Random Topps Card of the Day: 2003 Topps Traded & Rookies #T137 Dallas McPherson

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Thursday, May 9, 2013:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 2003 Topps Traded & Rookies #T137.
• Player Name, position, team: Dallas McPherson, third baseman, Anaheim Angels.
• Major League Debut: September 10, 2004.
• Last Line of Statistics: 2002 stats (Cedar Rapids, A-Midwest): 122 G, 499 AB, 71 R, 138 H, 24 2B, 3 3B, 15 HR, 88 RBI, 30 SB, .427 SLG, 78 BB, 128 SO, .277 AVG.
• Any special information about player: Drafted by the Angels #2nd, June 2001. Bats: left, Throws: right.
• Number of regular Topps Cards (includes regular and traded cards only): 4. This is his first Topps card.
• Blurb on the back: "Everything Dallas does on the diamond is Texas-sized. A big, strong third baseman, he takes mighty rips and often hits the ball a mile. After posting a fat .395 batting average for Provo (R) in 2001, McPherson put up huge numbers in the Midwest League (A) in '02. His 15 home runs and 88 RBI paced Cedar Rapids. Dallas, a former fireballing pitcher, also owns a powerful arm at the hot corner."
• Commentary: If the MLB Properties rule of today was applied 10 years ago, and the licenses Topps has now were in effect as well, Dallas McPherson would not have been included in the base set, but in a Topps Pro Debut set. But on the heels of his outstanding performance in the minors in 2002, Topps included him in the base set, in hopes that collectors (and prospectors) would gobble up his cards. If they did, and sold quickly, their gambles would have paid off handsomely. McPherson was the Angels #1 prospect in 2003, and after hitting a combined .310 with 23 home runs and 86 rbi's for both Rancho Cucamonga (A-California) and Arkansas (AA-Texas), was also named Baseball America's Minor League Player of the Year. He became a two-time winner of the award in 2004 thanks to a combined .317 average 40 home runs, and 126 rbi's between Arkansas and Salt Lake (AAA-Pacific Coast), earning a callup to Anaheim in September that year. He made it onto the Angels' roster in 2005, and after 61 games in which he was hitting .244 with 8 homers and 26 rbi's, his season was ended by a hip injury in July and subsequent surgery in August. He returned to the squad the following year after regaining his form in the minors. But in 2007, McPherson had to go through back surgery to fuse two vertebrate in his back, leaving him on the DL for the entire year. When the Angels did not offer him a new contract, Dallas became a free agent and signed a minor league deal with the Marlins. After hitting .275 with 42 home runs and 98 rbi's with the AAA team in Albuquerque, he was called up to the Marlins roster in September. But back problems re-emerged in 2009, and by the end of March, the Marlins released McPherson. He signed a minor league deal with the Giants, but the back problems kept him off the field for the full year. In 2010, he spent the season with Oakland's Triple A-team and in 2011, it was on to Charlotte, where McPherson hit well enough to earn a callup with the White Sox. But after 11 games, and a .199 average, he was designated for assignment and returned to Charlotte. After a year-plus with the Knights, Dallas was eventually released. He finished the 2012 season with the Pirates, and in 2013 signed a minor league deal with the Dodgers. But he was released on March 20, and is now currently a free agent.
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.15-$0.40.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 7.

Tomorrow's card will be: 1983 Topps #269. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Until tomorrow everybody.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama