- Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1996 Topps #325.
- Player Name, position, team: Juan Gonzalez, outfielder, Texas Rangers.
- Major League Debut: September 1, 1989.
- Last Line of Statistics: 1995 stats (Rangers): 90 G, 352 AB, 57 R, 104 H, 20 2B, 2 3B, 27 HR, 82 RBI, 0 SB, .594 SLG, 17 BB, 66 SO, .295 AVG.
- Any special information about player: Signed with the Rangers as a Free Agent 05/30/1986.. Bats: right. Throws: right.
- Number of regular Topps Cards (includes regular and traded cards only): 20. This is his seventh Topps card.
- Blurb on the back: "Juan slugged a milestone HR on August 21, 1995: the American League all-time record 59th grand slam of the season. In that game, he logged 5 RBI in the Rangers' 11-run first inning against the Twins, then added a double later in the contest."
- Commentary: The 1996 Topps set is the smallest eponymous set Topps had come out with since the glory days of the 792-card sets. At 440 cards, 220 per series, many players were left out of the set. The year before, injuries kept Juan Alberto (Vazquez) Gonzalez off the field until beginning of June (and then again for the first half of August). But did he ever rebound in 1996. In what would turn out to be an MVP season for the man nicknamed "Juan Gone," Gonzalez would hit .314, 47 home runs, drive in 144 rbi's, and achieve an OPS of 1.011. While he did not lead the AL in any of the offensive categories, his combined offensive numbers were enough to award him his third Silver Slugger award, and the aforementioned MVP award for the American League. One of the games brightest stars in the mid-90's, he would only get better and before the end of the decade, Gonzalez would go on to win a second MVP award, earn a second All-Star berth, and challenge for the season RBI record in 1998.
- Beckett value: $0.07-$0.20.
- How many cards of this player do I own?: 64 cards.
Tomorrow's card will be: 1981 Topps Traded #822. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. We're looking back at a card from 1981 here on the blog tomorrow.
Sincerely,
JayBee Anama
No comments:
Post a Comment