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Ronald Kennth Hunt
New York Mets
Second Base
Born: February 23, 1941, St. Louis, MO
Signed: Signed by the Milwaukee Braves as an amateur free agent before 1959 season
Major League Teams: New York Mets 1963-1966; Los Angeles Dodgers 1967; San Francisco Giants 1968-1970; Montreal Expos 1971-1974; St. Louis Cardinals 1974
Known for getting hit by pitches more than any other player from his era, Ron Hunt played in 12 big league seasons, primarily with the Mets and Expos. Hunt made his debut in April 1963, and settled in as the everyday second baseman for the relatively new Mets franchise. Batting .272 that season with ten home runs and 42 RBIs, Hunt finished as National League Rookie of the Year runner-up to Pete Rose (#207). He was the first position player to start an All-Star Game for the Mets, batting eighth and playing at second in the 1964 game held in his home ballpark, Shea Stadium. Hunt was named to his second All-Star team in 1966. In 1968, now with the Giants, Hunt began a seven-year streak that saw him lead the league in being hit by a pitch. He'd set a single-season record in 1971 with 50 times being plunked.
Building the Set
March 6, 2022 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards - Babylon, NY) - Card #498
This is the 14th of 102 cards acquired for our set from the Baseball Card Sports Memorabilia Show, affectionately known as The Philly Show, held in the basement of the Valley Forge Casino Resort in King of Prussia in early March. We went nuts and left the show needing only 12 more cards to complete our 1965 Topps set, and I wrote about the show in detail over at The Phillies Room. Having wandered aimlessly among the dealer tables looking for binders with vintage commons, I decided to check to see if Uncle Dick's had refreshed their inventory following the December show, during which I had wiped out both their 1965 Topps binders. Much to my pleasant surprise, they had. This Hunt card was $2 and was one of 49 commons purchased in my triumphant return to Uncle Dick's and his replenished neon green binders.
Depending on my ability to compose five posts a week on the cards acquired at this show, I should be completely caught up on this blog by mid-October. It's entirely feasible we complete our 1965 Topps set by the end of 2022, although nine of the remaining 12 cards needed are fairly expensive.
The Card / Mets Team Set
That appears to be back-up catcher Chris Cannizzaro (#61) and his uniform #8 making a cameo appearance behind Hunt at the batting cage. Hunt's six stolen bases are highlighted in cartoon form on the back of the card, and Hunt tied for the team lead in that category with Joe Christopher (#495) and Dick Smith (#579). (Maury Wills led the league with 53 stolen bases.) The narrative on the back calls Hunt a fan favorite, and notes he won the Mets' team batting title in 1963 (.272) and 1964 (.303).
1965 Season
I'm assuming Hunt's playing time was limited by injury in 1965, as he appeared in only 57 Mets games, missing significant time between mid-May and early August. In his absence, Chuck Hiller (#531) and Bobby Klaus (#227) split time at second base. Hunt batted .240 in his limited playing time, with 47 hits, a home run and ten RBIs.
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First Mainstream Card: 1963 Topps #558
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (13): 1963-1975
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2001 SP Legendary Cuts #52
94 - Hunt non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 4/18/22.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Trading Card Database
Wikipedia
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