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Michael David Hedlund
Kansas City Royals
Pitcher
Born: August 11, 1946, Dallas, TX
Signed: Signed by the Cleveland Indians as an amateur free agent before 1964 season
Major League Teams: Cleveland Indians 1965, 1968; Kansas City Royals 1969-72
After a brief stint with the Indians, Mike Hedlund joined the expansion Royals where he found some success as a starting pitcher in the franchise's early years. He was with the Royals throughout their entire first season, but spent the bulk of the 1970 season pitching in Omaha for their top farm team. His best season came in 1971 when he went 15-8 and his 2.71 ERA was fourth best in the American League. On April 24, 1971, he threw his only big league shutout, limiting his former team, the Indians, to three hits. Hedlund slumped in 1972 and returned to the minor league for two years before retiring in 1974. In six seasons, he compiled a 25-24 record with a 3.56 ERA.
Some text for this post originally appeared on my 1965 Topps blog.
Building the Set / Card #498
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.
The Card / Royals Team Set / Accuracy Index +10
1969 Season
Left unprotected by the Indians, Hedlund was chosen by the Royals as the 45th pick in the 1968 expansion draft. Hedlund was an effective swingman for the Royals, appearing in 34 games overall and making 16 starts. He was 3-6 with a 3.24 ERA, throwing a complete game and earning a pair of saves. Hedlund's bWAR of 1.9 was fifth best on the Royals' pitching staff behind Wally Bunker (#137), Roger Nelson (#279), Moe Drabowsky (#508) and Dick Drago (#662).
Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card: 1965 Topps #546
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (6): 1965, 1969-73
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1973 Topps #591
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 19 in the Beckett online database as of 8/30/19.
Sources:
Baseball Reference / Wikipedia
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 54th of 98 commons pulled from the binder. After a generous dealer discount due to my bulk purchase, this card cost me a little less than $1.50.
The Card / Royals Team Set / Accuracy Index +10
Impressively, this is Hedlund's first baseball card appearance since he appeared on a multi-player Rookie Stars card back in the 1965 Topps set. The cartoon mentions Hedlund lost a no-hitter in a Championship game, but doesn't provide any details. I'm reading this to mean he actually threw a no-hitter but lost in a Championship game.
Accuracy Index: Hedlund's card shoots up to a +10 for the expansion uniform.
1969 Season
Left unprotected by the Indians, Hedlund was chosen by the Royals as the 45th pick in the 1968 expansion draft. Hedlund was an effective swingman for the Royals, appearing in 34 games overall and making 16 starts. He was 3-6 with a 3.24 ERA, throwing a complete game and earning a pair of saves. Hedlund's bWAR of 1.9 was fifth best on the Royals' pitching staff behind Wally Bunker (#137), Roger Nelson (#279), Moe Drabowsky (#508) and Dick Drago (#662).
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First Mainstream Card: 1965 Topps #546
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (6): 1965, 1969-73
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1973 Topps #591
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 19 in the Beckett online database as of 8/30/19.
Sources:
Baseball Reference / Wikipedia
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