Random Topps Card of the Day: 1999 Topps Traded and Rookies #T19 Paul Hoover

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Saturday, December 1, 2012:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1999 Topps Traded and Rookies #T19.
• Player Name, position, team: Paul Hoover, catcher, Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
• Major League Debut: September 8, 2001.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1998 stats (Hudson Valley A-NY-Penn Leauge): 73 G, 269 AB, 51 R, 76 H, 20 2B, 1 3B, 4 HR, 37 RBI, 26 SB, .409 SLG, 39 BB, 44 SO, .283 AVG.
• Any special information about player: Drafted by the Devil Rays, #23rd, June 1997.  Bats: right. Throws: right.
• Number of regular Topps Cards (includes regular and traded cards only): 2. This is his first Topps card.
• Blurb on the back: "Drafted out of Kent University as a shortstop in 1997, the Devil Rays decided the 6-1, 200-pound Hoover had outgrown the position, but would be an exceptionally athletic catcher.  He has since impressed the Rays with his quick conversion to the physical and mental demands of that position.  His arm strength is above average, and he shows quick feet."
• Commentary: When I found out that Topps finally brought back their Traded set after a three-year hiatus, I was ecstatic.  Finally, a product that would include players in their new uniforms that were not included in series 2, the rookies that would make an impact during the season, and draft picks.  Man I miss those, especially since I don't collect Bowman.  Anyway, the 1999 Topps Traded and Rookies set, although not numerically sequenced by the player's last name, was grouped in the following fashion:  Rookies/Prospects (by last name, by team last name...Angels, Astros, Athletics, etc), ten draft picks (bookended by Devil Rays prospects Josh Hamilton and Carl Crawford), and then the veterans at the end.  Hoover was among the rookies/prospects selected to represent the Devil Rays contingent (along with pitchre Ryan Rupe).  Hoover did make his debut in 2001, but his major league career consists only of 40 games played through 2010.  His career totals include a .250 batting average, 0 home runs, 8 rbi's, an OPS of .566, and defensively, a fielding percentage of .984.  Hoover, however, is not a one-eponymous-Topps-Card-wonder.  He appears in the 2008 Topps Updates and Highlights set as a member of the Marlins (#UH149) with the mandated Rookie Card logo to boot.  At 105 career plate appearances, if he managed to get himself back to the majors as a player, he would still be considered a rookie, even though the back of his Topps card would have seven lines of statistics on it.  In 2009, he signed on with the Phillies organization, and appeared with the Phils appeared in 12 games in two seasons.  In 2012, he was hired by the Rays to be the manager of the team's rookie level Gulf Coast League Rays team.  
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.12-$0.30.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 2.

Tomorrow is Retro Sunday, the one day of the week that we feature a card from 1951-1975. The card we will feature tomorrow is: 1968 Topps #213. Come back at 1:00 PM CST to see who (or what) it is.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama