I can’t believe the first box is almost gone. Of the 612 cards in the box I am sure to have around 500 cards of the set. Since it is starting to get to the point where doubles might occur more frequently, I decided to open the packs and check for doubles before I write this, since it makes writing it a bit easier. I am trying to do at least 4 OT posts a week. Since they eat up a considerable amount of time I can’t do them everyday. I do however try and post every day. I find that it is becoming ever increasingly difficult to buy cheaper autographs on eBay. It seems I now have competition on every card I go after and my win rate went from about 80% down to 50% over the last two weeks. What can you do? I got an autographed ball and baseball cap of Zach Duke recently and as soon as that comes in I will post it. Here is pack 25.
1. Rich Gedman
Position: C
Team: Red Sox
Card Number: 740
Age: 27
1987 Stats: 0.205/1/13 in 151 at bats
Awards: None
Player Notes: The Sox began the re-tooling project in 1987 and unfortunately the first to be re-tooled was Gedman. He was pushed aside for Marc Sullivan and John Marzano. Both of which were about as good as Gedman.
Fun Facts: He is involved with the Easter Seals Campaign.
2. Ken Phelps
Position: DH/1B
Team: Mariners
Card Number: 333
Age: 32
1987 Stats: 0.259/27/58
Awards: None
Player Notes: He may not have gotten too many at bats, and was never really considered a starter but man, could he hit home runs. At this point in his career he was hitting them at about 1 in every 11 at bats. That is just astounding. Next year would be the big trade to NY.
Fun Facts: He and his wife are parents of one son.
3. Tony Bernazard – All Star Card
Position: 2B
Team: Indians
Card Number: 607
Age: 30
Stat on the back: Steals – Rickey Henderson was one with 87, Tony had 17.
Player Notes: Baseball Reference doesn’t have him on the All Star team in 1986. Is this another Topps screw up like Domaso Garcia from 1986.
4. Luis Aguayo
Position: 2B/SS
Team: Phillies
Card Number: 755
Age: 28
1987 Stats: 0.206/12/21 in 209 at bats.
Awards: None
Player Notes: Easily the best season of his career. Out of the 37 total home runs he hit in his 10 year career, he kncoked out 12 in this season. He was a backup his entire career where he excelled in playing 2b, ss and 3b.
Fun Facts: He lists movies among his favorite pastimes.
5. Bob McClure
Position: P
Team: Expos
Card Number: 707
Age: 35
1987 Stats: 6-1/3.44/1.28 and 5 saves in 53 appearances.
Awards: None
Player Notes: He spent nearly a decade on the Brewers before being traded to the Expos. The Brewers thought he was done, but obviously they were wrong since he turned in a fin performance in this season. One of the better middle relievers in the league.
Fun Facts: None
6. Expos Leaders
Card Number: 381
Offensive Leaders: Tim Raines and Andre Dawson
Pitching Leaders: Tim Burke and Floyd Youmans
7. Rick Manning – Final Season
Position: OF
Team: Brewers
Card Number: 706
Age: 32
1987 Stats: 0.228/0/13 in 114 at bats.
Awards: None
Player Notes: He was never accepted in Milwaukee because he was part of a trade that sent Gorman Thomas packing. Thomas was a big hometown favorite and former home run champ and the fact that Manning was nothing like Thomas, made his stay in Milwaukee that much tougher.
Fun Facts: None
8. Tony Walker
Position: OF
Team: Astros
Card Number: 24
Age: 27
1987 Stats: Played in the minors
Awards: None
Player Notes: Tony only played in the majors for one season (1986) when he went 0.222/2/10 in 90 at bats. He never made it back to the pros and spent the majority of his career milling around in AAA.
Fun Facts: He was discovered by the Cincinnati Reds while playing in the Mexican League.
9. Rance Mulliniks – 3B/SS – Blue Jays – 537 – Double, previously reviewed in pack 6.
10. Sid Fernandez – P – Mets – 570 – Double, previously reviewed in pack 6.
11. Eric Plunk – P – A’s – 587 -Double, previously reviewed in pack 6.
12. Mike Pagliarulo – 3B – Yankees – 195 – Double, previously reviewed in pack 6.
13. Wade Rowdon – 3B – Reds – 569 – Double, previously reviewed in pack 6.
14. Joe Price – P – Reds – 332 – Double, previously reviewed in pack 6.
15. Terry Harper – OF – Braves – 49 – Double, previously reviewed in pack 6.
16. Mike Kingery – OF – Royals – 203 – Double, previously reviewed in pack 6.
17. Billy Hatcher – OF – Astros – 578 – Double, previously reviewed in pack 6.
Well, you knew, just knew that the doubles were going to be a coming. This was definitely an ugly pack for that. As far as the non doubles go they were a bunch of backups and no name guys. This might be the lowest rated pack I have done of the 1987 set. As I bestow the rating of 1.0 star. Just a hideous pack, one that if I had bought it, I would have thought it sucked even back in 1987. Stick around because I should have another Tale from the Bargain Bin up here soon.
Interesting that you got so many doubles from the same pack. Looking back through my list from my first box of ’87 Topps, it looks like five was the most from any single pack.
I wonder, based on the production runs, if it would be possible to pull two identical packs from the same box? Or how many boxes you’d have to open before finding two identical packs.
Is card placement truly random, or are there just so many possible combinations of 792 cards that it seems completely random?
I believe that Topps picks their own version of an All-Star team based on the idea that maybe someone had a better year than the actual person that was picked to be on the MLB All-Star team. Most of the time they are the same since Topps doesn’t have cards for all the players that make the All-Star team just a player at each position. Since there might be 5 outfielders on the real All-star team Topps just pick a couple to represent their own All-Star team. In the case for the 1986 year, the only AL second base All-Star was Lou Whitaker. In the end I think Topps picked Tony Bernazard(.301/17/73/17) for his numbers because at the end of the year they were a bit better than Lou Whitakers (.269/20/73/13.
jjekiss is correct. topps picks their own all stars every year. 1B, 2B, 3B, C, 3 outfielders and LH and RHP for each league.
Wow! Did Damaso Garcia have a better season than Franco in 1985? Seems far fetched, but possibly. By the way I give the edge to Franco because 0.301 is a lot better than 0.269, where as the other stats are a wash.
Julio Franco was mainly a SS until 1987.