Random Topps Card of the Day: 1998 Topps #260 Topps Prospects Hermansen, Morris, Butler

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Friday, August 13, 2010:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1998 Topps #260.
• Player Name, position, team: Prospects: Chad Hermansen, outfielder, Pittsburgh Pirates; Warren Morris, outfielder, Texas Rangers; Brent Butler, shortstop, St. Louis Cardinals.
• Major League Debut: September 7, 1999 (Hermansen); April 5, 1999 (Morris); July 4, 2001 (Butler).
• Any special information about player: Hermansen: Bats: right, Throws: right; Morris: Bats: left, Throws: right; Butler: Bats: right, Throws: right.
• Any special information about this specific card: The first card for Hermansen, Morris, and Butler. The randomizer did a good job this week, picking two team leaders AND a multi-player card. Unless you looked at the back, and noticed that the statistics of each player is from 1987, you'd have no idea that this card was from 1998 (I first thought I grabbed the wrong card and this was from 1999). Other than being prospects, these three players realistically have nothing in common with each other, except for this card. Hermansen played sparingly for six seasons with the Pirates, Cubs, Dodgers, and Blue Jays. Last played professionally in the AAA-Pacific Coast League (for the Mets and Marlins) in 2007. Of the three, Morris probably had the best MLB career. He was traded to the Pirates (hey, he and Hermansen were teammates!!!) in 1998. As the starting second baseman for the Pirates in 1999, he finished third in the NL Rookie of the Year voting. In 2000, he posted lesser power numbers, but showed more patience at the plate. Injuries set him back in 2001, and by 2002, he began a trek between the major and minor leagues that finally ended in 2005. Butler was traded from the Cardinals to the Rockies in 1999 (one of the players sent to the Cards was Darryl Kile) and played for the Rockies for three seasons. He last played professionally for the Devil Rays' AAA team in Durham in 2007.
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.07-$0.20.
  How many cards of each player do I own?: Hermansen: 2 cards; Morris: 3 cards; Butler: 4 cards. Note that this means I own this card plus 1 card of Hermansen, 2 other Morris cards, and 3 other cards of Butler.

Tomorrow's card will be: 1986 Topps #223. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Flash back with the blog tomorrow.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama