#142 Gene Baker - Chicago Cubs

Eugene Walter Baker
Chicago Cubs
Second Base

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  170
Born:  June 15, 1925, Davenport, IA
Signed:  Signed by the Chicago Cubs as an amateur free agent, April 1, 1950
Major League Teams:  Chicago Cubs 1953-1957; Pittsburgh Pirates 1957-1958, 1960-1961
Died:  December 1, 1999, Davenport, IA (age 74)

Gene Baker began his professional baseball career as the regular shortstop for the Kansas City Monarchs in the Negro Leagues in 1948 and 1949 before signing with the Cubs organization in 1950.  He was moved to second base when the Cubs acquired a second shortstop, Ernie Banks (#15), shortly after Baker had made his Cubs debut.  Baker enjoyed his strongest season in 1955, being named to the N.L. All-Star team and batting .268 with 11 home runs and 52 RBIs while playing in all the Cubs' 154 games.  Traded to the Pirates on May 1, 1957 with Dee Fondy (#112) for Dale Long (#56) and Lee Walls, Baker moved to third base and was a reserve for the team when they went to the World Series in 1960.  Baker made three pinch-hitting appearances in the 1960 World Series and earned a ring when the Pirates downed the Yankees in seven games.  For his career, Baker appeared in 630 games and batted .265.

In 1961, Baker became the first African-American manager in professional baseball when he was named the player/manager for the Batavia Pirates in the Class D New York-Pennsylvania League.  After serving as a coach in 1962 with the Triple-A Columbus Jets, the Pirates promoted Baker to their major league coaching staff following Buck O'Neil as the second African-American coach in the big leagues.  He was also technically the first black manager in the majors when he took over the team following Pirates manager Danny Murtaugh's and coach Frank Oceak's ejections on September 21, 1963.  Baker later served as a scout for the Pirates for 23 years, covering their Midwest territory.

Building the Set
December 25, 2006 from Mays Landing, NJ - Card #279
I was officially given this card on Christmas Day in 2006, but my Dad had purchased it several weeks (months?) earlier at a baseball card show held at the Hamilton Mall in Mays Landing, New Jersey.

This was one of nine cards I received that Christmas from my Dad, and he spent a total of $210 on all nine cards with the Hank Aaron (#31) card being the big ticket item at $150.  Like all his purchases, he was extremely proud of this card's condition and I'm sure there was a negotiation story that went along with the acquisition.

Our first son Doug was born a few weeks before Christmas that year and we brought him home just in time for the big day.  He obviously doesn't remember much from his first Christmas, but he spent the holidays being held and loved by his parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles.  The picture shown here is from Christmas Day 2006, shortly after I had added those nine cards to our (and one day Doug's) 1956 Topps set.  One of the great joys of my life was seeing how proud my Dad was to have a grandson.

The Card / Cubs Team Set
This is Baker's first Topps card, and his rookie card can be found in the 1955 Bowman set.  I'll take a wild guess here and surmise the baserunner in the action shot is Giants' infielder Al Dark (#148), who wore #19 between 1950 and 1956.  If so, the photo was taken at New York's Polo Grounds as Baker is shown wearing a Cubs' away jersey with Chicago written across the front and underlined.

So much time and effort went into the backs of these Topps cards, and it's a shame there's not as much care taken with the company's newer issues.  (I'll be right back as I need to tell some pesky kids to get off my lawn.)  Baker's cartoon panels highlight his 154 game run in 1955, as well as his league leading 432 putouts and 444 assists.  The middle panel references Banks' arrival without actually naming the Cubs' shortstop and future Hall of Famer.

1956 Season

Baker enjoyed another steady season as the Cubs' regular second baseman, appearing in 140 games and batting .258.  He had 12 home runs and 57 RBIs for a Cubs team that lost 94 games.  Banks was his main double play partner with Fondy usually at first base and Don Hoak (#335) getting the majority of starts at third.

1955 Bowman #7

1957 Topps #176

1958 Topps #358

1959 Topps #238

1961 Topps #339

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1955 Bowman #7
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (6):  1956-1961
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1979 TCMA The 1950s #48

29 - Baker non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 2/14/21.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia

Also, 142 cards down and an even 200 to go!