Random Topps Card of the Day: 2003 Topps Traded and Rookies #T170 Matt Diaz

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Tuesday, April 13, 2010:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 2003 Topps Traded and Rookies #T170.
• Player Name, position, team: Matt Diaz, outfielder, Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
• Major League Debut: July 19, 2003.
• Last Line of Statistics: 2002 stats (AA-Orlando): 122 G, 449 AB, 71 R, 123 H, 28 2B, 1 3B, 10 HR, 50 RBI, 31 SB, .408 SLG, 34 BB, 72 SOM .274 AVG.
• Any special information about player: Drafted by the Devil Rays #17th, June 1999. Bats: right, Throws: right.
• Any special information about this specific card: Diaz' first regular Topps card. The 2003 Topps set, with it's easy to chip blue borders, incorporated a rather large "1st Year Card" foil stamp on all the rookie cards (this was before the dreaded Rookie Card Logo of 2006-2009). One of 110 "First Year Cards" in the 2003 Topps Traded set. This card is an ERROR CARD because the large blurb on the back mentions that Diaz was "drafted in the 17th round at the 199 First-Year Player Draft. Dinged Corner moment: three blue-padded chairs just in front of fence not being used. Why are they there? Diaz was a California League (A) All-Star, and moved up to the Devil Rays organizational ladder to the Orlando Rays before the end of the 2002 season. He started the 2003 campaign with the Orlando Rays the following year. After a couple of seasons with the Devil Rays, Diaz made his way to Kansas City for a season with the Royals. He was traded to Atlanta at the end of the 2005 season, where he is now one of Braves' everyday outfielders. Primarily a left fielder, he can play all three positions well.
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.30-$0.75.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 8 cards.

Tomorrow's card will be: 2007 Topps #585. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. We're looking back at a card from 2007 here on the blog tomorrow.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama