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Tommy Lee McCraw
Chicago White Sox
First Base-Outfield
Born: November 21, 1940, Malvern, AR
Signed: Signed by the Chicago White Sox as an amateur free agent before 1960 season
Major League Teams: Chicago White Sox 1963-70; Washington Senators 1971; Cleveland Indians 1972; California Angels 1973-74; Cleveland Indians 1974-75
Tommy McCraw played in parts of 13 seasons in the majors, finding his most success with the White Sox in the mid to late 1960s. As a versatile left-handed bat, McCraw saw playing time as a first baseman, pinch-hitter and in all three outfield spots over his first few seasons in Chicago. He assumed the team's regular first baseman job in 1967, following the departure of Bill Skowron. A solid defensive first baseman, McCraw would keep his position despite a low batting average and low power output. He drove in a career-high 48 runs in 1966 and hit his career high in home runs with 11 in 1967. McCraw would return to part-time player status in 1969 and he was dealt to the Senators before the 1971 season. He'd play five more seasons, all in the American League, and taking advantage of the new designated hitter role.
McCraw batted .246 with 972 hits, 75 home runs and 404 RBIs in the majors. Following his playing days, he'd begin a lengthy second career as a long-time hitting coach, serving on Frank Robinson's (#250) staff during Robinson's stint as a manager with four different franchises. McCraw and Robinson had been teammates later in both players' careers with the Angels and Indians. McCraw coached with the Indians (1975-82), Giants (1983-85), Orioles (1989-91), Yankees (1992-96), Astros (1997-00) and Expos/Nationals (2002-05).
Some text for this post originally appeared on my 1965 Topps blog.
Building the Set / Card #357
December 3, 2023 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards)
The Card / White Sox Team Set / Accuracy Index +5
1969 Season
It looks as if McCraw missed the first month-plus of the season due to injury, as he played in his first game with the White Sox on May 20th. He made 55 starts overall throughout the season - 14 in right field, 13 in center field, 11 in left field and 17 at first base. As a pinch-hitter, he batted .222 (4 for 18) and he batted .258 overall in 93 games. McCraw had 12 doubles, a pair of home runs and 25 RBIs. He'd be back in 1970 with the White Sox for his eighth and final year with the club.
Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card: 1964 Topps #283
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (12): 1964-75
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1981 TCMA The 1960s II #353
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 62 in the Beckett online database as of 9/1/24.
Sources:
Baseball Reference / Wikipedia
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 65th 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 / White Sox Team Set / Accuracy Index +5
Topps found a yet unseen photo for McCraw's card. The back of the card highlights his three-home run day against the Twins on May 24, 1967. He was 3 for 6 that day with eight RBIs, connecting for his home runs off Jim Kaat (#290) and Dean Chance (#620), twice.
Accuracy Index: McCraw's card scores a solid +5.
1969 Season
It looks as if McCraw missed the first month-plus of the season due to injury, as he played in his first game with the White Sox on May 20th. He made 55 starts overall throughout the season - 14 in right field, 13 in center field, 11 in left field and 17 at first base. As a pinch-hitter, he batted .222 (4 for 18) and he batted .258 overall in 93 games. McCraw had 12 doubles, a pair of home runs and 25 RBIs. He'd be back in 1970 with the White Sox for his eighth and final year with the club.
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First Mainstream Card: 1964 Topps #283
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (12): 1964-75
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1981 TCMA The 1960s II #353
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 62 in the Beckett online database as of 9/1/24.
Sources:
Baseball Reference / Wikipedia
Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database
1965 Topps Blog
1965 Topps Blog
#387 Bobby Klaus - San Diego Padres / #389 Dan Coombs - Houston Astros
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