"CLASSIC BASEBALL" CUSTOM WTHBALLS SET: ROBIN ROBERTS

Let's go and add one of my favorite pitchers, Robin Roberts, to my on-going "Classic Baseball" custom set, due for a release somewhat soon as a multi-series set:

Roberts was a freaking machine during the 1950’s pitching for the Philadelphia Phillies, posting six 20-win seasons with  a 19 and 17 win season thrown in as well.
He led the league in wins four times with a high of 28 in 1952, while also leading the National league in strikeouts twice, complete games five times, innings pitched five times and shutouts once.
By the time he retired after the 1966 season, he finished with 286 wins and a 3.41 earned run average, with 45 shutouts and 2357 strikeouts over 676 games and 4688.2 innings pitched.
Between 1950 and 1956 he was named to the all-star team each year, while also garnering MVP attention every season.
To be honest how he didn’t win the MVP in 1952 is beyond me, as the award went to Chicago Cubs slugger Hank Sauer.
Granted the Phillies finished in fourth place with an 87-67 record, 9.5 games behind the Dodgers.
But the Cubs finished in fifth place, with a 77-77 record.
So what went on there is something worth looking into considering all Roberts did was go 28-7 with a 2.59 ERA, three shutouts, 148 strikeouts and 30 complete games out of his 37 starts!

 

1960S "IN-ACTION": 1963 FLEER ROBIN ROBERTS

Good day all.

On the blog today, we have my 1963 Fleer "In-Action" card for the great, and under-appreciated Hall of Famer Robin Roberts, from my custom set released a few months back:

Just a nice shot of the righty ace towards the end of his stellar career during his tenure with the Baltimore Orioles:

Roberts resurrected his career somewhat in 1962, his first season with the Baltimore Orioles, posting a very nice 2.78 earned run average over 27 appearances, going 10-9 with six complete games.

This was after a disastrous 1961 season that saw him go 1-10 over 26 appearances, with a bloated 5.85 ERA in his last year with the Philadelphia Phillies, with whom he came up to the Major Leagues back in 1948.

Roberts was a freaking machine during the 1950’s pitching for the Philadelphia Phillies, posting six 20-win seasons with  a 19 and 17 win season thrown in as well.
He led the league in wins four times with a high of 28 in 1952, while also leading the National league in strikeouts twice, complete games five times, innings pitched five times and shutouts once.
By the time he retired after the 1966 season, he finished with 286 wins and a 3.41 earned run average, with 45 shutouts and 2357 strikeouts over 676 games and 4688.2 innings pitched.
Between 1950 and 1956 he was named to the all-star team each year, while also garnering MVP attention every season.
To be honest how he didn’t win the MVP in 1952 is beyond me, as the award went to Chicago Cubs slugger Hank Sauer.
Granted the Phillies finished in fourth place with an 87-67 record, 9.5 games behind the Dodgers.
But the Cubs finished in fifth place, with a 77-77 record.
So what went on there is something worth looking into considering all Roberts did was go 28-7 with a 2.59 ERA, three shutouts, 148 strikeouts and 30 complete games out of his 37 starts!

1960'S CAREER-CAPPERS INSERTS: ROBIN ROBERTS

Today on the blog we spotlight my 1960's "Career-Capper" special insert for Philadelphia Phillies legend Robin Roberts:

Just a nice compliment to my color set showcasing legends who ended their careers in the decade of the 1960's.

As for Roberts, the man was a machine during the 1950’s pitching for the Philadelphia Phillies, posting six 20-win seasons with  a 19 and 17 win season thrown in as well.
He led the league in wins four times with a high of 28 in 1952, while also leading the National league in strikeouts twice, complete games five times, innings pitched five times and shutouts once.
By the time he retired after the 1966 season, he finished with 286 wins and a 3.41 earned run average, with 45 shutouts and 2357 strikeouts over 676 games and 4688.2 innings pitched.
Between 1950 and 1956 he was named to the all-star team each year, while also garnering MVP attention every season.
To be honest how he didn’t win the MVP in 1952 is beyond me, as the award went to Chicago Cubs slugger Hank Sauer.
Granted the Phillies finished in fourth place with an 87-67 record, 9.5 games behind the Dodgers.
But the Cubs finished in fifth place, with a 77-77 record.
So what went on there is something worth looking into considering all Roberts did was go 28-7 with a 2.59 ERA, three shutouts, 148 strikeouts and 30 complete games out of his 37 starts!

VINTAGE CUSTOM SPOTLIGHT: 1950 DRAKE'S "EXTENDED" SET: ROBIN ROBERTS

On the blog today, we spotlight my "missing" 1950 Drakes card for the great Robin Roberts, ace of the Philadelphia Phillies:

It was fun adding the great pitcher to one of my favorite odd-ball sets of the era, celebrating a guy who put in an incredible run in the early-50's that I believe is not appreciated enough.

Roberts was a machine during the 1950’s pitching for the Philadelphia Phillies, posting six 20-win seasons with  a 19 and 17 win season thrown in as well.
He led the league in wins four times with a high of 28 in 1952, while also leading the National league in strikeouts twice, complete games five times, innings pitched five times and shutouts once.
By the time he retired after the 1966 season, he finished with 286 wins and a 3.41 earned run average, with 45 shutouts and 2357 strikeouts over 676 games and 4688.2 innings pitched.
Between 1950 and 1956 he was named to the all-star team each year, while also garnering MVP attention every season.
To be honest how he didn’t win the MVP in 1952 is beyond me, as the award went to Chicago Cubs slugger Hank Sauer.
Granted the Phillies finished in fourth place with an 87-67 record, 9.5 games behind the Dodgers.
But the Cubs finished in fifth place, with a 77-77 record.
So what went on there is something worth looking into considering all Roberts did was go 28-7 with a 2.59 ERA, three shutouts, 148 strikeouts and 30 complete games out of his 37 starts!

VINTAGE SPECIAL! "MISSING" 1954 WILSON'S FRANKS ROBIN ROBERTS

On the blog today, we add Philadelphia Phillies great Robin Roberts to my fun "missing" 1954 Wilson Franks baseball sets, one of my all-time favorite baseball card sets:

Such a beautiful set that has always garnered heavy interest from serious collectors, and rightly so!

Roberts was a machine during the 1950’s pitching for the Philadelphia Phillies, posting six 20-win seasons with  a 19 and 17 win season thrown in as well.
He led the league in wins four times with a high of 28 in 1952, while also leading the National league in strikeouts twice, complete games five times, innings pitched five times and shutouts once.
By the time he retired after the 1966 season, he finished with 286 wins and a 3.41 earned run average, with 45 shutouts and 2357 strikeouts over 676 games and 4688.2 innings pitched.
Between 1950 and 1956 he was named to the all-star team each year, while also garnering MVP attention every season.
To be honest how he didn’t win the MVP in 1952 is beyond me, as the award went to Chicago Cubs slugger Hank Sauer.
Granted the Phillies finished in fourth place with an 87-67 record, 9.5 games behind the Dodgers.
But the Cubs finished in fifth place, with a 77-77 record.
So what went on there is something worth looking into considering all Roberts did was go 28-7 with a 2.59 ERA, three shutouts, 148 strikeouts and 30 complete games out of his 37 starts!

1960'S CAREER-CAPPERS: 1967 ROBIN ROBERTS

Today on the blog we have my 1967 "career-capper" for Hall of Famer Robin Roberts, who closed out a fantastic Big League career in 1966 with a split season, suiting up for the Houston Astros and Chicago Cubs:

He'd go 5-8 in his last season with a 4.82 ERA over 24 appearances, tossing a shutout and picking up a save at the age of 39, throwing 112 innings.

Roberts was a machine during the 1950’s pitching for the Philadelphia Phillies, posting six 20-win seasons with  a 19 and 17 win season thrown in as well.
He led the league in wins four times with a high of 28 in 1952, while also leading the National league in strikeouts twice, complete games five times, innings pitched five times and shutouts once.
By the time he retired after the 1966 season, he finished with 286 wins and a 3.41 earned run average, with 45 shutouts and 2357 strikeouts over 676 games and 4688.2 innings pitched.
Between 1950 and 1956 he was named to the all-star team each year, while also garnering MVP attention every season.
To be honest how he didn’t win the MVP in 1952 is beyond me, as the award went to Chicago Cubs slugger Hank Sauer.
Granted the Phillies finished in fourth place with an 87-67 record, 9.5 games behind the Dodgers.
But the Cubs finished in fifth place, with a 77-77 record.
So what went on there is something worth looking into considering all Roberts did was go 28-7 with a 2.59 ERA, three shutouts, 148 strikeouts and 30 complete games out of his 37 starts!

 

SPECIAL SPOTLIGHT: "LOST" 1963 FLEER SECOND SERIES: ROBIN ROBERTS

On the blog today, we take a closer look at my "missing" 1963 "Lost Second Series" Fleer card from my set released last year of Hall of Fame pitcher Robin Roberts:

 

Roberts resurrected his career somewhat in 1962, his first season with the Baltimore Orioles, posting a very nice 2.78 earned run average over 27 appearances, going 10-9 with six complete games.

This was after a disastrous 1961 season that saw him go 1-10 over 26 appearances, with a bloated 5.85 ERA in his last year with the Philadelphia Phillies, with whom he came up to the Major Leagues back in 1948.

Roberts was a freaking machine during the 1950’s pitching for the Philadelphia Phillies, posting six 20-win seasons with  a 19 and 17 win season thrown in as well.
He led the league in wins four times with a high of 28 in 1952, while also leading the National league in strikeouts twice, complete games five times, innings pitched five times and shutouts once.
By the time he retired after the 1966 season, he finished with 286 wins and a 3.41 earned run average, with 45 shutouts and 2357 strikeouts over 676 games and 4688.2 innings pitched.
Between 1950 and 1956 he was named to the all-star team each year, while also garnering MVP attention every season.
To be honest how he didn’t win the MVP in 1952 is beyond me, as the award went to Chicago Cubs slugger Hank Sauer.
Granted the Phillies finished in fourth place with an 87-67 record, 9.5 games behind the Dodgers.
But the Cubs finished in fifth place, with a 77-77 record.
So what went on there is something worth looking into considering all Roberts did was go 28-7 with a 2.59 ERA, three shutouts, 148 strikeouts and 30 complete games out of his 37 starts!

HALL OF FAME #35: ROBIN ROBERTS: CLASS OF 1976

In 1976 Robin Roberts was inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame on his fourth try, which is absurd in my book considering some of the lame honorees voted in just before and after him. This guy should have been in on his first try.
Take a look at my card before we get into it all...

 

Roberts was a freaking machine during the 1950’s pitching for the Philadelphia Phillies, posting six 20-win seasons with  a 19 and 17 win season thrown in as well.
He led the league in wins four times with a high of 28 in 1952, while also leading the National league in strikeouts twice, complete games five times, innings pitched five times and shutouts once.
By the time he retired after the 1966 season, he finished with 286 wins and a 3.41 earned run average, with 45 shutouts and 2357 strikeouts over 676 games and 4688.2 innings pitched.
Between 1950 and 1956 he was named to the all-star team each year, while also garnering MVP attention every season.
To be honest how he didn’t win the MVP in 1952 is beyond me, as the award went to Chicago Cubs slugger Hank Sauer.
Granted the Phillies finished in fourth place with an 87-67 record, 9.5 games behind the Dodgers.
But the Cubs finished in fifth place, with a 77-77 record.
So what went on there is something worth looking into considering all Roberts did was go 28-7 with a 2.59 ERA, three shutouts, 148 strikeouts and 30 complete games out of his 37 starts!
What does a guy have to do!?

1975 "CY YOUNG AWARD" SUB-SET: WHAT IF? 1955

I'll tell you, I am having way too much fun designing cards from the 1950's for this thread! I may have to consider expanding my "redesigns" and custom cards in the future, when I've exhausted the 1970's!

For today's entry into the imagined 1975 Cy Young sub-set, we come to 1955, and two future Hall of Fame pitchers who did not have cards in the 1955 Topps set: Whitey Ford of the New York Yankees and Robin Roberts of the Philadelphia Phillies.

So, before I could create a 1955 Cy Young winners card for the 1975 set, I had to design the two 1955 cards for the players.

Take a look at these first:

Now take a look at the two cards placed onto the sub-set card:

Not bad if I say so myself…

As stated earlier on this thread, these are Cy Young award winners as speculated by the people at SABR in an article from the early 1990's that always stuck with me.

For Whitey Ford, this would have been the first of three Cy Young awards had their been an award before 1956, and had there been an award for each league instead of just one between 1956 and 1966.

All Whitey did in 1955 was go 18-7, with the 18 wins leading the league, as well as a fine 2.63 E.R.A. along with 18 complete games and five shutouts. He even threw in two saves for good measure!

For Roberts, this is the second time we see him in this thread, as he was the assumed winner in 1952 with his monster season where he went 28-7.

In 1955, he had another great year, going 23-14, with the 23 wins leading the league. He also posted an E.R.A. of 3.28 while leading the National league with 26 complete games and 305 innings pitched.

Funny enough, he also managed to also throw in a few saves as well, totaling three in addition to his 23 wins.

Two future Hall of Fame inductees in the prime of their careers.

Next up on this thread, we have the very first Cy Young Award winner, Don Newcombe of the Brooklyn Dodgers, as well as who SABR figured would have won the award for the American League, young flame-throwing phenom Herb Score of the Cleveland Indians.

1975 "CY YOUNG AWARD" SUB-SET: WHAT IF? 1952

Next up on my thread regarding my imagined 1975 sub-set of Cy Young winners is 1952, and this one is about as easy as it gets!

First off, take a look at my designed card for my sub-set:

As we all know, the American League winner most definitely would have been Bobby Shantz of the Philadelphia Athletics since he was the Most Valuable Player that season.

A "gimmie" as far as guessing who the winner would have been there, and the fine people as SABR felt the same way in their article back in 1993 or so, where they speculated on Cy Young winners pre-award.

Shantz had a MONSTER year in 1952, going 24-7 with a neat 2.48 earned run average.

In his 33 starts that year he completed 27 of them, pitching five shoutouts along the way as well.

Considering the Athletics went 79-75 that year, Shantz's record is even more amazing!

No wonder when it was time to select an M.V.P., he won over another pitcher, Allie Reynolds of the Yankees.

Now, as clear-cut the American League winner seems to be, for the National League it was an even EASIER pick both for me and the voting at SABR!

Robin Roberts of the Philadelphia Phillies was "all-WORLD" that year!

All Roberts did in 1952 was go an incredible 28-7 with a 2.59 E.R.A.!

Throw in 30 complete games out of 37 starts for a league-leading 330 innings with three shutouts and two saves, and you see why he left all other pitchers in the dust that year.

Roberts almost matched Shantz in taking home the M.V.P., finishing second to Hank Bauer of the Cubs by only 15 points.

And considering that the Cubs were a .500 team at 77-77 while the Phillies ended up at 87-67, you have to wonder what the deal was with voting?!

Roberts had some run between 1950 and 1955, winning at least 20 games each year, leading the league in wins four times, games started six times, complete games four times, innings five times, shutouts once and strikeouts twice.

He was a beast on the mound and well on his way to a Hall of Fame election, albeit a bit delayed, as he was inducted in 1976, ten years after he hung up the spikes in 1966.

Next up on the thread, the 1953 "Cy Young" winners as assumed by SABR, and I can't really disagree.

Keep an eye out for it and see what YOU think…