| 1968 Major League Baseball expansion draft | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Sport | Baseball |
| Dates | October 14, 1968 (National League) October 15, 1968 (American League) |
| Overview | |
| 60 (National League) 60 (American League) total selections | |
| First selection | Manny Mota (Montreal Expos) |
The1968 Major League Baseball expansion draft was conducted to stock up the rosters of fourexpansion teams inMajor League Baseball created via the1969 Major League Baseball expansion and which would begin play in the1969 season.
The expansion draft for theMontreal Expos and theSan Diego Padres was held on October 14, 1968. The expansion draft for theKansas City Royals and theSeattle Pilots was held on October 15, 1968.
On December 2, 1967,Gerry Snyder presented a bid for a Montreal franchise to Major League Baseball's team owners at their winter meetings inMexico City. One potential wild card in Montreal's favor was that the chair of the National League's expansion committee was influentialLos Angeles Dodgers presidentWalter O'Malley, under whom the minor league Montreal Royals had become affiliated with the Dodgers. On May 27, 1968, O'Malley announced that franchises were being awarded to Montreal and San Diego, beginning play the following year (1969).[1]
Business executiveCharles Bronfman of theSeagram's distilling empire owned the new team.[2] With a long history of use in Montreal, the "Royals" was one of the candidate nicknames for the new franchise, but theAmerican League's newKansas City team adopted this name, so the new owners conducted a contest to name the team. Many names were suggested by Montrealers (including the "Voyageurs" and in a coincidental twist, the "Nationals" — now used by the team in its new home in Washington, D.C.) but there was a clear winner. At the time, the city was still basking in the glow of the recently completedExpo 67, the most popular World's Fair to date, and so the name "Expos" was used.[3] The Expos name also had the advantage of being the same in both English and French, the city's two dominant languages.
The Padres adopted their name from thePacific Coast League team which arrived in San Diego in 1936. Thatminor league franchise won the PCL title in 1937, led by then-18-year-old San Diego nativeTed Williams. Their original owner wasC. Arnholt Smith, a prominent San Diego businessman and former owner of the PCL Padres whose interests included banking, tuna fishing, hotels, real estate and an airline. The team was led by longtime baseball executiveBuzzie Bavasi.
The "Royals" name originates from theAmerican Royal Livestock Show, held in Kansas City since 1899. Entering Major League Baseball asan expansion franchise in 1969, the club was founded byEwing Kauffman, a Kansas City businessman. The franchise was established following the actions ofStuart Symington, then-United States Senator from Missouri, who demanded a new franchise for the city after theAthletics—Kansas City's previous major league team—moved toOakland, California.
Seattle initially had much going for it when it joined the American League in 1969. Seattle had long been a hotbed for minor league baseball and was home to theSeattle Rainiers, one of the pillars of thePacific Coast League (PCL). TheCleveland Indians had almost moved to Seattle in1965. Many of the same things that attracted the Indians made Seattle a plum choice for an expansion team. Seattle was the third-biggest metropolitan area on the West Coast (behindLos Angeles andSan Francisco Bay Area).
‡ | All-Star |
|---|---|
† | Member of theBaseball Hall of Fame |
a The Expos acquiredBobby Wine as compensation afterLarry Jackson decided to retire rather than report to Montreal.[4]
bDave Giusti never played for the Padres. He was traded back to the Cardinals two months later for four players.[5]
cHoyt Wilhelm never played for the Royals. He was traded to theCalifornia Angels on December 12, 1968, for two players.
dLou Piniella never played for the Pilots. He was traded to the Royals on April 1, 1969.
eJesus Alou,Jack Billingham andSkip Guinn never played for the Expos. Alou andDonn Clendenon were traded to Houston forRusty Staub. When Clendenon threatened to retire rather than report, Billingham and Guinn were sent to Houston to complete the trade.[6]
f Katawczik, Glass, Miklos, Richmond and Click never played in the Majors.
gIke Brookens never played for the Royals. He did not play in the Majors until making his debut with the Detroit Tigers in 1975.
gJimy Williams never played for the Expos or returned to the Majors.
hRick James never played for the Padres or returned to the Majors.
