It’s the American League vs. the National League ca. 1970 writ small. If you’ve ever wondered why the Nationals won all but one All-Star Game in this era, the reason might well be found in these mint-in-box ballplayers from Transogram. Long before Starting Lineups came along, there were these, and the deck was clearly stacked in the Senior Circuit’s favor. Looking at the 15 players (three per box) from each league, we find a staggering difference in the career WAR.
eBay Item of the Day: The Toys Tell a Tale
And it’s not a pretty one for the American League of yore.
N.L. | 1114.7 | A.L. | 699.4 |
Willie Mays | 150.8 | Frank Robinson | 100.9 |
Hank Aaron | 137.3 | Carl Yastrzemski | 90.1 |
Tom Seaver | 101.1 | Al Kaline | 87.4 |
Roberto Clemente | 89.8 | Reggie Jackson | 68.4 |
Bob Gibson | 77.5 | Harmon Killebrew | 55.8 |
Pete Rose | 76.7 | Jim Fregosi | 45.5 |
Ron Santo | 66.6 | Sam McDowell | 39.8 |
Ernie Banks | 62.5 | Tony Oliva | 39.7 |
Willie McCovey | 60.7 | Mel Stottlemyre | 37.5 |
Juan Marichal | 58.2 | Rico Petrocelli | 35.7 |
Willie Davis | 56.8 | Boog Powell | 35.0 |
Joe Torre | 54.2 | Frank Howard | 33.8 |
Jerry Koosman | 53.1 | Denny McLain | 18.0 |
Jimmy Wynn | 53.1 | Rick Reichardt | 11.6 |
Cleon Jones | 16.3 | Blue Moon Odom | 0.2 |
The real problem area for the Transogram A.L. team is the starting pitching, but I’m sure the men they chose seemed like sane choices at the time.
See More:
