1956 Back-O'-The-Card: Irv Noren

"Irv was voted the Most Valuable Player of the Texas League in 1948 and the Pacific Coast League in 1949. He starred for Washington from 1950 to 1952 before coming to New York. In 1954, Irv hit .319 for the Yankees."

-1956 Topps No. 253

1956 Back-O'-The-Card: Gil McDougald

"Gil shares the record for hitting a grand slam homer in a World Series game. In 1955, he led the American League in fielding and in double plays for the second time.
Gil can play shortstop, third base or second base."

-1956 Topps No. 225

1956 Back-O'-The-Card: Mickey McDermott

"String-bean Maury is regarded as a good left-handed pitching prospect.

In 1949 he had a 5-4 record in 12 games. He was with the Red Sox at the beginning of 1948, but they sent him them to their Scranton farm team for more seasoning. Through Maury struck out 115 men in 87 innings and had a low earned run average of 2.07, his record was 3-6 in 11 games."

-1950 Bowman No. 97

"String-bean Maury is a highly regarded left-handed pitching prospect. He won 7 and lost 3 for the Red Sox in 1950.
He began 1948 with Boston but was sent to Scranton for further seasoning. There he struck out 115 men in 87 innings and recorded a low earned run average of 2.07. His first full season with the Sox was in 1950.
Maury pitched in sandlot and Legion ball before signing a Boston contract in 1945."

-1951 Bowman No. 16 (Bowman Gum, Inc.)

"Maury broke even in the win and loss column in 1951 with 8 and 8. His earned run average, which in 1951 was 3.35, has been low almost consistently during his career- a good indicator of a pitcher's worth.
Maury hurled in sandlot and Legion ball signing with the Red Sox."

-1952 Bowman No. 25

"A strikeout artist, 'Lefty' ranked fifth in the American League with 127 strikeouts in 1951. He's been a winner since he came up with the Red Sox in mid-season of 1949 after a brief trial in '48.
Mickey holds an American Association record, fanning 20 men in one game in 1949. He also had two no-hitters to his credit while pitching for Scranton, in 1946 and '48.
In the off-season, he's an athletic instructor."

-1952 Topps No. 119

"Maury, or Lefty as he is also known, is one of the most promising young pitchers in baseball. He had his most successful season in 1952.
He began in baseball in 1945 and worked his way through the Red Sox' farm system, first arriving in Boston in 1948. He finished that season in the minors, however, returning in mid-1949 to stay.
Maury spent part of the past off-season as a professional singer."

-1953 Bowman No. 35

"Maury set the American Association record for strikeouts in one game when he fanned 20 St. Paul batters while pitching for Louisville in 1949. He threw two no-hitters in the minors and in 1946 led the Eastern League with 136 strikeouts.
He had a brief trial with the Red Sox in '48 and came up to stay during the '49 season. He was fifth in the American League in strikeouts in 1951.
During the winter he's a singer in a Boston night club."

-1953 Topps No. 55

"Maury was traded to the Senators in the winter of 1953. His work should be a tremendous asset to the Washington staff because the young lefty has a lot of stuff. He had an 18-10 record for the Boston Red Sox in 1953, appearing in 32 games. His earned run average of 3.01 was sixth-best in the league.
Maury pitched in sandlot and Legion ball, attended baseball school at Ebbets Field, then signed with the Red Sox. His father umpired in the Colonial League in 1947 and '48."

-1954 Bowman No. 56

"Last season was Maury's first in the uniform of the Washington Senators, and it was an off season for him. He appeared in 30 games, winning 7 and losing 15. However, the season prior to that is a better indicator of what he can do on the mound. With the Boston Red Sox he appeared in 32 games, winning 18 and losing 10.
He's been in baseball since 1945 when he had a 2-5 record for Scranton of the Eastern League. He first came to the majors with the Red Sox in 1948. He finished the year with Scranton, then returned during 1949 to stick."

-1955 Bowman No. 165

"Mickey joins Whitey Ford and Tommy Byrne in 1956 to give New York their third starting lefty. He's also a good batter and won three games in '55 with his own hits.
With Boston in 1953, he won 18 games with a 3.01 ERA."

-1956 Topps No. 340

1956 Back-O'-The-Card: Billy Martin

"Billy received his Army discharge in time to hit .320 in the 1955 World Series. In the '53 Series, he set the record for most hits [12] when he batted .500. Billy also set a mark by handling 24 chances at second base in a doubleheader."

-1956 Topps No. 181

1956 Back-O'-The-Card: Mickey Mantle

"Mickey topped the league in homers and tied for the lead in triples in 1955. He tied a record in 1953 by hitting a grand slam homer in the World Series.
One of the fastest men in baseball, Mickey is a fine outfielder."

-1956 Topps No. 135

1956 Back-O'-The-Card: Tommy Lasorda (Denver Bears)

"Tom showed marked improvement in each of his last four seasons as he helped pitch Montreal to three straight International League pennants. He won nine games in 1950, 12 in '51, 14 in '52. Last year, at 17-8, he had the best won-lost percentage (.680) in the International League.
With Schenectady in 1948, he set a Canadian-American League record by fanning 25 batters in a 15-inning game.
A little fellow, Tom was an amateur boxer during his military service. Pitching in Cuba, Tom accidentally hit a 6-foot, 200-pound batter. When the batter punched him, Tom faked with his glove and tripped up the batter."

-1954 Topps No. 132

1956 Back-O'-The-Card: Don Larsen

"At Baltimore in 1954, Don was a hard-luck hurler, losing 21 games. He joined the Yankees from Denver in mid-season last year and won five straight games. Don's timely victories helped the Yanks win the 1955 pennant."

-1956 Topps No. 332