Random Topps Card of the Day: 1981 Topps #508 Rob Dressler

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Wednesday, February 27, 2013:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1981 Topps #508.
• Player Name, position, team: Rob Dressler, pitcher, Seattle Mariners.
• Major League Debut: September 7, 1975.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1980 stats (Mariners): 30 G, 149 IP, 4-10, 75 R, 66 ER, 50 SO, 33 BB, 14 GS, 3 CG, 0 SHO, 0 SV, 3.98 ERA.
• Any special information about player: Drafted by the Giants #1st, June 1972. Contract purchased by the Mariners 06/07/1979. Bats: right. Throws: right.
• Number of regular Topps Cards (includes regular and traded cards only): 4. This is his fourth and final Topps card.
• Blurb on the back: "Rob combined on shutout vs. Rangers, 9-5-79."
• Commentary: I have to be honest. This is the best picture that Topps could come up with for Rob Dressler? You can barely see his face thanks to the shadow caused by the bill of his cap. Then again, you have to wonder if he even has a ball in his glove as he is posing in the windup (if you want to even call it that). And this is Dressler's final Topps card too, so there was no chance of redemption. I guess this is the most that has ever written about Dressler's card. The randomizer chose it, so I should make a bit more of an effort. Dressler's major league career spanned five seasons. He spent most of his time in the minors throughout his career, making brief appearances in the majors until 1976. On the strength of a 5-1 record and 1.12 ERA with the minor league affiliate in Phoenix (AAA-PCL), Dressler was called up in May and joined the Giants rotation. With the Giants in 1976, he started 19 of the 25 games he appeared in, went 3-10 with a 4.42 ERA and 33 strikeouts. He spent all of 1977 and part of 1978 in the minors before being the PTBNL in an earlier deal with the Cardinals. He made 3 appearances with the Cardinals, all after being a September call-up. He went 0-1 with a 2.08 ERA in 13 innings of work. He was traded to the Mariners in April 11, 1979, and after a brief stint with the M's AAA team in Spokane, he joined the big club in Seattle in June, where he went 3-2 in 21 games of work. Dressler finally broke camp with a big league team in 1980 as he was selected to join the M's bullpen. However, he was promoted to the starting rotation in the end of July and as a full-time starter, he went 4-6 in thirteen starts, with an ERA of 3.39 and 19 strikeouts. He was released from the Mariners before the end of Spring Training in 1981 and ended his playing career. As 1980 would be his final season, the career statistics on the back of Dressler's Topps card is complete. There are two cartoon blurbs on the bottom of the card, the first mentions that Rob "hurled one-hitter for Lafayettte vs Alexandria, Opening Day, 1975." The second caption mentions that Rob "majors in Accounting at Portland State University during off-season." There is a post on another blog (called the Playful Utopia) that does a better job of describing Rob Dressler's career. And if you decide to click on the link, keep an eye on the comment section. It looks like somebody is doing rather well for himself since his playing days after all.
• Beckett value: $0.05-$0.15.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 4 cards.

Tomorrow's card will be 1983 Topps Traded #34T. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Hope you will be too.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama