#103 Willie Miranda - Baltimore Orioles

Guillermo Miranda
Baltimore Orioles
Shortstop

Bats:  Both  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'9"  Weight:  150
Born:  May 24, 1926, Velasco, Cuba
Signed:  Signed by the Washington Senators as an amateur free agent before 1948 season
Major League Teams:  Washington Senators 1951; Chicago White Sox 1952; St. Louis Browns 1952-1953; New York Yankees 1953-1954; Baltimore Orioles 1955-1959
Died:  September 7, 1996, Baltimore, MD (age 70)

Willy Miranda bounced around the first four seasons of his big league career with the Senators, White Sox, Browns and Yankees, before finding a home with the Orioles.  His best season came in 1955 as the club's regular shortstop when he hit .255 in 153 games.  The statistic wasn't tracked at the time, but he finished in the top 10 for defensive WAR in four different seasons throughout the 1950s.

Miranda received acclaim in his native country of Cuba for playing on the Yankees for a few seasons during that club's 1950s dynasty.  He was on the team's roster for the 1953 World Series, but did not appear in a game.  Miranda played for seven seasons with the Orioles, appearing in 607 games and hitting .218.  For his career, he owned a .221 batting average and epitomized the stereotype of an all-glove, no bat middle infielder.  According to his SABR biography, both Tommy Lasorda and Tony Taylor said that Miranda was the best defensive shortstop they had ever seen play.

Building the Set
February 7, 2007 from Dad's eBay purchases - Card #287
Our first son Doug was born in December 2006, and this happy event led directly to my Dad visiting us on a more regular basis.  Dad was living by himself at this point in Mays Landing, New Jersey and he detested the 40 minute ride north to our house.  Among all the very positive memories I have of my Dad, one of my few negative memories is the fact he absolutely seemed to loathe driving and that loathing increased exponentially if there was traffic or if it were dark.  But he made the trips anyway, sometimes staying no more than an hour, because he was so incredibly anxious and excited to spend time with his grandson.

By the time his second grandson (Ben) was born in April 2010, my Dad's health had begun failing and whatever visits we had were pre-arranged or consisted of us visiting him.  Which is why these visits during Doug's infancy and first few years are so special to me.  My Dad would show up, ecstatic to see Doug, there would be some small talk and we'd complain about the Phillies, and then he'd leave.  But on his way out, he'd always say he'd see us again in a few days and I'd look forward to these visits.

Dad with Jenna, Doug and me riding a merry-go-round
in Ocean City, August 2007

This background is needed to better explain how this Willie Miranda card came into our set.  (I first shared all of this a few years ago in the post for the Jack Harshman card - #29.)  In 2007, My Dad's days mostly consisted of an occasional round of golf, calls and visits to his kids - my sister and me, watching cable news, an afternoon nap and scouring eBay.  Most (but not all) of his eBay purchases benefitted me in the form of 1956 Topps cards we needed for our set.  He'd show up at our house for a visit with Doug and nonchalantly hand me one of his recent purchases.  He handed me this Miranda card on February 7, 2007, along with the Jim Wilson (#171) card.

Throughout 2007, I suspect he had a backlog of purchased 1956 Topps cards piled up on his desk at his house, and he'd grab one or two to deliver to me as he was heading out the door to make the 40 minute drive to visit Doug.  Not to ruin the ending for this blog, but this is how we finished the 1956 Topps set.  Not with one last glorious purchase at a baseball card show, but with my Dad systematically and methodically checking off cards from our checklist through eBay purchases.

Together with my Mom, he'd deliver the last 29 cards we needed to complete the set in 2007 as a Christmas present to me that year.

The Card
It's fitting for Topps to use an action photo of Miranda playing the field rather than showing him up at bat.  I'm pretty sure you can make out pinstripes on Miranda's uniform, meaning the photo was taken during his time with the Yankees.  The head shot is the same used for his 1955 Topps card, but a different photo than his 1954 Topps card.  It's the 11th instance of a player having cards in both the 1954 and 1955 Topps set with a different photo used for the 1954 Topps card.

The middle cartoon is very generous.  Miranda's batting average was in fact steadily increasing - .211 in 1952, .219 in 1953, .250 in 1954, and .255 in 1955.  He'd break the streak in 1956 (see below).  Miranda was included in the massive 17-player trade in November 1954 between the Orioles and Yankees.  I detailed the trade in my post for Bob Turley's (#40) card.

Orioles Team Set

1956 Season

Again serving as the everyday shortstop for the Orioles, Miranda appeared in 148 games and batted .217.  Still steady on defense, his offense continued to struggle and he endured an 0 for 41 slump in August.  His infield mates on that 6th place Orioles team included Bob Boyd at first, Billy Gardner at second and George Kell (#195) at third.

His SABR biography notes Miranda had been invited by teammate Tom Gastall to take a flight with him in a small plane Gastall had recently bought.  Miranda declined the invitation and warned Gastall not to "go up in that thing."  Sadly, Gastall didn't heed Miranda's warning and the back-up catcher died when his plane crashed on September 20th.

Gastall is featured in the team's photo on the Orioles team card (#100) and Bob Lemke created a card for the late catcher in the style of the 1956 Topps set.  I'm showing it here and here's a link to Lemke's original post from May 2011.

1953 Topps #278

1954 Topps #56

1957 Topps #151

1958 Topps #179

1959 Topps #540

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1953 Topps #278
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (7):  1953-1959
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1994 Topps Archives 1954 #56

26 - Miranda non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 4/25/20.

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.

#102 Jim Davis - Chicago Cubs

James Bennett Davis
Chicago Cubs
Pitcher

Bats:  Both  Throws:  Left  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  180
Born:  September 15, 1924, Red Bluff, CA
Signed:  Signed by the Boston Red Sox as an amateur free agent before 1946 season
Major League Teams:  Chicago Cubs 1954-1956; St. Louis Cardinals 1957; New York Giants 1957
Died:  November 30, 1995, San Mateo, CA (age 71)

Used primarily as a reliever, Jim Davis appeared in 154 games in parts of four seasons with the Cubs, Cardinals and Giants.  Relying on his screwball and a knuckleball, he owned a lifetime record of 24-26 with a 4.01 ERA and 8 saves.  His first season was also his best as he went 11-7 with the Cubs in 1954 with a career low 3.52 ERA.  He finished in tenth place in the N.L. for appearances in 1954 and 1956, pitching in 46 games in both those seasons.

Davis pitched for 12 seasons in the minor leagues between 1946 and 1959, having a record of 102-73 and a 3.36 ERA over 361 games.

Building the Set
February 9, 2002 in Cooperstown, NY - Card #231
This is one of only four cards I purchased in 2002, which was one of the tougher years for me personally.  I made a solo unscheduled and unplanned trip to Cooperstown in early 2002 in an attempt to clear my mind one weekend.  It was an escape.  Thinking back on that time now 18 years later, I realize Cooperstown was a logical choice for me to make my escape as I could leave my present worries behind and live in the past for a few days.  I spent a lot of time walking around the Hall of Fame, taking my time and actually relaxing.

I didn't have a lot of money for this trip, but I visited Baseball Nostalgia that Saturday afternoon and purchased four cards for our 1956 Topps set, including this Davis card.  The other three cards purchased were Don Kaiser (#124), Joe Frazier (#141) and Tom Gorman (#246) and the four cards together cost me $18.50.  That's a fairly low price to pay for some much needed baseball card therapy.

I'm happy to see Baseball Nostalgia is still open, although as I'm writing this it's currently closed due to the coronavirus pandemic.  My wife and I have discussed taking a trip back to Cooperstown when everything gets back to normal as neither of our boys have ever visited before.  Whenever that trip happens, I'll be sure to pay a visit to Baseball Nostalgia.

The Card
Davis appeared on three Topps flagship cards, with his 1955 and 1956 cards using the same photo.  The cartoonist on the back did a wonderful job highlighting Davis' knuckle ball and his role as one of the Cubs' top relievers in 1955.

Cubs Team Set

1956 Season

Davis spent the entire season with the Cubs and along with Turk Lown was one of the team's most heavily relied upon relievers.  He appeared in 46 games, making 11 starts, and went 5-7 with a 3.66 ERA.  On May 27th against the Cardinals, Davis struck out four batters in the sixth inning, tying a long-time record and becoming the first pitcher to perform the feat in 40 years.  He struck out Hal Smith (#283), Jackie Brandt and Lindy McDaniel, but McDaniel reached first on an error by catcher Hobie Landrith (#314).  Davis struck out the next batter, Don Blasingame (#309), looking to end the inning.  According to the Baseball Almanac, Davis was the fourth National League pitcher and the sixth pitcher overall to tie this record.

On August 12th, again against the Cardinals in Chicago, Davis threw a complete game shutout in a game that ended in a 0-0 tie.  Herm Wehmeier (#78) was on the other end of the rare, dual complete game shutout for St. Louis.  I'm not exactly sure why the game didn't go into extra innings, but Baseball Reference indicates this was the second game of a double header and my assumption here is that Wrigley Field simply got too dark to continue play.

1955 Topps #68

1957 Topps #273

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1955 Topps #68
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (3):  1955-1957
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1957 Topps #273

10 - Davis non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 4/15/20.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Trading Card Database
Wikipedia

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.

#101 Roy Campanella - Brooklyn Dodgers

Roy Campanella
Brooklyn Dodgers
Catcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'9"  Weight:  190
Born:  November 19, 1921, Philadelphia, PA
Signed:  Signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers as an amateur free agent before 1946 season
Major League Teams:  Brooklyn Dodgers 1948-1957
Hall of Fame Induction:  1969
Died:  June 26, 1993, Woodland Hills, CA (age 71)

The heart of the Dodgers teams throughout most of the 1950s, Roy Campanella helped lead Brooklyn to the 1955 World Series title and was the National League's MVP in 1951, 1953 and 1955.  An eight-time All-Star, he joined Jackie Robinson (#30), Don Newcombe (#235) and Larry Doby (#250) as the first quartet of African Americans to appear in the All-Star Game.  His finest season was 1953 when he hit .312 and reached career highs in both home runs with 41 and RBIs with 142.  His home run tally was the highest ever for a catcher, and has since been passed by Todd Hundley.

His home run in Game 3 of the 1955 World Series helped shift the momentum in the Dodgers' favor and he added another home run in the series tying Game 4.  Campanella is also acknowledged as one of the best catchers in baseball history.  His caught stealing percentage of 57.4% is still the best ever mark.

On January 28, 1958, prior to the Dodgers scheduled first season in Los Angeles, Campanella was in a car accident that left him paralyzed from the shoulders down.  He'd eventually regain use of his arms and hands, but he'd never walk again.  He stayed active within the Dodgers organization following his accident and was elected into the Hall of Fame in 1969.  On June 4, 1972, the Dodgers retired Campanella's #39, along with #42 for Robinson and #32 for Sandy Koufax (#79).

Building the Set
December 25, 1994 from San Diego, CA - Card #135
This was my "big" present from Santa for Christmas 1994.  With my Dad's help, Santa secured this card from Kit Young Cards in San Diego for what my notes say was $75.  That price seems steep, but there were six other cards from the 1956 Topps set under the Christmas tree that year from Kit Young Cards with the other six cards costing a combined $20.  In December 1994, I would have been home from college for the winter break of my junior year.

This was the last Christmas my family and I spent in the house on 12th Street in my hometown where I grew up.  My parents were in the process of building a new house and we'd visit the construction site throughout that winter break.  I had a tough time leaving my childhood home behind and the 1994-1995 timeframe brought about quite a few major changes in my life.

The Card
Campanella must have had an exclusive contract with Bowman for a few years in the early 1950s, as he'd appear in every Bowman set but was omitted from the 1954 and 1955 Topps set.  This is his first appearance in a Topps set since 1953.  For the cards celebrating his MVP wins in the 1975 Topps set, Topps created cards that never were from their 1951 and 1955 sets for Campanella.

I'm assuming that's Yogi Berra (#110) in the action shot?  If so, my guess is it's a play from either the 1952 or 1953 World Series as I think it would be too soon for Topps to have photos from the 1955 World Series available for use in this set.  This would have been a significant milestone card within the 1956 set.  As card #101, it would have led off the second series and been at the top of a new stack of cards for collectors who had gathered the first 100 cards from the first series.

This card was reprinted as part of the 1995 Topps Archives Brooklyn Dodgers set and the 2001 Topps Through the Years insert set.

Dodgers Team Set

1956 Season

Campanella was slowed by hand and thumb injuries in 1956.  He had had a few surgeries prior to the 1955 season to repair nerve damage in his glove hand and unfortunately the pain in his hand continued into the 1956 season.  Making matters worse, Campanella broke his thumb early in the season when he hit a batter's bat accidentally while making a pickoff throw to first.  In 124 games, he hit .219 with 20 home runs and 73 RBIs, but he did still make the N.L. All-Star squad.  Rube Walker (#333) saw the bulk of the playing time behind the plate while Campanella was out with his injuries.

1949 Bowman #84

1952 Topps #314

1953 Topps #27

1959 Topps #550

1975 Topps #193

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1949 Bowman #84
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (7):  1952-1953, 1956-1957, 1959, 1961, 1975
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2019 Topps 150 Years of Baseball #81

1,410 - Campanella non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 4/12/20.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
National Baseball Hall of Fame
SABR
The Trading Card Database

We're officially into the second series of the 1956 Topps set, starting with this Campanella card.  I've added a 1st Series Review page here, summarizing the first 100 cards from the set.

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.

#100 Baltimore Orioles Team Card

Topps included full team photos in its baseball card set for the first time in 1956, having previously experimented with team cards in a limited edition 1951 stand-alone set.

Building the Set
February 7, 2007 in Voorhees, NJ - Card #291
This is one of six cards I purchased at the Echelon Mall Baseball Card show in February 2007, spending $70 total, including $20 on this Orioles team card, which was probably too much.  At the time, Doug was a few days away from turning two months old and we had just celebrated my Dad's 63rd birthday a few weeks earlier.

I think Jenna had been out shopping on this day when she texted (or called) me to let me know there was a baseball card show being held at what used to be the Echelon Mall.  The former mall has since been converted as part of the Voorhees Town Center.

The Card
The St. Louis Browns moved to Baltimore and were renamed the Orioles after the 1953 season.  A question I often ask myself is if I had been born a die-hard Orioles fan, would I go back and collect all Browns baseball cards up through 1953?  I'm assuming I would as those Browns players still have a connection to the Orioles franchise today.  The existing Orioles franchise actually began its life as the Milwaukee Brewers in 1901 before moving to St. Louis in 1902 where they'd play the next 52 seasons.

The back of this team card goes into the history of baseball in Baltimore prior to the Browns moving to Maryland.  The original Baltimore Orioles played in the American Association and the National League between 1882 and 1899.  The players mentioned on the back of this card were members of that original Orioles team - Dan Brouthers (1894-1895), Hugh Jennings (1893-1899), Willie Keeler (1894-1898), John McGraw (1891-1899) and Wilbert (not Wilbur) Robinson (1890-1899).

Two of the charter members of the American League in 1902 were the Milwaukee Brewers, who moved to Baltimore as mentioned above, and the second version of the Baltimore Orioles who would become the New York Highlanders or Americans between 1903 and 1913, and eventually the New York Yankees.  McGraw and Robinson played for both the first and second versions of the Orioles.  The third version of the Orioles was a minor league team active between 1903 and 1953.  If you're keeping score at home, the current Orioles team is the fourth version of the franchise overall.

No Year, Team Name Left

1955 Variation

The Orioles team card, along with team cards for several other clubs, is available in three variations.  There's a version with the 1955 date, and then two versions without the year and with the team name either centered or to the left.  I have the version with the centered team name in our set.

Here are the subjects featured on the card, including a listing of their 1956 Topps card if they had one.  The photo was taken in Memorial Stadium after July 30, 1955, as that's the date the Orioles received Eddie Lopat in a trade from the Yankees for Jim McDonald.  Lopat is present in the second row of the photo.  Former Whiz Kid Eddie Waitkus was released by the team on July 25th, but he's not present in the team photo.

Front Row Art Schallock Bob Hale (#231) Wayne Causey Coach Lloyd Brown Coach Al Vincent Manager Paul Richards Coach Lum Harris Coach Harry Brecheen (#229) Willy Miranda (#103) Freddie Marsh (#23) Cal Abrams Batboy George Diering Batboy Jack Freedy Batboy Martin Young

2nd Row Don Johnson Hal Smith (#62) Dave Pope (#154) Jim Dyck (#303) Jim Pyburn George Zuverink (#276) Gus Triandos (#80) Bob Nelson (#169) Bill Wight (#286) Ed Lopat Jim Wilson (#171) Trainer Ed Weidner

Back Row Harry Dorish (#167) Tom Gastall Erv Palica (#206) Dave Philley (#222) Hal Brown Ted Gray Ray Moore (#43) Chuck Diering (#19) Don Leppert

The Orioles played their home games at Memorial Stadium through the 1991 season, moving into Oriole Park at Camden Yards in 1992.  There are a few categories on the back of the card that need to be updated:

Most Home Runs - 257 in 1996
Most Double Plays - 191 in 1999
Games Won - 109 in 1969
Most Consecutive Games Won - 14 in 1916 and 1973
Additional Pennant Winning Teams - 1966, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1973, 1974, 1979, 1983, 1997, 2014
Additional Championship Teams - 1966, 1970, 1983

Orioles Team Set

1956 Season
In their third year in Baltimore, manager Richards guided the team to a 69-85 record, finishing in sixth place in the American League.  It was the new team's best finish since moving from St. Louis and they'd reach the .500 mark in 1957.  Left fielder Bob Nieman could be considered the team MVP as he hit .322 with 12 home runs and 64 RBIs.  Triandos led the team in both home runs with 21 and RBIs with 88 and he hit .279.

The pitching was fairly lackluster with Moore leading the team with 12 wins and a 4.18 ERA.  Connie Johnson was 9-10 with a 3.43 ERA and Zuverink led the team with 16 saves.

Third base prospect Brooks Robinson had been a September call-up in 1955 and in 1956 he appeared in 15 games with the Orioles, batting .227 (10 for 44) and hitting his first home run.

Orioles Cards That Never Were
There are a number of good options here for 1956 Topps cards that never were:

• Paul Richards (manager) - Richards was also serving as the team's GM and he'd manage the Orioles between 1955 and 1961.
• Dick Williams (center field) - Williams appeared in 87 games for the Orioles in 1956, but he'd need to wait until 1957 for his first Topps Orioles card.  He'd go on to have a Hall of Fame career as a manager.
• Tito Francona (right field) - Francona's rookie card is in the 1957 Topps set.  He appeared in 139 games for the 1956 Orioles.
• Hoot Evers (outfield) - 1956 was to be the last year of Evers' 12-year career.  His only Topps flagship card is found in the 1952 Topps set.
• Wayne Causey (third base) - Appearing in 68 games in 1955 and 53 in 1956, Causey wouldn't appear on any baseball cards until he joined the Athletics in 1961.
• Brooks Robinson (third base) - The future Hall of Famer's rookie card can be found in the 1957 Topps set.

The late, great Bob Lemke created card #351 for Robinson and he posted it to his blog back in November 2015.  I'm reproducing here, but please head over to Bob Lemke's Blog to view his wonderful collection of cards that never were.

There are quite a few other players who appeared with the Orioles in 1956, but appear in the 1956 Topps set with other teams:  regular third baseman and future Hall of Famer George Kell (#195 - White Sox), regular left fielder Nieman (#267 - White Sox), outfielder Joe Frazier (#141 - Cardinals), infielder Grady Hatton (#26 - Red Sox), starting pitcher Connie Johnson (#326 - White Sox), and relievers Billy Loes (#270 - Dodgers), Johnny Schmitz (#298 - Red Sox), Sandy Consuegra (#265 - White Sox) and Babe Birrer (#84 - Tigers).

That's a wrap on the first series from the 1956 Topps set.  I've added a 1st Series Review page here, summarizing the first 100 cards from the set.

Sources
Baseball Reference

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Set Order: #99 Don Zimmer - Brooklyn Dodgers / #101 Roy Campanella - Brooklyn Dodgers

Order Collected: #90 Cincinnati Redlegs Team Card / #177 Hank Bauer - New York Yankees