Returning to baseball however, Bergesch would ultimately serve as a senior front office executive or general manager for several major league teams, including most prominently, the Cincinnati Reds and the New York Yankees.

Bergesch was admitted to and briefly attended Washington University School of Law, but withdrew after less than one full academic year, in order to pursue other opportunities in professional baseball management.

In 1961 he joined the Kansas City Athletics, recently purchased by Charles O. Finley, as assistant general manager to Frank Lane.

In 1962, Bergesch moved to the New York Mets, their first season, as assistant general manager and director of minor league operations, where he was largely responsible for building a farm system for the new team.

He was promoted to vice president of baseball operations – and served in actuality as general manager in 1983, although he formally retained the previous title.

In the 1982 draft, in a move which - if consummated - would have re-written the legacy of a further prominent athlete of the next decade in American professional sports, Bergesch also attempted to sign Bo Jackson directly out of high school.

At Auburn, and playing football, Jackson would win in 1985 the Heisman Trophy, the Walter Camp Award, SEC Player of the Year, and have his number retired.

However, never having fully given up baseball, which he also continued to play at Auburn, after graduation Jackson proceeded to embark upon his astonishing career as a multi-sport professional athlete.

During his tenure, Pete Rose was the field Manager, but was also a listed as a player on the Reds roster through the 1986 season, when he set the all-time MLB record for base hits.

Bergesch attempted to build the team around a core of highly regarded young players, in addition to veterans like Dave Parker and Terry Francona.

[citation needed] However, Bergesch was otherwise unable to capitalize on an excess of young and highly touted position players including Kurt Stillwell, Tracy Jones, and Kal Daniels, under circumstances which compelled him to trade them for pitching.

Despite the emergence of Tom Browning as Rookie of the Year in 1985, winning 20 games, the Reds would finish second in the National League West, missing the playoffs.