Day Twenty Three - 1952 Berk Ross Minnie Minoso

Day 23: A Favorite Oddball From the 1950s

Taking the lead from Tony at Off-Hiatus Baseball Cards this will be the twenty-third of 30 posts, using the prompts provided. I won't necessarily post one every day, but I will do one for each card, toss in a few "insights" (as insightful as I can be, anyway), and usually include an honorable mention or two, just because I'm like that.

Here's my pick- I don't have very many oddball cards from the 1950s, but even if I did, I would probably still pick this one. Minnie Minoso is one of the most fascinating players from the 50s, and 60's, and 70s, and 80s, and 90s! I first heard about him when he pinch hit in a game for the Saint Paul Saints in 1993 at the age of 67(?). When I started collecting again in 2014, Minoso was one of the first players I actively sought out. The Berk Ross "Hit Parade of Champions" had some big names like Mantle, Jackie, Musial, Yogi, DiMaggio, Ted Williams - but Minoso is the one I have and the one I was excited to find! 

Since these are essentially one card posts, why not share the backs as well? Baseball Reference shows Minoso's birth year as 1925, the cards passed out at his memorial service stated "1924-2015" - and the Berk Ross card says 1923. Berk Ross cards are about the same size as 51 and 52 Bowman, not a lot of room for stats. But they were able to include one line for each player. His 1951 average was good for second in the AL, while he did lead the league in Triples and Stolen Bases, while finishing second in the Rookie of the Year voting to Gil MacDougald of the New York Yankees.