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John Joseph Orsino
Baltimore Orioles
Catcher
Born: April 22, 1938, Teaneck, NJ
Signed: Signed by the New York Giants as an amateur free agent before 1957 season
Major League Teams: San Francisco Giants 1961-1962; Baltimore Orioles 1963-1965; Washington Senators 1966-1967
Died: November 1, 2016, Sunny Isles Beach, FL (age 78)
Catcher John Orsino spent parts of seven seasons in the majors, and enjoyed a career year in 1963 when given the chance to start every day with the Orioles. Orsino was drafted and made his debut with San Francisco, where he appeared in 43 games over two seasons before a six-player trade sent him to Baltimore on December 15, 1962. Dick Brown began the 1963 season as the Orioles regular catcher, but Orsino was soon getting more playing time and he'd ultimately start 103 games behind the plate. Orsino reached career highs in games (116), runs (53), hits (103), home runs (19) and RBIs (56). He began the 1964 season as the opening day catcher for the Orioles and new manager Hank Bauer (#323), but Brown and Charlie Lau (#94) were soon getting most of the playing time. Dealt to the Senators following the 1965 season, Orsino was used sparingly in Washington, appearing in only 15 games over two seasons. He played two more years playing in the Senators, Indians and Yankees systems before retiring following the 1969 season. In 332 major league games, Orsino batted .249 with 252 hits, 40 home runs and 123 RBIs. He was the head baseball coach at Fairleigh Dickinson University from 1970 to 1976, and again in 1980.
September 29, 2021 from Los Angeles, CA - Card #358
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 Orsino 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 / Orioles Team Set
There's a good chance the photos used for Orsino's 1964, 1965 and 1966 Topps cards were all taken from the same session. He's Johnny for his first five Topps appearances, and graduates to John for his final Topps card in 1967. The back of the card highlights Orsino's defensive skills, as he led all Texas League catchers in fielding percentage in 1960. The six-player trade between the Giants and Orioles is also mentioned.
Orsino, at card #51, is one of 72 players featured within the 1965 Topps Embossed insert set and one of four Orioles in the set.
1965 Season
Orsino was again the opening day catcher for the Orioles in 1965, but again as the season progressed he lost playing time to Brown and Lau. Brown made 73 starts behind the plate, Orsino received 55 starts, Lau had 32 starts and top catching prospect Andy Etchebarren received two starts. In 77 games, Orsino batted .233 with nine home runs and 28 RBIs. On October 12th, he was dealt to the Senators for infielder Woodie Held (#336), as Etchebarren would take on the every day catching duties for the Orioles in 1966.
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First Mainstream Card: 1962 Topps #377
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (6): 1962-1967
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2016 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs #ROA-JOR
29 - Orsino non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 10/9/21.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Trading Card Database
Wikipedia
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