Some Gorman Thomas Cards

When I was a kid, one thing I remember reading was a list (I think it was in a book) of each team's all-time home run leader.  Some of them were obvious, like Hank Aaron for the Braves, Willie Mays for the Giants, Willie Stargell for the Pirates, and Mike Schmidt for the Phillies.  But there were two that I remember taking in interest in, that I had never heard of before: Harold Baines of the White Sox, and Gorman Thomas of the Brewers.  Harold Baines became one of my favorite players, but Thomas had retired by the time I was reading about him.  I'll add that I'm surprised that I didn't similarly take an interest in Nate Colbert of the Padres, who is to this day still their all-time home run leader.

1974 Topps Gorman Thomas.

For most of my posts, I title them either as "From My Collection" or "Recent Acquisitions," and I don't usually mix the two.  This post is an exception, but only the final card I'm showing has been in my collection since my original period of collecting (1987-1994).  The first four cards you'll see are recent acquisitions.  We start with Thomas' 1974 Topps card, his rookie card.  Thomas played 60 games with the Brewers in 1973, batting .187 in 172 plate appearances.

1975 Topps Mini Gorman Thomas.

This is Thomas' 1975 Topps mini, my first 1975 mini.  Information was harder to come by in the 80s, and I don't recall ever knowing about the 1975 Topps mini set.  I feel like if I knew about it, I would have wanted to get at least a couple of the cards.  When I rejoined the collecting world last summer, and learned of the existence of the 1975 minis, that was certainly my reaction -- I'd like to have a couple.  Gorman Thomas is a good choice for me for such a set, since he's a player I'm interested in and the card only costs a few cents, really.  I've ordered one more 1975 mini (it's in my COMC account), which I'll be posting after I eventually get it shipped.

1976 SSPC Gorman Thomas.

I also have no memory of knowing about the 1976 SSPC set in the 80s or 90s.  Again, I naturally wanted to pick up a few after having heard about it.  I've actually picked up several for my player collections -- Mike Schmidt, Willie Stargell, Dave Parker, George Brett.  But those players aren't in my main binder, and to have one SSPC card in my main binder, I again went with Gorman Thomas.

1979 Topps Gorman Thomas.

This 1979 Topps card is from my recently acquired 1979 Topps complete set.  Thomas didn't do well his first few years with the Brewers, and was sent back to the minors for the entire 1977 season.  When he resurfaced with the big league club in 1978, he was a changed hitter.  In 1978, he hit 32 home runs, placing 5th in the AL.  In his heyday, Thomas was a high-strikeout/low-average power hitter, and so he also finished second in the AL in strikeouts with 133 in 1978.

1982 Donruss Gorman Thomas.

Thomas' position as all-time Brewers home run king has long since been eclipsed, and he's currently fifth on their list, behind Ryan Braun in first place, and then Robin Yount, Prince Fielder, and Geoff Jenkins.  Thomas took the lead based primarily on six strong seasons, 1978-1983, which including leading the AL in home runs twice, in 1979 with a career-high 45, and in 1982 with 39.  Thomas also played briefly with Cleveland, and a couple of years with the Mariners, before returning to finish his career with the Brewers in 1986.  His career total is 268 home runs.

Thanks for reading!