#35 Al Rosen - Cleveland Indians

Albert Leonard Rosen
Cleveland Indians
Third Base

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'10"  Weight:  180
Born:  February 29, 1924, Spartanburg, SC
Signed:  Signed by the Cleveland Indians as an amateur free agent before the 1942 season
Major League Teams:  Cleveland Indians 1947-1956
Died:  March 13, 2015, Rancho Mirage, CA (age 91)

Al Rosen enjoyed six full, solid seasons with the Indians before back and leg injuries shortened his playing career.  Rosen was one of the most feared sluggers in the American League in the early 1950s, and his monster season in 1953 earned him unanimous MVP honors.  That season Rosen hit .336 with 43 home runs and 145 RBIs, both totals topping the league.  He missed winning the triple crown by a percentage point as Mickey Vernon hit .337 for the Senators.  Rosen was named to four All-Star teams and played in two World Series with the Indians - beating the Dodgers in 1948 and losing to the Giants in 1954.

Following his playing days, Rosen served in the front offices for the Yankees (1978-1979), Astros (1980-1985) and Giants (1985-1992), winning Executive of the Year honors in 1989.

Building the Set
December 6, 1998 in Raleigh, NC - Card #171

Exposition Center at N.C. State Fairgrounds in Raleigh

I paid $8 for this card at a Sports Card & Memorabilia Show held in Raleigh, NC.  I have only a few good memories of my short time living in Raleigh, and attending baseball card shows is one of them.  I believe this show was held at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds.

The Card
This is the first card to appear for the Cleveland Indians, the last team to make an appearance in the 1956 Topps set.  Rosen includes his nickname "Flip" within his facsimile autograph on the front of the card.

The back of the card states that Rosen's birth date is March 1, 1925, when in actuality his birth date was February 29, 1924.  He's one of 14 players in Major League history to have been born on Leap Day, the latest of whom was Stefan Crichton, born in 1992.  Crichton pitched in 8 games for the 2017 Orioles.

1956 Season
Rosen was only 32 years old in 1956, but this was to be his last season in the Majors.  He was limited to 121 games due to injuries, hitting .267 with 15 home runs and 61 RBIs.  Al Smith (#105) took over at third base for Rosen in 1957.

Phillies Connection
In 1989, as General Manager of the Giants, Rosen helped engineer the trade that sent Steve Bedrosian to the Giants from the Phillies in exchange for Dennis Cook, Charlie Hayes and Terry Mulholland.  Mulholland would go on to be a key starting pitcher for the Phillies' improbable N.L. championship team in 1993.

1950 Bowman #232

1951 Topps Red Backs #35

1975 Topps #191

2010 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs #ROA-AR

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1950 Bowman #232
First Topps Card:  1951 Topps Red Backs #35
Last Topps Card (as a player):  1956 Topps #35
Most Recent Topps Card (post-career):  1975 Topps #191 (with Roy Campanella)
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2010 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs #ROA-AR
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (8):  1951-1956, 1961, 1975

143 - Rosen non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 2/10/19.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database

In some cases, the first and last cards listed above are subjective and chosen by me if multiple cards were released within the same year.  Most recent mainstream card may also be subjective and does not include extremely low serial numbered cards, buybacks or cut autograph cards.

Previous Card / Next Card

Set Order: #34 Tom Brewer - Boston Red Sox / #36 Rudy Minarcin - Cincinnati Redlegs

Order Collected: #236 Kansas City Athletics Team Card / #45 Gus Zernial - Kansas City Athletics

#34 Tom Brewer - Boston Red Sox

Thomas Austin Brewer, Jr.
Boston Red Sox
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  175
Born:  September 3, 1931, Wadesboro, NC
Signed:  Signed by the Boston Red Sox as an amateur free agent before the 1951 season
Major League Teams:  Boston Red Sox 1954-1961
Died:  February 15, 2018, Cheraw, SC (age 86)

Tom Brewer played college ball at Elon College, was named to the All-Army team in 1952, and went on to pitch in parts of eight seasons with the Red Sox.  He won 19 games in 1956 and 16 games in 1957, the two best seasons of his career.  Slowed by arm troubles, Brewer retired following the 1961 season at 29 years old.

Building the Set
August 29, 1988 in Millville, NJ - Card #61

1988 Topps #8

We were about a year in to officially collecting the 1956 Topps set when I added four cards to the set through a trade with a friend of mine.  Now my friend probably has no recollection of this, but I'm going to omit his name to protect the innocent.  In the summer of 1988, I was aware of a few different baseball card collectors from my school.  Most of them were busy accumulating as many "Future Stars" cards from the 1988 Topps set as possible, convinced these cards would be worth hundreds of dollars in a matter of a few short years.  The Kevin Elster card was a particularly hot commodity, as was anything with a Topps Rookie Cup on it such as the cards for Mark McGwire, Mike Greenwell, Ellis Burks and Casey Candaele.

My friend had four 1956 Topps cards set aside in an "oldies" pile, and I'm guessing he had added these to his collection by accident or maybe through an older relative.  In any event, I went over to his house this late summer day in August, equipped with my 1988 Topps doubles, and ready to deal.  I don't remember the specifics of the trade, but I ended up with four 1956 Topps commons and he ended up with a small stack of 1988 Topps rookies.  We were both happy with our respective hauls, so in our minds it was a fair deal.

I've lost track of this friend over the years, but his name lives on in my official records of how each card in our 1956 Topps set was obtained.

The Card
I'm embarrassingly bad at identifying old ballparks, but I believe the facade visible right below the blue position/team box indicates this picture was taken at Yankee Stadium.  It looks like infielder Milt Bolling (#315) is loitering in the background of the card, as Bolling wore #2 for the Red Sox between 1953 and 1957.  There's a man in what looks to be in street clothes (a member of the grounds crew?) also standing behind Brewer.

The "Hi-Tom" referenced in the middle panel on the back of the card is the Class D High Point-Thomasville Hi-Toms, which would have been a Rookie level equivalent in the minor league system today.  Brewer pitched in Rookie-level baseball in 1951, went into military service in 1952 and 1953, and made the Red Sox club in 1954.  That's incredibly impressive.  Granted, he played baseball while in the military, but that would be like someone today spending a year with the Williamsport Crosscutters, entering the military for two years, and then joining the Phillies starting pitching rotation in year four.

1956 Season
Brewer enjoyed a career year in 1956, earning a place on the A.L. All-Star team and finishing the season with a 19-9 record and a 3.50 ERA.  His big year netted him some A.L. MVP votes, and he finished 22nd overall in the voting.  He was the ace of the Red Sox pitching staff that season, with only Ted Williams (#5) having a higher WAR on the club.

1955 Bowman #178

1955 Topps #83

1961 Topps #434

2010 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs #ROA-TB

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1955 Bowman #178
First Topps Card:  1955 Topps #83
Last Topps Card (as a player):  1961 Topps #434
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2010 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs #ROA-TB
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (7):  1955-1961

33 - Brewer non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 2/10/19.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database

In some cases, the first and last cards listed above are subjective and chosen by me if multiple cards were released within the same year.  Most recent mainstream card may also be subjective and does not include extremely low serial numbered cards, buybacks or cut autograph cards.

Previous Card / Next Card

Set Order: #33 Roberto Clemente - Pittsburgh Pirates / #35 Al Rosen - Cleveland Indians

Order Collected: #174 Glen Gorbous - Philadelphia Phillies / #58 Ed Roebuck - Brooklyn Dodgers