Today's "Missing in Action" subject is a Montreal Expo player who
lasted 4 years in the Majors, and actually did appear on a rookie card
in the 1974 Topps set, but curiously didn't get a card the following
year even though he appeared in just under half
the team's games: second baseman Jim Cox.
Before we get into the player, check out the card I designed:
In 1974 Cox appeared in 77 games, good for 270 plate appearances
and a light .220 average with two homers and 26 runs batted in, all
while manning second base.
In his other three seasons he barely saw any playing time,
appearing in 33 games total, before leaving the game for good after some
solid Minor League years with the Denver Triple-A team in the Expos
system.
Curious to know why the guy never really stuck with the parent-team
since the Expos didn't really have a solid second baseman at the time.
For example, on their 1975 & 1976 squads their main guy at the
position was Pete Mackanin, who managed to hit .225 & .224 with
little pop and run production.
It wasn't like the rest of the field where Montreal was bursting
with hot young talent like Gary Carter, Ellis Valentine, Warren
Cromartie and Andre Dawson.
Nevertheless, Cox should have gotten a card in the 1975 set
considering some of the guys that actually got one with much less
playing time.
Cox was another of those players I read about in the SABR article
profiling players with substantial Major League playing time who didn't
receive a Topps card. In this case, a card of his own instead of just a
multi-player rookie as noted earlier.
I'll be profiling some more players mentioned in the SABR article in the near future, so keep an eye out for them.
