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James Sherman Wynn
Houston Astros
Outfield
Born: March 12, 1942, Cincinnati, OH
Signed: Signed by the Cincinnati Reds as an amateur free agent before 1962 season
Major League Teams: Houson Colt .45s 1963-64; Houston Astros 1965-73; Los Angeles Dodgers 1974-75; Atlanta Braves 1976; New York Yankees 1977; Milwaukee Brewers 1977
World Series Appearances: Los Angeles Dodgers 1974
Died: March 26, 2020, Houston, TX (age 78)
Affectionately nicknamed "The Toy Cannon," due to the unexpected pop in his bat from someone with such a small stature, Jim Wynn played in 15 big league seasons, primarily with the Astros. Wynn was the Astros' opening day center fielder in 1965 and was one of the franchise's first stars. His best season with Houston came in 1967 when he was named to his first All-Star squad. Wynn batted .249 that season while reaching career highs in home runs (37) and RBIs (107). Able to work a walk, he led the league in that category twice (1969 and 1976) and his 1,224 career bases on balls are currently 59th all-time. Wynn finished in the top ten for on-base percentage in seven different seasons.
Dealt to the Dodgers following the 1973 season, Wynn won Comeback Player of the Year honors in 1974 when he batted .271 with 32 home runs and 108 RBIs. He was named to the All-Star team two more times in 1974 and 1975. Wynn retired following the 1977 season with a lifetime average of .250, 291 home runs and 964 RBIs. He was the all-time franchise leader for the Astros in most offensive categories, including hits, home runs and RBIs until being surpassed by the likes of Jeff Bagwell, Craig Biggio, Jose Cruz and Bob Watson (#562). Wynn's #24 was retired by the Astros in 2005, and he was inducted into the Houston Astros Hall of Fame in 2019.
Died: March 26, 2020, Houston, TX (age 78)
Affectionately nicknamed "The Toy Cannon," due to the unexpected pop in his bat from someone with such a small stature, Jim Wynn played in 15 big league seasons, primarily with the Astros. Wynn was the Astros' opening day center fielder in 1965 and was one of the franchise's first stars. His best season with Houston came in 1967 when he was named to his first All-Star squad. Wynn batted .249 that season while reaching career highs in home runs (37) and RBIs (107). Able to work a walk, he led the league in that category twice (1969 and 1976) and his 1,224 career bases on balls are currently 59th all-time. Wynn finished in the top ten for on-base percentage in seven different seasons.
Some text for this post originally appeared on my 1965 Topps blog.
The Card / Astros Team Set / Accuracy Index +1
1969 Season
Once again the every day center fielder for the Astros, Wynn played in 149 games, batting .269 with 33 home runs and 87 RBIs. He led the league with 148 walks, and his .436 on-base percentage was second in the league. Wynn finished 15th in the postseason MVP voting, but his offensive bWAR of 8.5 was second among all National League players, behind only Willie McCovey (#440) who had an 8.8 mark.
Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card: 1964 Topps #38
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (14): 1964-77
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2016 Donruss Signature Series #SGS-JI
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 158 in the Beckett online database as of 7/6/24.
Sources:
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia
Building the Set / Card #337
December 3, 2023 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards)
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 45th of 145 cards purchased for our set, and after the dealer discount due to my bulk purchase, it cost me little over $1.
The Card / Astros Team Set / Accuracy Index +1
Topps recycled Wynn's photo from its 1967 Topps set, and this is the first time in the 1969 Topps set collectors would get to see an actual Astros logo on a player's hat. The write-up on the back of the card plays up his power numbers despite his short stature. The cartoon refers to the 1967 game in which Wynn hit three home runs off Giants' pitchers Bill Henry and Bobby Bolin (#505), twice.
Accuracy Index: Wynn's photo is fine (+5), but collectors had already seen it two years prior (-4).
Inserts: Wynn is included in the 35 card Topps Deckle Edge insert set and is one of 48 decals in the Topps Decals insert set. He's one of 27 players to appear in both insert sets.
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1969 Season
Once again the every day center fielder for the Astros, Wynn played in 149 games, batting .269 with 33 home runs and 87 RBIs. He led the league with 148 walks, and his .436 on-base percentage was second in the league. Wynn finished 15th in the postseason MVP voting, but his offensive bWAR of 8.5 was second among all National League players, behind only Willie McCovey (#440) who had an 8.8 mark.
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First Mainstream Card: 1964 Topps #38
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (14): 1964-77
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2016 Donruss Signature Series #SGS-JI
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 158 in the Beckett online database as of 7/6/24.
Sources:
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia
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