1996 Topps All-Star Rookie First Baseman Tony Clark

Tony the Tiger? He's Gr-r-r-r-reat!

Tony Clark was a prototypical Topps All-Star Rookie Candidate. The Switch hitting slugger was a mid season call-up and made major contributions to his team's offense. Clark also had a great story of making it to the show after possibly having his career derailed before it began. Over just 100 games for the Tigers, Tony crushed 27 home runs, to lead the team.

Tony the Tiger had a mixture of those impressive stats and impressive moments. He had a 2 HR game in September of 1996 - the first blast cleared the roof in Right Field at Tiger Stadium, which was often the benchmark used to measure whether new Tigers sluggers were legit or not. Clark slugged .503 in his rookie season, finishing 3rd in the AL Rookie of the Year voting.

Drafted by the Tigers in the 1st Round in 1990, Clark was a 2-sport star in high school in San Diego. Clark broke a single-season scoring record set by Basketball Hall of Famer Bill Walton. His senior season he averaged nearly 44 points per game. His pro contract with the Tigers allowed him to play College Basketball and baseball in the summers. At San Diego State University, Clark suffered a back injury falling on a teammate's foot during practice that ended his 1991 baseball season before it began. He would return the following season, but played in just 26 games. He did play well when he was on the field, slashing .306/.372/.588 for low-A Niagra Falls. After another season with just 36 games played, fans may have begun to wonder if  Clark was going to be a bust. He decided to leave San Diego State to focus solely on Baseball. 1994 would be a make or break year for Tony, so he chose making it by way of breaking it - he crushed 23 homers and drove in 99 runs over AA and AAA. He spent most of 1995 in AAA Toledo, where he would again slug the ball hard, and he earned a late season call-up to join the Tigers.

Clark's best MLB seasons came during his time in Detroit. He averaged 31 homers and 98 RBI each year from 1996 through 1999. Injuries would bite him again in 2000, playing in just 60 games, but once again he would bounce back to make his lone All-Star appearance in 2001. He hit 156 homers and had over 500 RBI in his time with the Tigers, and became just the 13th Switch Hitter to rack up 30+ homers in a season in MLB history. His OPS+ during his Tiger tenure was a strong 121.

Clark's career following his time in the motor city was a series of bright starts followed by injury woes and then more comebacks. He hit home runs in his first game played with Boston, the Mets, and the Yankees. At each of those stops along the way, Clark would struggle repeat his Tiger success. Clark was no longer being utilized as an everyday player. It may have just taken time for him to adjust to the new role. After joining the Diamondbacks in 2005,  Clark would surprise everyone by hitting 30 homers, and doing it in just 349 at bats. He had career highs in batting average, slugging, and OPS at age 35. Young players looked to Clark for advice and he was nominated to be the team's player representative for the MLBPA. 

Clark's experience as a player rep got his foot in the door with the MLBPA following his playing career. In 2013, after spending time as the deputy executive director. Clark was promoted to head the union, and has been the Executive Director ever since. Clark is still highly respected by players, rookies and veterans alike think of him as the go to guy for any questions they have about the baseball life, both on the field and as union members.

Clark retired from playing in 2009, with 251 career homers, the 13th highest total among all Switch Hitters. He hit homers from both sides of the plate in the same game 10 times, which ranks favorably compared to the great power hitting switch hitters like Mantle, Murray, Teixeira, and ... uh, Nick Swisher? He also has a unique claim to fame - hitting home runs in Japan in 2004, in Puerto Rico in 2003, and all Continental U.S. time zones in between, he has the All-Time record for most time zones homered in during MLB games.

What are some of your Tony Clark memories? 

1996 Topps All Star Rookie Second Baseman Tony Batista

To make the Topps All-Star Rookie roster, you don't need to play in every game, you just need to shine at the right time. For Tony Batista, it was a torrid second half that made him the perfect choice for the 1996 Topps All-Star Rookie Second Baseman. He played in just 74 games for the A's in 1996, but they came late in the season. He became the team's regular starting second sacker in July, hitting .298 with 6 homers and 25 RBI.

Batista was signed by Oakland as a minor league free agent out of the Dominican Republic in 1991, when he was just 17 years old. After playing in the Dominican Winter League, Batista made his way the United States and was ready to take on new challenges in Single A. His career was nearly ended early in his minor league days, when he suffered a fractured skull following a collision in the outfield. Upon his return to the lineup, Batista began to show the early signs of the power hitter he would become. in 1994, Batista was making big gains in High A Modesto. He would hit 17 homers and 26 doubles for the club. He would hit 18 more in AA the following season, and his power up the middle was enough to earn him a call to the big leagues. The A's had been relying upon Brent Gates and Rafael Bournigal at second, so a little offense would go a long way.

Unfortunately for Batista, the league figured out how to pitch to him. Batista would struggle early on in his sophomore season, hitting under .200 early on, which led to a demotion back to AAA. Still just 23 years old. Batista still had plenty of work to do and plenty to prove.

The Expansion Arizona Diamondbacks selected Batista with the 27th pick of the expansion draft, and he would expect to see regular playing time for Arizona in their inaugural season. It was over the offseason that year that Batista developed his unorthodox batting stance, which involved standing parallel to the pitcher's mound and facing the pitcher head on. He did fare well in his time in the desert, clubbing 5 homers in 44 games, but he would be traded to Toronto in exchange for pitching, the one thing that expansion teams can never get enough of.

Batista would have his best individual season of his career with Toronto in 2000. He had already hit 26 homers following his trade to the Jays in 1999, but he would tear the cover off the ball in 2000, hitting 41 homers (4th best in the AL) . He had career highs in Runs Scored, hits, doubles, homers, RBI and total bases. he was also named to his first All-Star game. By June of 2001, Batista had Team records for homers by a SS and homers by a 3B in a season. He was a fan favorite in Toronto, despite being a fairly one dimensional all or nothing hitter.

Inexplicably, the Blue Jays placed Batista on waivers. This may have been an attempt to send Batista to the minors to improve his batting average, but the plan backfired as he was promptly claimed by the Baltimore Orioles. Cal Ripken was playing in his final MLB season, and Batista provided a capable reserve. He would also see a fair amount of time as a DH and as the team's shortstop. The first game of 2002, with Ripken now retired, featured Batista as the team's primary 3rd baseman. He crushed a Grand Slam, the first time the O's had an Opening Day Grand Slam since another Baltimore legend, Eddie Murray, hit one in 1986. Here's a fun article on him from Baltimore, which includes his hitting drill of hitting popcorn kernels

He would sign with the Montreal Expos in their final season, and was one of the team's few bright spots. He was ostensibly replacing Vlad Guerrero's bat in the lineup, and he filled in admirably in terms of power numbers, but they couldn't expect him to fill Vladdy's shoes. He had 32 homers and 110 RBI over 157 games with the Expos.

While Batista was hitting for power, he never in his career hit for average, and was not one to take a walk. So it was not surprising that he was unable to find a taker following the 2004 season, and ended up playing for a season in Japan with the SoftBank Hawks.

The Minnesota Twins took a flier on him in 2006, but 50 games later, they were ready to move on. He would return to Expos franchise again in 2007, and served as a pinch hitter and bench player for the Nationals.

Disappointingly, none of the cards I have of Batista in the batter's box. Thankfully YouTube has my back - check out this clip of Batista at the plate while he was playing for the Blue Jays, diving away from a brushback, then responding with a homer on the next pitch.

Batista finished his career in the majors with over 1,100 hits, 221 homers and a .299 OBP.  What are some of your memories of Tony Batista?

1995 Topps Rookie All-Star Outfielder Shawn Green

Shawn Green showed that you didn't have to be muscle-bound to be a powerful hitter. Green was 6'4" and 190 pounds soaking wet for his rookie season, but he still slugged .509 in that first exposure to major league pitching. He set a team record for extra-base hits as a Rookie, thanks to 31 doubles, 4 Triples, and 15 homers. He was a perfect fit for the 1995 Topps All-Star Rookie Team, combining the prestige of a 1st Round Pick and a solid production line at the plate.

The MLB draft can be a real minefield for franchises hoping to turn their fortunes around,  prospects that seem like they can't miss, often do. Such was not the case for Shawn Green, who fulfilled the promise from his prep career. In 1990, Green was the star of the U.S. team in the World Junior Championships, hitting .482 with a tournament high 17 hits, and stole 8 bases over the 9 games. 

Green was named to the 1991 All-County Baseball team for Orange County, CA by the LA Times, along with Aaron Boone and several of the Los Angeles area's top prep stars. At the time, Shawn Green was the County's all time hit leader, and was known for his great skill for making contact. His low strikeout totals were almost Joe Mauer-esque - he only whiffed twice as a senior, and just 20 times over all 4 years in high school combined. Green had a batting cage built in at his home, and painstakingly developed his bat to ball skills.

The Blue Jays drafted Green 16th Overall in the 1991 MLB Draft, and as much as they liked his contact ability, they also believed he would develop power. At first it seemed that the bet would not pay off - In his first professional season, Green slugged just .345 over 114 games in High-A. He did steal 22 bases, however, and still displayed 4 out of 5 tools with his trademark high rate of contact to go with some excellent work in field with his glove and his arm. Patience would pay off quickly, as his age 21 season featured the complete package. He slashed .344/.410/.509 with 13 homers and 19 stolen bases. He won the International League's batting title and his sweet lefty swing was drawing frequent comparisons to fellow Blue Jay John Olerud. He was ready to be called up to the big leagues for the 1995 season.

Over his 7 years in Toronto, Green saw his playing time increase as he had to prove his ability against tough lefties. By 1998, Green was ready to blossom. He crushed 35 homers and topped 100 RBI for the first time in his career. In 1999 he made his first All-Star squad and led the AL in doubles and total bases. He also took home a Sliver Slugger and a Gold Glove for the year.

The Dodgers and Blue Jays made a deal with Shawn Green returning to Southern California in exchange for Raul Mondesi. His first season in Los Angeles featured some big highlights and some rough times. He homered in 5 straight games, hit the 2nd most doubles in Dodger history to date, and played all 162 games. In 2001, he found himself in the headlines for a game he did not play. Despite having played in 415 consecutive games, Green honored his Jewish faith and sat out during Yom Kippur, ending the streak but making a statement for younger Jewish fans (and truly, fans of all faiths) to possibly emulate. He would set a team record with 49 Home runs that still stands today. Green would return to the All-Star game in 2002. That season, Green would also have one of the greatest single game hitting performances in MLB history, hitting 4 homers and setting an MLB record with 19 Total Bases against the Milwaukee Brewers.

Over parts of 2 seasons in Arizona, Green had 33 homers and drove in 124 runs. Green would play in 273 games with the D'Backs, and his speed of his early years was nearly gone, he still played a full season in the outfield without committing an error.

Shawn Green finished his pro career playing for the New York Mets - and though his power numbers faded, but he continued hit for a decent average and reached the 2,000 hit mark in 2007. He is a member of Jewish Sports Halls of Fame in Northern California, Southern California, as well as the National and International Jewish Sports Halls of Fame. He had 4 seasons of more than 100 runs Scored and 100 RBI, and was just the 10th player in MLB history (at the time of the feat) to hit 35+ homers and 35+ stolen bases in a single season.

Let's hear your Shawn Green stories!

1994 Topps All-Star Rookie Left Handed Pitcher Brian Anderson

The 6'1" lefty from Ohio made a big impression in 1994 for the Angels early on. Anderson hurled 8 shutout innings against the Yankees, earning the victory, one of three straight victories to start the season. He was just a year removed from pitching in college for Wright State. If not for a fractured thumb suffered in May, he may have had a much more  impressive rookie campaign. The player's strike ended his season while he was still regaining his early season form.

His swift rise to the majors, his first round pedigree, and his early season success was enough to land him a spot on the 1994 Topps All-Star Rookie team.

Anderson had a stellar college career-- in his junior and senior season he recorded more strikeouts than innings pitched. His final season in 1993 included 98 Ks and just 6 walks. He was a 3rd Team All-American in 1992, and was the Angels' first round selection (#3 Overall) in June of 1993. He set records at Wright State for single season Ks, victories, innings pitched, and complete games.

Anderson spent little time in the minor leagues, as a college pitcher with a track record of success, there was little left for him to prove, and the Angels were anxiously awaiting his arrival. He would only pitch in 4 minor league games in 1993 before his promotion the big leagues.

The quick promotion may have prevented Anderson from developing his craft. Rod Carew is probably reassuring Anderson that at least his doesn't have to pitch to him. In 1996, Anderson was traded to Cleveland for Jason Grimsley after a pair of frustrating but solid seasons at the back of the Angels rotation.

In 1997, Anderson would get his first taste of the post season, and it suited him well. Cleveland used Anderson out of the bullpen, and he made 6 appearances including a win in the ALCS and a save in the World Series. Following this, Anderson was still a pitcher looking for a home, and he was one of the more intriguing arms available in the expansion draft for the Rays and Diamondbacks.

Anderson was the first player selected by the Diamondbacks, and became the first pitcher to toss a shutout for the team. He topped 200 innings pitched in the team's inaugural season, and led the national league with a criminally stingy 1.0/9 inning walk rate. The flip side of that stat was the league leading 39 homers allowed. Undeterred, Anderson would again shine in the post season, going 7 strong innings against the Mets in losing effort in 1999, then again performed well in 2001, limiting damage in 4 appearances, winning a game in relief in the NLCS against Atlanta, and providing a day of rest inbetween the starts from Curt Schilling and Randy Johnson in the World Series.

He would return to Cleveland in 2003, and his defense let him down, allowing 27 UNearned runs in his 23 starts. The Royals acquired Anderson for the second half, seeing the better peripheral numbers and the rotten luck. He would go 5-1 down the stretch for the Royals, finished with career bests in victories, ERA, and complete games.

He would finish his career after a UCL injury in spring training for the Rays in 2008. He had been trying to recover from a pair of Tommy John surgeries. The relationship with the Rays would prove fruitful, along with a connection to longtime Reds' announcer Marty Brennaman and has led to his 2nd career, as the announcer for Rays TV.

Anderson finished with 10 Wins Above Replacement, and an 82-83 record in 13 MLB seasons. His 1.96 career walk rate per 9 innings is in the top 100 All-time.

1994 Topps All-Star Rookie OF Raúl Mondesí

As we continue to look at Topps All-Star Rookies, Raúl Mondesí is one who looked for all the world to be an all-time great. Is his story a tragedy? You be the judge.

Mondesí was born in San Cristóbal, Dominican Republic- where baseball was big. José Rijo would precede him to the majors, and he would be followed by a flood of players including Ervin Santana, Francisco Liriano, José Guillén, Michael Pineda, Pedro Strop, Miguel Andújar, among others. By the time Mondesí arrived in the majors, he was drawing comparisons to the great Roberto Clemente for his prodigious outfield arm and the solid skills he displayed in all facets of the game. 

After signing as a free agent in 1988 with the Dodgers, Mondesí spent 2 seasons in his home country developing his skills. He made his professional debut in 1990 with the Great Falls Dodgers in the Pioneer League. At the age of 19, he hit over .300, slugged .543, and stole 30 bases in just 44 games. The following season, he was promoted from A to AA to AAA, slashing .277 / .315 / .454 combined across all levels, with an OPS+ of 149. He had a setback in 1992, playing in just 53 games due to a rash of injuries. He would return to AAA in 1993 and posted career highs in nearly every offensive category. Most importantly, Mondesí played in 110 games, proving that he could remain healthy for a full season. 

Eric Karros was the 1992 Rookie of the Year, Mike Piazza won the award in 1993, and it seemed like a foregone conclusion that Mondesí would follow suit in 1994. The strike shortened campaign tempered his final tallies a bit, but he posted solid numbers across all categories. 16 homers, 11 stolen bases, a .303 batting average, and a league leading 16 outfield assists. He would follow up that rookie campaign with a monster year. In 1995, Mondesí made his only All-Star appearance, won his first Gold Glove, and posted 26 homers and 27 stolen bases.

As he reached his peak years in his mid to late 20s, Mondesí would find an even higher level of production. He became the first Dodger to hit 30 homers and steal 30 bases in a season (1997), and continued to rack up outfield assists and a 2nd Gold Glove. All told, Mondesí hit 163 homers and stole 140 bases for L.A. in 7 seasons. He had a similar start to future Hall of Famers Billy Williams and Andre Dawson.

He was traded from L.A. to Toronto as the main piece of the Shawn Green trade, and he enjoyed a mostly productive stint over 2 and a half seasons. Injuries would start to creep in, sidetracking his 2000 season after 96 games. His average with Jays dropped from his .288 career mark to the .250s, but he continued to mix power and speed with 66 homers and 61 steals.

Following his Blue Jays career, Mondesí would bounce around to 5 different teams- New York, Arizona, Pittsburgh, the Angels, and finally Atlanta in 2005. He would conclude his career with 271 career homers, over 1500 hits, 229 stolen bases and 909 runs scored.

He returned to the Dominican Republic and ran for political office, ultimately becoming the mayor of his hometown San Cristóbal in 2010. The city was also the birthplace of the Domincan Republic´s long-time dictator, Rafael Trujillo, known for his cruelty and corruption. Mondesí did not fall into the former, but unfortunately became embroiled in a scandal involving the latter. During his playing career, he reportedly earned over $66 Million dollars on his contracts- but as mayor he was accused of misappropriating funds and embezzlement during his 6-year term. He is currently serving an 8 year prison sentence, and is barred from political office in the D.R. for 10 years. During his time as mayor, his son Adalberto Mondesí became a World Series champ with the Kansas City Royals. The younger Mondesí is still on the Royals, currently on the 10 day IL with a shoulder injury.

This Break Won't Break Your Budget

Middle Relievers, Rejoice! Colbey from Carboard Collections just ran an awesome Affordable Break which is exactly what it sounds like. For under $10, I was able to pick a team (The Twins!) and was randomly assigned a second team (The Diamondbacks!). In addition to 2003 UD Fortyman and 2002 UD Diamond Collection, Colbey pulled a random assortment of junk wax gems to add to the pile. 

Here's the back of the Fortyman - J.C. Romero was filthy - he was traded away from the Twins in 2005 to get Alexi Casilla from the Angels - I would have preferred to keep Romero, but those are the breaks!

The back of this card was really optimistic about Pridie's chances of making the Twins' rotation. He was 3rd on the AA team in Strikeouts, but didn't mention that he allowed more hits than innings pitched, with an ERA over 5... He didn't make it to the big leagues, but after a shoulder injury derailed his on field career he's now a scouting director for a baseball agency that represents pros like Jay Bruce, Eric Thames, and current MN Twin Max Kepler.

Inserts!

LaTroy was in his middle relief phase at this point as well - he was a year removed from his final season as the Twins' closer, but would have quite a lot of baseball left in him.

There are the three Diamond Collection base cards - these were my favorite Twins teams since the World Champs.

Speaking of, here was the haul from the extra packs!

Let's not forget about the Diamonbacks as the second team in the break!

Here's the backs for the Diamond Collection.

HEY, what do you know? A Hit!

Plot twist #1 - These are Pants!
Plot twist #2 - These are Phillies Pants!

Thanks for the break Colbey, these were a lot of fun to go through!

NOW More Convenient Than Ever

Topps NOW can be funny sometimes - I can't say I had any specific rooting interest in any team or player involved in this card, but sometimes the silliest things can be the most appealing to me. Let's check the video:

Kind of a bummer that Topps didn't use a shot with McHugh actually riding in the cart, but it's the thought that counts.

To me, this is a better use of Topps NOW than every single game winner, and every Yankee HR milestone ending in a 5 or a 0 . . . (I have to believe even Yankees fans are exhausted by that) . . .  It's a moment on the field that you don't see every day, and that is something I can support.

Sorting Out . . . The Arizona Diamonbacks

It's been awhile since I've done one of these, it's hard to find time to sort through an entire team's cards. The Arizona Diamondbacks are the third recent expansion team I've tackled in the sorting out series...

The Diamondbacks found early success, thanks in no small part to some excellent and timely pitching from Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling.

Luis Gonzalez, Mark Grace, and Matt Williams fueled the D-Backs offense in the early days.

 Some of my favorite cards featuring D-Backs are horizontal heroes.

Randy Johnson is not officially a player I collect, but I certainly don't turn that many away...




 The rest of this post is trade bait! If you see anything you like below, let me know!

 Didi Gregorius is the Gold Parallel version.

 Tiny Patrick Corbin is numbered 51/100

 Maybe you're a fan of Gonzo?

 Or Miguel Montero?

 Or Gracie?

Or Goldy?
I've updated my Zistle account with all of the Diamondbacks in my collection - if there are any that interest you, feel free to contact me via Zistle, or just send me an e-mail! The Will Ferrell card is available for trade as well..