#134 Jim Weaver - California Angels

James Brian Weaver
California Angels
Pitcher

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Left  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  178
Born:  February 19, 1939, Lancaster, PA
Signed:  Signed by the Cleveland Indians as an amateur free agent before 1958 season
Major League Teams:  California Angels 1967-1968

World Series Appearances:  XX

Jim Weaver, with the nickname "Fluff," pitched in parts of two seasons with the Angels in 1967 and 1968, appearing in 27 total games.  Weaver was originally signed by the Indians, and he spent 7 1/2 seasons pitching in the minor leagues before finally making his debut with the Angels on August 13, 1967.  He had been acquired by the Angels just a week before in a trade with the Astros.  The best outing of his big league career came on September 17, 1967 when he started and earned the win against the Athletics, throwing seven innings while striking out a career-high six batters.  For his major league career, Weaver was 3-1 with a 2.55 ERA in 53 innings pitched.

Building the Set / Card #168
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 91st 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 less than a dollar.

1968 Topps #328

The Card / Angels Team Set / Accuracy Index +3

Weaver appeared in two Topps flagship sets, and both photos used for his 1968 and 1969 Topps cards were taken at the same session.  This is his first solo and last overall mainstream baseball card.  On the back, Topps acknowledges that Weaver wasn't with the Angels to start the 1969 season, noting he had been assigned to Hawaii in the Pacific Coast League the previous November.  His no-hitter in 1959 came while he was a member of the Burlington Indians in the Carolina League.

Accuracy Index:  Weaver is shown in an Angels uniform (+5), but he wouldn't pitch with the Angels in 1969 (-2).

1969 Season
Weaver spent all of the 1969 season in the minor leagues, pitching for the Angels' farm teams in Hawaii and El Paso.  He was 5-2 combined at the two levels, with a 5.74 ERA in 29 games, including 12 starts.  He departed the Angels' system following the year, pitching one more season professionally with the Elmira Pioneers, then the Double-A affiliate of the Padres.

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1968 Topps #328
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (2):  1968-1969
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1969 Topps #134
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  8 in the Beckett online database as of 11/11/23.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database

#133 Johnny Callison - Philadelphia Phillies / #135 Tommy Davis - Seattle Pilots