MLB: Where are they now? Rick Reichardt

Uhh, the same Detroit hi-fi/go-go jernt I left him and Jim Spencer at…back in 1969?

But Rick Reichardt remembers it well, mostly because he’s the player who is largely responsible for Major League Baseball instituting the Draft.

The slugging outfielder from Wisconsin commanded a $205,000 signing bonus in 1964 from the Los Angeles Angels, which was, at that point, the largest bonus in the history of baseball and enough to put baseball owners in a frenzy.

“I was the last of the true free agents,” Reichardt said. “I went to the Angels, even though they didn’t offer me the most money. The Kansas City Athletics and Charles Finley offered me twice as much, but I felt kind of nervous about him.”

...Reichardt got off to a hot start in 1966 and became the first player to hit a home run at Anaheim Stadium when he hit a solo homer in the second inning off Tommy John on April 19.

“Back in those days, we didn’t think about keeping balls or our uniforms for things like that,” Reichardt said. “But I do remember that Ronald Reagan and Walt Disney were at the game. I even took a picture with Walt after the game.”