Ed Kranepool
Edward Emil Kranepool
Batted: Left
Threw: Left
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 215 lbs.
Born: November 8, 1944 in New York, NY
Signed: 1962 by the Mets
Departed: as a free agent, November 1979
Died: September 8, 2024 in Boca Raton, FL
Do you remember how Charlie Brown loved a
fictional baseball hero named Joe Shlabotnik? Who got
sent down to the minors and hit .143 in the Green Grass League? Well, Ed Kranepool was my Joe Shlabotnik
when I was a child. I even forged his signature on my Little League first
baseman's mitt. And my faith in him was rewarded, too, because I heard the
cheers for him later in his career, when he was a premier pinch-hitter:
"Ed-die! Ed-die!" Pictured here when he was a National League
All-Star early in his career, along with Hall of Famer Ron Santo, on a 1966
Topps Rub-Offs sheet. He still held the all-time major league record for
highest batting average as a pinch-hitter with his .486 in 1974 when he passed
away fifty years later in 2024. There
are several more of his cards pictured below.
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to the New York Mets Hall of Records home page - Rounding Third baseball card shop
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BATTING RECORD (team-leading
totals in red) YEAR CLUB
G AB R
H 2B 3B HR RBI TB SB CS SO
BB HBP SAC SF OBP SLG AVG |
season
highlighted in blue denotes he was selected Rounding Third's Mets Hitter of the
Year
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to the New York Mets Hall of Records home page - Rounding Third baseball card shop
This is a list of the cards of this player
that I had in my Mets collection before I transferred the ownership of said
collection to another diligent and capable Mets fan. The cards that are listed
in light gray print and struck through are cards that were sold for charity
prior to my divestiture. The cards
listed in white text are the ones that still remained until that final
deal. Items listed in green I kept out
of the deal, just so I'd have something to display in my office and den. At the bottom and listed in orange text are
cards that I picked up after the dealing was done, in order to maintain a certain
continuity at this site; that is, so I'd have a card to show you at the top of
the page, and maybe in the autographs and game-used areas. If an orange card is struck through, it has
also departed the collection. I’m still
accepting donations, should you feel so moved.
Contact me by following this link: NYMHall.
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1963 Topps |
1964 Topps |
1966 Topps |
1967 Topps |
1969 Topps |
1963 Topps #228 (Rookie Stars)
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1966 Bazoooka |
1964 Topps #393 (Casey Teaches; with Casey Stengel)
1964 Topps #566
1965 Topps #144
1965 Topps Embossed #6
1966 Bazooka #9 (PSA graded EX 5)
1966 Topps #212
1966 Topps Rub-Offs (uncut
panel with Ron Santo)
1967 Kahn's
Wieners (yellow and white
border; trimmed with pinking scissors)
1967 Topps #186 (Mets Maulers; with Ron Swoboda)
1967 Topps #452
1968 Topps #92
1969 Milton
Bradley game card
1969 Sports Collectors MLB
Official Photostamps ("Cut Along Dotted Line" on back)
1969 The News Portfolio of Stars by Stark reprint
1969 Topps #381
1969 Topps Stamps
1970 Kellogg's #1
1970 Topps #557
1971 Dell MLB Official Photostamps
1971 Topps #573
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1970 Topps |
1973 Topps |
1975 SSPC Mets |
1978 Topps |
1979 Topps |
1972 O-Pee-Chee
#1811972
O-Pee-Chee #182 (In Action)
1972 Topps #181
1972 Topps #182 (In Action)
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1966 Volpe tumbler |
The Dugout |
1973 O-Pee-Chee
#329
1973 Topps #329
1974 Topps #561
1975 Dairylea Picture
Pak
1975 SSPC Mets #10
1975 Topps #324
1975 Topps Mini #324
1976 SSPC #533
1976 Topps #314
1977 Dairylea Mets
Photo Album
1977 O-Pee-Chee #60
1977 Topps #201
1978 O-Pee-Chee #205
1978 Topps #49
1978 Wiffle Ball Discs
1979 Topps #505
1980 O-Pee-Chee
#336
1980 Topps #641
1987 TCMA Baseball's Greatest Teams 1969 Mets
#1-1969
1989 Pacific
Baseball Legends #114
1989 Susan Rini 1969 Mets Postcards #17
1989 Swell (CMC)
Baseball Greats #28
1991 Nobody Beats the Wiz Mets #220
1994 Ron Lewis
'69 Mets 25th Anniversary Postcards #22a (image reversed; autographed; no serial number)1994 Ron Lewis '69 Mets 25th Anniversary Postcards #22a (image reversed;
02767 of 25,000)
1994 Spectrum Miracle of '69 #13, #36, #52
1999 Fleer Sports Illustrated Greats of the Game
#55
1999 Fleer Sports Illustrated Greats of the Game
Autograph Collection (autographed)
2001 Upper Deck
Legends of New York #67
2001 Upper Deck Legends of New York #LMB-EK (game-used
bat)
2001 Upper Deck Vintage Timeless Teams #NYM-EK (game-used
bat)
2002 Fleer Mets 40th Anniversary All-Amazin'
Team #14
2002 Topps Super Teams #88
2002 Topps Super Teams #STR-EK (game-worn
road jersey)
2002 Topps Super Teams #STR-EKU (game-worn home uniform; with pinstripe)
2002 Topps Super Teams Retrofractor #88 (0043/1969)
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1989 Pacific Baseball Legends |
1994 GTS phone card |
2005 Topps Fan Favorites |
2005 Topps Retired Gold |
2004 Topps Finest Finest
Moments #FMR-EK (autographed)
2004 Upper Deck Legends Timeless Teams #57 (autographed)
2005
Topps All-Time Fan Favorites #95
2005 Topps Pristine
Legends Title Threads #TT-EK (game-worn uniform)
2005 Topps Retired Autographs #TA-EK (autographed)
2005 Upper Deck MLB Artifacts Auto Facts #EK (autographed;
444/599)
2006 Hero Decks Mets Heroes (three of clubs)
2009 SecureHorizons by
UnitedHealthcare All-Time Norfolk/Tidewater Tides (white deck, jack of spades)
2012 Topps
Archives #235
2013 Caesars 1973 Mets (seven of diamonds)
2013 Hero Decks Mets Heroes (three of clubs)
2013 Panini America's Pastime #JS-EK (game-worn uniform; 09/40)2013 Panini Golden Age #78
2013 Panini Golden Age Historic Signatures #EK (autographed)
2014 Panini Golden Age Museum Age #19 (game-worn uniform)
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1990 Wiz/Aiwa Mets Hall of Fame postcard |
Other Ed Kranepool
memorabilia in my collection:
1960s
Hollander Ed Kranepool model left-handed first baseman's mitt
1966 Volpe tumbler
1967 Coca-Cola bottle cap #V21
matchbook cover from The
Dugout restaurant (with Ron Swoboda)
autographed 8 x 10
1970 Transogram figurine (missing front stickers)
1977 Burger Chef Fun Meal Discs (complete unfolded box; with eight teammates)autographed baseball
1990 Nobody Beats the Wiz/Aiwa Mets Hall of Fame postcard
1992 Upper Deck Heroes of Baseball commemorative
sheet (42663/47,000)
1994 GTS 1969 Mets 25th Anniversary phone card
1996 contract to appear in a
United Way celebrity golf tournament (autographed)
pencil drawing by my son Andrew
back to Players - back
to the New York Mets Hall of Records home page - Rounding Third baseball card shop
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"You know I haven't seen
him swing at a bad pitch yet. He has a good left-handed swing and he doesn't
go chasing after those bad pitches. That's more than I can say for most of my
other players." — Casey Stengel 3 |
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"I was doing some
research on Ed Kranepool and came across your
website.… I was happy to see you are such a fan and just wanted you to know
that I had the delightful pleasure of meeting Ed this past week. He was at a
blood drive being held for a little girl with brain cancer. I was the
reporter covering the story and got to spend a few moments talking with him.
To say he was gracious to all those who asked for autographs, does not do his
generosity of spirit justice. He was a true gentleman, who was soft-spoken
and engaging. Hope this brings a smile to your face as you remember your
childhood hero!" — Karenlyn Barone |