#416 Denny Martinez

Card thoughts: “Denny” is better known as “Dennis.” And that is a beautiful thick head of hair!

The player: Up until this point, Martinez was an inconsistent starter, whose high win totals were more of a function of his durability (lots of innings pitched, hence lots of decisions) and the Orioles team success, rather than his ERAs (consistently average or below). That all changed later in his career – he was much more effective in his mid-30s once he came to the National League.

The first Nicaraguan to pitch in the majors, Martinez came from a relatively wealthy family (his parents owned a farm). But his father drank, and his son was a “baseball” bum. Baseball was not unknown in the country (there was a winter league there in the 60s), but there were no professional teams by the time Dennis was playing. Instead, he pitched for an amateur league, and was noticed by scouts after going 13-2 and leading the Nicaraguan national team to the title in the 1972 amateur World Series.

Signed (secretly) by the Orioles after the 1973 series (to enable him to continue playing as an “amateur” in Nicaragua), Martinez made it to the States in 1975. Due to his experience pitching under pressure for the Nicaraguan team, Martinez wasn’t cowed by the minors. He excelled at every stop, jumping quickly from Miami (15-6, 2.06 ERA) to Rochester, where he led the league in wins (14), strikeouts (140) and ERA (2.50) in 1976. There were also reports that Martinez  partied a lot, which would nearly derail his career later.

Like most young pitchers in that era, Martinez apprenticed as a “swing man” with the Orioles in 1977, but he managed to win 14 games in that role (13 starts, 29 relief appearances). He was finally made a full time starter in 1978, where he used his curve and change to set up his fastball. But he only achieved modest success that year (16-11), and the next (15-16). Martinez was durable, however. In each of the years, he pitched over 275 innings, leading the league in starts (39), complete games (18), and innings pitched (291.2) in the latter year.

Part of his poor performance in 1979 was that he was tipping his pitches. Apparently, the combination of chewing gum and chaw Martinez routinely used contributed to distinct facial expressions, depending on what pitch was going to be thrown. Whatever the reason, the Orioles had a deep staff that year, and Martinez only started one World Series game, getting knocked out of the box in the second inning.

A sore shoulder limited him in 1980, but he led the league in wins during the strike shortened 1981 season (14). This led to a large contract after the season. However, personal problems began to intrude on Martinez’ baseball life. His father was killed while drunk at the end of 1982 season. And Dennis began drinking more and more as well. An abysmal 1983 season (7-16, and ERA well above 5), followed by a drunk driving arrest in the off season, convinced Martinez to quit drinking. Even so, it would take many years for Martinez to return to form.

Injured for the first part of the 1986 season, Martinez was traded to Expos for Rene Gonzales. But he found it hard to crack the Expos rotation, and he spent part of the year in the minors.  When he pitched in the majors, Dennis was mediocre, and he considered retiring. He was even more down in the dumps in 1987, when he was a free agent, and no one picked him up (of course, this was the height of collusion). Instead, he had to wait until May to resign with the Expos.  But somehow, Martinez was about to begin the best stretch of his career at age 33. In the next six years, he would win 97 games, win the ERA title in 1991, and became to oldest player to debut in an all star game in 1990.

The secret was that old adage: Martinez had become a pitcher, rather than a thrower. Relying on guile rather than speed, he would set up hitters better than he had in his youth, and work on their weaknesses. It helped that Martinez’ command improved: He rarely walked more than 2 batters per 9 innings. That control helped him pitch a perfect game in 1992.

After the 1993 season, despite being 38, he signed a good contract with the Indians, and up and coming team at the time. Martinez’ veteran presence helped stabilize the locker room, and the rotation. Pitching less often, he still won at least 9 games every year he was with the Indians, and never lost more than he won.

A sore elbow led to him pitching sparingly in 1997 (just 9 starts with the Mariners). Martinez ended his career at age 44 for the Braves, where he actually pitched in a career high 53 games. His 245 career wins is the most ever by a Latino pitcher.

In retirement, Martinez worked to promote tourism to Nicaragua and coached in the minors with the Cardinals, Orioles and in the majors with the Astros. 

Rear guard: You wouldn't have known from these stats (.537 winning percentage; 4.15 ERA), that Martinez would soon become one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball. 

Less than 4,000 fans saw Martinez pitch a starters worth of relief innings (5 2/3), beating the Tigers when the Orioles roared back from an early 6-0 deficit.

#404 Turn Back the Clock: 1966

Card thoughts: Terrible airbrush job on Robinson. Obviously a Reds uniform. For once, Topps picked the right player, though. Robinson was the last player to win the Triple Crown before Miguel Cabrera did it a couple of years ago (corrected in the comments: That would be Yaz).

Rear guard:

• Phil Regan was a great reliever in the 60s. All of those 13 wins came in relief, and he would go 14-1 in 1966, and also lead the league in saves.
• I've never heard of Larry Jaster, but strangely enough he only had 5 shutouts all year (which led the league), and all came against the Dodgers. He only won 35 games in his 7-year career, however.
• Sonny Siebert sounds like the leader of a garage band. He was a reliable, if unspectacular, starter for the Indians and Red Sox. 1966 was his best season.
• Sam McDowell, Siebert's teammate, was one of the early strikeout kings. Drinking did in his career.
• We all know about Sandy Koufax. He blew is arm out at age 30. 1966 was his last season. Since Koufax announced his retirement before Topps issued the 1967 set, there is no base card for him.
• Tony Cloninger is hit 5 home runs that season. As a pitcher, he was incredibly wild, leading the league in walks and wild pitches in 1966.
• Art Shamsky has one awesome name. Out of his 54 hits in 1966, almost half were home runs.
• Joe Adcock was a long time Braves first baseman who was playing his last season with the Angels when he hit those 3 dingers.
• Vic Roznovsky is most notable for his wavy blond hair. He generally was the third-string catcher on the Cubs and Orioles.
• Boog Powell was a longtime star first baseman for the Orioles. He was not a bench player normally, and hit 339 career home runs.
• Don Lock looks like a Batman villain.
• Richie Allen, also known as Dick, was known for his terrible temple, and unrealized potential. He had an incredible 1966 campaign, leading in slugging and OPS while hitting 40 home runs.
• Sonny Jackson appeared on a rookie card with Joe Morgan. He was a leadoff hitter in '66, and all 3 of his home runs were inside the park.
• Smoky Burgess is a famous pinch hitter who played for 18 seasons. He looks it on that card.

I'm tired, so no more facts!

#365 Mike Flanagan

Card thoughts: Flanagan was one of those Orioles starters in the 80s (like #110 Scott McGregor or Mike Boddicker) who, unlike Orioles pitching stalwarts of old, seemed to have a triumvirate of peak years surrounded by years of injury/inconsistency.

The player: A star at the University of Massachusetts, Flanagan’s out pitch was the curve ball, which he threw sidearm to lefties. Although he was never known for low ERAs, his durability led to many wins for Mike, especially in the late 70s.

 

After making 10 starts the previous season, by 1977 Flanagan was a mainstay in the Orioles rotation, pitching the first of 5 straight years (excluding the shortened 1981 season) of pitching over 225 innings. His 15 wins that season, were followed by 19 the next year, as the durable Flanagan led the league in starts, and made his only all-star team on the strength of a strong first half (12-6, 3.53 ERA). Unfortunately, he faded down the stretch and despite the wins, he led the league in earned runs given up and his ERA was above the average.

The 23 wins he earned the next season (leading the league) were more aligned with his peripherals (his 3.08 ERA was a career best), as he helped power the Orioles to the World Series. For his efforts, he won the Cy Young award. In the World Series, he won Game 1 with a complete game, although he gave up 11 hits and four runs. Flanagan didn’t have as much luck in Game 5, although he pitched better overall, giving up just 2 runs in 6 innings.

The success continued for Flanagan in 1980, although it is debatable if he was an excellent starting pitcher, or just a decent one who got a lot of run support. In fact, his 16-13 record belied the fact that he gave up more than a hit per inning (278 in 251+ innings), and was giving up a lot of walks and wild pitches as well.

In his personal life during this time, came a bit of a milestone, as his daughter was only the eighth baby born in the United States using in-vitro fertilization in 1982 (and was the first to be born naturally, not via Cesaerian section).

Flanagan would be a pitcher who today would have trouble getting past the sixth inning, what with the high pitch counts and all, so the wins are a little deceiving. But Flanagan would remain a just-above-.500 pitcher, with greater than 10 wins a year until the season represented by this card, when he managed just 15 starts, and had an ERA over 5.

 

As went the Orioles fortunes, so did Flanagan’s. A star pitcher for a star laden team, by the late 80s the team was bad, and so was he. After a couple more years of inconsistency, he was shipped to the Blue Jays midway through the 1987 season for Jose Mesa and Oswaldo Peraza (who?). Down the stretch, he was 3-2 with a 2.37 ERA, but his acquisition did not propel the Blue Jays into the playoffs. In his first full Blue Jay season, Flanagan would go 13-13 and pitch over 200 innings for the last time. The Jays would finally make the playoffs during Flanagan’s tenure in 1989, but he was terrible in his only start, going 4+ innings and giving up 5 runs.

Released by the Blue Jays after the 1990 season (when he only made 5 starts), Flanagan had a last hurrah for the Orioles, as he made the team as reliever out of Spring Training. He got into 64 games and had a fine 2.38 ERA. Flanagan struck out Travis Fryman at the end of the year to record the last out in Memorial Stadium history. But in 42 games the next year, he had an atrocious 8.05 ERA, convincing him to retire.

After retirement, he held a variety of roles with the Orioles, including pitching coach, general manager, and broadcaster (a role held for three non-consecutive times). Here’s an example of his insight (note the New England accent).

Despite his success, it was noted early on that Flanagan had a sullen demeanor, and when he left the mound, whether the inning was good or bad, he would be brooding. Apparently, he never felt like a success, and his trademark self-effacing humor masked a constant feeling of insecurity. In proper proportion, this self-doubt can be a goad for an athlete to constantly push his or herself to greater heights. But it is dangerous to have too much self-doubt in baseball, because, as has been said, even the greatest hitters fail about 70% of the time, and pitchers will make at least 5 or more mistakes every start.

Struggling with depression for most his adult life, and facing an uncertain financial future (his intermittent employment with the Orioles being the cause of some of this angst), Flanagan tragically shot himself last year. Here’s a pretty good explanation of what led up to the suicide.

Rear guard: Flanagan's first win was against the Royals. He went the full 9, his only mistake was giving up a sacrifice fly to #344 Jim Wohlford in the fifth inning that scored Dave Nelson.

#358 Rick Dempsey

Card thoughts: Looks like an Expo sitting in the dugout, which makes this picture likely taken at West Palm Beach Municipal Stadium during spring training.

The player: Rick Dempsey: Jokester, motivational speaker, 1983 World Series MVP.

For 5 years, Dempsey’s only shot at the majors was as a September call-up for the Twins and the Yankees. Finally, in 1974, he became Thurman Munson’s primary backup.  Dempsey never hit much with the Yankees (his OPS over four years was a meager .605), but was well regarded for his defense and handling of pitching staffs. Many people around baseball at the time considered Dempsey's arm to be the best in the league, and he had the ability to shut down an opponent's running came, important in a time when runs were at a premium.

The Orioles, as always, had a great starting rotation, but had gone through several starting catchers since the beginning of the decade (Dave Duncan, Earl Williams, Johnny Oates, and Ellie Hendricks). They needed some stability behind the plate, especially with a roster of young arms beginning to supplant former rotation mainstays like Mike Cuellar and Jim Palmer.

To that end, Rick Dempsey was included in a massive trade with the Yankees, the principals being Rudy May, #196 Doyle Alexander, Ellie Hendricks, and Kenny Holtzman. Although in his first few years with the Orioles, Dempsey still was hitting in the low .200s, by 1978, Dempsey, getting more playing time behind the plate, raised his average to .259. 1978 would also be the only season Dempsey managed more than 100 hits.

The next season, the Orioles made it to the World Series, and Dempsey contributed with a .400 average in the ALCS. Unfortunately for him, the Orioles lost the World Series to the Pirates. The loss was disappointing, but Dempsey didn’t let it affect his performance, as had his highest average in 1980 (.262).

Dempsey and the Orioles had a chance to average their World Series defeat in 1983, and wouldn’t let the chance pass. Despite hitting just .232 in the regular season (with his slugging percentage a mere .323), Dempsey would garner World Series MVP honors by hitting .386 (all his hits were for extra bases, hence the .983 slugging percentage). Some highlights in the series included doubling in the Orioles go-ahead run in Game 2, doubling twice against #120 Steve Carlton in Game 3, and homering and doubling in Game 5.

Dempsey was the glue that held clubhouses of a decade of Orioles teams together, partly because of his sense of humor. He especially liked to imitate, Babe Ruth, Jim Palmer, and Robin Yount, during rain delays (see this clip from 4:45-5:15 of him sliding all over the tarp).

In his later Oriole years, he even supplemented his low average with a little power (in 1986, he drove in only 29 runs, despite hitting 13 home runs). But good chemistry and better pop didn’t obviate Dempsey’s age. At 36, he simply did not have the mobility and range he once had at catcher, making his offensive limitations that much more glaring.

But his catching knowledge was invaluable, and he was the backup catcher on the Indians (1987), Dodgers (1988-1990), and Brewers (1991).  At age 41, he pitched for the first time in the majors, giving up 1 run in 4 innings of work. By the time Dempsey retired in 1992, he had caught in four different decades, joining #290 Carlton Fisk and Tim McCarver in that rare feat. His career OPS was a devilish .666.

Dempsey has coached in the majors after retirement, serving as the bullpen coach with the Dodgers (1999-2000), and the bullpen and first and third base coach with the Orioles (2002-2006). As befits such a personable guy, he works as an Orioles broadcaster, and has his own well-designed Website. 

Rear guard: That is an ugly wax stain making it even harder to make out Dempsey's career stats.

#340 Cal Ripken

Card thoughts: Does this man need any introduction? Transformed the shortstop position from one manned by ping hitters with slight builds, into a position where some power was expected. An interesting note about the picture: there’s a perfect white line of people filing into what I think is Memorial Stadium right behind Ripken. On a personal note, this Cal Ripken rookie card is one of my proudest baseball card possessions.

The player: I don’t think I’m exaggerating when I say that Cal Ripken is one of the five best players in my lifetime. Set aside the fact that the man played every day for 16 seasons, Ripken was a local icon in Baltimore (he played his entire career with the Orioles), and unlike many of today’s star players, had a squeaky clean reputation. Oh, and Ripken, who came up as a third baseman, was considered too big at 6’4” 200 pounds to play shortstop. But while he never had the range or arm of many of his peers, he made up for it by positioning himself correctly, and rarely making mental or physical mistakes.

Cal grew up in baseball, as his father and namesake was a minor league catcher for the Orioles, and later became a coach and manager for the big club. Coming up to the majors at the end of 1981, he hit a paltry .129. Despite this, he earned the starting nod at third base for the 1982 season. But he didn’t stick there long. Longtime shortstop Mark Belanger could never hit a lick, but by 1982 he was old and allowed to leave via free agency. So when replacement Lenn Sakata was shifted to second base in July, Ripken moved left as well, and ended up winning the Rookie of the Year Award.

1983 is when Ripken really exploded, winning the MVP award with a league leading 121 runs, 211 hits, and 47 doubles. He led in both offensive and defensive WAR, showing that he was quickly mastering his new fielding position. Ripken became a hero to American League fans everywhere, as he started the first of  16 straight all-star games (his career all-star game numbers: 49 at bats, .757 OPS).

Although he would never have such spectacular numbers again, Ripken settled into a career remarkable for its consistency. Every year, you could pencil him in for about 25 home runs, 90-100 RBIs, and 90-100 runs scored. Ripken’s batting average did bounce around a bit. He hit around .250 for several years, but also could hit anywhere between that number and .300. A non-statistical highlight came in 1987, when Ripken was managed by his dad, and his brother Billy became his double play partner. This was also the season when his consecutive innings streak came to an end, when his dad decided to rest him in the late innings of a blowout loss to the Blue Jays.

Ripken was so well respected by the team, he would occasionally give pitchers advice on how to pitch to certain lineups (Ripken was drafted as a pitcher). Storm Davis reportedly used his advice, and pitched a shutout against the Red Sox. Ripken even called an entire game from the shortstop position when Chris Hoiles, a young backup catcher, was playing.

Occasionally, he would have a better than average (for him) year. One of those years, was 1991 when Ripken once again won the MVP award, hitting a career high 34 home runs and driving in 114. That season he also had a spectacular WAR of 11.5.

As he aged, Ripken’s shortstop range declined. But he still played every game, playing through an ankle sprain in 1985, another ankle injury in 1992. A fight in 1993 caused Ripken to sprain his knee, and the labor strike in 1994, where there was a threat to use replacement service, were further threats to the record. But in 1995, Ripken finally broke the record late in the season, a received a 22-minute standing ovation as he took a lap around the field. As impressive as the feat was, the adulation was really too over the top. I mean, records are great and all, but a game was being played.

By 1997, Ripken was wearing down, and at 36, shortstop became too taxing for a man who had played over 2,000 consecutive games there. With the signing of Mike Bordick (a traditional shortstop: good field, no hit), he went back to third base where he would spend the rest of his career.

For his career numbers in 2001: fourth all time in defensive WAR (34.60); eighth in games played (3,001); third in assists (8,214); and second in sacrifice flies (127). In addition, Ripken had over 3,000 hits, and over 1,500 runs scored and driven in. In retirement, Ripken continues to be a civic leader in Baltimore. He runs a foundation that gives disadvantaged kids a chance to play baseball, and he owns an Orioles minor league affiliate. 

Rear guard: Ripken's first grand slam came against Yankees pitcher #152 Mike Morgan. It gave the Orioles a lead they would not relinquish (or add to) in their 5-2 win.

I have never heard of the name "Jehosie." But he was better known as "Jay," and the reason why he was sold was because of racism. Heard had pitched for the Birmingham Black Barons before being signed by the Orioles at age 29. He only started playing the game while in the service during World War II, hence his late start. 

The two games Heard would pitch in 1954 were his only major league games. Yet he would still get a card in 1954.