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Harry William Walker
Houston Astros
Manager
Born: September 22, 1918, Pascagoula, MS
Signed: Signed by the Philadelphia Phillies as an amateur free agent before 1937 season
Major League Teams: St. Louis Cardinals 1940-1943, 1946-1947; Philadelphia Phillies 1947-1948; Chicago Cubs 1949; Cincinnati Reds 1949; St. Louis Cardinals 1950-1951, 1955
World Series Appearances: St. Louis Cardinals 1942-1943, 1946
As a Manager: St. Louis Cardinals 1955; Pittsburgh Pirates 1965-1967; Houston Astros 1968-1972
Died: August 8, 1999, Birmingham, AL (age 80)
Harry "The Hat" Walker starred for the Cardinals in the 1940s and missed two seasons in his prime while serving in the military. Before and after his military service, he helped lead the Cardinals to two World Series titles in 1942 and 1946. He hit .412 (7 for 17) in the 1946 World Series and drove home the winning run with an RBI double in the decisive Game 7 against the Red Sox. Traded to the Phillies in May 1947, he won the National League batting title with a .363 average and also led the league with a .436 OBP. He appeared in the 1943 and 1947 All-Star Games and finished his 11 year career with a .296 average and 786 hits. His brother Dixie Walker was a four-time All-Star with the Dodgers in the 1940s, and his father, the elder Dixie Walker, played for the Senators between 1909 and 1912.
Walker started his big league managerial career as a player-manager for the Cardinals in mid-1955, replacing the fired Eddie Stanky. He was let go as Cardinals manager following the season, but he remained with the organization as a minor league manager and a coach for the club between 1959 and 1962. As Pirates manager between 1965 and 1967, he had his most success the first two seasons, leading the club to third place finishes in the N.L. He'd later manage the Astros for five seasons. In parts of nine seasons as a manager in the Majors, Walker compiled a record of 630-604.
As a Manager: St. Louis Cardinals 1955; Pittsburgh Pirates 1965-1967; Houston Astros 1968-1972
Died: August 8, 1999, Birmingham, AL (age 80)
Harry "The Hat" Walker starred for the Cardinals in the 1940s and missed two seasons in his prime while serving in the military. Before and after his military service, he helped lead the Cardinals to two World Series titles in 1942 and 1946. He hit .412 (7 for 17) in the 1946 World Series and drove home the winning run with an RBI double in the decisive Game 7 against the Red Sox. Traded to the Phillies in May 1947, he won the National League batting title with a .363 average and also led the league with a .436 OBP. He appeared in the 1943 and 1947 All-Star Games and finished his 11 year career with a .296 average and 786 hits. His brother Dixie Walker was a four-time All-Star with the Dodgers in the 1940s, and his father, the elder Dixie Walker, played for the Senators between 1909 and 1912.
Some text for this post originally appeared on my 1965 Topps blog.
The Card / Astros Team Set / Accuracy Index -8
1969 Season
Walker led the Astros to their first non-losing season, breaking even with an 81-81 record and a fifth place finish in the National League West. Center fielder Jim Wynn (#360) was the team's top slugger, batting .269 with 33 home runs and 87 RBIs. Shortstop Denis Menke (#487) led the team with 90 RBIs.
Sources:
Baseball Reference - Walker / Baseball Reference - 1969 Astros / SABR
Building the Set / Card #64
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.
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 Walker card, the last of the bunch, was $2.70, and arrived a week after I had made the return trip home from Dallas.
The Card / Astros Team Set / Accuracy Index -8
Walker is clearly wearing a Pirates uniform here. The back of the card needs a little explaining, as Walker didn't begin his major league managerial career until 1955. In 1951, Walker was named player-manager of the Triple-A Columbus Red Birds. The team would finish with a 53-101 record, but Walker took home the league batting title with an impressive .393 average. He'd be promoted to manage the Cardinals' Triple-A club in 1952.
Accuracy Index: Walker receives what's becoming a standard -8, for being pictured in the Pirates uniform (-5) and having a logo-less hat (-3).
1969 Season
Walker led the Astros to their first non-losing season, breaking even with an 81-81 record and a fifth place finish in the National League West. Center fielder Jim Wynn (#360) was the team's top slugger, batting .269 with 33 home runs and 87 RBIs. Shortstop Denis Menke (#487) led the team with 90 RBIs.
The trio of Larry Dierker (#411), Don Wilson (#202) and Tom Griffin (#614) each had at least 200 strikeouts, and the 1,221 strikeouts in total from the Astros' pitching staff set a record that would stand until broken by the 1996 Braves. Closer Fred Gladding (#58) converted 29 saves to lead the National League.
Phillies Career
Walker was originally signed by the Phillie before the 1937 season, but then sent to the Cardinals before the 1940 season in what Baseball Reference calls an "unknown transaction." His SABR biography notes he was signed by the Indians, and not the Phillies. In any event, on May 3, 1947, the Cardinals traded him to the Phillies with Freddy Schmidt for Ron Northey. Walker earned his second All-Star game nod in 1947 and he started in center field and led off for the N.L. His brother Dixie batted second and played right field.
His Phillies career lasted through the 1948 season as he was traded to the Cubs on October 4, 1948 for Bill Nicholson. In 242 games with the Phillies, Walker hit .339.
Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card: 1949 Bowman #130
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (8): 1960, 1965-1967, 1970-1972
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2018 Panini Diamond Kings #45
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 81 in the Beckett online database as of 2/13/23.
Walker was originally signed by the Phillie before the 1937 season, but then sent to the Cardinals before the 1940 season in what Baseball Reference calls an "unknown transaction." His SABR biography notes he was signed by the Indians, and not the Phillies. In any event, on May 3, 1947, the Cardinals traded him to the Phillies with Freddy Schmidt for Ron Northey. Walker earned his second All-Star game nod in 1947 and he started in center field and led off for the N.L. His brother Dixie batted second and played right field.
His Phillies career lasted through the 1948 season as he was traded to the Cubs on October 4, 1948 for Bill Nicholson. In 242 games with the Phillies, Walker hit .339.
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First Mainstream Card: 1949 Bowman #130
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (8): 1960, 1965-1967, 1970-1972
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2018 Panini Diamond Kings #45
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 81 in the Beckett online database as of 2/13/23.
Update Cards
For my 1965 Topps blog, I used the team card posts to come up with five or six candidates per team for an imaginary update series. With no team cards in the 1969 Topps set, I'll use each manager card for this exercise, and come up with a list of deserving cards to be included in an 8th/update series.
- Jesus Alou (lf) - Jesus Alou (#22) and Jack Billingham (#92) came over from the Expos in the deal that sent one of the franchise's first stars, Rusty Staub (#230), to the new expansion team. Both Alou and Billingham have Expos cards in the set.
- Jack Billingham (rhp)
- Tom Griffin (rhp) - Tom Griffin shares a Rookie Stars card (#614) with Skip Guinn in the set, but I'd give him his own card in the update set.
- Jim Bouton (rhp) - Bouton would pitch in 45 games for the Astros in 1969 and 1970, but never appear on an Astros card in a Topps set.
- Sandy Valdespino (lf) - The outfielder last appeared in a Topps set in 1968, but he appeared in 41 games for the Astros in 1969.
- J.R. Richard (rhp) - The future star was the Astros' 1st round pick (second overall) in the 1969 amateur player draft. It's a stretch, but I'd give him a card in an imaginary 8th series.
Baseball Reference - Walker / Baseball Reference - 1969 Astros / SABR
Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database
1965 Topps Blog / The Phillies Room
1965 Topps Blog / The Phillies Room
#632 Jon Warden - Kansas City Royals / #634 Andy Etchebarren - Baltimore Orioles
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