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Jimmie Goodwin Coker
Cincinnati Reds
Catcher
Born: March 28, 1936, Holly Hill, SC
Signed: Signed by the Philadelphia Phillies as an amateur free agent, February 19, 1955
Major League Teams: Philadelphia Phillies 1958, 1960-1962; San Francisco Giants 1963; Cincinnati Reds 1964-1967
Died: October 29, 1991, Throckmorton, TX (age 55)
Jimmie Coker was a back-up catcher and pinch-hitter who spent parts of nine seasons in the majors with the Phillies, Giants and Reds. He was the opening day catcher for the Phillies in 1960, and he'd play in a career-high 81 games making 73 starts behind the plate. He didn't play much in the majors over the next several seasons, missing most of the 1962 season while serving in the military. Coker's next regular playing time came in 1966 when he appeared in 50 games for the Reds, as that team's third-string catcher behind Johnny Edwards (#418) and Don Pavletich (#472). His final game in the majors came with the Reds on September 12, 1967, and the Reds' catcher of the future, Johnny Bench, had made his big league debut just a few weeks earlier. In 233 career big league games, Coker batted .231 with 137 hits, 16 home runs and 70 RBIs.
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| June 6, 2021 - Pool time |
June 5, 2021 from Tomball, TX - Card #293
To celebrate the unofficial beginning of summer, I took advantage of a 15% Memorial Day Weekend sale hosted by one of my favorite dealers, The Battersbox, from Tomball, Texas. With the second series now complete, I spent an enjoyable hour or so over the long (and rainy) holiday weekend picking 20 commons from the third series to add to our set and I'll feature those cards in the next 20 posts. The package of cards arrived on June 5th and in total, the lot cost me a little more than $63. This Coker card was the cheapest of the lot and cost a little over $1 after applying the sales discount.
The day after these cards arrived, we spent an enjoyable day with my sister's family at my Mom's pool. With most of Memorial Day weekend rained out, it was nice to finally welcome the start of summer with family.
The Card / Reds Team Set
Coker could be wearing a Phillies jersey here. His 1964 Topps card also features a hatless photo, but there's a pinstripe around the neck that makes me think he's wearing a Giants uniform on that card. There's no pinstripe around the neck here, making me think the photo predates the one used for that 1964 Topps card. The back of the card highlights Coker's strong minor league seasons.
1965 Season
Coker appeared in only 24 games for the Reds, sporadically throughout the season, with Edwards and Pavletich spending most of the team's games behind the plate. He made only 16 starts and hit .246 (15 for 61) with two home runs and nine RBIs.
Phillies Career
Originally signed by the Phillies, and compared early in his career to Philadelphia-native Roy Campanella, Coker rose through the Phillies system and made his debut in 1958. He spent all of 1959 with the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons before getting his shot with the big club in 1960. As mentioned above, he was the Phillies' opening day catcher but his defensive issues soon overshadowed any pop the club was hoping to get from his bat. Coker ultimately led all catchers in stolen bases allowed with 55, with no other National League catcher even close to that mark. By 1961, he had lost his everyday catcher's job to Clay Dalrymple (#372) and he spent most of that season back in Buffalo. Coker played in only 11 games with the Phillies in 1961 and just five more games with the club in 1962. On November 21, 1962, the Phillies sold him to the Orioles and he'd be dealt a month later to the Giants.
The Card / Reds Team Set
Coker could be wearing a Phillies jersey here. His 1964 Topps card also features a hatless photo, but there's a pinstripe around the neck that makes me think he's wearing a Giants uniform on that card. There's no pinstripe around the neck here, making me think the photo predates the one used for that 1964 Topps card. The back of the card highlights Coker's strong minor league seasons.
1965 Season
Coker appeared in only 24 games for the Reds, sporadically throughout the season, with Edwards and Pavletich spending most of the team's games behind the plate. He made only 16 starts and hit .246 (15 for 61) with two home runs and nine RBIs.
Originally signed by the Phillies, and compared early in his career to Philadelphia-native Roy Campanella, Coker rose through the Phillies system and made his debut in 1958. He spent all of 1959 with the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons before getting his shot with the big club in 1960. As mentioned above, he was the Phillies' opening day catcher but his defensive issues soon overshadowed any pop the club was hoping to get from his bat. Coker ultimately led all catchers in stolen bases allowed with 55, with no other National League catcher even close to that mark. By 1961, he had lost his everyday catcher's job to Clay Dalrymple (#372) and he spent most of that season back in Buffalo. Coker played in only 11 games with the Phillies in 1961 and just five more games with the club in 1962. On November 21, 1962, the Phillies sold him to the Orioles and he'd be dealt a month later to the Giants.
Coker played in 99 games for the Phillies, batting .227 with 65 hits, seven home runs and 39 RBIs. I'm assuming the rookie catcher competition was light in 1960, as Coker was named to the Topps All-Star Rookie squad in 1960 with a large gold trophy appearing on his 1961 Topps card.
Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card: 1960 Topps #438
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (7): 1960-1961, 1963-1967
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1967 Topps #158
28 - Coker non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 7/22/21.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Phillies Room
SABR
The Trading Card Database
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First Mainstream Card: 1960 Topps #438
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (7): 1960-1961, 1963-1967
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1967 Topps #158
28 - Coker non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 7/22/21.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Phillies Room
SABR
The Trading Card Database
Wikipedia
Previous Card: #191 Phil Regan - Detroit Tigers
Previous Card: #191 Phil Regan - Detroit Tigers
Next Card: #193 Gaylord Perry - San Francisco Giants
Coker has the honor of being the card I've acquired the most times since starting to collect the 1967 set. Even when you don't open packs you get doubles!
ReplyDeleteLove it! Seems like every set also has my own personal Jimmie Coker.
ReplyDelete