Friday, June 5, 2015

#433 Roger Bailey and Tom Schmidt

About the Front: Topps wanted to cram just as many Rockies and Marlins into Series Two as they possibly could, so this is the first of several two-player cards featuring minor leaguers from the two brand new organizations. Dig the casual look from Roger Bailey, as the photographer seems to have captured him on a stroll through the local park.

About the Back: Since space was at a premium, Topps chose not to include draft and acquistion information on the card backs. Otherwise, you'd learn that Bailey was the team's third-round draft pick in 1992 out of Florida State University. Schmidt was a 24th-rounder that year out of Brevard Community College in Florida.

Triple Play:

1. Bailey pitched for the Rockies from 1995-1997. Considering that he was making his home starts at Coors Field, his 1997 season (9-10, 4.24 ERA, 5 CG, 121 ERA+) was pretty impressive.

2. Roger's career ended abruptly in the spring of 1998, when he suffered back injuries as a passenger in teammate Mike Munoz's car; they were rear-ended at a red light in Tucson. He later worked as an advance scout for Colorado for four years.

3. Schmidt played six seasons of minor league ball, stalling out at AA, and finished with a career batting line of .238/.308/.378, 61 home runs, and 277 RBI.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: Hey, I know where Towson and Perry Hall are! In the future, I may even live smack in the middle of the two.

Bill James Said: Nothing, as both players were still in the low minors at the time.

On This Date in 1993: June 5. In Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England, portions of the Holbeck Hall Hotel fall into the sea after a landslide. The entire hotel had to be demolished after the incident.

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