Steve Whitaker (#383)

Here is outfielder Steve Whitaker, in his last season as a Yankee.

Whitaker was one of a long line of Yankees' outfielders (along with Roger Repoz, Bill Robinson, Roy White, Bobby Murcer, and Jerry Kenney) who were touted as, if not the next Mickey Mantle, then the next Roger Maris or surely the next Tom Tresh. (Only White and Murcer panned out for the Yankees. )

Whitaker was signed by the Yankees in 1962, and played in the minors from 1962-65. He bashed 27 homers in ’64 and 24 in ’65. He also hit 20 homers in 1966 before his August call-up to the Yankees.

In 1967 he started 108 games in the outfield (mostly in right field, replacing the traded Maris), but only hit 11 home runs while batting at a .243 clip.

Steve split the 1968 season between the Yankees and triple-A, then was selected by the Royals in the expansion draft.

During spring training in 1969, he was traded to the Seattle Pilots for disgruntled rookie Lou Piniella (who went on to win the Rookie of the Year award). Whitaker didn’t fare as well as Piniella. He couldn’t find regular work with the expansion team, and was used mostly as a pinch-hitter, while also spending all of August back in triple-A.

After the 1969 season he and outfielder Dick Simpson were traded to the Giants for pitcher Bob Bolin. He only played 16 games for the Giants (the last on May 9th) and played the remainder of 1970 for the Giants’ AAA team.

Whitaker played for the Padres’ AAA team in Hawaii in '71 and '72 before retiring.

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Having not collected baseball cards in 1970 or 1971, I lost track of Whitaker's career after 1969 until today, because by the time I was buying cards again in 1972, Steve had retired. His final card is in the 1971 set.

Joe Foy (#387)

Here is Joe Foy, in his third and final season with the Red Sox. After the 1968 season, he was selected by the expansion Kansas City Royals.

Joe was signed by the Twins in 1962 (I did not know that!) and played one season on their farm as a 1B/C. After the ’62 season he was drafted by the Red Sox in the minor league draft. In ’63 he moved over to SS and 3B, and was primarily a 3rd baseman during the ’64 and ’65 seasons.

Foy made the Red Sox at the start of the 1966 season, and was the regular 3rd baseman from the get-go. The Sox had released incumbent Frank Malzone in November 1965, paving the way for Joe to start 139 games at the hot corner (along with 13 more at SS) during his rookie season. He hit .262/15/63 – not bad for a rookie.

Joe started only 106 games the following season, as the BoSox acquired veteran infielder Jerry Adair for their pennant drive, and he cut into Foy’s playing time. Adair played a lot at shortstop in 1968, which benefited Joe, as he started 144 games at 3rd base. It was Foy’s last hurrah in Boston. After the season, both he and Adair were drafted by the Royals (Foy at #4, Adair at #51).

Foy was the Royals’ starting third baseman for 1 year only. Although leading the upstart Royals in games, plate appearances, at-bats, runs, and RBI, and second in hits, stolen bases, and walks, Joe was traded to the Mets after the 1969 season. (The Mets, in their never-ending search for a 3rd baseman, sent rookie outfielder Amos Otis to Kansas City.)

 In 1970 Foy started about 2/3 of the games at 3rd base, while 2nd-year man Wayne Garrett played the rest. Joe’s numbers were way down from his years with Boston and Kansas City, so much so that he was available in the post-1970 Rule 5 draft, and scooped up by the Senators.

Nomad Joe started 36 of the first 45 games in 1971 for the Senators, his last on May 27th. He was sent to the minors at the end of May, and after batting only .191 in 15 triple-A games was released in mid-July.

Foy passed away in 1989 at age 46.