#341 Doug DeCinces California Angels

One of the more unique action shots in the set, Doug DeCinces is observed catching pop-up in the bright sunlight.  This is the veteran's ninth Topps card and his first as an Angel.

Player:  Doug DeCinces was an up and coming infielder with the Orioles at a time when they just didn't have room for him.  With future hall of famer Brooks Robinson at third, Mark Belanger at short, and Bobby Grich at second, the O's infield was crowded.  DeCinces had a cup of coffee in '73 and in a single major league game in '74 before sticking as a utility infielder in '75.

With Robinson now 39 years old, Decinces grabbed a bigger chunk of playing time in '76 and despite run-ins with manager Earl Weaver and Baltimore ownership, he eventually settled in at third base. Harsh treatment from Weaver and unfair comparisons to Robinson would plague him his entire stay in Baltimore.

DeCinces spent six years as a starter for the Orioles with his best season with them coming in 1978 when he clubbed 28 HR, slugged .526 and posted a 149 OPS+.  The rest of his Baltimore tenure, before and after, he never hit more than 19 HR or hit higher than .263.

Bookending Baltimore legends, DeCinces was sent packing after the 1981 season to make room for Cal Ripken at the hot corner.  Had the O's realized that Cal could be much more than adequate at short maybe they would have held on to DeCinces.  Instead they swapped him to California for Dan Ford.

DeCinces got a fresh start in California. A notoriously slow starter, he caught fire in the second half batting .340/.412/.653.  He finished the year with career highs in BA .301, 2B 42, HR 30, RBI as he won the Silver Slugger at thirdbase and finished third in MVP voting.

He spent the next six years with the Angels generating good but not always great numbers hitting 16 to 26 HR each year with 2 or 3 WAR seasons.  The Angels cut DeCinces at the tail end of the '87 season and he was picked up by the Cardinals.  He went 2 for 9 with the Redbirds to cap his MLB career.  He traveled to Japan to play one year for the Yakult Swallows.

Flipside:   DeCinces hit three home runs on 8-3-82 and three more on 8-8-82.  That seems the most impressive thing about his season and should have been at the bottom of this card.  Or maybe "Doug started August with 14 hits and 9 HR in 28 at bats." 

Oddball:  A very good bio on DeCinces tells me among other things that he broke his nose four times.

History:  I remember DeCinces as one of the veterans with the Angels who came close but didn't reach the World Series.  It wasn't until after he retired I realized he had been in the '79 World Series. In the fall classic DeCinces slugged a HR in his first WS bat but was 4 for his next 24 as the O's dropped the seven game series to the Pirates.
Then in California, DeCinces and the Halos were knocked out of the ALCS in '82 and '86 with both series going the distance.

Looking back at his career, I can't help but think that DeCinces never was able to live up to his full potential.  Injuries were certainly a factor as he played more than 140 games just four times.  All in all a very good career though.

#315 Rick Burleson - California Angels

Judging by the trees in the background, Rick Burleson's 9th Topps card was taken in a spring training location. It's a good thing they took the picture when they did because Burleson played only 11 games in '82. 

 

Player: Rick Burleson was a first round pick of the Red Sox in the 1970 January draft and by 1974 was battling for a starting shortstop job in Boston.  Although he started the year at Pawtucket he was soon promoted.  He and Mario Guerrero started 81 games each at short and Burleson also got into 31 at second.  In 415 plate appearances he posted a .284/.320/.372 line and despite a record three errors in his first game, his freshman year was deemed a success and he finished 4th in the Rookie of the Year voting.

 

Burleson's rate stats dropped across the board in '75 (.252/..305/.329) but his play at shortstop was seen as a key to the Red Sox success.  Despite his lack of offense he received some MVP votes. His postseason was successful batting .444 in the ALCS and .295 in the World Series loss to the Reds. 

 

The man known as "Rooster" was a mainstay of the Red Sox for the rest of the decade as he averaged 153 games played from '75-'80.  His batting average fluctuated from a low of .248 to a high of .293 with single digit home run totals while playing good defense.  He was an AL All-Star and received a few stray MVP votes from '77-'79 with a Gold Glove in '79. 

 

Like many of his teammates, Burleson had contract squabbles with Boston so they traded him to California with Butch Hobson for Carney Lansford, Mark Clear, and Rick Miller.  The Angels signed Burleson to a six-year, $4.65 million deal, at the time the biggest contract ever for a shortstop.

 

Burleson's gritty all-out hustle made a positive impression on Angel fans who initially frowned on the trade and big contract.  His numbers in the stat ledger were some of the best of his career as he batted .293/.357/.372 with a career high 112 OPS+ in the abbreviated '81 campaign.  He was an All-Star for the fourth time and won the Silver Slugger award. 

 

Rooster's '82 season was a wash as he tore his rotator cuff two weeks into the season.  He battled to get back and played just 33 games in '83 but this was the tip of the iceberg of his health problems.  In spring training of '84 he re-injured his shoulder and he didn't return until September.  He played in just seven games and was limited to pinch hitting and pinch running duties.  In the offseason he dislocated his shoulder while lifting weights which caused nerve damage to the very area he was trying to strengthen.  The mishap cost him the entire '85 season, meaning he had played just 51 games over the past four years. 

 

Burleson mounted yet another come back and started the '86 season as the Halos' starting shortstop.  He was soon displaced by Dick Schofield but he was hitting well and started 38 games as a DH.  In all he batted .284/.363/.391 in 312 trips to the plate.  He got into four games in the ALCS and went three for eleven as the Angels fell to his former team.  After the season he received the Comeback Player of the Year award. 

 

With his contract up he signed with the Orioles to play second base but was batting just .209 when he received the pink slip in July.  He retired with a .273/.328/.361 stat line in parts of 13 seasons.

 

 

 

Flipside: Burleson played so little in '82 that three of his seven hits make the highlights section.

Oddball: Boston teammate Bill Lee summed up Rooster's intensity by saying "Some guys didn't like to lose, but Rick got angry if the score was even tied."

History: It might be hard to imagine Burleson as the type of player who would be the highest paid shortstop, but when he signed that big contract Robin Yount, Alan Trammell, and Ozzie Smith had yet to peak and Cal Ripken was still in the minors.  Rooster made most of his noise in the 70s a time when shortstops were held to lower offensive standard than the next two decades.  Burleson certainly was a good defender ranking second all-time in range factor per nine innings at SS with 5.245 chances.  To sum it up, Burleson had a nice stretch as the Red Sox sparkplug but he played just 253 games for the Angels. 

#276 Gene Mauch - California Angels

Gene Mauch looks pretty happy here on his 16th Topps manager card. Mauch had just one card as a player which appeared in the 1957 set.  When I was a kid, I was sure Mauch must have been in his 70s but he was just in his mid-50s when this picture was taken.  Must have been the white hair which fooled me for years with Sparky Anderson.

Player: Gene Mauch started his playing career during World War II and after a just one year in the minors, debuted with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1944.  Playing shortstop, Mauch got into five games and had two hits in fifteen at bats but put his playing career on hold to join the Army Air Force.  He was stationed in Arizona and did not return to baseball until 1946.  After spending the '47 season at AAA, he saw action in the majors from 1947 through 1952 playing for the Pirates, Dodgers, Cubs, Braves, and Cardinals.  Used as a reserve middle infielder he played sparingly and batted less than .250 each year.     

 

In 1953 the 27 year-old Mauch was sent to the Braves double-A affiliate in Atlanta and served as player-manager. He batted .268 at the teams secondbaseman and led the squad to a 84-70 record.  The Braves released Mauch and he put his managerial career on hold and played three years in the Cubs system.  He was sold to the Red Sox towards the end of the '56 season and got into seven games for Boston.  Mauch shared second base with Ted Lepcio in '57 and had his best year in the majors batting .270 in 222 at bats. 

 

The Red Sox liked Mauch but more for his brain than his athletic prowess and sent him to triple-A to manage their affiliate in Minneapolis.  He guided the team to winning records both years and while he penciled his name in the lineup often in '58, by '59 he limited his playing to eight pinch hit appearances. 

 

Manager: Mauch was just 34 years old when hired by the Phillies to be their field general in 1960.  The Phillies were a moribund franchise and surprised no one by finishing last in '60 and duplicating the feat in '61, a season marred by a 23 game losing streak.  The team began to improve and won 81 games in '62 and 87 in '63.  Led by sluggers Dick Allen and Johnny Callison the team was on the verge of the NL pennant in '64 holding a 6.5 game lead with 12 games left on the schedule.  Seeking just their second NL crown in 48 seasons, the Phillies lost ten straight in what has become known as the Phold.  Mauch was heavily criticized in the press for starting co-aces Jim Bunning and Chris Short twice each on two days rest over the stretch with disastrous results.  The Phillies won the last two games of the year but it was too little-too late, and they finished one game back of the Cardinals.

 

The next three seasons the Phillies were good but not great winning between 82 and 87 games each year.  Philadelphia started the '68 season 27-27 and the Phillies fired Mauch as he was tending to his hospitalized wife back in California.  He stated he held no hard feelings towards management for the awkward timing nor any animosity toward troubled Dick Allen who Mauch had struggled to handle.  

 

Mauch was named manager of the newly formed Montreal Expos in September of 1968.  They took their lumps associated with most expansion teams, losing 110 in their inaugural season in '69.  The Expos were consistently mediocre under Mauch.  He guided them to 70 to 79 win seasons the next six years, keeping them out of last place but never finishing higher than fourth.  Management grew weary of Mauch's refusal to listen to advice from scouts ans staff and canned him following the '75 season. 

 

Less than two months later Mauch was handed the reigns to the Minnesota Twins.  At this point in his career he had managed 15 full seasons in the majors, and had just one finish higher than fourth on his slate.  He was esteemed for runnung a tight ship and coaching the fundamentals- defense, bunting, what we now call small ball.  Under Mauch's reign the Twins finished in third or fourth place from '76 to '79 averaging 81 wins a year.  As the Twins 1980 season unfolded, Mauch was let go with a 54-71 record. 

 

Mauch wasn't out of work long.  He was hired as the Angels director of player development and took over as field general when Jim Fregosi was shown the door in May of '81.  The Angels were 29-34 under Mauch but with a veteran laden team expectations were high going into the '82 season.  The Angels won 93 and topped the AL West delivering Mauch to the postseason for the first time in his 24 year career.  The Angels jumped out to a 2-0 series lead but blew it by losing the last three of the best of five set.  Once again Mauch found himself criticized for the way he handled his pitching staff as he started veterans Tommy John and Bruce Kison on short rest in games 4 and 5.  Mauch's contract was up and although offered an extension, he declined and retired saying he was "dead certain he'd never manage again". 

 

Mauch came back to the Halos dugout when his replacement John McNamara turned down an offer to continue in '85.  The Angels won 90 but finished in 2nd place in his first year back.  The team won 92 in '86 and won the AL West giving Mauch another shot at the postseason.  The Angels were ahead in the seven game series 3 to 1 going into Game 5.  In the back-and-forth contest, California was just one strike away from the World Series when Boston's Dave Henderson hit a go ahead home run.  Although the Angels tied it up in the bottom of the ninth they lost the game in extra innings and the series when they were blown away in Games 6 and 7.

 

Despite the devastating end to the '86 season, Mauch returned in '87 but the Angels won just 75 games.  Mauch a lifelong smoker missed most of spring training in '88 with chronic bronchitis and decided to retire.   At that time his 27 seasons as manager trailed just Connie Mack, John McGraw, and Bucky Harris. 

 

Flipside: Mauch finally got his elusive first place finish in '82 after finishing between 3rd and 6th every year since '64.

 

Oddball:  Looking over Mauch's playing career his '56 season at Los Angeles of the Pacific Coast League stands out like a strobe light in a dark closet.  He batted .348/.424/.516 with 20 homers in 650 plate appearances.  He never had a season anything like that before or after.  In fact he spent the previous two years with the same LA team batting .287 and .296 but never had hit more than 11 homers in a season. So what's the story?  Had Mauch stumbled upon some cold war steroids? Nah, he was stealing signs.  Mauch admits in "The Baseball Codes" to mastering sneaking a peek at the catcher's signs to alert him what pitch was coming. 

 

History: Mauch's managerial style was one that thrived on attention to detail. He used the double switch frequently and loved the sacrifice bunt. According to Chris Jaffe's terrific study of manager tendencies from '67 to '80, every player under Mauch with at least 300 plate appearances had at least one sac bunt. He also loved to platoon, working that advantage more than other managers.

Mauch's career was filled with disappointment dating back to the Phold but the Angels collapses in '82 and '86 were devastating in their own right. He retired with a 1902-2037 record and is still cited as the guy who not only never won the big one, he never even get there. He returned to the dugout for a year in 1995 working as Bob Boone's bench coach in Kansas City. 

Mauch passed away from lung cancer in 2005

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#262 Ron Jackson - California Angels

This card shows a great shot of Ron Jackson as he receives the ball just about to hit his glove.  I like the near parallel line his arm makes with the railing in the background.  Appearing on his 7th Topps card, Jackson is rocking some of the baddest facial hair in the set. 

 

Player: Ron Jackson was a 2nd round pick of the Angels in 1971 and came up through their system as a third baseman. He broke into the majors in the fall of '75 and cracked 9 hits in 39 at bats.  Jackson began the '76 season riding the pine but by May had taken over the starting job at the hot corner.  On a team devoid of power, Jackson hit 8 of the Halos AL worst 63 homers but batted just .227. 

Jackson was a part time player in '77 and split his time between third and first base, posting a 91 OPS+ in 322 plate appearances.  In '78 he again played both positions and hit .297/.337/.421 in 418 trips to the plate.

After the '78 season he was traded with Danny Goodwin to the Twins for Dan Ford.  In Minnesota Jackson assumed the starting job at first base and played in a career best 159 games.  He recorded career highs in doubles (40) and HR (14) with a slash line of .271/.337/.429.  A .227 average with runners in scoring position led to a meager 68 RBI despite 653 plate appearances.

Jackson's strength was found in his defense at first base.  Adequate at the hot corner, his range propelled him to the top of the defensive rating for first sackers in the '79 and '80 seasons.  He spent the next year and a half as the Twins primary first baseman before a trade sent him to Detroit in the middle of the '81 season.

A free-agent after the '81 campaign Jackson returned to the Angels and enjoyed a productive year in limited playing time.  Batting just 159 times, Jackson batted .331/.381/.415 with a career best 119 OPS+.  He took on expanded role in '83 as he filled at the corner infield spots for injured Doug DeCinces and Rod Carew.  His rate stats all dropped and he batted just .230 in 348 at bats.

Jackson's struggles continued in '84 as he batted .160 and was released in August.  He was picked up by the Orioles and played out the season deep on their bench.  He spent the entire '85 season at AAA for the Cardinals.  With the exception of 18 games for Vancouver in '88, Jackson's playing career was over. 

Flipside:  As you can see Jackson didn't have much pop for a firstbaseman, topping 8 HR just once in his career. 

Oddball: According to baseballreference.com, Jackson's 10.5 chances / 9 innings is the highest career mark among firstbasemen. 

History:  Jackson played in the playoffs just once in his career and had a pinch-hit single in his only plate appearance in the '82 ALCS.  He ended his playing career with a stat line of .259/.314/.385 and 5.8 WAR. "Papa Jack" is better known for his coaching career, especially as the Red Sox batting coach from 2003 to '06.   

#236 Steve Renko - California Angels

Veteran Steve Renko graces his 14th Topps card in an Angels jersey, one he was no longer wearing by the time this card came out.  He displays a nice easy pitching form on the mound but has somewhat of a grimace in the inset.  At least it's not as bad as his '82 card.

Player: Steve Renko was drafted as a firstbaseman in 1965 and did not covert to pitching full time until 1968.  As his 1969 season unfolded the Mets traded the big 6'6" Renko to the Expos.  Although he had a 5.45 ERA at AAA Tidewater the Expos used him immediately in the big leagues.  He showed a propensity for missing bats but also missed the strike zone often, allowing just 94 hits but dishing out 50 freebies in 103 innings.  He finished his rookie year with a 6-7 record and 4.01 ERA (92 ERA+). 

 

Renko was a workhorse for the Expos with 28 wins and 498 innings pitched over the 1970-71 seasons.  He made 70 starts and also relieved in 11 games.  His ERAs of 4.32 and 3.75 were both marginally worse than average. These traits became an earmark of Renko's career, taking the ball whenever needed, both starting and relieving, and pitching around  league average.

 

He followed with the worst and the best year of his 15 year career.  He went 1-10 with a 5.20 ERA in '72.  Renko then had a 15 win season with a 2.81 ERA (135 ERA+) in 249 innings of work in 1973.  His 4.1 WAR would be more than double his next best season.  Renko had ERA's just over four the next two years and after a slow start in '76 he was traded with Larry Biitner to the Cubs for Andre Thornton. 

 

Renko finished the year strong for the Cubs and ended up 8-12 with a 3.98 ERA (96 ERA+).  An August trade send him across town to the White Sox where he finished with 4.04 ERA.  Renko was traded to Oakland during spring training in '78 and made 25 starts for the A's, with a 4.29 ERA in 151 frames. 

 

Now 34, the veteran free-agent hurler signed with the Red Sox in 1979.  He made 50 starts the next two years with ERA's of 4.11 (108 ERA+) and 4.19 (101 ERA+) winning a combined 20 games.  After the 1980 season he was traded with Fred Lynn to the Angels.   In and out of the rotation with the Halos, Renko had his lowest ERA in years, 3.44, and finished 8-4 for his new team.  Although his ERA jumped up a full run, he went 11-6 as the Angels won the AL West.  It was the first time his team made the playoffs but he did not appear in the postseason. 

 

Renko was released by the Angels and signed with his hometown Royals for the '83 season.  In typical fashion he made 17 starts, 8 relief outing and logged 121 innings with a 4.30 ERA.  Renko retired after the season with a 134-146 record and a 3.99 ERA (98 ERA+). 

 

Stuff: Cut fastball and knuckle curve

Flipside: Renko was actually drafted in the 24th round, not the 31st as listed in a tiny font here on the back.

 

Oddball:  Steve Renko was the starting quarterback for Kansas University where he specialized in handing the ball off to Gale Sayers.  It's a good thing baseball worked out for him as he completed just 33.7% of his passes.

 

Renko had to unearth his old first baseman's glove when he played three innings at first on 9/22/72.  During the '72 and '73 seasons Renko batted .292 and .273 and even batted in the 7th spot in a game on 8/26/73.  He responded with a single and double in three at bats. 

 

History:  Renko possessed enough size and talent to be drafted by both the Oakland Raiders and New York Mets.  In fact he was K-U's last three sport letterman as he excelled at basketball too.  

In his pro career he made the transition from first baseman to pitching and was in the majors to stay after just 53 appearances on the mound.  He never made an All-Star team or tasted the post season.  He toiled at the back end of major league rotations for 15 seasons and today might be labeled a league average inning muncher.  Renko was a pitching coach in the minors from 1995 to 2006. 

 

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#201 Rod Carew Super Veteran

Then and Now:  You can't tell it from the picture but Carew wore #21 when he first came up with the Twins in '67 before switching to his familiar #29.  He went on to win the A.L. Rookie of the Year with 19 of the 20 votes.  Carew has a big grin in the newer picture and he always seemed happy with the Angels after a tumultuous relationship with Twins owner Calvin Griffith.

Career Span:  4/11/67 to 10/5/85.  The Twins had a talented team in the late 60's with stars like Harmon Killebrew and Tony Oliva in their prime.  Carew also played with older veterans such as Johnny Roseboro and Al Worthington.  

As his career wound down with the Angels Carew played with rookie Devon White who would play until 2001.

All-Star: An 18 time A.L. All-Star, Carew was selected or voted to the team every year but his last.

He played in 15 contests and batted .244 in 41 at bats.  His best game was in '78 when he blasted two triples in four at bats. 

League Leaders:  Led the league in batting average seven times between 1969 and 1978. 

Also led the league in:

Hits- '73, '74, and '77

Runs- '77

Triples- '73, '77

OBP- '74, '75, '77, and '78

Using Baseball Reference's WAR, Carew led positional players three times- '74, '75, and '77.

All Time:  23rd in hits - 3,053

7th in singles- 2,404

34th in batting average- .328

Gold Glove: Nope.  Most advanced metrics show Carew was a plus defender at first base and average to slightly above average at second base.  He wasn't regarded as a reliable fielder with the leather but it was an award he always wanted.  His 33 miscues in '74 didn't help his cause although it was the only time he committed more than 20 in a season.  While errors can be subjective and don't speak of a players range, unjust or not, they cemented an image of a poor fielder.

Silver Slugger: Zilch.  By the time the award came around in 1980 Carew was facing stiff competition from his fellow first basemen. 

Postseason: Carew was never on the winning side of a playoff series.  In four playoff series Carew had just 11 hits in 50 at bats. 

MVP:  Won the MVP in '77, finished in top 10 five other times and received MVP votes in nine different seasons.

Hall of Fame:  Elected in his first year of eligibility in 1991 with 90.5% of the vote.

#200 Rod Carew - California Angels

Check out that headband!  Rod Carew's fashion choice was typical of athletes in the early 80's.  Others who wore it well include gridiron great Walter Payton and later hoopster Cliff Robinson. 
This is Carew's 16th Topps card.  I must say that his glove looks enormous.

Player:  Rod Carew was born in the Panama Canal Zone and emigrated to New York City when he was 14.  He did not play baseball in high school, opting to play semi-pro ball instead.  He caught the attention of the Twins who signed him to a free agent contract in 1964.

Carew debuted with the Twins in '67 and won the AL Rookie of the Year award and appeared in his first All-Star game.  He batted .292/.341/.409, very impressive numbers for the late 60's especially a middle infielder.  He followed that up with a .273 average which would prove to be the lowest of his career as he would peel off 15 straight seasons batting over .300.

The left-handed second baseman made a living of using the whole field and he won the first of seven batting titles in 1969 with a .332 mark.  He struggled in the Twins ALCS loss to the Orioles, eking out just one hit in 14 at bats.  Carew was batting .376 in June 1970 when he tore ligaments in his knee and was sidelined until September.  He came back as a pinch hitter but was hitless in five at bats and two more in the post season as the O's beat the Twins again. 

As Carew continued to recover fully he batted .307 in '71.  He improved to an AL best .328 in '72 which was just a prelude to the dominance he would show over the next six years.  From '73 to '78 he batted .350, .364, .359, .331, .388, and .333. 

Halfway through the '77 season, Carew's batting average was at .401 and his final .388 was the highest seasonal mark since Teddy Ballgame was tearing up the AL in 1941.  By now playing first base, Carew's '77 campaign was truly magnificent with a .388/.449/.570 line.  He led the majors with 129 runs scored, 239 hits, and 16 triples while earning 9.5 WAR. 

Aggressive on the base paths, Carew stole home seven times in '69 a feat he would pull off 17 times in his career.  After healing fully from his knee injury he would steal 30-35 bases a year.

Carew signed with the Angels in '79, and despite a thumb injury that limited him to 110, the year was a success as he bated .318 and returned to the postseason for the first time in nine seasons.  Despite a 7 for 17 performance from Carew, the Angels dropped the ALCS in four games to the Orioles. 

Although no longer a speedster, Carew continued to hit for a high average .331, .308, .319, and .332 over the next four years.  In '82 he had a disappointing ALCS against the Brewers with a .176 average in five games.  Carew hit .295 and .280 over the next two years collecting his 3,000th hit during the '85 season.  He called it quits after the '85 retiring with a lifetime average of .328.

Flipside:  Some might fine print there.  I'm surprised Topps didn't forgo the seasonal highlights and give his stats a larger font. 

Oddball:  Carew didn't want to retire after the '85 season but he did not receive one single offer from a major league team.  Ten years later he was found to be a victim of collusion, and was awarded over $780,000.

Carew can be seen here endorsing the K-Tel Rod Carew Batting Trainer:

Maybe he felt bad about teaching kids to hit off balance in the late 70's 'cos now he has his own website dedicated to the science of hitting. 

History:  Simply put, Carew was one of the best hitters ever.  His .328 lifetime batting average is the 34th highest of all-time.  More of his career achievements will be explored in the next post:  Rod Carew Super Veteran.

#184 Bobby Clark - California Angels

Topps captures Bob Clark taking a whack a pitch in a decent action shot.  This is his third Topps card. 
You can see in the inset that his mom was nice enough to label his helmet so it was easier to find when the veteran Angels hid it on him.

Player:  Bob Clark was pegged as a future star after hitting for power and average at AA El Paso and AAA Salt Lake.  Drafted by the Halos in the January draft four years earlier, he debuted in August of '79.  He got off to good start by batting 296/356/463 in 60 trips to the plate.  Clark showed showed decent defensive ability and was deployed at all three outfield spots.  He got a taste of the postseason but went 0-3 in ALCS action as the Angels lost to the Orioles.

Clark spent the first two months of the 1980 season tearing up AAA pitching at a .345 clip.  Called up in June, he started regularly in center and left, but was unimpressive. Clark hit .230 with only five home runs in 275 plate appearances. 

The right handed Clark was on the Angels all year in '81 but was rarely used.  He hit .250 with four home runs in 88 at bats.  In 1982 he started only 19 games, 17 of them in CF against lefties giving Fred Lynn an occasional day off.  He got into 83 other games usually as a defensive sub for Brian Downing in LF or Reggie Jackson in RF.  Clark came to the plate only 93 times and hit .211.  Carrying his defensive role over to the playoffs, he appeared in two games but did not bat against the Brewers.

Perhaps wanting to see what he could do with regular playing time the Angels gave him a chance but Clark failed to deliver in '83.  He batted 231/261/354 in 225 plate appearances and spent part of the year in the minors.  At least he had one thing going for him as he hadn't made an error since 1980.

Clark was traded to the Brewers for Jim Slaton in December of '83.  In a part time role for Milwaukee, Clark hit .260 and .236 over the '84 and '85 seasons.  He spent the '86 and '87 seasons in the minors before hanging up the spikes.

Flipside:  That zero in BB column stands out.  He hit .211 in '82 but had a .209 on base percentage (thanks to some sacrifices).   

Oddball: 9 of Clark's 19 career home runs came against Boston (5) or Baltimore (4).

The Scouting Report: 1983 quotes Reggie Jackson as saying that Clark  "has one of the top five pure home run swings in the American League". 

Uhh...ok.

History:  Clark hit 239/281/347 in seven major league seasons.  He had a niche as defensive replacement for a while but couldn't deliver offensively when he was given the opportunity to start.  He saw action in two postseasons however the Angels were knocked out of the ALCS both times. 

#178 Luis Tiant - California Angels

Luis Tiant is shown here on his 18th and final Topps card.  His rookie card was issued way back in 1965  (Tiant did not have a card in the '72 set).   By the time this card came out, he had already retired.   
I am pretty sure this picture was taken at Tiger Stadium during the Angels trip to Detroit in late August.

Player: Luis Tiant began playing pro ball in Mexico as an 18 year old in 1959.  The young Cuban played in Mexico City through the end of the '61 season when his contract was sold to the Cleveland Indians.  After winning fifteen games with a 2.04 ERA at AAA Portland, he was called up in July of 1964.  With the big club Tiant went 10-4 with a 2.83 ERA (128 ERA+) in 127 innings.  The 23 year-old won 25 games between his two stops and the future looked bright. 

Tiant started his second year in the pen, battled a sore arm, and joined the rotation in June.  He posted a league average ERA with an 11-11 record.  Tiant lost some weight and bounced back winning 12 games each of the next two seasons with ERAs of 2.79 and 2.74.  Although he started only 16 of his 46 games in '66 he still managed to lead the AL with five shutouts.

In the pitcher friendly year of '68 Tiant was dominant by any standards.  He topped the AL with a 1.60 ERA (186 ERA+), 5.3 hits/9, and nine shutouts and won 21 games for a middle of the road Cleveland team.  His fortunes turned for the worse in '69 and he led the league in the losses (20), HR allowed (39) and walks (129).  Despite all this, his 101 ERA+ indicates he really was pretty much league average.  The last place Indians decided to shake things up and swapped Tiant in a six player deal to the Twins. 

Now with the Twins, Tiant got off to a 6-0 start but was sidelined for two months with a crack in his shoulder blade.  He came back in August and finished the 1970 season 7-3 in 92 innings.  After pulling a muscle in spring training the following year the Twins released him. 

Tiant signed with Atlanta who were only willing to give him a brief look before releasing him. Picked up by Boston, Tiant pitched briefly at AAA before he was called up in June '71.  He made a few starts and pitched in long relief but struggled with a 4.85 ERA and 1.452 WHIP.

The charismatic, cigar puffing, Cuban began the year in the pen and continued to make a few starts across the schedule.  Tiant caught fire and stayed in the rotation over the last two months and completed 11 of his last 13 starts with an 11-2 record and 1.20 ERA as Boston made an unsuccessful push for the AL East lead.  Tiant led the league with a sparkling 1.91 ERA while pitching 179 innings.

Over the next six years Tiant would be a mainstay in the Red Sox rotation and was a Fenway favorite, often serenaded to chants of Loo-eey, Loo-eey, Loo-eey.  Over the '73 - '76 seasons Tiant averaged 20 wins, 281 innings, with a 3.31 ERA and accumulated 20.7 WAR.  Tiant and the Red Sox came up short in the heartbreaking '75 World Series (more on that in the next post).

Tiant had an off year in '77 with a 4.53 ERA but rebounded in '78 with a solid 3.31 and 13 wins. He came through late in the year starting on three days rest most of September as the Sox chased the Yankees. He pitched two hit shutout over Toronto to force the Bucky Dent game #163.

Boston was unwilling to give Tiant more than a one year deal and he signed a two year contract with the Yankees who also added a ten year deal as a scout when he finished playing. He had a decent year in '79 with a 3.91 ERA in 195 innings but fell apart in '80 with a 4.89 ERA in just 136 frames.

The 40 year old Tiant was not ready to hang it up and signed with the Pirates but spent most of the year at AAA.  He was called up for nine starts at the end of the '81 season. He went 2-5 with a 3.92 ERA but was released at the end of the year.  Tiant started the '82 season back in Mexico pitching for Tabasco (it's more than a sauce), before his contract was purchased by the Angels for the stretch drive.  He made a couple of good starts but was otherwise ineffective and had a 5.76 ERA in 29.2 innings.  Tiant retired with a career mark of 229-172 and a 3.30 ERA (114 ERA+). 

Stuff:  In his heyday Tiant had a power fastball, and even in his early years he threw a great variety of pitches from all arm slots.  In addition to his four-seam fastball he also had a curve, slow curve, slider, palmball, knuckleball, and change up.  A brief example of his exaggerated pitching motion can be seen here.

 

Flipside:  Wow, those are some tiny, tiny stats.  Looking at his career, his down years from '69-'71 might have cost him a shot at the Hall of Fame.  He only had a total of 17 wins those three years and had double digits every other year from '64 - '80.  Had he averaged 15 wins those years he would have finished with 28 more wins giving him 257 career.  While that total wouldn't have guaranteed him a spot in Cooperstown, it may have gotten him a few more votes.  

Another thing that may have cost Tiant a few W's is that Cleveland was stocked with a bevy of young arms in the early to mid 60's and he could have been called up earlier than 1964.  In his '63 and '64 minor league campaigns he went 29-19 with a 2.61 ERA.  At the time the Indians had Tommy John and Sam McDowell who were nearing drinking age but had debuted in '63  They also young veterans Gary Bell, Mudcat Grant, Jim Perry, and Pedro Ramos.  Tiant's success in the minors may have just been overlooked due to the glut of arms the Indians had at the time. 

As far as the HOF voting, Tiant received 30.9% of the vote in his first year of eligibility in '88 but lost support and was dropped from the ballot in 2002.  

Oddball:  How many players play for the same minor league team 17 years apart?  If you don't include established big leaguers on rehab assignments, probably not too many.  Tiant pitched for AAA Portland in '64 when they were the Tribe's top farm team.  When he signed with Pittsburgh in '81, Portland was now affiliated with the Pirates.  Perhaps returning to his old stomping grounds rejuvenated Tiant  as he came within one out of pitching back-to-back no hitters.

History:  Tiant was a very popular pitcher especially when he was with the Red Sox.  After his playing days he scouted for the Yankees in Mexico.  He later managed Savannah College of Art and Design for four years. 

A documentary of Tiant's return to Cuba, "The Lost Son of Havana" was released in 2009. The SABR bio on Tiant, is a good read and was a great source for much of info read here.

My next post will cover Tiant's Super Veteran card.