Thursday, September 28, 2023

1971 TOPPS ROOKIE ALL-STARS: JOHN ELLIS

Up on the blog today, we look at the next unreleased 1971 Topps Rookie All-Star card from a very desirable rare prototype set, John Ellis of the New York Yankees:


Ellis had a decent 1970 season for the Yanks, appearing in 78 games while hitting .248, easily signifying a "down" year for rookie first baseman if you ask me.
He'd go on to play thirteen years in the Majors, generally at first or behind the plate as a catcher, never truly a full-timer except for the 1973 and 1974 seasons while with the Cleveland Indians.
By the time he hung them up after the 1981 season, Ellis finished with a .262 career average, with 699 hits in 2672 at-bats, with 69 homers and 391 runs batted in, playing for the Yankees, Indians and Texas Rangers.