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Victor Jose Davalillo
Cleveland Indians
Outfield
Born: July 30, 1939, Cabimas, Valenzuela
Signed: Signed by the Cincinnati Redlegs as an amateur free agent, April 16, 1958
Major League Teams: Cleveland Indians 1963-1968; California Angels 1968-1969; St. Louis Cardinals 1969-1970; Pittsburgh Pirates 1971-1973; Oakland Athletics 1973-1974; Los Angeles Dodgers 1977-1980
Venezuelan Vic Davalillo played professionally for 24 seasons, as a leadoff hitter, speedy baserunner and later a successful pinch-hitter. He found his most success early with six seasons as the Indians' starting center fielder between 1963 and 1968. Davalillo won a Gold Glove in 1964 and was an All-Star in 1965, earning MVP votes that season as well. The Indians traded him to the Angels in June 1968, beginning his decade-plus journey that saw him play with five different teams. Davalillo collected 24 pinch-hits in 1970, breaking the Major League record held by Dave Philley. He won World Series rings as a member of the Pirates in 1971, and with the Athletics in 1973.
Davalillo finished in the top 10 in stolen bases in three seasons, and in the top ten for batting average twice. At 43, he was the oldest player in the National League when he retired from Major League baseball at the end of the 1980 season. Davalillo appeared in 1,458 career games, batting .279 with 125 stolen bases. A legend in his native Venezuela, he's the all-time leader in hits (1,505) and batting average (.325) in the Venezuelan Winter League. He played in the 1987 Caribbean Series at the age of 48 before finally retiring as a player. Davalillo was inducted with the inaugural class into the Venezuelan Baseball Hall of Fame, and the the Venezuelan League's annual MVP award is named for him.
Building the Set
February 16, 2021 from Los Angeles, CA - Card #230
February 16, 2021 from Los Angeles, CA - Card #230
Busy with my chosen profession, rarely leaving the house and anxiously awaiting the return of live baseball, I turned to eBay in early February for some cardboard therapy. I spent at least a solid hour one dreary afternoon browsing the current auctions of Greg Morris Cards from Los Angeles, as that dealer had broken down yet another mint 1965 Topps set for auction. Of the 20-plus cards I bid on, I ended up winning only five auctions and I feel I overpaid for these cards - although the cards are pristine. As the auctions wound down, and as the outbid notifications started to pile up on my phone, I upped my existing bids on 10 or so remaining auctions in the hope of coming away with something. This Davalillo card was one of the five cards I won with a winning bid of $3.25.
The Card / Indians Team Set
This is Davalillo's third Topps card, as he previously appeared on a floating heads Rookie Stars card in the 1963 Topps set and his Topps All-Star Rookie trophy features prominently on his 1964 card. The back of the card mentions his batting title while a member of the Jacksonville Suns in 1962. Originally a pitcher, Davalillo made two relief appearances with the Cardinals in 1969, and faced four batters without retiring any of them. He gave up two hits and two walks and he's one of 14 players with an ERA of infinity.
1965 Season
This was the best season of Davalillo's career. Leading the league with a .345 average at the All-Star break, he was the starting center fielder for the the American League squad, batting seventh. He went 1 for 2 in the Midsummer Classic, with a single off Juan Marichal (#50) in the third. Arguably the Indians' MVP in 1965, he appeared in 142 games and batted .301 for the season, third behind Tony Oliva (#340) and Carl Yastrzemski (#385), who batted .321 and .312 respectively. Davalillo led the Indians with 26 stolen bases.
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First Mainstream Card: 1963 Topps #324
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (14): 1963-1974, 1978-1979
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1981 Fleer #132
81 - Davalillo non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 3/7/21.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database
Wikipedia
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