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Maurice Dailey Atwell
Pittsburgh Pirates
Catcher
Born: March 8, 1924, Leesburg, VA
Signed: Signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers as an amateur free agent before 1946 season
Major League Teams: Chicago Cubs 1952-1953; Pittsburgh Pirates 1953-1956; Milwaukee Braves 1956
Died: January 25, 2003, Purcellville, VA (age 78)
Toby Atwell spent six seasons climbing the ladder through the Dodgers' minor league system, finding success at each level and batting as high as .342 during the 1948 season. But with Roy Campanella (#101) starting for the Dodgers and Bruce Edwards serving as an effective back-up for the future Hall of Famer, there was no room for Atwell in Brooklyn. In December 1951 he was traded to the Cubs, and he'd enjoy his best season in the majors during his rookie year of 1952. Making his debut on opening day 1952 and settling in as the Cubs' regular catcher, Atwell was batting .324 by the All-Star break and he was named to the National League All-Star squad. He'd not get into the game as it was shortened to five innings due to rain, and with Campanella again blocking his playing time. In 107 games during the 1952 season, Atwell batted .290 with 16 doubles and 31 RBIs.
Atwell never repeated the success he found in 1952, but he did play in parts of four more big league seasons with the Cubs, Pirates and Braves. He spent the most time in Pittsburgh, sharing catching duties with Mike Sandlock or Jack Shepard for the second division club. Atwell had come to Pittsburgh in June 1953 in a blockbuster 10-player trade that saw Ralph Kiner leave the Pirates for the Cubs. He played professionally through the 1958 season, retiring after a brief stint in the Orioles organization. In 378 big league games, Atwell batted .260 with nine home runs and 110 RBIs.
December 25, 2003 from San Diego, CA (Kit Young Cards) - Card #245
My Dad/Santa brought me nine cards for our set for Christmas in 2003, with all but one of the cards coming from his dealer of choice, Kit Young Cards in San Diego. The Brooklyn Dodgers team card (#166) was the lone non-Kit Young Cards addition, as that card came from TemDee in Turnersville, New Jersey. It was a strange mix of commons from Kit Young Cards, with no semi-star or star card to balance out the lot. We were admittedly in a lull collecting the set, with only 18 cards added during all of 2003 and only six cards added, as Christmas presents, in 2004.
Pictures from the Christmas of 2003 show us opening gifts at my Mom's house on December 26th, which has since become a tradition for us. So while the official set records indicate these nine cards were added on December 25th, it was most likely a day later I opened the cards while in Millville.
The Card / Pirates Team Set
Atwell appeared exclusively in Bowman sets in 1954 and 1955, and this is his first Topps card since 1953. I'm assuming he's safe at home in the action shot, given the catcher and the home plate umpire are no where to be seen. On the back, his .289 average from the 1954 season is highlighted as is the massive trade with the Cubs that brought him to Pittsburgh, presumably via a pirate ship.
1956 Season
Atwell began the season with the Pirates as one of three catchers on the team's roster along with Danny Kravitz and Shepard. He'd appear in just 12 games for the Pirates, batting .111 (2 for 18), before a May trade sent him to the Cardinals' organization. He'd be with the Cardinals until July 3rd, when St. Louis traded him to the Phillies for third baseman Jim Command. Atwell was property of the Phillies for two weeks before he was on the move again, this time sold to the Braves.
Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card: 1952 Topps #356
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (3): 1952-1953, 1956
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1991 Topps Archives 1953 #23
12 - Atwell non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 11/30/22.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Card / Pirates Team Set
Atwell appeared exclusively in Bowman sets in 1954 and 1955, and this is his first Topps card since 1953. I'm assuming he's safe at home in the action shot, given the catcher and the home plate umpire are no where to be seen. On the back, his .289 average from the 1954 season is highlighted as is the massive trade with the Cubs that brought him to Pittsburgh, presumably via a pirate ship.
1956 Season
He'd appear in 15 games for the Braves, batting .167 (5 for 30) with a pair of home runs and seeing his final big league action on September 28th.
Phillies Connection
As mentioned above, Atwell spent two weeks of the 1956 season in the Phillies' system. Baseball Reference shows he played in four games for the Miami Marlins, then the International League affiliate of the Phillies. There's no record of him catching in any of those games, so there's no telling if he caught Satchel Paige, who appeared in 37 games for the Marlins in 1956.
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First Mainstream Card: 1952 Topps #356
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (3): 1952-1953, 1956
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1991 Topps Archives 1953 #23
12 - Atwell non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 11/30/22.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Trading Card Database
Previous Card / Next Card
Order Collected: #166 Brooklyn Dodgers Team Card / #266 Don Ferrarese - Baltimore Orioles
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