Rediscovering Topps: 1987 Topps Tom O'Malley #164

After opening five regular packs and two jumbo packs of 2017 Topps products, let's just say I'm so happy that I finally was able to get into the frenzy, albeit a week late.

I have a decent amount of base cards for a starter set (which I'm most likely going to give to my nephew). The inserts look really nice. This is what I have so far:

• Three MLB Award cards (retail exclusive): Kris Bryant (NL Hank Aaron Award), Jose Fernandez (NL Comeback Player of the Year). David Ortiz (AL Hank Aaron Award)
• One MLB Award Red parallel (retail exclusive): Corey Seager (NL Rookie of the Year)
• One Topps Gold card: Jonathan Villar (0023/2007)
• One Rainbow Foil card: Andrew Cashner
• Three Discover Topps: 1975 George Brett, 1989 Traded Ken Griffey, Jr, 2012 Mike Trout
• One First Pitch: Bethanie Mattek-Sands (Tennis Player)
• Three 1987 cards: Sandy Koufax, Miguel Sano Future Stars, Rickey Henderson
• Three 5-Tool Players: Wil Myers, Noah Syndergaard, Madison Bumgarner

And one more:

A 1987 (fitting) Topps Tom O'Malley card with the words "Rediscover Topps" in bronze foil.

So, who's Tom O'Malley???

A few years ago, I did a daily segment called "Random Topps Card of the Day." Using an Excel spreadsheet, based on what the numbers randomly appeared (a year, and then a number), I would feature that card as the Topps Card of the Day. I haven't done it in a while, and my randomizer is lost in my flash drive that needs to be data recovered (long story). I haven't had a chance to make a new one, so why not do one now.

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1987 Topps #164.
• Player Name, position, team: Tom O'Malley, third baseman, Baltimore Orioles.
• Major League Debut: May 8, 1982.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1986 stats (Orioles): 56 G, 181 AB, 19 R, 46 H, 9 2B, 0 3B, 1 HR, 18 RBI, 0 SB, .320 SLG, 17 BB, 21 SO, .254 AVG.
• Any special information about player: Drafted by the Giants #16th, June 1979). Bats: leftt. Throws: right.
• Number of regular Topps Cards (includes regular and traded cards only): 6. This is his third Topps card.
• Blurb on the back: "Tom batted over .600 as a high school senior."
• Commentary: In honor of the 30th anniversary of the now famous (or infamous) 1987 set, Topps is including "tribute" cards as one of it's inserts. It harkens back to last decade, when Topps would honor a mini set, akin to the tobacco cards. In fact, one of the sets they featured was a miniaturized version of the 1987 set. The set in series 1 includes 100 current and former players, including some players who had cards in the original 1987 set. Tom O'Malley spent most of his 19-year professional career travelling back and forth between the majors and minor leagues for seven different franchises. His only full season in the majors came in 1983, when he appeared in 135 games for the Giants. That season, he hit for a .259 average with 5 home runs and 45 rbi's. After the 1986 campaign, O'Malley signed with the Texas Rangers. He would spend most of the year with the Rangers' AAA team in Oklahoma City. Thanks to a .311/12 HR/70 RBI season with the 89ers, he earned a call-up to the Rangers in August. In 45 games for Texas, O'Malley would hit for a .271 average, hitting one home run, driving in 12 rbi's, and had a slash line of .351/.368/.718. He'd be traded to the Expos after the season ended. A few years later, with time spent with Montreal and the Mets, he signed with the Hanshin Tigers in the Japan Central League. Finally getting more playing time in Japan, O'Malley would hit 123 homers and 488 rbi's in six seasons.
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.01-$0.05.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 6 cards.

If anybody is interested in any of the cards I listed above, please send me an email at bdj610@hotmail.com or send me a message on Twitter (follow me @bdj610). Or if you have a want list, send one over, and if I have the cards, I'll be more than happy to send them your way.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama