I have received the following this week:
1988 Jeff Montgomery Topps 447 Reds
1991 Jeff Montgomery Topps 371 Royals
Jeff Montgomery, it seems to me, isn't talked about enough. He's the 332nd-best pitcher of all time, ranking with guys like Rick Aguilera and Johnny Vander Meer. A 3-time All-Star, he contributed 21.1 WAR during his career. His similarity scores are pretty interesting; he's in the company of guys like Rod Beck and Robb Nen and Todd Worrell. His age 31 and 32 seasons are most similar to those of Mariano Rivera.
2010 Jim Zapp Allen & Ginter 243
You all know that I love ***** Leaguers. Mr. Zapp's career had to wait until he was done with his military service, but in 1945, he began a very respectable career, most notably with the Baltimore Elite Giants. Mr. Zapp got to see Willie Mays play during his very short ***** League tenure. Can you imagine what that was like? The ***** Leagues baseball Museum quotes Mr. Zapp regarding his post-baseball career: "Going to work for the U.S. Air Force's Civil Service Division in Big Springs, Texas, in 1956, I became a sports director. I retired in 1979. In addition, I coached youth baseball and umpired for 20 years."
1959 Johnny Groth Topps 164 Tigers
1958 Johnny Groth Topps 262 Tigers
Johnny Groth started his career with a bang, hitting two home runs in his first game. The Chicago native played the majority of his career, but also knows what it was like to be a St. Louis Brown and a Washington Senator and a Kansas City Athletic. Though never an All-Star, he was a very reliable ballplayer, responsible for 5.1 WAR during his 15-year career. Mr. Groth was, however, an All-Star when facing two great pitchers from his era: Billy Pierce and Ned Garver. (He hit .325 and .316 against those underrated hurlers, respectively.)
1988 Jeff Montgomery Topps 447 Reds
1991 Jeff Montgomery Topps 371 Royals
Jeff Montgomery, it seems to me, isn't talked about enough. He's the 332nd-best pitcher of all time, ranking with guys like Rick Aguilera and Johnny Vander Meer. A 3-time All-Star, he contributed 21.1 WAR during his career. His similarity scores are pretty interesting; he's in the company of guys like Rod Beck and Robb Nen and Todd Worrell. His age 31 and 32 seasons are most similar to those of Mariano Rivera.
2010 Jim Zapp Allen & Ginter 243
You all know that I love ***** Leaguers. Mr. Zapp's career had to wait until he was done with his military service, but in 1945, he began a very respectable career, most notably with the Baltimore Elite Giants. Mr. Zapp got to see Willie Mays play during his very short ***** League tenure. Can you imagine what that was like? The ***** Leagues baseball Museum quotes Mr. Zapp regarding his post-baseball career: "Going to work for the U.S. Air Force's Civil Service Division in Big Springs, Texas, in 1956, I became a sports director. I retired in 1979. In addition, I coached youth baseball and umpired for 20 years."
1959 Johnny Groth Topps 164 Tigers
1958 Johnny Groth Topps 262 Tigers
Johnny Groth started his career with a bang, hitting two home runs in his first game. The Chicago native played the majority of his career, but also knows what it was like to be a St. Louis Brown and a Washington Senator and a Kansas City Athletic. Though never an All-Star, he was a very reliable ballplayer, responsible for 5.1 WAR during his 15-year career. Mr. Groth was, however, an All-Star when facing two great pitchers from his era: Billy Pierce and Ned Garver. (He hit .325 and .316 against those underrated hurlers, respectively.)
