"1960'S ALL-DECADE TEAM" SUB-SET FOR THE 1970 TOPPS SET: RIGHT-HANDED PITCHERS

Today we come to the final position on my "1960's All-Decade Team" sub-set for the 1970 Topps set: right-handed pitchers.

While the National League pick was an easy one, Juan Marichal, the American League choice was tough, but I eventually went with Dean Chance.

Take a look at my card design:

As much as Marichal is celebrated as an all-time pitching legend, you still have to feel for the guy when you consider the timing of all his banner years in the big leagues.

In 1963 he has his breakout year, going 25-8 with a 2.41 E.R.A., but takes a back seat to another guy who has a breakout year, Sandy Koufax.

In 1966 he wins 25 games again, but again takes a backseat to a now dominating Koufax, who wins 27 along with a bunch of other eye-popping numbers.

In 1968 he sets a career high of 26 wins to go along with a 2.43 earned run average, but wait, a guy named Bob Gibson has a year for the ages, winning both the Cy Young Award and the M.V.P.

But when you look at the decade as a whole, there wasn't a better pitcher in the game from 1960-1969, as Marichal went on to win 191 games, winning 25 or more wins three times, post seven sub-3.00 E.R.A. seasons,  top 200+ strikeouts six times , and get selected as an all-star every year between 1962-1969.

A lefty-righty combo of Koufax and Marichal would make any baseball fan drool to no end.

Now over in the American League it got a bit trickier, as there wasn't any one dominating hurler from the right side who made a clear cut pick here.

I went with Dean Chance based on his two 20-win seasons, his sick 1964 Cy Young winning year, 11 shutouts in 1964, and five sub-3.00 E.R.A. campaigns by the time the '60's were in everyone's rear-view mirrors.

In 1962, his first full-year in the Majors, he finished third for Rookie of the Year, going 14-10 with a 2.96 E.R.A.

Throughout the rest of the decade it was more of the same, as he posted solid numbers year in and year out.

But it was his 1964 season that was far and away his best year in the Majors, as he finished with a 20-9 record with a sparkling 1.65 earned run average, 11 shutouts and 207 strikeouts, leading to a Cy Young win and a fifth-place finish in M.V.P. voting for the Los Angeles Angels.

He'd post another 20-win season in 1967, now as a member of the Minnesota Twins, going 20-14 with a 2.73 E.R.A., five shutouts and 220 strikeouts, and followed up in 1968 with a career high of 234 K's along with a 2.53 E.R.A., six shutouts and a mediocre 16-16 record.

Sadly for Chance this would be his last full season in the Majors, even though he was still only 27 years old.

1969 would see Chance make only 15 starts, going 5-4 with a 2.95 E.R.A. and 50 K's in only 88.1 innings before scraping together two more years playing for the Indians, Mets and Tigers.

He would be out of baseball for good by 1972, only 30 years old, but his solid seven years between 1962-1968 still makes him my pick as the righty pitcher on my A.L. All-Decade team for my 1970 sub-set.

Hope you enjoyed this thread while it lasted. 

It was fun designing the cards and getting a chance to have some players that would not have been on my blog to begin with since they didn't play into the '70's.

"1960'S ALL-DECADE TEAM" SUB-SET FOR THE 1970 TOPPS SET: LEFT-HANDED PITCHERS

Time for the pitchers on my imagined 1970 sub-set celebrating the "players of the decade" for the 1960's.

Today it's all about the two lefties that represent their respective leagues: Jim Kaat and Sandy Koufax.

Now, while one of my picks may surprise some, the other is about as solid a "lock" for the nomination as there is for ANY position.

First take a look at my card design:

You may be surprised by my pick of Kaat as the American League's lefty of the decade. But really, as far as a FULL decade goes, he didn't have much stiff competition. Whitey Ford is the guy who jumps into everyone's mind, but he really had half a decade before his career went South.

As for Kaat, all the guy did was win eight Gold Glove awards, a pennant in 1965 with the Twins, post 142 wins and have five seasons of 15 or more wins, with a high of 25 in 1966, a year he easily would have won the Cy Young had there been one selected for each league at the time.

In the case of the American League, it really was about consistency in this case over anyone with dominant numbers, there just weren't any.

Kaat ended up with a very nice career, moving into the bullpen after a lengthy 20 years as a starter in 1979.

He ended up pitching effectively another five years out of the pen before retiring after the 1983 season with the Cardinals, finishing up with 283 wins, 31 shutouts and 2461 strikeouts in 898 games, 625 of them starting.

He also famously won 16 Gold Gloves total in his career, something only Greg Maddux can relate to (with 18 such awards).

Over in the National League, it's all about one lefty for the 1960's, all-time Dodger great (and fellow Bensonhurst, Brooklyn native) Sandy Koufax, out of my rival Lafayette High School (I'm a New Utrecht High School alum, of "Welcome Back Kotter" fame).

Really, what needs to be said about the "Left Arm of God"?!

Between 1960 and 1966, before having his career cut short with arm trouble, all Koufax did was win two World Championships, three Cy Young Awards, finish third in 1964, win an M.V.P. in 1963 while finishing second in 1965 and 1966, take home five E.R.A. crowns, win 25 or more games in a season three times (sorry Juan Marichal!), and win four strikeout crowns with three of those seasons topping 300!

For the decade Koufax fashioned a 137-60 record (that's a winning percentage of .695), and if you take away 1960, which saw him post a record of 8-13, we are looking at a winning percentage of .733!

Three of his seasons in the decade were seasons for the ages: 1963, 1965 & 1966. In each year he topped 25 wins, 300 strikeouts, and posted earned run averages under 2.00!

Just insane numbers from the quiet guy from the Brooklyn sandlots!

Sadly, as we all know ad nauseam, after the 1966 World Series, which saw the favored Dodgers get swept by the young-stud Baltimore Orioles, Koufax was forced to retire from the game at the height of his career or else possibly suffer permanent damage to his arm and health, leaving behind a story for the baseball history books, as well as the "what-if's?" we love to ponder time and again.

Next up on this thread, the righties: Dean Chance for the American League and Juan Marichal in the National League.

Stay tuned…

"1960'S ALL-DECADE TEAM" SUB-SET FOR THE 1970 TOPPS SET: OUTFIELDERS (3 of 3)

Today we round out the outfield slots for my imagined 1970 sub-set celebrating the "All-Decade" team of the 1960's.

As with the other two outfield entries, this one doesn't disappoint, as it presents another two future Hall of Famers: Al Kaline and Roberto Clemente.

Take a look at the card I designed:

What a quiet legend Kaline was. Buried under names like Aaron, Mays, Mantle, etc, he just went about his business year in and year out and paved the way for his eventual induction into Cooperstown's hallowed halls in 1980.

The 1960's saw Kaline make eight All-Star teams, win seven Gold Gloves, and receive solid M.V.P. support seven of ten years, finishing as high as second in 1963.

Though he only lead the league in a primary offensive category only once (doubles in 1961), Kaline's consistency was his strength, as he topped .300 four times, 20 homers five times, and a .500 slugging percentage five times.

Over in the National League, who else could fill out the outfield but the Pittsburgh Pirate legend?

Gee, let's see…

All Clemente did was win four batting titles, have four 200-hit seasons, win an M.V.P. in 1966, and win nine Gold Gloves (which was part of a 12-year run of the award).

In nine of ten years during the 1960's Clemente received considerable M.V.P. votes, finishing in the top-10 seven times.

When you look at Clemente's performance throughout his career you see a guy that could pop a homer, slap a double, leg out a triple, whatever you needed.

Just look at his power numbers by the time his career was tragically ended in that fateful plane crash in December, 1972: 440 doubles, 166 triples and 240 home runs.

Throw in his 3000 hits, 1416 runs scored and 1305 runs batted in and you see how the man was a lethal threat at the plate.

It comes as no surprise that Major League Baseball honored the man by waiving the five-year waiting period for Hall of Fame eligibility and inducted him by special election in 1973.

Well, there you have all the position players from catchers to outfielders.

Next up, we take a look at the left-handed pitchers representing their leagues for the 1960's: Jim Kaat and Sandy Koufax.

Stay tuned..

"1960'S ALL-DECADE TEAM" SUB-SET FOR THE 1970 TOPPS SET: OUTFIELDERS (2 of 3)

OK, now who is going to argue with these two taking up residence in the outfield on a "Team of the Decade" for the 1960's?

Granted, Mickey Mantle didn't play to his Hall of Fame standards throughout the 1960's, but based solely on his performance from 1960 through 1964, he earns a spot on the American League team easily.

For Willie Mays, it's a 100% no-brainer, as easy a pick as it gets!

Take a look at my card:

For Mantle, the decade did bring three second place finished for M.V.P. in 1960, 1961 and 1964, as well as a win in 1962, so "the Mick" did have some glory days left in him before he hung them up by 1968.

Throw in nine primary offensive stat titles, two world championships and eight all-star game appearances, and you see why his inclusion here is easy to live with.

One of the all-time most popular baseball players to ever suit up, his legend has not diminished one bit even with some controversy thrown in.

A first ballot Hall of Fame induction was a cinch, and he was indeed voted in on his first try in 1974.

For Mays, we're not just talking about one of the most popular players like Mantle, but arguably one of the top-3 players of all-time between the foul lines.

The "Say Hey Kid" was elected "Player of the Decade" for the 1960's, and looking at his numbers you can see why: An M.V.P. in 1965, six top-10 finishes in voting in other years, an all-star appearance every single year of the decade, nine Gold Gloves, and ten primary offensive league titles.

By the time HE was done roaming Major League outfields after the 1973 season, he was also as much of a "lock" for a first-ballot inductions as well, and that's exactly what happened in 1979, getting named to 409 or 432 ballots.

(Who could POSSIBLY leave his name off is not only inconceivable, but astounding!)

Just an incredible duo manning centerfield during the same era. 

Two legends on one card.

Hope you enjoy it as much as I do…

Next up, the last outfield spot, with another two future Hall of Famers: Al Kaline and Roberto Clemente. 

Not bad huh?

Stay tuned…

"1960'S ALL-DECADE TEAM" SUB-SET FOR THE 1970 TOPPS SET: outfielders (1 of 3)

Today we move out into the outfield for my "All-Decade" team of the 1960's, as a sub-set in Topps 1970 set.

Would have been a nice reflection on the past decade for the otherwise bland set.

The first set of outfielders are two future Hall of Famers that lit it up during the 1960's: Carl Yastrzemski and Hank Aaron.

Take a look at my card design:

Yastrzemski was at the height of the baseball world by the end of the 1960's, coming off of a Triple Crown and M.V.P. in 1967 when it seems like the threw the entire city of Boston on his back and carried them to the World Series against the Cardinals, and then followed it up with his third batting title in 1968 and his second 40 home run season in 1969.

During the decade, "Yaz" won three batting titles, lead the American League in 20 primary offensive categories, won five Gold Gloves and had four top-10 finishes in M.V.P. Voting.

For Aaron, there's really no need to get into with one of the All-Time best, but let's do it anyway.

For the decade, all Aaron did was score over 100 runs a season every year but 1968 (the "year of the pitcher"), hit over 40 homers five times, drive in over 100 runs six times, and lead the National league in primary offensive categories 17 times.

He was an All-Star every single season, and finish in the top-10 in M.V.P. voting seven times.

The man was a machine, and it was that consistency that lead to his massive lifetime totals in almost every offensive category: homers, runs batted in, runs scored, hits, total bases, you name it.

On top of all of that, the 1960's brought out the "speed" in Aaron, as he totaled double digits in stolen bases nine time during the decade, the ONLY times he stole as much in his entire 23 year career.

A fantastic outfield duo to kick-off the position on this thread!

Next up, the dynamic duo of Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays. About as good as it gets right there…

"1960'S ALL-DECADE TEAM" SUB-SET FOR THE 1970 TOPPS SET: CATCHERS

The 1950's had all-time catchers like Roy Campanella and Yogi Berra, and the 1970's had superstars like Carlton Fisk and Johnny Bench, but in the decade of the 1960's, there weren't any "all-time" catchers that could really keep company with the guys I mentioned earlier.
But it's not to say there weren't any good catchers.
For my "all-decade" team, my two backstops are the Tigers' Bill Freehan and the Braves Joe Torre.
Take a look at my card:

It's safe to say that between Berra and Fisk, Freehan was easily the best catcher in the American League.
With all the superstars on the filed during the decade, it's easy to forget that Freehan was an eleven-time all-star, five-time Gold Glover, and finished in the top-ten in M.V.P. voting three times, with a second place finish in 1968 behind teammate Denny McLain.
1964, his first full year in the Majors, was arguably his finest season, as he hit .300 for the only time in his career along with 18 homers and 80 R.B.I.'s.
But for the rest of the decade Freehan put up comparable numbers year after year, while taking are of a Detroit pitching staff that featured guys like McLain, Mickey Lolich and Earl Wilson.
He really was ahead of the rest of the pack as far as A.L. catchers during the decade.
Over in the National League, some of you may be surprised at my pick of Joe Torre as the catcher of the decade, but take a look at the guy's numbers and you'll see why.
With a decade that didn't have that Campanella or Bench behind the plate, Torre outdistances other catchers in the league in my opinion.
A five-time all-star during the '60's, Torre had a couple of "monster" years that kind of get lost in history.
In 1964 playing for the Milwaukee Braves, Torre hit .321 with 20 homers and 109 runs batted in. He also chipped in 193 hits and 36 doubles. Not bad!
But in 1966, with the Braves relocated to Atlanta, Torre clubbed 36 home runs to go along with a .315 average and 101 R.B.I.'s.
Later on when he'd switch over to third base he'd win an M.V.P. with the St. Louis Cardinals, and tack on a few more excellent years at the plate, and it's those years that people generally remember Torre as a player.
But his catching days for the Braves organization were very good in their own right. yet easy to overlook.
Later on, as we all know, Torre would be inducted into the Hall of Fame as a manager in 2014 for his days leading the New York Yankees through their most recent dynasty in the late-90's/early-00's, along with taking the helm of the Mets, Braves, Cardinals and Dodgers as well between 1977 and 2010, finishing up with 2326 wins and four championship titles.
Next up on the all-decade parade, the first outfield slot, with a couple of future Hall of Famers: Carl Yastrzemski and Hank Aaron.

"1960'S ALL-DECADE TEAM" SUB-SET FOR THE 1970 TOPPS SET: THIRD BASEMEN

Here's a position for my "All-Decade" 1970 sub-set creation that was about as easy as it gets: third base.

Brooks Robinson and Ron Santo were easy picks as the best at their position in their respective leagues for the 1960's.

Both future Hall of Famers who distanced themselves from the rest of the pack, and make for a nice card. Take a look:

Brooks Robinson, he of 16 Gold Gloves, an M.V.P. In 1964, 15 All-Star games, and over 2800 hits and two World Championships over his stellar 23 year career playing entirely for the Baltimore Orioles, was not only the third baseman of the DECADE for the American League, but perhaps still is the third baseman of FOREVER in the A.L.

His hitting was good enough (for his era) to have him stand out as a perennial All-Star, but his fielding was just plain out of this world.

Who can forget his fielding display in the 1970 World Series, frustrating the Cincinnati Reds with play after play?

The man was truly the "Human Vacuum Cleaner"!

Over on the National League side, Ron Santo was no slouch himself: nine All-Star games, five Gold Gloves, 342 lifetime homers and 1331 runs batted in in a somewhat short 15-year career, mainly for the North Side Chicago Cubs (he played his last year for the South Side Chicago White Sox) in 1974.

He was about as beloved a Cub as there ever was, and finally made it into the Hall of Fame in 2012 as a Veteran's Committee selection, even though tragically it was two years after he passed away.

Just take a look at his career, and see the solid numbers year after year, about as consistent a player you could ever ask for.

Two great third basemen that made this entry for the thread easy.

Next up we move on to Catcher, which was not as easy as one might think…

Stay tuned and see who the players are.

"1960'S ALL-DECADE TEAM" SUB-SET FOR THE 1970 TOPPS SET: SHORTSTOPS

Today let's revisit my imagined 1960's "All-Decade" sub-set and move on to shortstop. 

After trying to justify getting Jim Fregosi in there as the American League shortstop of the decade, I decided that really, I need to go with Hall of Famer Luis Aparicio.

For the National league I went with speed demon Maury Wills and his baskets full of stolen bases and his 1962 M.V.P. award. Ernie Banks was over at first base by 1961/62, so what would have been a given actually isn't.

Anyway, let's take a look at the card I designed:

Aparicio had a fine decade in the 1960's, pacing the American League in stolen bases with five crowns from 1960-1964, winning a World Series with the Orioles in 1966, being named to five all-star teams, and winning six Gold Gloves.

All in all I just feel he was a lot more solid overall than Fregosi, who had a nice run of offensive seasons  from the mid-60's to 1969.

Aparicio even had six years during the decade where he got some M.V.P. attention, with a peak finish of ninth in that championship 1966 season at Baltimore.

For the National League, no one really dominated the position, so I went with another stolen base machine, Maury Wills.

It's not like it was a pity-pick though, as Wills really did have a good decade, leading the lead in steals six straight years between 1960-65, with a high of 104 that took the baseball world by storm in 1962, leading to his Most Valuable Player Award.

He also finished in third for M.V.P. in 1965, when he stole 94 bases to go along with his 186 hits and 92 runs scored for Los Angeles. 

During the decade Wills topped 170 hits seven times, with a high of 208 in 1962 (even though that total didn't get him a .300 batting average because of his 695 at-bats in 165 games!).

Nevertheless, I think the shortstop duo of Aparicio and Wills stands up against any other shortstop combo.

What do you think?

Next up on this thread, we move over to third base, which was the easiest to pick so far…

Stay tuned.

"1960'S ALL-DECADE TEAM" SUB-SET FOR THE 1970 TOPPS SET: 2nd BASEMEN

Today we'll look at my picks for the two second basemen on my 1960's "All-Decade Team".
Now I know there's room for argument here, but to be honest, it was tough trying to decide which players to pick since no one really dominated the position during the 1960's in either league.
Take a look at the card I designed:

An often overlooked important cog in the last great Yankee dynasty "hurrah" of the early '60's, Richardson won five Gold Gloves during the decade, as well as finishing second in M.V.P. voting in 1962 behind teammate Mickey Mantle.
As a matter of fact between 1961 and 1965 he garnered M.V.P. consideration each year, and was named to the American League all-star team five times between 1962-1966.
Even though he retired at the young age of 30, Richardson ended up with 1432 hits, leading the A.L. with 209 in 1962.
Little bit of a side note: I remember as a young Don Mattingly fanatic in 1984 that Richardson was being mentioned repeatedly during the season as the last Yankee to attain 200 hits, since it was clear Mattingly was well on his way to that magic number himself while battling teammate Dave Winfield for the batting title.
Over in the National League, again, I didn't really find a guy that dominated the entire decade at the position, so I went with sort of the other extreme, a young up-and-comer, Pete Rose.
Yeah I know, Rose played only four years at the position before switching over to the outfield by the end of the decade, but really, besides Bill Mazeroski, there was a sort of revolving door of second base all-stars throughout the 60's like Felix Milan, Ron Hunt, Frank Bolling, even a young Joe Morgan for a year.
So I went with Rose and his 1963 Rookie of the Year, two 200-hit seasons, and two top-10 M.V.P. finishes in 1965 and 1966 before he made the switch.
Hey, it's Pete Rose!
Next up on this thread we'll take a look at shortstop, and my two picks, one of which I seem to be wavering on already.
I'll see if it stays this way before I post it next week.
Until then…

"1960'S ALL-DECADE TEAM" SUB-SET FOR THE 1970 TOPPS SET: 1st BASEMEN

Today I start yet another thread idea: a sub-set that would have been nice to have included in Topps' 1970 set that celebrated an all-decade team of all-stars of the previous decade, the 1960's.

Wouldn't that be cool if they did such a thing at the beginning of every decade?

Anyway, I picked the players I thought would have been chosen for such a "team" in 1970, (obviously open for all kinds of interpretation) and then designed a ten card set (all eight fielding positions and both a left-handed and right-handed starting pitcher card) in the 1970 Topps design style.

I didn't bother picking relievers or managers, and to be honest I don't know why. But it seemed useless. Maybe I'll add to it later...

Today we'll take a look at the first-basemen for both the American and National team: Harmon Killebrew of the Twins and Willie McCovey of the Giants.

Take a look at my design:

1094 home runs between the two!

First off, I will state right now that I do realize that both these picks didn't play solely first base throughout the decade of the 1960's.

Killebrew also had periods where he played in the outfield and third base regularly. But I felt that of the guys who DID play solely first base in 1960's, Killebrew STILL had a better run during his stint at first base.

What a monster he was during the '60's! In the 10-years from 1960 and 1969, he posted eight seasons of 30+ home runs, with SIX of those years over 40!

He capped off the decade with an M.V.P. in 1969, with another four seasons where he finished in the top-5 in voting.

All told, he was an all-star eight out of ten years in the 1960's, and lead the American League in homers five times, runs batted in twice, and walks three times.

For the National League, we have Willie McCovey, who did also see a significant amount of time over in the outfield between 1962 and 1964. However, the rest of his playing time through the 1960's was at first, and all he did was lay down the foundation for a future Hall of Fame induction, leading the league in homers three times, runs batted in twice, slugging three twice, and also capping off the decade with an M.V.P. award in 1969.

He also so feared at the plate, that even in a line-up that featured other hitters like Willie Mays and Bobby Bonds, he was intentionally walked 45 times in 1969, setting the Major League record at the time (later obliterated by Barry Bonds decades later).

So there you have the first basemen of my "all-decade" team sub-set in the 1970 Topps set. Stay tuned for the next installment, second basemen, coming soon.