Random Topps Card of the Day: 1980 Topps #456 Frank Taveras

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Thursday, March 27, 2014:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1980 Topps #456.
• Player Name, position, team: Frank Taveras, shortstop, New York Mets.
• Major League Debut: September 25, 1971.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1979 stats (Mets): 153 G, 635 AB, 89 R, 167 H, 26 2B, 9 3B, 1 HR, 33 RBI, .263 AVG.
• Any special information about player: Signed with the Pirates as a Free Agent 01/0/1968. Traded by the Pirates to the Mets 04/19/1979. Bats: right, Throws: right.
• Number of regular Topps Cards (includes regular and traded cards only): 10. This is his seventh Topps card.
• Blurb on the back: "Set Pirates' club record by grounding into 4 double plays in 702 Plate Appearances, 1978. Had three 4-hit games in 1978."
• Commentary: I have to wonder how well the Randomizer works. Because it turns out that this card was already picked by as a subject back in 2010 (September 10, in fact). I know my Frank Taveras collection hasn't grown much, so it's safe to say I still own the nine cards that have him on it. What did I write back then? "Taveras was the shortstop of the fun-loving Pirates during the 1970's. He played in both the 1974 and 1975 NLCS (so says the cartoon caption on the left side of the back of the card). Traded to the Mets early in the 1979 season, he managed to lead the majors in games played with 164. Yes, that's right. He played 11 games with the Pirates before being traded to the Mets where he participated in 153 games. I thought that was a mistake too. He was very fast on the base paths, stealing 70 bases in 1977. He played for the Mets for two more seasons before ending his big league career with the Expos in 1982." With the Mets in 1980, Taveras hit for a career high .279 average with 25 runs driven in, stole 32 bases, and achieved percentages of .308/.327/.635. Defensively, he committed 25 errors in 609 total chances for a .959 fielding percentage and was part of 63 double plays.
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.08-$0.25.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 9.

Tomorrow's card will be: 2000 Topps #13. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Until tomorrow everybody.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama