Third-billed in the cast, Jeff Richards was a professional ballplayer before he became an actor, and Hall of Fame pitcher Carl Hubbell appears as himself.

Lobert's niece comes down from the home office in New York and finds herself attracted to one of the players, the tall, quiet Adam Polachuk, a Polish-American from Pittston, Pennsylvania.

His father finds out about Adam's attempt to make the Giants just before the best of the recruits square off against the Brooklyn Dodgers' rookie squad.

[5][4] Big Leaguer was based on an original story by John McNulty, who sold it to producer Matthew Rapf at MGM.

Herbert Butler wrote a script and in November 1952 MGM announced they would make the film under the Charles Schnee unit.

[7] Robert Aldrich had worked at Enterprise Studios as an assistant director and met Herbert Baker on So This is New York.

[4] Aldrich remembered star Edward G. Robinson as "a marvellous actor and a brilliant man but he was not physically co ordinated.

"[4] A Los Angeles Times reviewer called it a "cheery little opus" and praised Vera-Ellen's performance, saying she "surprises pleasantly with her straight acting effort.