Byrd was drafted out of El Capitan High School in Lakeside, California in the second round of the 1974 MLB Draft by the Texas Rangers. He turned pro in 1974, playing with the Rangers Gulf Coast League team, earning a 4-1 record and an ERA of 2.87 in nine starts.\n', '

In 1975, Byrd moved up to the Anderson Rangers of the Western Carolinas League, in which he had a 7-11 record in 22 starts for the club. The following season in 1976, the Rangers moved Byrd up to AA baseball, where he joined the San Antonio Brewers of the Texas League, where Byrd once again posted a 7-11 record, however his ERA went up to 5.22, as well as 106 walks in 143 innings pitched.\n', '

On November 5, 1976, Byrd was left unprotected in the 1976 MLB Expansion Draft, where the Toronto Blue Jays selected him with the 21st pick in the draft.\n', '

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