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Frank James Malzone
Boston Red Sox
Third Base
Born: February 28, 1930, Bronx, NY
Signed: Signed by the Boston Red Sox as an amateur free agent before 1947 season
Major League Teams: Boston Red Sox 1955-1965; California Angels 1966
Died: December 29, 2015, Needham, MA (age 85)
Frank Malzone manned the hot corner for the Red Sox for over a decade, and in total spent nearly six decades in various roles with the club. Malzone first got the chance to play regularly in 1957, and he'd reward manager Pinky Higgins with the first of eight All-Star Game selections and by finishing second in the American League Rookie of the Year voting to the Yankees' Tony Kubek (#65). Malzone also won the first of his three Gold Gloves that season and drove in a career-high 103 runs. On the way to that first Gold Glove, he became the first player to lead the American League in every defensive category (games, putouts, assists, double plays turned, fielding percentage) as well as errors. Dependable at the plate, Malzone hit .276 with the Red Sox over 11 seasons. He left the club briefly following the 1965 season, finishing up his playing career with the Angels.
For his career, Malzone batted .274 with 1,486 hits, 133 home runs and 728 RBIs. He re-joined the Red Sox as a scout in 1966 and he'd serve as a scout and instructor until the early 1990s when he joined the team's front office. He was among the inaugural class of inductees into the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame in 1995.
Building the Set
March 6, 2022 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards - Babylon, NY) - Card #501
The Card / Red Sox Team Set
Malzone appears to be posing during spring training as there's a few Red Sox teammates mulling about in the background. His home run in the 1959 All-Star Game receives the cartoon highlight treatment. This would have been one of the years there were two All-Star Games, and Malzone started at third base in the second game. He played the entire game, going 1 for 4 with a solo home run coming off Don Drysdale (#260) in the second inning.
1965 Season
Malzone appeared in 106 games for a Red Sox team that would lose 100 times. He made 85 starts at third base, and as the season progressed he steadily lost playing time to the younger Dalton Jones (#178). Malzone batted .239 with just three home runs and 34 RBIs in his final season in Boston, and the club released him following the season.
Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card: 1955 Bowman #302
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (11): 1956-1966
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2015 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs #ROA-FM
95 - Malzone non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 4/30/22.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database
Building the Set
March 6, 2022 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards - Babylon, NY) - Card #501
This is the 17th 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 Malzone card was $3 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 / Red Sox Team Set
Malzone appears to be posing during spring training as there's a few Red Sox teammates mulling about in the background. His home run in the 1959 All-Star Game receives the cartoon highlight treatment. This would have been one of the years there were two All-Star Games, and Malzone started at third base in the second game. He played the entire game, going 1 for 4 with a solo home run coming off Don Drysdale (#260) in the second inning.
1965 Season
Malzone appeared in 106 games for a Red Sox team that would lose 100 times. He made 85 starts at third base, and as the season progressed he steadily lost playing time to the younger Dalton Jones (#178). Malzone batted .239 with just three home runs and 34 RBIs in his final season in Boston, and the club released him following the season.
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First Mainstream Card: 1955 Bowman #302
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (11): 1956-1966
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2015 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs #ROA-FM
95 - Malzone non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 4/30/22.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database
Wikipedia
Previous Card: #314 Sterling Slaughter - Chicago Cubs
Previous Card: #314 Sterling Slaughter - Chicago Cubs
Next Card: #316 Cincinnati Reds Team Card
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