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John Alvin Bateman
Houston Astros
Catcher
Born: July 21, 1940, Fort Sill, OK
Signed: Signed by the Houston Colt .45s as an amateur free agent before 1962 season
Major League Teams: Houston Colt .45s 1963-1964; Houston Astros 1965-1968; Montreal Expos 1969-1972; Philadelphia Phillies 1972
Died: December 3, 1996, Sand Springs, OK (age 56)
John Bateman spent 10 seasons in the big leagues as a catcher for the expansion Colt .45s/Astros, the expansion Expos and the awful 1972 Phillies. He caught the first no-hitters in both Houston and Montreal history - both against the Phillies. He was behind the plate for Colts' pitcher Don Nottebart's (#469) no-hitter on May 17, 1963 and again for the Expos' Bill Stoneman's no-hitter on April 17, 1969. Known for his exceptional pitch calling, Bateman was a career .230 hitter with 81 home runs and 375 RBIs.
Building the Set
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| 1972 Phillies Photocards |
August 21, 2020 from Charleston, SC - Card #162
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. This Bateman card was $3, and for some reason pricier than the other commons I purchased.The Card / Astros Team Set
If you didn't already know Bateman was a catcher, the backwards hat on this card would have clued you in. And that's a barely visible Colt .45s wordmark across the front of Bateman's jersey. It wasn't a huge year for Bateman at the plate, but his 10 home runs in 1963 nevertheless did lead Houston. Howie Gross with 9 and Bob Aspromonte (#175) with 8 were right behind him for the team lead. More impressive were his team-leading 6 triples in 1963, which bested the 5 triples hit by Aspromonte and Jim Wynn (#257).
Bateman's SABR biography goes into more detail about his try-out with the Colt .45s, noting he wrote to the team requesting a look and the expansion team obliged. Liking what he saw, and believing Bateman to be two years younger than he actually was, Scout Red Murff encouraged the team to sign the young catcher.
1965 Season
Bateman slumped in 1964 and showed up to spring training in 1965 overweight. An intense work-out regimen prepared him for the season and he immediately got off to a hot start. He was hitting .400 when he took over everyday catching duties from Ron Brand (#212) on April 23rd. But he soon cooled off again and was demoted to the Oklahoma City 89ers in June. With the 89ers, Bateman played in 76 games, hitting .297 with 21 home runs and 66 RBIs, once again earning a promotion to the Astros in September. For the season in Houston, he appeared in 45 games and batted .197 with 7 home runs.
Phillies Career
Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card: 1963 Topps #386
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (10): 1963-1972
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1972 Topps #5
59 - Bateman non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 10/16/20.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Phillies Room
SABR
The Trading Card Database
Previous Card: #432 Jim Grant - Minnesota Twins
1965 Season
Bateman slumped in 1964 and showed up to spring training in 1965 overweight. An intense work-out regimen prepared him for the season and he immediately got off to a hot start. He was hitting .400 when he took over everyday catching duties from Ron Brand (#212) on April 23rd. But he soon cooled off again and was demoted to the Oklahoma City 89ers in June. With the 89ers, Bateman played in 76 games, hitting .297 with 21 home runs and 66 RBIs, once again earning a promotion to the Astros in September. For the season in Houston, he appeared in 45 games and batted .197 with 7 home runs.
The Phillies acquired Bateman from the Expos on June 14, 1972 for Tim McCarver (#294). Serving as the regular catcher for a Phillies team that would finish with a 59-97 record, Bateman established himself as a favorite of Phillies ace Steve Carlton (#477). Carlton would go on to win 27 games and his first N.L. Cy Young Award in 1972, and with Bateman catching him he was 20-4 with a 1.60 ERA. In 82 games with the Phillies, Bateman hit .222 with 3 home runs and 17 RBIs. His tenure with the club lasted just the one season as rookie Bob Boone was deemed ready to take on the everyday catcher's job. Despite protests from Carlton, Bateman was released on January 15, 1973, ending his big league career.
His lone Phillies baseball card can be found in the 1972 team-issued photo card set.
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First Mainstream Card: 1963 Topps #386
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (10): 1963-1972
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1972 Topps #5
59 - Bateman non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 10/16/20.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Phillies Room
SABR
The Trading Card Database
Previous Card: #432 Jim Grant - Minnesota Twins
Next Card: #434 Dave Morehead - Boston Red Sox
Bateman later played for The King and His Court.
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