Monday, February 23, 2015

1970 Topps Cubs Rookie Stars: Randy Bobb, Jim Cosman

Here is my second take on Rating the Rookies. By my count, there were 737 cards that Topps labeled "rookie" between 1959 and 1980. This time the random number generator spit out 525 which correlates to this rookie card of the 1970 Cubs:


Randy Bobb had only 1 hit in his 10 Major League at-bats in 1968 and 1969.  He caught 122 games at the Cubs AAA affiliate 1969, hitting a respectable .263 but he was traded to the Mets for veteran catcher J.C. Martin before the start of the 1970 season. He never did make it back up to the big leagues, but he did get another unfulfilled "Rookie Stars" card. This time for the Mets:


Since the only seasons he made it up to the Majors was in 1968 and 1969, I decided to give him his own 1969 Topps card:


Jim Cosman made his MLB debut pitching for the Cardinals against the Cubs in the final game of the 1966 season. He threw a 2 hit, complete game shutout, striking out 5. In 1967 he appeared in 10 games for the Cardinals. He also appeared on this "Rookie Stars" card in the 1967 Topps set:


In 1968 and 1969 he played minor league ball for the Cards and the Mets. After the 1969 season, the Cubs claimed him from the Mets in the rule 5 draft. He pitched a single inning for the Cubs in 1970. He was given mop up duty, coming in with the Cubs trailing 6-1 in the 7th inning. The first batter he faced, Hank Aaron, went yard. He gave up 2 more runs on 2 hits and a walk. He never took the mound for a Major League club again.

For Cosman's card that never was, I filled the gap between his 2 rookie cards with his own 1968 card:


Now for my grade: F

 After this card was printed, Randy Bobb never played another MLB game. Jim Cosman pitched just one inning and gave up 3 runs. To make things worse, Cosman is wearing an airbrushed (Mets?) cap. There is just no way to put a positive spin on it. If you happen to have this card lying around, go ahead and put it in your spokes.


*****
I've adopted a new grading system so here is my updated grade:


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