Willie Stargell (1940-2001) played baseball in MLB for the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1962-1982. Over his 21 seasons, Stargell is best remembered for his power hitting.
He ended his career with a .282 batting average, 2,232 hits, 475 home runs, and 1,540 runs batted in. These stats led to seven All Star appearances, two World Series championships, NL MVP in 1979, two time NL home run leader, and the 1973 NL RBI leader.
Stargell was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1988. He was inducted with 82.4% of the vote on the first ballot.
Born in Earlsboro, Oklahoma, Stargell moved around as a child, and he landed in Alameda, California with his mother.
Stargell was a baseball star at a young age, and two of his high school teammates included Tommy Harper and Curt Motton. Stargell was signed by the Pirates in 1959 out of high school, and he entered the minor leagues.
Stargell steadily moved his way through the farm system. After time in New Mexico, North Dakota, Iowa, Texas, North Carolina, and Ohio.
Given the time period, Stargell was pestered with racism, and he almost quit baseball due to the difficulties surrounding his African American race. Stargell was forced to segregate, and he faced consistent threats, including being held up at gunpoint. Though his life was threatened more than once, Stargell carried on, as black baseball heroes of the day did.
Entering MLB at the age of 22, Stargell followed up a weak rookie season with a breakout sophomore year. Stargell struggled with offseason condition for his first few seasons, but he continued to perform well.
By the time he was 31 in 1971, Stargell showed no signs of slowing down, and he was the home run leader, barely beating Hank Aaron. The Pirates won the Series, Stargell had a great season in 1972, and in 1973, he led the NL in home runs, RBIs, and slugging percentage, though he barely lost the MVP race to Pete Rose. By this time, Stargell was officially on track to enter the Hall.
As Hall of Famers do, Stargell continued to impress. Despite his age, Stargell was the NL MVP in 1979, and in that year, the Pirates won the World Series. To cap it off, Stargell was the World Series MVP.
After 1979, Stargell never appeared in more than 74 games. He retired in 1982.
Stargell is best remembered as a terrifying power hitter. He stood, muscled, at 6 feet 3 inches. He hit seven of the 18 balls that ever made it past the 86 foot high right field stands at Forbes Field.
The center field at Forbes Field was 457 feet, and many speculate about his numbers if he had spent his entire career at a different stadium.
It is left for fans to debate, but Roberto Clemente stated that Stargell hit 400 fly balls to the warning track over the eight seasons at Forbes Field.
Picture this: the hulking Stargell would warm up with a sledgehammer while on-deck, and at the plate he would spin the bat up until the windup. The man had the home runs, the stats, the size, but he also had the style. Below are a few of the best cards that commemorate the power hitter.
1963 Topps Willie Stargell Rookie Card
Stargell’s rookie card sits at #553 in the 1963 Topps, which has 576 cards in total with each card of standard size (2 ½” x 3 ½”). In addition to Stargell, major rookie cards include Pete Rose, Tony Oliva, and Rusty Staub.
Stargell is on a card titled “1963 Rookie Stars” which he shares with Brock Davis, Jim Gosger, and John Hernstein. Be careful not to confuse
this card with the other 1963 Rookie Stars card at #537 which features the rookie card of four players including Pete Rose. The cards look similar and are popular.
There are over 5,000 copies of Stargell’s shared rookie card registered for PSA, which provides context on scarcity. However, the card has not survived well in top condition as only 30 of those cards are Mint and only one is Gem Mint.
Stargell’s rookie card has been selling for around $5,000 for the last several years in Mint condition. However, prices will vary. For example, a Mint copy sold for $2,119.63 in February of 2021, and then a month later, a Mint copy sold for $10,800. As always, caveat emptor (let the buyer beware).
With a budget of $1,000, a savvy collector could get a PSA 8, but a PSA 7 is almost guaranteed.
1964 Topps Willie Stargell
There are 587 cards in the 1964 Topps, and each card is standard size. Stargell’s card is at #342. Major rookies include Lou Piniella, Tommy John, Richie Allen, Mickey Lolich, and Phil Niekro.
There are over 1000 cards registered with PSA, and the card has been preserved decently well in high grade.
Gem Mint copies are rarely sold, but they will go for thousands. Mint copies sold for between $500 and $600 for the last few years, but a copy sold for $1,332 in March of 2021.
1965 Topps Willie Stargell
The 1965 Topps Baseball has 598 cards, and Stargell’s card sits at #377. Each card has standard measurements. Steve Carlton, a future Hall of Famer, is a key rookie.
Willie Stargell’s card remains important to the Topps set, and he has been well preserved. For reference, PSA has over 1,000 cards registered, and many of them are in top grade.
While Gem Mint cards have sold for well over $1,500 for the last several years, Mint copies have gone for around $500.
1966 Topps Willie Stargell
Stargell sits at #255 in this set of 598 cards. Some major players on the set include Willie Mays, Mickey Mantle, Roberto Clemente, and Hank Aaron.
Stargell’s card starts to lose popularity later for the cards produced later in his career. In contrast with the earlier cards, there are about 800 cards registered with PSA, but the quality of the conditions stays consistent.
Gem Mint cards are rarely sold, and Mint cards have sold for around $500 since 2011.
Conclusion
Topps continued to include Stargell in their sets every year until his retirement. Every year is a quality card, but as you move along Stargell’s career, his cards continue to decline in value and popularity, which is completely normal.
For the more frugal collector, you can grab a cheaper Stargell card into the 70s and early 80s. As a well respected Hall of Famer, Stargell remains a key, sometimes a minor key, for the rest of his career.
Stargell is a legendary figure. Picture the massive man with the sledgehammer on deck belting the ball to a mythical distance. His card can be an investment as a Hall of Famer, as well as an early black player during the Civil Rights Movement, and his cards are an excellent commemoration of a home run hitter of the proportions of Ruth and Aaron.