#179 Hal Woodeshick - Houston Astros

Harold Joseph Woodeshick
Houston Astros
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Left  Height:  6'3"  Weight:  200
Born:  August 24, 1932, Wilkes-Barre, PA
Signed:  Signed by the Philadelphia Phillies as an amateur free agent before 1950 season
Major League Teams:  Detroit Tigers 1956; Cleveland Indians 1958; Washington Senators 1959-1960; Washington Senators 1961; Detroit Tigers 1961; Houston Colt .45s 1962-1964; Houston Astros 1965; St. Louis Cardinals 1965-1967
Died:  June 14, 2009, Houston, TX (age 76)

Hal Woodeshick appeared in 11 Major League seasons with eight different teams, finding his most success as the original closer for the expansion Colt .45s/Astros franchise.  His early years found him moving frequently, with a very brief stint in the Phillies organization before pitching in a few independent leagues and eventually ending up in the Giants' system.  After a 2-year stint in the Army, Woodeshick continued his nomadic ways with the Tigers, Indians, both the old and new Senators franchises, and then back to the Tigers.

He finally settled down with the Colt .45s, appearing in 174 games with the club between 1962 and 1965, and earning an All-Star Game appearance in 1963.  He led the league in saves with 23 in 1964, and followed that up with 18 saves for the Astros and Cardinals in 1965.  One of the Cardinals' top relievers in 1966 (2-1, 1.92 ERA), Woodeshick helped the club to a World Series title in 1967.  His final professional game was in Game 6 of the World Series, pitching a scoreless inning against the Red Sox.  For his career, Woodeshick pitched in 427 games with a 44-62 record, a 3.56 ERA and 61 saves.

Building the Set
August 21, 2020 from Charleston, SC - Card #153
In my largest (by volume) purchase to date, I spent an enjoyable hour or so in mid-August browsing the eBay store of seller mantlerulz and clicking Add to Cart on 30 different cards.  We had previously added 29 cards to our set back in February from the Philly Show.  The 30 cards, all commons, cost me $52 total (before shipping and taxes) with the cards ranging in prices from $1 to $6.  I love this haul and I found the seller's store by accident when I was browsing eBay in an attempt to add a few more cheap cards from the set's first series.  With this purchase, we've now passed the quarter mark for completion of the set.  We still have a long way to go, and quite a few pricey cards to add, but any day I can add 30 commons in excellent shape and at very low prices is a great day.  This Woodeshick card was $1.

The Card / Astros Team Set
Woodeshick is not messing around with that flat top, as you could comfortably balance an egg on top of his head.  On the back, his All-Star Game appearance is highlighted.  Woodeshick faced seven batters in the 7th and 8th innings, helping the National League to a 5-3 win.  He struck out Joe Pepitone (#245), Bob Allison (#180) and Harmon Killebrew (#400).

1965 Season
Woodeshick was the winning pitcher in the first ever (exhibition) game played at the Astrodome against the Yankees.  He was off to a great start with the Astros, and was 3-4 with a 3.06 ERA and 3 saves when the team swapped him to the Cardinals.  On June 15th, Woodeshick and Chuck Taylor went to St. Louis in return for Mike Cuellar (#337) and Ron Taylor (#568).  His success continued with the Cardinals, where he appeared in 51 games and had a 1.81 ERA with 15 saves.

Phillies Connection
Woodeshick was originally signed by the Phillies, for whom he threw only one inning in 1950 with their Class D Carbondale Pioneers club.  Baseball Reference indicates he was sent from the Phillies to Duluth (in the Northern League) in an unknown transaction prior to the 1951 season.

1959 Topps #106

1960 Topps #454

1962 Topps #526

1963 Topps #517

1967 Topps #324

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1959 Topps #106
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (9):  1959-1967
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1978 TCMA The 1960s I #123

35 - Woodeshick non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 9/7/20.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database
Wikipedia

Previous Card:  #178 Dalton Jones - Boston Red Sox

Next Card:  #180 Bob Allison - Minnesota Twins

#114 Jim Hickman - New York Mets

James Lucius Hickman
New York Mets
Outfield

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'3"  Weight:  192
Born:  May 10, 1937, Henning, TN
Signed:  Signed by the St. Louis Cardinals as an amateur free agent before 1956 season
Major League Teams:  New York Mets 1962-1966; Los Angeles Dodgers 1967; Chicago Cubs 1968-1973; St. Louis Cardinals 1974
Died:  June 25, 2016, Jackson, TN (age 79)

Jim Hickman spent six seasons in the Cardinals' minor league system before being left unprotected and selected by the Mets in the 1961 expansion draft.  With the Mets, he entered the franchise's record books as their first player to hit for the cycle (August 7, 1963) and the first to hit three home runs in a game (September 3, 1965).  He was the last player to hit a home run at the Polo Grounds, off the Phillies' Chris Short on September 18, 1965.  Finally, he was the last of the original Mets, departing the organization on November 29, 1966 with Ron Hunt (#285), traded to the Dodgers for Tommy Davis (#370) and Derrell Griffith (#112).

Hickman enjoyed his best season in 1970 with the Cubs, winning the N.L. Comeback Player of the Year award, playing in that year's All-Star Game and setting career highs in batting average (.315), home runs (32) and RBIs (115).  It was his 12th inning single in the All-Star Game that drove home Pete Rose (#207) with the winning run as Rose barreled over catcher Ray Fosse at the plate.  Hickman appeared in 1,421 games over 13 seasons, batting .252 with 159 home runs and 560 RBIs.

Building the Set
August 21, 2020 from Charleston, SC - Card #152
In my largest (by volume) purchase to date, I spent an enjoyable hour or so in mid-August browsing the eBay store of seller mantlerulz and clicking Add to Cart on 30 different cards.  We had previously added 29 cards to our set back in February from the Philly Show.  The 30 cards, all commons, cost me $52 total (before shipping and taxes) with the cards ranging in prices from $1 to $6.  I love this haul and I found the seller's store by accident when I was browsing eBay in an attempt to add a few more cheap cards from the set's first series.  With this purchase, we've now passed the quarter mark for completion of the set.  We still have a long way to go, and quite a few pricey cards to add, but any day I can add 30 commons in excellent shape and at very low prices is a great day.  After a run of cards that were only $1 each, this Hickman card cost me double that at $2.

The Card / Mets Team Set
Topps wasn't shy about closely cropping some of these photos for the 1965 Topps set.  Hickman's lengthy minor league career leaves little room for anything other than the quick note about his home run title in 1957.  He hit 26 home runs for the Class D Albany Cardinals that season.

1965 Season
Hickman bounced around the field for the Mets in 1965, starting 39 games in center, 14 games in left and 9 games in right, along with 25 games at first base and 6 games at third base.  In 141 games, he hit .236 with 15 home runs and 40 RBIs.  The Mets lost 112 games under the managerial guidance of Casey Stengel (#187) and Wes Westrum.

1962 Topps #598

1963 Topps #107

1967 Topps #346

1970 Topps #612

1973 Topps #565

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1962 Topps #598
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (11):  1962-1967, 1969-1973
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2004 Upper Deck Legends Timeless Teams #54

55 - Hickman non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 9/7/20.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Trading Card Database
Wikipedia

Previous Card:  #113 Steve Barber - Baltimore Orioles

Next Card:  #115 Bobby Richardson - New York Yankees

#105 Chico Salmon - Cleveland Indians

Rutherford Eduardo Salmon
Cleveland Indians
Outfield

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'10"  Weight:  160
Born:  December 3, 1940, Colon, Panama
Signed:  Signed by the Washington Senators as an amateur free agent before 1959 season
Major League Teams:  Cleveland Indians 1964-1968; Baltimore Orioles 1969-1972
Died:  September 17, 2000, Almirante, Panama (age 59)

Chico Salmon was a versatile super-utility player who played for nine seasons for the Indians and Orioles, appearing in the 1969 and 1970 World Series with the Orioles.  After bouncing around the Senators, Giants, Tigers and Braves organizations, Salmon began his big league career with the Indians, and he'd go on to play in a career high 126 games in 1966, driving in a career high 40 runs.  He was left unprotected by the Indians in the 1968 expansion draft and was selected as the 11th pick by the Pilots.  But after spending spring training with the Pilots, Salmon was dealt to the Orioles on March 31, 1969 for Gene Brabender and Gordy Lund.

He arrived in Baltimore just in time for the team to win three A.L. pennants in a row, winning it all in 1970.  He went 0 for 2 in the 1969 World Series but had a pinch-hit in his lone at-bat in the 1970 Series, sparking the Game 2 rally that would propel the Orioles to a come from behind victory over the Reds.  The Orioles would go on to win the Series in five games.  Salmon played in 658 games, hitting .249 with 31 home runs and 149 RBIs.

Building the Set
August 21, 2020 from Charleston, SC - Card #151
In my largest (by volume) purchase to date, I spent an enjoyable hour or so in mid-August browsing the eBay store of seller mantlerulz and clicking Add to Cart on 30 different cards.  We had previously added 29 cards to our set back in February from the Philly Show.  The 30 cards, all commons, cost me $52 total (before shipping and taxes) with the cards ranging in prices from $1 to $6.  I love this haul and I found the seller's store by accident when I was browsing eBay in an attempt to add a few more cheap cards from the set's first series.  With this purchase, we've now passed the quarter mark for completion of the set.  We still have a long way to go, and quite a few pricey cards to add, but any day I can add 30 commons in excellent shape and at very low prices is a great day.  This Salmon card was $1.

The Card / Indians Team Set
Salmon appeared on a Rookie Stars card in 1964 with Gordon Seyfried, and this is his first solo Topps card.  He won his Pacific Coast League batting title hitting .325 as a third baseman and outfielder for the Denver Bears in the Braves' system.  Salmon is the second player born in Colon, Panama we've added to the set.  Hector Lopez (#532) was also born in Colon and his card entered our collection in May.

1965 Season
Salmon appeared in 79 games for the Indians, hitting .242.  He didn't join the club until May as he was serving a six month stint in the U.S. Army Reserve.  His SABR biography details Salmon's time with the Army Reserve as curing his genuine fear of ghosts, but replacing that fear with a intense fear of snakes.  Salmon played all over the field in 1965, making 16 starts at first base, a start at second base, 4 starts at third base and 3 starts in left field.  Most of his appearances though came as either a pinch-hitter or as a pinch-runner.

1964 Topps #499

1966 Topps #594

1969 Topps #62

1970 Topps #301

1972 Topps #646

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1964 Topps #499
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (9):  1964-1972
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1972 Topps #646

42 - Salmon non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 9/4/20.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database

Previous Card:  #104 2nd Series Checklist 89-176

Next Card:  #106 Gene Oliver - Milwaukee Braves

#104 2nd Series Checklist 89-176

Another checklist!  This is the third checklist I've added to the set and rather than try to write something meaningful about a list of names, I'm using these checklist posts to provide context for the world we're living in as we're building a 55-year-old baseball card set.   I’m writing this on the Friday before Labor Day and this post will be scheduled to publish in early November, after the 2020 U.S. Presidential election.  I sincerely hope noted political scientist (ahem) and my favorite comedian Jim Gaffigan is correct in his assessment and that most Americans ended up voting for who their “grandchildren would be proud [they] f*cking voted for.”  I can’t imagine four more years of reality TV based embarrassment from our White House and a constant news cycle of disappointment, setbacks, scandals and the blatant disregard of facts and science.  I’m hopeful, but nervous.

August 30, 2020 - Somewhere inside Valley Forge
National Historic Park

Because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and the aforementioned failure by our national leadership to successfully stem the spread of the virus, we’ve spent the past few weeks gearing up for a bizarre school year.  Instead of pencils and folders, we've bought masks and hand sanitizers.  My wife Jenna is a third grade teacher and her district is scheduled for live teaching four days a week, on a shortened schedule.  Our sons, who attend school in a different district than where my wife teaches, are scheduled to be fully virtual until at least November.  I’m fortunate enough to be able to work from home for my chosen profession, so I’ll most likely have school duties in the morning and then job duties in the afternoons and over the weekends.  It’s a scheduling and logistics nightmare, but we’re going to take it day by day and figure it out as we go.

Building the Set
August 21, 2020 from Charleston, SC - Card #150
In my largest (by volume) purchase to date, I spent an enjoyable hour or so in mid-August browsing the eBay store of seller mantlerulz and clicking Add to Cart on 30 different cards.  We had previously added 29 cards to our set back in February from the Philly Show.  The 30 cards, all commons, cost me $52 total (before shipping and taxes) with the cards ranging in prices from $1 to $6.  I love this haul and I found the seller's store by accident when I was browsing eBay in an attempt to add a few more cheap cards from the set's first series.  With this purchase, we've now passed the quarter mark for completion of the set.  We still have a long way to go, and quite a few pricey cards to add, but any day I can add 30 commons in excellent shape and at very low prices is a great day.  This checklist was one of the most expensive cards I added at $3.

The Card / Checklists
This is one of seven checklists to appear in the set, each marking their respective series.  The second series in the set covers cards #89 through #176, or 88 cards.  Big cards that jump out at me include Frank Robinson (#120), Al Kaline (#130), the 1964 World Series subset of cards, Brooks Robinson (#150), Roberto Clemente (#160), Hank Aaron (#170) and Willie McCovey (#176).

At the time this card was purchased, we had 30 cards (including this checklist) that could have been marked off.

Previous Card:  #103 Harvey Kuenn - San Francisco Giants

Next Card:  #105 Chico Salmon - Cleveland Indians

#92 Dick Howser - Cleveland Indians

Richard Dalton Howser
Cleveland Indians
Shortstop

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'8"  Weight:  155
Born:  May 14, 1936, Miami, FL
Signed:  Signed by the Kansas City Athletics as an amateur free agent before 1958 season
Major League Teams:  Kansas City Athletics 1961-1963; Cleveland Indians 1963-1966; New York Yankees 1967-1968
As a Manager:  New York Yankees 1978, 1980; Kansas City Royals 1981-1986
Died:  June 17, 1987, Kansas City, MO (age 51)

Before he was a World Series winning manager with the Royals, Dick Howser was a scrappy shortstop who played eight big league seasons with the Athletics, Indians and Yankees.  His best seasons came in his rookie year of 1961 when he was an All-Star and finished runner-up to Don Schwall (#362) in Rookie of the Year voting, and 1964 when he played 162 games and hit .256 with a career high 52 RBIs.  Howser finished in the top ten for stolen bases in four different seasons.  Over 789 career games, Howser hit .248 with 105 stolen bases.

Following his playing career, Howser assumed third base coaching duties for the Yankees between 1969 and 1978, winning his first World Series rings with the club in 1977 and 1978.  After a season as the head baseball coach at his alma mater, Florida State, Howser returned to the Yankees as their manager in 1980 and guided them to the A.L. East pennant.  He was fired by George Steinbrenner following the 1980 A.L.C.S. loss to the Royals, but he was then hired by the Royals to manage the second half of the 1981 season.  In 1985, Howser guided the Royals to their first World Series title, overcoming 3-1 deficits in both the A.L.C.S. against the Blue Jays and the World Series against the heavily favored Cardinals.  The last game Howser managed was the 1986 All-Star Game, as he was diagnosed with a brain tumor shortly thereafter.  He passed away in June 1987, with the Royals posthumously retiring his #10 a few weeks following his death.

Building the Set
August 21, 2020 from Charleston, SC - Card #149
In my largest (by volume) purchase to date, I spent an enjoyable hour or so in mid-August browsing the eBay store of seller mantlerulz and clicking Add to Cart on 30 different cards.  We had previously added 29 cards to our set back in February from the Philly Show.  The 30 cards, all commons, cost me $52 total (before shipping and taxes) with the cards ranging in prices from $1 to $6.  I love this haul and I found the seller's store by accident when I was browsing eBay in an attempt to add a few more cheap cards from the set's first series.  With the exception of this Howser card (which cost me $1) and manager Birdie Tebbets' (#301) card, along with the few former Phillies in the lot, most of the players featured on these cards are unknown to me.  With this purchase, we've now passed the quarter mark for completion of the set.  We still have a long way to go, and quite a few pricey cards to add, but any day I can add 30 commons in excellent shape and at very low prices is a great day.

The Card / Indians Team Set
That's uniform #18 partially visible on the back of Howser's sleeveless Indians jersey.  The back of the card notes his Rookie of the Year victory in 1961.  As mentioned above, he was second in the voting by the Baseball Writers' Association of America, but he won the award in the voting conducted by The Sporting News.  The A's swapped him to the Indians on May 25, 1963 with Jose Azcue (#514) for Doc Edwards (#239) and $100,000 cash.

1965 Season
After appearing in 162 games in 1964, this was to be the final season in which Howser appeared in over 100 games.  He was the Indians' opening day shortstop, but he ultimately lost the every day job to Larry Brown (#468).  Howser started 69 games at short and 12 games at second base, hitting .235 with 17 stolen bases.

1961 Topps #416

1968 Topps #467

1980 Topps #424

1985 Topps #334

1987 Topps #18

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1961 Topps #416
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (16):  1961-1968, 1973, 1980, 1983-1987, 1990
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1990 Topps #661

73 - Howser non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 9/1/20.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Trading Card Database
Wikipedia

Previous Card:  #91 Chicago Cubs Team Card

Next Card:  #93 Jack Fisher - New York Mets

#90 Rich Rollins - Minnesota Twins

Richard John Rollins
Minnesota Twins
Third Base

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'10"  Weight:  185
Born:  April 16, 1938, Mount Pleasant, PA
Signed:  Signed by the Washington Senators as an amateur free agent before 1960 season
Major League Teams:  Minnesota Twins 1961-1968; Seattle Pilots 1969; Milwaukee Brewers 1970; Cleveland Indians 1970

The bespectacled Rich Rollins was the regular third baseman for the Twins during the earliest years of the franchise between 1962 and 1968.  He was an All-Star in 1962, his best season, and helped the Twins reach the World Series in 1965.  Rollins drove in a career high 96 runs with 16 home runs in 1962 while hitting .298.  He'd tie his 16 home run mark in 1963 while hitting .307, the third best mark in the league behind Carl Yastrzemski (#385) at .321 and Al Kaline (#130) at .312.  Rollins and teammate Zoilo Versalles (#157) tied for the league lead in triples with 10 a piece in 1964.

Left unprotected in the 1968 expansion draft, the Pilots selected Rollins as the 26th pick and he was the team's opening day third baseman in 1969.  He ultimately lost his job to Tommy Harper (#47) by the end of the 1969 season and he was released in May 1970 following the Pilots' move to Milwaukee.  He retired following 42 games with the Indians in 1970.  For his career, Rollins appeared in 1,002 games and hit .269 with 77 home runs and 399 RBIs.

Following his playing days, Rollins was inducted into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame in 1976 and he'd also serve in the front office of the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers.

Building the Set
August 21, 2020 from Charleston, SC - Card #148
In my largest (by volume) purchase to date, I spent an enjoyable hour or so in mid-August browsing the eBay store of seller mantlerulz and clicking Add to Cart on 30 different cards.  We had previously added 29 cards to our set back in February from the Philly Show.  The 30 cards, all commons, cost me $52 total (before shipping and taxes) with the cards ranging in prices from $1 to $6.  I love this haul and I found the seller's store by accident when I was browsing eBay in an attempt to add a few more cheap cards from the set's first series.  With the exception of the cards for Dick Howser (#92) and manager Birdie Tebbets (#301), along with the few former Phillies in the lot, most of the players featured on these cards are unknown to me.  With this purchase, we've now passed the quarter mark for completion of the set.  We still have a long way to go, and quite a few pricey cards to add, but any day I can add 30 commons in excellent shape and at very low prices is a great day.  This Rollins card was $1.

The Card / Twins Team Set
The cartoon on the back features Rollins and Versalles playing tug of war with third base.  There were two All-Star Games played in 1962, and Rollins started at third base and led off for the American League in both of them.  He went 2 for 5, with hits off Bob Purkey (#214) in the first game and Johnny Podres (#387) in the second game.

1965 Season
Rollins appeared in 140 games for the Twins, starting 110 games at third base and 12 games at second base.  Down the stretch run, he lost his starter's job to Harmon Killebrew (#400) and Killebrew started at third base for all seven games of the World Series.  Rollins hit .249 with 5 home runs and 32 RBIs during the regular season and had three pinch-hitting appearances (0 for 2 with a walk) during the World Series.

1962 Topps #596

1963 Topps #110

1966 Topps #473

1968 Topps #243

1970 Topps #652

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1962 Topps #596
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (9):  1962-1970
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1989 Pacific Legends II #169

66 - Rollins non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 9/1/20.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database

Previous Card:  #89 Mike Hershberger - Chicago White Sox

Next Card:  #91 Chicago Cubs Team Card

#85 Willie Smith - Los Angeles Angels

Willie Smith
Los Angeles Angels
Outfield

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Left  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  182
Born:  February 11, 1939, Anniston, AL
Signed:  Signed by the Detroit Tigers as an amateur free agent before 1960 season
Major League Teams:  Detroit Tigers 1963; Los Angeles Angels 1964-1965; California Angels 1966; Cleveland Indians 1967-1968; Chicago Cubs 1968-1970; Cincinnati Reds 1971
Died:  January 16, 2006, Anniston, AL (age 66)

Originally drafted as a pitcher by the Tigers, Willie Smith converted to a full-time outfielder/first baseman after a few seasons and then enjoyed a nine-season career in the big leagues.  He occasionally returned to pitching throughout his career and in 1964 he became the last major leaguer to pitch in at least 15 games and appear in his team's line-up at a different position in at least 15 games or more in the same season.

Smith was only an everyday player for the Angels in 1964 and 1965, and he'd make his mark later in his career as a successful pinch-hitter.  Smith played in 691 games total, taking the field in 461 of those appearances.  His most famous pinch-hit was the extra inning, game-winning home run he hit for the Cubs on opening day 1969 against the Phillies.  For his career, Smith hit .248 with 46 home runs and 211 RBIs, twice finishing in the top ten in triples in the A.L.  As a pitcher, he made 29 appearances and went 2-4 with a 3.10 ERA and 2 saves.  Smith wrapped up his professional career with two successful seasons in Japan playing for the Nankai Hawks in 1972 and 1973.  With the Hawks, he hit .259 over 170 games with 29 home runs and 90 RBIs.

Building the Set
August 21, 2020 from Charleston, SC - Card #147
In my largest (by volume) purchase to date, I spent an enjoyable hour or so in mid-August browsing the eBay store of seller mantlerulz and clicking Add to Cart on 30 different cards.  We had previously added 29 cards to our set back in February from the Philly Show.  The 30 cards, all commons, cost me $52 total (before shipping and taxes) with the cards ranging in prices from $1 to $6.  I love this haul and I found the seller's store by accident when I was browsing eBay in an attempt to add a few more cheap cards from the set's first series.  With the exception of the cards for Dick Howser (#92) and manager Birdie Tebbets (#301), along with the few former Phillies in the lot, most of the players featured on these cards are unknown to me.  In the coming weeks, I'll go through each of these new cards for our set in detail, and we've now passed the quarter mark for completion of the complete set.  We still have a long way to go, and quite a few pricey cards to add but any day I can add 30 commons in excellent shape and at a low prices is a great day.  This Smith card was $1.

The Card / Angels Team Set
This is Smith's rookie card and it doesn't appear as if there are any baseball cards marking his early years in Detroit.  On the back, his .301 batting average in 1964 is highlighted but it seems to me he actually won the team's batting title over Jim Piersall (#172), who hit .314 but didn't have enough plate appearances to qualify for the title.  And not to pick on Topps here, but the last sentence appears to be wrong too.  According to Baseball Reference, Smith won 47 minor league games up through the 1964 season.  He won two more in 1967 while pitching for the Indians' top farm team in Portland.

1965 Season
With the Angels, Smith appeared in a career high 136 games, hitting .261 with career highs in home runs with 14 and RBIs with 57.  As the team's regular left fielder, he started 108 games with only Jose Cardenal (#374) in center starting more games in the outfield with 125.  His time as a regular was short-lived as manager Bill Rigney (#66) moved him back to the bench in 1966 in favor of starting Rick Reichardt (#194) in left.  Despite making 15 appearances on the mound in 1964, Smith didn't pitch at all in 1965.

1966 Topps #438

1967 Topps #397

1969 Topps #198

1970 Topps #318

1971 Topps #457

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1965 Topps #85
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (7):  1965-1971
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1971 Topps #457

30 - Smith non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 8/29/20.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database

Previous Card:  #84 Ron Herbel - San Francisco Giants

Next Card:  #86 Les Narum - Washington Senators