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William Frederick Hoeft
Detroit Tigers
Pitcher
Born: May 17, 1932, Oshkosh, WI
Signed: Signed by the Detroit Tigers as an amateur free agent before 1950 season
Major League Teams: Detroit Tigers 1952-1959; Boston Red Sox 1959; Baltimore Orioles 1959-1962; San Francisco Giants 1963; Milwaukee Braves 1964; Chicago Cubs 1965-1966; San Francisco Giants 1966
Died: March 16, 2010, Canadian Lakes, MI (age 77)
Long-time lefty pitcher Billy Hoeft spent 15 years in the majors and was an All-Star with the Tigers in 1955, a year in which he led the league with seven shutouts. Hoeft spent eight seasons in Detroit and was a steady starter for the team between 1952 and 1958. His best season came in 1956 when he went 20-14 with a 4.06 ERA in 38 starts. He bounced around a bit after being traded to the Red Sox in June 1959 for Jack Harshman, but he was a fairly reliable pitcher at each of his stops over the next eight seasons. Hoeft moved to the bullpen and appeared in a career-high 57 games for the Orioles in 1962. He fell just short of the 100-win plateau for his career, going 97-101 over 505 games with a 3.94 ERA and 33 career saves.
Some text for this post originally appeared on my 1956 Topps blog.
Building the Set
September 29, 2021 from Los Angeles, CA - Card #355
With everyone back in school, the Phillies' playoff hopes growing dimmer, my workload picking up at my chosen profession and a dwindling pile of purchased 1965 Topps cards to compose posts for, I decided I was in need of a nice stack of commons (and some semi-stars) for our set. Over the course of an enjoyable evening, mostly while sitting in my car in a parking lot next to where Doug's baseball team was practicing, I bid on about 45 cards up for auction from Greg Morris Cards, located in Los Angeles. When the dust settled and I checked my phone the next morning, I had won 19 cards, ranging in price from $1.75 to $11 and averaging around $4 per card. This Hoeft card was mine with a winning bid of $3.33. Doug's free time is spent practicing baseball, Ben has found he thoroughly enjoys his school's cross country team, and I have a stack of 1965 Topps cards to study and write about whenever I need a break from adulting. All is well.
The Card / Tigers Team Set
The piping around the neck makes it look as if Hoeft is wearing a Giants jersey here, and he spent the entire 1963 season pitching for that team. I'm surprised Topps didn't dig into its archives for an older picture of Hoeft in a Tigers uniform, given he originally played for the team between 1952 and 1959. The cartoon on the back shows a happy Hoeft and notes he didn't lose a game in 1963 or 1964. He went 2-0 in 23 relief appearances for the Giants in 1963, and 4-0 in 42 relief appearances for the Braves in 1964.
1965 Season
Hoeft was released by the Braves on October 19, 1964, and signed with the Tigers a month later on November 16th. In the spring of 1965, he accused the Braves and their manager Bobby Bragan (#346) of deliberately trying to lose the pennant since they were moving to Atlanta. Hoeft spent the spring with the Tigers but was released on April 11th, before the start of the season. He latched on with the Cubs and reported to their farm team in Salt Lake City where he went 3-7 with a 3.07 ERA, before a June 30th promotion. With the Cubs, Hoeft appeared in 29 games, making two starts, and went 2-2 with a 2.81 ERA over 51 1/3 innings pitched.
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| September 7, 2021 - First day of school |
September 29, 2021 from Los Angeles, CA - Card #355
With everyone back in school, the Phillies' playoff hopes growing dimmer, my workload picking up at my chosen profession and a dwindling pile of purchased 1965 Topps cards to compose posts for, I decided I was in need of a nice stack of commons (and some semi-stars) for our set. Over the course of an enjoyable evening, mostly while sitting in my car in a parking lot next to where Doug's baseball team was practicing, I bid on about 45 cards up for auction from Greg Morris Cards, located in Los Angeles. When the dust settled and I checked my phone the next morning, I had won 19 cards, ranging in price from $1.75 to $11 and averaging around $4 per card. This Hoeft card was mine with a winning bid of $3.33. Doug's free time is spent practicing baseball, Ben has found he thoroughly enjoys his school's cross country team, and I have a stack of 1965 Topps cards to study and write about whenever I need a break from adulting. All is well.
The Card / Tigers Team Set
The piping around the neck makes it look as if Hoeft is wearing a Giants jersey here, and he spent the entire 1963 season pitching for that team. I'm surprised Topps didn't dig into its archives for an older picture of Hoeft in a Tigers uniform, given he originally played for the team between 1952 and 1959. The cartoon on the back shows a happy Hoeft and notes he didn't lose a game in 1963 or 1964. He went 2-0 in 23 relief appearances for the Giants in 1963, and 4-0 in 42 relief appearances for the Braves in 1964.
1965 Season
Hoeft was released by the Braves on October 19, 1964, and signed with the Tigers a month later on November 16th. In the spring of 1965, he accused the Braves and their manager Bobby Bragan (#346) of deliberately trying to lose the pennant since they were moving to Atlanta. Hoeft spent the spring with the Tigers but was released on April 11th, before the start of the season. He latched on with the Cubs and reported to their farm team in Salt Lake City where he went 3-7 with a 3.07 ERA, before a June 30th promotion. With the Cubs, Hoeft appeared in 29 games, making two starts, and went 2-2 with a 2.81 ERA over 51 1/3 innings pitched.
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Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card: 1952 Topps #370
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (13): 1952-1953, 1956-1966
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1991 Topps Archives 1953 #165
39 - Hoeft non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 10/8/21.
Sources:
1956 Topps Blog
First Mainstream Card: 1952 Topps #370
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (13): 1952-1953, 1956-1966
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1991 Topps Archives 1953 #165
39 - Hoeft non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 10/8/21.
Sources:
1956 Topps Blog
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