1968 Topps Game – Jim Fregosi

1968 Topps Game – Jim Fregosi

Jim Fregosi enjoyed a 18-season major league career that saw him capture six All-Star selections and a Gold Glove Award.  Fregosi played for four different clubs during his playing days, spending the most time with the Los Angeles/California Angels.

Fregosi’s greatest individual season came in 1967.  He finished in 7th place for the league’s MVP award, captured his lone Gold Glove award, and made the All-Star team.

Some notable numbers from Fregosi’s 1967 effort – .290 batting average, 171 hits, 23 doubles, 56 RBI, 75 runs scored, and 9 stolen bases.  In 590 at-bats, Fregosi struck out just 77 times while also earning 44 walks.  Fregosi amassed 233 total bases in 1967.

Progress: 23/33

1968 Topps Game – Roberto Clemente

1968 Topps Game – Roberto Clemente

One of the most dynamic Latin baseball players of all-time, Roberto Clemente was a pioneer for putting Latino players on par with the rest of the baseball world.

And Clemente was the star of the show!!

A 12-time All-star boasting enviable offensive and defensive skills, there was nothing that Clemente could not do on a baseball diamond.  The owner of 3,000 career hits, 240 home runs, and 11 Gold Glove trophies, Clemente was one of the brightest stars in the National League for the better part of 18 years.

Clemente competed in two World Series championships, winning titles in both 1960 and 1971.  In ’71 he was the World Series MVP largely due to his .414 batting average, 2 home runs, and 4 RBI.

Progress: 22/33

1968 Topps Game – Harmon Killebrew

1968 Topps Game – Harmon Killebrew

Harmon Killebrew was a baseball superstar that played in a city that never quite got the attention of other major cities.  And because of that, Killebrew was kind of like a secret.

But what was not a secret was the fact that Killebrew could slug home runs at the same rate, and oftentimes greater, than the sport’s best sluggers.  Amazingly, Killebrew seemed to get better with age as he collected more home runs in the second half of his career than he did in the first half.  In 22 years, the Hall of Famer hit 573 round-trippers.  He currently sits in 11th place on the all-time list.

Progress – 21/33

Baseball Card Show Purchase #9 – 1968 Topps Game Carl Yastrzemski

Baseball Card Show Purchase #9  – 1968 Topps Game Carl Yastrzemski

I was shocked to scoop up this card at the show – easily the biggest surprise of all of my purchases.

And how I found it was pretty odd too…

One of the new ‘dealers’ at the show seems to specialize in prospect cards.  Everything he had on his table was modern, serial numbered, and autographed.  He had a nice layout on his table, but as a vintage collector (primarily), most of the players and brands of stuff he had did not suit my needs.

He did have one small box with a sign that said ‘$2 Each’. 

I glanced at it, and the jumped in.

And out came Carl Yastrzemski!!!

Progress – 20/33

This is a tough card to find.  And I was resigned to the fact that I was going to have to pay a little bit of a premium on Ebay to bring it home.

I happily forked over $2.00 for this bad-boy!!!

1968 Topps Game – Jim Wynn

1968 Topps Game – Jim Wynn

I’m really not too sure how Jim Wynn landed in this 33-card set issued back in 1968.  Some of the other players were a little questionable as well, but it seems like each of them had a very solid 1967 campaign.

But, Wynn’s 1967 baseball season was far from spectacular.  Sure, he made the All-Star team, but his numbers do not indicate excellence…

The numbers – 148 hits, 29 doubles, 37 home runs, 107 RBI, 109 runs scored, and 16 stolen bases.

On second thought, that is a pretty solid season – maybe I let the .249 batting average and 137 strikeouts (league leader) cloud my judgement…

Here is Wynn’s card:

 

Progress – 19/33

1968 Topps Game – Willie Mays

1968 Topps Game – Willie Mays

I have collected a good amount of the cards from this set.  And while I still have to scoop up several of the major stars that the set offered, this card of Willie Mays may be the best one of all 33 cards!!!

Possibly the greatest all-around player in baseball history, the name Willie Mays carries some major weight in the sport of professional baseball.

The resume:  Career .302 batting average.  3,283 hits.  660 home runs.  2,062 runs scored.  1,903 RBI.  338 stolen bases.

The accolades:  1951 Rookie of the Year.  2-Time MVP Winner(1954 & 1965).  20-Time All-star.  12 Consecutive Gold Gloves.  1 World Series Championship.

Progress – 18/33

1968 Topps Game – Mike McCormick

1968 Topps Game – Mike McCormick

With this card, I cross the half-way mark in my goal of completing this set of cards.  And I am loving each and every step of the process!!

Mike McCormick enjoyed a nice 16-year major league career.  His win/loss record as a starting  pitcher is 134-128.

McCormick was included in this set because he had a fantastic season in 1967.

The numbers from his ’67 season – 22-10, with a 2.85 ERA, 14 complete games, 5 shutouts, 150 strikeouts.

McCormick won the 1967 National League Cy Young Award, beating out Jim Bunning and Fergie Jenkins.

Progress – 17/33

1968 Topps Game – Bill Freehan

1968 Topps Game – Bill Freehan

Bill Freehan spent 15 major league seasons playing with the Detroit Tigers.

Primarily a catcher, Freehan was the core to the Tigers infield for the duration of his playing days.  He was named an All-Star in eleven of his fifteen seasons, and he also captured the Gold Glove Award five times.

Some of Freehan’s offensive stats include – 1,591 hits, 241 doubles, 200 home runs, 706 runs scored, and 758 RBI.

Freehan was a member of the Tigers team that won the World Series in 1968. 

Progress – 16/33

1968 Topps Game – Al Kaline

1968 Topps Game – Al Kaline

Back when the Detroit Tigers were a more meaningful and powerful franchise, they were led by the sensational Al Kaline.

Kaline spent 22 years in the major leagues, and he called Tiger Stadium home for the duration of that time.  A 15-time All-Star with the club, Kaline was on par with the game’s greatest talents from the 1950′s and 1960′s.

The member of the 1980 Baseball Hall of Fame class, Kaline collected 3,007 hits during his career along with 1,622 runs scored, 1,583 RBI, 399 home runs, and 137 stolen bases.  He won 10 Gold Gloves for his excellent play in the outfield as well.  Never an MVP, he did finish in the Top 10 on 9 separate occasions.

Kaline was the offensive leader of the Tigers team that won the 1968 World Series.  In 7 games, he hit .379 while connecting for 11 hits, including 2 doubles and 2 home runs.

Progress:  15/33

1968 Topps Game – Tim McCarver

1968 Topps Game – Tim McCarver

Tim McCarver had a very productive 21-season major league baseball career.  A career that spanned four decades, McCarver debuted in 1959 and played into the 1980 season.

McCarver competed in three World Series match-ups, all with the Cardinals, winning two titles.

His best statistical season came in 1967, when he was the runner-up for the MVP award.  His numbers from that season include .295 batting average with 26 doubles, 14 home runs, and 69 RBI.

Progress: 14/33