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Delmer Ennis
Philadelphia Phillies
Outfield
Born: June 8, 1925, Philadelphia, PA
Signed: Signed by the Philadelphia Phillies as an amateur free agent before 1943 season
Major League Teams: Philadelphia Phillies 1946-1956; St. Louis Cardinals 1957-1958; Cincinnati Reds 1959; Chicago White Sox 1959
Died: February 8, 1996, Huntingdon Valley, PA (age 70)
Slugger Del Ennis was one of the bright spots for the Phillies in the 1950s, helping to lead the Whiz Kids to the 1950 National League pennant, and earning a spot on three All-Star teams. A popular player, especially for a kid growing up in Millville, New Jersey (see below), Ennis hit for power, ran the bases with speed and provided steady defense in the outfield, aided by a strong throwing arm. Ennis was at his peak between 1948 and 1950, driving in 95, 110 and a league leading 126 runs in each of those three years, and clubbing a career-high 31 home runs in 1950. He collected MVP votes in eight different season, finishing fourth in 1950. His last great season with the Phillies came in 1955 when he was named to his final All-Star team, and he finished the season with a .295 average. Ennis drove in at least 100 runs in seven different seasons, and hit at least 20 home runs in nine different seasons.
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| 2006 Toyota Phillies Wall of Fame Postcards |
December 25, 1996 from Deptford Mall Baseball Card Show - Card #148
It's appropriate this card would have been considered a major Christmas present in 1996, as Del Ennis was one of my Dad's favorite players growing up, along with Ennis' former Phillies teammate Dick Sisler. The baseball card show held inside the Deptford Mall most likely took place that November or December, and my Dad stashed this card away to be revealed on Christmas morning. He must have told me how much it cost as I have in my notes the card cost a whopping $9.
1996 was a transitional year for my Dad and me. He required open heart surgery earlier in the year, and I was set to graduate college. Although nerve-wracking, his surgery was a success and I opted to stay one more year in school to complete my Masters degree. My best friends from my first four years of college were preparing to move on, and I was preparing to stick around, albeit with a new group of friends and in somewhat unfamiliar territory. This Ennis card would have showed up as I was making the transition from student to adult, and it would have seen a confused kid making questionable decisions and looking for any port in the storm.
The Card / Phillies Team Set
I've always loved this card. This is Ennis' first Topps card since 1952, as he had been under exclusive contract with Bowman between 1953 and 1955. The back of the card highlights his impressive consistency with his yearly home run and RBI totals. The final cartoon panel shows Ennis on the way to his big league debut in 1946. He might have been up sooner if not for a two and half year stint in the U.S. Navy, which began in 1943 and ended on April 5, 1946, just a few short weeks before his first action with the Phillies.
Phillies Career / 1956 Season
Ennis made his debut with the Phillies on April 28, 1946, and became the first rookie in team history to make the All-Star team. As mentioned above, he was a member of the storied Whiz Kids team that won the National League pennant in 1950, becoming the first Phillies team in the postseason since 1915. The team was swept by the Yankees in the World Series, but much like the 1993 Phillies team, the legacy of that club and the good memories from that season endure among many lifelong Phillies fans. He passed Chuck Klein in 1956 as the team's all-time home run leader, and he held that spot until passed by Mike Schmidt in 1980. He also broke the games played record in 1956, held by Ed Delahanty who had appeared in 1,544 games with the Phillies. He's currently third on the Phillies all-time home run leader board with 259, behind Schmidt and Ryan Howard. Ennis now ranks sixth in games played (1,630), fifth in hits (1,812), third in RBIs (1,124) and eighth in doubles (310).
Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card: 1949 Leaf #49
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (5): 1951-1952, 1956-1959
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1994 Upper Deck All-Time Heroes #32
68 - Ennis non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 10/3/22.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Card / Phillies Team Set
I've always loved this card. This is Ennis' first Topps card since 1952, as he had been under exclusive contract with Bowman between 1953 and 1955. The back of the card highlights his impressive consistency with his yearly home run and RBI totals. The final cartoon panel shows Ennis on the way to his big league debut in 1946. He might have been up sooner if not for a two and half year stint in the U.S. Navy, which began in 1943 and ended on April 5, 1946, just a few short weeks before his first action with the Phillies.
Ennis made his debut with the Phillies on April 28, 1946, and became the first rookie in team history to make the All-Star team. As mentioned above, he was a member of the storied Whiz Kids team that won the National League pennant in 1950, becoming the first Phillies team in the postseason since 1915. The team was swept by the Yankees in the World Series, but much like the 1993 Phillies team, the legacy of that club and the good memories from that season endure among many lifelong Phillies fans. He passed Chuck Klein in 1956 as the team's all-time home run leader, and he held that spot until passed by Mike Schmidt in 1980. He also broke the games played record in 1956, held by Ed Delahanty who had appeared in 1,544 games with the Phillies. He's currently third on the Phillies all-time home run leader board with 259, behind Schmidt and Ryan Howard. Ennis now ranks sixth in games played (1,630), fifth in hits (1,812), third in RBIs (1,124) and eighth in doubles (310).
In 1956, his final season with the Phillies, Ennis was again the team's opening day left fielder and he'd start all but one of the team's 154 games at the position. He batted .260 with 26 home runs and 95 RBIs, as the Phillies finished in fifth place. On November 19th, the Phillies traded Ennis to the Cardinals for Bobby Morgan (#337) and Rip Repulski (#201).
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First Mainstream Card: 1949 Leaf #49
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (5): 1951-1952, 1956-1959
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1994 Upper Deck All-Time Heroes #32
68 - Ennis non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 10/3/22.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database
The Trading Card Database
Previous Card / Next Card
Order Collected: #77 Harvey Haddix - St. Louis Cardinals / #2 Warren Giles - N.L. President
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