National League Standings, 1965:
Eastern Division
1. New York Mets (100-62)
2. Cincinnati Reds (84-78), 16 GB
3. Chicago Cubs (82-80), 18 GB
4. Philadelphia Phillies (77-85), 23 GB
5. Pittsburgh Pirates (66-96), 34 GB
Western Division
1. San Francisco Giants (101-61)
2. St. Louis Cardinals (100-62), 1 GB
3. Los Angeles Dodgers (86-76), 15 GB
4. Oakland Oaks (73-89), 28 GB
5. Minnesota Twins (41-121), 60 GB
American League Standings, 1965:
Northern Division
1. Detroit Tigers (89-73)
2. New York Yankees (82-80), 7 GB
3. Milwaukee Brewers (79-83), 10 GB
4. Boston Red Sox (74-88), 15 GB
5. Cleveland Indians (71-91), 18 GB
Southern Division
1. Baltimore Orioles (95-67)
2. Texas Athletics (88-74), 7 GB
3. Chicago White Sox (85-77), 10 GB
4. Atlanta Cokes (82-80), 13 GB
5. Los Angeles Angels (65-97), 30 GB
1965 Award Winners:
AL Cy Young - Bob Johnson, Boston (22-10, 2.64 ERA, 251 K in 293.0 IP)
AL MVP - RF Hank Aaron, Milwaukee (.256-47-122)
AL ROTY - 1B Rick Herrscher, Atlanta (.292-15-85)
NL Cy Young - Ron Moeller, San Francisco (23-7, 2.15 ERA, 233 K in 280.0 IP)
NL MVP - LF Willie McCovey, New York (.339-46-130)
NL ROTY - SP Nolan Ryan, Minnesota (7-13, 3.22 ERA, 216 K in 190.1 IP)
World Series MVP - SP Dave Dowling, Detroit (2-0, 2.00 ERA, 11 K in 18.0 IP)
SP Dave McNally, Boston Red Sox
The off-season of 1965-1966 looked to prove productive, with several General Managers and owners indicating they sought to change their teams after successive runs of losing seasons. The MLBPA again filed a lawsuit against the reserve clause, which would find itself litigated for several years in multiple cases, but the 1965-66 case was perhaps the first noteworthy one. For the Mets, it became patently obvious that a new rotation would have to be constructed, even if it meant Jim Fanning having to trade some young stars already on the roster to do so. They would also need a new right fielder to replace the retiring Duke Snider. To that end, a phone call to his predecessor John Quinn, now Boston General Manager, yielded a major trade deal to inaugurate the off-season. The Red Sox, who had the electric Johnson and other strong pitchers, needed an offensive retool to compete in the accessible AL North. The Red Sox would send 23 yr old SP Dave McNally (10-20, 3.62 ERA, 163 K in 310.2 IP), who many considered to have more talent to blossom, and RF Lee Maye (.282-11-63) to the Mets for 2B Cookie Rojas (.313-2-55) and 34-yr old SP Fred Besana (16-9, 3.32 ERA, 134 K in 254.2 IP), with 25-year old Bill Sorrell (.232-2-14 in 99 AB) taking over at second for the Mets. Quinn was determined to continue the offensive retool of the Red Sox and turned next to the Dodgers, acquiring former Mets C Jay Porter (.288-13-64) and RF Al Spangler (.226-5-60) for a handful of minor leaguers. Quinn would be on the lookout for continued deals as the Dodgers would also be on the lookout for trades and internal moves, hoping to go with a mostly new-look team for 1966 after continued years of futility. With the Cardinals now in the Eastern division, the Dodgers saw an opportunity to strike.
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On the back of the trade sending Porter and Spangler to Boston, the Dodgers would roll out a new-look offense for the 1966 season featuring their new starting catcher, the phenomenal young talent Bob Boone who dominated the lower minors and was already in the running to be the opening day catcher, in addition to 19-yr old shortstop Larry Bowa who already had considerable playing time in 1965 (.286-3-56), 19-yr old Rick Monday who had some time off the bench and who most scouts thought had the tools to be the best player in baseball, and 21-yr old left fielder Roy White who hit .400 in AA and AAA in 1965 and according to some would be a clear favorite for 1966 Rookie of the Year. Some of the Dodgers front office even opined White would compete for the 1966 batting title, so some incredulity among sports writers. The "veteran" 26-year old Lou Brock would be moving to right field to accommodate Monday (CF) and White (LF). With these young bats, the Dodgers would throw out a rotation lead by the former Pirates ace, 35 year old Vern Law (22-5, 2.11 ERA, 177 K in 285.1 IP) and the phenomenal young up-and-comer James "Catfish" Hunter, who managed a 17-13 record with a 3.17 ERA and 148 K in 275.1 IP in 1965 at just 19 years old. Los Angeles would also trade one of its lesser known but talented high-potential arms, 20-yr old SP John Duffie (2-1, 4.47 ERA, 23 K in 46.1 IP) to Cleveland for the highly regarded 24-year old 1B Len Boehmer, who was blocked behind an excess of quality players for the Indians at that position.The Dodgers looked poised to challenge the Giants for control of the National League West, and the Los Angeles faithful believed the young core would make them competitive for years to come.
John Quinn's restructuring of Boston's offense would continue. With Rojas (.313-2-55) anchoring second base, the Red Sox able and promising second baseman Denis Menke (.224-3-28) would moved be to shortstop, freeing up Quinn to trade journeyman shortstop 36-year old Roy McMillan (.252-8-54). The last upgrade Quinn would make would be an attempt to packaging McMillan and 26-year old LF Rico Carty (.250-11-57) to another team for a better outfielder. Quinn would find his trade partner with the much-maligned Portland Pirates who needed team depth more than anything; they would agree to send 24-year old Dave Wissman (.289-5-52 in 107 games) to Boston for the two. Quinn felt confident in the new offense and the team appeared ready to "go to war", so to speak, in 1966 against a fairly weak division.
Portland's newfound fanbase hoped CF Ted Uhlaender would be their first star
The Pirates, on their part, were looking for a new start in the new city of Portland but had very little in terms of trade assets aside from cash and a handful of young players. The Pirates would acquire Oakland's 26-year old 3B Dave Nicholson (.221-23-48) for cash considerations as the Oaks had a surplus at the position. They'd also pick up the 35-year old Bob Harrison (1-5, 9.26 ERA, 12 K in 34.0 IP) from the Oaks on the advice of internal scouting; the journeyman starter looked mostly washed up but some scouts saw potential for a season of serviceability. The offense after the Nicholson acquisition and the Boston trade made the lineup respectable but mostly pedestrian; fine players without much of a star, with 1B Frank Robinson (.269-19-86) being the best bat. The only truly promising young player in the lineup was 25-year old CF Ted Uhlaender, who managed a .271-11-63 line in his rookie year.
In Houston, Bill Veeck was being increasingly frustrated with the Athletics continuing to fall just short despite a talent-filled roster with some big names, and demanded some moves be made. The most obvious positions to try and upgrade were catcher with Doug Camili hitting .200-17-47 with questionable defense and second base, with former Met Frank Bolling managing a .268-5-37 line. The Athletics would acquire 2B Ted Kazanski (.287-10-69) from the Phillies for Bolling and minor league infielder Wayne Garrett. Camilli would be harder to replace due to the lack of talent at the catching position, but the Athletics found the Giants' Jim Pagliaroni (.202-27-72) a minor upgrade with better defense so the team would agree to swap the two with cash considerations from the Athletics. Veeck was hoping for more of a splash than two small upgrades, but the market didn't present itself for that kind of trade for Texas.
The Twins trusted that slugger Don Mincher would help their woes
The last team to go into the off-season looking for a complete overhaul were the 41-121 Minnesota Twins, who set a record for futility in 1965. Despite having a promising young rotation lead by Nolan Ryan and Jim Palmer and several young potential stars in the lineup, ownership and Major League Baseball were both getting impatient with the Twins; Oakland, who joined the league at the same time, was not a competitor but had made significant improvements while the Twins' performance seemed to have regressed. With the pressures of whispers about contraction or relocation, a dramatic move had to be made. After some negotiation, the Twins agreed to send two of their brightest and most promising young players - 21 yr old 1B Ed Kranepool and 21 yr old CF Rusty Staub - to the Cleveland Indians for 27-year old slugger 1B Don Mincher (.226-25-78 in 121 games) and 31-yr old 2B Felix Mantilla (.252-10-43). They'd also pick up underutilized Oakland bench outfielder Tommy Davis whose quick hands impressed scouts but never got regular time in the majors to play center field. Ownership felt confident that the lineup anchored by Mincher and the improved performance of the young rotation could lead the team somewhere back close to respectability in 1966.
For the Mets, Jim Fanning could finally breathe. Jim Kaat (21-9, 3.59 ERA, 143 K in 276.0 IP) had shown that he could be reliable for consecutive seasons and 23-year old newcomer Dave McNally (10-20, 3.62 ERA, 163 K in 310.2 IP for Boston) looked like he could be a high-caliber major league arm. The other two starters, Craig (13-14, 3.64 ERA, 176 K in 254.1 IP) and Bob Buhl (14-12, 3.86 ERA, 138 K in 212.0 IP) looked to be fair starters as well, but both would begin the 1966 season older than 35, meaning that Kaat and McNally were the only two long term options going forward. It was certainly a departure from Mudcat Grant and Claude Osteen, but it was better than a rotation full of question-marks and put the Mets back into somewhat respectability, though most of the league's rotations still surpassed it in talent and potential.
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In terms of major changes, the winter of 1965-1966 was something of a slow period for baseball, and owners (as well as fans) breathed a sigh of relief that there would be some stability in terms of the structure of the game. Some discussion about implementing a so-called "Designated Hitter" was had in both leagues but ultimately tabled. For the second straight year, one of the divisional leads looked to be pretty closely tied, too close for writers to make a early determination. The Mets looked to be somewhat early favorites again, and most writers were extremely bearish on how well the Cardinals would perform in a more talented division. The defending World Champion Tigers were projected to finish in fourth place. A notable last minute acquisition for the Mets brought back one-time starting center fielder Jim Piersall (.254-5-48 for the Dodgers in '65), now somewhat over the hill, as a strong bench option. The only exciting player in Spring Training was outfielder Paul Blair, a 22-year old signed as an amateur in 1962. Blair showed impressive speed on the basepaths combined with what some scouts called "Gold Glove-tier" defense in the outfield and unexpectedly created a competition between himself and OF Lee Maye, with Maye ultimately winning but Blair finding himself a spot on the bench. Bill Sorrell also had a nominal competition from rookie Davey Johnson but easily secured the starting second base job after being a capable backup in 1965. 22-year old pitcher Jim Manning (3-2, 5.19 ERA, 43 K in 60.2 IP) looked to break camp with the Mets as a long reliever/spot starter but the team was dissatisfied and decided to trade him for more of a chance pitcher. To that end they sent Manning to the Yankees for virtually unknown minor leaguer 20-year old SP Bill Harrelson, who had made changes to his delivery in the off-season and looked to be one of the hardest throwers in the league but with little control - Jim Fanning was looking to take a chance on somebody he saw in the mold of the late Mudcat Grant. Harrelson broke camp with the team as their long-relief man and second spot starter behind Ted Bowsfield.
American League, 1966 Projections
Northern Division
T-1. Milwaukee Brewers (87-75)
T-1. Boston Red Sox (87-75)
3. New York Yankees (79-83), 8 GB
4. Detroit Tigers (79-83), 8 GB
5. Cleveland Indians (71-91), 13 GB
Southern Division
1. Chicago White Sox (90-72)
2. Texas Athletics (87-75), 3 GB
3. Baltimore Orioles (87-75), 3 GB
4. Atlanta Cokes (79-83), 11 GB
5. California Angels (63-99), 27 GB
National League, 1966 Projections
Eastern Division
1. New York Mets (93-69)
2. Chicago Cubs (89-73), 4 GB
3. St. Louis Cardinals (87-75), 6 GB
4. Cincinnati Reds (82-80), 11 GB
5. Philadelphia Phillies (76-86), 17 GB
Western Division
1. San Francisco Giants (89-73)
2. Los Angeles Dodgers (77-85), 12 GB
3. Oakland Oaks (72-90), 17 GB
4. Minnesota Twins (72-90), 17 GB
5. Portland Pirates (70-92), 19 GB
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New York Mets 1966 Roster:
1. Jack Kubiszyn, SS, Age 29
2. Jose Cardenal, CF, Age 22
3. Tony Perez, 1B, Age 23
4. Willie McCovey, LF, Age 28
5. Eddie Mathews, 3B, Age 34
6. Joe Torre, C, Age 25
7. Lee Maye, RF, Age 31
8. Bill Sorrell, 2B, Age 25
1. Jim Kaat, Age 27
2. Dave McNally, Age 23
3. Roger Craig, Age 35
4. Bob Buhl, Age 37
Relief:
Lindy McDaniel
Al Schmelz
Hal Trosky
Rudy Hernandez
Caroll Sembera
Jim Manning
Ted Bowsfield
Bench:
C Dick Bertell
IF Davey Johnson
OF Jim Piersall
OF Paul Blair
IF Jackie Hernandez
1B Bill White
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Scouting reports for the prospective five draft talents in the 1966 Amateur Draft as of Opening Day:
1. Charlie Hough - RHP from Honolulu, HI
2. Toby Harrah - 3B from Sissonville, WV
3. Steve Garvey - 1B from Tampa, FL
4. George Foster - OF from Tuscaloosa, AL
5. Dave Kingman - IF/OF from Pendleton, OR
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The Yankees front office had been looking to make moves all winter and had holes at multiple positions. The pitching staff had three legitimate aces but the lineup had little more than Mantle, Pepitone, an extremely aged Berra, and a handful of role players. Towards the end of Spring Training, a trade began to materialize. The new Pirates front office was looking to change things up and acquire a star player to face the team, so they put together an offer of depth for Joe Pepitone. The two teams ultimately agreed to the following agreement: the Yankees sent the 25-year old Pepitone (.292-35-113), veteran 35-year old left fielder Jerry Lynch (.275-17-64), 27-year old reserve outfielder Ed Olivares (.257-3-18), 27-year old 3B Deron Johnson (.223-9-62) and minor league outfielder prospect Mike Derrick to Portland for 26-year old 3B Dave Nicholson (.221-23-48), 36-year old SS Roy McMillan (.252-6-41), 26-year old OF Rico Carty (.250-11-57), 30-year old Frank Robinson (.269-19-86), 30-year old OF Felipe Alou (.270-8-56), and a handful of minor leaguers in addition to cash. Widely derided as "the swap heard round the world", the New York press and fans heavily criticized the decision to trade the 25-year old MVP candidate for what many considered to be a mix of productive players in their prime (in Nicholson's and Robinson's case), the "lottery ticket" Rico Carty, and veterans McMillan and Alou. Such as it was, the Yankees organization considered its team to be considerably better on the Major League level for 1966 even if at the expense of the long term benefits Pepitone would have reaped.
1B Joe Pepitone became an immediate star in Portland
The Portland press did question the wisdom of sending out so many Major League-caliber players, many of whom were just acquired, but the fans nevertheless took to their team's new star in the new city, Joe Pepitone. Pepitone, on his part, considered extremely vain, soaked in the celebrity status and became a fixture in the public imagination of Portland baseball. Beisdes Pepitone, the Portland front office thought Oliveras had more talent than the Yankees had believed and, with his quick hands and strong eye, could make a great second-place hitter for the Pirates. Though a throw-in, Lynch provided some offensive legitimacy to the team and still was a slugger despite his advanced age. Lynch also helped connect the franchise to any remaining Pittsburgh fans, as he played on the mid-50s teams that won the Pennant. The minor league outfielder Derrick, a 22-year old from Columbia, SC, looked to have considerable talent and potential. Portland would take Johnson and include him in a second trade to California with SP Nick Willhite (15-15, 4.52 ERA, 151 K in 244.3 IP) with minor leaguers for the 29-year old Marshall Renfroe (13-15, 2.85 ERA, 122 K in 287.1 IP). With a front line starter and offensive star, the Portland fans were delighted and the franchise felt ready to reinvent itself on the West Coast.