Home Run King’s Mark Is Likely to Stand : BDAP
Harry (Bud) Heslet says his California League hitting records aren’t likely to be broken because today’s best players usually don’t stick around long enough to challenge season marks.
In 1956, Heslet hit 51 home runs and batted in 172 runs during the 140-game California League season for the Visalia Cubs. He easily broke the league’s previous records of 40 homers and 156 runs batted in.
Heslet says he won’t mind if someone breaks his records, but doubts that will happen.
“If some guy gets going, he’ll probably get moved up,” Heslet said, referring to the tendency of major league teams to move minor league players to a higher-ranked farm club in mid-season if they are doing well.
Heslet’s home run mark has been threatened only once, by Dave Duncan who hit 46 homers for Modesto in 1966 and later played with the Oakland A’s. No one since then has hit more than 40.
Jose Vidal drove in 162 runs for Reno in 1963, but no one since then has topped 140.
Heslet left baseball at age 36 to join the Visalia Fire Department, where he worked until 1974. He now works for ABLE Industries.
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