Hank Aaron so well that the league made him the unanimous choice for Rookie of the Year. Although he appeared in just 87 games, he scored 89 runs, had 116 hits, nine home runs, and 61 RBI. In addition, Aaron hit for a .336 batting average. During his minor league experience, he was very homesick and faced constant racism, but his brother, Herbert Jr., told him not to give up the opportunity. In 1953, the Braves promoted him to the Jacksonville Braves, their Class-A affiliate in the South Atlantic League. Helped by Aaron's performance, the Braves won the league championship that year.
Dave Roberts (first baseman) Dave Roberts (first baseman) David Leonard Roberts is a former Major League Baseball first baseman who played 22 seasons of professional baseball. Of all professional baseball players whose careers began in 1952 only Hank Aaron had a longer career. Roberts started out in class C ball with the Porterville Comets of the Southwest International League in . He was purchased by the St. Louis Browns on October 10, 1953, less than a month before the Browns would officially become the Baltimore Orioles. It was to be the last transaction made in St. Louis Browns franchise history. After a strong 1955