#422 Mike Jorgensen

Card thoughts: Jorgensen is an example of a player that was around a lot in baseball in my youth, but has virtually disappeared: The late-inning defensive replacement. He was an even rarer breed: The late inning, defensive first baseman replacement. In this case, he backed up Jack Clark, never a great fielder. Here, he sits in an aquarium for the Topps photographer, looking rough and old (he was 35).

The player: Jorgensen came up with the Mets during their glory years in the late 60s/early 70s. He began his career much the way he ended it: Backing up a poor fielding, good hitting first baseman, in this case Donn Clendenon. After an initial two seasons where he rarely started a game, Jorgensen was traded to the Expos and became their starting first baseman. Although he was a great fielder, and even won a gold glove in 1973, he didn’t hit for enough power to be a first baseman (although, he had a fine batting eye, good enough to earn him an OPS above .900 in 1974).

The Expos were willing to trade hitting for fielding, so when they acquired Tony Perez, Jorgensen played sparingly, and he was soon traded to the A’s. This effectively ended his career as a starter. After this, it was a rare year that he averaged more than 1 ½ at bats per game.

What really affected Jorgensen’s ability as a hitter, however, was a terrible beaning he got when he was a Ranger. Andy Hassler beaned him early in the 1979 season. After attempting to come back, it was found that he had a blood clot in his head that could have killed him.

Jorgensen was sent back to the Mets in 1980 for Willie Montanez (who had been sent to the Rangers in a mid-season deal). He was more of a super utility guy for the Mets, playing first and all three outfield positions. Eventually, the Mets acquired Keith Hernandez, who was a great hitter and fielder, leaving Jorgensen’s role superfluous. After playing about 80 games with the Braves over parts of two seasons, backing up Chris Chambliss, Jorgensen landed in his final spot, St. Louis. In the post season, he pinch hit three times and played left field once, without doing anything of note.

I did not remember this, but Jorgensen managed the Cardinals for part of the 1995 season, replacing Joe Torre. He now works as a scout for the organization.

Rear guard: "Squint tighter. And they're (the stats) gone." -- Aaron Stauffer

#370 Vince Coleman

Card thoughts: On the verge of one of the most spectacular rookie seasons ever, I remember just being completely afraid, everytime Coleman was on base. You just knew he’d steal at least second (and probably third), and no one was going to catch him. Think: Billy Hamilton

The player:  What is it about champion base stealers? Like Rickey Henderson, Coleman’s arrogance eventually alienated many of his teammates. Unlike Rickey, he didn‘t have the all-around talent to back up his lofty pronouncements of his talent.

Coleman began setting base stealing records in college, and he continued while in the minors. Despite missing a month with a broken hand, Coleman stole an incredible 145 bases at Macon (South Atlantic League) in 113 games in 1983, which was the minor league record before Billy Hamilton broke it a year ago. He stole another 101 bases at Louisville, as he bounced up two and half levels in 1984.

Coleman came up with the Cardinals when Tito Landrum was injured early in 1985, and he immediately started stealing up a storm, ending up with a rookie record 110 steals (and the third highest total in major league history). Coleman was a perfect fit for spacious, astroturfed Busch Stadium, although, despite his great speed, he wasn't much of a left fielder.

However, there were some bumps on the way to his unanimous selection as Rookie of the Year. When he was compared  to Jackie Robinson, he claimed not to know who he was. And the speed masked the fact that Coleman was just an average hitter, who didn’t walk much for a guy with no power (his 115 strikeouts were sixth in the league).

Another pitfall that was not Coleman’s fault occurred when he was stretching in the outfield during the NLCS. While he was stretching, the automatic tarp unrolling machine started up, and rolled over his leg, incapacitating him for the World Series. Tito Landrum, Coleman’s replacement, hit .360 in the series, but they missed his speed.

Coleman would go on to lead the league in steals for all six seasons he was with the Cardinals, including having over 100 steals in each of his first three seasons. He finally made the all star team in both 1989 and 1990. A highlight of this period was Coleman’s 50 straight steals in 1990.

As one of the top leadoff men in baseball, Coleman was highly sought after when he declared free agency after the 1990 season. He eventually signed a four-year contract with the Mets. The Mets were in their most dysfunction phase in the early 90s, with former stars #250 Dwight Gooden and #80 Daryl Strawberry dealing with substance abuse issues and injuries. Unfortunately, the addition of Coleman added to this dysfunction (although he did replace Strawberry). A myriad of injuries kept Coleman from playing in more than 100 games in any of the years for played for the Mets. Even worse, leg injuries sapped his speed, which was his only plus tool. When Coleman was on the field, he caused a myriad of problems including:

--Ignoring coaches’ steal signals on the basepaths

--Fighting with coach Mike Cubbage (and thereby showing up manager Bud Harrelson) when he hit out of order in batting practice

--Claiming that the poor playing surface at Shea Stadium was keeping him out of the Hall of Fame (since he couldn’t steal)

--Recklessly swinging a golf club in the Mets clubhouse, injuring Dwight Gooden’s arm

--And most notoriously, hurling a firecracker into a crowd of autograph seekers at Dodger Stadium, injuring three people including a little girl.

Tiring of Coleman’s antics, the Mets sent him to the Royals in 1994 for way more than they should have gotten, slugger Kevin McReynolds. Although he was able to play in more games with the Royals, and stole 50 bases, Coleman was now viewed as damaged goods, a mercurial, arrogant player prone to injury. He did seem to clean up his act once he got to Kansas City, but he was on the move often in his last few years in baseball, going from the Royals, to the Mariners, to the Tigers, and to the Reds as little more than a backup outfielder. He ended his career at AAA Louisville in 1998 when he didn’t get called up by the Cardinals.

Despite his career as a regular basically being over at age 28, Coleman still ranks sixth all-time in stolen bases, and had a remarkable career steal rate of 80%. Since retirement, he has been a minor league base stealing instructor for the Cubs and other teams.

Rear guard: Coleman would only hit 28 career home runs, and his first was an inside-the-park home run off #24 Len Barker. 

Everyone knows about Joe Cunningham right? Well, Joe seemed like a good prospect, but he never really panned out. He only hit 9 more home runs the rest of 1954, and only 64 over a 12-year career with the Cardinals, White Sox, and Senators. Here's his "collage" card from 1955.

#350 Jack Clark

Card thoughts: Jack Clark, grade-A jerk.

The player: I remember Jack Clark as the only legitimate power source on the Cardinals of the mid eighties. But he also had a reputation as a malcontent, and was an indifferent fielder in his younger days in right field, necessitating a move to first when he joined the Cardinals.

Jack Clark is a modern sabermetician’s dream.  He consistently put up an OPS above .800, as his ability to draw walks (6 times over 90), and hit home runs (over 20, 10 times; over 30, once) was a winning combination. Drafted as a pitcher (he started 2 games in Rookie League), Clark consistently hit over .300 and showed a knack for driving in runs in the four years he spent in the minors. At age 21, he replaced Bobby Murcer as the Giants right fielder, and had a .407 slugging percentage in his rookie year. Clark soon became one of the Giants star players, posting a .537 slugging percentage in 1978 (and making the all star team, as he also did in 1979).

With the Giants, Clark was a consistent run producer, driving in 98 in 1978, 103 in 1982, and scoring over 90 times in 1978 and 1980. But after he tore his knee up in 1984 (limiting him to 57 games, although he did hit .320), he was sent to the Cardinals for a bunch of youngsters. Since the Cardinals played on Astroturf at the time, and Clark had terrible range in right ever without the knee injury, he was put at first.

Clark supplied the missing power bat that the Cardinals needed to get them to the World Series. In 1985, he hit 22 home runs and drove in 87 while slugging .502. Because of the lack of power hitters, Clark was frequently intentionally walked when runners were in scoring position (14). In the playoffs, he won the deciding Game 7 when he hit a two out, three run home run in the bottom of the ninth. He drove in another four runs in the World Series in a losing cause.

Clark lost most of the 1986 season to injury, after tearing a ligament in his thumb after sliding into third I n a game in July. But he came roaring back in 1987, in an MVP worthy campaign (93 runs, 35 home runs, 106 runs batted in, and a league leading 136 walks, .459 on base percentage, .597 slugging percentage, and a 1.055 OPS). Oh, and Clark started the all star game at first. Not to say there weren’t bumps along the way. Clark tied a record when he committed three errors in an inning against the Braves. He booted a grounder by Albert Hall, failed to catch a throw from Ozzie Smith on a #76 Dion James fielder’s choice, and then threw wildly past second to allow James to go third. Additionally, Clark was felled by a sprained ankle at the end of the season, which limited him to one pinch hitting appearance in the NLCS. Some Cardinal players felt that he should have made a better effort to play despite the injury.

Clark signed with the Yankees after the season, in a move that some felt was a thawing of the collusion the owners engaged in in the 1985 and 1986 off seasons. But despite putting up his usual stellar numbers (27 home runs, 93 runs batted in, 113 walks), he was unhappy in New York, which included a ligament tear in his leg, because of the “Win-now” mentality. So he was happy when he was sent to the Padres, where he filled the sole-power source role he held with the Cardinals. Clark drove in 94 runs in 1989, and the led the league in walks for the next two years, but he was aging fast.

The obvious role for an aging slugger was as a designated hitter in the American League. In 1991, Clark joined the Red Sox and he had a solid season exclusively at designated hitter (28-87-.249). After 80 more games in 1992, he retired.

In retirement, Clark has continued to be both irresponsible and jerky, without the luxury of home run production to cover it up. After years of overspending, he went bankrupt  in 1994, and tried many things to recover, including drag racing. He also was a hitting coach with the Dodgers around the turn of the century, where supposedly Albert Pujols’ trainer told him Phat Albert was full of juice. On the radio show he had been hosting for about a week, Clark repeated this unsubstantiated claim, and, aside from being canned, he’s now being sued for libel by Albert Pujols.

Rear guard: I recall seeing this rookie card at a flea market and salivating over it, but it was probably like $5, too much for my young wallet.

Only Danny Thomas on this rookie star card doesn't have a card in this set. Ruppert Jones was an all star when this card was issued, Lee Mazzilli was already becoming the most popular/most talented Met of the late 70s, and Danny Thomas aka the Sundown KId flamed out spectacularly, when he became very religious and refused to play from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday. He later hung himself in jail at age 29 after being charged with rape.

#324 Bob Forsch

Card thoughts:  If you outlined the flail of Forsch’s arms and legs, you would have an interesting Chinese character.

The player:  Forsch relied on control rather than power as a pitcher, which meant that he was reliant more than most pitchers on the fielding and hitting that supported him. This meant Forsch was an inconsistent winner and, by the standards of the time, had an unusually high amount of no decisions. A long time Cardinal, he is a surprising third all-time in wins for the club (163).

Forsch began his pro career as a third baseman, but soon converted to pitching. Unlike many converted pitchers, Forsch remained a force at the plate. He won the Silver Slugger award in 1980 and 1987, and once hit over .300 (1975). In his career he hit 12 home runs and had a .213/.235/.321 triple slash line.

Called up in 1974, Forsch sported ERAs below 3 for the first two years of his career. Afterwards, his ERA was eerily close to 3.76 (his career ERA) for the next several years.

After winning 15 games in 1975 (and following an off year in 1976), Forsch would win 20 games for the first, and only time. Another highlight came in 1978, when he hurled a no hitter against the Phillies. Despite this, the season would be the worst of his career, as his 17 losses (against 11 wins) was 2^nd in the year.

The next several years, Forsch won 10-11 games a year until 1982, when he was instrumental in the Cards 1982 World Series season. His 15-9 record was easily his best since 1977, and although he shut out the Braves in his only NLCS start, in the World Series he was ineffective, losing both of his starts.

Forsch yo-yo-ed back to a losing record in 1983, although he did become the only Cardinal to ever pitch two no-hitters when he blanked the Expos on September 26. After being injured for much of 1984, he once again reached the World Series with the Cardinals in 1985 after a regular season record of 9-6. Once again, he faltered in the Series, losing his only start after giving four runs in just over an inning of work.

Although Forsch won 14 games in 1986, he was beginning his decline. Still valuable as a good veteran clubhouse presence, he famously drilled Jeff Leonard in the back after the latter “hot dogged” a home run earlier in the 1987 NLCS.

Forsch finished out his career with two sub-par seasons with the Astros. He got back into baseball in 2009 as the pitching coach for the Billings Mustangs, the short-season A ball affiliate of the Reds. He died November 3, 2011.

Rear guard: Forsch's first major league win was an easy one, as he went the distance against the Braves, beating them 10-0. He also had a single. 

#294 Danny Cox

Card thoughts: Interesting card. Cox could be anywhere. Pitching at an indoor practice facility? Warming up on the warning track, the green outfield wall looming behind? On some remote savannah? One thing I do know: Bright red and green do not mix. Even if you aren’t color blind.

The player: Along with John Tudor and #150 JoaquinAndujar, Cox would form a powerful trio for the 1985 pennant winners. This would be his only great season in an 11 year career.

Born in Northampton, England (not sure whether his dad was in the service or not), he was certainly in America by his college years, as he attended Troy University in Alabama. Cox made his debut in 1983, and became a more regular member of the rotation in 1984 when he went 9-11 in 27 starts. He wasn’t afraid to brush back hitters, as his league leading 7 hit batters in ’84 attests.

No one could have foreseen the 18-8 record that Cox had just put up when this card was issued. He also placed in the top ten in ERA (2.88), winning percentage (.667), innings pitched (241), complete games (10), and shutouts (4). Cox played a pivotal role in the post-season, as he pitched brilliantly in the World Series (1.29 ERA over 2 starts), although he did not record a decision.

That was the last time Cox would be considered a star pitcher. He went 12-13 in 1986, and 11-9 in 1987. The latter season, Cox again came up big in the playoffs, clinching the pennant for the Cardinals with a 6-0 shutout of the Giants. But he only managed 13 starts in 1988, and finished with a 3-8 record.

The next two seasons, Cox was out of baseball, as he tore a ligament in this elbow in spring training in 1989 and needed Tommy John surgery. Frustrated, Cox grabbed a cameraman by his throat at the St. Louis airport when he tried to ask him a question. He resurfaced with the Phillies, where he would have his last season with over 100 innings. With his body apparently not up to the strain of being a starter, Cox was shifted to the bullpen after being released by the Phillies. The Pirates picked him up in the middle of the 1992 season, and he pitched well out of the ‘pen, especially in the NLCS (yes, the Pirates used to go the post-season quite a lot).

Cox would sign with another World Series winner in 1993, the Blue Jays. He had his best season as a reliever that year, going 7-6 with a 3.12 ERA over 83 2/3 innings. That success did not translate to the World Series, as he nearly blew the deciding game by giving up 2 runs in a third of an inning. He would last two more injury-prone seasons with the ‘Jays before hanging ‘em up in 1995.

Since his retirement, Cox has coached in independent ball and at a high school near his home in southern Illinois.

Rear guard: "Danny's" debut was against the Phillies . . . and he pitched 10 innings of shutout ball! Ah, the days of no pitch counts. Bruce Sutter blew it in the 11th, so no win for Cox.

I also find it odd that they chose to highlight a 8 strikeout performance. Usually, a pitcher is only noticed if he trikes out more than 10.