#429 Greg Booker

Card thoughts: Greg Booker looks really young in this picture, but on his earlier cards, he looks really old. Probably because he aced the mustache.

The player: Greg Booker was a man with a dynamite arm, but man did he have control issues. In 1982, while pitching at Class-A Reno, the guy walked an incredible 157 batters in 161 or so innings (against 87 strikeouts). That season would be Booker’s last full time as a starter, as he moved up the ladder steadily, despite ERAs that never went below 5, and walks galore. Somehow making the majors at age 23 (11 2/3 innings pitched, 9 walks), he was a stellar contributor to the Padres pennant run in 1984, keeping his ERA below 3 throughout July and August.

It was good enough for a roster spot in the postseason, where pitched fine against the Cubs, but then lost his control in Game 3 of the World Series, walking 4 in one inning.

Booker got a card in this set, perhaps because he pitched in the World Series, because he barely pitched at all in ’85 (22 1/3 innings pitched, and ugly 6.85 ERA). He finally righted the ship in 1987 (after an ’86 season mostly in the minors), and had a decent year as a middle reliever (while marrying his future boss’s daughter—Kristi McKeon).

But ironically, once his father-in-law, Jack McKeon, took over as manager (in addition to his GM duties) in 1988, he barely pitched. Booker was booed mercilessly, while he often went two weeks between relief appearances. While his ERA doesn’t seem all that bad (3.39), he had become the team goat. By the middle of the 1989 season, Booker was gone, traded to the Twins for Terrible Freddie Toliver. Invited to spring training by the Cubs in 1990, he was cut before the season began, and ended up pitching his last 2 games with the Giants that season.

Booker still works in baseball (as a scouts), after previously working for a long time as a pitching coach (including from 1997-2003 for the Padres). He has no hard feelings for his father-in-law: He lived next door to him for several years.

Rear guard: Back before pitching prospects were protected like rare jewels, it was common to see a 19-year phenom appear in the majors. Expansion teams especially had the propensity to rush first round draft picks to the majors in order to create some buzz. Little did Franklin know that he would never pitch again the majors after 1971. The poor guy couldn't buy a ticket out of Alexandria (Texas League) for three years, and he missed the entire 1972 season after injuring his elbow. Even sadder, after never making it back to the pros, Franklin's wife left him, his father committed suicide, and he suffered from paranoid schizophrenia. His mental illness caused him to overeat and chain smoke. He blames baseball for his problems. Franklin currently resides in a group home. 

#413 Tim Flannery

Card thoughts: Tim Flannery: The “Augie Ojeda” of San Diego. There’s something about light hitting utility infielders that makes them the perennial “fan favorite.”

The player: The legend of Flannery in San Diego probably stems from the fact that he hit the ball Leon Durham booted to allow the tying run to score in Game 5 of the 1984 NLCS. It certainly wasn’t his hitting prowess.

Flannery, although a poor major league hitter, feasted on minor league pitching. He hit .350, .345, and .346 his first three years in the minors. He finally called up for good in 1982, where he became the Padres starting second baseman, hitting .240 with little power (.646 OPS).

The Padres wanted more offense out of the second base position, so for the next few years they tried Juan Bonilla (.605 OPS) and Alan Wiggins (.671 OPS, but with 70 steals) there. Flannery spent 1983 and 1984 backing these guys up, as well as #103 Luis Salazar (who was a good hitter but poor fielder at third).

Flannery did get some backup action in the NLCS, where he scored 2 runs in three plate appearances. With the departure of Wiggins in 1985 (mainly due to drug problems), Flannery once again became the starting second baseman, a position he held until 1988. His OPS during 1985-1986 actually was better than the league average, but he slumped badly in 1987 (a .228/.332/.254 line).

It was back to riding the pines for the rest of his Padre career, a fact that did not make him any less endearing to the local fans. Flannery would come to the plate to the strains of The Ride of the Valkyries, and his final game in 1989 caused a prolonged standing ovation.

In retirement, Flannery managed in the Padres system, and has become Bruce Bochy’s right hand man, coaching third for him with the Padres and Giants. Flannery also plays music leading a hardcore band called Flannery’s Flannel. You may have heard their angry stomper “The Raging Circle”, or caught their infamous You Tube video where they burst a water pipe at a basement show in Little Village . . . naw, just kidding. Flannery plays generic, MOR music that, while not offensive or without talent, is certainly not too challenging.

Rear guard: Here's Flannery's first Topps card. As for the other guys on this card, Brian Greer was a former #1 draft pick who played just 5 major league games. Amazing he got to the majors at all. Greer struck out an astronomical amount, leading the Texas League in 1979 with 153 while hitting just .229. Jim Wilhelm got in 39 games in 1979, his last year as a pro. Some prospects.

#380 LaMarr Hoyt

Card thoughts:  LaMarr Hoyt is smiling in this picture. But the burly pitcher was about to have a rough couple of years off the field.

The player: Hoyt was a late bloomer. He had an inconsistent minor league career, where he would pitch well seemingly only every other year. Drafted by the Yankees, Hoyt was traded with Oscar Gamble to the White Sox in 1977 for future Yankee hero Bucky Dent. With the White Sox, he was demoted from AA all the way down to the low-A Midwest League, where he won 18 games at Appleton. He finally stuck for good in the majors at age 25 (three years later), when he won 9 games in 1980 after being called up to the White Sox in early June.

Hoyt was sent to the pen in 1981, where he was the co-team leader in saves with 10. At this point, he just looked to be an average pitcher, who would probably just end up as a swingman. But in 1982, Hoyt would lead the league in wins with 19. He was even better the following season, as he won an astonishing 24 games, despite having an ERA just above league average. The key to his success was his control: He also led in WHIP (1.029), walks per 9 innings (1.1) and strikeouts to base on ball ratio (almost 5 to 1).

Hoyt’s superb pitching propelled the White Sox into the playoffs, where he beat Scott McGregor in a pitchers duel in Game 1 of the ALCS, 2-1. Although the Sox lost the series, Hoyt would win the Cy Young Award after the season.

The next year, both the Sox and Hoyt tumbled. Although his excellent control didn’t desert him, he was hitting the fat part of the plate too much, and Hoyt wound up leading the league in losses (18).

After a blockbuster trade to the Padres, Hoyt experienced a massive turnaround, going 16-8, and being named the starting pitcher for the 1985 All Star Game. He not only won the game, but was named the MVP.

But everything began falling apart for Hoyt after the season. A doctor told him his rotator cuff was shot, and it was unlikely he’d ever pitch again. He was arrested trying to smuggle marijuana, valium, and Quaaludes (possibly to self-medicate a problem he had with insomnia) across the Mexican border.  Sent to rehab, he missed all of spring training, a pitched poorly through the shoulder pain during the season (8-11, 5.15 ERA). Having not learned his lesson, Hoyt again attempted to smuggle valium and Quaaludes across the border and was again caught by Customs. This time, he went to jail and when released, he was suspended by the baseball commissioner, Peter Ueberroth, under the “Just Say No” policy of baseball. When reinstated, he was promptly released by the Padres. Signed to a “make-good” contract with the White Sox, Hoyt was once again busted for drugs, this time intent to distribute cocaine and marijuana.

The drug problems effectively ended his career at 31. He apparently has gotten his life together, and has worked as a roving instructor for the White Sox.

Rear guard: Dave Roberts is NOT the more recent Dave Roberts (he also played two seasons in San Diego). There was also a pitcher named Dave Roberts who pitched for the Padres from 1969-1970). This Dave Roberts had a career year in 1973, belting a career high 21 home runs. Roberts would only hit 26 more in a 10 year career. Here's his 1974 card.

#323 Jerry Davis

Card thoughts: So many dull “yearbook” Padres photos in this set. I can recall #182 Bobby Brown and #262 Mario Ramirez in almost the same exact pose as Davis. This would be Davis’ only base Topps card (he also appeared in the 1985 trade set, sporting glasses).

By the way, his name is misspelled. It should be “Gerry.”

The player: A smart man, Davis was originally drafted by the Red Sox out of high school for $10,000 but elected to go to college (with a $35,000 scholarship). He earned a sociology degree from Howard University. Wisely, he said his reason for turning down the Red Sox was that, since the odds were stacked against him making the majors, or even AAA, he wanted to have something to fall back on. Davis used his degree in the off season when, after being drafted by the Padres, he was a substitute teacher in the off-season.

Davis was an “organization” man for the Padres, who constantly tinkered with his approach at the plate. This is confusing, because he had the enviable combo of speed and power. For instance:

·        --Davis led the Carolina League in home runs (34), runs (114), slugging (.614), and on base percentage (.504). Note that last statistic . . . Davis walked an incredible 161 times, which has got to be some kind of league record;

--He kept hitting in the Texas League, sporting a .353 average
 

·        --And finally, he dominated at AAA Las Vegas (although the desert air certainly helped).

Despite his natural gifts, the Padres tried turning him into an opposite field slap hitter for some reason. Eventually, he got a real shot at the majors just before this card was issued. Usually used as a late inning defensive replacement and pinch hitter (Davis started just 9 games in the outfield), he hit .293 but was still sent down near the end of the year.

Davis had a good chance of making the club out of spring training in 1986. But a knee injury in January robbed him of one of greatest assets (his speed), and he ended up missing the entire 1986 season because of it. This was sad, because Davis seemed like a very hard worker who couldn’t catch a break.

The knee injury, and likely the Padres believing Davis acted irresponsibly by trying to come back too soon, led to his release. He was picked up by the Tigers but was stashed all the way down in A-ball while his knee continued to recover. He did reappear in the Padres organization, when he was loaned to their AA club mid-season. But, seemingly discouraged, Davis gave up playing at young age of 28 after the season.

Rear guard: All the good firsts happened to Davis during his brief September call up in 1983. In his debut, he replaced left fielder Bobby Brown in the line up in right field, with #10 Tony Gwynn moving over to left. His first RBI came on a big day against the Braves when he had two hits, scored a run, stole a base, and drove in Kevin McReynolds.

#306 Padres Leaders

Card thoughts: The Padres, coming off a pennant the year before, slipped to third in 1985, although they were still above .500. Their record was 83-79.

The player: Okay, although it is true that #230 Terry Kennedy arrived in a trade the winter of 1980, he didn't play his first game with the Padres until April 9th, 1981. #297 Tim Lollar, who was traded at near the end of the 1985 season, made his Padres debut a few days later. Tim Flannery and #262 Mario Ramirez also made their debuts that season.

Rear guard: This card is badly miscut and more worn than usual on the corners. The one surprise on the batting side is #67 Carmelo Martinez, leading the team with 21 home runs. He'd never again hit this many.

Note the strange font on Andy Hawkins. Despite the addition of big game pitcher LaMarr Hoyt, he had the most wins on the team. The variety of the pitching leaders shows the depth of the Padres starting rotation. Every pitcher but #37 Mark Thurmond had a record above .500 and had double digits in wins.

According to the WAR statistic, the most valuable Padre was #10 Tony Gwynn.

#286 Luis DeLeon

Card thoughts: The dugout/mug shot pervades this set. I’d rather have the posed “action” shots of the 60s and 70s (or at least show DeLeon outdoors, not like he’s being shot in an office somewhere). Interestingly, two of the players he was involved with in a trade (#278 Sixto Lezcano and #281 Steve Mura) have recently been discussed here (and are both shot in the dugout). This would be DeLeon’s last Topps card.

The player:  Not to be confused with #75 Jose DeLeon, but probably confused many people as a child, as his other brothers were also named Luis (he was nicknamed “Mambo”). DeLeon, as a younger man, was a really good closer for the Padres. As a rookie, he saved 15 games, won 9, and had a 2.03 ERA. This got him ranked fifth in the Rookie of the Year voting that year. More of the same was in store in 1983. Although his ERA went up by half a run, he was still under 3. DeLeon saved another 13 games that season. His out pitch was a sweeping slider (he threw sidearm), which he had a tendency to hang.

But the Padres acquired veteran Goose Gossage to close out games in 184, so DeLeon was shifted into middle relief for the division winners. He did not take well to the role, and his ERA ballooned above 5. This got him left off the post season roster. DeLeon was not much better the season following, as he got little work (only 38 2/3 innings) and sported another mediocre ERA.

He was released by the Padres after the season, and that was the last regular major league work he got. DeLeon did hang around in pro ball until 1995, pitching a bit for the Orioles (20+ innings in 1987) and Mariners (1 game, his first start in the majors). But his real passion was the Puerto Rican Winter League. He represented the team a record 12 times in the Caribbean Series (career record: 4-2).

Rear guard: For his first save, DeLeon pitched 2 innings and gave up only 1 hit.  

Here are Jack Baldschun's wins: 

• April 24: 3 shutout innings (in relief), 4-1 win over the Astros
• April 26: 2 shutout innings (in relief), 5-2 win over the Reds
• May 1:    3 more shutout innings, closing out a 4-3 win over the Braves
• May 11:  1 2/3 shutout middle relief innings in a 4-2 win over the Cardinals.
• May 30:  Dealt the Expos their 14 loss in a row, closing out a 3-2 victory.

Jack Baldschun was a really good long reliever for the Phillies in the mid 60s, twice winning over 10 games and leading the league in games pitched his rookie season. His card from that year would be his final one.

#262 Mario Ramirez

Card thoughts: This is seriously one of the weirdest cards in the set. Even as a kid, I found it hilarious. I mean, what the hell is Ramirez looking at? Does he think the camera is to the right of him? Or is he just a real goofy guy?

This Ramirez' last Topps card. He looks pretty strange on his 1985 card as well.

The player: Ramirez was drafted by the Mets in 1976, and it soon became apparent that the man simply could not hit. He never hit above .240 in the minors with the Mets, and was prone to the strikeout. Ramirez was such an excellent fielder, however, that he started the 1980 season with the Mets, despite hitting only .218 the year before. Sent down in the late spring, he hit only .208 the rest of the year in the minors.

This didn't dissuade the Padres, who drafted him in the Rule 5 draft in 1981. He still had a hard time hitting in the majors, as evidenced by his .071 and .174 averages in the next two seasons (although he at least got above .250 at AAA Hawaii those years). Ramirez finally became the full-time defensive replacement for #90 Garry Templeton in 1983 and he had a career high 136 at bats . . . and he hit a meager .196, but with a decent .634 OPS, considering his low average.

In the Padres' pennant winning 1984 campaign, Ramirez was even more horrific, hitting .119 (only 7 hits in 59 at bats!), but at least getting on base at a .278 clip. (Amazingly, Ramirez was on the major league club the entire season for the only time in his career).

Despite hitting a career high .283 the season represented by this card, the Padres realized that it was a bit of a luxury carrying a guy on the roster whose only real role was to backup one guy and who couldn't really hit. The 38 games Ramirez would play in 1985 would be his last in the majors.

Rear guard: Here's Gaylord Perry's card from that season. Perry would go on to pitch until he was 44, ending his Hall of Fame career with the Royals pitching 5 innings and giving up 3 runs in a loss to the Angels.

#244 Craig Lefferts

Card thoughts:  Another great photo showing a pitcher in the midst of his motion. You usually can't see this angle when watching a baseball game. It's obvious that part of Lefferts' effectiveness is because he hides the ball so well.

The player: Craig Lefferts was a lefthanded relief pitcher in the days when that didn’t mean pitching to just one guy. And, although rarely hitting, Lefferts is actually the last pitcher to win the game with a home run. It came off the Giants’ Greg Minton in 1986.

Lefferts was born on an army base in West Germany, but played college ball here in the United States, where he won the deciding game in the 1980 College World Series. Drafted by the Cubs, he only played his rookie season with them before being traded to the Padres in a three team trade that brought Scott Sanderson to the Cubs.

Lefferts had a breakout season his first year with the Padres, as his career low 2.13 ERA solidified the Padres bullpen and helped them win the pennant for the first time. He gave up no runs in both playoff series. The 83 games Lefferts appeared in 1986 led the league, and it seemed like he would have a home in San Diego for years to come.  But the Padres traded him in a massive trade to the Giants in just after the 1987 Independence Day.

Lefferts helped the Giants to two playoff berths, and soon became the team’s closer, saving 11 and 20 games from 1988-1989. He continued in this role after he was traded back to the Padres, saving 23 games, ranking in the top ten each of the two seasons he relieved for the team.

A curious thing happened in 1992. After not having started in 8 years, Lefferts was converted by the Padres into a full time starter. Apparently, he was upset after he lost the closing job to offseason acquisition Randy Meyers. Surprisingly, Lefferts was very effective as a starter, going 13-9 with a 3.69 ERA. He was so good, that the Orioles wanted him as a starter for their stretch run, and traded Ricky Gutierrez to get him. Unfortunately for the O’s, he only went 1-3, and they lost the East to the Blue Jays.

Returning the relieving the following year with the Rangers, Lefferts found the magic was gone. Perhaps the career high (by a lot) innings he pitched in 1992 affected his arm. His career high 6.05 ERA was worrisome; his 17 home runs given up in just 83 1/3 innings, appalling.

After a final season with the Angels (he was released in early July), Lefferts retired. He has been a pitching coach in the minors since 1999.

Rear guard: Lefferts was starting when he got his first win against the Pirates. He pitched 7 1/3 innings, giving up only 1 run (on a Tony Pena RBI single), even though he walked 4 and struck out only two.

Bob Miller was a 12-year veteran reliever in 1971, even though he was only 32. The Padres were the second of three teams he pitched for that year, and he won 7 games and had a fine 1.41 ERA. He pitched 4 relief innings in Game 1, and won after the Padres scored a run in the bottom of the 12th on an RBI single by .083 hitter Tommy Dean. In the second game, Miller pitched two more innings. Once again, the Padres prevailed by tying the game in 8th, and winning the game in the bottom of the 9th inning on a double by the heroically named Angel Bravo (who was actually pinch hitting for Miller). Here's Miller airbrushed into a Pirates uniform, his last team of that year.

This date in baseball history: This was the day, in 1981, that #90 Garry Templeton was fined and suspended for obscenely gesturing to St Louis fans after failing to run out a ground ball.