1934-1936 Diamond Stars: #35 Earle Averill

Sunday, November 7, 2021

#35 Earle Averill - Cleveland Indians

Howard Earl Averill

Cleveland Indians

Outfield

Bats: Left Throws: Right Height: 5'9" Weight: 172

Born: May 21, 1902, Snohomish, WA

Major League Teams: Cleveland Indians 1929-1939; Detroit Tigers 1939-1940; Boston Braves 1941

World Series Appearances: Detroit Tigers 1940

Died: August 16, 1983, Everett, WA (81)

Hall of Fame Induction: 1975

Earl Averill patrolled center field for the Indians for over a decade, making the All-Star team in six consecutive seasons between 1933 and 1938. He's the only American League outfielder to be named to each of the first six All-Star Games. A power hitter who also hit for average, Averill hit at least 30 home runs in three seasons, and drove in at least 100 runs in five different seasons. He collected a career-high 143 RBIs in 1931, finishing third in the league behind Lou Gehrig (#130) and Babe Ruth (#110). Averill batted over .330 in five seasons, attaining a career high in 1936 with a .368 average. That season he led the American League in hits (232) and triples (15). Dealt to the Tigers in July 1939, Averill saw his only postseason action with Detroit in 1940. Upon his retirement, he had 2,019 hits, a .318 career average, 238 home runs and 1,164 RBIs. Averill still tops the Indians' all-time leaders list for runs (1,154), RBIs (1,084) and triples (121), and he's second on the all-time franchise list for hits (1,965, behind Nap Lajoie with 2,052 hits) and doubles (424, behind Tris Speaker with 486).

Averill's #3 was retired by the Indians in 1975, the same year the Veteran's Committee inducted him into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Building the Set

October 12, 2021 from Valley Cottage, NY - Card #33

This Averill card came courtesy of seller OLDBBCards Vintage Sports Cards from Valley Cottage, New York, and it represents the most expensive card I've added to my set yet. I've been steadily adding commons from the set over the past year, sprinkled in with a few semi-stars, and I decided a star card was needed at some point. That point came on my birthday when I took advantage of a 20% sale being offered by the seller, and I added this Averill card along with several cards needed for our 1965 Topps set to my eBay cart. This could be the final card added to my Diamond Stars set for the year, as my Mom requested the set's checklist in case she needed to do a little extra Christmas shopping. That puts an embargo on my purchases for 2021, and we'll see if Santa leaves anything for the set under the tree this year.

Variations Available

1 - 1934 / green back / 1933 statistics / 1934 copyright

2 - 1935 / green back / 1934 statistics / 1934 copyright ✅

The final 12 cards in the Diamond Stars set, released as part of series three in 1936, contain the exact same photos and players as earlier cards from the set. Averill shows up again as card #100, with the same text on the back save for his 1935 statistics at the bottom replacing his 1934 statistics. Also, the ink on the back of card #100 is blue, similar to all cards from the third series.

The Card / Indians Team Set

I'm assuming this card can be considered an uncorrected error, as National Chicle added the E to the end of Averill's first name on the card. A quick review of his cards in the Trading Card Database shows no other cards with his first name spelled "Earle" from the era. I tried to find the company advertised on the billboard behind Averill, but I think it's a made up name inserted by the artist. Searches for "Burobeas Brand" and "Burobcas Brand" came up empty.

The tip on the back gives a batter bunting tips, which seemed odd to place on the card of a power hitter like Averill. But he did own 55 career sacrifices, including a career-high 17 in his rookie season of 1929.

1935 Season

Averill was right in the middle of his the best years of his career in 1935, and he'd again make the All-Star team, but he'd miss the game after an unfortunate fireworks accident. Lighting fireworks on July 1st, Averill had one explode in his hand, causing burns and lacerations to his hand, face and chest. He missed a few weeks to recover and was back in the Indians' line-up on July 17th. Averill's average dipped to .288 for the season and he had 19 home runs with 79 RBIs.

Phillies Connection

Averill's son, Earl Douglas Averill, also played in the majors between 1956 and 1963 with the Indians, Cubs, White Sox, Angels and Phillies. Primarily a catcher, the younger Averill was dealt to the Phillies from the Angels on December 11, 1962 for outfielder Jacke Davis. Averill was used almost exclusively as a pinch-hitter by the Phillies in 1963, appearing in 47 games with 27 of those appearances coming in the pinch-hitter role. He batted .268 with three home runs and eight RBIs for the Phillies, playing in his final major league game on September 26, 1963.