Osborne graduated from West Fulton High School in Atlanta in 1953 and passed up a football scholarship from Auburn University to sign a pro baseball contract with the Tigers. A power hitter in minor league baseball, Osborne played four full seasons in the Majors. In 1959, he was the Tigers\' second-string first baseman, playing behind veteran Gail Harris. He appeared in 86 games, but batted only .196. In 1961 he backed up American League batting champion (and All-Star first baseman) Norm Cash, and the following season he was Detroit\'s reserve third baseman, behind Steve Boros, but hit .215 and .230.\n', '

In the midst of his four full MLB seasons, in 1960, Osborne spent a year with the Triple-A Denver Bears and he won the American Association\'s Triple Crown, leading the league in batting (.342) and home runs (34) and tying with teammate Boros for the runs batted in lead (119). In winning the batting title, Osborne edged Minneapolis Millers outfielder Carl Yastrzemski by three percentage points.\n', '

In March 1963, Washington acquired Osborne in a trade for outfielder Wayne Comer, and he ultimately became the Senators\' starter at first base in 1963, appearing in 125 games and slugging 12 of his 17 big-league home runs, including a two-homer day on May 2 against his former team.\n', '

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