my retired number collection - 12 and 13

this is the 13th post in a series that shares the cards i have in my retired number mini-collection. you can find the links to the previous posts down at the bottom of this post. if you're eager to learn more right now, you can check out the full list of retired numbers along with what this collection will entail over at my want list site.

without further ado, here are the people for whom the numbers 12 and 13 have been retired:

wade boggs (retired by the rays in 2000) 2001 donruss 1999 retroactive

boggs is currently the only player for whom the number 12 is retired. i say currently because the blue jays had retired number 12 in honor of roberto alomar, but the number was put back in circulation and issued to jordan hicks during the 2023 season. alomar had his number removed from display at rogers centre due to an mlb policy violation and misconduct charge back in 2014 and has remained out of favor ever since.

as for boggs, he switched from number 26 to 12 when he left the red sox (he will show up in a later post as you probably know) and kept the number when he left the yankees for the inaugural season of tampa bay devil rays baseball. boggs was the franchise's first third baseman, and he delivered their first rbi and home run when he knocked in quinton mccracken with a two-run homer on opening day, 1998. i am guessing that the photo on the 2001 donruss card, made to represent what a 1999 donruss set might have looked like, features a photo from a different hit, but it is nice to think that donruss may have captured that franchise moment on cardboard had they produced a set in '99.

there was a rumor that boggs had agreed to go in to the hall of fame as a devil ray and that arrangement may have had something to do with his number being retired despite having only spent two seasons in tampa before he retired, but he did get career hit number 3,000 (the home run that is more likely shown on the card above) as a devil ray, and his close ties to the tampa area certainly helped. besides, he's in cooperstown with a "b" on his hat after being voted in on his first ballot in 2005. the devil rays did retire his number quickly, however, in a ceremony on april 7, 2000. having his number retired immediately after his retirement means that he was the only player to wear the number for the franchise, and he was also the first player to have his number retired in tampa, (excluding jackie robinson, of course).  

dave concepcion (retired by the reds in 2007) 1983 fleer

concepcion's 1983 fleer card shows his number perfectly, and so was an easy choice for this collection. as i understand it, concepcion chose the number to honor his mother who was born in 1913. it had only been worn by three other members of the franchise (two players and a coach) in their entire existence before concepcion took it in 1970. and, even though it wasn't formally retired by the reds until august 25, 2007, nobody else wore it after concepcion retired following the 1988 season.

as the shortstop for the big red machine, concepcion specialized in defense, winning five gold gloves during his 15 years as their primary shortstop. he could hit, too, however, as attested by a couple of silver sluggers and a career total of 2,326 hits. he appeared in four world series and was the mvp of the 1982 all-star game. while he was a key cog of the reds and their success in the 1970's, he has not been elected to the hall of fame.

i am tracking a few things as we go, even though the information is already available elsewhere.

retired numbers by team (through the 13 posts so far):

yankees - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

giants - 3, 4, 11

pirates - 1, 4, 8, 9, 11

guardians - 3, 5

red sox - 1, 4, 6, 8, 9

phillies - 1

cardinals - 1, 2, 6, 9, 10

reds - 1, 5, 8, 10, 11, 13

braves - 3, 6, 10

astros - 5, 7

mets

orioles - 4, 5, 8

dodgers - 1, 2, 4

twins - 3, 6, 7, 10

white sox - 2, 3, 4, 9, 11

brewers - 1, 4

tigers - 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 11

cubs - 10

royals - 5, 10

padres - 6

athletics - 9

angels - 11

expos - 8, 10

rangers - 7, 10

major league baseball

rays - 12

diamondbacks

blue jays

rockies

mariners - 11

nationals - 11

retired number frequency:

1 - retired by 9 teams

2 - retired by 5 teams

3 - retired by 7 teams

4 - retired by 8 teams

5 - retired by 7 teams

6 - retired by 7 teams

7 - retired by 4 teams

8 - retired by 6 teams (retired by yankees for two players)

9 - retired by 6 teams

10 - retired by 9 teams (retired by expos for two players)

11 - retired by 8 teams

12 - retired by 1 team

13 - retired by 1 team

unnumbered players - 12 players recognized by 4 teams

running total of unique hall of famers (including those without numbers): 76

running total of non-hall of famers: 16