Random Topps Card of the Day: 2004 Topps Traded and Rookies #T81 Justin Orenduff Draft Pick

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Monday, December 30, 2013:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 2004 Topps Traded and Rookies #T81.
• Player Name, position, team: Justin Orenduff, pitcher, Los Angeles Dodgers.
• Major League Debut: n/a.
• Last Line of Statistics: 2004 stats (Virginia Commonwealth): 15 G, 100 IP, 5-5, 33 R, 27 ER, 129 SO, 34 BB, 15 GS, 3 CG, 5 SHO, 1.18 WHIP, 2.43 ERA.
• Any special information about player: Drafted by the Dodgers #1st, June 2004. Bats: right. Throws: right.
• Number of regular Topps Cards (includes regular and traded cards only): 1. This is his first and only Topps card.
• Blurb on the back: "Justin is a huge movie buff who majored in small-business management. "One of the things I'd like to do...is my own DVD/theater place," he said. First, though, he's concentrating on his Big League dream. The 33rd overall pick in the 2004 draft, Orenduff owns a lively fastball and a wicked slider .The combination helped him go 19-5 over his first two seasons at Virginia Commonwealth."
• Commentary: Justin A. Orenduff spent his professional baseball career within the Dodgers' minor league system. Upon graduating Virginia Commonwealth, Orenduff, after being drafted by LA in 2004, was assigned to the team's Rookie League franchise in Ogden, Utah. With the Raptors, Justin would appear in 13 games, ten as the starter, earn a 2-3 record with a 4.74 ERA, 57 strikeouts, and a WHIP of 1.626 in 43.2 innings of work. In 2005, he split time with both the Vero Beach Dodgers (High A-Florida State) and the Jacksonville Suns (AA-Eastern), earning a combined 10-5 record in 26 games (25 as the starting pitcher), even earned a spot in the Florida State League All-Star Team. From 2006-2007, he remained with the Suns, going a combined 12-7 with 167 strikeouts in 37 games before finally earning the promotion to AAA-Las Vegas. Here, Orenduff struggled, going 3-7 with a 6.55 ERA and a WHIP of 1.891. After one more run (a 15 game stint in the bullpen of the Inland Empire 66ers of the California League), Orenduff retired, albeit briefly. In 2011, he re-signed with the Dodgers, joining the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes. But after nine games, an ERA of 8.74 and a WHIP of 2.118, he decided to end his career for good, never making it to the major leagues. Orenduff has found great success as a writer on both twitter (where you can follow him at @justinorenduff) and on a baseball website called Baseball Rebellion where he shares his insights on the art of pitching. According to his bio, Justin is the lead pitching instructor at ITS Baseball, Baseball Rebellions research facility.
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.30-$0.75.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 1 card.

Tomorrow's card will be: 1990 Topps #539. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Flash back with the blog tomorrow.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama