This 1962 card of reliever Don Ferrarese is a double edged sword. He’s got a big hitting card but just make sure he doesn’t hit a grounder.
I know my baseball but Ferrarese was a new name to me. He pitched eight years in the late 50s and early 60s mostly for the Orioles and Indians. In 1962, he finished his career out with both the Phillies and the Cardinals. He pitched well for the Cardinals with a 2.70 ERA despite a 1-4 record. He also struck out 45 batters in 56 2/3 innings.
But he’s here for his bat, we all know that. In six plate appearances, he hit one single and one homer (his last career big league hit). He struck out three times and hit into one double play.
| Split | G | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | CS | BB | SO | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 Totals | 43 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .333 | .333 | .833 |
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Ferrarese has some pop but it comes with a price. With hit numbers 1-1-1-1-1-7-7-8-8-8-9-9, he certainly can put the ball in play.
Unfortunately, sometimes he hits it directly to the shortstop for an inning-ending double play. Count them up. He has ten 24s on his card. That includes a cringe-inducing 32-24 and a 16-24.
Fun numbers: 44-1, 22-1, 15-7
Note that Ferrarese doesn’t have a 31 on his card. For the 1988 set, APBA placed the 12 at 34 but the card makers decided not to make up for the usually automatic 34-31. He also doesn’t have a 26, 27 or 28 for that matter. He has 24s on all the automatic numbers they appear.
Trivia: Ferrarese is nicknamed “Midget” apparently because of his small size according to Wikipedia (he’s 5’9” as the card indicates)… Ferrarese only struck out 26 times in 137 career plate appearances, not bad for a pitcher.
