#421 Twins Rookie Stars - Gary Dotter / Jay Ward

Gary Richard Dotter
Minnesota Twins
Pitcher

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Left  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  180
Born:  August 7, 1942, St. Louis, MO
Signed:  Signed by the St. Louis Cardinals as an amateur free agent before 1960 season
Major League Teams:  Minnesota Twins 1961, 1963-1964

John Francis Ward
Minnesota Twins
Third Base-Outfield

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  185
Born:  September 9, 1938, Brookfield, MO
Signed:  Signed by the New York Yankees as an amateur free agent before 1956 season
Major League Teams:  Minnesota Twins 1963-1964; Cincinnati Reds 1970
Died:  February 24, 2012, Kalispell, MT (age 73)

Gary Dotter was a September call-up by the Twins in three different seasons, appearing in relief in a pair of games in 1961 and 1963, and three games in 1964.  He was hit hard in his major league debut on September 10, 1961, allowing six runs on six hits over four innings of work, and he didn't allow another earned run in the majors until his final appearance on October 2, 1964.  In seven total big league games, Dotter had no record and a 5.11 ERA in 12 1/3 innings pitched.  He'd pitch in the minor league system of the Astros between 1965 and 1967 before retiring from baseball.

1964 Topps #116

Jay Ward played seven seasons in the minor leagues in the Yankees, Athletics and Dodgers organization before getting his shot at the majors with the Twins in 1963.  He appeared in nine games that May and June, but batted only .067 (1 for 15) and was sent back down to the minors.  Ward was a September call-up by the Twins in 1964, appearing in 12 games and making nine starts at second base.  That was to be his last big league action for five full seasons, and between 1965 and 1969 he played in the Twins and Indians organizations and spent the 1966 season in Japan.  Ward would appear in six games for the Reds in 1970, going hitless in three at-bats.  In total, he had a .163 average with eight hits in 27 games.  He'd serve as a long-time minor league coach within the Twins, Phillies, Reds and Expos organizations between 1972 and 1989.  Ward would also serve on the major league coaching staffs of the Yankees (1987) and Expos (1991-1992).

Building the Set
December 4, 2021 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards, Babylon, NY) - Card #436
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 Rookie Stars 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 / Twins Team Set
This is Dotter's first and last mainstream baseball card, and the back of the card references that he missed most of 1964 while in military service.  Dotter's only baseball action in 1964 was the three games he pitched for the Twins as a September call-up.  Ward previously appeared on a Rookie Stars card in the 1964 Topps set with future Hall of Famer Tony Oliva (#340).  But like Dotter, this is Ward's final appearance in a Topps set.

1965 Season - Dotter
Dotter appeared in 26 games for the Triple-A Oklahoma City 89ers in the Pacific Coast League, then the top farm team of the Astros.  He made 20 starts and was 11-4 with a 3.39 ERA in 130 innings pitched.  The 89ers had a decent pitching rotation, comprised of Chris Zachary, Bucky Brandon, Jimmy Ward and Dotter.

1965 Season - Ward
Ward appeared in 134 games for the Denver Bears playing third base (75 games), second base (32 games) or in the outfield (28 games).  He batted .283 with 15 home runs and 75 RBIs, but never got the call-up to the eventual American League champions.

Phillies Connection - Ward
Ward managed the Low-A Bend Phillies in 1983, guiding them to a 32-37 record.  He was promoted to the Single-A Spartanburg Suns in 1984, and that team had a 70-70 record.  Future major leaguers on that Suns team included pitcher Michael Jackson and first baseman Ricky Jordan.  He left the Phillies organization following the 1984 season to manage the Reds' farm team in Cedar Rapids.

Other Notable Baseball Cards - Dotter
First Mainstream Card:  1965 Topps #421
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (1):  1965
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1965 Topps #421

2 - Dotter non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 2/7/22.

Sources - Dotter:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Trading Card Database
Wikipedia

Other Notable Baseball Cards - Ward
First Mainstream Card:  1964 Topps #116
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (2):  1964-1965
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1965 Topps #421

14 - Ward non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 2/7/22.

Sources - Ward:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Trading Card Database
Wikipedia

Previous Card:  #420 Larry Jackson - Chicago Cubs

Next Card:  #422 Aubrey Gatewood - Los Angeles Angels