Over on my main blog, I have a series of intermittent posts titled “There Were Way Too Many Cards Per Set In The Junk Wax Era“, highlighting cards given to guys that played few or no games in the given year, or even never appeared in the big leagues!
Also, cards were given to the #1 draft picks. During this time, the rookie card phenomena started, and so then cards were given to these youngsters. As a rule, baseball draft picks are the biggest risks in any pro sports, because you just never know how these kids are going to react to pro baseball, which has so many differences from high school and college ball.
So, now, when you pull a card like the above, for Ronnie Walden, you have several questions that thanks to the intarwebs, you can answer:
A. Who the heck was he?
B. What the heck happened?
C. Were the Dodgers really that stupid to draft guys like Dan Opperman, Bill Bene, Kiki Jones and Ron Walden in back-to-back-to-back-to-back years?
Briefly, I can answer these questions. Walden was a hot prospect as a lefty starter, and drafted in the first round in 1990 by the Dodgers. He had a great first few starts in the Pioneer League at age 17.
Then he hurt his arm and shoulder, and was done in 1993, having pitched 30 2/3 professional innings.
Sure, it wasn’t his fault his gifted left arm was also fragile, but any one looking at this card now will go, why did they do this? Was it to make the numbers? Fuel speculation? Cause people to buy packs like crazy to put aside the draft picks just in case?
Card companies would NEVER do that…would they?
792 that’s all I can say, that was the magic # of a set in the years of the junk wax. Until Bowman, this was the real home of the rookie card, just base no gimmicks, for every dud there was a stud, Chipper Jones just to ring a bell, no prospect is ever proven until he is proven, but in the late 80′s early 90′s Rookie cards were base cards.
Topps is still making cards for players who will never make the Majors beyond a cup of coffee. Just look at what Bowman is now and Topps base up until a few years ago when the RC, etc. status was tightened up by MLB and MLBPA. Unfortunately for team collectors, Topps would rather put in a ‘prospects’ and ‘draft picks’ over the team utility players and relief pitchers.