He split 1939 between the Class-B Savannah Indians of the South Atlantic League and the Class-A1 Atlanta Crackers of the Southern Association, hitting a combined .286 with 14 home runs and 10 triples in 144 games.
[3] He reported to spring training with a 1-B military draftee classification,[4] but played the whole season for the Montreal Royals of the Triple-A International League and hit .250 with 28 home runs and 88 RBI in 152 games.
He was set to be Dolph Camilli's replacement at first base on the major league team in 1943, but was instead called into service for World War II and did not play professionally again until 1946.
Despite missing three years to the service, the Dodgers still had hopes for the first baseman, with team general manager Branch Rickey saying he had the makings of a "great hitter.
He played for and managed the Double-A Fort Worth Cats of the Texas League – another Dodgers affiliate – in 1947,[10] hitting .279 with seven home runs in 110 games and leading the team to a 95-58 second-place finish.