1975 Topps Rookie Infielders: Cubbage, DeCinces, Sanders, Trillo

It's been a while since my last post and the random number generator picked a 4-player rookie card. That means I will be making up for lost time with a nice long post. This one is from 1975 and features two future All-Stars.

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The first player on this card is Mike Cubbage. Cubbage was a versatile infielder who was drafted by the Washington Senators in 1971. He made his MLB debut in April of 1974, two years after the Senators became the Texas Rangers. After going hitless in his first fifteen at bats he was sent back down to the minors. In 1975 he fared a little better hitting .224 in 58 games.

In 1976 he was part of the trade that sent future Hall of Famer Bert Blyleven to the Rangers. Texas bundled him with Roy Smalley, Jim Gideon, and Bill Singer in exchange for Blyleven and Danny Thompson.  Cubbage would spend 5 seasons in the Twin Cities used mostly as the third baseman.

In 1978 Cubbage performed one of the rarest feats in baseball, he hit for the cycle on this day 38 years ago. In his first at bat Cubbage drove a ball deep to right and was thrown out at third base. He was credited with a double. In his next at bat he hit a two run homer. The very next inning he had an infield single. In the bottom of the 7th he tripled with two men on to complete the cycle. In 1977 he nearly had a cycle, completing the tougher tasks but missing just a single.

For his Card That Never Was, I gave him this 1976 Topps Traded card despite the fact that the trade took place in June of 1976 well after Topps went to print.

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Doug DeCinces was drafted by the Orioles in 1970 and made his debut in 1973.  As a third baseman for a club that boasted one of the best ever in Brooks Robinson, it was 1976 before DeCinces became a regular in the Orioles lineup.  In 1982 he was dealt to the Angels for "Disco" Dan Ford in order to make room for another Hall of Famer, Cal Ripken Jr..

California got the better of that deal as DeCinces had a career year in 1982 with personal bests in Hits, Doubles, Triples, HRs RBIs and Batting Average. He earned a Silver Slugger award and was 3rd in AL MVP voting behind two Hall of Famers Robin Yount and Eddie Murray. In 1983 he made his only All Star appearance.

In September of 1987 he was released by the Angels and spent the final four games of 1987 in a Cardinals uniform. In 1988 he was signed by the Tokyo Yakult Swallows. He played first base for the Swallows and hit .244 with 19 homers in a season that was cut short due to career ending back injuries. For his Card That Never Was, I made this 1988 Topps Style card of DeCinces playing for the Yakult Swallows.

 DeCinces actually had a card in the 1988 set that showed him as an Angel but had an O-Pee-Chee-esque "Now With Cardinals" stamped on the front of the card. Score and Sportsflics also showed him in a Angels uniform on their 1988 cards. Fleer was only card company to show DeCinces in a Cardinals uniform in 1988.
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This is not the Reggie Sanders most baseball fans are familiar with. This Reggie Sanders was originally drafted by the Kansas City A's in 1967. The other Reggie Sanders was born in 1967. This was not even this Reggies first rookie card. He also appeared in the 1974 Topps set along with Bill Madlock, Ron Cash and Jim Cox. 

1974 marked the only season in which Sanders played big league ball. Primarily a first baseman, Sanders hit .265 with double digit dingers as a minor leaguer every season from 1968-1978. Although the A's seemed to have a revolving door at first base in the late '60s and early '70s he was unable to make the jump to the bigs and was dealt to the Tigers in 1972. The tigers had an aray of aging sluggers that rotated in and out of the first base position; Norm Cash, Al Kaline and Bill Freehan to name a few. So the opportunity wasn't there either. He was dealt to the Braves just prior to the 1975 season but again didn't make the big league squad.

Sanders played a few more years in the minor league systems of the Orioles and the White Sox and eventually finished in 1979 in the Mexican League in 1979. Although he never made it beyond the AA level for Oakland, I found this picture of a young Reggie Sanders and decided to team him up with that other Reggie for a 1968 Topps Rookie Card That Never Was. I know 1968 Reggie Jackson Cards That Never Were have been done to death but the temptation of an all-Reggie rookie card was too much for me to resist.  

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Manny Trillo will alway represent the changing of the guard in Wrigleyville. He was brought to Chicago as part of a trade for Hall of Famer Billy Williams. He filled the hole left by  All Star second baseman Glenn Beckert who was traded to the Padres the year before.

Like card-mate Reggie Sanders, Trillo also had his first rookie card in the previous Topps set. In the 1975 card he is pictured airbrushed into a Cubs uniform. In the '74 Rookie Shorstops he was pictured in an non- A's uniform. He shares the card with Dave Chalk, John Gamble and Pete Mackanin. 

Trillo played on seven different teams in his MLB career; The A's, Cubs, Phillies, Indians, Expos, Giants and Reds. His ever changing team uniforms are well documented on cardboard. But the 1984 Fleer set seems to depict this better than any other set. He has a regular issue card showing him in an Expos uniform. He also has a "Super Star Special" card celebrating the fact that he played consecutive years as an All Star for different leagues. That card shows him in an Indians uniform and a Phillies uniform. Finally he has an Update card showing him in a Giants uniform.

Even Topps had him on three different teams in 1984. A regular issue Expos card, an Indians All Star Glossy Card, and a Giants Traded card. So what kind of card do you make for a player who seems to have a card for every facet of his career?  Maybe something that would've fallen into your bowl of Froot Loops while watching Hong Kong Phooey.  To coincide with his first All Star appearance here is a 1977 Kellogg's Manny Trillo Card That Never Was.

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Although this rookie card contained two future all stars, for Manny Trillo it was actually his second card.  Ironically, it was also the second card of one-year-wonder, Reggie Sanders. And although Sanders never made it back to the bigs after 1974, you have to hand it to Topps. All four players on this card were solid prospects.

As for the Grade, I am tempted to give it a 5 for "Trade Bait" but only to people with poor math skills.  I see this card occasionally  mixed in with card for the other Reggie Sanders (I'm looking at you COMC.com). Seeing as that Reggie was still playing in 2007 that would be a 33 year big league career. (Move over Minnie Minoso).  So if honesty prevails, I give it a 4 for "Set Filler".

1970 Topps Royals Rookie Stars: Al Fitzmorris, Scott Northey

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While researching Al Fitzmorris, I have found a few interesting facts. First he was originally signed by the White Sox in 1965 as an outfielder. Batting only .227 as a minor leaguer, he decided to covert to pitcher.

Second, although he led the Carolina League with 214 strikeouts in 1968, he was not a strikeout pitcher in the majors. He averaged just 3.2 strikeouts per 9 innings over his career. In 1974 he pitched a complete game shutout without a single strikeout or walk. He gave up just 3 hits, all singles, one each in the 1st, the 5th and the 8th.

Third he was selected twice in an expansion draft. In 1968 he was left unprotected by the White Sox and picked by the Royals. In 1976 he was drafted again. This time by the Toronto Blue Jays only to be traded to the Indians for catcher, Alan Ashby and first baseman, Doug Howard.

For his Card That Never Was, I chose a 1975 Hostess design. In 1975 Fitzmorris had a number of career highs including 16 wins and 11 complete games.

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For Scott Northey this was his first of 2 rookie cards. The second was this 1971 American League Rookie Stars card with A's outfielder Bobby Brooks and Brewers Outfielder Pete Koegel.

Northey was the son of MLB journeyman Ron Northey. Ron played on the Phillies, Cardinals, Cubs, Reds and White Sox from 1942-1957 and later a coach for the Pirates from 1960-1963.

Like his 1970 Topps card-mate Fitzmorris, Scott Northey was originally signed by the White Sox as an outfielder in 1965 and also picked by the Royals in the 1968 expansion draft. Also like Fitzmorris, he was called up from the Royals' AAA Omaha team in September.  That is where the similarity ends. After Northey's "cup of coffee" in September of 1969, he never made the show again. He played minor league ball until 1972 despite being depicted on rookie stars cards in bot 1970 and 1971.

For his Card That Never Was, I chose to give him his own 1969 Topps card to commemorate this original Royals only MLB season.

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This card contains two September Call-ups from the Royals inaugural season. Fitzmorris was a solid pitcher for parts of 10 seasons. Northey on the other hand just struck out too much. He had 19 strikeouts in just 20 games including one 4 strikeout game. I may have graded a bit on the generous side but I gave this card a 4 because it contains 2 original Royals so for someone somewhere, this would qualify as a "set filler".

1966 Topps Athletics Rookie Stars: Paul Lindblad, Ron Stone

On this episode of Rating the Rookies we are looking at a 1966 Topps Rookie Stars card featuring Paul Lindblad and Ron Stone of the Kansas City Athletics. 

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After 3 solid minor league seasons in A, AA, and AAA, Kansas City called up Paul Lindblad in September of 1965 and he never looked back. Initially a starter, Lindblad found a home in the bullpen. He pitched at the Major League level from 1965-1978. He was with the Kansas City A's which moved to Oakland. In 1971 he was dealt to the Washington Senators which moved to Texas. He was traded back to the A's then was signed again by the Rangers and eventually finished his career with the Yankees.

He was the Game 3 winner of the 1973 World Series.  He came in the 9th inning of a 2-2 game. When the A's went up 3-2 in the 11th, Rollie Fingers came in to close it out. He also was one of 4 pitcher to combine for a no-hitter in 1975. It was the final game of the 1975 season and the A's had long since clinched a playoff spot. Manager, Al Dark had his ace, Vida Blue on a short leash. Vida pitched 5 no-hit innings and got the hook. The Oakland bullpen followed up with a perfect 6th inning by Glenn Abbott, a perfect 7th by Lindblad and a perfect 8th and 9th by Fingers. The A's beat the last place Angels by a score of 5-0.

Paul Lindblad had Topps cards every year from 1966-1979 and represented every city he played in except Washington. His 1971 card showed him in Oakland and his 1972 card was an air-brushed Rangers card. So for his Card That Never Was, I created this 1971 card of him on the Senators. 

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Ron Stone had a solid 1965 season hitting 16 homers and 67 RBIs playing for the Orioles minor league clubs. The A's took a chance on him and picked him up in the Rule 5 Draft. This required them to play him at the big league level or return him to Baltimore.  After 26 games and only 22 plate appearances, he was returned to the Orioles.

 He put together a few more solid seasons in the minors before being traded to the Phillies in 1969.  During this time Topps include him on 2 more Rookie Stars cards. One along with Frank Peters on the Orioles in 1968 and for the Phillies in 1969 with Bill Wilson. On both cards Topps used the same air-brushed image of him in an A's uniform.

He was picked up by the Phillies in 1969 for veteran catcher Clay Dalrymple. There he became a cautionary tale about reading too much into spring training performance.  He was labeled "Palm Tree Stone" by teammate, Larry Bowa. "He'd hit about .600 every spring then disappear on opening day. You didn't see him again until the next February."  

The Phillies used him mostly as a utility outfielder and pinch hitter. He played this role until 1972 when he spent July and August back in the minors. He was called up again in September but didn't get a single hit in 8 opportunities and began the 1973 back in the Phillies minor league system.  For his Card That Never Was, I created this 1973 Topps card to capture "Palm Tree" Stone's last spring training with the Phillies. 

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This rookie card produced a solid relief pitcher who played in 2 World Series and pitched a perfect inning as part of a 4-man no-hitter. It also was the first (and only air-brush-free) of 3 rookie cards for "Palm Tree" Stone. While this is by no measure an essential card, I'm going to label it "Set Filler" and give it a 4.

1964 Topps Reds Rookie Stars: Sammy Ellis, Mel Queen

This 1964 Rookie Stars card was not Sammy Ellis's first card. He was signed as a free agent in 1961 by the Reds and made his first MLB start in early 1962.  After a shaky start he was sent down to the minors only to be called up again that September. With a 2-2 record, Topps included him in the 1963 set. He shared a card with Reds catcher Jesse Gonder and Phillies Pitchers Ray Culp and John Boozer. As luck would have it, he then spent the entire 1963 season in the minors.

When he returned to the Reds in 1964 he went 10-3 with 14 saves and even got a few MVP votes. In 1965 he was selected to the All Star team and went 22-10 for the season. In the 1966 and 1967 seasons he led the NL in earned runs. In 1968 he was dealt to the Angels, then in 1969 to the White Sox where his big league journey ended.

Despite only 7 Major League seasons, Ellis was well represented on cardboard. In addition to his 2 rookie cards, he had cards on the Reds in 1965-67 then on the Angels in 1968 and '69. For his Card That Never Was I made a 1970 Topps card with him on his final team, the Chicago White Sox.

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Mel Queen began his Major League career in 1964 as an outfielder for the Reds. His Father was a pitcher for the Yankees and Pirates from 1942-1952. After struggling to get playing time on the big league roster and spending most of the 1965 season in the minors, he converted to pitching. In 1966 he played 32 games in the outfield and pitched 7 innings, all in relief. His 1967 Topps card had his position listed as Pitcher/Outfielder.

By 1967 he was a full time pitcher. He went 14-8 with a 2.76 ERA.  In 1968 his shoulder injury limited his playing time and in 1969 he spent most of the season in the minors. After the 1969 season he was bought by the California Angels and operated mainly out of the bullpen. He would still get the opportunity to pinch hit every now and then, even after being dealt to the Angels.In all Queen spent parts of 9 seasons in the Majors, compiling a 3.14 ERA and a .179 batting average. 

After his playing days were over, Queen worked as a pitching coach in several different organization, both major and minor. He even served as interim manager of the Blue Jay for the final 5 games of the 1997 season after Cito Gaston was fired . 

I noticed a couple of gaps when looking at Mel Queen's baseball cards. He had Topps cards from 1964-1972 but was missing in the 1965 and 1970 sets. For his Card That Never Was, I made this 1970 Topps card showing him in his first season in California.

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I rate this card a solid 4. Set filler. Even though it was his second rookie card, Ellis had a good year on the mound in 1964. And while Queen's year was not as good, it was interesting to see him listed as an outfielder even though he spent most of his career pitching and even went on to be a pitching coach.

1976 Topps Rookie Infielders: Craig Reynolds, Lamar Johnson, Johnnie LeMaster, Jerry Manuel

The random number generator picked the first 1976 rookie card for this blog. This one included an interesting cast of characters.

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First we have Craig Reynolds in a Pirates uniform. He would appear again on a 1977 Topps rookie card as a Pirate even though he was traded to the expansion Seattle Mariners in December of 1976. He was selected to represent the Mariners in the 1978 All Star game. After the 1978 All Star game. After the 1978 season the Mariners would trade him to the Astros for pitcher Floyd Bannister. Reynolds would once again be selected to the All Star team and would spend the next 11 seasons in Houston. 

Although he already had a card in the 1977 Topps set, he was on a rookie card again and in the wrong uniform. So for his Card That Never Was, I gave him a do-over. This time he has his own card on the Mariners.

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Lamar Johnson was drafted by the White Sox right out of high school in 1968. He wouldn't make his MLB debut until 1974. He played for the Sox most of his career splitting time between 1st base and DH. After the his production dipped in the 1981 season he was signed the Rangers. He was cut during 1983 spring training.

Johnson is best know for singing the National Anthem before game one of a double-header on June 19, 1977. He then went on to have 2 solo home runs and a double. These were the only hits the Sox had all game. It gave Wilbur Wood his first win since having his knee shattered by a Ron LeFlore line drive over a year earlier. The Sox beat the A's 2-1 in game 1 and beat them again 5-1 in game 2.

For his Card That Never Was, I went for a pre-rookie variation. He had actually played in parts of the 1974 and 1975 season for the White Sox, so I decided to put him on a 1975 Topps card.

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Johnnie LeMaster was the Giants #1 pick in the 1973 draft. In 1975 he got his first big league at bat. After missing first 2 offerings by Hall of Famer Don Sutton, LeMaster lined the 3rd pitch up the middle. It took a wild bounce over the center fielder's head and LeMaster had a stand-up inside the park homer in his first MLB at bat.

He is best known for going into a game with the word "Boo" on his nameplate. He was getting boo'd a lot so his wife suggested he change his name to "Boo".  It only lasted half an inning before the general manager made him change into his official uniform and fined him $500. But it cemented his place in baseball lore.

For his Card That Never Was, I created this 1971 Topps Greatest Moments style card commemorating Boo's only at bat.

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Jerry Manuel had only 2 cards during his playing days. This rookie card and a 1982 Fleer card of him on the Expos. Manuel played in 96 MLB games over 5 seasons with the Tigers, Expos and Padres. He is better known as the Manager of the White Sox from 1999-2003 and the Mets from 2008-2010. He was voted Manager of the Year in 2000 as he led the Sox to a 1st place finish in the Central division.

For his Card That Never Was, I made him a card commemorating his most productive MLB season. He had a career high 63 plate appearances and rode that "Mendoza Line" batting .200 exactly, also a career high. Here is a 1981 Topps card of Jerry Manuel.

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I'm feeling a bit generous giving this a 4. Only Reynolds was ever in an All Star game, but Manuel became Manager of the Year. Johnson and LeMaster both had memorable games that make for good bar-stories. What can I say? I'm a sucker for a good story.

1964 Topps Colts Rookie Stars: Steve Hertz, Joe Hoerner

Steve Hertz was signed as an 18 year old by the Houston Colt .45s in 1963. He labored in the farm system from 1964-1969 but did come up for cup of coffee with the Colts in early 1964. Hertz remain involved with the sport well after his playing days were over. He managed at the high school level then junior college level in Miami amassing 778 JUCO victories. He even coached the Tel Aviv Lightning in the Israel Baseball League.

Impressive as all that is, the thing that fascinated me while researching Steve Hertz is that he had only 4 plate appearances in 5 games. He had 3 strikeouts, no hits, no walks, was not hit by a pitch, never stole a base, yet he scored twice. His first run came against the Cubs. He popped up to Lou Brock in left field. When Brock dropped the ball Hertz ended up on 2nd base. He scored on another error. Ernie Banks mishandled a Rusty Staub grounder to first base. His second run came as a pinch-runner against the Phillies. He filled in after Al Spangler drew a base on balls. A passed ball, 2 walks and a single later, Hertz was crossing the plate for the second and last time in his short career.

Year   Age  Tm Lg G PA AB R H RBI SB BB SO   BA HBP IBB
1964    19 HOU NL 5  4  4 2 0   0  0  0  3 .000   0   0

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 5/8/2015

Although his MLB career was anything but giant, I created this 1964 Topps Giant Card That Never Was to honor a player with some of the strangest MLB stats I have come across.

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Joe Hoerner was originally signed by the White Sox in 1957 before being taken by the Colts in the 1961 minor league draft. He remained primarily a minor league pitcher with the exception of 1 game in 1963 and 7 in 1964 for Houston. The Cardinals picked him up via the Rule 5 Draft in 1966. He immediately assumed the role of closer, finishing 39 games and  earning 13 saves. He would help the Cardinals to the World Championship in 1967. In 1968 he would have his best year going 8-2 with a 1.47 ERA. He would also have 17 save, the 2nd most in the NL.

He was traded to the Phillies after the 1969 season as part of the infamous Curt Flood for Dick Allen trade in which Flood refused to report which ultimately led to free agency. He was the Phillies sole representative at the 1970 All Star game but never left the bull-pen. He continued pitching through the 1977 season with the Phillies, Braves, Royals, Rangers and Reds. He would finish his career with a record of 39-34 with 98 saves and an ERA of 2.99.

For his Card That Never Was I am going to re-use a 1969 Topps League Leader card I made for Cards That Never Were in recognition of his statistically best MLB season.

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As usual, I found the stories behind these players more interesting than the card itself. But for that same reason I have to give it a 4 "Set Filler".

1969 Topps Dodgers Rookie Stars: Tom Hutton, Alan Foster

My last post featured a player that had appeared on 5 different multi-player rookie cards, Bill Davis. In this randomly selected post another player, Tom Hutton had appeared on multiple rookie cards, 1967, 1969 and 1972.

Hutton was also a subject of a card featured on my other blog. A few years,  I used an image of Tommy Hutton on the Minor League Player of the Year card. back when I was recreating the 1972 Topps award cards,

For the M.L.P.O.Y. I used the Most Valuable Players from the 3 different AAA leagues that were affiliated with MLB ballclubs. Tommy Hutton was the Pacific Coast League MVP in 1971 for the Dodgers affiliate Spokane Indians. The other MVPs were Bobby Grich of the Rochester Red Wings, the Orioles' affiliate in the International League, and Richie Scheinblum of the Denver Bears, the Senators' AAA team in the American Association.

Hutton spent a little time with the Dodgers in 1969 but most of the season he was playing in Spokane. With the Dodgers depth in the infield, Hutton wouldn't crack the Majors for good until he was traded to the Phillies after his minor league MVP season in 1971. Primarily a first baseman, he would play until 1981 with the Phillies, Blue Jays, and Expos. 

During his MLB career he was fairly well represented on cardboard, In addition to his 3 rookie cards, he had solo Topps cards from 1973-1981 he even had a Hostess, a Doruss and a Fleer card. So for Tommy Hutton's Card That Never Was, I am simply reposting the card that I made commemorating his Minor League MVP season:

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Alan Foster was featured on the Sports Illustrated cover in March of 1968, touting him as one of the best rookies of 1968.  He shared the cover with the 1968 Rookie of the Year, Johnny Bench as well as Don Pepper, Mike Torrez, and Cisco Carlos.

Although 3 of them had rookie cards in 1968, Foster would have to wait until 1969 for Topps to put his face on cardboard. 

Don Pepper never did get a card at all. However, I did make this card of him. I did it at the request of a follower of my other blog, Cards That Never Were. The actual request was for 1968 Tigers cards, specifically asking for Jim Rooker among others. I decided to pair Rooker up with Pepper for this 1968 Rookie Card That Never Was.

Foster had a solid if not spectacular MLB career. He pitched from 1967-1976 with the Dodgers, Indians, Angels and Padres. He was 48-63 overall with an ERA of 3.74. Topps had cards of him in every set from 1969-1977. So for his Card That Never Was I decided to give him a card to compliment his Sports Illustrated Cover. Now all 5 rookies have 1968 Topps cards.

Rather than making another Dodgers Rookie card, I made this one a "Major League Rookie Stars" card and included Hall of Fame manager Bobby Cox. His one and only Topps card from his playing days was actually in 1969 and came with the "Topps 1968 All-Star Rookie" designation. He only played at the Major League level for 2 years, 1968 and 1969, before his bad knees caught up with him.

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For my final grade of this card, I have to give it a 4, "Set Filler". While neither player was a star at the Big-League level, both had long solid careers.