Frank Robinson (#500)

Continuing the mini-series on "cards ending with "00", here is #500 Frank Robinson.

I have to take issue with Topps' selection of Robinson. Wasn't #500 the ultimate "hero number" back in the day? ( In 1969, Mickey Mantle's final card was #500.)

Prior to the 1966 season, Robinson came over to the Orioles in a big trade with Cincinnati. In his first season with the O's, he won the Triple Crown, the AL MVP, and the World Series MVP.

Still, that was 2 years ago, and since then Carl Yastrzemski won the 1967 Triple Crown and played in the World Series, and several members of the world champion Cardinals (Bob Gibson, Orlando Cepeda) had monster years. Was Topps making amends for "only" giving Robby #100 in the 1967 set?
 

Robinson was signed by the Reds in 1953, and after 3 seasons in the minors, he spent 10 full seasons as a regular with Cincinnati.  He was the Rookie of the Year in 1956, and the NL MVP in 1961.

He played in 4 World Series during his six seasons with Baltimore. In 1972 he began bouncing around to several teams as his playing career wound down: Dodgers ('72), Angels ('73, '74), and Indians ('74-'76).

He also managed the Indians (1975-77), Giants (1981-84), Orioles (1988-91), and the Expos/Nationals (2002-06).  In 16 seasons as manager, his teams finished as high as 2nd place twice.

Ernie Banks (#355)

Here we have Chicago Cubs superstar Ernie Banks. "Mr. Cub" never played minor league baseball, but he did play for the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro American League from 1950 to 1953.

Banks is one of a handful of former Negro League players still playing major league baseball into the late 1960s. I guess it's common knowledge that Willie Mays and Hank Aaron were Negro League veterans, but I recently learned that Yankees catcher Elston Howard was Banks' teammate with the Monarchs. (I also discovered that early 1970s Detroit Tigers infielder Ike Brown played in the Negro Leagues. I mistakenly assumed that anyone not making the major leagues until the 1970s would have been too young to play Negro League baseball.)

Banks was signed by the Cubs on September 8, 1953, and made his major-league debut at shortstop on September 17th, playing 10 games that first season.

From 1954 to 1969, Banks was in the lineup almost every day, playing 150 or more games for 12 of those 16 seasons. Between 1954 and 1960, he led the league in games played 6 times. Banks was originally the Cubs regular shortstop, but in 1962 he moved over to first base.



Beginning with the 1970 season, the 39-year-old Banks cut back his workload, sharing the first base job with Jim Hickman. In 1971, Joe Pepitone took over the first base chores, while Banks only played 20 games at 1B. He appeared in 52 other games as a pinch-hitter.

Ernie was released by the Cubs after the 1971 season. He had played his entire 19-year major-league career with the Cubs, and retired with 512 homeruns. His 277 homeruns as a shortstop was the record until Cal Ripken came along.

Final Card: Eddie Mathews

Eddie Mathews (#58) began playing pro baseball in 1949 at High Point-Thomasville, in the class-D North Carolina State League. He also played in Atlanta and Milwaukee when they were Braves' minor league teams.

His major-league debut was in 1952 with the Boston Braves. After 15 years as a fixture with the Braves, Mathews was traded to the Astros, where he joined the 500 homerun club in 1967. In August 1967, he was dealt to Detroit (for pitcher Fred Gladding), where he finished his career by getting a World Series ring with the 1968 Tigers. What better way to go out!

Mickey Mantle (#280)

Another all-time great centerfielder!

Although this is not Mantle's last card, 1968 was his last season. (He retired during spring training in 1969. Topps' 1969 Mantle card includes a retirement note.)

The back of this card shows that the Mick has been slipping since 1965, although through 1967, his career batting average was still over .300 (he would finish 1968 with a .298 career batting average).

Due to his limited mobility, Mantle played first base during his last 2 seasons, switching positions with Joe Pepitone.

Willie Mays (#50)

Topps got a little lazy when it came to Mays' cards. This is the same photo that was used on the 1965 card. (The 1966 Mays photo was also used in 1969.)

It looks like age is catching up to Willie. A quick check on his stats shows that 1967 was an off year for Mays. 1966 was a good year for him, but it was a step down from his previous seasons. Willie went on to play 5 more seasons, finishing in 1973 with the NL champion Mets. He retired with 660 home runs (2nd place at the time).


Notice the typo in 1963: ("Sna Fran").