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Howard Rodney Edwards
Kansas City Athletics
Catcher
Born: December 10, 1936, Red Jacket, WV
Signed: Signed by the Cleveland Indians as an amateur free agent before 1958 season
Major League Teams: Cleveland Indians 1962-1963; Kansas City Athletics 1963-1965; New York Yankees 1965; Philadelphia Phillies 1970
As a Manager: Cleveland Indians 1987-1989
Died: August 20, 2018, San Angelo, TX (age 81)
Doc Edwards caught in parts of four seasons between 1962 and 1965 with the Indians, Athletics and Yankees, before making an unlikely comeback with the Phillies in 1970 after four years away from the majors. Earning his nickname during his time as a Navy Corpsman, Edwards was signed to the Indians by former player and future Hall of Famer Ralph Kiner. He was dealt to the Athletics in May 1963 and he'd play the bulk of his major league career in Kansas City. Appearing in 71 games in 1963 and a career-high 97 games in 1964, Edwards shared catching duties with Charlie Lau (#94), Haywood Sullivan and Billy Bryan (#51). Dealt to the Yankees in May 1965, Edwards filled in for the injured Elston Howard (#450), appearing in 45 games. After four seasons in the minors, Edwards was named the Phillies' bullpen catcher for 1970 and was activated when a string of injuries to the team's catchers left them short at the position. In 317 games, Edwards batted .238 in the majors with 15 home runs and 87 RBIs.
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| From the 1970 Phillies Yearbook |
Building the Set
April 3, 2021 from Roaring Spring, PA - Card #248
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 Edwards card came from eBay seller Mom and Pop Card Shop from Roaring Spring, Pennsylvania for a winning bid of $2.49. 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 / Athletics Team Set
If not for his appearances in Topps flagship sets in 1988 and 1989 as the Indians' manager, this would have been Edwards' last Topps card. It appears as if Edwards is sporting a Jim Pagliaroni (#265) model catchers' mitt? The two catchers may have crossed paths in the early 1960s when Edwards was with the Indians and Pagliaroni was with the Red Sox.
His minor league fielding skills are highlighted with the cartoon on the back, as is his trade from the Indians in 1963. Cleveland sent Edwards and $100,000 to the Athletics in exchange for catcher Joe Azcue (#514) and infielder Dick Howser (#92). This card was reprinted, signed by Edwards and included in the 2014 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs insert set.
1965 Season
Edwards made the Athletics' opening day roster as their back-up catcher and appeared in six games before being dealt to the Yankees on May 3rd. New York sent catcher Johnny Blanchard (#388) and pitcher Rollie Sheldon (#254) to the Athletics in exchange. With Howard injured, the Yankees had initially turned to Blanchard to catch but they decided they needed an upgrade and dealt for Edwards. Steady defensively, Edwards struggled at the plate. In 45 games with the Yankees, he batted .190 with a home run and nine RBIs. With Howard returning in mid-June, Edwards stuck around a little bit but was eventually sent down to the Toledo Mud Hens, where he'd appear in 20 games and bat .317.
Phillies Career
On November 28, 1967, the Phillies drafted the unprotected Edwards from the Astros in the annual minor league draft. He'd spend two seasons catching for the club's top farm teams in San Diego (1968) and Eugene (1969) before being named the club's bullpen coach to start the 1970 season. At just 33 years old, he was the youngest coach in the majors at the time. During the May 2nd game against the Giants, both regular catcher Tim McCarver (#294) and then back-up catcher Mike Ryan (#573) broke their hands, forcing the use of emergency catcher Jim Hutto. A month later, on June 6th and in an effort to stabilize the catching position, Edwards was returned to active duty. He went 3 for 5 in his first big league game in four years. In 35 games, Edwards batted a respectable .269 but he returned to the coaching ranks in 1971. He moved on from the Phillies following the 1972 season following the dismissal of manager Frank Lucchesi and the hiring of new manager Danny Ozark.
Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card: 1962 Topps #594
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (6): 1962-1965, 1988-1989
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2014 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs #ROA-DE
42 - Edwards non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 4/15/21.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Phillies Room
The Trading Card Database
1965 Season
Edwards made the Athletics' opening day roster as their back-up catcher and appeared in six games before being dealt to the Yankees on May 3rd. New York sent catcher Johnny Blanchard (#388) and pitcher Rollie Sheldon (#254) to the Athletics in exchange. With Howard injured, the Yankees had initially turned to Blanchard to catch but they decided they needed an upgrade and dealt for Edwards. Steady defensively, Edwards struggled at the plate. In 45 games with the Yankees, he batted .190 with a home run and nine RBIs. With Howard returning in mid-June, Edwards stuck around a little bit but was eventually sent down to the Toledo Mud Hens, where he'd appear in 20 games and bat .317.
On November 28, 1967, the Phillies drafted the unprotected Edwards from the Astros in the annual minor league draft. He'd spend two seasons catching for the club's top farm teams in San Diego (1968) and Eugene (1969) before being named the club's bullpen coach to start the 1970 season. At just 33 years old, he was the youngest coach in the majors at the time. During the May 2nd game against the Giants, both regular catcher Tim McCarver (#294) and then back-up catcher Mike Ryan (#573) broke their hands, forcing the use of emergency catcher Jim Hutto. A month later, on June 6th and in an effort to stabilize the catching position, Edwards was returned to active duty. He went 3 for 5 in his first big league game in four years. In 35 games, Edwards batted a respectable .269 but he returned to the coaching ranks in 1971. He moved on from the Phillies following the 1972 season following the dismissal of manager Frank Lucchesi and the hiring of new manager Danny Ozark.
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First Mainstream Card: 1962 Topps #594
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (6): 1962-1965, 1988-1989
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2014 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs #ROA-DE
42 - Edwards non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 4/15/21.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Phillies Room
The Trading Card Database
Wikipedia
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