- Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 2005 Topps #628.
- Player Name, position, team: Joe Nathan, pitcher, Minnesota Twins.
- Major League Debut: April 21, 1999.
- Last Line of Statistics: 2004 stats (Twins): 73 G, 72.1 IP, 1-2, 14 R, 13 ER, 89 SO, 23 BB, 0 GS, 0 CG, 0 SHO, 44 SV, 0.98 WHIP, 1.62 ERA.
- Any special information about players: Drafted by the Giants #6th, June 1995. Traded by the Giants to the Twins 11/14/2003. Bats: right, Throws: right.
- Any special information about this specific card: Nathan's fifth regular total includes regular and traded cards only). The 2005 Topps set was one of the best designs of the first ten years of the new millennium. Easy to read gold foil on white card stock, easy to sort by player or team name, easy on the eyes. What a beautiful set. Anyway, there wasn't a more dominant closer in the American League in 2004 than Joe Nathan. Look at that WHIP (0.98) and ERA (1.62). In his first year as the Twins' full-time closer, you couldn't have asked for more than what Nathan accomplished. With 44 saves, including a Twins' record 27 in a row, he finished third in the AL in that category. He made the All-Star team for the first time in 2004, and has been a steady presence in the Twins' bullpen. He may have been sidelined by injury in 2010, but don't think for a moment that he won't come back better than ever before next year.
- Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.07-$0.20.
- How many cards of each player do I own?: 22 cards.
Sincerely,
JayBee Anama
1 comment:
I share your sentiments regarding the 2005 set -- easily one of the pinnacles since I've been collecting (1977). The backs were also a model of excellence, able to present a lot of information clearly and yet not skimp on the photo: WHIP and OPS had appeared, yet even long careers (e.g. Jamie Moyer) were easy on the eyes. The final year of the Retired Signature series only reinforced the stellar design -- great to see Bob Feller and so many other HOFers in this style. That little diamond at the bottom of the back photo always stumped me, though -- it didn't highlight the player's position or anything. Just a cool graphical element, I suppose. A great, great design!
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