ON-CARD ALL-STAR: 1970 MATTY ALOU

Today's blog post has a revised 1970 card for former all-star outfielder Matty Alou, who was one of the starters for the National League in the 1969 "Midsummer Classic":

Alou had himself quite a 1969 season, the best of his very nice 15-year career, leading the league with 231 hits and 41 doubles while also hitting .331 and stealing 22 bases for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Back in 1966 he was also a batting champ, leading the N.L. with a .342 average while collecting 183 hits in 535 at-bats in what was his first full season of his career.

Between 1966 and 1969 he never hit below .331, and he added another three years of .300+ averages as well.

By the time he left the game he totaled 1777 hits, with a .307 batting average, and was twice named to an all-star team.

Of course, we all know that he was part of a long-lasting baseball family, beginning with him and his two brothers, Felipe and Jesus, as well as cousin Jose, before they handed off the torch to Moises Alou and Mel Rojas later on.

Pretty cool in my book…

 

BASEBALL BROTHERS- THE ALOUS: FELIPE, MATTY AND JESUS

It wasn’t too long ago that I came across this photo of the Alou Brothers, sparking the idea in my head of a “Baseball Brothers” thread for the decade, so I used it to create a 1974 card of the trio:

Granted, it would have been a tough one for Topps to have this card in the 1974 set to represent the “correct” teams they played for at the start of the year.
However, it was such a nice shot I figured it would do for the set.
What a brother-trifecta, no?
You have Felipe, who not only put in an all-star 17-year career with a couple of 200+ hit seasons along with some “pop” as evidenced by his 206 career homers, but then went on to have a very nice managerial career.
Then you have Matty, who took home a National league batting title in 1966 with a .342 mark, but also put in two 200+ hit seasons, finishing his 15-year career with a .307 batting average along with four straight seasons of .330+ averages between 1966-1969.
Then you have “little” brother Jesus, who also put in a 15-year career and ended up with a very nice .280 career batting average between 1963 and 1979.
Pretty amazing when you think about the fact that each had such a long career in the Majors, 47 years worth of playing time!

A CAREER CAPPER MISSING IN ACTION FOR MATTY ALOU

Here's a card that could be considered a "career capper" or even "missing in action", a 1975 Topps Matty Alou:

Alou wrapped up a very nice 15-year career in 1974 suiting up for the San Diego Padres, appearing in 48 games with 88 plate appearances.

He hit .198 with 16 hits in 81 at-bats, generally as an outfielder, with three doubles and three runs batted in along the way.

Just a year earlier he hit a robust .295 split between the Yankees and Cardinals, playing a full season with 134 games and 550 plate appearances, so it's a shame he tailed off so quickly at the age of 35.

His best seasons were as a Pittsburgh Pirate in the mid-to-late 1960's, winning a batting title in 1966 when he hit .342, as well as leading the league in hits and doubles in 1969.

Between 1966 and 1969 he never hit below .331, and he added another three years of .300+ averages as well.

By the time he left the game he totaled 1777 hits, with a .307 batting average, and was twice named to an all-star team.

Of course, we all know that he was part of a long-lasting baseball family, beginning with him and his two brothers, Felipe and Jesus, as well as cousin Jose, before they handed off the torch to Moises Alou and Mel Rojas later on.

Pretty cool in my book…