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James Henry Delsing
Detroit Tigers
Outfield
Born: November 13, 1925, Rudolph, WI
Acquired: Obtained by the Chicago White Sox from the Milwaukee Brewers (American Association) as part of a minor league working agreement, before 1946 season
Major League Teams: Chicago White Sox 1948; New York Yankees 1949-50; St. Louis Browns 1950-52; Detroit Tigers 1952-56; Chicago White Sox 1956; Kansas City Athletics 1960
Died: May 4, 2006, Chesterfield, MO (age 80)
Jim Delsing played professionally for 17 seasons, finding his most success as a regular center or left fielder for the Tigers in the early 1950s. Delsing made his minor league debut in 1942, and then missing two full seasons while serving in the Army in Europe during World War II. He spent 20 games with the White Sox in 1948 and nine games with the Yankees late in the 1949 season, filling in for an ailing Joe DiMaggio. Delsing's first shot at regular playing time came with the Browns in 1951, when he appeared in 131 games. He famously pinch-ran for the 3' 7" Eddie Gaedel after Gaedel walked in his lone big league plate appearance on August 19, 1951. Traded to the Tigers in August 1952 as part of an eight-player deal, Delsing was the club's opening day center fielder in 1953. He batted .288 with 11 home runs and 62 RBIs that season, reaching personal bests in all three categories. Delsing moved to left field in 1954 and had another solid year with the Tigers, batting .248 with six home runs and 38 RBIs in 122 games. He led the league in fielding percentage in 1953, among center fielders, and in 1954, among all outfielders.
Delsing lost playing time following the 1954 season, appearing as primarily a pinch-hitter in 1955 and 1956. After three full seasons in the minor leagues, he made a brief comeback with the Athletics in 1960, batting .250 in 16 games. In 822 major league games, Delsing batted .255 with 112 doubles, 40 home runs and 286 RBIs.
Building the Set
December 25, 1994 from San Diego, CA - Card #141
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 Delsing 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 1994-95 timeframe brought about quite a few major changes in my life.
The Card / Tigers Team Set
Topps reused Delsing's photo from his 1955 Topps card for this card. The cartoons on the back of the card highlight his minor league success and his career year in 1953.
1956 Season
Delsing lost his starting job with the Tigers following the 1955 season, and he'd appear in just 10 games with the club before a trade sent him back to his original team, the White Sox. On May 15th, the Tigers traded Delsing and Fred Hatfield (#318) to Chicago for Jim Brideweser, Harry Byrd and Bob Kennedy (#38). Used almost exclusively as a pinch-hitter or late inning defensive replacement, Delsing batted .122 in 55 games for the White Sox.
Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card: 1951 Bowman #279
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (6): 1952-56, 1959
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1994 Topps Archives 1954 #111
20 - Delsing non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 6/28/25.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
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| Winter 1994 - Dad inspecting the new construction |
December 25, 1994 from San Diego, CA - Card #141
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 Delsing 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 1994-95 timeframe brought about quite a few major changes in my life.
The Card / Tigers Team Set
Topps reused Delsing's photo from his 1955 Topps card for this card. The cartoons on the back of the card highlight his minor league success and his career year in 1953.
1956 Season
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First Mainstream Card: 1951 Bowman #279
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (6): 1952-56, 1959
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1994 Topps Archives 1954 #111
20 - Delsing non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 6/28/25.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database
The Trading Card Database
Previous Card / Next Card
Set Order: #337 Bobby Morgan - Philadelphia Phillies / #339 Rance Pless - Kansas City Athletics
Order Collected: #318 Fred Hatfield - Detroit Tigers / #20 Al Kaline - Detroit Tigers
