1997 Topps All-Star Rookie Third Baseman Scott Rolen

It's a pretty straightforward formula - be the Rookie of the Year, get a spot on the Topps All-Star Rookie roster. That was certainly true for Scott Rolen, who had a very good rookie season in 1997, good enough to be the NL Rookie of the Year. He was the perfect choice to be the Topps All-Star Rookie 3rd Baseman. Rolen led the Phillies in Homers, Runs scored, Runs Batted in, Walks, and Stolen Bases.

Not only was Rolen putting up big numbers, but his teammates were impressed with how he did it. Then 35 year old journeyman catcher Mark Parent summed it up best by saying Rolen was "going to be worth the price of admission for years to come."

Rolen was the Phillies 2nd Round selection in 1993, drafted right out of high school from Jasper, IN. He was, like many All-Star rookies, a multi-sport star. In addition to baseball, Rolen was a phenomenal basketball player, setting a record for points in a game (50), and scored 47 in a sectional playoff game -- with a severely sprained ankle. He was recruited and offered basketball scholarships from Georgia and Oklahoma State, but the Phillies' offer to Indiana's Mr. Baseball was too good to pass up. Rolen was also a skilled tennis player, and might have made a good quarterback had he not been injured playing football, deciding to stick with Basketball and Baseball. It is worth noting however that all of his teammates and coaches were quick to point out his humility despite his obvious great talent.

Once in pro ball, Rolen found success at each level. With Single A Spartanburg, Rolen hit .294 with 14 homers as a 19 year old. He would be promoted twice as a 20 year old, and in 1996 he moved up 3 levels and made his MLB debut as a 21 year old.

In his second full MLB season, Rolen won his first Gold Glove at third base. He also hit 31 homers and drove in 110 runs for the Phillies, leading the team in both categories. He was also the Phillies leader in Wins Above Replacement. In 1999 he had an OPS+ of 120, and followed it up with another outstanding season in 2000, winning his 2nd Gold Glove and once again hitting big in the middle of the order. The team was struggling however, and Phils Manager Terry Francona was fired in the off-season. Larry Bowa was brought in to replace him, and friction between Rolen and Bowa began almost immediately. When Bowa openly criticized Rolen for not hitting in a series against Boston, the relationship took a turn for the worse. Rolen later played through criticism from general manager Dallas Green that August, stating that Rolen was "not a great player," so the following spring, entering his final season of his contract, Rolen expressed the desire to be traded, and also that he wanted to leave because they didn't want him, and weren't likely to keep him (or the rest of the talented young core) for the long haul. He would be ripped by the media as well that season, being labeled a "clubhouse cancer" for his earlier comments about management.

The Phillies would trade Rolen to St. Louis in exchange for Placido Polanco, Mike Timlin, and Bud Smith. The Cardinals organization was a great landing spot for Rolen, who had an appreciation for Rolen's style of play and of course his skill both on offense and defense. He would make an immediate impact in St. Louis, hitting .429 in the NLDS, though his post season was cut short due to injury and missed the NLCS. His best individual season was 2004, when he hit 34 homers and drove in 124 runs, finishing 4th in the MVP voting. He slashed .314/.409/.598. He had a 158 OPS+ and had a WAR of 9.2 - good for 3rd best in the NL that year (Thanks Barry). But his best season in Saint Louis was probably actually 2006, because it was the year his team became World Series Champs. After going hitless in the 2004 Series, Rolen would redeem himself by hitting .421 in 5 games including a home run.

Following his tenure in Saint Louis, Rolen was traded to Toronto, where he had a subpar offensive season, then hit .320 in the first half and the Jays traded him again, back to the NL central to play for the Reds. In Cincinnati, Rolen was the veteran presence that would lead by example. He would return to the All-Star game for the 6th and 7th time as a Red, won his 8th Gold Glove, and helped take the Reds to the post season in 2010 and 2012.

Rolen's 8 Gold Gloves are 3rd most all-time for a third basemen, trailing only Brooks Robinson and Mike Schmidt. Rolen played every inning in the field as a third baseman in the big leagues, Over 17,000 innings and is 12th All-Time in Games Played at 3rd. It is ironic, then, that the biggest knock on his Hall of Fame case is the time he missed. Injuries ended his season in 1996, ended his post season prematurely in 2002, and cost him a large portion of his season in 2005. He was also limited in 2007 and in the following seasons due to injuries to his shoulder and hand. As a hitter, Rolen combined walks, hits, and power in a way that few major leaguers could match. While 2,077 hits, 517 doubles, 316 homers, and 899 walks doesn't seem all that impressive, only 23 players in the history of the game have had that level of success across all of those categories.

During his time in baseball, his batting average was 13 points higher than the league average, his OBP was 25 points higher than the league, and his slugging was 61 points higher than league average (don't forget that this is in the Steroid Era, when slugging was potentially artificially inflated, and expansion had diluted the league's pitching.). So the resulting picture is one of the best fielding and one of the best hitting 3rd Baseman of all time. On the 2020 ballot, his support doubled from the prior year, now over 35%. Hopefully that trend continues, and voters appreciate the player Rolen was.

Do you have any good Scott Rolen memories? I'd love to hear them!

I Love The 80s - 1982 Minnesota Twins

This is a series of posts on a 1980's Frankenset. Each page features a different team, with 9 of my personal favorite cards from that year's team. You might find players repeated, you'll definitely see brands repeated, but hopefully you'll agree that there are some interesting selections from the 1980s!

The 1982 Minnesota Twins broke records. The only problem? They were records for most losses in Franchise history since moving to MN. They had the lowest attendance in the American League, drawing fewer than 1 Million fans, despite opening a new facility (to call the Metrodome a "ballpark" is an insult to ballparks). The 82 team finished with the worst record in baseball with just 60 wins against 102 losses. 

Despite the terrible win-loss record and sagging attendance, hindsight would prove that the 1982 season was the spark that started the team's two championship runs in '87 and '91. It would be the first full seasons for catcher Tim Laudner, third baseman Gary Gaetti, as well as the first year in a Twins uniform for Tom Brunansky and a breakout season for Kent Hrbek. In January, the team drafted a Junior College outfielder by the name of Kirby Puckett.

1982 was exactly the kind of season one would expect to see from a team in the midst of a rebuild.

The Cards:
Donruss #228 Hosken Powell - Powell was the Twins' first round pick (3rd Overall) in 1975, and was named to the 1978 Topps All-Star Rookie team. He would have his best season for the Twins in 1980, playing in a career high 137 games and stealing 14 bases. Powell would spend 1982 with the Toronto Blue Jays, and played one season in Mexico in 1985. 

Fleer #548 Sal Butera - One of the few highlights for the Twins in 1982 came in May. Butera set a team record by throwing out 4 base stealers in a single game. Later that same month, he would start a triple play. Former Twin Roy Smalley struck out, then Butera threw to Gaetti at 3rd base, who ran the lead runner back to second, where Graig Nettles was already standing. Nettles retreated to first, and Gaetti rifled the ball to Hrbek. Then the lead runner Bobby Murcer again tried to take 3rd base, but Hrbek fired back across the diamond, beating Murcer's slide. It was a fairly eventful season for the team's backup catcher, as Butera would appear in just 54 games for the Twins. His son Drew would also become a journeyman backup backstop, currently on the Rockies roster for a 3rd straight season.

Topps #222 Butch Wynegar - Wynegar was one of the Twins' better players in the late 70s and had been developing into a very good hitting catcher. This made him a very appealing trade chip for the Twins, and he would go to the Yankees with Roger Erickson for a trio of prospects and cash. The switch hitting Wynegar was a two time all-star in MN, making the squad as a 20 and 21 year old. After leading the league in stolen bases allowed in his rookie season, he would turn the tables and lead the AL in caught stealing the next two years. Injuries would limit his effectiveness in New York, though he did post a career high 3.6 WAR and 133 OPS+ in 1983. 

Fleer #562 Gary Ward - In just his 14th major league game, Gary Ward hit for the cycle, the earliest cycle for any player in MLB history. His son Daryle would also hit for the cycle, making them the first father-son duo to both achieve the feat. Ward the elder had a breakout season in 1982, hitting a career high 28 homers and even garnered an MVP vote. He would make his first All-Star team in 1983, and was promptly traded away by the Twins in the offseason to Texas. He would make another All-Star squad in 1985 when he would steal a career high 26 bases. Ward has been a hitting coach in the White Sox organization since 1999. 

Topps Traded #44T Kent Hrbek - Born in Bloomington, MN, Hrbek was a hometown hero. He grew up playing baseball on tiny fields in the shadow of Metropolitan Stadium, and was a 17th round pick by the Twins in 1978. Hrbek would finish second in the 1982 AL ROY voting, hitting 26 homers and driving in 92 runs. He was named to his first All-Star Squad. In 1984 he was the runner up for AL MVP, after a season in which the Twins would shake off the early 80s losing in favor of a fierce battle for the AL West division crown. Hrbek retired as the All-Time MLB leader for indoor homers, and as a 2-time World Series Champ. Hrbek has had many roles following his playing career, as a goodwill ambassador for the Twins, and as an avid hunter and fisherman even hosted his own outdoor TV show.

Donruss #179 Darrell Jackson - Jackson's first professional game after being drafted was a gem. He tossed 9 no hit innings in AA Orlando, and was called up to pitch for the major league team before the end of his first pro season. Jackson won 20 MLB games, all with the Twins. He scuffled a bit in 1982, going 0-5 with a 6.25 ERA pitching through shoulder issues. He was recently featured on a podcast talking about his time in High School with Ozzie Smith and Eddie Murray, his 1977 College World Series championship with Arizona State, and his work post playing career with a youth outreach program in Los Angeles.

Topps Traded #13T Tom Brunansky - In 1982, Brunansky set a career high with a 129 OPS+, hitting 20 homers and 30 doubles. An All-Star in 1985, Brunansky had over 1,500 career hits and scored 804 runs. Against the Tigers in the 1987 ALCS, he hit .412 with a pair of homers. "Bruno" was a big part of the Twins offense in the early to mid 80s, and the trade sending him to Saint Louis for Tommy Herr remains one of the least popular moves in Minnesota sports history (2nd place, of course, to the North Stars moving to Dallas). 

Donruss #130 Rob Wilfong - To acquire the aforementioned Brunansky, the Twins had to part with Rob Wilfong, who had been the team's starting 2nd baseman since 1978. Wilfong had a great season in 1979, leading the AL in range factor as a 2nd baseman, as well as sacrifice hits. The Twins had called up Gary Gaetti to play 3rd base, and moved John Castino to 2nd base, making Wilfong the odd man out. Wilfong would have success in California as well, playing in the 1986 ALCS and hitting .308 over 4 games. Wilfong was known as defensive whiz, leading the AL in fielding pct in 1980, and also was a regular on the Total Zone Runs leaderboard. 

Fleer #549 John Castino - Here's Johnny - for the 3rd time in 4 posts! Castino was the team's star in 1980 and 81, after being named the AL Rookie of the Year in 1979. He hit a career high .302 in 1980, and was the AL leader in Triples in 1981. He made the move from 3rd Base to 2nd to make room for rookie Gary Gaetti, and Castino outdid himself, leading the AL in Fielding pct. at his new position in 1982. His career was cut short at just the age of 29 due to a fused disc in his back. He was limited to just 8 games in 1984. It was a rough end to a promising career. And given the team's resurgence in 1984, it was another case of "What if?" How far would they have gone in 1984 if the team had had Castino as an everyday player? 

Free Stuff Friday # 15 - A Little Bit of Everything

It's Friday already! That means free stuff. Every 5 weeks, I try to add something extra- we'll see how it goes. We start with 2006 Topps. Mathieson at the bottom right is from the Updates/highlights series.

Parallels!

Inserts! Technically Barry is not part of an insert set, but the Sports Illustrated Covers always looked like inserts to me.

SICK HITS

Well, here's some football - I don't have much of it to pass around, but maybe there is something that strikes your fancy.

Basketball! These are '79-'80 Topps.

Hockey time - Some newer stuff, some junk wax stuff, some older stuff.

Important Note on these to temper your expectations, I bought this box set, but every single card is dinged up in the top right corner. But hey, free is free.

Claim one card or claim them all! Please send me your address if it is your first time claiming or if we haven't traded before or in a long time.

The Envelope, PWEase

The benefit of sending out a ton of cards on Fridays, is that it stimulates the trading economy. When sending some free stuff claims to The Collector Chris, I tossed in a few extra Jersey Devils and BoSox. Chris responded with a very nice envelope of cards. Castino's scan went a little haywire, the actual card features straight lines all along the border.

A couple shiny Minnesota legends..

Can you name this stadium? Hint, Home Plate is now a combination Orange Julius / Dairy Queen*

That's Right! Metropolitan Stadium, aka The Met, where the Twins played their home games for the first 20 seasons.
(* just kidding, it's actually next to the soft pretzel kiosk)

New Blog Alert! Jeff of Wax Pack Wonders emailed me about making a small trade - he had some cards from my want lists. I was happy to send over some Ryne Sandberg, Mark Grace, 1981 and 1985 Topps needs back his way.

Here is a sampling - he may be new to blogging, but Jeff is obviously no stranger to getting the most out of an envelope! Pete Falcone is a meta card collecting masterpiece.

He also surprised me with this awesome oddball Kirby Puckett! Finding new to me Kirbys can be tough, so I salute to effort!

Ooh, check out that print run! This card is from 1992, and shows his 1991 regular season stats on the back.

Thanks Chris and Thanks Jeff!

Many Happy Returns

In addition to the stack of 2020 Heritage, there was another stack of cards from Nick when he sent me a mailer last week. As is his usual method, there was a great variety of eras and oddballs!

Even though MLB is continuing to hold out hope for a partial 2020 season, I can't help but think of the things we've already lost - Luis Arraez was going to start his 2nd full season in Minnesota, and Nelson Cruz was looking at the final year of his Twins contract. Will Cruz retire after the 2020 season? Does this lost season change the decision making process at all? Yadier Molina has already said he wants to play in 2021, even if the Cardinals choose to not bring him back.

Some of the lesser seen releases from Topps, including National Baseball Card Day exclusives, the Home Run Challenge insert (Max Kepler was probably not going to hit as many this year, now that Trevor Bauer is in the National League), and a couple of Topps Stickers.

I flipped over the Nelson Cruz sticker for a surprise! I have added Aquino as a player I collect, will be interesting to see what his career trajectory will be.

Nick always includes some fun odd releases - Brian Harper is part of a set of All-Stars, and the two Orlando Rays were future Twins. Sorrento was one of a long line of potential Kent Hrbek replacements.

Some sweet Harmons and a Donruss pop up All-Star insert of Manager Tom Kelly.

These manufactured patches are fun. I was hoping the player's Players' Weekend Nickname would be on the card, but the patch itself is a neat addition. John Castino was probably the Twins' best player in 1981, and he was the guy added to the mix whenever Topps was looking for even representation of the teams. The 1981 Topps Scratchoff game came in Panels. There were 108 total panels, Castino was one of 3 Twins in the checklist.

Thanks again Nick, always fun to see what you've put together! Everyone, go vote for the 2nd Dimebox Champ!