Lou Brock (1939-2020) played in MLB for 19 years. After beginning his career from 1961 to 1964 with the Chicago Cubs, he is best known for his time with the St. Louis Cardinals from 1964 to 1979. Finishing his career with a .293 batting average, 3,023 hits, 149 home runs, 900 runs batted in, and 938 stolen bases, Brock was a six time All Star, a two time World Series champion, and the eight time NL stolen base leader.
Born in El Dorado, Arkansas, Brock was raised by sharecroppers. Brock never noticed the surrounding poverty of his upbringing because, as he said, “If you don’t have something, you don’t miss it.” As he was born in 1939, Brock was inspired at a young age by the breakers of the color barrier, stalwarts like Jackie Robinson and Roy Campanella.
Brock mostly played ball on the street, and he was 17 when he played in his first organized game. In college, his tuition assistance was threatened due to a bad grade, so he tried out for baseball in the hopes of an athletic scholarship.
Since he was out of shape and inexperienced, Brock struggled at first with a .189 batting average, but by his sophomore year, he was batting .500. Brock joined the Chicago Cubs minor league system in 1960, and he debuted in the majors the next year at 22 years old. Although he was one of the fastest in the league, Brock struggled to develop quickly enough to keep the Cubs management happy. He was traded to the Cardinals in 1964.
At the time, the multi player trade was viewed as a major win for the Cubs, but as years went by, Brock made sure the trade was lopsided for the Cardinals. Ernie Broglio did not pan out for the Cubs, and the “Brock for Broglio” is one of the most famous trades in MLB for being so lopsided.
The trade was exactly what Brock needed. His career took off, and he began to perform on a different plane immediately. Brock helped the 27-27 Cardinals soar to win the NL pennant and the 1964 World Series against the heavily favored Yankees. Brock finished 10th in MVP voting.
Brock would continue to be a major contributor for the Cardinals for another decade. Even though he has over 3,000 hits, Brock is a legend for his base running. Nobody could match his speed or instincts.
A final anecdote about Brock captures his spirit. After a slump in 1978, he lost his job with the Cardinals. Yet, he worked his way back to the starter’s position, where, at the age of 40, he had a .304 batting average, completed his 3,000th hit, and he was named the NL Comeback Player of the Year.
Brock was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1985 with 79.75% of the vote on the first ballot. Additionally, the St. Louis Cardinals retired his number 20 jersey and inducted him into their Hall of Fame.
Brock stayed busy in retirement, and he reportedly thrived as a florist in St. Louis. There are a number of quality cards of Brock out there, and this article will take you through some of the best.
1962 Topps Lou Brock Rookie Card
There are 598 cards in this set that are standard size (2 ½” x 3 ½”). Brock’s card sits at #387. The faux wood background design makes this set stand out, but it is susceptible to chipping which can make the card difficult to find in high grade.
In addition to the Lou Brock rookie card, keys to the set include Sandy Koufax, Roberto Clemente, Mickey Mantle, and Hank Aaron.
Brock’s rookie card was quite popular, so it has been well preserved from this set. For reference, PSA has over 3,000 Brock copies registered.
The last discovered sale of a Gem Mint card was for $32,545 in May of 2012. More recently, Mint copies have gotten closer and closer to $10,000. With a budget of $1,000, a PSA 8 may be out of reach, but a PSA 7 should be safe.
1963 Topps Lou Brock
There are 576 cards in the 1963 Topps baseball set, and Lou Brock’s card is found at card number 472. The cards are of standard size. The major rookies from the set include Pete Rose, Willie Stargell, and Tony Oliva.
PSA has well over 1,000 cards registered which means the card is somewhat common on the secondary market.
A Mint condition card can be hard to find and expensive, but lower grades are common and less expensive.
1964 Topps Lou Brock
There are 587 cards of standard size in this set, and Brock’s card is at #29. Major rookie cards include Tony Conigliaro, Lou Piniella, Tommy John, and Richie Allen.
PSA has well over 1,000 cards of Brock registered. Gem Mint copies are quite uncommon, and one sold for $9,900 in June 2020. With a budget of $1,000, a collector should be secure for a Mint copy.
1966 Topps Lou Brock
The 1966 Topps baseball set has 598 cards of standard size. Lou Brock sits at number 125, right next to Jim Palmer at 126.
PSA has over 700 Brock cards registered in this set. Gem Mint copies can reach $10,000, and Mint copies will go for over $1,000.
1969 Topps Lou Brock
Prices generally begin to decrease as you progress in Brock’s career. As a collector searches in the 1970s, high grade Brock cards become increasingly more affordable.
However, for the condition sensitive 1969 Topps, Brock cards briefly jump in the Mint condition.
The 1969 Topps has 664 card of standard size, and Brock’s card is #85. The famous cards for this set are the rookie cards of Reggie Jackson, Rollie Fingers, and Bobby Bonds, as well as the last card of Mickey Mantle.
Of the over 900 Brock cards registered with PSA, zero are Gem Mint and only eight are Mint.
As a result, Mint condition copies of Brock’s card have been especially expensive for this late in Brock’s career, as well as the 1969 Topps in general. In 2012, a PSA 9 sold for $4,591, while PSA 8’s today will sell for around $500.
Conclusion
Lou Brock was a great player for a number of reasons. The Brock for Broglio trade is famous, he had 3,000 hits, he was one of the best base runners ever, and Brock’s comeback at 40 is remarkable. With all of that being said, nothing commemorates his career like a baseball card, and this article went over a few of the best.