Understandably, Topps didn't have enough time to pull the card, so card #257 became a nice remembrance of sorts for a player that was just beginning to get his career started for the California Angels.
Before even arriving in Major League baseball, Miley had quite the impressive college career at LSU. He was both their starting quarterback on the football team, as well as the starting shortstop on their baseball team.
The Angels made him their first round pick (10th overall) in the 1974 draft, and he was sent to El Paso where he did well, hitting .288 with 13 homers and 45 R.B.I.'s in only 84 games.
The very next year he was called up and sadly didn't fare as well against Major League pitching, hitting .174 in 70 games.
After having similar results in 1976, he found himself back in the Minors with the Angels' Triple-A club, Salt Lake City.
He seemed to have found his groove again, hitting .274 with 60 R.B.I.'s in 119 games, and seemingly would have found himself back in California for the 1977 season.
However on January 6th, 1977 Miley was involved in what is described as a one-car accident in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, that took his life at the very young age of 23.
I have taken his card, as issued by Topps, and added the "In Memoriam" banner across the bottom, as I have with the other players being remembered in this thread.
Sadly, this isn't the last we will see of the 1977 set regarding this topic.
 |
| March 30, 1953 - January 6, 1977. |