1998 Topps All-Star Rookie Second Baseman Miguel Cairo

There are players in Major League history with more eye-popping stats than infielder Miguel Cairo, but very few of them were unanimous selections for the Topps All-Star Rookie team. Cairo was playing his first full MLB season at the age of 24 in 1998. He was already playing for his 4th MLB franchise, but it was because lots of teams wanted him! The expansion Tampa Bay Devil Rays needed talented players to fill out their roster - and Cairo fit the bill at second base.

His rookie season included 138 hits (26 doubles and 5 Triples) and 19 stolen bases in 150 games. He was the 8th pick in the Expansion draft, plucked from the Cubs organization. 

Cairo signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers as a minor league free agent when he was just 16 years old out of Venezuela. He made a big impression after a great year in High A Bakersfield in 1994 - he stole a career best 44 bases while hitting .291 in 155 games. From then on he was an intriguing target for various teams looking to improve their org's speed and/or defense. Seattle picked him up in a trade with the Dodgers after the 1995 season, then flipped him to Toronto less than a month later. He had a strong season in AAA for the Jays, and made his MLB debut in April of that year. He then came to the Cubs in time for the 1997 season, and he spent another year mostly in AAA, now in Iowa. He had 159 hits for the AAA team, and once again showed decent speed with 40 steals. The Devil Rays felt he was ready to take the next step and handed him the starting 2B job for 1998.

His most prolific seasons came as Tampa's starting second baseman, where he hit .275/.319/.356. He wasn't a power hitter, is what I'm saying. But he did pile up the singles and was a talented defender. He'd end up back in the Cubs organization in 2001 after the Devil Rays wanted to give Brent Abernathy a shot as the everyday 2nd baseman. Cairo was released in November by the Devil Rays, then picked up by Oakland, and was traded late in Spring training to the Cubs. The Cubs provided Cairo with the opportunity to re-invent himself from a light hitting second baseman into a light hitting utility infielder. This would be a key development for Cairo, as his versatility would allow him to prove his usefulness to many more teams for many more years. 

After a season with Chicago (split between AAA and the big league club), Cairo caught the eye of the Cardinals' Tony LaRussa. The Cubs placed Cairo on Waivers and the Cardinals snapped him up in time for the 2001 post season run. Cairo would pick up a hit and a stolen base against the eventual World Series Champion Diamondbacks in the 2001 NLDS. The following year, Cairo would play all over the diamond, appearing at every position except pitcher, center field, and catcher. He filled the Super Utility role that was a vintage LaRussa strategy. He would give anyone and everyone a day off when called upon, and was a valuable double switch option in the National League. 

In the 2002 NLDS, Cairo reached base in all 5 plate appearances. He'd add 5 more hits in the NLCS, but the Cardinals fell just short, losing to the Giants

                       

Cairo had a great season with the Yankees in 2004, again playing all over the infield. He appeared in a career high 122 games, and topped 100 hits for the first time since his days as an everyday player in Tampa. He would go on to play for the Mets, then back to the Yankees, then the Cardinals again, then Seattle and Philadelphia before finally settling for a 3 year stint in Cincinnati. His time with Philly included his only World Series experience, though he was on the roster he did not get a plate appearance. In all, Cairo played in 17 MLB seasons, and collected over 1,000 career hits and scored over 500 career runs. 

This year Cairo has re-united with Tony LaRussa to serve as the bench coach for the Chicago White Sox.

Do you have any Miguel Cairo memories? I'd love to read them in the comments below. 

Thanks for reading! 

1997 Topps All-Star Rookie Outfielder Jose Cruz, Jr.

Second generation stars are nothing new in Major League Baseball. Being the child of a big league player gives a guy a leg up - not only by having access to major league ballparks, but also having the best of the best as examples after which to model their game. At the same time, the kid has to put in the work. Jose Cruz, Jr. did exactly that, and even made the Topps All-Star Rookie Squad playing for two different teams in 1997.

Cruz was very consistent playing for Seattle and Toronto in his rookie season. He had exactly the same number of hits for each team, and exactly the same number of RBI. Cruz ended up as the runner up for the AL Rookie of the Year voting, finishing with 26 homers and a respectable .814 OPS. 

The Mariners selected Cruz #3 Overall out of Rice University in the 1995 MLB draft. The team was sitting on an embarrassment of riches, with Ken Griffey, Jr just starting his peak, and a young Alex Rodriguez just starting his MLB career. Cruz was another super talented athlete, setting several offensive records as a 3-time All-American in college. He played for Team USA in 1994, and was a highly regarded prospect. In his first full professional season, he went from single-A all the way to AAA Tacoma, hitting .293 with 15 homers and 13 steals across all levels. His amazing season ended with being named the Mariners' Minor League Player of the Year in 1996. He moved quickly through the minors and made his MLB debut at the end of May 1997. 

His Mariners career was short but sweet - in just 49 games he slugged .541 with an OPS+ of 120. Cruz would spent the start of 1997 with 50 games in AAA Tacoma before his call-up, but proved he was ready for Major League pitching with his 25 extra base hits in his first 49 MLB games. He was traded to Toronto at the trade deadline for a pair of pitchers, in theory to shore up the Mariner bullpen for a playoff push. The team did win the AL West but were bounced from the ALDS by the Orioles in 4 games. To replace the bat of Cruz, the Mariners acquired veteran Roberto Kelly from the Twins in an August waiver deal. 

The best years of Jose's career came north of the border with the Blue Jays. The Jays used Cruz in Left and in Center field, and he excelled in the field and at the plate. The switch hitting outfielder had his most well-rounded season with Toronto in 2001, when he became just the 2nd Blue Jay to join the 30/30 club. It was his 2nd straight 30 homer season. His Power/Speed number was best in the AL. His dad's career high was 17 homers, showing that the kid was more than just a chip off the old block. He would become a free agent following the 2002 season.

He spent one year as a member of the San Francisco Giants, winning a Gold Glove in Right Field, and had a career high 102 walks (Maybe Barry taught him a thing or two about plate discipline?). He would get his only taste of post season play with the Giants, going hitless in the NLDS against the eventual 2003 World Series Champs, the Marlins. 

The tail end of Cruz's career involved several teams - three of which he played for in 2005. He went from the DBacks to the BoSox to the Dodgers in that same season. He provided some great at bats down the stretch for the Dodgers, hitting .301/.391/.532 in 47 games. Unfortunately, the team was already out of the race, finishing 20 games below .500. He would play a few more seasons, including a final 38 game stretch in 2008 for his dad's former team, the Houston Astros. 

Cruz finished his career with 1,167 hits, 204 Homers, and over 700 runs scored. In his Gold Glove season, Cruz led the NL in Total Zone Runs, putouts,  Double Plays turned and Range Factor. He ranked 2nd in fielding pct and outfield Assists. The Cruz Family legacy included his uncles, his father, his brothers, and now his son Trei, whom the Tigers drafted in the 3rd round of the 2020 MLB draft.

Do you have any Jose Cruz, Jr. stories? I'd love to read them in the comments below. 

Thanks for reading!

I Love The 80s - 1982 Seattle Mariners

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 Mariners finished in 6th place in the AL West, with a  44-65 record. The "highlights" of the season included Manager Maury Wills being ejected for enlarging the batters' box, having all their equipment stolen on a road trip to Texas, and Rick Honeycutt taped a thumbtack to his hand during one of his starts to get a little extra break. Well, I take that back, there was one highlight - Jacket Night!

In 1982, the Mariners improved a bit, finishing 4th in the AL West with a record just 10 games under .500. Rene Lachemann, who replaced Maury Wills early in the 1981 season, managed the team again. They had several young new pitching prospects, and one very very old one - 43 year old Gaylord Perry. Perry would pick up his 300th career victory that season. The team wasn't looking to win a pennant that year, just to build a foundation for the future.  

The Cards

Donruss #307 Lenny Randle - Randle's last two MLB seasons came with the Mariners in 1981 and 82. He played in 82 games for the 1981 squad, filling in at third, second and in the outfield. Randle  came up with the Washington Senators / Texas Rangers franchise, making his debut in 1971. He had several good seasons as a utility player and was known for his speed on the bases, and in 1981 for this blooper. 

Donruss #127 Richie Zisk - While the Mariners had a tough time in their early days scoring runs, adding Zisk  gave them a big boost. The 2-time All-Star spent three seasons with the Mariners, leading the team in Homers his first two years. Zisk had an OPS+ of 140 in 1981, which placed him near the top ten in the league and was his highest since his second full season. Zisk began his career in Pittsburgh, and had several good seasons in the mid 70s as their left fielder. 

Donruss #55 Joe Simpson -  Simpson was a fixture in the Mariner outfield from 1979 through 1982. He was an All-American in College with the University of Oklahoma, and is known now more for his broadcasting with Seattle and now Atlanta for the past 25+ seasons. Simpson's best years in 80 and 81 included extremely efficient base stealing (over 80% successful) . His final MLB season came in Kansas City, where he made two appearances on the pitching rubber in addition to his regular gig in the outfield. After several seasons in the Dodgers' minor leagues, the Mariners acquired him in 1979 to help the team as they went through their expansion growing pains. 

Topps #578 Tom Paciorek -  Tom was the Mariners' best hitter in 1981, hitting .326 in a team leading 104 games. His 13 stolen bases were a career high to go along with a tenth place finish in the AL MVP race. He was an All-Star in 1981, finding himself placed highly across the AL leaderboard in several categories. The Mariners picked him up as a free agent in 1978 and traded him prior to the 1983 season for a trio of young prospects. Paciorek would be a key member of the '83 White Sox team that made the post season under Tony LaRussa.

Fleer #516 Lenny Randle - Lenny was a showman and a unique character in baseball throughout the 70s and 80s. Though his final MLB season was 1982, he also played a big role in legitimizing the game overseas, playing in Italy for several seasons and also made an appearance as a player in the short-lived Senior league back in the states. He became a manager of his old Italian team in 2014, having previously managed and coached in the minor leagues in the U.S. notably for Waterloo where he re-created his famous defensive play for a baseball card.

Fleer #507 Bryan Clark - The fortunes of many expansion teams would rest on the shoulders (and arms) of its young pitching. Bryan Clark was one of those arms for Seattle in the early days, acquired in 1978 from the Pirates. Clark would make his big league debut with the Mariners in 1981, and had 3 seasons with the club, splitting time between the bullpen and the starting rotation. He was excellent in 1982 for the Mariners, tossing over 114 innings with a 2.75 ERA. He started just 5 games that year, but one of them was a complete game shutout in September against the Toronto Blue Jays. 

Topps #283 Brian Allard - 1981 was Allard's final MLB season, and he pitched well for the Mariners in limited action. He had just 7 starts, but tossed a complete game in May against the Royals for his 2nd victory of the season. He would pitch for the Mariners' AAA team for several seasons before becoming a pitching coach for several organizations in the minors. If not for an elbow injury that June that ended his 1981 season, he may have had a bit more momentum in the coming seasons.

Topps #632 Bryan Clark - Clark was known for an intimidating fastball and some shaky control early in his professional career. The California-born Clark made his MLB debut against the the Angels - but did it in an unexpected way. He was used as a pinch runner in the game by manager Maury Wills. He was a strikeout artist, but also uncorked a lot of wild pitches. He pitched 8 MLB seasons and finished with a 20-23 record and 4.15 ERA in 516.1 innings. 

Topps #22 Jim Beattie - Beattie was with Seattle from 1980 through 1986 as a regular member of their starting rotation. In 1982, he was slated to be the team's #2 behind Floyd Bannister. Beattie had a couple seasons with the Yankees before being traded to the Mariners in 1979, and even pitched in the World Series in 1977 and 78. He had some great seasons with the Mariners, but he had poor W-L records as team struggled to score runs. Beattie tossed 7 career shutouts. After his playing career, he became a Farm Director for the Mariners for 5 years, then became a General Manager for the Expos and Orioles. Some of the notable draft picks during his Expos tenure included Milton Bradley, Brandon Phillips, Grady Sizemore, Cliff Lee, and Jason Bay. 

1997 Topps All-Star Rookie Outfielder Jose Guillen

Jose Guillen  has one of the better All-Star Rookie cards of all time. Posing with the statue of the great Roberto Clemente, and poised to become the Pirates' right fielder of the future, Guillen beamed. He shared some of the same skills that made Clemente so good, in particular a throwing arm that dazzled and delighted fans. He was a Topps All-Star rookie at just the age of 20, with a long and productive MLB career ahead of him.

Guillen would have a decent season for the Pirates as their everyday Right Fielder in 1997. He hit 14 homers and drove in 70 runs. He was the 4th youngest player in the league but was still entrusted with the second most plate appearances on the Pirates' squad. While he had a great arm (9 assists as a rookie), he struggled a bit with the leather, ranking 2nd in errors among right fielders. He ranked below league average in rate stats, however was still learning the finer points of the game.

Guillen was signed in 1993 by the Pirates as a free agent out of the Dominican Republic. He would spent his minor league career in Single A clubs, with an MVP season in 1996 for the high A Lynchburg Hillcats. His final minor league season, he hit .322 with 21 homers and 24 stolen bases. The steals were somewhat of a mirage, as he never stole more than 5 bases in a season before or since. He followed up his 1997 season with a nearly identical 1998 season. He performed even better in the field, and led the NL in RF assists. Despite two seasons with 14 homers and nearly as many errors, Guillen was still considered a top prospect by many observers, who were more than willing to compare him to Roberto Clemente or Dave Winfield, who did have somewhat slow starts to their Hall of Fame careers. 

After leaving Pittsburgh, Guillen began a whirlwind tour of the big leagues, never stopping in one place for more than a couple seasons. He was either burning bridges or providing tantalizing potential at seemingly every stop along the way. Tampa picked him up in 1999 near the trade deadline, and he would muster just 15 homers over the next 2 and a half seasons before being released. The Arizona Diamondbacks gave him a chance, and after hitting .229 over 54 games, he was cut loose. The Rockies had him for just two days, and decided to go in  another direction before he hooked up with the Reds in Cincinnati to finish the 2002 season. He actually played his best baseball in Cincy, including a torrid first half in 2003, when he slashed .337/.385/.629 with a 165 OPS+. He found his power stroke, hitting 23 homers for the Reds before becoming a deadline deal to the Oakland A's. It was in Oakland the he had his only taste of post season play, hitting .455 in 4 games against Boston in the 2003 ALDS. 

He then signed a deal with AL West rivals the Angels, but butted heads with Mike Scioscia on numerous occasions. Even with a career high 104 RBI, he was on the move again after one season in Anaheim. Now in D.C., Guillen had a good season, followed by an atrocious one in which he hit just .216 with just 9 homers. The next year he was in Seattle, and managed to knock in 99 runs, but wore out his welcome there just as quickly. He then signed a 3 year deal with Kansas City, and nearly fulfilled the whole contract before being traded midway through the 2010 season to San Francisco. By that point he had publicly called his teammates babies and openly complained about K.C.'s losing culture. 

His final MLB stop was a stretch run in San Francisco for the Giants team that finally got over the hump and won a championship. Guillen missed the on field celebration, he had been left off the post season roster while being investigated for the alleged use of HGH. He hit .266 with 5 homers and 13 RBI for the Giants in the closing months of the 2010 season, and they would be the last games he would play in the league.

His Career MLB Totals

I'll leave you with a more positive note, here's video of Guillen's tremendous throwing arm taken from a game in 1998. 

Do you have any Jose Guillen Stories? I'd love to read them in the comments below. Thanks for reading!

I love The 80s - 1981 Seattle Mariners

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 1980, The Mariners finished 7th in the AL West, tallying over 100 losses. The following season they would come out flat,  finishing in 6th place in the first half. They improved slightly in the second half of the season following the strike, with a 23-29 record which was 5th best in the division. 

The "highlights" from this era of Mariners baseball included Manager Maury Wills attempting to enlarge the batter's box to gain an edge, for which he was fined (and soon after, fired) Later in 1981, the team's equipment was stolen before a game in Texas, forcing them to wear their batting practice jerseys, Rangers helmets, and Brewers hats. Why Brewers? The hats were purchased from the Rangers' souvenir shop, which did not carry any Mariners merchandise. Ouch. The franchise was still building itself up since becoming a member of the American League in 1977. The players here all have varied stories - some bizarre, some tragic.

Here are the cards:

Donruss # 168 Joe Simpson -  Simpson came over to the Mariners from the Dodgers in 1979, and was productive in his first full MLB season, hitting .283 over 120 games in various parts of the outfield. He was primarily used in right field in 79 and 80, center field in 81, then a more even mix of all three spots in 1982. He finished his MLB career in Kansas City in 1983, where he even got work in on the mound with a pair of late inning pitching appearances. He became a broadcaster after his playing career ended, and has been with the Atlanta Braves TV team since 1992.

Fleer #610 Dave Edler - Dave Edler was a successful AAA hitter, hitting over .300 in 1982 and 1983. Following his playing days, Edler became a pastor, then a politician - he was the mayor of Yakima, Washington from 2006 - 2010. 

Topps #187 Mike Parrott - A year after going 14-12 with a 3.77 ERA, Mike had a disastrous 1980, with just one victory against sixteen defeats. His lone win came in the season opener. having a mix of hard luck and poor performance plague the rest of his 1980 campaign. His 1979 season set team records for victories and innings pitched for the fledgling franchise, and he would go on to a lengthy coaching career in the minors that continues to this day.

Topps #33 Rick Honeycutt - Honeycutt is known more recently as the long-time pitching coach for the Dodgers, but he also had a 21 year playing career that somewhat resembled his Oakland teammate Dennis Eckersley. He started games early in his career, even winning an ERA title in 1983 in the AL. He would be converted to the bullpen (also under Tony LaRussa in Oakland) and found a second leg to his career there. In 1980, he represented the Mariners at the All-Star Game, and was caught red-handed (and red foreheaded) with a thumbtack taped to his pitching hand. He was suspended and fined, but still was the key piece in a trade that brought Richie Zisk to Seattle in 1981.

Fleer Star Stickers #8 Bruce Bochte - Not to be confused with Bruce Bochy, Bruce Bochte came to the Mariners in their second season and established himself as their offensive leader. In 1979, he was an All-Star and drove in 100 runs for the team. In 1980 he was the team leader in batting average, OBP, hits, doubles, homers and sported a 128 OPS+, the only Seattle regular to surpass league average in that category in 1980. 

Donruss #501 Dave Roberts - Not to be confused with the 70s infielder Dave Roberts, or the outfielder turned Dodger skipper Dave Roberts, this Dave Roberts was a member of the 1979 Pirates "We are Fam-A-Lee" champs and split 1980 with the Mariners and Buccos. Roberts was a very good hitting pitcher, with 7 career homers hit. Roberts was a stalwart member of the early 70s Astros rotations, particularly in 1973 when he had a 17-11 record. Roberts passed away in 2009 from cancer caused by asbestos he was exposed to early in his career when he working as a boilermaker in the offseason.  

Drake's Big Hitters # 25 Bruce Bochte - (pronounced BOCK-tee) Became a cosmologist (studying the universe) following his playing career, during which he led his team in hitting 4 different times. His All-Star appearance was also the year the event was hosted in Seattle, thrilling the crowd with a double off future teammate Gaylord Perry. The Big Lefty is a proponent of Environmental issues as well, working with the San Francisco Bay institute in efforts to keep the Bay clean(ish). 

Fleer #597 Rodney Craig - The switch-hitting Craig played in a career high 70 games for the 1980 Mariners, mostly in center field. Craig was the Opening Day starter for the Mariners in 1980 in CF, but poor hitting led to a demotion to AAA Spokane. After a lengthy minor league career than included stops in Mexico and three different MLB orgs. Sadly, Craig fell on hard times following his playing career and became homeless. In 2013, Craig was involved in an altercation outside of a shelter and was stabbed to death by another man.

Topps #583 Larry Milbourne -  Former Topps All-Star Rookie Larry Milbourne had some of his best MLB seasons with the Mariners in the late 70s and early 80s.  329 of his 623 career hits came with Seattle, finding a niche as a solid utility player for the team and several other orgs throughout the 80s. He was a member of the 1981 Yankees team that made it all the way to the World Series - he hit .462 in the ALCS against Oakland. For the Mariners in 1980, Milbourne filled in a 2nd, 3rd, and Short while also DHing from time to time. He attended High School in Millville, NJ the same school as Mike Trout. He also hit .363 playing in the Senior Baseball league in 89 and 1990. and was a minor league manager for 3 seasons in the Cardinals organization. 

1995 Topps All-Star Rookie First Baseman John Mabry

Though he was an outfielder coming up to the big leagues, John Mabry was named the Topps All-Star Rookie First Baseman for the 1995 season. This versatility would become a trademark of Mabry's career - playing all outfield positions, both corner infield positions, and even 2 MLB appearances on the pitching rubber. He would finish 4th in the NL Rookie of the Year balloting.

Mabry hit over .300 for his rookie season, which would be a career high mark. The lanky lefty did not provide much on the bases, but apart from that he filled up the stat sheet with doubles and a very strong throwing arm.

Mabry was drafted by the Cardinals in the 6th Round in the 1991 draft, coming out of West Chester University of Pennsylvania. He was born in Wilmington, Delaware and attended Bohemia Manor High School in Chesapeake City, MD. Mabry's outfield arm was considered among the strongest in the Cardinals' system, and his swing was compared to David Justice early on by Joe Torre. Mabry jumped up the minor league ranks quickly, having already played 3 years of college ball. He flashed some power in 1993 and 1994, and earned a call up at the end of that season.

Mabry would play for many different MLB teams in his career, but the Cardinals were always home. He had three different stints in St. Louis, and his post-playing days have also been spent in the St. Louis area. His most prolific MLB season came in his sophomore season. In 1996, he was the Cardinals' primary first baseman, and led the team in base hits. He was 4th in the NL in fielding pct among first baseman, and played 13 errorless games in the outfield. He even hit for the cycle against the Rockies in May of that season. The arrival of Mark McGwire in 1998 allowed Mabry to return to his original position in the outfield. He would go on to become a super utility guy and pinch hitting specialist.

In addition to Saint Louis, Mabry played for Seattle, Philadelphia, San Diego, Oakland, the Cubs, and the Rockies. He would finish his career with the 4th most hits in MLB history for Delaware-born players. He still ranks 3rd all-time in Doubles from Delaware, behind Delino Deshields and Paul Goldschmidt. Mabry would join Mike Matheny's coaching staff in St. Louis, and was the team's hitting coach throughout Matheny's tenure.

Got any fun John Mabry stories?  I'd love to hear 'em!

It Ain't Over til It's Over

I'm not going to sugarcoat it - things look bad right now for the Minnesota Twins, facing an 0-2 deficit to the New York Yankees in the ALDS. The first two games could hardly have been much worse, thankfully none of the Twins were injured, save for their pride. HOWEVER! The Yankees haven't won that 3rd game yet, and the series turns to Minnesota tomorrow. It might be unlikely, but why don't we take a look at what unlikely looks like? Why not take a look at some ways that a series can turn around? It might make me feel better, OK? Rays fans, I see you too - hope this helps a bit.

1981 NLDS - Dodgers come back against the Houston Astros

1981 included a Divisional Series because of the strike that split the season into two parts. The Dodgers actually had the home-field advantage, though they lost games 1 and 2 on the road. Not much of an advantage when Houston only had to win one in LA.

But the Dodgers were up to the task, thanks to stalwart starting pitching, including a complete game from Fernando Valenzuela in Game 4, leading to a duel between Jerry Reuss and Nolan Ryan, who was working on regular rest and was Nolan freakin' Ryan. Reuss tossed a shutout, and the Dodgers bats had just enough to win 4-0. Garvey would hit .368 in the series including a game 3 homer that sparked the comeback. The Dodgers did it without Ron Cey, though he would be back in time for the World Series, where he was the MVP.

1982 ALCS - Brewers defeat the California Angels

Don Sutton tossed 7 scoreless innings in Game 3, Ben Oglivie blasted a homer and Cecil Cooper hit a 2-run single in Game 5 to power "Harvey's Wallbangers" to a series victory. The series was so close that the ALCS MVP ended up being Angels OF Fred Lynn in a losing cause. Robin Yount struggled for the Brew Crew in the series, with a .250 average and no extra base hits.

1984 ALCS - Padres defeat the Cubs

Game 4 - Postseason vet with ice in veins, Steve Garvey, blasts a 2 run walkoff homer, setting up a winner-takes-all finale.

Game 5- Carmelo Martinez draws a 4 pitch walk, a bunt moves him to 2nd, then Tim Flannery gets a key hit right through the wickets of Leon Durham. Goose Gossage locks down the win by pitching the last two innings.

1995 ALDS - Seattle Mariners defeat the New York Yankees

Now in the Divisional Series era, the ALCS and NLCS is stretched to 7 games, but the new Division series remains best of five. The Yankees jumped out to an early 2-0 lead against a Seattle team that had already tested their mettle in a tie-breaker game over the Angels.

Back in the Kingdome, the Mariners leaned on Randy Johnson for a gutsy seven innings. He struck out 10, and the Mariners won 6-4. Game 4 was a seesaw game until Edgar Martinez crushed a grand slam in the 8th off John Wetteland.

The Game 5 finale was one of the best games in playoff history. The lead would change hands 6 times, David Cone threw 140 pitches for the Yankees, Randy Johnson came in to relieve in extra innings, but the final rally came in the bottom of the 11th. Joey Cora singles, backed by a Griffey single, and Edgar Martinez was back again to be the hero, lacing a liner down the left field line, scoring both runners in an epic finish.

1999 ALDS - Red Sox defeat Cleveland

The format of the 5 game series was now the current 2-2-1 version by the time this series was played.

Both teams won their home games in decisive fashion, including a ridiculous 23-7 rout in game 4 by the Red Sox, in which John Valentin drove in 7 runs. Nomar hit over .400 for the series.

Game 5 included quite a lot of early offense, including 2 homers by Jim Thome. Troy O'Leary matched Valentin's 7 RBI in the game, but the real story was the relief appearance of Pedro Martinez. Martinez was coming off 4 scoreless innings in Game 1 before leaving due to injury. In Game 5, Martinez came in to an 8-8 tie game, and no-hit Cleveland for 6 relief innings, pitching on fumes but still striking out 8 batters.

2001 ALDS - Yankees beat A's

oh. The Yankees are on this list, too? Do I have to? Fine.

People remember "The Flip" by Derek Jeter, but Mike Mussina out-dueled Barry Zito (When Zito was Zito!) in that game, and the only run came on Jorge Posada's Solo homer.

Mariano Rivera was at his best, closing out a pair of the final three games in his usual dominant fashion.

2003 ALDS - Red Sox over the A's

The Red Sox are free to share some mojo with the Twins this year, I'm sure they won't mind if it means beating the Yankees.

In 2003, it was Jason Varitek with a key block of the plate that started a chain reaction of base running blunders that swung momentum back to the Red Sox in Game 3. David Ortiz had a clutch 2 run double in Game 4, and Pedro dominated in Game 5, with Manny Ramirez providing the offensive production to give the Sox the series win.

2012 NLDS - Giants defeat Reds

Ryan Vogelsong gave the Giants a boost with a gutty performance in Game 3, with the win ultimately going to Sergio Romo in relief. Game 4 had a Pedro-like relief appearance by started Tim Lincecum, and Buster Posey crushed a grand slam in Game 5 that proved to be deciding runs, with Romo coming back to get the save.

The Giants would go on to win the whole thing, taking the World Series crown, just like the Dodgers did in 1981. Twins, take notes, and ask Romo for tips.

2015 ALDS - Toronto defeats the Rangers

At this point the pattern becomes familiar - Marco Estrada comes up big in game 3, with Troy Tulowitski providing a key hit. Game 4 included big offense from the Jays winning 8-4 behind an R.A. Dickey start (and in spite of a disastrous David Price Relief appearance.). Game 5 is remember for Bautista and the bat flip heard round the world, but Marcus Stroman provided 6 strong innings for the Jays to keep the game close.

So! That's encouraging. Never mind that the team going up 2-0 will win the series about 90% of the time. Just need to get something started for Game 3 - a strong start, some timely hitting, and then worry about game 4 after that.

The 1974 Topps Rookie All-Star Team - Larry Milbourne

Here they are - the Topps All-Star Rookie Team, selected "by the Youth of America" by a vote of fellow MLB players following the 1974 season and featured in the 1975 Topps set. 

I have completed the run of these up through 2018 Series Two, at least all regular issue cards that bear the All-Star Rookie Trophy. 

Topps decided to skip the Trophies on the 1974 Topps Set, but they made a triumphant return in 1975. I wanted to show my appreciation for this expression of good judgement, so for the 1974 Lineup, I will do a separate post for each player. This was a pretty good crop of players, so let's dive in! 

Larry Milbourne is to Major League Baseball as Margo Martindale is to television and film. He's the quintessential supporting character on the diamond, playing for 6 different Major League teams over 11 seasons.

Milbourne was named the 2nd baseman for the Topps Rookie All-Star team, despite only starting 29 times for the Astros at 2nd. He did appear in 112 games, but had just 148 plate appearances. This was a tough year for rookie 2nd baseman - I tried to find a more deserving candidate, but the closest I came was the Red Sox Short Stop/2nd Baseman Rick Burleson. Burleson had a very good rookie campaign, but only had 31 games at 2nd and 88 at SS. So, Milbourne's intangibles as a defensive replacement for veteran Tommy Helms (who was the 1966 NL R.O.Y. and a Topps Rookie All-Star in his own right) made the difference.

He worked almost exclusively as a utility infielder throughout his career. By the time he made the Astros' roster, he'd already been in 4 other organizations- showing flashes of speed (21 steals for the Giants' Single A squad), average (.301 for rookie league Orioles, .305 for the Giants), and solid defense throughout. He would be drafted in the annual minor league draft 3 straight seasons before Houston selected him in the Rule V draft, securing a major league roster spot for him.

Following the 1976 season, Milbourne was dealt to Seattle for Roy Thomas. He would record the first walk off hit in Mariners' franchise history, an RBI double in the team's 2nd game ever. In 1978, he would get a much larger role, playing in 123 games for the Mariners. He responded with a respectable .278 average and a career high in runs batted in.

Milbourne was a Topps Traded darling in the early 80s, and this sequence doesn't even include his brief 29 game career in Minnesota. If you want to see proof, check out this post from a blogger that sought autographs from every Twins player. A custom card was made of Milbourne in a Twins uni.

The highlight of Milbourne's MLB career came in 1981 with the Yankees - he hit .462 in the ALCS and .327 for the playoffs overall.

His career coda came in the Senior League, playing for the short lived and poorly named St. Lucie Legends. The team lost 20 of its first 23 games, and finished dead least in the league, then went out of business in the off-season.

Guess Who *Else* Is Coming To Spring Training?

"Hmm, is that a sunset? I don't think so!"

Ichiro is 44 years old, but he still has the fire and desire to play at the major league level.

It's been a slow off-season for a lot of veteran players, and it was starting to look like Ichiro was going to have to find work back in Japan.

Not yet! The Seattle Mariners have stepped up to make a 1 year offer to the all-time great. No Sunset for Ichiro, we're going to get to enjoy him a little bit longer.