1934-1936 Diamond Stars: #21 Johnny Vergez

Sunday, September 10, 2023

#21 Johnny Vergez - New York Giants

Jean Louis Vergez

New York Giants

Third Base

Bats: Right Throws: Right Height: 5'8" Weight: 165

Born: July 9, 1906, Oakland, CA

Major League Teams: New York Giants 1931-1934; Philadelphia Phillies 1935-1936; St. Louis Cardinals 1936

Died: July 15, 1991, Davis, CA (85)

Johnny Vergez played in six big league seasons and was the regular third baseman for the Giants between 1931 and 1935. His best season came in 1933 when he hit .271 with a career high 16 home runs to go along with 72 RBIs. He had previously reached his career peak in both average (.278) and RBIs (81) in his rookie season of 1931. A steady defender at third, Vergez lead all third baseman in fielding percentage in 1935 and finished in the top ten in the league in three other seasons. In 672 major league games, Vergez batted .255 with 52 home runs and 292 RBIs.

Both before and after his big league career, Vergez starred in the Pacific Coast League with the Oakland Oaks (1929-1930, 1939-1943) and the Sacramento Solons (1936-1938). He was the Oaks' player manager between 1939 and 1943, and while the record from his first two seasons at the helm are unavailable, over the final three seasons he guided the Oaks to three first place finishes and an overall record of 512-244. After his PCL career, Vergez scouted for the Giants and was the head baseball coach at Saint Mary's College.

Building the Set

August 18, 2023 from Howell, NJ (East Coast Cards & Slabs) - Card #88

This was a surprisingly hard card for me to find, and when I did find it on eBay in mid-August, I was surprised at how low the asking price was. Most of the Vergez cards I've come across in my travels have been the Phillies version of the card, which updates his team designation from Giants to Phillies following his trade from New York in November 1934. The few Giants versions of this card I've seen over the years have all been fairly beat up. This card arrived a few days after I had clicked Buy It Now from East Coast Cards & Slabs, located in Howell, New Jersey, and I took the picture shown here with both my Vergez variations meeting for the first time.

Variations Available

1 - 1934 / green back / 1933 statistics / 1934 copyright / team on back is the Giants ✅

2 - 1935 / green back / 1934 statistics / 1934 copyright / team on back is the Phillies

The Card / Giants Team Set

The first sentence on the back misspells Vergez's name before going into a lengthy "running the bases" tip. I believe Vergez is shown here wearing an Oakland Oaks jersey, meaning the source photo is likely from either 1929 or 1930, years in which Vergez spent the entire season with the Oaks.

1934 Season

Vergez was the regular third baseman for the Giants, appearing in 108 games and batting an even .200 with seven home runs and 27 RBIs. The Giants finished just two games behind the Cardinals for the National League pennant, with Carl Hubbell (#39), Mel Ott (#50) and Bill Terry (#14) leading the way.

Phillies Career

The Giants traded Vergez along with Pretzel Pezzullo, Blondy Ryan (#40), George Watkins and cash to the Phillies on November 1, 1934 for All-Star shortstop Dick Bartell (#101). Vergez was the Phillies' opening day third baseman in 1935, and he'd go on to start 148 games at the position with Mickey Haslin receiving the other 8 starts. Vergez had a solid year with his glove, but struggled somewhat at the plate. He led all National League third baseman with putouts (188) and double plays turned (25), while leading the league in fielding percentage (.953) at the position. At the plate, Vergez batted .249 with 9 home runs and 63 RBIs. The 1935 Phillies, managed by Jimmie Wilson (#22), finished 7th in the National League with a 64-89 record.

Vergez broke camp with the Phillies in 1936 and again was the club's opening day third baseman. But on April 30th, the Phillies re-acquired Pinky Whitney from the Boston Bees and Vergez's time with the team was essentially over. After 15 games with the Phillies at the start of the season, Vergez was sold to the Cardinals on May 24th.