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Edward Nelson Sprague
Oakland Athletics
Pitcher
Born: September 16, 1945, Boston, MA
Signed: Signed by the St. Louis Cardinals as an amateur free agent before 1966 season
Major League Teams: Oakland Athletics 1968-69; Cincinnati Reds 1971-73; St. Louis Cardinals 1973; Milwaukee Brewers 1973-76
Died: January 10, 2020, Lodi, CA (age 74)
Pitcher Ed Sprague played in parts of eight big league seasons, finding the most success late in his career as a converted starter for the Brewers. Sprague came up with the Athletics in 1968, appearing in 47 games, and earning four saves. He was one of the young team's most frequently used relievers, along with Jack Aker (#612), Diego Segui (#511) and Paul Lindblad (#449). Sprague spent part of 1969 and all of 1970 back in the minor leagues, attempting his first conversion to a starting pitcher. Traded to the Reds in October 1970, Sprague would appear in 33 games for the club in 1972 and 28 games in 1973, before another trade sent him briefly to the Cardinals. The Brewers purchased his contract in September 1973, and Sprague's best stretch in the majors came during the 1974 season. He was 7-2 with a 2.39 ERA in 20 games, including 10 starts, throwing three complete games. Injuries must have cost him playing time, as he'd pitch sparingly for the Brewers over the next two seasons before retiring. Sprague was 17-23 lifetime with a 3.84 ERA in 408 innings pitched. He had nine career saves.
Pitcher Ed Sprague played in parts of eight big league seasons, finding the most success late in his career as a converted starter for the Brewers. Sprague came up with the Athletics in 1968, appearing in 47 games, and earning four saves. He was one of the young team's most frequently used relievers, along with Jack Aker (#612), Diego Segui (#511) and Paul Lindblad (#449). Sprague spent part of 1969 and all of 1970 back in the minor leagues, attempting his first conversion to a starting pitcher. Traded to the Reds in October 1970, Sprague would appear in 33 games for the club in 1972 and 28 games in 1973, before another trade sent him briefly to the Cardinals. The Brewers purchased his contract in September 1973, and Sprague's best stretch in the majors came during the 1974 season. He was 7-2 with a 2.39 ERA in 20 games, including 10 starts, throwing three complete games. Injuries must have cost him playing time, as he'd pitch sparingly for the Brewers over the next two seasons before retiring. Sprague was 17-23 lifetime with a 3.84 ERA in 408 innings pitched. He had nine career saves.
His son, Ed Sprague Jr., was an All-Star in 1999 for the Pirates, and a member of the 1992 and 1993 World Champion Blue Jays. The younger Sprague played for 11 seasons, mostly with the Blue Jays, and collected 152 career home runs.
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 83rd of 98 commons pulled from the binder. After a generous dealer discount due to my bulk purchase, this card cost me less than $1.50.
The Card / Athletics Team Set / Accuracy Index +5
This is Sprague's rookie card, and despite his longevity in the majors and 198 games pitched, he only appeared on three total Topps flagship cards. I guess the Topps cartoonist was tasked with drawing a California Girl for the cartoon on the back of the card.
Accuracy Index: Sprague's card earns a +5 for the accurate uniform (and hat) depiction.
1969 Season
In 27 games for the Athletics, Sprague was 1-1 with a 4.47 ERA, all in relief. He spent the summer months in the minor leagues with the Triple-A Iowa Oaks, where he was 7-5 with a 3.57 ERA in 15 starts.
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First Mainstream Card: 1969 Topps #638
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (3): 1969, 1972, 1975
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1976 SSPC #230
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 13 in the Beckett online database as of 6/14/25.
Sources:
Baseball Reference / Wikipedia
Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database
#637 Padres Rookie Stars / #639 Barry Moore - Washington Senators
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