Bill Melton (#481)

Bill Melton was the White Sox' 3rd baseman from 1969 to 1975. He also played for the Angels and Indians. This is his rookie card.

Melton was signed by Chicago in 1964, and played in their farm system from 1964-68. Oddly enough, he also spent part of 1968 playing for the Yankees' AAA team. (I guess the Sox had two 3rd base prospects, and wanted each of them to get regular playing time?)

Bill made his major-league debut with 17 games in May 1968 (presumably that's what the card back is referring to), and another 17 games in September.

Melton held down the hot corner from mid-September 1968 through the 1975 season, except for missing the final 3 ½ months of the 1972 season.

His peak power years were 1970 and 1971, hitting 33 home runs in both seasons. Bill also made his only All-Star team in 1971.

After the 1975 season he was traded to the Angels for 1st baseman Jim Spencer. He was a spot player for California, splitting the DH duties with Tommy Davis and occasionally playing at the infield corners.

Melton moved on to the Indians after just 1 season with the Angels. He only got 133 at-bats over 50 games with the Tribe in 1977, his last appearance coming on August 30th.

He was granted free agency after the season, but did not play again.

Final Card: Al Lopez

Here is the final card (#527) for White Sox manager Al Lopez. It looks like this photo was taken during the same session as his 1965 card. He also had a card in the 1953 set as the Indians’ manager, and in the 1961 to 1965 sets as the White Sox' manager.

Lopez was a catcher and played in the minors from 1925 to 1929. He had a 3-game cup of coffee with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1928, before returning to the minors the following season.

Al was the Dodgers' catcher from 1930-35, and made the All-Star team in 1934. He played for the Boston Braves from 1936-40, and the Pirates from 1940-46, although his last 2 seasons with Pittsburgh were as a backup. Al made his 2nd and last All-Star team in 1941.

He played his last big-league season (1947) with the Indians. Retiring after the '47 season, his 1,918 career games caught was a record that stood until Bob Boone broke it 40 years later.

Lopez was a minor-league manager from 1948-50, also serving as his team's backup catcher in 1948.

He managed the Indians from 1951-56, winning the AL pennant in 1954.

Lopez was also the White Sox manager from 1957 to 1965, and won the AL pennant in 1959. His 2 pennants (’54, ’59) were the only times the Yankees DIDN’T win the AL pennant from 1949-64.

After the '65 season he was kicked upstairs to the front office, but returned as field general after Eddie Stanky's firing during the 1968 season.

Soon after that he became ill, forcing him to miss much of the remainder of the '68 season. He returned as manager at the end of the season, managing a total of 47 games in his 2 stints that year. He began the 1969 season as the team's manager, but failing health forced him to retire after 17 games.

Al was inducted into HOF as a manager in 1977.

He passed away in October 2005 at age 97, five days after the White Sox won the World Series (their first championship in 88 years). Lopez was the last living MLB player from the 1920s.

Ron Hansen (#566)

Ron Hansen was the White Sox’ starting shortstop from 1963 to 1967. After spending the first 4 months of 1968 with the Senators, he returned to the Pale Hose in August, this time as a utility infielder. 
(I was intending to post his 1966 card instead, but this photo was more interesting, though the card depicts him as a utility player.)

Hansen was signed by the Orioles in 1956. He played in the minors from 1956-59 (missing the ‘57 season because of sciatica).

Ron took over the Orioles’ starting shortstop job on Opening Day 1960, starting 149 games and winning the AL Rookie of the Year award. He also made his only All-Star team that season. He was Baltimore’s starting shortstop the following season also, but missed much of the 1962 season while in military service.

In January 1963, Hansen was traded to the White Sox (along with pitcher Hoyt Wilhelm, 3rd baseman Pete Ward, and outfielder Dave Nicholson) for shortstop Luis Aparicio and outfielder Al Smith. Hansen replaced Aparicio in the Sox’ lineup, manning the SS position from 1963 to 1967 (although he missed all but the first 4 weeks of the 1966 season due to back surgery).

The White Sox re-acquired Aparicio from the Orioles after the 1967 season, so Hansen was dealt to the Washington Senators in February 1968 (with pitchers Dennis Higgins and Steve Jones) for pitchers Bob Priddy and Buster Narum, and infielder Tim Cullen.

After starting 77 of the first 101 games for the Nats, Ron was returned to the White Sox in exchange for Cullen. The trade occurred just TWO WEEKS after Hansen pulled off the first unassisted triple play in 41 years! (Thanks for nuttin’)

With Aparicio still on board, Hansen was relegated to utility infielder status with the Sox for the remainder of 1968 and all of 1969, occasional starting games at 2nd base or 3rd base.

Ron was sold to the Yankees in February 1970, and was a role player with them for 2 seasons, getting his release in February 1972. He caught on with the Royals in early April, but was released in late-June, having only played in 16 games during the first 3 months of the season.

After his playing career, Hansen was a coach, minor-league manager, and scout.

Duane Josephson (#222)

Today we take a look at Duane Josephson, the White Sox' starting catcher during the late-1960s.

Josephson was signed by Chicago in 1964, and worked his way up the ladder from rookie ball to triple-A from 1964-66. He played a few games for Chicago at the end of the ’65 and ’66 seasons, then made the White Sox at the start of 1967. (The Sox had traded veteran catcher Johnny Romano during the previous off-season.) 

Duane started 10 of 16 games in April, and alternated with J. C. Martin through the month of May. He was out of the lineup for most of June after being run over at home plate. Three days after returning to the lineup, he broke a finger and missed most of July. He finished his rookie season with 53 starts (only 16 less than Martin).

The following season he was the undisputed regular catcher, starting 113 games, while 1967’s 3rd-stringer Jerry McNertney started the rest (Martin having been shipped off to the Mets in November 1967). Duane made his only all-star team in 1968, as a reserve catcher behind the Tigers’ Bill Freehan.

After batting only .247 with very little pop (6 homers) in ’68, Josephson lost his starting job to rookie Ed Herrmann in 1969. They shared the position evenly in 1970, with the right-handed Josephson and the lefty Herrmann both greatly improving their batting averages.

During spring training in 1971, Duane was traded to the Red Sox for pitcher Vicente Romo. Josephson started half the games for the Bosox, alternating with Bob Montgomery. In September, a rookie catcher named Carlton Fisk was called up, and that was the beginning of the end for all other catchers.

Duane only played in 26 games in 1972 (6 starts behind the plate, and 15 at 1st base). His final major-league appearance came on July 2nd. Josephson had been diagnosed with pericarditis, an inflammation around the heart. This forced him into retirement in 1972 at age 30.

He died in his hometown of New Hampton, Iowa in January 1997, at age 54.


Duane Josephson profile on the SABR website

 

Final Card: Dan Osinski

Here is Dan Osinski's final baseball card (#622). Dan had 7 baseball cards (1963-69), 2 each with the Angels, Braves, and Red Sox, before wrapping up with the White Sox.

Osinski was signed by the Indians way back in 1952. After 5 seasons in the Tribe's farm system, he was released, and was out of baseball for 2 years.

Dan came back in 1959 as a member of the White Sox organization. After 3 seasons with Chicago's minor-league teams, he was drafted by the Kansas City Athletics, and made his big-league debut in April 1962. By mid-season, and with an ERA over 17.00, Osinski was traded to the 2nd-year Los Angeles Angels. He settled down in the second half, fashioning a 6-4 record with a 2.82 ERA in 33 relief appearances.

Dan spent two more seasons with the Angels, then one with the Braves before beginning the 1966 season with the Red Sox.

Dan pitched for the Red Sox during 1966 and 1967, and appeared in 2 games in the 1967 World Series. The Red Sox released him one week before the 1968 season.

By the end of April, he was picked up by the White Sox, but spent the remainder of the season in the minors (a place he had avoided since 1962). Osinski spent the entire 1969 season in the White Sox' bullpen, pitching in 51 games.

He was purchased by the Astros in December, but didn't make it past mid-April in the majors. After 3 games with Houston, he spent the rest of the year in triple-A (where one of his teammates was Jim Bouton) before retiring.