Sunday, December 15, 2013

12/15 Vic Willis, Bucky Williams, Vic Janowicz, Jim Bunning, Rule 5 Debacle, Roberto Hernandez...

Vic Willis, Bucky Williams, Vic Janowicz, Jim Bunning, Rule 5 Debacle, Roberto Hernandez...

  • 1905 - In one of their better deals, the Bucs picked up RHP Vic Willis from the Boston Beaneaters for UT Dave Brain, IF/OF Del Howard, and P Vive Lindaman. Willis won between 21-23 games in each of his four years (1906-09) in Pittsburgh and was part of the 1909 World Series championship club, while the other three were workmanlike players during their careers.
  • 1906 - IF Wallace “Bucky” Williams was born in Baltimore and moved to Pittsburgh at the age of six months. After stints with the Pittsburgh Keystone Juniors and Monarchs, he played for the Pittsburgh Crawfords (1927–32; 1937-39) and the Homestead Grays in 1936. Bucky also played for his employer as part of the Edgar Thompson Steel team. He went to Holy Rosary and Crescent Elementary before leaving school for work, and rests now in Calvary Cemetery.

 Bucky Williams from MLB.com

  • 1952 - Vic Janowicz was signed to a $75,000 contract by the Pirates a bonus baby. Janowicz was a Heisman-winning running back at Ohio State in 1950, but Pittsburgh saw his future in baseball. As a bonus baby, he had to be carried on the MLB roster for two years. Vic hit .252 as a C in 1953, but dropped to .151 as a 3B’man the following year, for a two year line of .224 with two HR and 10 RBI in 215 PA. He left the team after that season and jumped to the NFL Washington Redskins, where he played two years before a car accident ended his athletic career.
  • 1967 - Pittsburgh traded for RHP Jim Bunning, sending the Phillies pitchers Woodie Fryman‚ Bill Laxton and Harold Clem along with IF Don Money, who would be the Phils regular 3B until Mike Schmidt arrived.
  • 2003 - The Pirates lost five players in the Rule 5 draft, 1b Chris Shelton, OF Rich Thompson, LHP Frank Brooks, RHP Jeff Bennett and 3B/OF Jose Bautista, who they traded RHP Kris Benson for to get back in July, 2004.
  • 2005 - Pittsburgh signed free agent RHP set-up man Roberto Hernandez to a one-year, $2.75M contract, and flipped him to the Mets at the 2006 deadline.

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