The Definitive Collection (Baseball Edition) – 1992 Carlos Delgado

Player Name: Carlos Delgado

Sets From: 1992 Bowman

Card Numbers: 127

Why is this card a must have?: Delgado was destined for greatness even in the minors.  He was a man child catcher coming up through the ranks and finally broke into the majors in 1993.  He came up as a catcher / outfielder.  In 1995 he finally made his debut at first base and never looked back.  He has had himself (very quietly) a very solid, Hall of Fame worthy career.  If you look at his resume, he has 2 All Star appearances, 3 Silver Sluggers, and 4 top 10 MVP finishes (including last season).  While never being a season leader throughout his career.  I would instead consider him a stat stacker.  At only 37 this year, he is only 31 home runs from reaching 500 for his career.  Last season he hit 38 so it’s not out of the question.  After 2007I would have told you he was done, but last year was just sensational.  He went 0.271/38/115 and was a major reason why the Mets were able to stay in the pennant race as long as they did.  I think he has at least 2 yearsleft in him and in the end should have enough to get him in the Hall.  All time he is 30th in slugging %, 37th in OPS, 85th in total bases, 67th in doubles, 30th in home runs, 50th in RBIs, 71st in walks, 39th in extra base hits, 20th in intentional walks, 19th in at bats per home run, I think you understand where I’m going here.  He was a top of the line player who led a quiet career.

Scale of 1 – 10, how must have are these cards: 9, he never played for media savy teams and because of that had a career that for the most part flew under the radar.  A closer look at his numbers should impress you and the baseball writers 7-9 years from now where he should be a first ballot Hall of Famer.  The card books for $12, but on eBay none of his cards are going for around 5 – 6 dollars (slightly higher if  graded).