Dec
06
2021

Joe Muir Felt the Clock Ticking

This is apparently the only mainstream baseball card issued of Joe Muir during his MLB career. It was a brief period, as he only amassed 52 innings across 21 games in 1951-1952. Muir had spent years in the minor leagues, establishing himself as a capable pitcher and with a decent bat. Approaching the age of 30, he found himself with few prospects for a substantive big league career and elected to retire from the sport.

Image: Front and back of Joe Muir 1952 Topps baseball card. Remnants of red scrapbook paper can be seen at the corners on the back. Joe has an unsettled look on his face on the front of the card.

He became a Maryland State Trooper where he served for an extensive period. Muir could have stuck it out with the Pirates and its affiliated farm clubs for a few years, but the state police academy had a maximum age of 29 for new recruits. Low-level ball players did not earn substantial salaries at this time, and he was already moonlighting as an oysterman in the Chesapeake Bay when the offseason arrived. In hindsight he probably made the right move.

Joe Muir Statistical Infographic. Career WAR 0.3, FIP 4.26, FIP- 106.8. Ranks 324th out of 407 in the 1952 Topps checklist and 5,898th all time.

Infographic showing CardBoredom's status towards completing the 1952 Topps baseball card set. 23.6 percent complete.