The 1988 Project – Day Eleven – Brady Anderson & Mike Boddicker

1988 Donruss The Rookies

Brady Anderson played 41 games with Boston as a 24-year old in 1988. At the time he was a light-hitting (heh) batter with good speed and gap power (he had 11 triples at A-level Winterhaven in 1986), but looked like a good prospect. So, naturally, he made a few late-season issues, including this Donruss Rookies card. I’ve always liked this card because it’s the only one that has an action shot of Anderson as a Red Sox, and the color balance between the borders and the photograph is…well, interesting, at the very least. Nice card.

1988 Donruss Baseball's Best

In 1988, Mike Boddicker had been with the Orioles since 1980, making for a serviceable starter, hovering right around 100 ERA+s for his time with the team. He was looking decent in 1988, with a 101 ERA+ and a 3.86 ERA. Sure, he had a 1.3+ WHIP, but if he was a mid-rotation starter, he sure could do worse. Strangely, I like this card. I don’t know if it’s the design growing on me or the fact that the Orioles work best with this set. Oh, and it’s not a “B roll” picture, either. I could envision that one in a mainline set. Good stuff.

1988 Fleer Update

On July 29th, Boddicker was traded to the Orioles for Anderson and Curt Schilling. Yeah, you read that correctly if you’re not familiar with the deal. The thing is, I can’t fault Boston for this deal. They were making a push to win the AL East, and neither Anderson nor Schilling were a sure thing. They were decent prospects, but nothing more; hell, looking at Schilling’s WHIP and BB/K ratios, there was no way to predict he’d become what he would become, and Brady Anderson…well, we’ll get to him. Boddicker went 7-3 with a 2.63 ERA and 153 ERA+ down the stretch for Boston, who made it to the playoffs. I’d call that a fair trade. As for this card…eh. Not much to say about it. It simply is what it is. I prefer the Donruss, but it is interesting to see which sets have the players in their respective uniforms.

1988 Score Rookies and Traded

Of course, Anderson went to the Orioles and stayed there for another 14 seasons. He wasn’t very good in late 1988, hitting at a .198/.232/.271 clip down the stretch; of course, he would do much better later in his career, but…well, you know the allegations that followed him. Just compare that shot to this shot from his 50-homer year.

HMMMMM.

Presented with no comment.

1988 Topps Traded

I suspect it’s because I saw Anderson as an Oriole for so long when I was a fan, but I always liked this card, as well. It’s cool to see him in a different uniform. The bush is also unique. I know that’s kind of uhm…lame…but for some reason it always caught my eye. I don’t know if it’s the contrast with the other colors or what. Oh, and they finally got the team colors right on an 88 card! Go Topps!