#216 Al Worthington

Happy Halloween! On this special day, Al "Red" Worthington is dressing up as a Cincinnati Reds pitcher who's just been traded to the Twins. Or maybe he's supposed to be Johnny Unitas..."now there's a haircut you can set your watch to."

After a collegiate career at the University of Alabama, Al signed with the Cubs in 1951. The following year he was dealt to the Giants, where he made an auspicious debut in 1953. The righthander tossed shutouts in each of his first two major league games before falling off and finishing at 4-8 with a still-strong 3.44 ERA. He spent much of the next two years back in the minors, collecting 19 wins at Minneapolis in 1955. Upon his return to New York in 1956, he suffered from poor run support: 7-14 with a near-league-average 3.97 ERA. Beginning in 1957, Al was used primarily in relief, and he won a career-best 11 games in 1958. After spending parts of six seasons as a Giant, he was traded twice in 196o, traveling from the Giants to the Red Sox to the White Sox.

In all, Worthington would pitch just ten games in the majors in 1960, and would not get another crack at big league hitters until 1963, after the Reds had drafted the then-34-year-old from Chicago's organization. He saved 10 games with a 2.99 ERA that year, a precursor to his rebirth as one of the first modern closers. After being sent to Minnesota in mid-1964, Red led the Twins in saves for five years running. He peaked in 1965 with 10 wins, 21 saves, and a 2.13 ERA for the American League champs; he would add four scoreless innings in the team's seven-game World Series loss to the Dodgers. As a last hurrah, Al led the league in saves with 18 in 1968. The next year would be his last, as he was supplanted in the closer's role by Ron Perranoski. Al Worthington's final appearance was in middle relief in Game 3 of the 1969 ALCS; he pitched a 1-2-3 fifth inning before getting chased by three straight Oriole hits in the sixth.

Worthington returned to the Twins as a coach in 1972-1973. He spent the next thirteen years as head coach at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia.

Fun fact: After throwing two shutouts in his first two career games, Al had just one more shutout in his next 600 games (67 starts). On August 18, 1957 he three-hit the Phillies, winning 1-0 on an RBI double by Bobby Thomson.

#183 Dave Nicholson

Just a few days after my first White Sox card, here's another one! As an added bonus, there are no custom uniform alterations. The gentleman is outfielder Dave Nicholson, sporting a Pale Hose uniform that's quite similar to today's threads. Of course, there were several detours in between, including all-red togs, baby blue road unis, HUGE block lettering, and the infamous wide collars and shorts. Any old-school White Sox fan certainly has his choice of throwbacks.

St. Louis-born Dave was signed by the Orioles in 1958, raking in a huge bonus of $100,000. He made it to the bigs after posting an eye-popping .298-35 HR-114 RBI line for the Aberdeen (SD) Pheasants in his second pro season. He had difficulty translating those numbers to the American League, batting .186 and .173 in his two years in Baltimore (1960 and 1962, with another full season in the minors in between). He would strike out once every 2.48 times at-bat for his career, an unprecedented rate. Some of his offensive shortcomings were assuaged by a willingness to take a base on balls; with the O's he had almost as many walks as hits (47/51)! Nicholson also showed flashes of power, totaling 14 longballs in less than 300 at-bats. That included three homers in a two-day span in May of 1962.

In January 1963, Dave was part of a big trade, heading to Chicago with Ron Hansen, Pete Ward, and Hall of Famer Hoyt Wilhelm in exchange for Al "Fuzzy" Smith and another Hall of Famer, shortstop Luis Aparicio. Given a regular position as the starting left fielder, Nicholson reached his peak as a major leaguer, slugging a team-best 22 home runs, driving in 70, and walking 63 times. Of course he still posted a low average (.229) and led the A.L. in strikeouts with a then-record 175. Curiously, he also hit half as many doubles (11) as homers. In 1964, he would drop to .204 with 13 HR and 39 RBI while playing 97 games. One of the brighter moments of that year saw him reach the roof of old Comiskey Park with a home run, though. His 126 whiffs were fifth-highest in the league. After an incredibly poor 1965 (.153 in 85 AB) Dave waved bye-bye to the Windy City.

It was on to Houston in 1965, where the big-swinging righty regained his footing as part of a right-field platoon. He batted a career-best .246 with the Astros, and 22 of his 69 hits went for extra bases. In the offseason, he was dealt to Atlanta in the trade that ended Eddie Mathews' fifteen-year tenure with the Braves. He wouldn't return from the minor leagues until September, and his last taste of major league action saw him go 5-for-25 with no extra-base hits.

Fun fact: Dave hit 3 of his 61 career home runs off of unfortunate-looking Don Mossi, tied with Jim Kaat for the most he hit off of any pitcher. The three he hit off of Mossi were numbers 5-6-7 of his career, including bookenders in the second and ninth innings on May 29, 1962.

#167 Bill Wakefield

Don't look now, but here comes Bill Wakefield, which is the name that Tim McCarver often uses to refer to current Red Sox knuckleballer Tim Wakefield in his frequent moments of senility. Also appearing on the card, just over Bill's right shoulder, is an unidentified Mets teammate. This is just one of the mysteries concerning our featured player.

Bill Wakefield grew up in Kansas City, and even worked for the Athletics as an office boy in high school. The Cardinals enticed him away from Stanford University in 1961 with a $60,000 signing bonus. After three years in the St. Louis organization, the righty was traded to the Mets with outfielder George Altman in exchange for Roger Craig, who had the dubious honor of being the losingest pitcher in the National League for two years running. As a 23-year-old, Wakefield made the Mets roster. Though he claims that his promotion was happenstance (apparently Casey Stengel chose him because he was a fellow Kansas City native and because his father was a doctor!), the rookie had a pretty good 1964. He set a Mets record with 62 appearances (broken in 1977 by Skip Lockwood), all but four in relief. He won three, lost five, and saved two. His 3.61 ERA was near league average, and among the best on the club. He could have had better control, though - he walked as many batters as he struck out.

The mystery is that Wakefield never pitched again in the majors. By his own account, he was sent to AAA Buffalo in 1965 partially to make room for another bonus baby, future closer Tug McGraw. Even after a trade to the Cubs, Bill couldn't crack the big leagues. So he hung up his spikes in 1967, but claims to harbor no ill will. His bonus money enabled him to finish his education at Stanford, and he has great memories of pitching for the famed Stengel in New York at brand new Shea Stadium. He became a successful businessman, selling things ranging from sporting goods to the Hacky Sack. Bill's son Eddie is an aspiring baseball player, according to this 2006 article. Indeed, further research shows the younger Wakefield to be a pitcher for the University of Portland.

Fun fact: Bill's first career win came on June 2, 1964 against the Houston Colt .45s. Mets starter Tracy Stallard was terrible, allowing five straight hits after retiring the leadoff batter. Wakefield entered with runners on the corners and one out in the first, already down 3-0. He walked Rusty Staub and gave up a sacrifice fly to Jerry Grote, but proceeded to blank Houston through the seventh inning. He was lifted for a pinch hitter in the bottom of the seventh, as New York took advantage of two Colt errors and two bases-loaded hit-by-pitches to score five runs and take a 7-4 lead.

#119 John Kennedy

It's almost Election Day in America (just eight more loooong days to go), so there's no more appropriate time than now to talk about John Kennedy...the infielder, that is. Of course, he does share a May 29 birthdate with his Presidential namesake, who was some 24 years his senior.

John had a quick path to the majors, debuting with the Senators less than two years after signing his first pro contract. In his first at-bat, on September 5, 1962, he hit a solo home run. He only spent a few months with Washington the following year, but manager Gil Hodges penciled him into the lineup as a regular for the only time in his career during the 1964 campaign. In a career-high 482 at-bats (he didn't top 300 in any other season), Kennedy hit .230 with 27 extra-base hits and 35 RBI. He played mostly at third base, but saw a good amount of time at shortstop. He was involved in the trade that brought Frank Howard and Ken McMullen to D.C., and would play in back-to-back World Series in his two seasons in Los Angeles despite peaking at .201 as a Dodger hitter. John spent 1967 in Yankee pinstripes but failed to remind fans of Phil Rizzuto, checking in at .196.

Kennedy had the dubious honor of starting 32 games for the woebegone 1969 Seattle Pilots, earning him an ensemble role in Jim Bouton's Ball Four. The most memorable anecdote concerning the light-hitting infielder involved - unsurprisingly - an at-bat in which he was called out on strikes. John argued vehemently and was ejected by the home-plate umpire. He continued his uncharacteristic tirade in the team clubhouse. When asked by teammates why he had lost his cool so dramatically, he admitted that he had taken a greenie (amphetamine pill) and that it had kicked in just as he struck out.

Midway through the following season, the ex-Pilots (now the Brewers) dealt John to Boston, where he played some of his best ball. In back-to-back seasons (1970-1971), he posted his two highest batting and slugging averages (.255/.400 and .276/.412). All told, he spent four-plus seasons in a Red Sox uniform before retiring in 1974 at age 33. Kennedy managed in the Red Sox and Athletics organizations for four years, and has also coached and scouted. More recently, he managed the North Shore Spirit of the independent Northeast League and Canadian-American Association, piloting the club to three postseason appearances in four years.

Fun fact: John owned pitcher Stan Bahnsen, batting 9-for-20 off of him, with an OPS (on-base-plus-slugging percentage) of 1.100. He also had great numbers against Dick Drago, Dean Chance, and Mickey Lolich; he homered twice against both Chance and Lolich.

#75 Deron Johnson

Mr. Red makes his triumphant return to this blog, bringing power-hitting first baseman Deron Johnson with him. Johnson's wearing the classic sleeveless jersey that Cincinnati made famous. I think it looked great then, but for some reason modern-day attempts at the vest look haven't quite been the same.

Johnson was yet another young talent who started in the Yankee organization, who must have had some great scouts (and deep pockets, which you already knew). Of course, while the Yanks rolled up World Series appearances, Deron toiled away in the minors, clouting 129 home runs in five years. After just nineteen games in pinstripes, he was traded to the Kansas City Athletics, who essentially functioned as yet another New York affiliate. His career never got untracked in K.C., as he lost a year to military service and battled the Mendoza Line otherwise. In 1963, the A's sold him to the Reds, who kept the powerful infielder in the minors for one more year. Playing in his native San Diego, Johnson clubbed 33 more home runs, and Cincinnati took the hint and brought him up for 1964.

Deron paid immediate dividends for the Reds, hitting 21 longballs in his first full season in the bigs. He teamed with Frank Robinson and Vada Pinson to power the club to a second-place finish, just a game short of pennant-winning St. Louis. Johnson was just getting warmed up: his second shot at N.L. pitching yielded a .287 average, 30 doubles, 32 home runs, and a league-leading 130 RBI. Despite placing fourth in MVP voting, D.J. was not an All-Star, a testament to the occasional dubiousness of measuring a player's worth in All-Star selections. Called upon to shoulder even more of the load following Robinson's trade to Baltimore, Johnson instead slid back, his average, doubles, homers, and RBI dropping each year from 1966 through 1968. He also found himself on the move again, being dealt from the Reds to the Braves and from the Braves to the Phillies.

In Philadelphia, Deron would get his career back on track; his power numbers and batting average improved in three consecutive seasons (1969-1971). He peaked with a career-best 34 home runs and 95 RBI in 1971. After a disappointing and abbreviated 1972 and a slow start to the following year, Johnson was traded to Oakland, where he became one of the first conventional designated hitters: an aging slugger acquired specifically to DH. He fit the bill, blasting 19 dingers and driving in 81 for the World Champion Athletics. The final three years of D.J.'s career lacked that sort of glory, as he put some more stickers on his suitcase (Brewers/Red Sox/White Sox/Red Sox again). In his post-playing career, he coached for five major league clubs (1979-1991) before succumbing to lung cancer at the age of 53.

Fun fact: Deron had three home runs in one game on July 11, 1971. His round-trippers came in each of his first three at-bats, and drove in the Phils' first five runs in an 11-5 win over the Expos. (He grounded into a fielders' choice in his fourth and final trip to the plate.)

#70 Bill Skowron

It's amazing to think that this is the first White Sox card I've picked up (excepting the 1964 AL ERA Leaders), but boy was it worth the wait! When Max first emailed me to propose this trade, he stated the following: "(T)his one is an especially wonderful and horrifying example of some kid with a ball point pen and too much time on their hands. it has to be seen to be believed - i will throw this one in regardless of need so you can have a good giggle at its expense". Max hit the nail right on the head. My only guess is that one of the previous owners of said card got really excited back in 1991 when the Sox unveiled their new uniforms and decided to give black alternate jerseys to former Chicago players.

You may know Bill Skowron better as "Moose" (or as character actor John C. Reilly). While his nickname would seem self-evident, it was apparently given to him by his childhood friends because of a Mussolini-esque hairstyle. The former Purdue University footballer took four years to make it to the bigs with the Yankees, which speaks more to the depth of the team than his development. He had been the American Association's Player of the Year in 1952 for the Kansas City Blues. Still, he was just 23 when he cracked New York's lineup. Casey Stengel platooned Moose at first base with Joe Collins, with great results: the rookie hit .340 in 215 at-bats. His playing time gradually increased, and he topped .300 in each of his first four seasons. 1956 was his first 20-home run season, a plateau he would reach four times in his career.

1957 was the first of five consecutive All-Star seasons for Skowron, with 1960 representing the greatest year of his career: .309 AVG, 34 2B, 26 HR, 91 RBI. In all, the first sacker spent nine seasons with the Yankees and participated in seven World Series, with the Bombers coming out ahead in four of them. He clouted 7 HR and 26 RBI for the club in postseason play, including a grand slam off of Brooklyn's Roger Craig to blow open Game Seven of the 1956 Series.

Following the 1962 campaign, the Yanks sent Moose westward to the Dodgers, where he hit a career-low .203 with 19 RBI in 89 games. He did redeem himself by helping L.A. sweep his former team in the Fall Classic, hitting .385 with a solo home run off of Al Downing in Game Two. Skowron split 1964 between the Senators and the White Sox, rebounding to bat .282 with 17 HR and 79 RBI. He spent two more years playing in his native Chicago (adding a sixth All-Star nod in 1965) before finishing his career as a California Angel in 1967. The former White Sox player now works in Community Relations for the team.

Fun fact: Moose played 1,463 of his 1,478 career games at first base. He also played a dozen games at third base and two at second base, with mixed results. In two games at the hot corner in 1958, he made five errors (leading to two unearned runs) and only one putout! Four of those errors came on just two plays. Incidentally, Oriole pitcher Hoyt Wilhelm no-hit the Yankees in the first of those two games. Not a good couple of games for Moose and the Yankees.

#61 Chris Cannizzaro

In what's becoming something of a recurring theme on this blog, today's player was well-traveled in his career. I speak of catcher Chris Cannizzaro - or "Canzaroni", as former manager Casey Stengel mangled it. Of course, the Ol' Perfesser wasn't alone in his malapropisms; Hall of Fame Indians shortstop-turned-broadcaster Lou Boudreau knew him as "Canzanaro".

Whatever you might call him, Cannizzaro was a player who owed much of his staying power to baseball's Expansion Era. After six seasons in the Cardinals organization with an unlucky 13 games to show for it, Chris was claimed by the Mets in the expansion draft. He was a talented defensive catcher, but usually didn't hit much. 1964 was an exception to this rule, as he batted .311 in limited duty. The Mets tried to reward his performance by using him in 114 games the following year, and he thanked them by dipping to .183 with 7 RBI in 251 at bats. The most significant thing Chris did that year was to surrender his uniform number 8 to incoming player-coach Yogi Berra.

Cannizzaro's putrid 1965 campaign earned him a two-and-a-half year odyssey through four minor league organizations (Braves to Red Sox to Tigers to Pirates). The Pirates used him regularly in August and September of 1968, and he was serviceable. The next year, the San Diego Padres entered the league and acquired Chris, making him their starting catcher. Despite a .220 average on the season, he was chosen as the club's first-ever All-Star (it was also his only All-Star selection). Incidentally, the following season he was much better: .279, 5 HR and a career-high 42 RBI, with a nearly even strikeout-to-walk ratio (49:48).

In 1971, Chris' bat tanked again and he was back to reserve duty. In the final four seasons of his career, he wandered the National League: San Diego to Chicago to Los Angeles to San Diego once more. Following his retirement, Cannizzaro has proven to be a baseball lifer, coaching for the Braves for three years before managing in the Angels chain and coaching at the University of San Diego. He is currently the school's Director of Baseball Operations.

Fun fact: Chris was a legendarily slow player. The only category in which he ever appeared on the National League top ten list was Ground Into Double Plays (1969 and 1971), and he never scored more than 27 runs, despite three seasons with over 100 games played. According to the Baseball Reference Bullpen wiki, he once failed to score from second base on a clean double!

#23 Bob Tiefenauer

The next stop on the 1965 Topps Express involves a trade with Max, who previously sent me Zoilo, Chico, and Len. I was pretty slow in getting to the post office after Max's first mailing, so I tried to sweeten the package I eventually did send. He must have been pleased, because he sent me another cache of 1965's that will be featured in the not-too-distant future! For now, we begin batch two of three from Max with Milwaukee moundsman Bob Tiefenauer. For what it's worth, Baseball Reference refers to him, while Topps can't make up their mind from one year to the next - or even from front to back, as you'll see below! "Bobby Tiefenauer" has a jaunty ring to it, so I'll go with Bobby for the duration of this entry.

Bobby joined the Cardinals organization out of high school, and debuted with the big club in 1952 as a 22-year-old. He struggled with his control and was knocked around (7.88 ERA in 8 innings), and returned to the bus leagues until 1955. He was improved (4.41 ERA, 1.25 WHIP), but St. Louis dealt the righty to Detroit, kicking off his career as a journeyman's journeyman. It would be another five years before he made it back to the majors, thanks to a detour to Toronto of the International League. He would have cameos with the Indians in 1960 and the Cardinals (again) in 1961 before getting a legitimate shot with the brand-new Houston Colt .45s in 1962. He pitched a career-high 85 relief innings that year (he never started a game in his career), with a run-of-the-mill 4.34 ERA. The following year, he was dealt to the Cards once more, and they sent him to the Braves in the blink of an eye.

In Milwaukee, Bobby attained the closest thing to permanence in his life as a player. He developed a knuckleball and lasted parts of three seasons with the club, peaking in 1964 with 4 wins, 13 saves, and a 3.21 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP. He was not as effective in 1965, and dinged from one team to the next (Braves to Yankees to Indians). His final two seasons in the bigs (1967 and 1968), he threw only 24 and 2/3 innings for the Tribe and the Cubs. He never had a winning season (9-25), but did post a 3.84 ERA and 1.26 WHIP, not bad for a day's work. Post-retirement, the ex-pitcher finally had a chance to stay put somewhere, spending about twenty years in the Phillies organization as a coach.

Fun fact: Tiefenauer was a less than skilled hitter, with just one hit in 39 career at-bats (.026). His lone safety was a double off Jack Sanford of the Giants on September 29, 1962.

#534 John Herrnstein

The updates are coming fast and furious, as the recent generosity of my fine readers has seen cards coming in at a faster rate than I can post them. If you've been keeping tabs on the Scoreboard on the left side of the blog, you'll see that I've completed over 20% of the set! These are exciting times.

Today's featured '65er is role player John Herrnstein, who continues the recent trend of players with ties to Michigan (he was a multi-sport athlete at UM, and even captained the Wolverine football team). He opened eyes with his power output in the minors, hitting 98 home runs in five seasons. Following cups of coffee in Philadelphia in 1962 and 1963, John appeared in over 100 games in 1964. In 25 of those games he was used as a pinch hitter, and shined in the role (7-for-21, 2 BB, 1 HR). He didn't fare quite as well in his other at bats, hitting .234 overall. That would be his high-water mark in a brief career. The outfielder/first baseman settled right on the Mendoza Line the following year, and pinballed around the National League in 1966. He played for three teams (Phillies, Cubs, and Braves) in just 30 games, batting .178 in what would be his final go-round in the majors. The most interesting footnote to his career? When the Phils traded him to the Cubs in a package for veteran pitcher Larry Jackson and Bob Buhl, one of the other players acquired by Chicago was a rookie hurler named Fergie Jenkins.

Fun fact: John's first career home run was a game-winner in September of 1963. With the Phillies and the host Giants tied 4-4 in the top of the ninth, Herrnstein pinch hit for shortstop Bobby Wine and deposited a Don Larsen pitch over the right field fence.

#505 Ray Culp

We've arrived at the penultimate card in my trade with Brandon, and in case you're curious, "penultimate" is the $64 million word of the day on this blog. The youngster pictured is pitcher Ray Culp, who is keeping warm in Spring Training with his Phillies-red windbreaker underneath his jersey.

After struggling for the first three years of his pro career, Ray went 13-8 with a 3.20 ERA in the Eastern League in 1962. It was a sign of things to come, as he would spend the following year in Philadelphia frustrating National League hitters. He won 14 games, posted a 2.97 ERA, finished third in Rookie of the Year balloting (Pete Rose was the winner), and was the only rookie hurler in the All-Star Game. He fell off to eight wins in 1964, largely because manager Gene Mauch overreacted to a tight pennant race by switching to a three-man rotation and squeezing Culp out of the picture. In case you're wondering how that worked out, let's just say that the '64 Phils were synonymous with "collapse" until the 1978 Red Sox (and 2007 Mets) came along to keep them company.

Culp rebounded with 14 more wins in 1965 and cut his earned run average by nearly a run (4.13 to 3.22). He continued to yo-yo the next year, pitching primarily in relief as his ERA ballooned over five. That rough year ended his time in Philadelphia, and after a one-year cameo with the Cubs (8-11, 3.89), he landed in Boston, where he would turn things around in a big way. The righty set a new career high with 16 wins (against 6 losses) in 1968, and his 2.91 ERA was also a personal best. He would top himself with 17 wins the next year, earning his second All-Star nod. He'd notch another 17 victories in 1970, while completing 15 games. Though 1971 would be his second-ever losing season (14-16), it still concluded an impressive four-year run in which Ray tossed 47 complete games.

After being so durable for a number of years, Culp's career wound down in a hurry. He pitched just 25 games over the final two seasons of his career, and he was finished at age 31 in 1973. In his post-baseball life, he made a living in real estate in his native Texas. He named his company after his career batting average: 123, Inc.

Fun fact: Ray's only career save came on April 13, 1966, as he struck out the side in the twelfth inning of a 3-2 Phillies win over St. Louis. His victims were Pat Corrales, Lou Brock, and Julian Javier.

#493 Tigers Rookie Stars: Bill Roman and Bruce Brubaker

Back-to-back rookie cards at the end of the week! Today we go to Motown and find one legitimate Tigers cap and one pretty sneaky airbrush. Well, not so much "sneaky" as "crap on a stick, they even airbrushed his face!". Poor Bruce.

First baseman Bill Roman is another Detroit native - seems like we've had a run on them lately - and a product of the University of Michigan. The Tigers signed him in 1960, and he climbed steadily through their system with a .289 batting average through 1964. At the very end of that season, he appeared in three games with the big league club. He socked a pinch hit home run against the Yankees' Jim Bouton in his very first at bat, and added two hits in his first career start the next Saturday. The following year, Bill broke camp with the Tigers but failed to get a hit in eighteen at-bats through May 9. That got him a quick ticket out of town, and he wasn't summoned again until September. Thankfully, he singled in his first at-bat to end his skein. But he was used sparingly, notching just two totals hits in nine at-bats that Fall and finishing at .074 with no RBI. Unsurprisingly, Roman's career stat line ends right there, at age twenty-six.

Fun fact: Bill was the fourth Tiger ever to homer in his first at-bat. Two others have followed, with first baseman Reggie Sanders being the last to accomplish the feat (9/1/1974).

As for pitcher Bruce Brubaker, his career was even more sparse than Roman's. The righthander signed with the Milwaukee Braves as a teenager in 1959, but passed through four organizations (twice being selected in the Rule 5 draft) in eight seasons before debuting with the Dodgers on April 15, 1967. I mention the exact date because it was the only game the then-25-year-old pitched in the majors that year...or the year after...or the year after that. He mopped up in a lopsided loss against the Cardinals, but didn't so much mop up as fan the flames, serving up a three-run home run to Lou Brock to put the exclamation point on a 13-4 drubbing. Bruce would pitch the second - and final - game of his major league career for the brand new Milwaukee Brewers on August 5 (my birthday!), 1970. He again came in to cough up a few runs at the end of a loss, surrendering a two-run dinger to Chicago's Syd O'Brien in a 9-3 defeat. Though Brubaker had just two games and a 13.50 ERA to show for his thirteen years of toil in the minors, he's had a colorful post-baseball career. According to always-trustworthy Wikipedia, the ex-pitcher owns a car dealership in Owensboro, Kentucky and writes a weekly sports trivia column called "I Betcha Didn't Know" in the local Messenger-Inquirer. I'd love to link to it, but apparently the paper's website is only accessible if you're a dead-tree subscriber. Go figure.

I Betcha Didn't Know: Bruce Brubaker had as many career games pitched (two) as he had Topps baseball cards. He also appeared on 1967 Topps #276, as a hatless Dodger.

#466 Senators 1965 Rookie Stars: Pete Craig and Dick Nen

Holy airbrushing, Batman! Here's another rookie two-for-one, featuring a couple of castoffs from other organizations that were scooped up by the Senators. They also each have monosyllabic first and last names, for what that's worth (hint: not much).

If memory serves me correct, Pete Craig is the first Canadian-born player I've unearthed in this project. The native of LaSalle, Ontario pitched his college ball at the University of Detroit-Mercy and signed with the Tigers in 1963. As you can see on the card back below, he put up some good numbers in the minors, but in April 1964 the Sens were able to claim him on first-year waivers. You can see the telltale navy cap and white jersey with navy piping in the above photo, indicating his old Tigers uniform. The big league club in D.C. was dreadful (62-100), and they gave Pete a look that September. His debut was a disaster, as he faced Detroit in relief and allowed six of the nine batters he faced to reach base. Five of those six Tigers scored, three of them on a Don Demeter home run. Craig didn't get the ball again until the final game of the season. He got the starting nod against the Red Sox and lasted just two-thirds of an inning, surrendering five runs. Amazingly, he got a no-decision; Washington rallied from 7-0 to tie it at seven before falling 14-8. The grisly numbers for Pete Craig: 48.60 ERA, 7.20 WHIP.

Pete got another September callup in 1965, losing all three of his starts and getting knocked out of the box in the fourth inning in two of them. He did last seven innings against the Yankees, though. But his 8.16 ERA did not inspire confidence, and he would have to wait until the end of the following season to get one lonely relief appearance. One run allowed in two innings to lower his career earned run average to 11.50. That's where it would stay, as the righty never made it back to the majors.

Fun fact: Although he never won a game in the bigs, Pete had two hits in three career at-bats! In his first two starts in 1965, the young pitcher singled off of Sonny Siebert and Mel Stottlemyre.

First baseman Dick Nen had a more substantial career, though he was never a full-time player. The card back mentions his game-tying ninth-inning home run against the Cardinals. What it doesn't mention is that the then-Dodger rookie's big blast was his first career hit, in his second career at-bat! (He'd entered as a pinch hitter in the previous inning.) He played in just seven games in L.A. that year, and spent all of 1964 in the minors before being sent to Washington in a seven-player deal. The major names were Frank Howard and Ken McMullen (to D.C.) and Claude Osteen (to the Dodgers). In his headshot above, you can see him in Dodger blue, with the logo airbrushed away.

1965 was Nen's rookie year proper, and it was also his best performance at the major league level. He saw action in 69 games, hitting .260 with 6 HR and 31 RBI. His average slipped to .213 the following year, though the rest of his stats were eerily similar to the year before. In fact, from 1965-1967, Dick's yearly numbers were in the following range:

235-246 AB, 18-21 R, 7-8 2B, 0-1 3B, 6 HR, 29-31 RBI, 19-28 BB, 39-47 K.

Talk about consistent! It's also worth noting that Dick played in the second dead-ball era. The Senators hit just .234 in 1966, and .223 in 1967 (when Nen batted .218). But even by the lower offensive standards of his era, the first baseman bottomed out in 1968, hitting just .181 with two home runs as a Cub. Save for a six-game return to the nation's capital in 1970, that dismal performance spelled the end of his time in The Show. Dick's legacy would endure; his son is Robb Nen, former closer for the Marlins and Giants. Robb's 314 saves currently rank 16th all-time.

Fun fact: The only two pitchers that Dick Nen hit multiple home runs against were Hall of Famer Catfish Hunter and 229-game winner Luis Tiant. He socked three longballs off of each man.

#399 Ray Herbert

Go figure, another Phillie! At this rate I may have to rename this blog "The Great 1965 Phillies Project". Today's card features veteran righthander Ray Herbert, who is shown hatless because he had yet to suit up for the Phils; the team acquired him in December 1964 in a trade with the White Sox. I have to say that sans cap is not a strong look for Ray. But as his heavily pomaded 'do has some loose hairs sticking up off to the side, I'll give him the benefit of the doubt and assume that the ornery Topps photographer had him put the cap on for the first set of pictures, and then made him remove it for the group of shots that included this one.

Ray was a Detroit native who signed with his hometown Tigers in 1949 and debuted with the big league club a year later, at age twenty. His promising 1951 season (4-0, 1.38 ERA) was interrupted by military service, as he spent the remainder of the year and all of 1952 in the Army as part of the Korean War effort. When he returned to Detroit, he was used primarily as a reliever, with subpar results. His control was lacking; from 1953-1955, he walked more batters than he struck out. After the lowly Kansas City Athletics purchased Ray's contract in May 1955, he performed even worse, losing eight of his nine decisions with an earned run average over six. The A's must have realized that the pitcher could have used some of the minor league experience that he'd skipped at the beginning of his career, because he spent the next two years riding buses with the kids.

When Herbert returned to K.C. in 1958, the righty was a different pitcher. He won eight games with a 3.50 ERA as a swingman, while posting a strikeout-to-walk ratio of nearly two-to-one. He got more starts the following year and responded with his first double-digit win total (11-11), but slumped to a 4.85 ERA. Ray rebounded in 1960 with his finest season to date, going 14-15, 3.28 for a club that lost 96 games. His 14 complete games were a career high, and capped a three-year span in which he completed 29 of his 75 starts. On June 10, 1961, he was struggling through another down season (3-6, 5.38) when a trade to the White Sox seemed to rejuvenate him.

In a half-season with the ChiSox, Ray went 9-6 with a 4.05 ERA, but he was just getting warmed up. 1962 saw the hurler win 20 games with a tidy 3.27 ERA; he also picked up the win for the American League in the second All-Star Game with three scoreless innings. For an encore, he led the loop with seven shutouts in 1963 and his three-to-one strikeout-to-walk ratio placed him in the top five. These feats contributed to his personal-best 3.24 ERA, proving that his drop to 13 wins was largely out of his control. In fact, Herbert's White Sox mates scored two runs or less in six of his ten losses.

Between 1964 and his final season of 1966, Herbert made it onto the field less and less, topping out at 25 games pitched in 1965. His earned run averages were below the league mean, but still solid. After his retirement, he returned to the Tigers as a batting practice pitcher and later managed a department store in the area. He still lives in Michigan today.

Fun fact: On April 11, 1961 Ray gave up Carl Yastrzemski's first career hit, but had a 2-RBI single himself and beat Boston 5-2. He also had the dubious honor of serving up the longest home run ever measured in Yankee Stadium, a 502-foot blast into the center field bleachers by Mickey Mantle!

#352 Alex Johnson

Our tour of the 1964 Phillies continues tonight with rookie outfielder Alex Johnson, whose card carries a bit of mystery with it. Who marked the top right corner with that small "x" in blue ink, and for what purpose? Perhaps the mystery vandal was calling attention to Alex's reputation as a baseball pariah. Despite his talented bat, the Detroit native's quarrelsome personality was key is his itinerancy; Johnson played for eight teams in thirteen seasons, never staying in one city for longer than two years.

Johnson tore up the minor leagues, batting over .300 in every stop and challenging for a Triple Crown in 1963 at single-A Magic Valley (.329 with a league-leading 35 HR and 128 RBI). In his third pro season, Alex got the call to Philadelphia in July 1964. It was suggested that his defense had kept him from being promoted sooner; he was jokingly referred to as "Iron Hands". The youngster hit the ground running, carrying a .400 average as late as September 4 before slumping with the rest of the team and finishing at .303. At first, he was primarily platooned, getting most of his playing time against lefties. By the end of 1965, a season in which he batted .294, he began to get into the lineup against righthanders and had even improved with the glove. But manager Gene Mauch was frustrated by Alex's attitude and a supposed lack of effort, and the outfielder was dealt to the Cardinals in a six-player trade. He was the only starter headed to St. Louis, and fetched first baseman Bill White and shortstop Dick Groat, as well as a reserve catcher named Bob Uecker.

Johnson was a profound disappointment in the Show Me State, getting demoted in May of 1966 with a .189 average. After regaining his batting stroke in the minors, he opened the following year in a right field platoon with Roger Maris. That didn't work out either, as he hit .223 with just one home run and nine walks in 81 games and didn't even play in the World Series, which the Cards won in seven games over Boston. Again, he developed a reputation for tuning out teammates and coaches, and was dumped to Cincinnati for Dick Simpson. The Reds and manager Dave Bristol took a more hands-off approach to Alex, who often bristled under the suggestions and orders of others. He was named Comeback Player of the Year in 1968 after boosting his average to .312. For an encore, he swatted 17 home runs with 88 RBI (both career highs) and hit .315. But the resurgent outfielder was on the move after another two-year stint, with the pitching-poor Reds sending him to the Angels for hurler Jim McGlothlin and two others.

In his American League debut, the well-traveled Johnson responded with a league-leading .329 average and his lone All-Star selection. Sadly, he became an even greater problem, shouting obscenities at teammates and reporters alike. Things weren't much better on the field, as he routinely failed to run out ground balls and gave a lackadaisical effort on defense. 1971 was disastrous, as Alex was frequently, fined, benched, and even suspended, and his behavior became even more erratic. He gave enigmatic responses when questioned about his substandard focus and nearly came to blows with a handful of teammates. Several baffled observers noted that the troubled player was often perfectly pleasant and outgoing away from the stadium.

As Alex's struggles with the Angels reached the boiling point, Players' Association head Marvin Miller filed a greivance on his behalf. Miller seemed to be the only one to realize that the player had an emotional disability, and claimed that the fines and suspensions levied against him were unfair. Two different psychiatrists agreed, and suggested that Johnson could resume his career with the proper treatment. An independent arbitrator agreed, and ruled in his favor (but found him liable for payment of the fines, oddly enough).

The Indians took a flier on Johnson in 1972, but his best performances were behind him. His average was up-and-down for the final five seasons of his career, which were spent with Cleveland, Texas, the Yankees, and the Tigers in that order. His 1973 season with the Rangers was a sort of last hurrah, as the new designated hitter rule freed him to focus on hitting (.287-8-68). After retiring, he returned to Motown and ultimately took over his father's truck repair and leasing company. Most of the information in this entry came from a fascinating biography compiled by SABR (Society for American Baseball Research), which you can read here.

Fun fact: Alex Johnson was not a patient hitter. In fact, he had more extra-base hits (291) than walks (244) in his career!

#296 Tony Taylor

Comin' right at ya today with the ageless Tony Taylor, long a fan favorite in Philadelphia who was noted for performing the Sign of the Cross before each at-bat. Taylor was a native of Cuba, and signed with the New York Giants as a teenager in 1954. He was a Rule 5 draftee of the Cubs in December of 1957, and made his big league debut the following year in Chicago. The second baseman was a frequent double play partner of Ernie Banks, the 1958 National League MVP. After improving offensively across the board in 1959 (including raising his batting average from .235 to .280 and his doubles from 15 to 30), he was traded to the Phillies in May of 1960. Tony would make his lone All-Star appearance that summer, singling in one at-bat over the two All-Star Games. He finished the season hitting .284 with a personal-best 26 stolen bases.

Taylor would spend twelve consecutive seasons in Phillies red (1960-1971), playing a steady second base and generally hitting enough to not be a detriment. 1970 was the only year in which he played at least 120 games and hit .300, though he would top it twice in his later years as a part-timer. In mid-1971, Philadelphia traded the 35-year-old Taylor to the Tigers. He was a valuable asset on the 1972 club, but faltered in his only career postseason series, hitting just 2-for-15 in the ALCS as the A's outlasted Detroit in five games. After a subpar 1973, Tony rejoined the Phillies and ended his career as a reliable pinch hitter and utility man. He retired in 1976 at age forty as the Phils' all-time leader in games played at second base (1,003), and ranks second in club history in steals of home plate (six). He collected 1,511 of his 2,007 career hits in the City of Brotherly Love (tenth among all Phillies), and was selected for the team's Wall of Fame in 2002.

Fun Fact: Tony's first career home run came on June 19, 1958. It was a game-winner in the top of the ninth to break a 4-4 tie. The opposing pitcher? Warren Spahn, the winningest lefty of all time!

#273 Checklist 4th Series

Yep, two checklists in three days. This is just the order that I received these cards, I assure you! The next twenty-eight (wow!) cards in my queue are all player or team cards. This one features Bert Campaneris, 200-game-winner Milt Pappas, Rusty Staub, Mickey Lolich, Mike Cuellar, and Hall of Famers Hoyt Wilhelm, Sandy Koufax, Bob Gibson, Whitey Ford, and Mickey Mantle. That's a star-studded checklist, though the back of the card blows away the player selection on the front. As far as hero numbers, Koufax gets #300 and the Mick comes in at #350. The other fun note is that card #325 (Donn Clendenon) has only a last name listed; there's not even room for his first initial!

Unlike the 3rd Series Checklist, this one is unblemished by pencil marks. You can decide which style you prefer. I only have nine of the eighty-eight cards on this checklist, or roughly 9%. I'm really reaching for something else to say here...I do approve of the use of primary colors (red, yellow, and blue) on the front of the card. There's some color theory for you, straight from an art teacher's son.

The Great 1965 Topps Project Checklist

Now that I've completed over ten percent of the set, it seems practical to post a checklist. It should serve several purposes:

• It'll be a more tangible way to track my progress in collecting the set.
• If anyone is looking to trade or donate cards, it will be easier to see what I need, rather than hunting through the archives to see what's been posted.
• Since I'm posting cards out of sequence, I'll put the links to each entry in this checklist for quicker and more logical access.

Obviously, I'll update this list as I receive and post more cards. For now, here's the handy-dandy key:

• Bold text indicates that I have the card.
• Regular text indicates that I need the card.

If anyone has a suggestion that makes more sense, I'm open to it. Without further ado, here's the checklist!

1965 Topps Baseball Card Set (598/598)

1 AL Batting Leaders (Tony Oliva, Brooks Robinson, Elston Howard)
2 NL Batting Leaders (Bob Clemente, Rico Carty, Hank Aaron)
3 AL Home Run Leaders (Harmon Killebrew, Mickey Mantle, Boog Powell)
4 NL Home Run Leaders (Willie Mays, Billy Williams, Johnny Callison, Orlando Cepeda, Jim Hart)
5 AL RBI Leaders (Harmon Killebrew, Mickey Mantle, Brooks Robinson, Dick Stuart)
6 NL RBI Leaders (Ken Boyer, Willie Mays, Ron Santo)
7 AL ERA Leaders (Dean Chance, Joel Horlen)
8 NL ERA Leaders (Don Drysdale, Sandy Koufax)
9 AL Pitching Leaders (Dean Chance, Gary Peters, Wally Bunker, Juan Pizarro, Dave Wickersham)
10 NL Pitching Leaders (Larry Jackson, Ray Sadecki, Juan Marichal)
11 AL Strikeout Leaders (Dean Chance, Al Downing, Camilo Pascual)
12 NL Strikeout Leaders (Don Drysdale, Bob Gibson, Bob Veale)
13 Pedro Ramos New York Yankees P
14 Len Gabrielson Chicago Cubs OF-1B 
15 Robin Roberts Baltimore Orioles P
16 Astros Rookies (Joe Morgan, Sonny Jackson) Houston Astros
17 Johnny Romano Cleveland Indians C
18 Bill McCool - Topps All-Star Rookie Cincinnati Reds P
19 Gates Brown Detroit Tigers OF
20 Jim Bunning Philadelphia Phillies P
21 Don Blasingame Washington Senators 2B
22 Charlie Smith New York Mets 3B-OF
23 Bob Tiefenauer Milwaukee Braves P
24 Twins Team Card - 6th place Minnesota Twins
25 Al McBean Pittsburgh Pirates P
26 Bobby Knoop Los Angeles Angels 2B
27 Dick Bertell Chicago Cubs C
28 Barney Schultz St. Louis Cardinals P
29 Felix Mantilla Boston Red Sox 2B-OF
30 Jim Bouton New York Yankees P
31 Mike White Houston Astros OF
32 Herman Franks San Francisco Giants Mgr
33 Jackie Brandt Baltimore Orioles OF
34 Cal Koonce Chicago Cubs P
35 Ed Charles Kansas City Athletics 3B
36 Bobby Wine Philadelphia Phillies SS
37 Fred Gladding Detroit Tigers P
38 Jim King Washington Senators OF
39 Gerry Arrigo Minnesota Twins P
40 Frank Howard Los Angeles Dodgers OF
41 White Sox Rookies (Bruce Howard, Marv Staehle) Chicago White Sox
42 Earl Wilson Boston Red Sox P
43 Mike Shannon St. Louis Cardinals OF
44 Wade Blasingame Milwaukee Braves P
45 Roy McMillan New York Mets SS
46 Bob Lee Los Angeles Angels P
47 Tommy Harper Cincinnati Reds OF
48 Claude Raymond Houston Astros P
49 Orioles Rookies (Curt Blefary, John Miller) Baltimore Orioles
50 Juan Marichal San Francisco Giants OF
51 Billy Bryan Kansas City Athletics C
52 Ed Roebuck Philadelphia Phillies P
53 Dick McAuliffe Detroit Tigers SS
54 Joe Gibbon Pittsburgh Pirates P
55 Tony Conigliaro - Topps All-Star Rookie Boston Red Sox OF
56 Ron Kline Washington Senators P
57 Cardinals Team Card - 1st Place St. Louis Cardinals
58 Fred Talbot Chicago White Sox P
59 Nate Oliver Los Angeles Dodgers 2B
60 Jim O'Toole Cincinnati Reds P
61 Chris Cannizzaro New York Mets C 
62 Jim Katt - Should be Kaat Minnesota Twins P
63 Ty Cline Milwaukee Braves OF
64 Lou Burdette Chicago Cubs P
65 Tony Kubek New York Yankees SS
66 Bill Rigney Los Angeles Angels Mgr
67 Harvey Haddix Baltimore Orioles P
68 Del Crandall San Francisco Giants C
69 Bill Virdon Pittsburgh Pirates OF
70 Bill Skowron Chicago White Sox 1B
71 John O'Donoghue Kansas City Athletics P
72 Tony Gonzalez Philadelphia Phillies OF
73 Dennis Ribant New York Mets P
74 Red Sox Rookies (Rico Petrocelli, Jerry Stephenson) Boston Red Sox
75 Deron Johnson Cincinnati Reds 1B
76 Sam McDowell Cleveland Indians P
77 Doug Camilli Los Angeles Dodgers C
78 Dal Maxvill St. Louis Cardinals 2B
79 Checklist 1st series
80 Turk Farrell Houston Astros P
81 Don Buford Chicago White Sox 2B
82 Braves Rookies (Santos Alomar, John Braun) Milwaukee Braves
83 George Thomas Detroit Tigers OF
84 Ron Herbel San Francisco Giants P
85 Willie Smith Los Angeles Angels OF
86 Les Narum Washington Senators P
87 Nelson Mathews Kansas City Athletics OF
88 Jack Lamabe Boston Red Sox P
89 Mike Hershberger Chicago White Sox OF
90 Rich Rollins Minnesota Twins 3B
91 Cubs Team Card - 8th Place Chicago Cubs 
92 Dick Howser Cleveland Indians SS
93 Jack Fisher New York Mets P
94 Charlie Lau Baltimore Orioles C
95 Bill Mazeroski Pittsburgh Pirates 2B
96 Sonny Siebert Cleveland Indians P
97 Pedro Gonzalez New York Yankees IF-OF
98 Bob Miller Los Angeles Dodgers P
99 Gil Hodges Washington Senators Mgr
100 Ken Boyer St. Louis Cardinals 3B
101 Fred Newman Los Angeles Angels P
102 Steve Boros Cincinnati Reds 3B
103 Harvey Kuenn San Francisco Giants OF 
104 Checklist 2nd series
105 Chico Salmon Cleveland Indians OF
106 Gene Oliver Milwaukee Braves 1B-C
107 Phillies Rookies (Pat Corrales, Costen Shockley) Philadelphia Phillies
108 Don Mincher Minnesota Twins 1B
109 Walt Bond Houston Astros 1B-OF
110 Ron Santo Chicago Cubs 3B
111 Lee Thomas Boston Red Sox OF
112 Derrell Griffith Los Angeles Dodgers OF
113 Steve Barber Baltimore Orioles P
114 Jim Hickman New York Mets OF
115 Bobby Richardson New York Yankees 2B
116 Cardinals Rookies (Dave Dowling, Bob Tolan) St. Louis Cardinals
117 Wes Stock Kansas City Athletics P
118 Hal Lanier - Topps All-Star Rookie San Francisco Giants 2B
119 John Kennedy Los Angeles Dodgers 3B-SS
120 Frank Robinson Cincinnati Reds OF
121 Gene Alley Pittsburgh Pirates SS
122 Bill Pleis Minnesota Twins P
123 Frank Thomas Philadelphia Phillies 1B-OF
124 Tom Satriano Los Angeles Angels IF-C
125 Juan Pizarro Chicago White Sox P
126 Dodgers Team Card - 6th Place Los Angeles Dodgers
127 Frank Lary Milwaukee Braves P
128 Vic Davalillo Cleveland Indians OF
129 Bennie Daniels Washington Senators P
130 Al Kaline Detroit Tigers OF
131 Johnny Keane New York Yankees Mgr
132 World Series Game #1 - Cards take opener
133 World Series Game #2 - Stottlemyre wins
134 World Series Game #3 - Mantle's clutch HR
135 World Series Game #4 - Boyer's grand slam
136 World Series Game #5 - 10th inning triumph
137 World Series Game #6 - Bouton wins again
138 World Series Game #7 - Gibson wins finale
139 World Series Summary - The Cards Celebrate
140 Dean Chance Los Angeles Angels P
141 Charlie James Cincinnati Reds OF
142 Bill Monbouquette Boston Red Sox P
143 Pirates Rookies (John Gelnar, Jerry May) Pittsburgh Pirates
144 Ed Kranepool New York Mets 1B
145 Luis Tiant Cleveland Indians P
146 Ron Hansen Chicago White Sox SS
147 Dennis Bennett Boston Red Sox P
148 Willie Kirkland Washington Senators OF
149 Wayne Schurr Chicago Cubs P
150 Brooks Robinson Baltimore Orioles 3B
151 A's Team Card - 10th Place Kansas City Athletics
152 Phil Ortega Washington Senators P
153 Norm Cash Detroit Tigers 1B
154 Bob Humphreys St. Louis Cardinals P
155 Roger Maris New York Yankees OF
156 Bob Sadowski Milwaukee Braves P
157 Zoilo Versalles Minnesota Twins SS
158 Dick Sisler Cincinnati Reds Mgr
159 Jim Duffalo San Francisco Giants P 
160 Bob Clemente Pittsburgh Pirates OF
161 Frank Baumann Chicago Cubs P
162 Russ Nixon Boston Red Sox C
163 John Briggs Philadelphia Phillies OF
164 Al Spangler Houston Astros OF
165 Dick Ellsworth Chicago Cubs P
166 Indians Rookies (George Culver, Tommie Agee) Cleveland Indians
167 Bill Wakefield New York Mets P
168 Dick Green Kansas City Athletics 2B
169 Dave Vineyard Baltimore Orioles P
170 Hank Aaron Milwaukee Braves OF
171 Jim Roland Minnesota Twins P
172 Jim Piersall Los Angeles Angels OF
173 Tigers Team Card - 4th Place Detroit Tigers
174 Joe Jay Cincinnati Reds P
175 Bob Aspromonte Houston Astros 3B
176 Willie McCovey San Francisco Giants OF
177 Pete Mikkelsen New York Yankees P
178 Dalton Jones Boston Red Sox 2B
179 Hal Woodeshick Houston Astros P
180 Bob Allison Minnesota Twins OF-1B
181 Senators Rookies (Don Loun, Joe McCabe) Washington Senators
182 Mike DeLaHoz Milwaukee Braves IF
183 Dave Nicholson Chicago White Sox OF
184 John Boozer Philadelphia Phillies P
185 Max Alvis Cleveland Indians 3B
186 Billy Cowan Chicago Cubs OF
187 Casey Stengel New York Mets Mgr
188 Sam Bowens Baltimore Orioles OF
189 Checklist 3rd series 
190 Bill White St. Louis Cardinals 1B
191 Phil Regan Detroit Tigers P
192 Jim Coker Cincinnati Reds C
193 Gaylord Perry San Francisco Giants P
194 Angels Rookie Stars (Bill Kelso, Rick Reichardt) Los Angeles Angels
195 Bob Veale Pittsburgh Pirates P
196 Ron Fairly Los Angeles Dodgers 1B-OF
197 Diego Segui Kansas City Athletics P
198 Smoky Burgess Chicago White Sox C
199 Bob Heffner Boston Red Sox P
200 Joe Torre Milwaukee Braves C-1B
201 Twins Rookies (Cesar Tovar, Sandy Valdespino) Minnesota Twins
202 Leo Burke Chicago Cubs IF-OF
203 Dallas Green Philadelphia Phillies P
204 Russ Snyder Baltimore Orioles OF
205 Warren Spahn New York Mets P-Co
206 Willie Horton Detroit Tigers OF
207 Pete Rose Cincinnati Reds 2B
208 Tommy John Chicago White Sox P
209 Pirates Team Card - 6th Place Pittsburgh Pirates
210 Jim Fregosi Los Angeles Angels SS
211 Steve Ridzik Washington Senators P
212 Ron Brand Houston Astros C
213 Jim Davenport San Francisco Giants SS-2B
214 Bob Purkey St. Louis Cardinals P
215 Pete Ward Chicago White Sox 3B
216 Al Worthington Minnesota Twins P
217 Walt Alston Los Angeles Dodgers Mgr
218 Dick Schofield Pittsburgh Pirates SS
219 Bob Meyer Kansas City Athletics P
220 Billy Williams Chicago Cubs OF
221 John Tsitouris Cincinnati Reds P
222 Bob Tillman Boston Red Sox C
223 Dan Osinski Milwaukee Braves P
224 Bob Chance - Topps All-Star Rookie Washington Senators 1B
225 Bo Belinsky Philadelphia Phillies P
226 Yankees Rookies (Elvio Jimenez, Jake Gibbs) New York Yankees
227 Bobby Klaus New York Mets 3B
228 Jack Sanford San Francisco Giants P
229 Lou Clinton Los Angeles Angels OF
230 Ray Sadecki St. Louis Cardinals P
231 Jerry Adair Baltimore Orioles 2B
232 Steve Blass Pittsburgh Pirates P
233 Don Zimmer Washington Senators 3B
234 White Sox Team Card - 2nd Place Chicago White Sox
235 Chuck Hinton Cleveland Indians OF 
236 Denny McLain Detroit Tigers P
237 Bernie Allen Minnesota Twins 2B
238 Joe Moeller Los Angeles Dodgers P
239 Doc Edwards Kansas City Athletics C
240 Bob Bruce Houston Astros P
241 Mack Jones Milwaukee Braves OF
242 George Brunet Los Angeles Angels P
243 Reds Rookies (Ted Davidson, Tommy Helms) Cincinnati Reds
244 Lindy McDaniel Chicago Cubs P
245 Joe Pepitone New York Yankees 1B
246 Tom Butters Pittsburgh Pirates P
247 Wally Moon Los Angeles Dodgers OF
248 Gus Triandos Philadelphia Phillies C
249 Dave McNally Baltimore Orioles P
250 Willie Mays San Francisco Giants OF
251 Billy Herman Boston Red Sox Mgr
252 Pete Richert Washington Senators P
253 Danny Cater Chicago White Sox OF
254 Roland Sheldon New York Yankees P
255 Camilo Pascual Minnesota Twins P
256 Tito Francona St. Louis Cardinals OF-1B
257 Jim Wynn Houston Astros OF
258 Larry Bearnarth New York Mets P
259 Tigers Rookies (Jim Northrup, Ray Oyler) Detroit Tigers
260 Don Drysdale Los Angeles Dodgers P
261 Duke Carmel New York Yankees OF
262 Bud Daley Cleveland Indians P
263 Marty Keough Cincinnati Reds OF
264 Bob Buhl Chicago Cubs P
265 Jim Pagliaroni Pittsburgh Pirates C
266 Bert Campaneris - Topps All-Star Rookie Kansas City Athletics SS-OF
267 Senators Team Card - 9th Place Washington Senators
268 Ken McBride Los Angeles Angels P
269 Frank Bolling Milwaukee Braves 2B
270 Milt Pappas Baltimore Orioles P
271 Don Wert Detroit Tigers 3B
272 Chuck Schilling Boston Red Sox 2B
273 Checklist 4th series
274 Lum Harris Houston Astros Mgr
275 Dick Groat St. Louis Cardinals SS
276 Hoyt Wilhelm Chicago White Sox P
277 Johnny Lewis New York Mets OF
278 Ken Retzer Minnesota Twins C
279 Dick Tracewski Los Angeles Dodgers 2B-SS
280 Dick Stuart Philadelphia Phillies 1B
281 Bill Stafford New York Yankees P
282 Giants Rookies (Dick Estelle, Masanori Murakami) San Francisco Giants
283 Fred Whitfield Cleveland Indians 1B
284 Nick Willhite Washington Senators P
285 Ron Hunt New York Mets 2B
286 Athletics Rookies (Jim Dickson, Aurelio Monteagudo) Kansas City Athletics
287 Gary Kolb Milwaukee Braves OF
288 Jack Hamilton Detroit Tigers P
289 Gordy Coleman Cincinnati Reds 1B
290 Wally Bunker - Topps All-Star Rookie Baltimore Orioles P
291 Jerry Lynch Pittsburgh Pirates OF 
292 Larry Yellen Houston Astros P
293 Angels Team Card - 5th Place Los Angeles Angels
294 Tim McCarver St. Louis Cardinals C
295 Dick Radatz Boston Red Sox P
296 Tony Taylor Philadelphia Phillies 2B
297 Dave DeBusschere Chicago White Sox P
298 Jim Stewart Chicago Cubs SS-2B
299 Jerry Zimmerman Minnesota Twins C
300 Sandy Koufax Los Angeles Dodgers P
301 Birdie Tebbetts Cleveland Indians Mgr
302 Al Stanek San Francisco Giants P
303 Johnny Orsino Baltimore Orioles C
304 Dave Stenhouse Washington Senators P
305 Rico Carty - Topps All-Star Rookie Milwaukee Braves OF
306 Bubba Phillips Detroit Tigers OF-3B
307 Barry Latman Los Angeles Angels P
308 Mets Rookies (Cleon Jones, Tom Parsons) New York Mets
309 Steve Hamilton New York Yankees P
310 Johnny Callison Philadelphia Phillies OF
311 Orlando Pena Kansas City Athletics P
312 Joe Nuxhall Cincinnati Reds P
313 Jimmie Schaffer Chicago White Sox C
314 Sterling Slaughter Chicago Cubs P
315 Frank Malzone Boston Red Sox 3B
316 Reds Team Card - 2nd Place Cincinnati Reds
317 Don McMahon Cleveland Indians P
318 Matty Alou San Francisco Giants OF
319 Ken McMullen Washington Senators 3B
320 Bob Gibson St. Louis Cardinals P
321 Rusty Staub Houston Astros OF
322 Rick Wise Philadelphia Phillies P
323 Hank Bauer Baltimore Orioles Mgr
324 Bobby Locke Los Angeles Angels P
325 Donn Clendenon Pittsburgh Pirates 1B
326 Dwight Siebler Minnesota Twins P
327 Denis Menke Milwaukee Braves SS-2B
328 Eddie Fisher Chicago White Sox P
329 Hawk Taylor New York Mets C-OF
330 Whitey Ford New York Yankees P
331 Dodgers Rookies (Al Ferrara, John Purdin) Los Angeles Dodgers
332 Ted Abernathy Cleveland Indians P
333 Tommie Reynolds Kansas City Athletics OF-3B
334 Vic Roznovsky Chicago Cubs C
335 Mickey Lolich Detroit Tigers P
336 Woody Held Washington Senators IF-OF
337 Mike Cuellar St. Louis Cardinals P
338 Phillies Team Card - 2nd Place Philadelphia Phillies
339 Ryne Duren Cincinnati Reds P
340 Tony Oliva - Topps All-Star Rookie Minnesota Twins OF
341 Bobby Bolin San Francisco Giants P
342 Bob Rodgers Los Angeles Angels C
343 Mike McCormick Baltimore Orioles P
344 Wes Parker Los Angeles Dodgers OF-1B
345 Floyd Robinson Chicago White Sox OF
346 Bobby Bragan Milwaukee Braves Mgr
347 Roy Face Pittsburgh Pirates P
348 George Banks Cleveland Indians OF-3B
349 Larry Miller New York Mets P
350 Mickey Mantle New York Yankees OF
351 Jim Perry Minnesota Twins P
352 Alex Johnson Philadelphia Phillies OF
353 Jerry Lumpe Detroit Tigers 2B
354 Cubs Rookies (Billy Ott, Jack Warner) Chicago Cubs
355 Vada Pinson Cincinnati Reds OF
356 Bill Spanswick Boston Red Sox P
357 Carl Warwick St. Louis Cardinals OF
358 Albie Pearson Los Angeles Angels OF
359 Ken Johnson Houston Astros P
360 Orlando Cepeda San Francisco Giants 1B
361 Checklist 5th series
362 Don Schwall Pittsburgh Pirates P
363 Bob Johnson Baltimore Orioles OF
364 Galen Cisco New York Mets P
365 Jim Gentile Kansas City Athletics 1B
366 Dan Schneider Milwaukee Braves P
367 Leon Wagner Cleveland Indians OF
368 White Sox Rookies (Ken Berry, Joel Gibson) Chicago White Sox
369 Phil Linz New York Yankees IF-OF
370 Tommy Davis Los Angeles Dodgers OF
371 Frank Kreutzer Washington Senators P
372 Clay Dalrymple Philadelphia Phillies C
373 Curt Simmons St. Louis Cardinals P
374 Angels Rookies (Jose Cardenal, Dick Simpson) Los Angeles Angels
375 Dave Wickersham Detroit Tigers P
376 Jim Landis Kansas City Athletics OF
377 Willie Stargell Pittsburgh Pirates OF
378 Chuck Estrada Baltimore Orioles P
379 Giants Team Card - 4th Place San Francisco Giants
380 Rocky Colavito Cleveland Indians OF
381 Al Jackson New York Mets P
382 J.C. Martin Chicago White Sox C
383 Felipe Alou Milwaukee Braves 1B-OF
384 Johnny Klippstein Minnesota Twins P
385 Carl Yastrzemski Boston Red Sox OF
386 Cubs Rookies (Paul Jaeckel, Fred Norman) Chicago Cubs
387 Johnny Podres Los Angeles Dodgers P
388 John Blanchard New York Yankees C
389 Don Larsen Houston Astros P
390 Bill Freehan Detroit Tigers C
391 Mel McGaha Kansas City Athletics Mgr
392 Bob Friend Pittsburgh Pirates P
393 Ed Kirkpatrick Los Angeles Angels OF
394 Jim Hannan Washington Senators P
395 Jim Hart San Francisco Giants 3B
396 Frank Bertaina Baltimore Orioles P
397 Jerry Buchek St. Louis Cardinals SS
398 Reds Rookies (Dan Neville, Art Shamsky) Cincinnati Reds
399 Ray Herbert Philadelphia Phillies P
400 Harmon Killebrew Minnesota Twins OF
401 Carl Willey New York Mets P
402 Joe Amalfitano Chicago Cubs 2B
403 Red Sox Team Card - 8th Place Boston Red Sox
404 Stan Williams Cleveland Indians P
405 John Roseboro Los Angeles Dodgers C
406 Ralph Terry Cleveland Indians P
407 Lee Maye Milwaukee Braves OF
408 Larry Sherry Detroit Tigers P
409 Astros Rookies (Jim Beauchamp, Larry Dierker) Houston Astros
410 Luis Aparicio Baltimore Orioles SS
411 Roger Craig Cincinnati Reds P
412 Bob Bailey Pittsburgh Pirates 3B
413 Hal Reniff New York Yankees P
414 Al Lopez Chicago White Sox Mgr
415 Curt Flood St. Louis Cardinals OF
416 Jim Brewer Los Angeles Dodgers P
417 Ed Brinkman Washington Senators SS
418 Johnny Edwards Cincinnati Reds C
419 Ruben Amaro Philadelphia Phillies SS
420 Larry Jackson Chicago Cubs P
421 Twins Rookies (Gary Dotter, Jay Ward) Minnesota Twins
422 Aubrey Gatewood Los Angeles Angels P
423 Jesse Gonder New York Mets C
424 Gary Bell Cleveland Indians P
425 Wayne Causey Kansas City Athletics SS
426 Braves Team Card - 5th Place Milwaukee Braves
427 Bob Saverine Baltimore Orioles IF-OF
428 Bob Shaw San Francisco Giants P
429 Don Demeter Detroit Tigers OF
430 Gary Peters Chicago White Sox P
431 Cardinals Rookies (Nelson Briles, Wayne Spiezio) St. Louis Cardinals
432 Jim Grant Minnesota Twins P
433 John Bateman Houston Astros C
434 Dave Morehead Boston Red Sox P
435 Willie Davis Los Angeles Dodgers OF
436 Don Elston Chicago Cubs P
437 Chico Cardenas Cincinnati Reds SS
438 Harry Walker Pittsburgh Pirates Mgr
439 Moe Drabowsky Kansas City Athletics P
440 Tom Tresh New York Yankees OF
441 Denver Lemaster Milwaukee Braves P
442 Vic Power Los Angeles Angels 1B-IF
443 Checklist 6th series
444 Bob Hendley San Francisco Giants P
445 Don Lock Washington Senators OF
446 Art Mahaffey Philadelphia Phillies P
447 Julian Javier St. Louis Cardinals 2B
448 Lee Stange Cleveland Indians P
449 Mets Rookies (Jerry Hinsley, Gary Kroll) New York Mets
450 Elston Howard New York Yankees C
451 Jim Owens Houston Astros P
452 Gary Geiger Boston Red Sox OF
453 Dodgers Rookies (Willie Crawford, John Werhas) Los Angeles Dodgers
454 Ed Rakow Detroit Tigers P
455 Norm Siebern Baltimore Orioles 1B-IF
456 Bill Henry Cincinnati Reds P
457 Bob Kennedy Chicago Cubs Head Coach
458 John Buzhardt Chicago White Sox P
459 Frank Kostro Minnesota Twins IF-OF
460 Richie Allen - Topps All-Star Rookie Philadelphia Phillies 3B 
461 Braves Rookies (Clay Carroll, Phil Niekro) Milwaukee Braves
462 Lew Krausse Kansas City Athletics P
463 Manny Mota Pittsburgh Pirates OF
464 Ron Piche Los Angeles Angels P
465 Tom Haller San Francisco Giants C
466 Senators Rookies (Pete Craig, Dick Nen) Washington Senators
467 Ray Washburn St. Louis Cardinals P
468 Larry Brown Cleveland Indians 2B
469 Don Nottebart Houston Astros P
470 Yogi Berra New York Mets C-Co
471 Billy Hoeft Detroit Tigers P
472 Don Pavletich Cincinnati Reds P
473 Orioles Rookies (Paul Blair, Dave Johnson) Baltimore Orioles
474 Cookie Rojas Philadelphia Phillies IF-OF
475 Clete Boyer New York Yankees 3B
476 Billy O'Dell Milwaukee Braves P
477 Cardinals Rookies (Fritz Ackley, Steve Carlton) St. Louis Cardinals
478 Wilbur Wood Pittsburgh Pirates P
479 Ken Harrelson Kansas City Athletics 1B-OF
480 Joel Horlen Chicago White Sox P
481 Indians Team Card - 7th Place Cleveland Indians
482 Bob Priddy San Francisco Giants P
483 George Smith Detroit Tigers 2B
484 Ron Perranoski Los Angeles Dodgers P
485 Nellie Fox Houston Astros 2B-Co
486 Angels Rookies (Tom Egan, Pat Rogan) Los Angeles Angels
487 Woody Woodward Milwaukee Braves 2B-SS
488 Ted Wills Cincinnati Reds P
489 Gene Mauch - Philadelphia Phillies Mgr
490 Earl Battey Minnesota Twins C
491 Tracy Stallard St. Louis Cardinals P
492 Gene Freese Pittsburgh Pirates 3B-OF
493 Tigers Rookies (Bill Roman, Bruce Brubaker) Detroit Tigers
494 Jay Ritchie Boston Red Sox P
495 Joe Christopher New York Mets OF
496 Joe Cunningham Washington Senators 1B
497 Giants Rookies (Ken Henderson, Jack Hiatt) San Francisco Giants
498 Gene Stephens Chicago White Sox OF
499 Stu Miller Baltimore Orioles P
500 Ed Mathews Milwaukee Braves 3B
501 Indians Rookies (Ralph Gagliano, Jim Rittwage) Cleveland Indians
502 Don Cardwell Pittsburgh Pirates P
503 Phil Gagliano St. Louis Cardinals IF
504 Jerry Grote Houston Astros C
505 Ray Culp Philadelphia Phillies P
506 Sam Mele Minnesota Twins Mgr
507 Sammy Ellis Cincinnati Reds P
508 Checklist 7th series
509 Red Sox Rookies (Bob Guindon, Jerry Vezendy) Boston Red Sox
510 Ernie Banks Chicago Cubs 1B
511 Ron Locke New York Mets P
512 Cap Peterson San Francisco Giants OF
513 Yankees Team Card - 1st Place New York Yankees
514 Joe Azcue Cleveland Indians C
515 Vern Law Pittsburgh Pirates P
516 Al Weis Chicago White Sox 2B
517 Angels Rookies (Paul Schaal, Jack Warner) Los Angeles Angels
518 Ken Rowe Baltimore Orioles P
519 Bob Uecker St. Louis Cardinals C
520 Tony Cloninger Milwaukee Braves P
521 Phillies Rookies (Dave Bennett, Morrie Steevens) Philadelphia Phillies
522 Hank Aguirre Detroit Tigers P
523 Mike Brumley Washington Senators C
524 Dave Giusti Houston Astros P
525 Eddie Bressoud Boston Red Sox SS
526 Athletics Rookies (Rene Lachemann, Johnny Odom, Skip Lockwood, Jim Hunter) Kansas City Athletics
527 Jeff Torborg Los Angeles Dodgers C
528 George Altman Chicago Cubs OF
529 Jerry Fosnow Minnesota Twins P
530 Jim Maloney Cincinnati Reds P
531 Chuck Hiller San Francisco Giants 2B
532 Hector Lopez New York Yankees OF
533 Mets Rookies (Danny Napoleon, Ron Swoboda, Jim Bethke, Tug McGraw) New York Mets
534 John Herrnstein Philadelphia Phillies OF-1B
535 Jack Kralick Cleveland Indians P
536 Andre Rodgers Pittsburgh Pirates SS
537 Angels Rookies (Marcelino Lopez, Rudy May, Phil Roof) Los Angeles Angels
538 Chuck Dressen Detroit Tigers Mgr
539 Herm Starrette Baltimore Orioles P
540 Lou Brock St. Louis Cardinals OF
541 White Sox Rookies (Greg Bollo, Bob Locker) Chicago White Sox
542 Lou Klimchock Milwaukee Braves IF
543 Ed Connolly Boston Red Sox P
544 Howie Reed Los Angeles Dodgers P
545 Jesus Alou San Francisco Giants OF
546 Indians Rookies (Will Davis, Ray Barker, Floyd Weaver, Mike Hedlund) Cleveland Indians
547 Jake Wood Detroit Tigers 2B-OF
548 Dick Stigman Minnesota Twins P
549 Cubs Rookies (Roberto Pena, Glenn Beckert) Chicago Cubs 
550 Mel Stottlemyre New York Yankees P
551 Mets Team Card - 10th Place New York Mets
552 Julio Gotay Los Angeles Angels 3B-SS
553 Astros Rookies (Dan Coombs, Jack McClure, Gene Ratliff) Houston Astros
554 Chico Ruiz Cincinnati Reds IF
555 Jack Baldschun Philadelphia Phillies P
556 Red Schoendienst St. Louis Cardinals Mgr
557 Jose Santiago Kansas City Athletics P
558 Tommie Sisk Pittsburgh Pirates P
559 Ed Bailey San Francisco Giants C
560 Boog Powell Baltimore Orioles OF
561 Dodgers Rookies (Dennis Daboll, Mike Kekich, Jim Lefebvre, Hector Valle) Los Angeles Dodgers
562 Billy Moran Cleveland Indians 2B
563 Julio Navarro Detroit Tigers P
564 Mel Nelson Minnesota Twins P
565 Ernie Broglio Chicago Cubs P
566 Yankees Rookies (Gil Blanco, Art Lopez, Ross Moschitto) New York Yankees
567 Tommie Aaron Milwaukee Braves 1B
568 Ron Taylor St. Louis Cardinals P
569 Gino Cimoli Los Angeles Angels OF
570 Claude Osteen Los Angeles Dodgers P
571 Ossie Virgil Pittsburgh Pirates C-IF
572 Orioles Team Card - 3rd Place Baltimore Orioles
573 Red Sox Rookies (Jim Lonborg, Mike Ryan, Bill Schlesinger, Jerry Moses) Boston Red Sox
574 Roy Sievers Washington Senators 1B
575 Jose Pagan San Francisco Giants SS
576 Terry Fox Detroit Tigers P
577 AL Rookies (Darold Knowles, Richie Scheinblum, Don Buschhorn)
578 Camilo Carreon Cleveland Indians C
579 Dick Smith Los Angeles Dodgers OF-1B
580 Jimmie Hall Minnesota Twins OF
581 NL Rookies (Tony Perez, Kevin Collins, Dave Ricketts)
582 Bob Schmidt New York Yankees C
583 Wes Covington Philadelphia Phillies OF
584 Harry Bright Chicago Cubs IF-OF-C
585 Hank Fischer Milwaukee Braves P
586 Tommy McCraw Chicago White Sox 1B
587 Joe Sparma Detroit Tigers P
588 Lenny Green Boston Red Sox OF
589 Giants Rookies (Frank Linzy, Bob Schroder) San Francisco Giants
590 Johnnie Wyatt Kansas City Athletics P
591 Bob Skinner St. Louis Cardinals OF
592 Frank Bork Pittsburgh Pirates P
593 Tigers Rookies (Jackie Moore, John Sullivan) Detroit Tigers
594 Joe Gaines Houston Astros OF
595 Don Lee Los Angeles Angels P
596 Don Landrum Chicago Cubs OF
597 Twins Rookies (Joe Nossek, Dick Reese, John Sevcik) Minnesota Twins
598 Al Downing New York Yankees P