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(18 votes, average: 3.50 out of 5)
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Another deceptively young nerd…Mr. Robinson was only 29 when this picture was taken. Mr. Robinson’s nickname was, for some reason, “The Caveman,” and not “Mr. Kotter.” Mr. Robinson actually pitched for 14 seasons, and was considered one of the best hitting pitchers in the game. He had 13 career home runs, including a pinch-hit-home-run in 1990.
From the back of the card: “Eddie is a registered dentist, besides being a high grade major league baseball player.”
I’ll give Goudey a pass on the “high grade” player thing because it is pretty impressive that Doc Farrell was a dentist. One of the fascinating things about reading about old-timey players is how many of them had professions other than baseball. I’ve read about two that were lawyers (including Moe Berg, who was a lawyer and spy for the U.S. during World War II).
Farrell probably should have stuck with dentistry, though. Over nine seasons in the major leagues, he got into just under 600 games and posted a career OPS+ of 66 as an infielder for the New York Giants, Boston Braves, St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs, New York Yankees, and Boston Red Sox. In 1927, he placed 18th in the MVP voting by hitting .316 and driving in 92 runs, though he only slugged .389 that season.
Following the 1934 season, Farrell was traded by the Yankees, along with 4 other players, to San Francisco of the Pacific Coast League for Joe DiMaggio and players to be named later. Farrell refused to report to his new team and was eventually traded back to the Yankees as one of the players to be named later.
Looking for a cheap yet awesome Halloween costume? How about dressing up as your favorite nerd card?
We will definitely post any pictures of you mimicking your favorite nerd/nerd pose that you send us. And while you will already have been rewarded with the adoration of the ladies in your particular geographic region, we’ll also send you an official nerd baseball thank you.
Someone has to be up for this, right?
While not a nerd per se, I had to post this card in order to share what is possibly the strangest facial hair/body hair in baseball card history:
Can there be an explanation for the disparity between left-side-mustache and right-side-mustache? And I don’t know how to properly address the pattern of neck hair. We’ve all seen pictures of Mr. Buckner before, and he has always looked like a normal guy…so what happened here?
Click the stars to vote: (17 votes, average: 3.35 out of 5)
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Not to be confused with Joe Don Baker, Mary Elizabeth Mastrontonio or other three name celebrities, journeyman pitcher Gleaton has an impressive Nerd Baseball pedigree. In 1980, he was involved in trade that included fellow nerds Rick Auerbach and Mario Mendoza. He was drafted in the first round by the Texas Rangers in 1979.
From the back of the card: “Although he doesn’t hit .300 very often, he gets a lot of hits.”
Actually, Hughie Critz only hit .300 or better once, in his 1924 rookie season with the Cincinnati Reds, when he hit .322 in 102 games. That was also the only season in which he posted an OPS+ over 100. It was all downhill from there. Critz appeared in almost 1500 games in a 12 year career, as a second basemen for the Reds and New York Giants, posting a career OPS+ of 73. Somehow, he placed in the top 5 in MVP voting twice (2nd in 1926 and 4th in 1928).
In 1933, the year in which this card was issued, Critz was a member of the World Series champion Giants, who beat the Washington Senators in 5 games. That 1933 Giants team featured future Hall of Famers Bill Terry, Mel Ott, Travis Jackson, and Carl Hubbell, as well as some guy named Jo-Jo Moore.
Click the stars to vote: (15 votes, average: 3.40 out of 5)
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Despite being listed at 5’9″ and 160 lbs., Mr. Tolleson bypassed a career in the NFL by signing with the Texas Rangers after the 1978 draft. That same year, his senior year at Western Carolina University, he was an All-American wide receive, and led the nation in receptions. With this athleticism, you would think he would have posted better than his career .307 OBP, and .293 slugging in over 2300 AB’s.
Click the stars to vote: (14 votes, average: 3.57 out of 5)
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This card is from the regrettable 1991 Leaf Studio set, which is a good example of baseball cards in the early 1990s. Following the launch of Upper Deck in 1989, all of the baseball card companies starting putting out “premium” sets, which got more ridiculous looking each year. The Leaf Studio set exclusively featured black and white portraits that looked like yearbook photos.
Instead of stats, the back of the card lists hobbies and interests. For Mr. Gomez, his hobbies include going to church and listening to contemporary Christian music.
From the back of the card: “One of the fastest runners on the Detroit Tigers is Heinie Schuble.”
There are a shocking number of players in the 1933 Goudey set that have the name or nickname “Heinie.” There are four, including a guy named Heinie Meine.
Schuble broke into the majors at age 20 in 1927, but didn’t have much a career. Over the course of seven seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals and Detroit Tigers, Schuble had just over a 1000 plate appearances, primarily as a shortstop and third basemen. The qualified praise of his speed from the back of the card must have been referring to going from first to third because Schuble stole only 19 bases in his career (in 26 attempts).
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