player is at the bat rack (or bat pile) in or near the dugout
Have fun (most important)
PAGE TWELVE!
and the backs . . .
100 - Pete Rose 1985 Renata Galasso Pete Rose
101 - Kiki Hernandez 1993 Classic Best Gold
102 - Rhys Hoskins 2019 Topps Gypsy Queen
103 - Larry Walker 1999 Upper Deck
104 - Garry Moses 1970 Topps
105 - Kevin Kiermaier 2016 Topps Chrome
106 - Joe Niekro 1987 Fleer
107 - Ozzie Guillen 1995 Pinnacle
108 - Ron Gant 1997 Pinnacle Inside
The Kevin Kiermaier card is a pretty big stretch - once again the big bat racks at Comiskey come to the rescue. I'll keep my eyes peeled for #105 in the future to try to find a more legit back rack card. The set is now into triple digits! Happy also to have a 1970 Topps card on this page, as that set is the unofficial granddaddy of them all when it comes to bat rack cards. There are earlier examples to be sure, but the 1970 set has several to choose from, which makes it a personal favorite. Larry Walker makes his 2nd page in a row.
Had to use another Comiskey cop-out with #97. Pretty much any regular card with a shot of a batter in Chicago will show a bat rack in the background. Hopefully I will replace that one at some point. Upton and Blanchard are not exactly at the bat rack, but I'll allow it!
I think the Hershiser sticker is my favorite of this bunch, just for the novelty of it. It was fun to have not one, but two pitchers at the bat rack for this page. Fun fact about Johnny Blanchard - he was born in Minneapolis! This card shows him following his best season in the big leagues. He had career highs in almost every offensive category, playing in 93 games for the Yankees. He had an OPS+ of 168 for the season!
Really a great day! I'm a big fan of Larry Walker, and finding out that he's been elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his 10th and final year of eligibility is just awesome. Walker himself was humble in the hours leading up to the announcement, thanking fans and his many advocates for their kind words and support.
Young Larry was hoping to be a Goalie in the NHL, but baseball called to him instead. Growing up in Canada, baseball was an afterthought to many. The harsh, long winters limited opportunities and interest in the sport for many. Walker would later recall that before joining the Expos' minor league system, he'd never seen anyone throw a forkball, or slider, or even a decent curveball. He was a dead red fastball hitter, but lacked plate discipline and struggled mightily to hit anything else. Working first with Ken Brett, then Ralph Rowe, Walker became a great hitter through a tireless work ethic. He would return every year to the Florida Instructional League, even taking residence in the area to continue to fine tune his swing and approach at the plate.
What Walker didn't have to learn on the job was athleticism. He was rangy in right field and dangerous on the bases. Over his career he'd steal 230 bases and win 7 Gold Gloves.
His career in Montreal ended following the 1994 season. He led the NL in doubles that season, and hit a then career-high .322 with a .382 OBP. He had a perfect mix of power and speed, hitting 99 homers and stealing 98 bases with the Expos over 6 seasons, earning 2 Gold Gloves and appearing in his first All-Star game.
Walker would really take off in Colorado. His first full season in Colorado he was the NL leader in Outfield Assists, and finished 7th in the MVP voting. People will point to Colorado as an extreme hitter's park, and note that Walker's numbers started going up right when he arrived in the Rockies. I would agree that Coors Field can inflate numbers, but Walker was just hitting his prime (1995 was his age 28 season) and he hit very well on the road as well.
Walker had ridiculous numbers in Colorado, ran away with the MVP award in 1997 with a triple slash of .366/.452/.720. He slugged .720! He was the first player to slug over .700 and steal 30 bases in a season. He led the NL with 49 Homers, and 409 Total bases. He won another Gold Glove, a Silver Slugger, and made his 2nd All-Star team. He'd win the NL batting title 3 of the next 4 seasons. In 1999, he was the Triple Slash Triple Crown winner, leading the league in batting average, OBP, and Slugging. Over his 10 seasons with Colorado, he slugged .610.
He would finally play in a World Series with the Cardinals in 2004. Now away from Coors, he still posted an OPS+ of 134 in his final 2 seasons. His career Road OPS is higher than Roberto Clemente, Ken Griffey, Jr. along with many others he will be joining in the Hall.
Congratulations to Larry Walker, the 2nd Canadian player to be inducted into the Hall of Fame!
The Baseball Hall of Fame announces its 2020 Class one week from today. Let's take a look at the ballot. Eric Chavez is appearing for the first time this year. Injuries wrecked an otherwise promising career.
Carlos Peña is a talented analyst on MLB Network and a champion of baseball's sabermetric community. His Rays tenure included a HR title, another season with a Silver Slugger, another with a Gold Glove, and yet another with an All-Star appearance.
The 2020 ballot features plenty of familiar faces for the first time, and it is an honor just being nominated.
Some guys, like Konerko, were the face of a franchise, or made significant contributions for multiple teams. They might not be Hall of Famers, but certainly it is fun to make a case for them, or at least discuss their careers again.
Alfonso Soriano passed that 400 HR milestone, and started out burning up the record books. He was a 40/40 man in Washington, and had over 2,000 career hits.
Rolen and Jones had an injury history, Vizquel was all glove / no hit for a long portion of his career, and Billy Wagner was a closer just outside the inner ring of all-time-greats. All have compelling cases for induction, but so far have been on the outside looking in.
Some players may have the numbers, but have a cloud of real or perceived questions surrounding their integrity. There is no denying their talent, but PED use, even the suspicion of it, could derail their campaigns.
Others would present cases so strong that they might even override the proven fact of PED use.
Whether you hate him or really hate him, Curt Schilling seems to be gaining real momentum towards election. His post season stats are much more favorable than his Twitter feed. Todd Helton and Larry Walker may have been beneficiaries of the "Coors Effect," but they put up numbers that no one else could, even in the thin air.
The only question would be whether or not Jeter would be a unanimous selection or not. He might be overrated, but he was still one of the best hitting shortstops of all time. There's no question about his leadership, or toughness, or any other intangible a New York sportswriter could come up with.
I'm guessing Jeter (and Ted Simmons) will be joined by Larry Walker, Curt Schilling, and maaaaybe Bonds and Clemens.
How about you? Who do you think will get the call next Tuesday?
Here they are - the Topps All-Star Rookie Team, selected "by the Youth of America" following the 1990 season and featured in the 1991 Topps set.
I have completed the run of these up through 2018, specifically all regular issue cards that bear the All-Star Rookie Trophy.
Catcher - Sandy Alomar, Jr. San Diego (N.L.) 1988 - '89; Cleveland (A.L.) 1990 - '00; Chicago (A.L.) 2001 - '02, 2003 - '04, 2006; Colorado (N.L.) 2002; Texas (A.L.) 2005; Los Angeles (N.L.) 2006; New York (N.L.) 2007 Last week I covered the hype machine that was Gregg Jefferies. Sandy Alomar, Jr. was the catching equivalent in 1990. He, like Jefferies, had been named Minor League Player of the Year multiple times. Combine that with a life spent around the ballpark with his dad as major league lifer, and a premium position, and you have a recipe for potential greatness. Alomar was blocked in San Diego by another tremendous young backstop, Benito Santiago. Cleveland swooped in and made a steal of a trade by getting lesser known infielder Carlos Baerga and Alomar in exchange for their impending free agent slugger Joe Carter. Carter would play well in San Diego, but it would just make him harder to re-sign. Alomar became a fixture in Cleveland for a decade behind the plate, being there for both of the World Series runs in the 90s. The start of his reign was a good one - finally delivering on the promise of several seasons in the Padres' system. He was the AL Rookie of the Year, hitting .290 with 9 homers and 66 RBI. This would be a bit over league average, but for a 24 year old catcher, you couldn't ask for more. He also won the Gold Glove for catchers in 1990, throwing out 34% of base runners trying to steal. Injuries would make his coronation as the game's best catcher a short lived one. He would have a resurgence towards the end of his run in Cleveland, making three straight All-Star games. Alomar would be the MVP of the 1997 Mid-Summer Classic, and even received a few AL MVP votes by the end of the season, for his role in taking Cleveland to the playoffs.In the 2000's, Sandy would extend his career as a backup and mentor to both catchers and pitchers alike. Alomar would go on to a long career in coaching, back again in Cleveland for the 2019 season.
Sandy's Rookie Card is in the 1989 Topps Set, Card # 648
Left Handed Pitcher - Scott Radinsky Chicago (A.L.) 1990 - '93 , 1995; Los Angeles (N.L.) 1996 - '98; St. Louis (N.L.) 1999 - '00; Cleveland (A.L.) 2001. Radinsky jumped from Single-A to the majors in 1990, the first pitcher to do that since Dwight Gooden. He beat cancer, joined a punk rock band, built a skate park on the site of the skateboarding Hall of Fame, and is just a "Rad" dude. In 1990, Radinsky became a quick fan favorite, and had a very good season coming out of the pen, setting up Bobby Thigpen for his then record 51 saves. Radinsky notched 4 saves of his own, pitching in 62 games as a rookie.
His early punk band was from his high school and early minor league days, called Scared Straight. They were a Nardcore (Oxnard, California) group, and are reminiscent of other straight edge punk bands like Minor Threat:
Sound quality sucks, which I guess is exactly what you would expect for a late 80s punk LP, but check it out straight edge fans! Radinsky would continue his punk career and his lefty specialist career side by side. He was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma after the 1993 season, and underwent surgery and aggressive chemo treatment. He would return to pitching for the 1995 season, and would continue as a steady lefty reliever until 2001. He best seasons would come in Southern California with the Dodgers, pitching three straight seasons of sub 3.00 ERAs including a career high 75 games in 1997.
Scott's Rookie Card is in the 1990 Traded Set, Card # 99T.
Outfield - David Justice Atlanta (N.L.) 1989 - '96; Cleveland (A.L.) 1997 - '00; New York (A.L.) 2000 - '01; Oakland (A.L.) 2002 I had a friend in High School that was popular, smart, good-looking, athletic, etc etc. We used to joke about how much we hated him. One of my other friends even made a website (a much more involved endeavor in those days) that would pop up with a different fact about our friend, like "Named to the 'A' honor roll 3 years running" followed by "I HATE THAT." It was very tongue in cheek. Dave Justice was the guy you "hated" in high school, but you know, still thought was a cool guy. Justice had a breakout rookie season, including a scorching hot 2nd half that resulted in 28 homers. He was the National League Rookie of the Year, and it was just beginning of a very successful career. Justice would be in the playoffs every season from 1991 to 2002 (excluding the 1994 Strike). He was a World Series champ with Atlanta in 1995, and the Yankees in 2000 - that post-season he was also the ALCS MVP. Justice had some controversy just before his first appearance on the Hall of Fame ballot, it was right around that time that the Mitchell Report was released. Justice was recovering from a shoulder injury, and had discussed HGH with Brian McNamee while he was the Yankees' strength coach. Justice claims that he then found syringes and pills in his locker from McNamee, but did not like the idea of needles, and disposed of the drugs without using them. He was also connected with Kirk Radomski, however Justice denied any contact with the former Mets clubhouse attendant. Dave's rookie card is in the 1990 Topps Traded Set #48T
Outfield - Larry Walker Montreal (N.L.) 1989 - '94; Colorado (N.L.) 1995 - '04; St. Louis (N.L.) 2004 - '05
Are we looking at a future Hall of Famer? In 1990, Walker had 19 homers and 21 stolen bases, hitting just .241, but with a .326 OBP. Walker would never hit below .265 in another season. His career average was .313, OBP was .400. He was the NL MVP in 1997 with Colorado, leading the league in Homers, OBP, SLG, and total bases. Walker when healthy was a true five-tool player- he hit for power, average, stole bases, and won 7 Gold Gloves. If you take the ten players closest to Walker statistically, you'll find 5 Hall of Fame outfielders, and guys like Lance Berkman, Moises Alou, Ellis Burks, Jim Edmonds, and Matt Holliday. Contemporaries who all have at least a compelling argument or two in their favor. Walker was a 3 time batting champion, and a 5 time All-Star. Walker takes a beating for being successful in Coors Field, but the question that needs to be asked is really how big of a boost does it give a player? Over his career, Walker had over 2,100 hits, 383 homers, 230 stolen bases, 1300+ runs scored, and 1300+ RBI.
Larry's Rookie Card is in the 1990 Topps Set #757.
Outfield - Felix Jose Oakland (A.L.) 1988 - '90; St. Louis (N.L.) 1990 - '92; Kansas City (A.L.) 1993 - '95; New York (A.L.) 2000; Arizona (N.L.) 2002 - '03.
Felix Jose is already in the Hall of Fame- in the Dominican Republic. He came up in 1988 with Oakland, but his best MLB season came in 1991 with the Cardinals. It was his lone All-Star appearance, and he hit .305 with 40 doubles and 20 stolen bases. He became an International sensation - Jose made a career in Korea, Mexico, the Dominican Republic and in the MLB from 1988 until 2009! In MLB, Jose had a .280 career average in 11 seasons. He would hit over 60 career homers in the Dominican Republic in Winter League play, and had several successful seasons for the Lotte Giants in Korea. In 1990, he split the season with Oakland and St. Louis, coming the Cardinals in the Willie McGee trade. Over 126 games between the 2 teams, he hit 11 homers and stole 12 bases.
Felix's rookie card is in the 1989 Donruss set, card #38
Second Base - Delino DeShields Montreal (N.L.) 1990 - '93; Los Angeles (N.L.) 1994 - '96; St. Louis (N.L.) 1997 -'98; Baltimore (A.L.) 1999 - '01; Chicago (N.L.) 2001 - '02. The speedy middle infielder is unfairly judged against the trade that sent Pedro Martinez to the Expos and DeShields to LA. The Dodgers alone should be to blame for underrating their young starting pitcher, but DeShields should not be at fault for that. Perhaps the pressure of LA was too much for him, as he hit just .241 over 3 seasons with the Dodgers. He would remain a speed threat, stealing 463 bases over his career. He led the National League in triples in 1997. DeShields would go on to a successful coaching career, spending several seasons as Manager for the Reds AAA farm club, and currently serves on the Reds' major league coaching staff. In 1990, DeShields hit .289, 28 doubles, 6 triples, swiped 42 bases and came in 2nd in the ROY Vote. Delino's Rookie Card is in the 1988 O-Pee-Chee Set #88 and it's awesome!
Right Handed Pitcher - Kevin Appier Kansas City (A.L.) 1989 - '99, 2003 -'04; Oakland (A.L.) 1999 - '00; New York (N.L.) 2001; Anaheim (A.L.) 2002 -'03. Appier is one of several great arms to come up through the Kansas City system in the 80s and early 90s. Saberhagen, Gubizca, Tom Gordon, and Kevin Appier all had excellent careers. Appier had a fantastic debut, pitching to a 12 - 8 record over 24 starts and a 2.76 ERA. He hurled 3 shutouts, with 2 of them coming in back to back starts. After 10 successful seasons in KC, Appier would bounce around a bit among contending teams. He would reach the World Series in 2002 with the Angels and the team would win in 7 games over the Giants. For his career, he had an ERA+ of 121, 21% better than league average. He had a 169 - 137 career record, with 115 wins coming as a Royal. He is in the Kansas City Royals Hall of Fame. Kevin's Rookie Card is in the 1989 Fleer Update Set, Card #U-35
Third Base - Robin Ventura Chicago (A.L.) 1989 - '98; New York (N.L.) 1999 - '01; New York (A.L.) 2002 -'03; Los Angeles (N.L.) 2003 - '04.
record scratch - <freeze frame> yup that's me, I guess you're wondering how I got here
Hey, Nolan Ryan would probably beat the stuffing out of any of us if given the chance, there's really no shame in it! How did he get to this point? Ventura was a Gold Medalist on the 1988 Olympic Team, and a first round draft pick by the Chicago White Sox. In College, he had a 58 game hitting streak and was a 3 time All-American. In AA in 1989 he was a Southern League All-Star, and was called up to the majors for the last month of the season. In his first full season, he had 123 hits, the most by a White Sox Rookie since Ozzie Guillen. In his second season, Ventura won his first Gold Glove, reached 100 RBI and hit 23 homers. So, maybe by 1993, he had more confidence than the average person? All kidding aside, Ventura was an excellent fielder and developed a consistent power bat for 20+ homers each season. In 1999, Ventura hit one of the most memorable singles in Mets' history. It cleared the right field fence, but because he was mobbed by his teammates and never crossed home plate, he was only credited with a single for the game winning hit in Game 5 of the NLCS. For his career he'd have over 1800 hits, 1000+ walks, 1000+ runs, 1000+ RBI, and 294 homers.
Robin's Rookie Card was in the 1988 Topps Traded Set, Card #124T
First Base - Hal Morris New York (A.L.) 1988 - '89; Cincinnati (N.L.) 1990 - '97, 1999 - '00; Kansas City (A.L.) 1998; Detroit (A.L.) 2000. Hal Morris had an all-time great rookie season in 1990. He hit .340, among the highest averages for a rookie in the last 50 years. The Reds would sweep the A's in 1990 World Series. Morris had a tough series, but they wouldn't have made it to the series if not for Morris hitting .417 in the NLCS against Pittsburgh. Morris would continue to hit in the .300s throughout his career, finishing with a .304 mark. He had over 1,200 hits and drove in over 500 runs. Morris was the primary first baseman for 8 seasons, reaching the post season again in 1995, falling to Atlanta in the NLCS. Morris had a 32 game hitting streak that started in August of '96 and extended into 1997. Morris made a pair of All-Star teams, and after his playing career has served as a scouting director for various MLB teams, most recently the Dodgers from 2011 to 2016. Hal's Rookie Card is in the 1989 Donruss Set, Card # 545
Huson was in the right place at the right time- he was on the field for Nolan Ryan's 7th No hitter. He was a late entrant at 3rd base for Cal Ripken's 2,131st consecutive game. In 1990, Huson had a career year, 95 hits and 12 stolen bases. From 1988 to 2000, Huson played for 7 different teams, providing flexible defense all over the field. After his playing career, Huson became a color commentator for the Rockies. Jeff's Rookie Card ins in the 1990 Topps set, Card #72
Scott, a fan of Florida baseball, followed up a great bubble mailer with an impressively stuffed PWE.
My junk wax want lists only go up to 1996 at the moment, but Scott found some great stuff to send that reached beyond the lists. I wonder who the hand model is for the Pedro pitch grips?
Larry Walker might never get a fair hearing as a Hall of Famer, but he's easily one of my favorites from the 1990s.
Some horizontal heroes
Here's a MEME - More Eddie Murray, Everybody!
Can't go wrong with Kirby Puckett.
The greatest leadoff hitter of all-time, and a guy who might have been the best leadoff hitter in the 90s not named Rickey or Raines.
Maybe it was the pack of Bill and Ted movie cards I opened this weekend, but I'm feeling nostalgic. I think I'm going to spend a little time on the forgotten this week.
I miss the Expos! I miss the awesome logo, and having two teams in Canada.
Greats like Gary Carter behind the plate and Andre Dawson patrolling the outfield.
Tim Raines deserves some more hall of fame votes, and so does Larry Walker. I always get a kick out of the J in "Pedro J. Martinez" - makes me think of Homer J. Simpson.
Some of my favorite Expos cards - including Vlad!
One of my favorite cards of the 1980s - some awesome action, and the grin on Speier's portrait is just amazing.
I'd love to have the Expos back again, to travel to Montreal to watch them play a game... heck, I wouldn't even mind Youppi. Anyone have a Youppi card to send me? I miss the old son of a gun.
