Not really vintage but--where have you gone Pancho Herrera?

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Posted By: Todd (nolemmings)

Anyone know what became of Pancho Herrera? I always found it strange that the guy has a 1961 Topps high-numbered All-Star card, a stamp and a rub-off but no regular issue card from that year. How did Topps miss that? Just as mysteriously, the guy never played in the Big Leagues after 1961--nada, zilch. So the guy goes from an all-star to out of the game, just like that. Was there some sort of horrible accident?
The "sources" show he's still alive, so what gives?

On a related topic from the 60's, anyone have info on Tony Horton? The guy played several seasons in the mid-late 60s and 1970, then poof, gone from the show at age 26. Never appeared on a Topps card, either...why is that?

I realize these guys are rather modern players, but surely the collective intelligence of this board can slake my curiosity. Any info appreciated.
regards...................Todd

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Posted By: jay behrens

You sure Tony Horton isn't in the 71 Topps set?

Only thing I know about Herrera is that he has a very tough variation in the 58 Topps set.

Jay

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Posted By: Jon Canfield

He was inducted into the Cuban Professional Baseball Hall of Fame in 1997... Also, I read in a stat book that in 1960, he set the NL record for most strikeouts in a 154 game season.

I guess its good he at least went up there and took some hacks!!

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Posted By: Anonymous

Tony Horton (his parents actually)lived down the street from me in the 60's and 70's- I was their paperboy in Santa Monica. He had some sort of nervous breakdown and never played ball again. Real nice guy, I remember him hanging around the house all the time- I guess the stress was just too much of him. I know he has a '70 Kellogg's card, and he isn't in the '71 Topps set. By 1980 things hadn't changed, and then I left the neighborhood.
Rick Monday was about a half a block away, for a rapid 11 year old baseball fan this was the best paper route in town.
Pancho is THE tough card in the '58 set, if you're looking for the "Herrer" error. I looked for years and finally got one that is fairly off center, and have yet to find one since, better or worse.

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Posted By: Nick

Todd,

These are the facts as I know them:

Pancho had a somewhat successful carrer in the big leagues(three years). As his stats indicate he did have a degree of success in MLB. He did however set a new NL mark in Strike outs and nearly set a record for errors in the same year.

At the time when he was playing, segregation was in full swing. Although Pancho was a Latin player he was a dark skinned latin, thus he was forced to lodge with other black players and staff. Which was a problem because Pancho did not paticulary care for those of African decent.There are many stories of infighting between Pancho and his black team mates.This may have been the reason he left MLB.

I am sure if he did not leave on his own his strike outs and errors would have opened the door.

His famous error card is a 1958 topps card. The "A" is missing in Herrera. There are fewer than 6 known copies and I have never found one! If you see one I am a willing buyer.

Regards,
Nick