Sunday, February 23, 2020

1981 Topps Jorge Orta

The front: Nice action shot a Yankee Stadium. Notice the fielding cap under the batting helmet, not something you see anymore. Orta played in one day game at Yankee Stadium, a 7-2 Yankees win on June 29. Orta had two singles in five at-bats.

The back: Topps included two extra statistics for Orta’s 1979 season, one that is now largely discredited and the other now considered one of the most important in the game. Baseball-Reference has his on-base percentage as .348, not .351.

The player: A two-time All-Star, Jorge Orta played sixteen seasons in the major leagues for five teams, mostly the White Sox and Royals. He was a .270s/.280s hitter with a little power and a little speed. In 1,755 games he hit .278 with 130 HR and 745 RBI.

The man: His father, Pedro Orta, was a famous slugger in Cuba, known as the “Babe Ruth of Cuba”. Jorge Orta had a long minor league coaching career and is now retired.

My collection: I have 33 of his cards, from 1973 to 1987. I would be interested in trading for 1984 Fleer Update #86.

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