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Former Tigers great Mickey Stanley talks 1968 World Series, baseball cards and collecting
Mickey Stanley, a center fielder for the Detroit Tigers who also saw action at shortstop during his 15-year career, was a four-time Gold Glove winner, including three consecutive seasons (1968-1970). His final Gold Glove campaign came in 1973.
“Those are meaningful,” said Stanley, who will celebrate his 82nd birthday on July 20.
Stanley, who batted and threw right-handed, played his entire career for the Tigers, from 1964 when he played in four games through 1978, his final season in the major leagues. His career spanned more than 1,500 games and he was a .248 lifetime hitter. He had 117 career home runs and 500 RBIs.
Stanley played 1,175 of his 1,516 games in center field and ranked among baseball’s all-time leaders in career fielding percentage by an outfielder.
In the 1968 World Series, Detroit manager Mayo Smith moved Stanley to shortstop, which ultimately paid off in a world championship for the Tigers.
“It never gets old [talking about 1968 Series],” said Stanley, whose major league career included games at first base, second base, third base, right field and left field. He also served as a designated hitter a few times. He was never a pitcher or catcher, though he wanted to.
“They wouldn’t let me; it was probably a blessing in disguise,” Stanley said, laughing. “Like [former Detroit catcher Bill] Freehan said, ‘You probably thought you were a hard thrower, but only had an 85 MPH [fastball].’ He was probably right.
“My defense was very important because I wasn’t that good of a hitter. I worked hard on my defense and played [defensively] very well.”
Stanley made his major league debut on Sept. 13, 1964, playing in left field in place of Gates Brown. He appeared in four major league games in 1964, finishing with a .273 batting average in 11 at-bats.
He played his first full season in the majors in 1967, playing in 145 games for the Tigers. He ended his major league career with more than 5,000 at-bats, racking up 201 doubles and 48 triples.
What stands out the most?
“Winning the World Series and the pressure of playing a lot of positions, and just the team we had at the time, the chemistry among the players. It was a good bunch of guys,” Stanley said.
The 1968 Tigers won the World Series, defeating the St. Louis Cardinals in seven games.
Detroit’s Denny McLain won the Cy Young Award and was named AL MVP after winning 31 games. Mickey Lolich pitched three complete games in the World Series—and won all three—to win World Series MVP honors.
Stanley led all American League outfielders in 1968 with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage. He also played shortstop for the last nine games of the regular season and for all seven games of the World Series. In its “The End of the Century” series, ESPN rated Mayo Smith’s managerial decision to move Stanley to shortstop for the World Series as one of the 10 greatest coaching decisions of the 20th Century in any sport.
Stanley saved some souvenirs from his playing days, such as jerseys and bats, but most have been donated to various charities over the years. He still has his Gold Glove awards and his World Series trophy.
Stanley’s rookie card is the 1966 Topps #198, a posed photo in his Detroit uniform that now sells for about $3.
One of the most sought-after Stanley cards is his 1967 Topps high number #607 that sells for about $50. The ’67 high-number card, graded PSA 7, has been available on eBay with a $299 Buy-It-Now price.
“I collected cards as a youngster … I sure wish I still had some of those cards [today],” Stanley said. “I had the Topps bubble gum cards. I can’t believe how valuable those cards would be today.”
Stanley said he still receives daily fan mail, almost always with cards to be signed.
“I have quite a few [of my cards], but they don’t mean a lot to me,” he said. “I don’t know one from the other; other than they tell me my ’67 high-number is valuable.”
Stanley’s autograph shows every letter in his name.
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He said he answers his fan mail, but never signs more than three per request.
Stanley’s favorite former player was Reno Bertoia, a third baseman who played in 612 major league games for the Detroit Tigers and Washington Senators from 1953-62. He was a .244 lifetime hitter who smacked 27 career home runs. Bertoia’s best season was in 1960 with Washington when he batted .265 and drove in a career-high 45 RBIs.
Stanley met Bertoia when he was in grade school, and again later when both were older.
“He was my favorite ballplayer for a long time and once I got to know him, he was a peach of a guy. Meant a lot to get his autograph back in the day,” Stanley said.
Stanley wishes he still had that Bertoia autograph.
