1989 Pacific Legends II #187 Elmer Valo

My new 1956 Topps blog is up to three posts at this point, which means the latest post is covering card #3 in the 1956 Topps set - Elmer Valo.  Please check it out, leave a comment and tell your friends!

I'll be doing some cross-posting whenever a former Phillies player is featured on the 1956 Topps blog.

At 35 years old, Valo was released by the Athletics on May 21, 1956, and signed the next day with the Phillies.  He'd spend the entire season with the Phillies serving as one of the team's regular outfielders in right alongside Richie Ashburn in center and Del Ennis in left.  In 98 games with the Phillies, Valo hit .289 with 5 home runs and 37 RBIs.

In April 1957, Valo was part of a six-player trade with the Dodgers ending his short time back in Philadelphia.  He'd return one more time to the Phillies in June 1961, appearing in 50 games and hitting .186 (8 for 43) before calling it a career.  Valo served as a scout for the Phils between 1969 and 1982 and served for several of those years as a special instructor at spring training in Clearwater.

Valo entered the Athletics portion of the Phillies Wall of Fame in 1995, being inducted alongside Mike Schmidt.  He has two Phillies baseball cards that I'm aware of - 1957 Topps #54 and 1989 Pacific Legends II #187.