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Hilario Valdespino
Minnesota Twins
Outfield
Born: January 24, 1939, San Jose de las Lajas, Cuba
Signed: Signed by the Washington Senators as an amateur free agent before 1957 season
Major League Teams: Minnesota Twins 1965-1967; Atlanta Braves 1968; Houston Astros 1969; Seattle Pilots 1969; Milwaukee Brewers 1970; Kansas City Royals 1971
Cesar Leonardo Tovar
Minnesota Twins
Infield
Born: July 3, 1940, Caracas, Venezuela
Signed: Signed by the Cincinnati Reds as an amateur free agent before 1959 season
Major League Teams: Minnesota Twins 1965-1972; Philadelphia Phillies 1973; Texas Rangers 1974-1975; Oakland Athletics 1975-1976; New York Yankees 1976
Died: July 14, 1994, Caracas, Venezuela (age 54)
Sandy Valdespino was the fourth outfielder on the 1965 Twins team that won the A.L. pennant but lost the World Series to the Dodgers in seven games. Valdespino appeared in five World Series games, batting .273 (3 for 11) in what would be the pinnacle of his big league career. He had gotten his shot with the Twins after winning the Triple-A batting title in 1964 with a .337 average as a member of the Atlanta Crackers. Following his time with the Twins, he'd bounce around among four different franchises over the next six seasons, always serving as a back-up outfielder or occasional pinch-hitter. Valdespino would play in the Mexican League through 1974, but his major league career ended after 18 games with the Royals in 1971. In 382 career games, Valdespino batted .230 with seven home runs and 67 RBIs.
The versatile Cesar Tovar played for 12 season in the major leagues and an impressive 26 seasons in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League, second only to Vic Davalillo (#128) in terms of longevity in that league. (Davaillio played 30 seasons.) Primarily an infielder, Tovar was known for his ability to play any position and on September 22, 1968 he became the second player in the majors, after Bert Campaneris (#266), to play all nine positions in a game. Tovar led the league in doubles (36) and triples (13) in 1970, and he led the league in hits with 204 in 1971. He finished in the top ten in the league for stolen bases in six different seasons. In 1,488 career games, Tovar collected 1,546 hits while batting .278 with 226 stole bases.
Building the Set
June 5, 2021 from Tomball, TX - Card #296
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. At around $5.75 after the discount, this Twins Rookie Stars card was one of the pricier cards in the lot.
The Card / Twins Team Set
Both players didn't make their major league debuts until April 12, 1965, which means Topps most likely issued this card with no guarantee either player would actually play for the Twins. Tovar is wearing a Reds uniform in his photo.
1965 Season - Valdespino
Valdespino played in a career-high 108 games, batting .261 with 22 RBIs, and he made 47 starts in either left or right field whenever regulars Bob Allison (#180) or Tony Oliva (#340) needed days off. As mentioned above, he played in five games for the Twins in the World Series, starting Games 1 and 3 in left field.
Valdespino played in a career-high 108 games, batting .261 with 22 RBIs, and he made 47 starts in either left or right field whenever regulars Bob Allison (#180) or Tony Oliva (#340) needed days off. As mentioned above, he played in five games for the Twins in the World Series, starting Games 1 and 3 in left field.
1965 Season - Tovar
Tovar was traded to the Twins on December 4, 1964 from the Reds for pitcher Gerry Arrigo (#39). He made the club's opening day roster and appeared in nine games before a demotion to the minors in mid-May. Tovar would come back up to the Twins as a September call-up. With the Twins, he appeared in 18 games and batted an even .200 (5 for 25) with a double and two stolen bases. With the Triple-A Denver Bears, he batted .328 with 31 doubles, seven home runs and 57 RBIS to go along with a team-leading 28 stolen bases.
Phillies Career - Tovar
On November 30, 1972, the Twins traded Tovar to the Phillies for Joe Lis, Ken Reynolds and Ken Sanders and he'd spend the 1973 season platooning with top prospect Mike Schmidt at third base. In 97 games for the Phillies, Tovar made 39 starts at third base, 20 starts at second base, 16 starts in right field and two starts a piece in left field and center field. He hit .268 during his lone Phillies season with 18 doubles, a home run, 21 RBIs and six stolen bases. Tovar missed most of July recovering from a knee injury.
On December 7, 1973, and with the Phillies now invested in Schmidt as their future third baseman, Tovar was sold to the Rangers.
Tovar was traded to the Twins on December 4, 1964 from the Reds for pitcher Gerry Arrigo (#39). He made the club's opening day roster and appeared in nine games before a demotion to the minors in mid-May. Tovar would come back up to the Twins as a September call-up. With the Twins, he appeared in 18 games and batted an even .200 (5 for 25) with a double and two stolen bases. With the Triple-A Denver Bears, he batted .328 with 31 doubles, seven home runs and 57 RBIS to go along with a team-leading 28 stolen bases.
On November 30, 1972, the Twins traded Tovar to the Phillies for Joe Lis, Ken Reynolds and Ken Sanders and he'd spend the 1973 season platooning with top prospect Mike Schmidt at third base. In 97 games for the Phillies, Tovar made 39 starts at third base, 20 starts at second base, 16 starts in right field and two starts a piece in left field and center field. He hit .268 during his lone Phillies season with 18 doubles, a home run, 21 RBIs and six stolen bases. Tovar missed most of July recovering from a knee injury.
On December 7, 1973, and with the Phillies now invested in Schmidt as their future third baseman, Tovar was sold to the Rangers.
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Other Notable Baseball Cards - Valdespino
First Mainstream Card: 1965 Topps #201
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (3): 1965-1966, 1968
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1981 TCMA The 1960s II #329
27 - Valdespino non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 7/23/21.
Sources - Valdespino:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database
Wikipedia
Other Notable Baseball Cards - Tovar
First Mainstream Card: 1965 Topps #201
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (13): 1965-1977
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1978 TCMA the 1960s I #174
71 - Tovar non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 7/23/21.
Sources - Tovar:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Phillies Room
SABR
The Trading Card Database
Wikipedia
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