#290 Jerry Lumpe

 

Jerry Lumpe  Kansas City Athletics

Career: Jerry Lumpe was a Yankee prospect who put up impressive minor league numbers but wasn't quite good enough to carve out a spot in their packed lineup in the second half of the 1950s. He spent the early 50s climbing their ladder and serving Uncle Sam. 

Lumpe was a utility infielder on the solid Yankee clubs that played the Braves in the 1957 and 1958 Series and won a ring. Like so many 'close, but not quite good enough' Yankees he found himself shipped to Kansas City in 1959. There he established himself as an everyday player and had a good career with the Athletics and Tigers. He was an All-Star in 1964 and from 1959 through his last season (1967) Lumpe hit nearly .270. 

Lumpe was a coach for the Athletics (under Dick Williams) in 1971 and then went into the banking and insurance businesses. 

In 1960: His numbers were close to his career norms as he had 8 homers and 53 BRI to go along with a .272 average.

Off The Charts: In 1994 Lumpe was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall Of fame. The ballfield in Warsaw, Missouri is named in his honor.

The Card: The cartoon shows Lumpe combing his two off-season hobbies, fishing and golf. Clever.  Here's a closeup.

#289 Willie Jones

 

Willie Jones   Cincinnati Reds

Career: After serving in the US Navy during WWII, Willie Jones signed on with the Phillies in 1947. By '49 he was their starting third baseman. He had a hand in the Phils Whiz Kids era run in the early 50s and made a few NL All-Star squads. He was known for his fielding skills but he held his own at the plate for the most part. 

In the 1950 World Series against the Yanks Jones went 4 for 14 (.286) including a double. After his decade+ in Philly, Jones went on to play for the Indians and Reds. He retired after playing a few games during the '61 season and died at 58 from cancer.

From Wikipedia...Jones was the top fielding third baseman in the National League during the 1950s. He led the league in fielding percentage five times, in putouts for seven years (also tying a record), and twice in assists and double plays.

According to his SABR bio...Hall of Fame pitcher Robin Roberts rated his Phillies teammate as the second-best third basement he ever saw, behind Brooks Robinson.

In 1960:  Jones his .268 in part-time duty as a pinch-hitter and occasional starter for the Reds. 

Off The Charts: From a blog entitled "Stuff Nobody Cares About" we get this...."So just how did “Puddin’ Head” get his unique nickname? He received it as a child after a song that was popular in the 1930s called Wooden Head, Puddin’ Head Jones."

The Card: Red seats and red pinstripes means this is Connie Mack Stadium. 

#288 Bob Mabe

 

Bob Mabe  Baltimore Orioles

Career: Bob Mabe had a long minor league career and was 28 when he hit the majors with the Cardinals in 1958. Along the way, he had a couple of big seasons for the Cards' Houston Buffs farm team where he won 37 games over two years. He was traded to the Reds after a 3-9 mark with the Cards. His year in Cincy was marginally better. Well, his ERA exploded but he managed to win four games. Then his contract was sold to the Orioles where he made his last couple of appearances. 

In 1960: Mabe was lit up in both his early-season appearances in Baltimore and was soon in the minors where he pitched in five games total for the AA clubs of the Orioles and Senators. That was the end of the line for his career. 

Off The Charts: Over on my '59 Topps blog, I mentioned that Mabe was an avid golfer and worked in management for K-Mart and Dan River Mills after retirement. I don't know where I found that info because there isn't a lot on the 'net for him.

The most interesting thing about Bob Mabe is his expression on his '59 card. 

#286 Ray Semproch

 

 

 

 

Ray Semproch  Detroit Tigers

Career: Roman "Ray" Semproch liked to make a splash. He signed with the Phils in 1951 and won 17 games in his first minor league season. He was 13-11 in his rookie year with the Phils in 1958. In between, he worked his way up the ladder, improving with each step, and spent a couple years in the employ of Uncle Sam.

Semproch led the NL in wins at the All-Star break in '58 with 11, but things got sidetracked from there. In '59 Semproch's results continued downhill and he was dealt to the Tigers in the off-season. He was traded again, to the Dodgers, before being taken by the Senators in the Rule 5 draft. The Nats turned right around shipped him to the Angels where he pitched very briefly and was soon out of baseball.

In 1960: Semproch worked in 17 games out of the Tigers' bullpen with an ERA of 4.00 and a 3-0 record before being traded to the Dodgers. He pitched the rest of the year with their Spokane club in the PCL. He won 11 games and had a 3.96 ERA which was very good in a hitters league. 

Off The Charts: Semproch worked in his brother's Italian restaurant after baseball. He's 89 these days and I found a pic of him from 2019 with one of those stadium pieces which is drawn using the franchise's players' names.

#285 Harry Anderson

Harry Anderson  Philadelphia Phillies

Career: Harry 'The Horse' Anderson was a 6'3" outfielder/firstbaseman out of Maryland who signed with the Phils in 1953. A couple of minor league seasons and a military stretch later he was in the outfield at Connie Mack Stadium for 1957. He hit .286 that first season and .301 (with 23 homers and 97 RBI) the next and got scattered MVP vote each year. 

At that point it appeared the Phils had a star blooming but Anderson fell off the hitting cliff in 1959 and he soon found himself with the Reds where he banged around between the majors and minors before retiring after the '62 season.

In 1960: He was off to a slow start (although it wasn't much worse that the previous year) and on June 15 he was shipped to the Queen City where he served mostly as a pinch-hitter. For the year he hit .214 in about 180 at-bats over eighty games.

Off The Charts: The trade that sent Anderson to Cincinnati brought Tony Gonzalez to the Phils where he played for almost a decade and hit close to .300 for that period.

The Harry Anderson I remember was this guy....

Actor/Magician Harry Anderson played Judge Harry Stone on the NBC sitcom Night Court in the 80s and early 90s. I've never been a sitcom guy (I never once watch Seinfeld) but I enjoyed Night Court. Anderson had a fun, sarcastic personality and the side characters were well written.

#284 Don Gross

Don Gross  Pittsburgh Pirates

Career: Pitcher Don Gross, like our previous subject Joe Nuxhall, was a product of the Cincinnati system. He signed with the Reds in 1950 and moved impressively up through the ranks a few steps behind Nuxhall. 

Gross made the Reds' staff for parts of both 1955 and 1956 season and was primarily a starter during those two stints. He put up some pretty decent numbers in '56 (3-0, 1.95 ERA in seven starts) and returned in '57 to spend the whole season with the big club. But he couldn't replicate his previous success and at year's end he was traded to the Pirates for Bob Purkey. Most sources blame a series of arm problems for Gross' failure to sustain his minor league numbers.

Gross worked out of the Pirates' pen for a couple of seasons and collected 9 saves along the way but he was about to run out of chances for big league success. His career ended after a couple of seasons back in the minors and he returned to Cincinnati to raise a family (he had two sons who were ballplayers at the college or minor league level) and went to work in the sporting goods business.

In 1960: Gross made a handful of appearances out of the Pirates' bullpen in April and may before being farmed out to Salt lake City in the PCL. There he took a starters role and had a good season but he never made it back to the Pirates (or any other major league team). He missed out on a shot at pitching in a World Series. God knows he couldn't have done any worse than a lot of the pitchers the Pirates threw out there at the Yanks that fall.

Off The Charts: Interesting tidbit from his SABR bio....Gross wasn’t always a left-hander. “I was right-handed as a young boy,” he said in 1956. “At the age of 7, I caught my arm in a washing machine and broke my arm. I switched to the left and have been throwing and batting that way ever since.” Yikes!

Gross' nephew, Todd Benzinger, had a nine-year big-league career.

#282 Joe Nuxhall

Joe Nuxhall  Cincinnati Reds

Career: Lefty Joe Nuxhall made his MLB debut with the Reds at 15(!) in 1944. He then hit the reset button and spent seven years honing his craft for a more normal big league rookie experience in 1952. He pitched for 14 seasons (not counting that 1944 appearance) and pitched in over 530 games, about half as a starter.

He had a fine record with a 135-117 w/l and a career 3.90 ERA. Nuxhall took a couple of detours (through KC, Baltimore* and LA) in between his two long stretches in Cincinnati. He led the NL with five shutouts among his 17 wins in 1955 and twice made the NL All-Star team. 

Nuxhall worked as a broadcaster after his playing days and served as the Reds informal 'pre-game' coach for many years hitting fungoes and pitching BP.

*=He was with the Orioles in Spring Training in 1962 after being released by the Athletics but was sold to the Angels right around Opening Day. Nuxhall never pitched for the O's in a 'real' game. He lasted only five games with the Halos. He was back with the Reds later that summer after a spin through the PCL where he claims he learned to harness his temper and his fastball.

In 1960: Nuxhall ended his first stint with the Reds this year. He'd lost his spot in the rotation and moved to the bullpen. His 4.42 ERA and zero saves led to a trade to the Athletics at years end. But he'd return a few years later.

Off The Charts: Nuxhall, who became a much beloved figure in Cincinnati during his long tenure as part of their radio team, is always associated with the novelty of his debuting at 15 in 1944. What isn't well known is that the Reds initially were looking to shore up their war-depleted team by signing Orville Nuxhall, Joe's father. The elder Nuxhall, a former semi-pro star, had five kids at that point and not surprisingly passed on the opportunity. The Reds then turned to the junior-high-aged Joe. Fun details and videos can be found here.

And here's something interesting...if you check his Baseball-Reference page it shows this line for his 1946 season: Did not play in major or minor leagues (Voluntarily Retired). 'Voluntarily Retired'...he was 17. 😄 Maybe he was afraid he'd miss his prom.

The Card: Another Seals Stadium shot. And, as you may have noticed, it's signed by Nuxhall. This was part of a crop of signed cards I bought cheap from a longtime dealer and friend when he closed his shop a few years ago. 

Bonus Coverage: A neat video from a Cincy TV station newscast that delves into Nuxhall's debut and more. Well worth the two minutes.

#281 Ray Boone

Ray Boone  Milwaukee Braves

Career: Ray Boone is the patriarch of baseball's first four generation professional family*, the first family to send three generations to the All Star Game. Boone played in the majors for thirteen seasons beginning in late 1948 when he got a quick peek at Municipal Stadium in Cleveland. He played primarily for the Indians and Tigers as an infielder and was a two-time All-Star with Detroit in the mid-fifties. 

Boone, a WWII vet who served nearly four years in the Navy, led the AL in RBI in 1955 and picked up MVP votes in three seasons. He was a career .275 hitter and homered off Robin Roberts in the 1954 All Star Game. After his playing days Boone was a longtime scout for the Red Sox.

In 1960: He opened the season with the Braves but was dealt to the Red Sox in May. He hit just .205 overall in 90 at-bats combined. The Sox released Boone in September and his playing days were over.

Off The Charts: Wikipedia tells us that he was a descendant of American pioneer Daniel Boone.

The Card: I'm 99.99999% sure that the photo was taken in Yankee Stadium. And I'm also 99.99999% sure that Boone is not wearing a Braves beanie in the action pic despite the best work of the Topps artist to make it look like he is.

*=Jake Boone, Ray's great-grandson, has been drafted twice by the Nats, signed with them but has yet to play in the minors due to the cancelled season.

#280 Frank Sullivan

Frank Sullivan  Boston Red Sox

Career: Hollywood native Frank Sullivan had a nice run with the Red Sox in the mid-50s. He won 83 games over six seasons from 1954 through '59 for some less-than-impressive Boston clubs. He was twice and All Star and had a 3.24 ERA in that stretch. He tied Whitey Ford and Bob Lemon for the AL lead with 18 wins in 1955. he was the AL's WHIP leader in 1957 (although nobody then had thought of tabulating that stat).

Sullivan had debuted in Boston in 1953 by pitching rather unimpressively in 14 games. That shot had come after a long minor league stretch and a couple of years in the service during the Korean War. But in '55, as noted above, Sullivan came into his own and had a great run in Fenway. He remained with Boston through 1960 and then wrapped up his career with the Phils and Twins.

In 1960: This was Sullivan's last year for the Red Sox. His numbers dipped significantly from his days as the Sox' 'ace'. His ERA, which had never been above 4.00, ballooned to 5.10 and he lost sixteen against six wins.

Off The Charts: Sullivan's BR Bullpen page tells us..."Frank was the losing pitcher in the 1955 All-Star Game when he gave up Stan Musial's 12th-inning home run. Overall, he pitched creditably after entering in the 8th inning with the score tied, 5-5, and holding the National League scoreless for three plus innings. At the time, the only player in the majors taller than Sullivan was 6' 8" Gene Conley, the game's winning pitcher. Strange but true, after the 1960 season Sullivan was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies for Conley."

Sullivan was the model for one of the players in Norman Rockwell's painting entitled The Rookie. That's Sullivan wearing the #8 in the lockerroom.

#279 Chuck Tanner

Chuck Tanner  Cleveland Indians

Career: After signing with the Boston Braves in 1946 Chuck Tanner spent nearly a decade in their system before debuting in 1955 as a platoon outfielder and pinch-hitter. He went on to spend eight seasons (or parts thereof) with four clubs with more minor league duty sprinkled in.

Tanner hit .261 in nearly a thousand big-league at-bats with a touch of power. He wound up his playing days with a handful of games with the Angels in both 1961 and '62. He then entered the phase of his baseball career that he would become well known for, managing.

Tanner managed in the Angels system from 1963 through most of 1970. He was picked to pilot the White Sox for the final two weeks of the '70 season and went on to manage in the majors for 19 years, mostly for the Sox and Pirates. He led the 1979 Pirates to the World Series title over the Orioles. That was his only post-season managing experience. His career w/l as a skipper was 1352/1381.

Tanner later worked as a scout and in 'special assistant' and 'senior advisor' roles for the Brewers and Pirates until his passing in 2011 at the age of 82.

In 1960: Tanner spent most of 1960 with the Indians' Toronto AA club where he had a fine season. He spent almost two months in the midd of the year as the Indians primary pinch-hitter as he hit .280 in 30 appearances at the plate.

Off The Charts: Chuck's son, Bruce Tanner, pitched in ten games for his father's old club, the White Sox.

The Card: That's a pic taken in Seals stadium in San Francisco. I got the vibe from the color of the seats and what seemed to be hints of red among them which comes from the red railings surrounding the boxes. That much I've seen many times before. But the structure beyond the batting cage and the outfield wall puzzled me so I poked around and found plenty of photos that show exactly those elements at Seals. Easily seen in this picture.

And this one.

#278 Stan Williams

 

 

 

Stan Williams  Los Angeles Dodgers

Career: Stan Williams, a Denver native, signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1954 and worked his way up through their system over the next three seasons. In '58, with the club now on the West Coast, Williams had a fast start at the AAA level and was called to Los Angeles early in the summer. He made 21 starts and went 9-7 and he carved out a place for himself among the Dodgers' top shelf staff.

 

Williams, who at 6'3" 225 lbs was an imposing figure on the mound, won 43 games between 1959 and 1961 for the Dodgers. He averaged 163 strikeouts over that span.

In 1959 Williams lost his regular rotation spot in the second half of the season but got a huge win with three hit-less innings to wrap up the second playoff game over the Braves. He was traded to the Yankees for Moose Skowron in November of 1962 and was in the Bronx for two seasons, one as a starter and the next primarily out of the bullpen.

 

Williams moved on the the Indians, Twins, Red Sox and Cardinals before hanging up his glove and turning to coaching in the early 70s.

 

Williams served as a pitching coach for 14 MLB seasons, with the Red Sox, Yankees, Seattle Mariners, Chicago White Sox and Cincinnati Reds. He was also an advance scout for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and Washington Nationals.

In 1960: Williams went 14-10 and made the NL All-Star squad. He was credited with a Hold in the second ASG of that year with two scoreless innings.

Off The Charts: Williams pitched very well in all of his postseason appearances. With the '59 Dodgers (World Series), the '63 Yankees (World Series, and the '69 Twins (ALCS) he totaled 11 innings over four games, allowed only three hits, no runs, and fanned eight. You can probably add the '59 playoff game since it was essentially a post-season game.

The Card: The yellow/blue/white combo and the Memorial Coliseum backdrop make for an attractive card.

#277 Harry Bright

 

 

 

Harry Bright  Chicago Cubs

 

Career: Harry Bright made his pro debut in 1946 with the Twin Falls (Idaho) Cowboys of the Class C Pioneer League, where he'd been assigned after signing with the Yanks as a 16-year-old. He got his final pro at-bat in 1971 as a player/manager in the Athletics chain. That's a span of 25 years. In between he played for five big league clubs and managed many minor league teams. He stayed in minor league dugouts as late as 1985 in the Expos chain. He'd also done work as a scout and instructor.

 

As a player, Bright did almost everything but pitch. He had his best (and busiest) season in 1962 with the Senators when he held down the regular first base post and hit .274 in over 400 at-bats. That year he even appeared as a catcher in three games. Over eight seasons he hit .255 and got to play in the '63 Series for the Yankees.

 

In 1960: Bright is shown with the Cubs, and he did play for them*, but not in 1960. He was 'returned' to the Pirates on the eve of the season after having been drafted away from them the previous winter. Bright had a big minor league season for Salt lake City in the PCL (27/97/.313/.370) and made a handful of pinch-hitting appearances that September after being called up to Pittsburgh. He was not on the Pirates roster to the 1960 Series.

*=Bright got back to Chicago in 1965 and played in 27 games for the Cubbies. It would be his last big-league year.

 

Off The Charts: Entertaining story from his SABR bio...

[...]Harry Bright played in nearly 2,000 games. None of his exploits on the playing field, not even all of his 1,966 major and minor league hits, earned Harry Bright as much notoriety as one time at bat in the 1963 World Series.

It was the opening game of the fall classic between the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Behind the pitching of Sandy Koufax, the Dodgers had take a 3-2 lead into the ninth inning at Yankee Stadium. At the end of the eighth, a note on the scoreboard said that Koufax had tied the record for the most strikeouts in a World Series game. The first two outs in the ninth were routine putouts. With only one more chance for Koufax to break the record, Bright strode to the plate to pinch-hit for pitcher Steve Hamilton. He ran the count to 2 balls and 2 strikes before swinging and missing. Koufax had his record 15th strikeout, the crowd erupted, the Dodgers won the game, and Harry Bright became a footnote in the record books. “It’s a hell of a thing,” Bright said. “I wait 17 years to get into a World Series. Then when I finally get up there, and 69,000 people are yelling—yelling for me to strike out.”

 

The Card: Bright poses in Wrigley Field in his Pirates vest jersey with the batting cage behind him. That's fine but what I like about the card is the cartoon that shows him in his 'off season' job as a surveyor.

 

#276 Ken McBride

 

 

 

 

Ken McBride  Chicago White Sox

Career: McBride signed with the Red Sox when he came out of Cleveland's West High School in 1954. He immediately impressed with an 18 win season in Class D ball. He then spent another four years in their system with decent numbers but was dealt to the White Sox in 1959 and made his major league debut that August. He pitched well in that game and the few others he got into for the eventual AL champs but wasn't part of their post-season roster. 

Side note here: Baseball Reference lists his minor league time in '59 (19 starts in 26 games) as being with the White Sox' club at Indianapolis but he was sold to Chicago on August 1 of that year so I'm at a loss as to whats really up here. Maybe he pitched for the White Sox' organization while under contract to Boston. These little things bug me. 

Anyway, Chicago let McBride go to the Angels in the expansion draft and he hit his stride on the West Coast. He became the Halos' ace and won 36 games in his first three seasons there beginning in 1961. He even earned the start for the AL in the '63 All-Star Game. 

McBride hurt his arm in his second start in 1964 (he insisted on remaining in the game after a long rain delay) and was never again an effective pitcher. He was up and down between the Angels and the minors for two years and then retired.

In 1960: McBride pitched for San Diego in the PCL and had nice numbers. That earned him another late season call and he appeared in five games for Chicago that September. He was 0-1 while pitching 4 2/3 innings.

Off The Charts: From SABR...

McBride tried to stay in baseball. He managed in the minors for a year, and in the 1970s worked as a minor-league instructor and coach for the Milwaukee Brewers. In 1974 and 1975, he was the team’s major-league pitching coach. However, McBride said, “There wasn’t any money in baseball at the time unless you were a player.” After the 1975 season, at the age of 40, he moved back to Cleveland to raise his family. He became the co-owner and CEO of a construction company. As of 2008, he was still married to his high-school sweetheart, had two grown children and two grandchildren, and was still going to work every day at age 73. He remained a big fan of baseball and his hometown Indians, and watched their games every chance he got.

The Card: Old Comiskey Park makes an appearance. That red spot on the yellow background of the action shot doesn't seem to be on every copy of this card, only mine. But I swear that it's part of the card, not a stray ink mark.

Check that, I found another one that was on eBay. Maybe I've got a rarity!! Maybe I'm rich!!

Nah.

#274 Tom Acker

 

Tom Acker  Kansas City Athletics

Career: Acker is another pitcher who took a long road to the bigs. He first signed with the Giants in 1948, spent two years in the employ of Uncle Sam, was dealt to the Reds and debuted with them in 1956.

Over four full seasons he went 19-13 with a 4.13 ERA, mostly as a reliever. He had some spot starts most seasons with the Reds. As the card notes he had his best season in 1957 when he won 10 games.

In 1960: Acker had been dealt to the Athletics the previous winter but be was done with the majors. He ended up pitching in a few games for the Yankees' AAA club in Richmond. He was hit hard by the look of his numbers and was out of baseball soon after.

Off The Charts: Not much info on Ackers. I did discover that his nickname was 'Shoulders'. That's more than I found when I was researching him for his 1959 card.

The Card: Whatever that blue blob is that snuck onto Acker's left shoulder is seen on every copy. Some sort of printing flaw.

#273 Neil Chrisley

 

Neil Chrisley  Detroit Tigers

Career: Neil Chrisley was a left-handed bat off the bench and a spare outfielder for the Senators, Tigers, and (very briefly) the Braves over five seasons from 1957 through 1961. He signed in 1950 with the Red Sox out of Newberry College in 1950. He was an impressive minor league hitter but it took him several years, several organizations, and some military time before he made the Senators club in '57. 

1958 and 1960 (with Detroit) were his two busiest years. He appeared in about 100 games and had about 250 at-bats in each. He hit .210 for his career with 16 homers. Chrisley finished with the Braves in 1961 by getting a handful of pinch-hitting chances. He was done with the majors, but not pro ball. He spent another three seasons playing at the AAA level for three different clubs.

After baseball he went into the insurance business.

In 1960: This was his best season. He hit .255 in 96 games.

Off The Charts: Chrisley had the only hit (a first inning double) when the Tigers fell to the Red Sox' Bill Monbouquette's one-hitter in May of 1960. Exactly a week later he had his only 2 homer games. He hit both of Johnny Kucks of the Athletics.

His given name is Barbra O'Neil Chrisley. 

#272 Fred Green

 

Fred Green   Pittsburgh Pirates

Career: Fred Green was a Jersey boy who starred in hoops, soccer, and baseball in high school and was signed by the Pirates in 1952. Green spent almost seven seasons pitching his way thru the Pittsburgh system, taking a military detour during which he, according to SABR, mostly played baseball. He debuted in 1959 as a major-leaguer and got into 17 games between his trips back and forth to the minors. 

Green had (by far) his best year in 1960 as the Pirates took the Series but then was back in the minors for parts of 1961 and '62. He was claimed on waivers by the Senators and pitched in five games for them before ending his active career and turning to coaching.

In 1960: Green was the lefty pairing in Danny Murtaugh's 1-2 punch out of the bullpen. Elroy Face, the righty, served mostly as the closer and had a great year (10 wins, 24 saves) but Green contributed eight wins and his three saves were good enough to tie for second on the Bucs' staff. He had 45 appearances, more than half of his career total and posted a 3.21 ERA striking out 49 in 70 innings.

Green's SABR bio notes his rocky road through the 1960 World Series:

In a Series of contrasts, the victorious Pirates’ four victories were by scores of 6-4, 3-2, and 5-2, while the Yankees crushed the Bucs, 16-3, 10-0, and 12-0. Green pitched in all three of the Pirates’ losses, and was hit hard. In four innings he yielded ten runs. He gave up two home runs to Mickey Mantle, including a mammoth shot over Forbes Field’s right-center-field wall in Game Two. Although he appeared to be throwing batting practice for Yankees hitters during the World Series, Green was named to The Sporting News’ 1960 All-Star rookie team.

Off The Charts: Green was only 61 when he died of heart problems in 1996. At that time his widow, Mona Green, said her husband’s greatest baseball memories were of playing on the same team as Roberto Clemente and pitching against the New York Yankees in the World Series.

His son Gary was a first round pick of the Padres in 1984 who went on to play about a hundred games in the majors over parts of five seasons for them, the Reds, and the Rangers. Gary then coached and managed in the minors for several organizations

#271 Julio Becquer

 

 

Julio Becquer   Washington Senators

Career: First-baseman Julio Becquer was another in a long line of players scouted and signed by Joe Cambria. Cambria worked for the senators for many years and had and eye for talent which he uncovered in Cuba and in the Negro Leagues. 

Becquer, renowned for his glove-work at first, began in the Senators organization in 1952. There are gaps in his record at Baseball-Reference but he did make the Senators in 1955 and appeared in 10 games. He spent '56 at AAA and returned to D.C. for the '57 season and played for the Nats as a pinch-hitter and backup at first through 1959. His only year even approaching full time starting status was 1960.

He was taken by the Angels in the expansion draft, was quickly sold to the Phils and then back to his original team which was by then the Twins. Back to the minors went Becquer for '62 and he made one pinch-running appearance for the Twins in 1963 and then was out of baseball.

In 1960: He played in about half the games for the Senators, starting 61 at first. He hit .252, drove in 35 runs and even pitched an inning.

Off The Charts: He got the call to the mound in the second game of an August doubleheader in Kansas City. He game up a two-out homer to Dick Williams in an 8-3 loss. He got another shot at pitching the next season, again in Kansas City, again in a doubleheader. This time he was summoned in the seventh inning of the first game and he poured gas on the 6-1 fire by allowing two singles followed by two doubles as five runs came across. He got out of it by getting Deron Johnson to ground out. Sam Mele brought him back out for the eighth and he only allowed a walk.

He was inducted into the Cuban Baseball Hall of Fame in 1997.

#270 Bob Turley

 

 

Bob Turley   New York Yankees

Career: 'Bullet' Bob Turley signed with the St. Louis Browns in 1948 after graduating from East St. Louis (Ill) high school. He'd been sought after by the Yankees but their scouts whiffed and signed a relative by mistake (story below). 

Turley made a one game debut in 1951 and sandwiched minor league seasons around military time. He finally made the Browns for good in 1953 and moved along with them to Baltimore the following year and became the staff ace. But, as he would his whole career, Turley struggled with control. While giving up only 178 hits in 247 innings he walked 181. That led the league as did his 171 strikeouts.

The Yanks got their man for 1955 as part of a huge, complicated trade with the Orioles. Baseball-Reference has the details...

November 17, 1954: Traded by the Baltimore Orioles with players to be named later, Billy Hunter and Don Larsen to the New York Yankees for players to be named later, Harry Byrd, Jim McDonald, Willy Miranda, Hal Smith, Gus Triandos and Gene Woodling. The New York Yankees sent Bill Miller (December 1, 1954), Kal Segrist (December 1, 1954), Don Leppert (December 1, 1954) and Theodore Del Guercio (minors) (December 1, 1954) to the Baltimore Orioles to complete the trade. The Baltimore Orioles sent Mike Blyzka (December 1, 1954), Darrell Johnson (December 1, 1954), Jim Fridley (December 1, 1954) and Dick Kryhoski (December 1, 1954) to the New York Yankees to complete the trade.

Turley put together some outstanding seasons with the Yanks and peaked in 1958 when he won the Cy Young award, led the league with 21 wins and 19 complete games (he led in walks as well), made the All-Star squad and finished second in the MVP voting. He got an MVP trophy in October with an outstanding World Series against the Braves.

In his career, Turley won two titles but his numbers fell off quickly after that '58 season and he finished his career with the Angels and Red Sox in 1963. He had great success in his post-baseball career as a financial planner/insurance and real estate mogul and he became very wealthy.

In 1960: Turley had slipped in 1959 but he rebounded in 1960 to win nine games over 24 starts. His ERA dropped by more than a run.

Off The Charts: From SABR...

[After high school] He attended a Yankee tryout camp with his uncle, Ralph Turley, who was about two years older. Bob impressed the scouts, and one of them made a note to follow up on “R. Turley.” Looking in the phone book, he found the listing for Bob’s grandfather and asked if there was a pitcher in the family. Sure, the grandfather said, my son Ralph. “R. Turley,” check. The Yankees signed Uncle Ralph.

Turley pitched the Orioles’ home opener in 1954, the first major league game in Baltimore since 1902, following a parade that jammed the city’s streets. He struck out nine White Sox in a 3-1 victory. In his next start, he struck out 14 Cleveland Indians and carried a no-hitter into the ninth before a single and a home run beat him.

The Card: It's another really nice one. The Yankees got this color combo as their primary and it looks great. And this is another nice portrait shot and a fun cartoon. I've tried to figure out who the Yankee player is in the background who seems to be watching hitters through the batting cage. He might be Whitey Ford but we're no close enough to know for sure. 

Bonus: Turley was prominent enough during his heyday to warrant a bunch of magazine covers.

None of these are mine. I do remember the Sport cover. My father used to buy Sport to read on his train/bus commute to NYC. He kept them for a long time and I read and re-read them as a kid. Sport was always my favorite magazine.

#269 Gene Green

 

Gene Green  Baltimore Orioles

Career: I covered Gene Green's career a few months back when his card arrived as one of the last in my 1960 Leaf set chase. You can go there with this link.

In 1960: He played nearly all year at Miami, the Orioles' top farm club and hit .275 as the Marlins' #1 backstop. There were a ton of future and former big-leaguers on that Miami club. That includes 20-year-old Dave 'Swish' Nicholson who fanned 22 times in 56 plate appearances. 

Green played in one game for the Orioles late in September. He got a hit in four trips.

Off The Charts: The Rochester sports blog Pickin' Splinters named Green as the best catcher in the history of the Red Wings' franchise. 

The list of best plate protectors in Red Wings history:

1. Gene Green. Green impacted the Red Wings even after he left Norton Street, when he faced his former team in Miami as a member of the original Marlins, an International League team. Green hit two home runs in a doubleheader on April 26, 1960, one to tie the first game and the other a go-ahead grand slam in the nightcap, to pace the Marlins to a 4-1, 5-3 sweep.

“Green for Governor!” Democrat and Chronicle sportswriter George Beahon quoted one fan exclaiming after the 26-year-old’s slam to left-center field.

The IL Rookie of the Year was a strong candidate for public office after the 1956 Governor’s Cup championship season. He batted .300 with 23 home runs and 96 RBIs, the latter two numbers representing Triple A career highs.

“The Animal” was a double shy of the cycle in Game 7 of the Governor’s Cup Finals in Toronto, driving in five of the seven Red Wing runs.

“I didn’t believe it last night and I didn’t believe it this morning until I read the paper- twice,” Green cracked to Beahon the next day. Few were stunned when the catcher, who also played outfield, was posthumously inducted to the Red Wings Hall of Fame in 2011.

The Card: The drawn 'bird' logo on Green's cap in the B&W action pic is laughable.

 

#268 Al Worthington

 

 Al Worthington  San Francisco Giants

Career: Alabama-born Al Worthington played baseball and some football for the Crimson Tide before signing a pro baseball contract with the Nashville Vols of the Southern Association. When he signed in 1951 Nashville was a Cubs affiliate. The club became part of the Giants chain the next year and Worthington became Giants' property. I have no idea how that worked and his SABR bio has formatting errors so it is not much help.

But in the end, Worthington, showing promise, spent the 1953 through '55 seasons bouncing back and forth between the Polo Grounds and the scrubs. He was a starting pitcher for the most part but, like a lot of guys back then, also made quite a few relief appearances. In '56 Worthington nailed down a spot in the Giants rotation and spent four seasons with the club while moving to a relief role permanently.

He moved on to pitch for the White Sox, Red Sox and Reds before finding a place with the Twins in 1964 (at the age of 35) and was a key bullpen piece through 1969. He even led the AL in saves in '68.

Worthington pitched in the World Series in 1965 and his last big league appearance came in the AL Playoffs series versus the Orioles in 1969. He went on to become a coach in the bigs and then took the head coaching job at Liberty University and later became their AD.

In 1960: This is the second consecutive card I've posted of a player who didn't play for the team he is depicted with in 1960. In a nice bit of serendipity, Worthington was traded to the Red Sox for Jim Marshall in late March. After spending much of the season in the minors, he was moved to the White Sox in what was termed a 'conditional deal' late in August. For the year he was a combined 1-2 in 10 games. His minor league stats at AA Minneapolis were really good. Given his later success with the Twins, there must have been something about the Minnesota air that agreed with him.

Off The Charts: Worthington, a deeply religious guy, was bothered by the cheating he noticed with both the Giants and White Sox. Both clubs were reportedly stealing signs and Worthington expressed his issues with that to his managers, Bill Rigney in San Francisco and Al Lopez in Chicago. Worthington has always maintained that his doing so led to the trades form both clubs. In one instance he walked away from the game for a bit because of the issue. Details in this story on the Alabama.com site (you'll need to turn off any ad-blocker to read).

The Card: I'd call this a near perfect example of what the 1960 set can be. Really nice portrait of Worthington with an unusual color combo and the preferred (by me at least) cream and gold back. Just a great card.

One issue though...the cartoon labels Worthington a football 'star' at Bama but his bios state that he only played sparingly and had more success on the diamond there.