Mike Overy Kept an Eye on His Surroundings

Like his fastball, it all disappeared much too quickly

1977 Topps Mike Overy (#489) - Card of the Day

Mike Overy might have felt right at home in the modern game.

Originally drafted by the White Sox in June of 1972, Overy instead returned to Olivet Nazarene University that fall. A few months later, the Angels came calling in the second round of the secondary phase of the January 1973 draft — this time he signed on.

That summer, Overy took his big fastball to the Single-A Quad Cities Angels, where he appeared in 56 innings over 36 games and struck out 73 batters — a whopping 11.7 per nine innings!

Not surprisingly given the scant innings worked compared to the number of appearances, Overy was used mainly as a reliever, making just two starts but picking up nine saves. Overall, he went 5-2 with a respectable 3.38 ERA.

From there, Overy spent one season on each rung of the Halos’ minor league ladder, climbing to Triple-A Salt Lake City in 1976. All along the way, he continued to torment batters.

During that Bicentennial summer, for example, Overy went 9-5 with a tiny 2.05 ERA in the Pacific Coast League while striking out 99 in 79 innings across 39 games, all in relief. He allowed his share of baserunners, including more than a walk every two innings, but he was shaping up to be trouble for opposing teams.

Those big numbers got Overy a call-up to the big league Angels in August, and he made his debut on the 14th of the month. In that game, starter Don Kirkwood took a 3-1 lead into the top of the ninth at home against the Brewers.

When Robin Yount led off with a triple, Angels manager Norm Sherry lifted Kirkwood and brought in Overy. The youngster promptly yielded an RBI single to George Scott. Then, after Mike Hegan popped out to California shortstop Mario Guerrero, Darrell Porter hit a two-run home run to put the Crew up, 4-3.

Overy struck out Bernie Carbo and Gorman Thomas to end the inning, but the damage had been done. The Angels came up empty in the bottom of the frame, and the rookie was tagged with both a blown save and the loss.

That defeat dropped the Angels 20.5 games out of first place in the old American League West. They were going nowhere fast, so Sherry had little to lose by trying a few things here and there. For Overy, that meant another shot the next night, and three more before the end of the season.

In all, the 25-year-old finished out the campaign with steadier performances than he’d had in his debut. When all the dust cleared, Overy had appeared in five games, pitched 7.1 innings, struck out eight, walked three, and allowed five runs (all earned), for a line of 0-2, 6.14 ERA.

His blazing fastball — which could top 100 mph, according to his obituary — and the looksee from the Angels earned Overy the final slot on card #489 in the 1977 Topps set.

There, he and fellow reliever Greg Minton anchor the bottom of a card that leads off with a couple of (primarily) starters: Len Barker and Randy Lerch.

By all appearances, Overy was a bit preoccupied during his photo shoot. Maybe keeping an eye on a scorpion or diamondback skittering toward him across the desert on a sunny day in the Cactus League?

In any case, what Overy’s 1976 cup of coffee didn’t earn him was any love from the Angels. He was back at Salt Lake City in 1977…and 1978…and 1979…and 1980. Never again did he step foot on a major league mound. I haven’t been able to find any evidence that he suffered an injury, but his strikeout rate dropped off a cliff in 1977 (5.8 K/9) and never rebounded.

But he made it to The Show and into our wax packs, even if we never got a good look at his eyes.

Overy, who passed away in 2021, was born on January 27, 1951.

A Real Work of Art (?)

The other men on Overy’s rookie card all had longer careers, and some of them had moments of stardom. Minton, for example, not only appeared as the subject of one of the hobby’s most renonwned works of art, as you see above, but he also provided a lesson to help young fans discnern which players were stars. Get the scoop on just some of his cardboard grandeur right here.

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