Born in Chapman, Alabama, and raised in Pittsburgh, he threw and batted right-handed, stood 6 feet 1 inch (1.85 m) tall and weighed 185 pounds (84 kg).

He did not make the move to Kansas City with the Athletics, spending 1955 with three clubs at the top levels of the minors.

Two strong campaigns and an All-Star selection as a member of the Seattle Rainiers of the Open-Classification Pacific Coast League got him a late-season trial with the 1957 Cincinnati Redlegs.

At season's end, however, he was included in a five-player December 5 trade in which the Redlegs, seeking pitching help, sent him and a young future All-Star centerfielder, Curt Flood, to the St. Louis Cardinals for three hurlers.

He then returned to the Triple-A Vancouver Mounties, where he was selected to the Pacific Coast League All-Star team for a second time.