#445 Bobby Knoop - California Angels

Robert Francis Knoop
California Angels
Second Base

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  170
Born:  October 18, 1938, Sioux City, IA
Signed:  Signed by the Milwaukee Braves as an amateur free agent before 1956 season
Major League Teams:  Los Angeles Angels 1964; California Angels 1965-69; Chicago White Sox 1969-70; Kansas City Royals 1971-72

Bobby Knoop enjoyed a nine-year major league career, winning a Gold Glove three years in a row (1966-68) for his work at second base and earning a trip to the All-Star Game in 1966.  Known for his defense, Knoop is acknowledged as one of the better fielding infielders of the 1960s as he had fantastic range and a strong throwing arm.  Along with shortstop Jim Fregosi (#365), Knoop formed a solid double play combination for the Angels between 1964 and 1969.  He was the club's MVP four seasons in a row, a mark since tied by Garret Anderson and Mike Trout.  In 1,153 career games, Knoop hit .236 with 56 home runs and 331 RBIs.  He currently ranks within the top 100 in MLB history for putouts, assists and double plays turned as a second baseman.

Following his playing career, Knoop served as a coach, scout and front office advisor between the mid-1970s and his retirement in 2019.  He coached at the Major League level with the White Sox (1977-78), Angels (1979-96, 2013-18), Blue Jays (2000) and Rockies (2008-12).  Knoop was elected into the Angels Hall of Fame in 2013.

Some text for this post originally appeared on my 1965 Topps blog.

Building the Set / Card #393
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 101st 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 / Angels Team Set / Accuracy Index +5

The photos used for Knoop's 1967, 1968 and 1969 Topps cards were all likely taken at the same time.  The cartoon on the back depicts his original signing by the Braves, and the write-up mentions his three Gold Glove wins.

Accuracy Index:  Knoop scores a +5.

1969 Season
Knoop began the season with the Angels, and was once again their opening day second baseman.  He appeared in 27 games, and was batting .197, when the Angels traded him to the White Sox for Sandy Alomar (#283) and Bob Priddy (#248).  Knoop took over Alomar's second base job with the White Sox, eventually making 100 starts at the position throughout the rest of the season.  He batted .229 with six home runs and 41 RBIs with Chicago. 

1964 Topps #502

1965 Topps #26

1967 Topps #175

1970 Topps #695

1972 Topps #664

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1964 Topps #502
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (9):  1964-72
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1978 TCMA The 1960s I #234
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  59 in the Beckett online database as of 11/1/24.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database
1965 Topps Blog

#444 Joe Moeller - Los Angeles Dodgers / #446 Claude Raymond - Atlanta Braves