Manufacturer: Topps
Set: 1971 Topps Baseball ➡️
Player Name: Gene Lamont & Lerrin LaGrow
Position/Team: Pitcher for Tigers
Card #: 39
Card Size: 2-1/2” x 3-1/2”
Card Values: See Pricing Table Below
While Gene Lamont had a modest five-year playing career in the major leagues, he became a towering, highly respected figure in baseball history over a post-playing career spanning more than four decades. Transitioning seamlessly from a backup catcher to a mastermind on the bench, Lamont won a Manager of the Year award and served as a crucial, trusted lieutenant to legendary manager Jim Leyland.
The Detroit Tigers selected Lamont in the first round as the 13th overall pick of the 1965 amateur draft. A left-handed hitting catcher, he made his big-league debut with Detroit in September 1970. Though he possessed a sharp baseball mind, he spent the bulk of his major league playing career as a reliable defensive backup for the Tigers, notably serving as an understudy to Bill Freehan and Jerry Moses. He concluded his five-year playing career in 1975 entirely within the Detroit organization.
Lamont’s true calling in professional baseball came when he swapped his catcher’s gear for a manager’s uniform. After learning the ropes by managing in the minors and coaching third base under Jim Leyland in Pittsburgh, Lamont was hired to manage the Chicago White Sox in 1992.
His managerial tenure featured instant, high-level success:
- 1993 AL Manager of the Year: Lamont guided a star-studded White Sox squad (featuring a peak Frank Thomas) to a blistering 94–68 record, capturing the American League West division title.
- The 1994 Frontrunner: Before the historic player strike prematurely ended the 1994 season, Lamont had the White Sox sitting in first place of the newly formed AL Central with a 67–46 record.
- The Pittsburgh Era: Lamont later returned to the Pittsburgh Pirates, serving as the franchise’s manager from 1997 to 2000. A Lifelong Legacy on the Bench. Following his managerial stints, Lamont solidified his reputation as one of the most brilliant third-base coaches and bench coaches in the modern game. He spent more than a decade back with the Detroit Tigers (2006–2017), helping guide the team through an era of division titles and a 2012 World Series appearance.
Gene Lamont shares this Tigers “Rookie Stars” card with Lerrin LaGrow.
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Pricing Data For This Rookie Card
➡️ See All 1971 Topps Rookie Card Prices
Pricing chart includes raw card price & some graded card value estimates.
These values are collated from a variety of resources including recently sold listings, sales averages and a variety of other sports card pricing data sources. Please see full disclaimer on “Terms Page” for more information. (Rookiecardprices.com only shows values for regular base set cards. No prices are shown for errors, parallels, subsets, misprints or other cards unless noted.)
DISCLAIMER: This data is not intended as financial advice and should not be used as such. Please do your own research before making any investment or selling/buying decisions.
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