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10/21/15 Topps Baseball Card Of The Day: 1987 Topps #78 Tom Foley, Expos

 

More Tom Foley Topps Cards: 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992

 

 

Today, he's the Tampa Bay Rays' third base coach largely known for being tied to a pair of (unfortunate) 2014 events... 

 

A) wearing a #66 Zimmer jersey in tribute to Rays special advisor Don Zimmer, who took ill and eventually died following 66 years in pro baseball, and

B) being in the path of angry Red Sox OF Jonny Gomes when Gomes charged all the way to 3B from LF to get at Rays runner Yunel Escobar, who was inciting the Boston dugout.

 

Long before that, Tom Foley was a versatile infielder who spent parts of eight years with the Expos, but also got run for the Reds, Phillies and Pirates. Only twice did he exceed 70 starts in any one season, and after years approaching or exceeding 300 PA, he was essentially a backup after turning 30.

 

Never more than an average-at-best offensive player even in the minors, Foley lasted 13 years largely on his versatility and fielding skillz.

Here, Foley has just completed his first 2½ months as an Expo, having been traded from the Phillies in July 1986. Foley was set to start for Philadelphia at SS that year until an errant pitch broke his wrist in Spring Training—Steve Jeltz took and kept the job, rendering Foley expendable enough to be swapped for RP Dan Schatzeder.

 

 

THIS CARD: It's challenging digging up quality 30-year-old pix of defunct NL turf ballparks—to the best I can determine, Foley is posing at old Busch Stadium II in St Louis. "No, NO, that park was grass and didn't look anything like this one, dummy!" shouted the 20-and-under crowd.

 

That's partially correct—Busch began with grass, then was converted to turf 1970-95 before returning to grass as part of a huge renovation; the whole area behind Foley changed.

 

Never seen a bat held that way. Ever. Either do a bunt pose or don't, Tom.

 

 

THE REVERSE: Score made regular mention of Foley's ambidextry on their card reverses, perhaps overcompensating for Topps "scooping" them. (Score Baseball didn't debut until 1988).

 

I was precisely six months old when Wilson stole that base. His streak would not advance, as Seattle P Rick Honeycutt and C Jerry Narron teamed to erase the Royals outfielder on his very next steal attempt one week later.

 

Foley is listed as a second baseman, even though he played at minimum twice as much at SS every year of his career to that point, including 1986.

 

 

AFTER THIS CARD: Foley continued to get a lot of run under manager Buck Rodgers through the 1989 season, but by '92, the Expos had a new manager and remade front office who decided to part ways with him after a very difficult 1992. Two seasons in Pittsburgh and an abbreviated reunion with Montreal wrapped Foley's playing career just shy of 36.

 

He has worked for the Tampa Bay organization almost exclusively ever since, even before their MLB debut. Foley was third-base coach 2001-14 and moved to bench coach under rookie skipper—and former Rays player—Kevin Cash in 2015.

 

Tom Foley appeared annually in 1984-92 Topps.

 

 

CATEGORIES: 1987 Topps, Montreal Expos

9/6/15 Topps Baseball Card Of The Day: 2007 Topps Update #58 David Weathers, Reds

 

More David Weathers Topps Cards: 1993 1994 1995 2003 2008

 

 

Not to be confused with the America's Got Talent contestant, this Dave Weathers was a big dude who took the ball just under 1,000 times in the major leagues, mostly as a relief pitcher. A 1988 #3 pick by Toronto, Weathers opened his pro career as a starter with annual double-digit win totals in the minors 1989-93 (except '92, much of which he spent sidelined).

 

Weathers moved on to Florida in the '92 Expansion Draft, and spent all of 1994 in the Marlin rotation...then his journey began. After helping the 1996 Yankees win the World Series—I couldn't have guessed his three-game participation at gunpoint—the Tennessee native hooked up with several clubs, most notably Milwaukee and the Mets, before landing in Cincinnati for 2005.

 

Here, Weathers has just completed his second of what would be 4½ years with the Reds. Having succeeded the cut Danny Graves as stopper in May 2005, he opened and closed 2006 in the role, with young Todd Coffey and newcomer Eddie Guardado handling duties in between.

 

 

THIS CARD: Yet another Yankee reliever from the Torre era...this makes three straight.

 

It's not fully evident in this pic, but Weathers hunched big-time in his delivery. Can't recall any others like it since. Weathers' signature resembles a seismograph. 

 

Weathers' first three Topps cards referred to him as "Dave". He holds the "distinction" of appearing on a Topps base card, then a prospect card (1993 and 1994 Topps, respectively). Offhand, I can only put 1998-99 Topps Orlando Cabrera in that club.

 

 

THE REVERSE: Weathers exceeded 60 appearances each of his final 11 major league seasons, finishing with 964 (69 starts). Only 18 men have ever pitched in more games.

 

That 1988 draft also brought Ed Sprague Jr. and Woody Williams to the Blue Jays. Besides Weathers, exactly zero of their other 70 picks that year reached the majors with Toronto.

 

 

AFTER THIS CARD: Weathers closed for the new-look Reds of 2007, nailing 33 of 39 chances. Still, Cincy brought in star free agent Francisco Cordero in the offseason, kicking the disappointed incumbent back to setup. To clear space for young Jared Burton, 40-year-old Weathers was sold to the Brewers in August 2009; he made his final two dozen MLB appearances there.

 

Despite pitching in parts of 19 major league seasons, David Weathers—overlooked by pitching mostly middle/setup relief—only received six Topps cards: 1993-95, 2003, this 2007 Update and 2008.

 

 

CATEGORIES: 2007 Topps Update, Cincinnati Reds

9/3/15 Topps Baseball Card Of The Day: 2002 Topps #379 Steve Karsay, Yankees

 

More Steve Karsay Topps Cards: 1994 1995 1998 2000 2001 2003 2004

 

 

We transition from one early 00's Yankee reliever to another with Karsay, a talented starting pitcher whose anticipated rise to superstardom was thwarted by an uncooperative right arm. The big fella emerged after being acquired by Oakland from Toronto in the 1993 Rickey Henderson trade—while Rickey helped Toronto to a championship, the A's hoped a one-two punch of Karsay and fellow youngster Todd Van Poppel could one day deliver them a title as well.

 

In short, it didn't happen—off to a brilliant beginning to the 1994 season, bone spur removal followed by Tommy John surgery kept Karsay out of the majors for nearly three full years. Upon that 1997 return, Karsay was not the same, allowing seven or more runs five times and accumulating a 1.6 WHIP. The A's traded their onetime phenom to Cleveland after the season.

 

Barely on the radar in 1998, the Indians converted Karsay to relief in '99—receiving a very positive return. He even closed 20 games for the 2000 squad! Here, the now-30-year-old New York native has signed with the defending A.L. champion Yankees—who paid him $22.25M for four years to set up Mo Rivera.

 

 

THIS CARD: In three of his four 2000-03 Topps cards, Karsay is depicted from the third base side, zoomed in mid-delivery, about to pivot and fire—this STUN shot is the lone exception. (Seriously, 2000 and 2001 virtually match. Topps, if you read this...I'll work cheap as a redundancy checker!)

 

 

THE REVERSE: 1995 is listed as DNP; 1996 isn't because Karsay did play...but only in the minors. 

 

Karsay is listed here at 215, 30 pounds heavier than on his 1994 rookie card. I remember him being noticeably and significantly thicker in his second A's stint than in his first a decade earlier. (spoiler alert)

 

That April 2001 rise encompassed the entire month (10 personal games) and—according to BaseballReference.com—covered 48 batters! Karsay allowed four walks and 11 K along the way. (Naturally, his first May outing: 1 IP, 5 hits, 3 runs.)

 

I've long wondered Topps' selection process for draft picks—some first-rounders and even some lower-rounders made their way into sets, while other first-rounders such as Karsay were bypassed until reaching the majors. Certainly—in 1994-95 at least—the company regretted choosing the likes of Ronnie Walden over him.

 

 

AFTER THIS CARD: Karsay put together a good first year with the Yankees and even saved 12 games in place of a disabled Rivera, but sadly, that would be it for him as a productive and healthy major leaguer. He missed all of 2003 after rotator cuff surgery, and only appeared in 36 big league games 2004-06 after that.

 

The final nine came with Oakland, who rescued Karsay from AAA Buffalo (Indians) in May 2006 to provide much-needed relief depth. However, the veteran already had retirement on his mind, and stepped away a month later. Here is an interesting piece on Karsay's connection to the Baseball Hall Of Fame.

 

Steve Karsay appeared in 1994, 1995 and 1998 Topps as an Athletic, then made the 2000-04 sets as an Indian/Yankee.

 

 

CATEGORIES: 2002 Topps, New York Yankees

9/13/15 Topps Baseball Card Of The Day: 1988 Topps #47 Joaquin Andujar, Athletics

 

More Joaquin Andujar Topps Cards: 1987

 

 

TSR made it two-and-a-half months without a special COTD selection in memory of a late major leaguer—no small feat, given the high number (5) we presented in the first six months of 2015. Unfortunately, we couldn't make it to the offseason without an unexpected passing. 

 

Any 1980's baseball fan remembers Andujar—if you're nicknamed "One Tough Dominican" as he was, you're likely difficult to forget. Andujar, with an excellent two-seamer and a slider he'd often sling from a near-submarine position, was the ace of the mid-80's Cardinals. He was also known as an intimidator and never shied away from ruffling feathers if it meant speaking his mind.

 

His career began with five years in Houston, during much of which he alternated between starting and relieving. Still, Andujar was a two-time All-Star there before joining St. Louis via trade. As a Cardinal, he won 15 games for the 1982 World Champions, then really took off in 1984 with consecutive 20-win seasons!

 

However, Andujar's 21-win 1985 closed very poorly, he suffered an unforgettable meltdown in that year's World Series and was eventually suspended for that as well as his role in the Pittsburgh drug scandal—not surprisingly, his career descended very quickly after that.

Here, 34-year-old Andujar has completed the second of two years with the Athletics, to whom he was traded for catcher Mike Heath after the '85 season.

 

 

THIS CARD: This was Andujar's final Topps card, hence its selection. He doesn't look all that "tough" in this image, but don't be fooled—there was nothing meek about this man, at least on the field.  Andujar slightly resembles Gary Sheffield, IMO.

 

 

THE REVERSE: Was Andujar, who wore #47 practically all of his career, assigned the card #47 deliberately?

 

Forearm and hamstring Injuries limited the veteran in 1987—he made one appearance before May 25 and one after July 28.

 

Note how few guys Andujar, despite quality "stuff", struck out. Not a knock on him per se—it also illustrates how the game has changed since even 30 years ago. 

 

 

AFTER THIS CARD: Not much. 34-year-old Andujar re-joined the Astros in 1988, starting and relieving just like old times. He signed with Montreal for 1989 but didn't make the team, ending his MLB career. He died in September 2015 from diabetes at 62.

 

Joaquin Andujar appeared in Topps annually from 1977-88.

 

 

CATEGORIES: 1988 Topps, Oakland Athletics, Now Deceased

9/16/15 Topps Baseball Card Of The Day: 2009 Topps #550 Carlos Beltran, Mets

 

More Carlos Beltran Topps Cards: 1995 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

 

 

If you're the type who believes in "signs", Carlos Beltran's pro career began with a giant one flashing "WARNING"—Topps infamously plastered his image on future flameout Juan LeBron's 1995 Draft Pick card, and vice versa, never bothering to correct either.

 

Today, the only non-collectors who know Juan LeBron ever existed are those who stumble upon his name on page 25 of a Google search for LeBron James, while Carlos Beltran became a five-tool superstar and postseason hero.

Beltran made his name as the 1999 A.L. Rookie of the Year for Kansas City, where he enjoyed his first four of seven 20-20 seasons. Though he did not win a Gold Glove until landing in the higher visibility of New York, Beltran could play center field with anybody.

 

By 2004, Beltran was making $9M—deserved; the guy averaged 26 homers, 104 RBI and 36 steals 2001-03. But with free agency pending and a severely disappointing KC squad free-falling toward 104 losses, Beltran joined the Astros via trade and went superhuman that October.

 

From a financial standpoint, Beltran's heroics could not have been timed better—the Mets paid $119M over seven years to land the star outfielder back when those type of deals weren't handed out like breath mints. He did not impress at all in Year One as a Met, unless you count being able to walk away from a horrific skull-to-skull diving collision with RF Mike Cameron in August as impressive. (We do.)

 

Beltran returned to form and then some in 2006 (tarnished somewhat by his NLCS-ending called strikeout). Here, the now-31-year-old has just wrapped a three-year run (2006-08) averaging 34 homers, 113 RBI, .537 SLG and 22 steals. Oh, by the way—he nabbed Gold Gloves each year, just for kicks.

 

 

THIS CARD: Efforts like the one pictured helped Beltran secure those defensive accolades—assuming he caught the ball, of course. Jose Reyes is fast approaching but wisely avoids contact, lest a repeat of Beltran-Cameron 2005. This could be Miller Park. Or not. Again, apologies for the deluminated gold.

 

 

THE REVERSE: Very nice career numbers to this point, though the lack of red italics are surprising for a guy with four All-Star appearances, a 4th-place MVP vote and a ROY award to his credit through 2008. 

 

Today, Beltran's top career OPS against is Jaret Wright; he reached in 17 of 25 PAs against Wright with three doubles, three home runs, three walks and a pair of plunkings.

 

 

AFTER THIS CARD: Though sidelined half of both 2009 and 2010, Beltran nearly completed his seven-year Mets deal, but was traded to the Giants in '11. He's since spent two years with the Cardinals and Yankees apiece, adding to numbers many believe are Hall-of-Fame worthy.

 

Carlos Beltran's Topps debut was "his" 1995 Traded Draft Pick; he's received a common every year since 2000.

 

 

CATEGORIES: 2009 Topps, New York Mets, $100M Men

9/21/15 Topps Baseball Card Of The Day: 1989 Topps #570 Tony Gwynn, Padres

 

More Tony Gwynn Topps Cards: 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002

 

 

The great Tony Gwynn, Sr. makes his second appearance in COTD (we specially selected his 1998 card back on June 19, 2014, shortly after his death). This card represents Gwynn's 1988 season—from 1983-89, when he won four batting titles in six years, Gwynn was probably closest to ordinary in '88.

 

He batted "only" .313, a 57-point dip from 1987 but still higher than any other National Leaguer. He was sidelined during Spring Training after left hand surgery, then injured his right hand in May falling between first and second bases in Pittsburgh—missing three weeks. He was hitting under .250 thru July 1.

 

But Gwynn turned it around, hitting .364 from that point on and fending off Rafael Palmiero for the batting title at .313—the NL's lowest leading average ever. (As told in Tales From The Padres Dugout, Gwynn credited his turnaround on beating a simple Bob Walk backdoor slider for an oppo single one night.)

 

 

THIS CARD: I just can't picture the great Tony Gwynn shopping for activator. But, there you have it.

 

Gwynn made no secret of his regular tobacco use, and it does appear he's got some chaw tucked away.

 

 

THE REVERSE: Note the July/August resurgence; those numbers equate to 246 regular season hits. Again, Gwynn was injured most of May 1988.

 

Why is his league-leading 1988 average not bold or italicized? This is the first such goof I've ever noticed in pre-1997 Topps. Will be on the lookout for more.

 

 

AFTER THIS CARD: Gwynn "rebounded" with a Gold-Glove, .336, 203-hit, 40-steal 1989 season for the 89-win Padres. From 1990-93, he continued to secure All-Star berths, but won no batting crowns and had trouble staying on the field (annually averaging 30 games missed).

 

But Gwynn ripped off four straight NL batting titles 1994-97—needing a little help in 1996—and any doubt concerning a potential future Cooperstown induction disappeared. 38-year-old Gwynn hit .500 in the 1998 World Series and recorded career hit #3,000 in 1999...then slowly faded away into a post-2001 retirement.

His son Tony Jr. has played nearly 700 MLB games since 2006, spending 2015 in the Nationals system.

 

Tony Gwynn appeared in Topps annually 1983-2002.

 

 

CATEGORIES: 1989 Topps, San Diego Padres, Now Deceased

9/24/15 Topps Baseball Card Of The Day: 1990 Topps #35   Benny Santiago, Padres

 

More Benny/Benito Santiago Topps Cards: 1987 1988 1989 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

 

This has got to be the 6th or 7th early 90's Padre in recent months...what has got the Randomizer so obsessed? It can't be the sexy uniforms...

 

Catcher Benny Santiago was a unanimous choice for NL Rookie Of The Year in 1987—34-game hitting streaks and regularly throwing out base-stealers from your knees can do that. Though unpolished (22 errors and passed balls), Santiago carried obvious defensive talent to go with a strong bat; he'd be the Padres #1 catcher through 1992—making four All-Star teams, winning four Silver Sluggers and nabbing a trio of Gold Gloves along the way.

 

Here, 24-year-old Santiago has wrapped his first All-Star season; I wondered how even a C in the pre-steroid era could be voted to start with his weak first-half numbers (.236, five homers)...until checking out those of his fellow NL catchers. Plus, numbers don't mean everything, I must occasionally remind myself.

 

Still, only one teammate out-homered Santiago, who also won a Gold Glove on the strength of gunning 41% of attempted base thieves.

 

THIS CARD: 10-year-old me would get inexplicable, lasting urges to catch whenever pulling a card with a catcher's mitt on it—Santiago's is no different. Of course, once I finally reached Little League and actually caught, those urges permanently petered out. Stupid curveballs...

 

Santiago must be loosening up before a game, given his field position and lack of any protective gear. "Padres" isn't obscured on this particular 1990 Topps card. 

 

Beginning with the 1996 set, "Benny" became known in Topps as "Benito" for the rest of his career.

 

 

THE REVERSE: We already touched on everything in the blurb. Santiago's streak currently ties for 16th all-tme; at 1987's end it tied for 13th. It began August 25 and ended October 2; he then took an oh-fer before going 2-for-2 on the season's final day. That's how you sway award voters.

 

 

AFTER THIS CARD: By 1992, Santiago—feeling underpaid—was no longer happy in San Diego. Although his salary doubled to $3.3M that year, he moved on to the expansion Marlins in the off-season, eventually suiting up for four other clubs by decade's end. 

 

Speaking of ending, a bad (one-car) accident took him out for most of 1998 and threatened his career, but he re-emerged as a front-line catcher with the Giants 2001-03, even making another All-Star team.

One-year stints with KC and Pittsburgh wrapped Santiago's playing career; he was named in both the infamous BALCO scandal in 2003 as well as the Mitchell Report in 2007 as having received PED shipments.

 

Benny/Benito Santiago appeared in Topps 1987-97, was omitted 1998-2000—no Benito as a Blue Jay or Cub—then returned 2001-04 after resurrecting his career in San Francisco (1987 was a Traded card).

 

CATEGORIES: 1990 Topps, San Diego Padres

9/29/15 Topps Baseball Card Of The Day: 2006 Topps #307 Walter Young, Orioles

 

More Walter Young Topps Cards: 2003

 

 

(For the purposes of the upcoming tongue-in-cheek paragraph, TSR will define the Virgin Islander Calvin Pickering as black. Thank you.)

 

Throughout my baseball fandom, the Baltimore Orioles seem to operate with two primary goals in mind: A) win the World Series, and B) employ a massive lefty black first baseman who never lives up to his alleged talent.

 

Sam Horn and Calvin Pickering took their turns in the 80's and 90's, respectively. In 2005, there was Young—at 320 pounds, the heaviest listed player in league history (although we fans can all name at least one star from the 1990s who should hold that distinction).

 

Young, a #31 pick by Pittsburgh out of high school, spent his first five pro seasons in the Pirates chain.

Acquired by Baltimore off waivers in late '03, 24-year-old Young ripped 33 home runs for AA Bowie (breaking Pickering's record) in 2004—the next season, he reached the majors for the only time. This card represents Young's month in the major leagues. 

 

THIS CARD: That is a big person. Young could probably snap that bat in two like a pencil.

 

Three of Young's nine starts for the Orioles were multi-hit games; he went 10-for-33 (.303) in 14 games—hitting his lone home run off then-scrub R.A. Dickey of Texas.

 

 

THE REVERSE: Again, why hasn't Topps ever put MLB stats on their rookie cards...

 

Had they so chosen, Topps could have listed Young's 204 TB in 2005—14th in the International League—instead of the 81 RBI already printed in his frikkin' batting record. Urgh.

 

The toon: when you're mammoth like Young, recruitment is just a formality. If he decided he wanted to play at LSU, would you tell him he couldn't?

Never heard Baltimore referred to as Charm City before. The educational side of collecting.

 

Claimed "on" waivers?

 

 

AFTER THIS CARD: Basically nothing. Young was acquired by—and months later, waived by—San Diego the following January. He made stops in the Independent League through 2009, his pro career done before 30 with no other MLB run. Young roped 174 home runs in the minor leagues, including independent ball.

 

On 9/19/15, 35-year-old Young died of a heart attack—it hit home for me personally, being only a month younger than Young and even larger than he was not long ago. It isn't known if the onetime slugger grew even larger in retirement, or even if his weight contributed to the attack.

 

What is known: if I wasn't already on a long-term fitness plan, Young's passing would have kick-started one.

 

Walter Young appeared in both 2003 Topps and Topps Traded as a Pirates prospect; this 2006 card would be his last with the company.

 

 

CATEGORIES: 2006 Topps, Baltimore Orioles, Now Deceased

10/12/15 Topps Baseball Card Of The Day: 1989 Topps #700 Don Mattingly, Yankees

 

More Don Mattingly Topps Cards: 1987 1988 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996

 

 

Prior to collecting cards at age 10 in 1990, I could name every last Masters Of The Universe character with ease—and there were loads of them—but only three major leaguers: Darryl Strawberry, Orel Hershiser...and Don Mattingly.

 

If you're new to baseball and watching this year's NLDS between the Mets and the Mattingly-led Dodgers, convincing you that this average-sized, harmless bespectacled man was once one of the greatest hitters of the 1980s might be tough. Tax accountant? Sure. Insurance agent? Yeah, you'd buy that. But not "former feared slugger for the New York Yankees".

 

But Mattingly was. For a half-decade, he dominated the American League at bat (average of .327, 30, 110 from 1984-87) and broke their spirit in the field (annual Gold Gloves at 1B 1985-89, plus four more in the 90's), making six straight All-Star teams along the way and winning the 1985 AL MVP award.

 

The slugger once homered in a record-tying eight consecutive games and hit a record-setting six grand slams in 1987 (since matched by Travis Hafner.) His name even rings baseball, doesn't it? What I'm trying to communicate—in the mid-80's, Don Mattingly was kind of a big deal.

 

Here, Mattingly is about to embark on what would be his final season as an even remotely elite offensive player—at only 27, his power numbers had dipped substantially in 1988. Little could anyone imagine such "ordinary" production would be the norm for the Yankee superstar going forward...

 

 

THIS CARD: Mattingly is captured eyeing some wood while still lugging the leather. My theory: a warm Spring Training day in early 1988; Donnie is preparing to take the field for some grounders when suddenly a bat materializes from nowhere—and it's got his name on it!

 

Concerned it is a trap of some sort set by unknown enemies, Mattingly stops dead in his tracks and eyes the lumber carefully, trying to identify any clues.

Fortunately, despite being totally unaware a workout had been scheduled for that morning, teammate Rickey Henderson was nearby. Rickey reminds Mattingly he is a major leaguer and he likely owns the bat he's holding. All ends well (although Rickey is told no, he may not have the bat.)

 

 

THE REVERSE: Bold/Italics usually indicate a guy is pretty good. Mattingly's got plenty—his 238 hits and 53 doubles in '86 were/are club records!

 

Going further, no lefty Yankee hitter has ever exceeded Mattingly's 742 plate appearances that year (although a switch-hitter did once). The Indiana native still ranks among the top 10 all-time Yanks in RBI, runs, hits, total bases and doubles—not bad for a former #19 pick who was often consigned to the outfield by the presence of Ken Griffey Sr. and Steve Balboni early in his career.

 

Take a good look at those strikeout totals...from 1985-1987, Mattingly's strikeout-to-homer ratio was damn near 1/1. His single-season career high in K? 43. Chris Davis was rung up 47 times just this past August. (That's a credit to one slugger, not a knock on the other.)

 

 

AFTER THIS CARD: With so many accolades, why does Mattingly lack a plaque in Cooperstown? Because of his own body—after years as a superstar, a degenerative disk in Mattingly's back shelved him much of 1990, and he could only muster five home runs and a dreadful .335 SLG. He was able to play full-time for the ensuing five seasons, but only with the offensive production of a mere mortal.

 

Mattingly last played in 1995; he coached under Yankee/Dodger manager Joe Torre 2004-10 before succeeding Torre as Dodgers manager in 2011. Through hiccups and drama, Mattingly has lasted five years in the role to date. He appeared annually in 1984-96 Topps as a player; Topps has not produced manager cards during his tenure.

 

 

CATEGORIES: 1989 Topps, New York Yankees

10/16/15 Topps Baseball Card Of The Day: 2007 Topps Update #296 Edgar Gonzalez, Diamondbacks

 

More Edgar Gonzalez Topps Cards: 2007 2008

 

 

No relation to the ex-Padre infielder of the same name (Edgar Victor Gonzalez), I remember Edgar Gerardo Gonzalez as a valuable innings-eater with the Oakland A's around decade's turn. Long before that, he was a 17-year-old signee by Arizona in 2000 out of Mexico. As a 19-year-old in single-A, Gonzalez went 14-8, 2.63 in 27 starts for South Bend.

 

The Diamondbacks gave Gonzalez 10 starts in the second half of 2004. He threw 46.1 innings, allowed 15 home runs and registered a 9.35 ERA—which is even more astounding considering he threw three quality starts! In his penultimate start of the season, my Giants demolished him for 10 earned runs in 1+ inning pitched en route to an 18-7 beatdown (in that game, Barry Bonds tagged Gonzalez for career homer #697).

 

In fact, in each of Gonzalez' first four starts, Arizona lost 10-3, 10-3, 10-3 and 10-2 (though not all the runs were charged to him.) Clearly, good things weren't happening when Gonzalez took the mound—he spent essentially the entire 2005 season in AAA Tucson.

 

Arizona held on to the beefy, still-young righty through 2008, however. Here, Gonzalez is coming off a much-improved major league showing. Called up in June and again in September 2006, he went 2-3, 3.00 in five non-consecutive starts.

 

 

THIS CARD: Gonzalez is given an Update card for some reason despite having a card in the base set with the same team. Maybe just to show off the new D'Backs uniforms (or his new long 'do)?

 

I don't want to bag on Gonzalez, who may well be a very nice man. But his signature looks written by a 15-month old. If you unfocus your eyes, you might see the word "Pear".

 

 

THE REVERSE: Wonder what kind of reaction Melvin's comment would get in 2015, given the fallout from the infamous 2014 Luol Deng (NBA) scouting report.

 

Those three starts came against Florida (loss), San Diego and San Francisco (wins). We referenced his 2006 record as a starter above; Gonzalez accrued an 8.68 ERA and 1.65 WHIP in six relief appearances.

 

The rare five-digit ERA...possible future Topps card category?

 

 

AFTER THIS CARD: Gonzalez did open 2007 in the Arizona rotation, but was pushed out by injured Micah Owings' return after five starts. He continued to alternate between relieving and starting before finally being outrighted by the D'Backs after the '08 season.

 

Since the aforementioned 2009 season with Oakland, Gonzalez has made a total of 15 major-league appearances—most recently with the 2013 Astros. He spent 2015 in the Mexican League, going 4-12, 4.90 in 23 starts for his native Monterrey.

 

Edgar G. Gonzalez appeared in 2007-08 Topps.

 

 

CATEGORIES: 2007 Topps Update, Arizona Diamondbacks, Two Commons, Same Team

87Topps78_Foley
07ToppsU296_Gonzalez_Edgar
89Topps700_Mattingly
06Topps307_Young_Walter
90Topps35_Santiago_Benny
89Topps570_Gwynn_Tony
09Topps550_Beltran_Carlos
88Topps47_Andujar
07ToppsU58_Weathers
02Topps379_Karsay

10/27/15 Topps Baseball Card Of The Day: 2006 Topps Update #15 Corey Koskie, Brewers

 

More Corey Koskie Topps Cards: 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006

 

 

We make our second dip into 2006 Topps Update for new Brewer Koskie, acquired from Toronto but best known for his seven seasons with the Minnesota Twins. The Canadian native snuck up on the baseball world; his collegiate ball came at two schools you've never heard of, and he wasn't drafted until the 26th round in 1994. Eventually, Koskie started to slug in the minors—by 1998 he was in the bigs and by 1999, he was playing regularly.

 

The 2001 Twins returned to contention after nearly a decade of futility—Koskie was one of several young Twins to bust out that year, and his 103 RBI led the club by 11. He'd never come close to that figure again, but did smack 25 home runs in his walk year of 2004.

 

Needing slugging after losing Carlos Delgado, Toronto brought Koskie in on a 3Y/$17M deal, but he lost two months to the DL (thumb) and wasn't all that productive before or after the May injury.

 

Here, Koskie has just hooked up with Milwaukee, who saw a bargain if he could approach his Minnesota numbers. Earlier in that 2005-06 off-season Toronto had a shot at acquiring star 3B Troy Glaus—far superior to Koskie as a slugger even at Koskie's best—from Arizona and jumped on it, rendering the latter expendable. 

 

 

THIS CARD: Koskie also has a card in the base set, with Toronto (#227).

 

I can't tell how far up the line Koskie's dropping his bat, but this past season I paid attention to A) how close to the plate guys drop the bat, and B) how infrequently others moved it aside when a play at the plate unfolded—not even runners crossing the plate could be counted on to clear the path for a following teammate!

 

Other than David Price this past season stepping on the bat while backing up home, and Marcus Thames stepping on his own bat running up the line a few years ago, I can't immediately recall anyone else hurt by a dropped bat. Once someone gets seriously hurt—which will happen—you will see umps, batboys, catchers, on-deck hitters, everybody practically trampling one another to prevent a repeat...for a while.

 

 

THE REVERSE: For the geographically challenged, "Man" refers to "Manitoba", a Canadian province bordering North Dakota and Minnesota. The referenced trade was for prospect Brian Wolfe, who made 72 relief appearances with Toronto 2007-09 before joining the Japan League, where he remains today.

 

Braves P Kyle Davies served up that 4/24/06 home run, which secured a W for Chris Capuano. In fact, following Koskie's drought, he closed April with six ribbies in his final 20 AB of the month—that equates to 150 in a 500-AB season. Not too shabby.

 

 

AFTER THIS CARD: Not much. On July 5, 2006 Koskie suffered what would be a career-ending concussion despite no blow to the head—he tumbled awkwardly while going back on a 7th-inning popup by Cincinnati's Felipe Lopez at Miller Park, jarring himself badly enough to be concussed.

 

The symptoms persisted, and Koskie spent the final 1½ years of his deal on the disabled list. By 2009, a now-36-year-old Koskie healed enough to sort of represent Canada in the World Baseball Classic (he only played in exhibitions) and attempt a comeback with the Cubs, but ultimately retired late in the Spring.

 

Corey Koskie received a 1999 Topps shared prospect card, then received commons annually from 2000-06. Apparently sensing he was done, the company didn't issue him a 2007 base or Update card even though he played regularly in '06 before being hurt and had not retired.

 

 

CATEGORIES: 2006 Topps Update, Milwaukee Brewers

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Topps Card Of The Day Archive, September/October 2015

 

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