| This
is an 8 x 11 B&W photo of the New York Yankees with
a caption at the bottom that reads "Instructional
School of the New York Yankees Phoenix Arizona, 1950"
The photo features some young New York Yankees including
Mickey Mantle who spent his first spring training
in pinstripes that year. Director of Player Personnel,
Lee MacPhail, suit & tie, located in the center.
This
1950 Instructional School was part of Casey Stengel's
"Go West" experiment for the 1951 spring
training season. The New York Yankees set up spring
training in Arizona in 1951, and it turned out to be the
only year. Like today ball clubs send prospect or
rookies still wet behind the ears to play winter ball or
to "instructional leagues." They still have
fall and Winter Leagues set up in Arizona.
This picture was most likely taken as they set up in
November of 1950. The young players like Mickey Mantle
that showed promise were invited to the
"instructional" camp ahead of the established
players, and In February of 1951 The New York Yankees
joined them, and set up their spring training camp.
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