Big Leaguer

Big Leaguer is a 1953 film. It starred Edward G. Robinson and was the first film directed by Robert Aldrich.

Although this story is fiction, Robinson's character in it, Hans Lobert, was an actual baseball player who played for five Major League Baseball teams and managed the Philadelphia Phillies. Third-billed in the cast, Jeff Richards was a professional ballplayer before he became an actor, and Hall of Fame pitcher Carl Hubbell appears as himself.

Plot

John "Hans" Lobert runs a training camp in Florida for baseball's New York Giants. Every year, he evaluates the 18-22-year-old hopefuls to pick the best for a minor league contract. All have dreams and talent, but the elimination whittles them down to a lucky few who will get the $150-a-month contract.

Lobert's niece comes down from the home office in New York and finds herself attracted to one of the players, the tall, quiet Adam Polachuk.

Cast