#128 John Wathan

Card thoughts: My least favorite posed shots on Topps cards is the bat held unnaturally. It makes the player look threatening. I think Wathan's about to cream the photographer. This was his last Topps card as a player.

The player: Wathan was an opposite field singles hitter with tremendous speed. His profile is that of a middle infielder, but somehow he became the Royals regular catcher in 1982 and 1983 after Darrell Porter left. Wathan was a first round draft pick of the Royals in 1971 and he never played for another organization. With Porter catching nearly everyday, when Wathan came up in 1976, he ended up playing a lot of first base and outfield. The Royals liked his bat: He hit over .300 in part time roles in 1977, 1978, and 1980. In between those years, he had a horrible season in 1979 when he barely batted above .200. But he was dealing with his mother's murder at the hands of his deranged half-brother. Wathan's big break came in 1982 when he played in a career high 120 games at catcher. He hit .270 and set a record with the most steals by a catcher with 36. This record stands to this day. Wathan stole another 28 bases the following year, but his average dropped to .245.  He lost his starting job first to rookie Don Slaught and then veteran Jim Sundberg.

Wathan immediately became a Royals coach upon retirement in 1985. He coached for a year and then became manager of the Royals in the second half of 1987. He managed the Royals until 1991, but was not popular with teammates. They resented Wathan's high handed ways and no doubt there was a bit of friction because Wathan had been their teammate only a few years previous. He did manage the Royals to a .515 winning percentage. He would later manage the Angels in the middle of the 1992 season while regular manager Buck Rogers recovered from an accident. He currently works for the Royals organization.

Rear guard: Oh the dreaded gum stain! And there's even a piece of the pack still attached! I don't think I've seen Topps highlight a player's first double before, but since Wathan didn't get a lot of extra base hits, I guess it's important. His first double was off teammate George Brett's brother Ken, who pitched for the White Sox. It drove in Frank White.

#127 Jack Howell

Card thoughts: Howell looks like a lost gnome. Hey Jack. Like most other American Leaguers, you're in Tiger Stadium. This is his rookie card.


The player: Howell could do one thing well: hit home runs. He couldn't field at third, he struck out way too much to be a good RBI man, and he had no speed. But the hits he got were generally for extra bases. After two years backing up veteran Doug DeCinces, Howell became the Angels super sub in 1987 and then the Angels regular third baseman the next year. Through 1990, Howell played regularly. His best year was in 1988, when he had a career high 127 hits and 32 doubles, to go with 16 home runs and 63 RBIs. Howell's average kept on declining after that year, dropping to .228 and .210. After a trade to the Padres, he followed the man he supplanted at third, Doug DeCinces, to Japan. Howell's brand of power was a success with the Yakult Swallows. In 1991, he became the first foreigner to win the MVP award, having hit 38 home runs in only 113 games. Three more productive seasons followed.

Howell played in Japan until 1995 until he returned the United States, fully intending to retire. Instead, he signed back with his old club, the Angels. He must have learned something in Japan, as he began routinely slugging better than .500 in a platoon role. Howell signed after the 1997 season with the Astros, but injuries prevented him from playing more than a handful of games his last two seasons. He is currently the minor league field coordinator with the Seattle Mariners.

Rear guard: Howell's home run provided the only run the Angels would get off the Yankees that day. It came off Joe Cowley.

Willie Montanez may have played in the majors at 18, but he didn't make it back until he was 22 in 1970. Here's his rookie card. He did end up playing a productive 14 seasons for 9 different teams. He was known as a good clutch hitter.

#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.