This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 5/3/2020
In 1939, Ted Williams arrived to Boston's Spring Training facility in South Flordia three days late after a long drive from San Diego. The 20-year-old was simply "The Kid" then, a nickname given by the BoSox equipment guy who never stopped calling Ted that for twenty plus years. After being sent to the minors the previous spring, there would be no demotion this time. Williams had a monster debut season, batting .327 with 31 homers and 145 RBI (tops in MLB) to finish fourth in AL MVP voting. Had there been a Rookie of the Year award handed out back then, the choice would have been easy.
Offered here is one of the earliest photos ever taken of young Ted in a Red Sox uniform, dating to either 1938 or '39. What's more? The Splendid Splinter has signed it in lovely 7-8/10 blue ink. The backdrop of the 2-3/4" by 4-1/2" original snapshot could have been where Ted stayed in Sarasota, FL during Grapefruit League play. Looking dapper in his Red Sox road uni, "The Kid" was just shell of himself physically but his confidence never wavered. We wish there was more background info on this classic pre-rookie shot, but the fact that Williams blessed it with his signature is enough to call it one of the finer Ted autographed items out there. The original photo comes in outstanding NM/MT condition and should easily qualify for Type I status. Includes full LOA from JSA (Cert. #: BB50355).