Throwback and a Reprint Set

Two packages arrived today.  Both were kind of retro-themed, in a way.  

Up first is one of the Topps Throwback Thursday cards.  I bought the first set that I saw that had a Red Sox card in it, but then quickly decided I was no longer going to keep doing that due to the fact that the sets were $20.00 apiece.  So I have been occasionally picking these up when I see them for a reasonable price.

This is from the 1993 Topps Next Generation Shortstops set and these were based on the 1993 Draft Picks subset.  Of course, this is Xander Bogaerts.  Bogaerts is coming off of his second straight strong season at just the age of 23.  He hit 21 home runs this last season.  If he can cut down on his annual slump in the second half of the season, he could be one of the best players in the league.

Up next is another reprint set.  This one is a reprint of the 1922 E-120 American Caramel set, which contained 15 cards of each team.  I was pretty excited about this one because many of these players are new to my collection.  The 1920's were a really bad decade for the Red Sox.  They did not have many stars and they were frequently in last place.  Many of these cards feature the players in another uniform, but that was because the team moved players so often that no one stuck around for very long, with few exceptions.

1.  George Burns.  This is one of two players named George Burns that played in the Majors around this time period.  Burns was an MVP in 1926 with the Indians, but before that he was the first-baseman for the Red Sox.  Burns is mostly notable for having turned an unassisted triple play on Sept. 14. 1923 (John Valentin is the only other Red Sox to do this).  Burns was actually a pretty good hitter.  In 1922, he hit .306 and led the team in home runs with 12.

2.  Shano Collins.  Collins wrapped up his career with five years in Boston after being acquired in a trade with the White Sox for Harry Hooper.  Collins was not a great hitter, but he was decent enough, though he was past his prime by the time that he joined Boston.  In 1922, he hit .271/.289/.358 with one home run and stole seven bases.  He later managed Boston in 1931 and 1932.  His grandson Bob Gallagher played for Boston briefly in 1972.

3.  Joe Dugan.  "Jumping Joe" Dugan had a memorable day on January 22, 1922.  He came into the day as a member of the Philadelphia A's but was traded to the Washington Senators and then immediately traded again to the Red Sox.  Later in 1922, he was traded to the Yankees.  His time in Boston consisted of just 84 games during which he hit .287/.308/.396 with three home runs and 38 RBIs.

4.  Joe Harris.  Joe "Moon" Harris made it to the Majors to stay in 1922 with the Red Sox.  He was acquired from the Indians at the same time as George Burns.  Harris was a very good hitter and was one of the best players for the Red Sox during the 1920's.  In three-plus years for the Red Sox, Harris hit .315/.393/.475.  He hit 13 home runs while hitting .335 in 1923.  He led the team in all three slash categories in 1922.

5.  Ben Karr.  Karr was Boston's primary reliever in 1922, appearing in 41 games, 28 of which were in relief.  Karr was 5-12 with a 4.47 ERA in 183.1 innings.  Saves were not an official statistic back then, but it was determined that Karr picked up one save.  He finished 20 games.

6.  Nemo Leibold.  Leibold was the other play acquired in the Harry Hooper trade along with Shano Collins.  He was decent in 1921, hitting .306/.363/.388 and stole 13 bases.  Unfortunately he declined significantly in 1922 and hit just .258 and only stole one base.

7.  Mike Menosky.  Menosky was coming off of his only .300 season in 1921.  He was still a decent hitter in 1922 as he hit .283/.355/.369 with three home runs and 32 RBIs.  He led the team with nine stolen bases and walked 40 times while only striking out 33 times.  Menosky was a solid player during his tenure with the Red Sox.

8.  Elmer Myers.  Myers had been 8-12 with a 4.87 ERA in 1921, but he only made it into three games in 1922.  His ERA in those three games was an unseemly 17.47.  He was sent to the minors and never made it back to the Major Leagues.

9.  Herb Pennock.  The Knight of Kennett Square was in his final season with the Red Sox in 1922.  He had been one of Boston's most reliable pitchers the previous few seasons.  His record was down in 1922 as he only won 10 games while losing 17 with a 4.32 ERA.  After the season he was traded to the Yankees, where he excelled and developed into a Hall of Fame pitcher.

10.  Clark Pittenger.  "Pinky" Pittenger was a utility player for the Red Sox for three seasons in the early 1920's.  He was not much of a hitter, his highest batting average in Boston was just .258, but he didn't have to be.  His versatility was his best attribute.

11.  Del Pratt.  Pratt was one of Boston's better players during this time period.  The second-baseman was one of the best players Boston received from the Yankees during their massive fire sale.  He was in his second season with the Red Sox in 1922 and hit .301/.361/.427 with six home runs and 86 RBIs.  He also hit 44 doubles and struck out just 20 times in 672 plate appearances.  Pratt was traded to the Tigers after the season for a package of players that included Howard Ehmke, a very good pitcher for Boston for a few years.

12.  Jack Quinn.  Quinn pitched until he was 49.  He was another good player acquired by the Red Sox from the Yankees during their fire sale.  He never had a winning record with the Red Sox but had some impressive ERA marks and was generally one of the team's better pitchers during his time in Boston.  In 1922, he was 13-16 with a 3.48 ERA in 256 innings.  He led the team in ERA, complete games, and innings pitched.

13.  Muddy Ruel.  Yet another of Boston's acquisitions from the Yankees, Ruel was a very good defensive catcher who could hit a little bit.  He spent two seasons with the Red Sox, this time, hitting .269/.345/.329 in those two seasons.  He was traded to Washington after the season but was re-acquired by the Red Sox in 1931, but spent just part of the season there before being traded again, this time to the Tigers.

14.  Elmer Smith.  Smith spent just part of one season with the Red Sox, in 1922.  He was acquired at the same time as George Burns and Joe Harris (for Stuffy McInnis).  He was later traded to the Yankees at the same time as Joe Dugan.  Smith hit .286/.358/.472 with six home runs and 32 RBIs in 73 games.

15.  Al Walters.  "Roxy" Walters was primarily a backup catcher for a few years.  He was not much of a hitter, his Red Sox slash line was just .204/.272/.240, for an awful OPS of .512.  His defensive numbers are not real impressive earlier, but he was just a backup.

I will have a post on the 1920's Team of the Decade fairly soon.  A few of these players may be on that post.