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John Alban Edwards
Cincinnati Reds
Catcher
Born: June 10, 1938, Columbus, OH
Signed: Signed by the Cincinnati Reds as an amateur free agent before 1959 season
Major League Teams: Cincinnati Reds 1961-1967; St. Louis Cardinals 1968; Houston Astros 1969-1974
Known for his excellent defensive skills behind the plate, Johnny Edwards was a three-time All-Star and a two-time Gold Glove winner in 1963 and 1964. Edwards went to the World Series with the Reds in 1961, his rookie season, starting three games and batting .364 (4 for 11) in the losing effort against the Yankees. His finest seasons came between 1963 and 1965 when he established himself as one of the best catchers in the National League. Edwards batted a career-high .281 in 1964 and hit a career-high 17 home runs in 1965. He was behind the plate for both games in 1965 during which Reds' pitcher Jim Maloney (#530) threw ten innings without allowing a hit. With Johnny Bench arriving, Edwards was dealt to the Cardinals following the 1967 season and he'd serve as a back-up to Tim McCarver (#294). He'd go to his second World Series in 1968, but received only one at-bat in Game 6 as a pinch-hitter.
Moving on to the Astros, Edwards would receive MVP votes in 1969 based primarily on his defense. He'd play five more seasons in Houston before retiring. Edwards' 8,925 putouts as a catcher are currently 24th all-time and his .992 career fielding percentage is 78th all-time. In 1,470 games, he batted .242 with 1,106 hits, 81 home runs and 524 RBIs.
Building the Set
December 4, 2021 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards, Babylon, NY) - Card #435
You'll be seeing this particular passage on my 1965 Topps blog for quite some time as we added a whopping 97 cards to our set during the December Philadelphia Sports Collectors Show. If I'm ambitious and compose posts for five cards a week, I should be completely caught up by the end of May. If I'm not as ambitious, I might still be going through this stack by the time we hit July. Either way, I'll enjoy the process and I'm looking forward to taking my time. I've posted a complete summary of this fantastic show over at The Phillies Room.
The Card / Reds Team Set
The cartoon on the back of the card highlights his .364 average against the Yankees in the 1961 World Series. Edwards' All-Star Game appearances are also mentioned, along with the 1,008 putouts he recorded as a catcher in 1963. Edwards broke that record in 1969 with 1,135 putouts. Only two other catchers have more single season putouts than Edwards - Red Sox catcher Christian Vazquez with 1,136 in 2021 and the all-time record holder, Yasmani Grandal with 1,169 putouts in 2019.
1965 Season
Edwards' was the Reds' opening day catcher, and he'd start 98 games behind the plate for the team with Don Pavletich (#472) serving as his primary back-up. Edwards was behind the plate on June 14th when Maloney threw ten no-hit innings against the Mets, only to lose the no-hitter, and the game, in the 11th inning. Maloney again took a no-hitter in the tenth inning on August 19th, again with Edwards behind the plate. But this time the Reds were able to score in the bottom of the inning to secure the no-hitter for Maloney. In 114 games, Edwards batted .267 with 17 home runs and 51 RBIs. Named to the 1965 National League All-Star team, Edwards didn't appear in the game.
Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card: 1962 Topps #302
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (13): 1962-1974
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1974 Topps #635
83 - Edwards non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 2/7/22.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database
December 4, 2021 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards, Babylon, NY) - Card #435
You'll be seeing this particular passage on my 1965 Topps blog for quite some time as we added a whopping 97 cards to our set during the December Philadelphia Sports Collectors Show. If I'm ambitious and compose posts for five cards a week, I should be completely caught up by the end of May. If I'm not as ambitious, I might still be going through this stack by the time we hit July. Either way, I'll enjoy the process and I'm looking forward to taking my time. I've posted a complete summary of this fantastic show over at The Phillies Room.
After securing Doug's Jim Thome autograph, I returned to Uncle Dick's and their neon green shirts, pulled up a chair, and settled in. Over the course of 45 minutes or so, I found 79 cards needed for our set, including this Edwards card which was a little under $4 after the dealer discount. I was surrounded by six or seven other seated collectors, all who looked similar to me, with a touch of gray, focused on their individual quests. I wiped out Uncle Dick's two 1965 Topps commons binders, paid for my haul and then retreated to a table with Doug to update our checklist.
The Card / Reds Team Set
The cartoon on the back of the card highlights his .364 average against the Yankees in the 1961 World Series. Edwards' All-Star Game appearances are also mentioned, along with the 1,008 putouts he recorded as a catcher in 1963. Edwards broke that record in 1969 with 1,135 putouts. Only two other catchers have more single season putouts than Edwards - Red Sox catcher Christian Vazquez with 1,136 in 2021 and the all-time record holder, Yasmani Grandal with 1,169 putouts in 2019.
1965 Season
Edwards' was the Reds' opening day catcher, and he'd start 98 games behind the plate for the team with Don Pavletich (#472) serving as his primary back-up. Edwards was behind the plate on June 14th when Maloney threw ten no-hit innings against the Mets, only to lose the no-hitter, and the game, in the 11th inning. Maloney again took a no-hitter in the tenth inning on August 19th, again with Edwards behind the plate. But this time the Reds were able to score in the bottom of the inning to secure the no-hitter for Maloney. In 114 games, Edwards batted .267 with 17 home runs and 51 RBIs. Named to the 1965 National League All-Star team, Edwards didn't appear in the game.
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First Mainstream Card: 1962 Topps #302
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (13): 1962-1974
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1974 Topps #635
83 - Edwards non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 2/7/22.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database
Wikipedia
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