Billy Farmer

Billy Edward Farmer

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 2", Weight 215 lb.
• High School Choctaw High School

• Born September 15, 1946 in Auburn, CA USA

BR Minors page

Biographical Information

Billy Farmer pitched in the minor leagues from 1965 to 1970, all in the Boston Red Sox organization - in spite of being included by the Red Sox in a major trade following the 1969 season. His only appearance on a baseball card has him as a member of the Chicago White Sox, sharing a "White Sox Rookie Stars" card with John Matias as part of the 1970 Topps set.

He was drafted out of high school by Boston in the 15th round of the 1965 amateur draft - the very first amateur draft - and began his professional career that same year with the Harlan Red Sox of the Appalachian League, going 5-2, 4.02 in 11 games. In 1966, he was with the Winston-Salem Red Sox of the Carolina League, going 14-6, 3.87 in 27 games. After both the 1965 and 1966 seasons, he played in the Florida Instructional League.

In 1967, he moved up to the AA Eastern League with the Pittsfield Red Sox and went 10-11, 4.18. He was apparently drafted into military service that September, but it's not clear if he served, as he does not appear to have missed any significant playing time. The next two years were with Boston's top minor league affiliate at the time, the Louisville Colonels of the International League. He was 5-9, 4.87 the first year, and 12-10, 3.70 the second, both seasons as a full-time starting pitcher, logging 145 innings in 24 games the first year and 163 in 25 games the second. On December 13, 1969, he was included in a major league trade that saw Boston send him and IF Syd O'Brien to Chicago in return for P Gary Peters and C Don Pavletich. However, he was not pleased with the change of organizations and threatened to retire, forcing the Red Sox to amend the deal the following spring by sending P Gerry Janeski to Chicago on March 9th and taking Billy back. He did not make good on his threat to retire, and returned to pitch one more season in the Boston system, but it did not go great. He was 3-2, 4.41 in 14 games as a swingman for Louisville, and also spent time back in Class A with the Winter Haven Red Sox of the Florida State League, where he went 0-2, 5.73 in 7 starts. That was the end of his career.

Related Sites

• Picture and brief mention from the Oklahoma Historical Society