Random Topps Card of the Day: 2005 Topps Updates and Highlights #UH81 Vinny Castilla

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Tuesday, March 16, 2010:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 2005 Topps Updates and Highlights #UH81.
• Player Name, position, team: Vinny Castilla, third baseman, Washington Nationals.
• Major League Debut: September 1, 1991.
• Last Line of Statistics: 2005 stats (Nationals): 142 G, 494 AB, 53 R, 125 H, 36 2B, 1 3B, 12 HR, 66 RBI, 4 SB, 43 BB, 82 SO, .403 SLG, .722 OPS, .253 AVG.
• Any special information about player: Contract purchased by Braves from Saltillo of the Mexican League 03/19/1990. Signed with the Nationals as a Free Agent 11/16/2004. Bats: right, Throws: right.
• Any special information about this specific card: Castilla's fifteenth regular Topps card (total includes regular, traded, and 1992 MLB debut cards). The all-time Mexican Home Run Leader signed with the Washington Nationals before the 2005 season to give the Nats a power hitter in their otherwise not so potent lineup. And for a while, he did deliver, hitting .347 for the DC team in the month of April. But his best days were just about behind him, and he wound up only playing in Washington, DC, for the 2005 season. The 2005 Topps set features bold team colored ribbons bordering either side of the picture (with the team name on one side and the player's name on the other), the player's last name in big bold letters in gold foil above the picture, with a solid black band below the picture with 2005 and the Topps logo in gold foil, sandwiching the team logo in the middle. The unique thing about the 2005 Topps U & H set is that it also included the statistics from the past season, instead of leaving the stats from the previous year as the last line of stats. The back of the card, along with a second picture, also includes a picture of a baseball diamond with each of the positions circled. As the third baseman, the circle on the third base position is filled. Next to the graph is a random statistic. In Castilla's case, it highlights his career RBI total (as of the end of the 2005 season) of 1,078.
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.07-$0.20.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 30 cards.

Tomorrow's card will be: 2009 Topps #350. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. We're looking back at a card from just last year here on the blog tomorrow.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama