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Thomas Frank Haller
San Francisco Giants
Catcher
Born: June 23, 1937, Lockport, IL
Signed: Signed by the San Francisco Giants as an amateur free agent before 1958 season
Major League Teams: San Francisco Giants 1961-1967; Los Angeles Dodgers 1968-1971; Detroit Tigers 1972
Died: November 26, 2004, Los Angeles, CA (age 67)
Catcher Tom Haller was a three-time All-Star known for his defensive prowess and his handling of All-Star pitchers on both the Giants and Dodgers. Haller began his career splitting time with Ed Bailey (#559) behind the plate, finally getting the chance to start every day when Bailey was dealt to the Braves following the 1963 season. He enjoyed his best seasons in the mid-1960s, making three straight All-Star teams between 1966 and 1968. Haller's power numbers peaked in 1966 when he hit 27 home runs and drove in 67 runs. With several young catchers coming up through the Giants' system and in need of infielders, the Giants traded Haller to the rival Dodgers in February 1968 for infielders Ron Hunt (#285) and Nate Oliver (#59). Haller would enjoy his final All-Star season in 1968 with the Dodgers, batting .285 overall and setting career highs with assists (83) and double plays (23). He spent the final few years of his career as a back-up catcher and pinch-hitter, appearing in his final big league game in 1972 with the Tigers.
Building the Set
March 6, 2022 from The Philly Show (Sports Cards Plus - Cooper City, FL) - Card #581
This is the 97th 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. After our 51 card haul from Uncle Dick's, and with more card spending budget still in place, I set out to find another dealer with a binder of 1965 Topps cards with reasonable prices. I had purchased cards from Sports Cards Plus before, finding the last few cards needed for our 1971 Topps set from this dealer back in December 2019.
Settling in, we found 37 cards needed for our set with an average price per card working out to around $6. The lot, including this Haller card, consisted mostly of semi-stars and team cards. After paying for this mini haul, we were officially 13 cards away from a complete set, with one more purchase coming to end the day.
The Card / Giants Team Set
I had to head over to the original 1965 Topps blog, found here, to see if anyone ever commented on the ballpark where the photo of Haller was taken. Based on a few reliable comments, this seems to be from the Polo Grounds, where the Mets played their home games in 1962 and 1963. On the back, the cartoon highlights Haller's successful season against the Colt .45s, as he batted .316 against them in 1964. Also mentioned is that his older brother Bill was an American League umpire. The two Haller brothers were behind the plate together on July 14, 1972 with Tom catching for the Tigers against the Royals and Bill calling the balls and strikes. The Royals won the game, 1-0.
1965 Season
Haller appeared in 134 games, then a career high for him. He was the Giants' opening day catcher, and by season's end he had made 125 starts behind the plate. Embroiled in a competitive pennant race throughout the season with the Dodgers, Haller batted .251 with 16 home runs and 49 RBIs. He helped guide Juan Marichal (#50) to a 22-win season, but the Giants would fall short of winning the league title, finishing two games behind Los Angeles.
Phillies Connection
Haller and pitcher Don Leshnock were sold by the Tigers to the Phillies on October 25, 1972, with Haller opting to retire rather to join his new team. The hope was the veteran Haller would come to Phillies camp and mentor young catcher Bob Boone. Still under contract with the Phillies for all of the 1973 season, the team finally officially released him on February 14, 1974. Leshnock appeared in 25 games for the Triple-A Eugene Emeralds in 1973, going 4-7 with a 4.75 ERA for the club managed by Jim Bunning (#20).
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First Mainstream Card: 1962 Topps #356
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (12): 1962-1973
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1978 TCMA The 1960s I #188
80 - Haller non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 10/3/22.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
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