This is Tony La Russa’s second visit to TCT. You can find his 1970 card here.
Today it’s his rookie card from 1963 from the KC Athletics. Truth be told, it wasn’t a horrible year for La Russa batting .250 in 44 at-bats. His card just looks kind of nasty.
| Split | G | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 Totals | 34 | 53 | 44 | 4 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 12 | .250 | .346 | .318 |
While the future Hall of Fame manager does have some decent hit numbers (he has a 22-7), his lack of power and a bad fielding rating puts this card to shame. He hit a double and a triple in 53 plate appearances. These days, I think he would have received a 0-0 power number combination.
His SS-6 and SS-5 don’t help matters any.
After his 1963 year, Tony La Russa took a full four years off before returning to baseball with the newly rebranded Oakland A’s. In 1970, he got in 106 at-bats, his career high.
As they say though, those who can’t do, teach. And LaRussa took that to an extreme.
thanks to Scott Veatch!
