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Al from SoDak

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Blog Entries posted by Al from SoDak

  1. Al from SoDak

    1989 Topps and the Minnesota Twins

    By Al from SoDak,


    Baseball Cards
    Hi folks. I want to start off this week’s blog entry with a note that this summer is setting up to be crazy. I know I will not have posts the next few weeks, and not sure about the frequency for later in the summer. It’s my intent to keep my series going, but it’s just harder to find the time at this point.
    I just said in my last blog post (about 1988 Topps) I like simple, clean, crisp designs in baseball cards. The 1989 Topps design fits that theme. The 1989 set is above average for me; I’d give it an A-. I am a fan of the simple front with the team’s name in script form plus then the player’s name on a wavy banner. The Twins cards feature the team’s name and player name banner in a light shade of blue. The player’s name is black and capitalized within the banner. The front of the card has a white border. The back features a black border and red background. The player’s name, position, and biographic information are at the top with the card number. The middle of the back has the player’s statistics, and the bottom features a fact about the player. These factoids are better within this 1989 set, at least in my judgment, when compared to other years. Maybe that’s just because the team had recently won a World Series and there were more good facts from which to choose.
    The 1989 Topps base set has 792 cards. The Topps Traded set has 132 cards. There are 29 Twins cards in the base set. The Topps Traded set has three Twins cards. The base set has a rookie card of Hall of Fame starting pitcher Randy Johnson. The traded set is highlighted by a rookie card of the kid, Ken Griffey, Jr. There are no prominent Twins rookie cards in either the base set or the traded set.
    MOST OBSCURE PLAYER
    As I said above, there really are not any rookie cards of Twins players in 1989 Topps. And many of the players were around in 1987, so not a lot of new players. Generally, that’s who ends up as my choice for most obscure player – rookies or players new to the organization. I ended up choosing relief pitcher Germán González (#746) as the most obscure Twins player in 1989 Topps. There were not a lot of other options.


    Germán González, from Venezuela, was signed by the Twins as a free agent in 1986 when he was already 24 years old. He played for Class A Kenosha in 1987 and started the 1988 season with Class AA Orlando. He showed enough to skip AAA and get called to Major League Baseball. He debuted on August 5, 1988. He gave up no runs in his first seven appearances. Through 14 games he still had a phenomenal ERA of 0.96. However, he was hit hard in his 15th game but was still able to end the season with an ERA of 3.38. González finished 1998 with one save and no decisions. In 1989, he pitched in April and May, then only a little in July and September. He never reappeared in Major League Baseball. He finished his career with a 3-2 record, 4.11 ERA, and 44 strikeouts in 50.1 career innings. His career WAR was 0.2.  
    THE BEST
    For my choice for best Twins card for any given year, I start by looking at values. I don’t always pick the most valuable; I like to find an additional reason or two to justify why I select a card as the best Twins card in a set. In 1989, one of the most valuable was the Kirby Puckett All-Star card (#403).


    Puckett’s picture on this All-Star card is better than his picture on his base card. But the note on the back was what clinched it for me as best Twins card in 1989 Topps. Puckett’s 234 hits in 1988 were the most by a right-handed batter in either league since 1937 and the most in the American League since 1925. According to my research, both facts are still accurate through the 2023 season. So, yes, if no AL hitter surpasses 234 hits in 2024, we will be able to say Puckett has the most hits by a right-handed AL player in the last 100 years.
    PERSONAL FAVORITE
    My favorite Twins card of 1989 was of a Twins player who was not active at that point. 1989 Topps contains a subset of five Turn Back the Clock cards, one of which features Hall of Famer, and Twins great, Tony Oliva (#665).

     

    Like the Puckett card above, one of the contributing factors to my choosing this as my favorite Twins card of 1989 Topps is because of the informational notes on the back of the card. The Turn Back the Clock concept looks back 25 seasons. In 1964, Oliva had 217 hits, which was the most in either major league. It also set a rookie record. He was the AL batting champion in his first season (and will be again in his second season). He also had a rookie record 374 total bases which broke a record set by Joe DiMaggio. Wow, what a great start!
    But another reason Oliva’s 1989 Turn Back the Clock card is a favorite is that the picture on the card implies he had a 1964 Topps base card. He did, but he shared it with Jay Ward. Oliva did not have a 1964 stand-alone card. Although Topps did use the same picture from 1964 for the 1989 Turn Back the Clock card (see the 1964 shared card below for comparison).

    What are your favorite Topps cards from 1989? What memories do you have of Germán González? I’d love to see your opinions, thoughts, or comments below.
    Go Twins!
  2. Al from SoDak

    1979 Topps and the Minnesota Twins

    By Al from SoDak,


    Baseball Cards
    Welcome to my review of the 1979 Topps baseball card set and the Minnesota Twins player cards in that set. Once again, Rod Carew is the Twins lone superstar from that era. Mr. Carew will make an appearance later in this post.
    When it comes to my review of any of the late 1970s Topps cards, I have come to the realization that I am not a fan of the design of most years. Some years are better than others, of course. But I have also come to recognize that my opinion is probably clouded by two things. I am a little too young to have been fully invested in those Twins teams of the late 1970s. Secondly, the teams were just not that great. And those two things might have been a chicken and egg thing. Was I not that interested because they were bad, or was I just too young?
    For me, this design fits the “just OK” category. I find the design and pictures to be simple, some might say boring. The bottom of the card lists the player’s name and position. Under that is a banner with the player’s team. There are 726 cards in the set with 29 Twins cards.
    MOST OBSCURE PLAYER
    Throughout my blog series of Topps baseball cards and Twins players, I hope I have not offended anyone by using the phrase “most obscure.” Obviously, these guys I select as the most obscure are far more accomplished than I. But reviewing each year’s players is captivating to me in that some players appear only briefly then fade from our memories. I try to do somewhat of an internet dive and try to figure out what happened to that player and where they went. When I select the most obscure, if I have a few choices, I tend to go with the player who has an interesting story. My choice as the most obscure Twins Player in the 1979 set is local, so if anyone who knows him reads this, I mean no disrespect. For 1979, I chose Gery Serum’s card (#627) as the most obscure Twins player in the Topps set.

    As an aside, where the heck is that field in the background of the picture? That looks worse than any rec league field that I played on or that my son plays on nowadays. Sandlots are fine, but shouldn’t a professional be playing on a better field?
    Gary Serum is an Upper Midwesterner. He was born in Fargo, ND. He graduated high school in Alexandria, MN. For college, he first attended Moorhead State University then St. Cloud State University. The Twins signed Serum after college as an amateur free agent.
    Despite being a free agent, Serum quickly worked his way through the Twins’ minor league system and by 1977 he was called up to the Twins and first appeared on July 22. He played the full season in 1978 for the Twins pitching 184.1 innings with a record of 9-9 including six complete games and one shutout. He pitched part of 1979 for the Twins then never played Major League Baseball again.
    After his playing career, Serum opened a restaurant in Anoka, MN, so go check it out. I’m sure many of you have.
    THE BEST
    Once again, the most valuable Twins card in the 1979 Topps set is a Rod Carew card, the #1 Batting Leaders card with Dave Parker. I do like combo cards. But let’s also acknowledge Mr. Carew’s other last card as a Twin. His base card (#300) is an all-star card. And it’s the end of an era. Carew was traded to the Angels in February of 1979.


    The all-star card has a simple difference from the regular base card in that it has another banner on the card labeling the player as an all-star. For some reason, for me personally, that upgrades the card quite a bit over the plain 1979 Topps base card. It seems like a small thing that would not affect my opinion, but for me it makes the card much more compelling than a regular base card and simply better overall.
    So, those two Carew cards kind of tie for me as the best of 1979.
    PERSONAL FAVORITE
    I know I mentioned an autographed Dave Goltz in my 1978 blog entry. Here I am again. But wait, there’s a good reason. As I looked at this card (#27), I thought the player’s face/picture/stance/something was familiar to me. I thought he looked like another player from another era.

    After not too long I realized a likeness to Mr. Ebby Calvin “Nuke” LaLoosh from my favorite baseball movie Bull Durham. I’m sure most of you will think I’m nuts. But let me know, is there any resemblance? Is it the way he wears the hat, the striping on the sleeves, or the blue long-sleeved undershirt? Maybe the V-neck?

    While I was digging for a picture for Nuke, I came across a USA Today article about the real-life inspiration for the Nuke character – Steve Dalkowski. It’s worth a read. His numbers were crazy.
    So, I’m going with my signed 1979 Dave Goltz card as my favorite Twin in the 1979 Topps set exclusively because of my probably incorrect perception that he looks like the fictional character Nuke LaLoosh and that I loved that movie and have seen it too many times.
    What do you all think? Does anyone know Gary Serum or his restaurant? What do you all think of Nuke LaLoosh and Bull Durham? I would love to see your opinions, comments, or stories below.
    Go Twins.
  3. Al from SoDak

    1988 Topps and the Minnesota Twins

    By Al from SoDak,


    Baseball Cards
    If you have seen my previous posts in this series, you may have noticed a trend. I like simple, clean crisp designs in baseball cards. And the 1988 Topps design certainly fits my preference. However, I would say it’s good not great. Above average is what I would say about 1988 Topps. (Someday I need to define my rankings better. I feel like I say good or bad and like or dislike too often.)
    The 1988 Topps design shows the team’s name in capital letters centered at the top and behind the player image. In the case of the Twins players, the team lettering is yellow. The Twins cards feature the player’s name in an orange diagonal banner in the lower right of the card. That’s it for the fronts. Quite simple. The backs have an orange background with card number, player name, position, and biographical information at the top. The central part of the back has the player’s career statistics. The bottom of the back has some player trivia unless the player statistics cover too many years.
    The 1988 Topps base set has the same number of cards as 1986 and 1987 – 792 cards. The Topps Traded set has 132 cards, also the same as 1986 and 1987. There are 32 Twins cards in the base set. While the 1987 Topps Traded set had nine Twins cards, the 1988 Traded set has only one, that of the player who shall not be named. The base set has a rookie card of Hall of Fame starting pitcher Tom Glavine. Gene Larkin is probably the best Twins rookie card. The traded set has more key rookie cards than the base set with the best being that of Hall of Fame second baseman Roberto Alomar.
    I feel like this set has fewer plain old head shots and a greater number of action pictures. I prefer it that way.
    Please keep in mind that this article frequently mentions and provides details of the 1987 season. This is because 1988 baseball cards are mostly of 1987 players.
    MOST OBSCURE PLAYER
    In 1988, the Twins were, of course, coming off the 1987 World Series victory. Therefore, I don’t think there are many players in the 1988 Topps baseball card sets that qualify as obscure. I really only gave serious consideration for most obscure Twins player in 1988 Topps to back up catcher Tom Nieto and back up outfielder Mark Davidson. As you can see below, I chose Davidson (#19).


    In 1987, bullpens were much smaller – many times only five pitchers deep. This allowed teams to employ more positional backups than they do today. For instance, the Twins carried three catchers for much of 1987, including Nieto. There was also enough room on the roster for two or three extra outfielders. In 1987, Davidson was one of those. Rosters today have only four bench players, so things in 1987 were much different. Anyway, Mark Davison was drafted in the 11th round of the 1982 Major League Baseball June Draft. He played three seasons for the Twins. In 1987 and 1988 he played 102 and 100 games, respectively. Those appearances were often as a defensive replacement late in games. He was a particularly good defensive outfielder. His statistics in three seasons with the Twins were .219/.283/.287. He hit two home runs and had 26 RBI. He also stole 14 bases. His WAR was -0.5 and his OPS+ was a paltry 54. The Twins traded Davidson to Houston during the 1989 season for Greg Johnson, who never panned out. Davidson played three nondescript seasons with the Astros.
    In the 1987 postseason, Davidson got into three games with only one plate appearance. In game 3 of the American League Championship series, he appeared as a pinch runner for Sal Butera in the 7th inning and was thrown out at home on a fielder’s choice. That was the Twins lone loss in that series. He later appeared as a defensive replacement in game 1 of the World Series, a 10-1 Twins win. His last game action of the 1987 postseason was a game 4 loss at St. Louis. He pinch hit in the 9th inning for the pitcher. He flew out to center field in a 7-2 loss to the Cardinals.
    THE BEST
    I don’t always select the most valuable Twins card in any set as the best, but in the 1988 Topps set I just like the Kirby Puckett base card (#120). He shows a stance where he is ready and poised to do something awesome.

    In 1988, Kirby would go on to the lead the American League in hits with 234. He was 3rd in voting for the Most Valuable Player behind José Canseco and Mike Greenwell.
    PERSONAL FAVORITE
    For the 1988 Topps set, I am going to cheat and select two cards as my personal co-favorite cards. I love card number 609, the Twins Team Leader card because it shows a couple of my favorite players, Gary Gaetti and Ken Hrbek. But better yet, the back has records some of the important statistics of the 1987 World Series winners. Every name, a Twins legend.


    My second co-favorite card of 1988 is the unique record breaker card featuring Hall of Famer Phil Niekro and Joe Niekro commemorating the pair breaking the record for pitching wins for a set of brothers. It is noteworthy that the Niekro brothers broke a record held by another former Twin, Jim Perry, and his Hall of Fame brother, Gaylord Perry.


    These sets of brothers ended up with remarkably similar statistics. One of each set up brothers made the Hall of Fame (Phil and Gaylord). The Hall of Famers ended up within four wins of each other and their brothers finished separated by only six wins. The Niekros career win total was 539 versus 529 for the Perrys.
    Phil Niekro         318 wins Joe Niekro          221 wins Gaylord Perry   314 wins Jim Perry             215 wins The Perrys each won a Cy Young Award (Gaylord won two but Jim’s came with the Twins in 1970). Having said all that, Joe Niekro was the only one to win a World Series and that was with the Twins in 1987!
    What are your favorite Topps cards from 1988? I’d love to see your opinions, thoughts, or comments below.
    Go Twins!
  4. Al from SoDak

    1987 Topps and the Minnesota Twins

    By Al from SoDak,


    Baseball Cards
    The 1962 Topps set is a vintage, classic set of baseball cards. I don’t care for it very much but there’s no mistaking the wood-grain border of the set. Some people love the design, and some hate it. Perhaps enough collectors love them that 25 years later Topps was at least inspired by 1962 in the 1987 design. The 1987 design is identifiable and distinct when compared to other sets of the 80s. Let’s take a closer look at the Minnesota Twins cards in the 1987 Topps and Topps Traded baseball card sets.
    The 1987 cards feature the aforementioned wood-grain borders. The design includes the team logo in the upper left corner, a player nameplate in a lower right box, and the Topps logo in the lower left. The Twins cards feature the player’s name in a navy-blue box. I don’t like the wood grain border but otherwise 1987 is a clean, crisp design in my judgment. The backs have the player’s name and position in capital letters at the top against a darker blue background, then the player’s career statistics against a yellow background, followed by a piece of trivia. The entire back is set against a gray card stock background. At the very bottom is the player’s biographical information again with a yellow background.
    The 1987 Topps sets are the same size as 1986 – 792 cards in the base set and 132 cards in the Traded set. There are 28 Twins cards in the base set. Of the 132 cards in the Traded set, a disproportionate nine of those are Twins cards. Perhaps the significant number of offseason acquisitions for this the World Series year – Juan Berenguer, Dan Gladden, Al Newman, Jeff Reardon, Les Straker and others – contributed to the abundance of Twins cards for this set. The base set has rookie cards of Hall of Famer Barry Larkin as well the rookie cards of a  handful of suspected steroid users who some say are Hall of Fame worthy – Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire (or not), Rafael Palmeiro, and the uber-talented Bo Jackson who was cursed with injuries. Rookie cards for Twins players in the main Topps set are Allan Anderson and manager Tom Kelly. The Traded set has a Gene Larkin rookie card.
    The set contains a large amount of straight-up head shots and, at least to me, a lesser number of action shots.
    MOST OBSCURE PLAYER
    After considering six players in the 1987 sets for the potential of being Mr. Most Obscure Twin, I selected Ray Fontenot (#124).


    Some Twins fans might consider Ray Fontenot a hero, savior, or I don’t know what. Not because of what he did, but because of who he replaced. Fontenot was a left-handed reliever who was drafted in the 34th round the Texas Rangers, He was later traded to the Yankees and the Cubs. What makes him a significant part of Twins history (although he probably remains obscure) is that he and George Frazier (and a minor leaguer) were traded to the Twins (with a minor leaguer) for failed closer, and fan whipping boy, Ron Davis. Fontenot was acquired on August 13, 1986, pitched 16.1 to the tune of a 9.92 ERA. The Twins released him that offseason and he never reappeared in Major League Baseball, but at least we were done with Ron Davis.
    THE BEST
    The most valuable Twins card in the 1987 Topps set is that of outfielder, former first round draft pick, and future General Manger of the Oakland A’s, Mr. Moneyball, Billy Beane (#114). It’s Beane’s first and only Topps card.

    Beane came to the Twins in a January 1986 trade with the New York Mets for second baseman Tim Teufel (with minor leaguers going both ways). I would say the Twins lost that trade. Beane a former first round draft pick did have a five-hit game for the Twins making some briefly think, “Here we go!” But he just never produced anything similar again. Teufel had some good seasons with the Mets and helped win a World Series in 1986. Billy Beane famously went on to be a special General Manager, Executive Vice President, senior advisor, and minority owner of the Oakland Athletics. His against the grant thoughts and processes led the underfunded Athletics to many division championships no one would have thought possible. Most organizations followed his revolutionary thinking which changed the way every team scouts and prepares. I don’t think it’s a stretch to say he probably will be selected to the Hall of Fame one day.
    PERSONAL FAVORITE
    For my personal favorite Twins 1987 Topps, I choose the Twins Hall of Famer Kent Hrbek (#430). Hrbek was my choice in 1986 as well. For me it was hard to select a favorite because there are just too many close-up head shots of players. I prefer actions shots. This Hrbek card looks awesome. I think he’s coming in on a foul ball which was all know he always caught, except maybe at the old timers game.

    ODDITIES
    Hey, let’s not make this too long, but I have two quick observations when looking at Twins cards and 1987 Topps. First, doesn’t Kirby Puckett’s All-Star card (#611) look like his picture was taken three years prior to his regular, base card (#450). He looks skinnier and younger, at least in my judgment.
                   
    Secondly, look at Frank Pastore’s 1986 and 1987 cards. They look almost like reverse negatives. Same look, same jacket, just from the opposite side. Hat looks the same, hair looks the same, background looks similar. Maybe they were taken the same day and just used in different years. That just struck me as odd and worthy of mention.
                   
    I don’t like the 1987 Topps set design and that is simply because of the wood-grain borders. However, I completely love everything else about the design. I love simplicity and this set has it. I just don’t like the borders. Even though the 1987 Topps baseball cards are not my favorite, I can’t say I don’t remember the design – it’s distinct and memorable.
    Which is better, 1962 or 1987? I’d love to see your opinions, thoughts, or comments below.
    Go Twins!
  5. Al from SoDak

    1986 Topps and the Minnesota Twins

    By Al from SoDak,


    Baseball Cards
    Too many Topps sets lack character and are rather bland, hard to differentiate year over year. That’s my problem with the sets from the late 1970s. At least to me, those designs are difficult to set apart in my head, and I have a tough time remembering which design is which year. Let’s take a closer look at the distinct, easily recognizable 1986 Topps and Topps Traded sets.
    The top of the 1986 cards features a black box background and the team’s name in block lettering. In the case of the Twins, the team’s name has a red font. The bottom and side borders are white. The player’s name is in capital letters at the bottom and there is a small circle in the lower left with the player’s position. The color of the circle matches the color of the team’s name. Exceptionally clean and concise. The backs (I will include one example below upon the recommendation of IndianaTwin) have the player name in block lettering at the top, the biographical information just below the name, then the player’s statistics, then some player highlights or “Talkin’ Baseball” team trivia at the bottom. All of this is against a red background.
    There are a whopping 792 cards in the 1986 Topps baseball card set plus an additional 132 cards in the Topps Traded. There are 27 Twins cards in the two sets. The Traded set has rookie cards of Hall of Famer Barry Bonds, as well as others who looked like they might make the Hall – Jose Canseco and Bo Jackson. Neither made the Hall for different reasons. Rookie cards for Twins player in the main Topps set are Frank Eufemia and a player to be discussed later. The pictures in this set have plenty of action shots and a few straight-up head shots.
    MOST OBSCURE PLAYER
    After researching the players in this set, I considered five who might be called the most obscure Twins player in the set, including Frank Pastore (who had a very prophetic death), Frank Eufemia, Pete Filson, and Mike Stenhouse. In the end, I selected a player for whom I simply have no memory, Mr. Mark Brown (#451).
      

    Mark Brown was a 6th round draft pick in 1980 for the Baltimore Orioles. He made it to the majors for the Orioles in 1984 pitching in nine games, winning one. Brown was traded to the Twins after the 1984 season for Brad Havens. For the Twins, Brown had no decisions, pitched only 15.2 innings in six games in relief, had an ERA of 6.89, and a WHIP of 1.878. His career WAR was -0.1. He wasn’t particularly good, but he also wasn’t given a very extensive chance and was unable to stick in MLB after his age 25 season.
    THE BEST
    The best and apparently most valuable Twins card in the 1986 Topps set is that of Hall of Famer, and longtime broadcaster, Bert Blyleven (#445).

    I like that it’s an action shot, a look of determination on his clean-shaven face. For many years, the Twins had a no beard policy including when Blyleven returned to the Twins in the August 1985 trade from Cleveland. Bert complied with policy and shaved his beard and appeared without a beard for at least the rest of the 1985 season. Then in 1986 he played with a beard and was fined $50 per game. Bert preferred the beard, so he simply paid the team fine. In am unable to verify when, but at some point, the policy was rescinded. My memory says the fines did not exist in the World Series year of 1987.
    PERSONAL FAVORITE
    For my personal favorite Twins 1986 Topps, I choose the Twins Hall of Famer Kent Hrbek (#430).

    To me there’s a certain air of confidence or swagger or arrogance that makes it look like a home run is sure to follow. It’s a semi-action shot that really captures a potential moment. Who really knows what happened next, but I’m confident it was something good for the Twins.
    I like the 1986 Topps set design. It’s a plain design that somehow gets your attention. I think that might be because of the black background at the top, the team’s name in block lettering, and the all caps player name at the bottom. It’s super basic but it just works for me.
    I’d love to see any of your thoughts and comments below.
    Go Twins!
  6. Al from SoDak
    Today I’m talking about the first non-Topps set in my blog series about baseball cards. Topps had a baseball card monopoly from 1956 to 1980. In the early 80s competitors were allowed into the baseball card world and Donruss and Fleer were the first two to jump in. This post is about a set I originally dismissed but have come to appreciate – 1983 Fleer.
    The design of 1983 Fleer baseball is better than I originally thought in 1983. I have come to like the gray borders, the straightforward design, and the colorful team logo in the lower left corner. To the right of the logo, still on the bottom of the card are the player’s name and position. It’s an uncomplicated design that works for me. I also feel like the pictures are better than the late 70s Topps cards. I suppose that should be the case. The middle back of the card contains the player’s career statistics set against a white background. The top of the card has a brownish orange background with the player’s name, position, card number, and small head shot of the player. The back’s bottom has the same brown/orange background with the player’s biographical information and a “did you know” nugget of trivia.
    There are 660 cards in the 1983 Fleer baseball card set including 24 Twins cards. The set has rookie cards of Hall of Famers Ryne Sandberg, Wade Boggs, and Tony Gwynn plus Twins greats Gary Gaetti and Frank Viola. The pictures are almost all portrait or head shots with very few action shots. The checklist organizes all teams in order of prior year finish then alphabetically by player. The St. Louis Cardinals, who won the prior year’s World Series are the first group, then their opponent in the fall classic, the Milwaukee Brewers, are the second team. The Twins players are the last regular cards in the set because of their horrendous 102-loss season in 1982. The only cards after the #628 for Al Williams are some SuperStar Specials cards and team checklists.
    MOST OBSCURE PLAYER
    After looking at all the cards in the set, I legitimately produced nine cards where I thought the player had an argument for the most obscure player in the set. I eventually narrowed that to one player, but three others are worth a quick mention.
    #624 Jesus Vega. Vega played three seasons, all with the Twins, and was not a particularly good ballplayer. The back up 1B/DH/corner outfielder had only 236 at bats in three seasons. He finished with a WAR of -1.1 and an OPS+ of 65. #619 Jeff Little. He played one of his two MLB seasons with the Twins. His statistics are not that terrible – 0.0 WAR, 3 wins in 55 innings, 101 ERA+. But he was done after his age 27 season, and I could not find a reason. Seems like he deserved a longer leash, but maybe he simply chose to move on with his life. #611 Lenny Faedo. Maybe Faedo wasn’t as obscure or bad as the others, but the 1978 first round draft pick finished his career with only 529 at bats and produced a WAR of -0.2 and 64 OPS+. He had only one year with more than 200 at bats. Despite those three honorable mentions and their qualifications, I chose the #612 card of Terry Felton.

    I just felt like I could not go through this period of Minnesota Twins history and not mention Mr. Felton. He owns a dubious Major League Baseball record. His 0-16 pitching record happens to be the most losses in MLB history without achieving a win. His ERA+ was 78 over parts of 4 seasons, all with the Twins. His career WAR was -1.9 and he pitched 138.1 innings. Felton’s BR Bullpen page on Baseball Reference indicates his big problems were a lack of control and too many home runs; that seems like a bad combination.
    THE BEST
    The best Twins card in the 1983 Fleer set is a combo card of a local Hall of Famer and a local youngster who would have his jersey number retired by the Twins years later. I nominate the #633 SuperStar Specials card – Mr. Vet and Mr. Rookie. It’s St. Paul’s Dave Winfield and Bloomgton’s Kent Hrbek.

    I’ve said it before in this blog series and it applies here again – I really like combo cards. The completed careers of Winfield and Hrbek add up to 4,859 hits, 758 home runs, and 2,919 runs batted in. Those are impressive numbers from two local boys.
    PERSONAL FAVORITE
    For my personal favorite 1983 Fleer card, I’m going with two rookie cards from two fan favorites who contributed mightily to the 1987 World Series championship. The picture of one of those cards is gritty with pine tar and a 1980s mustache; the other is more pretty than gritty.
                   
    Yes, it’s the 1987 ALCS MVP (#613 Gary Gaetti) and the 1987 World Series MVP (#625 Frank Viola). We couldn’t have won it without these guys who were mere youngsters in 1983.
    Does anyone know why Gaetti is shown wearing number 2? His Baseball Reference page confirms he never wore 2 at least in the regular season. It must have been in spring training, but I can’t find proof of that. Baseball Reference says John Castino wore #2 from 1979-84. It also says Glenn Adams wore #8 from 1977-81. So, I can understand that Gaetti might not have worn #8, in the minor leagues or spring training, until after 1981, but the card is from 1983. Even if we can find a reason he didn’t wear #8 in those years, Castino still had #2 until 1984. What’s the deal?
    All these years later I look at the design and my opinion has changed. The design is better than I remember. I like it – both the front and the back. Just a nice, basic design. I originally disliked the design primarily because of the gray border, but it doesn’t seem to bother me today.
    I’d love to see any of your thoughts and comments below.
    Go Twins!
  7. Al from SoDak

    1982 Topps and the Minnesota Twins

    By Al from SoDak,


    Baseball Cards
    Alright folks, today we are going to talk about the 1982 Topps and Topps Traded baseball card sets. Some of you who have been following my blog series may wonder, why did he skip 1981. The reason is that I set a rule for myself and said if I do not have all Twins cards in a particular set, I would not write about it until I complete that set. So, 1981 will have to wait for a future blog post. On another note, this week you’re getting the bonus of the 1982 Topps Traded set. I simply thought this small set completes the 1982 Topps package and that they should stand together.
    I am fan of the 1982 Topps design. The design is the same for the standard set as well as the Traded set. The team’s name is listed near the bottom of the card with the player’s name under the team name. There are two colored stripes down the left side of the card which round the lower left corner and go partially across the bottom until they run into the team and player names. The outside line color coincides with the player’s name and the inside line is the same color as the team name. Additionally, the outside line includes the player’s position on the bottom after it rounds the corner. While I like that design, I do not like that the color seems random and unconnected to the team’s color scheme. In the case of the Twins cards, the colors are orange and brown. I would have chosen blue and red, but many other teams also have questionable color choices. Despite that critique, I still like the design.  
    There are 792 cards in the 1982 Topps baseball card set including 26 Twins cards. The set has the rookie card of Cal Ripken, Jr., as well as future Twin Tom Brunansky. Ripken’s rookie is with two others and labeled as Orioles Futures Stars. The set contains a similar Twins card which we will highlight below. The Traded set has 132 cards featuring six Twins players. The pictures are almost all portrait shots of the players, but the quality of the pictures is getting a little better as years go by and in judgment these portrait shots have improved since the sets of the prior decade.
    This week I was indecisive and have some ties for most obscure player and best card.
    MOST OBSCURE PLAYER
    My selections for the most obscure Twins players in the 1982 Topps baseball sets are Chuck Baker (#253) and Randy Johnson (#51T)
                   
    This is Chuck Baker’s lone Topps card as a Twin. He was a backup infielder who played only one of his three MLB seasons with the Twins. For the Twins, he had only 66 at bats and 12 hits. Noteworthy is that three of those 12 hits were triples. Baker only played an entire game nine times that season. Most of his action looks like a late game defensive replacement. Baker was drafted four times by four organizations, the first by the Twins in the 36th round of the 1971 draft but did not sign. He signed in 1975 after being drafted in the second round by the Padres. Baker came to the Twins in December of 1980 in a trade for outfield Dave Edwards.
    Randy Johnson, who played only one season with the Twins (and one with the White Sox), is an obscure player who many probably don’t remember. But he has always stuck in my brain. The first year the Twins played at the Metrodome, 1982, I was young and impressionable and Johnson, a designated hitter, started scorching hot in that his age 23 season. Johnson’s great April must have been a time I was paying attention and for some reason that month was etched into my memory. Baseball Reference games logs show he hit 10 home runs in his career, all with the Twins in 1982. But more to the point, five of those home runs came in April. At the end of April, he had an exceptional slash line of .393/.449/.738. His OPS was 1.187. For many years after 1982 and before the internet, I would occasionally remember Johnson and wonder what ever happened to him. Turns out he just wasn’t very good, the Twins let him go, and he never reappeared in MLB.  He was out of minor league baseball after the 1985 season when he was only 26 years of age.
    THE BEST
    Alright, the best card of 1982 is an easy one for me, well easy two. It’s Kent Hrbek’s official rookie card (#766) and other rookie year card (#44T). Like probably most everyone, my favorite would be his first stand-alone card (#44T). However, that one is in the Traded set, so it’s not considered his true rookie card. The true rookie card is the #766 Future Stars card which also features long-time catcher Tim Laudner and short-time shortstop Lenny Faedo. I hope to get Hrbek’s autograph someday on the Future Stars card along with Laudner’s.


    PERSONAL FAVORITE
    I love the picture and stance of Butch Wynegar (#222). It’s of the style of the 1971 Roberto Clemente (which is a favorite of many collectors) and the 1972 card of Twins superstar Harmon Killebrew. Wynegar is kind of mid swing with the bat aimed at the camera. I guess I just think it’s a cool pose which is the single reason it’s my favorite Twins card in the 1982 set.

                   
    I think the 1982 Topps cards are a pretty good design. As a group I can say I definitely like the early 80s designs better than the late 70s. We’ll see if this trend continues.
    Does anybody out there have a player to them like Randy Johnson was to me, someone who made a distinct impression upon you that made you think he was better than he actually was? Do you like the Clemente/Killebrew/Wynegar bat pose? I would appreciate any comments or opinions below. Thanks for reading.
    Go Twins!
  8. Al from SoDak

    1980 Topps and the Minnesota Twins

    By Al from SoDak,


    Baseball Cards
    The 1980 Topps baseball card set is better than the average set of that era. To me it’s not great, but better than average. The design consists of a banner in the upper left corner with the player’s position. The upper right corner has the player’s name. The bottom right has another, larger banner with the team’s name. Each card also has a facsimile autograph of the player. The pictures are rather bland in my opinion with a mix of portraits and action shots. Some of the action shots are not well done. See the Mike Cubbage card (#503).

    There are 726 cards in the 1980 Topps baseball card set including 27 Twins cards.
    MOST OBSCURE PLAYER
    My choice for most obscure Twins player in the 1980 Topps baseball set pitched for five seasons in Major League Baseball with two of those coming with the Twins. His son also played Major League Baseball and is a trivia answer/footnote in history. Mike Bacsik (#453) is my choice for most obscure Twin in this year’s set.

    Right-handed pitcher Michael James Bacsik was drafted in the 55th round of the 1970 MLB draft by the Baltimore Orioles. He debuted with the Texas Rangers in June of 1975. He started three games in 1975, then never started another. He pitched only 73 games over five seasons with a career high of 31 games with the Twins in 1979. His career record was 8-6 with an ERA of 4.43. He pitched 172.2 innings and finished with a career WAR of -0.9.
    Bacsik’s story gets interesting when we introduce his son, Michael Joseph Bacsik. Michael Jospeh also pitched in Major League Baseball. He was a left-handed pitcher with similar numbers to his father. He had a 10-13 career record over five seasons. He had a 5.46 ERA over 216.0 innings during the steroid era. His career WAR was -0.5. The younger Bacsik’s claim to fame is that he gave up the record-breaking 756th home run of Barry Bonds’s career. Wikipedia has a great note about this. While the son did give up number 756 to Bonds, the father was one of 30 pitchers to pitch to Hank Aaron after Aaron had achieved 755 home runs. The younger Bacsik would comment in 2007, "If my dad had been gracious enough to let Hank Aaron hit a home run, we both would have given up 756.”
    Mike Bacsik the Twin, last pitched in Major League Baseball in 1980. He went to spring training in 1981 with Seattle but was released in late March.
    THE BEST
    Well Rod Carew was now gone to the Angels. The Twins were going downhill before bottoming out in 1982. There are just not a lot of great players or cards during that point in Twins History. There are no 1980 Topps Twins cards of any value. So, my choice for the best Twins card of this year is going to be that of Ken Landreaux in what was to be his lone All-Star season.

    During 1980, Landreaux hit .281/.334/.417. He had 7 home runs and 62 RBIs. For the 1980 Twins, that performance was enough to be selected to the All-Star game. Unbelievably, his WAR was actually ninth among Twins batters who played more than 100 games that season. For those wondering, no, his first half numbers were not far superior to his second half. So why was he selected to the All-Star game? I suspect the notoriety of having a 31-game hitting streak in April and May was the main reason for his being named the Twins All-Star representative that season.
    PERSONAL FAVORITE
    My favorite 1980 Twins card in the Topps set is probably an unusual choice. It’s not a superstar or even a long-tenured Twin. It’s a card where I just simply like the picture. Behold the #218 card of Jose Morales.

    Above we talked about the father and son Mike Bacsik tandem who both pitched in Major League Baseball. Here we have catcher Jose Manuel Morales who played for the Twins from 1978-1980, but he is not related to catcher Jose Guillermo Morales who played for the Twins from 2007-2010.
    Anyway, the Morales 1980 Topps card. Love the picture. Red Hat. Two Bats. Collared shirt over a tee shirt under a jersey. Mustache, eyebrows, sideburns. There’s a lot to take in.
    So that’s my review of the Minnesota Twins in the 1980 Topps baseball card set. There’s not a lot of big names for the Twins in this set. But I do think the design and style of 1980 cards may be the best since 1975.
    What do you all think? I would love to see your opinions and comments below.
    Go Twins.
  9. Al from SoDak

    1978 Topps and the Minnesota Twins

    By Al from SoDak,


    Baseball Cards
    Welcome to my review of the 1978 Topps baseball card set and the Minnesota Twins. There really are not any Twins superstars in this set other than Rod Carew. It’s easy to see how the Twins weren’t world beaters in the late 1970s.
    In my judgment, the 1978 Topps baseball card design is one of their better designs during the late 1970s. I like the script team name in the lower left corner, the small baseball in the upper right corner listing the player’s position, and the player’s name at the bottom of the card in plain black. It’s a straightforward design that works well in my opinion. It’s not busy and the result is a focus on the player picture. There are 726 cards in the set with 28 Twins cards.
    My focus here is on Twins cards, but I will mention the set has the rookie cards of two local boys who later played for the Twins, each of whom were inducted in the Hall of Fame – Jack Morris and Paul Molitor. Each shares their rookie cards with three other players. The Molitor card famously includes a second Hall of Famer, Alan Trammell.
    MOST OBSCURE PLAYER
    During a preliminary review, I narrowed it to five options of who could be the most obscure Twin in 1978 Topps set, but four of those players played four years or more. While not great or even good, those four did manage to play at least four years in Major League Baseball. Bob Gorinski only played one season and he has only one Topps card, so he seems the obvious choice as the most obscure Twins player represented in the 1978 Topps set.

    Gorinski was a first-round pick of the Twins in the 1970 draft out of high school in Pennsylvania. He was picked 22nd ahead of a couple relief pitching Hall of Famers – Goose Gossage and Bruce Sutter – who were each chosen a round later.
    Gorinski slowly worked his way up the Twins’ minor league system. Baseball Reference shows he played part of the 1975 for the White Sox AAA affiliate, but I cannot find details on how he got there. In 1976 he was back with the Twins AAA affiliate in Tacoma. According to Wikipedia, Gorinski led his league in home runs in 1970, 1972, 1974, and 1976. Seven years after being drafted, Gorinski finally debuted with the Twins on April 10, 1977. He played 54 games that season as a backup corner outfielder. He batted an underwhelming .195/.226/.322 and hit three home runs. He never appeared in Major League Baseball after that season.
    THE BEST
    Here we go again with the obvious choice of Rod Carew as the best card in this set. There just are not a lot of Twins stars in this era.

    But is Carew’s card really the choice as best Twins card in the set? What if there is a 1978 Topps Twins card showing a rookie who might make and probably should make the Hall of Fame? Shouldn’t that card be the best Twins card of the 1978 set? Well, I believe Lou Whitaker should and will make the Hall of Fame someday. Yes, he never played for the Twins, but he does share his rookie card with Sam Perlozzo of the Twins and two others. Anytime you have a rookie card of a Hall of Famer or potential Hall of Famer, you have to say that’s a special card. We’ll see if Mr. Whitaker is ever selected.

    The Perlozzo/Whitaker rookie card is my choice for best Twins card of the set.
    PERSONAL FAVORITE
    I have two options for my personal favorite Twins cards in the 1978 Topps set.
    I have an autographed Dave Goltz card in my collection. Anytime I have a signed card, it’s got to be in the running for a personal favorite card of mine in any particular set.

    However, I’m going in a different direction for my 1978 selection as my personal favorite card. Gene Mauch was a backup infielder for nine MLB seasons and six franchises. He later had an extensive managerial career of 26 years. His 1978 Topps card shows pictures of him as a player and many years later as the manager of the Twins. I love that the back of the card has his statistics as a player. I can’t say with certainty, but suspect this will be the only time in my blog series about baseball cards where I will select a manager as my favorite Twins card of that year.


    I would say the 1978 Topps set is better than 1977, which I deemed better than 1976. What do you all think? Does anyone have any memories of Bob Gorinski? I would love to see your opinions and comments below.
    Go Twins.
  10. Al from SoDak

    1977 Topps and the Minnesota Twins

    By Al from SoDak,


    Baseball Cards
    Hello again Twins fans! This is another post in my series about Minnesota Twins baseball cards. Please share your opinions, stories, comments, and memories below.
    1977 Topps
    Overall, I think it’s safe to say the mid to late 70s cards are not my favorite. But 1977 might be little better than the other sets of this era. Again, the Twins do not have a plethora of stars in the 1977 set. The 1977 Topps baseball card design is, I would say, good. I like the large team name, italicized, and outlined in black. In the case of Twins cards, the player names are in red and there is a yellow banner with the player’s position. I just don’t love it, maybe because of the photography. I don’t find many of the pictures interesting. There are 660 standard-sized cards in the set with 25 Twins cards including the Butch Wynegar rookie card. The images below are courtesy of www.tcdb.com.
    MOST OBSCURE PLAYER
    Similar to prior sets, I found about half a dozen possibilities for the most obscure Twins player in the this set. After extensive research, Jim Gideon is my choice for most obscure player in the 1977 Topps baseball card set.

    This is Gideon’s one and only Topps card and he only gets a quarter of it. He’s not even the player on the card who ended up with the most significant Twins career – Dave Johnson pitched in 36 games for the Twins in 1977 and 1978 after being picked up from the Mariners part way through the 1977 season. Gideon never pitched for the Twins. In fact, his only MLB action was a single start with the Texas Rangers in 1975.
    Gideon was born and raised in Texas. He went to the University of Texas where he was part of the 1975 team that won the College World Series. He was co-captain that season and was outstanding, finishing with a record of 17-0. No college pitcher has ever had more wins in a season when they had zero losses. He ultimately finished his college career with 40 wins. In 2000 he was inducted into the College Baseball Hall of Fame.
    To continue the Texas theme, the Rangers used their first-round draft pick to select Gideon in the 1975 draft. He made 13 AAA starts before starting that one MLB game on September 14, 1975. He pitched 5.2 innings giving up 7 hits, 5 walks, and 6 runs.
    In the middle of the 1976 season, he was traded to the Twins. The details on that trade are summarized later in this blog entry. Because Gideon had been a first-round draft pick just the summer before, I would imagine he was seen as an integral part of the trade.
    Gideon played in the Twins minor league system until 1979. He went back to the Rangers in 1982 playing for their AA team before retiring.
    THE BEST
    I hate to sound like a broken record, but the Rod Carew #120 is the most valuable Twins card in the 1977 set. I also considered the Butch Wynegar rookie card #175. It’s got the rookie cup. Wynegar was a great player early in his career. He started out strong with all-star selections in his first two years, finishing second in rookie of the year voting in 1976. In 1977 he was only 21 years old, but the picture to me looks like he’s 15. Love that card, but I’m going with the Carew all-star card as the best Twins card of the year.

    PERSONAL FAVORITE
    The Roy Smalley card (#66) is my personal favorite Twins card in the 1977 set.

    For the 1976 set, I selected the Dan Ford as my favorite Twins card in large part because of the facial hair. Was Smalley selected here based solely on the mustache? I have other reasons.
    Growing up when I did, Smalley was my favorite player. He filled a void after Carew was traded before the 1979 season. Another reason I selected this as my favorite card for this series is related to memories of his trades. He was included in three trades involving the Twins and I think they won them all including the first one which was a big one.
    1976: Traded by the Texas Rangers to the Twins with our friend Jim Gideon above, Mike Cubbage, and Bill Singer, for the disgruntled Bert Blyleven and Danny Thompson. The Twins received 25.8 WAR from that trade while the Rangers got 10.5. 1982: Traded by the Twins to the New York Yankees for Paul Boris, Ron Davis, and Greg Gagne. Smalley was worth 6.1 WAR with the Yankees. Despite Ron Davis sucking for his Twins career, the Twins still won that trade because Mr. Gagne became a key piece of their 1987 and 1991 World Series championship teams. Gagne was a great fielder. If he could have laid off the low and away curve/slider maybe he would have been a good hitter as well. He did have some pop, hitting 111 home runs in his career. He achieved a 17.9 WAR with the Twins. 1985: Traded by the Chicago White Sox to the Twins for Ron Scheer and Randy Johnson. The Twins won this trade too. While Smalley was winding down his career, he still provided 2.1 of WAR. He was a valuable backup infielder, DH, and pinch hitter on the 1987 World Series team. Scheer never made it to MLB. Randy Johnson, who I for some reason loved in 1982, also never made it back to the major league level. There you go fans. In my judgment the 1977 design is better than the 1976 design. To me, a lot of these late 70s sets run together. We’ll see shortly how the 1978 and 1979 sets stack up.
    As always, I would love to see your opinions and comments below. And Go Twins.
  11. Al from SoDak

    1976 Topps and the Minnesota Twins

    By Al from SoDak,


    Baseball Cards
    Hey Twins fans! This is the sixth post in my series about Minnesota Twins baseball cards. Please share your opinions, stories, comments, and memories below.
    1976 Topps
    Well, I feel like this entry is a bit of a dud. Few star players and few interesting cards. The 1976 Topps baseball card design is just OK in my opinion. I do like the colored bars on the bottom of the card showing the name of the player and team. I also like the player silhouette, but overall, I can’t say it’s one of my favorite designs. The 1976 set has 660 cards with 28 Twins cards including rookie cards of Dan Ford and Lyman Bostock among others. The images below are courtesy of www.tcdb.com.
    MOST OBSCURE PLAYER
    I found about half a dozen possibilities for the most obscure Twins player in the 1976 Topps set. After extensive review, my choice is pitcher Jim Hughes.

    Hughes was born and raised in California and was drafted by the Twins in the 33rd round of the 1969 draft. He was used primarily as a starting pitcher working his way up through the minor leagues. He debuted in September of 1974, starting two games and completing one. In 1975 and 1976 he was a member of the Twins’ starting rotation. He started 34 games in 1975 and had a winning record of 16-14 pitching 249.2 innings. He had an amazing May of that season being named American League Player of the Month (this was prior to the existence of the separate Pitcher of the Month award). During that magical month he was an incredible 6-0, with five complete games and two of which were shutouts. In the other game he pitched, he entered in the third inning and gave up no runs the rest of the way and picked up the win. What a month!
    Hughes went 9-14 in 1976, then pitched only two games in April 1977 before being sent to AAA Tacoma for the remainder of the season. He would pitch two more years in the American minor leagues and one season the Mexican League in 1980. It seems arm troubles ended his career (https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Jim_Hughes_(hugheji03)). Seems like he was quite the flash in the pan – one great month, but what a month it was.
    THE BEST
    The Rod Carew #400 is the most valuable Twins card in this set. And I agree it’s probably the best card in the set. It’s an interesting picture of Carew in the dugout with the AL All Star label. Carew has probably the best Twins card in many of the 1970s sets. Boring, I know.

    PERSONAL FAVORITE
    My favorite Twins card in the 1976 set is the all-star rookie cup card of Disco Dan Ford (#313). That choice may be based solely on the sideburns alone. And is it just me or did athletes, heck maybe even all people, just look way older in the 70s? I feel like Ford looks about 35 in this picture; he was 24.

    There you have it folks, a review of the Twins cards in the 1976 Topps set. This is the shortest blog entry in my series. I’m sorry to say I don’t find 1976’s Topps design to be particularly interesting and in my judgment most of the pictures on the cards are dull. If you disagree, please, I would love to see your opinions and comments below. And Go Twins.
  12. Al from SoDak

    1973 Topps and the Minnesota Twins

    By Al from SoDak,


    Baseball Cards
    Hey Twins fans! This is the fifth post in my series about Minnesota Twins baseball cards. This post is in a little different order than prior posts. Because I tend to dive most deeply into the most obscure player of the set (we all know about Tony, the Killer, and Carew not to mention Puckett, Hrbek, Mauer, and Morneau), this post will start with a write up of the player I deem to be most obscure in this set. Also “best” and “favorite” might be the same card, hence no different write up. If my favorite is different than the best, I will certainly say so. In previous posts, I struggled to differentiate between best and favorite. That’s not the case for the 1973 Topps, my favorite is definitely different from the best (which, I’m sorry tends to trend toward the most valuable).
    Anyway, here we go…
    1973 Topps
    I love the look of the 1973 Topps baseball cards – the black border on the picture, the white border of the cards, and especially the silhouette of the player and his position in the lower right corner. The player’s name and team are listed at the bottom of the card. These cards are the standard 2.5” x 3.5” which started in 1957. The complete set has 660 cards. The Twins have 29 cards in this set including two variations of #49, the Frank Quilici manager card with his coaches. One of the variations has palm trees in the backgrounds for two of the coaches. www.PSAcard.com states the values of the two variations are the same and the number of each variation graded by PSA are similar.
                   
    MOST OBSCURE PLAYER
    The 1973 Topps set has about half a dozen decent options for the most obscure Twins Player in the set, but one of these never played for the Twins. Meet Mr. Ken Reynolds.

    Reynolds was originally drafted by Philadelphia in the fourth round of the 1966 draft. He was primarily a starting pitcher in their minor leagues. He started 25 games in 1971 and 23 games in 1972 for bad to awful Phillies teams. He had a crazy bad record of 2-15 in 1972. Reynolds came to the Twins in a November 1972 trade. The Twins traded fan favorite and future Twins Hall of Famer Cesar Tover for Joe Lis, Ken Sanders, and Reynolds. It seems like Philadelphia won that trade but it wasn’t robbery. Tovar played only one season for the Phillies and had a WAR of 0.9 WAR. The players the Twins received totaled -1.4 for the time they played for the Twins. That -1.4 WAR does not include Reynolds as he never played for the Twins and was traded to the Brewers in March 1973 for Mike Ferraro. Ferraro also never played for the Twins and the organization released him in May. Reynolds had a 7.36 ERA in two games for the Brewers. Reynolds later pitched for the Cardinals in 1975 and the Padres in 1976, finishing his MLB career with a 7-29 record. He stuck around the minor leagues until 1979.
    An interesting tidbit I discovered while researching Ken Reynolds was that he played for the Hawaii Islanders in 1976 which was a AAA team and part of the Pacific Coast League. I went to Hawaii three weeks ago. It took me 4-5 after coming home to readjust to the time change. It seems like having Hawaii in a North American league would make travel exciting but brutal for those minor leaguers who experienced it. According to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawaii_Islanders, the Hawaii Islanders were surprisingly part of the PCL from 1961 thought 1987. I found the entire Wikipedia entry to be fascinating and would encourage your perusal. Hall of Famers Barry Bonds and Tony Gwynn played for the Islanders. This is something this blog series has done for me, introduce me to interesting parts of the game I never knew.
    THE BEST
    The Rod Carew #330 is the most valuable Twins card in this set. I like the stance, the pose, the background, and just the general look of this card. And I just love the look of this set in general.

    PERSONAL FAVORITE
    There’s something about the Tony Oliva card (#80). I think it’s a great picture, great pose, and mine is autographed (with his phenomenal signature). In the 1960s, there are many players photographed standing in Yankee Stadium with an inauthentic stance or pose. Tony’s stance may not be overly competitive but the pose, to me, looks better than average. But it’s not my favorite card.

    The Harmon Killebrew (#170) is one of my favorite autographed cards in my entire collection (again, an exceptional autograph). This action shot seems to show an aggressive stance like he’s ready to release his energy and hit a blast. Where is he? The catcher’s red and blue pant stripes and the stadium background suggests Cleveland to me. I’m not sure. What do you think? I love this picture. But it’s not my favorite card.

    As an aside, seriously, whose autograph is better Oliva or Killebrew? I’ve heard many say Killebrew’s signature is the best, but Tony O’s is similarly clear, legible, and smooth. Please share your opinion below.
    Even though I have those two autographed cards of Hall of Fame players, neither ranks as my favorite Twins card from 1973. That honor easily belongs to another Hall of Famer – the #530 card of Jim Kaat. I think it’s absolutely awesome that Topps chose a photograph of a pitcher, Mr. Jim Kaat, batting. I love that this 1973 Topps card was issued, ironically, during the first year of the Designated Hitter. American League pitchers simply did not bat in 1973. Kaat could probably be considered a very good hitting pitcher. He batted .185 in his 25-year career, .289 in 1972, and .375 in 1981 (but only 8 at bats). I love all of that, which makes this my favorite Twins card in the 1973 Topps set.

    Please, I would love to see your opinions, criticisms, and suggestions in the comments below. I really want to know. Let’s have fun with this! And Go Twins.
  13. Al from SoDak

    1968 Topps and the Minnesota Twins

    By Al from SoDak,


    Baseball Cards
    Hey Twins fans! This is the fourth post in my series about Minnesota Twins baseball cards. Please read my first post here for deeper detail on my series.
    1968 Topps Game
    This insert set from the 1960s is unique. It’s a very limited set and like the 1964 Topps Giants seems to contain only the best of the best. The cards measure 2.25” x 3.25” so slightly smaller than today’s standard sized card. The cards resemble a deck of playing cards. The complete set has 33 cards, three of which are Twins players. Each card has a color image of the player, facsimile autograph, and a game outcome. This set contains a second year Rod Carew (#29) after his rookie card in 1967 was a dual card with the Senators’ Hank Allen.
    Rules for the game can be found at https://www.beckett.com/news/1968-topps-game-baseball/. Seems to me you would go through the cards quickly and maybe there should have been more cards in the set. But I have never played. Maybe I should try to get the full set and play?
    According to the same Beckett website above, these game cards were inserted within the third series release of the regular Topps baseball cards from 1968.
    THE BEST
    Rod Carew and Harmon Killebrew fight for the best Twins card in this subset. Because Rod Carew has no solo rookie card in the 1967 set, I’m going to choose his card as the best simply because it's one of his first stand-alone cards.

    PERSONAL FAVORITE
    I’m going with the #5 Killebrew as my personal favorite simply because his outcome was a double and Carew’s was, unfortunately, a ground out. Hey, I’m competitive and would want to win this game!

    MOST OBSCURE PLAYER
    Just like my earlier entry about the 1964 Topps Giants set, when there are only three cards in the set, somebody has to be named “most obscure,” at least according to the format I set for this series. So like Camilo Pasucal in the 1964 Topps Giants set, Dean Chance gets named most obscure Twin in this game set because the other two cards show Hall of Famers. But, hey, at least his game outcome was a strike out (which I assume was a positive for a pitcher in this game).

    Dean Chance was an excellent pitcher. He won the Cy Young Award in 1964 when there was only one winner for all of MLB. His career record was 128-115 with a career ERA of 2.92. Now he did pitch during the year of the pitcher (1968), but that career ERA measures up very well. His career ERA+ was 119. Chance came to the Twins in a December 1966 trade with the Angels; the Twins gave up Pete Cimino, Jimmie Hall, and Don Mincher. The Twins got 13.1 WAR from Chance in three seasons. The trade seems like a win for the Twins as the players they gave up combined for 5.7 WAR for the Angels. While playing for the Twins, he led the American League in innings and starts in 1967, which was also one of two years he made an All-Star team. In December 1969, Chance was traded by the Twins with Bob Miller, Graig Nettles, and Ted Uhlaender for Luis Tiant and Stan Williams. This trade seems like the Twins screwed up both ways. Nettles was obviously great for many years, some contend he is worthy of the Hall of Fame. And some also argue the same for Taint, who the Twins released in 1971.
    Chance retired after his age 30 season. It was said by Wikipedia and other websites that his body broke down perhaps because of funky wind up where he essentially turned his back the batter. Interestingly, in retirement he was a successful carnival operator and founded the International Boxing Association. I have vague memories of Charley Walters of the St. Paul Pioneer Press writing about Chance and the IBA.
    If you disagree with my opinions, I would love to see your opinions, criticisms, and suggestions in the comments below. Don’t be too hard on me. Let’s have fun with this!
  14. Al from SoDak

    1968 Topps and the Minnesota Twins

    By Al from SoDak,


    Baseball Cards
    Hi folks. This is my third post in my series about Minnesota Twins baseball cards. Please read my first post here for deeper detail on my series.
    1968 TOPPS
    The 1968 Topps set is one of my personal favorites which is interesting because I find the look rather ugly, but I really like some of the Twins cards. The set’s cards are standard size, with kind of a burlap looking border. The player’s name is at the bottom with a colored circle showing his team and position. The set has a couple of my favorite multi-player cards ever and Rod Carew’s first stand-alone Topps card (#80) as well as an all-star card (#363). There are a whopping 37 Twins cards in the set.
    THE BEST
    With this set, I might run into a problem for my personal choice of best and favorite. There are more than a few cards to choose from that fit both categories. As far as value, both the #490 Super Stars card with Harmon Killebrew, Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle, and the #480 Manager’s Dream card with Tony Oliva, Chico Cardenas, and Roberto Clemente rank high. I don’t always want to equate value with best, but in this case my choice for best card has to be the Super Stars card. The card has three Hall of Famers who as a group hit 1,769 home runs. Three of the top 18 HR hitters ever…on one card!! Quite a bit of firepower on one single card.
                            
    PERSONAL FAVORITE
    For my personal favorite I am going to select the Rod Carew (#80). You just got to love Rod Carew’s first solo card. I like the pose and the Topps rookie cup. Like I said in a previous post about Tony Oliva, Carew just looks so young here.

    And like my statement above about firepower on a single card, the AL RBI Leaders card also has three Hall of Famers in Carl Yastrzemski, Harmon Killebrew, and Frank Robinson. I really like these types of leader cards with multiple Hall of Famers. This card represents 1,611 career home runs and 5,240 career RBI. A lot of history there.

    I’m going to choose the Carew as my favorite Twins card in the set, but I really, really like that Super Stars card above as well.
    MOST OBSCURE PLAYER
    Cal Ermer did manage a major league baseball team, but only briefly. He previously had a very limited playing career. He went 0-3 in his lone MLB game for the Senators in 1947, was a long-time coach and manager in the Senators/Twins organization, who ended up managing the Twins for part of 1967 and all of 1968. I thought he was the right choice for most obscure player/coach in the 1968 Twins set, but then I read about right-handed pitcher Moe Ogier.

    Maurice “Moe” Ogier appeared on a dual rookie card (#589) with Ron Clark. Mr. Ogier made the 1968 Twins opening day roster but was sent to the minor leagues shortly thereafter to make room for Jim Kaat after Kaat was activated from the disabled list for an elbow injury dating to the prior season. Ogier didn’t pitch that season – or ever – in the major leagues. Ogier played six years in the Twins minor league system. His record was 36-37. His minor league strikeout numbers were rather good especially for that era, but his WHIP was also high. He pitched later in the Angels and Padres systems. He never made the majors, but he did have this baseball card.
    While researching this post, I learned a new phrase that I had not heard before – phantom ballplayer. According to Wikipedia, a phantom ballplayer is a player who spent time on an active roster but never appeared in a game. That sounds to me like a definition for obscure. Moe Ogier is the choice here.
    If you disagree with my opinions, I would love to see your opinions, criticisms, and suggestions in the comments below. Don’t be too hard on me. Let’s have fun with this!
  15. Al from SoDak
    Hi folks. I am a collector of Twins baseball cards. About 10-15 years ago, I made it a goal to get at least one card from every Twins player who had a card. That goal seems to have morphed into getting each Twins card for every Topps set (and a few other brands here and there). I currently have more than 2,400 cards from about 750 unique players.
    This is my second post in my series about Minnesota Twins baseball cards. Please read my first post here for deeper detail on my series.
    1964 TOPPS GIANTS
    This unique set from the 1960s is super cool. It’s short and sweet with only the best players. The cards are 3.125” x 5.25.” Because of their size, they really get your attention. Each card has a full color image of the player. There is a baseball at the bottom with the player’s name, team, and position. To my knowledge, this 1964 set contains the first stand-alone Tony Oliva card (#44). As I said above, the set contains an extremely limited number of cards. There are only three Twins cards.
    THE BEST
    Tony Oliva and Harmon Killebrew fight for the best card here. Oliva looks so young. Harmon’s picture shows him holding two bats, one of which has the number 29 on the knob. That’s too early for Rod Carew. Depending on when the picture was taken, that’s likely the bat of Wally Post.
    Because it’s his first stand-alone card, I’m going with the Tony Oliva as the best Twins card in the 1964 Topps Giants set.

     
    PERSONAL FAVORITE
    In 2023, my son and I attended the National Sports Card Convention in Chicago. It was quite the experience – overwhelming. We had a wonderful time. One of my purchases was the graded Harmon Killebrew (#38) below. For that reason and the memories made, that is my personal favorite of the 1964 Topps Giants.

    MOST OBSCURE PLAYER
    Well, when there are only three cards in the set, somebody has to be “most obscure.” By the process of elimination, the great Camilo Pascual (#32) is the choice for the most obscure. After all, the other two players are in the Hall of Fame.

    Pascual came to the Twins when the Washington Senators moved to Minnesota. Washington was famous for signing Cuban players, of which Camilo was one of many. He was a very good pitcher with a career spanning 18 years. He started his career in Washington in 1954, continued with six years in Minnesota, then finished up with the new Washington franchise, Cincinnati, the Dodgers and Cleveland. He was a five-time all-star and received MVP votes in two years. While playing for the Twins, he led the American League in strikeouts three times (1961-63), complete games twice (1962-63), and shoutouts twice (1961-62). He was a great player. According to Wikipedia, Pascual had a devastating curveball which Ted Williams called, “The most feared curveball in the American League for 18 years.”
    Camilo was no slouch at the plate, batting .205 in his career. He is one of only two pitchers to hit two grand slams.
    After his playing career he served as a coach and scout including being the Twins pitching coach from 1978-80.
    Pascual is in the Cuban Baseball Hall of Fame, the Caribbean Baseball Hall of Fame, and the Minnesota Twins Hall of Fame.
    If you disagree with my opinions, I would love to see your opinions, criticisms, and suggestions in the comments below. Don’t be too hard on me. Let’s have fun with this!
  16. Al from SoDak

    1963 Topps and the Minnesota Twins

    By Al from SoDak,


    Baseball Cards
    Hi folks. I am Al from SoDak. I have been reading Twins Daily since its inception and always thought of contributing. Well, here I go.
    I am a collector of Twins baseball cards. About 10-15 years ago, I made it a goal to get at least one card from every Twins player who had a card. That goal seems to have morphed into getting each Twins card for every Topps set (and a few other brands here and there). I currently have more than 2,400 cards from about 750 unique players. I have a plan for a series of posts to review and comment on each year’s set of Twins cards. But by no means will this be completed in one initial post. I plan to cover each year in order of the years I have completed. So, I will start with my first completed set (1963 Topps) and go forward to other completed sets. As I continue with my series, I will continue with my collecting. Hopefully when I get the most recent set, I will have more of the earlier sets completed and can loop back and comment on those. Hopefully we all find this an interesting exercise.
    To start with I am going to give my opinion of the best card. This will likely be one of the most expensive cards but not necessarily the most expensive. I don’t want to have too many Killebrews, Olivas, Carews, etc. I will also give my opinion of my personal favorite card. This might be based on the look of the card, or a story behind the card or player. Finally, I will discuss the card of the most obscure player in my opinion. This will hopefully include a little research and history of this player so that we can learn more about lesser-known players. I anticipate the obscure player part ending up as the most detailed and longest part of the post.
    We’ll see how this goes.
    1963 TOPPS
    This colorful set is one my favorites from the 1960s. The cards are 2.5” x 3.5” which has been the standard card size since 1957. Each card contains a larger color image of the player with a smaller black and white picture within a circle at the bottom of the card. The player’s name, team and position are on a colorful thick border at the bottom. The league leader cards and many of the rookie cards are of the notorious “floating head” design. This 1963 set contains the Tony Oliva #228 rookie card amongst its 33 Twins cards.

    THE BEST
    Many sources list the Oliva rookie card and Harmon Killebrew #500 as the most expensive Twins cards in the set. The Oliva card is of the often ridiculed “floating heads” design, so I am going to lean to the Harmon Killebrew card the best card. Hopefully this doesn’t start a trend of too many Killebrews.

    PERSONAL FAVORITE
    I like the Bob Allison #75 where he is shown in a solid batting pose. Jim Kaat (#165) stares down the camera at the start of a wind-up. To me, that’s a good card and made better by the fact that I was able to get mine autographed at TwinsFest a few years back. I also like that the AL Home Run Leaders #4 has Killebrew front and center as the top dog from 1962. The autograph on the good-looking Jim Kaat card puts that card on top for me as my personal favorite.
                         
    MOST OBSCURE PLAYER
    My choice as the most obscure Twins player included in the 1963 Topps baseball card set is George Banks (card #564).

    Interestingly, the Twins had five rookie cards included in the 1963 Topps set. Four of those cards were like the Oliva rookie with “floating heads” design, but one rookie player got his own card – yes, Mr. Banks. Why? Well, he was signed in 1957 by the New York Yankees and had minor league success. George Banks hit 82 minor league home runs through 1960 (on his way to 223 home runs in 11 minor league seasons). In 1961 the Twins selected him in the Rule 5 draft, the mechanism that led to the Twins obtaining Shane Mack and Johan Santana (trade) many years later.
    George Banks played mainly 3rd Base and Outfield. He played a total of five seasons in MLB, splitting his time between Minnesota and Cleveland. He was a piece in a key trade – He and Lee Stange were traded to Cleveland for Mudcat Grant who we all know won 21 games in the World Series year of 1965. Mudcat won Game 6 nearly all by himself. He led the Twins to a 5-1 win in this elimination game. He allowed only six hits and was also a force in the batter’s box with a 3-run home run.
    Banks could never match his minor league prowess in the big leagues. His WAR was 0.3. He only got 203 at bats in MLB. He played 63 games in 1963, but only 25 in 1964. After the trade he played in a total of 17 games over parts of three seasons in Cleveland.
    But George Banks did have a nice 1963 rookie card. The card shows him squaring to bunt which contrasts with his minor league propensity to his home runs. Love it!
    So there it is. My first entry in what could end up being a long series about baseball cards and the Minnesota Twins. Hopefully I get some positive feedback, encouragement, and views to keep me motivated.
    If you disagree with my opinions, I would love to see your opinions, criticisms, and suggestions in the comments below. Don’t be too hard on me. Let’s have fun with this!
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