Alan Hobbs sent me a copy of an APBA card worthy of discussion. It’s Ferguson Jenkins’ 1971 original 1971 card. I posted APBA’s 1993 reprint of Fergie’s 1971 card over eleven years ago but I’ll take any excuse to write about one of the Cubs I grew up with.
1971 Ferguson Jenkins
- 24 wins, 2.77 ERA, 263 Ks, 30 CG
- .243 BA. six HR, 20 RBIs
- NL Cy Young, All-Star
For me, Jenkins is the epitome of a childhood baseball icon. He debuted in the bigs the year after I was born. Shortly after, he was traded to my home team, the Chicago Cubs. He ended his career in 1983 a year after I graduated from high school.
In 1971, Jenkins ran on all cylinders for the Cubbies. In a now unheard of 325 innings pitched, he won 24 games for the 3rd place Cubs while striking out 263 and posting a 2.77 ERA. One of the most striking stats from 1971, Jenkins completed 30 games. To put that in context, the entire MLB has not reached that mark yet.
I even remember from my youth how Fergie could hit. He certainly wasn’t a stranger to the long ball hitting a respectable .243. Of his 28 hits, fourteen were for extra bases and six went yard.
Jenkins certainly earned his Cy Young Award in 1971. He was also an All-Star and was in the running for the NL MVP.
The Stats
1971 Jenkins Pitching
| Split | W | L | W-L% | ERA | G | GS | CG | SHO | IP | H | R | ER | HR | BB | IBB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 Totals | 24 | 13 | .649 | 2.77 | 39 | 39 | 30 | 3 | 325.0 | 304 | 114 | 100 | 29 | 37 | 6 | 263 |
1971 Jenkins Hitting
| Split | G | GS | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | BA | OBP | SLG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 Totals | 39 | 39 | 132 | 115 | 13 | 28 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 20 | 0 | 7 | 40 | .244 | .282 | .478 |
Pitching-wise, Ferguson Jenkins is a Grade A pitcher. I think the rule of thumb is that any pitcher who wins 24 games is automatically an A no matter what their ERA is. Jenkins of course, would have most likely earned that grade based on his 2.77 ERA too.
Jenkins was also given an X and a Z. The X was doled out due to his 7.3 K/9 IP or his 20.3% strikeout rate. In the 1993 reprint, Jenkins was given a ZZ. Keep in mind, the ZZ did not exist at the time of the 1971 orignal print. Jenkins walked 37 in 325 innings and had a 2.9 BB%, the lowest of his career.
At first glance, Fergie’s hitting card can pass for a position player from 1971, maybe a little better. In addition to his 1-4-5-6 power numbers, he also has four 8s, a rarity among pitchers. He gives the Cubs another hitter in the lineup, certainly not an automatic out.
In comparison to the 1993 reprint, Alan points out something however:
I thought you might find it interesting that while the reprint you discussed had 1-5-5-6 power numbers, his original card was 1-4-5-6
Alan is correct and I’m not sure why there is a change. The 1-4-5-6, which you see above, is probably more reflective of his season. My feeling is that early on in the APBA Company’s venture, they took more license in card making. In more recent years, it focused more on accuracy.
For more info:
Kevin Glew writes a in-depth piece about a game that Jenkins pitched (and hit!) fifty-two years ago this week. Cubs fans will like this one.
Ferguson Jenkins is one of the few Major League Baseball personalities I follow on Twitter! If you’re still on Twitter, he’s worth a follow. Appropriately, this was posted just a few days ago:
Thanks again, Alan!
