The Phoenix Giants’ First Campaign in 1958

It was a familiar scenario; a city becomes “Big League” and its beloved minor league franchise is quickly and quietly ushered out of town. Phoenix’s Triple-A ballclub was forced to relocate to Fresno when the Arizona Diamondbacks debuted in 1998, ending over fifty years of minor league baseball in the Valley of the Sun.

Forty years had passed since the arrival of Pacific Coast League baseball in Phoenix. Known as the Phoenix Giants and more recently the Phoenix Firebirds, the minor league affiliate of the San Francisco Giants originally landed in Arizona under the same auspicious circumstances that forced its removal. In 1958, when New York’s National League franchise (the Giants) embarked on its westward move, the San Francisco Seals, at the time an affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, were left without a harbor. So the club sprouted wings and took flight for Phoenix.

But before the relocation to Phoenix. a deal was struck transferring the Seals affiliation from the Red Sox to the Giants while the Red Sox would receive a franchise in Minneapolis. Consequently, just about the entire Seals roster moved to Minnesota, with the exception of Sal Taormina.

Affectionately known as “Hog Head” (he had an oversized head, like a bobbin’ head doll), Taormina made the move with the Seals to Phoenix and is the only link between the 1957 and 1958 clubs. Taormina was a utility outfielder, who was as much a coach and cheerleader for the team. Taormina hit .288 with 11 doubles, three home runs and 36 RBIs with 139 at-bats in 71 games for the ’57 Seals. In 1958, he hit .266 with five dingers and 37 RBIs in 99 games, while swapping time between first base and the outfield.

“He had a great personality,” recalls Bay Area baseball historian Dick Dobbins. “Everybody looked up to him and he was thoroughly enjoyed. As a veteran [he had been with the club as far back as 1946], he was the kind of guy who could provide guidance,” Dobbins said.

Adopting its namesake from the parent club, the Seals transformed into Giants upon arrival in Phoenix. There were new uniforms and new players in them, and the 1958 club included a diverse mix of future big leaguers and aging veterans who had already been there.

Phoenix’s first Triple-A entry did not exactly burst out of the gate in its inaugural home opener on April 15, suffering a 10-9 loss at “old” Phoenix Municipal Stadium at the corner of Central and Mohave. Chalk it up to Opening Day jitters that the team blew an 8-0 lead in front of 4,065 fans.

However, the team’s undeniable talent soon emerged and before long the first Phoenix Giants club was on its way to a still-standing club record, 89 victories and just might be the best team in franchise history.

John “Red” Davis was the team’s first skipper, now 83 and retired from baseball and Dalmatian breeding, fondly recalls the 1958 club. “They had a little of everything, good pitching, good power and good defense, that’ll win ball games,” Davis says. “We had a hell of an infield, Dittmer (John, 2B), McCovey (Willie, lB), a big kid, English, from the Bahamas (shortstop Andre Rodgers), and Prescott (George, 3B) who also played in the outfield.”

Slugging shortstop Rodgers probably had the biggest numbers on a seriously offensive-minded team. Rodgers led the league with a .354 batting average (the highest ever by a Phoenix player), 295 total bases and 43 doubles. He also blasted 31 homers and drove in 88 runs. Rodgers would toil in the big leagues for 11 years, earning a starting spot at shortstop with the Chicago Cubs from 1962-64.

Dittmer hit .315 with 46 RBIs in 109 games, while anchoring the second base position for most of the season. Phoenix was actually the end of the line for Dittmer who had played second base with Milwaukee and Boston in the National League for five years, as well as a one-year stint in Detroit.

Panamanian-born Prescott was an integral part of the team, hitting .309 with 24 home runs and 96 RBIs, while playing 75 games at third base and 58 in the outfield. Prescott had another great year at Phoenix in 1959, but lasted only 12 major league at-bats with one hit for the Kansas City Athletics in 1961.

Future Hall of Famer McCovey hit .319 with 14 HRs, 89 RBIs, and 168 hits in 144 games. “Stretch” was just loosening up: the following season he would hit a whopping .372 and lead the PCL with 29 dingers and 92 RBIs.

The outfield consisted of both future and former big leaguers: Felipe Alou, (brother of Matty and Jesus, father of Moises; 17-year big leaguer, and current manager of the Montreal Expos) hit .319 with 13 HRs and 42 RBIs in just 55 games in Phoenix.

Leon Wagner hit .318 with 17 long balls and 58 RBIs in 58 games. “Daddy Wags,” 12 years in the majors saw him split time with six teams.

World Series hero of yore (1954), Dusty Rhodes drove in a PCL-leading 100 runs with 26 big flys and a .269 average in 132 games. And William Wilson hit .304 with 14 home runs as the team’s fourth outfielder.

At catcher was young Tom Haller, a 20-year-old about to embark on a 12-year major league career as a starter behind the plate, first for the S.F. Giants and later with the L.A. Dodgers. Haller would be the National League’s starting catcher in the 1967 All-Star Game. Davis took an immediate liking to his backstop. “Haller was right out of college. He surprised me by hitting 16 homers.” Davis says.

“I almost got fired over Haller. We had a three-game lead with three to go and I put in Haller to pinch hit in a game we were down by 3-2 in the 9th inning. He struck out and the next morning I got called into the front office. [GM Rosie Ryan] said, ‘Next time you use Haller as a pinch hitter you’re fired.’ It happened again the next day, except he hit a grand slammer. I went to the office the next day, they never said a thing,” Davis remembered.

Four Phoenix starters finished the season with double figures in the victory column. Davis called Dom Zanni and Curtis Barclay his aces and indeed the duo proved to be the staffs workhorses with Zanni hurling 201 innings and Barclay chucking 161. Zanni struck out 156 hitters and posted a 3.67 ERA en route to a 14-11 record. Barclay was 12-8 with a 3.91 ERA. Gordon Jones (13-7) and Peter Burnside (11-7) rounded out the rotation. Spot starter Ernie Broglio contributed a valuable 8-1 with 87 strikeouts and a 4.09 ERA in 110 innings.

The resident loon in the bullpen was Joe Shipley. “Joe Shipley was my relief man,” remembers Davis. “Boy, he was a wild son of a bitch. I brought him with me from Mayfield [class D ball in Kentucky]. Rosie Ryan didn’t like him one bit. he thought he was crazy, he was just a lot of fun, that’s what he was, a side-armer who could throw it hard,” Davis says. Shipley was 5-2 with a 2.45 ERA in 42 games, and led the league with 11 hit batsmen.

The ’58 Phoenix Giants moved into first place on July 30 and never looked back, owning the top spot until they clinched the flag on September 5. The members of the championship club each received a PCL Championship ring and $300 as a reward for the first place finish.

Charlie Vascellaro is currently the Media Relations Director for Maryland Baseball L.P, the owner of three minor league teams in Maryland.