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!
In 1981, the Pirates were now twice removed from their last World Championship. The 1980 season ended with a September swoon, and 1981 never really got off the ground. The team was 5.5 games out of first place in the NL East when the strike began in 81, and there was optimism that a fresh start was just what the veteran ballclub needed. They needed a bit more than that, as they slipped even further in the standings in the 2nd half, trailing 5 other clubs. They would have the 4th best record overall that year in the NL East, finishing the season with a 46-56 record.
During the 81 season, the team added Jason Thompson to take over at first base for the great Willie Stargell, whose production had fallen off. Thompson and Bill Madlock made up the vast majority of the offense for the Pirates, with former MVP Dave Parker slowed by injury and added insult from media, fans, and the front office. Pittsburgh fans moved on to the college ranks early to follow the exploits of a young Dan Marino, who led Pitt to a national #1 Ranking for most of the season. Their lone loss came at the hands of in-state rival Penn State.
In 1982, it was Madlock and Thompson again leading the way, the team actually had the 2nd most runs scored in the NL. The team's pitching was not keeping up with the offense, however, and they would end up right where they were in 1981. Another 4th place finish, fueled by a late season fade like 1980. They did however greatly improve their record, going 84-78 for the year, and improvement of nearly 60 points worth of winning pct. The early 80s would not be kind to the Pirates in the NL East, as other younger teams would rise and flourish before Pittsburgh could rejuvenate their roster for the tail end of the decade.
The Cards:
Fleer #490 Tony Peña - An All-Star in 1982 in the National League, Peña was just 25 but establishing himself as one of the best receivers in the Senior Circuit. He threw out his fair share of base runners, but at the time he display even more value at the plate. In his rookie year, he hit an even .300 and finished 6th in the ROY balloting. 1982 was his sophomore campaign, and he nearly hit .300 again while also starting a string of 5 straight seasons with 10 or more homers. Peña was a 4 time gold glove winner and had a tremendous season in 1984 with 5.9 WAR, nearly half of which came from his defense. Peña would be the main prize in the trade that brought Andy Van Slyke to the Pirates from Saint Louis. In the 1987 World Series, he hit .409 over the 7 games, driving in 4 runs and stealing a base against the Twins.
Fleer #488 Steve Nicosia - Backing up the young star Peña meant plenty of time for chewing gum and blowing bubbles. Nicosia caught in 39 games and was a solid replacement when called upon, hitting .280 for the Pirates in 1982. As a rookie in 1979, he platooned with Ed Ott and even saw action in 4 World Series games for the Fam-A-Lee. His work during the regular season in limited duty was enough to make his the 1979 Topps All-Star Rookie Catcher. He would continue his role as a backup behind Tony Peña and then in San Francisco. He hit .303 in 48 games in 1984, but also had a nasty collision at home plate with Mike Scioscia that resulted in a pair of broken ribs. We would finish his MLB career catching for both Montreal and Toronto during the 1985 season.
Fleer #481 Mike Easler - The 1982 everyday left fielder was proving to be a late-blooming success, making his first All-Star team in 1981, having a career year for the Pirates in 1980 at the age of 29. Originally drafted and signed in 1969 by the Astros, Easler had a long and winding path through the minor leagues, finding the road to the show blocked by happenstance and the misfortune of crowded outfields on his way up. By the time he made his first significant foray as a reserve for the Pirates during the 1979 season, he had already played in nearly 10 different uniforms in the minors, majors, and winter leagues. He didn't display much speed in the big leagues, but was a solid defender and could hit for power. His best season would come with the Red Sox in 1984, when he hit .313, socked 27 homers, and drove in 91 runs. He also played a pair of seasons in Japan, and went on to coach and serve as a hitting instructor for several minor league and big league teams.
Topps #106 Enrique Romo - Romo was the setup man for Kent Tekulve in 1979 and 1980, while briefly assuming the closer role in 1981. He came to the majors in 1977 for the expansion Mariners having already established himself for years as an elite hurler in the Mexican League. He led his team in Mexico to three league championships as a starter including a season as a 20 game winner in 1976. Soon after joining the Mariners, he was converted to the bullpen, which allowed his mix of off-speed pitches to play up against MLB hitters. He and Mike Easler played together in the Mexican Winter League following the Pirates World series win. His signature pitch was a screwball, which he taught to Bobby Castillo, who in turn taught it to Dodger great Fernando Valenzuela. Romo was inducted into the Mexican Baseball Hall of Fame in 2003.
Topps #343 Dave Parker - In 1982, Dave Parker was 31 years old, and had appeared in just 73 games for the Pirates, hitting .270/.330/.447 - well below the MVP pace he had set in 1978. Pirates management, along with the local media and fans, took the injury history of Parker and opted instead to accuse him of laziness. He had been signed to a lucrative contract extension just prior to the 1979 season. His performance in the All-Star game, including a laser throw to prevent a run late in the game, had given evidence that it was worth it. He was named MVP of the contest, and the Pirates would go on to win the World Series thanks in no small part to his .345 average and 4 RBI. That's what made the next few years so painful for everyone involved, as Parker's production began to go into a tailspin following a series of leg injuries suffered on the astroturf of Three Rivers Stadium. He would resurrect his career in Cincinnati, and go on to provide veteran leadership for a young and hungry Oakland A's franchise, including another World Series win in 1989 to add to his resume. Parker is on a very short list of players that have not yet been called to Cooperstown despite multiple championships and yearly awards to go along with impressive career totals. He was a 7 time All-Star, won 2 batting titles, 3 Gold Gloves, 3 Silver Sluggers, and finished his career with two "DH of the Year" awards.
Topps #618 Tim Foli - I chose this card for the black on black uniform variation - The Pirates had Black Tops with Yellow pants, Yellow Tops with Black Pants, all Yellow, all Black, and white pinstripe variations at any given time in the early 80s. Foli departed from Pittsburgh for California prior to the 1982 season, in a trade for catcher Brian Harper. Foli was the everyday Shortstop for the Pirates in 79, 80 and 1981. He was a slick defender, and was extremely tough to strike out. He led the league 1979, 80, and 82 with the highest ratio of ABs to Ks each of those seasons. He was originally drafted by the Mets, then traded to Montreal in the Rusty Staub deal. With the Expos, he was the starting SS from the beginning. He was the first player in Expos history to hit for the cycle, and consistently ranked near the top of the league in several fielding categories.
Donruss #653 Bill Madlock - In 1981, Madlock won his 3rd batting title with a .341 average for the Pirates. He would finish 2nd in the league in 1982 then win it all again in 1983. He would actually finish with more batting titles than All-Star appearances, so if you're trying to come up with underrated players, don't forget Bill! His mid season acquisition by the Pirates in 1979 certainly tipped the scales in their favor to make the post season and his .375 batting average during the Fall Classic was instrumental as well. Madlock took on the roles of "professional hitter" and "savvy veteran" for the Dodgers in 1985 and again for the Tigers in 1987. He had 3 homers for LA in the 1985 NLCS, and hit .279 over the 2nd half of the 1987 season helping the Tigers take the AL East pennant.
O-Pee-Chee #188 Willie Stargell - No real reason for picking the OPC version of this card, it was what I had handy. "Pops," as he became affectionately known, was a 21 year MLB veteran in 1982, having played his entire career with the Pirates. Stargell was a member both the 1971 and 1979 World Championship teams, forming a bridge to the Roberto Clemente era. By 1981 and 82, he was more valuable as mentor to the younger generation of players than anything he would provide on the field. The 1979 season was his grand finale - he was league MVP, as well as MVP of both the NLCS and the World Series. Much like Clemente's performance in the 1971 series, Stargell took the team on his back and willed them to victory. He hit an even .400 with 3 home runs and 7 RBI for the series. Unlike Parker (Who had 500 more hits than Willie) or Bill Madlock (whose career average was more than 20 points higher), Stargell had no trouble getting into the Hall of Fame on his first ballot. His 475 career homers and 1,540 career RBI were at the top of everyone's mind, as was his heroics during the 1979 post season.
Donruss #311 Kent Tekulve - "Teke" still ranks in the top ten in games pitched with 1,050 career MLB appearances. He saved 184 games over the course of his career, which may not seem like much compared to the closers of the current era, but he was used in a much different way. He was every manager's not so secret weapon, coming into the the game whenever outs were needed the most. He saved 3 games in the 1979 World Series, appearing in 5 of the 7 games total. He made the All-Star squad just once, in 1980, but was among the most called upon and most trusted bullpen arms for 16 seasons in the big leagues. His career ERA is 2.85 and ERA+ is 132. He didn't have the K rates like Kimbrel or Josh Hader, but he was incredibly stingy with the homer and rarely walked batters. He featured a sinker, a slider, and curveball; all delivered submarine style.
