#322 Jose Vidal - Seattle Pilots

Jose Vidal
Seattle Pilots
Outfield

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  190
Born:  April 3, 1940, Batey Lechuga, Dominican Republic
Signed:  Signed by the San Francisco Giants as an amateur free agent before 1958 season
Major League Teams:  Cleveland Indians 1966-1968; Seattle Pilots 1969

Died:  January 7, 2011, La Romana, Dominican Republic (age 70)

Outfielder Jose Vidal played in parts of four big league seasons, mostly with the Indians.  A minor league phenom, Vidal won the California League Triple Crown in 1963 as a member of the Reno Silver Sox, the Pirates Class A team, when he batted .340 with 40 home runs and 162 RBIs.  He was sold to the Indians following the season, and he'd continue his ascent through the Indians' minor league system, eventually earning a September call-up in 1966.  Vidal's minor league success didn't carry over to the majors, and he batted .158 over three seasons with the Indians.  He appeared in a career-high 37 games in 1968 and was sold to the expansion Pilots before the end of the 1968 season.

Vidal made the Pilots' opening day roster, getting five starts in right field and one start in left field, but used mostly as a pinch-runner or pinch-hitter.  On May 19, 1969, he was dealt to the Yankees for fellow outfielder Dick Simpson (#608), but he'd never suit up in New York.  He'd play for six more seasons, including a season in Japan and four seasons in Mexico before retiring in 1975.  Vidal collected 24 big league hits in 88 games, batting .164 with three home runs and 10 RBIs.

Building the Set / Card #281
September 23, 2023 from The Philly Show (Ed's Old Baseball Cards)
Given the massive haul of 193 cards acquired for our 1969 Topps set at the March Philly Show, I held off on adding more cards throughout the summer of 2023.  We weren't even going to go to the Philly Show last September, but our oldest son's baseball tournament was rained out, and we found ourselves with a free weekend.  I wrote about the show originally over at The Phillies Room.

I added just 15 cards to our set build at this show, all from the same dealer, Ed's Old Baseball Cards out of the Buffalo area.  Technically, the cards I bought were from Ed's associate, Gary, who explained he was along for the ride and brought a bunch of his vintage cards for sale.  I picked four needed star cards first, and Gary gave us a nice discount on the purchase, so we went back after securing a few autographs.  I picked 11 more commons and semi-stars from his modest selection of 1960s Topps cards for sale, including this Vidal card.  Posting for these 15 cards should take me a lot less longer than what it took to get through the box of cards brought home from the March 2023 Philly Show.

The Card / Pilots Team Set / Accuracy Index -8

Vidal is wearing an Indians jersey here, and the photo is likely from 1966.  Topps used the same photo on his 1967 and 1968 Rookie Stars cards.  There are a lot of stats on the back, and his 1963 season definitely stands out while also getting the cartoon highlight.

Accuracy Index:  Vidal scores a -8 for the Indians jersey and lack of a hat.

1969 Season
As mentioned above, Vidal was used sparingly by the Pilots over the first month and a half of their season, playing in 18 games and batting just .192.  His third and final major league home run came on April 13th in a losing effort against the White Sox, off reliever Wilbur Wood (#123).  After his trade to the Yankees, Vidal batted .212 with seven home runs and 35 RBIs in 86 games for the Syracuse Chiefs.

1967 Topps #499

1968 Topps #432

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1967 Topps #499
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (3):  1967-1969
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1969 Topps #322
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  8 in the Beckett online database as of 4/17/24.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database

#321 Jim McAndrew - New York Mets / #323 Larry Miller - Baltimore Orioles