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Joe Leonard Morgan
Houston Astros
2nd Base
Born: September 19, 1943, Bonham, TX
Signed: Signed by the Houston Colt .45s as an amateur free agent, November 1, 1962
Major League Teams: Houston Colt .45s 1963-1964; Houston Astros 1965-1971; Cincinnati Reds 1972-1979; Houston Astros 1980; San Francisco Giants 1981-1982; Philadelphia Phillies 1983; Oakland Athletics 1984
Hall of Fame Induction: 1990
Roland Thomas Jackson
Houston Astros
Shortstop
Born: July 9, 1944, Washington, DC
Signed: Signed by the Houston Colt .45s as an amateur free agent before the 1963 season
Major League Teams: Houston Colt .45s 1963-1964; Houston Astros 1965-1967; Atlanta Braves 1968-1974
Sonny Jackson played in parts of 12 seasons with the Astros and Braves, finishing second in the N.L. Rookie of the Year voting in 1966 behind Tommy Helms. That was also his best season statistically when he stole 49 bases, and led the league in singles and sacrifice hits.
Building the Set
Acquired Circa 1983 - Card #2
I'm fairly certain I purchased this card at the 1983 Ocean City Baseball Card Show, held inside the Music Pier on the Ocean City Boardwalk. I would have wanted the card for two reasons - Morgan was on the Phillies roster in the summer of 1983 as part of the Big Red Machine reunion with Pete Rose and Tony Perez. The so-called Wheeze Kids would go on to lose to the Orioles in the 1983 World Series. The other reason was I wanted to own a card for a team I had only recently learned even existed - the Houston Colt .45s. Now technically this is an Astros card since the franchise switched its name prior to the 1965 season, but I still thought it was cool to own a card with the .45s logo on the caps of the players.
This along with the Joe Jay card (#174) are the only two non-Phillies 1965 Topps cards we owned prior to making the decision to collect the entire set.
The Card
I never realized how crooked this card was until I scanned it for this post. On December 1, 1964, the Houston Colt .45s officially changed their name to the Houston Astros. This was too little notice for Topps to update their first series cards, and to play it safe Topps used just the "Houston" moniker until they got to the second series. This is technically the first ever Houston Astros baseball card.
This is also the first multi-player Rookie Stars card in the set. Topps had introduced the multi-player rookie concept in its 1962 set as a way to squeeze more players into its checklist, a challenge given the expansion teams added that season.
1965 Season - Morgan
1965 was to be Morgan's first full season as he appeared in 157 games for the Astros and led the league with 97 walks. He earned some MVP votes and finished second in the Rookie of the Year voting behind the Dodgers' Jim Lefebvre.
He led the Astros in runs (100), hits (163), and triples (12). Even with the offensive fire power provided by Morgan and center fielder Jim Wynn, the Astros still finished ninth in the National League, saved from the cellar only by a woeful Mets team.
Phillies Career - Morgan
On December 14, 1982, the Giants traded the 39-year-old Morgan with Al Holland to the Phillies for Mark Davis, Mike Krukow and minor leaguer C.L. Penigar. Morgan had enjoyed an impressive 1982 season, winning the N.L. Comeback Player of the Year award and a Silver Slugger at second base. As the regular second baseman for the Phillies, He appeared in 123 games, hitting .230 with 16 home runs, 59 RBIs and 18 stolen bases.
He played in his final postseason games with the Phillies, appearing in all five World Series games and hitting .263 with two home runs. He homered off the Orioles' Scott McGregor in the sixth inning of Game 1, tying up the game. The Phillies released Morgan after the World Series and he signed with the A's, where he'd close out his career the following season.
1965 was to be Morgan's first full season as he appeared in 157 games for the Astros and led the league with 97 walks. He earned some MVP votes and finished second in the Rookie of the Year voting behind the Dodgers' Jim Lefebvre.
He led the Astros in runs (100), hits (163), and triples (12). Even with the offensive fire power provided by Morgan and center fielder Jim Wynn, the Astros still finished ninth in the National League, saved from the cellar only by a woeful Mets team.
On December 14, 1982, the Giants traded the 39-year-old Morgan with Al Holland to the Phillies for Mark Davis, Mike Krukow and minor leaguer C.L. Penigar. Morgan had enjoyed an impressive 1982 season, winning the N.L. Comeback Player of the Year award and a Silver Slugger at second base. As the regular second baseman for the Phillies, He appeared in 123 games, hitting .230 with 16 home runs, 59 RBIs and 18 stolen bases.
He played in his final postseason games with the Phillies, appearing in all five World Series games and hitting .263 with two home runs. He homered off the Orioles' Scott McGregor in the sixth inning of Game 1, tying up the game. The Phillies released Morgan after the World Series and he signed with the A's, where he'd close out his career the following season.
1965 Season - Jackson
Jackson appeared in only 10 games for the Astros in 1965 as a September call-up, hitting .130 (3 for 23). He spent the majority of the season playing for the Astros' top farm team in the Pacific Coast League - the Oklahoma City 89ers. In 142 games for the 89ers, Jackson hit .330 and was second in the league with 53 stolen bases.
Jackson appeared in only 10 games for the Astros in 1965 as a September call-up, hitting .130 (3 for 23). He spent the majority of the season playing for the Astros' top farm team in the Pacific Coast League - the Oklahoma City 89ers. In 142 games for the 89ers, Jackson hit .330 and was second in the league with 53 stolen bases.
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| SI cover, March 14, 1983 |
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Other Notable Baseball Cards - Morgan
First Mainstream Card: 1965 Topps #16
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (22): 1965-1985, 2001
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2019 Topps Update Est. 1869 #EST-6
1,377 - Morgan non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 11/2/19.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
National Baseball Hall of Fame
The Phillies Room
SABR
The Trading Card Database
First Mainstream Card: 1965 Topps #16
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (22): 1965-1985, 2001
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2019 Topps Update Est. 1869 #EST-6
1,377 - Morgan non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 11/2/19.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
National Baseball Hall of Fame
The Phillies Room
SABR
The Trading Card Database
Other Notable Baseball Cards - Jackson
First Mainstream Card: 1965 Topps #16
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (10): 1965-1974
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2003 MLB Showdown Strategy #S6
69 - Jackson non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 11/2/19.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Trading Card Database
First Mainstream Card: 1965 Topps #16
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (10): 1965-1974
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2003 MLB Showdown Strategy #S6
69 - Jackson non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 11/2/19.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Trading Card Database
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In some cases, the first and last cards listed above are subjective and chosen by me if multiple cards were released within the same year. Most recent mainstream card may also be subjective and does not include extremely low serial numbered cards, buybacks or cut autograph cards.
Prior Card: #15 Robin Roberts - Baltimore Orioles
Next Card: #17 Johnny Romano - Cleveland Indians
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