- Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1995 Topps #499.
- Player Name, position, team: John Olerud, first baseman, Toronto Blue Jays.
- Major League Debut: September 3, 1989.
- Last Line of Statistics: 1994 stats (Blue Jays): 108 G, 384 AB, 47 R, 114 H, 29 2B, 2 3B, 12HR, 67 RBI, 1 SB, .477 SLG, 61 BB, 53 SO, .297 AVG.
- Any special information about player: Drafted by the Blue Jays #3rd, June 1989. Bats: left. Throws: right.
- Number of regular Topps Cards (includes regular and traded cards only): 17. This is his sixth Topps card.
- Blurb on the back: "So fundamentally flawless is John's swing that none other than Don Mattingly once watched a videotape of it to break out of a slump. A scout tells the story of watching Olerud for 10 games at Washington State before seeing him swing at a pitch and miss."
- Commentary: Rare is the player that makes it to the majors straight from the draft without touching the minor leagues. Even rarer is that he plays above and beyond the expectations once he arrives to his major league destination when just a couple of months prior he was facing college competition. Yes, he only appeared in six games, but that was the start of John Garrett Olerud's major league journey. He suffered a brain aneurysm during his college days, but it never affected his play on the field or on the mound (he was a pitcher as well). But he would play with a helmet when on defense, which made him easy to spot on the field. Two years removed from his second World Series title and his first batting title (AL leading .363 average), John provided a steady bat on a potent Blue Jays lineup and a nearly flawless glove at first (.997 fielding percentage). He hit .291 with 8 home runs and 54 runs driven in. Patient at the plate, he drew 84 walks while striking out only 54 times. A trade to the Mets after the 1996 season ended his stint with Toronto. His 17-year career would see him spending time with the Mets, Mariners, Yankees, and Red Sox (including his first and only games in the minors) before retiring. He was a two-time All-Star, a three-time Gold Glove winner.
- Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.10-$0.30.
- How many cards of this player do I own?: 32.
Tomorrow's card will be 1992 Topps Traded #126T. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Hope you will be too.
Sincerely,
JayBee Anama
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