three good years with the Angels, reaching a peak of 37 home runs in 1962. He was an All-Star in 1962 and 1963. From 1964 to part of 1968 he was with the Cleveland Indians, hitting 31 home runs in 1964. After baseball he owned a clothing store, but he eventually ended up homeless. He built a shed to live in, and died there in 2004.

1963 Topps

#16 Gene Leek

Custom Draft card

Eugene Harold Leek
Infielder
Bats: Right , Throws: Right
Height: 6' 0" , Weight: 185 lb.
Born: July 15, 1936 in San Diego, CA

Drafted 16th by the Los Angeles Angels from the Cleveland Indians in the 1960 expansion draft.

ANGELS DEBUT:
Entered game at third base as a defensive replacement for Ed Yost after Yost was ejected earlier arguing a called third strike (only his second ejection in 16 years), and never batted at Boston April 15, 1961.
As an Angel played his final Major League game on September 30, 1962.

ANGELS RECORD:
1961-1962
In 64 games batted .221 with 5 HR and 20 RBI and committed 12 errors in the field.

wikipedia:
Gene Leek shared playing time at third base on the expansion 1961 Angels with veteran Eddie Yost. Leek hitting only slightly better than Yost.

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#15 Tex Clevenger

1961 Topps

Truman Eugene Clevenger
Pitcher
Bats: Right , Throws: Right
Height: 6' 1" , Weight: 180 lb.
Born: July 9, 1932 in Visalia, CA

Drafted 4th by the Los Angeles Angels from the Minnesota Twins in the 1960 expansion draft.

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ANGELS DEBUT:
Pitched 2 innings of relief giving up 2 walks and 2K at Boston April 15, 1961.

ANGELS RECORD:
1961
12 games in relief posting a record of 2 and 1 with 1 save and an ERA of 1.69.
Later traded by the Los Angeles Angels with Bob Cerv to the New York Yankees for Ryne Duren, Johnny James and Lee Thomas on May 8, 1961.

baseball-reference:
Before the 1953 season, Tex Clevenger was signed as an amateur free agent by the Boston Red Sox. In the minors that year, he went 16-2 for the San Jose Red Sox, which was good enough to earn him the 1953 California League MVP Award. He made his major league debut with the Red Sox the following season, going 2-4, 4.79 in 23 games. He was traded to the Washington Senators after the 1955 season, which he spent back in the minor leagues.
On May 11, 1958, he was involved in a highly unusual play, getting both the assist and the putout in retiring Yankee batter Elston Howard. Clevenger was hit by a line drive and the ball bounced off his leg into foul territory near first base. He then ran to cover the bag to receive the toss from 1B Norm Zauchin. On August 5, 1959, Clevenger ended an 18-game Senators losing streak by shutting out the Cleveland Indians 9-0 in the nightcap of a doubleheader.
Won two World Series with the New York Yankees in 1961 and 1962 but played in neither.

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#14 Faye Throneberry

1961 Topps

Maynard Faye Throneberry
Outfielder
Bats: Left , Throws: Right
Height: 6' 0" , Weight: 190 lb.
Born: June 22, 1931 in Fisherville, TN
Brother of Marv Throneberry

Drafted 22nd by the Los Angeles Angels from the Minnesota Twins in the 1960 expansion draft.

ANGELS DEBUT:
Pinch hit for Ron Moeller at Boston April 15, 1961 - grounded out.

ANGELS RECORD:
1961
Hit .194 in 24 games with 15 put-outs and no errors.
With the Angels he played his final Major League game on July 19th, 1961.

wikipedia:
Brother of Marv Throneberry, Faye Throneberry played all three outfield positions, mostly as a backup. Like his brother Marv, he ended his career in the early 1960's with an expansion team.
Faye, a couple years older than Marv, signed with the Boston Red Sox in 1950 and was up in the majors two years later for 310 at-bats. While his batting average at age 21 was a bit better than the team's average, he wouldn't come back to the majors until three years later when he hit almost the same but with more power. Like a number of other major leaguers, his career was interrupted by time he served in the Korean War in the Army.
He was traded near the start of the 1957 season to the Washington Senators, where he spent most of the rest of his major league career. He had his most at-bats in 1959 (327), hitting .251.
He ended his major league career with the expansion 1961 Los Angeles Angels, appearing for the last time in July 1961.

1953 Topps Archives

#13 Ron Moeller

1961 Topps

Ronald Ralph Moeller (The Kid)
Pitcher
Bats: Left , Throws: Left
Height: 6' 0" , Weight: 180 lb.
Born: October 13, 1938 in Cincinnati, OH

Drafted 9th by the Los Angeles Angels from the Baltimore Orioles in the 1960 expansion draft.

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ANGELS DEBUT:
Pitched 0.1 innings of relief at Boston April 15, 1961.
Purchased by the Washington Senators from the Los Angeles Angels on July 9, 1963.

ANGELS RECORD:
1961, 1963
In 36 games (18 starts) went 4-8 with a 5.85 ERA and one complete game shut-out.

baseball-reference:
Ron Moeller pitched four seasons in the major leagues. Most of his games were in the first year of the Angels.
Moeller was 17 when he pitched his first major league game and 24 when he pitched his last.
He was with San Antonio in 1957.

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