Francona originally signed with the St. Louis Browns in 1952. He spent two seasons in the Browns/Baltimore Orioles\' farm system (the franchise was relocated to Baltimore and renamed on September 29, 1953) before departing to serve in the U.S. Army for two years. Upon his return, he was invited to Spring training 1956 as a non-roster invitee, and made the club. He batted .258 with nine home runs and 57 runs batted in to finish tied with the Cleveland Indians\' Rocky Colavito for second place in American League Rookie of the Year balloting behind Chicago White Sox shortstop Luis Aparicio.\n', '

With Al Pilarcik\'s acquisition during the off season, Francona lost his starting job in right field, and was demoted to the Pacific Coast League\'s Vancouver Mounties early in the 1957 season. He returned with a vengeance, hitting two home runs in a game for the first time in his career on May 19 against the Kansas City Athletics, raising his season average to an even .300 in the process. He slipped into more of a reserve role from there. Used as a fourth outfielder and left-handed bat off the bench, Francona batted just .185 as a pinch hitter for the season. After which, he, Ray Moore and Billy Goodman were dealt to the Chicago White Sox for Larry Doby, Jack Harshman and Jim Marshall (Chicago later sent pitcher Russ Heman to Baltimore as part of this deal when it was discovered by the Orioles that Harshman was suffering from a slipped disc).\n', '

After a hot Spring, Francona won the White Sox starting right field job. His stay in Chicago was short, as he was dealt to the Detroit Tigers on the June 15 trade deadline. With Hall of Famer Al Kaline in right, Francona logged just 84 plate appearances over the remainder of the season. Dissatisfied with his lack of playing time, Francona demanded a trade. On March 21, 1959, he was traded to the Cleveland Indians for Larry Doby, the second trade involving the two.\n', '

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