Mel Heim

Millard Heim

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 5' 11", Weight 180 lb.

• Born 1930

Mel Heim pitched for six years in the minor leagues. He was 4-9 with a 5.80 ERA for the 1951 Vincennes Velvet and 2-1, 5.14 for the Fargo-Moorhead Twins that year. In '52, Heim was 6-16 with a 5.20 ERA for Fargo-Moorhead, part of a three-way tie for the Northern League lead in losses and walking 140, second-most, in 180 innings. Also seeing time in the outfield and at first base, he hit .204/~.318/.262. In 1953, Heim did a complete turn-around and went 19-8 with a 2.14 ERA for the Green Bay Bluejays, leading the Wisconsin State League in both wins and ERA.

In '54, Heim was 13-8, 3.23 for the Omaha Cardinals and he tied for third in the Western League with five shutouts. He followed with a 8-9, 4.68 season for the Rochester Red Wings in his only taste of AAA and then went 0-2 with a 9.00 for the '56 Oklahoma City Indians to wrap up his career. Overall, he went 52-53 in a minor league career that just missed the major leagues.

Sources include 1953 Baseball Guide, The Western League by W.C. Madden and Patrick Stewart and Pat Doyle's Professional Baseball Player Database

Personal Remembrance

Mel Heim of the Green Bay Blue Jays, a farm club of the Cleveland Indians in the 1953 Class D Wisconsin State League, was one of the best pitchers in the league. He may have led the league in ERA and wins. He probably continued his career in the Cleveland farm system. ---User:Pitcher53