Kellogg's Cards of Cubs Who Played in the Playoffs

The Cubs are on the verge of making the playoffs again.  They made the playoffs in 1984, 1989, 1998, 2003, 2007, 2008 and 2015.  Before that, their most previous post-season appearance was in 1945.

Here is the list of Cubs with a Kellogg's card who played for the Cubs in the post-season from 1970 - 1983.

That's zero for 36.  There are 36 Kellogg's cards featuring Cubs and none of those guys played in the post-season for the Cubs during that time.  The Cubs did make the playoffs in 1984.  Only one player from that roster got a Kellogg's card with the Cubs - Leon Durham.  Bill Buckner was traded during the season for Dennis Eckersley.  Rich Reuschel wasn't involved in the playoffs and was then released after the season.  Others from that team were on a Kellogg's card when they played for a different team.

Sports Collectors Daily - 1971 Kellogg's Set Story

I found this story on sportscollectorsdaily.com.

Sports Collectors Daily - 1971 Kellogg's Baseball Cards


This set is frequently mentioned for a few reasons.  First, the cards were never issued as a factory set so the set had to be assembled one card at a time.  Second, these cards tend to crack easily so finding nice ones is difficult.

PSA has graded over 11,000 cards and 1,000 of them are 10s.  Another 4,400 are 9s.  Oddly, ever card has been graded more than 100 times when variations are included.

This is a lot less than the 1970 totals where nearly 29,000 cards have been graded.

Some of the lesser-known stars seem to be graded at a higher rate than other players.  I may look into where they appeared on the sheet to see if that impacts the grades.

Odd Baseball Happening on This Day in 1972 - Don't Bet On it Happening Again Soon

On this day in 1972 Denny McLain made his last appearance in the majors.  He took the loss in a game against the Reds by facing three batters in the ninth inning without retiring any of them.

McLain, who name was mentioned as being associated with gambling, had an ironic final batter in his final game - Pete Rose.  Before that he gave up a homer and a single.

Were these guys friends?  Rose was 2-for-5 in his career against McLain.

Remembering Dave Roberts and Dave Roberts From the 1970s

Dave Roberts was born on this day in 1944.  The left-handed pitcher passed away in 2009.

I still confuse him with Dave Roberts the infielder.  Both played in the 1970s when I was a kid.
The pitcher played from 1969 - 1981 and the infielder played from 1972 - 1982.

Dave the pitcher was traded by the Padres after the 1971 season but he is shown in his Padres uniform on his 1972 Kellogg's card.

The Padres made things more confusing for kids everywhere.  After trading away the pitcher in December of 1971 they drafted the infielder in June of 1972 and called him up at some point during the season.

The pitcher had the upper hand when they faced each other.  Dave the infielder was 4-for-23 (.174) with no extra-base hits and no RBIs.

This Pitcher Disappointed Only Two Parents of the Opposition Who Were Watching The Game

On this day in 1963 Mets pitcher Carlton Willey retires the side in order.  No big deal.  For the first time in baseball history the three players were related.  He retired pinch-hitter Jesus Alou, then pinch-hitter Matty Alou and lastly lead-off batter Felipe Alou.

As someone with a bunch of siblings, I've always liked the Alous.

AL Rookies of the Year and Kellogg's Baseball Cards

Time to check the AL Rookies of the Year and how they fared in Kellogg's sets.

Here are the 1969 to 1982 ROY winners -

1969 - Lou Piniella
1970 - Thurman Munson
1971 - Chris Chambliss
1972 - Carlton Fisk
1973 - Al Bumbry
1974 - Mike Hargrove
1975 - Fred Lynn
1976 - Mark Fidrych
1977 - Eddie Murray
1978 - Lou Whitaker
1979 - John Castino & Alfredo Griffin
1980 - Joe Charboneau
1981 - Dave Righetti
1982 - Cal Ripken

Wow, that's a lot better list than the NL winners.

Pinella had to wait until 1973 to get a card.  He also got into the 1975 and 1977 sets.

Munson had to wait until 1976.  He then appeared in 1977 and 1978.  I would have loved to see him in the 1971 set.

Chambliss had to wait until 1977.  He appeared in three more sets.

Carlton Fisk first appeared in 1973 after his ROY award.  He showed up four more times.

Al Bumbry had a nice career but no Kellogg's cards.

Mike Hargrove appeared four times but not until 1976.

Fred Lynn appeared in 1976 after his ROY/MVP season.  He showed up four more times.

Mark Fidrych also showed up after his ROY season.  That was his only appearance in a Kellogg's set.

Eddie Murray also appeared after being ROY.  He appeared in five of the last six sets.

Lou Whitaker had a great career but also didn't get a Kellogg's card.

Alfredo Griffin - see Lou Whitaker.  No Kellogg's card.

John Castino got into the 1982 Kellogg's set.

Joe Charboneau got into the 1981 set after being ROY.  That was it for him.

Dave Righetti didn't get a Kellogg's card and neither did Cal Ripken.


Four players got a Kellogg's card in the year after being ROY.  Ten of the 15 winners got a Kellogg's card at some point.

NL Rookies of the Year - Did They Get in the Next Kellogg's Baseball Card Set?

Here are the winners on the Rookie of the Year Award in the NL from 1969 to 1982.

1969 - Ted Sizemore
1970 - Carl Morton
1971 - Earl Williams
1972 - Jon Matlack
1973 - Gary Matthews
1974 - Bake McBride
1975 - John Montefusco
1976 - Butch Metzger, Pat Zachry
1977 - Andre Dawson
1978 - Bob Horner
1979 - Rick Sutcliffe
1980 - Steve Howe
1981 - Fernando Valenzuela
1982 - Steve Sax

Ted Sizemore and Earl Williams never got onto a Kellogg's baseball card.

Carl Morton got into the 1971 set after his rookie season.  He didn't get into another set.

Jon Matlack got into the 1973 set and three other sets.

Gary Matthews didn't get in after his rookie year but he was in the 1980 set.

Bake McBride was in the 1975 set and one other Kellogg's set.

John Montefusco didn't get into the set after his rookie year, but he was in the 1977 set.

Neither Metzger or Zachry got into the set after their rookie year but Zachry got a 1979 card.

Andre Dawson never got a Kellogg's card.

Andre Dawson never got a Kellogg's card.  Really?  Really?

Horner didn't get into the 1979 set but he was in the 1981 - 1983 sets.

Rick Sutcliffe, Steve Howe and Steve Sax were bypassed for Kellogg's sets but Fernando Valenzuela was included in the last two sets.  Please don't remind me about how many of these winners were Dodgers.

Only four of the 15 winners (a tie on year) got onto a Kellogg's baseball card the next year.  Seven of the winners never got onto a Kellogg's card.