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Joe Moeller was a heralded prospect as a pitcher at Mira Costa high school. In the days before the draft, players were free to sign with any club that offered them a contract. Moeller fielded offers from multiple clubs before agreeing to terms with Walter O’Malley‘s Dodgers.

At that time, the number of players a team could have in its minor league system was limited. The Dodgers found a way to skirt this limit by having their high school prospects immediately play in the rookie league. The youngsters did not yet count against their limit. If they liked one of the players in the rookie league more than one of the players already in their system, they’d create a spot in their system.

Commissioner Ford Frick wrote this letter in 1960 policing the Dodgers on the exploitation of the rule. Frick writes that this practice would no longer be acceptable.

He explains, “…if these players signed to contracts are free to play on a rookie team, they are likewise free to play on a regular minor league where they would count in your player limits…”

Among the players specifically mentioned by Frick is Joe Moeller, the youngest starting pitcher in the history of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

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Ford Frick’s letter is dated July 26, 1960. At the time high school and college prospects were free to sign with the highest bidder. In 1964 the Angels paid $200,000 for Rick Reichardt. Owners soon realized signing bonuses were costing them too much.

At the ’64 Winter Meetings a proposal to implement a draft was set to be voted upon. If teams drafted players instead of competing with each other for them, big bonuses would be a thing of the past. The proposal passed with only the Cardinals voting against it.

Arizona State’s Rick Monday was the #1 pick in the inaugural draft in ’65. He signed for $104,000, nearly half of what Reichardt received just one year earlier. The $200,000 that Reichardt received would not be paid a draftee until 1979. The draft succeeded as the owners hoped.

Shown here is the second page of Frick’s letter. The commissioner’s signature appears at the bottom of the page.

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In the collection is this wire photo of rookie Joe Moeller smiling as he holds the game ball from his first MLB victory on April 23, 1962. Just 19 years old, Moeller went the distance on this day.

It was no small feat to throw a complete game against the ’62 Milwaukee Braves. Moeller faced a pair of Hall of Famers in Hank Aaron and Eddie Mathews. The Braves also trotted out All Stars Joe Adcock, and Del Crandall. Those four players finished the night a combined 1-for-11 off of Moeller. The 7,656 fans in attendance that night watched the Dodger teenage sensation carve up their favorite team.

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Joe Moeller scattered nine hits in his first MLB win. The 5-2 victory over the Milwaukee Braves was keyed by Duke Snider who went 2-for-3 and figured in three of the Dodgers’ five runs.

In this letter gentleman Joe Moeller writes about the contest.

“I was only 19 when the picture of me holding the game ball was taken. It was my first big league win in Milwaukee against the Braves. I went the distance holding Hank Aaron, Eddie Mathews, and Joe Adcock to one hit in nine at bats. Roy McMillian had their only RBI. For us Duke (Snider) scored twice and drove in one. That was more than enough that day.”

What a thrill it must’ve been for the teenager to conquer the mighty Milwaukee club.

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A heady 21-year old Joe Moeller got the start on May 24, 1964 squaring off against future Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Bunning. Philadelphia came into the game with the best record in baseball.

Moeller was unfazed, scattering three hits over six innings. Manager Walt Alston came out to get Moeller and decided on Sandy Koufax as the reliever. Koufax, who pitched a complete game just three days earlier held the Phillies scoreless the final three innings to pick up his seventh career save. Eleven days later Koufax threw the third of his four no-hitters.

Both pitchers have signed the photo commemorating that day.

 

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Shown here is Joe Moeller’s handwritten recollections of the game he and Sandy Koufax combined to shut out Jim Bunning and the Phillies. Moeller was outstanding that day, scattering three hits over six innings. Sandy Koufax came on in relief and preserved the shutout.

Moeller writes, “It was great to have the greatest pitcher I ever saw relieve me and get the save. Both Bunning and Sandy are in the Hall of Fame, but I got the win that day.”

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Jeff Torborg was Joe Moeller’s teammate for seven of Joe’s eight big league seasons. They were also roommates on the road.

Here Torborg provides his own recollections of the game in which Moeller and Sandy Koufax combined for a shutout. “John Roseboro caught the game. I was in my first big-league season and paying close attention to how he handled the two pitchers. Joe was 20 at the time. He started the game and pitched six strong innings before our skipper Walt Alston lifted him. Sandy came in to relieve him and pitched three innings to complete the shutout and get the save…”

Eleven days later Koufax threw a no-hitter that Moeller writes about in the next image.

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Outstanding content from a man who was there: Joe Moeller was 21-years old when Sandy Koufax pitched the third of his four no-hitters on June 4, 1964. After the game, Koufax was interviewed at length about his gem. The Left Arm of God was the last to board the team bus and took a seat next to Moeller.

Here Moeller writes in vivid detail of Koufax’s disappointment in the game.

“The only things about the game that he talked about were the mistakes he made. He talked about a couple of pitches he got up in the strike zone…At the time it was so incredible to me that all he could think about were the bad pitches rather than being overwhelmed with the excitement of pitching a no-hitter.”

Later Moeller calls his teammate Koufax, “one of the most intelligent, articulate, and humble players I ever met.”

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When former Dodger pitcher Joe Moeller looked through the CooperstownExpert.com collection he stumbled across this note from Brooks Robinson. The third baseman writes, “My most exciting moment in baseball was the 1966 World Series. It was my first, a dream come true. Sincerely, Brooks Robinson”.

Moeller remembered facing Robinson in Game 1 at Dodger Stadium. After some arm twisting, the good-natured Moeller added this to the bottom of Robinson’s note, “Jim, Brooks may be in the Hall of Fame, but when he faced me in that series, he grounded out to Gilliam. Tell him I said so! Sincerely, Joe Moeller”.

One of the nicest men in baseball, Moeller remained in the game as the advance scout for the Florida Marlins more than 50 years after his debut as the youngest starting pitcher in Los Angeles Dodger history.

 

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Joe Moeller was part of the 1966 National League Champion Dodger team that went on a goodwill tour of Japan after losing the World Series to the Orioles.

The Dodgers players were given luggage tags with their uniform numbers displayed prominently. In the collection is the tag issued to Moeller for this historic trip.

Moeller helped the Dodgers win the flag by posting a career-low 2.52 earned run average in ’66. He always maintained that pitching in the Fall Classic that season was his greatest thrill in baseball.

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In a letter dated November 25, 1969, Dodger general manager Al Campanis scolds veteran Joe Moeller in a round of contract negotiation. Campanis writes, “Enclosed please find a clipping which is self-explanatory. 1. It is not courteous to strike somebody through newspapers. 2. It is not ethical to negotiate through newspapers.”

The letter is written in an era where management held power over the players. During that time, the Dodgers were renown as difficult negotiators.

One of the true gentlemen of the game, Moeller maintained his allegiance to the only Major League team he had ever known, playing for the Dodgers through the 1971 season.

 

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The Major League Baseball Players Association sent out questionnaires like this one to its players to determine the endorsements each man had. Today’s players complement their baseball salary with off field endorsement but that wasn’t always the case.

This document filled out by Joe Moeller on July 21, 1970 shows him with a Spalding Sporting Goods endorsement and nothing more. It was rare for any player other than the stars to have product endorsements.

Directly under his signature, Moeller has penned “LA Dodgers”, the team he player for not only in 1970, but for the entirety of his 8-year big league career.

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Joe Moeller pitched for the Dodgers from 1962-1971. In the collection is his final Major League contract dated February 1, 1971 that calls for a salary of $24,000.

Moeller won 105 games in his 13-year career in professional baseball. All eight of his big league seasons were in Los Angeles for whom he won 26 games.

After the ’71 season, Moeller spent two seasons with the Hawaii Islanders, the Triple-A squad for the Padres.

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In addition to the player’s signature is that of Dodger general manager Al Campanis and National League president Chub Feeney. Campanis served as GM from 1968 through 1987; Fenney was the top NL executive from 1970 through 1986.

Moeller went 2-4 with a 3.80 ERA for the Dodgers in ’71. Walt Alston‘s club won 89 games to finish one game in back of the division-winning Giants

Joe remained in the game as a member of the Dodgers’ speaker’s bureau and later as advance scout for the Montreal Expos and the Florida Marlins.

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Gentleman Joe Moeller pitch professionally for 13 seasons from 1961 through 1973. A veteran of eight big league seasons, Moeller’s final year in the majors was 1971.

Shown here is a ticket to Dodger Stadium for Moeller’s final big league appearance on September 29, 1971. The Astros pummelled the Dodgers 11-0 that day. Moeller pitched the sixth and seventh inning and allowed three runs on four hits.

The final run Moeller allowed was scored by Hall of Fame second baseman Joe Morgan who tripled and came across on Cesar Cedeno’s sac fly. Houston third baseman Marty Martinez fouled out to left field to end the inning as the final big league batter Moeller faced.

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After retiring as a player, Joe Moeller continued to work in baseball. When Jeff Torborg got the manager’s job in Montreal in 2001, he called his former Dodger teammate and road roommate Moeller asking if he’d serve as advance scout. In that capacity, Moeller stayed one step ahead of the Expos, scouting their next opponent.

The youngest starting pitcher in Los Angeles Dodger history, Moeller took the hill as a fresh-faced 19-year old in 1962. After a 13-year professional playing career that included pitching in the 1966 World Series, Joe Moeller stayed close to the game.

In the collection is a letter written by Moeller as the advance scout for the Florida Marlins. In it he praises Cal Ripken, Mark McGwire, and eight-time batting champ Tony Gwynn.

Moeller writes, “Cal generated so much interest when he broke Lou Gehrig’s streak in 1995. The whole country cheered for him. Three years later it was Big Mac’s turn when he hit 70 home runs. Tony didn’t have that kind of singular memorable moment, but his quiet class during his 20 years with the Padres was equally impressive.”

Moeller’s witnessed some of the game’s greatest players up close during a career in baseball that spanned six decades.

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When Joe Moeller was hired as the Expos advance scout before the 2001 season, he likely could not envision the job lasting so long. Even as Major League Baseball intervened and gave owner Jeffrey Loria the Marlins in exchange for the Expos franchise, Joe was one of the front office men who kept his job. Moeller worked under seven different managers.

In this letter, Moeller writes about Mark McGwire’s pursuit of Roger Maris‘ home run record and of Big Mac’s Hall of Fame prospects.

“When Big Mac and Sammy Sosa chased Roger Maris, it helped baseball heal. Each night when I was scouting the Cardinals, McGwire would come to bat and the crowd would buzz with excitement – and he delivered. 61 was a magical number and Mark hit 70!”

Most at the time did not realize the scope of the Steroid Era.