1957 Back-O'-The-Card: Denver Bears

CURT ROBERTS (Denver Bears)

"Signing with Denver of the Western League in 1951, Curt made his debut in pro ball and proved an all-around ball player with a fine batting eye. Hitting .280 in 1951-52, he had his best batting mark in '53, hitting .281. A top-notch fielder, Curt led the league's second basemen in assists in '53, was tied for first in putouts and ranked second in fielding. He played with Denver through 1953 when he made the grade with the Pirates.

In the winter of 1950-51, Curt played in the Mexican League. He was spotted there by the manager of the Denver team."

-1954 Topps No. 242

"The Pirates took another big step in their rebuilding program when they brought Curt up from Denver. Taking over the regular keystone position, he lived up to his reputation as a top major league prospect.

Curt was discovered playing ball in Mexico in 1950 and signed to play at Denver. In '53 he set a Western League record in assists for a second baseman and hit .291."

-1955 Topps No. 107

"Curt took over the Bucs' keystone sack in 1954 after making a name for himself in the minors. Fast and agile, he had set a Western League mark for second base assists."

-1955 Topps Doubleheader No. 11

"Because of his great year in 1955, Curt rejoins the Pirates this season. He is a fast man and covers plenty of infield ground. In his four minor league seasons, Curt's batting average was .293."

-1956 Topps No. 306

JIM PISONI (Denver Bears)
"Jim is an old fashion 'swing from the heels' batter who made himself right at home in the Kansas City outfield this season. On May 6 Jim became the first Athletic to blast a grand slam home run this year and served notice that he was ready for steady service.
A long ball hitter, Jim poked 20 round-trippers last season for Vancouver while driving in 86 runs. In '55 at San Antonio, he had 26 circuit blows and posted 118 RBIs."

-1957 Topps No. 402


BEN FLOWERS (Denver Bears)
"Formerly the property of the Red Sox, the Tigers acquired Ben during the November draft. He pitched for Louisville in 1954 where he had an 11-12 record and a 3.57 earned run average.
Ben played American Legion ball, then attended Atlantic Christian College and turned pro in 1945 with Roanoke, Va. Bennett won 17 games for Scranton in 1951.
The Tigers like his chances."

-1955 Bowman No. 254