#541 Joe Verbanic - New York Yankees

Joseph Michael Verbanic
New York Yankees
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  155
Born:  April 24, 1943, Washington, PA
Signed:  Signed by the Philadelphia Phillies as an amateur free agent, September 12, 1961
Major League Teams:  Philadelphia Phillies 1966; New York Yankees 1967-68, 1970

Originally signed by the Phillies, Joe Verbanic spent five full seasons climbing the organization's minor league ladder before earning a promotion in July 1966.  Verbanic would appear in 17 games for the Phillies, all in relief, and was dealt to the Yankees on December 10th for veteran pitcher Pedro Ramos.  With the Yankees, Verbanic served as an occasional starter and dependable bullpen arm, going 4-3 with a 2.80 ERA in 28 appearances in 1967, and then 6-7 with a 3.15 ERA in 40 appearances in 1968.  He threw three complete games, including two shutouts, and converted six saves for the rebuilding Yankees.  An arm injury cost him the entire 1969 season, and Verbanic returned briefly to the Yankees in 1970, pitching in seven games.  

From the 1966 Phillies Yearbook

He'd spend all of 1971 in the minors and return to the Phillies' organization in 1972, where he pitched in 39 games for the Triple-A Eugene Emeralds.  In 92 big league games, Verbanic was 12-11 with a 3.26 ERA, and 94 strikeouts over 207 innings pitched.

Building the Set / Card #463
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 19th of 98 commons pulled from the binder.  After a generous dealer discount due to my bulk purchase, this card cost me less than a dollar.

The Card / Yankees Team Set / Accuracy Index -14

This is the same exact photo used on his 1968 Topps card, and Verbanic is wearing a Phillies home jersey.  The other photo Topps had at its disposal for Verbanic was used on his 1967 and 1970 Topps cards.  The back of the card explains how Verbanic found himself in the Bronx, and also attributes his lack of playing time in 1968 to his "military duty."

Accuracy Index:  Verbanic scores a low -14.  The photo was used before (-4), he's hatless (-3) and wearing a Phillies jersey (-5), and he didn't play with the Yankees in 1969 (-2).  The only other similarly scored card so far is Lou Johnson (#367).

1969 Season
As mentioned above, Verbanic's entire year was lost to an arm injury.  He'd suit up for four games, making three starts, for the Florida Instructional League Yankees.

Phillies Career
Starting his professional career in 1962 with the D-Level Miami Marlins, Verbanic pitched in 11 games as a 19-year-old.  Between 1963 and 1965, he relieved in at least 40 games, with respectable ERAs of 2.60, 2.59 and 1.88 in each of those three seasons.  Pitching for the Triple-A San Diego Padres in 1966, Verbanic was 8-1 with a 2.67 ERA in 22 games and nine starts before his promotion.  He had thrown five complete games, including one shutout, in those nine starts.  

With the Phillies for the duration of the 1966 season, Verbanic was 1-1 with a 5.14 ERA, pitching in 14 innings.  His ERA took a hit in his final appearance of the season, going from 3.46 up to 5.14, when he allowed three earned runs in an inning to the Dodgers in a 11-1 blow-out loss on September 20th.  Less than three months later, he was dealt to the Yankees.  Verbanic is a Missing Link for Phillies collectors, as he never appeared on a baseball card with the team, although all four of his Topps' appearances feature him wearing a Phillies jersey.

1967 Topps #442

1968 Topps #29

1970 Topps #416

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1967 Topps #442
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (4):  1967-70
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1970 Topps #416
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  17 in the Beckett online database as of 2/15/25.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database

#540 Curt Flood - St. Louis Cardinals / #542 Bob Aspromonte - Atlanta Braves