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Denis John Menke
Houston Astros
Shortstop-Second Base
Born: July 21, 1940, Bancroft, IA
Signed: Signed by the Milwaukee Braves as an amateur free agent, May 27, 1958
Major League Teams: Milwaukee Braves 1962-65; Atlanta Braves 1966-67; Houston Astros 1968-71; Cincinnati Reds 1972-73; Houston Astros 1974
World Series Appearances: Cincinnati Reds 1972
Died: December 1, 2020, Tarpon Springs, FL (age 80)
Denis Menke used his versatility in the infield to his benefit in 13 big league seasons. Primarily a shortstop, Menke also spent a significant amount of time at third, second and first base. His best season statistically came early in his career when he batted .283 with a career-high 20 home runs in 1964 as the every day shortstop for the Braves. Menke would follow the Braves to Atlanta in 1966 and depart for Houston following the 1967 season. He was named to the 1969 and 1970 National League All-Star teams while the regular shortstop for the Astros. In November 1971, Menke was part of the eight-player blockbuster deal that sent him, along with Joe Morgan (#35), to the Reds. Menke would see his only postseason action as a player with the Reds, as his team clinched the National League West pennant in 1972 and 1973. He'd return to Houston for a final season in 1974 before retiring as a player with a .250 lifetime average, 1,270 hits, 101 home runs and 606 RBIs.
Menke began his second career as a minor and major league coach in 1977. At the big league level, he was the first base coach for the Blue Jays (1980-81), the hitting and third base coach for the Astros (1983-88), the hitting coach for the Phillies (1989-96) and the bench coach for the Reds (1997-00).
Died: December 1, 2020, Tarpon Springs, FL (age 80)
Denis Menke used his versatility in the infield to his benefit in 13 big league seasons. Primarily a shortstop, Menke also spent a significant amount of time at third, second and first base. His best season statistically came early in his career when he batted .283 with a career-high 20 home runs in 1964 as the every day shortstop for the Braves. Menke would follow the Braves to Atlanta in 1966 and depart for Houston following the 1967 season. He was named to the 1969 and 1970 National League All-Star teams while the regular shortstop for the Astros. In November 1971, Menke was part of the eight-player blockbuster deal that sent him, along with Joe Morgan (#35), to the Reds. Menke would see his only postseason action as a player with the Reds, as his team clinched the National League West pennant in 1972 and 1973. He'd return to Houston for a final season in 1974 before retiring as a player with a .250 lifetime average, 1,270 hits, 101 home runs and 606 RBIs.
Menke began his second career as a minor and major league coach in 1977. At the big league level, he was the first base coach for the Blue Jays (1980-81), the hitting and third base coach for the Astros (1983-88), the hitting coach for the Phillies (1989-96) and the bench coach for the Reds (1997-00).
Some text for this post originally appeared on my 1965 Topps blog.
Building the Set / Card #426
December 3, 2023 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards)
The Card / Astros Team Set / Accuracy Index -8
1969 Season
Menke had a solid season with the Astros, batting .269 with 10 home runs and 90 RBIs in 154 games. He led his team in both RBIs and hits (149). Menke made starts at all four infield positions and was named to his first of two All-Star teams. Highlights from his season include turning seven double plays in one game on May 4th, and hitting a grand slam in the same inning as teammate Jim Wynn (#360) on July 30th.
Phillies Career
Menke was named new Phillies manager Nick Leyva's hitting coach in November 1988, a month after Leyva had been hired by the club. Menke would outlast Leyva, who was fired in April 1991 and replaced by Jim Fregosi (#365). With Fregosi at the helm, the Phillies struggled mightily for a few seasons but then shockingly won the National League pennant in 1993. The team would ultimately fall to Joe Carter and the Blue Jays in the 1993 World Series, but Menke was the hitting coach who oversaw a potent Phillies line-up with the likes of Darren Daulton, John Kruk, Lenny Dykstra and Dave Hollins. Menke's tenure as Phillies' hitting coach came to an end when Fregosi was ultimately fired following the 1996 season.
Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card: 1962 Topps #597
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (13): 1962-74
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1978 TCMA The 1960s I #58
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 101 in the Beckett online database as of 11/30/24.
Sources:
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia
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| 1995 Philadelphia Phillies Photocards |
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 134th 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 / Astros Team Set / Accuracy Index -8
Menke is wearing a Braves uniform here, an exceedingly rare example of Topps not having a current photo for a player this late in the set's run. The cartoon on the back highlights his team-leading six triples in 1968, while the write-up points to his three intentional walks in a game on May 23, 1964 against the Cardinals. Menke batted eighth in that game, and each walk forced the pitcher's spot up to bat.
Accuracy Index: Menke's card scores a -8.
1969 Season
Menke had a solid season with the Astros, batting .269 with 10 home runs and 90 RBIs in 154 games. He led his team in both RBIs and hits (149). Menke made starts at all four infield positions and was named to his first of two All-Star teams. Highlights from his season include turning seven double plays in one game on May 4th, and hitting a grand slam in the same inning as teammate Jim Wynn (#360) on July 30th.
Menke was named new Phillies manager Nick Leyva's hitting coach in November 1988, a month after Leyva had been hired by the club. Menke would outlast Leyva, who was fired in April 1991 and replaced by Jim Fregosi (#365). With Fregosi at the helm, the Phillies struggled mightily for a few seasons but then shockingly won the National League pennant in 1993. The team would ultimately fall to Joe Carter and the Blue Jays in the 1993 World Series, but Menke was the hitting coach who oversaw a potent Phillies line-up with the likes of Darren Daulton, John Kruk, Lenny Dykstra and Dave Hollins. Menke's tenure as Phillies' hitting coach came to an end when Fregosi was ultimately fired following the 1996 season.
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First Mainstream Card: 1962 Topps #597
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (13): 1962-74
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1978 TCMA The 1960s I #58
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 101 in the Beckett online database as of 11/30/24.
Sources:
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia
That's when teams made real blockbuster trades. Now they trade 1-1 and they call it a blockbuster.lol
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