#482 Jim Gosger - Seattle Pilots

James Charles Gosger
Seattle Pilots
Outfield

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Left  Height:  5'11"  Weight:  185
Born:  November 6, 1942, Port Huron, MI
Signed:  Signed by the Boston Red Sox as an amateur free agent, January 6, 1962
Major League Teams:  Boston Red Sox 1963, 1965-1966; Kansas City Athletics 1966-1967; Oakland Athletics 1968; Seattle Pilots 1969; New York Mets 1969; Montreal Expos 1970-1971; New York Mets 1973-1974

Frequently on the move during his decade in the major leagues, Jim Gosger spent time with five different clubs as a back-up outfielder and left-handed bat off the bench.  Gosger came up with the Red Sox, but his most productive seasons came in 1966 and 1967 with the Athletics.  In 1966, he began the season with Boston and was traded to Kansas City in mid-June.  His combined totals that season resulted in career bests for both home runs (10) and RBIs (44).  Getting the chance to play regularly, Gosger appeared in a career-high 134 games in 1967 as Kansas City's regular left fielder.  He batted .242 with five home runs and 36 RBIs, and was one of the better hitters for a team that lost 99 games.  Left unprotected by the Athletics, he was drafted by the expansion Pilots in 1968 and would be that club's opening day center fielder.

Gosger went from last place to a pennant race on July 14, 1969, when he was dealt to the Mets.  He'd appear in just 10 games with the Mets as a September call-up and not see any postseason action.  He spent the final seasons of his major league career with the Expos and a second stint with the Mets.  In 705 games, Gosger batted .226 with 30 home runs and 177 RBIs.

Building the Set / Card #55
January 17, 2023 from Greg Morris Cards - Los Angeles, CA
On the evening of January 8th, I found myself sitting in Terminal C of the Philadelphia International Airport waiting to board my flight to Dallas.  Earlier that day, I had enjoyed watching our oldest son Doug at a winter track meet as he pole vaulted for his high school.  I was in a good mood despite the the fact that like most flights that day, my flight had been delayed.  This was for a work trip, and I was doing my best to stay positive and keep myself in the post-holiday happiness hangover that had lingered into the year's second week.  eBay seller Greg Morris Cards, based out of Los Angeles, somehow seems to post cards from various vintage baseball card set breaks on a weekly basis, with the cards typically all in fantastic condition.  With time to kill, knowing that bidding on baseball cards was a surefire good mood sustainer, and having only 40 cards so far for our 1969 Topps set, I pleasantly passed the time by bidding on 62 commons, all with no previous bidders, and all ending within the next 30 hours.

The next afternoon, while on a break at our work conference in the Hilton Anatole, I checked on the auctions, noting I had been outbid on a few, but was still the high bidder for most of the 62 cards.  That night, as auctions were close to ending, and as I was enjoying a few adult beverages at the fine Rodeo Goat establishment across the street from the Hilton, my Apple Watch began vibrating every few seconds as I was outbid on dozens of auctions.  When the dust had settled, I had won 24 new cards at an average price of about $2.50 per card.  This Gosger card was $2.26, and arrived a week after I had made the return trip home from Dallas.

The Card / Pilots Team Set / Accuracy Index +10

There are 29 Pilots cards in the 1969 Topps set, and this Gosger card has the distinction of being the first card to feature a member of the team in an actual Pilots uniform.  He's one of only six out of the 29 cards to show the uniform the Pilots wore during spring training in 1969.

This is one of 23 cards available in the set's fifth series available as either "yellow letter" or "white letter" variations, with the yellow letter variations being more prevalent.  This is the more prevalent yellow letter variation with Gosger's first name printed in yellow.

Accuracy Index:  Gosger's card receives the highest possible score, a 10, for being pictured in the expansion Pilots uniform.

1969 Season
Gosger began the season as the Pilots' regular center fielder, but was batting just .109 when he was demoted to the Vancouver Mounties in mid-June.  As told by Jim Bouton in his book Ball Four, Gosger remarked, "You know, I didn't think I was that bad a ballplayer, but they're making a believer out of me."  With the Mounties, Gosger got hot, batting .462 in 12 games before he was named as the player to be named later in a trade with the Mets originally completed in February.  The Pilots had received Greg Goossen in the deal, and Gosger and Goossen had briefly been teammates in Vancouver.

Gosger reported to the Triple-A Tidewater Tides where he continued to hit well.  In 58 games, he batted .341, earning a September call-up to the Mets.  Before his call-up, he had helped the Tides win the International League title.  Gosger played in 10 games with the Mets, making just two starts, and batted .133 (2 for 15).  Although he was ineligible for the postseason roster, Gosger was rewarded a small part of the Mets' World Series share.

1963 Topps #553

1966 Topps #114

1967 Topps #17

1970 Topps #651

1971 Topps #284

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1963 Topps #553
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (7):  1963, 1966-1971
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1983 Galasso 1969 Seattle Pilots #7
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  37 in the Beckett online database as of 2/5/23.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database

#481 Bill Melton - Chicago White Sox / #483 Ted Abernathy - Chicago Cubs