EXPANDED YEARLY LEADER CARDS: 1974 N.L. HOME RUNS

On the blog to close out another week, we have an expanded league-leader card in the 1974 set celebrating the top-3 home run hitters in the National League for 1973:

 

The top dog in this home run race, Pittsburgh Pirates Hall of Fame slugger Willie Stargell, who led the league for the second time in three seasons when he hit 44 dingers to go along with his league-leading 119 run batted in.

It was also the second time in three seasons the man finished runner-up to the MVP Award, with a THIRD place finish in between for 1972.

It was just an amazing run of success that I really feel people have forgotten over time, as is the case with Billy Williams of the Chicago Cubs.

Not only was Stargell a slugging machine, but in each of those three seasons between 1971 and 1973, he never hit lower than .293, while also leading the league with 43 doubles in 1973.

Right behind him with 43 home runs we have perhaps the biggest anomaly in baseball history, Davey Johnson of the Atlanta Braves, who went from a career-best of 18 home runs in 1971 to this ridiculous total just two years later.

Johnson's 1973 season is incredible. Over his 13 year career he never hit more than those 18 homers while with the Baltimore Orioles, of course except for those 43 in 1973 in his first season with Atlanta.

Thing is, the following year he was right back to where he was before, hitting 15 and never reaching double-digits again in his Big League tenure.

Even when he went over to Japan in 1975 and 1976, the most he hit was 26, with 13 the other season.

Just what on earth was it that year?

The Braves definitely had a groove going on that year, as they became the first team in MLB history to have THREE hitters reach 40 homers, with the great Hank Aaron and Darrell Evans teaming up with Johnson to give them a trio never before seen in the game.

Which of course brings us to the third place home run hitter in the N.L., Johnson's teammate Darrell Evans, who legitimately was a slugger in the Majors, and had his "coming out party" of sorts that year with his 41 blasts.

For Evans, the writing was on the wall for what was to come over his brilliant 21 year Big League career.

In just his second full year of Major League ball, Evans produced, hitting 41 homers while driving in was ended up being a career-best 104 runs while leading the league with 124 base on balls, also hitting a career-high .281 over 161 games.

Of course, we all know that incredibly enough 12 years later, at the age of 28, he would become the first batter to hit 40 or more homers in a season in both leagues, when he led the A.L. in 1985 with 40 homers, on his way to a career 414 before retiring after the 1989 campaign.

There it is! The Senior Curcuit's top-3 sluggers for 1973.

Now we move on to the A.L., see you then!

NOT REALLY MISSING IN ACTION- 1976 DAVEY JOHNSON

Today's blog post has a "not so missing" 1976 card for former second baseman and future big time MLB manager Davey Johnson, who appeared in one single game during the 1975 season before heading to the "Land of the Rising Sun":

 

Johnson was coming off a decent 1974 season with the Atlanta Braves that saw him hit 15 homers while hitting .251 over 136 games, this after his monster 1973 season that had him hit an incredible 43 homers along with 99 runs batted in.

However in 1975 after only one game where he'd single in his only at-bat, he was released by the Braves and ended up signing with the Yomiuri Giants of Japan's Central League, where he would play over the next two seasons.

Anyone have any idea why he was dumped by the Braves just four games into the new season? I never heard of why and am interested in the sudden move, especially by a cellar-dwelling team.

Regardless, he'd be back in the Majors in 1977, making his comeback with the Philadelphia Phillies.

It wasn't much of a comeback, as he'd play in 78 games for the Phils in 1977 followed by a split year in 1978 with Philadelphia and the Chicago Cubs where he hit four homers over 68 games before calling it a career as a player shortly after.

Of course, we all know years later he'd find success as a Major League manager, leading the wild New York Mets in the 1980's, the Cincinnati Reds and Baltimore Orioles in the 1990's, Los Angeles Dodgers in 1999/2000 and finally the Washington Nationals from 2011 through 2013.

Over his 20 years as a manager he put in a very nice record of 1562 and 1226, good for a .560 winning percentage, winning it all in 1986 with the Mets.

A baseball lifer indeed!

MINOR LEAGUE DAYS- DAVEY JOHNSON

On the blog today, adding to my long-running 1971 "Minor League Days" thread with a card for Davey Johnson of the Baltimore Orioles, defensive wiz who had himself one of the most "where did this come from" seasons in baseball history years later with the Atlanta Braves:

  

Johnson was barely out of his teens when this photo was taken of him while playing for the Rochester Red Wings back in 1964.

He had some decent offensive seasons in the Minors before getting the call to the Big Leagues in 1965, playing 20 games for the O's.

Over the following eight seasons with the Orioles Johnson would make three All-Star teams and take home three Gold Glove Awards, recognized as one of the better fielding second basemen in the game.

He would find himself a member of the Atlanta Braves in 1973, and go on to put in one of the most anomalous years the game has ever seen.

Take away what was to become his breakaway 1973 season, and Johnson's top-five homer seasons in his 13 year career look like this: 18, 15, 10, 10 and nine.

Well, all Johnson proceeds to do is hit FORTY-THREE homers! 43!

Johnson's season was incredible when compared to the rest of his career. While playing second base, he slammed the team-leading 43 homers, drove in 99 runs (the next highest total for his career was 72 in 1971 for the Orioles), scored 84 runs (next highest was 68 in 1970), and slugged .546 (his next highest slugging average was .443 in 1971!).

If THIS isn't the strangest case of power surge in a players career, then it's definitely in the top-3!

Some may point to Brady Anderson's 50 homer year in 1996, or even Wade Boggs' 1987 season, but for me Johnson's 1973 season is the most shocking.

What makes things even more strange is the following season, still a full-time player, he falls back to earth and hits 15 homers, before playing in only one game in 1975 before moving on to Japan for two seasons before coming back with the Phillies in 1977.

It wasn't much of a comeback, as he'd play in 78 games for the Phils in 1977 followed by a split year in 1978 with Philadelphia and the Chicago Cubs where he hit four homers over 68 games before calling it a career as a player shortly after.

Of course, we all know years later he'd find success as a Major League manager, leading the wild New York Mets in the 1980's, the Cincinnati Reds and Baltimore Orioles in the 1990's, Los Angeles Dodgers in 1999/2000 and finally the Washington Nationals from 2011 through 2013.

Over his 20 years as a manager he put in a very nice record of 1562 and 1226, good for a .560 winning percentage, winning it all in 1986 with the Mets.

A baseball lifer indeed!

"THANKS FOR NOTHING TOPPS!"- DAVEY JOHNSON AND HIS 1974 CARD

Imagine being a nine-year veteran of the Major Leagues, you're putting together a decent career, then, after topping out at 18 home runs for your high mark, you EXPLODE for 43 dingers at the age of 30, setting the mark for your position in baseball history.

You'd think you're in store for a nice baseball card the following year (if you cared for such things, of which I DO).

Well take a look at Davey Johnson's 1974 card and see what the fine people at Topps thought would be a great photo to commemorate such an offensive eruption:

Notice the ball behind Johnson's hip...

Ha!

Seriously!? The guy comes out of nowhere to bash 40+ homers, sets the record for second basemen, and you use a photo of him whiffing at a pitch, with the ball behind him after a mighty swing?

I can't even tell if this was a full-on "swing-and-a-miss" or a foul-tip.

Regardless, Topps has a cold heart my friends.

You have to wonder if they were having a bit of fun at Johnson's expense here.

It's like the "Agony of Defeat" in baseball card form!

Reminds me of the 1973 Dick Green card, which shows him muffing a ball in the field.

Hilarious! But not for the players I'm sure…

"HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE 1970'S" #2: 1973 BRAVES 40-HOME RUN THREESOME

Considering that the early to mid 1970's weren't exactly the power years like we've seen in the past 20, it's amazing to remember that the first team to have three players hit 40 or more homers in the same season were the 1973 Atlanta Braves.

That year, Hank Aaron, Darrell Evans and Davey Johnson all topped the mark, and each player had a unique facet to their accomplishment to go along with the record-breaking feat.

It would have been really cool if Topps celebrated this new record with a card, especially since Aaron was being celebrated left and right at the time.

Let's take a look at the card I designed to mark the occasion:

I wish I had a clearer picture for the card, but I still think I got lucky finding this one.

Playing in a home run park that was nick-named "the launching pad", the Braves launched 206 homers that year, even though it didn't help them in the standings, as they finished with a 76-85 record, just ahead of the San Diego Padres out of the cellar.

As I mentioned earlier, each of the three players who slammed 40 or more homers had some interesting angles to their story. Let's take a look:

Darrell Evans had his first full season in the big leagues in 1973 and did not disappoint, hitting 41 home runs to go along with 104 runs batted in, 114 runs, a league-leading 126 base on balls and a .281 average.

He wouldn't know it at the time, but 12 years later in 1985 he would become the first player in Major League history to hit 40 homers in both the N.L. and A.L., as he would lead the American League in homers with 40 that year for the Detroit Tigers.

He'd finish his 21 year career with 404 home runs, topping 30+ four times while playing for the Braves, Tigers and Giants.

For Aaron, 1973 would be the last of a remarkable eight 40+ home run seasons, and would be the year he finally broke Babe Ruth's career home run record of 714.

It would also be an amazing home run feat because he hit the 40 home runs in less that 400 official at-bats, stepping up to the plate 392 times.

Not until Mark McGwire & Barry Bonds came along would we see something like that again.

"Hammerin' Hank" would have three more years in the Majors before retiring, leaving us with a plethora of all-time leading career numbers to gawk over for years to come.

Now we move on to quite possibly the strangest 40+ homer season in the history of baseball (sorry Brady Anderson): Davey Johnson and HIS contribution to the homer-trio.

Take away his 1973 season, and Johnson's top-five homer seasons in his 13 year career look like this: 18, 15, 10, 10 and nine.

Seriously, so where on earth does the 43 come from in 1973?!

With the spectacle of the "steroid era" fresh in all of our minds, it's easy for us to write off anomalies like this. However this was 1973, and even though steroids and other performance enhancers were around then (just listen to former pitcher Tom House talk about it), no one has ever accused Davey Johnson of using stuff like this.

Johnson's season was incredible when compared to the rest of his career. While playing second base, he slammed the team-leading 43 homers, drove in 99 runs (the next highest total for his career was 72 in 1971 for the Orioles), scored 84 runs (next highest was 68 in 1970), and slugged .546 (his next highest slugging average was .443 in 1971!).

If THIS isn't the strangest case of power surge in a players career, then it's definitely in the top-3!

Some may point to Brady Anderson's 50 homer year in 1996, or even Wade Boggs' 1987 season, but for me Johnson's 1973 season is the most shocking. 

So there you have it. A highlight from the decade that I felt should have gotten some recognition by Topps in the 1974 set.

If you like this sort of stuff, keep an eye out for more. I've been going nuts designing numerous "highlight" cards throughout the 1970's, having a ball doing it too.

WHEN AIRBRUSHING GOES TERRIBLY...RIGHT! 1973 DAVEY JOHNSON

With all the bitching and moaning I have done about Topps and their airbrushing abilities, it's about time I give them SOME credit with a great job on one of their cards: 1973 Dave(y) Johnson #550.
Unless you really stare at the card and notice that the player on the ground is wearing a Yankee uniform, thereby making this odd since Johnson is in a Braves uniform, you wouldn't even realize that Johnson was completely airbrushed.
Talk about a really good job!
Actually Davey Johnson was originally wearing a Baltimore Orioles uniform, for whom he played with in 1972. THAT'S why he's seen here playing against the Yanks.
Nicely done. To be honest I never even realized this airbrush gem until I saw someone else mention it on their blog a few years ago.
What particularly strikes me is the great job of airbrushing the Braves "leaf" icon on Johnson's short-sleeve. Excellent work there!

Seems like the Braves played the Yankees in 1972!

On a side note here: Johnson's 1973 season really is something out of the Twilight Zone as we all know.
Let's take a quick look at the improbable year he had in his first season at the "Launching Pad", Fulton County Stadium:
From 1965-1972 while playing for the Orioles, Johnson put up decent numbers for the day, averaging about 10 home runs a year with about 60 runs batted in.
All of a sudden it seems the change of scenery made him a powerhouse of a batter, as he launched 43 home runs with 99 R.B.I.'s!
Now WHERE on earth did THAT come from!?
He was also part of history, as teammates Hank Aaron and Darrell Evans also hit 40+ homers, making them the first trio in baseball history to hit 40+ homers as teamamtes.
Now, with Evans and Aaron, it was NOT a shock. But with Johnson, you have to wonder what on earth went on there!
I STILL have never heard a good reason as to Johnson's offensive outburst that year.
The very next year he ended up with 15 homers, more to his career average, and then never played a full season in the Majors again.
In his entire career, the highest slugging percentage he ever posted for a season outside of 1973 was .443 in 1971. Then in '73 he posts an eye-popping .546!
If that were to happen today (Jacoby Ellsbury anyone?), you KNOW what he'd be accused of...