I'm going to make an attempt to collect as many baseball cards as possible from 1976. I was 9 when the 1976 Topps baseball cards came out. I have most of those cards, but I'd like to expand and get the other cards from this great year.
Bruce Dal Canton pitched in the majors from 1967-1977. He was signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1966 at the age of 25. Bruce had been teaching high school at the time and was signed at an open tryout. Bruce was in the minors for the entire season in 1966 and would be in the minors for parts of the 1967 and 1968 seasons. Dal Canton was with the Pirates briefly in 1967 and was 2-1 with a 1.88 ERA in eight games (two starts).
After spending most of 1968 in the minors, Dal Canton came back to the Pirates in September and was 1-1 with two saves and a 2.12 ERA in seven games. Bruce had a good year as a relief pitcher in 1969. He was 8-2 with five saves and a 3.34 ERA in 57 games.
Dal Canton was a reliever and spot starter for the Pirates in 1970. He went 9-4 with one save and a 4.57 ERA in 41 games (6 starts). After the 1970 season Bruce was traded with Jerry May and Freddie Patek to the Kansas City Royals for Jim Campanis, Jackie Hernandez, and Bob Johnson.
Bruce became a starting pitcher for the Royals in 1971. He started 22 games and was 8-6 with a 3.44 ERA. Bruce missed the entire month of August with an injury.
Dal Canton split time between the bullpen and the starting rotation in 1972. Bruce was 6-6 with two saves and a 3.40 ERA in 35 games (16 starts). He had what was probably his worst season in 1973. Bruce was 4-3 with three saves and a 4.81 ERA in 32 games (3 starts).
In 1974 Dal Canton led the AL with 16 wild pitches. He went 8-10 with a 3.13 ERA in 31 games (22 starts). Bruce got off to a rough start in 1975 (0-2, 15.58 ERA in four games) and the Royals had several young pitchers who were ready for the majors. Dal Canton was traded (with Ray Sadecki) to the Atlanta Braves on June 30 for cash, Norm Angelini, and Al Autry. Dal Canton went 2-7 with three saves and a 3.36 ERA in 26 games (nine starts) for the Braves in '75.
Bruce was mostly a reliever in 1976. In 42 games (1 start) he went 3-5 with one save and a 3.56 ERA. Dal Canton didn't make the Braves ballclub in 1977 and was released on March 30. He was signed by the Chicago White Sox a week later but pitched in only eight games (0-2, 2 saves, 3.75 ERA) in April and May. Bruce was released by the White Sox in August. He tried to come back with the White Sox' AAA club in 1978 but he didn't make it back to the majors.
After his playing career Bruce was a pitching coach in the Atlanta Braves organization for 26 years, including a stint as the Braves' pitching coach from 1987-1990.
Dal Canton was inducted into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame in 2004.
Mike Hargrove was known as "The Human Rain Delay" due to his propensity to step out of the box and make adjustments between every pitch. It must have worked for him because he compiled a good hitting record over his 12-year career. Hargrove was drafted by the Texas Rangers in 1972. He played in the minors in 1972 and 1973 and was promoted to the Rangers after batting .351 for class A Gastonia in 1973.
Hargrove mostly played first base and was the AL Rookie of the Year in 1974 as he batted .323 in 131 games. Mike played most of his games in left field in 1975 and was an All Star in 1975 (he was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter). Hargrove batted .303 with 11 HR in 145 games in '75. Mike Hargrove: Another Winner for the Rangers - February 1975 Baseball Digest
Mike led the AL with 97 walks in 1976 and also had a career high with 30 doubles. He batted .287 in 151 games, mostly at first base. In 1977 Mike batted .305 with 103 walks and a career-high 18 home runs. Hargrove led the AL with 107 walks in 1978 but his batting average dipped to .251. After the 1978 season Mike was traded with Kurt Bevacqua and Bill Faheyto the San Diego Padres for Oscar Gamble, Dave Roberts and $300,000.
After switching leagues Hargrove started off very slowly for the Padres. Mike was batting .192 in 52 games when he was traded to the Cleveland Indians for Paul Dade on June 14. Once he returned to the American League Hargrove was back to his old self -- he batted .325 in 100 games for the Indians in 1979.
In 1980 Mike batted .304 with 111 walks, 11 HR, and 85 RBI. He led the AL with a .424 on base percentage in 1981 as he batted .317. Mike Hargrove: A Player for All Eras - May 1981 Baseball Digest
Hargrove walked 101 times and batted .271 in 1982. Mike's production and on base percentage started to slip in 1983. He batted .286 in 134 games in 1983, .267 in 133 games in 1984, and .285 in 284 at bats in 1985. Mike became a free agent after the 1985 season, didn't sign with anyone, and retired.
Hargrove managed in the Indians' minor league system from 1987-1989. He then managed three major league teams. Mike took over the Cleveland Indians in 1991 and won five straight AL Central titles from 1995-1999. The Indians lost the World Series to the Atlanta Braves in 1995 but didn't make it to the World Series in subsequent seasons. Hargrove was dismissed after the 1999 season. Mike managed the Baltimore Orioles from 2000-2003 and finished fourth in the AL East all four seasons. Hargrove managed the Seattle Mariners from 2005 to July 1,2007. The Mariners weren't successful in 2005 or 2006, but they were in second place in the AL West in 2007 when Mike abruptly resigned (he said that his passion had begun to fade and it wouldn't be fair to himself or the team to continue). Hargrove now manages the semi-pro Liberal BeeJays in Kansas.
Liked to face: Gaylord Perry (.514 in 35 AB); Dick Tidrow (.500 in 24 AB); Paul Mitchell (.480 in 25 AB)
Hated to face: Jerry Garvin/Chuck Rainey (.000 in 11 AB); Dave Righetti (.056 in 18 AB); Mike Flanagan (.079 in 38 AB)
Eric Raich pitched for the Cleveland Indians in 1975 and 1976. Raich was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in 1969 but he didn't sign. Raich played baseball and football for the USC Trojans -- USC won four straight NCAA Baseball championships from 1968-1971. Eric was then the first player selected in the 1972 draft and signed with the Cleveland Indians. Raich pitched in the minors from 1972-1975.
Raich came up to the Indians in late May 1975 and went 7-8 with a 5.52 ERA in 17 starts. Here is an interesting story (from an article about official scorers) about Eric in his rookie season: "Schneider, who covered the Indians for the Cleveland Plain Dealer for more than 20 years, was one of the last full-time beat writers to work double duty as an official scorekeeper.In 1979, newspaper editors began to forbid their reporters from doing the extra job, citing conflict-of-interest concerns. Schneider saw that conflict first-hand in 1975 when his son-in-law, Eric Raich, was promoted to the Indians, and Schneider was the official scorer for one of the pitcher's first games. In the fourth inning, Raich had yet to give up a hit, and Billy North of the A's hit a grounder in front of the plate. Both Raich and catcher Alan Ashby ran toward the ball, and both pulled back, thinking the other would field it. Ashby finally picked the ball up and threw it to first, but North was safe. Schneider ruled the play a base hit, and the press-box phone immediately rang. "How could you call that a hit?" the female caller yelled to Schneider. Who was the mystery woman on the line? "It was my wife, who was watching the game on TV with my daughter," Schneider recalled with a laugh."
Eric was in the minors for most of the 1976 season and came back to the Indians in September. Raich allowed 5 runs in 2.2 innings in a relief appearance on September 12 and that was it for his major league career.
Eric pitched in the minors in 1977 and 1978 without much success.
Mike Schmidt is widely considered to be the greatest third baseman in baseball history. This is his 4th-year card and he was coming into his own during this time. Schmidt was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in 1971. Mike was in the minors in 1971 and 1972 and was ready for the majors after batting .291 with 26 HR and 91 RBI for AAA Eugene. Schmidt batted .206 in 34 at bats as a late-season call-up in 1972.
Schmidt became the Phillies' starting third baseman in 1973. His batting average was low (.196) and he struck out a lot (136), but he hit 18 home runs in 367 at bats.
Mike had his first big year in 1974. He made his first of 12 NL All Star teams and he led the NL with 36 HR and a .546 slugging percentage. Mike also led the NL in strikeouts with 138 and batted .282 with 116 RBI. Schmidt finished sixth in NL MVP voting (he would finish in the top-10 nine times in his career). Schmidt set the record (which still stands) for assists by a third baseman with 404. A Power Hitter Blossoms in Philly - September 1974 Baseball Digest
Mike's stats dropped a little in 1975. He led the NL with 38 home runs and batted .249 with 95 RBI. Schmidt again led the NL with 180 strikeouts.
Schmidt led the Phillies to their first NL East title in 1976. Mike led the NL in homers (38) again, batted .262 with 107 RBI, made the All Star team, and finished third in NL MVP voting. Mike batted .308 in the NLCS. Schmidt hit four home runs in one game on April 17, 1976. Schmidt also won a Gold Glove award. He was the NL Gold Glove winner at third base every season from 1976-1984.
Before the 1977 season Schmidt signed a five-year contract for $560,000 per year. In 1977 Mike batted .274 with 38 HR and 101 RBI. He was an All Star and finished 10th in MVP voting. Schmidt went only 1 for 16 in the 1977 NLCS. Mike Schmidt: The Complete Ballplayer - September 1977 Baseball Digest
The 1978 season was probably Mike's worst year until 1988. He batted .251 with 21 HR and 78 RBI. Mike batted .200 in the 1978 NLCS. Schmidt bounced back in 1979 with 45 HR, 114 RBI, and a .253 average. Mike was also the starting 3B for the NL in the All Star game. Mike Schmidt: The Struggle for Hitting Consistency - October 1979 Baseball Digest.
Schmidt's best year was probably 1980. He was the NL MVP in a unanimous vote and the World Series MVP as he led the Phillies to their first world championship. Schmidt also won the first Silver Slugger Award at 3B (he would win every year from 1980-1984 and again in 1986). During the regular season Mike batted .286, hit 48 HR to lead the NL, and also led the NL with 121 RBI and a .624 slugging percentage. Mike batted .208 in the NLCS but he batted .381 with 2 HR in the World Series.
Mike was the NL MVP again in 1981. He batted a career-high .316 and led the NL with 31 HR and 91 RBI. Schmidt batted .250 during the 1981 NLDS. After the 1981 season Schmidt signed a six-year contract for $11.4 million.
In 1982 Mike "slipped" to sixth in MVP voting as he batted .280 with 35 HR and 87 RBI. Mike Schmidt of the Phils: Player of the 80s! - May 1982 Baseball Digest. Schmidt was third in MVP voting in 1983 and helped the Phillies to the NL pennant. He batted .255 with a league-leading 40 HR and 109 RBI. Mike batted .467 (7 for 15) in the NLCS but went 1 for 20 in the World Series.
Schmidt led the NL in home runs (36) and RBI (106) while batting .277 in 1984. In 1985 Mike spent most of the season at first base (the Phillies were trying out Rick Schu at 3B) and batted .277 with 33 HR and 93 RBI.
Mike was the NL MVP for the third time in 1986. He batted .290 and led the NL in home runs (37) and RBI (119). Schmidt's last big season was in 1987. He batted .293 with 35 HR and 113 RBI. Mike Schmidt Climbs to No. 2 on Home Run Title Chart - March 1987 Baseball Digest
Schmidt had rotator cuff problems in 1988 and missed the last seven weeks of the season. He batted .249 with 12 HR and 62 RBI. Mike started off poorly in 1989 (.203 with 6 HR in 42 games) and suddenly announced his retirement on May 28. Farewell to Mike Schmidt, One of Game's All-Time Great Third Basemen - September 1989 Baseball Digest
Schmidt was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1995 with 96.5% of the vote. Mike Schmidt Joins Elite Hall of Fame Vote Leaders - April 1995 Baseball Digest. He was selected to the All-Century team in 2000. Mike comes to spring training to coach for a few weeks each season. He managed the single-A Clearwater Thrashers in 2004. Schmidt was the third base coach for the USA team in the World Baseball Classic in 2009. Mike sponsors the Mike Schmidt Bahamas Winner's Circle Invitational golf tournament that raises money for charity.
Liked to face: Rick Reuschel (.403 in 129 AB); Bob Knepper (.402 with 9 HR in 82 AB); Jerry Reuss (.393 with 10 HR in 89 AB)
Hated to face: Dennis Martinez (.000 with 5 strikeouts in 11 AB); Scott Garrelts (.050 with 10 strikeouts in 20 AB); Charlie Hough (.100 in 20 AB)
Mike's All Star appearances:
1974 - reserve 3B - 0 for 0 with 2 BB
1976 - reserve 3B - 0 for 1
1977 - reserve - appeared as a pinch runner
1979 - starting 3B - 2 for 3 with a double and a triple
1980 - selected but did not play
1981 - starting 3B - 2 for 4 with a double and a home run
1982 - starting 3B - 0 for 1
1983 - starting 3B - 0 for 3 with 1 strikeout
1984 - starting 3B - 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts
1986 - starting 3B - 0 for 1 with 1 BB
1987 - starting 3B - 1 for 2
1989 - voted starting 3B by fans but didn't play (he had retired earlier in the season)
Mickey Stanley was a major leaguer from 1964-1978. He was born in Michigan and became a legend in Detroit Tigers history. Mickey was signed in 1961 and was in the minors from 1961-1965. Stanley put up solid (but not spectacular) numbers in his minor league stops. The Tigers gave Mickey a brief look in 1964 (.273 in 11 AB) and a longer look in 1965 (.239 in 117 AB).
Stanley came to the Tigers to stay in 1966. He batted .289 in 235 at bats as a part-time center fielder. In 1967 Mickey became the starting center fielder and batted .210 in 333 at bats.
Mickey is mostly remembered for his 1968 season. He won his first Gold Glove award in the outfield and had a solid offensive season, batting .259 with 11 HR and 61 RBI. At the end of the season Detroit manager Mayo Smith asked Stanley to play shortstop in order to get a better bat in the lineup for the upcoming World Series (starting shortstop Ray Oyler batted .135 in 1968). Mickey had never played shortstop in his career but agreed to the move. The move worked as the Tigers won the World Series in seven games (Stanley batted .214 in the series). ESPN ranked the move as the third most gutsiest call in sports history.
The Tigers tried to keep Stanley at shortstop after they lost Oyler in the expansion draft, but the move lasted only 59 games before Stanley was moved back to the outfield. Mickey would play a few games per year in the infield for the rest of his career, but he was mainly an outfielder. Stanley batted .235 with 16 HR and 70 RBI in 1969 and won his second Gold Glove even though he played outfield in 101 games.
Stanley won his third consecutive Gold Glove in 1970 and batted .252 with 13 HR and 47 RBI. In 1971 Mickey batted a career-high .292 with 7 HR in 139 games.
The Tigers won the AL East in 1972 and Stanley batted .234 with 14 HR and 55 RBI. Mickey went 2 for 6 in four games in the 1972 ALCS. Mickey Stanley - The Kid Who Became A Star - October 1972 Baseball Digest. In 1973 Stanley won his fourth (and last) Gold Glove and batted .244 with 17 HR and 57 RBI.
Mickey suffered a broken hand after being hit by a pitch in 1974 and played in only one game after July 25. He batted .221 in 99 games and was never again a full-time player after 1974.
Stanley was a utility player from 1975 through 1978 and played every position except pitcher and catcher. He batted .256 in 52 games in 1975, .257 in 84 games in 1976, .230 in 75 games in 1977, and .265 in 53 games in 1978. Mickey retired after he was released by the Tigers following the 1978 season.
After his playing career Stanley worked as a manufacturer's representative and later built subdivisions with his son. He now lives in Brighton, MI.
Tim Hosley caught in parts of ten seasons in the majors from 1971-1981. Hosley was signed by the Detroit Tigers in 1966. He made several stops in the Tigers' system from 1967-1970 and didn't put up remarkable stats in any of those seasons. Tim came up to the Tigers at the end of the 1970 season and batted .167 in 12 at bats.
Hosley was in the minors for most of the 1971 season. He had two shorts stints with the Tigers -- one in July and another in September. Tim batted .188 in 16 at bats for the Tigers in '71. Hosley was in the minors for the entire 1972 season and then was traded to the Oakland A's just before the 1973 season for Don Shaw.
Tim was with the A's during May and June of 1973 and was in the minors for the rest of the season. He batted .214 in 14 at bats for the A's in '73. Hosley's 1974 season was similar to his 1973 season. He played in 11 games for the A's, none of them starts, and batted .286 (2 for 7). He was a Pacific Coast League All Star in '74. After the 1974 season Tim was taken by the Chicago Cubs in the rule 5 draft.
In 1975 Hosley was the third catcher behind Steve Swisher and George Mitterwald. Tim batted .255 in 62 games for the Cubs in '75. Hosley made one unsuccessful pinch hitting appearance for the Cubs in 1976 before being waived in mid April. Tim was claimed by the Oakland A's and played for them through June before being assigned to AAA Tucson. Hosley batted .164 in 54 at bats for the A's in '76.
Hosley was in AAA San Jose for the beginning of the 1977 season and was recalled in July after batting .321. Tim batted .192 in 78 at bats for the A's during the remainder of the 1977 season. Tim was in the minors again in 1978 and didn't appear for the A's until September. He batted .304 in 23 at bats, mostly as a pinch hitter.
Tim was in the minors for the entire 1979 and 1980 seasons. He had a good year for AAA Ogden in 1980 when he batted .301 with 26 HR and 102 RBI. Hosley was with the A's in 1981 and batted .095 in 22 at bats before being released on August 27. His last appearance was on June 10. Tim played in two games for Oakland's AAA Tacoma club in 1982 and that was it for his career.
Hosley played one season (1989) for the Fort Myers Sun Sox in the Senior Professional Baseball Association. His TTM address (as of 2006) is here.
Rudy "The Dude" May pitched in the majors in 1965 and from 1969-1983. May was signed by the Minnesota Twins in 1962. Rudy pitched in the minors in the Twins' system in 1963 and then was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the first-year player draft. After spending the 1964 season in the White Sox' system Rudy was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies. The Phillies turned around and traded May (with Costen Shockley) to the California Angels for Bo Belinsky.
Rudy was with the Angels in 1965 and was 4-9 with a 3.92 ERA in 30 games (19 starts). Rudy no-hit the Detroit Tigers for 7 1/3 innings in his first game (he allowed one hit through nine innings but the Angels lost the game in the 13th inning). May then went back to the minors for the next three years. He saw limited duty in 1966 and 1967, possibly due to injury or military obligations.
May was back in the majors to stay (except for a couple of minor league rehab assignments in the early 80s). In 1969 Rudy was 10-13 with two saves and a 3.44 ERA in 43 games (25 starts). May was 7-13 with a 4.01 ERA in 34 starts for the Angels in 1970.
Rudy was a starting pitcher for the Angels for the next few years and put up some good numbers (11-12, 3.02 ERA in 1971 and 12-11, 2.94 ERA in 1972).
In 1973 May's record dropped to 7-17 and his ERA went up to 4.38. Rudy started the season 5-0 but then hurt his back and struggled, going 1-11 during one stretch. Rudy became a reliever for the Angels in 1974. He pitched in 18 games (3 starts) and was 0-1 with two saves when he was sold to the New York Yankees on June 15. Rudy was put into the Yankees' starting rotation and was 8-4 with a 2.28 ERA during the rest of the 1974 season.
Rudy had a nice year, possibly his best, for the Yankees in 1975. He was 14-12 with a 3.06 ERA in 31 starts. The Yankees' Forgotten Starter - May 1975 Baseball Digest. May was off to a pretty good start in 1976 (4-3, 3.57 ERA in 11 starts) when he was traded with Rick Dempsey, Tippy Martinez, Scott McGregor and Dave Pagan to the Baltimore Orioles for Doyle Alexander, Jimmy Freeman, Elrod Hendricks, Ken Holtzman and Grant Jackson. May was 11-7 with a 3.78 ERA for the remainder of the 1976 season.
May had a career high in wins in 1977 as he was 18-14 with a 3.61 ERA. After the 1977 season May was traded with Randy Miller and Bryn Smith to the Montreal Expos for Joe Kerrigan, Gary Roenicke and Don Stanhouse. Baltimore ended up getting five members of their 1979 AL pennant-winning team from these two trades.
Rudy missed about six weeks in 1978 with an injury. He ended up 8-10 with a 3.88 ERA in 23 starts. In 1979 May was a reliever until July 31. He then started in most of his remaining appearances. May ended up 10-3 with a 2.31 ERA in 31 games (7 starts). After the 1979 season Rudy became a free agent and signed with the Yankees.
May was a reliever again in 1980 until being put in the starting rotation in late June. He was able to accumulate enough innings to qualify for the AL ERA title. Rudy was 15-5 with three saves and a 2.46 ERA in 41 games (17 starts). May started game 2 of the ALCS and pitched a complete game but lost the game 3-2.
Rudy didn't do as well in 1981. He pitched in 27 games (22 starts) and was 6-11 with a 4.14 ERA. May started game 2 of the ALCS and allowed three runs in 3.1 innings but was able to escape with a no-decision. Rudy made three relief appearances in the World Series and had a 2.84 ERA.
May had an injury in 1982 and missed about a month of the season. He mostly pitched out of the bullpen and was pretty effective, going 6-6 with three saves and a 2.89 ERA in 41 games (6 starts). Rudy had a tougher time in 1983. He was 1-5 with a 6.87 ERA in 15 games and retired after the season.
Liked to face: Deron Johnson (.000 in 20 AB); Rick Burleson (.071 in 28 AB); Freddie Patek (.081 in 37 AB)
Hated to face: Jim Rice (.706 in 17 AB); Paul Schaal (.591 in 22 AB); Cookie Rojas (.533 in 30 AB); Curt Motton (3 for 4 and all three hits were home runs!)
