1965 Topps: #194 Angels Rookie Stars - Bill Kelso / Rick Reichardt

Saturday, May 8, 2021

#194 Angels Rookie Stars - Bill Kelso / Rick Reichardt

William Eugene Kelso
Los Angeles Angels
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height: 6'4" Weight:  215
Born:  February 19, 1940, Kansas City, MO
Signed:  Signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers as an amateur free agent before 1959 season
Major League Teams: Los Angeles Angels 1964; California Angels 1966-1967; Cincinnati Reds 1968
Died: May 11, 2009, Kansas City, MO (age 69)

Frederic Carl Reichardt
Los Angeles Angels
Outfield

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height: 6'3" Weight:  210
Born:  March 16, 1943, Madison, WI
Signed:  Signed by the Los Angeles Angels as an amateur free agent, June 24, 1964
Major League Teams: Los Angeles Angels 1964-1965; California Angels 1966-1970; Washington Senators 1970; Chicago White Sox 1971-1973; Kansas City Royals 1973-1974

Bill Kelso pitched in parts of four seasons with the Angels and Reds, appearing in 119 games and accumulating a record of 12-5 with a 3.13 ERA. His best season came in 1967 when he pitched in 69 games for the Angels (all but one in relief) and was second on the team in appearances behind Minnie Rojas. Kelso went 5-3 with a 2.97 ERA that season. Following the 1968 season, in which he appeared in 35 games for the Reds, Kelso played four more years in the minors in the Royals, Twins, Athletics, Cubs and Expos organizations. He later served as a long-time scout for the Angels, Phillies and Astros, and is credited with finding Bob Dernier, Lance Berkman and Roy Oswalt, among others. He also served as a coach in the Astros minor league system in the early 1990s.

Rick Reichardt was the regular left fielder for the Angels between 1967 and 1969, and for the White Sox in 1971. He enjoyed a career year in 1968, batting .255 while attaining career highs in both home runs (21) and RBIs (73). Reichardt, who was a college baseball and football star at the University of Wisconsin, sparked a bidding war for his services and his $200,000 signing bonus from the Angels was a record at the time. The bidding war for Reichardt led to Major League Baseball instituting an amateur player draft, with Rick Monday becoming the first ever player selected (by the Athletics). Reichardt's career was hampered after the removal of a kidney in 1966, and while he peaked a few years later his decline was swift. He retired in 1974 at the age of 31 after one at-bat (an infield single) with the Royals. In 997 career games, Reichardt hit .261 with 116 home runs and 445 RBIs.

Building the Set
April 2, 2021 from Manchester, MO - Card #243
It's a strange time. Spring has arrived, we finally attended a Phillies game in person and it seems as if with the arrival of the vaccine the pandemic could soon be behind us. But I still find myself anxious, occasionally having trouble sleeping at night, and I know many of my friends and family feel the same way. I went the entire month of March without adding to our 1965 Topps set, and as the month came to a close I decided to start off April with the purchase of a group of commons. In search specifically for series two cards, I veered into the higher series when I found sellers on eBay auctioning off batches of cards from recent set breaks. Over the course of a few days, I ended up winning 16 cards for $48 for an average of $3 per card.

This Angels Rookie Stars card came from eBay seller ace64cards from Manchester, Missouri for a somewhat pricey winning bid of $3.99. With the weather getting warmer, having enjoyed a beer at a few Phillies games and 16 new cards in our collection, the month is starting off on the right foot.

The Card / Angels Team Set
This is both Kelso's and Reichardt's rookie card. The back of the card notes Kelso's time as a catcher in the minor leagues between 1959 and 1962. Reichardt's record bonus is also referenced, and I'm assuming this was a highly coveted rookie card for savvy baseball fans in 1965.

Topps momentarily forgot the Angels' color scheme for its 1965 Topps cards, using a green background here instead of the usual light blue found with all other Angels cards.

1965 Season - Kelso
Kelso never reached the majors in 1965, spending the entire season honing his pitching skills with the El Paso Sun Kings in the Texas League. In 29 games and 11 starts, Kelso went 4-9 with a 6.50 ERA over 108 innings pitched. He wouldn't get back to the majors until the Angels added him as a September call-up in 1966.

Phillies Connection - Kelso
Kelso was responsible for the Phillies drafting my all-time favorite player, Dernier. The 1983 Phillies Media Guide entry for Dernier notes that Kelso signed the speedy outfielder on August 5, 1977. And while Kelso is listed as a scout in the team's 1977 media guide, he's not pictured within the pages of the team's 1977 yearbook.

1965 Season - Reichardt
Reichardt appeared in 20 games for the Angels, as a September call-up. Taking over as the regular left fielder for Willie Smith (#85) and Jim Piersall (#172), Reichardt batted .267 with a home run and six RBIs.

Before his September call-up, Reichardt was one of the top hitters for the Seattle Angels. In 131 games, he batted .280 with 13 home runs and 63 RBIs as one of the club's regular outfielders along with Dick Simpson (#374) and Ed Kirkpatrick (#393). He returned to the Angels in 1966 as the club's opening day left fielder.

1967 Topps #367

1968 Topps #511

Other Notable Baseball Cards - Kelso
First Mainstream Card: 1965 Topps #194
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (3): 1965, 1967-1968
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1992 Fleer ProCards #1371

12 - Kelso non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 4/10/21.

Sources - Kelso:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Trading Card Database
Wikipedia

Other Notable Baseball Cards - Reichardt
First Mainstream Card: 1965 Topps #194
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (7): 1965-1971
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1981 TCMA The 1960s II #337

54 - Reichardt non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 4/10/21.

Sources - Reichardt:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Trading Card Database
Wikipedia