Posted By:
Frank WakefieldHey Barry,
Johnson makes the majors in 1907, and has a losing record. Didn't have an above .500 year until 1910. By then most of the early E cards have made their appearance. The sets were small, and they focused on significant players, based on what the guy had done the previous few years. So no Johnson in early E cards, he wasn't a big name player yet. Same reason for no Joe Jackson in T206 (or 5 or 7, for that matter).
From the other side of the coin, consider "Brain, Buffalo" in T206. Who the hell was he???? Well in 1907 he was one of the best third basemen in the majors, with a league leading 10 home runs. But by 1909 David Brain had only 2 home runs in 556 at bats, with a .234 average, for Buffalo in the Eastern Leauge. By 1909 standards he really didn't deserve being in T206. But most of those guys were picked based on what they'd done in earlier years.
Realistically, if Johnson's numbers were shifted back a year or two, then he might have 3 poses in T206... as it is, he's fortunate to have 2, I think.
A player who's little known now is Glenn Wright, and if any here know the name it is likely that they know he's in W512, along with Cobb, Ruth, Frisch, Alexander... a tiny set full of HOFers. Wright, a short stop, hit over .300 3 of his first 5 seasons, put up good numbers at the plate, and was tops in the NL in both assists and double plays his first 2 seasons. A strong short stop... deserving of a card along with Ruth, Cobb, and Speaker when W512 came out. But Wright got injurred in 1929 playing handball. And now he's almost unknown.
So.... Johnson didn't shine bright enough soon enough to make E90-1, E102, and the like. At least that's what I think.