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Michael Ken-Wai Lum
Atlanta Braves
Outfield
Born: October 27, 1945, Honolulu, HI
Signed: Signed by the Milwaukee Braves as an amateur free agent, June 21, 1963
Major League Teams: Atlanta Braves 1967-75; Cincinnati Reds 1976-78; Atlanta Braves 1979-81; Chicago Cubs 1981
Mike Lum played professionally in 20 seasons, having his best seasons in the early 1970s with the Braves, and went on to be a long-time coach in the minor and major leagues. Lum was a September call-up in 1967, and he'd join the Braves for good to start the 1968 season. He was the team's opening day left fielder in 1968 and he'd spend his first few seasons in Atlanta as a reserve outfielder and successful pinch-hitter. Lum played in a career-high 145 games in 1971 as the team's everyday center fielder, and he'd come close to that mark again in 1973, playing in 138 games as the Braves' regular first baseman. 1973 was his finest season, as Lum batted .294 with 16 home runs and 82 RBIs - all three career high marks.
He'd move to the Reds following the 1975 season, beginning a six-year stretch in which he was used mostly as a left-handed bat off the bench. While he didn't appear in any World Series games, Lum was a member of the 1976 World Champion Reds team. He'd play a final season in Japan in 1982 before retiring as a player. In 1,517 games, Lum collected 877 hits, batted .247 and had 90 home runs and 431 RBIs. He was a .248 batter as a pinch-hitter, collecting 103 career pinch-hits, including 10 home runs. Lum coached in the majors with the Cubs (1985) and Royals (1988-89). He also served as a long-time minor league coach in the Braves, White Sox, Giants, Brewers and Pirates organizations.
December 15, 2024 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards)
On Sunday, December 15th, Doug and I attended the latest Philly Show, spaciously spread out inside Hall A of the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania. I wrote a full show report over at The Phillies Room, including some thoughts on attending the show with our oldest son, who first graced the Philly Show floors back in 2012.
Having had success the prior two shows at Uncle Dick's Cards with his well-organized, neon common binders, I opted to pull up a chair once again at the friendly dealer's array of tables. The aim was simple: Clear out Uncle Dick's 1969 Topps commons, starting off where I had left off the year before with card #501 and going through the end of the set, card #664. In less than 25 minutes, I completed my quest, and this is the seventh of 98 commons pulled from the binder. After a generous dealer discount due to my bulk purchase, this card cost less than a dollar.
The Card / Braves Team Set / Accuracy Index +5
Lum shared a rookie card with the Phillies' Larry Hisle (#206) in the 1968 Topps set, and this is his first solo appearance. The back of the card highlights Lum's defensive skills as an outfielder.
Accuracy Index: Lum's card scores a +5.
1969 Season
Lum started the season behind Henry Aaron (#100), Tito Francona (#398), Felipe Alou (#300), Ralph Garr and Bob Aspromonte (#542) on the Braves' outfield depth chart. He'd make 31 starts throughout the season, at all three outfield spots, and appeared in 121 games overall. Lum batted .268 with a home run and 22 RBIs in the regular season, and his appearance in the 1969 NLCS made him the first Hawaiian-born ballplayer to appear in the postseason. He went 2 for 2 with a double in the NLCS, but the Braves fell to the Mets in a three-game sweep.
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First Mainstream Card: 1968 Topps #579
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (15): 1968-82
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1982 Topps #732
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 55 in the Beckett online database as of 1/12/25.
Sources:
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia
Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database
#513 Camilo Pascual - Washington Senators / #515 Dick Green - Oakland Athletics
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