Rick Monday Selected by Athletics
- joearubenstein
- Jun 8
- 1 min read
June 8, 1965 - Rick Monday, Arizona State’s spectacular 19-year-old sophomore regarded as the top prospect in the country, was selected as the first choice by the Kansas City Athletics today in baseball’s radically new free agent draft.
As many as 600 players were expected to be drawn, one each by the 20 major league clubs, and the remainder for their minor league affiliates.
Monday, who batted .375 and drove in 45 runs for Arizona State this season and had previously rejected a $20,000 bonus offer from the Los Angeles Dodgers upon graduation from high school, was expected to receive a bonus of upwards of $75,000 from the A’s.
The Cleveland Indians selected Raymond Fosse of Marion (Ill.) High School. Fosse, 6-3 and 210 pounds, is a righthanded-hitting catcher.
The Los Angeles Angels picked James Spencer, 17-year-old student at Andover High School in Glen Burnie, Md. Spencer plays first base.
The Houston Astros chose shortstop Alex Barrett, and the Boston Red Sox went for another member of the Conigliaro family by picking Billy Conigliaro, 17-year-old brother of Tony, currently on the Red Sox roster.
In a later round, the New York Mets selected Nolan Ryan, a pitcher from Alvin, Tex.

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