Today I post up a card I never realized could have been a “missing” card, a 1977 Johnny Wockenfuss for the former catcher:
Wockenfuss appeared in 60 games for the Detroit Tigers in 1976, batting
.222 with 32 hits over 144 at-bats, easily enough action to have gotten a
card in the set.
Wockenfuss was one of those players who was “always there” during my
childhood, as I pulled his cards out of packs well into the 1980’s.
He put in twelve seasons in the Major Leagues between 1974 and 1985,
playing all but his last two years with the Tigers before finishing up
with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1984 and 1985.
Never a full-time player, the only time he topped 100 games in a season
was in 1981 when he played in 126 games for Detroit, setting personal
bests across the board with the extra playing time.
He’d retire after the 1985 season with a .262 batting average, with 543
hits over 2072 at-bats, with 267 runs scored and 310 runs batted in over
795 games.