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Theodore Otto Uhlaender
Minnesota Twins
Outfield
Born: October 21, 1939, Chicago Heights, IL
Signed: Signed by the Minnesota Twins as an amateur free agent before 1961 season
Major League Teams: Minnesota Twins 1965-1969; Cleveland Indians 1970-1971; Cincinnati Reds 1972
World Series Appearances: Cincinnati Reds 1972
Died: February 12, 2009, Atwood, KS (age 69)
Ted Uhlaender played in eight major league seasons, spending most of his career as the starting center fielder for the Twins between 1966 and 1969. Strong defensively, Uhlaender led all outfielders with a .996 fielding percentage in 1967, and his .991 career mark is currently 51st all-time. His best season came in 1968, the Year of the Pitcher, when he batted .283 with seven home runs and 52 RBIs. Uhlaender played two productive years in Cleveland in 1970 and 1971, driving in 46 and 47 runs respectively as a regular for the Indians. He spent his final season with the Reds in 1972 as reserve outfielder and pinch-hitter, and his final big league at-bats came during the 1972 World Series against the Athletics, who prevailed in seven games. Uhlaender pinch-hit in four World Series games, going 1 for 4 with a double in Game 2.
Died: February 12, 2009, Atwood, KS (age 69)
Ted Uhlaender played in eight major league seasons, spending most of his career as the starting center fielder for the Twins between 1966 and 1969. Strong defensively, Uhlaender led all outfielders with a .996 fielding percentage in 1967, and his .991 career mark is currently 51st all-time. His best season came in 1968, the Year of the Pitcher, when he batted .283 with seven home runs and 52 RBIs. Uhlaender played two productive years in Cleveland in 1970 and 1971, driving in 46 and 47 runs respectively as a regular for the Indians. He spent his final season with the Reds in 1972 as reserve outfielder and pinch-hitter, and his final big league at-bats came during the 1972 World Series against the Athletics, who prevailed in seven games. Uhlaender pinch-hit in four World Series games, going 1 for 4 with a double in Game 2.
For his career, Uhlaender batted .263 with 772 hits, 36 home runs and 285 RBIs. He returned to baseball in 2000 as the first base coach for Charlie Manuel's Indians club. Uhlaender would also serve as a scout for the Giants between 2002 and 2008.
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 126th 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 less than a dollar.
The Card / Twins Team Set / Accuracy Index +5
The photo on the front is an original, not appearing before in a Topps set. On the back, Uhlaender's successful 1968 batting average is highlighted, as is his 1967 fielding percentage. His average in 1968 was second on the club behind Tony Oliva (#600), who batted .289, finishing third in the league.
Accuracy Index: Uhlaender's card scores a solid +5.
1969 Season
Uhlaender was the Twins' regular center fielder for the fourth and final season in a row. In a career-high 152 games he batted .273 with eight home runs and 62 RBIs, also a career-high. His outfield mates were most frequently Bob Allison (#30) in left field and Oliva in right field. Billy Martin's (#547) club won the first ever American League West pennant, meeting the Orioles in the ALCS. Unfortunately, the Orioles swept the Twins in three games, with Uhlaender batting just .167 (1 for 6).
On December 10th, Uhlaender, Dean Chance (#620), Bob Miller (#403) and Graig Nettles (#99) were traded to the Indians in exchange for Luis Tiant (#560) and Stan Williams (#118).
Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card: 1966 Topps #264
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (7): 1966-1972
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1993 Fleer ProCards #1127
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 46 in the Beckett online database as of 11/28/23.
Sources:
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia
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First Mainstream Card: 1966 Topps #264
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (7): 1966-1972
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1993 Fleer ProCards #1127
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 46 in the Beckett online database as of 11/28/23.
Sources:
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia
Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database
#193 Don Caldwell - New York Mets / #195 John Odom - Oakland Athletics
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