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Sabath Anthony Mele
Minnesota Twins
Manager
Born: January 21, 1922, Astoria, NY
Signed: Signed by the Boston Red Sox as an amateur free agent before 1946 season
Major League Teams: Boston Red Sox 1947-1949; Washington Senators 1949-1952; Chicago White Sox 1952-1953; Baltimore Orioles 1954; Boston Red Sox 1954-1955; Cincinnati Reds 1955; Cleveland Indians 1956
As a Manager: Minnesota Twins 1961-1967
Died: May 1, 2017, Quincy, MA (age 95)
Mentored by his uncle, Tony Cuccinello, who was a three-time All-Star in the majors and played between 1930 and 1945, Sam Mele was signed by the Red Sox following a stint in the U.S. Marines. He acquired the nickname "Sam" based on his initials, and settled in as the Red Sox' regular right fielder in 1947 after a strong performance in spring training. Mele would play in ten seasons in the majors, mostly with the Red Sox and Senators, playing all three outfield positions and providing steady defense. He drove in a career-high 94 runs in 1951 with the Senators, and led the league that season with 36 doubles. Mele retired as a player after 1,046 games, having collected 916 hits while batting .267 with 80 home runs and 544 RBIs.
After a season as a scout for the Senators in 1958, he joined the club's coaching staff in 1959. He remained with the club as they moved west to Minnesota and Mele filled in as manager part-way through the 1961 season for Cookie Lavagetto. He'd ultimately succeed Lavagetto as full-time manager. Mele guided the Twins to 91-win seasons in both 1962 and 1963 before leading his young team to their first American League pennant in 1965. His club lost in seven games to the Dodgers in the World Series, and the Twins would fall back to second place in 1966. Fifty games into the 1967 season, with the Twins sitting with a 25-25 record, Mele was fired, ending his managerial career. He owned a career managerial record of 524-436, with his 1965 pennant winning season his biggest highlight. Mele never returned to the dugout, but he served as a scout for the Red Sox from mid-1967 until his retirement in 1994.
Building the Set
September 29, 2021 from Los Angeles, CA - Card #362
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 Mele 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
Topps loved using this pose for managers in their sets from the 1960s. I imagine the Topps photographer saying, "Hey skip, cup your hand and make like you're yelling orders to your team." Mele appeared as the Twins manager in six straight years of Topps sets between 1962 and 1967. The back of the card mentions Mele was named the A.L. Rookie of the Year in 1947, but there was only one award given that year for the entire league, and it went to the Dodgers' Jackie Robinson. The biography is fairly comprehensive, hitting on his big league playing career, his Uncle Tony and his replacing Lavagetto for good in 1961.
1965 Season
Mele's Twins won 102 games and finished seven games ahead of the second place White Sox. The team was led offensively by league MVP Zoilo Versalles (#157), and batting champion Tony Oliva (#340). Mudcat Grant (#432) led the pitching staff with 21 wins. Game 7 of the 1965 World Series was decided when the Dodgers scored a pair of runs in the fourth off Twins' starting pitcher Jim Kaat (#62). Lou Johnson led off with a home run, followed a few batters later by a Wes Parker (#344) RBI single.
Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card: 1949 Bowman #118
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (10): 1951-1952, 1954, 1960, 1962-1967
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1994 Topps Archives 1954 #240
57 - Mele non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 10/15/21.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database
September 29, 2021 from Los Angeles, CA - Card #362
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 Mele 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
Topps loved using this pose for managers in their sets from the 1960s. I imagine the Topps photographer saying, "Hey skip, cup your hand and make like you're yelling orders to your team." Mele appeared as the Twins manager in six straight years of Topps sets between 1962 and 1967. The back of the card mentions Mele was named the A.L. Rookie of the Year in 1947, but there was only one award given that year for the entire league, and it went to the Dodgers' Jackie Robinson. The biography is fairly comprehensive, hitting on his big league playing career, his Uncle Tony and his replacing Lavagetto for good in 1961.
1965 Season
Mele's Twins won 102 games and finished seven games ahead of the second place White Sox. The team was led offensively by league MVP Zoilo Versalles (#157), and batting champion Tony Oliva (#340). Mudcat Grant (#432) led the pitching staff with 21 wins. Game 7 of the 1965 World Series was decided when the Dodgers scored a pair of runs in the fourth off Twins' starting pitcher Jim Kaat (#62). Lou Johnson led off with a home run, followed a few batters later by a Wes Parker (#344) RBI single.
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First Mainstream Card: 1949 Bowman #118
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (10): 1951-1952, 1954, 1960, 1962-1967
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1994 Topps Archives 1954 #240
57 - Mele non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 10/15/21.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database
Wikipedia
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