#51 Frank Campos

#51 Frank Campos

91 of 274

33.2% complete

"His Walk About" - Frank appeared in 71 games with the Washington Senators from 1951-53.  He saw the most action in 1952, playing in 53 games and collecting 29 hits in 112 at-bats, good for a .259 average.  He retired with 41 hits, 13 RBI's and a respectable .279 mark next to his name.

"That's Not a Knife" - It's a .423 batting average on Frank's baseball reference page.  In 1951 Frank had 11 hits in just 26 at-bats as a September call-up, putting .423 on his resume that will be there for as long as people keep track of these sorts of things. 

"More of a love bite really..." - There is some darkness in the lower left corner of this card.  I think it's a result of sunlight (or lack of), but it could also be water damage.

"Down Under" - Frank is card #307 in the 1952 Topps set. Despite his relatively brief cup of coffee in the big leagues, Frank was fortunate enough to land in two Topps sets.  Hopefully he has grandkids that appreciate this.  I prefer his '52 to his '53, but they're both nice cards, and in another stroke of luck for Campos, they're not too similar. That cuts the '53 set's lead to 35-31-7.

"At the Oscars"

Nothing in the Majors

Batting Champ in "Tri-State B-League" '51

 

 

#219 Pete Runnels

 

#219 Pete Runnels

74 of 274

27% complete

"His Walk About" - A .291 career hitter, Runnels amassed 1,854 hits over 14 seasons.  A two-time league batting champion as a member of the Red Sox, he never hit below .314 in Boston.  Runnels narrowly missed out on a 3rd batting title in '58, finishing 2nd to his teammate Ted Williams.  He split most of his career between the Senators and Red Sox, before spending his final two campaigns as a member of the Colt .45's.

"That's Not a Knife" - It's 9 hits in a double header.  On August 30, 1960 Runnels went 6 for 7 in the first game of a double header against the Tigers and followed it up with a 3 for 4 performance.

"More of a love bite really..." - This card is in pretty nice shape with good edges.  The color is a little bit off, and it's slightly off-centered, but I'm not sure what needs to happen in a person's life for them to be upset about such minor details.  I know I'm not.

"Down Under" - Runnels is card #2 in the 1952 set. The cards are more or less identical, right down to what appears to be the same building or shed in the background.   I'll go with the '53 by a the smallest of margins.  That stretches the '53 set's lead to 26-23-7.

"At the Oscars"

3x All-Star ('59, '60, '62)

Led AL in Batting '60

Led AL in Batting '62

2nd AL Batting '58

3rd AL Batting '59

10th AL MVP Voting '58

2nd AL Runs '58

3rd AL Hits '59

4th AL Hits '58

4th AL Hits '60

2nd AL Triples '54

4th AL Doubles '56, '58, & '59

2nd AL Walks '59

33rd NL MVP Voting '50

9th NL Home Runs '54

5th NL Triples '52

8th NL Triples '53

#148 Mickey Grasso

#148 Mickey Grasso

71 of 274

25.9% complete

"His Walk About" - Grasso played in 322 major league games over parts of 7 seasons.  303 of those games were as a member of the Washington Senators.  He also appeared 15 times as a Giant (7 in '46, and 8 in '55) and 4 as Cleveland Indian (plus one additional as an Indian in the '54 World Series).  A .226 career hitter, Grasso retired with 216 hits and 5 home runs.

"That's Not a Knife" - ...And Grasso wouldn't be scared if it was.  A fan favorite in Washington due to his fiery temper, Grasso was captured and taken as a prisoner of war by the Germans in World War II, only to escape his captors while being marched with other POW's.

"More of a love bite really..." - If you're going to find something to complain about with this card, there isn't much to find.  It's a little off-centered and the corners have seen better days, but that can be said for all of us.

"Down Under" - Grasso is card #90 in the 1952 set.  I prefer the '53 and it's a pretty easy call.  The backwards cap is the biggest factor, but far from the only.  That pushes the '53 set's lead to 26-24-7.

"At the Oscars"

3rd AL Assist as a Catcher '52

3rd AL Defensive Games as a Catcher '52

#164 Frank Shea

#164 Frank Shea

51 of 274

18.6% complete

"His Walk About" - Shea pitched in 8 major league seasons, amassing 56 wins and throwing 48 complete games.  Shea retired with a 3.80 ERA.  His best season came as a rookie in 1947, when he posted a 14-5 record, was named an All-Star (and was credited with the win in the ASG), and finished 3rd in Rookie of the Year voting.  He also injured a neck muscle that season, missing seven weeks, and would pitch through pain for the remainder of his career.  However it didn't stop him from starting games one, five, and seven of the '47 World Series for the Yankees, earning wins in games one and five, and the Yankees ultimately winning game seven and the series as well. 

"That's Not a Knife" - It's phone call from Robert Redford.  During production for the film "The Natural," Redford called "Spec" Shea for a pitching consultation, and Shea coached Redford on how to pitch in an old-time style.

"More of a love bite really..." - This card has more than it's share of creasing and some fairly significant corner wear, but is still in more than acceptable condition.

"Down Under" - Shea is card number #248 in the 1952 set.  I'll say this for the '53, the Senator's logo on these 53's is absolutely fantastic.  It just looks great.  That said, it's hard to beat the way the Yankees logo and hat looks on cards in the '52 set, and I'm sucker for them.  So I'm giving the nod to the '52.  That cuts the '53 lead down to 24-18-3.

"At the Oscars"

All-Star '47

3rd AL Rookie of the Year '47

14th AL MVP '47

World Series Ring '47

7th AL ERA '48

8th AL ERA '47

9th AL Wins '47 

#89 Chuck Stobbs

#89 Chuck Stobbs

29 of 274

10.6% complete

"His Walk About" - Chuck Stobbs pitched for 15 seasons in the Major Leagues.  Eight, non-consecutive, with Washington Senators.  During his second stint with the Senators, Chuck stayed with the team as they relocated to the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis/St.Paul and changed their name to the Twins.  He played one season with the Twins before retiring.  Chuck spent his first five years in Boston as a Red Sock, then one in Chicago as a member of the White Sox, before becoming a Senator/Twin.  That run lasted nine years, but for half a season with the St. Louis Cardinals mixed in.  He got around.  With a career ERA of 4.29, Stobbs ended up with a record of 107-130.  He won ten or more games seven times, and only lost ten or more five times, including a league "best" 20 loses in '57 with the Senators.  I've said it on other blogs, but there is no shame in leading the league in loses.  Bad pitchers don't get the chance to lose a game in the majors, let alone 20 in one season.

"That's Not a Knife" - But Stobbs probably wishes Mickey Mantle had used a knife, instead, Mantle used a bat, and hit home run off Stobbs that went an estimated 565 feet and clear out of Griffith Stadium in Washington.  It's often credited with being the genesis of the term "Tape Measure Home Run."

"More of a love bite really..." - Maybe some people could find things to complain about with regards to the condition of this card, I'm not one of them, and as far as I'm concerned it's "mint."  I envy those with so few issues in their life that they can find the energy to nit-pick 65+ year old baseball cards beyond the condition of this one.

"Down Under" - Stobbs is card #62 in the 1952 set.  As a first series card it's available in both red and black backs.  I have both, and though there's a slight premium placed on the black back, the red looks better.  But red back or not, it's not as nice as this '53.  I'm a sucker for painted outfield walls on Topps cards from '52-56.  And it pains me to make this call, because a pitcher pictured with a bat, as Stobbs is on his '52 Topps, will never not be awsome.  Espcially when that pitcher can't hit, which Stobbs could not (zero HR's in 684 plate appearances, and .176 avg.)  That evens the tally at 14-14-1.

"At the Oscars"

Led AL in BB per 9 IP '56
2x Leader AL Fielding % Pitch '50, '57
Led AL in Loses '57 (you have to be good to get that many chances to lose)
3rd AL Loses '56
5th AL Loses '55
7th AL Shutouts '57
10th AL Shutouts '54

#13 Connie Marrero

#13 Connie Marrero

14 of 274

5.1% complete

"His Walk About" - Morrero lasted for five MLB seasons, and never won more than 11 games as a starter, but he did make one All-Star team.  Had he made his MLB career prior to his 38th birthday his career numbers likely would have been more impressive.  Instead he tallied up a long career in the Cuban Leagues prior to finally making his way to the States.

"That's Not a Knife" - It's a mural in the Estadio Latinoamericano in Havana, Cuba, that depicts Connie Marrero.  Marrero is a well respected figure in Cuba, and cited as a link between the Cuban League and the Cuban National Baseball System that replaced it following the Revolution that brought Fidel Castro to power.  Marrero died in 2014, just two days shy of his 103 birthday.

"More of a love bite really..." - This card is off-centered, but not horribly.  That's about the only complaint I can find to make about it's condition.

"Down Under" - Connie Marrero is card #317 in the 1952 set (it's starting to feel like '53 is comprised of nothing but '52 hi-numbers). The '52 Marrero has the look of a mug shot, and is not a fun looking card.  This '53 however is a great looking card.  Topps does a great job in capturing Marrero and this is an easy call, I like the '53 better.  The 1953 set extends it's lead to 8-6.  

"At the Oscars"

All-Star AL 1951
9th AL ERA '52
10th AL Shutouts '51
Oldest Player in AL '54