Topps All-Star Misses: 1961 AL Infield

  My latest project is making All Star Cards That Never Year for the years 1958-62 and 1968-70.  During those years Topps decision making on these cards was haphazard and a mystery to everybody but Topps. They were NOT based on the current season's "Sporting News All Stars" nor the previous season's ASG starters.  So I've made additional cards based on this criteria.   

What started as an idea for a small project, ballooned to over 150 cards so I'll be posting these in small doses.  I'll be breaking it down by year, league (NL or AL), and positions (battery, infield and outfield).

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Norm Cash:

• Named to 1961 Sporting News All Star team.
• Started both 1961 MLB All Star games.
• Led AL with .361 batting average in 1961.
• 4th in 1961 MVP voting.

Pete Runnels:

• Started both 1960 MLB All Star games.
• Led AL with .320 batting average in 1960.
• 17th in 1960 MVP voting.

Bobby Richardson:

• Named to 1961 Sporting News All Star team.
• Won Gold Glove in 1961.
• 24th in 1961 MVP voting.

Tony Kubek:

• Named to 1961 Sporting News All Star team.
• Started in 1961 MLB All Star Game 1.
• Reserve in 1961 All Star Game 2.
• 11th in 1960 MVP voting.

Ron Hansen:

• 1960 AL Rookie of the Year.
• Started both 1960 MLB All Star games.
• 5th in 1960 MVP voting.

Frank Malzone:

• Started both 1960 MLB All Star games.
• Led AL in Double-Plays turned at 3B from 1957-1961.

Who probably didn't merit inclusion in the 1961 Topps All-Star set, but was in it anyway?

Nellie Fox:

As much as it pains this White Sox fan, the 1959 MVP just doesn't belong.  He was an All Star reserve in both 1960 games and both 1961 games.  However, he wasn't a Sporting News All Star either year. Nor did he start any of the 4 All Star games in 1960 or 1961.

1975 Topps 1960 Rookies of the Year

 

In 1960 Frank Howard was selected NL Rookie of the Year with 50% of the votes powered by his 23 home runs. He went on to hit double digit dingers every year until leaving the Majors at the end of the 1973 season.

Ron Hanson received 22 of the 24 votes cast for AL Rookie of the Year. The other 2 votes went to Oriole teammates Chuck Estrada and Jim Gentile. In 1968 Hansen had the distinction of being traded for the same player twice in one year. In February the White Sox traded Hansen to the Senators in a 6 player trade that included Tim Cullen. In August the Senators sent Hansen back to the White Sox for Tim Cullen. It was the first time the same two players were traded for each other in the same season in the history of the MLB.