#491 Twins Rookie Stars - Jerry Crider / George Mitterwald

Jerry Stephen Crider
Minnesota Twins
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'2"  Weight:  200
Born:  September 2, 1941, Sioux Falls, SD
Signed:  Signed by the Minnesota Twins as an amateur free agent before 1962 season
Major League Teams:  Minnesota Twins 1969; Chicago White Sox 1970

Died:  April 4, 2008, Phoenix, AZ (age 66)

George Eugene Mitterwald
Minnesota Twins
Catcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'2"  Weight:  195
Born:  June 7, 1945, Berkeley, CA
Signed:  Signed by the Minnesota Twins as an amateur free agent, April 29, 1965
Major League Teams:  Minnesota Twins 1966, 1968-73; Chicago Cubs 1974-77

Jerry Crider pitched professionally for 12 seasons in the Twins, White Sox, Padres and Giants organizations.  His best season came the year before his big league debut when he was 18-10 with a 3.86 ERA for the Triple-A Denver Bears.  He'd pitch in 21 games for the Twins in 1969, making one start and notching one save.  Dealt to the White Sox in May 1970, Crider would pitch in 32 games for Chicago, mostly in relief, going 4-7 with a 4.45 ERA and four saves.  He was one of the White Sox' most frequently used middle relievers, along with Danny Murphy and Floyd Weaver, but Crider would be back in the minors in 1971.  He'd pitch through the 1973 season before retiring.  Crider was 5-7 with a 4.51 ERA in 53 games and 119 2/3 innings pitched.

George Mitterwald spent 11 seasons in the majors with the Twins and Cubs.  He was the Twins' regular catcher between 1970 and 1973, and his final year with the Twins was his best.  In 1973, Mitterwald batted .259 with career highs in home runs (16) and RBIs (64).  Dealt to the Cubs in December 1973 for Randy Hundley (#347), Mitterwald served as a back-up to Steve Swisher between 1974 and 1976, before assuming regular catching duties in 1977, his final season in the majors.  Mitterwald batted .236 in 887 big league games, with 623 hits, 76 home runs and 301 RBIs.  Following his playing career, he spent six seasons as a bullpen coach for the Cubs (1978) and a few of Billy Martin's (#547) clubs in Oakland (1979-82) and New York (1988).  Mitterwald also managed in the minor and independent leagues between 1983 and 1998.

1971 Topps #113

Building the Set / Card #429
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 137th 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 / Twins Team Set / Crider Accuracy Index +5 / Mitterwald Accuracy Index +5
This is Crider's rookie card, but Mitterwald had already appeared on a Rookie Stars card in the 1968 Topps set with Rick Renick.  I find it hard to believe the lay-out designers at Topps couldn't figure out how to fit Mitterwald's entire first name on the front of the card.  The player behind Mitterwald appears to be wearing #34, and assuming the photo is from 1966, that would be outfielder Ted Uhlaender (#194).  Ironically, Mitterwald would wear #34 during the 1968 season.

Accuracy Index:  Both sides of the card score a +5.

1969 Season - Crider
Crider made his big league debut on May 21st, throwing 2/3 of a scoreless inning against the Orioles, and striking out Andy Etchebarren (#634).  He was 1-0 with a 4.71 ERA in 28 2/3 innings pitched for the Twins.  As he was not on the team's postseason roster, I'm assuming he watched his team get swept by the Orioles in the ALCS from the Twins' bench.

1969 Season - Mitterwald
In his first full season in the majors, Mitterwald batted .257 in 69 games, with five home runs and 13 RBIs.  He started 48 games behind the plate, giving regular catcher John Roseboro (#218) time off throughout the season.  Mitterwald batted .143 (1 for 7) in the ALCS against the Orioles, catching the first 12 innings of Game 1 and all 11 innings of Game 2.

Other Notable Baseball Cards - Crider
First Mainstream Card:  1969 Topps #491
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (2):  1969, 1971
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1971 Topps #113
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  9 in the Beckett online database as of 11/30/24.

Sources - Crider:  

Baseball Reference / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database

Other Notable Baseball Cards - Mitterwald
First Mainstream Card:  1968 Topps #301
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (10):  1968-72, 1974-78
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1978 Topps #688
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  44 in the Beckett online database as of 11/30/24.

Sources - Mitterwald:  

Baseball Reference / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database

1968 Topps #301

1970 Topps #118

1972 Topps #302

1975 Topps #411

1978 Topps #688

#490 Matty Alou - Pittsburgh Pirates / #492 Tony Cloninger - Cincinnati Reds

#490 Matty Alou - Pittsburgh Pirates

Mateo Rojas Alou
Pittsburgh Pirates
Outfield

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Left  Height:  5'9"  Weight:  160
Born:  December 22, 1938, Bajos de Haina, Dominican Republic
Signed:  Signed by the New York Giants as an amateur free agent before 1957 season
Major League Teams:  San Francisco Giants 1960-65; Pittsburgh Pirates 1966-70; St. Louis Cardinals 1971-72; Oakland Athletics 1972; New York Yankees 1973; St. Louis Cardinals 1973; San Diego Padres 1974

World Series Appearances:  San Francisco Giants 1962; Oakland Athletics 1972
Died:  November 3, 2011, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic (age 72)

The middle brother among the three Alou brothers, Matty Alou enjoyed a 15-year big league career, playing primarily with the Giants and Pirates.  Alou came up with the Giants in 1960 and on September 15, 1963, the three Alou brothers played in the Giants' outfield for the first time together with Felipe (#300) in center, Jesus (#22) in right and Matty in left.  Matty Alou was traded to the Pirates following the 1965 season, and he'd enjoy his best years in Pittsburgh.  He won the league's batting title in 1966 with a .342 mark, beating out his brother Felipe who batted .327 for the Braves.  As the starting center fielder for the Pirates, Alou batted over .330 in four consecutive seasons between 1966 and 1969, making the National League All-Star team in both 1968 and 1969.  In the latter season, he led the league in hits (231) and doubles (41).

Alou wrapped up his major league career as a reserve and pinch-hitter in the early 1970s, winning a World Series ring with the Athletics in 1972.  After beginning the 1974 season with the Padres, Alou moved to Japan where he'd play two and a half seasons with the Taiheiyo Club Lions.  For his major league career, Alou appeared in 1,667 games, collecting 1,777 hits while batting .307.  He clubbed 236 doubles, 31 home runs and 427 RBIs.

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

Building the Set / Card #428
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 136th of 145 cards purchased for our set, and after the dealer discount due to my bulk purchase, it cost a little less than $2.

The Card / Pirates Team Set / Accuracy Index +5

This is Alou's second appearance in the set, as he appeared way back in the first series on a 1968 Batting Leaders (#2) card.  The write-up on the back highlights his batting title crown in 1966, and the cartoon mentions his brief pitching career.  On August 26, 1965, in the first game of a double header against the Pirates, Alou tossed two scoreless innings in an 8-0 victory by the Giants.  He allowed three hits and a walk, while striking out three Pirates batters, including future teammate Willie Stargell (#545) twice!

Accuracy Index:  Alou's card scores a +5.

Inserts:  Alou is included as one of the 48 decals in the Topps Decals insert set.

1969 Season
1968 was perhaps Alou's best season and he followed that up in 1969 with another All-Star worthy showing.  In 162 games as the Pirates' regular center fielder, he batted .331 with a league-leading 41 doubles and 48 RBIs.  He led the league in plate appearances (746), at-bats (698) and hits (231), and was still overshadowed on the Pirates offensively by Roberto Clemente (#50) and Stargell.  His 698 at-bats set a single-season record, since surpassed.  Alou played center field for all nine innings of the All-Star Game, collecting a pair of hits and a walk.

1961 Topps #327

1965 Topps #318

1967 Topps #10

1972 Topps #395

1974 Topps #430

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1961 Topps #327
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (14):  1961-74
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2005 Topps All-Time Fan Favorites #41
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  118 in the Beckett online database as of 11/30/24.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database
1965 Topps Blog

#489 Clete Boyer - Atlanta Braves / #491 Twins Rookie Stars

#489 Clete Boyer - Atlanta Braves

Cletis Leroy Boyer
Atlanta Braves
Third Base

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  165
Born:  February 9, 1937, Cossville, MO
Signed:  Signed by the Kansas City Athletics as an amateur free agent, May 31, 1955
Major League Teams:  Kansas City Athletics 1955-57; New York Yankees 1959-66; Atlanta Braves 1967-71

World Series Appearances:  New York Yankees 1960-64
Died:  June 4, 2007, Lawrenceville, GA (age 70)

One of 14 children born to the Boyer family, seven boys and seven girls, Clete Boyer was one of three of the Boyer boys to play baseball in the majors.  Older brother Cloyd Boyer pitched for the Cardinals and Athletics in the early 1950s, and Ken Boyer (#379) was an 11-time All-Star and the 1964 National League MVP.  Clete Boyer was a steady-fielding third baseman who played for parts of 16 seasons in the major leagues and another four seasons in Japan.

Originally signed by the Athletics, Boyer didn't come into his own until the early 1960s with the Yankees.  In an infield including Bobby Richardson at second base and Tony Kubek at shortstop, Boyer provided steady defense with some occasional pop at the plate.  He'd win World Series rings with the Yankees in 1961 and 1962, batting a career-high .272 in 1962.  Boyer would hit at least 10 home runs in six of his eight seasons with the Yankees, including 18 home runs in both 1962 and 1965.  He was dealt to the Braves before the 1967 season, and he'd slug a career best 26 home runs with 96 RBIs in 1967.  Boyer, long in the shadow of Brooks Robinson (#550) in the American League, won his only Gold Glove in 1969 with the Braves.  He'd play four seasons for the Taiyo Whales between 1972 and 1975 and serve as the team's coach in 1976.  Boyer would return to the majors as a coach with the Athletics (1980-85) and Yankees (1988, 1992-94), working with his former teammate Billy Martin (#547).

Boyer batted .242 in 1,725 big league games, collecting 1,396 hits, 162 home runs and 654 RBIs.  He's among the game's all-time third base leaders for fielding percentage (33rd with .965), assists (36th with 3,218) and double plays turned (22nd with 315).

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

Building the Set / Card #427
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 135th of 145 cards purchased for our set, and after the dealer discount due to my bulk purchase, it cost a little more than a dollar.

The Card / Braves Team Set / Accuracy Index +5

Boyer had been with the Braves for two full seasons by the time this card was released, but Topps used the cartoon on the back of the card to remind collectors he had been acquired from the Yankees in exchange for Bill Robinson (#313) on November 29, 1966.  Chi-Chi Olivio also went to the Yankees with Robinson, but he gets omitted from the cartoon.

Accuracy Index:  Boyer's card scores a fairly standard, at this point, +5.

1969 Season
As mentioned above, this was Boyer's sole Gold Glove season despite years of above average defense at third base.  He led all National League third basemen with a .965 fielding percentage.  In 144 games with the Braves, Boyer batted .250 with 14 home runs and 57 RBIs.  He batted just .111 in the first NLCS, in which the Braves fell to the Mets in a three-game sweep.

1957 Topps #121

1962 Topps 490

1964 Topps #69

1968 Topps #550

1971 Topps #374

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1957 Topps #121
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (14):  1957, 1959-71
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2008 Upper Deck Yankee Stadium Legacy #3460
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  259 in the Beckett online database as of 11/30/24.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database
1965 Topps Blog

#488 Joe Sparma - Detroit Tigers / #490 Matty Alou - Pittsburgh Pirates