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Robert Derrell Griffith
Los Angeles Dodgers
Outfield
Born: December 12, 1943, Anadarko, OK
Signed: Signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers as an amateur free agent before 1962 season
Major League Teams: Los Angeles Dodgers 1963-1966
Derrell Griffith appeared in four different seasons for the Dodgers, playing in a career high 78 games in 1964. He was the team's regular third baseman that season for a stretch of games between mid-June and late July, and he also received a number of starts in both left and right field. A string of injuries and slumps limited his time with the Dodgers in both 1965 and 1966 to just a combined 45 games. In November 1966, the Dodgers traded Griffith along with Tommy Davis (#370) to the Mets for Jim Hickman (#114) and Ron Hunt (#285). He was in the Mets system for less than four months when he was dealt again to the Braves for Sandy Alomar (#82). Less than three months after that, Griffith was traded again, this time to the Astros as the player to be named later from an earlier deal. He never made it back to the majors and retired having appeared in 124 big league games with a .260 average, 77 hits and five home runs.
Building the Set
May 13, 2021 from Marco Island, FL - Card #271
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 Griffith card coming from Super Bowl Auctions located in Marco Island, Florida for $4. 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 / Dodgers Team Set
This is Griffith's rookie card and he'd go on to appear in two more Topps flagship sets. I don't want to take anything away from him here, but the cartoon on the back is a bit misleading as his 254 plate appearances in 1964 would not have been enough for him to qualify for a batting title. Making matters worse, the cartoonist also inflated his average by .004, as he finished with a .290 average. Willie Davis (#435), who had 652 plate appearances, won the Dodgers' batting title in 1964 with his .294 average.
1965 Season
Griffith began the year in the minor leagues and came up to the Dodgers for a 14-game stretch in May and again as a September call-up. With the Dodgers, the eventual World Series winners, he made nine starts in left field and one start in right. In 22 games, he batted .171 (7 for 41) with a home run and two RBIs. For the Triple-A Spokane Indians, Griffith batted .281 over 114 games with eight home runs and 53 RBIs.
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First Mainstream Card: 1965 Topps #112
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (3): 1965-1967
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2016 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs #ROA-DGR
10 - Griffith non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 5/29/21.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Trading Card Database
Wikipedia
Previous Card: #111 Lee Thomas - Boston Red Sox
Previous Card: #111 Lee Thomas - Boston Red Sox
Next Card: #113 Steve Barber - Baltimore Orioles
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