hiː wʌz sˈaɪnd baɪ ðə ʃᵻkˈɑːɡoʊ kˈʌbz ˌɔːɹɡɐnᵻzˈeɪʃən ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd fˈoːɹɾi fˈoːɹ ænd spˈɛnt fˈoːɹ fˈʊl jˈɪɹz ɪn ðɛɹ fˈɑːɹm sˈɪstəm, wˌɛɹ hiː wʌzðɪ ˈɔːlstˈɑːɹ kˈætʃɚɹ ɪnðə klˈæs bˈiː θɹˈiːaɪ lˈiːɡ nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd fˈoːɹɾi sˈɪks ænd ðə dˈʌbəlɐ sˈʌðɚn ɐsˌoʊsɪˈeɪʃən nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd fˈoːɹɾi sˈɛvən.
He was signed by the Chicago Cubs' organization in 1944 and spent four full years in their farm system, where he was the All-Star catcher in the Class B Three-I League (1946) and the Double-A Southern Association (1947).