I Was a Teenage Prospector: Andy Benes

1989 Topps

Topps’ 1989 cards introduced me to the Draft Pick system. I was absolutely mesmerized when I pulled cards like this. I seem to remember Jim Abbott, Steve Avery, Monty Farriss, Bill Bene, Robin Ventura, and Mark Lewis joining Benes in the cards in this set (oh yes, and Ty Griffin and Willie Ansley – can’t forget those flops). They were in different uniforms – they looked a lot younger than your average star, and there was this sense of promise about them. This was a little before the Gregg Jefferies incident (which I will detail soon, very soon), so I can’t point the finger at that for my fascination with younger players. I really think it was the break in formula in the base set that did it. Seeing those cheap little uniforms fired my imagination.

Once I learned about the draft, I was completely hooked. It was like gambling on the future. How awesome was that?

As for Benes – I don’t know, he may have arguably been the best of the bunch. Avery would have overtaken him if not for overuse, and it’s debatable about his career versus Robin Ventura, but I’d take Benes over Ventura when building a team. And yet I had a lot more Ventura cards. Intriguing…

Card of the Day: 2010 Topps Stephen Strasburg

Finally pulled this from a pack of Topps Update a week or so ago. Glad to get it off the damn needs list.

Card of the Day: 1967 Topps Frank Howard

Man, are those some birth control glasses or what?

Senators Friday: Bill Fischer

1960 Topps

Bill began his career with the White Sox, was traded to the Seattle Pilots, then traded back to the White Sox. He made his major league debut in 1956, spending his first three years there as a reliever before being traded to Detroit with Tito Francona for Ray Boone and Bob Shaw. He had a 7.63 ERA with the Tigers in 23 games, so they left him exposed on waivers. Washington claimed him, and slotted him into the starting rotation.

He shone as a starter; in 1958 he only pitched three games with the Senators, but he pitched well, and stuck in the rotation in 59. He went 9-11 in 59, but it was a pretty lousy team, and his ERA was 4.28. Not amazing by the day’s standards, but it was a 92 ERA+, a huge improvement over a guy who was posting 50-level ERA+s previously and sitting at the back of the Nats’ rotation. He had some flashes of brilliance, too, dueling against Jim Perry on May 24th.

He returned in 1960, but dropped off, falling to a 4.91 ERA and an 81 ERA+ with the Nationals before they shipped him back to Detroit for Tom Morgan.

He bounced around until 1964, producing a career 45-58 mark with a 4.34 ERA, good for a 92 ERA+. Could be better, could be worse; he made for a decent, though not outstanding, end of the rotation guy. You could get a whole lot worse.

Card of the Day: 1987 Topps Dusty Baker

Given that tomorrow is Thanksgiving, I thought I’d feature a guy who’s cooked a few arms in his time.

Card of the Day: 2001 Topps American Pie Joe Pepitone

This was a fun little set, and I liked the Pepitone card a lot. I need to pick up some more of these.

Senators Friday: Buster Narum

1966 Topps

Buster was another one of the Million Card Giveaway acquisitions, and I was completely unfamiliar with him before picking him up in one of my many trades back in August. Buster had a pretty short major league career; he debuted in 1963 with the Orioles, and was out of the majors by 1967, but he had a few good games on the way between those years, despite ending up 14-27 with a 4.45 ERA and an 81 ERA+. For example, on August 26th, 1964, he shut the Yankees down with a 5-hit shutout, the highlight of a year where he’d go 9-15 with a 4.30 ERA in an era of strong pitching.

1966 was his next-to-last year in the majors, and he only pitched three games, ending with a 21.60 ERA. So he was more common than common, but I still love this card, as it gets me one card closer to completing the 66 team set.

Card of the Day: 2001 Topps Kent Mercker

I picked this one as a “fish-out-of-water” card. I had no idea Mercker had been with the Red Sox. It’s a weird site.

Trades with Rhubarb Runner and BA Benny

Apologies guys for combining both trades into one post, but I’ve run late on this one long enough. My first trade was with Rhubarb Runner from e Reyhahn, Reyhahn, a blog I’ve enjoyed for quite awhile now. He contacted me with a trade proposal, and we worked something out, with an eye toward a future, larger trade, I hope (the holiday season is just kicking me around timewise). Here’s a sample of what he sent!

 

2009 Topps Traded Gold

 

Very cool, goes straight into the Zim collection. I dig it.

 

2009 Topps Gold

 

And then here’s that OTHER Zim. I’m always happy to get Jordan’s cards, and I like this one a lot – I feel the photo works a lot better with the gold borders than the white ones.

 

2010 Topps Opening Day Blue

 

I think this was my first Opening Day blue card for this year, and I like it a lot. I may try to collect the entire team set.

And the centerpiece of the trade on my end. Everts never really panned out to be much, but I’ve been trying to get his autograph and GU for awhile now; I like obtaining stuff like this from obscure players almost as much as the All Stars, and it’s a nice addition to the collection. Thanks, David! I still plan to dig through that

Okay, now to Mike’s trade. Mike, of course, runs BA Benny’s Baseball Card Buffet and Pack Rip Cafe, both of which are great blogs worth checking out. This was actually our second trade, a follow-up to our previous trade. This began when I saw he had broken a box of 2010 Topps Update and scored some Nationals and Senators that I wanted. Let’s look at the targets first:

 

2010 Topps Traded Gold

 

Well, duh. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to part with this one, but I appreciate that he did. It’s definitely going to occupy a cherished spot in my collection, especially as it has both Stras and Zim on the same card. Very cool.

That coloring job is horrific, but I will always ALWAYS want a card with The Big Train on it. Walter Johnson was the man.

 

Original Back

 

I’ll also always want cards with Killebrew as a National/Senator. He was in Washington for such a brief time that these cards, even reprints, are always a treat.

There were a few other update cards, but that was the core of what I wanted. Of course, it wouldn’t be a trade without a few throw-ins, and he threw in a LOT of cards. My favorite, and what turned out to be my favorite of the package even ahead of the Strasburg, is this:

Detwiler will likely not become much, but this is cool because I have the non-gold edition of this card…putting the gold next to the regular is incredibly sweet. Like I said, sometimes it’s not about the player’s star power; there are lots of other factors.

1999 Bowman Chrome International

The 98 and 99 Bowman Chrome International cards are AWESOME, and this one is no exception.

2006 Topps Own the Game

2006 Topps Stars

A couple of cool 06 Topps inserts.

2006 Topps Trading Places

Another insert that seemed highly appropriate next to Soriano.

2007 Bowman Heritage Refractor/Rainbow

Are these refractors or rainbow cards? I’m never quite sure. Either way, love the set, and I like Jesus Flores. I keep holding out hope he’s not injured again.

There was a lot more stuff, but this is all I really have room for. Thanks a lot, guys! I hope you enjoy what I sent your way.

Card of the Day: 2002 Topps Jake Mauer

2002 Topps

For awhile there, Jake and Joe looked like they might be a repeat of the Maas brothers, where Joe was Kevin and Jake was Jason. Does anyone even remember Jason Maas? How about Jake Mauer?