#117 Wes Stock - Kansas City Athletics

Wesley Gay Stock
Kansas City Athletics
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'2"  Weight:  188
Born:  April 10, 1934, Longview, WA
Signed:  Signed by the Baltimore Orioles as an amateur free agent before 1956 season
Major League Teams:  Baltimore Orioles 1959-1964; Kansas City Athletics 1964-1967

All but three of Wes Stock's 321 major league pitching appearances came in relief, and he was a reliable middle reliever for nine seasons before beginning a lengthy coaching career.  Stock's best season came in 1964 as he went 8-3 with a 2.30 ERA in a combined 64 games (a career high) between the Orioles and Athletics.  He pitched 113 2/3 innings that season and saved five games.  For his career, Stock was 27-13 with a 3.60 ERA and 22 saves.  Released by the Athletics on May 16, 1967, Stock replaced Cot Deal as the team's pitching coach that July.  Stock spent the 1968 and 1969 seasons as a roving minor-league pitching instructor for the Mets before being hired as the Seattle Pilots' pitching coach for their 1970 season.  The Pilots moved to Milwaukee prior to the start of the season and Stock was the Brewers' first pitching coach, serving in that role between 1970 and 1972.

1975 Topps #466

He returned to the Athletics, now in Oakland, for their 1973 season and won World Series rings with the club in 1973 and 1974.  Wearing his white coach's hat, Stock makes a cameo on the 1975 Topps card celebrating the A's third straight World Series title.  Stock left the Athletics following the 1976 season, and was the first pitching coach in Seattle Mariners franchise history, working with young Mariners pitchers between 1977 and 1981.  He then took a brief turn as a broadcaster for the Mariners in 1982 and 1983, before his final coaching job found him back in Oakland between 1984 and 1986.

Building the Set
May 13, 2021 from Marco Island, FL - Card #266
After adding a number of star cards in April, I decided I should focus on a group of commons for our set in May.  I set out specifically to add reasonably priced cards from the set's second series and I found a few eBay sellers running specials on recent set breaks.  In total, I added 23 cards over three-day period with this Stock card coming from Super Bowl Auctions located in Marco Island, Florida for $2.75.  As of this writing, and after adding a few star cards late in May, we're the proud owners of a complete series two from the 1965 Topps set.

The Card / Athletics Team Set
This is Stock's first card with the Athletics, as he was acquired from the Orioles on June 15, 1964 for catcher Charlie Lau (#94).  His 182 strikeouts while with the Aberdeen Pheasants in 1956 are highlighted with the cartoon on the back.  The double header, double wins came on May 26, 1962 against the Indians.  Stock pitched two shutout innings of relief in the first game and then came back to throw three shutout innings in the second game.  I can't imagine that feat ever being repeated today.

1965 Season
In his first full season with the Athletics, Stock appeared in 62 games, going 0-4 with a 5.24 ERA.  He made two spot starts for a team that lost 103 games.  Stock led all Athletics' relievers in innings pitched with 99 2/3.  Only Jim Dickson (#286) and John Wyatt (#590), with 68 and 62 appearances respectively, appeared in more games than Stock.  Despite the regular use he got during the season, Stock was somehow omitted from he 1966 Topps set.

1960 Topps #481

1961 Topps #26

1964 Topps #382

1967 Topps #74

1977 Topps #597

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1960 Topps #481
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (10):  1960-1965, 1967, 1973, 1975, 1977
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1978 TCMA The 1960s I #154

36 - Stock non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 5/28/21.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia

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