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John Wesley Callison
Philadelphia Phillies
Pitcher
Born: March 12, 1939, Qualls, OK
Signed: Signed by the Chicago White Sox as an amateur free agent, June 14, 1957
Major League Teams: Chicago White Sox 1958-1959; Philadelphia Phillies 1960-1969; Chicago Cubs 1970-1971; New York Yankees 1972-1973
Died: October 12, 2006, Abington, PA (age 67)
One of the top players for the Phillies in the 1960s, and a fan favorite as well, Johnny Callison was a three-time All-Star and MVP of the 1964 All-Star Game. He led or tied for the league lead in triples twice (10 in 1962, 16 in 1965) and doubles once (40 in 1966). He finished in the top 10 for runs scored in the N.L. five different times during the decade, and in the top 10 for home runs three different times. A top defender as well, Callison led all N.L. outfielders in assists in four straight seasons between 1962 and 1965. His 90 assists during that period were tops in the league, with Roberto Clemente's (#50) 59 assists a distant second. He had 197 total chances in 1968 without committing an error.
In 16 seasons and 1,886 career games, Callison hit .264 with 226 home runs and 840 RBIs, and he was inducted into the Phillies Wall of Fame in 1997.
One of the top players for the Phillies in the 1960s, and a fan favorite as well, Johnny Callison was a three-time All-Star and MVP of the 1964 All-Star Game. He led or tied for the league lead in triples twice (10 in 1962, 16 in 1965) and doubles once (40 in 1966). He finished in the top 10 for runs scored in the N.L. five different times during the decade, and in the top 10 for home runs three different times. A top defender as well, Callison led all N.L. outfielders in assists in four straight seasons between 1962 and 1965. His 90 assists during that period were tops in the league, with Roberto Clemente's (#50) 59 assists a distant second. He had 197 total chances in 1968 without committing an error.
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| From the 1969 Phillies Yearbook |
Some text for this post originally appeared on my 1965 Topps blog.
Building the Set / Card #167
March 12, 2023 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards)
The Card / Phillies Team Set / Accuracy Index +5
1969 Season
Callison was the Phillies' opening day right fielder for the final time, his ninth season in a row for the club. In 134 games, he was one of the top offensive performers for the fifth place team, batting .265 with 16 home runs and 64 RBIs. His most frequent outfield mates during his final season in Philadelphia were Deron Johnson (#297) in left and Larry Hisle (#206) in center. The Phillies traded Callison to the Cubs on November 17th, with Larry Colton (#454) for Oscar Gamble and Dick Selma (#197).
Phillies Career
The Phillies acquired Callison from the White Sox on December 9, 1959 for third baseman Gene Freese. He spent his first two seasons as the team's regular left fielder before moving over to right field for good in 1962. He was the Phillies regular right fielder for eight seasons, through 1969, and he's currently fourth on the franchise's all-time games played in the outfield list behind Richie Ashburn, Del Ennis and Sherry Magee. A fan favorite and a loyal player for manager Gene Mauch (#606), Callison was arguably the most popular Phillies player during the decade of the 1960s.
He retired from baseball after the 1973 season and was a mainstay for years at the Phillies annual fantasy camp in Clearwater, Florida.
Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card: 1959 Topps #119
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (15): 1959-1973
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2003 Upper Deck Yankees Signature Series #48
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 128 in the Beckett online database as of 11/11/23.
Sources:
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia
Building the Set / Card #167
March 12, 2023 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards)
In mid-March, Doug and I attended the Philadelphia Sports Collectors Show, held within the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania. My main focus for this show was accumulating as many 1969 Topps commons as possible, which I did by adding a grand total of 193 cards to our set. That's almost 30% of the entire set added in one enjoyable afternoon. I wrote a full summary of the show in a post over at The Phillies Room, found here.
This is the 90th of the 193 commons and semi-stars purchased, pulled and stacked from the first two neon green binders housing 1969 Topps cards at the multi-table spread of Uncle Dick's Cards from Babylon, New York. My method was simple - I pulled up a chair, found a card I needed, picked the best of the group from the binder page and set it aside. After each 100 cards, I'd ask the dealer to tell me how much damage I had done so far. With a budget in mind, I kept going twice, continuing after card #100 and card #200, and stopping at card #298. The final amount due was 17% off the sticker price for the pile of 193 cards, with this card costing me $1.25.
The Card / Phillies Team Set / Accuracy Index +5
Photos taken in 1967 of Callison near the batting cages were used for his 1968, 1969 and 1970 Topps cards. The back of the card highlights the three home runs Callison hit against the Braves on September 27, 1964. His victims were Chi-Chi Olivo twice and Tony Cloninger (#492). Topps is way off in saying Callison was the "first Phillies player ever" to connect for three home runs in one game, as eight Phillies had achieved the feat previously. Most recent to Callison's game were Del Ennis in 1955 and Don Demeter in 1961. As of this writing, there have been 21 games in which a Phillies player has hit three home runs, with Brad Miller doing it most recently in 2021.
Callison appeared in 15 Topps flagship sets between 1959 and 1973, and for some reason Topps designated his first name as John on only his first and final cards.
Accuracy Index: Callison's card scores a solid +5.
1969 Season
Callison was the Phillies' opening day right fielder for the final time, his ninth season in a row for the club. In 134 games, he was one of the top offensive performers for the fifth place team, batting .265 with 16 home runs and 64 RBIs. His most frequent outfield mates during his final season in Philadelphia were Deron Johnson (#297) in left and Larry Hisle (#206) in center. The Phillies traded Callison to the Cubs on November 17th, with Larry Colton (#454) for Oscar Gamble and Dick Selma (#197).
The Phillies acquired Callison from the White Sox on December 9, 1959 for third baseman Gene Freese. He spent his first two seasons as the team's regular left fielder before moving over to right field for good in 1962. He was the Phillies regular right fielder for eight seasons, through 1969, and he's currently fourth on the franchise's all-time games played in the outfield list behind Richie Ashburn, Del Ennis and Sherry Magee. A fan favorite and a loyal player for manager Gene Mauch (#606), Callison was arguably the most popular Phillies player during the decade of the 1960s.
He retired from baseball after the 1973 season and was a mainstay for years at the Phillies annual fantasy camp in Clearwater, Florida.
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First Mainstream Card: 1959 Topps #119
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (15): 1959-1973
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2003 Upper Deck Yankees Signature Series #48
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 128 in the Beckett online database as of 11/11/23.
Sources:
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia
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