Random Topps Card of the Day: 2004 Topps #296 Carlos Tosca

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Saturday, April 6, 2013:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 2004 Topps #296.
• Name, position, team: Carlos Tosca, manager, Toronto Blue Jays.
• Major League Debut: n/a. Managerial Debut: June 3, 2002.
• Last Line of Statistics: 2003 stats (Blue Jays): 86-76 3rd (AL East).
• Any special information about manager: Promoted to Manager 06/02/2002.
• Any special information about this specific card: Tosca's second regular Topps card as a manager (total includes both Topps and Topps Traded cards).
• Commentary: When Carlos Tosca took over the reins of the Toronto Blue Jays after a 20-33 start, he became the fifth native Cuban to manage a team in the major leagues. The Jays finished with a 58-51 record under Tosca, giving him a shot to manage the team the following year. Although he never played in the major leagues, Tosca had 17 seasons of minor league managerial experience, starting in the Yankees Gulf Coast teams in the 1980's, and as high as Greensboro for two seasons. After two years away from the game, he returned to the GCL, this time for the Royals, even spending the 1991 campaign with the Baseball City Royals of the Florida State League. When the Marlins came into existence, they hired Tosca to run their Gulf Coast team before moving him up the ranks through Kane County, Portland (ME), and Charlotte). In 2001, the Braves hired Tosca to manage their Triple A team in Richmond. In 17 seasons managing in the minors, he compiled an astounding 1163-1081 record, including the 1996 Eastern League champion Portland Sea Dogs. In 2003, Tosca's Jays finished a respectable third place (against the Yankees and Red Sox, third place was pretty good) at 86-76. However, with the Blue Jays were struggling in the 2004 campaign, Tosca was fired after 111 games, leaving the Canadian franchise with a 47-64 record. He has since served as Fredi Gonzalez' right hand man, acting as bench coach with him first with the Marlins in 2007, and then moving with him to the Braves in 2010.
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.07-$0.20.
• How many cards of this person do I own?: 2 cards.

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: 1956 Topps #149. Come back at 1:00 PM CST to see who (or what) it is.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama