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Theodore Ephisian Savage
Los Angeles Dodgers
Outfield
Born: February 21, 1936, Venice, IL
Signed: Signed by the Philadelphia Phillies as an amateur free agent, February 18, 1960
Major League Teams: Philadelphia Phillies 1962; Pittsburgh Pirates 1963; St. Louis Cardinals 1965-67; Chicago Cubs 1967-68; Los Angeles Dodgers 1968; Cincinnati Reds 1969; Milwaukee Brewers 1970-71; Kansas City Royals 1971
Died: January 12, 2023, St. Louis, MO (age 86)
Ted Savage was a journeyman outfielder who appeared with eight different teams over nine seasons in the majors. Originally signed by the Phillies, Savage won International League MVP honors in 1961 while playing for the Phillies' top farm team at the time, the Buffalo Bisons. He batted .325 that season, with 24 home runs and 65 RBIs. He made the Phillies' opening day roster in 1962, and appeared in a career-high 127 games in his rookie season. Savage was frequently on the move, and played for multiple teams in three of his nine years in the big leagues. His best season came late, when he batted .279 for the Brewers in 1970, collecting career highs in home runs and RBIs, with 12 and 50, respectively. For his career, Savage batted .233 with 34 home runs and 163 RBIs.
Ted Savage was a journeyman outfielder who appeared with eight different teams over nine seasons in the majors. Originally signed by the Phillies, Savage won International League MVP honors in 1961 while playing for the Phillies' top farm team at the time, the Buffalo Bisons. He batted .325 that season, with 24 home runs and 65 RBIs. He made the Phillies' opening day roster in 1962, and appeared in a career-high 127 games in his rookie season. Savage was frequently on the move, and played for multiple teams in three of his nine years in the big leagues. His best season came late, when he batted .279 for the Brewers in 1970, collecting career highs in home runs and RBIs, with 12 and 50, respectively. For his career, Savage batted .233 with 34 home runs and 163 RBIs.
He played a few seasons in Mexico before retiring as a player in 1973. He'd go on to earn a PhD in urban studies from Saint Louis University, and he held multiple front office and community relations positions with the Cardinals between 1987 and 2012. Savage is a member of both the Lincoln University Alumni and the Buffalo Bisons Hall of Fame.
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 123rd of 145 cards purchased for our set, and after the dealer discount due to my bulk purchase, it cost a little less than a dollar.
The Card / Dodgers Team Set / Accuracy Index -10
Savage is wearing a Pirates' jersey here, and the photo was taken within seconds of the photo used on his 1967 Topps card. Savage had played one season in Pittsburgh, back in 1963. The back of the card contains a few minor league accolades for Savage.
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 Savage's last name printed in yellow.
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 Savage's last name printed in yellow.
Accuracy Index: This is the first -10 we've seen in a while, as Savage didn't play for the Dodgers in 1969 (-2), he's wearing a Pirates jersey (-5), and he's hatless (-3).
1969 Season
On March 30th, Savage was on the move again, as the Dodgers traded him to the Reds for catcher Jimmie Schaffer. Given some of the other updates made to team designations this late in the set, it's odd they didn't swap out the Dodgers team name for the Reds. With the Reds, Savage appeared in 68 games, batting .227 with a pair of home runs and 11 RBIs. His time in Cincinnati somewhat forgettable, Savage would find success in Milwaukee the following season.
With high expectations, Savage joined the Phillies in 1962 and batted .266 in 127 games with 11 doubles, seven home runs and 39 RBIs. His 16 stolen bases were third on the club behind Tony Taylor (#108), with 20, and Tony Gonzalez (#501), with 17. Savage struggled to find playing time in Gene Mauch's (#606) outfield, given the presence of Gonzalez, Johnny Callison (#133) and Wes Covington. He'd start 82 games throughout the season - 65 in left field, nine in center field and eight in right field. Savage, along with a few other rookies, was snubbed in the Rookie of the Year voting, with the award going to the Cubs' Ken Hubbs.
With a crowded outfield, and with racist undertones as possible motivation, the Phillies traded Savage and Pancho Herrera to the Pirates on November 28, 1962, for veteran third baseman Don Hoak. Savage's Phillies career lasted just the one season but gave him a fantastic-looking rookie card in the 1962 Topps set.
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First Mainstream Card: 1962 Topps #104
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (8): 1962-64, 1967-71
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1981 TCMA The 1960s II #343
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 40 in the Beckett online database as of 11/26/24.
Sources:
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia
Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database
The Phillies Room
The Phillies Room
#470 Mel Stottlemyre - New York Yankees / #472 Jim Price - Detroit Tigers
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