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Thomas Austin Brewer, Jr.
Boston Red Sox
Pitcher
Born: September 3, 1931, Wadesboro, NC
Signed: Signed by the Boston Red Sox as an amateur free agent before the 1951 season
Major League Teams: Boston Red Sox 1954-1961
Died: February 15, 2018, Cheraw, SC (age 86)
Tom Brewer played college ball at Elon College, was named to the All-Army team in 1952, and went on to pitch in parts of eight seasons with the Red Sox. He won 19 games in 1956 and 16 games in 1957, the two best seasons of his career. Slowed by arm troubles, Brewer retired following the 1961 season at 29 years old.
Building the Set
August 29, 1988 in Millville, NJ - Card #61
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| 1988 Topps #8 |
My friend had four 1956 Topps cards set aside in an "oldies" pile, and I'm guessing he had added these to his collection by accident or maybe through an older relative. In any event, I went over to his house this late summer day in August, equipped with my 1988 Topps doubles, and ready to deal. I don't remember the specifics of the trade, but I ended up with four 1956 Topps commons and he ended up with a small stack of 1988 Topps rookies. We were both happy with our respective hauls, so in our minds it was a fair deal.
I've lost track of this friend over the years, but his name lives on in my official records of how each card in our 1956 Topps set was obtained.
The Card
I'm embarrassingly bad at identifying old ballparks, but I believe the facade visible right below the blue position/team box indicates this picture was taken at Yankee Stadium. It looks like infielder Milt Bolling (#315) is loitering in the background of the card, as Bolling wore #2 for the Red Sox between 1953 and 1957. There's a man in what looks to be in street clothes (a member of the grounds crew?) also standing behind Brewer.
The "Hi-Tom" referenced in the middle panel on the back of the card is the Class D High Point-Thomasville Hi-Toms, which would have been a Rookie level equivalent in the minor league system today. Brewer pitched in Rookie-level baseball in 1951, went into military service in 1952 and 1953, and made the Red Sox club in 1954. That's incredibly impressive. Granted, he played baseball while in the military, but that would be like someone today spending a year with the Williamsport Crosscutters, entering the military for two years, and then joining the Phillies starting pitching rotation in year four.
1956 Season
Brewer enjoyed a career year in 1956, earning a place on the A.L. All-Star team and finishing the season with a 19-9 record and a 3.50 ERA. His big year netted him some A.L. MVP votes, and he finished 22nd overall in the voting. He was the ace of the Red Sox pitching staff that season, with only Ted Williams (#5) having a higher WAR on the club.
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First Mainstream Card: 1955 Bowman #178
First Topps Card: 1955 Topps #83
Last Topps Card (as a player): 1961 Topps #434
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2010 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs #ROA-TB
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (7): 1955-1961
33 - Brewer non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 2/10/19.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database
In some cases, the first and last cards listed above are subjective and chosen by me if multiple cards were released within the same year. Most recent mainstream card may also be subjective and does not include extremely low serial numbered cards, buybacks or cut autograph cards.
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Order Collected: #174 Glen Gorbous - Philadelphia Phillies / #58 Ed Roebuck - Brooklyn Dodgers
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