1934-1936 Diamond Stars: #16 Lloyd Waner

Sunday, October 16, 2022

#16 Lloyd Waner - Pittsburgh Pirates

Lloyd James Waner
Pittsburgh Pirates
Oufield

Bats: Left Throws: Right Height: 5'9" Weight: 150
Born: March 16, 1906, Harrah, OK
Major League Teams: Pittsburgh Pirates 1927-1941; Boston Braves 1941; Cincinnati Reds 1941; Philadelphia Phillies 1942; Brooklyn Dodgers 1944; Pittsburgh Pirates 1944-1945

World Series Appearances: Pittsburgh Pirates 1927

Died: July 22, 1982, Oklahoma City, OK (76)

Hall of Fame Induction: 1967

Lloyd "Little Poison" Waner, along with his brother Paul "Big Poison" Waner (#83), served as cornerstones of the Pirates outfield throughout the 1930s, eventually setting the major league record for hits by a pair of brothers with 5,611. Lloyd, the younger Waner brother, settled in as the everyday center fielder for the Pirates in 1927, leading the league with 133 runs scored, collecting a career-high 223 hits and finishing sixth in the league's MVP voting. Waner's 223 hits in his first year still stands as the all-time single season record for National League rookies. He'd see his only postseason action that year, batting .400 (6 in 15) in the World Series ultimately won by the powerhouse Yankees in a four-game sweep. Waner continued his steady output throughout the late 1920s and 1930s, leading the league in triples with 20 in 1929, and hits with 214 in 1931. With little power, Little Poison led the league in singles four times, and had a batting average over .300 in 11 seasons. He made his only All-Star team in 1938.

Waner spent the latter part of his career bouncing around a bit, but finishing back with the Pirates in 1944 and 1945. He was a lifetime .316 batter with 2,459 hits and 1,201 runs scored. The Veteran's Committee voted Waner into the Hall of Fame in 1967, and he was part of the inaugural Pittsburgh Pirates Hall of Fame Class in 2022.

Building the Set

September 15, 2022 from San Diego, CA (Kit Young Cards) - Card #62

This Waner card was part of a larger stress-induced purchase from Kit Young Cards in mid-September. The stress was all work related, and while some people choose to relieve stress through less productive means, I opted to purchase several vintage baseball cards. The centerpiece of the haul was the 1965 Topps Carl Yastrzemski card, which dropped the number of cards needed for that complete set down to five. Joining Yaz were Waner, the Diamond Stars card of Joe Stripp (#89), and a League Leaders card from the 1969 Topps set, which will be my focus after the last five cards needed from 1965 are tracked down.

September 2022 was a blur. I travelled for work the better part of two weeks, school started, the boys' fall sports schedules (cross country and baseball) were non-stop and there was little to no time to rest or to enjoy baseball card purchases.

Taking a mental health day in early October, I'm happy to have the time to catch my breath and truly appreciate the new baseball cards that helped get me through the last month.

Variations Available

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

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

3 - 1936 / blue back / 1935 statistics / 1934 copyright

The Card / Pirates Team Set

In my opinion, this is one of the most iconic cards of the set, and the bright art deco colors are on full display behind the posed shot of Waner reaching for the ball. The tip on the back of the card implores outfielders to catch fly balls high above your head, in order to give yourself a second chance in case you bobble and drop the ball. I can't say I've ever heard this as the reason for catching a fly ball above your head before.

1934 Season

Now a veteran on the Pirates, Waner was again the team's regular center fielder, appearing in 140 games and batting .283 with 173 hits. Older brother Paul made 145 starts in left with Lloyd to his left in center field for 139 starts. The Pirates finished in fifth place with a 74-76-1 record with third baseman Pie Traynor (#99) taking over as the club's manager a few months into the season.

Phillies Career

Waner was released by the Reds on October 8, 1941, signing as a free agent with the Phillies less than two months later on December 4th. If that date seems vaguely familiar it's because Pearl Harbor was attacked by Japanese forces three days later on December 7th, sending the U.S. into World War II. Because of current events, I imagine the signing of the aging Waner went largely unnoticed by Phillies fans.

The 1942 Phillies would lose 109 games. Waner was the team's opening day center fielder, and he'd make 70 starts overall at the position. In 101 games, he'd bat .261 with just 10 RBIs, the lowest total of any of the team's regular players. His time in Philadelphia lasted just the one season as he was dealt to the Dodgers on March 9, 1943 with infielder Al Glossop for first baseman Babe Dahlgren.