OT: perennial rookie
 

Can someone remind me which player it was who was identified by Topps as a rookie for like 4 or 5 consecutive years? I want to say it was someone in the 1960s.

I think it’s Bill Davis 1965-1969.

Lou Piniella was also on rookie cards in 1964, 1968, and 1969.

https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/JVQAA...D2q/s-l400.jpg
https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/BFkAA...88F/s-l400.jpg
https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/YFIAA...F~L/s-l400.jpg
https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/Aa0AA...F~J/s-l400.jpg
https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/M5gAA...Rei/s-l400.jpg

Steve

This is the exact card run that came to mind for me as an answer to the question.

Thanks, guys. Bill Davis is the one I was trying to remember. How could I forget such a distinctive name?

That's nuts. I remembered Sweet Lou having a bunch of Rookie cards, but forgot about Bill Davis.

Anybody know what happened to him? Injuries? Vietnam War?

He looked like a stud his first couple years of Minor League ball out of The University of Minnesota. Then he kind of falls off a little bit, looks like he's out of baseball in 1967. Comes back in '68, falls off a little bit more, and is out of baseball after a short stint with the Padres in '69, at the age of 27.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/r...d=davis-004art

He was hurt in 1967. In the off season he injured his Achilles and missed the season. The Indians had told him before the injury he would be their starting 1B. In 1969 he was the Padres starting 1B against righties, but got off to a slow start and was replaced by Nate Colbert who he was platooning with. He was a top prospect for whom things just didn't line up. He had 5 Topps cards, all Rookie Stars cards.

I wonder where he is now - I hope he found a rewarding second career.

Thanks. Understandable Colbert jumped him in the depth chart. He was also much younger then Davis at the time.

He seems to have just left organized baseball after that. He's listed with a couple other minor league teams in 1969, on Baseball Reference, but no listed statistics on those teams.

"Davis eventually gravitated to commercial real estate finance, where he carved out a well-respected career. Davis recently retired from Associated Bank where he last worked as Vice President/District Manager for the Commercial Real Estate Division."

From his SABR biography, originally posted about 12 years ago.

Interesting, never knew this

Awesome! Love these little tid bits of info. :D

"After the (1969) season outfielder Andy Kosco was offered the opportunity to play in Japan. He proposed Davis accompany him. For a two-year obligation, Davis was offered a salary of $25,000 per year. His first son, Drew, however, was born in 1969, and with a young family Davis elected to remain stateside and begin his post-baseball career.[17]"

Just think what went on at Topps (twice)!!

Boss: "Let's see, guys. We have this great rookie coming up, and I'm hearing great things. We need to find a picture of him to use on a rookie card."

Employee: "I got it, Skip. Let's use the same photo from his previous rookie card."

I mean, sooner or later it had to be an inside joke, right? They had to be doing it intentionally at least by year 3.

If I worked at Topps, he would be on a 2021 card...