"Permit us to borrow an old Anglo-Saxon word to describe Fred Beene. Guts. Every scouting report ever handed down on this 5'9" right-hander has said 'a lot of heart ... a lot of guts ... and he'll get the job done.'
In a way, these are fashionable things to say when one is 5'9" and battling toward the top. But baseball is game that can be played by men of any size, and when Fred Beene produced a 2.33 ERA in his first full season last year, it had nothing to do with height or lack of it. It had to do with his ability, his determination to stick it out through the minors without losing heart.
The results taught everyone something about size - forget about it in baseball. And forget about it especially in Fred Beene's case."
-The New York Yankees Official 1973 Yearbook
"Fred came to spring training last year without a major league contract and won a job while in camp. He had been knocking at the door of the major leagues the past four years while in the Baltimore organization. Aggressive as they come, Fred's heart is the biggest part of his body.
He filled in adequately as a middle and short reliever and also had one start. All three of his losses came in relief and all were by only one run. He allowed runs in just twelve of his twenty-nine appearances and only once did he allow more than two in one game. He finished the season with three saves and a creditable ERA of 2.33.
More than that, Fred experienced a full season of major league pitching, which could prove invaluable to a man of his grit and determination. He was 8-2 and ranked third in ERA with a 2.09 mark this past winter in the Puerto Rican League."
-1973 New York Yankees Press/TV/Radio Guide
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