#114 Jim Hickman - New York Mets

James Lucius Hickman
New York Mets
Outfield

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'3"  Weight:  192
Born:  May 10, 1937, Henning, TN
Signed:  Signed by the St. Louis Cardinals as an amateur free agent before 1956 season
Major League Teams:  New York Mets 1962-1966; Los Angeles Dodgers 1967; Chicago Cubs 1968-1973; St. Louis Cardinals 1974
Died:  June 25, 2016, Jackson, TN (age 79)

Jim Hickman spent six seasons in the Cardinals' minor league system before being left unprotected and selected by the Mets in the 1961 expansion draft.  With the Mets, he entered the franchise's record books as their first player to hit for the cycle (August 7, 1963) and the first to hit three home runs in a game (September 3, 1965).  He was the last player to hit a home run at the Polo Grounds, off the Phillies' Chris Short on September 18, 1965.  Finally, he was the last of the original Mets, departing the organization on November 29, 1966 with Ron Hunt (#285), traded to the Dodgers for Tommy Davis (#370) and Derrell Griffith (#112).

Hickman enjoyed his best season in 1970 with the Cubs, winning the N.L. Comeback Player of the Year award, playing in that year's All-Star Game and setting career highs in batting average (.315), home runs (32) and RBIs (115).  It was his 12th inning single in the All-Star Game that drove home Pete Rose (#207) with the winning run as Rose barreled over catcher Ray Fosse at the plate.  Hickman appeared in 1,421 games over 13 seasons, batting .252 with 159 home runs and 560 RBIs.

Building the Set
August 21, 2020 from Charleston, SC - Card #152
In my largest (by volume) purchase to date, I spent an enjoyable hour or so in mid-August browsing the eBay store of seller mantlerulz and clicking Add to Cart on 30 different cards.  We had previously added 29 cards to our set back in February from the Philly Show.  The 30 cards, all commons, cost me $52 total (before shipping and taxes) with the cards ranging in prices from $1 to $6.  I love this haul and I found the seller's store by accident when I was browsing eBay in an attempt to add a few more cheap cards from the set's first series.  With this purchase, we've now passed the quarter mark for completion of the set.  We still have a long way to go, and quite a few pricey cards to add, but any day I can add 30 commons in excellent shape and at very low prices is a great day.  After a run of cards that were only $1 each, this Hickman card cost me double that at $2.

The Card / Mets Team Set
Topps wasn't shy about closely cropping some of these photos for the 1965 Topps set.  Hickman's lengthy minor league career leaves little room for anything other than the quick note about his home run title in 1957.  He hit 26 home runs for the Class D Albany Cardinals that season.

1965 Season
Hickman bounced around the field for the Mets in 1965, starting 39 games in center, 14 games in left and 9 games in right, along with 25 games at first base and 6 games at third base.  In 141 games, he hit .236 with 15 home runs and 40 RBIs.  The Mets lost 112 games under the managerial guidance of Casey Stengel (#187) and Wes Westrum.

1962 Topps #598

1963 Topps #107

1967 Topps #346

1970 Topps #612

1973 Topps #565

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1962 Topps #598
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (11):  1962-1967, 1969-1973
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2004 Upper Deck Legends Timeless Teams #54

55 - Hickman non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 9/7/20.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Trading Card Database
Wikipedia

Previous Card:  #113 Steve Barber - Baltimore Orioles

Next Card:  #115 Bobby Richardson - New York Yankees