Showing posts with label third base. Show all posts
Showing posts with label third base. Show all posts

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.

Monday, May 18, 2015

#428 Todd Zeile

About the Front: The Cardinals road uniform didn't have stripes or piping on the sleeves or the pants. That's a rarity in modern times.

About the Back: I didn't realize that Todd had such modest power numbers early in his career.

Triple Play:

1. Zeile set a big league record by hitting home runs for 11 different teams. In order, they were: Cardinals, Cubs, Phillies, Orioles, Dodgers, Marlins, Rangers, Mets, Rockies, Yankees, and Expos.

2. Todd is also the career home run leader for players with surnames beginning with "Z", as he went deep 253 times in 16 seasons.

3. He's married to 1984 Olympic gold medal gymnast Julianne McNamara.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: When the Orioles acquired Zeile and Pete Incaviglia from the Phillies in late 1996, en route to breaking the single-season team record for home runs, it seemed like piling on. I didn't mind.

Bill James Said: "If you drive in a hundred runs people will stop talking about the things you don't do, or at least, other people will." Bill was of course ahead of the curve on the misleading nature of RBI.

On This Date in 1993: May 18. Janet Jackson's album janet. is released. It will debut at number one on the Billboard 200.

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

#414 Juan Guerrero

About the Front: Juan Guerrero appears to be totally alone on the field. If that ball takes a bad hop, nobody will be there to get him a bag of ice.
About the Back: Guerrero was a Rule 5 pick by the Astros prior to the 1992 season.

Triple Play:

1. His only big league home run was a walkoff shot off of Roger Mason in the bottom of the 12th inning on July 21, 1992.

2. The glamorous life of a Rule 5 pick in the National League: Juan played a game at second base, 10 at third, 19 at shortstop, two in left field, and 43 as a pinch hitter.

3. Guerrero never played in the majors again after 1992. However, he did bat .327/.365/.504 with 10 homers and 55 RBI in 76 games for the Catskill Cougars of the independent Northeast League. (I am a sucker for ex-big leaguers in the indies.)

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: This card provides a reminder that I haven't studied most of the set for 20 years. I could've sworn that Guerrero was listed as a shortstop. In my defense, he actually played the largest number of games at short in '92.

Bill James Said: N/A.

On This Date in 1993: April 28. Former NC State men's basketball coach Jim Valvano dies of metastatic cancer at age 47.