#366 Reds Leaders

Card thoughts: The Reds were a team that finished second in the AL West in 1985 (89-72). Part of that is attributable to Rose's skill as a manager, as they had only a few standout players. But they were a well constructed team.


The player: Very dirty corners on this card. Of course, #1 Pete Rose and  #85 Tony Perez predate Davey Concepcion as Reds, but they left the team for a spell in the late 70s/early 80s.

Rear guard: Dave Parker completely dominated the offense: He finished second in MVP voting, and he led the league in RBIs (most of his other totals were in the top ten as well).

Beyond the 1-2 punch of Tom Browning (who won 20 as a rookie despite a league average ERA) and Mario Soto (who would go on to have a much better career than browning), only #176 Jay Tibbs started more than 30 games. Kind of surprising to see #54 John Franco, who would go on to record over 400 saves, play second fiddle to #108 Ted Power.

#336 Indians Leaders

Card thoughts: The Indians were an abysmal team in the mid-80s, mostly because of awful pitching. They finished last in 1985 (60-102). The 102 losses tied a team record, also set in 1914 and 1971. The record was subsequently broken when the Indians lost 105 games in 1991.

The player: #59 Andre Thornton has already been featured in this blog. I’m surprised the longest tenured Indian isn’t #136 Mike Hargrove.

Rear guard: The best position player on the Indians this season was Brett Butler, at a WAR of 4.7. As you can see from the offensive leaders, there was nothing wrong with the hitting, as you had budding stars Brett Butler, Joe Carter, Julio Franco, and Brook Jacoby all putting up good numbers (the Indians were in the top ten in many offensive categories in 1985).

On the other hand, well, the pitchers put up a 4.91 ERA, last in the league. The best of them was Bert Blyleven, who was put out of this misery by being traded to the Twins late in the season. Most of bullpen pitchers had ERAs over 4, and some with ERAs over 6. The starters had three pitchers who lost 10 or more games, yet none who won more 6. Note that Neal Heaton appears as the co-win leader with 9. Heaton wouldn’t have a Topps card until the 1987 traded set. As a kid, this meant that for all intents in purposes, Heaton did not exist.

#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.

#276 Yankees Leaders

Card thoughts: Since the Yankees weren't really consistent division winners in this era in baseball history, I didn't really hate them like I (and I'm sure many of you) do now. They were more hapless. However, this season the Yankees won 97 games and finished 2nd to the Blue Jays, only 2 games back.

The player: If Ron Guidry had come up earlier in 1976, he'd be on the front of this card.

Rear guard: Despite the dominance of #180 Don Mattingly (the AL MVP) on the leader board, Rickey Henderson was the most valuable Yankee, according to WAR. The 211 hits, 146 runs, 48 doubles, 145 runs batted in, and 80 steals all led the league.

As for pitchers, Ron Guidry's 22 wins led the league. But look at that team leading strikeout total: 146 by Phil Neikro. It's really rare these days to see that.

#246 Phillies Leaders

Card thoughts: The Phillies had an off year in 1985, as they went 75-87, finishing 5th. They would rebound the subsequent season to finish in the 1st division in the NL East.

The player: #120 Steve Carlton is discussed in great length earlier in this blog. He was nearing the end of his career, and did not lead the Phillies in any pitching category. The 2nd longest tenured Phillie was fellow hall-of-famer Mike Schmidt.

Rear guard: About what you would expect on the hitting side of the leader board, except the astonishing fact that Glenn Wilson, having a career year, would lead the team in RBIs. Wilson would never again come close to 100 RBIs, and was better known for his awesome arm in right field than his hitting.

On the pitching side, a bunch of unmemorable names other than Kent Tekulve, nearing the end of a great career, and Kevin Gross, who was suspended for scuffing the ball in 1986.

This date in baseball history: Milt Pappas of the Cubs loses a perfect game in 1972 on a controversial call by the home plate umpire in 1972. After Larry Stahl walks on a 3-2 pitch, Pappas retires Gary Jestadt to get a no-hitter.

#216 A's Leaders

Card thoughts: The A’s were in one of their periodic doldrums in 1985. They went a not so horrible 77-85, good for 4^th in the American League West. They had an almost identical record from 1983-1986.

The player: Dwayne Murphy has already been featured on this blog (#8, the first non Pete Rose card in the set). He must have grown a mustache in the meantime, because he is clean shaven on his base card. In his first game with the A’s, Murphy acted as a defensive replacement for Miguel Dilone in left field after Gary Alexander had pinch hit for him in the 7^th inning. Murphy would get one at bat and flew out to centerfield against Angels pitcher Dave LaRoche.

The current dean of the A’s is catcher Kurt Suzuki (5 years).

Rear guard: Only Curt Young would be a part of the A’s dynasty that would begin just a few years later. One thing that stands out is Mike Davis. This was definitely a career year for him, and he would never appear as a team leader again. The other is Chris Codirolli. Although he was the top A’s pitcher, I have no recollection of him, or his card.

This date in baseball history: Joe Sewell strikes out twice in a game against the White Sox in 1930. This is important because Sewell would only strike out 1 other time in 353 at bats that season, an almost unimaginable feat today.

#186 Astros Leaders

Card thoughts: The Astros finished 3rd in 1985, ending up with a 83-79 record. The next season, with many of the same players, they would win the Western Division.

The player: Jose Cruz ended up playing 2 more seasons with the Astros. He started his Astros career with a bang, going 3 for 4 and hitting a 3 run home run off hall of fame pitcher Phil Neikro in the Astros 6-2 win against the Braves opening day, 1975.

The current dean of the Astros is Wandy Rodriguez with 7 seasons.

Rear guard:  Of the Astros league leaders on the offensive side, Jose Cruz ranked fifth in the league in doubles and Phil Garner was 4th in league in triples. On the pitching side, Dave Smith was in the top 10 in games pitched and saves; Mike Scott was 6th in wins; and Nolan Ryan, of course, was 3rd in strikeouts.

This date in baseball history: In their first ever meeting, the Mets beat the Yankees in a spring training game 4-3 in 1962.

#156 White Sox Leaders

Card thoughts: Never have had an opinion on the White Sox either way. To me, they were always the bland team on the other side of town. Although I really thought old Comiskey was cool. The year shown on this card was a fairly good one of the White Sox, as they were in the pennant race all year, finishing 6 games back of the Royals, in third place.

The player: Richard Dotson went 97-95 with the White Sox with a 4.02 ERA over 10 seasons. I guess Topps counts the debuts of players as the day they were added to the roster, as Doton did not pitch on September 1, 1979. Harold Baines and Britt Burns joined the Sox in 1980 and were with the team the second longest at this point.

Rear guard: The twin poles the Sox offense revolved around in those days were Harold Baines and Carlton Fisk. Both put up hall of fame type numbers over their careers, but only Fisk has made it in so far. Baines was in the league top ten in batting average (8th), hits (5th), and runs batted in (4th). Walker was tied with George Brett for 5th in doubles, and Fisk's 37 home runs were just 3 behind league leader Darrell Evans.

Seaver, at age 40, was the most durable pitcher, and he led the team in ERA . This would be his last good season. The aforementioned Britt Burns was the best overall pitcher for the White Sox: His 18 wins were 3rd in the league, and he was 2nd in shutouts. No one would remember Bob James as particularly good closer, but he managed to save 32 games, good for 2nd in the league.

#126 Mets Leaders

Card thoughts: In the old NL East, the team I hated most was not the Cardinals--it was the Mets. A team full of cocky jerks who were also a very good team. That hatred has dissipated with the new divisional format, and the fact that the Mets are no longer cocky, just a little pathetic. The Mets in the 1985 season showed a precursor to the dominance they would show in 1986. Most of the same players were in place, and they came in 2nd to the Cardinals, winning 98 games.

The player: Wilson was one of the few non-jerk Mets in this era, perhaps because he was one of the few Mets who remained from the lean years in the early 80s. Wilson's debut was September 2, 1980s, not September 1 like the back says. He went 0-4 as the leadoff hitter, but he drove in a run with a fielder's choice. Interestingly, it was Wally Backman. If Backman had been hitting farther up in the order, he would have been the dean of the Mets. Instead, Wilson beat him by about 10 minutes.

Rear guard: Wilson led the the team in triples despite playing in only 93 games. Carter led in the power categories, because Strawberry played only 111 games, battling hangovers, illness, injury, and general malaise. Gooden, of course, dominated the pitching stats--Gooden's 1985 season is considered one of the best all-time. His wins, complete games, innings pitched, strikeout, and ERA stats led the league. Orosco and McDowell provided a fine lefty-righty closing combo, in the days of dual closers.

#96 Blue Jays Leaders

Card thoughts: The Blue Jays won the American East this year for their first division title. They were a team to be feared throughout the late 80s/early 90s before the New York Yankees started winning all the time.

The player: Jim Clancy was the longest tenured Blue Jay at this point, appearing in his first games as a Jay on July 23, 1977 having been taken from his original organization, the Texas Rangers, in the expansion draft . Ernie Whitt, the Blue Jays starting catcher, also appeared at the end of the 1977 season. However, he spent all of 1979 in the minors. The 2nd longest continuing servant of the Blue Jays was first baseman Willie Upshaw, appearing in his first game April 9, 1978.

Rear guard: I remember being really impressed with the Blue Jay outfield. I could never decide who was the best player: Jesse Barfield, George Bell, or Lloyd Moseby. You can see that they led in most of the offensive categories. On the pitching side, Dave Stieb's 2.48 ERA led the league and he dominated the starting pitching categories, but Doyle Alexander, whose ERA was a full run higher, was the Blue Jays' winningist pitcher. The Blue Jays also had three pitchers with double digits in saves. Tom Henke was the best of the trio.

#66 Cardinals Leaders

Card thoughts: When I think of the '85 Cardinals, all I can remember is how much I hated the Cubs playing against them. It seemed like every time a Cardinal got a single, it would turn into a double (or triple!). These pennant winners were fast. And that was lucky, because they had hardly any home run power.

The player: This is a much more exciting picture of Bob Forsch than on his regular baseball card. Forsch played all but 1 1/2 seasons in his 16-year career with the Cardinals. Tommy Herr was the second longest tenured Cardinal with a career that started in 1979.

Rear guard: A look at the pennant-winning Cardinals' offensive statistics reveals a team with a profile from the late 1910s--lots of speed and singles, little power. Tommy Herr drove in 110 runs with only 8 home runs; Willie McGee's team leading 216 hits, 18 triples, and .353 led the league (and was good for an MVP award) and Vince Coleman's incredible 110 stolen bases was a rookie record and earned him the Rookie of the Year award.

The Cardinals also had a strong pitching staff with John Tudor, Joaquin Andujar, and Danny Cox each winning at least 18 games. Tudor came in second to Dwight Gooden in the Cy Young award voting. He would never have a year even close to the incredible year he had in 1985 again (his 10 shutouts led the league).

#36 Tigers Leaders

Card thoughts: This is the second subset of the 1986 Topps set. As a kid, these were useful cards, as you could figure out some of the better players on some of the more obscure teams. Otherwise, how else would I know which Seattle Mariner to trade for? As for the design, I really don't dig the ghostly halo around these players.

The player: In a wise move, Topps chose the longest serving player on each team to appear on the front of these cards. In this case, Lance Parrish barely beat out Alan Trammell, Jack Morris, and Lou Whitaker, who all got called up in September of 1977 but got into games later than Parrish. I miss the era when players stayed with their teams longer. Those are four of the greatest Detroit Tigers in the last 50 years and they had played together for 9 years at this point. You wouldn't see that today.

Rear guard: On the offensive side, Lou Whitaker (discussed earlier on this blog) and Kirk Gibson predominate. I always thought of Gibson as more of home run hitter, but Darrell Evans led the team (and league) in homers that year . . . at 40 years old. Gibby instead led the team in steals. On the pitching side, it's all Jack Morris with the relief leads going to Willie Hernandez.