Player: Eric Davis
Set: 1985 Fleer, Donruss and Topps
Card Number: 533, 325, and 627 respectively
Why is These Cards are Must Have?: Raise your hand if you thought Eric Davis was going to be a baseball superstar. Of course I have no idea howmany of you thought this way, but I know I did and I have a lot of 50 Donruss cards to prove it. In 1986 he hit 27 home runs and stole 80 bases, I thought for certain he was destined for greatness. He continued pounding the ball and rolling up stolen bases, until 1990. After that 1990 season, the wheels started to fall off and his career definitely went south. Although he did have some respectable stat lines like the 26 homers in 1996 and 28 homers in 1998. Injuries are what did him in though. He never played in more than 135 games a season, and in the seasons where he didn’t break the 100 game mark, he had serious hitting trouble. He never really put together consistent seasons after 1990, instead becoming a journeyman. In the end though you have to marvel at his early stats and that is why he is on this list.
On a Scale of 1 to 10, How Must Have Are These Cards?: A 3, I guess at some point in his career he was closer to a 10 but as the injuries piled up, his value went down until where it is today. You can find this card for about $1 – $2 on eBay.
In his heyday, did Eric Davis hustle?
Just curious. I’ve heard comparisons between him and B.J. Upton. Upton is a phenomenal talent but it’s hard to get too excited when he pimps it (read: dogs it) so much.
One of my favorite players, but I remember ragging on him quite a bit in the 1980s for being a wimp. It seemed like he was always hurt, but rarely was a specific injury given. So th joke was he was suffering from a hangnail.
Looking back now, I don’t know if he struggled with cancer in the 1980s or not. Yes, he was phenomenal. Yes, there were rumors of his Hall of Fame plaque already being made in 1987. Yes, his cards sold like hotcakes in the Cincinnati area (and were very expensive). His minor league cards are still too pricey for me, but one day I’m sure I’ll break down and buy one.
I was playing in a fantasy baseball league when Eric first came up. The league members would get together near the end of spring training to bid on players. We had a cap on how much money you could spend. Who ever ended up with Davis would have to spend almost half is money to get him.