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William Haron Bruton
Milwaukee Braves
Outfield
Born: November 9, 1925, Panola, AL
Signed: Signed by the Boston Braves as an amateur free agent before 1950 season
Major League Teams: Milwaukee Braves 1953-1960; Detroit Tigers 1961-1964
Died: December 5, 1995, Marshallton, DE (age 70)
Bill Bruton used his speed as a weapon on the base paths and to assist in him center field when tracking down fly balls. Bruton was the regular center fielder for the Braves throughout the 1950s, and he led the league in stolen bases in each of his first three seasons between 1953 and 1955. He helped lead the Braves to back-to-back National League pennants in 1957 and 1958, although a knee injury kept him out of the 1957 World Series when the Braves defeated the Yankees in seven games. The Yankees returned the favor in 1958, defeating the Braves, but Bruton had a successful series, going 7 for 17 (.412) and driving in the winning run in the 10th inning of Game 1. Bruton led the National League in triples in 1956 and 1960, and in runs scored in 1960 with 112.
Traded to Detroit following the 1960 season, Bruton finished up his major league career by playing four seasons with the Tigers. In 1961, he clubbed a career-high 17 home runs and he drove in a career-high 74 runs in 1962. Bruton batted .273 for his career with 1,651 hits, 241 doubles, 102 triples and 207 stolen bases. His games played as a center fielder (1,548) currently rank 32nd all-time. Bruton worked as an executive for the Chrysler Corporation in Detroit for 23 years following his playing days.
Building the Set
October 7, 2007 from Dad's eBay purchases - Card #308
This is one of five cards I received from my Dad for my 34th birthday, with each card belonging to a fairly well-known player and being a star or semi-star card needed for our set. Along with this Bruton card, I received Roger Craig (#63), Bob Feller (#200), Don Newcombe (#235) and Don Larsen (#332). My Dad never told me how much he had paid for the cards, where they came from or how long he had stashed them away before my birthday. My family celebrated together that year at Blue Eyes in Washington Township, which has since gone on to changes hands (and names) a few time and is now currently The Village Pub.
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| October 7, 2007 - Birthday celebration with family |
October 7, 2007 from Dad's eBay purchases - Card #308
This is one of five cards I received from my Dad for my 34th birthday, with each card belonging to a fairly well-known player and being a star or semi-star card needed for our set. Along with this Bruton card, I received Roger Craig (#63), Bob Feller (#200), Don Newcombe (#235) and Don Larsen (#332). My Dad never told me how much he had paid for the cards, where they came from or how long he had stashed them away before my birthday. My family celebrated together that year at Blue Eyes in Washington Township, which has since gone on to changes hands (and names) a few time and is now currently The Village Pub.
The Card / Braves Team Set
That's Bruton, wearing #38 on the front of his jersey, presumably scoring one of his 106 runs from the 1955 season. He was absent from the 1955 Topps set, but the photo used here is the same used for Bruton's 1954 Topps card. The back of the card appropriately highlights his base running skills and his ability to track down balls in center field. Given his success throughout his career, and his annual league-leading totals, I was surprised to learn Bruton never made an All-Star team.
1956 Season
In his fourth full season in the majors, Bruton was again the Braves' opening day center fielder and he'd make 138 starts at the position with Bobby Thomson (#257) most regularly to his left and Henry Aaron (#31) most regularly to his right. Bruton's stolen base totals suffered when new manager Fred Haney declared that no baserunner could steal on his own, and he ended up stealing only eight bases after stealing 26, 34 and 25 in the prior three seasons. Haney was also a big believer in the sacrifice bunt, leading Bruton to tally a career high 18 in that category. Overall, Bruton batted .272 with a league leading 15 triples and 56 RBIs.
Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card: 1953 Topps #214
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (11): 1953-1954, 1956-1964
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2005 Topps Heritage Then and Now #TN9
77 - Bruton non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 1/14/22.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database
That's Bruton, wearing #38 on the front of his jersey, presumably scoring one of his 106 runs from the 1955 season. He was absent from the 1955 Topps set, but the photo used here is the same used for Bruton's 1954 Topps card. The back of the card appropriately highlights his base running skills and his ability to track down balls in center field. Given his success throughout his career, and his annual league-leading totals, I was surprised to learn Bruton never made an All-Star team.
1956 Season
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First Mainstream Card: 1953 Topps #214
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (11): 1953-1954, 1956-1964
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2005 Topps Heritage Then and Now #TN9
77 - Bruton non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 1/14/22.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database
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