Expos Star: Cliff Floyd #2

1994 Studio #77

How Did I Get It?: Bought it from checkoutmycards.net.
Rating: 7/10 – I hated the initial issue of Studio. What was this bland black and white crap with the awful border colors? They quickly improved on the concept, though, to the point that I really came to appreciate the sets. This is a great example of what Studio is at its best.

1994 Bowman Previews #5
How Did I Get It?:  Bought it from checkoutmycards.net.

Rating: 6/10 – I’m a little bummed that the rainbow color on the foil doesn’t show up here, no matter what photoshop trickery I perform, as that’s really the most interesting thing about this issue. I’d never seen a Bowman preview before this, and while it’s somewhat interesting, it doesn’t climb into the oddball pantheon.

1996 Fleer Tiffany #457

How Did I Get It?: Bought it from checkoutmycards.net.
Rating: 5/10 – I’m not sure I understand what makes for the Tiffany designation that year, as they were all glossy. Was it the lettering? Either way, this would

1991 Front Row Draft Picks #49

How Did I Get It?:  Bought the 1991 Draft Picks set waaaay back when it came out.
Rating: 4/10 – Nostalgia and curiosity factor draw me to this one. Interesting to see Floyd at first base, and of course in a different uniform. Other than that, terrible design, and not a very good set.

Expos Star: Gary Carter

Gary Carter
1976 Topps #441

Position: C
Bio/Summary: I’ve written at length about Gary, but there are so many worthy Gary Carter cards to cover! 1976 was Gary’s second full year in the majors after a strong 75 showing. Unfortunately, it was a big step back for him – he regressed from a 112 OPS+ to a 66 OPS+…it might have looked like The Kid was done for, but he would rally in 77 and become the Gary Carter we all came to know and love.

How Did I Get It?: Won it on eBay.

Did You Know?: Gary started his career in the Florida East Coast Rookie League in 1972 after being drafted in the 3rd round.

Rating: 9/10 – I love the 76 Topps set, and this is one of my favorites in the set. I know it’s a generic pose, but there’s something about the youthful look and the colors that get me.

1999 Baseball America Diamond Best

Tony Armas Jr.
1999 Baseball America Diamond Best #6

Category: Former National
Position: P
Bio/Summary: I came to loathe Tony Armas Jr., but since this is a minor league set, I will focus on minor league performance. This was Armas’ second year in the Montreal system after being dealt in the Pedro Martinez deal, and he did pretty well for a 21-year-old at AA, going 9-7 with a 2.89 ERA and 1.189 WHIP. Without an ERA+ or ML equivalency, I can’t say much more than that he looked pretty promising.
Rating: 5/10 – I tend to use a different calculus when judging minor league cards. Smaller distribution, less profit…and that cheap aesthetic can have a charm. I like this set – the big Baseball America logo makes me think of some set you would get in a magazine back in the day, and while the red gets a little obnoxious, I can forgive it. This shot, however, is pretty pedestrian. There are better ones in the set.

Peter Bergeron
1999 Baseball America Diamond Best #13
Category: Failed Prospect
Position: OF
Bio/Summary: Bergeron had a scorching 1999, going a combined .320/.396/.480 between AA and AAA. He also had 23 SBs…in 38 attempts. Ouch. What do the ML equivalencies have to say about his year? Let’s use Harrisburg as his baseline for that season. That projects out to a much less impressive .252/.321/.390. So you can see the guy had basically no power, which showed up later.
Rating: 4/10 – What’s up with this shot? Is it me or does that uniform look painted on? Or is it the helmet? So odd.

Milton Bradley
1999 Baseball America Diamond Best #16
Category: Expos Star
Position: OF
Bio/Summary: 1999 was a good year for Milton Bradley. He showed evidence of really refining his approach at the plate, as his OBP hit the highest it had ever been. That discipline served him well, giving him a newfound power. He went .329/.391/.526 and knocked 12 homers, setting himup for his ML debut the next year.
Rating: 8/10 – Now this is what I’m talking about. The classic autograph shot, and the colors work well together here.

Tomas De La rosa
1999 Baseball America Diamond Best #32
Category: Failed Prospect
Position: IF
Bio/Summary: It was a good year in Harrisburg offensively; De La Rosa went .261/.320/.360 that year, hitting well above his head even then (and that’s not really that good). I’m guessing he had a good glove, even if it didn’t get him to stick at the ML level.
Rating: 7/10 – Decent action shot here. You don’t usually get that angle.

Fernando Seguignol
1999 Baseball America Diamond Best #9
Category: Failed Prospect
Position: OF/1B
Bio/Summary: Sequignol was one of the offensive hearts of the 1999 Ottaway Lynx, knocking 23 home runs with a .962 OPS. He had a good OBP, and while his strikeouts were high, he had a decent amount of walks. Too bad he wouldn’t manage to do better in the majors.
Rating: 7/10 – Pretty common shot, but I give it extra points for the guys in the dugout. It just highlights the difference between a major league and minor league game – they’re so much closer to the field.

Expos Star: Cliff Floyd #1

1996 Metal Universe #191

How Did I Get It?: Bought it on checkoutmycards.net
Did You Know?: Floyd’s father, a former Marine, worked double shifts at a U.S. Steel plant in Chicago to allow the family to live in a safe and stable neighborhood.
Rating: 7/10 – So Cliff Floyd is in a forest. Okay. I’ll roll with this. Why not? This was one of those periods in baseball cards that I missed out on, yet always amused me when scanning other blogs. I HAD to have one. And it’s as addled an idea as the others. Thanks, Todd MacFarlane!

1992 Bowman #678
How Did I Get It?: Bought it on checkoutmycards.net

Did You Know?: Floyd was a three-sport star in baseball, football, and basketball in high school. In basketball, he led his high school to the Class AA Sectional Playoffs.

Rating: 9/10 – Haha, just another one of those “what-the-hell” moments from early 90s cards. I remember people going nuts for this card back in the day. Now it’s just funny as hell.

1992 Score #801
How Did I Get It?: Bought it on checkoutmycards.net

Did You Know?: In 1997, Floyd was traded from the Expos to the Florida Marlins for Dustin Hermanson and Joe Orsulak. Good job on that one, Expos.

Rating: 3/10 – Ew. I was always interested in draft pick cards, but this one was just a horrid mess. The color scheme looks like mint chocolate chip ice cream melted on it, and he’s just floating out there in space.

1993 SP #277

How Did I Get It?: Bought it on checkoutmycards.net
Did You Know?: In 2002, Floyd was traded from the Marlins back to the Expos, with Claudio Vargas, Wilton Guerrero, and cash, for Graeme Lloyd, Mike Mordecai, Carl Pavano, Justin Wayne, and Donald Levinski. Haha, I don’t even know.

Rating: 10/10 – Now that’s what I’m talking about. I loved the prospects from this set. Such a classy design.

2002 Topps Traded Chrome #1/2

Ron Calloway
2002 Topps Chrome Traded #T192
Category: Failed Prospect
Position: OF
Bio/Summary:  I wrote about Calloway recently, with his 2003 Upper Deck Vintage card. 2002 was a breakout year for Ron, as he stole 44 bases for AAA Ottawa, and would earn the call to the big club the next season. Too bad he had no staying power.
Rating: 7/10 – I like the design of the 2002 Topps Prospect cards, and this is a pretty good shot.

Bartolo Colon
2002 Topps Chrome Traded #T14
Category: Former Expo
Position: P
Bio/Summary: Sigh. Covered this. Lost a lot of good players, like Grady Sizemore. Too disappointing.
Rating: 6/10 – I’ve always loved this angle for a shot. Good stuff.

Andres Galarraga
2002 Topps Chrome Traded #T39

Category: Expos Star
Position: 1B
Bio/Summary:  Galarraga was nearing the end of his career at this point, having survived a bout of cancer. He didn’t put up very big numbers in 02, managing a 92 OPS+, but he would rebound nicely with San Franscico the next year.
Rating: 3/10 – Very generic shot, not dynamic or interesting.

Dicky Gonzalez
2002 Topps Chrome Traded #T65
Category: Failed Prospect
Position: P
Bio/Summary: Dicky Gonzalez was a perennial prospect who put up high win totals and impressive BB/K ratios, but didn’t quite have the stuff to make it at the major league level. He had pitched with the Mets in 2001, then gave it another shot in 2005 before hanging it up.
Rating: 2/10 -  Ugh, awful picture. 

Rich Lane

2002 Topps Chrome Traded #T125

Category: Failed Prospect
Position: OF
Bio/Summary: I had to search hard for Rich Lane’s stats, but tracked him down. Surprisingly, he never even made the majors despite being in the Traded set; seems like Bowman territory, right? In 2002, he was playing for Brevard county and had a .688 OPS. I’m not sure where he came from as a prospect.
Rating: 4/10 – Generic shot, unknown player.

2000 Bowman Draft

Milton Bradley
2000 Bowman Draft #15
Category: Expos Star
Position: OF
Bio/Summary: I honestly don’t know what to say about Milton at this point. I’ve covered a few cards from his 2000 year, and he didn’t stick around in Montreal for very long before they gave up on him, anyway. I did find myself surprised surfing his minor league numbers and finding that he once stole 30 bases. It seems so crazy, given how his wheels are these days.
Rating: 5/10 – I like Bradley, and I like the 2000 design, but this thing is just dirt-simple, generic “Baseball Card”.

 Tomas De La Rosa
2000 Bowman Draft #74
Category: Failed Prospect
Position: IF
Bio/Summary: This is not the first time I’ve seen De La Rosa and Bradley together. I guess the only real connection is that they were coming up through the system at the same time. Their numbers were as different as could be: Bradley was a burgeoning power-hitting outfielder with decent speed and a good OBP, while De La Rosa was the model slap-hitting SS. I guess it’s not surprising that one of them didn’t last. De La Rosa left baseball in 2007.
Rating: 4/10 – Bleh. Another dirt-common Spring Training shot. 

 Giovanni (Yovanny) Lara
2000 Bowman Draft #47
Category: Failed Prospect
Position: P
Bio/Summary: So weird that they call him Giovanni here. I could find no record of a Giovanni Lara, only a Yovanny. Obviously this was the name he went by; so why go with something else? I don’t know. Yovanny only pitched in the majors in 2000, putting up a 76 ERA+ in 6 games. He seems to have disappeared from baseball after that. Odd.
Rating: 4/10 – Snore. Spring Training.

 Thomas Mitchell
2000 Bowman Draft #110
Category: Failed Prospect
Position: P
Bio/Summary: Another player who was hard to find. Why do people have issues with Bowman and their prospects again? Heh. Not only did he never make the majors, he failed to make an impact at pretty much every level he played at (I’m serious too – check out his stats – they’re horrific). He’s only in this blog as a historical oddity, like many of the failed prospects.
Rating: 3/10 – Who? Blah.

Grady Sizemore 

2000 Bowman Draft #109
Category: Former Expo
Position: OF
Bio/Summary: Damn you Omar Minaya. Damn you. I’m guessing we all know what happened here, so I’m more interested in seeing Grady’s production as an Expos farmhand. Yup, it makes you cry. As a 17-year-old in the Gulf Coast Rookie League, he put up a .293/.380/.376 line. Okay, sure, the slugging was down a bit, but he was SEVENTEEN. That’s as much promise as you can get from a rookie leaguer. At 19, he was .258/.351/.348, right before he was dealt. The next season he broke out, and it was all over from there. Sigh.
Rating: 6/10 – Historical context is not the only reason this gets the highest rating. Even with Grady’s goofy expression, the photograph is a little better, showing a little more of the field. Still not going to destroy the world or anything.

1987 Broder Rookies

Andres Galarraga

1987 Broder Rookies #3
Category: Expos Star
Position: 1B
Bio/Summary: This set was issued in 1987, but meant to show the 1986 rookies. While Galarraga first appeared in 1985, 1986 was his first full season, and he didn’t disappoint. The Big Cat had a 105 OPS+ with 10 homers, perhaps not the best for a first baseman, but very acceptable for a rookie on a middling team and a hint of what was to come.
Rating: 8/10 – I’ve always dug the Broder sets. Sure, they were oddballs that seemed to appear out of nowhere, but the photography is really excellent and unique, and the playing-card cut was something different for its time. I was always excited to find a Broder card for a player that I collected back in the day. This card epitomizes the set, showing a more subdued moment for Galarraga, stretching with the bat as he warms up on deck.

Bob Sebra

1987 Broder Rookies #14
Category: Failed Prospect
Position: P
Bio/Summary: Sebra hits the other side of the spectrum. Dealt from Texas to the Expos for Pete Incaviglia in November 1985, Sebra never really distinguished himself. His 86 campaign was his best, topping out at a 105 ERA+. He never topped that, though, going 6-15 in 1987, and was out of the majors by 1990.
Rating: 4/10 – Not that interesting a shot; definitely the sort of thing that you could find in any set of its day.

1990 Topps Debut ’89

Steve Frey

1990 Topps Debut ’89 #40
Category: Former Expo
Position: RP
Bio/Summary: Steve Frey is a lasting testimony to the power of being lefthanded. I figured he was some no-name who flamed out after a couple of seasons, but was shocked to see he lasted until 1996, and wasn’t too horrible at times. Other than that, I suppose I don’t have too much to say about him.
Rating: 4/10 – Even though this is the horrible 1990 Topps design, the borders don’t match too badly with the colors on his jersey.

Mark Gardner
1989 Topps Debut #23
Category: Former Expo 
Position:  SP
Bio/Summary: Gardner is another player that exceeded my expectations for him. A 27-year old rookie with a 13-season career? Nice. Gardner’s rookie season didn’t lead anyone to expect he’d last that long – in 1990 he went 7-9 with a 107 ERA+…decent, but at his age, you wouldn’t think it would keep him around until he was 39, but his career appears to be a triumph of WINS over everything else.
Rating: 6/10 – Not a bad shot, all in all. I think that’s Spike Owen over his shoulder, but I’m not 100% certain.

Marquis Grissom
1990 Topps Debut ’89 #41
Category: Expos Star
Position: OF
Bio/Summary: I’ve spoken about Grissom quite a bit here…one of the guys who I appreciated before I learned more about stats. One of the most interesting facts about him is that he’s a coach with the Nats now, trying to help Lastings Milledge live up to his potential.
Rating: 6/10 – Nice shot at Wrigley Field! I’ve always been fond of this picture.

 Gene Harris
1990 Topps Debut ’89 #52
Category: Former Expo
Position: P
Bio/Summary: Gene Harris played a grand total of 11 games as an Expo, and barely had any cards during his stint. I remember being surprised when I saw this one. In those 11 games, he went 1-1 with a 4.95 ERA before being dealt to Seattle with Randy Johnson in the Mark Langston trade. Sigh.
Rating: 4/10 – Just your average sweaty 1990 Topps pic. Looks like it could go in 1990 Bowman, for that matter.

 

Larry Walker

Larry Walker

1990 Topps Debut ’89 #133
Category: Expos Star
Position: OF
Bio/Summary: Ah, the legendary Larry Walker! This guy was awesome, as I’m sure you know. Walker played 20 games in 1989, hitting only .170 with a .264 OBP in 20 games. Benefit of the doubt and all, though, for the small sample size. He had done well in the minors after missing an entire year in 1988, and we all know what he went on to do.
Rating: 6/10 – Man, that’s a lot of red, but I have to give props for how well it’s all tied together. It’s a good pic of him, on top of that.

1982 Fleer #6

Roberto (Bobby) Ramos

1982 Fleer #203
Category: Failed Prospect
Position: C
Bio/Summary: I’ve covered Bobby Ramos on this site before, when he was on the Tim Raines rookie card, but this is the first time we’ve had a “pure” card of him. What to make of him? Not much. He never played a full season in the majors, and only appeared in four games in 1982 with the Yankees, going .091/.091/.364. If you’re playing along at home, that’s a .455 OPS.
Rating: 4/10 – Tilted photo? Check. Awful astroturf? Check. Bad hair? Check. It’s a capsule of the early 80s.

Jeff Reardon

1982 Fleer #204
Category: Expos Lynchpin
Position: RP
Bio/Summary: For awhile there, The Terminator was the career record holder for saves, even leading the league with 41 in 1985. 1982 was the beginning of his reign as a closer, when he scored 26 in 75 games and had a 177 ERA+. The most interesting thing is that he finished 53 games, which means he was closing out games even in losses – something you’d never see of a closer these days.

Rating: 4/10 – Dude looks like a trucker here, and the picture has the same issue with the darkness and flash.

Steve Rogers

1982 Fleer #205
Category: Expos Star
Position: SP
Bio/Summary: Wow, I had no idea Steve Rogers was a five-time All Star. Why is this guy never mentioned? I mean, come on, the guy lost 22 games and was still an all-star. That counts for something! Probably for how bad the Expos were at the time. But dude pitched out of his mind most of his career, staying over 100 ERA+ for 9 years and even leading the league in it one year. What’s a guy gotta do to get attention?
Rating: 3/10 – Yikes, what an ugly dude! And an ugly card.

Scott Sanderson

1982 Fleer #206
Category: Expos Lynchpin
Position: P
Bio/Summary: Wow, look how young Sanderson is here. I always associate him with his Yankees update and traded cards, so seeing him as a kid here was weird. It’s not that he’s that young, 24, it’s just that I’m so used to seeing him old. Anyway. In 1982, Scott went 12-12 with a 3.46 ERA, for a 105 ERA+. Just right around league average…about what I would think of Sanderson (and he had a career 102 ERA+, so that’s about right).
Rating: 4/10 – Again, not a great photo…tough thing about this set.

1982 Fleer #5

David Palmer

1982 Fleer #199
Category: Former Expo
Position: P
Bio/Summary: I remember David Palmer from all the 1989 sets, when he was with the Phillies and near the end of his career. Here he is in his prime, though he missed all of 1981. He returned in 1982, going 6-4 with a 3.18 ERA in 13 games, good for a 115 ERA+. Unfortunately, he wouldn’t sniff an above-average ERA+ again until 1986. Looking at his ability prior to 1982, it looks like that injury might have taken it out of him. He was never the same after.
Rating: 6/10 – I swear that’s Gary Carter in the background. The flash photography is awful here, but my imagination is somewhat inspired by this shot.

Larry Parrish

1982 Fleer #200
Category: Expos Lynchpin
Position: 3B
Bio/Summary: I remember Larry Parrish from later in his career, much like David Palmer, when he was finishing up with Texas and Boston in 1988. In 1981, however, the future was still his to grasp. Coming off a 104 ERA+ performance in 1980, he slumped to a 92 OPS+, hitting .244/.297/.384 in 97 games and getting traded to the Rangers in March of 82. Rough for a guy who was just a few years off an All-Star appearance and fourth place finish in the MVP race.
Rating: 1/10 – Ick. Terrible, blurry photo with a flash that washes out his face. Seriously one of the worst pictures I’ve ever seen on a baseball card.

Mike Phillips

1982 Fleer #201
Category: Expos Also-Ran
Position: SS/2B
Bio/Summary: Phillips was a light-hitting middle infielder who must have had a reputation with his glove, because that bat was not going to be enough, let me tell you. Not even at SS in that era. And 1982 was the beginning of the end – he had a -34 OPS+. Yikes. So I’m not surprised I’d never heard of him.
Rating: 5/10 – At least this picture is in focus and not washed out. Too bad it’s boring.

Tim Raines

1982 Fleer #202
Category: Expos Star
Position: OF
Bio/Summary: I’m not sure Raines needs any introduction…he’s another of the legit stars in this set to go with Carter and Dawson. You know, it’s kind of a shame that Expos pitching was so abysmal back then because they had the core of something really special with those three. And 1982 was at the beginning of a nice run for Rock. He had a 101 OPS+, but the big stat for that year was 78 steals in 94 attempts! That’s absolutely unheard of! Man the guy was good.
Rating: 8/10 – This card gets major props for showing a young Raines, and hey, it’s in focus and well-lit. How about that?