#658 A.L. Rookie Stars - Tom Hall / Bill Burbach / Jim Miles

Tom Edward Hall
Minnesota Twins
Pitcher

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Left  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  150
Born:  November 23, 1947, Thomasville, NC
Drafted:  Drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 3rd round of the 1966 amateur draft, January 29, 1966
Major League Teams:  Minnesota Twins 1968-1971; Cincinnati Reds 1972-1975; New York Mets 1975-1976; Kansas City Royals 1976-1977

World Series Appearances:  Cincinnati Reds 1972

William David Burbach
New York Yankees
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'4"  Weight:  215
Born:  August 22, 1947, Dickeyville, WI
Drafted:  Drafted by the New York Yankees in the 1st round of the 1965 amateur draft, June 8, 1965
Major League Teams:  New York Yankees 1969-1971

Died:  July 20, 2022, Elizabethton, TN (age 74)

James Charlie Miles
Washington Senators
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'2"  Weight:  210
Born:  August 8, 1943, Grenada, MS
Signed:  Signed by the Washington Senators as an amateur free agent before 1966 season
Major League Teams:  Washington Senators 1968-1969

Nicknamed "The Blade," due to his slim physique, Tom Hall played a decade in the majors and was a key reliever for the early Big Red Machine clubs in 1972 and 1973.  Hall was a swingman for the pennant-winning Twins' clubs in 1969 and 1970, appearing in a combined 83 games over the two seasons and making 29 starts.  Hall was 25-21 overall for the Twins, pitching to a 3.00 ERA and striking out 431 in 455 1/3 innings.  In December 1971, he was dealt to the Reds for pitcher Wayne Granger (#551), and while Hall would make a few starts during his years in Cincinnati he was mainly a reliable reliever.  In 1972 he was 10-1 with a 2.61 ERA, and he pitched 8 1/3 scoreless innings in the World Series against the Athletics in four different games.  The last four seasons of his major league career were spent working out of the bullpens of the Mets and Royals.  In 358 career games, Hall was 52-33 with a 3.27 ERA and 32 saves.

The Yankees selected big right-handed pitcher Bill Burbach with their first overall pick in the June 1965 amateur player draft, the 19th overall pick.  Burbach found moderate success over four seasons in the Yankees' minor league system before making his big league debut at the start of the 1969 season.  He spent all year with the Yankees, appearing in 31 games overall, including 24 starts.  Burbach would pitch sparingly for the club over the next two seasons, appearing in only six games total between 1970 and 1971.  He'd pitch in the Orioles and Twins systems in 1971 and 1972 before retiring.  In 37 games, including his career-high 31 games in 1969, Burbach was 6-11 with a 4.48 ERA in 160 2/3 innings pitched. 

Jim Miles appeared in 13 total games between two seasons with the Senators, and spent seven seasons overall pitching in the Senators/Rangers system.  He appeared in a career-high 139 innings in his first professional season in 1966, while also striking out a career-best 104.  Miles earned a September call-up in 1968, making it into three games and allowing at least a run in each appearance.  He'd appear in 10 more games sporadically throughout the 1969 season, making one start against the Royals on August 13th.  Miles was 0-1 overall with a 7.30 ERA in 24 2/3 innings pitched.  He'd spend the 1970 through 1972 seasons pitching exclusively for the Triple-A Denver Bears before retiring.  

Building the Set / Card #40
December 3, 2022 from The Philly Show (Huggins & Scott Auctions)

At the outset of The Philly Show, more formally known as the Philadelphia Sports Collectors Show, held within the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania, we needed just four cards to complete our 1965 Topps set.  I wrote a full summary of the show in this post over at The Phillies Room.

The show so far had been an all-timer.  Major purchases were made (1965 and 1969 Topps Mickey Mantle, 1969 Topps Reggie Jackson rookie card, Diamond Stars Rogers Hornsby), our 1965 Topps set was completed and I admittedly wasn't ready to leave just yet.  With a little more cash in hand, I decided to find a few more cards for our now newly-collecting 1969 Topps set.

I found a box of vintage semi-star cards at the table of Higgins & Scott Auctions from Silver Spring, Maryland, with a "50% Off" sign attached to it.  It was truly a hodge podge of minor stars, checklists, multi-player Rookie Stars cards and other assorted randomness.  After confirming the cards were indeed 50% off the sticker prices, I found eight interesting cards needed for our set and parted with my final $50 of the day.  This A.L. Rookie Stars card was $5, and was one of three multi-team, multi-player Rookie Stars cards I found in the box.  My best guess is these were cards with no logical fit, part of no specific team set, and of use only to those collectors actually building a 1969 Topps set.

The Card / Twins Team Set / Yankees Team Set / Senators Team Set

Hall Accuracy Index +5 / Burbach Accuracy Index +5 / Miles Accuracy Index +5
This is the rookie card for all three players, and all three would go on to have at least one more Topps flagship set appearance in 1970.  One of the final cards in the set, the design and text for this card was finalized in early May 1969, given the note on the back about Miles.

Accuracy Index:  This is a solid showing for Topps, given all three pitchers are featured in their actual team uniforms.

1969 Season - Hall
Hall spent the entire season with the Twins, appearing in 31 games and making 18 starts.  He was 8-7 with a 3.33 ERA for the pennant-winning club.  Only Jim Perry (#146), Dave Boswell (#459) and Jim Kaat (#290) made more starts for the Twins, and Hall had two shutouts to Perry's three.  In the ALCS, Hall made one relief appearance, retiring both batters he faced in Game 3.  The Orioles would sweep the Twins in three games to advance to the World Series.

1970 Topps #169

1973 Topps #8

1974 Topps #248

1975 Topps #108

1976 Topps #621

Other Notable Baseball Cards - Hall
First Mainstream Card:  1969 Topps #658
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (8):  1969-1976
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1976 Topps #621
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  28 in the Beckett online database as of 1/21/23.

Sources - Hall:  
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database

1969 Season - Burbach
It seems Burbach's biggest challenge was wildness, and in 1969 he walked 102 and struck out 82 in 140 2/3 innings pitched.  The Yankees would finish a game under .500 with Burbach slotting in as the team's usual fourth starter behind Mel Stottlemyre (#470), Fritz Peterson (#46) and Stan Bahnsen (#380).  He was 6-8 with a 3.65 ERA, pitching two complete games, including a shutout in his second career start on April 20th against the Tigers.  It was Burbach's only career shutout.

1969 Season - Miles
With the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons, Miles made 28 relief appearances and was 7-2 with a 3.56 ERA and a team-leading seven saves.  With the Senators, he appeared in three games in April, another five games in late July/early August and then finally two more games as a September call-up.  As the back of this card indicates, he was optioned down on May 3rd, but he'd return again in late July.  In his August start against the Royals, Miles lasted two innings, giving up six runs (five earned) on three hits and three walks.

1970 Topps #167

1971 Topps #683

1970 Topps #154

Other Notable Baseball Cards - Burbach
First Mainstream Card:  1969 Topps #658
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (3):  1956-1969-1971
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2020 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs #ROA-BBU
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  14 in the Beckett online database as of 1/21/23.

Sources - Burbach:  
Baseball Reference / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database

Other Notable Baseball Cards - Miles
First Mainstream Card:  1969 Topps #658
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (2):  1969-1970
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1970 Topps #154
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  6 in the Beckett online database as of 1/21/23.

Sources - Miles:  
Baseball Reference / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database

#657 Bobby Murcer - New York Yankees / #659 Johnny Podres - San Diego Padres