Thursday, February 25, 2021

#78 Dal Maxvill - St. Louis Cardinals


Charles Dallan Maxvill
St. Louis Cardinals
Second Base

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'11"  Weight:  157
Born:  February 18, 1939, Granite City, IL
Signed:  Signed by the St. Louis Cardinals as an amateur free agent before 1960 season
Major League Teams:  St. Louis Cardinals 1962-1972; Oakland Athletics 1972-1973; Pittsburgh Pirates 1973-1974; Oakland Athletics 1974-1975

Dal Maxvill was a light-hitting middle infielder who played 14 years in the majors and collected four World Series rings along the way.  Known more for his glove than his bat, Maxvill finished four seasons in the top ten for assists among National League shortstops, and three seasons in the top ten for putouts.  His .973 career fielding percentage as a shortstop is currently 71st all-time.  Maxvill won a Gold Glove in 1968, a year in which he batted a career high .253 and also collected some postseason MVP votes.  He appeared in five World Series, hitting just .115 (7 for 61) but handling 88 chances without an error.  For his career, Maxvill appeared in 1,423 games and was a lifetime .217 hitter.

Maxvill served as a coach with the Athletics (1975), Yankees (1978), Cardinals (1979-1980) and Braves (1983-1984) before joining the front office of the Cardinals following the 1984 season as the team's general manager.  He helped construct teams that would win National League pennants in 1985 and 1987, but was unable to spend on free agents as the Cardinals' ownership group tightened the team's budget.  He was dismissed following the 1994 player's strike, and while he briefly scouted for the Yankees after that, he's been absent from baseball ever since.

Building the SetDecember 25, 2020 from Cincinnati, OH - Card #212
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 was the final card needed to complete the set's first series, and for some reason I had a tough time adding it.  A few weeks before Christmas, there were no active auctions for this card, in good shape at a reasonable price.  Determined to complete the first season with one last Christmas haul, I resorted to the ever-dependable Dean's Cards and purchased the card for $7.25.  For a light-hitting middle infielder that seemed like $6.25 too much, but again determination overrode patience here.  I'm going to try to show some more restraint going forward.

The Card / Cardinals Team Set
I could be completely wrong here, but I think that's pitcher Barney Schultz (#28) making a cameo appearance behind Maxvill's left shoulder.  Flipping to the back, his SABR biography notes he earned his electrical engineering degree in 1960 from Washington University in St. Louis.  The Cardinals' regular infielders are also name checked here, as Maxvill filled in for third baseman Ken Boyer (#100), shortstop Dick Groat (#275) and second baseman Julian Javier (#447) during the Cardinals' 1964 World Championship season.  It's interesting that Boyer is included here as Maxvill played only one game at third in 1964, entering in the fifth inning on August 16th in a game it appears Boyer departed with an injury.

1965 Season
This was the last season Maxvill wouldn't have a regular job in the Cardinals' infield, as he appeared in 68 games but made only 21 starts.  He batted a dreadful .135, the worst of his career.

1963 Topps #49
1968 Topps #141
1971 Topps #476
1973 Topps #483
1974 Topps #358

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1963 Topps #49
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (12):  1963-1974
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2002 Topps Super Teams #75

59 - Maxvill non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 2/4/21.

 Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database
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