1963 Topps Baseball Project - Rojas, Leppert, and Linz

Been a while since I had project post so here are a few more '63's from the collection.

#221 Octavio Victor "Cookie" Rojas

Cookie came up through the Reds minor league system getting his first Major League at bats in April of 1962.  After the '62 season he was traded to the Phillies, hence the great airbrushing on this card.  Cookie would go on to play 7 seasons with the Phillies before being traded to the Cardinals in 1970 who then traded him to the Royals.  And it would be in Kansas City that Cookie found his home.  Making 4 consecutive All-star appearances as a Royal in 1971, 1972, 1973, and 1974 and added stability to the young team. Cookie was released by the team in 1977, signed with the Cubs for the 1978 season, but never played and finally retired.  He went on to manage a few years. In 1988 he managed the Angels and in 1996 managed one game for the Marlins.  Cookie is currently the Marlins Spanish language announcer at the ripe old age of 73.

#243 Don Leppert

Don's Major League career was a short one.  He only played 4 seasons up in the Bigs. Playing 2 years for the Pirates in 1961 and 1962 and then two years with the Senators in 63 and 64.

He did go on to a much more prolific coaching career. Coaching Pirates, Blue Jays and Astros from 1968 to 1985 and managed in the Twins minor league system.  Don's still around and he's 80.

#264 Phil Linz

Phil played for the Yankees from 1962 to 1965, and then went onto Phillies and the Mets for two years each.  Not an incredibly great player he's best known for an altercation on the Yankees team bus that let to Yogi Berra getting fired at the end of the 1964 season and is partially blamed for the Yankees losing the 1964 World Series do to his ineffectiveness at shortstop for the Series.  Phil is also still around at 72.