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Joseph Douglas Moeller
Los Angeles Dodgers
Pitcher
Born: February 15, 1943, Blue Island, IL
Signed: Signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers as an amateur free agent before 1960 season
Major League Teams: Los Angeles Dodgers 1962, 1964, 1966-71
World Series Appearances: Los Angeles Dodgers 1966
Only two months removed from turning 19, Joe Moeller made his first big league start with the Dodgers on April 18, 1962, becoming the youngest starting pitcher in Dodgers history. He battled injuries throughout his career, missing significant playing time and ultimately settling into a role as an occasional starter and middle reliever. Moeller pitched two innings for the Dodgers in the 1966 World Series, allowing a run on a hit and a walk. He was selected by the Astros in the 1967 rule 5 draft, but returned to the Dodgers prior to the start of the 1968 season. Moeller appeared in a career-high 31 games in 1970, going 7-9 with a 3.92 ERA and four saves. He last appeared in the majors in 1971, but continued to pitch for two more seasons in the Padres and Phillies minor league systems.
Only two months removed from turning 19, Joe Moeller made his first big league start with the Dodgers on April 18, 1962, becoming the youngest starting pitcher in Dodgers history. He battled injuries throughout his career, missing significant playing time and ultimately settling into a role as an occasional starter and middle reliever. Moeller pitched two innings for the Dodgers in the 1966 World Series, allowing a run on a hit and a walk. He was selected by the Astros in the 1967 rule 5 draft, but returned to the Dodgers prior to the start of the 1968 season. Moeller appeared in a career-high 31 games in 1970, going 7-9 with a 3.92 ERA and four saves. He last appeared in the majors in 1971, but continued to pitch for two more seasons in the Padres and Phillies minor league systems.
Moeller spent several years coaching and scouting until his retirement in 2015. He served as a coach for Rod Dedeaux's USC team in 1986 and the Korean National Team in the 1996 Olympics. Moeller would manage the Samsung Lions in Korea in 1997 before returning home and taking a position with the Dodgers in public relations. He'd later serve as an advance scout for the Expos and Marlins, serving on the Marlins staff during their 2003 World Championship season.
Some text for this post originally appeared on my 1965 Topps blog.
Building the Set / Card #392
December 3, 2023 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards)
The Card / Dodgers Team Set / Accuracy Index +5
1969 Season
Moeller appeared in 23 games for the Dodgers, making four starts. He was 1-0 with a 3.33 ERA. He was either the last man out of the bullpen or hurt for stretches of the 1969 season, as he made four appearances or less in each of April, May, June, July and August. Of the 51 1/3 innings he pitched the entire season, 10 2/3 of those innings came in September over six appearances.
Phillies Connection
Moeller was dealt by the Padres to the Phillies on May 30, 1973, and he reported to the Phillies top farm club in Eugene, Oregon. His statistics with the Eugene Emeralds are apparently missing as Baseball Reference shows him with 16 appearances for the club, with no other information available. Per the Phillies 1974 Media Guide, Moeller made 23 appearances with the Emeralds, pitching 63 innings and going 1-7 with a 5.43 ERA.
Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card: 1963 Topps #53
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (9): 1963-71
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2020 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs #ROA-JM
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 38 in the Beckett online database as of 10/31/24.
Sources:
Baseball Reference / SABR / 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 milestone 100th of 145 cards purchased for our set, and after the dealer discount due to my bulk purchase, it cost less than a dollar.
The Card / Dodgers Team Set / Accuracy Index +5
Moeller last wore #38 with the Dodgers in 1967, switching to #27 for the 1968 season. The back of the card highlights his success in the minors during the 1968 season, and his basketball hobby.
This is one of 23 cards available in the set's fifth series available as either "yellow letter" or "white letter" variations, with the yellow letter variations being more prevalent. This is the more prevalent yellow letter variation with Moeller's last name printed in yellow.
Accuracy Index: Moeller's card earns a +5.
1969 Season
Moeller appeared in 23 games for the Dodgers, making four starts. He was 1-0 with a 3.33 ERA. He was either the last man out of the bullpen or hurt for stretches of the 1969 season, as he made four appearances or less in each of April, May, June, July and August. Of the 51 1/3 innings he pitched the entire season, 10 2/3 of those innings came in September over six appearances.
Phillies Connection
Moeller was dealt by the Padres to the Phillies on May 30, 1973, and he reported to the Phillies top farm club in Eugene, Oregon. His statistics with the Eugene Emeralds are apparently missing as Baseball Reference shows him with 16 appearances for the club, with no other information available. Per the Phillies 1974 Media Guide, Moeller made 23 appearances with the Emeralds, pitching 63 innings and going 1-7 with a 5.43 ERA.
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First Mainstream Card: 1963 Topps #53
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (9): 1963-71
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2020 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs #ROA-JM
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 38 in the Beckett online database as of 10/31/24.
Sources:
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia
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