About Tito Francona
John Patsy Francona (November 4, 1933 – February 13, 2018) was an American Major League Baseball player, an outfielder and first baseman for nine teams. As a child, he was nicknamed "Tito" by his father. == Baltimore Orioles == Francona originally signed with the St. Louis Browns in 1952. He spent two seasons in the Browns/Baltimore Orioles' farm system (the franchise was relocated to Baltimore and renamed on September 29, 1953) before departing to serve in the U.S. Army for two years. Upon his return, he was invited to Spring training 1956 as a non-roster invitee, and made the club. He batted.258 with nine home runs and 57 runs batted in to finish tied with the Cleveland Indians' Rocky Colavito for second place in American League Rookie of the Year balloting behind Chicago White Sox shortstop Luis Aparicio. With Al Pilarcik's acquisition during the off season, Francona lost his starting job in right field, and was demoted to the Pacific Coast League's Vancouver Mounties early in the 1957 season. He returned with a vengeance, hitting two home runs in a game for the first time in his career on May 19 against the Kansas City Athletics, raising his season average to an even.300 in the process. He slipped into more of a reserve role from there.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.