News Clipping: Jan. 10, 1972 - A week after Wallace Olson completed his welcome tour of the "Great Lakes Baseball League", which involved him traveling to the site of each new franchise in one day, the GLBL will hold it's inaugural draft in Roosevelt University's Auditorium Building. With steam building, will talent actually emerge out of the draft?
With the first pick in the draft, the Minneapolis Renegades select...
Catcher, Pedro Perri out of Venezuela
5'10", 200 lbs.
"Pedro 'Biff' Perri is a 29-year old, right-handed batting catcher. 'Biff' can hit for average and also a bit of power. He's an above average catcher with a good eye but absolutely no speed. He will go down in history as the very first player ever in the Great Lakes Baseball League."
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With the second pick in the draft, the Chicago Blues pick...
Shortstop, Bill Graham from Glen Burnie, Maryland
6'1", 195 lbs.
"Bill Graham is a 26-year old, switch hitting shortstop. Graham can also play second base, third base, and right field. He is a great fielder at shortstop and second. Do not expect Graham to hit any home runs but do expect him to hit for high average and have a low strikeout rate. Also expect many stolen bases."
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With the third pick, the Cleveland Barons select...
Left Fielder, Tom Williams from Idabel, Oklahoma
6'0", 210 lbs.
"Tom Williams is a 28-year old, right-handed batting left fielder. He can also play right field. Spectators will not be blown away by his fielding but may be blown away by his blazing fast speed and ability to avoid strikeouts. He'll hit for a very good average but not many home runs."
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With the fourth pick in the draft, the Milwaukee Brewers select...
Center Fielder, Rudolf Cenkova from Warerford, Connecticut
5'11", 180 lbs.
"Rudolf Cenkova is a 30-year old, left-handed batting center fielder. Cenkova is mostly known for his impressive fielding skills. He can play anywhere in the outfield if need be. He's got above average speed mixed with stellar stealing ability. He also has an above average eye, contact, and power."
Rudolf Cenkova.png 309.04KB
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With the fifth pick, the Superior Indians select...
Second Baseman, Aldo Adrio out of Venezuela
5'9", 180 lbs.
"Aldo 'Hornet' Adrio is a 28-year old, right-handed batting second baseman. 'Hornet' has stellar speed but is usually not very good at taking a bag. He's most known for his fielding, contact, and ability to avoid strikeouts. Do not expect too many home runs from him."
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With the sixth pick, the Pittsburgh Wolverines select...
Second Baseman, Vicente Feliciano from Grantsville, Utah
5'8", 170 lbs.
"Vicente Feliciano is a 22-year old, right-handed batting second baseman. He is a stellar base runner but average defender. Good at avoiding strikeouts with above average contact and no power. May be in a battle for the rest of his career with Adrio to see who got the better pick."
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With the seventh pick, the Detroit Cougars select...
Center Fielder, Jim Alba from Columbus, Ohio
6'2", 210 lbs.
"Jim Alba is a 29-year old, left-handed batting center fielder. He can also play first base and the corner outfield spots. He's a good fielder with above average contact, home run power, and base running."
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With the last pick in the first round, the Indianapolis Mustangs select...
Third Baseman, Alexis Sloan from Meadowood, Pennsylvania
5'11", 195 lbs.
"Alexis Sloan is a 23-year old, right-handed batting third baseman. Sloan has a tremendous arm and can steal bases with ease. He has a lot of room still to grow with his batting."
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And here's the rest of the rosters for each team:
Minneapolis Renegades
Renegades 1972 Opening Day.png 344.98KB
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Chicago Blues
Blues 1972 Opening Day.png 330.05KB
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Cleveland Barons
Barons 1972 Opening Day.png 341.81KB
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Milwaukee Brewers
Brewers 1972 Opening Day.png 333.33KB
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Superior Indians
Indians 1972 Opening Day.png 340.3KB
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Pittsburgh Wolverines
Wolverines 1972 Opening Day.png 339.7KB
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Detroit Cougars
Cougars 1972 Opening Day.png 339.34KB
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Indianapolis Mustangs
Mustangs 1972 Opening Day.png 341.31KB
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The next update should bring you all the way into the midst of the first Great Lakes Baseball League season.