Baseball cards have long been a staple of the sport, allowing fans to collect images and statistics of their favorite players. For many ballplayers in the 1970s, appearing on a card could help boost their fame and legacy within the game. One player who saw his star rise thanks to the popularity of his baseball cards was Felix Millan, an infielder who spent most of his career with the New York Mets.
Millan debuted with the Mets in 1963 and quickly became a fan favorite for his hustle and defense at second base. While never a big home run hitter, Millan was known for his ability to spray line drives all around the field and consistently get on base. In his first full season in 1964, Millan hit .283 and helped lead the Mets to a surprising pennant. It was the beginning of what would turn out to be a solid 11-year career, mostly with the Mets but also including stints with the Braves, Dodgers, and Expos.
As Millan established himself as a reliable veteran player for the Mets in the late 1960s, baseball card companies began featuring him more prominently. Topps, the dominant card maker of the era, included Millan’s photo in their 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971 and 1972 sets. Seeing his likeness in those classic designs helped Millan gain recognition among collectors. It was a series of cards produced by The Sporting News in the early 1970s that took Millan’s cardboard fame to new heights.
The Sporting News, a venerable baseball newspaper, began issuing sets of gum-backed cards in the late 1960s. Their designs were simpler than Topps but featured bigger photos on a glossy stock. Most importantly, TSN cards were rarer since they were inserted in random packs of the newspaper rather than sold widely in stores. This scarcity increased their appeal among collectors looking to show off unique pieces in their collections. In 1971, TSN produced a special “Mets Team Set” highlighting the franchise’s best players. Millan’s card from that release, featuring an action shot of him stretching for a throw, became one of the set’s most coveted due to his popularity.
Millan’s popularity on cardboard grew even stronger in 1972 when The Sporting News released their “Super Baseball” set amidst a player strike. The dramatic black-and-white photography and unique vertical card design made the 100-card TSN issue extremely collectible. Millan received not one but two cards in the set – one of the few Mets to achieve that distinction. Card #24 showed Millan crouching in the on-deck circle while Card #88 pictured him batting. These Millan cards are among the most visually striking and valuable from any 1970s TSN set today. Seeing their second baseman featured so prominently gave Mets fans of the era a strong sense of pride in Millan’s status within the game.
The high-profile cardboard placement came at the peak of Millan’s playing career. Ankle injuries limited him in 1973, leading to a midseason trade to the Braves. Millan enjoyed a career resurgence in 1974 after moving to the Dodgers, hitting .308 and making the All-Star team. Knee issues ended his season early and ultimately forced his retirement in 1976 at age 35. Though no longer an active player, Millan’s legacy lived on through collectors seeking out his classic baseball cards from the early 1970s.
In the ensuing decades, as the collecting hobby boomed in popularity, demand grew for Millan’s scarce Sporting News issues from 1971-1972. The glossy photos and unique vertical design made TSN cards highly aesthetic even to those who never saw Millan play. Graded examples of his cards regularly sell for hundreds of dollars online, a true testament to his enduring cardboard fame. For Mets fans who cheered Millan during his decade in New York, owning one of his Sporting News rookies brings back fond memories of that dynamic era for the franchise.
While Millan’s on-field stats may not stand out among the all-time greats, his impact on baseball cards ensured collectors would remember him. Appearing so prominently in those iconic early 1970s Sporting News sets transformed Millan from a reliable veteran to a true cardboard celebrity. Even after his playing days ended, Millan’s baseball cards kept his legacy alive for future generations. For any fan who followed Millan’s career, seeing his smiling face in a collection brings back the thrill of watching #20 patrolling second base at Shea Stadium. His cardboard fame is a testament to the unique role baseball cards play in immortalizing ballplayers both on and off the field.