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William Jennings Bryan Herman
Chicago Cubs
Second Base
Born: July 7, 1909, New Albany, IN
Major League Teams: Chicago Cubs 1931-41; Brooklyn Dodgers 1941-43, 1946; Boston Braves 1946; Pittsburgh Pirates 1947
World Series Appearances: Chicago Cubs 1932, 1935, 1938; Brooklyn Dodgers 1941
As a Manager: Pittsburgh Pirates 1947; Boston Red Sox 1964-66
Died: September 5, 1992, West Palm Beach, FL (83)
Hall of Fame Induction: 1975
Named for the three-time Presidential candidate and long-time politician, Billy Herman was an All-Star second baseman for the Cubs throughout the 1930s and into the early 1940s. He earned a spot on the All-Star Game roster ten times, including his career year of 1935 when he led the league with 227 hits and 57 doubles. Herman helped his teams win four pennants (1932, 1935 and 1938 with the Cubs and 1941 with the Dodgers) but he was never a World Series winner as a player. He missed all of the 1944 and 1945 seasons while serving during World War II and he'd play his final years with the Dodgers, Braves and Pirates. Herman's managerial career began in 1947 as the player-manager for the Pirates, but his team struggled to a 61-92-2 record and seventh place in the National League. A consistent and steady fielder, Herman led all second baseman in fielding percentage three times and finished in the top ten for the mark 12 times. Over 1,922 games he collected 2,345 hits while batting .304.
Some text for this post originally appeared on my 1965 Topps blog.
Building the Set
December 16, 2020 from Albion, NY
Within days of officially deciding to collect the Diamond Stars set, I found myself searching for the 1993 extension set consisting of 36 more "what if" cards this time issued by the Chicle Fantasy Company. Individual cards from this set are very prevalent on eBay, but I wanted to buy a complete set to save myself some time and money. Given this is a relatively modern set, I was somewhat surprised at the closing auction prices for previously sold complete sets and I was happy to win my set at a lower price.
These cards are gorgeous, and I can tell a lot of hard work and love for the originals went into making this tribute set. What's more, the set's creators were smart enough to start the numbering with card #121, given the 1981 extension set had left off with #120.
Variations Available
1 - 1993 / blue back / 1935 statistics / 1993 copyright
The Card / Cubs Team Set
The front of the card features Herman making another clean play in the field, while the back highlights his accomplishments up through the 1935 season. Cubs teammates Frank Demaree, Stan Hack (#34) and Gabby Hartnett (#134) are all name-checked as the sluggers bringing Herman home once he's reached based.
1936 Season
One of Herman's best seasons statistically, he batted .334 in 153 games with 211 hits, 57 doubles and 93 RBIs. He was named to his third All-Star team and finished third in the MVP voting behind Carl Hubbell (#39) and Dizzy Dean (#124).
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Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card: 1933 Goudey #227
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (6): 1952, 1954-55, 1960, 1965-66
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2018 Panini Diamond Kings #35
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (6): 1952, 1954-55, 1960, 1965-66
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2018 Panini Diamond Kings #35
328 - Herman non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 1/2/26.
Sources:
Previous Card: #135 "Babe" Herman - Cincinnati Reds
Next Card: #137 Waite Hoyt - Pittsburgh Pirates
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