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Richard Lewis Stigman
Minnesota Twins
Pitcher
Born: January 24, 1936, Nimrod, MN
Signed: Signed by the Cleveland Indians as an amateur free agent before 1954 season
Major League Teams: Cleveland Indians 1960-1961; Minnesota Twins 1962-1965; Boston Red Sox 1966
Dick Stigman was a surprise inclusion on both 1960 American League All-Star teams, but he didn't appear in either game that summer. Traded to the Twins from the Indians on April 2, 1962 with Vic Power (#442) for Pedro Ramos (#13), Stigman enjoyed his finest seasons in Minnesota. He went 12-5 with a 3.66 ERA in 1962, splitting time between the bullpen and the starting pitching rotation. In 1963, and now a full-time starter, he was 15-15 with a 3.25 ERA over 241 innings pitched with 193 strikeouts. His strikeout tally was third in the American League behind teammate Camilo Pascual (#255) who had 202, and the Tigers' Jim Bunning (#20) with 196. Stigman had 15 complete games, including three shutouts that season to go along with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage. He couldn't repeat the success of 1963 with the Twins over the next two seasons, but he did help the team to the American League pennant in 1965 as a valuable reliever. Following the 1965 World Series, he was dealt to the Red Sox for the 1966 season, his final year in the majors. Stigman made 235 appearances over seven seasons, going 46-54 with a 4.03 ERA and 755 career strikeouts.
September 29, 2021 from Los Angeles, CA - Card #356
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 Stigman card was mine with a winning bid of $3.25. 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 / Twins Team Set
Stigman is sporting an impressive flat top under his Twins cap, as shown on his 1966 Topps card. There's not much room on the back of the card for anything other than Stigman's statistics. Rather than mention his All-Star Game selection or his finishing third in the league in strikeouts in 1964, the cartoon on the back celebrates his league leading strikeouts and ERA in 1956 while playing for the Vidalia Indians.
1965 Season
As mentioned above, Stigman settled into his role as a reliever in 1965, although he made eight starts when called upon by manager Sam Mele (#506). He went 4-2 with a 4.37 ERA over 33 appearances, recording four saves. Stigman missed time in the middle of the season with a foot injury, and his SABR biography notes he was disappointed not to appear in any of the Twins' World Series games.
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First Mainstream Card: 1959 Topps #142
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (8): 1959-1966
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2015 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs #ROA-DS
36 - Stigman non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 10/8/21.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database
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