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John Ellis Temple
Cincinnati Redlegs
Second Base
Born: August 8, 1927, Lexington, NC
Signed: Signed by the Cincinnati Reds as an amateur free agent before 1949 season
Major League Teams: Cincinnati Reds 1952-1959; Cleveland Indians 1960-1961; Baltimore Orioles 1962; Houston Colt .45s 1962-1963; Cincinnati Reds 1964
Died: January 9, 1994, White Rock, SC (age 66)
Johnny Temple was a six-time All-Star, playing primarily for the Reds as their steady lead-off hitter throughout much of the 1950s. He led the league in at-bats in 1956 with 632 and in walks the following season with 94. He also led the league twice in sacrifice bunts with 16 in 1957 and 17 in 1958. His career year came in 1959 when he batted .311 while hitting eight home runs and 67 RBIs - all three marks career highs for Temple. Dealt to the Indians following that season in a deal that included Billy Martin (#181) going to the Reds, Temple played a few more seasons as a regular and then served as a bench player with the Orioles and Colt .45s in the early 1960s. He returned to Cincinnati as a player-coach in 1964, but left the team that August after a fight with fellow coach Reggie Otero.
One of the most popular Reds players from the decade prior, Temple was inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame in 1965. He retired with a lifetime .284 average, 1,484 hits, 720 runs scored and 395 RBIs. Temple led the league in putouts at second base in three different seasons and his 3,172 career putouts are currently 55th on the all-time list.
December 25, 2006 from Mays Landing, NJ - Card #283
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. One of the great joys of my life was seeing how proud my Dad was to have a grandson.
The Card / Redlegs Team Set
This is Temple's first Topps card, and his rookie card appears in the 1955 Bowman set. Temple is #16 in the action photo, and I assume he just completed a force out of the runner after a throw from shortstop Roy McMillan (#123), wearing #11. That very well could be Phillies slugger Del Ennis (#220) making a cameo appearance as the baserunner, as it appears to be a Phillies player and Ennis wore #14.
1956 Season
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First Mainstream Card: 1955 Bowman #31
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (8): 1956-1963
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1963 Topps #576
62 - Temple non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 7/25/22.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database
The Trading Card Database
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Order Collected: #202 Jim Hearn - New York Giants / #224 "Bud" Podbielan - Cincinnati Redlegs
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