#254 Joe Schultz MG - Seattle Pilots

Joseph Charles Schultz
Seattle Pilots
Manager

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'11"  Weight:  180
Born:  August 29, 1918, Chicago, IL
Signed:  Signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates as an amateur free agent before 1939 season
Major League Teams:  Pittsburgh Pirates 1939-1941; St. Louis Browns 1943-1948

As a Manager:  Seattle Pilots 1969; Detroit Tigers 1973
Died:  January 10, 1996, St. Louis, MO (age 77)

When I decided to collect the 1969 Topps set and work on this blog as the cards were added, I knew I also wanted to finally read Jim Bouton's diary of the 1969 season documenting his time with the Seattle Pilots during their one and only year of existence.  I was not disappointed, thoroughly enjoying the book Ball Four, and wondering why it had taken me so long to pick up.  Among the many, many colorful characters Bouton covers in his book, Pilots' manager Joe Schultz stuck out for me and when I added this card to my collection, Schultz looked almost exactly as I had pictured him in my mind while I was reading.  Bouton highlights Schultz's sense of humor, his love of profanity and his postgame ritual of "pounding some Budweisers."

Before he managed the Pilots in their only year of existence, Schultz played for nine seasons with the Pirates and Browns as a back-up catcher and pinch-hitter.  He batted .259 in 240 games, collecting 85 hits, 13 doubles and a single home run.  Schultz coached with the Browns (1949), Cardinals (1963-1968), Athletics (1970) and Tigers (1971-1976), briefly managing the Tigers in 1973 following the dismissal of Billy Martin (#547).

Building the Set / Card #291
November 18, 2023 from The TWP Card Show - Sicklerville, NJ (Sal's Sports Cards & Memorabilia)

I wrote about this show back in December at The Phillies Room.  My wife Jenna found an announcement on Faceback for a baseball card show to be held at St. Charles Borromeo Hall in Sicklerville, New Jersey on November 18th.  That Saturday, I gathered my lists and we made the short drive to what the organizers called the "First Ever Sports Card Show" in Washington Township, which I find hard to believe given the number of baseball card stores in the area back in the 1980s and 1990s.  Potential mislabeling aside, it was a decent-sized show with mostly modern stuff and slabbed Pokemon cards. 

I found the one dealer selling vintage cards, and cleaned him out of every 1969 Topps card I needed for our set, along with a few 1959 Topps cards for our next set build.  This Schultz card was one of seven cards added to our 1969 Topps set.  Credit to Jenna for finding the show, and if it happens again, I'll gladly make the 10 minute drive over there.

The Card / Pilots Team Set / Accuracy Index -8

Given his years as a Cardinals' coach in the 1960s, I'd say Schultz is wearing a Cardinals jersey in this photo.  The back of the card covers Schultz making his professional pitching debut as a 13-year-old.  His father, also Joe Schultz, was managing the Houston Buffaloes of the Class A Texas League and the younger Schultz was serving as the team's batboy.  At some point during the 1932 season, father inserted son into the line-up as a pinch-hitter, with Schultz recording an out.

Accuracy Index:  Like a lot of Pilots cards, Schultz's card scores a -8 for the former team uniform (-5) and lack of a hat (-3).

1969 Season
Honestly the best summary of Schultz's 1969 season can come from a reading of Ball Four.  The expansion Pilots were 64-98-1, showing promise throughout the season and reaching third place in the new American League West as late as August 17th.  Right fielder Mike Megan (#577) was arguably the team MVP, batting a team-leading .292.  First baseman Don Mincher (#285) led the team with 25 home runs, and left fielder Tommy Davis (#135) was the team RBI leader with 80.

Gene Brabender (#393) was the club's top starter, going 13-14 with a 4.36 ERA in 40 games overall and 29 starts.  Diego Segui (#511) led the team with 12 saves, while Bouton was 2-1 with a 3.91 ERA in 57 appearance before a trade in late August sent him to the Astros.  Schultz was fired as Pilots' manager in mid-November and replaced by Dave Bristol (#234).  Weeks before the start of the 1970 season, an investment group led by Bud Selig purchased the Pilots and moved them to Milwaukee.

1947 Tip Top (D323)

1973 Topps #323

1983 Galasso 1969 Seattle Pilots #2

1989 Pacific Legends II #162

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1947 Tip Top (D323)
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (2):  1969, 1973
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1989 Pacific Legends II #162
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  27 in the Beckett online database as of 5/9/24.

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.

53 different players suited up for the Pilots in 1969.  And while 33 of those players have cards in the 1969 Topps set, only 22 cards have the Pilots team designation.  There was a more than normal amount of deserving candidates from the Pilots in need of update cards.

• Jim Bouton (rhp) - The former All-Star and World Series hero who gave us an inside look at the Pilots' one and only season definitely deserves an update card.
• John Donaldson (2b) - Regular second baseman John Donaldson (#217) has a card with the Ahtletics, but he'd appear in the update set with the Pilots.
• Gene Brabender (rhp) - Brabender and the next two starters appear in the set with the former teams.  Brabender appears with the Orioles.
• Fred Talbot (rhp) - Fred Talbot (#332) appears with the Yankees.
• George Brunet (lhp) - And George Brunet (#645) appears with the Angels.
• Steve Hovley (of) - The final card goes to Steve Hovley, Bouton's roommate while with the Pilots with the nickname "Orbie," short for Orbit.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference - Schultz / Baseball Reference - 1969 Pilots / SABR / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database

#253 Jerry Johnson - Philadelphia Phillies / #255 Steve Carlton - St. Louis Cardinals