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Ernest Eugene Oravetz
Washington Nationals
Outfield
Bats: Both Throws: Left Height: 5'4" Weight: 145
Born: January 24, 1932, Johnstown, PA
Signed: Signed by the Washington Senators as an amateur free agent before 1951 season
Major League Teams: Washington Senators 1955-1956
Died: December 3, 2006, Tampa, FL (age 74)
Ernie Oravetz was a switch-hitting outfielder who spent two seasons with the Washington Senators and parts of nine seasons toiling in the minor leagues between 1951 and 1963. A career .311 hitter in the minors, Oravetz spent most of his time within the Senators/Minnesota Twins organization but he also made stops with affiliates of the Phillies and Dodgers. One of his best professional seasons was also his first, as he hit a league leading .364 with the Class D Orlando Senators in 1951. He missed the entire 1953 and 1954 seasons while serving in the military.
In his two seasons in the Majors, Oravetz appeared in 188 games, hitting .263 with 36 RBIs.
Building the Set
Summer of 1983 or 1984 in Millville, NJ - Card #3
The Oravetz card was one of the Original 44. Since I just repeated the full story of how my Dad and I started collecting the set in the Pedro Ramos (#49) post, I won't repeat it here. Looking at this card today, it's one of the more beat up cards from that original haul.
The Card
Oravetz is both the shortest (5'4") and the lightest (145 pounds) player in the 1956 Topps set, and it's not even really close. Phil Rizzuto (#113) has two inches (5'6") and five pounds (150) on him, giving him second place in both categories. Willie Miranda (#103) also weighs in at 150 pounds and a lean 5'9".
Oravetz is one of seven players and eight total cards in the set to feature someone wearing glasses. The others are William Harridge (#1, and the A.L. President), Earl Torgeson (#147), Clint Courtney (#159), Bill Virdon (#170), Tom Gorman (#246), George Crowe (#254) and Jim Konstanty (#321).
1956 Season
Oravetz was the fourth outfielder for the Senators, behind regulars Roy Sievers (#75), Whitey Herzog and Jim Lemon. In 88 games, his second and last season in the Majors, Oravetz hit .248 with 11 RBIs.
Phillies Connection
The Chattanooga Lookouts, associated with the Senators between 1932 and 1959, switched their affiliation to the Phillies in 1960. Oravetz had been a regular with the Lookouts between 1957 and 1959, and when the franchise switched affiliates he somehow stuck with Chattanooga (and the Phillies) instead of moving with the Senators and their new top affiliate in Charleston.
I'm assuming this was some type of loan arrangement as there's no indication Oravetz had officially left the Senators/Twins organization until he was traded to the Dodgers on May 10, 1961. He came back to the Twins organization for the 1962 and 1963 seasons, his final years playing professional baseball.
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First Mainstream Card: 1956 Topps #51
First Topps Card: 1956 Topps #51
Last Topps Card: 1957 Topps #179
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2006 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs #ROA-EO
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (2): 1956-1957
6 - Oravetz non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 4/17/19.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
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: #49 Pedro Ramos - Washington Nationals / #59 Jose Santiago - Cleveland Indians
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