Random Topps Card of the Day: 1996 Topps #263 Jim Thome

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Saturday, May 15, 2010:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1996 Topps #263.
• Player Name, position, team: Jim Thome, third baseman, Cleveland Indians.
• Major League Debut: September 4, 1991.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1995 stats (Indians): 137 G, 452 AB, 92 R, 142 H, 29 2B, 3 3B, 25 HR, 73 RBI, 4 SB, .558 SLG, 97 BB, 113 SO, .314 AVG.
• Any special information about player: Drafted by Indians #13th, June 1989. Bats: left, Throws: right.
• Any special information about this specific card: Thome's fifth regular Topps card (total includes base and traded cards only, and does not include his 1992 Topps MLB 91' Debut card). The Randomizer really loves the 1996 Topps set, and I do too. With it's large picture, and a simple blue name plate (with the accompanying headshot), makes for a great design. At this point in Thome's career, he was just coming into his own as a power threat, playing more than a hundred games for the first time in his career. The back of the card reads that he finished second among AL third basemen in homers (led by Gary Gaetti's 35). He finished ninth in batting average (.314), and drew the most walks by an Indian since Mike Hargrove, who happened to be the Tribe's manager in the mid 90's. During the Indians' 1995 postseason run, Thome went 8-34 (.235), with 3 home runs, and 7 rbi's. The Tribe finally made it to the World Series in 1995, just falling short to the Braves in six games.
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.10-$0.30.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 81 cards.

Tomorrow is Retro Sunday, the one day of the week that we feature a card from 1951-1975. The card we will feature tomorrow is: 1951 Topps Blue Backs #11. Come back at 1:00 PM CST to see who (or what) it is.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama