Thursday, March 28, 2024

#266 Dodgers Rookie Stars - Tom Hutton / Alan Foster


Thomas George Hutton
Los Angeles Dodgers
First Base

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Left  Height:  5'11"  Weight:  180
Born:  April 20, 1946, Los Angeles, CA
Signed:  Signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers as an amateur free agent, November 20, 1964
Major League Teams:  Los Angeles Dodgers 1966, 1969; Philadelphia Phillies 1972-1977; Toronto Blue Jays 1978; Montreal Expos 1978-1981

Alan Benton Foster
Los Angeles Dodgers
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  180
Born:  December 8, 1946, Pasadena, CA
Drafted:  Drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2nd round of the 1965 amateur draft
Major League Teams:  Los Angeles Dodgers 1967-1970; Cleveland Indians 1971; California Angels 1972; St. Louis Cardinals 1973-1974; San Diego Padres 1975-1976

Tommy Hutton was a strong defensive first baseman during 12 years in the majors before pivoting to a successful second career as a long-time baseball broadcaster.  He came up through the Dodgers' farm system and a trade to the Phillies before the 1972 season gave him an everyday job.  Hutton was a regular  for the Phillies in 1972 at first base and in the outfield, and then a super utility player for the club between 1973 and 1977.  Hutton was a member of back-to-back division winning Phillies teams in 1976 and 1977.  He was sold to the Blue Jays following the 1977 season, and he'd move to the Expos in July 1978, where he'd spend the final three-plus seasons primarily as a left-handed bat off the bench.  Hutton batted .248 for his career with 410 hits, 22 home runs and 186 RBIs. 

2008 Philadelphia Phillies Alumni Photo Cards
In 1982, Hutton joined the Expos' broadcast booth.  He's had stints with the Expos (1982-1986), Yankees (1987-1989), Blue Jays (1990-1996) and most notably the Marlins (1997-2015, 2022 to present).

Alan Foster pitched in parts of ten seasons in the majors, first coming up with the Dodgers in 1967.  In 1970, he was 10-13 with a career-high 33 starts as the team's number three starter behind Don Sutton (#216) and Claude Osteen (#528).  After spending 1972 with the Indians, Foster was purchased by the Cardinals in April 1973, and the 1973 season would prove to be the best of his career.  Foster was 13-9 with a 3.14 ERA for the Cardinals, reaching career highs in innings pitched (203 2/3) and strikeouts (106).  He'd pitch for three more seasons, wrapping up his playing career in 1976 with the Padres.  In 217 games, Foster was 48-63 with a 3.74 ERA over 1,025 1/3 innings pitched.

Building the Set / Card #250
March 12, 2023 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards)
In mid-March last year, over a year ago at this point, 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 173rd 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 a little over $2.

The Card / Dodgers Team Set / Hutton Accuracy Index +5 / Foster Accuracy Index -3
Hutton appeared on three Rookie Stars cards (1967, 1969, 1972) before earning his first solo card in the 1973 Topps set.  He wore #4 between 1966 and 1969 with the Dodgers, as seen on the brim of his helmet, and the Dodgers would retire that number in 1980 in honor of Duke Snider.

I'm assuming Foster is wearing a Spokane Indians hat and jersey here, as he had pitched for the Dodgers' Triple-A team in 1967 and 1968.  This is his rookie card, and he'd appear on a solo card, in an actual Dodgers uniform, in the 1970 Topps set.

Accuracy Index:  Hutton scores a solid +5, and I'm going to dock Foster only three points for the logo less hat.  I can't really take off points for the former team uniform, given Foster is shown wearing a uniform from within the Dodgers' farm system. 

1969 Season - Hutton
Hutton spent most of the season with the Spokane Indians, coming up to the Dodgers for 16 games in July and August.  He batted .293 in 91 games for the Indians as their regular first baseman.  With the Dodgers, Hutton batted .271 and made 13 starts at first base, filling in for the injured Wes Parker (#493).

Phillies Career - Hutton
Hutton was acquired from the Dodgers on October 21, 1971, in exchange for Larry Hisle (#206), and he had not seen big league action since 1969.  He was never quite a regular with the Phillies, but he appeared in a career-high 134 games in 1972, making 51 starts at first base, 38 starts in right field and a combined seven starts in center and left fields.

His playing time was mostly a result of his solid defense, as he didn't hit for power and his average with the Phillies was only .253.  Hutton's best season with the team was also his last, as he batted .309 during the pennant-winning 1977 campaign.  As a pinch-hitter that year, Hutton batted .294 (10 for 34).  He was sold to the Blue Jays on December 8, 1977, ending his time with the Phillies.  Hutton appeared in 651 games with the Phillies, collecting 305 hits, 19 home runs and 148 RBIs.
1969 Season - Foster
Foster was with the Dodgers all year, his first full season in the majors.  In 24 games, including 15 starts, he went 3-9 with a 4.38 ERA, pitching 102 2/3 innings.  Foster threw two complete game shutouts in back-to-back starts against the Mets on June 13th and against the Padres on June 17th.
1967 Topps #428
1973 Topps #271
1975 Topps #477
1977 Topps #264
1981 Topps #374

Other Notable Baseball Cards - Hutton

First Mainstream Card:  1967 Topps #428
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (12):  1967, 1969, 1972-1981
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1990 Swell Baseball Greats #87
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  37 in the Beckett online database as of 2/18/24.

Sources - Hutton:  

Other Notable Baseball Cards - Foster

First Mainstream Card:  1969 Topps #266
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (9):  1969-1977
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1981 TCMA The 1960s II #465
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  28 in the Beckett online database as of 2/18/24.

Sources - Foster:  
1970 Topps #369
1973 Topps #543
1974 Topps #442
1975 Topps #296
1977 Topps #108

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