Random Topps Card of the Day: 2009 Topps #640 B. J. Upton

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Wednesday, January 4, 2012:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 2009 Topps 640.
• Player Name, position, team: B. J. Upton, outfielder, Tampa Bay Rays.
• Major League Debut: August 2, 2004.
• Last Line of Statistics: 2008 stats (Rays): 145 G, 531 AB, 85 R, 145 H, 37 2B, 2 3B, 9 HR, 67 RBI, 44 SB, 97 BB, 134 SO, .401 SLG, .784 OPS, .273 AVG.
• Any special information about player: Drafted by the Devil Rays, #1st, June 2002. Bats: right. Throws: right.
• Number of regular Topps Cards (includes regular and traded cards only): 9. This is his seventh card.
• Blurb on the back: "B. J. took dead aim at the postseason record books in 2008, and hit the bull’s-eye with both his power and speed. He tied the AL record with seven home runs in the postseason, and was the first player to hit more than four following a regular season of fewer than 10. And in Game 3, Upton was the first AL player to steal three bases in a World Series championship contest."
• Commentary: Readers of this blog know that I love…LOVE…the 2009 Topps design. The design was one of the best of the decades in my opinion, and the use of the team-colored scrapbook-type corners used in the design made the cards something even my wife could appreciate. Granted, the team logo on the home plate at the bottom right corner reminds long-time collectors of that other card company’s 1991 design…but hey, it still works in contrast with the solid black nameplate. B. J. Upton is presently the Dean of the Devil Rays/Rays franchise (meaning he’s been around the longest in terms of continuous service on the team), making his MLB debut at 19 years old. In fact, his first Topps cards appeared all the way back in 2002 as one of the prospects in the Topps 206 set (he even had a variation card to boot). Bossman Junior is both a threat at the plate and the base paths, and has been one of the main reasons that the franchise’s fortunes have changed for the better. And folks, he turns 28 this August.
• Beckett value: $0.25-$0.60.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 34 cards.

Tomorrow's card will be: 1999 Topps #267. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Hope you will be too.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama