MINOR LEAGUE DAYS: ROD CAREW

Happy to add another Hall of Famer to my long-running 1971 "Minor League Days" set, this time the hitting machine Rod Carew, who put in one season as a 20-year-old in 1966 with the Wilson Tobs:

The kid did not disappoint, as he would hit .292 with 28 stolen bases and 64 runs scored over 112 games.

He was ready for his moment, and the Minnesota Twins would call him up the following season, where he would march straight to an American League Rookie of the Year Award.

The man was a player for the ages, as he would go on to play in 18 All-Star games, missing only his final season in the Majors in 1985. Just incredible.

The first nine seasons of his career were as an All-Star second baseman, while the last nine were as a first baseman.

The man topped .300 15 years in a row, with a high of .388 in 1977 on his way to a Most Valuable Player Award and capturing the public’s attention with his .400 chase late in the season.
A clear-cut Hall of Fame player, he was inducted on his first year of eligibility in 1991 when he garnered 90.5% of the vote, which leaves me with the question: who the hell are the 9.5% who DIDN’T vote for him!!!???

3053 hits, a .328 career average, 353 stolen bases and 15 straight seasons of .300+ batting.

The man was a hitting machine, and I'm so glad I got to see him play during his magnificent career!

1971 "MINOR LEAGUE DAYS" SERIES TWO CHECKLIST INSERT: BOBBY GRICH

Good day everyone!

On the blog today, we have my 1971 "Minor League Days" special checklist insert card celebrating the 1971 Minor League Player of the Year, Bobby Grich, from my recently released set:

As for Grich himself, before carving out an excellent Major League career, he had a monster 1971 season playing for the Orioles' Triple-A farm club in Rochester.

In 130 games as a shortstop, Grich POUNDED the International League, hitting .336 while smashing 32 homers with 83 runs batted in and 124 runs scored with 299 total bases.

These were NOT middle infielder numbers you often saw during the 1960's and 1970's!

And it was for those numbers that Grich was a solid pick for Minor League Player of the Year.

Once he jumped to the Majors for good in 1972, he became one of the best second baseman in the game for the rest of the decade, considered one of the best fielders at his position, winning four Gold Gloves as well as leading the league in putouts, double-plays and assists multiple times.

But he was no slouch at the plate, as he retired with almost 2000 hits, 224 homers, 1000+ runs scored and 864 runs batted in after seven years in Baltimore and ten years in California as a member of the Angels before hanging them up after the 1986 season.

1971 MINOR LEAGUE DAYS: DON BAYLOR CHECKLIST SPECIAL

Up on the blog today, a fun card from my "Minor League Days" Series One release a few months back, the special checklist card featuring the 1970 "Minor League Player of the Year" Don Baylor of the Rochester Red Wings:

Baylor was an up-and-coming stud for the Baltimore Orioles when he took home the award after a brilliant season that saw him hit .327 with 22 homers, 107 runs batted in and 26 stolen bases.

He'd follow that up with another great year in Rochester in 1971, hitting .313 with 20 homers and 95 "ribbies", along with 25 steals.

When he finally got a shot at the "big time", Baylor had himself a nice rookie campaign in 1972, hitting 11 home runs while also stealing 24 bases in only 102 games and 320 at-bats for the Baltimore Orioles, and getting named to the Topps all-rookie team for his efforts.
It was just a small glimpse of what was to come as he would go on to hit 338 home runs during his career, with 285 stolen bases thrown in to make him a legitimate double-threat.
During the course of his career, he’d hit as many as 36 home runs, during his AL MVP 1979 season while with the California Angels, while stealing as many as 52 bases, in his lone season with the Oakland A’s in 1976 after being traded for Reggie Jackson.
He would also finish his career in a great way, reaching the World Series the last three seasons, each as a member of a different team: Boston Red Sox in 1986, Minnesota Twins in 1987 and Oakland A’s in 1988.
I loved his time with the New York Yankees from 1983 to 1985, teamed up with Dave Winfield and Don Mattingly to give them quite the offensive trio.
RIP “Groove”.

MINOR LEAGUE DAYS: RAY FOSSE

On the blog today, by special request, adding young All-Star catcher Ray Fosse to my on-going 1971 "Minor League Days" thread:

Fosse is pictured here during his stint with the Portland Beavers, either in 1967 or 1968, before making the Major Leagues for good and becoming a rising star for the Cleveland Indians in the early part of the 1970's.

The catcher, forever remembered for being on the wrong end of a Pete Rose collision at home plate in the 1970 All-Star game, had a nice run between 1970 and 1973 when he put up very nice numbers for a catcher in the era.
In 1970 he hit 18 homers while batting .307, with 61 runs batted in and 62 runs scored, along with the first of his two Gold Gloves.
Contrary to what many believe, the All-Star injury at the hands of Pete Rose did not derail his career, as other injuries along the way in the following years also contributed to his drop in performance.
Nevertheless, by the time Fosse retired after a brief stint with the Milwaukee Brewers in 1979, he finished with a .256 average, with 758 hits over 2957 at-bats, driving in 324 runs while scoring 299 himself over 924 Big League games.
On another note, you really have to wonder how good those Cleveland Indians could have been by the late-70’s had they NOT traded away players like Graig Nettles, Dick Tidrow, Chris Chambliss and Fosse.

Iguess in all fairness we can say that about many teams back then.

MINOR LEAGUE DAYS: DON DRYSDALE

As a favor to my buddy Eric, today on the blog I went and created a 1971 "Minor League Days" fantasy card for former Los Angeles Dodgers great Don Drysdale, who retired a couple of years earlier:

"Big D" retired at a young 32 years of age, and it's fun imagining his career extending into the mid-70's or so, something we didn't get to see.

The fresh-faced 18-year-old you see here on this card went 11-11 for the Montreal Royals, posting an ERA of 3.33 over 173 innings, with three shutouts and only 80 strikeouts.

He'd make his MLB debut in 1956 and show the Brooklyn faithfull what he was capable of, going 5-5 with a very nice 2.64 ERA over 99 innings of work, completing two of his 12 starts while relieving in another 13 games for the eventual N.L. champs.

He'd go one to become a true ace, posting double-digit wins every full year of his career, making eight All-Star teams, taking home the Cy Young Award in 1962, and posting seven seasons of sub-3.00 ERAs.

Though he did eventually make the Hall of Fame, he retired with a 209-166 career record, a 2.95 earned run average and 2486 strikeouts. Excellent numbers of course, but arguably borderline stats for the Hall (think Jack Morris, Luis Tiant, etc).
So imagine if he was able to tack on some more wins and maybe even reach 3000 strikeouts, which at the time of his retirement only the great Walter Johnson had done in Major League history.
The man WAS a beast though, intimidating batters along contemporary hurler Bob Gibson like few before or since, five times leading the National League in plunked batsmen, just to let them know who was boss.
Love guys like that!
Only wish we would have been able to see him pitch more, and more importantly regale us with stories a lot longer than his short 56 years, shockingly passing away in 1993.

MINOR LEAGUE DAYS: SAM McDOWELL

On the blog today, adding the Cleveland Indians flamethrower Sam McDowell to my long-running 1971 "Minor League Days" thread, something I haven't done in a while:

 

McDowell is shown here as a member of the Portland Beavers in 1964, his last stint in the Minors before sticking in the Big Leagues for good, establishing himself as one of the premier strikeout pitchers of the era.

He did not disappoint the Portland fans in his short nine-game tenure with the team, starting nine games, completing seven of them, with five of those games shutouts, going 8-0 with a miniscule 1.18 earned run average over 76 innings, collecting 102 strikeouts! Just dominant!

Once called up he'd continue with his performance, going 11-6 for the Cleveland Indians over 31 appearances, 24 of them starts, posting a very nice 2.70 ERA over 173.1 innings, with two shutouts and 177 strikeouts at only 21 years of age.

Over his 15-year career he was at times unhittable, six times topping 200 strikeouts, two of those seasons saw him top 300.
He’d go on to lead the league in K’s five times during his amazing run between 1965 and 1970, along with a 20-win season in 1970 and a career low 1.81 ERA in the “Year of the Pitcher” 1968.
It’s a shame he only had ten full seasons during his career, seeing as he ended up with 2453 career strikeouts with a 141-134 record and a nice 3.17 ERA.
Once he was traded to the San Francisco Giants for Gaylord Perry after the 1971 season his career went downhill quickly, barely hanging on the final four years before retiring after 1975.
Nevertheless between 1964 and 1971 he was a monster on that mound, striking fear in opposing batters while racking up the K’s and getting named to six all-star teams.

MINOR LEAGUE DAYS: LOU PINIELLA

Good day all!

Thought it'd be fun to add another player to my long-running 1971 "Minor League Days" thread, with the next guy in 1969 A.L. Rookie of the Year Lou Piniella:

 

Piniella is shown here as a member of the Portland Beavers, for whom he played between 1966 and 1968, averaging above .300 combined while in the Cleveland Indians organization.

He did get into six games for the Indians in 1968 before being selected by the new Seattle Pilots organization in the expansion draft in October of that year.

However right before the 1969 season Piniella was traded by the Pilots to another new franchise, the Kansas City Royals, for John Gelnar and Steve Whitaker.

It was a great move by the Kansas City team, as Piniella would not disappoint, going on to cop Rookie of the Year honors by hitting .282 with eleven homers and 68 runs batted in.

He'd play with the Royals through the 1973 season, making one more All-Star team in 1972 when he hit .312 while leading the league with 33 doubles, collecting a career-best 179 hits.

After being traded to the New York Yankees before the 1974 season, Piniella found his permanent home in the big leagues, playing the final eleven seasons of his career there.

Along the way he was a member of two championship teams, hit .300 or better five times, and eventually would even become manager of the Yanks before moving on to a long career leading Major League squads.

Over his 18-year career he hit .291, with 1705 hits in 5867 at-bats, and besides 10 games split between the Orioles in 1964 and the Indians in 1968, he'd do it all with the Roylas and Yankees between 1969-1984.

In 1986 he took over as Yankee manager, and would go on to manage for another 23 seasons, guiding the Yanks, Reds, Mariners, Devil Rays and Cubs.

He would lead his teams to a World Series win in 1990 (Reds), an American League record 116 win season in 2001 (Mariners), eight 90+ win seasons (all but the Devil Rays), and six 1st place finishes (with the Reds, Mariners and Cubs).

Not a bad career spanning 46 years!

MINOR LEAGUE DAYS: ROY WHITE

It's been a while since I added anyone to my fun 1971 "Minor League Days" thread, so today I go ahead and do just that, with former New York Yankees under-appreciated great Roy White:

 

The photo used here was during White's time with the (I can't believe this name) Columbus Confederate Yankees in 1964/1965, when he was 20 to 21 years of age.

By the end of the 1965 season White was in the Big Leagues, where he would play all the way through the 1979 campaign before making his way to Japan to finish up his pro career.

He became a dependable starting outfielder within three years, on his way to a career that spanned the “dark years” in the Bronx from 1965 through the end of the decade through to the successes of the “Bronx Zoo” teams that won two World Series and three pennants.
Even though the man was a New York Yankee "lifer", playing 15 years between 1965 and 1979 wearing only the Yankee pinstripes, White was often overshadowed by the likes of Mantle, Munson, Murcer, Nettles and Jackson.
Nevertheless he put in a very solid career, amassing over 1800 hits, with just under 1000 runs scored, 160 home runs and 233 stolen bases.
After his Major League playing days he even put in three good years in Japan, playing for the Yomiuri Giants between 1980-1982.
Just a quiet, solid player who more than did his job while between the foul lines, year in and year out.
I've mentioned this earlier here on this blog: years later I would end up befriending and DJ-ing in the same club scene here in NYC with his son Reade, even though he never DID tell me who his father was!
I'd only find out years later from a mutual friend after I was long gone from the club-circuit…
Would have been nice to try and schmooze a conversation or two with the senior White in the early-90's!

MINOR LEAGUE DAYS- BILL FREEHAN

On the blog today, we have an addition to one of my favorite series I've created for the blog, my 1971 "Minor League Days" set, with the great and vastly under-rated Bill Freehan added:

  

Freehan was a 19-year-old stud just starting out with the Detroit system in 1961 when this photo was taken, as he would hit .310 over 77 games with 11 homers and 55 runs batted in for the Knoxville Smokies.

He'd get his first taste of the Majors at the end of the season, appearing in four games, then spending all of 1962 in the Minors perfecting his carft, before coming back to the "Big Show" in 1963, where he'd stay for good.

Really, Freehan does NOT get enough credit for being the best backstop in the A.L. during the 1960's into the 1970's before guys like Carlton Fisk and Thurman Munson came along.

The man was an eleven-time All-Star, five-time Gold Glover and received MVP consideration six times, finishing third and second respectively in 1967 and 1968.

A solid player through and through, he'd retire after the 1976 season with a .262 lifetime average, 200 homers and 758 runs batted in over 1774 games and 6073 at-bats and finished with a .993 fielding percentage while donning the "tools of ignorance."

This man belongs in the Hall of Fame!

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!

MINOR LEAGUE DAYS- HARMON KILLEBREW

Adding to one of my favorite sub-set creations on the blog today we have the great Harmon Killebrew as a fresh-faced 20-year-old suited up for the Charlotte Hornets back in 1956 before he tore up Major League pitching over the next 20 years or so:

Killebrew put in 70 games for Charlotte in 1956, hitting 15 homers and hitting a cool .325 before he finished the year at the Big League level with the Washington Senators.

He would also spend some time in both 1957 and 1958 toiling in the Minors before sticking "for good" in the Majors in 1959, which would also be the first of his six home run titles and first of eight 40+ home run campaigns!

If you know anything about me from my blog, you know I have a soft spot in my heart for certain players: Vada Pinson, Frank Howard, Dave Parker and "Killer" Harmon Killebrew!

I will take any excuse to create cards for these players, and I truly love each and every creation in their honor.

What does anyone need to be reminded of regarding Killebrew?
He was an absolute BEAST at the plate, crushing 573 lifetime homers, MOST of them during the pitching-era of the 1960's into the '70's.
Eight 40+ home run seasons, nine 100+ runs batted in seasons, seven 100+ base-on-balls seasons, an M.V.P. in 1969 (with five top-5 finishes in M.V.P. voting as well), and a Hall of Fame induction in 1984.

The man was amazing!

 

MINOR LEAGUE DAYS- RUSTY STAUB

Adding to my long-running 1971 "Minor League Days" sub-set, today the blog offers up a card for Rusty Staub, who was a 20-year-old who already had some full-time Big League action when this photo was taken in 1964:

Staub actually already played a season and a half of Major League ball before being sent down to the Minors in 1964, spending time with the Oklahoma City 89ers, where he hit .314 over 71 games before making it back to the "Big Time" for good in 1965.

He started out as a 19 year old kid in Houston in 1963 and went on to play for Montreal, Detroit, Texas  and the New York Mets for two stints, with whom he retired with after the 1985 season.
And for those last five seasons with the Mets, he became one of the top pinch-hitters in the game and endeared himself to the Met faithful, even opening up a couple of well-liked restaurants in NYC along the way.
A few little "extras" about his career: Staub is one of three players (along with Ty Cobb and Gary Sheffield) to hit home runs as a teenager and as a 40-year old, and he is also the only player to amass 500 hits with four different teams (Astros, Mets, Expos and Tigers).
He was also the first player to play all 162 games in a season strictly as a Designated Hitter, which was for Detroit in 1978.

Lost in the crowd that was Rose, Bench, Jackson, Carew, etc. was this player who built a 23 year career, finishing up with over 2700 hits, 292 homers, 1466 R.B.I.'s, and six all-star appearances.

To me, he is a Hall of Famer who deserves a spot in Cooperstown.

 

MINOR LEAGUE DAYS- MIKE CUELLAR

Time for another 1971 "Minor League Days" card to add to one of my favorite projects here on the blog, this time former ace Mike Cuellar:

Cuellar was pitching for the Havana Sugar Kings in 1959 when this images was taken, seeing the 22-year-old pitch to a record of 10-11 with a jnice 2.80 ERA over 29 appearances, all starts.

Earlier in the year he made his Big League debut with the Cincinnati Reds, appearing in two games while not factoring in a decision, though hit hard to the tune of a 15.75 ERA in four innings of work.

Cuellar ended up putting in a nice 15-year career that saw him win 185 games, post four 20+ win seasons, win a Cy Young Award (shared with Tigers pitcher Denny McLain in 1969) and post four sub-3.00 E.R.A. Seasons.

I never realized that even though he came up in 1959 with the Cincinnati Reds, appearing in two games as a 22-year old, he didn't make it back to the Major's until 1964 at the age of 27, now as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals.

Considering his lifetime win total mentioned above, he could have possibly approached 250 wins had he not missed those four-plus years in the early-1960's.

His lifetime numbers nevertheless were impressive: the 185 wins mentioned above, a 3.14 lifetime E.R.A., 36 shutouts and 1632 strikeouts over 453 games, 379 of which were starts, completing almost half of them with 172.

 

MINOR LEAGUE DAYS- WILLIE DAVIS

On the blog today we have another addition to my long-running 1971 "Minor League Days" sub-set, this one for All-Star Los Angeles Dodger outfielder Willie Davis:

  

Davis was absolutely tearing up the Pacific Coast League pitching when this image was taken back in 1960, when the 20-year-old hit .346 with 216 hits, 43 doubles, 26 triples and 12 homers in 147 games and 624 at-bats.

This was after a 1959 season that saw him hit .352 for the Reno Silver Sox and Green Bay Blue Jays, collecting 191 hits and scoring 135 runs in just 124 games as a 19-year-old.

He made his MLB debut at the end of the 1960 season, hitting .318 over 22 games, scoring 12 and driving in 10, but the tables were set for him to become a top-notch ballplayer for years to come.

What an underrated career for the three-time Gold Glove outfielder: 2561 hits, 1217 runs scored, 182 home runs, 398 stolen bases and 1053 runs batted in over 18 seasons, 14 of which were with Los Angeles.
His best year in the Big Leagues was arguably his finest, collecting 198 hits and batting .309 while collecting the first of his three straight Gold Gloves.
Of course, being a National League outfielder through the 1960’s in the age of Mays, Aaron, Clemente and Robinson kept him from All-Star nods, and he only made two of them, in 1971 and 1973.
Nevertheless, by the time he retired he had quite the Major League resume, including leading the league in triples twice, 13 seasons of 20+ stolen bases, and two World Championships (1963 and 1965).

"3-Dog" was certainly overshadowed by some of his contemporaries, but nevertheless put together an excellent 18-year Major League career.

 

MINOR LEAGUE DAYS- MAURY WILLS

On the blog today we add former Los Angeles Dodger MVP Maury Wills to my on-going 1971 "Minor League Days" sub-set:

Wills was just about to come up to the Big Leagues for good in 1959 when this photo was taken, showing him suited up with the Spokane Indians where he played for a couple of seasons.

He would steal 25 bases each season for Spokane, hitting .253 and .313 respectively, giving everyone a sense of what to expect once he hit the Major League base paths.

Of course the pinnacle of his career is the 1962 season where he took home the National League MVP Award after setting the new single-season stolen base record with 104 while collecting 208 hits and 130 runs scored for the Dodgers.
This was right in the middle of a six-year run of leading the league in stolen bases, while also appearing in five all-star games and taking home a couple of Gold Glove Awards.
Overall he retired with a .281 batting average based on 2134 hits in 7588 at-bats with 586 stolen bases and 1067 runs scored in 1942 games.

 

MINOR LEAGUE DAYS- WILLIE HORTON

The next player added to my long-running 1971 "Minor League Days" lineup is former Detroit Tigers slugger Willie Horton, who tends to get overlooked for his era:

Horton was playing what turned out to be his final Minor League season in 1964, playing for the Syracuse Chiefs and having a very nice season that saw him hit 28 homers with 99 runs batted in as a 21-year-old.

He'd get the call up to the Majors at the end of the year, playing in 25 games, and would be up for good the following year, a season that saw him named to his first All-Star team while finishing eighth in the A.L. MVP race.

It's easy to forget how good a career Horton put together between 1963 and 1979 with all of his contemporaries stealing the spotlight, but a quick look at what he accomplished on the baseball diamond is nothing short of impressive.

In 18 years as a big league outfielder and designated hitter, Horton slammed 325 homers with 873 runs scored and 1163 runs batted in, with a .273 batting average and just under 2000 hits (1993).

14 of his 18 seasons in the sun were spent in the Motor City, where he was an important member of their world championship team of 1968, hitting a career high 36 home runs while driving in 85 and batting .285 (in a season where Carl Yastrzemski won the batting title with a .301 average).

He topped 20 homers seven times in his career with three 100+ RBI campaigns, on his way to four all-star selections and two top-10 MVP finishes (1965 & 1968).

He finished up his career as a designated hitter, and in 1979 had a comeback year at the age of 36 that saw him hit 29 home runs with 106 RBI's while collecting a career high 180 hits with the Seattle Mariners.

After a partial 1980 season that saw him play in only 97 games, he was released by Seattle just before opening day in 1981, and though he did sign with the Pittsburgh Pirates soon afterwards, he never played a Major League game again, closing out a nice career after 2028 games and 7298 at-bats.

 

MINOR LEAGUE DAYS- ORLANDO CEPEDA

This week we add the "Baby Bull" Orlando Cepeda to my ongoing 1971 "Minor League Days" thread, shown here as an 18-year-old with the St. Cloud Rox in his first season of professional ball in 1956:

Cepeda did nothing but destroy opposing pitching in the Minors, as was the case in 1956 when he hit .355 with 26 homers and 177 hits in 125 games for St. Cloud.

The following year he'd move on to the Minneapolis Millers, where he would hit .309 with 25 homers, 108 runs batted in and 91 runs before getting the call to start the 1958 season in the Big Leagues at the age of 20.

Of course, he would not disappoint, as he would take home the Rookie of the Year that season, hitting .312 with 188 hits, 25 homers, 96 RBIs and a league-leading 38 doubles, in what was to become a "typical" season for the future Hall of Famer.

While Cepeda's career was productive enough to get into Cooperstown, it's well known that if not for his bad knees, his final statistics could have been mind blowing.
Nevertheless, by the time he retired, he posted final numbers of: 379 homers, 1365 runs batted in, 2351 hits and a .297 average, with a Rookie of the Year (1958) and M.V.P. award (1967) thrown in.
It took a little while, but he was finally inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1999 after being selected by the Veteran's Committee.
What a power trio San Francisco had in Cepeda, Willie Mays and Willie McCovey! Power to the ultimate degree!”

 

MINOR LEAGUE DAYS- TOMMY DAVIS

I just had to give two time batting champ Tommy Davis, a fellow Brooklynite, a card in my long-running 1971 "Minor League Days" sub-set since I feel the man is a bit overlooked.

So here you go:

Davis was a 19-year-old Minor League stud when this photo was taken while playing for the Victoria Rosebuds back in 1958, a season split with the Montreal Royals that saw him hit .304 with 14 homers and 74 runs batted in over 136 games.

He would put in one more year in the Minors the following season, a monster, hitting .345 with 211 hits for Spokane before a late-season call-up where he appeared in one game for Los Angeles.

In 1960 he was off to the races, going on to play 18 years in the Big Leagues, the highlight being his 1962 season when he won the first of his two straight batting titles, hitting .346 with 230 hits, 27 homers, 153 RBIs and 120 runs scored.

Incredibly, those numbers only got him a third place finish in the National league MVP race at season's end, with teammate Maury Wills taking the award and Willie Mays seemingly robbed with a second place finish.

By the time he finished up, he played in 1999 games, with a nice .294 lifetime average, 2121 hits, 153 homers and 1052 runs batted in.

The advent of the Designated Hitter prolonged his career between 1973 and 1976, as the previous few years were sporadic efforts at best with no less than five teams: the White Sox, Pilots, Astros, A's and Cubs.

As a D.H. he found new life with the Baltimore Orioles as their main "man with the bat" between 1973 and 1975.

One last thought: interesting to remember that between 1949 and 1998, Tommy Davis was the ONLY Major League player to reach 150+ runs batted in for a season, when he did so in 1962, funny enough the ONLY time he even topped 100 in his 18-year career.
Go figure...

 

MINOR LEAGUE DAYS- NOLAN RYAN

****UPDATE: REVISED CARD WITH IMAGE REVERSED****

Thank you "Unknown" for the heads up on the Ryan Image! I never even realized it was flipped!

Here's the corrected card below.

On the blog today, a wonderful addition to my on-going 1971 "Minor League Days" sub-set, adding the great Nolan Ryan, celebrating his great career:

Ryan was a 20-year-old flame-throwing kid when this photo was taken in 1967 while with the Jacksonville Suns.

He split the season in the Minors between three teams, appearing in only 12 games & posting a record of 1-1 in limited play.

Of course, he was well on his way to what would turn out to be a 27-year Big League career, pretty much making a joke out of "Father Time" by pitching into the 1993 season.

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.

The man was a machine! Just incredible...

 

MINOR LEAGUE DAYS- MEL STOTTLEMYRE

Up on the blog today is a 1971 "Minor League Days" card for longtime New York Yankees ace, and underrated pitcher Mel Stottlemyre, who was finishing up a very nice final season in the Minor Leagues when this photo was taken:

Stottlemyre would go 13-3 for the Richmond Virginians in 1964 before getting called up for his first shot at the Big Leagues.

Along with that sterling record he also pitched to an incredible 1.42 earned run average over 30 appearances, 17 of them starts, while tossing two shutouts while striking out 95 over 152 innings.

Once in the Majors that year, he would add another nine wins, going 9-3 for the American League champions before they fell to the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series.

Sadly for Stottlemyre, he made his Major League debut at a time that saw the Yankees fall from the league elites, not making another World Series, or even finishing in first place, for the rest of his 11 year career.

But no one can say it was because of their young star pitcher, as Stottlymyre would go on to post three 20-win seasons while also finishing five seasons of sub-3.00 ERA's, while throwing 40 shutouts,

By the time he retired after the 1974 season because of injuries, he would win 164 games in only 9-plus seasons of work, while making five All-Star teams.

When you look at his numbers and realize that he only had nine full seasons in the Big Leagues, they definitely grow in stature.

Of course we know that he later went on to become one of the most respected pitching coaches in the Majors from the 1980-s with the Mets on through to the "new" Yankee dynasty in the late-90's/early-00's, before retiring for good after the 2008 season.