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James Joseph Merritt
Cincinnati Reds
Pitcher
Born: December 9, 1943, Altadena, CA
Signed: Signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers as an amateur free agent, June 15, 1961
Major League Teams: Minnesota Twins 1965-68; Cincinnati Reds 1969-1972; Texas Rangers 1973-75
World Series Appearances: Minnesota Twins 1965; Cincinnati Reds 1970
Jim Merritt pitched in 11 big league seasons, and was a 20-game winner with the National League Champion Reds in 1970, the same year he was named to his only All-Star team. Merritt was signed by his home town Dodgers but drafted by the Twins in the 1961 first-year draft after spending just five-plus months in the Dodgers' system. He joined the Twins in August 1965 as the team was battling for the American League pennant. Merritt pitched well in 16 games for the Twins down the stretch (5-4, 3.17 ERA in 76 2/3 innings pitched) and saw action in the 1965 World Series, lost to the Dodgers in seven games. He led all American League pitchers with a 6.5 bWAR in 1967, and he'd strike out a career best 181 batters in 1968. Dealt to the Reds following the 1968 season, Merritt was a 17-game winner in 1969 and went 20-12 with a 4.08 ERA in 1970.
Jim Merritt pitched in 11 big league seasons, and was a 20-game winner with the National League Champion Reds in 1970, the same year he was named to his only All-Star team. Merritt was signed by his home town Dodgers but drafted by the Twins in the 1961 first-year draft after spending just five-plus months in the Dodgers' system. He joined the Twins in August 1965 as the team was battling for the American League pennant. Merritt pitched well in 16 games for the Twins down the stretch (5-4, 3.17 ERA in 76 2/3 innings pitched) and saw action in the 1965 World Series, lost to the Dodgers in seven games. He led all American League pitchers with a 6.5 bWAR in 1967, and he'd strike out a career best 181 batters in 1968. Dealt to the Reds following the 1968 season, Merritt was a 17-game winner in 1969 and went 20-12 with a 4.08 ERA in 1970.
Merritt pitched two scoreless innings in the 1970 All-Star Game, and he'd finish fourth in the season's Cy Young voting, behind Bob Gibson (#200), Gaylord Perry (#485) and Fergie Jenkins (#640). Merritt was the winning pitcher in 1970 NLCS Game 2 against the Pirates, but the losing pitcher in the decisive World Series Game 5 against the Orioles. He'd finish his major league career with three seasons in Texas, pitching mostly out of the Rangers' bullpen. In 297 big league games, Merritt was 81-86 with a 3.65 ERA and 932 strikeouts in 1,483 innings pitched.
September 21, 2025 from The Philly Show (America's Pastime)
On Sunday morning, September 21st, I made the hour-long drive to the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania for the latest installment of the Philadelphia Sports Card & Memorabilia Show, known to its friends as The Philly Show. The show has a legitimate official sponsor (eBay) and the advertisement for the event notes the show is in its 50th year. I hadn't attended a baseball card show since the last Philly Show in December, and I was flying solo to this one as our oldest son is in his first month of college at Villanova. I posted a full summary of the show over at The Phillies Room.
I made stops at six tables at the show, all yielding needed cards for our 1969 Topps set, and I left the show with just 16 more cards to go for my version of a complete set. The first place I stopped was a table with well-organized and well-marked binders of commons and semi-stars with 20% Off notes across the front of each binder.
I took my time and found 32 commons and semi-stars needed before asking to see the dealer's star cards from the set. It turned out this first purchase was also my biggest, as I spent over half my allotted budget here, America's Pastime from Fair Lawn, New Jersey, before moving on to my second stop. This was the 31st of 36 total cards bought from America's Pastime, and the 31st of 91 cards for set added overall on the day, and it cost a little over $4 after the dealer discount.
The Card / Reds Team Set / Accuracy Index +5
This is a great card, featuring a pose that works well with the design of the set, and a new photo of Merritt, taken during spring training in 1969. The back of the card contains a quick summary of Merritt's success in recent years and details his trade from the Twins over the offseason.
Accuracy Index: Merritt's card earns the standard +5.
1969 Season
The Twins traded Merritt to the Reds on November 21, 1968 for veteran infielder Leo Cardenas (#265). Merritt was a workhorse for the Reds, leading the team in wins (17), games started (36), complete games (eight), innings pitched (251) and strikeouts (144). Pitching to contact, given his ability to throw consistent strikes, Merritt also led the league in earned runs (122) and home runs allowed (33). He was 17-9 on the season with a 4.37 ERA.
Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card: 1966 Topps #97
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (9): 1966-72, 1974-75
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1975 Topps #83
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 51 in the Beckett online database as of 11/8/25.
Sources:
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia
The Twins traded Merritt to the Reds on November 21, 1968 for veteran infielder Leo Cardenas (#265). Merritt was a workhorse for the Reds, leading the team in wins (17), games started (36), complete games (eight), innings pitched (251) and strikeouts (144). Pitching to contact, given his ability to throw consistent strikes, Merritt also led the league in earned runs (122) and home runs allowed (33). He was 17-9 on the season with a 4.37 ERA.
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First Mainstream Card: 1966 Topps #97
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (9): 1966-72, 1974-75
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1975 Topps #83
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 51 in the Beckett online database as of 11/8/25.
Sources:
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia
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