When Rose reached his senior year, he had used up his four years of sports eligibility. In the spring of 1960, he joined the Class AA team sponsored by Frisch's Big Boy of Lebanon, Ohio, in the Dayton Amateur League. He played catcher, second base and shortstop and compiled a .626 batting average. This would have been the pinnacle of Rose's baseball career if not for the help of his uncle Buddy Bloebaum. Bloebaum was a "Bird dog" scout for the Reds and he pleaded the case for his nephew. The Reds, who had recently traded away a number of prospects who turned out to be very good, decided to take a chance on Pete. Upon his graduation from high school, Rose signed a professional contract.