Random Topps Card of the Day: 2000 Topps #324 Mike Stanton

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Wednesday, May 8, 2013:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 2000 Topps #324.
• Player Name, position, team: Mike Stanton, pitcher, New York Yankees.
• Major League Debut: August 24, 1989.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1999 stats (Yankees): 73 G, 62.1 IP, 2-2, 30 R, 30 ER, 59 SO, 18 BB, 1 GS, 0 CG, 0 SHO, 0 SV, 4.33 ERA.
• Any special information about player: Drafted by the Braves #13th, June 1987. Signed with the Yankees as a Free Agent 12/11/1996. Bats: left. Throws: left.
• Number of regular Topps Cards (includes regular and traded cards only): 14. This is his seventh Topps card.
• Blurb on the back: "Mike made 552 relief appearances before his first MLB start."
• Commentary: That one start that the Topps card was referring to would also be his only big league starting assignment (a May 9 game that the Yankees won 6-1 over the Mariners, and Stanton left after the fourth inning ended). Maybe it's a good thing that the young Marlins slugger with the same name with today's featured player decided to go with his real first name Giancarlo instead of Mike. There are three players who shared the name Mike Stanton in the annals of baseball: Michael Thomas Stanton, who pitched in the early 80's, most notably with the Mariners; Giancarlo Cruz-Michael Stanton, the aforementioned young hope for the Marlins; and William Michael Stanton, the relief pitcher whose career began with the Braves all the way back in 1989. From the day he was called up through the day he called it a career, Mike Stanton was reliable relief pitcher called upon to take over games from the likes of Greg Maddux, John Smoltz, and Tom Glavine of the Braves, to Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte, and David Cone of the Yankees. After seven fantastic years with the Braves (in which he went 18-21 in his decisions, saved 55 games and struck out 223 batters in 289.2 innings of work), Stanton was traded during the Braves' run to their eventual World Series to the Red Sox in exchange for two minor leaguers to be named later. A year later, he was sent off to Texas in another midseason trade. He signed with the Yankees after they won the 1996 World Series, and from there, he found the dominance that eluded him from his early days with the Braves. From 1997 through 2002, Stanton appeared in 428 games, went 30-12 in his decisions, had an ERA of 3.65, saved 15 games, struck out 395 batters, and had a WHIP of 1.316. He also made his first and only All-Star Team in 2001. As for his 2000 campaign, his numbers included a 2-3 record, a 2.58 ERA, and 75 K's. He signed with the cross-city Mets for the 2003 season, but did not find as much success as he did on the other side of town. After two lackluster seasons, he was traded back to the Bronx in December of 2004. Unable to find the magic from his first run with the Yankees, the team released him on July 1, and Stanton took off on a journeyman career that saw him playing for Washington, Red Sox (second run), San Francisco, and Cincinnati before deciding after being cut by the Cubs during spring training in 2009 that it was time to hang it up. He retired as baseball's all-time leader in holds (266), and was recently on the ballot for the Hall of Fame.
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.07-$0.20.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 16 cards.

Tomorrow's card will be 2003 Topps Traded and Rookies #137T. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Hope you will be too.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama