Player: Robin Ventura
Set: 1988 Topps Traded
Card Number: 124T
Why are These Cards a Must Have?: Many are going fail to see why I put him on this list. Ventura might just be one of the better third basemen of the late 80s and most of the 90s. Did you know he won 6 Gold Gloves, had 2 All Star appearances, had over 20 homers in a season 9 of his 16 years. He had 8 90+ RBI seasons, picked up 1885 hits, 295 homers, and 1182 RBIs in his career. He is generally considered one of the best collegiate players of all time. His career numbers are similar to the likes of Ron Cey, Bobby Bonilla, Fred Lynn and Vinny Castilla. He will probably go down as one of the best third baseman ever to play for the White Sox and they have never had a steady guy at the position since he left the team. He might have played for the Mets (of which I am not a fan) but he will always remain one of my favorite players. That’s why he is on this list.
On a Scale of 1 to 10, How Must Have Are These Cards?: A 6, if he would have played for the Yankees his card would have been worth a lot more, still I’m sure there are quite a few Sox fans out there that agree with me that he is one of the better Sox players of all time. You can find these cards for about $1 on eBay (more if graded).
My favorite all time player! Been waiting for this one!
Robin Ventura did play for the Yankees! He was the third baseman that A-Rod replaced. I agree, Robin was a helluva player for the Sox.
Ventura did play for the Yanks (2002-2003 I believe). I remember Ventura mostly from him charging Nolan Ryan.
Love your Definitive Collection segment, it brings back a lot of FUN collecting memories.
I think the 81, 82, 83, 84, 86, 87, and 88 topps traded sets are all 10′s to have in your collection. Why? The answer is simple. There are tons of guys that had careers similar to, maybe not as good as, Ventura’s out there and quite few of them are in these sets. Look at the checklists. Very few of them are 10′s on there own, but there are so many 5-7′s that, as a collector, you can’t not have them.
You are right, if Ventura was a Yankee, his cards would be much more valuable and in demand than they are now. I suppose that’s true with many players. Ripken, Gwynn, Thomas, Piazza. Baseball history is better off that these players were never Yankees.