Bright broke into pro ball in 1946, at the age of 17. He started off as a catcher, and after a couple years, switched to the infield. His minor league journey lasted 12 years, when he finally broke into the majors with the Pirates in 1958. From there he bounced around with the Senators, Reds, Yankees, and finally with the Cubs. Along the way he also started playing some outfield. When you're in you late 30's you play any position you can to keep a spot on the roster.
So by the time he came to the Cubs in 1965, he was Mr. All. And Topps reinforced that on his 1965 card.
Look at the positions they have him listed at
INF - OF - C. Can anyone think of another card that lists a position player at every single position? I can't. Plenty of cards list two different positions, but I can't recall another that lists three different spots.
And if Topps had a sense of humor, they would have listed Bright this way...
...ALL!
And that's not even Bright's first Cubs card! They put him on the Cubs for the 1960 set after the Cubs Rule V'ed him from the Pirates, but they returned him before the season. Ironically, the only position Bright would play for the Cubs was pinch-hitter in 26 games.
ReplyDeleteVic Power's 1966 card had him listed as 1B-IF (as if 1st base is not an infield position).
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