1962 Topps # 354		1963 Jello # 186

Mejias--acquired in the 1961 Expansion draft from the Pittsburgh Pirates--did it all for the Houston Colt .45's in 1962. He got the first hit ever for the club in its first spring game against the Los Angeles Angels, he homered twice with six RBI in the team's opening regular season game, and his primary line of .286-24-76 would win the club's triple crown. His 16-game hitting streak wouldn't be bettered for four years, and he also led the squad in at-bats, plate appearances, runs scored, stolen bases, slugging percentage, OPS, power/speed number, and total bases. The guy did EVERYTHING for the expansion franchise, and then two months after the season is over, they trade him. It may not be fair to blame Paul Richards for the fact that Pete Runnels failed in

Houston--after all Runnels was a two-time batting champ, and they don't grow on trees--but how can you even think of trading a guy who had meant so much to your club? And Mejias hit 24 homers in 1962, while Runnels' career high going into '63 was ten. I often go on about how great a GM Richards was, but it's not all hindsight in questioning the trade. Of course, Mejias was probably as disappointed as the Colts. In Boston, he would hit .227 and .238 with a total of 13 homers over two years, and you gotta think that as dank September rolled around at Fenway in '63 and '64, he was thinking about multi-color Colt Stadium and the blue, blue skies of Houston. . . .

Mejias' Year In Houston

Year

Age

G

AB

R

H

2B

3B

HR

RBI

SB

CS

BB

SO

BA

OBP

SLG

TB

SH

SF

IBB

HBP

GDP

1962

31

146*

566*

82*

162*

12

3

24*

76*

12*

4

30

83*

.286*

.326

.445*

252*

3

5

1

6

13

*Led club

Figures in lightgreen were career highs

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