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John Alexander Messersmith
California Angels
Pitcher
Bats: Right Throws: Right Height: 6'1" Weight: 200
Born: August 6, 1945, Toms River, NJ
Drafted: Drafted by the California Angels in the 1st round (12th pick) of the 1966 amateur draft, June 7, 1966
Major League Teams: California Angels 1968-72; Los Angeles Dodgers 1973-75; Atlanta Braves 1976-77; New York Yankees 1978; Los Angeles Dodgers 1979
Born: August 6, 1945, Toms River, NJ
Drafted: Drafted by the California Angels in the 1st round (12th pick) of the 1966 amateur draft, June 7, 1966
Major League Teams: California Angels 1968-72; Los Angeles Dodgers 1973-75; Atlanta Braves 1976-77; New York Yankees 1978; Los Angeles Dodgers 1979
World Series Appearances: Los Angeles Dodgers 1974
A four-time All-Star, Andy Messersmith pitched in a dozen big league seasons, peaking in 1975 with the Dodgers, and then steadily declining due to ongoing arm injuries. Originally a first round pick by the Angels, he debuted with the club in the summer of 1968 and joined their starting rotation in 1969. That season, Messersmith was 16-11 with a 2.52 ERA in 40 games pitched, earning MVP votes. He was a 20-game winner with the Angels in 1971 and in November 1972 Messersmith was part of a blockbuster seven-player deal, sending him to the Dodgers with Ken McMullen (#319) in exchange for five players, including Frank Robinson (#250). His best years came with the Dodgers. He won 20 and 19 games in 1974 and 1975, respectively, helping his club reach the World Series in 1974. Messersmith won Gold Gloves both seasons and led the league in complete games (19), shutouts (seven) and innings pitched (321 2/3) in 1975.
A four-time All-Star, Andy Messersmith pitched in a dozen big league seasons, peaking in 1975 with the Dodgers, and then steadily declining due to ongoing arm injuries. Originally a first round pick by the Angels, he debuted with the club in the summer of 1968 and joined their starting rotation in 1969. That season, Messersmith was 16-11 with a 2.52 ERA in 40 games pitched, earning MVP votes. He was a 20-game winner with the Angels in 1971 and in November 1972 Messersmith was part of a blockbuster seven-player deal, sending him to the Dodgers with Ken McMullen (#319) in exchange for five players, including Frank Robinson (#250). His best years came with the Dodgers. He won 20 and 19 games in 1974 and 1975, respectively, helping his club reach the World Series in 1974. Messersmith won Gold Gloves both seasons and led the league in complete games (19), shutouts (seven) and innings pitched (321 2/3) in 1975.
He'd play a huge role in ushering in the age of free agency, playing the 1975 season without a signed contract under baseball's one-year reserve clause. Following a successful season, he won his arbitration case before arbitrator Peter Seitz, becoming a free agent and ultimately signing a $1 million, three-year deal with the Braves. Although he made the All-Star team in 1976, Messersmith was never quite the same following his heavy workload season of 1975. He'd pitch in 62 games between 1976 and 1979, going 18-22 with a 3.83 ERA for the Braves, Yankees and back with the Dodgers. Lifetime, he was 130-99 with a 2.86 ERA in 344 games pitched, with 1,625 strikeouts.
Building the Set / Card #612
September 21, 2025 from The Philly Show (Vintage Sports)
The Card / Angels Team Set / Accuracy Index +5
1969 Season
From his SABR biography, written by Eric Golanty:
Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card: 1969 Topps #296
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (11): 1969-79
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1979 O-Pee-Chee #139
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 105 in the Beckett online database as of 1/9/26.
Sources:
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia
September 21, 2025 from The Philly Show (Vintage Sports)
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. My second stop was the aptly named Vintage Sports table. I always appreciate a dealer with clear signage explaining their pricing method, and Vintage Sports had a marker in their selection of 1969 Topps cards laying out that cards without a sleeve were $1 and cards with a sleeve were $2. I had one "high number" in a sleeve, and that was a whopping $4.
I found 28 commons needed before moving on to my third stop. This was the 18th of 28 total cards bought from Vintage Sports, and the 53rd of 91 cards for the set added overall on the day. Sleeved, this card cost less than $2 after a dealer discount, a bargain for the rookie card of a relatively well-known pitcher from his era.
The Card / Angels Team Set / Accuracy Index +5
As just mentioned, this is Messersmith's rookie card, and Topps did a nice job getting the future star into a low series of the set. The back of the card summarizes his ascent from the minor leagues to the Angels' bullpen to their starting pitching rotation in 1968. Topps has surprisingly never reprinted this card.
Accuracy Index: Messersmith's card earns a +5.
1969 Season
From his SABR biography, written by Eric Golanty:
In 1969 Messersmith broke into the Angels' starting rotation, appearing in 40 games, pitching 250 innings with a 16-11 record, 2.52 ERA, and 211 strikeouts. At 24 years old, Messersmith was making his mark. Opposing managers, including Billy Martin (#547), credited Messersmith with "the best stuff" in the league.
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First Mainstream Card: 1969 Topps #296
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (11): 1969-79
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1979 O-Pee-Chee #139
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 105 in the Beckett online database as of 1/9/26.
Sources:
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia
Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database
#295 Tony Perez - Cincinnati Reds / #297 Deron Johnson - Philadelphia Phillies
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