Help! - Best players for 1958-1980 baseball card display

[jason.1969]

That's good logic. I have always had a soft spot for JR Richard based on his career ending just as he was heading toward his best year(s?). I also tend to remember him as better than he was since he had a stretch where I believe he was 15-0 against my team with an ERA around 1.00 and about 12Ks per game.

[David W]

So, who is your top 50 from 33-57?

And who is your 43 that are in from 58 to 80?

[brian1961]

Jason, if you're a fan of those years, or any era, why ask us? Look friend, choose the guys that move you. Impress you. Cards whose image is, in your mind, a work of art that stimulates your senses. You're gonna get 50 different answers from fifty people on this one. Unless you wanna take a consensus, you should pick who you want and the beauty that moves YOU in particular cards of dos guys that are "your" guys.

It's all good, bro.

As an example, for me it would be Mel Stottlemyre, Gary Peters, and Dean Chance, among others. For certain years, they were superb. Would they fit anyone else's? Probably not. I'd also go with Sandy Koufax, and many others would include him, but so what? But for those aforementioned three pitchers, it's all about what I want? For your choices, it's all about who you want!

Collect who you love, and the contentment will follow.

Gotta go to work!

Take care, Jason. ----Brian Powell

[PolarBear]

I'd dump:

JR Richard
Don Sutton
George Foster
Minnie Minoso
Dale Murphy
Fred Lynn
Monte Irvin

[jason.1969]

Originally Posted by David W

So, who is your top 50 from 33-57?

And who is your 43 that are in from 58 to 80?

Here's what I have so far, grouped into 10s (plus or minus) to correspond with the rows in my Pennzoni display case. Note that bold entries are cards I still need, and italicized entries are players on the bubble. G = Goudey, D = DeLong, DS = Diamond Starts, PB = Play Ball, B = Bowman, T = Topps, N = Nu Cards, and J = Japanese.

Any player who is a consensus Top 100 Player in MLB history (about 75 of these guys) is an automatic "in." From there I end up with about 30 open slots, many of which go to guys I just want in for my own reasons (as Brian suggested). And what's left, more or less, are about 17 guys to fill 10 slots.

FIRST 50

33G Ruth
33G Frisch
33G Hartnett
33G O'Doul - Perhaps not a Top 100 career, but I'm biased toward really old cards I already have.
33G H. Wilson - Ditto.
34G Gehrig
34G Foxx
34G Grove
34G Greenberg
34G Dean

33D Simmons
33D Klein - I know Klein benefitted greatly from ballpark and era. Still, I feel like Klein and Simmons go together, enough so that I might even shell out for the DeLongs.
36DS Hornsby
36DS Ott
36DS Hubbell
36DS Waner
36DS Terry
36DS Traynor
36DS Appling
36G Cochrane - With this and the next selection, part of my goal is to feature not only 100 great players but also a variety of different sets.
38G Medwick

39PB DiMaggio
40PB Dickey
40PB Cronin
41PB Gehringer
41PB Vaughan - A bit like Maris, one season really does a lot for this guy in my book
49B Boudreau
51B Campanella - Still puzzled ESPN didn't put him in their Top 125!
51B Irvin
52B Ashburn - This card is just a beauty...may put Richie over the top! Plus makes a nice pair with fellow Whiz Kid below.
52B Roberts

52T Snider
53T Paige
53T Feller
53T Mathews
53T Mize
53T Kiner
53B Musial
53B Minoso - I grew up in LA but live in Chicago now. People here talk about this guy like a poor man's Clemente. I should learn more...I mainly knew him from his '77 Topps Record Breaker card.
54T J. Robinson
54B Mantle

57T Mays
57T T. Williams
57T F. Robinson
57T Clemente
57T Spahn
57T Banks
57T Berra
57T Kaline
57T Ford
57T Doby - Integrating the American League earns this guy a ton of points with me.

Best guys I left out: Goose Goslin, Lefty Gomez, Early Wynn, Phil Rizzuto, Gil Hodges, Pee Wee Reese?

SECOND 50

61N Aaron - Of all the Aarons!! Really? The problem is my Topps and Bowman Aarons are all tied up in my framed Aaron display.
63T Koufax
64T Gibson
64T B. Robinson
64T Yastrzemski
64T McCovey
64T Marichal
64T Killebrew
64T Stargell
64T Aparicio
64T B. Williams

64T Drysdale
64T Maris - I still think of him as holding the HR record
64J Oh - Such a cool card. No idea really what his MLB stats would have been.
65T Wilhelm
65T Santo - Just as his name translates, people here in Chicago see this guy as a saint.
65T Allen
65T Tiant
66T Morgan
67T Jenkins
67T Perry
68T Sutton

69T Bench
69T Seaver
69T Carlton
69T Rose
69T Ryan
69T Carew
69T Jackson
69T Palmer
69T Brock
69T Niekro

70T Fingers
71T Blyleven
71T Garvey - When I was growing up in LA, this guy was the card everyone wanted to get in a pack.
72T Foster
72T Munson
73T Fisk
74T Schmidt
74T Winfield
74T Gossage
74T Richard
75T Brett

76T Eckersley
76T Carter
76T Lynn
76T Parker
77T Yount
77T Sutter
78T Murray
78T Dawson
78T Rice
79T Smith
79T Molitor
80T Henderson
80T Murphy

Best guys I left out: Tony Perez, Bobby Grich, Dave Kingman, Alan Trammell?

[mrmopar]

Might be speaking soon, but good to see The Garv getting some love from the vintage crowd. Usually he gets the snub when HOF or all time greats topics come about.

It's hard to remove any of the better players from lists like these because you feel like they all deserve to be there at some level. Good luck with the project.

[jchcollins]

I'm rather biased, but would say for sure DON'T take off Mr. Ron Santo.

[Beatles Guy]

INFIELDERS
Dick Allen
Steve Garvey


CATCHERS
Thurman Munson


PITCHERS
JR Richard


OUTFIELDERS
George Foster
Dave Parker
Dale Murphy

[MCoxon]

Hi there - few thoughts:

1) Irvin only played until 1955/56, so doesn't fit the '58-80 time. He was an early HOFer, in spite of only 1-2 great MLB years, especially '51 when he finished #3 in MVP voting. That said he's a favorite of mine, have his whole run from Topps + Bowman, and his 53B and 55T are particularly awesome

2) Minoso. Gotta keep him. He will be in the HOF shortly, esp. with his passing, and he is as you say a poor man's Clemente. So, even just for the spirit and his ambassadorship of the game through his retirement, I'd keep him. He has tons of awesome cards to choose from (53B, 54 Red Heart, 53T, 59T, among many others)

3) Tony Oliva . I hope he's on your top 50? This guy is always my favorite pick for best non-HOFer, and frankly, one of the top players in 64-71 (before injuries). 3-time batting champ, 5-time hits leader, he was a sure-fire HOFer until injuries in his later career. Also, he has some of the coolest looking cards, especially 65, 66, 67 topps

I'm a huge fan of Cuban players too, which is why both Minoso and Oliva are so high in my personal list - I think they double-integrated to some degree (especially Minoso, who broke in in 1949 with CLE before several teams had integrated, and at a time when he also spoke only Spanish)

[jason.1969]

Agreed on Irvin. In his case, he'd be on the "First 50" display that runs from 1933-1957. His MLB numbers aren't HOF-calibre, but I always keep in mind he didn't make his debut till he was 30, largely for reasons due to anything but lack of ability. Irvin has some beautiful cards...I really like his 53 Bowman Color and his 54 Dan Dee. However, I'm now thinking I may represent him with his 51 Topps Red Back. This gives me a chance to include the very first Topps issue in my display.

Minoso has a gorgeous 53 Bowman Color card as well, and that could well sway me. For the row in the display where he'd go, it comes down to Minoso vs Ashburn. I like Ashburn's 52 Bowman next to my newfound 52 Bowman Robin Roberts, so this could almost be a coin flip.

Yes, I agree Oliva was really good and could have been really, really good. I've also heard he's a terrific guy from people who've met him. I think he does the Spanish broadcasting for the Twins these days. He doesn't quite make my list at the moment, even with the three batting titles. Another guy I feel guilty omitting is Bill Madlock, with FOUR titles!

[MCoxon]

Originally Posted by jason.1969

Another guy I feel guilty omitting is Bill Madlock, with FOUR titles!

You're right - it's so tough. Madlock is also close.

51 Red Back for Monte Irvin is a great choice.

If you do go with Minnie, I'd vote the 53 Bowman - but honestly you can't go wrong with any

Good luck!