Slocum attended Helix High School. He was initially signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates and spent five seasons (1964–1968) in their minor league system before his newly created hometown team, the MLB Padres, chose him as the 55th overall selection in the National League\'s portion of the 1968 Major League Baseball expansion draft. Slocum spent the 1969 minor league season with the Double-A Elmira Pioneers before his recall by the Padres in September.\n', '

On September 16 at San Diego Stadium, against the Houston Astros, he started at third base and collected his first two Major League hits, a single off Tom Griffin and a two-run home run off Jack Billingham. Overall, he batted .292 in 13 games, and won a job as a utility player on the 1970 San Diego roster the following season.\n', '

Slocum played in 60 games for the 1970 Padres, but in 71 at bats he could muster only ten hits, including his second MLB home run, two doubles and two triples. He was the starting second baseman on July 21, 1970 — the day that Padre manager Preston Gómez controversially used a pinch hitter (Cito Gaston) for Clay Kirby in the eighth inning of a game in which Kirby was throwing a no-hitter against the New York Mets (although Kirby left the game trailing 1–0).\n', '

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