1991 Topps Traded Set

The 1991 Topps Set raised the bar for a company that had in some ways coasted through the 80s. For the brand's "40th" Anniversary, Topps went above and beyond to improve the photo quality, not just in terms of printing the cards, but in photo selection. Roberto Alomar's first Blue Jays card is a great example.

Alomar was one of six Hall of Fame players in the set. Jack Morris returned to the Twin Cities for just one unforgettable season, placing his name into the pantheon of great post-season performers on the back of a 10 inning shutout in game 7 of the World Series. Gary Carter stayed in California after a season in San Fran, now sporting Dodger Blue. Former Expos teammate Tim Raines was on the move as well, switching from the NL to the AL and joining a dangerous White Sox team on the Southside. Two Rookie Hall of Famers as well -- Jeff Bagwell coming off the trade from Boston to get his career started for the Astros. Catching phenom Ivan Rodriguez was on his way to greatness deep in the heart of Texas.

Speaking of Rookies, and speaking of the Houston Astros, the set had a hearty dose of both. Dback World Series Hero Luis Gonzalez was on his first Topps card, and Team U.S.A. was once again featured. Jason Giambi is the "bigger name" of these two Olympians, but Charles Johnson's card is interesting in light of his relationship with baseball cards over the years. Johnson's next Topps Card would be in the 1999 Topps Set, even though he was a member of the 1995 Topps Rookie All-Star squad, and was a member of the 1997 World Champion Marlins. That 1997 Season was awesome, Johnson caught 123 games and had 0 errors committed. He's one of just three catchers in MLB history to catch 100+ games in a season without an error.

Just like the 1987 Set, the 1991 Topps Traded set was a big one for the Minnesota Twins. Jack Morris was joined by the new kid, Chuck Knoblauch, who would be the 1991 AL Rookie of the Year. Mike Pagliarulo and Scott Leius platooned at Third Base to fill the void left by losing Gary Gaetti. The middle of the lineup was bolstered by free agent signing Chili Davis and added some depth to the bullpen with righty reliever Steve Bedrosian. Once again, the big Topps Traded checklist was a portent of post-season success.

Topps gave horizontal cards a fair shake again in earnest starting in 1991, though they would still be a long way away from a horizontal set.

My favorites from the set that I haven't mentioned already.... A lot of photography in the on deck circle and during batting practice in this set.

I didn't catch any terrible photoshop / airbrush jobs in this set - Topps really made an effort to get guys a card in their new uniform, as disorienting as it may be to see Dewey Evans wearing .... Orange? Cory Snyder as a Blue Jay? Gibson and Randolph at least had a full season or so with their new team, but it still just looks wrong!

This is the last set in the Series - If I get a good deal on it, I'll share the 1992 Traded set some time soon. Who was your favorite traded set regular? Dave Parker? Rick Cerone? Someone else?

Congrats to the Cooperstown Class of 2018

The Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum held their annual induction ceremony today and inducted 6 players. Jim Thome was a long time rival, and a short term hero for Twins fans. His 612 career home runs rank 8th All-Time, and he had 17 more in Postseason play. His 1,699 Runs batted in ranks just ahead of Cal Ripken and just behind Reggie Jackson. His tape measure homers and gee whiz personality drew comparisons to Twins' legend Harmon Killebrew, which Thome would certainly say was special! He had the most Walk-Off home runs in MLB history.

Jack Morris had the most wins by a pitcher during the 1980s, and played on World Series Championship Teams in 1984, 1991, 1992, and 1993. The 5-time All-Star was best known for pitching a 10-inning Complete Game Shutout in Game 7 of the 1991 World Series, winning the Series for the Twins over the Atlanta Braves.

Chipper Jones was a Superstar beginning with his first full season in 1995. He was the NL MVP in 1999, and an 8-time All-Star. In his first decade with Atlanta, Chipper made the playoffs every season. He had 97 post-season hits in his career to go along with 2,726 in the regular season, which is 5th all-time among 3rd Basemen. The 1995 World Series Champion is also 3rd all time in Homers hit by a 3rd Baseman.

The 1984 WS MVP spent his entire career with the Detroit Tigers. The 4X Gold Glove winner is one of the best fielding Short Stops of all time, and also was a prolific power hitter for a position that had traditionally not produced many big boppers. He, along with Cal Ripken, redefined what should be expected of the middle infielder. He's one of just three Tigers to play 20 Seasons for the team.

Trevor Hoffman is known for being the other guy with 600 career saves. He was very efficient getting to those saves, converting 89% of his opportunities throughout his career. He led the league in Saves twice - his 53 saves in 1998 helped lead the San Diego Padres to the post season. He converted 3 more saves in the NLDS and NLCS, taking the team to the World Series for the second time in franchise history. While the World Series didn't go the Padres way that year, much of their success can be traced to Hoffman's arm.

Perhaps the greatest bad-ball hitter of all time, Vladimir Guerrero heads to the Hall representing the Montreal Expos, likely the last member of the original franchise to be inducted. His 449 Homers are the most by any player from the Dominican Republic. He was known for his tremendous throwing arm as well, and registered double digit assists in 7 of his first 8 seasons. The 2004 AL MVP only appeared in one World Series, in 2010 with the Texas Rangers. Before injuries limited his mobility, he was a true 5-tool player. In 2002 with Montreal he had 39 homers and 40 stolen bases, and amassed 181 steals in his career.

Congrats to all the new inductees!