Baseball’s All-time Greats: The Orange Cards

Baseball’s All-time Greats: The Orange Cards is a blog dedicated to celebrating the best players in the history of the game. From Babe Ruth to Hank Aaron we’ll cover all the legends that have made baseball the great game it is today.

Introduction

Orange baseball cards were first introduced in the early 1900s and became increasingly popular over the next few decades. Many of the game’s greatest players were featured on these cards, including Babe Ruth Ty Cobb, and Honus Wagner Today, Orange cards are some of the most sought-after by collectors.

Babe Ruth

Babe Ruth nicknamed the “Sultan of Swat” and “The Bambino”, was an American baseball player who spent 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1914 to 1935. Ruth played for five teams during his career, but he is best remembered as a member of the New York Yankees whom he played with for 15 seasons. Among other records, Ruth led the Major Leagues in home runs (29) during his rookie season, Slugging percentage (.846), bases on balls (145), and on-base plus slugging (1.164). He helped lead the Yankees to their first World Series championship in 1923.

Ty Cobb

Ty Cobb was one of baseball’s first superstars. He was an excellent hitter and fielder, and helped lead the Detroit Tigers to three consecutive pennants from 1907 to 1909. Cobb also holds a number of major League Baseball records, including the most career batting average (.366) and the most career hits (4, 191). He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1936.

Walter Johnson

Walter Johnson was one of the greatest pitchers of all time. He played for the Washington Senators from 1907 to 1927, and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1936. He still holds the record for the most strikeouts in a season, with 417 in 1923.

Christy Mathewson

Christy Mathewson was one of baseball’s first great pitchers and held many records when he retired. He was known for his control and ability to throw a sinker, a pitch that drops as it crosses the plate. He retired with 511 wins, still ninth all time, and his 2.13 ERA is the third lowest in MLB history. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1936.

Honus Wagner

Honus Wagner was born Friedrich Wilhelm August Wolfgang torso-on April 26, 1874, in Grossbardorf, Kingdom of Bavaria, German Empire. He moved with his family to the United States as an infant and dropped the “Friedrich” from his first name. Upon his arrival in America, his father changed the family’s last name to “Wagner.” Honus’ younger brothers were Aloysius (known as “Ollie”), John (known as “Pie”), Jennie and Amelia.

As a child, Wagner was baseball crazy. He would play all day long, throwing a baseball against a barn door near his home and catching it on the rebound.His father John had been a semi-professional player for Years with various teams in Pennsylvania. When Wagner was old enough to play organized baseball he joined a team called the Maple Stars where he played shortstop and third base and also pitched.When he was 14 Years old he played on a team called The Eagles where Future baseball Hall of Famers Lave Cross and Ned Hanlon also played.

In 1894, Pittsburgh Pirates owner Barney Dreyfuss selected Wagner to be the team’s new shortstop. The 21-year-old Wagner debuted with the Pirates on July 19th of that year and would go on to play 21 seasons with Pittsburgh. A superstar by 1900, by 1903 he had become the first National League player ever to amass 200 hits in a season; no other shortstop would match that feat until 1950 when Luis Aparicio did it playing in both leagues during that campaign. Considered light for a power hitter even in his own era at 5’11” and 170 pounds, Wagner hit for both average and power throughout his career – nine times he batted over .300 while hitting double digits in home runs – while using his speed to swipe over 400 bases (twice leading the league) despite being considered one of if not the best defensive shortstops of all time with an uncanny ability to make the long throw across the diamond from deep in the hole

Rogers Hornsby

Rogers Hornsby was one of baseball’s all-time greats, and his orange cards are some of the most valuable in the hobby. Hornsby was a legendary hitter, and his orange cards from the early 1900s are highly sought after by collectors. If you’re lucky enough to find one of these cards, you’ll have a valuable piece of baseball history

Mickey Mantle

Mickey Mantle was one of baseball’s all-time greats. A center fielder for the New York Yankees Mantle was a 20-time All-Star and won three MVP Awards He also holds numerous World Series records, including most home runs (18), most RBIs (40), and most runs scored (42).

Willie Mays

Willie Mays, nicknamed “The Say Hey Kid”, is a retired American Major League Baseball (MLB) center fielder who spent almost all of his 22-season career playing for the New York/San Francisco Giants before finishing his career with the New York Mets He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979, his first year of eligibility.

Mays won two National League (NL) Most Valuable Player (MVP) awards, was a 24-time All-Star, and had a record-tying 10 World Series appearances. He is often considered the best all-around player of his generation and one of the greatest players of all time. While predominantly a center fielder, he also played as a right fielder and occasionally as an infielder in his career. Mays hit 660 Home Runs throughout his career, ranking fourth all-time when he retired in 1973.

Hank Aaron

Hank Aaron was born on February 5, 1934, in Mobile, Alabama. He played major league baseball for 23 seasons from 1954 through 1976. He is recognized as one of the greatest baseball players of all time and held numerous Major League Baseball records throughout his career. Hank Aaron was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1982.