1975 IN-ACTION: GEORGE BRETT

After I recently added Hall of Famer Robin Yount to my long-running 1975 “In-Action” series, I figured it’d only make sense to add another future HOFer, the great George Brett, who was just starting out his stellar career with his first full season in 1974:

Brett finished third in the American League Rookie of the Year race in 1974, hitting .282 with 129 hits, 49 runs scored and 47 runs batted in over 133 games for the Kansas City Royals.
He’d have his breakout season quickly, leading the league with 195 hits as well as 13 triples in 1975 before winning his first batting title a year later when he hit .333 with a league-leading 215 hits and 14 triples.
The man was born to hit, and would finish his career with 3154 hits, a .305 average, 317 homers and let’s not forget the 201 stolen bases and 137 triples!
The 13-time all-star was a first-ballot Hall of Famer in 1993, getting named to 98.2% of the ballot, while taking home the MVP in 1980 after his magical .390 hitting season, while finishing second twice and third once.
Legend!

 

NOT REALLY MISSING IN ACTION- 1977 TERRY WHITFIELD

Been meaning to add this “not so missing” card to the blog for some time now, a 1977 Terry Whitfield edition for the former outfielder:

Whitfield appeared in one single game for the New York Yankees during the 1976 season, playing out in left field for two innings without getting a plate appearance.
Turns out it would be the last appearance for Whitfield as a Yankee before finding himself out West playing for the San Francisco Giants, for whom he’d play through the 1980 season, getting legitimate playing time.
Over those next four years with the Giants he never hit below .285, with a high of .296 in 1980 before taking his talents to Japan where he would play the next three years with Seibu.
In 1984 he’d be back in the Majors, now with the Los Angeles Dodgers, where he would play the final three years of his Big League career, though never more than the 87 games in ‘84 before dropping to 79 and finally 19 games in 1986.
He would go on to play another two years in the Minors, but never get a shot back in the Big Leagues, finishing up his 10-year career with a very nice .281 average, with 537 hits over 1913 at-bats, along with 33 homers and 179 RBIs in 730 games between 1974 and 1986.

 

NOT REALLY MISSING IN ACTION- 1970 WINSTON LLENAS

Up on the blog today I give you a “not so missing” 1970 card for a guy who also got two other “missing” creations here over the years, former California Angels player Winston Llenas:

Llenas appeared in 34 games for the Angels in 1969, this after playing the first 16 games of his Big League career in 1968 at the age of 24.
Over his 34 games of 1969 he hit .170, with eight hits over 47 at-bats, scoring four runs while collecting two doubles, playing third base on the defensive side of things.
He would spend the 1970 and 1971 seasons in the Minors before returning to the Majors in 1972, hitting .266 over 44 games, with 17 hits over 64 at-bats, this time also playing second base and left field in addition to third.
Never more than a spot player, Llenas played every position on the field but shortstop, center field & catcher over his six year career, all for the Angels, finishing up with a .230 career average, with 122 hits over 531 at-bats in 300 big league games, with 50 runs scored and 61 runs batted in.

 

NOT REALLY MISSING IN ACTION- 1978 DANNY GOODWIN

Today’s blog post has a “not so missing” 1978 card for the ever-famous two-time #1 overall amateur draft pick Danny Goodwin, who didn’t actually get a Topps card until the 1979 set:

Goodwin appeared in 35 games for the California Angels in 1977, this after a scant four games for his first taste of the Big Leagues in 1975 at the age of 21.
Over his 35 games of 1977 Goodwin hit .209 with 19 hits over 91 at-bats, hitting his first MLB home run while driving in eight, scoring five himself.
By now anyone who is into recent baseball history, more specifically the June amateur draft, knows that there has only been one player that was TWICE drafted #1 overall on two separate occasions: Danny Goodwin.
In 1971, Goodwin was the overall #1 pick by the Chicago White Sox as a catcher out of Peoria Central High School in Illinois, but he decided to pursue a college career instead, leaving Chicago high and dry as he went off to Southern University and A&M College in Louisiana, alma mater of Hall of Famer Lou Brock.
For Chicago, it wasn't necessarily the biggest loss, since the first round of the 1971 draft only yielded one future star of the game, Jim Rice.
However Rice went at #15, getting picked by the Boston Red Sox, so it seems highly probable that the White Sox would have picked some other relative "bust" had they not chosen Goodwin.
Just as a point of reference, the players picked between #2 and #5: Jay Franklin, Tommy Bianco, Condredge Holloway (what a name!) and Roy Branch.
After four years at college, Goodwin still impressed scouts enough that the California Angels decided to pick him #1 again in the 1975 draft.
Sadly for the Angels, it was also not as fruitful a pick, as Goodwin never did pan out on the big league level.
All told, between the years 1975 and 1982 Goodwin averaged about 45 games a season for the Angels, Twins and A's, mainly as a designated hitter, ending up with a .236 lifetime average and 13 home runs to go along with 81 runs batted in.
He DID have some fine seasons in the minors, but just couldn't continue that performance in the Majors.
He even managed to get a season in Japan in 1986, playing for Nankai, but only batted .231 with eight homers and 26 ribbies in 83 games, and called it a career.
On a much finer note, in 2011 Goodwin was honored as the very first college player from a historically black university to be elected to the National College Baseball Hall of Fame after his stellar college career between 1971 and 1975.

 

GIMMIE A DO-OVER- 1975 KEN RUDOLPH

Hot on the heels of yesterday’s re-do of former catcher Alan Ashby, the blog follows up today with another former catcher getting the “do-over” treatment, a 1975 edition for Ken Rudolph:

Now if you remember, Topps’ 1975 airbrush job showing Rudolph with his new St. Louis Cardinal team was one for the ages. Take a look:

What a doozy! It was actually part of a slew of unbelievable Cardinals airbrush jobs that I covered on the blog a long time ago:

http://whentoppshadballs.blogspot.com/2014/08/random-quickie-those-airbrushed-1975-st.html

But for Rudolph, he played in 57 games for the San Francisco Giants during the 1974 season, hitting a career-best .259 with 41 hits over 158 at-bats, along with 11 runs scored and 10 runs batted in.
It was his only season out West after starting his career with the Chicago Cubs, playing for them 1969 through 1973.
Never more than a back-up catcher, he would see the bulk of his MLB action between 1972 and 1974, appearing in 173 of his career 328 Big League games, playing for the Cubs, Giants, St. Louis Cardinals and Orioles.
By the time he retired after the 1977 season, he finished with a career average of .213, with 158 hits in 743 at-bats, along with 64 runs batted in and 55 runs scored with six homers thrown in.

 

GIMMIE A DO-OVER- 1977 ALAN ASHBY

Up on the blog today we have a 1977 do-over for long-time Major League catcher Alan Ashby, who was originally airbrushed into a Toronto Blue Jays uni by the fine people at Topps for their set:

I originally had this image to be used for a “not so missing” 1975 card, but obviously the Cleveland uniform is clearly from 1976 and later, not from 1974 or even 1975.
Nevertheless, I figured I’d use it here to show the team he actually played for the season prior instead of the new franchise he’d suit up for in 1977.
Ashby appeared in 89 games for the Indians in 1976, hitting .239 with 59 hits over 247 at-bats, scoring 26 runs while driving in 32.
After being traded to the Jays from the along with Doug Howard for pitcher Al Fitzmorris in November of 1976, Ashby would go on to put in two seasons for the expansion team before moving on to play for the Houston Astros for the next eleven years.
I never realized that his career took him all the way to the doorsteps of the 1990 decade, finishing up with 22 games for the Astros in 1989 after 17-years as a Major League catcher.
In those 17 seasons he batted .245 while playing in 1370 games, collecting 1010 hits with 90 home runs and 513 runs batted in over 4123 official at-bats. After his baseball career ended as a player he hung around the game as a coach in the Astros system as well as a broadcaster for the Astros in both radio and television.

 

MINOR LEAGUE DAYS- JUAN MARICHAL

Time to add to my on-going “Minor League Days” thread, celebrating the stars of 1971 by showing them back when they were still in the Minors.
Today we add the great Juan Marichal to the set:

Marichal was a 22-year-old about to embark on a Hall of Fame career in 1960, playing for the Tacoma Giants before making his Major League debut later in the season.
During his time with the team he posted a record of 11-5 with a 3.11 earned run average, completing 12 of his 18 starts while tossing three shutouts.
Once called up to the big show he would go 6-2 over 11 starts, with a 2.66 ERA and six complete games, including a shutout in his 1st MLB start.
As much as Marichal is celebrated as an all-time pitching legend, you still have to feel for the guy when you consider the timing of all his banner years in the big leagues.
In 1963 he has his breakout year, going 25-8 with a 2.41 E.R.A., but takes a back seat to another guy who has a breakout year, Sandy Koufax.
In 1966 he wins 25 games again, but again takes a backseat to a now dominating Koufax, who wins 27 along with a bunch of other eye-popping numbers.
In 1968 he sets a career high of 26 wins to go along with a 2.43 earned run average, but wait, a guy named Bob Gibson has a year for the ages, winning both the Cy Young Award and the M.V.P.
But when you look at the decade as a whole, there wasn't a better pitcher in the game from 1960-1969, as Marichal went on to win 191 games, winning 25 or more wins three times, post seven sub-3.00 E.R.A. seasons,  top 200+ strikeouts six times , and get selected as an all-star every year between 1962-1969.
What a BEAST on the mound!
Easily would have been the first 3-time Cy Young winner if not for Koufax and Gibson.
Ah well, I’m sure his spot in Cooperstown makes it a bit easier to take.