1975 Topps Set Card 151/660 – #194 – 1956 Most Valuable Players

1975 Topps Set Card 151/660 – #194 – 1956 Most Valuable Players

Progress: 151/660

Player Name:  Mickey Mantle, Don Newcombe

Card Number:  194

Team:  New York Yankees, Brooklyn Dodgers

Image Style: reprint baseball cards

How they got there:

Mantle captured his first MVP Award in 1956.  He hit .353 on the year and had an on-base percentage of .464.  Mantle drove in 130 runs for the Yankees in ’56 while also scoring 132 runs.  He connected for a league high 52 home runs.

Don Newcombe started 36 games for the Dodgers in 1956.  He compiled a record of 27-7 with a 3.06 ERA.  In 268 innings of work, Newcombe struck out 139 batters while walking 46.  He had an average of 4.7 strikouts per nine innings pitched along with a strikeout to walk ratio of 3.02:1.0.

Did You Know…

The first player in major league history to win both the Cy Young and Most Valuable Player Awards in the same baseball season was Don Newcombe.  Newcombe took home both honors at the conclusion of the 1956 baseball season.

His numbers: 27-7, 18 complete games, 5 shutouts, 3.06 ERA, 139 strikeouts, 46 walks, and a very low WHIP of .989.

 

Did You Know…

Since the inception of the award in 1956, no team has produced more Cy Young Award winners than the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Dodgers have had nine winners.  Can you name them??  (see below graphic for the answers)

1956 – Don Newcombe
1962 – Don Drysdale
1963 – Sandy Koufax
1965 – Sandy Koufax
1966 – Sandy Koufax
1974 – Mike Marshall
1981 – Fernando Valenzuela
1988 – Orel Hershiser
2003 – Eric Gagne

Did You Know…

Don Newcombe is the only pitcher to win the Rookie of the Year, Cy Young Award, and MVP.  Newcombe was named the National League Rookie of the Year in 1949.  He captured both the Cy Young and MVP awards in 1956.

‘On The Road With psugator02’ – March 27, 2010

‘On The Road With psugator02’ – March 27, 2010

Seattle Mariners at L.A. Dodgers
9:15-7 p.m.

Day was pretty much a bust. Way too many people — the game was a sellout — so most of the players chose not to do it.

Don Newcombe: 0/1 in the morning going from the clubhouse to the practice fields in a golfcart, 0/1 walking from the stadium to his car “If I sign one then I’m gonna have to sign them all”, 0/1 while in his car leaving the stadium
Tommy Lasorda: 1/1 on the backfields, 0/1 while leaving the stadium in his car at about 6 p.m……I guess every day the Dodgers choose a former player to sign for free. This day it was Lasorda who sat down at a table and signed for more than an hour. My buddy and I were actually the last graphs he signed. Said his handler while pointing to me: “Sign one for this guy who flew here from Florida.”
Rick Honeycutt: 1/1 (card) while walking from the clubhouse to the practice fields and no one recognized him, 1/1 (card) at 6 p.m. leaving the stadium
Ian Snell: 2/2 (’08 Ginter, ’09 Ginter)….might be the coolest player in all of Arizona right now. I asked him if he missed Pittsburgh and he replied, “Ask Jack Wilson if he misses Pittsburgh.” Just a real awesome dude
Blake DeWitt: 0/1 got mobbed
J.D. Closser: 0/1 ….I didn’t even need him but when he left at about 6 p.m. he wouldn’t even sign for the six graphers remaining
Vin Scully: 0/1…..Got him one-on-on but “There’s just too many people here.” Dodgers’ fans treat this guy like a rock star. It was neat seeing him.
Casey Blake: 0/1 followed his car but he wouldn’t roll down his window
Manny Ramirez: 0/1 wouldn’t even acknowledge me
Garrett Anderson: 0/1
Peter Gammons: 0/1
Frank McCourt: 1/1 (whitesheet with “Go Dodgers” inscription)
Chone Figgins: 0/1 while getting into a van after the game
Casey Kotchman: 0/1 wouldn’t even acknowledge me
Ken Howell: 0/1 while in his car leaving the stadium at about 6 p.m.
Manny Mota: 0/1 while in his car leaving the stadium at about 6 p.m.
Mariano Duncan: 0/1 while in his car leaving the stadium at about 6 p.m.
John Wetteland: 0/1…just missed him
Russell Martin: 0/1 wouldn’t stop his car

This and that: Jonathan Broxton signed on the backfields but only for little kids. … Ronald Belisario signed but I didn’t need him. … George Sherrill signed on the backfields before the game but I didn’t need him. … Russ Ortiz, who I can’t believe is still in the big leagues, signed at about 6 p.m. but I didn’t need him. … Mike Brito, the guy who used to hold the radar gun at Dodger Stadium, signed autographs and took pics with. Real cool guy. … Charlie Steiner, the voice of the Dodgers, signed graphs for a good 15 minutes. … Fernando Valenzuela was at the game but I never did see him. … Milton Bradley was very cool and signed but I didn’t need him. … Chin-lung Hu signed but I didn’t need him.

Day would’ve been a complete disappointment had it not been for the Lasorda graph.

If you would like to contact Mark, he can be reached at psugator02@yahoo.com.

Did You Know…

The only pitcher to win Rookie of the Year, the Cy Young Award, and MVP  was Don Newcombe of the Dodgers.

**factoid courtesy of ‘Armchair Reader – Grand Slam Baseball’

My take – At first when I read this, I thought it was in the same year – and my jaw literally dropped.  Even though this is a career accomplishment, and not a single-season one, it is still incredibly impressive.