1963 FLEER EXTENSION MISSING IN ACTION: WILLIE STARGELL

Good day everyone!

On the blog today, a fun one requested by my buddy Ron, a 1963 Fleer Willie Stargell "rookie", if the Fleer company was allowed to continue making cards for the inaugural set:

For Stargell, over 21 seasons, he would lead the Pittsburgh Pirates to two world championships, take home an MVP Award in 1979 (shared with the Cardinals Keith Hernandez), and get named to seven All-Star teams.

"Pops" would also have a great three-year run between 1971 and 1973 that saw him finish second, third and second respectively in MVP voting, winning two home run titles, an RBI title and even lead the league with 43 doubles (1973).

Luckily, I got to see him towards the end of his career in the late-70's/early-80s before he retired after the 1982 season.

His final numbers? Hall of Fame worthy as he'd finish with 475 home runs, 1540 RBIs, a surprisingly high .282 batting average and 2232 hits over 2360 games and 7927 at-bats.

Think about those numbers in UNDER 8000 at-bats!

Of course when eligible for the Hall of Fame, he was in, with 82.4% of the vote in 1988.

So sad that he would pass away at only 61 years of age in 2001.

 

1960s "IN-ACTION": 1965 WILLIE STARGELL

Up on the blog today, we have my 1965 "In-Action" card for Pittsburgh Pirates legend Willie Stargell, from my recent "Series 3" set released a few months ago:

Over 21 seasons, Stargell would lead the Pittsburgh Pirates to two world championships, take home an MVP Award in 1979 (shared with the Cardinals Keith Hernandez), and get named to seven All-Star teams.

He would also have a great three-year run between 1971 and 1973 that saw him finish second, third and second respectively in MVP voting, winning two home run titles, an RBI title and even lead the league with 43 doubles (1973).

Luckily, I got to see him towards the end of his career in the late-70's/early-80s before he retired after the 1982 season.

His final numbers? Hall of Fame worthy as he'd finish with 475 home runs, 1540 RBIs, a surprisingly high .282 batting average and 2232 hits over 2360 games and 7927 at-bats.

Think about those numbers in UNDER 8000 at-bats!

Of course when eligible for the Hall of Fame, he was in, with 82.4% of the vote in 1988.

So sad that he would pass away at only 61 years of age in 2001.

One of baseball's beloved players, especially among his fan-base, he left such a lasting legacy that resonates to this day.

 

1983 CAREER-CAPPER: WILLIE STARGELL

Super-fun card for me to create today: a 1983 "career-capper" for "Pops" Willie Stargell, as I start creating more cards for the 1980's, the decade I was collecting like a lunatic as I navigated my teen years:

The 1983 set is my absolute favorite set of the decade, with it's beautiful design with eye-popping colors.

So it would have been great to have a final Stargell card in that edition.

Over 21 seasons, Stargell would lead the Pittsburgh Pirates to two world championships, take home an MVP Award in 1979 (shared with the Cardinals Keith Hernandez), and get named to seven All-Star teams.

He would also have a great three-year run between 1971 and 1973 that saw him finish second, third and second respectively in MVP voting, winning two home run titles, an RBI title and even lead the league with 43 doubles (1973).

Luckily, I got to see him towards the end of his career in the late-70's/early-80s before he retired after the 1982 season.

His final numbers? Hall of Fame worthy as he'd finish with 475 home runs, 1540 RBIs, a surprisingly high .282 batting average and 2232 hits over 2360 games and 7927 at-bats.

Think about those numbers in UNDER 8000 at-bats!

Of course when eligible for the Hall of Fame, he was in, with 82.4% of the vote in 1988.

So sad that he would pass away at only 61 years of age in 2001.

One of baseball's beloved players, especially among his fan-base, he left such a lasting legacy that resonates to this day.

 

A SET THAT NEVER WAS: 1971 ALL-STAR TICKET SET: WILLIE STARGELL

The next "card that never was" from my 1971 All-Star ticket unreleased set, Pittsburgh Pirates Hall of Famer Willie Stargell, starting outfielder in that historic and memorable Midsummer Classic:

Stargell was at the height of his brilliant Big League career when this card would have seen the light of day.

Over 21 seasons, Stargell would lead the Pittsburgh Pirates to two world championships, take home an MVP Award in 1979 (shared with the Cardinals Keith Hernandez), and get named to seven All-Star teams.

He would also have a great three-year run between 1971 and 1973 that saw him finish second, third and second respectively in MVP voting, winning two home run titles, an RBI title and even lead the league with 43 doubles (1973).

Luckily, I got to see him towards the end of his career in the late-70's/early-80s before he retired after the 1982 season.

His final numbers? Hall of Fame worthy as he'd finish with 475 home runs, 1540 RBIs, a surprisingly high .282 batting average and 2232 hits over 2360 games and 7927 at-bats.

Think about those numbers in UNDER 8000 at-bats!

Of course when eligible for the Hall of Fame, he was in, with 82.4% of the vote in 1988.

So sad that he would pass away at only 61 years of age in 2001.

One of baseball's beloved players, especially among his fan-base, he left such a lasting legacy that resonates to this day.

WTHBALLS GUM PACK CUSTOM SET: WILLIE STARGELL

I've been told I haven't created enough Willie Stargell cards for the blog over the years by my friend, and while it is true, it certainly is NOT done on purpose.

So today I post up my Stargell "mini" card, from my Gum Pack set released a while back, in honor of "Pops":

Over 21 seasons, Stargell would lead the Pittsburgh Pirates to two world championships, take home an MVP Award in 1979 (shared with the Cardinals Keith Hernandez), and get named to seven All-Star teams.

He would also have a great three-year run between 1971 and 1973 that saw him finish second, third and second respectively in MVP voting, winning two home run titles, an RBI title and even lead the league with 43 doubles (1973).

Luckily, I got to see him towards the end of his career in the late-70's/early-80s before he retired after the 1982 season.

His final numbers? Hall of Fame worthy as he'd finish with 475 home runs, 1540 RBIs, a surprisingly high .282 batting average and 2232 hits over 2360 games and 7927 at-bats.

Think about those numbers in UNDER 8000 at-bats!

Of course when eligible for the Hall of Fame, he was in, with 82.4% of the vote in 1988.

So sad that he would pass away at only 61 years of age in 2001.

One of baseball's beloved players, especially among his fan-base, he left such a lasting legacy that resonates to this day.

"CLASSIC BASEBALL" CUSTOM WTHBALLS SET: WILLIE STARGELL

The next baseball star featured in my future custom "Classic Baseball" set, "Pops" Willie Stargell, Pittsburgh Pirates legend and Hall of Famer:

Just a beautiful portrait photo of the slugger during the height of his wonderful career, oozing "bad-assery" and striking fear into opposing pitchers.

Over 21 seasons, Stargell would lead the Pittsburgh Pirates to two world championships, take home an MVP Award in 1979 (shared with the Cardinals Keith Hernandez), and get named to seven All-Star teams.

"Pops" would also have a great three-year run between 1971 and 1973 that saw him finish second, third and second respectively in MVP voting, winning two home run titles, an RBI title and even lead the league with 43 doubles (1973).

Luckily, I got to see him towards the end of his career in the late-70's/early-80s before he retired after the 1982 season.

His final numbers? Hall of Fame worthy as he'd finish with 475 home runs, 1540 RBIs, a surprisingly high .282 batting average and 2232 hits over 2360 games and 7927 at-bats.

Think about those numbers in UNDER 8000 at-bats!

Of course when eligible for the Hall of Fame, he was in, with 82.4% of the vote in 1988.

So sad that he would pass away at only 61 years of age in 2001.

One of baseball's beloved players, especially among his fan-base, he left such a lasting legacy that resonates to this day.

 

1977 N.L. CENTENNIAL: WILLIE STARGELL

Today we go and add "Pops", Willie Stargell to my long-running thread celebrating the National League's 100th anniversary of 1976 with a 1977 sub-set:

Over 21 seasons, Stargell would lead the Pittsburgh Pirates to two world championships, take home an MVP Award in 1979 (shared with the Cardinals Keith Hernandez), and get named to seven All-Star teams.

"Pops" would also have a great three-year run between 1971 and 1973 that saw him finish second, third and second respectively in MVP voting, winning two home run titles, an RBI title and even lead the league with 43 doubles (1973).

Luckily, I got to see him towards the end of his career in the late-70's/early-80s before he retired after the 1982 season.

His final numbers? Hall of Fame worthy as he'd finish with 475 home runs, 1540 RBIs, a surprisingly high .282 batting average and 2232 hits over 2360 games and 7927 at-bats.

Think about those numbers in UNDER 8000 at-bats!

Of course when eligible for the Hall of Fame, he was in, with 82.4% of the vote in 1988.

So sad that he would pass away at only 61 years of age in 2001.

One of baseball's beloved players, especially among his fan-base, he left such a lasting legacy that resonates to this day.

1971 "BASEBALL'S GREATEST MOMENTS": WILLIE STARGELL

In my on-going thread of filling-in "missing" players in the great 1971 "Baseball's Greatest Moments" set, we add "Pops" Willie Stargell, who had himself a huge day on August 1st of 1970:

On that day in Atlanta, Georgia, the Pittsburgh Pirates slugger collected five hits, all of them for extra bases, becoming just the third player at the time to do so.

Stargell had three doubles and two home runs in the 20-10 victory at Atlanta Fulton County Stadium, padding his already impressive Major League credentials while still in his 20's.

As we all know by now, over 21 seasons, he would lead the Pittsburgh Pirates to two world championships, take home an MVP Award in 1979 (shared with the Cardinals Keith Hernandez), and get named to seven All-Star teams.

"Pops" would also have a great three-year run between 1971 and 1973 that saw him finish second, third and second respectively in MVP voting, winning two home run titles, an RBI title and even lead the league with 43 doubles (1973).

Luckily, I got to see him towards the end of his career in the late-70's/early-80s before he retired after the 1982 season.

His final numbers? Hall of Fame worthy as he'd finish with 475 home runs, 1540 RBIs, a surprisingly high .282 batting average and 2232 hits over 2360 games and 7927 at-bats.

Think about those numbers in UNDER 8000 at-bats!

Of course when eligible for the Hall of Fame, he was in, with 82.4% of the vote in 1988.

So sad that he would pass away at only 61 years of age in 2001.

 

CUSTOM SPOTLIGHT: 1963 WILLIE STARGELL "DEDICATED ROOKIE"

On the blog today, we spotlight my 1963 "dedicated rookie" for Pittsburgh Pirates all-time great Willie Stargell, from my "1960's Dedicated Rookie" set released a couple years back:

This was a great set to produce, allowing me to branch out into some 1960's Topps sets to create rookie cards for greats such as Stargell, Pete Rose and Nolan Ryan.

As for Stargell, over 21 seasons, he would lead the Pittsburgh Pirates to two world championships, take home an MVP Award in 1979 (shared with the Cardinals Keith Hernandez), and get named to seven All-Star teams.

"Pops" would also have a great three-year run between 1971 and 1973 that saw him finish second, third and second respectively in MVP voting, winning two home run titles, an RBI title and even lead the league with 43 doubles (1973).

Luckily, I got to see him towards the end of his career in the late-70's/early-80s before he retired after the 1982 season.

His final numbers? Hall of Fame worthy as he'd finish with 475 home runs, 1540 RBIs, a surprisingly high .282 batting average and 2232 hits over 2360 games and 7927 at-bats.

Think about those numbers in UNDER 8000 at-bats!

Of course when eligible for the Hall of Fame, he was in, with 82.4% of the vote in 1988.

So sad that he would pass away at only 61 years of age in 2001.

1970 "IN-GAME ACTION": WILLIE STARGELL

The next baseball star featured in my on-going 1970 "In-Game Action" series is Pittsburgh Pirates great Willie Stargell:

 

Over 21 seasons, he would lead the Pittsburgh Pirates to two world championships, take home an MVP Award in 1979 (shared with the Cardinals Keith Hernandez), and get named to seven All-Star teams.

"Pops" would also have a great three-year run between 1971 and 1973 that saw him finish second, third and second respectively in MVP voting, winning two home run titles, an RBI title and even lead the league with 43 doubles (1973).

Luckily, I got to see him towards the end of his career in the late-70's/early-80s before he retired after the 1982 season.

His final numbers? Hall of Fame worthy as he'd finish with 475 home runs, 1540 RBIs, a surprisingly high .282 batting average and 2232 hits over 2360 games and 7927 at-bats.

Think about those numbers in UNDER 8000 at-bats!

Of course when eligible for the Hall of Fame, he was in, with 82.4% of the vote in 1988.

So sad that he would pass away at only 61 years of age in 2001.

Rest in Peace "Pops"...

1972 ALL-STAR SUB-SET: WILLIE STARGELL

Up next in the cavalcade of 1971 starting All-Stars given their due in the 1972 set with "missing" All-Star cards is Hall of Famer Willie Stargell of the Pittsburgh Pirates, the third outfielder for the National League joining,up with Mays and Aaron:

 

Though already a three-time All-Star by the time 1971 rolled around, Stargell really had his breakout season in 1971, eventually leading the N.L. with 48 homers while also driving in a career-best 125 runs, scoring 104 himself.

Those monster numbers would get him a second place finish in the MVP race, something he'd also do two years later.

He'd have to wait until 1979 when at the age of 39 he'd finally get his MVP Award, leading the Pirates to their World Series win over the Baltimore Orioles with their "We are family" team, with "Pops" taking the team on his shoulders.

Luckily, I got to see him towards the end of his career in the late-70's/early-80s before he retired after the 1982 season.

His final number? Hall of Fame worthy as he'd finish with 475 home runs, 1540 RBIs, a surprisingly high .282 batting average and 2232 hits over 2360 games and 7927 at-bats.

Think about those numbers in UNDER 8000 at-bats!

Of course when eligible for the Hall of Fame, he was in, with 82.4% of the vote in 1988.

So sad that he would pass away at only 61 years of age in 2001.

EXPANDED LEAGUE LEADERS- 1974 N.L. RUNS BATTED IN

On the blog today, we move ahead in my long-running "expanded league leaders" thread where we celebrate the top 3 men in a particular statistic in years where Topps just had the first place finisher of both leagues on one card.

Today we look at the top 3 N.L. RBI men of 1973 on this 1974 card:

 

 

Starting off, we have the great Willie Stargell, who paced the National League with his 119 run batted in during the 1973 season, the only time he led the league in RBIs over his career.

He also led the league with 43 doubles and 44 homers, as well as slugging percentage, good for a second place finish in the MVP race and a sixth All-Star nod.

In second place with 105 RBIs was the "Big Bopper", Lee May of the Houston Astros, who had what was a typical year for himself with 28 home runs and a .270 batting average in his second season in Houston after coming over from the Cincinnati Reds in the blockbuster Joe Morgan deal.

May was really a forgotten stud from the era, and it is a shame considering his consistency with 20+ homers and 90+ RBIs over a decade.

Tied at third place with 104 RBIs are Johnny Bench and Darrell Evans, who both had great years in 1973.

For Bench, it was "business as usual", as he'd reach 100 RBIs for the third time in four seasons, and something he would do six times in his career.

The man was in his prime and would go on to be considered the greatest catcher the game has ever seen, and justifiably so.

For Evans, 1973 was a breakout year for him, hitting 41 homers and reaching the 100 RBI mark for what turned out to be the only time in his career.

Though he'd never reach 100 RBIs again, he would certainly put in a Hall of Fame worthy career, finishing up with 414 home runs, 2223 hits, 1354 RBIs and 1344 runs scored, as well as a .361 OBP in 21 seasons.

There you have it! The top 3 RBI men in the National League for 1973 on a 1974 "expanded league leader card".

Onto the American League!

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!

EXPANDED YEARLY LEADER CARDS: 1973 N.L. RUNS BATTED IN

On the blog today, a nifty expanded 1973 league leader card for the National League's top RBI men of 1972, three future Hall of Famers with some serious fire-power:

 

Leading the league in 1972 was none other than Johnny Bench, with 125 runs batted in, and giving him his second RBI title in three years after his monster 1970 campaign that saw him drive in 148 at the age of only 22!

Just behind Bench in RBIs for the 1972 season was Chicago Cubs great Billy Williams, who drove in 122 runs while also taking home the N.L. batting title with his .333 batting average.

Sadly for him, his TWO best Major League seasons happen to come when Bench had HIS two best seasons, so there you have Billy Williams coming in second place for MVP, both times behind Bench. That is some tough luck!

Coming in third place in the RBI race for 1972, "Pops" Willie Stargell, who drove in 112 runs for the Pittsburgh Pirates, his fourth time reaching the 100-RBI mark, and funny enough, helping him finish third in the N.L. MVP voting by season's end.

So here you have the top 3 RBI guys in the National League, and they all finished first through third in MVP voting as well, in the same order!

Fun stuff!

Next up, we move on to the American League and their top three RBI men for 1972!

MINOR LEAGUE DAYS- WILLIE STARGELL

The next star to be added to the "Minor League Days" 1971 sub-set is "Pops" Willie Stargell, who was wrapping up his four-year Minor League career in 1962 when this photo was taken, playing for the Columbus Jets as a 22-year-old:

 

Stargell hit .276 for Columbus that season, along with 27 homers and 82 runs batted in while scoring 97 runs himself over 497 at-bats in 138 games.

At the end of the season he'd get called up to the Big Leagues, where he'd remain for the next 21 years, leading the Pittsburgh Pirates to two world championships, take home an MVP Award in 1979 (shared with the Cardinals Keith Hernandez), and get named to seven All-Star teams along the way.

"Pops" would also have a great three-year run between 1971 and 1973 that saw him finish second, third and second respectively in MVP voting, winning two home run tiles, an RBI title and even lead the league with 43 doubles (1973).

Luckily, I got to see him towards the end of his career in the late-70's/early-80s before he retired after the 1982 season.

His final number? Hall of Fame worthy as he'd finish with 475 home runs, 1540 RBIs, a surprisingly high .282 batting average and 2232 hits over 2360 games and 7927 at-bats.

Think about those numbers in UNDER 8000 at-bats!

Of course when eligible for the Hall of Fame, he was in, with 82.4% of the vote in 1988.

So sad that he would pass away at only 61 years of age in 2001.

Rest in Peace "Pops"...

 

1979 SPECIAL- WILLIE STARGELL AND WILLIE McCOVEY

Been meaning to create a “special” 1979 card for this great image of Hall of Famer Willie Stargell and Willie McCovey towards the end of their brilliant careers, so here goes:

Two giants of the game just sitting in the dugout one afternoon, talking about what, I have no idea, but I sure wish I was there to just soak it all in!
McCovey, a former Rookie of the Year and MVP, with Stargell also an MVP, would both find their way to Cooperstown slugging just about 1000 home runs while striking fear into the hearts of many a Major League pitcher over the course of about 20 years.
Just two awesome players of their era who were sharing a friendly moment hanging out on a sunny afternoon. Wish they were both still with us to keep sharing their stories.
Rest in Peace “Pops” and “Stretch”.

1975 IN-ACTION: WILLIE STARGELL

Time to go and add Pirates legend “Pops” Willie Stargell, patriarch of the “We Are Family” champions to the ever-expanding 1975 “in-Action” thread:

Stargell was one of the heavy hitters of this era as we all know, helping the Pirates to two championships in the decade, co-sharing the National League MVP Award in 1979 along with St. Louis Cardinals batting champ Keith Hernandez.
The two-time home run champ drove in over 100 runs five times in his career, with another four 90+ RBI years with six 30+ homer campaigns as well.
Between 1971 and 1973 he finished second, third and second respectively in the N.L. MVP race, while making the All-Star team seven-times.
Naturally, when Cooperstown came calling in 1988, he made it in on the first try, being named to 82.4% of the ballot.
I still can’t believe it’s been 17 years since he passed away just one month after his 61st birthday.
Rest in Peace “Pops”.

NICKNAMES OF THE '70'S #17: "POPS" WILLIE STARGELL

Next up in my fun series of "Nickname" cards is none other than Pittsburgh Pirates legend Willie Stargell, aka "Pops".

Take a look:

I designed the card with a 1979 template since that was the year Stargell led the Pirates to a World Championship, even winning a co-M.V.P. (with Keith Hernandez of the Cardinals).

Sure, he had better years during his Hall of Fame career, but '79 was the "We Are Family" season where Stargell took on a father-like leadership of the Pittsburgh team, and I remember that season, and that run, very well!

Besides his M.V.P. that season, Stargell also finished in second place for the award twice in his career, 1971 and 1973. And for good measure, he finished third in the running in between, in 1972.

Always a "big bopper", Stargell led the league in homers twice, runs batted in once, doubles once, and slugging once, all between the years of 1971 and 1974.

A seven-time all-star, by the time he retired after the 1982 season Stargell popped 475 home runs to go along with 1540 R.B.I.'s, 423 doubles, 1194 runs scored and a .282 batting average.

Absolutely loved in Pittsburgh, and throughout baseball, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1988, being named on 352 of 427 ballots.

He played 21 years in the Major Leagues, and they were all for the Pirates.

"Pops"!

"GIMME A DO-OVER"- PART XXXI: 1970 #470 WILLIE STARGELL

Today we look at a card that I was never really a fan of: Topps' 1970 card of Willie Stargell (#470).

There was something about the pose "Pops" was photographed in, just looked lame and really not "Stargell-esque" (if that makes any sense.

Take a look:

See what I mean? The bat on the shoulder looks awkward, the hand on hip looks like he's missing a finger or two, and quite honestly that smile looks about as forced as a whore in church.

The way he has that bat resting on his neck, across his jugular. So weird.

Take a look at a better image I found to use for a "do-over":

Just a nice in-game action shot of Stargell in 1970 against the St. Louis Cardinals.

This is just before Stargell had his most productive years in the big leagues in the early 1970's, including three years in a row where he finished second, third and second in M.V.P. voting between 1971 and 1973, leading the Majors in homers in '71 and '73 with 48 and 44.

He'd eventually win an M.V.P. later in the decade at the age of 39 (he'd share it with Keith Hernandez) when he lead the Pirates to a World Series win over the Baltimore Orioles in 1979, slamming 32 homers in only 126 games.

He retired after the 1982 season, playing all 21 years with the Pirates, crushing 475 homers, driving in 1540 R.B.I.'s, and winning two championships (1971 & 1979).

"Pops" eventually found his way into the Hall of Fame in 1988, joining former teammate Roberto Clemente, and rightfully so.

HALL OF FAME LEADERS XIII: 1974 R.B.I.'s LEADERS

Next up on my "Hall of Fame" league leader card series is the 1974 Runs Batted In card (#203) featuring two of THE power hitters of the decade: Reggie Jackson and Willie Stargell.

First up the card:

In a bit of a surprise, 1973 was the only time these future Hall members would lead their leagues in R.B.I.'s.

For Reggie, his 117 ribbies paced the American League, contributing to his only Most Valuable Player award that season. It was also one off of his career high, as he drove in 118 in 1969 when he slammed 47 homers in his first big year in the Majors.

Even though the late 1960's and 1970's were a bit of an offensive down-time for baseball, it's still surprising to remind yourself that Reggie's high in ribbies is so low. Then again, he also lead the league in homers in '73 with 32, his only outright home run title during his career. In a bit of an odd coincidence, his other three home run titles were all shared, and all with a Milwaukee Brewer player: 1975- George Scott; 1980- Ben Oglivie and 1982- Gorman Thomas.

Go figure.

For Stargell, 1973 was arguably the finest offensive year of his career. In addition to his league leading 119 runs batted in, he slammed 44 homers and also lead the league in doubles with 43. His .646 slugging percentage also lead the league, and he hit just a shade under .300, finishing up with a .299 B.A.

It would also mark the last time Stargell would drive in 100 or more runs in a season, even though he'd play for another nine years before retiring after the 1982 season.

1973 would also be the third year in a row where he'd finish in the top-3 in Most Valuable Player voting, ending up second behind winner Pete Rose. In 1971 he finished second behind Joe Torre, while in 1972 he finished third behind Johnny Bench and Billy Williams.

Next up on this thread we move on to 1975 and take a look at the strikeout leader card, featuring two of the all-time best: Nolan Ryan and Steve Carlton.