Random Topps Card of the Day: 1993 Topps #579 Neil Garrett/Jason Bates

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Saturday, February 23, 2013:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1993 Topps #579.
• Player Name, position, team: Neil Garrett, pitcher, Colorado Rockies; Jason Bates, shortstop, Colorado Rockies.
• Major League Debut: Garrett: n/a. Jones: April 26, 1995.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1992 stats: Garrett (Mesa, Rookie-AZ): 11 G, 52.2 IP, 3-3, 36 R, 23 ER, 23 SO, 16 BB, 10 GS, 1 CG, 0 SHO, 0 SV, 3.93 ERA; Bates (Bend, A-Northwest) 70 G, 255 AB, 57 R, 73 H, 10 2B, 3 3B, 6 HR, 31 RBI, 18 SB, .420 SLG, 56 BB, 55 SO, .286 AVG.
• Any special information about player: Garrett: Drafted by the Rockies #40th, June 1992. Bats: right. Throws: right.; Jones: Drafted by the Rockies #7th, June 1992. Bats: both. Throws: right.
• Number of regular Topps Cards (includes regular and traded cards only): Garrett: 1. This is first and only Topps card; Bates: 4. This is his first Topps card.
• Blurb on the back: n/a.
• Commentary: The 1993 Topps set featured the first ever cards of the Colorado Rockies.  Not only did they feature cards of the players selected by the expansion draft, but five cards were reserved for ten of the Rockies top prospects, two per card.  It was pretty tempting to cut the cards in half, giving each player their own "card," and looking back, seeing how many of these cards were produced. Yes, the value of the card would be worthless, but cutting the card in half doesn't sound like that bad of an idea now.  Both Garrett and Bates were drafted by the Rockies in the 1992 free agent draft.  Garrett never did make it to the majors.  While never making it past the Rockies' Carolina League (A) level, he did pitch for six years in the organization, going a career 24-23 with a 4.57 ERA and 323 strikeouts.  Somehow, I was under the impression that Bates was the first draft pick of the Rockies, but that doesn't seem to be the case.  Bates did make it to Denver, becoming one of the team's first prospects to do so.  In 1995, he became the team's primary second baseman, forcing Eric Young to the outfield, and making Don Baylor look good in his decision to plant him in second over Roberto Mejia. While he could hit at home (who couldn't in the Rocky Mountain air), his road numbers were not so good. EY would return to second base and Bates was relegated to pinch-hitting duty. In 1996, he was given the starting spot over Young again, but a slow start and an energized Young off the DL (EY would make the All-Star team) would put Bates back on the bench. Even after Young was traded off to LA, Bates could not maintain the second baseman's job, the team deferring to out-of-position Neifi Perez. He would remain with the Rockies in a bench role in 1998 as well. A foot injury sidelined Bates for part of the 1998 campaign, and during the off-season, he developed complications (a sever infection) after he underwent surgery to remove a bone spur from his foot. It would knock him out for the 1999 season, and after trying to comeback with the Angels in 2000, he did not make the team out of spring training. He signed a minor league contract with the Orioles, but after 15 games in Rochester, he decided to call it quits. He worked as a minor league hitting instructor for both the Brewers and Diamondbacks, and has also worked as an instructor for a baseball training facility in Colorado.
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.02-$0.10.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: Garrett: 1; Bates: 5.

Tomorrow is Retro Sunday, the one day of the week that we feature a card from 1951-1975. The card we will feature tomorrow is: 1962 Topps #315. Come back at 1:00 PM CST to see who (or what) it is.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama