#180 Willie Horton - Detroit Tigers

William Wattison Horton
Detroit Tigers
Outfield

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'11"  Weight:  209
Born:  October 18, 1942, Arno, VA
Signed:  Signed by the Detroit Tigers as an amateur free agent, August 7, 1961
Major League Teams:  Detroit Tigers 1963-77; Texas Rangers 1977; Cleveland Indians 1978; Oakland Athletics 1978; Toronto Blue Jays 1978; Seattle Mariners 1979-80

World Series Appearances:  Detroit Tigers 1968

Slugger Willie Horton played in parts of 18 seasons in the majors, finding the most success early in his career as the regular left fielder for the Tigers and then later in his career as one of the best designated hitters in the game.  He enjoyed a career year in 1968, batting .285 with 36 home runs and 85 RBIs while helping the Tigers to a World Championship title over the Cardinals.  Horton was a four-time All-Star and he topped 100 RBIs three times, in 1965, 1966 and later in 1979.  He collected at least 20 home runs in seven different seasons.  Horton became one the league's top designated hitters in the mid-1970s, prolonging his career and enjoying productive seasons in the majors through the late 1970s.  He won the league's Outstanding Designated Hitter award in 1975 with the Tigers and in 1979 with the Mariners.  Horton last played in the big leagues in 1980, but he prolonged his career with two seasons playing for the Pirates top farm team in Portland and then playing in Mexico in 1983.  When he retired, Horton's 325 career home runs ranked sixth among all American League right-handed hitters.

Popular and superstitious, Horton reportedly used the same batting helmet throughout his career, painting it whenever he joined a new club.  He collected 1,993 hits while batting .273 and driving in 1,163 runs.  Horton briefly served as a big league coach with the Yankees (1985) and White Sox (1986).  In 2000, the Tigers placed a statue of Horton outside Comerica Park and also retired his #23.  Horton and former teammate Al Kaline (#410) threw out the first pitch of the 2006 World Series in Detroit.

Some text for this post originally appeared on my 1965 Topps blog.

Building the Set / Card #625

September 21, 2025 from The Philly Show (Niagara Sports Cards)

On Sunday morning, September 21st, I made the hour-long drive to the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania for the latest installment of the Philadelphia Sports Card & Memorabilia Show, known to its friends as The Philly Show.  The show has a legitimate official sponsor (eBay) and the advertisement for the event notes the show is in its 50th year.  I hadn't attended a baseball card show since the last Philly Show in December, and I was flying solo to this one as our oldest son is in his first month of college at Villanova.  I posted a full summary of the show over at The Phillies Room.

I made stops at six tables at the show, all yielding needed cards for our 1969 Topps set, and I left the show with just 16 more cards to go for my version of a complete set.  My third stop was a smaller table with the impossible to pass up offer of 1969 Topps commons that were only $1, unless marked.  The binder was right at the end of the table, making it an even easier sell.  The prices on some of the cards were stunningly low, so I was even more surprised when the dealer, Niagara Sports Cards, gave me an even deeper discount upon tallying up my total.

I found 12 cards needed from Niagara Sports Cards, and this was the third of those 12, and the 66th of 91 cards for the set added overall on the day.  True to its advertising, this card was stunningly less than a dollar after the discount.

The Card / Tigers Team Set / Accuracy Index +5

This is Horton's fourth of five total appearances in the set, as the slugger appeared on the 1968 A.L. Home Run Leaders card (#5) and two World Series subset cards (#163 and #169).  He'd also appear on an All-Star card (#429) later in the set.  The back of the card summarizes his 1968 highlights.

Accuracy Index:  Horton's card earns a +5.

Inserts:  Horton is included in the 35 card Topps Deckle Edge insert set and is one of 48 decals in the Topps Decals insert set.  He's one of 27 players to appear in both insert sets.

1969 Season
From his SABR biography, written by Dan Holmes: 

In contrast with the previous season, 1969 was filled with disappointment for Horton.  Mired in a 4-for-35 slump on May 15, Willie left the team midgame and disappeared for four days due to "personal pressures."  When he came back, he had lost more than $1,300 in pay and was admonished by Detroit General Manager Jim Campbell.  On June 28 in Baltimore, Horton pulled up at second base on a double and tore thigh muscle in his right leg.  The injury forced him to miss 10 games and relegated him to the bench for seven more.  He played the final weeks of the season with a sore right hand.  Nonetheless, Horton still managed 91 RBI and 28 home runs.

1964 Topps #512

1968 Topps #360

1972 Topps #750

1975 Topps #66

1980 Topps #532

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1956 Topps #63
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (17):  1964-80
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2014 Panini Golden Age #97
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  269 in the Beckett online database as of 2/1/26.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database
1965 Topps Blog

#179 Dan Pavletich - Chicago White Sox / #181 Mel Nelson - St. Louis Cardinals

#15 Boog Powell - Baltimore Orioles

John Wesley Powell
Baltimore Orioles
First Base

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'4"  Weight:  230
Born:  August 17, 1941, Lakeland, FL
Signed:  Signed by the Baltimore Orioles as an amateur free agent before 1959 season
Major League Teams:  Baltimore Orioles 1961-74; Cleveland Indians 1975-76; Los Angeles Dodgers 1977

World Series Appearances:  Baltimore Orioles 1966, 1969-71

Slugger Boog Powell helped lead the Orioles to their first two World Championship titles in 1966 and 1970, while also winning MVP honors in 1970.  Powell was a four-time All-Star, finishing in the top ten in the American League for batting average three times and in the top ten for both home runs and RBIs in seven different seasons.  While he never led the league in either category, he cleared the 30 home run plateau four times and drove in over 100 runs three times.  During his MVP campaign of 1970, Powell batted .297 with 35 home runs and 114 RBIs, a few short in each category from his 1969 career highs (37 home runs with 121 RBIs).

After two seasons in Cleveland and a brief stint with the Dodgers late in his career, Powell retired in 1977 after 2,042 games.  He had a lifetime .266 average with 339 home runs and 1,187 RBIs.  His 303 home runs with the Orioles are third on their all-time franchise list behind Cal Ripken (431) and Eddie Murray (343).  Powell was elected into the Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame in 1979 and throughout the early 1990s and 2000s, he could be found at Boog's Barbecue on game days, a highly recommended stop if you ever visit Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

Some text for this post originally appeared on my 1965 Topps blog.

Building the Set / Card #624

September 21, 2025 from The Philly Show (Niagara Sports Cards)

On Sunday morning, September 21st, I made the hour-long drive to the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania for the latest installment of the Philadelphia Sports Card & Memorabilia Show, known to its friends as The Philly Show.  The show has a legitimate official sponsor (eBay) and the advertisement for the event notes the show is in its 50th year.  I hadn't attended a baseball card show since the last Philly Show in December, and I was flying solo to this one as our oldest son is in his first month of college at Villanova.  I posted a full summary of the show over at The Phillies Room.

I made stops at six tables at the show, all yielding needed cards for our 1969 Topps set, and I left the show with just 16 more cards to go for my version of a complete set.  My third stop was a smaller table with the impossible to pass up offer of 1969 Topps commons that were only $1, unless marked.  The binder was right at the end of the table, making it an even easier sell.  The prices on some of the cards were stunningly low, so I was even more surprised when the dealer, Niagara Sports Cards, gave me an even deeper discount upon tallying up my total.

I found 12 cards needed from Niagara Sports Cards, and this was the second of those 12, and the 65th of 91 cards for the set added overall on the day.  True to its advertising, this card was stunningly less than a dollar after the discount.

The Card / Orioles Team Set / Accuracy Index +1

This is the first card in the set to repeat a photo collectors had already seen, as the same exact photo of Powell is used for his 1968 Topps card.  A lot of the cartoons used on the back of these cards are fairly basic, but this one genuinely made me chuckle.  His success in the 1966 World Series and his team-leading 22 homer runs in 1968 are highlighted in the write-up.  That's a low tally by today's standards, but 1968 is universally regarding as the Year of the Pitcher.

Topps reprinted this card in its 2002 Topps Archives set.

Accuracy Index:  Powell's card drops to +1 for the repeat photo usage.

1969 Season
From his SABR biography, written by Joseph Wancho: 

Powell had a great season in 1969, smacking 37 home runs and 25 doubles, and setting career marks in RBIs (121) and batting average (.304).  He was the American League’s starting first baseman in the All-Star Game.  He had an 18-game hitting streak from May 9 to May 30, falling two short of the club record set by Bob Nieman in 1956.  On August 16 at Sick’s Stadium in Seattle, he hit an inside-the-park home run off former teammate Steve Barber (#233).  He made only seven errors at first base.  "Boog has come so far in the last couple of years," said second baseman Dave Johnson (#203).  "He used to hug the line and just cover the bag four or five years ago, playing every hitter the same.  Now he’ll come off, allowing me to shade second."  After sweeping the Twins in the playoffs, the Orioles fell flat in the 1969 World Series, losing to the underdog New York Mets in five games.  Powell had a disappointing Series, hitting .263 with no extra-base hits and four strikeouts.

1962 Topps #99

1967 Topps #230

1970 Topps #410

1975 Topps #625

1977 Topps #206

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1962 Topps #99
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (16):  1962-77
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2020 Topps Update Decades' Best #DB-22
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  368 in the Beckett online database as of 2/1/26.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database
1965 Topps Blog

#14 Al McBean - San Diego Padres / #16 Giants Rookie Stars

#13 Mickey Stanley - Detroit Tigers

Mitchell Jack Stanley
Detroit Tigers
Outfield-Shortstop

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  185
Born:  July 20, 1942, Grand Rapids, MI
Signed:  Signed by the Detroit Tigers as an amateur free agent before 1961 season
Major League Teams:  Detroit Tigers 1964-78

World Series Appearances:  Detroit Tigers 1968

Known primarily for his defense, Mickey Stanley played 15 seasons in the majors, all with his home state Tigers.  His best season statistically coincided with the Tigers winning the World Series in 1968.  As the club's everyday centerfielder, Stanley played in 153 games, batting .259 with 11 home runs and 60 RBIs that season, while also winning his first of four career Gold Gloves.  With stronger offense needed for the stretch run and the World Series, manager Mayo Smith (#40) moved Stanley to shortstop late in the season, a position he had never played professionally.  The move paid off, with the slugging Willie Horton (#180), Jim Northrup (#580) and Al Kaline (#410) in the outfield, and Stanley replacing the light-hitting Ray Oyler (#178) in the infield.  Stanley would occasionally play shortstop during the 1969 season, but he'd remain as the club's most used center fielder through the early 1970s.

Stanley shifted to a super utility and pinch-hitting role beginning in 1974.  In his last season with the club, in 1978, Stanley helped usher in a new era of Tigers stars, playing alongside rookies Alan Trammell, Lou Whitaker, Lance Parrish and Jack Morris.  He retired with a lifetime batting average of .248, with 1,243 hits, 117 home runs and 500 RBIs.  His .993 fielding percentage as a center fielder is currently 20th all-time.

Building the Set / Card #623

September 21, 2025 from The Philly Show (Niagara Sports Cards)

On Sunday morning, September 21st, I made the hour-long drive to the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania for the latest installment of the Philadelphia Sports Card & Memorabilia Show, known to its friends as The Philly Show.  The show has a legitimate official sponsor (eBay) and the advertisement for the event notes the show is in its 50th year.  I hadn't attended a baseball card show since the last Philly Show in December, and I was flying solo to this one as our oldest son is in his first month of college at Villanova.  I posted a full summary of the show over at The Phillies Room.

I made stops at six tables at the show, all yielding needed cards for our 1969 Topps set, and I left the show with just 16 more cards to go for my version of a complete set.  My third stop was a smaller table with the impossible to pass up offer of 1969 Topps commons that were only $1, unless marked.  The binder was right at the end of the table, making it an even easier sell.  The prices on some of the cards were stunningly low, so I was even more surprised when the dealer, Niagara Sports Cards, gave me an even deeper discount upon tallying up my total.

I found 12 cards needed from Niagara Sports Cards, and this was the first of 12, and the 64th of 91 cards for the set added overall on the day.  True to its advertising, this card was less than a dollar after the discount.

The Card / Tigers Team Set / Accuracy Index +5

Topps chose a great photo of Stanley that works well with the set's design.  If the player making a cameo behind him is wearing #2, it would be Jake Wood if the photo is from 1967 or Tommy Matchick (#344) if the photo is from 1968.  The write-up on the back of the card refers to manager Smith's "World Series surprise" of having his Gold Glove outfielder move to shortstop for the series.

Accuracy Index:  Stanley card earns a strong +5.

1969 Season
From his SABR biography, written by Jerry Nechal: 

[Following the World Series win,] Stanley's fortunes turned quickly the following spring.  The newspapers were filled with speculation about a permanent move to shortstop.  On the first day of spring training Mickey injured his throwing arm.  In 2007 he remembered that day, "The first ground ball . . . Dick Tracewski (#126) hit one in the hole; being the young showoff, I picked it up and threw it off the wrong foot . . . It hurt my arm and that was it for the rest of my career.  I played with a bad arm . . . It definitely took the fun out of baseball for me, because that was my biggest asset."  Despite the injury, Stanley led the team with 149 games played, 59 of them at shortstop.  He returned to the outfield as a regular after Tom Tresh (#212) was acquired from the Yankees in June to play short.  Stanley won his second Gold Glove and set a Tigers record by playing in 220 consecutive errorless games as an outfielder.  His batting average slipped to .235, but he had a career-high 70 RBI as the Tigers finished 19 games behind Baltimore.

1966 Topps #198

1970 Topps #383

1975 Topps #141

1977 Topps #533

1979 Topps #692

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1966 Topps #198
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (14):  1966-79
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2004 Upper Deck Legends Timeless Teams #78
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  79 in the Beckett online database as of 2/1/26.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database

#12 1968 N.L. Strikeout Leaders / #14 Al McBean - San Diego Padres

#602 Cubs Rookie Stars - Alec Distaso / Don Young / Jim Qualls

Alec John Distaso
Chicago Cubs
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'2"  Weight:  200
Born:  December 23, 1948, Los Angeles, CA
Drafted:  Drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 1st round (1st pick) of the 1967 amateur draft, January 28, 1967
Major League Teams:  Chicago Cubs 1969

Died: July 13, 2009, Macomb, IL (age 60)

Donald Wayne Young
Chicago Cubs
Outfield

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'2"  Weight:  185
Born:  October 18, 1945, Houston, TX
Signed:  Signed by the St. Louis Cardinals as an amateur free agent, June 4, 1963
Major League Teams:  Chicago Cubs 1965, 1969

Died:  November 21, 2024, Mesa, AZ (age 79)

James Robert Qualls
Chicago Cubs
Infield

Bats:  Both  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'10"  Weight:  158
Born:  October 9, 1946, Exeter, CA
Signed:  Signed by the Chicago Cubs as an amateur free agent, June 6, 1964
Major League Teams:  Chicago Cubs 1969; Montreal Expos 1970; Chicago White Sox 1972

Taken with the first overall pick in the January 1967 amateur player draft, Alec Distaso rose quickly through the Cubs minor league system, earning a spot on the team's opening day roster in 1969.  He'd appear in just two games, allowing a pair of earned runs in 4 2/3 innings pitched, before getting sent back down to the minors.  Elbow troubles curtailed the rest of his career, and Distaso would attempt to pitch through the pain in 1970, only to retire following the season.

Don Young played in 11 games for the Cubs in 1965, spent the next three full seasons back in the minors, and then spent the entire 1969 season as the most frequently used center fielder by manager Leo Durocher (#147).  Young appeared in 101 games overall, and made 98 starts in center, including on opening day.  He batted .239 with 12 doubles, six home runs and 27 RBIs, and a few defensive lapses late in the season contributed to the Cubs' collapse down the stretch.  Young never made it back to the majors following the 1969 season, playing parts of two more seasons in the minors before retiring.

Jim Qualls made the Cubs' opening day roster out of spring training in 1969, but spent the bulk of the first half of that season back in the minor leagues or serving in the National Guard.  He'd end up playing in 43 games in the majors that year, his most in parts of three big league seasons, batting .250 with five doubles and nine RBIs.  Qualls' biggest hit of the season was a one-out single in the top of the ninth off the Mets' Tom Seaver (#480) on July 9th, breaking up Seaver's perfect game.  Qualls would play in nine games with the Expos in 1970 and 11 games with the White Sox in 1972 before heading to Japan for the 1972 and 1973 seasons.  With the Kinetsu Buffaloes, Qualls played in 162 games, batting .252 with 15 home runs and 71 RBIs.  In the majors, he appeared in 63 games, batting .223.

Building the Set / Card #622
September 21, 2025 from The Philly Show (Vintage Sports)

On Sunday morning, September 21st, I made the hour-long drive to the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania for the latest installment of the Philadelphia Sports Card & Memorabilia Show, known to its friends as The Philly Show.  The show has a legitimate official sponsor (eBay) and the advertisement for the event notes the show is in its 50th year.  I hadn't attended a baseball card show since the last Philly Show in December, and I was flying solo to this one as our oldest son is in his first month of college at Villanova.  I posted a full summary of the show over at The Phillies Room.

I made stops at six tables at the show, all yielding needed cards for our 1969 Topps set, and I left the show with just 16 more cards to go for my version of a complete set.  My second stop was the aptly named Vintage Sports table.  I always appreciate a dealer with clear signage explaining their pricing method, and Vintage Sports had a marker in their selection of 1969 Topps cards laying out that cards without a sleeve were $1 and cards with a sleeve were $2.  I had one "high number" in a sleeve, and that was a whopping $4. 

I found 28 commons needed before moving on to my third stop.  This was the 28th of 28 total cards bought from Vintage Sports, and the 63rd of 91 cards for the set added overall on the day.  Sleeved, this card cost less than $4 after a dealer discount.

The Card / Cubs Team Set

Distaso Accuracy Index +5 / Young Accuracy Index +5 / Qualls Accuracy Index +5
This is one of 11 Rookie Stars cards, out of the 59 Rookie Stars cards in the set, to feature a trio of players.  All three had made the Cubs' opening day roster, so they were good choices for a late series card.  It's the rookie card for Distaso and Qualls, but Young had previously appeared in the 1966 Topps set.  It's also the last card for Distaso.

Accuracy Index:  A solid showing all around as all three rookie stars earn a +5.

1969 Season - Distaso
From his SABR biography, written by Rory Costello: 

Wearing number 45, Distaso made his big-league debut on April 20 in the second game of a doubleheader at old Jarry Park in Montreal.  Relieving Joe Niekro (#43), who took the loss, Al retired six of the seven Expos to face him, allowing just one walk.  His only other appearance came two days later, at another park of yesteryear, Pittsburgh’s Forbes Field.  Bill Hands (#115) got knocked out in the second inning, and Distaso allowed two inherited runners to score before retiring the side.  He then gave up two runs of his own in the fourth before leaving for a pinch-hitter. 

On May 10, the Cubs promoted catcher Bill Heath from Tacoma and sent Distaso down to San Antonio in the Texas League (Double A). The team went with just nine pitchers; "it was decided that this number would suffice with the team encountering seven off days in the next four weeks, and with the batsmen currently suffering."

With the Double-A San Antonio Missions, Distaso was 4-8 with a 4.21 ERA in 21 games, including 20 starts.  He struck out 47 and walked 39 in 124 innings pitched.

Other Notable Baseball Cards - Distaso
First Mainstream Card:  1969 Topps #602
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (1):  1969
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1969 Topps #602
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  2 in the Beckett online database as of 1/29/26.

Sources - Distaso:  
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database

1969 Season - Young
From his Wikipedia entry:  In the ninth inning of a game against the New York Mets on July 8, 1969 playing centerfield Young failed to catch balls hit by Ken Boswell (#402) and Donn Clendenon (#208).  Both were ruled doubles. Young had the Clendenon ball in his mitt before crashing into the wall; with Boswell stopping at third thinking the ball was caught.  A Cleon Jones (#512) double followed that tied the game.  After an intentional walk to Art Shamsky (#221) a single by Ed Kranepool (#381) plated Jones with the winning run.  The line score in the 9th was 3 runs on 4 hits with two left on with no errors.

After the game manager Leo Durocher blamed Young for the loss.  Among other things, Durocher said, "My 3-year-old could have caught those balls."  Teammate Ron Santo (#570) also loudly criticized Young in the clubhouse accusing him of letting his concern about hitting influence his fielding.  The next day Santo apologized to Young and called a press conference to make a public apology.  The Cubs, who had a nine-game lead as late as Aug. 16, went on to lose the pennant by eight games to the Mets. Don Young was blamed by many for the Cubs collapse.

1969 Season - Qualls
From his SABR biography, written by Rory Costello:  . . . His best day in the majors came shortly after his return, on July 2.  At Montreal’s old Jarry Park, he went 3 for 4, with a double and triple off Bill Stoneman (#67), plus another double against Gary Waslewski (#438).  He has no memory of that day, though - 'it’s probably in my old scrapbooks, but I don’t really look at those no more.'

Six days later, the Cubs were in Shea Stadium for a three-game series. Don Young lost the opener with two ninth-inning misplays. Durocher and in particular third baseman Ron Santo had caustic remarks for Young; the next night Qualls was in the lineup.

In front of 59,083 fans - the biggest baseball crowd that Shea would ever host - Tom Seaver was overpowering. He mowed through the Chicago order, although Santo did hit two deep fly balls that Tommie Agee hauled in.  Seaver threw out Randy Hundley (#347) on an attempted bunt to open the ninth.  Then Qualls (who had also hit the ball hard previously) stepped up.  Batting left against the righty, he swung at the first pitch - a sinker that didn’t sink.

The ball was outside, and Qualls took it the other way.  Some accounts describe the hit as a “looper” or “flare” - which suggests that it was a cheapie.  It was nothing of the sort, simply a clean sharp single, as Mets announcer Bob Murphy described it:

"And it’s hit hard to left field . . . It's going to be a base hit . . . A base hit by Jimmy Qualls and it breaks up the perfect game . . . Now the applause for Tom Seaver . . . Eight and one-third innings of perfect baseball by Seaver.”

1966 Topps #139

1970 Topps #117

1970 Topps #192

1971 Topps #731

Other Notable Baseball Cards - Young
First Mainstream Card:  1966 Topps #139
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (3):  1966, 1969-70
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1970 Topps #117
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  8 in the Beckett online database as of 1/29/26.

Sources - Young:  
Baseball Reference / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database

Other Notable Baseball Cards - Qualls
First Mainstream Card:  1969 Topps #602
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (3):  1969-71
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1971 Topps #731
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  10 in the Beckett online database as of 1/29/26.

Sources - Qualls:  
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database

#601 Tug McGraw - New York Mets / #603 Joe Keough - Kansas City Royals

#512 Cleon Jones - New York Mets

Cleon Joseph Jones
New York Mets
Outfield

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Left  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  185
Born:  August 4, 1942, Plateau, AL
Signed:  Signed by the New York Mets as an amateur free agent before 1963 season
Major League Teams:  New York Mets 1963, 1965-75; Chicago White Sox 1976

World Series Appearances:  New York Mets 1969, 1973

Cleon Jones spent parts of 13 seasons in the majors, but his All-Star season of 1969 was by far his most memorable.  Jones first received regular playing time in 1966 as the team's everyday center fielder, and he finished fourth in the league's Rookie of the Year voting after batting .275 with 57 RBIs.  After a move to left field to accommodate the newly acquired Tommie Agee (#364), Jones had a career year in 1969.  He was named to the All-Star team and batted a career-high .340 (third in the league) with 12 home runs and 75 RBIs.  An offensive catalyst for the Amazing Mets, Jones caught the final out of the 1969 World Series, in which the Mets defeated the highly-favored Orioles in five games.  The Mets returned to the World Series in 1973, with Jones batting .286 with a pair of doubles and a home run against the victorious Athletics.

He played with the Mets through mid-1975, and attempted a comeback with the White Sox in 1976.  Jones  collected 1,196 hits overall in 1,213 games, batting .281 with 93 home runs and 524 RBIs.  He's currently fourth on the Mets' all-time franchise leaderboard with 1,188 hits, and he was inducted into the team's Hall of Fame in 1991.

Some text for this post originally appeared on my 1965 Topps blog.

Building the Set / Card #621
September 21, 2025 from The Philly Show (Vintage Sports)

On Sunday morning, September 21st, I made the hour-long drive to the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania for the latest installment of the Philadelphia Sports Card & Memorabilia Show, known to its friends as The Philly Show.  The show has a legitimate official sponsor (eBay) and the advertisement for the event notes the show is in its 50th year.  I hadn't attended a baseball card show since the last Philly Show in December, and I was flying solo to this one as our oldest son is in his first month of college at Villanova.  I posted a full summary of the show over at The Phillies Room.

I made stops at six tables at the show, all yielding needed cards for our 1969 Topps set, and I left the show with just 16 more cards to go for my version of a complete set.  My second stop was the aptly named Vintage Sports table.  I always appreciate a dealer with clear signage explaining their pricing method, and Vintage Sports had a marker in their selection of 1969 Topps cards laying out that cards without a sleeve were $1 and cards with a sleeve were $2.  I had one "high number" in a sleeve, and that was a whopping $4. 

I found 28 commons needed before moving on to my third stop.  This was the 27th of 28 total cards bought from Vintage Sports, and the 62nd of 91 cards for the set added overall on the day.  Sleeved, this card cost less than $2 after a dealer discount.

The Card / Mets Team Set / Accuracy Index +5

Jones' pose on his 1970 Topps card is almost the exact same pose as shown on this card.  I had to study both cards side by side to determine they were slightly different photos.  Topps reprinted the card in its 2002 Topps Archives set.  The back of the card recounts Jones' hot finish to the 1968 season and the cartoon highlights his college football exploits.

Accuracy Index:  Jones' card earns a standard +5 for the accurate uniform and hat.

1969 Season
As noted above, this was by far Jones' best season in the majors.  From his SABR biography, written by Fred Worth: 

Cleon Jones was as big a part of the Mets championship as anyone.  He batted .340 with an on-base percentage of .422.  He led the team in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging, hits, doubles, stolen bases, walks, and even hit by pitches.  He was second on the team in RBIs, one behind Agee.  He started in the All-Star Game (two singles, reached on an error, and scored twice) and finished seventh in the league Most Valuable Player voting, behind winner Willie McCovey (#440) and teammates Tom Seaver (#480) and Agee. 

During the first National League Championship Series in history, Jones batted .429 with a homer, two doubles, and four RBIs.  The Mets hit .327 overall in the three-game sweep of Atlanta. 

In the World Series win over Baltimore, Jones hit only .158, but he was in the thick of things. His foot and his knee live in Mets immortality.  He was hit by Dave McNally's (#340) "shoe polish" pitch and scored on Donn Clendenon's (#208) homer, getting the Mets back in the game.  And then, in the top of the ninth, he gently coaxed Davey Johnson's (#203) fly ball into his glove, making the Mets the world champions.

1965 Topps #308

1967 Topps #165

1972 Topps #31

1973 Topps #540

1975 Topps #43

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1965 Topps #308
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (11):  1965-75
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2018 Topps Heritage Miracle of '69 #MO69-CJ
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  121 in the Beckett online database as of 1/28/26.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database
1965 Topps Blog

#511 Diego Segui - Seattle Pilots / #513 Camilo Pascual - Washington Senators