Mike Ivie had one of the more interesting careers of any major league baseball player in the 1970s and 80s. While he never achieved superstar status, Ivie played for several teams over 15 seasons and had some standout seasons both offensively and defensively. As a result, Mike Ivie has a respectable collection of baseball cards that document his playing career.
Ivie began his professional career in 1967 as an 18-year old after being drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 5th round of the June amateur draft. He made his MLB debut with the Twins in 1972 at age 23, appearing in 32 games and getting 86 at-bats that season. One of Ivie’s earliest baseball cards comes from 1972, when Topps included him in their set as rookie. The 1972 Topps Mike Ivie card captures him in a Twins uniform during his initial cup of coffee in the big leagues. While the photo shows promise, Ivie would spend most of 1972 and 1973 bouncing between Minnesota and their AAA affiliate in Tacoma before becoming a full-time regular in 1974.
The 1974 season marked Ivie’s breakthrough. Playing primarily third base for the Twins, he hit .270 with 11 home runs and 59 RBI over 151 games, establishing himself as an everyday player at age 25. Ivie’s solid 1974 campaign earned him a more prominent spot in the 1975 Topps set, featured closer to the front of the alphabet toward the beginning of the A’s. The card shows Ivie in the familiar Twins duds from 1974, cementing his status as a starting member of that club. Ivie continued to be a consistent producer for Minnesota over the next few seasons, hitting between .250 and .280 while chipping in 10-15 home runs and 50+ RBI annually.
Prior to the 1978 season, Ivie was traded to the San Diego Padres. This marked a change from the classic Twins purple uniforms to the brown and orange Sand Diego kits that makes his 1978 Topps card stand out. Ivie enjoyed one of his best seasons offensively with the Padres in 1978, setting career-highs with 18 home runs and 74 RBI. Topps captured Ivie in the midst of this breakout campaign on the West Coast, showing him from the side in full batting stance. While he regressed a bit at the plate in 1979, Ivie was a stalwart for the Padres through the early 1980s both offensively and defensively.
Ivie’s defensive prowess earned him regular playing time all over the infield for San Diego, seeing time at third base, shortstop, and second base throughout his tenure. This versatility is highlighted on some of his 1980s Topps and Donruss cards that depict him making plays at multiple positions. Ivie put together arguably his finest all-around season in 1982 for the Padres at age 32. He hit a solid .267 with 13 homers and 67 RBI primarily playing third base, while also chipping in 5 outfield assists from his occasional appearances in the corners. Ivie’s Donruss card from 1982 prominently showcases these defensive skills.
After parts of six seasons with the Padres, Ivie was dealt to the Montreal Expos following the 1983 season. This marked yet another uniform change seen on his 1984 Topps Expos card. Ivie proved he still had something left in the tank offensively with Montreal, enjoying a mini renaissance by hitting .270 with 14 home runs and 63 RBI in what turned out to be his final full MLB campaign at age 35 in 1984. Ivie bounced around the minors with the Yankees and Cubs organizations in 1985 before retiring after the season at age 36, capping a 15-year career spent with 6 different organizations.
Since retiring as a player, Mike Ivie has remained tangentially involved in the game through coaching roles in the minors and independent leagues. While he never achieved the superstar status of some of his peers, Ivie carved out a impressive career spanning nearly two decades in the majors thanks to his consistency at the plate and versatility in the field. As a result, Ivie accumulated a notable collection of baseball cards from the 1970s and 80s highlighting his stints with multiple teams like the Twins, Padres, and Expos in Topps, Donruss, and Fleer sets. For fans and collectors of the era, Ivie’s cards serve as a reminder of the journeyman player who was a steady producer for over a decade in the big leagues.
In conclusion, Mike Ivie may not have been a household name during his playing days, but he forged an impressive 15-year MLB career bouncing between six organizations. Ivie did much of his damage as a hitter for the Twins and Padres in the 1970s before finishing strongly in 1984 with the Expos at age 35. His baseball cards from the 1970s and 80s on Topps, Donruss, and Fleer chronicle his stops with Minnesota, San Diego, Montreal and elsewhere. While not a superstar, Ivie made the most of his abilities to carve out memorable stints in purple, brown, and blue that baseball card collectors can appreciate to this day. He epitomized consistency and longevity at the major league level.
