Joe More Mr. Nice Guy

 

Congrats to Joe Mauer, Hall of Famer. 

Free Stuff Friday #16 Sweet.

Another Friday! This is now month #4 - 16 weeks of free stuff! We start with what little 2005 Topps I have- I even had to sneak in an Opening Day card to make it 9.

Parallels! Karkovice is Gold, Peralta is rainbow foil.

Inserts!

Basketball! see if you can spot MJ. Did you watch "The Last Dance"?

Hockey from different Eras

It's amateur hour for football this week. You never know what might fit someone's collection.

Some Hall of Fame guys. Note that the 79 Carlton was in someone's bike spoke. I upgraded my copy, so you can claim this one for free!

Claim one card or claim them all! If we've never traded, or haven't traded in over a year, please send me your address. I have stacks for GTT, Blog Reader Bruce, and John Sharp that are just waiting for an address.

Contact form is on the blog sidebar (you might need to view the desktop version to see it).

One Week Til Cooperstown

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?

Frank Robinson MVP 1935-2019

This is possibly my favorite baseball card of all time. Its subject is Frank Robinson, one of the greatest baseball players of all time.

Before Aaron Judge, before Mark McGwire, Frank Robinson held the record for most homers by a Rookie, hitting 38 in 1956 enroute to the Rookie of the Year award. That would be just the beginning of an illustrious career.

Robinson was on 14 All-Star squads in his career, and was the MVP of the 1971 All-Star game. In 1958, Frank won his only Gold Glove award.

Robinson's first league MVP award came in 1961 with Cincinnati. He led the league in slugging pct. and was walked intentionally more than any other player in the NL, and would lead his league in both categories 4 times over his career. His 1961 MVP season? He hit 37 homers, drove in 124 runs, scored 122 runs of his own and slashed .323 / .404 / .611.  His 1962 season was even better, with 39 Homers and 136 RBI, leading the NL in runs scored, OBP, SLG, and doubles.

Following a decade in Cincinnati, during which he averaged over 100 RBI, 100 runs scored, 167 hits, 32 homers and 16 stolen bases per season, the Reds traded away their superstar for Milt Pappas, Jack Baldschin, and Dick Simpson. The Reds owner said that Robinson was now an "old 30" and that his skills were declining.

About that... How about 49 homers, 122 RBI, and a .316 average, all league leading totals. He was the AL MVP, the first player in MLB history to win an MVP in both leagues. Robinson was also the MVP in the 1966 World Series, completing perhaps the best season of his amazing career. This was nothing out of the ordinary for Robinson - his batting style was stand very close to the plate, daring the pitcher to come inside. He would take first base if they did hit him, and was never shy to come back in the next at bat with a hard base hit.

Robinson would play 6 seasons with his brother from another mother Brooks Robinson, bookended with World Series titles in 1966 and 1970. The 1970 World Series victory was against his former team, the Reds. He would return to Southern California, where he grew up, following the 1971 season, again coming off an American League Pennant. He had an injury shortened stint with the Dodgers, but he would hit 30 homers for the Angels in 1973, and was traded the following season to Cleveland, where he would once again make history.

Frank Robinson was the first Black Manager in Major League Baseball history, serving as a Player / Manager in Cleveland starting in 1975. His first at bat as a Manager / Player was a Home Run, that Cleveland fans would vote as the most memorable moment in the team's history.

After a stint with the Giants in the early 80s, Robinson would return to Baltimore, this time as the team's manager. In 1988, the Orioles had a rough season until Robinson came aboard to change the team's fortunes around. While they finished second in the AL East, Robinson was named the Manager of the Year in 1989, thanks to the hard work he did to make them a competitive squad.

Despite the great play on the field and the history making turn as manager, Robinson sometimes seems to be an afterthought in newer releases - the Reds tend to get players from the 70s "Big Red Machine" teams first, and the Orioles' tend to focus on guys like Ripken, Murray, and Jim Palmer. Robinson still has a lot of post career cards, but you'd think the guy with the 4th most homers in the 20th Century would be closer to Aaron/Mays/Ruth on new cards too.

This was not the post I planned to make today, but I learned this afternoon that Frank Robinson passed away. The '61 NL MVP, '66 AL MVP, '66 World Series MVP, '71 All-Star Game MVP, and 1989 Manager of the Year was a giant in the game of baseball, from his 1956 Rookie of the Year campaign to being named President of the American League following his retirement from Managing the Washington Nationals. He will be greatly missed.

Hall of Fame Past, Present, and Future

It was on this day in 1987 that the National Baseball Hall of Fame announced the induction of two new legends - Jim "Catfish" Hunter, and Billy Williams.

Hunter was the ace of the Oakland A's dynasty in the 1970s, and made his way to New York just in time to win 2 more championships with the Yankees. He won the Cy Young in 1974, leading the AL in Wins and ERA. He won 20 or more games in 5 straight seasons from 1971 through 1975.

Billy Williams was the 1961 Rookie of the Year, and was known for year after year of consistent excellence. Williams was an iron man - playing in 1,117 straight games for the Cubs, which set a NL record that would stand until Steve Garvey surpassed him in the 1980s. Williams finished his career in Oakland, hoping for one last chance to play in the World Series, but the A's lost in the 1976 ALCS to the Red Sox.

Looking at the online BBHOF tracker, There are currently 4 players on track to be inducted via the BBWAA vote. The final totals are still being counted, and the new inductees will be announced next Tuesday, January 22nd.

Mariano Rivera, of course, appears to be an absolute lock, the question will be how close to 100% will he get (there have already been a couple voters that decided not to vote for Rivera, they've missed their chance to be part of something special.).

The late Roy Halladay had a storied career and looks well on track to be inducted on his first ballot.

Edgar Martinez is on his final ballot, and so far he's trending in the right direction. The bar for the writers to elect a DH may well be set with Martinez, who had very impressive offensive numbers, but very little defense or baserunning stats to bolster his case.

A pleasant surprise is the underrated Mike Mussina getting some love on the ballot. With about 42% of the ballots accounted for, he's right on the edge of having the votes to make it in as well.

On the outside looking in are four candidates that have Hall of Fame stats, but various extraordinary circumstances that are counting against them.

More than enough digital ink has been spilled for Bonds and Clemens, so I won't bother presenting their cases for or against in this post.

Curt Schilling's stats are maybe on the fringes, with his post-season resume putting him over the top for many voters. He's trending right along with Clemens and Bonds for the ballot count, just shy of induction. He has some years of eligibility remaining, and the distance from his playing days may or may not work in his favor.

Larry Walker is being penalized for being ... too good? The air in Colorado is easier on hitters, but the flip side of that coin is the injury risk and recovery time needed for players spending half of their season without the same supply of oxygen. Walker's career stats in the games immediately following a home stand show how the Coors effect works against Rockies players on the road. He had outstanding skills as a hitter, defender, and baserunner for a long time. He will hopefully get in soon.

The bottom of the ballot still has several intriguing players- some with PED baggage, and others with less solid resumes. Placido Polanco is not a Hall of Famer, but he does have the highest fielding percentage All-Time among Second Basemen . . . AND among Third Baseman! It won't make him a member of Cooperstown's Hall, but it's a nice bit of Sports Bar Trivia. Andruw Jones had a short but stratospheric peak, ultimately voters will be looking for more longevity. Jeff Kent... I don't know what's not to like- probably the lack of Championships? Andy Pettitte probably doesn't make it before Clemens or Schilling or Mussina, and even then there's some question about his success relative to the team he played for. He reminds me in a way of Scottie Pippen, he has great stats, he's got championship rings, but for some reason people were looking to find reasons why he wasn't the reason for his own success. Granted, he did have a PED incident, but the consensus seems to be that he wasn't using for the bulk of his career.

How many of those top 4 will make it this year? Who's getting snubbed unfairly? 

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!

i see them in the mailbox

It's still cold, the Vikings laid an egg and then Mother Nature dumped a foot of snow on the Twin Cities, but that didn't stop Jim aka gcrl of cards as i see them from sending a wantlist filled mailer.

Vintage played a key role, hitting all the different moods of Craig Robinson. Darrell Evans is returning to his home planet, his people need him...

The card is a beaut - this was most likely in the spokes of some lucky kid's bike for a summer in the late 70s.

With a couple of new 80s stars being enshrined in the Hall of Fame this year, it brought back plenty of memories of guys already there like Steady Eddie.

Speaking of the new guys, here's a couple nice mid 80s cards of Jack Morris. I'm happy for him, even though I can honestly say there are lots of guys I would have voted for before him. O-Pee-Chee was still going strong in 1992, it was cool to see Mr. Yount there at the bat rack, just a season shy of 3,000 hits.

Thanks very much Jim!

Congrats to the Class of 2017

A long time coming for Tim Raines, on his final year on the ballot, finally getting the call to Cooperstown. Only 3 players in MLB history hit over 100 homers, 400 doubles, 100 Triples, Stole 500 bases and had an on base percentage of .380 or higher - Ty Cobb, Honus Wagner, and Tim Raines. "Rock"
is still the only White Sox player to steal 50+ bases and score 100 runs in a season. He is a 2 time World Series champion with the Yankees in 1996 and 1998. He stole bases in 4 different decades! 70s, 80s, 90s, and 00s. He shared the outfield with his son Tim Raines, Jr. in Baltimore in 2001. His MLB debut was a pinch running appearance for fellow Hall of Famer Gary Carter.

Jeff Bagwell had to sweat it out for several years like Raines, but was finally rightfully elected to the Hall. He ranks 4th among first baseman in WAR since 1900, behind only Jimmie Foxx, Albert Pujols, and Lou Gehrig. While he fell short of the 3000 hit and 500 homer plateaus, he is top 50 all-time in Extra Base Hits, Walks, Home Runs, Hit by Pitch, Sac flies. He lead the league in Runs Scored 3 times. He was the Rookie of the Year in 1991, and the NL MVP in 1994. He shares a birthday with the 1994 AL MVP, fellow Hall of Famer Frank Thomas. Bagwell DESTROYED left handed pitching. In his MVP season, he hit for a .457 / .544 / 1.095 triple slash with 18 homers and only 9 strikeouts. He had the 4th highest OPS+ in the 1990s, behind Bonds, McGwire, and Frank Thomas.

The only first-ballot election of 2017, Ivan Rodriguez. His MLB debut in 1991 was against the Chicago White Sox, facing fellow "Pudge" and fellow Hall of Famer Carlton Fisk. He and Fisk are the only two catchers in MLB history with over 300 homers and 100 stolen bases. He was a World Champion in 2003 with the Marlins, and helped the Detroit Tigers to play in the Series in 2005. Rodriguez was a 13 time Gold Glove winner and 14 time All-Star. He was the MVP in 1999, leading the league in Double Plays Grounded into.... but he was also able to throw out a league leading 55% of would-be base stealers. Known for his strong arm and excellent defense, he was also a consistent hitter for his entire career.

Congrats to all the new inductees!