Early Career
On June 18, 1969, Milbourne signed as an amateur free agent with the Baltimore Orioles. Baltimore assigned him to their rookie-level minor league affiliate, the Bluefield Orioles of the Appalachian League. With Bluefield that season, Milbourne batted .305 with 75 hits, 10 doubles, six triples, and four home runs in 68 games played. Defensively, he played shortstop. On April 7, 1970, he was released by Baltimore. At the start of the 1971 season, after being out of professional baseball for a season, Milbourne was signed by the San Francisco Giants. The Giants assigned him to their Class-A affiliate, the Decatur Commodores of the Midwest League. In 123 games with the Commodores that season, he batted .301 with 69 runs scored, 156 hits, 23 doubles, five triples, five home runs, 38 runs batted in (RBIs), and 21 stolen bases. In the field, Milbourne primarily played second base, but also saw limited time at shortstop and third base. He led the league in hits, plate appearances (543), and at-bats (518) that season.
At the end of the 1971 season, Milbourne was selected by the California Angels in the minor league draft. During the 1972 season, Milbourne played his first and only season in the Angels organization. He was assigned to the Double-A Shreveport Captains of the Texas League. He batted .264 with 110 hits, 14 doubles, five triples, and two home runs in 122 games played that year. On defense, he only played second base. After the season, Milbourne was again selected in the minor league draft, this time by the St. Louis Cardinals. In 1973, the Cardinals assigned him to the Triple-A Tulsa Oilers, where he batted .283 with 104 hits, 13 doubles, six triples, and five home runs in in 111 games played. The Cardinals added Milbourne to their 40-man roster after the season.
Read more about this topic: Larry Milbourne, Professional Career
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