Senators Saturday - Dave Baldwin, 1968.

The picture on Topps 1968 card 231 puzzles me. I can't decide if Dave Baldwin is trying to pose like he just threw a breaking ball, if he's offering the photographer a fist bump, or if he's the fore-runner to Kenny Rogers going after the television camera-man.

Whatever the case, Baldwin had a fine rookie season in 1967 and looked to follow it up in 1968. A career long reliever, Dave appeared in 40 games for Washington in 1968 and pitched a total of 42 innings.

Something went dreadfully wrong during those 42 innings of work. Baldwin's ERA soared to an unsightly 4.07 and his WHIP took a jump to 1.238. In 18 fewer innings of work, he allowed five more home runs than the previous season. Dave got saddled with two losses and picked up no wins.

Probably as a result of his stumbles, Baldwin spent part of the year with the Triple A Buffalo Bisons. He pitched 17 innings over ten games there and put together a 3.71 ERA and an 1.765 WHIP. Neither number was impressive at all.

For Dave Baldwin, the Year of the Pitcher wasn't. For some reason the wheels came off the wagon for him. He needed to get the 1967 form going again or it was going to be difficult to nail down any sort of regular role in the Washington bullpen in 1969.

Hearing the Vealtones.

First off, Happy Thanksgiving everyone. Hope all take some time to reflect on how blessed by God we are.

Last weekend marked the beginning of a couple of very busy weeks for me. Work schedule shifts, Thanksgiving, travel, etc. Hectic.

Got home on Monday to find a package from Dustin over at Coot Veal and The Vealtones. We had been working on a trade for awhile and finally got the details hammered out just before things got busy. Being an understanding guy, Dustin sent his end of the trade and told me to get mine in the mail when possible. Included in the package from Dustin were two Rangers game-used cards, one of which was this 2005 Donruss Champions bat bit card of former Ranger Al Oliver. Anytime I can scoop a Scoop card I'm up for it. Also in the mailer was a Tanner Scheppers auto, a game-used Bob Gibson, and four cards that are probably going out as gifts. Dustin also tossed in several Rangers not included in the original trade. They all hit holes in my collection.

Dustin's still looking for trades so if you haven't already, get over to his blog and check out his trade bait. Thanks a ton for the trade Dustin, I really enjoyed the break when package arrived. Your cards are on their way, if you don't have them yet.

1978 Topps - Jim Mason.

Jim Mason, shown here on card 588 of the 1978 Topps set, was in his second stint with Texas when this photograph was taken. Interestingly, both of his times with the Rangers were impacted by Toby Harrah.

The Senators brought their former second round draft pick (1968) with them to Texas. Limited playing time in 1972 and 1973 made it clear that Mason was blocked at shortstop by Harrah. In December of 1973 the Rangers sold Jim's contract to the New York Yankees. 1974 was his first professional season outside the Senators/Rangers organization.

The time away from Texas gave Mason a chance to play in the World Series in 1976 and hit a home run in his only World Series at-bat. In November of 1976, the newly former Toronto Blue Jays grabbed Jim in the expansion draft. He would start the 1977 season with them.

Going into 1977 the Rangers moved Toby Harrah to third base to make room for the newly signed Bert Campaneris. This move left Roy Howell without a home. Texas was hoping Howell was their third baseman of the future but he never jelled. Now he was available. The Rangers needed to move Howell and would like a backup to Campaneris. The Jays needed a third baseman. On May 9, 1977 Mason returned to Texas in a trade for Howell that also involved Steve Hargan and $200,000.

Mason spent the rest of 1977 in a backup role and was expected to spend 1978 in the same manner. However, Campaneris struggled in his second season with Texas and Jim saw more action than expected.

Over 42 games, Mason played 221.1 innings at short stop. He posted a .938 fielding percentage, significantly below the league average .954. Jim also played 79 innings over 11 games at third with a .905 fielding percentage, 49 points below league average. A two inning cameo at second base rounded out his defensive time in 1978.

Jim made 116 trips to the plate in 1978 for Texas. He posted a dismal .190 batting average and a .227 on-base percentage. He hit just four doubles with no other extra base hits.

Had Jim's bat been even average, he might have carved out more playing time for himself in 1978. He was only about four points ahead of Campaneris though and his glove was way behind. That was not a formula for displacing Campy. Things were unsettled at short for Texas however. Mason had an uphill road but there was an outside chance he could make a play for the position in 1979, if the Rangers held on to him.

Minor League Monday - Chris Shiflett, 1990 ProCards Tulsa Drillers.

George Christian Shiflett, shown here on card 1155 of the 1990 ProCards Tulsa Drillers team set, was big news in 1986 when the Rangers took him in the first round of the draft. He was the third pick over all behind only Jeff Shaw and Moises Alou.

I am guessing injuries slowed Chris at Rookie ball in 1986 and Single A in 1987. He pitched a total of 3.2 innings in those two seasons yet still managed to get promoted each year. The benefits of being a first rounder I suppose.

In 1988 with Single A Gastonia, the lack of experience caught up with Shiflett. He got shelled to the tune of a 8.57 ERA over 21 innings. It was back to Rookie Ball for 1989, this time with the Butte Copper Kings. In spite of his 4.25 ERA with Butte, Chris got jumped up to Double A Tulsa for the 1990 season.

Shiflett made 13 appearances for the Drillers in 1990, all out of the bullpen. In the course of 27 innings he struck out 26 batters while walking just nine. That was a very promising stat. His ERA tallied to 3.00 and his WHIP to 1.222.

Chris' 1990 numbers were nothing to write home about but they were a significant improvement over his 1988 and 1989 efforts. Perhaps He was finally on the right track. The Rangers hoped so. After all, they used a first round pick on this guy and needed him to make good.

Senators Saturday - Fred Valentine, 1967.

Fred Valentine and his cheek full of tobacco appear on the front of card number 64 of the 1967 Topps set. For some reason I really like the picture on this card. Just has the old-time baseball feel to it.

Valentine played all three outfield positions in 1967 for the Senators over the 151 games he appeared in. Of his total of 1078.1 innings played in the field 510.1 were in center, 467.1 were in right, and 100.2 were in left. His combined .989 fielding percentage was nine points higher than the league average. He actually had the 5th highest fielding percentage in the league. Unfortunately he also had significantly less range than the average outfielder.

Following a career-high number of plate appearances in 1966, Fred made 527 trips to the plate for Washington in 1967. He watched his batting average tumble 42 points to .234 and his on-base percentage slide down to .330. Even being fifth in the league with 10 hit by pitches couldn't rescue his on-base percentage. Valentine's 16 doubles, one triple, and 11 home runs were not enough to keep his slugging percentage from falling by over 100 points. He did continue to exhibit some speed on the base paths as he stole 17 bases while getting caught just three times. That was the best stolen base percentage in the league.

1967 was a downer season for Fred Valentine. He had been unable to maintain his 1966 numbers in his second full season as a regular player. That was not a good sign. Fred needed to increase his range and recover his power and average with the bat if he wanted to continue playing full-time in the crowded Washington outfield in 1968.

Heartbreaking surprise.

So, awhile back I dropped some random Twins cards on Matt over at Heartbreaking Cards. I needed the space and wanted to send the cards to somebody who might appreciate them. Matt likes the Twins. Perfect match. Out went the Twins and I gained some ground in my war for space in my card boxes.

Unexpectedly, Matt sent me some Rangers in return. Some very nice Rangers. A couple of minis, a Topps Chrome Yu Darvish, and a couple of game-used cards. One of the game-used cards was this 2010 Allen and Ginter Relics bat bit card of Ian Kinsler. Every card in the bubble mailer hit a hole in my Rangers collection. Thanks a ton Matt! The cards were an awesome surprise. I'll be sure to keep you in mind for any Twins I might be able to send your way.

Speaking of sending cards out. So far I've received just one comment regarding the Christmas giveaway I will be commencing here in a few days. Had a nibble on the Red Sox but no email with an address. If you want to shout out for a team lot of free cards shoot me an email at rmatlack3 at juno dot com. Remember, I gotta have an address to send the cards to. Help me out here, I can't buy any of the new releases until I clear enough room for the non-Ranger teams.

1978 Topps - Paul Lindblad.

Aside from the airbrushed cap, this first thing I have always noticed about 1978 Topps card 314 is the top button on Paul Lindblad's uniform. It's two-toned. I can't recall having seen that on a modern uniform. Got to wonder what the story is. Perhaps Paul lost a button and the uniform guy couldn't find an appropriate replacement. Maybe the button's fine but the airbrushing job wasn't so good. Perhaps it's the lighting. Who knows?

Anyway, both the A's and the Rangers liked Paul Lindblad. He started his career with the A's in 1965 and played for them until traded to the Senators in May of 1971. He made the move to Texas with the team in 1972 and led the league in appearances by a pitcher before being traded back to Oakland in October of 1972. There he stayed until Texas purchased his contract in February of 1977 and he returned to the Rangers.

Lindblad appeared 42 forgettable times for Texas in 1977 and posted a 4.20 ERA. As with the most of the rest of his career, he was primarily a reliever but did make one spot start.

In 1978 Paul was once again in the bullpen. He appeared in 18 games, all in relief. Over the 39.2 innings he tossed for Texas he posted a 3.63 ERA, an 1.412 WHIP, and an 1.67 strikeout/walk ratio. All were about the middle of the pack for Texas relievers.

In 1978 the Rangers were looking for the quick fix. The 36-year-old Lindblad was serviceable but not impressive. He was also apparently nearing the end of his career. Those factors made him expendable. On August 1, 1978 the Rangers sold his contract to the New York Yankees.

Lindblad appeared in just seven games for the Yanks prior to the end of the season. In November of 1978 they sold his contract to the Mariners. Seattle released him in March of 1979, ending his Major League career.

Paul Lindblad got 14 years in the Majors before he hung up the spikes and retired to his home in Arlington, Texas. He kept busy with his fried chicken restaurant, hunting, fishing, and searching fields with his metal detector. He passed away on January 1, 2006.

Minor League Monday - Cedric Shaw, 1990 ProCards Tulsa Drillers.

Cedric Charles Shaw, shown here on card 1154 of the 1990 ProCards Tulsa Drillers team set, was taken by the Rangers in the 12th round of the 1988 draft. He was playing for Grambling State University in Louisiana when Texas signed him.

Shaw spent 1988 with the Rookie League Butte Copper Kings and 1989 with Single A Charlotte. He was improving but wasn't impressing.

1990 began with in Single A with the Charlotte Rangers. Cedric started 11 games and pitched 68 electric innings. He put up an 1.59 ERA and 1.103 WHIP en route to a 5-3 record. He also struck out over a batter an inning with 69 whiffs.

Those numbers were impressive and got Shaw promoted to Double A Tulsa. He appeared in 14 games for the Drillers in 1990, starting 12 of them. Unfortunately Cedric did not live up to his Single A success. Over 63 bumpy innings he watched his ERA balloon to 6.86 and his WHIP climb to 1.841. He also discovered Double A batters to be a bit more discerning as he struck out just 41 while walking 44. He ended the season with a 4-5 record for the Drillers.

1990 started out very well for Cedric Shaw but ended on a severe down note. He was struggling but the Rangers thought he would catch on at Double A and left him there to start the 1991 season. He needed to catch on quick though, another season like the second half of 1990 and Shaw might find himself unemployed.

Senators Saturday - Bob Saverine, 1967.

Bob Saverine looks like he just saw something unsavory as he appears on card 27 of the 1967 Topps set. I suppose he could have been reflecting on his .147 batting average in 1964, the last year he played for the Baltimore Orioles. He might also have been looking at his 1967 season with Washington.

The Orioles traded Saverine to the Astros for Don Larsen on April 24, 1965. He spent the season in the minors. The Senators snagged Bob in the Rule Five draft on November 29, 1965. He played for Washington in 1966 and got the most work of his career as he displaced Don Blasingame at second base.

In 1967 Saverine found himself in a platoon situation at second with Bernie Allen. Bob moved around a bit appearing at second base, short stop, third base, and left field. Most of his time was at second though. He put in 364 innings over 48 games and posted a .957 fielding percentage. That was quite a bit below the league average of .979. His second most frequently played position was at third base where he put in 49 innings over eight games. He also logged 46.1 innings over ten games at short stop. He was terrible at third and below league average at short. Three innings in two games in left field finished out Saverine's defensive work for the season.

Bob made 253 trips to the plate in 89 games for Washington in 1967. He compiled a .236 batting average and a .287 on-base percentage. He hit 13 doubles but that was the extent of his power. He also stole eight bases without getting caught.

All in all, 1967 had been a very down season for Bob Saverine. His bat, which had never been fearsome, suffered an alarming decline. He also experienced a disturbing loss of his glove abilities as well and appeared to be well on his way to being displaced by Bernie Allen at second. Unless Bob could dramatically improve his all-around performance, he was going to lose his spot on the roster completely in 1968.

Latest TTM return.

Things have been pretty hectic with work and family over the past couple of days. Decided this would be a good time to show the most recent through the mail autograph success.

I sent this 1974 Topps card to former Ranger Jim Merritt on May 11, 2013 and asked him to sign it. After a year I figured the odds of it coming back weren't good. It defied the odds though and showed up in my mailbox on October 31, 2014 with Mr. Merritt's signature attached. Many thanks to Jim Merritt for taking to time to sign and return my card.

Ok, I got zero responses from my first mention of my Christmas card giveaway. I went ahead and put down a few of my regular trade partners for some of the teams. That said, I still need some names and addresses for the rest of the teams. Somebody to take the Giants and Mariners would be extra appreciated. As a reminder, I'm tapped out of Rangers, Royals, Angels, and A's. Let me know if you're interested in any of the rest of the teams and I'll get you on the list. Might as well sign up, it's free cards and I don't sell the mailing list. How can you beat that?

1978 Topps - Willie Horton.

Willie Horton, shown here on card 290 of the 1978 Topps set, was the fore-runner of Vladimir Guerrero. Willie came and went via trade while Vlad was through free agency. Just like Vlad, Willie came, hammered, and left in the blink of an eye.

The Rangers sent pitcher Steve Foucault to the Tigers on April 12, 1977 in exchange for Horton. Apparently the Tigers thought their long-time slugger was done.

Serving primarily as the designated hitter, Horton appeared a few times in left field without accolades. He stepped up his offense though and hit .289 with an on-base percentage of .337 while knocking 23 doubles, three triples, and 15 home runs. He scored 55 runs and collected 75 RBI.

After one season of providing a key part of the power to a contending team, Willie Horton was gone. On February 28, 1978 the Rangers traded Horton and David Clyde to the Cleveland Indians for Tom Buskey and John Lowenstein. The team re-acquired Willie in a December 12, 1980 trade with the Seattle Mariners but released him on April 1st of the same year without a single plate appearance.

Minor League Monday - Wayne Rosenthal, 1990 ProCards Tulsa Drillers.

Up to 1990 Wayne Rosenthal, shown here on card 1153 of the 1990 ProCards Tulsa Drillers set, had been a pretty pleasant surprise for the Rangers. Texas drafted the big right-hander in the 24th round of the 1986 draft. He tore through the first three seasons as a pro without ever posting a season ERA over 2.10. That earned him some rapid promotion through the lower levels of the Rangers farm system.

As an aside, these cards make the players look really small. Rosenthal is 6-5 and was about 220 pounds when this picture was taken. Somehow the photographer managed to make him look like a little leaguer.

Ok, back to Wayne Rosenthal. He started the 1989 season with Single A Charlotte and posted a 2.22 ERA there over 20 games out of the bullpen. Up to Double A Tulsa he went to finish the season. He made 31 appearances for the Drillers and posted a 3.06 ERA. Good enough to stick but not good enough to get an off-season promotion to Triple A.

Wayne was primarily a reliever. He hadn't made a start since his 1986 stint with the Rookie League Gulf Coast Rangers. That trend continued in 1990 as he made 12 trips out of the bullpen for the Drillers and pitched 15 innings. Rosenthal posted a 2.40 ERA and 1.200 WHIP. His control was very good - he struck out twice as many opposing batters as he walked.

Those numbers earned Wayne a mid-season trip to the Triple A Oklahoma City 89'ers. He continued to appear in relief there and pitched 48 innings over 42 games while compiling a 3.00 ERA and an 1.208 WHIP. His strikeout to walk ratio improved as he whiffed 39 opposing batsmen while issuing just 18 free passes.

Rosenthal's performance at Triple A was good enough to keep him there for the start of the 1991 season. He was at the top of the minor league ladder and just one step from The Bigs. If he could keep command of his pitches and lower his ERA just a bit he might very likely get a shot in Arlington the next season or two.

Senators Saturday - John Orsino, 1967.

According to the back of card 207 in the 1967 Topps set, John Orsino spent most of 1966 on the Disabled List. Apparently he wasn't fully recovered by the time 1967 rolled around and missed the majority of the season once again.

Johnny spent most of his season with the Triple A Hawaii Islanders. That meant he played in 16 games there and made 52 plate appearances. He posted a .217 batting average and a .288 on-base percentage.

Orsino did get a short stint with Washington in 1967. He pinch-hit in one game and struck out. It was the final at-bat of his Major League career.

To start 1968, John found himself in Double A with the Savannah Senators. He managed to get one game in with the Triple A Buffalo Bisons before the season ended.

On January 8, 1969 the Senators sold Orsino's contract to the Yankees. On June 12, 1969 the Yankees sent him to Cleveland in a trade. John never played above Triple A for either club and hung up his spikes at the end of the season.

Beltre collects another Silver Slugger.

Adrian Beltre, shown here on 2012 Bowman card 95, was awarded his fourth Silver Slugger award yesterday. It puts him the company of Matt Williams, Mike Schmidt, and Wade Boggs as the only third basemen to win the award four or more times.

It is particularly nice to see Beltre win a Silver Slugger this year. Of course, the whole season was a real downer so it helps a little with that. It's also great that he could pull it off with little to no support or protection in the lineup. Imagine what he could have done if he had a decently big bat behind him. A batting title perhaps?

Well, it's early November and Christmas is still a long ways off it seems. It'll be here before you know it though and that's why I'm starting to think about my end of year team giveaway packages. Same as last year, I have no Rangers, Royals, or A's available. I also don't have any Pirates, Dodgers, or Angels right now. Pretty much all of the rest of the teams are available. Would really like to see somebody claim the Giants, Orioles, and Cardinals in particular. If you're interested in free cards of your team, just let me know. Drop me an email or leave a comment with your name, address, and team preference. I'll try to make sure there's no doubles in the lot but it will be a pretty varied lot as far as years and brands. Same as last year, if you want to sign up a friend or fellow collector that is fine but only for teams they really want. No having me send Yankees to a Red Sox man.

Young moves to the front office.

Michael Young has officially returned to the Texas Rangers. Young helped interview managerial candidates earlier this year and has been assisting in various roles. Yesterday the team announced his appointment as a special assistance to General Manager Jon Daniels. This is a real job and Young is probably going to be helping with player instruction as well as other assignments.

Good to see Michael back in the Texas fold. Apparently he was able to think things over after being traded and decided to patch it up with Daniels. Smart move on both sides.

Posting this 2005 Studio Master Strokes game-used card of Michael Young today to celebrate the news of his official entry into the front office side of baseball. This card is numbered 186/250 and was part of the lot recently sent to me by Matthew over at Bob Walk the Plank.

Also in the news is former Ranger Alfonso Soriano's announcement of his retirement as a player after 16 seasons. Soriano never really impressed me but he was a pretty good player for the better part of his career. Problem was, he knew he was good. Perhaps the biggest thank-you Rangers fans owe Soriano was that he replaced Alex Rodriguez on the team.

Roster and Radio news.

The Rangers activated nine players from the 60-day Disabled List on Monday. That they had so many players to activate is a reminder of how rough the 2014 season was.

Prince Fielder, Matt Harrison, Yu Darvish, Martin Perez, Alexi Ogando (shown here on card 96 of the 2012 Gypsy Queen set), Tanner Scheppers, Mitch Moreland, Jurickson Profar, and Shin-Soo Choo all came back to the active 40-man roster. That fills the roster for now.

Of course there will be more changes. The Rule Five draft is coming up and Texas will want to protect four or five minor leaguers. Somebody's gonna have to move off the 40-man for that to happen.

Fielder, Choo, Darvish, and Moreland are all expected to be ready for Spring Training. Profar might be as well but he'll have to fight to keep from starting the 2015 season in the minors. Martin Perez is still recovering from Tommy John surgery and probably won't make an appearance until mid-season. Ogando and Scheppers are real question marks. Both had a lot of promise but have suffered injuries recently and may or may not be able to regain their previous forms. It's doubtful Matt Harrison will ever pitch again in the Majors.

The loss of Harrison and the possible loss of Colby Lewis to free agency have the Rangers looking for starting pitching this off-season. Could be Moreland finds himself on the trading block if the club thinks Fielder is looking good. I would be sorry to see Mitch go. However, if the team was able to get a decent starter for him, and Prince came back online, it would be a good move.

The Rangers also announced recently that they will be switching their radio broadcast carrier starting with the 2015 season. A new contract gives the games to CBS radio at 105.3 FM here in the metroplex. I have no idea if this change is related to the fact that the south-western part of the metroplex could not receive the signal from ESPN 103.3 FM but I wouldn't be surprised. Complaints were rampant from fans who could drive to the ballpark in less than an hour but couldn't tune in to hear the games. I didn't air my grievances to the Rangers but I was in the frustrated fans camp. Hopefully this new station addresses the problem.

1978 Topps - Ken Henderson.

By the time Ken Henderson appeared on the front of his 1978 Topps card #612 he was no longer a Texas Ranger.

Primarily a rightfielder, Henderson arrived in Texas as part of the Jeff Burroughs trade on December 9, 1976. Ken lost large chunks of the 1977 season to injury. He missed three weeks in May with a pulled hamstring and then five weeks later in the season with bruised ribs. Those injuries managed to bring his total number of games for the season down to just 75. Henderson also saw dips in all of his offensive numbers.

On March 28, 1978 the Rangers sent Ken to the New York Mets to complete a trade made on December 8, 1977. Tom Grieve and a player to be named later went to the Mets in that trade. Henderson was named later. The Rangers also sent Tommy Boggs, Adrian Devine, and Eddie Miller to the Braves; and Bert Blyleven to the Pirates as part of the trade. Texas got Nelson Norman, Al Oliver, and Jon Matlack in return.

Ken Henderson's time as a Texas Ranger was finished after just one year and there wasn't much to stand out in that year. Perhaps Ken's most notable role on the team was the part he played in the Randle incident in Spring Training.

Minor League Monday - Marv Rockman, 1990 ProCards Tulsa Drillers.

Marvin Ward Rockman shows off a unique pose for pitchers on card 1152 of the 1990 ProCards Tulsa Drillers team set. There's several more pitchers throughout the team set posing with both a glove and bat but I don't think I've seen that anywhere else.

The Rangers drafted Rockman in the 27th round of the 1987 draft. They immediately sent the 23-year-old to the Rookie League Gulf Coast Rangers. He did well there in 14 appearances and moved up to Single A with the Charlotte Rangers. A rough ten appearances there meant Marv started 1988 still at Single A, this time with the Gastonia Rangers. He did well in 43 games and made a late-season jump to Double A Tulsa where he posted a 1.08 ERA over six games. That earned him a Double A start to the 1989 season and he posted a 3.06 ERA over 40 appearances with Tulsa. Not good enough for another promotion. The brass decided Rockman would get one more season start at Double A to see if he could earn a ticket to Triple A Oklahoma City.

Strictly a reliever for his whole pro career, Marv made 24 appearances for the Drillers in 1990 and pitched a total of 38 innings. Both were lower numbers than the previous season. Unfortunately for Rockman, his 3.79 ERA and 1.553 WHIP were not lower numbers than in 1989.

By the end of the 1990 season Marv Rockman was 26 years old, over two years older on average than most of his teammates. His age combined with his failure to earn a promotion in two seasons is likely what led to his career ending when the season did.

Senators Saturday - Mike McCormick, 1967.

Card number 86 in the 1967 Topps set is an interesting one. Of course you can always play the ball/no ball game with Mike McCormick posing for the picture, but there's another aspect as well. On the front of the card McCormick appears in a Washington Senators uniform and is listed as a member of that team. Turn the card over and Mike is listed as a member of the San Francisco Giants. The write-up on the back also talks about the trade that sent McCormick to the Giants.

Mike hadn't had a bad 1966 season but Washington was starting to develop pitching and needed offense. On December 13, 1966 the Senators sent McCormick to San Francisco. In return Bob Priddy and Cap Peterson arrived in Washington.

Back with his original team, McCormick led the National League in wins in 1967 with 22 victories while posting a 2.85 ERA and 1.147 WHIP. That performance was good enough to earn him the NL Cy Young award and some MVP consideration. It was the high point of his career. Mike played for the Giants until midway through the 1970 season when they traded him to the Yankees. The Yankees released him after the 1970 season and he was signed by the Kansas City Royals. In June of 1971 the Royals released him and his Major League playing days were over.