This is an index to postings related to the 2025 Topps All-Star Rookie Team which honored rookies from the 2024 season.
2025 Topps #98 Paul Skenes
Showing posts with label Pirates. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pirates. Show all posts
Monday, November 17, 2025
Saturday, May 1, 2021
1997 Topps All-Star Rookie Cup Subset (honoring 1996 Winners)
This is an Index of postings related to the 1996 Topps All-Star Rookie Cup team that was honored in the 1997 Set.
1997 Topps #22 195 Jason Kendall
Tuesday, September 13, 2016
Game Report: 2016 09 12 - Pirates 2 @ Phillies 6
The Phillies turned another page in their 2016 rebuild during Monday Night's 6-2 victory over the struggling Pirates.
Not one but two of their prospects crossed milestones: Jorge Alfaro made his Major League Debut and Roman Quinn got his first home start. Even sweeter each of the rookies recorded their first hits as well.
Snapshots
Roman Quinn got to bat at CBP for the first time and had a pretty good night. He went 2-4 with a pair of doubles, 2 RBIs and a walk.
After a tough first inning Jeremy Hellickson settled down and pitched into the 7th only allowing 1 unearned run and three singles.
Gerrit Cole's first start off of the DL didn't go well. He was lifted after two innings. He gave up 5 Runs on four hits and four ugly walks.
Freddy Galvis homered for the Good Guys.
I understand how Roman Quinn got the Anonymous Treatment in the Topps Starting Lineup department. However....
How is it that Jeremy Hellickson doesn't have a card yet?
GGA
Good Guy Awards go out to the Pirates Josh Harrison (above) and David Freese who each signed a bunch of autographs pregame.
I picked up my first Rob Manfred Baseball on Monday Night.
Moving on Up
Now that school is back in session tix for selected games are even cheaper $14 for a night at the ballpark ain't bad, even if your watching a fourth place team. The Phillies recorded their 64th Win last night which guarantees they will finish with an improved record over the 63-99 of 2015.
Sources
Baseball-Ref
Not one but two of their prospects crossed milestones: Jorge Alfaro made his Major League Debut and Roman Quinn got his first home start. Even sweeter each of the rookies recorded their first hits as well.
Snapshots
GGA
Good Guy Awards go out to the Pirates Josh Harrison (above) and David Freese who each signed a bunch of autographs pregame.
Moving on Up
Now that school is back in session tix for selected games are even cheaper $14 for a night at the ballpark ain't bad, even if your watching a fourth place team. The Phillies recorded their 64th Win last night which guarantees they will finish with an improved record over the 63-99 of 2015.
Sources
Baseball-Ref
Wednesday, June 8, 2016
TRENDY: Jameson Taillon
The Pirates have called up 2010 #2 Overall Pick Jameson Taillon and he is expected to get his first Major League Start tonight with the reigning NL Champion New York Mets.
2013 Heritage Minors #127 Jameson Taillon
Fun card here from the minor league version of the 1964T homage. I know it says Curve for the team name but my guess is Taillon is going to be another one of these young pitchers that throw 100 mph.
Jameson Taillon put up great numbers in AAA so far this year. Key numbers include 2.04 ERA with 61 Ks in 61+ innings against only 6 walks! His batting average against is an impressive .196 with a similar WHIP of 0.81.
Regardless the rookie is facing the Mets, Go Bucos!
Sources and Links
Pittsburgh Pirates
Cardboard Connection
Fun card here from the minor league version of the 1964T homage. I know it says Curve for the team name but my guess is Taillon is going to be another one of these young pitchers that throw 100 mph.
Jameson Taillon put up great numbers in AAA so far this year. Key numbers include 2.04 ERA with 61 Ks in 61+ innings against only 6 walks! His batting average against is an impressive .196 with a similar WHIP of 0.81.
Regardless the rookie is facing the Mets, Go Bucos!
Sources and Links
Pittsburgh Pirates
Cardboard Connection
Monday, February 22, 2016
2016 Heritage the Originals: 1966 Topps League Leaders
Today our 2016 Heritage Preview takes a look at the 1967 Topps League Leader cards.
1967 Topps #242 NL League Leaders RBI Aaron Clemente Allen
In a better world this card would have Three Hall of Famers on it. Unfortunately we live in the cruel universe where Dick (nee Richie) Allen resides on the edges of the Hall.
Regardless, I LOVE THIS CARD!!! What Phillies fan would not?
Dick Allen with two of the all time great Hall of Famers, Hank Aaron and Roberto Clemente. Oddly on this card we have two players who were bestowed different names for the early portion of their careers. Roberto Clemente is listed as the Americanized Bob while Dick Allen is listed as Richie.
The 1967T LL cards are pretty vanilla but strong. This format is very similar to the the 1966T LL cards. If I had a quibble with the design it would would be the use N. LEAGUE rather than NL.
The 2016 Heritage version of this card will feature Nelson Arenado, Paul Goldschmidt, and Anthony Rizzo. I am pretty comfortable stating the panel on the original will be remembered a lot longer than the upcoming Heritage LL card.
flip
1967 Topps #242 NL League Leaders RBI Aaron Clemente Allen (b-side)
Solid listing of players on the back of the card. Five of the seven players over the 100 RBI threshold are in the Hall, the other two played for the Phillies :(
There are a dozen league leader cards in 1967 Topps, six cards for each league: ERA, Pitching (wins), and Strikeouts for pitchers; Batting (Average), RBI, and Home Runs for Hitters. In addition to appearing on the RBI card, Dick Allen is also the center panel on the HR card between Aaron and Willie Mays (WOW!). Jim Bunning occupies the 2-spot on the NL Strikeouts Leaders card.
I am a little curious if Topps will do anything with NL Wins LL card, Bob Gibson and Gaylord Perry tied for third place in Ws with 21 each in 1966 so they had to split the final spot on the #236 card.
There Will not be any Phillies on the 6 NL Leader cards in 2016 Heritage.
Sources and Index
2016 Heritage/1967 Topps Index
Dick Allen Player Collection Index
Hank Aaron HoF Index
Roberto Clemente HoF Index
baseball-ref
In a better world this card would have Three Hall of Famers on it. Unfortunately we live in the cruel universe where Dick (nee Richie) Allen resides on the edges of the Hall.
Regardless, I LOVE THIS CARD!!! What Phillies fan would not?
Dick Allen with two of the all time great Hall of Famers, Hank Aaron and Roberto Clemente. Oddly on this card we have two players who were bestowed different names for the early portion of their careers. Roberto Clemente is listed as the Americanized Bob while Dick Allen is listed as Richie.
The 1967T LL cards are pretty vanilla but strong. This format is very similar to the the 1966T LL cards. If I had a quibble with the design it would would be the use N. LEAGUE rather than NL.
The 2016 Heritage version of this card will feature Nelson Arenado, Paul Goldschmidt, and Anthony Rizzo. I am pretty comfortable stating the panel on the original will be remembered a lot longer than the upcoming Heritage LL card.
flip
Solid listing of players on the back of the card. Five of the seven players over the 100 RBI threshold are in the Hall, the other two played for the Phillies :(
There are a dozen league leader cards in 1967 Topps, six cards for each league: ERA, Pitching (wins), and Strikeouts for pitchers; Batting (Average), RBI, and Home Runs for Hitters. In addition to appearing on the RBI card, Dick Allen is also the center panel on the HR card between Aaron and Willie Mays (WOW!). Jim Bunning occupies the 2-spot on the NL Strikeouts Leaders card.
I am a little curious if Topps will do anything with NL Wins LL card, Bob Gibson and Gaylord Perry tied for third place in Ws with 21 each in 1966 so they had to split the final spot on the #236 card.
There Will not be any Phillies on the 6 NL Leader cards in 2016 Heritage.
Sources and Index
2016 Heritage/1967 Topps Index
Dick Allen Player Collection Index
Hank Aaron HoF Index
Roberto Clemente HoF Index
baseball-ref
Wednesday, October 7, 2015
NL Wild Card: 2013 Topps Chrome Gerrit Cole (rc)
In tonight's Wild Card game the Host Pirates will be sending out their ace Gerrit Cole.
2013 Topps Chrome #210 Gerrit Cole (RC)
I believe this is from the bonus parallels that showed up with racks of 2013T Chrome. The combo of the Pirates Black & Yellow with the Topps Orange parallel and the season this is the perfect Halloween card.
I will be rooting for the cross-state Pirates tonight and hope they don't run into any unfriendly ghosts.
With Jake Arrieta going for the Cubs and Cole (19-8, 2.60 ERA, 148 ERA+, 4.5 WAR) for the Pirates, I am expecting an exciting pitching matchup with some bizarre batting hero in tonight's winner or go home special.
Sources and Links
2015 Playoff Index
baseball-ref
2013 Topps Chrome #210 Gerrit Cole (RC)
I believe this is from the bonus parallels that showed up with racks of 2013T Chrome. The combo of the Pirates Black & Yellow with the Topps Orange parallel and the season this is the perfect Halloween card.
I will be rooting for the cross-state Pirates tonight and hope they don't run into any unfriendly ghosts.
With Jake Arrieta going for the Cubs and Cole (19-8, 2.60 ERA, 148 ERA+, 4.5 WAR) for the Pirates, I am expecting an exciting pitching matchup with some bizarre batting hero in tonight's winner or go home special.
Sources and Links
2015 Playoff Index
baseball-ref
Wednesday, September 16, 2015
40th Anniversary: Rennie Stennett 7 Hit Game
Rennie Stennett recorded 176 Hits during the 1975 season. He collected SEVEN of those hits in a single game, a 22-0 Pirates rout of the Cubs at Wrigley
1976 Topps #6 Record Breaker Rennie Stennett 7 Hits in one game
Topps noted the accomplishment with card #6 in their 1976 Record Breaker Set.
Rennie is one of only two players to pick up 7 hits in a nine inning game, the other is Hall of Fame manager Wilbert Robinson.
Flip
1976 Topps #6 Record Breaker Rennie Stennett 7 Hits in one game (b-side)
Interesting graphic on the RB card. All of Stennet's ABs are listed along with his scoring result. Notice he had not one but TWO multi-hit innings, the first and the 8th. Stennet's 7 hits got him the first 3 hits of a cycle. He scored five of the 7 times he reached - Rookie Willie Randolph pinch ran for Stennett in the 8th. The first and last hits were off of different Reuschel brothers, Starter Rick first and Finisher Paul Last.
As a team the Pirates collected 24 hits that day. Every starter including pitcher John Candelaria picked up a hit AND scored a run. In addition to Stennett six other Pirates had multi-hit games.
Sources and Links
1976 Topps Record Breakers Index
2015 Playoff Contenders Index
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - Dejan Kovacevic
Cup o Joe - Joe Klimchak
Baseball-ref
Topps noted the accomplishment with card #6 in their 1976 Record Breaker Set.
Rennie is one of only two players to pick up 7 hits in a nine inning game, the other is Hall of Fame manager Wilbert Robinson.
Flip
Interesting graphic on the RB card. All of Stennet's ABs are listed along with his scoring result. Notice he had not one but TWO multi-hit innings, the first and the 8th. Stennet's 7 hits got him the first 3 hits of a cycle. He scored five of the 7 times he reached - Rookie Willie Randolph pinch ran for Stennett in the 8th. The first and last hits were off of different Reuschel brothers, Starter Rick first and Finisher Paul Last.
As a team the Pirates collected 24 hits that day. Every starter including pitcher John Candelaria picked up a hit AND scored a run. In addition to Stennett six other Pirates had multi-hit games.
Sources and Links
1976 Topps Record Breakers Index
2015 Playoff Contenders Index
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - Dejan Kovacevic
Cup o Joe - Joe Klimchak
Baseball-ref
Sunday, August 23, 2015
Sunday Night Baseball: Starling Marte Die Cut
Tonight the Pirates are hosting the Giants in a rematch of last years NL Wild Card game. The Pirates hope things go better than last years 8-0 loss.
2015 Topps Stadium Club Luminous Triumvirate #T-7B
In last years single game showdown nothing went the Pirates way. They only managed four hits but one of them belonged to Starling Marte.
The 26 year old left fielder is in the middle of his third full season with the big club, and is once again putting together solid numbers. Currently Marte stands at 15 HR, 61 RBI, .290 AVG - Good Enough for a 119 OPS+ and a club leading 4.0 WAR.
Luminous Triumvirate
In our Blaster Break I mentioned that I don't understand this insert -Die Cuts aren't really my thing. As implied by the name Triumvirates are Trios of cards with a similar theme - the 3 Cards are die-cut as puzzle pieces that fit together to make a single long card. The #7 Triumvirate is dedicated to the Pirates, Starlings partners in his Troika are Andrew McCutchen and Gregory Polanco.
Triumvirates has three Levels based on manufactured scarcity, The Luminous above is the most common tier of the insert (1 per box - however available in retail)
Flip
2015 Topps Stadium Club Luminous Triumvirate #T-7B (b-side)
Maybe this is part of Triumvirate's theme, but in my opinion these are lame backs.
Playoff Contenders
The Pirates have the second best record in the NL and this card has been added to the Pirates portion of our Playoff Contenders Index
Sources and Links
2015 Playoff Contenders Index
baseball-ref
Cardboard Connection
In last years single game showdown nothing went the Pirates way. They only managed four hits but one of them belonged to Starling Marte.
The 26 year old left fielder is in the middle of his third full season with the big club, and is once again putting together solid numbers. Currently Marte stands at 15 HR, 61 RBI, .290 AVG - Good Enough for a 119 OPS+ and a club leading 4.0 WAR.
Luminous Triumvirate
In our Blaster Break I mentioned that I don't understand this insert -Die Cuts aren't really my thing. As implied by the name Triumvirates are Trios of cards with a similar theme - the 3 Cards are die-cut as puzzle pieces that fit together to make a single long card. The #7 Triumvirate is dedicated to the Pirates, Starlings partners in his Troika are Andrew McCutchen and Gregory Polanco.
Triumvirates has three Levels based on manufactured scarcity, The Luminous above is the most common tier of the insert (1 per box - however available in retail)
Flip
Maybe this is part of Triumvirate's theme, but in my opinion these are lame backs.
Playoff Contenders
The Pirates have the second best record in the NL and this card has been added to the Pirates portion of our Playoff Contenders Index
Sources and Links
2015 Playoff Contenders Index
baseball-ref
Cardboard Connection
Sunday, August 16, 2015
Sunday Night Baseball Angels @ Royals
Sunday Night Baseball is in Kansas City to see the AL Pennant Winners host the LA Angels. The last four seasons the Royals Team WAR leader has been Alex Gordon. That streak is likely to end this year and the prime candidate to take the KC throne is Lorenzo Cain
2015 Topps Heritage #54 Lorenzo Cain
Back in September of 2010 I caught a Brewers Phillies game, Buried in the random observations I wrote the following:
I am pretty proud of the underlined portion, The followups regarding Mat Gamel and Craig Counsell can be ignored.
2015 Topps
I like this card, It appears that Topps moved to expand the photo selection for Heritage in 2015. Prior to this year a standard headshot was used on most cards - this has opened them up for more interesting pix. As I have mentioned in our first pack posting, I am a fan of any shot that has a patch in it, Heritage has lots of patches on the uniforms - this card of Lorenzo Cain has a World Series Patch on his cap. Nothing like catching a guy at the top of his season and to that point his career.
Flip
2015 Topps Heritage #54 Lorenzo Cain (b-side)
Card #54 in the original 1966T set was occupied by Jose Pagan. There are no real connections between the two players, unless you count that fact that Pagan had a great 1962 World Series and Cain was coming off a great ALCS in 2014.
Playoff Contenders - Kansas City Royals
Alex Gordon (2010 Topps CYMTO/2006 Topps - from 2014)
Salvador Perez (2014 Topps Opening Day Superstar Celebrations #SC-11- from 2014)
Tom Gordon (1989 Donruss #45- from 2014)
Black & Blue - Bud Black and Vida Blue (1983 Fleer Super Star Special #643 & #644- from 2014)
George Brett (1978 Topps #100- from 2014)
Sources and Links
2015 Playoff Contenders Index
Baseball-ref
Back in September of 2010 I caught a Brewers Phillies game, Buried in the random observations I wrote the following:
I am pretty proud of the underlined portion, The followups regarding Mat Gamel and Craig Counsell can be ignored.
2015 Topps
I like this card, It appears that Topps moved to expand the photo selection for Heritage in 2015. Prior to this year a standard headshot was used on most cards - this has opened them up for more interesting pix. As I have mentioned in our first pack posting, I am a fan of any shot that has a patch in it, Heritage has lots of patches on the uniforms - this card of Lorenzo Cain has a World Series Patch on his cap. Nothing like catching a guy at the top of his season and to that point his career.
Flip
Card #54 in the original 1966T set was occupied by Jose Pagan. There are no real connections between the two players, unless you count that fact that Pagan had a great 1962 World Series and Cain was coming off a great ALCS in 2014.
Playoff Contenders - Kansas City Royals
Alex Gordon (2010 Topps CYMTO/2006 Topps - from 2014)
Salvador Perez (2014 Topps Opening Day Superstar Celebrations #SC-11- from 2014)
Tom Gordon (1989 Donruss #45- from 2014)
Black & Blue - Bud Black and Vida Blue (1983 Fleer Super Star Special #643 & #644- from 2014)
George Brett (1978 Topps #100- from 2014)
Sources and Links
2015 Playoff Contenders Index
Baseball-ref
Sunday, August 9, 2015
Sunday Night Baseball Dodgers @ Pirates
Tonight the Pittsburgh Pirates host the LA Dodgers on Sunday Night Baseball. Our Pirates card to mark the occasion is an insert from 2015 Topps.
2015 Topps Inspired Play #I-15 Willie Stargell & Andrew McCutchen
Topps frequently produces subsets that tie together players from different eras. This year they dubbed that set Inspired Play.
The Pirates entry into the subset features 1970s era Hall of Famer and team leader Willie Stargell. The current pirates feature Centerfielder Andrew McCutchen who fulfills a similar role.
Currently Andrew McCutchen's career is much more advanced then Stargell's was at age 28. Going into the season McCutchen's career WAR was 33.3 - compare that with 11.5 for Stargell. McCutchen wins the traditional numbers as well BA McCutchen .299, Stagell .278, HR McCutchen 128-112, RBI 462-411, and Stolen Bases 143-5. Stargell does have McCutchen in Slugging Pct, but by just 2 points.
At age 27 Willie Stargell had one HoF in his SimScore Top 10 - Frank Thomas at #8. Andrew McCutchen has 3 HoFs Andre Dawson (#2) Billy Williams (#7) and Dave Winfield (#9)
2015 Topps Inspired Play #I-15 Willie Stargell & Andrew McCutchen (b-side)
Inspired Play
IP is a 15 card insert set representing half the teams in the league, which led me to believe that this may be a continuity set with the other 15 cards in S2. This was not the case and it appears this may be series one only. Card I-5 features the Phillies connecting a pair of the teams great soutpaws Steve Carlton and Cole Hamels. Five of the 15 cards serve as a base for relics, The Phillies are amongst the 5 (#IR-HC)
Sources and Links
Willie Stargell HoF Index
Cardboard Connection
baseball-ref
Topps frequently produces subsets that tie together players from different eras. This year they dubbed that set Inspired Play.
The Pirates entry into the subset features 1970s era Hall of Famer and team leader Willie Stargell. The current pirates feature Centerfielder Andrew McCutchen who fulfills a similar role.
Currently Andrew McCutchen's career is much more advanced then Stargell's was at age 28. Going into the season McCutchen's career WAR was 33.3 - compare that with 11.5 for Stargell. McCutchen wins the traditional numbers as well BA McCutchen .299, Stagell .278, HR McCutchen 128-112, RBI 462-411, and Stolen Bases 143-5. Stargell does have McCutchen in Slugging Pct, but by just 2 points.
At age 27 Willie Stargell had one HoF in his SimScore Top 10 - Frank Thomas at #8. Andrew McCutchen has 3 HoFs Andre Dawson (#2) Billy Williams (#7) and Dave Winfield (#9)
Inspired Play
IP is a 15 card insert set representing half the teams in the league, which led me to believe that this may be a continuity set with the other 15 cards in S2. This was not the case and it appears this may be series one only. Card I-5 features the Phillies connecting a pair of the teams great soutpaws Steve Carlton and Cole Hamels. Five of the 15 cards serve as a base for relics, The Phillies are amongst the 5 (#IR-HC)
Sources and Links
Willie Stargell HoF Index
Cardboard Connection
baseball-ref
Willie Stargell Hall of Fame Index
This post is an index of postings related to Hall of Famer Willie Stargell
1966 Topps #255 Willie Stargell
HoF Index
1966 Topps #99 Bucs Belters (w Donn Clendenon)
2015 Topps Inspired Play #I15 Willie Stargell and Andrew McCutchen
HoF Index
1966 Topps #99 Bucs Belters (w Donn Clendenon)
2015 Topps Inspired Play #I15 Willie Stargell and Andrew McCutchen
Monday, May 18, 2015
Bobby Abreu to represent Phillies at 2015 Hall of Fame Classic
The Hall of Fame Classic is an Alumni game played at Doubleday Field in downtown Cooperstown.
1998 Topps #351 Bob Abreu
Like the Major League All-Star game the HoF Classic gathers players from each Major League Team to play in the contest. In addition to the Bobby Abreu several other Phillies Alums will be on hand representing other teams including Tony Perez, Bob Dernier, Jim Eisenreich, Aaron Rowand, Roy Oswalt, and David Delluci.
There are six Hall of Famers scheduled to be on hand for the day. The Team Captains are Ozzie Smith and Phil Niekro with Perez, Tom Glavine, Robin Yount and Rollie Fingers acting as coaches.
For further information on the classic click here.
1998 Topps
This is the first Topps issue Bobby Abreu on a Phillies card. He was known as Bob Abreu to Topps until 2003.
2011 60 Years of Topps #60YOT-47 Bob Abreu (right)
The 1998 Abreu card made the cut for the 60 Years of Topps series. The name plate on the cards is different. The same style of Phillies logo shows up on both cards but on the 60YoT version on the riht the liberty bell is white, while on the original it is red.
The Flip side of the card mentions Roberto Clemente - I assume the connection is both are Latin American players. But they could have gone with a more direct connection of one of Clemente's countryman like Roberto Alomar, Ivan Rodriguez, or Carlos Delgado.
2011 60 Years of Topps #60YOT-47 Bob Abreu (b-side)
Of course my other less likely thought is that Topps mentions Roberto Clemente here because they used to call him Bob, just like they at one time referred to Bobby Abreu as Bob.
Below we have a picture of the box Top referred to in the text of the 60YoT card.
1998 Topps Box (image swiped from Baseball Cardpedia)
Sources and Links
Baseball Hall of Fame
baseball cardpedia
Topps Baseball Card Database
Like the Major League All-Star game the HoF Classic gathers players from each Major League Team to play in the contest. In addition to the Bobby Abreu several other Phillies Alums will be on hand representing other teams including Tony Perez, Bob Dernier, Jim Eisenreich, Aaron Rowand, Roy Oswalt, and David Delluci.
There are six Hall of Famers scheduled to be on hand for the day. The Team Captains are Ozzie Smith and Phil Niekro with Perez, Tom Glavine, Robin Yount and Rollie Fingers acting as coaches.
For further information on the classic click here.
1998 Topps
This is the first Topps issue Bobby Abreu on a Phillies card. He was known as Bob Abreu to Topps until 2003.
The 1998 Abreu card made the cut for the 60 Years of Topps series. The name plate on the cards is different. The same style of Phillies logo shows up on both cards but on the 60YoT version on the riht the liberty bell is white, while on the original it is red.
The Flip side of the card mentions Roberto Clemente - I assume the connection is both are Latin American players. But they could have gone with a more direct connection of one of Clemente's countryman like Roberto Alomar, Ivan Rodriguez, or Carlos Delgado.
Of course my other less likely thought is that Topps mentions Roberto Clemente here because they used to call him Bob, just like they at one time referred to Bobby Abreu as Bob.
Below we have a picture of the box Top referred to in the text of the 60YoT card.
Sources and Links
Baseball Hall of Fame
baseball cardpedia
Topps Baseball Card Database
Wednesday, May 13, 2015
RTC Pirates Pitcher Bob Friend
The Phillies are hosting the Pirates this week which gives an opportunity to look back at the long career of Bucos 1950s and 60s era pitcher Bob Friend.
1961 Topps #270 Bob Friend
Among Pitchers who debuted in the last 100 years Bob Friend is the Pirates All-Time Leader in Wins, Strikeouts, Starts, Shutouts, Innings and WAR. Friend spent all but one of his 16 seasons with Pittsburgh including the 1960 pennant winning squad.
He was a 3 time all-star who led the league in ERA (2.53, 1955), victories (22, 1958) and shutouts (5, 1962).
During his ERA Leading 1955 season Friend also led the league in WAR for pitchers, but did not get a single Cy Young vote - that was in the single CY days when the NL and AL split the award.
Post playing career Bob Friend went into politics and served as Alleghany County controller from 1967-1975. He also served as a delegate to the Republican National Convention and led fund raising efforts at the Chilren's Hospital in Pittsburgh
Bob's son Bob Jr was a golfer on the PGA tour and currently plays on the Champions Tour.
Today Bob Friend is 84 and as of 2014 he was still living in the Pittsburgh area.
Sources and Links
Baseball-ref
SABR bio by Clifton Parker
Web.com Tour
Among Pitchers who debuted in the last 100 years Bob Friend is the Pirates All-Time Leader in Wins, Strikeouts, Starts, Shutouts, Innings and WAR. Friend spent all but one of his 16 seasons with Pittsburgh including the 1960 pennant winning squad.
He was a 3 time all-star who led the league in ERA (2.53, 1955), victories (22, 1958) and shutouts (5, 1962).
During his ERA Leading 1955 season Friend also led the league in WAR for pitchers, but did not get a single Cy Young vote - that was in the single CY days when the NL and AL split the award.
Post playing career Bob Friend went into politics and served as Alleghany County controller from 1967-1975. He also served as a delegate to the Republican National Convention and led fund raising efforts at the Chilren's Hospital in Pittsburgh
Bob's son Bob Jr was a golfer on the PGA tour and currently plays on the Champions Tour.
Today Bob Friend is 84 and as of 2014 he was still living in the Pittsburgh area.
Baseball-ref
SABR bio by Clifton Parker
Web.com Tour
Monday, May 11, 2015
RTC Pirates: Gerrit Cole NL April 2015 Pitcher of the Month
Tonight the Phillies open their series with Pirates by facing the reigning NL pitcher of the month. Gerrit Cole
2015 Topps Opening Day #22 Gerrit Cole
The 24 year old right-handed hurler earned the award with a stellar 1.76 ERA, 4-0 start. In is 30 2/3 innings of work he struck out 35 while only allowing a single home run (Reds Todd Frazier)
2011 Draft
Gerrit Cole was the first overall pick of the 2011 draft and is one of the big reasons the Pirates have high hopes for the 2015 season.
We are nearing the four year mark for the 2011 draft and several big names have already emerged from the class. Cole is one of three impressive RHP from the first round who have already emerged, The other two are the Marlins Jose Fernandez and The A's Sonny Gray. Kolten Wong, George Spiringer, and the injured Anthony Rendon lead the batters from the round. Mookie Betts is the most significant player taken after the opening round.
The Phillies did not have a First Round Pick in 2011, There second round pick, Roman Quinn, has been a success so far and is off to a good start in 2015 with AA Reading. In the latter rounds the Phillies were able to pick up two players that are currently making contributions at the Major League Level Cody Asche (4th round) Ken Giles (7th).
Sources and Links
2015 Topps Index
WAR and the Draft
Baseball-Ref
MLB Pirates
The 24 year old right-handed hurler earned the award with a stellar 1.76 ERA, 4-0 start. In is 30 2/3 innings of work he struck out 35 while only allowing a single home run (Reds Todd Frazier)
2011 Draft
Gerrit Cole was the first overall pick of the 2011 draft and is one of the big reasons the Pirates have high hopes for the 2015 season.
We are nearing the four year mark for the 2011 draft and several big names have already emerged from the class. Cole is one of three impressive RHP from the first round who have already emerged, The other two are the Marlins Jose Fernandez and The A's Sonny Gray. Kolten Wong, George Spiringer, and the injured Anthony Rendon lead the batters from the round. Mookie Betts is the most significant player taken after the opening round.
The Phillies did not have a First Round Pick in 2011, There second round pick, Roman Quinn, has been a success so far and is off to a good start in 2015 with AA Reading. In the latter rounds the Phillies were able to pick up two players that are currently making contributions at the Major League Level Cody Asche (4th round) Ken Giles (7th).
Sources and Links
2015 Topps Index
WAR and the Draft
Baseball-Ref
MLB Pirates
Wednesday, February 18, 2015
2015 Heritage the Originals: Teammates Subset?
There are a couple of special cards in the 1966T set that include 2 or 3 teammates.
1966 Topps #52 Power Plus Wes Covington Johnny Callison
At card #52 we have the first of the combo cards which happens to be dedicated to the Phillies. Johnny Callison is a worthy subject for a card titled Power Plus, not so sure about his partner.
Wes Covington was coming off a 1965 season in which he hit 15 homers and tallied 45 RBIs. Which I would consider unremarkable power numbers even in the pitching centric middle 60s. Other candidates for the card could have been Dick Allen (20 HR, 85 RBI) or Dick Stuard (28/95).
In addition it was Covington's last season with the Phillies, he was traded during the off-season and was likely gone by the time this card was issued.
1964 Phillies @ 50
Wes was also the a member of the 1964 Phillies, as a Left fielder for the club he had similar numbers to 1965 13 HR, 58 RBI, .280 BA 126 OPS+, and 1.4 WAR. Covington's dWAR numbers hurt his total throughout his career.
During the clubs fateful stretch run manager Gene Mauch elected to frequently use a platoon in Left field. Following the teams collapse Covington was very unhappy and he would eventually ask for the aforementioned trade.
One of the more humorous parts of an extremely interesting SABR Bio by Andy Sturgill mentions that Covington had already spent his World Series bonus money. He purchased a rifle which he brought into the clubhouse and declared "This is for the sportswriters"
Fortunately for Wes Covington he was able to make the postseason both prior to and after his Phillies tenure. He won a World Series withe 1957 Milwaukee Braves and returned to the series with the club the following season. He also got a pinch hit appearance in the 1966 Series with the Dodgers who lost to the Orioles.
1966 Topps Combos
Sorry drifted into our 1964 Phils coverage there, now back to our regularly scheduled post.
You may have noticed I had a Question Mark in the title, that is because I am not really sure one should call this theme a subset. There are 5 combo cards in 1966 Topps with no apparent rationale for the players or teams. All 5 cards appear in the first couple of series. The four other teams repped are the Pirates, Giants, White Sox and Astros.
Willie Stargell is the only Hall of Famer in the subset with each card containing a player that is somewhat comparable to Johnny Callison.
#99 Bucs Belters - Willie Stargell, Don Clendennon
#156 DP Combo Dick Schofield Hal Lanier
#199 Chisox Clubbers Bill Skowron, Johnny Romano, Floyd Robinson
#273 Astros Aces - Bob Aspromante and Rusty Staub
Special Thanks to Jim From Downingtown who's research I stole for this post. He points out that the power outage doesn't occur just on the Phillies card, The Chisox card is dubious and ignoring Roberto Clemente on a Bucs Belters card does sound like a gaffe.
Flipped
1966 Topps #52 Power Plus Wes Covington Johnny Callison (b-side)
There is a fairly detailed write up on the back of each card, although the Wes Covington portion of this one devotes a lot more time to his Braves career than his Phillies tenure.
2015 Heritage Combos
Who will Topps go with for the 2015 Combos?
Will 2015 Heritage have combos?
I am saying yes to the combos and take a stab at some projections
Phillies Power Plus - egads nobody, I will stick with the standbys of Utley and Howard or Topps could maintain the continuity of the Covington trade by including Jimmy Rollins
Bucs Belters -McCutchen and How about Super Utility guy Josh Harrison filling the Clendennon role.
DP Combo (Giants) - This one is a little complicated. Brandon Crawford is the starting Shortstop for the World Champs, but there was a revolving door at 2nd. I am going with St Johns Alum Joe Panik.
Chisox Clubbers - If we can't go with Jose Abreu 3 times, I will add Konerko and Adam Dunn. I know they are both gone, but it is a deserved nod to their long careers.
Astros Aces - This is great the card is named Aces but has two batters. Going to go with 2 young guys here Altuve and Singleton - just because he came up with the Philllies.
Sources and Links
Willie Stargell HoF index
1966 Topps Blog
2015 Heritage/1966 Topps Index
1964 Phillies @ 50 Index
SABR Bio by Andy Sturgill
cardboard connection
Topps Database
Baseball-ref
At card #52 we have the first of the combo cards which happens to be dedicated to the Phillies. Johnny Callison is a worthy subject for a card titled Power Plus, not so sure about his partner.
Wes Covington was coming off a 1965 season in which he hit 15 homers and tallied 45 RBIs. Which I would consider unremarkable power numbers even in the pitching centric middle 60s. Other candidates for the card could have been Dick Allen (20 HR, 85 RBI) or Dick Stuard (28/95).
In addition it was Covington's last season with the Phillies, he was traded during the off-season and was likely gone by the time this card was issued.
1964 Phillies @ 50
Wes was also the a member of the 1964 Phillies, as a Left fielder for the club he had similar numbers to 1965 13 HR, 58 RBI, .280 BA 126 OPS+, and 1.4 WAR. Covington's dWAR numbers hurt his total throughout his career.
During the clubs fateful stretch run manager Gene Mauch elected to frequently use a platoon in Left field. Following the teams collapse Covington was very unhappy and he would eventually ask for the aforementioned trade.
One of the more humorous parts of an extremely interesting SABR Bio by Andy Sturgill mentions that Covington had already spent his World Series bonus money. He purchased a rifle which he brought into the clubhouse and declared "This is for the sportswriters"
Fortunately for Wes Covington he was able to make the postseason both prior to and after his Phillies tenure. He won a World Series withe 1957 Milwaukee Braves and returned to the series with the club the following season. He also got a pinch hit appearance in the 1966 Series with the Dodgers who lost to the Orioles.
1966 Topps Combos
Sorry drifted into our 1964 Phils coverage there, now back to our regularly scheduled post.
You may have noticed I had a Question Mark in the title, that is because I am not really sure one should call this theme a subset. There are 5 combo cards in 1966 Topps with no apparent rationale for the players or teams. All 5 cards appear in the first couple of series. The four other teams repped are the Pirates, Giants, White Sox and Astros.
Willie Stargell is the only Hall of Famer in the subset with each card containing a player that is somewhat comparable to Johnny Callison.
#273 Astros Aces - Bob Aspromante and Rusty Staub
Special Thanks to Jim From Downingtown who's research I stole for this post. He points out that the power outage doesn't occur just on the Phillies card, The Chisox card is dubious and ignoring Roberto Clemente on a Bucs Belters card does sound like a gaffe.
Flipped
There is a fairly detailed write up on the back of each card, although the Wes Covington portion of this one devotes a lot more time to his Braves career than his Phillies tenure.
2015 Heritage Combos
Who will Topps go with for the 2015 Combos?
Will 2015 Heritage have combos?
I am saying yes to the combos and take a stab at some projections
Phillies Power Plus - egads nobody, I will stick with the standbys of Utley and Howard or Topps could maintain the continuity of the Covington trade by including Jimmy Rollins
Bucs Belters -McCutchen and How about Super Utility guy Josh Harrison filling the Clendennon role.
DP Combo (Giants) - This one is a little complicated. Brandon Crawford is the starting Shortstop for the World Champs, but there was a revolving door at 2nd. I am going with St Johns Alum Joe Panik.
Chisox Clubbers - If we can't go with Jose Abreu 3 times, I will add Konerko and Adam Dunn. I know they are both gone, but it is a deserved nod to their long careers.
Astros Aces - This is great the card is named Aces but has two batters. Going to go with 2 young guys here Altuve and Singleton - just because he came up with the Philllies.
Sources and Links
Willie Stargell HoF index
1966 Topps Blog
2015 Heritage/1966 Topps Index
1964 Phillies @ 50 Index
SABR Bio by Andy Sturgill
cardboard connection
Topps Database
Baseball-ref
Wednesday, September 10, 2014
2006 Bowman Draft Futures Game Prospects Neil Walker
The Phillies are hosting the cross state Pirates for a for game set this week. This seems an appropriate time to add the Bucos to our Playoff Contenders Preview feature. The player that we are looking at today is Birthday Boy Neil Walker.
2006 Bowman Futures Game Gold Chunk #FG5 Neil Walker
The Pirates picked Walker with the 11th overall pick of the 2004 draft. Walker was a standout from a Pittsburgh area high school. I am sure this has put additional pressure on him especially early in his career when the Pirates were struggling towards respectability.
Walker was drafted as a catcher but the Pirates, perhaps in an effort to get him to the majors quicker, moved him to second base. I think this may have been a disservice to the player, but it may have been necessary for the organizaiton at the time.
While he has never had an outstanding season, Neil Walker has been steady. 2014 looks to be his best season to this point. He has posted a career high 19 homers, and currently has Career highs in both On Base Pct and slugging.
Walker turns 29 today which means he will have one of what I consider a players prime years (agewise) (29-32) behind him. If the Pirates are to hang onto Walker I would think they would like to get a bit more out of his prime seasons then they have gotten from him in his first five seasons.
Bowman Futures Game Inserts
The full name of the set is Bowman Draft Picks & Prospects Baseball. Add to that the Insert name of Futures Game Prospects Set and you have a mouthful. I have chosen to abbreviate both handles coming up with Bowman Draft for the set and Futures Game Prospects for the insert. That is still about 8 words too long, but it will need to do.
In 2006 the Insert set featured 45 cards of Futures Game participants. The game was hosted by the Pirates that summer and was likely one of the first times that Neil Walker appeared in a professional game at PNC park. The Phillies sent two players to the game Gio Gonzalez and Carlos Carrasco, Other notables included in the 2006 Set are Pablo Sandoval, Hunter Pence, Joey Votto, Troy Tulowitzki, Carlos Gonzalez, Homer Bailey, Alex Gordon, Stephen Drew, Ryan Braun, and the late Nick Adenhardt.
Sources & Links
Baseball-ref
2014 Playoff Contenders
Baseball Cardpedia
topps Cards
The Pirates picked Walker with the 11th overall pick of the 2004 draft. Walker was a standout from a Pittsburgh area high school. I am sure this has put additional pressure on him especially early in his career when the Pirates were struggling towards respectability.
Walker was drafted as a catcher but the Pirates, perhaps in an effort to get him to the majors quicker, moved him to second base. I think this may have been a disservice to the player, but it may have been necessary for the organizaiton at the time.
While he has never had an outstanding season, Neil Walker has been steady. 2014 looks to be his best season to this point. He has posted a career high 19 homers, and currently has Career highs in both On Base Pct and slugging.
Walker turns 29 today which means he will have one of what I consider a players prime years (agewise) (29-32) behind him. If the Pirates are to hang onto Walker I would think they would like to get a bit more out of his prime seasons then they have gotten from him in his first five seasons.
Bowman Futures Game Inserts
The full name of the set is Bowman Draft Picks & Prospects Baseball. Add to that the Insert name of Futures Game Prospects Set and you have a mouthful. I have chosen to abbreviate both handles coming up with Bowman Draft for the set and Futures Game Prospects for the insert. That is still about 8 words too long, but it will need to do.
In 2006 the Insert set featured 45 cards of Futures Game participants. The game was hosted by the Pirates that summer and was likely one of the first times that Neil Walker appeared in a professional game at PNC park. The Phillies sent two players to the game Gio Gonzalez and Carlos Carrasco, Other notables included in the 2006 Set are Pablo Sandoval, Hunter Pence, Joey Votto, Troy Tulowitzki, Carlos Gonzalez, Homer Bailey, Alex Gordon, Stephen Drew, Ryan Braun, and the late Nick Adenhardt.
Sources & Links
Baseball-ref
2014 Playoff Contenders
Baseball Cardpedia
topps Cards
Monday, May 19, 2014
1967 Topps #205 Dick Groat
Last week we featured a card Pittsburgh Icon Dick Groat.
1967 Topps #205 Dick Groat
Late in his career Groat was traded by the Cardinals to the Phillies. By the time he got to Philadelphia in 1966 Groat was 35. He was no longer an MVP candidate but did provide the Phils with steady defense at shorstop, Groat finished 3rd in the NL in both Assists and Putouts. Offensively Groat was less effective batting .260 with a meager .320 Slugging Percentage. Groat's offense further deteriorated in 1967, and he was sent to the Giants. By seasons end he was out of baseball.
1967 Topps
This is Dick Groat's final Topps Card as an active player. For more info on this Groat card as well as the rest of the years set check out the great 1967 Topps Blog.
Sources
Baseball-ref
1967 Topps Blog
Late in his career Groat was traded by the Cardinals to the Phillies. By the time he got to Philadelphia in 1966 Groat was 35. He was no longer an MVP candidate but did provide the Phils with steady defense at shorstop, Groat finished 3rd in the NL in both Assists and Putouts. Offensively Groat was less effective batting .260 with a meager .320 Slugging Percentage. Groat's offense further deteriorated in 1967, and he was sent to the Giants. By seasons end he was out of baseball.
1967 Topps
This is Dick Groat's final Topps Card as an active player. For more info on this Groat card as well as the rest of the years set check out the great 1967 Topps Blog.
Sources
Baseball-ref
1967 Topps Blog
Sunday, May 11, 2014
Sunday Night Baseball: Dick Groat 1961 Topps #1
This week Sunday Night Baseball makes a rare visit to Pittsburgh. We are marking the occasion by taking a look at 1960s era Pirate.
1961 Topps #1 Dick Groat
I have been wanting to put together a column on Dick Groat for a while. He is an interesting sports figure who remains a Pittsburgh icon.
Dick Groat was raised in the Pittsburgh area prior to going to Duke on a basketball scholarship. At Duke Groat was a two sport athlete, and he was good enough to be an All-American in both hoop and baseball. During his senior season as a basketball player Groat led the nation in both points and assists per game. That same year Groat helped lead the Blue Devils Baseball team to a berth in the College World Series.
After college Groat signed with the home town Pirates. The talented shortstop made the immediate jump to the majors and never played a day in the minors. He debuted with the Pirates as a pinch-hitter on June 18 1952. That same year Dick Groat was also selected 3rd overall in the NBA draft by the Fort Wayne Pistons. Less than 5 months after playing in his first Professional Baseball Game Groat played his first NBA game. Groat played a single season for Ft Wayne averaging just under 12 points per game.
1961 Topps #1
Dick Groat earned the #1 spot in 1961 Topps by winning NL MVP honors in 1960. His qualifications that year including winning the batting title and leading the Bucos to the NL Pennant. The 1960 Pirates are also the team that upset the Yankees in a seven game World Series despite being outscored 55-27. 1960 was the first of two times that Groat would play for a team that would beat the Yankees in seven - he was also a member of the 1964 Cardinals who were led by Bob Gibson's strong performance.
Pittsburgher - Cager
Following his baseball playing career Groat returned home and to basketball. He is currently (at age 83) a color analyst for the Pitt Panthers. Despite choosing baseball as his sports playing career, Groat accumulated several hoop related accolades. His #10 was the first number retired by the Duke Blue Devils - thing about that for a second - all the great players to come out of the basketball powerhouse and the first to have their number retired was Dick Groat. In 2007 Groat was inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame as part of the institutions 2nd class.
Sources & links
Topps #1 Club
Baseball: Past and Present
Pitt Panthers
College Basketball Experience
Duke Report
Pittsburgh Post Gazette
Baseball-ref
SABR BioProject
Sports-Ref/CBB
The College World Series: A Baseball History 1947-2003
I have been wanting to put together a column on Dick Groat for a while. He is an interesting sports figure who remains a Pittsburgh icon.
Dick Groat was raised in the Pittsburgh area prior to going to Duke on a basketball scholarship. At Duke Groat was a two sport athlete, and he was good enough to be an All-American in both hoop and baseball. During his senior season as a basketball player Groat led the nation in both points and assists per game. That same year Groat helped lead the Blue Devils Baseball team to a berth in the College World Series.
After college Groat signed with the home town Pirates. The talented shortstop made the immediate jump to the majors and never played a day in the minors. He debuted with the Pirates as a pinch-hitter on June 18 1952. That same year Dick Groat was also selected 3rd overall in the NBA draft by the Fort Wayne Pistons. Less than 5 months after playing in his first Professional Baseball Game Groat played his first NBA game. Groat played a single season for Ft Wayne averaging just under 12 points per game.
1961 Topps #1
Dick Groat earned the #1 spot in 1961 Topps by winning NL MVP honors in 1960. His qualifications that year including winning the batting title and leading the Bucos to the NL Pennant. The 1960 Pirates are also the team that upset the Yankees in a seven game World Series despite being outscored 55-27. 1960 was the first of two times that Groat would play for a team that would beat the Yankees in seven - he was also a member of the 1964 Cardinals who were led by Bob Gibson's strong performance.
Pittsburgher - Cager
Following his baseball playing career Groat returned home and to basketball. He is currently (at age 83) a color analyst for the Pitt Panthers. Despite choosing baseball as his sports playing career, Groat accumulated several hoop related accolades. His #10 was the first number retired by the Duke Blue Devils - thing about that for a second - all the great players to come out of the basketball powerhouse and the first to have their number retired was Dick Groat. In 2007 Groat was inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame as part of the institutions 2nd class.
Sources & links
Topps #1 Club
Baseball: Past and Present
Pitt Panthers
College Basketball Experience
Duke Report
Pittsburgh Post Gazette
Baseball-ref
SABR BioProject
Sports-Ref/CBB
The College World Series: A Baseball History 1947-2003
Sunday, April 13, 2014
Million Dollar Arm: 2009 Bowman Sterling #BSP-DP Dinesh Patel
This is our second Mad Men related posting of the weekend. Jon Hamm, who portrays Don Draper/Dick Whitman is starring in the upcoming film "Million Dollar Arm"
2009 Bowman Sterling Autographed Prospects #BSP-DP Dinesh Patel
The story is based on a recruiting trip/reality show opp that the Pittsburgh Pirates initiated to India in 2008. The premise is basically that cricket players can become Major League Pitchers
The Pirates found two pitchers, Rinku Singh and Dinesh Patel who is featured above. Both came to the States and trained at USC.
Dinesh Patel pitched 13 2/3 innings in 15 games for the Pirates Gulf Coast League team over two seasons. His first season was pretty good, but he regressed in 2010. Since then he has returned home.
The Left-handed Singh remains with the Pirates despite missing 2013 with injury issues. He was in the Pirates spring training camp in 2014, but I was unable to find his progress or status beyond the Grapefruit League.
For the Collector
I picked up the above Dinesh Patel auto for $2 at a recent card show. Both Patel and Singh are included on the Autograph Checker for 2009 Bowman Sterling Prospects. I think the two were added to the set late and neither player has a base card in the set. Prominent players in the autograph include Mike Leake, Donegal/Messiah alum Chris Heisey, Zack Wheeler, and Mike Trout
Sources
Baseball Cardpedia
IMDb
Barry M Bloom - MLB.com
Baseball-ref
The story is based on a recruiting trip/reality show opp that the Pittsburgh Pirates initiated to India in 2008. The premise is basically that cricket players can become Major League Pitchers
The Pirates found two pitchers, Rinku Singh and Dinesh Patel who is featured above. Both came to the States and trained at USC.
Dinesh Patel pitched 13 2/3 innings in 15 games for the Pirates Gulf Coast League team over two seasons. His first season was pretty good, but he regressed in 2010. Since then he has returned home.
The Left-handed Singh remains with the Pirates despite missing 2013 with injury issues. He was in the Pirates spring training camp in 2014, but I was unable to find his progress or status beyond the Grapefruit League.
For the Collector
I picked up the above Dinesh Patel auto for $2 at a recent card show. Both Patel and Singh are included on the Autograph Checker for 2009 Bowman Sterling Prospects. I think the two were added to the set late and neither player has a base card in the set. Prominent players in the autograph include Mike Leake, Donegal/Messiah alum Chris Heisey, Zack Wheeler, and Mike Trout
Sources
Baseball Cardpedia
IMDb
Barry M Bloom - MLB.com
Baseball-ref
Thursday, February 6, 2014
Ralph Kiner 1922-2014: 2013 Phungo #4
Today we got the sad news that Pittsburgh Pirates Hall of Famer Ralph Kiner has passed away.
2013 Phungo #4 Ralph Kiner
This is a card I didn't get around to posting until now. This pix was taken almost two years ago, Kiner was in his late 80s at the time. Despite being in what appeared to be pretty frail condition, Kiner took great care in every autograph he signed. It was really special to see a player of his magnitude be so great with the fans.
Ralph Kiner Memorials Obituaries and Tributes
Richard Sandomir (NYT)
1950 Ralph Kiner Comic Book (SBNation)
Jayson Stark (ESPN)
HoF Index
Sources
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
a thousand words
2008 World Champions