#93 N.L. Pitching Leaders:

Toping the circuit with 24 victories Jenkins setting his NL personal best ....in 1974 the formidable Canadian changes circuits and puts up his career best 25 wins for the Texas Rangers... after 1971  Fergie captures another 20 wins capping off his 6^th consecutive year....Seaver hits the 20 win mark for the second time in his career, a benchmark he would reach 5 times.....Carlton reaches the 20 mark for the first time....Carlton puts in a career year with 27 wins the following year overwhelmingly taking top honors....despite the fact he was traded to the woeful 1972 Phillies....for team comparison the next best hurler won 7 games....Carlton wins 20 or more four more times, leading in NL wins three times....A major surprise Downing wins 20 for the only time his in career....notably surrenders Hank Aaron’s 713^th home run in early 1974.  

#420 Steve Carlton

Steve has no in action card but took his game to the next level in 1971….won 20 games for the first time a feat that would be repeated five more times….became a  Phillie for 1972…his first season there was legendary, one of most significant seasons ever....maybe the best  W-L record for a team in the standings basement….30 wins could have been in reach if not for early season shutdown and inept Phillie offense… Topps recognized the trade in card #751…despite 1971 and the historic 1972, the years of 1970 and 1973 were subpar….his real prime took place from years 1976 to 1982 when he was age 32 to 38….not done yet had a 13-7 record at age 40…. illustrious Phillie career with 241 wins….even 1-8 record in 1985, Steve had a better ERA than 1971....afterwards was rough....drawback of career was that he stayed in baseball 2-3 seasons too long, struggling in most outings….bounced along to SF, MN, CHISOX, and CLE….aloof and evasive with fame….best descriptor of his pitching style was from batterymate and caddy Tim McCraver…. "Carlton does not pitch to the hitter, he pitches through him. The batter hardly exists for Steve. He's playing an elevated game of catch." ….won Cy Young award four times, each time leading the NL in wins….once struck out 19 and lost…HOF all the way.

#755-757, #751 Traded Series

First of all Merry Christmas....The next 4 are in a bundle (I was going for 7 but too hard downloading card images)….The last Traded Card series of the 1972 set…The original player card may have been featured on the original 72 Topps blog…I’ve referenced the blog for each card…what I will add is the historical significance of the trade…There two famously big trades here...but let's start with ...

#757 Jose Cardenal

http://1972topps.blogspot.com/2009/01/12-jose-cardenal.html

The Trade:  December 3, 1971: Traded by the Chicago Cubs with Brock Davis and Earl Stephenson to the Milwaukee Brewers for Jose Cardenal.

Historically significance:  a good trade for the northsiders but with problems, Cardenal becomes a regular with the Cubs logging in 821 games and a .291 batting average… …problem it comes during a decline in the Cubs fortunes… Jose becomes a big fish in a small pond…the trade is even for both teams, albeit a shorter benefit for Brewers who get the prime of Jim Colborn’s career…Colborn wins 20 for the Brewers in 1973, which for the Brewers a pitching feat rarely accomplished.

Next Up #756 Rick Wise for #751 Steve Carlton 

Lopsided, yes…and mystifying in its player for player simplicity… Wise does OK he does what he typically does wins 16 games in two consecutive seasons…he doesn’t breakdown…he is a Cardinal rep in the all star game in 1973…he had a long career ending in 1982…but he is not Carlton who becomes a Philly legend winning 241 games over 15 years…wins 27 games on team that won 59 games, 30 complete games on a team where next highest number was three … A book was written about that season... The list of seasonal and career accomplishments are too numerous to mention…Topps makes much Wise’ hitting a factor in the trade…turned out for a career Carlton hit .201 for the Phillies, 9 hr, 119 RBI…Wise hit .182 in a Cardinal uniform.   

FOR

Historic Steal #755 Jim Fregosi  original card is here

http://1972topps.blogspot.com/2009/06/115-jim-fregosi.html

Sometimes cited as the second biggest one side trade in baseball history…slated to be the Mets franchise long search for a consistent third baseman trades that transpired into costly trades….apparently the Mets failed to notice the diminished production and playing time in 1971… Now the cost:  one Nolan Ryan which all pretty much all that needs to be said, to add insult to there were some add ins pitcher Don Rose, catcher Frank Estrada and LeRoy Stanton, a serviceable outfielder for Halos …In reality, Fregosi’s first year with the Mets are almost identical to his last year in California…Next season he’s on the same track and by early July is shipped off to Texas…In Texas he does better in a limited role… keep looking Mets.