#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.

#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.

#255 Jim Gilliam

Jim Gilliam  Los Angeles Dodgers

Career: Jim 'Junior' Gilliam was a baseball junkie from his youngest days. He left school at 14 to play ball for some semi-pro clubs around his native Nashville, Tennessee. He soon found himself signed and playing for the Baltimore Elite Giants of the Negro National League. It was there that veteran George Scales got him into switch-hitting, a tool that helped make him so valuable in later years.

Gilliam signed with Brooklyn in 1951 after four years with the Elite Giants and he reported to the AAA Montreal Royals. Wikipedia reports that he wasn't sent to the AA Ft. Worth Cats because black players were not welcome in the Texas League. No mention of that in Gilliam's SABR bio which is usually pretty thorough. SABR does, however, tell us that Gilliam was 'loaned' to the Cubs organization in 1950 by the Elite Giants on a conditional deal but the Cubs were not impressed enough to sign him. His Baseball-Reference stats don't show and numbers with either of the Cubs' farm teams mentioned so perhaps it was a winter ball sort of thing.

But, anyway, Gilliam had solid two minor league seasons in Montreal and made his major league debut with the Dodgers in 1953. He made a real splash in Brooklyn and won the NL Rookie of the Year Award easily over Harvey Haddix of the Cardinals. He was an iron man, playing second, left, and right and rarely missing a game it seems. He had over 700 plate appearances, a plateau that he reached several times both in the majors and minors. He also led the NL in triples.

Gilliam played his entire fourteen-year career with the Dodgers. Many years he rotated through the starting nine, playing second, third, and two or all three outfield slots.

He was a part of seven World Series clubs and took home four rings. His Series average was only .211 but he hit two homers in his first, the 1953 Series against the Yankees. He was a two-time All-Star and homered in front of the hometown Los Angeles crowd in the second ASG in 1959.

Gilliam coached for the Dodgers after he finally retired (he had been a player/coach at the end). He had hoped to become a manager (there had, of course, been no black managers in the majors at that point) but the opportunity never came his way. He stayed with the Dodgers as a coach until he passed away in 1978.


In 1960: His .248 average was the lowest of his career to that point but his OBP remained fairly high due to his ability to draw walks. His other numbers, RBI,  runs, extra-base hits, etc. remained on a par with his previous few seasons.

Off The Charts: Gilliam was named the Dodgers' first base coach in 1965 as his skills were on the decline. But struggles by his intended replacement at third, John Kennedy, inspired the Dodgers to push Gilliam back to full-time playing status. He responded with a .280 season and a key defensive play in the '65 Series. SABR relates this story of the meeting where he was asked to return to the field...

Buzzie Bavasi called a meeting of the front office and dugout management. According to Bavasi: “We talked over several possibilities… Finally, I said, ‘Let’s reactivate Old Slowfoot.’ Gilliam, attending the meeting as a coach, looked at me out of the corner of his eye. We were playing the Cardinals that night. He said, ‘You picked a fine day to bring me back. We’re going against [Bob] Gibson tonight. Wait until tomorrow.’”

Here are a few quotes from the same SABR bio:

“Junior played to win ballgames,” Fairly said. “He didn’t care who was the player who won the game so long as the Dodgers won the game. Jim didn’t worry about personal things like that.”

The difficult to please and proud of it coach Leo Durocher, said of him, “He never – and I mean never – misses a sign. He does everything right. He’s a double pro.”

Added Gilliam’s long-time skipper, Walter Alston: “He doesn’t make any mistakes…He gives you 100 percent, day in and day out. He never moans. He’s a good team man. If I had eight like him, I wouldn’t have to give a single sign.”

The Card: Nice shot of Gilliam at the Polo Grounds. This color combo (blue/yellow/black/red/black) is the most common one in the '60 set. It appears 50 times and is the 'standard (most used) for the Indians, Braves, and Dodgers.

#243 Bubba Phillips

Bubba Phillips  Cleveland Indians

Career: Bubba Phillips was a better football than baseball player when he got to Southern Mississippi University. He'd only played softball in high school. But he became a diamond standout and he signed with the Tigers in 1948. He made the Tigers in 1955 after a minor league stretch and time in the Army. He played for the Tigers, Indians and White Sox as an outfielder and third baseman through 1964.

Phillips hit .255 for his career. He was never an all-star but got some scattered MVP votes in 1961.

In the 1959 World Series for the Sox, he played three games and went three for ten including a double.

In 1960: Despite a solid season in 1959 with the White Sox Phillips was dealt to the Indians as part of the trade that brought Minnie Minoso back to Chicago. Phillips went on to have the worst season of his career, hitting only .207 and losing his full-time job at third. But as noted, he bounced back with a nice season in 1961.

Off The Chart: Phillips had one small movie role, playing Coach Hardy for a 1981 biopic on Satchel Paige. The film, Don’t Look Back, starred Louis Gossett Jr. as Paige.

The Card: Fun cartoon of Bubba swimming with the fishes.

#240 Luis Aparicio

Luis Aparicio  Chicago White Sox

Career: Signed by the White Sox out of Venezuela in 1954 on the recommendation of fellow Venezuelan shortstop Chico Carrasquel, Luis Aparicio went on to play for 18 seasons as a shortstop for three AL clubs, the White Sox, Orioles, and Red Sox. He was the 1956 AL Rookie of the Year after leading the league in assists, putouts, and stolen bases.

He played in two World Series, facing the Dodgers both times. He was on the losing end in 1959 with the Sox but got his ring with the Orioles in 1966. He was a ten-time All-Star, won nine Gold Gloves and led the AL in steals for the first nine years of his career. Aparicio received MVP votes as a 22-year-old rookie and as a 38-year-old vet in his next-to-last season in Boston (and eight times in-between). In 1959 Aparicio was second in the MVP balloting to teammate Nellie Fox.

Aparicio was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1984. He is third on the list of games played at shortstop behind Omar Vizquel and Derek Jeter. He never appeared at another position other than shortstop.

In 1960: Coming off his near-MVP season Aparicio raised his numbers nearly across the board. His average jumped 20 points while his OPS, Slugging, and RBIs were also up. While he hit two homers as opposed to six the previous year and had eight fewer stolen bases, he again led the AL in almost every defensive category as a shortstop and he actually raised many of those stats. But his MVP share dropped to the point he was 22nd in the voting.

Off The Charts: Aparicio comes from a baseball family. His father, Luis Sr., was considered a superstar in Venezuela and has a stadium named for him in their hometown of Maracaibo. His uncle Ernesto, also a well-known player, was instrumental in teaching Luis Jr. the game. 

This quote is from Aparicio's page at the Hall of Fame site:

"He's the best I've ever seen,” former White Sox owner and future Hall of Famer Bill Veeck said in 1959. “He makes plays which I know can't possibly be made, yet he makes them almost every day.”

#234 Don Demeter

Don Demeter  Los Angeles Dodgers

Career: As a Brooklyn Dodger signee in the early 50s Demeter, a centerfielder, drew comparisons to then Dodger star Duke Snider. He obviously didn't hit that level as a player but he had a nice eleven-year career that included a World Series ring with the '59 Dodgers.

He also played for the Phils, Tigers, Red Sox, and Indians. A modest man, Demeter says he would have liked to have been around Boston for the '67 pennant run. But he claims that the deal that sent him to the Indians that summer for Gary Bell was the pivotal piece in the Red Sox season.

Demeter, always referred to as tall and lanky (6'4 190), retired at the age of 32 saying that as much as he enjoyed baseball there were other things in life he wanted to pursue. He finished with a .265 career average and 163 homers. He received MVP votes a few times in the early 60s during his time with the Phils.

In 1960: Demeter was hitting .274 and showing new-found consistency early in July when he collided with teammate Maury Wills and fractured his wrist. That ended his season and the injury likely led to a slow start in 1961 that prompted a trade to the Phillies.

Off The Charts: Demeter, a man of great faith, founded and ministered a church in his hometown of Oklahoma City.


This great little six-minute video was made by Demeter's granddaughter a decade ago. A nice mix of highlight clips and Demeter talking about his life in the game, his family, and his faith.

Demeter and his wife lost their son, Todd, to Hodgkin’s Disease in 1996. Todd Demeter had been a second-round pick of the Yankees who had not reached the majors and was working in his father's business.

#166 Chuck Essegian

Chuck Essegian Los Angeles Dodgers

Career: Chuck Essegian was a baseball nomad who played, mostly as a spare outfielder and pinch-hitter, for six clubs over six years. He was known for his power and his career highlight was blasting two pinch homers in the 1959 World Series for the Dodgers. His card's highlight section is a recap o that feat. Interestingly, he had begun '59 with the Cardinals, was sent down, traded to the Dodgers, played in their minor league system, and then was recalled in August. From that point to the end of the season he hit .304 and was a big help in their pennant-winning drive. His best season came with the Indians in 1962 when he played nearly full time and had 21 homers while driving in 50 runs.

At the bottom of this post you'll find the highlights video from the '59 series. It's narrated by Vin Scully. Al Smith's infamous beer shower comes at the 8:00 mark, Essigian's dingers at 8:45 and 31:20. It's worth watching if only to see Big Klu flex those bare arms.

In 1960: Coming off his outstanding '59 adventures he was a disappointment in 1960 batting only .215 in 58 games, mostly as a pinch-hitter.

Off The Charts: Lots of neat stuff with this guy!

He was a two-sport star at Stanford playing baseball and football. He became the second guy to play in both the Rose Bowl and World Series. The first was Jackie Robinson.

His degree was in biology, and he considered becoming a doctor or dentist before deciding baseball was where he belonged.

He was also an accomplished violinist and could have had a career in music according to a few bios I read.

After he retired he got a law degree and was a practicing attorney in Southern California until retiring in 1987. 

Essegian was traded with Jerry Walker from the Orioles to the A's in 1961 and was traded for Jerry Walker as he went from Cleveland to (again) the A's.

And he spent 1961 as part of four franchises. His contract was purchased by the Orioles from the Dodgers on February 1. The Orioles traded him to KC just after Opening Day. The Athletics sold him to the Indians in May.

He got exactly one at-bat with the Orioles in 1961, but he was pictured on his Topps card with them that year. I posted it below.

He's a member of the Armenian American Sports Hall of Fame.

The Card: Another one of the cards I remember from when it was fresh out of cello packs I picked up at the EJ Korvette store in Hicksville, Long Island.

The very brief bird sighting.

#105 Larry Sherry

Larry Sherry  Los Angeles Dodgers

Career: Larry Sherry came up thru the Dodgers' chain as a starting pitcher but was converted to relief when he made the majors and became a front line player in 1959. His older brother Norn was a catcher with the Dodgers for much of Larry's tenure. Larry pitched in four of the six World Series games in '59 as the Dodgers beat the White Sox. He allowed only one earned run in his 12+ innings and recorded two saves and two wins. Needless to say, he was named Series MVP. After six years with the Dodgers, he was dealt to the Tigers where he continued his role as stopper. He finished his career with the Astros and a brief stop with the Angels in 1968. He was a pitching coach and minor league manager after his playing days.

In 1960: Coming off his sterling Series showing Sherry had one of his better seasons, winning 14 games and garnering some MVP votes.

Off The Charts: On May 7, 1960, Norm Sherry hit a home run to give Larry a win over Philadelphia.

The Card: Yellow, pink, black, and white looks better than it sounds as a card color combo. I get a Wrigley vibe from the bit of background in this shot. I wouldn't bet on it though.

#69 Billy Goodman

Billy Goodman  Chicago White Sox

Career: Goodman had a 16-year career which had gone largely under-the-radar given what he accomplished. He played for 11 seasons with the Red Sox and won the 1950 batting title with a .354 mark. He finished second (to Phil Rizzuto) in the MVP voting that year. Overall, in 17 seasons with Boston, the White Sox, Orioles and expansion Colt 45s, he had a career .300 average and played every position except pitcher and catcher. He was twice an All-Star and he picked up MVP votes in six seasons. He had three hits and an RBI in the 1959 Series. 

In 1960: His career was beginning to wind down and he was little used by Al Lopez in '60 as he got only 77 at-bats. He was left available in the AL expansion draft after the season but went undrafted.

Off The Charts: After his big league days he became the player/manager of the Durham Bulls and pitched a bit for them. That meant that the only position he hadn't played as a pro was catcher.

The Card: Classic White Sox card with Goodman sporting that cap with the red-outlined lettering (I love that one) and the TV sleeve numbers. He's at Yankee Stadium and the card has a sweet color combo. And, hey, howdy, hey...he's wearing a cap!

Dodger Team Trio #18, #212 and #463

Los Angeles Dodgers Team Card #18

The 1960 Dodgers were, of course, the defending World Series champs. As so many teams do, they found it tough to repeat and they finished fourth, 13 games behind the Pirates. They again had plenty of pitching but were mid-pack in most important hitting categories.

Sandy Koufax was still a season away from blossoming into the most dominant lefty of his generation. Don Drysdale anchored the staff and his 15-14 mark is a result of the weak Dodgers attack more than anything he did. He had sterling numbers. Frank Howard won the Rookie of the Year award and led the team with 23 homers.  Maury Wills led the league with 50 steals. It was the first of six consecutive seasons he'd be the NL theft leader.

Obviously, the card is marked on the back. I have no issue with marked checklists.


Manager Walt Alston Card #212

I have already posted this Alston card over on my Five Tool Collector blog. Here what I said:

Alston has one at bat in the majors. One. On September 27th of 1936, as a member of the Cardinals, Alston entered the game at first base after Frankie Frisch pinch hit for the ejected Johnny Mize. He came up to bat later and fanned. Made and error at first as well. Never saw the field in a major league game again, as a player at least.

 That didn't deter him from having a standout Hall of Fame career in the Dodgers' dugouts in Brooklyn and Los Angeles. He took over the Dodgers from Charlie Dressen in 1954 and held the job for 23 seasons. His clubs won for World Series' titles and seven NL pennants. he managed 3658 games and won 2040 for a '558 winning percentage. Only four times out of those 23 seasons did the Dodgers finish in the second division of the NL.

The serious and studious looking Alston never signed more than a one year contract as manager of the Dodgers. As always he appears on his card looking like your favorite old uncle. 

It was pointed out in a comment that the card back has an error. The cartoon on the upper right has the dates incorrect. They should read '58 and '59. 

L.A. Dodgers Coaches  Card #463

Of the four coaches pictured Bobby Bragan is the biggest name although Pete Reiser was probably the best known at the time. He was a Dodger outfielder through the 40s known for crashing into outfield walls. 

Bragan managed the Pirates, Indians and most notably, the Braves from the mid-50s through mid-60s. He never won a pennant but spent a lifetime in the game and both Wills and Hank Aaron give him credit for improving their careers.

Greg Mulleavy had a brief big league career with the Red Sox and White Sox in the 30s and then was a coach and scout for the rest of his life. Joe Becker was a catcher who, according to Wikipedia is "a member of the relatively small fraternity of former catchers who became celebrated throughout baseball as a pitching coach (which included men such as Ray Berres, Dave Duncan, Rube Walker and Mike Roarke), Becker coached for four NL championship Dodger clubs, including the 1955, 1959 and 1963 world champions."

#1 Early Wynn

Early Wynn, Chicago White Sox

Career: A Hall of Famer, Early Wynn won exactly 300 games over the course of 23 seasons. He pitched his entire career in the AL, hurling for the Nats, Indians and White Sox. He made a return engagement with Cleveland in 1963 and won that elusive #300 in Kansas City in June in a game in which he struggled to make five innings. That was the next-to-last start of his career.

In 1960: He was coming off his 22 win, Cy Young Award season. He went 13-12 with numbers that indicated his time as an ace was coming to a close. He was an All-Star for the seventh (and final) time and pitched two hitless innings in the second of two ASGs played that year.

WikiFact: He earned that '59 Cy Young at the age of 39 which is not the record for the oldest winner. Gaylord Perry (age 40) and Roger Clemens (age 42) were both older when they won. Wynn's award came during the time when one Cy Young was given out instead of one in each league.

The Card: Sometimes I'll have a comment on the card, sometimes I may post a card of the player that I have in my collection that I really like. For example, this beauty from the '53 Bowman Color set. Great card from a terrific set.

But I also should mention that I enjoy the fact that Wynn's Game One shutout of the Dodgers in the 1959 World Series is included in the Season's Highlights block.

#155 Charlie Neal

Charlie Neal  Los Angeles Dodgers

Career: Charlie Neal signed with the Dodgers in 1950 but as a middle infielder his spot on the major league roster was blocked at the top by a couple of guys named Reese and Robinson. He broke through in 1956 with Brooklyn and had a a short but very good eight year career. He peaked in 1959 with sparkling work at bat and in the field. He hit .287 with 19 homers and nearly 90 RBI. Add in 17 stolen bases, a Gold Glove and leading the NL with 11 triples and it's not hard to see how he finished in the top ten in the MVP balloting.

In the 1959 World Series against the White Sox Neal had two homers among his 10 hits and a .370 average. His six RBI in the Series easily topped the team.

Neal was an original '62 Met having come to New York in a trade the winter before the club opened play. He was among the few bright spots for the expansion team but in '63 he was slumping and traded to the Reds in July. He retired after that 1963 season.

Neal is also a vet of the Negro Leagues having played with the Atlanta Black Crackers.

In 1960: He was coming off his best season but his numbers dipped across the board. Despite that he again made the NL All Star squad. It was his second and final time for that honor. His average dropped nearly 30 points to .256 and his homers fell off to just eight.

WikiFacts: Neal had 24 triples in his second minor league season, 1951 with Class B Lancaster. No major leaguer has had that many in a year since 1925. Among current players only Curtis Granderson and Jimmy Rollins have had as many as 20 in a big league season season.

The Card: That's really a nice color combo for a Dodgers player in this set. Neal is in Memorial Coliseum. The season highlights give a good accounting of how well Neal played in 1959. Featured are his fielding marks (tied for most putouts in a game in MLB history) and his postseason exploits (big games in the NL playoff against the Braves and the World Series against Chicago). Too bad the card isn't on the cream colored cardboard.