Random Topps Card of the Day: 1976 Topps #87 Tom Burgmeier

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Tuesday, June 4, 2013:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1976 Topps #87.
• Player Name, position, team: Tom Burgmeier, pitcher, Minnesota Twins.
• Major League Debut: April 10, 1968.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1975 stats (Twins): 46 G, 76 IP, 5-8, 32 R, 26 ER, 41 SO, 23 BB, 3.08 ERA.
• Any special information about player: Signed with the Colt .45's as a Free Agent 09/24/1961. Traded by the Royals to the Twins 10/24/1973. Bats: left. Throws: left.
• Number of regular Topps Cards (includes regular and traded cards only): 16. This is his seventh Topps card.
• Blurb on the back: "In American Legion, Tom once hurled 11-inning no-hitter, fanned 23 batters in game, but was defeated 2-1."
• Commentary: You do realize that he can't possibly be holding a ball in his left hand and that there is nothing in the glove, right? Would this be what his follow-through would look like? The St. Paul, Minnesota-born Tom Burgmeier was traded by the Royals to the Twins after the 1973 season concluded. Prior to that, he was drafted by the fledgling Kansas City franchise in the 1969 expansion draft from the California Angels. For five seasons, he performed very well in the KC bullpen, saving 28 games while earning a 24-16 record with an ERA of 3.20. His best season in KC was in 1971, when Tom saved 17 games and earned a record of 9-7 with what would eventually be a career low 1.73 ERA. In 1976, his third season in the Twin Cities, had a fantastic season as a middle reliever. In 115.1 innings of work (a career high), he would win eight of nine decisions, have an ERA of 2.50, strikeout 45 batters, and have an WHIP of 1.075. After four years, Tom would conclude his run in Minnesota with a record of 24-16 (the same record he earned in five seasons with KC) along with a 3.77 ERA in 380 innings pitched. Burgmeier signed a Free Agent contract with the Red Sox in 1978, and spent the next five years in Boston, becoming an All-Star in 1980. He would finish his career in Oakland, spending two seasons with the A's until he retired after the 1984 season. He has gone on to be a pitching coach in the Royals' and Orioles' farm systems over the years, and was a video coordinator for the Royals before turning to coaching. The SABR BioProject has an article on Tom Burgmeier's career that you can access here.
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.15-$0.40.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 11 cards.

Tomorrow's card will be: 2004 Topps #590. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. We're looking back at a card from 2004 here on the blog tomorrow.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama