Hard-hitting first baseman Kent Hadley played three glorious years in the major leagues alongside bestfriend Roger Maris. The two played in Kansas City and New York.
In the minors he led the Southern Association League with 34 homers in 1958. At the time the 23-year old prospect was playing for the Little Rock Travelers.
A year later he was the starting first baseman for the Kansas City A's. He put in a solid year for A's and won the starting spot because of his long-ball hitting. That didn't go unnoticed by the New York Yankees, that December he was part of the controversial trade that sent him and Roger Maris from the A's to the New York Yankees. Yankee manager Casey Stengel kept him on the bench for most of the 1960 season because injury prone Moose Skowdron stayed healthy.In 1961 Hadley was sent down to the San Diego Padres after a lack-luster year he lost his bargaining chip with the Yankee brass fade away. With a young family he couldn't play another year for $10-grand in Richmond. He asked for his release and was signed by Nankai Hawks where he was an All-Star and gained superstar status.
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