#70 Harvey Kuenn

Note: This and the next few posts will be rather short and sweet as I am currently on the road between Houston an Lincoln, Nebraska on family business and putting these together on the fly. 

Harvey Kuenn spent a mere 63 games in the minors before the Tigers decided he had what it took to play as a big league shortstop and called him up for an 18 game trial in 1952. Hitting .340, even at the 'B' league level, will do that.

Kuenn made the Tigers starting lineup in 1953 and never looked back. That year he led the league in hits as a rookie, won Rookie of the Year honors and made the first of his eight straight AL All Star squads.

In eight seasons in Detroit he hit .314 , led the league in hits four times, in doubles three times and won the 1959 AL batting crown with a .353 average. It's what happened next that is the pivotal point in his career.

On the eve of the 1960 season Kuenn was traded to Cleveland for the Indians' immensely popular Rocky Colavito. It was a trade that shook two cities to their baseball roots. Rather than reinvent the wheel I'll refer you to this interesting write up and recap of the circumstances surrounding the deal and it's aftermath. In a nutshell, Indian fans were not happy with GM "Trader' Frank Lane.

Kuenn played only one season for the Indians, was dealt to the Giants where he played in the 1962 World Series and then faded from the scene as a player after short stints with the Cubs and Phils.

Kuenn later managed the Milwaukee Brewers for a couple of seasons. His powerful hitting clubs were nicknamed Harvey's Wallbangers and they won the 1982 AL pennant.

Harvey Kuenn's Milestones as seen in Wikipedia:

• 1953 AL Rookie of the Year Award
• 8-time AL All-Star (1953-1960)
• AL Batting Average Leader (1959)
• 2-time AL At Bats Leader (1953 & 1954)
• 4-time AL Hits Leader (1953, 1954, 1956 & 1959)
• AL Singles Leader (1953)
• 3-time AL Doubles Leader (1955, 1958 & 1959)
• 100 Runs Scored Seasons: 1 (1955)
• 200 Hits Seasons: 2 (1953 & 1954)
• Division Titles: 1 (1982)
• AL Pennants: 1 (1982)

Kuenn died at the age of 57 after suffering from several bouts of ill health, Here is his NY Times obit. And here is his SABR bio.

Kuenn's card here is rather off center and suffers from a ink 'inscription' I hadn't noticed in my occasional trips through my set album in search of upgradable '59s. Stray ink on the back, while less than ideal, isn't a 'card killer' for me, especially when the overall condition is as decent as this card is.

#420 Rocco Colavito

If there is a better name in baseball annals that 'Rocky' Colavito I'd like to hear it. Rocco Domenico Colavito grew up a Yankee fan in the Bronx but, after dropping out of high school, was signed by the Indians in 1951. He showed his power as a minor leaguer in the first half of the decade and made the Indians club as a regular in rightfield in 1956. 

Over the next decade he became the 5th American Leaguer to hit more than 20 homers in eleven consecutive seasons. During that tine he was involved in one of the most notable trades in baseball history. Coming off a league leading 42 home run season he was dealt to the Tigers in April of 1960 for the defending batting champ, Harvey Kuenn. Indians fans were in an uproar over the deal and books have been written that claim the trade triggered a curse that haunts the Indians to this day.

After an off year in 1963 Colavito was traded to Kansas City for the next season and then back to the Indians. As his career would down he played for the White Sox, Dodgers and Yankees. 

A list of his achievements follows:

• 6-time AL All-Star (1959, 1961, 1962 & 1964-1966)
• AL Slugging Percentage Leader (1958)
• 2-time AL Total Bases Leader (1959 & 1962)
• AL Home Runs Leader (1959)
• AL RBI Leader (1965)
• AL Bases on Balls Leader (1965)
• 20-Home Run Seasons: 11 (1956-1966)
• 30-Home Run Seasons: 7 (1958-1962, 1964 & 1966)
• 40-Home Run Seasons: 3 (1958, 1959 & 1961)
• 100 RBI Seasons: 6 (1959, 1959, 1961, 1962, 1964 & 1965)
• 100 Runs Scored Seasons: 1 (1961)

Colavito has appeared here previously as a Baseball Thrills card (#462) subject that led to some fun detective work. I was able to find the origin of the picture used on the card and pinpoint the date of the actual play. 

Rocky was a popular player in his time and remains one today among fans and collectors.  This '59 card is cool but to me almost any Colavito card is. I think I upgraded this one a couple of times to get one I found worthy of representing one of my favorite players in this set. I've got about four or five vintage Colavitos and a modern one I've featured in my other blog. Isn't this a great card?