Washington Senators - The Final Years (1950-1960)

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1950

Decade

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101

Titles:

Top Senators Players of the Fifties

None

Pitchers:

BallPark:

Bob Porterfield (16.66) - 51

Griffith Stadium

Pedro Ramos (14.33) - 41

Camilo Pascual (15.06) - 35

Team Name:

Chuck Stobbs (9.24) - 33

Nationals or Senators

Connie Marrero (9.72) - 25

Spec Shea (2.88) - 17

Owner:

Tex Clevenger (4.55) - 13

Clark Griffith (1950-1955)

Walt Masterson (2.35) - 13

Calvin Griffith (1955-1960)

Sid Hudson (3.66) - 13

Dean Stone (1.3) - 13

General Managers:

Johnny Schmitz (7.23) - 13

Mickey McDermott (3.77) - 11

Managers:

Russ Kemmerer (2.69) - 11

Bucky Harris (1950-1954)

Sandy Consuegra (4.19) - 11

Chuck Dressen (1955-1957)

Dick Hyde (6.26) - 9

Cookie Lavagetto (1957-1960)

Catchers:

No Hitters:

Clint Courtney (3.05) - 18

None

Ed FitzGerald (1.58) - 13

Hall of Famers:

First Basemen:

Harmon Killebrew

Mickey Vernon (17.82) - 44

Rookie of the Year:

Second Basemen:

Albie Pearson (1958)

Pete Runnels (9.25) - 33

Bob Allison (1959)

Wayne Terwilliger (4.24) - 8

MVP:

ShortStop:

None

Rocky Bridges (1.73) - 12

Jose Valdivielso (- 2.5) - 9

Cy Young:

None

Third Base:

Eddie Yost (25.79) - 48

Notable Events:

Harmon Killebrew (6.71) - 15

1950 - The Senators were putrid for most of the decade save for two

Outfield:

seasons when they reached the lofty heights of mediocrity ('52-'53)

Roy Sievers (14.9) - 51

when they were .500. Clark Griffith was old and had given up trying to

Jim Lemon (7.95) - 42

field a competitive team some fifteen years earlier.

Jim Busby (8.5) - 37

Irv Noren (6.05) - 27

1951 - Righthander Bob Porterfield, 27, is obtained from pitching rich

Gil Coan (4.72) - 27

New York in a trade. He would go 22-10 in '53 vaulting Washington

Bob Allison (3.44) - 22

into mediocrity that season.

Jackie Jensen (4.85) - 19

Lenny Green (2.02) - 16

1951 - Pete Runnels, twenty three year old infielder, is brought up.

Albie Pearson (0.03) - 7

A good hitter, he would win two batting titles, not with the Senators,

however, but with Boston.

1955 - Twenty year old righthanded Cuban Pedro Ramos comes up.

A good pitcher, he, Pascual and Stobbs would form the nucleus of

1952 - In a great trade, the Senators obtain centerfielder Jackie Jensen,

a talented, but very unsuccessful starting rotation for the Senators

25, from New York. Jensen was blocked by Mickey Mantle with the

for the rest of the decade.

Yankees. Washington gave up Irv Noren for Jensen. Two years later,

however, the Senators would let Jensen slip thru their fingers and deal him

1955 - Clark Griffith dies at the age of 85. Son Calvin takes over.

to Boston for Tom Umphlett in a worse deal than the Yankees just made.

1956 - Washington officially becomes the Senators.

1952 - Centerfielder Jim Busby, a twenty five year old speedster, is

obtained from Chicago.

1958 - Slugging outfielder Bob Allison, 23, is a rookie.

He is second building block of the 60's lineup (signed after Killebrew).

1953 - Twenty three year old lefthander Chuck Stobbs is obtained

from Chicago. He is Washington's "ace" throughout the decade.

1959 - Lefthander Jim Kaat, 19, is a rookie. Calvin wasn't messing around.

1954 - Slugging outfielder Roy Sievers, 27, is obtained in a deal with

1959 - Cuban born shortstop Zoilo Versalles, 19, is a rookie. Calvin continued

the Browns. He becomes one of the better long ball hitters in the game

his father's legacy of signing Cuban players.

and leads the AL in homers and rbi's in '57 going 42-114-.301

1960 - The Senators make an excellent trade getting catcher Earl Battey

1954 - Slugging outfielder Jim Lemon, 26, is obtained in a deal with the

and first baseman Don Mincher from the White Sox for Roy Sievers

Indians. Lemon was crowded out by the likes of Doby, Smith and

Mitchell in Cleveland with Colavito and Maris waiting in the wings.

1960 - By the time they are ready to leave Washington, the perennially

While never genreally considered on a par with Sievers as a slugger

doormat Senators are loaded with young talent and ready to take off.

at the time, he actually is.

Calvin had done a masterful job of building a winner similar to his father in the

Twenties and Thirties, but unfortunately for Senators fans just not in Washington:

1954 - Future Hall of Famer Harmon Killebrew, 18, is a bonus baby.

□ RHP - Camilo Pascual, 26

He is the first building block of the execellent Twins teams of the Sixties

□ RHP - Pedro Ramos, 25

□ LHP - Jim Kaat, 21

1954 - Always looking for talent on the cheap, Clark Griffith had

□ LHP - Jack Kralick, 25

been signing Cubans since the Forties. Somehow, he was missing

□ Reliever - Hal Woodeschick, 27

the good ones because the Cubans he signed were never very

□ Reliever - Ted Abernathy, 27

good. Until, that is, Camilo Pascual, a twenty year old righthander was

□ C - Earl Battey, 25

signed. Pascual, a master curveballer, was one of the class pitchers

□ 1B - Don Mincher, 22

in the league for over a decade.

□ SS - Zoilo Versalles, 20

□ 3B - Harmon Killebrew, 24

□ OF - Bob Allison, 25

□ OF - Tony Oliva, 21 (signed in 1961)