Realizing that Callison was unlikely to discover his previous glory, the Phillies traded him that winter, sending him to the Chicago Cubs for a young Oscar Gamble and righty reliever Dick Selma. Still raw and unrefined, Callison endured a series of fits and starts in 1960 and ’61, as Mauch worked with him on improving his game. Despite his short time with the team, he recorded 32 of his 60 career bWAR there.Comparing the team to the rest of the league can be done with three variables. In nine seasons, the team’s former ace compiled 35.1 bWAR (and, although I didn’t use it for pitchers, 41 fWAR). On top of that, Thomas didn’t even wear a uniform number (he played from 1899 to 1911, with every year but 1909 and part of 1908 coming in Philadelphia), further dooming his chances. It was at this point that nagging leg injuries began to take their toll. But some within the organization considered Callison an underachiever. Other teams before 1929 tried putting numbers on their uniforms, but mostly on an experimental only basis, usually not lasting longer than a season or sometimes even past a few games. Johnny Callison : 1961 Philadelphia Phillies: 36. On his 1968 Topps card, Phillies rightfielder Johnny Callison (pictured above) bears resemblance to a character on the 1970s hit series, As a youngster, Callison struggled in school but took a liking to baseball. In the middle are the number 100 and the years 1883 and 1983. Callison, who played 1958 to 1973 (1960 to 1969 as a Phillie) did wear a number...6. John Wesley Callison (March 12, 1939 – October 12, 2006) was an American professional baseball player.

A rebuilding team, the Phillies could afford to be patient with their young slugger. Forced to work a number of jobs, including stints as a bartender and a car salesman, Callison found little satisfaction in any of them, certainly nothing approaching the thrill of being a major league ballplayer. "Early in his 16-year major-league career, Johnny Callison was labeled 'the next Johnny Callison Autograph on a 1971 Topps Baseball Card (#12 | Johnny Callison was a rocket-armed right fielder.

Principally, Mauch taught Callison how to bunt and preached to him the importance of using the entire field, rather than trying to pull the ball exclusively.Thanks in part to Mauch, Callison blossomed in 1962. Many thanks to him. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. Flagg made you smile because he was a little bit crazy, while Callison made you smile because he was just darn good. Make sure you are ready to cheer the Philadelphia Phillies with the latest Johnny Callison Jersey from the ultimate MLB Phillies Shop. Both are called WAR, or Wins Above Replacement. Callison also complained of problems with his vision. The borderline Hall-of-Famer spent nine years in Philadelphia (1963 to 1969, 1975 to 1976), accumulating 34 bWAR and 42 fWAR. The son of migrant workers, Callison lived in poverty in Oklahoma before his family moved to California.

The first to be taken out of circulation was Robin Roberts’ 36 in 1962, according to Next chronologically is outfielder Richie Ashburn, who played from 1948 to 1962 (although he was only in Philly until 1959). Typical fold lines and a hint of other light wear. So, it is a counting stat, like hits or home runs (with the small difference that bad seasons can actually decrease your WAR, if you are worse than a replacement player). Many historians believed that if the Phillies had held on to their lead, Callison would have taken home MVP honors. When baseball men discussed great arms from the outfield in the sixties, there were three men who were far above everyone else: Later diagnosed with cancer, Callison died in 2006.

Then came the breakthrough of 1964. ... Johnny Callison : 1960 Philadelphia Phillies: 35. Currently, the Phillies have retired seven “numbers,” although that’s counting two honored players who don’t have official uniform numbers set aside for them. In Flagg’s case, the injuries were almost always self-inflicted.