Random Topps Card of the Day: 1988 Topps #493 Mike Greenwell

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Friday, January 3, 2014:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1988 Topps #493.
• Player Name, position, team: Mike Greenwell, outfielder, Boston Red Sox.
• Major League Debut: September 5, 1985.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1987 stats (Red Sox): 125 G, 412 AB, 71 R, 135 H, 31 2B, 6 3B, 19 HR, 89 RBI, 5 SB, .570 SLG, 35 BB, 40 SO, .328 AVG.
• Any special information about player: Drafted by the Red Sox #3rd, June 1982. Bats: left. Throws: right.
• Number of regular Topps Cards (includes regular and traded cards only): 11. This is his second Topps card.
• Blurb on the back: n/a.
• Commentary: I'll admit, I miss old Comiskey Park. By the time I made my first visit to the place, it was an old, weathered, but charming ball park. Yes, Comiskey Park II was being built across the way soon, but there going down there with my brother when we were younger (by ourselves, no less) was an adventure. Looking at older cards, I can definitely tell where the game was played that day when I see those yellow bars among the crowd. That's good old Comiskey. Michael Lewis Greenwell was a lifelong Red Sox fan favorite, and it was during the early days of his career that he rose to stardom. But it always seemed that he was overshadowed by other players in the American League. To wit, he finished fourth place in the AL Rookie of the Year voting, behind ROY Mark McGwire, Kevin Seitzer, and Matt Nokes. All four of these rookies would be named to the 1987 edition of Topps' All-Star Rookie Team. He finished second in the AL MVP voting the following year, this time behind 40-40 man Jose Canseco. Does he have the right to scream to the heavens that the MVP award from 1988 should have been recalled and given to him? Short of the controversy aside, he did have fantastic numbers that year. He hit .325 that year, with 22 home runs, 119 rbi's, and an OPS of .946. He did win one of the three Silver Slugger awards for OF's that year, and did make the All-Star team (his first of two). In the field, he committed only 6 errors in 314 chances (with six outfield assists) for a .981 fielding percentage. Injuries would plague him every season soon afterwards, but when he was at the plate or on the field, he still was a dangerous hitter. In his twelve seasons in a Boston uniform, he would hit for a cumulative .303 average, hit 130 home runs, drive in 726 rbi's, and percentages of .368/.463/.831. Now retired, he gets to watch as his sons take their shots at the majors, with elder son Bo a minor leaguer in the Indians system. Garrett, a first baseman by trade and being coached by "Gator", supposedly has more power than Bo and hopes to play for the Sox one day.
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.01-$0.05.
• How many cards of each player do I own?: 21 cards.

Tomorrow's card will be: 2011 Topps #319. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Flash back with the blog tomorrow.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama