The first year Topps included an All Star subset was 1958. That particular year they attributed the "selection" of players to "Sport Magazine". I have a list of "Sporting News" All Stars, but no way of verifying the "Sport" picks. Nevertheless, here are a few that could've been included, and one that makes you scratch your head.
Jim Bunning:
- Was the 1957 All Star starting pitcher.
- 1957 Sporting News All Star Selection.
- Tied for the AL lead in 1957 with 20 wins.
- 9th in MVP voting in 1957.
Billy Pierce:
- Selected to Both the 1957 and '58 All Star Teams.
- 1957 Sporting News All Star Selection.
- First lefthanded pitcher to come on in relief in 1957 ASG.
- Tied for the AL lead in 1957 with 20 wins.
- 11th in MVP voting in 1957.
- Led AL in 1957 and '58 in Complete Games.
Yogi Berra:
- Was the 1957 All Star starting catcher.
- Selected to Both the 1957 and '58 All Star Teams.
- 1957 Sporting News All Star Selection.
- 14th in MVP voting in 1957.
- 18th in MVP voting in 1958.
Who probably didn't merit inclusion in the 1958 Topps All-Star set, but was in it anyway?
Herb Score:
Great looking cards, love the Berra in particular.
ReplyDeletePerhaps context can explain Herb Score. It seems Topps added their late 1958 All-Stars series because they succeeded in signing Stan Musial to a card contract mid-season and because they knew Fleer would have Ted Williams starting in 1959. After they bought out Bowman in 1956, Topps appears to have pushed hard to turn their exclusive baseball card license into partnership with various sports businesses and media. There's reason to believe they mocked up this subset in early 1957 as a pitch to Sport, who passed at the time. When the 1957 Cincy All-Star voting scandal removed the popular vote from fans in 1958 and Topps was able to sign Musial, there's a chance they re-pitched the set to Sport and got agreement this time. If they assembled it on short notice after Musial's signing, I can imagine them adding a card like the AL/NL managers and otherwise going with what they had in 1957.
That's an interesting theory. It's difficult to imagine what the heck Topps was thinking. I know this was a late series add with an excuse to include Musial in their set. In reality, this subset aligns more with the actual 1958 MLB All Star roster than the 1957 or 1956 All Star team. But it doesn't really fully align with any of those seasons.
DeleteGreat looking cards. Agree with the Matthew that the Berra card is especially nice.
ReplyDelete