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Daryl Dean Spencer
New York Giants
Infield
Born: July 13, 1928, Wichita, KS
Acquired: Purchased by the New York Giants from the Pauls Valley Raiders (Sooner State League) before 1950 season
Major League Teams: New York Giants 1952-1953, 1956-1957; San Francisco Giants 1958-1959; St. Louis Cardinals 1960-1961; Los Angeles Dodgers 1961-1963; Cincinnati Reds 1963
Died: January 2, 2017, Wichita, KS (age 88)
Daryl Spencer spent the late 1950s and early 1960s as an everyday shortstop and second baseman for the Giants and Cardinals, and would later find success in the late 1960s during a seven season stint playing in Japan. Spencer made his debut with the Giants in 1952 and would miss two full season (1954 and 1955) while serving in the military. He became a regular with the Giants in 1956 and was the team's opening day shortstop on April 15, 1958, the Giants' first game in San Francisco. His home run in the fourth inning of that game, off Dodgers' pitcher Don Drysdale, was the first home run in San Francisco Giants' history. Spencer batted .256 that season, attaining career highs in home runs (17) and RBIs (74). His final year as an everyday player stateside came in 1960 with the Cardinals, and over his final three seasons with the Cardinals, Dodgers and Reds he'd serve as a back-up infielder and pinch-hitter. In 10 seasons, Spencer batted .244 with 105 home runs and 428 RBIs.
Building the Set
Summer of 1983 or 1984 in Millville, NJ - Card #38
This was one of the Original 44, and I re-told the story of how my Dad and I started collecting this set with the Walker Cooper (#273) post last month. Seven of the Original 44 came from series one, with 11 coming from series two, and 16 from series three. This is the fourth of ten cards to come from the final series four.
This was one of the Original 44, and I re-told the story of how my Dad and I started collecting this set with the Walker Cooper (#273) post last month. Seven of the Original 44 came from series one, with 11 coming from series two, and 16 from series three. This is the fourth of ten cards to come from the final series four.
The Card / Giants Team Set
This is Spencer's first Topps card, and his rookie card can be found in the 1954 Bowman set. The photo used here looks suspiciously similar to the photo used on his Bowman rookie card. That's Roy Campanella (#101) making a cameo appearance for the play the plate, as the future Hall of Fame catcher wore #39 during his career with the Dodgers. The photo above was used at MLB.com at the top of Spencer's obituary in 2017, and the caption for the photo notes the play took place in 1953. Unless Spencer had a habit of losing his hat whenever he slid into home plate when Campanella was catching, this photo is likely from the same play featured on Spencer's 1956 Topps card.
The cartoons on the back of the card explain Spencer's two-year absence from baseball, highlight his high batting average with the Minneapolis Millers in 1952, and demonstrate his ability to play all three infield positions. He's one of six players in the set to have "Infield" as the listed position, along with teammate Bobby Hofman (#28), Freddie Marsh (#23), Harmon Killebrew (#164), Jerry Coleman (#316) and Rocky Bridges (#324).
1956 Season
Spencer returned from the Army in 1956, having missed all of the 1954 and 1955 seasons. He was the Giants' opening day second baseman and switched to third base and eventually shortstop following the acquisition of Red Schoendienst (#165) on June 14th. Spencer appeared in 146 games overall, batting .221 with 14 home runs and 42 RBIs, as the Giants finished in sixth place in the National League.
1956 Season
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First Mainstream Card: 1954 Bowman #185
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (8): 1956-1963
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2013 BBM Legendary Foreigners #4
52 - Spencer non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 1/29/24.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database
The Trading Card Database
Previous Card / Next Card
Order Collected: #273 Walker Cooper - St. Louis Cardinals / #286 Bill Wight - Baltimore Orioles
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