Friday, May 10, 2013

Random Topps Card of the Day: 1983 Topps #269 Ron Oester

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Friday, May 10, 2013:


  • Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1983 Topps #269.
  • Player Name, position, team: Ron Oester, second baseman, Cincinnati Reds.
  • Major League Debut: September 10, 1978.
  • Last Line of Statistics: 1982 stats (Reds): 151 G, 549 AB, 63 R, 143 H, 19 2B, 4 3B, 9 HR, 47 RBI, 5 SB, .359 SLG, 35 BB, 82 SO, .260 AVG.
  • Any special information about player: Drafted by the Reds #9th, June 1974. Bats: both. Throws: right.
  • Number of regular Topps Cards (includes regular and traded cards only): 11. This is his fourth Topps card.
  • Blurb on the back: "Ron celebrated his 26th birthday by collecting 2 Singles and a Triple with 2 RBI's vs. Astros, May 5, 1982."
  • Commentary: Wouldn't it be great if every team in baseball could make a more concerted effort to draft and sign homegrown talent, akin to what colleges do? Many college programs try to recruit heavily either within the state or at least in the cities that they are based. I'd find it interesting if a team of 25 Chicagoans took on a team of 25 Cincinnatians for example for some real bragging rights? Then again, I'd think the Cincinnati team would win. The Reds have done a fantastic job scouting local talent, many of whom eventually make it as a member of the Reds. Barry Larkin is a prime example of a native of the Queen City to make an impact with the Reds. Pete Rose? Yes, he was born in Cincinnati too. Another Cincinnati-born Red was Ronald John Oester, who manned second base for the Reds for most of his thirteen years in the majors. While not a power hitter or a flashy fielder, he quietly did his job at the plate and on the field. He would reach what would eventually be career highs in both home runs (11) and rbi's (58) in 1983. He also hit career highs in strikeouts that year too (106) while hitting .264 with an OPS of .707. In 1987, Oester's season was ended by a torn ACL caused by a combination of a collision and getting his cleats caught in the artificial turf utilized at Riverfront Stadium. It would be more than a year before he returned to action. He won the Hutch Award in 1988, which is given to a player who "best exemplifies the fighting spirit and competitive desire." By 1990, he was relegated to the bench as Mariano Duncan took more of the starts at second. He still hit a good .299 and drove in 13 rbi's in 64 games. He was added onto the Reds' playoff roster, and as a pinch hitter, went 2-4 with an run driven in as the Reds won the 1990 World Series. It was a nice sendoff for Ron, whose major league playing career ended after the season was over. He finished his career with a .265 average, 42 home runs, 344 rbi's, 40 stolen bases, and an OPS of .679 in 1276 games played as a Red. He presently is an infield instructor for the Chicago White Sox.
  • Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.05-$0.15.
  • How many cards of this player do I own?: 14.
Tomorrow's card will be: 1998 Topps #68. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Flash back with the blog tomorrow.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

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