| 1961 Major League Baseball expansion draft | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Sport | Baseball |
| Date | October 10, 1961 |
| Location | Cincinnati, Ohio[1] |
| Overview | |
| 45[a] total selections | |
| League | National League[b] |
| Expansion teams | Houston Colt .45s New York Mets |
| Expansion season | 1962 |
| First selection | Eddie Bressoud (Houston Colt .45s) |
The 1961 Major League Baseball expansion draft was held by Major League Baseball on October 10, 1961, to fill the rosters of the New York Mets and the Houston Colt .45s.[c] These new franchises were set to enter the National League (NL) as part of the 1962 Major League Baseball expansion. Selections in the draft were limited to a pool of players designated by existing NL teams.[3]
Due to the poor performance of the Mets and Colt .45s after two seasons, another draft was held for the teams on October 10, 1963.[4] The other existing NL clubs made four players from their 40-man roster available at $30,000 apiece. A maximum of eight players could be selected between the two clubs. However, only three selections were made, two by New York and one by Houston.[4]
1961 draft
| All-Star |
| Pick | Player | Position | Selected by | Previous team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 33 | Ed Olivares | IF | Houston Colt .45s | St. Louis Cardinals |
| 34 | Sherman Jones | P | New York Mets | Cincinnati Reds |
| 35 | Jim Umbricht | P | Houston Colt .45s | Pittsburgh Pirates |
| 36 | Jim Hickman | OF | New York Mets | St. Louis Cardinals |
| 37 | Jim Golden | P | Houston Colt .45s | Los Angeles Dodgers |
| Pick | Player | Position | Selected by | Previous team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 38 | Joe Amalfitano | IF | Houston Colt .45s | San Francisco Giants |
| 39 | Jay Hook | P | New York Mets | Cincinnati Reds |
| 40 | Turk Farrell | P | Houston Colt .45s | Los Angeles Dodgers |
| 41 | Bob Miller | P | New York Mets | St. Louis Cardinals |
| 42 | Hal Smith | C | Houston Colt .45s | Pittsburgh Pirates |
| 43 | Don Zimmer* | IF | New York Mets | Chicago Cubs |
| 44 | Al Spangler | OF | Houston Colt .45s | Milwaukee Braves |
| 45 | Lee Walls* | IF/OF | New York Mets | Philadelphia Phillies |
* All-Star only before 1961 expansion draft
1963 draft
| All-Star |
| Player | Position | Selected by | Previous team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bill Haas | 1B/OF | New York Mets | Los Angeles Dodgers |
| Claude Raymond | P | Houston Colt. 45s | Milwaukee Braves |
| Jack Fisher | P | New York Mets | San Francisco Giants |
See also
- Continental League, a proposed third major league that had planned to begin play in the 1961 season
Notes
- An additional three selections were made in a supplemental draft held in October 1963.
- This draft was limited to National League teams; while the National League and American League are commonly referred to collectively as Major League Baseball, across many decades, Major League Baseball has only existed as a legal entity since 2000.[2]
- The Houston Colt .45s were renamed as the Houston Astros in 1965, and moved to the American League in 2013.
References
- "Bressoud and Landrith 1st Draft Picks". Daily News. Red Bluff, California. UPI. October 10, 1961. p. 4. Retrieved December 2, 2025 – via newspapers.com.
- Nowlin, Bill. "Did MLB Exist Before the Year 2000?". Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved December 2, 2025.
- "Mets, Colts Pay $3,650,000 For 45 Players: New York Lands Hodges, Bouchee, Bell and Craig". Meriden Record. Meriden-Wallingford, Connecticut. Associated Press (AP). October 11, 1961. p. 4. Retrieved November 28, 2015.
- "Mets, Colts Pick Only 3 In Special Restock Draft". The Boston Globe. UPI. October 11, 1963. p. 19. Retrieved December 2, 2025 – via newspapers.com.
Further reading
- Thompson, Eric; Boren, Stephen D. (2014). "The Colt .45s and the 1961 Expansion Draft". Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved December 2, 2025.