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William Robert Tuttle
Detroit Tigers
Outfield
Born: July 4, 1929, Elmwood, IL
Signed: Signed by the Detroit Tigers as an amateur free agent before 1951 season
Major League Teams: Detroit Tigers 1952, 1954-1957; Kansas City Athletics 1958-1961; Minnesota Twins 1961-1963
Died: July 27, 1998, Anoka, MN (age 69)
For parts of 11 big league seasons, Bill Tuttle was an above-average defensive center fielder, leading the league five times in assists, twice in putouts and once in overall fielding percentage. Tuttle took over regular center field duties for the Tigers in 1954, and he'd lead the league in games played in 1955 with 154. Tuttle hit a career high in both home runs (14) and RBIs (78) that season. He'd earn MVP votes in 1959 while playing every day center field for the Athletics and batting an even .300. Tuttle joined the Twins in June 1961, and moved to third base for the newly relocated club where he'd make 84 starts. He'd play in parts of two more seasons with the Twins before the club released him in May 1963. Tuttle stayed active in the minor leagues through the 1967 season, playing within the Red Sox, Tigers and Yankees organizations. For his career, Tuttle batted .259 with 149 doubles, 67 home runs and 443 RBIs. His 92 career assists as a center fielder are currently 52nd on the all-time list.
In later life, Tuttle became a vocal advocate against chewing tobacco, as he endured several reconstructive facial surgeries as a result of his own years of addiction.
Building the Set
July 19, 1997 in Ocean City, NJ - Card #155
My Dad and I added this card to our set at the Ocean City baseball card show held inside the Music Pier. We purchased 11 cards that July day - Tuttle and eight other commons, along with the Warren Giles (#2) card for $10 and the Ray Boone (#6) card for $5.
I graduated college in the spring of 1997, and that summer was a good one as I worked on the Sea Isle Promenade at a few t-shirt stores. My days were spent jogging, barely working, reading and sitting on the beach. Dinner would usually come from Phil's on 37th and Landis Avenue, and ice cream was consumed nightly.
Dad was still working in Millville at the time, and we probably met up in front of the Music Pier prior to his show. The baseball card collecting landscape changed drastically in the ten year period between 1987 and 1997, with autographed cards making their way into packs and multiple parallel versions of the same card confusing us as "old school" collectors. Still, I'd give anything to be back inside the Music Pier with my Dad searching for the next 1956 Topps card to add to our set. I'm sure he was thrilled to find a dealer selling a bunch of '56s in good shape and at around $2 a card.
The Card / Tigers Team Set
Tuttle's rookie card can be found in the 1955 Bowman set, and this is his first Topps card. A common theme from Tuttle's Topps baseball card appearances is that he doesn't seem to be enjoying himself and he's usually found with a huge bulge of chewing tobacco in his cheek. The cartoons on the back highlight his fine fielding skills and his third place finish in runs scored in 1955. He was actually fourth in the American League with 102 runs scored with the Indians' Al Smith (#105) leading the league with 123. Tuttle's teammate Al Kaline (#20) and Mickey Mantle (#135) were tied for third as each had 121 runs scored.
1956 Season
Tuttle was the opening day center fielder for the Tigers, and he'd ultimately make 133 starts at the position with his most frequent outfield mates being Charlie Maxwell in left and Kaline in right. In 140 total games, Tuttle batted .253 with nine home runs and 65 RBIs. On April 29th, he hit a game-winning, walk-off home run off the Indians' Herb Score (#140) to give his Tigers a 1-0, 10th inning win over the Indians.
Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card: 1955 Bowman #35
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (8): 1956-1963
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1979 TCMA The 1950s #103
41 - Tuttle non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 5/21/22.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Trading Card Database
Building the Set
 |
| May 1997 - College graduation |
July 19, 1997 in Ocean City, NJ - Card #155
My Dad and I added this card to our set at the Ocean City baseball card show held inside the Music Pier. We purchased 11 cards that July day - Tuttle and eight other commons, along with the Warren Giles (#2) card for $10 and the Ray Boone (#6) card for $5.
I graduated college in the spring of 1997, and that summer was a good one as I worked on the Sea Isle Promenade at a few t-shirt stores. My days were spent jogging, barely working, reading and sitting on the beach. Dinner would usually come from Phil's on 37th and Landis Avenue, and ice cream was consumed nightly.
Dad was still working in Millville at the time, and we probably met up in front of the Music Pier prior to his show. The baseball card collecting landscape changed drastically in the ten year period between 1987 and 1997, with autographed cards making their way into packs and multiple parallel versions of the same card confusing us as "old school" collectors. Still, I'd give anything to be back inside the Music Pier with my Dad searching for the next 1956 Topps card to add to our set. I'm sure he was thrilled to find a dealer selling a bunch of '56s in good shape and at around $2 a card.
The Card / Tigers Team Set
Tuttle's rookie card can be found in the 1955 Bowman set, and this is his first Topps card. A common theme from Tuttle's Topps baseball card appearances is that he doesn't seem to be enjoying himself and he's usually found with a huge bulge of chewing tobacco in his cheek. The cartoons on the back highlight his fine fielding skills and his third place finish in runs scored in 1955. He was actually fourth in the American League with 102 runs scored with the Indians' Al Smith (#105) leading the league with 123. Tuttle's teammate Al Kaline (#20) and Mickey Mantle (#135) were tied for third as each had 121 runs scored.
1956 Season
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First Mainstream Card: 1955 Bowman #35
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (8): 1956-1963
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1979 TCMA The 1950s #103
41 - Tuttle non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 5/21/22.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Trading Card Database
Previous Card / Next Card
Order Collected: #193 Wilmer Mizell - St. Louis Cardinals / #244 Bob Buhl - Milwaukee Braves
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