Here's a card that really "should have been": a 1974 Topps card for power-pitcher Bob Veale.
Take a look at my design:
Curious as to why Topps didn't include him in their 1974 set, as
Veale posted a 2-3 record with 11 saves for the BoSox over the course of
32 games and 36.1 innings.
He even went on to pitch for Boston in 1974, his last year in the
Major Leagues. So it wasn't like he retired at the end of the '73 season
and Topps knew about it.
Veale was one of those power arms that the National League was
blessed with in the 1960's, even topping the Senior League with 250 K's
in 1964.
A year later he'd strike out 276 batters, and would have another
two season with 200+ strikeouts while throwing for the Pittsburgh
Pirates, the only other team he'd pitch for in his 13-year career.
He'd retire with a tidy 120-95 record, with a 3.07 earned run average and 1703 K's with 20 shutouts.
Between 1964 and 1970 Veale was a very solid Major League starter,
averaging 15 wins and 213 strikeouts over those seven years, easily
keeping pace with contemporaries like Don Drysdale, Jim Bunning and Jim
Maloney.
