bdj610's Topps Baseball Card Blog: Random Topps Card of the Day: 1995 Topps #558 Will Clark

Friday, October 11, 2013

Random Topps Card of the Day: 1995 Topps #558 Will Clark

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Friday, October 11, 2013:

Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1995 Topps #558.
Player Name, position, team: Will Clark, first baseman, Texas Rangers.
Major League Debut: April 8, 1986.
Last Line of Statistics: 1994 stats (Rangers): 110 G, 389 AB, 73 R, 128 H, 24 2B, 2 3B, 13 HR, 80 RBI, 5 SB, .501 SLG, 71 BB, 59 SO, .329 AVG.
Any special information about player: Drafted by the Giants #1st, June 1985. Signed with the Rangers as a Free Agent 11/22/1993. Bats: left. Throws: left.
Number of regular Topps Cards (includes regular and traded cards only): 19. This is his eleventh Topps card.
Blurb on the back: "Will's batting average, seventh in the AL, was the third-highest ever by a Texas Ranger. He was selected to the All-Star Team for the sixth time in his career, and singled in each of his two at-bats."
Commentary: William Nuschler Clark and the Giants dashed the dreams of this Cubs fan when he single-handedly (.650 average with 2 home runs, 8 rbi's, and a slugging percentage of 1.200) led the Giants to the 1989 World Series. Yes it was bittersweet that they got swept by the A's nonetheless, and earthquake aside, it was hard to watch the WS because I kept thinking that the Cubs should have been there. Regardless. Years later, The Thrill found himself deep in the heart of Arlington, TX, signing with the Rangers when his former college teammate Rafael Palmeiro left Texas for Baltimore. In 1995, Clark showed he could still hit, achieving a .302 average to go with 16 home runs and 92 rbi's. He provided a slick glove at first, achieving a .994 fielding percentage (7 errors in 1171 chances). Playing for the Rangers until 1998, Clark appeared in 609 games, hit for a cumulative .308 average, hit 77 home runs, drove in 397 rbi's, and had percentages of .395/.485/.880. He spent two injury plagued seasons with the Orioles before being traded back to the National League, this time to St. Louis to become Mark McGwire's injury replacement. While he performed well in the 2000 postseason, the Cardinals did not get past the Mets in the NLCS. Will Clark would announce his retirement shortly after the season ended. He made brief appearances in Topps sets over the years, and in 2013, found himself a subject in the Archives, Allen & Ginter's, and Gypsy Queen sets on base, auto, and relic cards.
Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.20-$0.50.
How many cards of this player do I own?: 51.