Random Topps Card of the Day: 1989 Topps #710 Dave Cone

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Thursday, January 27, 2011:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1989 Topps #710.
• Player Name, position, team: Dave Cone, pitcher, New York Mets.
• Major League Debut: June 8, 1986.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1988 stats (Mets): 35 G, 231.1 IP, 20-3, 67 R, 57 ER, 213 SO, 80 BB, 28 GS, 8 CG, 4 SHO, 0 SV, 2.22 ERA.
• Any special information about players: Drafted by the Royals, #3rd, June 1981. Traded to the Mets from the Royals, 03/27/1987. Bats: left. Throws: right.
• Number of regular Topps Cards (includes regular and traded cards only): 18. This is his third card.
• Blurb on the back: "He earned his 1st major league Win: 05/12/1987. Recorded 1st major league Shutout: 05/03/1988."
• Commentary: Just two weeks ago, Cone appeared on this little segment thanks to the Randomizer. Now another Cone card shows up, and it's from my favorite set of all-time, the 1989 Topps set. The card from two years ago showed how great a pitcher Cone had become over the years. This card features Cone as he was making a name for himself as a pitcher to be reckoned with in the National League. A dominating 20-3 record, a stellar 2.22 ERA, 213 strikeouts, the Mets couldn't have asked for anything more from a young pitcher who seemed to be going nowhere the year before. He made his first All-Star team that year, placed third in the Cy Young voting, and even finished 10th in the NL MVP balloting. Because he only had three lines of major league statistics, his complete minor league stats are on the back of his card as well. We learn here that Cone was on the DL the entire year while assigned to Jacksonville in 1983, that while he showed visions of things to come in the lower leagues (including as a member of the Sarasota Royals "B" team), his stints with Memphis and Omaha didn't do him any favors. But he was called up anyway in 1986. But in a year where Orel Hershiser kept runners from scoring, and Danny Jackson would pitch a perfect game, the man my brother came to know as "Enoc" paced the Mets to the NL East division title.
• Beckett value: $0.02-$0.10.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 27 cards.

Tomorrow's card will be: 1984 Topps #89. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Until tomorrow everybody.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama