1934-1936 Diamond Stars: #83 Paul Waner

Sunday, October 1, 2023

#83 Paul Waner - Pittsburgh Pirates

Paul Glee Waner
Pittsburgh Pirates
Oufield

Bats: Left Throws: Left Height: 5'8" Weight: 153
Born: April 16, 1903, Harrah, OK
Major League Teams: Pittsburgh Pirates 1926-1940; Brooklyn Dodgers 1941; Boston Braves 1941-1942; Brooklyn Dodgers 1943-1944; New York Yankees 1944-1945

World Series Appearances: Pittsburgh Pirates 1927

Died: August 29, 1965, Sarasota, FL (62)

Hall of Fame Induction: 1952

Nicknamed "Big Poison" to go along with his younger brother Lloyd's (#16) nickname of "Little Poison," Paul Waner is one of the best outfielders in Pittsburgh Pirates franchise history. Waner played for 15 seasons with the Pirates, winning batting titles in 1927, 1934 and 1936. His sophomore season of 1927 was his best, as along with the batting title and career-high .380 average, he led the league in hits (237), triples (18) and RBIs (131) and was named league MVP. In the 1927 World Series, lost to the powerhouse Yankees in four games, Waner batted .333 (5 for 15). Waner was named to four All-Star teams, including the inaugural National League squad in 1933. Following his departure from the Pirates in 1940, Waner would spend the final five seasons of his career with the Braves, Dodgers and Yankees. He became the 7th member of the 3,000 hit club on June 19, 1942, as a member of the Braves.

Waner batted over .300 in 14 seasons and collected at least 200 hits in eight seasons. He retired with a .333 average, 3,152 hits (20th all-time), 1,627 runs scored, 605 doubles (15th all-time), 191 triples (10th all-time), 113 home runs and 1,309 RBIs. A fine right fielder, his 2,250 games played at the position are currently second all-time behind future Pirate superstar Roberto Clemente. Waner was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1952 and his brother Lloyd joined him in 1967. The Pirates' retired Waner's #11 in 2007 on the 55th anniversary of his Hall of Fame induction.

Building the Set

September 23, 2023 from The Philly Show (Ed's Old Baseball Cards) - Card #91

I wrote about this quick show visit over at The Phillies Room. Doug and I drove through a hard, steady rain on Saturday morning, navigated our way through the confusing admission lines, found the not-well-marked autograph pavilion, stood in line again, purchased our autograph tickets for Michael Lorenzen and Jim Thome and waited our turn.

For the first time ever, I spent all my allotted baseball card show money at one table and one table only. Technically, it was two tables, but the two dealers from the Buffalo area were working together and even provided me with a joint business card. From the Ed Hans side of the table, I found this Waner card needed for my Diamond Stars set build. From the Gary Nuchereno side of the table, I first settled on four star cards needed for our 1969 Topps set - all in good shape and very reasonably priced. After we secured Thome's and Lorenzen's autographs, I went back and found 11 needed commons and semistars from the same dealer's 1969 Topps binder.

Variations Available

1 - 1935 / green back / 1934 statistics / 1935 copyright

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

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

Cards 73 through 84 were issued in 1935 with either green or blue ink on the back and statistics from 1934. These same 12 cards were issued again in 1936 with blue ink on the back and statistics from 1935. The Waner card for my set is the second of the three variations available, issued in 1935 with blue ink used for the back.

The Card / Pirates Team Set

There is quite a bit going on behind Waner on this card. National Chicle added a catcher, a home plate umpire and an on-deck batter instead of having Waner just shown smiling while holding his bat. The Pirates didn't have a player who wore #28 between 1932, the year they first wore uniform numbers and 1935. It would have been cool if the artist tasked with adding the on-deck batter had given him uniform #10, worn by Lloyd Waner.

The write-up on the back explains how Waner, being left-handed, has an advantage when he puts the ball in play as he's closer to first base. I don't follow what the "Turn around hitting" statement is supposed to mean?

1935 Season

Waner was again the regular right fielder for the Pirates, with his brother Lloyd usually next to him in center field. Waner appeared in 139 games, batting .321 with 176 hits as his Pirates finished in fourth place in the National League. He was sixth in the league with a .392 on-base percentage.

Phillies Connection

It doesn't appear it was ever an official arrangement, but Waner spent time in the early 1960s as a part-time hitting coach with the Phillies. A quick Google search turned up a few images of Waner wearing the red pinstripes of the Phillies, including the 1960 press photo shown above.