#69 Bill Virdon - Pittsburgh Pirates

William Charles Virdon
Pittsburgh Pirates
Outfield

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  175
Born:  June 9, 1931, Hazel Park, MI
Signed:  Signed by the New York Yankees as an amateur free agent before 1950 season
Major League Teams:  St. Louis Cardinals 1955-1956; Pittsburgh Pirates 1956-1965, 1968
As a Manager:  Pittsburgh Pirates 1972-1973; New York Yankees 1974-1975; Houston Astros 1975-1982; Montreal Expos 1983-1984

Bill Virdon was the 1955 N.L. Rookie of the Year, winning the award in a year in which he hit his career highs in both home runs (17) and RBIs (68) as the every day center fielder for the Cardinals.  In May 1956, the Cardinals dealt Virdon to the Pirates, and that's where he'd play the rest of his big league career.  With the Pirates, Virdon was the team's regular center fielder for the decade between 1956 and 1965, winning a Gold Glove in 1962 and a World Championship with the club in 1960.  He led the league in triples with 10 in 1962 and finished in the top ten twice for assists by an outfielder due to his strong throwing arm.  Virdon retired following the 1965 season to focus on coaching and managing, but was activated for a few games in 1968 when the Pirates had a rash of players depart for military service.  For his career, Virdon batted .267 with 81 triples, 91 home runs and 502 RBIs.

1982 Donruss #144

Virdon managed for parts of 13 seasons in the majors, compiling a lifetime record of 995-921.  He was named The Sporting News' Manager of the Year in 1974 and 1980.  He had three first place finishes during his managerial career, with the Pirates in 1972 and with the Astros in 1980 and 1981.  Virdon also had four different stints as a coach with the Pirates (1968-1971, 1986, 1993, 2001-2002) and briefly returned to the Astros as a coach in 1997.

My earliest memory of Virdon is when Phillies broadcaster Richie Ashburn told viewers during the 1980 NLCS that Virdon reminded him of his elementary school math teacher.  (That might not be the exact quote, but you get the gist.)

Building the Set

December 25, 2020 from Marco Island, FL - Card #196
This is one of 32 cards (mostly commons) I received from Jenna and our sons on Christmas morning, as I was asked to do some surrogate shopping on their behalf and I gladly obliged.  Hunting specifically for first series cards, this is one of 11 cards I added from eBay seller njlionsfan from Clinton, New Jersey.  This Virdon card was only $1.

The Card / Pirates Team Set
Virdon is gifted with a face that didn't age at all over the years.  From his first Topps flagship set appearance in 1956 to this 1965 Topps card to his final appearance as the Expos' manager on a 1984 Topps card, Virdon looks exactly the same.  This is his final card as a player, and he'd go on to appear on 11 more Topps flagship cards as a manager.  On the back, Virdon's Rookie of the Year win is highlighted as is his league leading .333 average with the 1954 Rochester Red Wings.

This card was reprinted for Virdon to sign as part of the 2014 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs insert set.

1965 Season
In his final full season as a player, Virdon appeared in 135 games for the Pirates and batted .279.  The veteran was still the team's regular center fielder, patrolling the Pirates outfield flanked by Willie Stargell (#377) in left and Roberto Clemente (#160) in right.  He informed the Pirates that 1965 would be his last as a player and the team released him on November 22nd.  He began his managerial career in 1966,  managing in the Mets minor league system for a few seasons.

1955 Bowman #296

1959 Topps #190

1961 Topps #70

1972 Topps #661

1984 Topps #111

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1955 Bowman #296
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (21):  1956-1965, 1972-1973, 1975-1981, 1983-1984
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2014 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs #ROA-BV

129 - Virdon non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 1/6/21.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database
Wikipedia

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