I poked around my APBA collection Sunday night and pulled out the 1949 New York Yankees. Of course, I looked for Joe DiMaggio and his card didn’t disappoint.
I knew I hadn’t featured DiMaggio’s ’49 card because I remembered he was injured that year and his playing time was limited. For some reason, that kept me from doing an article on him. In hindsight, I should have. The 1949 was the first full past season put out by APBA and the company used star power of DiMaggio, Williams, and the like to sell the set. It worked on me because I bought it as a kid.
Besides, it IS a great card.
1949 Joe DiMaggio
.346/.459/.596
67 rbis in 72 games
AL All-Star
DiMaggio only played in 72 games in 1949 due to injury but he made the most of it. He hit .346 and slugged .596 as hitter. He hit 14 homers and notably, six triples in 272 at-bats.
Joe D was an on base maniac. With 55 walks, he struck out only 18 times.
| Split | G | GS | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | BA | OBP | SLG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1949 Totals | 76 | 76 | 329 | 272 | 58 | 94 | 14 | 6 | 14 | 67 | 0 | 55 | 18 | .346 | .459 | .596 |
Joe DiMaggio kept up his All-Star streak. Despite his playing time (he started playing June 28 and the All-Star game was played July 12), his popularity earned him a spot on the AL squad.
By some miracle, DiMaggio was not voted AL MVP (okay, I’m being snarky) but did come in 12th in voting.
A look at the 1949 DiMaggio card
DiMaggio’s 14 doubles, 6 triples and 14 homeruns allocates his card a nifty 1-3-5-6 power number combination. This isn’t the first time he’s had an 11-3 by the way.
With his high batting average, Joe DiMaggio was tagged with a 44-7 and a 55-7. APBA gave him four 8s as well. That gives him a 42-9!
With his .459 OBP, DiMaggio was rewarded with plenty of on base opportunities. In addition to his hits, he has six 14s. I love his 21-14, his 24-14 and his 46-40.
A few other details
- Joltin’ Joe had 11 GIDP in half a season and that will give anyone a case of “Twentyfouritis”. APBA gave him three 24s.
- DiMaggio was rated as a fast baserunner earlier in his career (see 1941 Joe DiMaggio). By 1949, he was 34 years old, didn’t have that spring in his step and lost the F rating. Not surprisingly, he retained his OF-3 rating.
- DiMaggio received a 53-15 despite being hit by the pitch only twice.
Maybe I’ll do Ted Williams of 1949 next. The 1949 set is so iconic in APBA history!
Wow. it’s good to see a DiMaggio. i’m sure you’ve posted some in the past but i missed them. i’m no modern Yankee fan but i sure respected those old ones. especially sweet Lou. i have the 1937 set (but stupidly haven’t gotten around to playing with it yet) and DiMaggio had a great card that year as a second or third year player. nice post……erik
Oh. I was going to ask. Why no “J” rating on card?
Good question!
The original 1949 set was published in 1974. APBA didn’t start using the J-factor until the year after in 1975.
I had to check my facts using the APBA 12 List which has all this info.
https://www.apbablog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/APBA12List3.pdf
I bought the 1949 set when it came out, as a teen. I never played it much, as I was too busy with my NL replays. I didn’t like all the walks. I’m currently replaying the 1954 Giants, Indians, and Robin Roberts as a Grade B. I’m reporting on Twitter, as OhhJim.
Jim: I lived in Tampa in the 1970s, when the late Robin Roberts was baseball coach at University of South Florida. He was a member of Temple Terrace Country Club, which I also belonged to. I had the opportunity to play golf with him several times.
One time, when I just picked up a game with him, we were stalled, waiting on a group in front of us to finish a hole, we were talking baseball and he remarked “Nobody remembers this, but I had several good years with Baltimore after I left the Phillies. In fact, he won 42 games with the Orioles! But, in all of our minds, he’s always the ace of the Phillies staff.