Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Random Topps Card of the Day: 1983 Topps Traded #8T Steve Baker

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Tuesday, April 27, 2010:

  • Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1983 Topps Traded #8T.
  • Player Name, position, team: Steve Baker, pitcher, Oakland Athletics.
  • Major League Debut: May 25, 1978.
  • Last Line of Statistics: 1982 stats (Athletic): 5 G, 25.2 IP, 1-1, 14 R, 13 ER, 14 SO 4 BB, 3 GS, 0 CG, 0 SHO, 0 SV, 4.56 ERA.
  • Any special information about player: Signed with the Tigers as a Free Agent 05/10/1976. Signed with the Athletics as a Free Agent 03/03/1982. Bats: right, Throws: right.
  • Any special information about this specific card: Baker's first and only regular Topps card. The original purpose of the Traded sets were to update the regular sets. As the regular set reviewed the players and stories of the previous year, the Traded set featured those players who may have changed teams during the off season or featured the rookies that didn't make the cut in the original set. On some occasions, the cards in the traded set feature rookies who shared cards with other similar prospects. In the case of Steve Baker, he saw action in five games (started 3 of them) in 1982, but didn't make the 1983 Topps regular set. Because he pitched in 35 games for the A's (what isn't shown was that he actually finished the year, and subsequently his major league career with the Cardinals), Topps included him in the Traded set. The back of the card features a number of Steve's highlights during the 1983 season, including a victory over the Tigers on April 29, a save on May 24, and another on June 9. More highlights are discussed in the "highlights" section (the first three were part of the blurb below the statistics), including a victory over the Twins on April 13, a save on April 18, and how he hurled 4 scoreless innings for the win on May 23.
  • Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.08-$0.25.
  • How many cards of this player do I own?: 1 card.
Tomorrow's card will be: 2002 Topps #335. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. We're looking back at a card from 1996 here on the blog tomorrow.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

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