Friday, January 8, 2021

#131 Bob Roselli - Milwaukee Braves


Robert Edward Roselli
Milwaukee Braves
Catcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'11"  Weight:  185
Born:  December 10, 1931, San Francisco, CA
Signed:  Signed by the Boston Braves as an amateur free agent before 1950 season
Major League Teams:  Milwaukee Braves 1955-1956, 1958; Chicago White Sox 1961-1962
Died:  November 6, 2009, Roseville, CA (age 77)

Bob Roselli enjoyed a few cups of coffee in the Majors with the Braves in 1955 (6 games), 1956 (4 games) and 1958 (1 game) as the back-up to regular catcher Del Crandall (#175), before seeing more action with the White Sox in the early 1960s.  Roselli started his professional career in the Braves' minor league system before missing all of 1954 and most of 1955 while serving in Korea.  In his 11 games with the Braves, he hit .250 with one home run.

Selected by the White Sox in the 1960 annual rule 5 draft, Roselli settled in for two seasons as the back-up to Sherm Lollar (#243).  He appeared in 22 games in 1961 and a career-high 35 games in 1962, batting .216 with 9 RBIs.  He retired after the 1963 season in which he played for the Angels' Triple-A team, the Hawaii Islanders.  Roselli served as a scout for the Orioles and Reds following his playing days.

Building the Set
December 2, 2000 from Raleigh, NC - Card #210
I went nuts and bought 16 common cards for our 1956 Topps set on this day at the Sports Card & NASCAR Collectibles Show in Raleigh.  My records show the 16 cards set me back $55 which I would have considered to be a small fortune back then.  I hadn't yet moved back north yet, so I was still living in Raleigh at this time planning for my eventual escape.  I would have provided my Dad with an updated checklist following this show as he was back in New Jersey.

The Card / Braves Team Set
It's a great-looking card, but I'm surprised Roselli earned a card in the set, as he had only appeared in 6 games with the Braves going 2 for 9 (.222) at the time this card was issued.  No offense to Roselli here, but if Topps was looking to produce a card for a Braves' back-up catcher, Del Rice would have been the more deserving candidate.  Rice appeared in 27 games in 1955 to Roselli's 6.  The back of the card pays tribute to Roselli's military service and includes the incorrect prediction that his "long ball hitting should help the Braves this year."  He hit one home run in 1956, on July 21st against the Phillies' Harvey Haddix (#77), and it was to be his last hit in the Majors until 1961.

1956 Season
Roselli's four appearances (1 in April, 1 in June, 2 in July) all came as late-inning replacements as he didn't play earlier than the 7th inning.  With the Braves, he hit .500 (1 for 2) with his one hit being the home run off Haddix.  With the Wichita Braves, Roselli appeared in 24 games and batted .203 with a pair of RBIs.

1961 Topps #529
1962 Topps #363

Other Notable Baseball Cards

First Mainstream Card:  1956 Topps #131
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (3):  1956, 1961-1962
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1962 Topps #363

9 - Roselli non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 12/1/20.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Trading Card Database

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