Random Topps Card of the Day: 1998 Topps #443 Dennis Reyes

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Tuesday, November 20, 2012:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1993 Topps Traded #80T.
• Player Name, position, team: Dennis Reyes, pitcher, Los Angeles Dodgers.
• Major League Debut: July 13, 1997.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1997 stats (Dodgers): 14 G, 47 IP, 2-3, 21 R, 20 ER, 36 SO, 18 BB, 5 GS, 0 CG, 0 SHO, 0 SV, 3.83 ERA.
• Any special information about player: Signed with the Dodgers as a Free Agent 07/05/1993. Bats: left. Throws: left.
• Number of regular Topps Cards (includes regular and traded cards only): 3. This is his first Topps card.
• Blurb on the back: "Dennis was the ML's youngest pitcher when he made his debut last July 13.  To many, he looked like hte second coming of Fernando Valenzuela in style and appearance.  Said teammate Brett Butler:  'He walks like him, he takes deep breaths, he pulls up his pants like him...the whole thing.  It's kind of comical.'"
• Commentary: One of my biggest complaints (yes twitterverse, I do have some problems with some of Topps decision making) is that at 660 cards, there is no way to get a complete team's worth of players in the eponymous set (unless you're on the *cough  - Yankees - cough*).  When I started looking for "Dennis" Reyes' Topps cards, the Number One Source in the Hobby indicates he had a total of 10 cards (this is just Topps, not Bowman, not Fleer, not Donruss, not UD...just Topps), and that his latest card is from 1999.  I thought that couldn't be right only because Reyes' career spanned all the way to 2011!  Then I went to Baseball-Reference only to find that spells his name "Dennys."  Typing Topps Dennys Reyes comes up with an additional eighteen cards, with the last one from 2005 Topps Total.  His last Topps card in the big set is from 2001.  WHAT??!  This is why I get upset because he was a middle reliever (spot starter with the Royals in 2004) for ten teams during his career, and Topps didn't think he was good enough to get a card after 2001?  He had some great years with the Twins and Cardinals from 2006-2010.  And in 2006, with the Twins, he was 5-0 with an ERA of 0.89 (that is not a typo...there is a zero in front of the decimal point) in 66 games.  With the Twins, he went 10-1 with an ERA of 2.14.  In two seasons with St. Louis, he appeared in 134 games, and must have done well enough to have LaRussa and Duncan constantly go to him in games.  In 1998, after 11 games where Reyes went 0-4, he was traded to the Reds (with Paul Konerko) and as a starter, went 3-1 in seven games.  Yes, Topps has slighted this man from having more cards in the base set.  He should at least have gotten cards during his Twins and Cardinals years.  But I guess if you're a middle reliever, you're not worthy of getting a Topps card.  Rant over.  After a year with the Red Sox (he appeared in four games), he signed with the Orioles for the 2012 campaign, but did not report to camp and was subsequently released.  It is unclear if he is going to tryout somewhere for the 2013 campaign.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 3 cards.

Tomorrow's card will be:  1982 Topps #282. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. We're looking back at a card from 1982 here on the blog tomorrow.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama