June 16, 1964 - Lou Brock (pictured) will bat second and Dick Groat will be dropped to the sixth spot in the Cardinals’ batting order, manager Johnny Keane announced last night.
The Redbirds hope to capitalize on the speed of Brock, an outfielder just obtained from the Cubs. He will play right field and will be used against lefthanders as well as righthanders, Keane said.
The Ernie Broglio-Brock trade is expected to be X-rayed by fans and observers more than most of Bing Devine’s many trades.
One question raised by some is: Why didn’t the Cardinals get more than Brock, a flashy outfielder who could become a star, for Broglio, an 18-game winner last season and still regarded as a top pitcher?
For one thing, the market for Broglio was reported surprisingly lukewarm in a league that has a bumper crop of pitching talent, if little else in the way of surplus.
General manager Devine, who likes to repeat that a club can never have too much pitching, said the trading of Broglio was a calculated risk.
“Broglio is still a good pitcher and even with a bad start I think he would have won at least 15 games for us,” Devine said. “But we had six starters.”
Devine, who dealt Doug Clemens and Bobby Shantz along with Broglio for Brock, and pitchers Jack Spring and Paul Toth, pointed out that the club wanted to hold onto its three youngest starters: Bob Gibson, Ray Sadecki, and Ray Washburn.
He also said that the market for an older pitcher such as Curt Simmons would not be so attractive as for a Broglio. Thus Broglio became the most expendable pitcher.
“We didn’t make the deal just because the ballclub was going bad,” Devine said. “We had been interested in Brock for more than a year.”
Brock, who will be 25 years old Thursday, is one of the fastest runners in the major leagues. His great speed helps him offset some of his shortcomings in the outfield. His arm is rated as adequate.
Said new Cardinal pitcher Glen Hobbie, who teamed with Brock on the Cubs, “Lou has improved greatly in the field since he came up.”
Brock’s 10 steals were four short of the Cardinals’ team total this season. He has not hit into a double play in 1964.
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