1960 Major League Baseball expansion draft


The 1960 MLB expansion draft was held by Major League Baseball on December 14, 1960, to fill the rosters of the Los Angeles Angels and the Washington Senators. The Angels and Senators were new franchises that would enter the league in the following season as part of the 1961 Major League Baseball expansion.

Ground rules

Each existing American League club had to make available for the draft seven players on their active rosters on August 31, 1960, and eight others from their 40-man rosters. The expansion clubs paid US$75,000 for each of 28 players they drafted with a maximum of seven players drafted from each existing club, not including minor league selections. They were required to take at least ten pitchers, two catchers, six infielders, and four outfielders. The clubs also had the option of drafting one non-roster player for $25,000 from each established franchise.

Hasty expansion sowed draft confusion

Reacting belatedly to the National League's July 1960 announcement that it would expand to New York and Houston to begin play 20 months later, in April 1962, the American League declared in October 1960 it would add two new teams as well—and that the AL's new teams would take the field in only six months, in time for the 1961 season.
Playing catch-up to the National League, under a much tighter deadline with no ownership groups, management or stadia yet in place, the Junior Circuit was forced to wait until November 17, 1960, to officially award an expansion franchise to Washington, D.C., to replace the recently-relocated Minnesota Twins. Because it also intended to enter the Los Angeles metropolitan market, then controlled by Walter O'Malley, majority owner of the Dodgers, the American League was compelled to negotiate an indemnification agreement with O'Malley before the Los Angeles franchise could be granted. Finally, on December 6, 1960—barely a week before the expansion draft was scheduled to be held at AL headquarters in Boston—the Angels franchise was officially created and awarded to Gene Autry. The league's chaotic, approach to expansion resulted, on the day of the draft, in the new Senators' and Angels' noncompliance with rules that governed the maximum number of players each new club could select from each of the eight established teams. As a result, several post-draft trades were necessary to rectify the problem.
The situation is described by authors Andy McCue and Eric Thompson in their 2011 Hardball Times article, "Mismanagement 101: The American League Expansion of 1961," also published by the Society for American Baseball Research.

Results

PickPlayerPositionSelected fromSelected by
1PitcherNew York YankeesLos Angeles Angels
2PitcherNew York YankeesWashington Senators
3PitcherNew York YankeesLos Angeles Angels
4PitcherDetroit TigersWashington Senators
5PitcherBoston Red SoxLos Angeles Angels
6PitcherCleveland IndiansWashington Senators
7PitcherMinnesota TwinsLos Angeles Angels
8PitcherDetroit TigersWashington Senators
9PitcherDetroit TigersLos Angeles Angels
10PitcherCleveland IndiansWashington Senators
11PitcherDetroit TigersLos Angeles Angels
12PitcherChicago White SoxWashington Senators
13PitcherChicago White SoxLos Angeles Angels
14PitcherMinnesota TwinsWashington Senators
15PitcherKansas City AthleticsLos Angeles Angels
16PitcherBoston Red SoxWashington Senators
17PitcherBaltimore OriolesLos Angeles Angels
18PitcherMinnesota TwinsWashington Senators
19PitcherKansas City AthleticsLos Angeles Angels
20PitcherMinnesota TwinsWashington Senators
21CatcherBoston Red SoxLos Angeles Angels
22CatcherKansas City AthleticsWashington Senators
23CatcherDetroit TigersLos Angeles Angels
24CatcherKansas City AthleticsWashington Senators
25Third basemanDetroit TigersLos Angeles Angels
26ShortstopDetroit TigersWashington Senators
27Second basemanCleveland IndiansLos Angeles Angels
28First basemanNew York YankeesWashington Senators
29ShortstopKansas City AthleticsLos Angeles Angels
30ShortstopBoston Red SoxWashington Senators
31Third basemanCleveland IndiansLos Angeles Angels
32ShortstopKansas City AthleticsWashington Senators
33ShortstopBoston Red SoxLos Angeles Angels
34Second basemanBaltimore OriolesWashington Senators
35First baseman/OutfielderNew York YankeesLos Angeles Angels
36Second basemanMinnesota TwinsWashington Senators
37OutfielderNew York YankeesLos Angeles Angels
38OutfielderBoston Red SoxWashington Senators
39OutfielderChicago White SoxLos Angeles Angels
40OutfielderBaltimore OriolesWashington Senators
41Outfielder/CatcherChicago White SoxLos Angeles Angels
42OutfielderCleveland IndiansWashington Senators
43OutfielderMinnesota TwinsLos Angeles Angels
44OutfielderBaltimore OriolesWashington Senators
45First basemanChicago White SoxLos Angeles Angels
46CatcherBaltimore OriolesWashington Senators
47InfielderBaltimore OriolesLos Angeles Angels
48First basemanNew York YankeesWashington Senators
49First basemanMinnesota TwinsLos Angeles Angels
50OutfielderCleveland IndiansWashington Senators
51PitcherBaltimore OriolesLos Angeles Angels
52OutfielderChicago White SoxWashington Senators
53PitcherBoston Red SoxLos Angeles Angels
54Second basemanKansas City AthleticsWashington Senators
55CatcherCleveland IndiansLos Angeles Angels
56PitcherChicago White SoxWashington Senators
57First basemanDetroit TigersLos Angeles Angels
58Third basemanBaltimore OriolesWashington Senators
59OutfielderBaltimore OriolesLos Angeles Angels
60CatcherBoston Red SoxWashington Senators
61PitcherMinnesota TwinsWashington Senators