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Harold Bentley Jeffcoat
Cincinnati Redlegs
Pitcher
Born: September 6, 1924, West Columbia, SC
Signed: Signed by the Chicago Cubs as an amateur free agent before 1946 season
Major League Teams: Chicago Cubs 1948-1955; Cincinnati Redlegs 1956-1958; Cincinnati Reds 1959; St. Louis Cardinals 1959
Died: August 30, 2007, Tampa, FL (age 82)
Hal Jeffcoat served in the U.S. Army during World War II, and was awarded with a Purple Heart after being wounded during the Italian Campaign. His professional baseball career began after the war, and as a rookie center fielder for the Cubs in 1948 he compiled his best season. In 134 games that year, a career high, Jeffcoat batted .279 with 16 doubles, four home runs and 42 RBIs, also a career high. Playing all three outfield positions, Jeffcoat had several solid seasons with the Cubs and his pivot to full-time pitching came somewhat unexpectedly. He had a surprisingly strong five inning outing toward the end of spring training in 1954, leading manager Stan Hack to make him a member of the team's bullpen.
Jeffocat recorded a team-leading seven saves in 1954 for the Cubs. Dealt to the Redlegs in November 1955 for Hobie Landrith (#314), Jeffcoat joined Cincinnati's starting pitching rotation in 1957. He was 12-13 that season with a 4.52 ERA in 31 starts, throwing 10 complete games and 207 innings. Jeffcoat threw his only career shutout on June 9, 1957 against the Dodgers. His final action in the majors came in 1959 with the Cardinals, and Jeffcoat retired from baseball following a comeback attempt with the Reds' top farm team in 1960. As a batter, Jeffcoat earned a career .248 average with 26 home runs and 188 RBIs. As a pitcher, he was 39-37 lifetime, with a 4.22 ERA in 245 games pitched.
December 25, 1994 from San Diego, CA - Card #138
The Roy Campanella (#101) card was my "big" present from Santa for Christmas 1994. With my Dad's help, Santa secured the Campanella card from Kit Young Cards in San Diego for what my notes say was $75. That price seems steep, but there were six other cards from the 1956 Topps set under the Christmas tree that year from Kit Young Cards, including this Jeffcoat card, with the other six cards costing a combined $20. In December 1994, I would have been home from college for the winter break of my junior year.
This was the last Christmas my family and I spent in the house on 12th Street in my hometown where I grew up. My parents were in the process of building a new house and we'd visit the construction site throughout that winter break. I had a tough time leaving my childhood home behind and the 1994-1995 timeframe brought about quite a few major changes in my life.
The Card / Redlegs Team Set
Jeffcoat returned to Topps with this card following a two year absence and exclusive appearances in the 1954 and 1955 Bowman sets. He's wearing Cubs gear in both photos, with Topps taking the time to update the logo on his hat for the portrait, but apparently leaving the rounded Cubs C on his hat in the action photo. The cartoons on the back highlight his ability to both pitch and play the outfield and also show him leaving a cub behind following his trade from Chicago.
1956 Season
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First Mainstream Card: 1951 Bowman #211
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (6): 1952-1953, 1956-1959
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1991 Topps Archives 1953 #29
30 - Jeffcoat non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 5/3/24.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database
The Trading Card Database
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Order Collected: #284 Ike Delock - Boston Red Sox / #290 Curt Simmons - Philadelphia Phillies
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