Random Topps Card of the Day: 2010 Topps #547 Brett Gardner

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Thursday, October 18, 2012:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 2010 Topps #547.
• Player Name, position, team: Brett Gardner, outfielder, New York Yankees.
• Major League Debut: June 30, 2008.
• Last Line of Statistics: 2009 stats (Yankees): 108 G, 248 AB, 48 R, 67 H, 6 2B, 6 3B, 3 HR, 23 RBI, 26 SB, 25 BB, 40 SO, .379 SLG, .724 OPS, .270 AVG.
• Any special information about player: Drafted by the Yankees, #3rd, June 2005. Bats: left. Throws: left.
• Number of regular Topps Cards (includes regular and traded cards only): 4. This is his second Topps card.
• Blurb on the back: "On May 15, 2009, just hours after a little girl at a children's hospital gave him a bracelet she said would help him hit a home run, Brett cracked the first inside-the-parker at the new Yankee Stadium".
• Commentary: The 2010 set could be remembered not only for the wave design and large team name logo on the left side of the card, but also as being the set that could be nicknamed the "All-Yankees, All-The-Time."  Why?  They won the World Series the year before, and it seemed that every player, down to the third string catcher and mop up closer, managed to get a card in the set that year.  There were even pie-in-the-face cards, an overload of World Series Relics, every third card was of someone in NY pinstripes (okay, I'm exaggerating this last one, but you get the idea).  There is even a card out there with the 2010 Topps design that is called "27 World Championships."  The Yankees are usually derided for "buying" players from other teams. Not too many realize, however, that most of the Bombers are actually home-grown talents.  Gardner is among them.  In 2010, Brett primarily patrolled left field for the Yanks.  In 123 games in left, he proved to be indispensable with a .995 fielding average, one error in 210 chances.  Just look at that picture on the card.  But it was on the basepaths that he showed the Bronx faithful that he would be one to watch in the future.  Patient at the plate (79 walks), a good hitting eye (132 hits in 477 at bats, a .277 avg), and speed to burn (47 stolen bases), helped to keep Gardner in Manager Joe Girardi's lineup.  His 2012 season was shortened thanks to injuries, appearing in only 16 games at the beginning and at the end of the campaign.  It is hoped that he returns to full strength for the 2013 season. 
• Beckett value: $0.15-$0.40.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 17 cards.

Tomorrow's card will be: 1987 Topps #749. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Until tomorrow everybody.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama