NOT REALLY MISSING IN ACTION: 1982 JESSE OROSCO

Really fun card to add to the blog today, a "not so missing" 1982 card for (in my opinion) legend Jesse Orosco, who played almost a quarter of a century in the Major Leagues:

Orosco made his Big League debut in 1979 with the New York Mets, appearing in 18 games as a 22-year-old, going 1-2 with a 4.89 earned run average.

After spending all of 1980 in the Minors, Orosco was here to stay in 1981, appearing in eight games, posting a very nice 1.56 ERA over 17.1 innings while picking up his first save.

From there on the man was a fixture on the MLB mound, going on to appear in a Major League record 1252 games as a pitcher, finishing with a record of 87-80 with a 3.16 ERA and 144 saves.

He would join the rare club of "four-decade" players, whose career spanned the 1970s-2000s, winning it all with the Mets in 1986 while reaching the post season with the Mets, Dodgers and Orioles.

I was always a fan of the man, and even got to see him pitch with the Yankees when he appeared in 15 games in 2003, one of three teams he suited up for in his last season.

Great baseball career!

 

REVISIT: MISSING IN ACTION 1975 GEORGE THEODORE

Time for another "revisit" for many of you that weren't following the blog 10 years ago.

This time it's my "missing" 1975 card for former New York Mets first baseman/outfielder Geprge Theodore:

Theodore did get a card in the 1974 set after his rookie year of ‘73, but after appearing in 60 games during the 1975 season, it didn’t warrant a card the following year in Topps’ eyes, and considering he never played another Major League game again, they made the right choice.
For the ‘74 season, Theodore hit .158 with 12 hits over 76 at-bats, giving him a combined .219 career batting average based on 42 hits in 192 at-bats over 105 games.

 

NOT REALLY MISSING IN ACTION: 1970 DANNY FRISELLA

On the blog today, we have a "not so missing" 1970 card for pitcher Danny Frisella, who appeared in only three games for the New York Mets in 1968:

Frisella was drafted by the New York Mets in 1966 out of Washington State University and made it up to the Major Leagues the following year.
He pitched for New York over the next six seasons, having his best year in the big leagues in 1971 when he went 8-5 with a sparkling 1.99 E.R.A. to go along with 12 saves in 53 games after learning to throw a forkball from Diego Segui over the Winter in Venezuela.
In November of 1972 he was traded to the Atlanta Braves along with pitcher Gary Gentry for George Stone and Felix Milan and stuck around for two years before going over to the San Diego Padres in 1975.
Though he posted a record of 1-6, he did have decent numbers overall, but San Diego shipped him to St. Louis after the season, where Frisella started the season in 1976.
But after only 18 games, he was once again traded, this time to the Brewers where he appeared in 32 games, posting impressive numbers of a 5-2 record and a 2.74 E.R.A. as a man out of the bullpen.
Sadly, Frisella never made it back to a Major League mound.
While riding a dune buggy near his home on January 1st, his vehicle tipped over and Frisella was not able to escape in time. He was caught underneath the roll bar as the vehicle rolled over his body, crushing him. He was only 30 years old with a wife and two sons.

His final numbers were: 34-40 record, 3.32 ERA and 57 saves over 351 appearances and 609.1 innings pitched between 1967 and 1976.

 

NOT REALLY MISSING IN ACTION: 1968 AMOS OTIS

Fun card to add to the WTHBALLS family today, a "not so missing" 1968 card for one of the under-appreciated stars of the 1970s, Amos Otis, who was just starting out his great career as a member of the New York Mets:

He came up with the New York Mets in 1967 with 19 games as a 20-year-old, hitting .220 with 13 hits over 59 at-bats with six runs scored and a run batted in.

Otis could very well be THE most overlooked player of the 1970's as he was nothing but steady through the entire decade, going on to be the American League's top run scorer with 861. driving in 90+ three times while stealing 30+ bases five times.

By the time he retired after the 1984 season after one year with the Pittsburgh Pirates, he ended up with 193 homers, 341 stolen bases, 1092 runs scored and 2020 hits along with a batting average of .277 and 1007 runs batted in.
Considering the “dead ball” era of the early-70’s in the American League, his numbers are up there with the best of them, and it’s sad he gets lost among his contemporaries when looking back at that time in Major League baseball.

GIMMIE A DO-OVER: 1972 NOLAN RYAN

I never realized that I failed to post here on the blog the 1972 "do-over" Nolan Ryan card I had printed up for one of my recent "Series" sets from about a year ago, that of him with a New York Mets version:

I thought it'd be fun to have a Mets version, followed by a late-series "Traded" version which I also included in the set.

As we all know, Ryan was traded to the Angels along with three other players for Jim Fregosi, star shortstop.
And as we ALSO know, this goes down as one of the worst trades in baseball history, as Ryan IMMEDIATELY became THE fire-balling pitcher of his day.
I know I don't have to state the obvious here, but we're talking: 300+ wins, 5000+ strikeouts, seven no-hitters, 11 strikeout titles with six of them being 300+ seasons, two E.R.A. crowns and an almost unanimous Hall of Fame induction.
You can see why people can forget that Fregosi was a legitimate star the Mets were trading for, while Ryan was still trying to prove himself on the Major League level.
I got to see Ryan pitch a few times before he hung them up, and he was STILL throwing high-heat (with a loud GRUNT with every delivery) well into his LATE-40's!
It was truly something to behold...

 

SPECIAL REQUEST: 1969 DEDICATED ROOKIE FOR AMOS OTIS

By special request today, a fun 1969 "dedicated rookie" for one of my favorite underrated players of the era, Amos Otis, who began his wonderful Major League career as a member of the New York Mets:

He came up with the New York Mets and played in 48 games for the World Champs that year, while making his Big League debut in 1967 with 19 games as a 20-year-old (watch for my "missing 1968 card soon!).

Topps had him as an inaugural member of the Kansas City Royals for his actual multi-player rookie card in the 1969 set.

Otis could very well be THE most overlooked player of the 1970's as he was nothing but steady through the entire decade, going on to be the American League's top run scorer with 861. driving in 90+ three times while stealing 30+ bases five times.

By the time he retired after the 1984 season after one year with the Pittsburgh Pirates, he ended up with 193 homers, 341 stolen bases, 1092 runs scored and 2020 hits along with a batting average of .277 and 1007 runs batted in.
Considering the “dead ball” era of the early-70’s in the American League, his numbers are up there with the best of them, and it’s sad he gets lost among his contemporaries when looking back at that time in Major League baseball.

 

"CLASSIC BASEBALL" CUSTOM WTHBALLS SET: TOM SEAVER

Today on the blog we add the great Tom Seaver, my pick as pitcher of the 1970s, for my upcoming custom set, "Classic Baseball", celebrating the sport I have loved for just about five decades now:

What needs to be said about the greatest New York Met to ever suit up?

The man would end up with a 311-205 record along with 61 shutouts and 3640 strikeouts to go with a brilliant 2.86 ERA over 20-seasons and 656 appearances, 647 of which were starts.

He was in prime form in the mid-70’s, putting together nine straight 200 strikeouts seasons while getting tabbed to ten all-star teams in his first eleven seasons.

God I loved Tom Seaver when I was a kid. More than any other pitcher of that era I was in awe of this man. He just seemed like a "super-hero" to me.

Just look at all my other posts dedicated to the man here on this blog. He was other-worldly to me growing up in New York City as a kid in the 1970's.

Even if he WAS a Met, to this young Yankee fan he was unquestionably the best pitcher in the game at that time.

Rest in Peace "Tom Terrific"!

 

SPECIAL REQUEST: 1986 "NOT REALLY MISSING IN ACTION" JOE SAMBITO

Well, here's a special request that came out of nowhere!

For my buddy Rich, I post up my "not so missing" 1986 card for former pitcher NJoe Sambito, who funny enough would actually have a card in the year-end 1986 Topps Traded set, but NOT the base set:

After appearing in only eight games for the Mets in 1985, Topps didn't feel the need to include him in the base set that year, especially when you consider his 12.66 earned run average over 10.2 innings over those eight games.

But after finding himself with the Boston Red Sox for the 1986 campaign, and rediscovering his form somewhat, to where he became an important part of the American League champions' bullpen to the tune of a 2-0 record with a 4.84 ERA over 44.2 innings, with 12 saves, Topps did go ahead and include him in the traded set.

Between 1976 and 1984 Sambito was an excellent relief pitcher with the Houston Astros, especially his 1979 season that saw him make his only All-Star team when he went 8-7 with a brilliant 1.77 ERA over 63 games, with 22 saves and 83 strikeouts in 91.1 innings of work.

Two years later he'd post a 1.84 ERA over 49 games, followed by a 1982 season that saw him post a 0.71 ERA, albeit over only nine games due to injury.

All told, Sambito would play 11 years, going 37-38 over 461 games, with a very nice 3.03 ERA and 84 saves in 629 innings pitched.

 

A SET THAT NEVER WAS: 1971 ALL-STAR TICKET SET: BUD HARRELSON

Next up in my "set that never was" WTHBALLS custom archive is my 1972 All-Star ticket card for the starting shortstop in the 1971 Midsummer Classic, New York Met Bud Harrelson:

Harrelson made his second straight All-Star team in 1971, arguably his two best seasons in the Big Leagues, in which he got MVP consideration at the end of the year, as well as winning his only Gold Glove.

The typical "light-hitting/good fielding" middle infielder of the time, he gave the Mets a solid glove man up the middle between 1965 and 1977 before taking his leather to the Philadelphia Phillies in 1978.

By the time he retired after the 1980 season after one year with the Texas Rangers, he finished with a career .236 average, with 1120 hits in 4744 at-bats, with 539 runs scored, 127 stolen bases and 267 RBIs over 1533 games.

REVISITING A "MISSING" 1978 CARD FOR PAUL SIEBERT

Time to go and revisit a "missing" 1978 card for former New York Mets pitcher Paul Siebert, originally on the blog in October of 2015:

Siebert appeared in 25 games with the Mets after coming over from the San Diego Padres during the season.
He posted a 2-1 record (all with the Mets), with a 3.69 earned run average over 29 games and 31.2 innings of work.
In his short five-year career he went on to post a 3-8 record with a 3.77 ERA and 59 strikeouts over 129 innings and 87 appearances.
Keep an eye out for his “missing” 1979 card in the near future as well!

 

THE WHOLE NINE: SERIES 2- CAREER-CAPPER: 1982 MIKE MARSHALL

On the blog today, from my custom "Whole Nine: Series 2" set, my 1982 career-capper for reliever extraordinaire Mike Marshall, who famously refused to be in Topps baseball card sets through the 1970's into the 80's:

Marshall appeared in 20 games for the New York Mets in 1981, putting in 31 innings and pitching to a 3-2 record with a nice 2.61 earned run average.

Thus would close out quite a unique Big League career that began in 1967 with the Detroit Tigers.

Mike Marshall is about as interesting a character in Major league baseball during the 1970's as any other. And considering some of the characters we've looked at in the past, that is saying something.
How else can you describe a guy who seriously considered retiring from the sport so he could focus on his P.H.D. studies before his record setting 1974 season?
If you've ever read Jim Bouton's hilarious and landmark book "Ball Four" you read about Marshall's legendary battles with his then-manager Jim Schultz while both were members of the ill-fated single-season organization Seattle Pilots.
This guy was something else. And his arm was undoubtedly something else as well. In no less than three seasons, Marshall appeared in 90 or more games, including his record-setting mark of 106 in 1974 that still stands today.
And UNLIKE today with specialty pitchers who come in and face a batter or two, when Marshall came into a game, he pitched.
In 1974, purely a relief role, Marshall threw an astounding 208.1 innings, going 15-12 with a 2.42 E.R.A. and a league-leading 21 saves. Amazing by any standard, any era.
This easily got him a Cy Young award that year, beating out fellow teammate Andy Messersmith, while also finishing third in M.V.P. voting as well.
When it came to baseball cards, Marshall was equally as "unique". Rumor has it that he was a bit of a headache for Topps, refusing to "pose" for pictures. Because of this, his cards featured action shots between 1974 through 1977.
Then, after his '77 card, he disappeared altogether. Why I have no idea. But even though Marshall played through the rest of the decade, there were no cards for him in the 1978 and 1979 set.
I'll come back to his missing 1978 card at a later date since I have to do some extensive Photoshopping to have him in a Texas Ranger uniform (I can't find a good shot of him while pitching for Texas).
But for today, I'll go ahead with a "gimmie" and design a 1979 card for him.
1979 was another amazing year for Marshall. He appeared in an A.L. record 90 games, closing out 84 of them, good enough for a 10-15 record with a league-leading 32 saves. Those numbers got him a fifth-place finish in the Cy Young voting that year, which marked the fifth time he was in the running for the award in his career.
He even finished in 11th place for M.V.P. as well, which was the fourth time he garnered serious attention as "Most Valuable Player" during his playing days.
But because of what I understand as "problems" between Topps and Marshall, he was not included in the set that year, leaving a gaping hole for a guy who was as good as any coming into a game as a reliever.
It must have been frustrating for fans of the Twins, and more specifically Marshall, to rip open packs during the late '70's only to find that one of your best pitchers wasn't even depicted on a card.
Then again, from everything I've read online, he's about as tough an autograph to get as anyone else out there, long refusing to sign his name for fans, so perhaps they weren't really missing him too much after all.

REVISITING: "MISSING IN ACTION" 1975 JACK AKER

Thought it'd be fun to revisit a post from just about ten years ago featuring my "missing" 1975 card for former reliever Jack Aker, who wrapped up a very nice MLB career in 1974:

For the 1974 season, his last as a Major League player, Aker appeared in 41 games for both the Atlanta Braves and New York Mets.

He posted a record of 2-2 with a couple of saves and a 3.57 earned run average, all out of the pen.

As a matter of fact, in his entire 11 year career he never started a single game, appearing in a total of 495 games in relief, posting a (then) very respectable 124 saves, including 32 in 1966 alone when he had his best season in the big leagues for the Kansas City Athletics, going 8-4 with a 1.99 ERA to go along with those league-leading saves.

Between 1964 and 1974 he'd suit up for the Athletics, Pilots, Yankees, Cubs, Braves and Mets, finishing with a 47-45 record with a nice 3.28 ERA and 404 strikeouts over 746 innings of work in 495 appearances.

DEDICATED ROOKIE: 1968 JERRY KOOSMAN

On the blog today, we dip into the 1960s and post up my 1968 "Dedicated Rookie" card for New York Mets pitcher Jerry Koosman, who had himself a wonderful Major League career:

“Kooz” spent the first 12 years of his Major League career as a New York Met, and performed marvelously, posting solid seasons which saw him finish behind Johnny Bench in 1968 for National League Rookie of the Year in 1968, and in second-place for Cy Young in 1976 when he won a career high 21 games to along with a 2.69 earned run average and 200 strikeouts.
But over the following two seasons, and not entirely HIS fault, Koosman posted a combined 11-35 record, even though his ERA was around 3.62 and he struck out 352 batters.
That was enough for the Mets to ship him to Minnesota on December 8th, 1978 for a relief pitcher that would pay off years later, Jesse Orosco.
Koosman immediately made an impact in Minnesota, posting another 20-win season (at the time one of the few to do so in both leagues), while posting a 3.38 ERA and 157 strikeouts.
By the time he retired after the 1985 season he’d win 222 games, while collecting a nice 3.36 ERA with 2556 strikeouts and 33 shutouts over 612 games, 527 of which were starts.
I remember hearing years ago that Koosman loved to tell people how his “rookie card” was worth a lot of money and was the hottest card in the 1968 set, only to follow up and casually mention that “Oh yeah, some guy named Nolan Ryan is on there too.”
Love it...

NOT REALLY MISSING IN ACTION: 1975 JOHN STROHMAYER

Up on the blog today, we have a "not so missing" 1975 card for former New York Mets pitcher John Strohmayer, who wrapped up a brief Big League career with a single game in 1974:

After about three and a half years with the Montreal Expos, Strohmayer was selected off waivers by the Mets in July of 1973 and appeared in seven games, good for 10 innings before the year was up.

For the year he appeared in 24 games and 44.2 innings between the two organizations, so I went and created a "missing" 1974 card for the blog a while back.

In 1974, he appeared in one game for the Mets, only pitching one inning, never to appear in another Major League game again.

Over those five years between 1970 and 1974, Strohmayer went 11-9 with a 4.47 earned run average in 143 games, 18 of which were starts.

As an aside, here's something I don't get to post everyday: seems Strohmayer was one of 15 employees of the Gateway Unified School District to share a $76 Million lottery jackpot in 2009!

Good for you John! We should all be so lucky!

REVISITING A POST FROM 10 YEARS AG: "MISSING" 1979 MARDIE CORNEJO

On the blog today, we revisit my "missing" 1979 card for former New York Mets pitcher Mardie Cornejo:

Cornejo is a bit of a mystery since he appeared in only one season of Major League ball (1978), and performed rather well, posting a 4-2 record with the Mets while posting a 2.45 earned run average over 25 appearances and 36.2 innings, all out of the bullpen.
So why no other action in his career? Anyone familiar with Cornejo and what happened?
Nevertheless it was awesome finding this photo of the guy so I could whip this card up for the blog.

REVISITING A POST FROM 2015: MISSING IN ACTION 1974 JOHN STROHMAYER

Good day all!

On the blog today, we revisit a post from January, 2015, my "missing" 1974 card for former New York Mets pitcher John Strohmayer:

Here's the original write-up from way back when:

After about three and a half years with the Montreal Expos, Strohmayer was selected off waivers by the Mets in July of 1973 and appeared in seven games, good for 10 innings before the year was up.

For the year he appeared in 24 games and 44.2 innings between the two organizations, so I figured he'd get a 1974 card for his efforts.

In 1974 however, he appeared in one game for the Mets, pitching one inning, never to appear in another Major League game again.

Over those five years between 1970 and 1974, Strohmayer went 11-9 with a 4.47 earned run average in 143 games, 18 of which were starts.

As an aside, here's something I don't get to post everyday: seems Strohmayer was one of 15 employees of the Gateway Unified School District to share a $76 Million lottery jackpot in 2009!

Good for you John! We should all be so lucky!

CAREER-CAPPER: 1972 AL WEIS

Time to create and post up a long overdue career-capper for one of the "Amazin'" New York Mets, Al Weis, who capped off a nice 10-year Big League career with 11 games in 1971:

Weis went 0-11 at the plate over those 11 games for the Mets, also putting in time at Second and Third at the age of 33 in what turned out to be the last action of his Major League tenure.

He originally came up to the Big Leagues with the Chicago White Sox in 1962, playing in the South Side of Chicago for six years before getting traded to the Mets along with Tommie Agee in December of 1967 for four players, including Tommy Davis and Jack Fisher.

Never a full-time player, he'd usually see time as a defensive replacement late in the game, or some pinch-hitting duties, which saw him accumulate only 1763 plate appearances over 800 games, hitting .219 with 346 hits in 1578 at-bats.

Though he did manage to hit .296 over 135 at-bats in 1965 for the White Sox, every other season saw him usually South of the .250 mark.

By the time he retired, he finished with the aforementioned .219 average, along with 195 runs scored, 115 runs batted in, seven homers and 55 stolen bases, and of course a World Championship as a member of those historic 1969 Mets.

Not too shabby!

REVISITING ANOTHER 10 YEAR OLD POST: MISSING IN ACTION- 1973 BOB RAUCH

On the blog today, we revisit an early "Missing in Action" card for the blog, this one my missing 1973 card for "one year wonder" Bob Rauch of the New York Mets:

Here's the original write-up for that post way back when:

Ok, so this guy really didn't put in a lot of tome to warrant a card the following year, but I did find a great high-resolution image of him so I went ahead and designed a card anyway.

Check out my 1973 Bob Rauch Topps card.

Rauch's entire Major League career encompassed 19 games for the Mets in 1972, saving one and posting a record of 0-1.

Drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1967, Rauch would end up playing for the Dodgers, Mets, Indians and A's minor league systems, finally calling it a career in 1975.

I think it's fun working on cards of guys that barely registered a "blip" on the Major League scene, and I think I'll try coming up with more and more of them as time goes on.

Hope you enjoy them as well…

THE WHOLE NINE: SERIES 2- 1964 REDO FOR GIL HODGES

Today on the blog we spotlight another card from my recent custom set, "The Whole Nine: Series 2", this one my 1964 redo for Hall of Famer Gil Hodges:

Topps originally issued a card showing Hodges as the manager for the Washington Senators for the upcoming 1964 season, thus ending a Hall-worthy career as an elite slugger mainly for the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers.

I created an alternate New York Mets card to cap-off his playing career, which was understated and stellar, finishing up at the time as one of the game's greatest sluggers of all-time.

I still cannot figure out why it took so long for him to get into the Hall, as he was a MAJOR part of those "Bum" Dodger teams, slamming 370 career homers, driving in 100+ runs seven years in a row between 1949-1955, and topping 30+ homers six times.

Later on he went on to a managerial career that includes one of the all-time great surprises in Major League ball, leading the "Miracle Mets" over the heavily favored Baltimore Orioles in 1969, an incredible turnaround that saw the Mets as World Champs just a few short years after perennial last place finishes, including their all-time futile 1962 season which saw them lose 120 games.

One of baseball's Hall of Fame snubs that thankfully finally got "fixed" with his election in 2022, 50 years after his sudden and shocking death from a heart attack at the young age of 47.

One of the era's best players finally getting his place in Cooperstown, and rightly so!

 

REVISITING A POST FROM 2014: MISSING 1977 LEON BROWN

On the blog today, we revisit a post from June of 2014, my "missing in action" card for Leon Brown of the New York Mets, who was left out of the 1977 Topps set:

Here's the original write-up for the card from that post over 10 years ago.

"Here's one for all you Mets fans out there!

Although he only appeared in 64 games in his Major League career (all in 1976), I came across a nice photo of former New York Mets outfielder Leon Brown recently and decided to design a 1977 card for him.

While I normally never designed cards for "missing" players with so little Major League action, I've decided to branch out a bit and start designing cards of players that fit the bill if I come across a decent enough photo, like Brown here.

As I stated earlier, Brown only appeared in 64 games in 1976, batting .214 with 15 hits in 70 at-bats while playing all three outfield positions.

While his Major League action was sparse, he did manage to pull together a 13-year Minor League career, playing for six organizations along the way: the Orioles, Giants, White Sox, Mets, Cardinals and Royals.

Ironically enough, he fared much better than his brother Curtis, who got into one Major League game, for the Montreal Expos, in 1973, going 0 for 4."