Random Topps Card of the Day: 1997 Topps #354 Darren Bragg

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Saturday, November 16, 2013:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1997 Topps #354.
• Player Name, position, team: Darren Bragg, outfielder, Boston Red Sox.
• Major League Debut: April 12, 1994.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1996 stats (Red Sox): 58 G, 222 AB, 38 R, 56 H, 14 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR, 22 RBI, 6 SB, .365 SLG, 36 BB, 39 SO, .252 AVG.
• Any special information about player: Drafted by the Mariners #22nd, June 1991. Traded by the Mariners to the Red Sox 07/30/1996. Bats: left. Throws: right.
• Number of regular Topps Cards (includes regular and traded cards only): 4. This is his second Topps card.
• Blurb on the back: "Center field had been a fluid situation for several years in Boston - until Darren arrived in a trade last July. It was former manager Kevin Kennedy who insisted Bragg be included in the deal that sent pitcher Jamie Moyer to Seattle, saying, "I've always liked his fight." Almost immediately after his acquisition, the Red Sox turned their season around by winning 52 of their final 84 games. "The day Bragg joined us and showed he was a tough leadoff hitter was the day we seemed to start really picking up, assessed Kennedy. On August 24th, Darren hit the first HR by a left-handed hitter of ex-teammate Randy Johnson since 1992 - a grand slam."
• Commentary: When your regular outfield consists of Ken Griffey, Jr. in center and Jay Buhner in right, and you have a platoon system in left field, playing time would be at a premium at best to show that you have what it takes to play every day. Then it was fortunate for Darren William Bragg that the M's gave him that opportunity by trading him to Boston in a deadline deal in 1996. In 1997, Bragg's first opportunity to be an everyday player, he would appear in 153 games, hit for a .257 average, with 9 home runs, 57 runs driven in (usually batting second, eighth, or ninth) and stealing 10 bases. During his two-plus years in Beantown, Bragg would hit for a combined .264, score 154 runs, hit 20 homers, drive in 136 rbi's, steal 21 bases, and have percentages of .346/.395/.741. He would sign on with the Cardinals for the 1999 season, then continue his major league journey with the Rockies, Mets, Yankees, Braves, and Reds before calling it a career in 2004. Since retirement, Bragg has worked as a hitting coach and opened his own company helping out youngsters with their hitting.
• Beckett value: $0.07-$0.20.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 4 cards.

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: 1956 Topps #88. Come back at 1:00 PM CST to see who (or what) it is.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama