Random Topps Card of the Day: 2000 Topps Traded and Rookies #T64 Brian Sanches

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Monday, December 24, 2012:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 2000 Topps Traded and Rookies #T64.
• Player Name, position, team: Brian Sanches, pitcher, Kansas City Royals.
• Major League Debut: June 01, 2006.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1999 stats (Spokane, A-Northwest): 9 G, 34 IP, 1-1, 19 R, 18 ER, 51 SO, 12 BB, 0 GS, 0 CG, 0 SHO, 0 SV, 4.76 ERA.
• Any special information about player: Drafted by Royals, #2nd, June 1999. Bats: right, Throws: right.
• Number of regular Topps Cards (includes regular and traded cards only): 1. This is his first and only Topps card.
• Blurb on the back: "'A second round selection by Kansas City in the 1999 draft out of Lamar University, Sanches recorded a short-season high 13.5 strikeouts per nine innings in '99 at Class-A Spokane, and was named the sixth-best prospect in the Northwest League.  He throws a fastball in the low-90's, and has shown good command of a change-up.  It is, however, his devastating curveball that has the potential to become the best breaking pitch in the Royals' organization.  Brian is expected to add even more velocity to his fastball as his frame fills out."
• Commentary: The second Traded set since it returned from its three-year hiatus, the 2000 Topps Traded and Rookies set was again split between rookies (T1-T90) and veterans (T91-T135).  Brian Sanches' major league career started six years after the Royals drafted him. He was traded to the Padres on August 26, 2003 for Rondell White, and then traded off to the Phillies on the first of April, 2004.  After making his big league debut, he would spend the next three seasons bouncing back and forth between the majors and the AAA affiliates of both the Phils and Nationals (with whom he signed for the 2008 season).  It wasn't until he landed with the Florida Marlins that he found success.  In three seasons with the Marlins as a middle reliever, he went 10-5 with an ERA of 2.92.  He struck out 158 batters and had a WHIP of 1.288.  He re-signed with the Phillies to a minor league deal after the 2011 season, and did see some action with the big league club at the end of June, 2012.  But after 10 games, he was sent back tot he minors and on July 31, he was released.  He signed with the Astros a few days later, and spent the rest of the season with the 'Stros' affiliate in Oklahoma City.  Brian signed with the Royals as a Free Agent on 11/16/2012, his career finally coming full circle, as he is now back with the team that drafted him more than 12 years ago.  Even with the success he achieved with the Marlins, he was never included in any of Topps' eponymous sets.  He did appear in the Topps '52 Rookies set as a Phillie (thanks to the MLB Properties mandate, he was Rookie Card Logo eligible in 2006), and appeared as a SP in the 2007 Heritage set (which used the same picture of Sanches from the '52 set).  But that's it.  There are no Topps cards of him with the Marlins.  Why? I think we all know the answer.  And it's another reason why I wish Topps would expand from the usual 660 and go back to 792+ cards for their base set.  Or at least include him with the Update Series.  Is that too much to ask???
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.10-$0.30.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 1 card.

Tomorrow's card will be: 1977 Topps #130. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Flash back with the blog tomorrow.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama