1934-1936 Diamond Stars: #31 "Kiki" Cuyler

Sunday, August 22, 2021

#31 "Kiki" Cuyler - Chicago Cubs

Hazen Shirley Cuyler

Chicago Cubs

Outfield

Bats: Right Throws: Right Height: 5'10" Weight: 180

Born: August 30, 1898, Harrisville, MI

Major League Teams: Pittsburgh Pirates 1921-1927; Chicago Cubs 1928-1935; Cincinnati Reds 1935-1937; Brooklyn Dodgers 1938

World Series Appearances: Pittsburgh Pirates 1925; Chicago Cubs 1929, 1932

Died: February 11, 1950, Ann Arbor, MI (51)

Hall of Fame Induction: 1968

Outfielder Kiki Cuyler could hit for average, possessed speed on the base paths and provided steady defense for the Pirates, Cubs, Reds and Dodgers over 18 major league seasons. Cuyler had three 200+ hit seasons while leading the league in runs scored twice, in triples once (with 26) and in stolen bases four times. He helped lead the Pirates to a World Series title in 1925, driving in six runs in the Series, and finished second in the MVP voting that season behind the Cardinals' Rogers Hornsby (#44). While his numbers were slightly better overall with the Pirates, Cuyler would play most of his career games with the Cubs, who acquired him following the 1927 season. With the Cubs, Cuyler was one of the league's top run producers, and as their everyday right fielder he helped the club reach the World Series in 1929 and 1932. He made one All-Star team (the first game wasn't played until 1933) as the starting right fielder for the 1934 N.L. squad.

Cuyler played in 1,879 career games, collecting 2,299 hits and batting .321 with 328 stolen bases. His 157 career triples is 45th on the all-time list. He briefly managed in the minor leagues after retiring as a player and was a coach for the Cubs (1941-1943) and Red Sox (1949). Cuyler was inducted posthumously into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1968 by the Veteran's Committee.

Building the Set

July 16, 2021 from Brooklyn, NY - Card #23

A boring virtual work meeting got the best of me in mid-July and I found myself browsing eBay for reasonably priced cards to add to my slowly growing Diamond Stars set. I have no rhyme or reason as to how I'm collecting this set, and I imagine I'll get to the point where all I need are the pricey Hall of Fame cards of the more well known players. For this particular mission however, I set out searching for commons, relatively speaking, and semi-stars and I happily came away with four new cards. Three cards came from Clean Sweep Auctions in Port Washington, New York, and a fourth, this Cuyler card, a surprisingly non-pricey Hall of Fame card, came separately from eBay seller booklyn426 from, appropriately enough, Brooklyn. It's been slow-going building this set, and that's honestly what I expected. With my disposable income focused on building our 1965 Topps set, and with decent cards from the Diamond Stars set averaging $30 to $40 a piece, I'm happy to take my time and enjoy what could be a lengthy journey.

Variations Available

1 - 1935 / green back / 1934 statistics / 1935 copyright / team on back is the Cubs ✅

2 - 1936 / blue back / 1935 statistics / 1935 copyright / team on back is the Reds

The Card / Cubs Team Set

Until reading and learning about Cuyler, I had always assumed his nickname was pronounced "Kee Kee" but it turns out it's actually pronounced "Ky Ky," rhyming with "eye eye." He was given the nickname as a result of teammates shortening his last name. Cuyler is looking pretty serious in this photo, but a lot of his baseball cards show him smiling. The back of the card gives a fielding tip about always knowing where to position yourself in order to back-up any play.

1935 Season

Cuyler was 36 years old on opening day and he was the Cubs' opening day center fielder with rookie Augie Galan in left and fellow veteran Chuck Klein (#139) in right. He'd appear in 45 games for the Cubs, batting .258, before the club released the former All-Star on July 5th. It was apparently a surprising move, and at least six teams bid on Cuyler's services before he opted to sign with the Reds. With the Reds, Cuyler appeared in 62 games and batted .251, while playing for a losing team for the first time in his career. For the entire season, Cuyler played in 107 games and batted just .258 with three stolen bases.