Thursday, February 18, 2021

#72 Tony Gonzalez - Philadelphia Phillies


Andres Antonio Gonzalez
Philadelphia Phillies
Outfield

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'9"  Weight:  170
Born:  August 28, 1936, Central Cunagua, Cuba
Signed:  Signed as an amateur free agent by the Cincinnati Redlegs before the 1957 season
Major League Teams:  Cincinnati Reds 1960; Philadelphia Phillies 1960-1968; San Diego Padres 1969; Atlanta Braves 1969-1970; California Angels 1970-1971

Tony Gonzalez established himself as the regular center fielder for the Phillies throughout the 1960s, playing in over 1,000 games with the club while providing steady defense and consistently batting near or over .300.  He enjoyed a career-year in 1967, batting .339 to finish second in the league behind Roberto Clemente (#160).  His career high in home runs came in 1962 when he had 20, and he drove in over 60 runs three times in his career.  Gonzalez finished in the top ten in the league in triples in three different seasons.

1950-1969 Phillies Photo Cards
A fine fielder, he led the league three times for fielding percentage among outfielders, going errorless for the entire 1962 season.  He was also prone to being hit by pitches, finishing in the top ten in that category in eight different seasons.  His proclivity for getting plunked led to him being the first player in the majors to wear a new batting helmet with a premolded earflap.  Following his years with the Phillies, Gonzalez played with the Padres, Braves and Angels, seeing his only postseason play in 1969 with the Braves.  He batted .357 (5 for 14) in the 1969 NLCS in a losing effort against the Mets.   Gonzalez played 19 games in Japan along with 24 games in Mexico in 1972 and attempted a comeback with the Reading Phillies in 1973 before retiring as a player.  He'd serve as a coach in the Phillies minor league system through 1976.

Building the Set
December 25, 2020 from Belvedere, IL - Card #208
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.  This Gonzalez card was the final Phillies card needed from the first series, and for some reason it was more difficult to track down than I would have thought.  I found it for sale for $1 from eBay seller mavmil from Belvedere, Illinois, and not wanting it to travel alone (and since I have an issue with paying more in shipping than for the card itself) I added 10 other cards to my cart before purchasing.

The Card / Phillies Team Set
Topps used a photo from this same session for Gonzalez's 1966 card, and in that card #22 John Herrnstein (#534) can be seen stepping into the Phillies dugout behind Gonzalez.  #22 was actually the first number Gonzalez wore with the Phillies between 1960 and 1962 before switching to the #25 seen here.  He's wearing a road uniform here (gray with no pinstripes) and we also get a blurry look at some of the home team's fans getting ready for the game.  On the back, Gonzalez's 24 home runs in 1957 are highlighted with 22 of them coming with the Hornell Redlegs.  His impressive errorless fielding feat from 1962 is also highlighted.

1965 Season
Gonzalez was the Phillies' opening day center fielder, but he bounced between left and center field as the season progressed, with no true regular position.  Wes Covington (#583) and Alex Johnson (#352) had more starts in left, with Johnny Briggs (#163), Cookie Rojas (#474) and Gonzalez sharing center field duties.  In 108 games, Gonzalez batted .295 with 13 home runs, 19 doubles and 41 RBIs.

Phillies Career
The Phillies acquired Gonzalez from the Reds with Lee Walls on June 15, 1960 for Harry Anderson, Wally Post and Fred Hopke.  He'd be a mainstay with the club until left unprotected and selected by the Padres in the 1968 expansion draft, prior to the start of the 1969 season.  Among all Phillies players throughout the decade of the 1960s, Gonzalez ranks third in games played (1,118) behind Johnny Callison (#310) with 1,432 and Tony Taylor (#296) with 1,342.  He ranks third in hits (1,110) behind that duo and third in home runs (77) and RBIs (438) behind Callison and Dick Allen (#460).

1960 Topps #518
1962 Topps #534
1966 Topps #478
1968 Topps #245
1971 Topps #256

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1960 Topps #518
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (12):  1960-1971
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1971 Topps #256

72 - Gonzalez non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 1/31/21.

 Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Phillies Room
SABR
The Trading Card Database
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