#342 Bubba Morton - California Angels

Wycliffe Nathaniel Morton
California Angels
Outfield

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'10"  Weight:  175
Born:  December 13, 1931, Washington, DC
Signed:  Signed by the Detroit Tigers as an amateur free agent before 1955 season
Major League Teams:  Detroit Tigers 1961-63; Milwaukee Braves 1963; California Angels 1966-69

Died:  January 14, 2006, Seattle, WA (age 74)

Signed by the Tigers in 1955, Bubba Morton played in six minor league seasons before earning a promotion to the majors in April 1961.  He had previously enjoyed one of his best seasons in 1957 with the Durham Bulls, batting .310 with 18 home runs and 82 RBIs as the Bulls won the Carolina League championship.  Morton played in 77 games for Detroit in 1961, and a career-high 90 games with the club in 1962 as a back-up outfielder, batting .271 over a 167-game span.  Morton mostly played in the minor leagues between 1963 and 1966, before earning a bench spot with the Angels in 1967.

Now a 35-year-old veteran, Morton was a successful pinch-hitter with the Angels, and while he batted .313 in 80 games overall in 1967, he was 8 for 25 (.320) that year as a pinch-hitter.  He'd play a season in Japan in 1970 before retiring.  In 451 major league games, Morton batted .267 with 37 doubles, 14 home runs and 128 RBIs.  An above-average fielder, Morton boasted a career .988 fielding percentage, making just five errors in 430 total chances.  He'd later serve as the head baseball coach at the University of Washington between 1972 and 1976.

Building the Set / Card #324
December 3, 2023 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards)
Doug and I returned to The Philly Show in early December, once again held inside the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania.  eBay has taken over sponsorship of the show, with the quaint, bubble-lettered Philly Show logo that had been in place since the 1980s replaced with a more modern logo, keeping with the times.  I wrote about the show in a post over at The Phillies Room.

Similar to my strategy from March, I wanted to focus on accumulating commons and having found success with Uncle Dick's Cards before, I didn't mess around and headed right for the neon green binders.  I pulled 145 cards from the binder containing cards 301 to the end of the set, stopping when I reached 500.  This card was the 32nd of 145 cards purchased for our set, and after the dealer discount due to my bulk purchase, it cost me less than $1.

The Card / Angels Team Set / Accuracy Index +5

This is Morton's fifth and final appearance in a Topps set.  He's shown posing at Yankee Stadium and this photo was taken at the same time as the photo used for his 1968 Topps card.  The back of the card highlights his longevity in baseball and the cartoon focuses on his excellent fielding skills.

Accuracy Index:  Morton's card scores a +5.

1969 Season
In his final season in the majors, Morton batted .244 with seven home runs and 32 RBIs over 87 games.  He'd make 44 starts throughout the season at the corner outfield positions, and his .356 on-base percentage would have been second on the club had he had more plate appearances.  Jim Fregosi (#365) led the Angels with a .361 OBP.  Morton was sent to the minor leagues following the season, and he'd eventually sign with the Toei Flyers in Japan for one last year as a player.

1962 Topps #554

1963 Topps #164

1967 Topps #79

1968 Topps #216

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1962 Topps #554
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (5):  1962-63, 1967-69
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1969 Topps #342
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  14 in the Beckett online database as of 7/2/24.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database

#341 Dave Adlesh - St. Louis Cardinals / #343 Dan Frisella - New York Mets