Happy Sunday…and happy Don Mattingly’s birthday!
In case you didn’t know, Mattingly is sort of a big deal here in Indiana. Certainly, he’s one of a handful of the greatest players ever to hail from the Hoosier state, and there are plenty of locals (and others) who consider him the greatest.
But Mattingly isn’t just from Indiana. He was born and raised in Evansville, which has been a particular baseball hotbed for more than a century.
To celebrate Donnie Baseball and his hometown, then, here are five baseball cards of players born in Evansville, Indiana.
1985 Donruss Two for the Title (#651)
Yeah, I know this is not just a Mattingly card, and the Hit Man doesn’t even get the leadoff slot. But, man, this was a fun card when Donruss issued it in 1985, and it’s still just as fun today.
And it’s an important piece of history, too.
I’ve been over this before, but when Mattingly appeared seemingly out of nowhere (to us casual and young fans, at least) on the batting leaders board in the summer of 1984…and when he stayed there…and when he battled teammate Dave Winfield down to the wire for the title…
Well, the rookie card craze took on a whole new complexion — pretty much the one you’d get about three seconds after drinking a bottle of, say, Taco Bell Fire sauce at high noon in Tombstone in the middle of August.
And Mattingly became the it guy of the hobby — and he only got hotter and itter with a blistering 1985 that unfurled as we were chasing this card in those hard-to-find Donruss wax packs.
Mattingly’s back may have derailed his Cooperstown journey, but he was certainly the most sensational player to ever sprout out of Indiana, even if he didn’t wind up as the most decorated.
For more on this nifty card, see my old post right here. And I’ve also written about Mattingly several other times — see this list of posts.
1988 Topps Traded Andy Benes (#14T)
Even as Mattingly was in the midst of his peak years and doing his best to make the baseball world sit up and take notice of Evansville, Andy Benes was doing his best to keep the homefront sizzling.
A three-sport star at Evansville Central High School, Benes was an all-city selection as a shortstop in his senior season but was particularly nasty on the mound: 7-0, 0.84 ERA. After graduation, he stepped right into the University of Evansville program and also played football and basketball his first year.
By 1988, though, Benes was all baseball, all the time, and the results were spectacular: 16-3, 188 strikeouts, a 21-strikeout game, and named to most college All-American and “best of” lists.
That summer, he pitched for Team USA in the Olympics, nailing the win that advanced them to the medal round. That stint landed him his first real estate in a major card set, the 1988 Topps Traded you see above.
That June, the Padres had made Benes the first overall pick in the MLB draft. He was in San Diego for good by August of 1989 and soon developed into an ace and Cy Young contender. Over the course of 14 years in the majors with the Padres, Cardinals, Diamondbacks, and Mariners, Benes went 155-139 with a 3.97 ERA.
He even got to pitch on the same staff with younger brother Alan in parts of four seasons with St. Louis.
By the way, if you want to see a 1988 Topps Traded card that’s not quite as wholesome looking as the Benes rookie, check out Buddy Bell’s first Astros card. If this one doesn’t make tiny purple fishes run laughing through your fingers, nothing will.
1974 Topps Paul Splittorff (#225)
I have to admit it: before digging in to this exercise, I either didn’t know or didn’t remember that Paul Splittorff was born in Evansville. But he was always one of those guys who finished their careers just as I was picking up the game who I wish I could have seen more of.
I mean, the record is plain to see, there on the back of Splittorff’s cards and in the pages of Street & Smith’s Baseball Yearbooks, and now on the “pages” of Baseball Reference and other sites. And that record says that Splittorff was a key component of the Royals growth from expansion team to every-year contender and even pennant winner.
Some years, Splittorff was the staff ace, as he was in 1973 when he went 20-11 with a 3.98 ERA. That 1974 Topps card up there shows him how he probably looked during that summer of ‘73, and it gives our first good cardboard look at the glasses which would become part of his stock in trade.
And even when he had a “down” year, Splittorff was still a valuable member of a rotation that also featured the likes of Steve Busby, Larry Gura, Dennis Leonard, Al Fitzmorris, Rich Gale, and a few others.
In all, Splittorff spent parts of 15 seasons in the majors, all with Kansas City, going 166-143 with a 3.81 ERA. He also posted a 2.79 ERA in seven postseason appearances that included four starts.
Now, in the interest of full disclosure, Splittorff did most of his growing up and most of his early pitching in and around Arlington Heights, Illinois. But he was baked and hatched in Evansville, so he’s a Hoosier in my book.
1972 Topps Ray Newman (#667)
Newman was another transplant who started life in Evansville but wound up cutting his baseball chops in more northern climes. In Newman’s case, those climes were the wilds and campuses of Muskegon, Michigan, first at Muskegon High School, then at Muskegon Community College.
Born in 1945, Newman latched on with the Detroit Tigers as an amateur free agent in 1964, one year before the first MLB draft. In November of ‘64, the Cubs plucked him away from Detroit in the first-year draft. Six-and-a-half short years later, he had duly climbed the Chicago minor league ladder and landed at Wrigley Field in May of 1971.
In 30 games as a rookie, the left-handed reliever went 1-2 with a 3.53 ERA and two saves, while also catching the attention of manager Leo Durocher. Seems Newman had a habit of riding his bicycle to the ballpark and even missed a game after a car hit him, which made a big impression on his skipper.
So, as Topps was rolling out their 1972 set that would feature the nifty Newman rookie card above, the Cubs traded their nearly-27-year-old “youngster” to the Brewers for Odis McCowan and Floyd Weaver. Speaking of his 1971 team around the same time, The Lip allegedly made mention of “this nut who used to ride a bicycle to the ballpark."
After splitting 1973 and 1974 between Milwaukee and the Triple-A Evansville Triplets (yes, that Evansville), Newman wrapped up his pro career with two summers in his birth town. The Triplets were Tigers affiliates in both 1975 and 1976, so it was a double-dose homecoming for Newman.
1990 Topps Major League Debut Jeff Schulz (#110)
Like Mattingly, Schulz stuck to his Indiana roots all through his baseball infancy. After starting at Reitz Memorial High School in Evansville, he played college ball at both Indiana State University and the University of Southern Indiana (Evansville).
The Royals drafted Schulz in the 23rd round in June of 1983, and he embarked on a long minor league journey that ultimately saw him spend nearly four years at Triple-A Omaha. Finally, in 1989, the Royals called him to the bigs, and he made his debut on September 2 of that year.
In case you ever forget that date, just dig out Schulz’s 1990 Topps Major League Debut card (see above), and you’re all set. If you want to learn a bit more about this set, check out this post about Dick Scott’s card.
As for Schulz, he spent parts of two seasons with K.C., then wrapped up his big league career with three games in Pittsburgh in 1991. In 40 games, he hit .244 while mostly appearing in the outfield, with some pinch-hitting duties mixed in.
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There you have five southwestern Hoosiers to get you started on your journey to understanding the wonders of Indiana baseball, particularly of the Evansville variety. A few other names you can dive into, if you’re so inclined: Scott Rolen (check out this post), Alan Benes, Jamey Carroll, Pete Fox, Steel Arm Tyler, Jerad Eickhoff, and Charlie Dexter.
This is important stuff, because everyone has a little Indiana in them, like it or not. And now, you have just a little bit more.
Thanks for reading.
—Adam
P.S. – Thinking About Selling Your Cards?
Every week, I hear from readers (especially over on the market report) who ask some version of:
“Hey, I’ve got some cards in the closet. Any of them worth anything?”
It’s a great question, but the answer depends on a lot of different factors.
Grading, condition, timing, demand, era (hint: junk wax is a tough sell!),
So I’m putting together a short, no-fluff guide to help collectors figure out what they have, what it’s worth, and whether it’s worth selling…or keeping!
It’s for people who don’t want to get burned, or just want to stop staring at boxes in the attic.
Want early access when it’s ready?
👉 Sign up here, and I’ll let you know when it’s live.
(I may even follow up with a quick checklist or preview to help you get started.)
I just missed Splitt as a pitcher, but I caught his entire broadcasting career. At first, I was like who is this new guy, because he joined right after the Royals broke up the TV broadcast crew that introduced me to the game (& called the 85 championship), so understandably was attached to them. Within a couple of seasons, however, he'd entrenched himself as one of the true voices of KC, along with Denny Matthews and Fred White. He also put in the work to become a skilled Big 8/12 basketball announcer. When his health forced him to give up the mic, it was a sad day in KC. He made a brief, valiant comeback, and even if we all knew he wasn't 100%, I don't think most of us cared. We were just happy to have him back. He is still very much missed by KC baseball fans of a certain age.