#61 Johnny Bench Super Veteran

Then and Now:  Johnny Bench was very good at an early age, making his MLB debut as a baby faced 19 year-old and winning Rookie of the Year a year later at age 20.  Bench was a relatively young veteran at age 35 during his last season.

Career Span: 8/28/67 to 9/29/83

All Star: Bench was an All-Star 14 times although the last time in '83 was pretty much an honorary selection.  Bench played in twelve of those games and batted 12 for 28 with three home runs.

Gold Glove:  Bench won ten gold gloves, all consecutive from '68-77.

All-Time Ranks:  Bench held the record at one time for most home runs at the catcher position with 327.  He has the highest Wins Above Replacement of any player whose primary position is catcher at 71.3. 

Postseason:  Bench won the World Series with the Reds in '75 and '76 and was series MVP in '76.  In all Bench played in four World Series and six championship series.  Bench homered in nine of those ten series and for his postseason career had a .266/.335/.527 line which is right on track with his regular season line of .267/.342/.476.

MVP:  Bench won the MVP in 1970 and 1972.  He finished fourth in 1974 and 1975 and also received votes in '68, '69, '73, '77, '79, and '80.

Hall of Fame:  Bench was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1989 in his first year of eligibility, receiving a vote on 431 of the 447 ballots.  What were the other 16 voters thinking?

#60 Johnny Bench

Card:  This is Johnny Bench's 16th and final regular issue Topps card.  His rookie card was back in 1968.

Pic:  Bench's forearm muscles really stand out as he takes a cut.  It seems sacrilegious to list Bench as a third baseman but during the '82 season but that's where he played almost all of his games. 

Player:  Johnny Bench was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the 2nd round of the 1965 draft.  At age 19 he had already hit 23 homers in 98 games at AAA Buffalo when he was called up to the Reds in August of '67.  He hit only .163 in 26 games but made an immediate impression with his strong arm.  Bench took hold of the Reds starting catcher's job in '68, batting .275 in the year of the pitcher, and hit 15 home runs.  He became the first catcher in 23 years with over 100 assists (102) and won the Rookie of the Year Award, a Gold Glove, and made his first All-Star team. 

Bench followed up his rookie campaign with a great season in '69, batting .293 with 26 long balls and 90 RBI.  He came into his own in 1970 busting out with 45 dingers and 148 RBI while posting a .293/.345/.587 line.  The Reds dynasty was taking shape, and although Bench hit home runs in both the NLCS and World Series, the Big Red Machine lost to the Orioles in the fall classic.  Bench's terrific season won him the MVP award, receiving 22 of 24 first place votes.  Bench slumped in '71 (.238) as did the Reds finishing in fourth place.  Bench rebounded with a fantastic season belting 40 homers with 125 RBI in '72.  He walked 100 times and had an OPS+ of 166.  Bench and the Reds eliminated the Pirates in five games as he hit .333 with a three of his six hits going for extra bases.  The Oakland A's won the World Series in seven games despite Bench reaching base 11 times including another home run.  For his regular season efforts Bench won his second MVP award.

Bench's production dipped in '73 but he still hit 25 bombs with 104 RBI.  The Reds however won the NL West and Bench homered in his fifth consecutive postseason series but the Reds lost to the underdog Mets.  To keep Bench in the lineup as much as possible, manager Sparky Anderson used Bench at third base for 36 games in 1974.  This allowed him to play in a career high 160 games.  Although his defense at the hot corner wasn't the greatest, his offense was stellar batting .280 with 33 homers and 129 RBI. 

The Big Red Machine fired on all cylinders in '75 as Bench and company captured the hotly contested World Series against the Red Sox.  After only one hit in the NLCS, Bench came through with a home run and two doubles against Boston.  During the regular season he hit .283, launched 28 homers, drove in 110 runs, and had a slugging percentage over .500 for the fourth time in his career. 

Bench struggled through his worst regular season in 1976 batting only .234 with 16 home runs.  He came through in the postseason, winning Worlds Series MVP honors as the Reds swept through the Phillies and Yankees.  Bench's postseason numbers: 12-27, 3 HR, 7 RBI, .926 SLG.  During a post-game new conference a writer asked manager Sparky Anderson to compare Yankee catcher Thurman Munson to Bench.  Sparky replied "You don't compare anyone to Johnny Bench. You don't want to embarrass anybody".

In '77 and '78 Bench hit .275 and .260 with 31 and 23 homers but the Reds missed the playoffs both years.  He had another solid year in '79 batting .276 with 22 dingers as the Reds won the NL West.  The Reds were swept by the Pirates but not before Bench swatted his 10th career postseason homer.  This would be Bench's last year with over 500 plate appearances. 

1980 marked Bench's last season as a starting backstop as the wear and tear of catching an average of 133 games a year from '68-'79 started to take its toll.  He played in 114 games, batting .250 with 24 homers.  The strike shortened '81 season saw Bench start the year behind the plate but mounting injuries caused a switch to first base by May and and cost him part of the season .  He batted .302 playing in only 52 games. 

The last two years of Bench's career he played primarily at thirdbase.  While his arm was plenty strong for third base, he had no range, and he was prone to errors (.917 and .933 fld%).  He hit a total of 25 long balls over the last two years batting .258 and .255.   

Bench retired with an impressive list of career stats including 389 home runs and 1,376 RBI.

Flipside: These are nearly Bench's complete stats.  He played in 110 games in '83 but Topps chose to put retiring veterans Bench, Gaylord Perry, and Carl Yastrzemski on a highlight card in the '84 set rather than sending them off with their own individual card. 

Oddball:  If you were a baseball fan growing up during the early 80's you likely remember the Baseball Bunch hosted by none other than our post topic.  Here is a clip of the closing credits / theme.  I loved that show.

While I was looking for Baseball Bunch video I found this clip of a young interviewer getting roasted by Bench for asking about Pete Rose and the HOF in '95. 

After you watch the clip and get done laughing, watch again and notice how big Bench's hands are. (now ladies, keep your minds on baseball here...)

History:MVPs and two World Series rings. Comparing Wins Above Replacement (WAR) Bench has 71.3 for his career compared to Pudge Fisk 67.3, Pudge Rodriguez 67.3, Gary Carter 66.3, Yogi Berra 61.9, and Mike Piazza 59.1. Not saying WAR is everything, but at worst Bench is definitely top four or five material.  I didn't write much on his defense but Bench really set the bar for all catchers that followed him.

Bench was elected to the HOF in 1989 and since retirement has kept busy with many activities.  Check this link for his website. 

Tomorrow I'll take a look at Bench's super-veteran card.

#59 Benny Ayala

Card: Ayala appears on his fifth Topps card.  He was on a four player rookie card in the '75 set before disappearing from Topps cards until 1980.

Pic:  Ayala looks a little off balance after this swing.  He looks peeved in the inset, almost like he's looking at his action photo in disapproval.

Player:  Benny Ayala was signed by the Mets in 1971 as a free-agent out of Puerto Rico.  Ayala toiled in the minors for a few years and got called up late in the '74 season.  On August 27 Ayala launched a home run in his first big league bat.  Ayala was given the chance  to play out the rest of the year as their left fielder but he hit only .235 with three extra base hits in 68 at bats.  He spent all of '75 at AAA Tidewater and played in only 65 games.  Ayala made the Mets opening day squad in '76 but after batting .115 he was sent down after 26 at bats and played out the string at AAA. 

During spring training in '77 the Mets traded Ayala to the Cardinals for Doug Clarey.  The 26 year-old Ayala spent the year at AAA New Orleans and played well enough (.298 BA, 18 HR) to get a call up to the big club in September.  He appeared in only one game with one hit in three at bats.  Ayala spent all of '78 in AAA and batted .299.  Prior to the '79 season Ayala was traded by the Cardinals to Orioles for Mike Dimmel. 

Ayala started '79 in AAA Rochester but a .335 average after 17 games earned him a promotion to the Orioles in May.  Ayala found his niche in Baltimore under manager Earl Weaver and was used as a pinch hitter and occasional platoon starter against lefties.  Ayala batted .256 but hit six home runs and five doubles to give him a .523 slugging percentage in 86 at bats.  Ayala made the post season roster but did not appear in the NLCS.  Although the O's lost to the Pirates, Ayala contributed in the World Series hitting a home run and a single in six at bats. 

Ayala continued in the pinch hitter role for the Orioles and started against some lefties.  Weaver knew how to get the most out of his role players and Ayala was no exception hitting 10 home runs in limited use in 1980 and recording an OPS+ over 120 each year from '79 through the '82 season.  His production dropped off in '83 and he hit .221 as the Orioles won the AL East. He received only two post season at bats as the Orioles won the World Series over the Phillies. Ayala had a poor season in '84 batting .212 and was not re-signed.  Ayala hooked up with the Indians in April of '85.  Ayala was used as a pinch hitter and hit .250 in 76 at bats in his final season.  Ayala finished his career with 38 home runs in 865 at bats.

Flipside:  The May 29th game was a wild affair that the Orioles lost 11-10 to the Blue Jays.  Ayala's pinch grand slam in the seventh put the O's up 10-9, but the bullpen blew it, giving up runs in the 8th and 9th. 

Ayala had just finished the last of his best years in '82. He was utilized masterfully in a rotation / platoon with John Lowenstein and Gary Roenicke.  From '79 through '82, Ayala batted .277 and hit 25 home runs in 470 at bats. 

Oddball:  Ayala was used in such a strict platoon that he made only one start against a right handed pitcher in his days with Baltimore.  For his career he started 226 games, only 15 against righties.

History:  Ayala was an important bench player for the Orioles in their pennant winning '79 season and championship run in '83.  Ayala was not a good defender and was strictly a corner outfielder and DH but when used in the right spot came through with some big hits for the Orioles.  

Ayala is currently a baseball coach in the Puerto Rican Instructional Baseball League.  

#58 Al Holland

 

Card: This is Al Holland's third Topps card.  Although he had appeared in the majors as early as 1977, he didn't appear on a Topps card until the '81 set.

Pic: The powerful Holland is getting ready to unleash a pitch towards the plate.  With his goatee, jewelry, and menacing glare he earned the nickname Mr. T after the actor who portrayed characters such as the A-Team's  B.A. Baracus and Clubber Lang in Rocky III.

Player:  Al Holland was signed as a free-agent by the Pirates in 1975 and worked both as a starter and reliever in the minors.  He made his major league debut in September of 1977 pitching 2.1 innings and giving up two runs.  Holland spent all of '78 in AAA struggling as a starter posting a 5.34 ERA.  Still in AAA during the middle of the '79 season, he was swapped midseason to the Giants in a multiplayer deal that brought Bill Madlock to the Pirates.  Holland got a brief look with the Giants at the end of the year pitching in three games in relief with seven scoreless innings.

The 27 year-old Holland made the Giants out of spring training in 1980 and was a valuable member of the bullpen, setting up for closer Greg Minton and getting to close out games himself from time to time.  Holland pitched in 54 games, logged 82.1 innings, recorded seven saves, and finished with a nifty 1.75 ERA.  He finished 7th in Rookie of the Year voting.  Holland was trusted with a heavier workload in '81 with 100 innings during the strike shortened season.  He notched another seven saves and had a 2.47 ERA.  The Giants tried the left-hander as a starter in September and he did well allowing only five runs in three starts.  He started '82 in the rotation and had a 3.76 ERA after seven starts.  A power pitcher who aggressively attacked hitters, Holland's repertoire was better suited for late inning relief work and the Giants moved Holland back to the pen.  He assumed his old set-up role and did well with five saves and a 3.33 ERA in 129 innings.

Before the '83 season commenced Holland and Joe Morgan were traded to the Phillies for Mark Davis, Mike Krukow and a minor leaguer.  In Philly, Holland became the closer and had his best season.  He pitched in 68 games, saving a Phillies record 25 games with a 2.26 ERA.  The Phillies won the NL East and Holland contributed three scoreless innings in two games as the Phillies knocked out the Dodgers.  Against the Orioles in the World Series, Holland added 3.2  scoreless innings in a losing effort.  His excellent year earned him Cy Young consideration (6th) and even some MVP votes (9th).  Holland pushed the Phillies team record for saves to 29 in 1984 but he and the Phillies both faded down the stretch.  He pitched in 68 games but he allowed 14 home runs, lost ten games, and saw his ERA rise to 3.39.

Holland had a 2.90 ERA in 87 innings of combined work at three stops in '85.  Early in the '85 season Holland and a minor leaguer were dealt to the Pirates for veteran Kent Tekulve.  He was traded again in August to the Angels in a six player deal.  In addition to being traded twice Holland testified about his cocaine abuse in the Pittsburgh drug trials.  He was able to get a 60 day suspension reduced to community service.  Holland was a free agent and signed with the Yankees for the '86 season.  Over the next two seasons he was back and forth between New York and AAA Columbus and never was able to regain his old form.  Holland finished his career with 78 saves and a 2.98 ERA in 384 games.

Stuff:  High 90's four-seam fastball, two-seam fastball, and occasional curve ball.

 

Flipside:  Holland pitched and played football at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University.  Listed at 5'11'', 203 lbs, Holland wasn't built like a typical pitcher and played running back on the gridiron.

Oddball: As a batter Holland had only six hits in his career but two of them were triples. 

History:  Holland was the Phillies ace reliever during their pennant winning run in '83.  He twice set the franchise mark for saves in a season (since broken) and was an All-Star in '84.  He pitched in the Senior Professional Baseball Association in '89 and '90.  Holland since has worked as a minor league pitching coach. 



#57 Tim Blackwell

 

Card:  This is Tim Blackwell's fifth and final Topps card.

Pic: Blackwell is following through with a left-handed swing.  He must have been one of the players grandfathered in who didn't want to wear an ear flap on his batting helmet.  Blackwell's mustache....probably deserves it own fan club.

Player: Tim Blackwell was was a 13th round pick of the Red Sox in the 1970 draft.  The switch-hitting catcher was in the midst of his fifth season in the minors when he got the call to replace Carlton Fisk on the roster when Fisk injured his knee during the '74 season. In 122 at bats Blackwell hit only two extra base hits and batted .246.  With Fisk out until June of '75, Blackwell was on the team from the beginning of the season.  The Red Sox even kept him around once Fisk returned but Blackwell struggled all year at the plate and batted .197 in 132 at bats.

Blackwell started the '76 campaign at AAA Pawtucket, but was sold to the Phillies on April 19th.  The Phillies only used the strong-armed catcher twice over the next three weeks and sent him to double-A Reading before calling him up for a brief look in September.  Blackwell hit a combined .246 for his minor league teams and was two for eight in his few MLB at bats.  In 1977 he was back in Reading and rarely used before being traded to Montreal along with Wayne Twitchell for Barry Foote and Dan Warthen.  Blackwell stayed in the big leagues with the Expos through the end of the season but his .091 average in 22 at bats did nothing to impress his new team. 

The Expos released Blackwell and he signed with the Cubs.  He started the '78 season at AAA Wichita and was called up in late July.  Although he found it hard to hit (.223 average), he had a decent eye and walked 23 times to give him a .367 OBP.  He spent all of 1979 with the Cubs but batted only .164,  walking 32 times in 159 plate appearances but getting only 20 hits.

Blackwell got a chance to play semi-regularly in '80 with 320 at bats.  He was more aggressive at the plate and had a career high .272 batting average and belted the first five home runs of his career.  He excelled behind the plate, throwing out 40.9% of base stealing attempts and received praise from the pitching staff for calling a good game.  Blackwell regressed in '81 batting .234 in 158 at bats and was released by the Cubs.

Blackwell returned to Montreal for the '82 season and batted .190 in only 23 games.  Blackwell didn't see much action at all with the Gary Carter playing almost every day. Blackwell was back for the '83 season but played only six times before receiving his release in July.  He was signed by the Angels and played out the year in AAA Edmonton. 

Blackwell retired at the age of 31 and was a minor league catching instructor for one season and has been managing and coaching for various minor affiliates ever since. 



Flipside:  You can tell how poorly Blackwell hit in '82 when Topps uses one long sentence to tell us about one game. 

Oddball:  Let's take another look at that 'stache!

History:  Blackwell was a good defensive catcher but his offensive skills were better suited for double-A ball.  For his career he batted a meager .228 with a .305 slugging percentage.  It seems teams like having him around but really didn't like to play him very often.  Since retiring as an active player, Blackwell has coached and managed in the minor leagues for several different franchises.



#55 Chuck Rainey

Card:  Rainey is pictured here on his fourth Topps card.  He was on a three player rookie card in the 1980 set.

Pic:  Rainey is about to lean forward and deliver a pitch...at first I thought that was the Green Monster in the background but he is wearing a road uniform.  Rainey looks pretty stern in the inset. 

Player: Chuck Rainey was a first round pick by the Red Sox in the '74 draft.  The 5'11" right handed hurler spent parts of five seasons in the minors before making the Red Sox squad in 1979.  Rainey was the number five starter for most of the season with a visit to the disabled list and AAA Pawtucket in July and August.  Rainey started 16 games in 20 appearances and went 8-5 with a 3.82 ERA. 

Rainey started 1980 in the bullpen but moved to the rotation in May before tearing a shoulder muscle in July.  Rainey's season was over after only 16 games.  Despite his 4.86 ERA Rainey won eight and lost only three.  After rehabbing his shoulder he pitched in only 11 games, two starts, in '81.  Rainey was used carefully and pitched mainly in low leverage situations posting a 2.70 ERA in 40 innings.  Rainey was back in the rotation as Boston's number five starter in '82.  He missed a few starts in June but was able to make 25 starts and two relief appearances.  When the soft-tosser was good he was very good (three shutouts) but when he off, he got pounded (11 starts less than five innings).  Rainey finished the year with a 5.02 ERA but once again managed a winning 7-5 record.

Rainey was traded to the Cubs for Doug Bird before the '83 season.  Rainey would have his healthiest and most productive season in Chicago, making 34 starts, winning 14 against 13 losses and posting a 4.48 ERA.  Rainey was pretty much a five or six inning starter but he had everything working for him in an August 24th game against the Reds.  Rainey took a no-hitter into the ninth inning but with two outs Eddie Milner lined a single to centerfield.  The 30 year old Rainey finished off the Reds with a one-hit shutout, walking just two and whiffing five.  Rainey even added two of his three hits on the year in the game of his life.

Rainey was in the Cubs rotation to start the '84 season and made 16 starts with a 4.24 ERA when he was traded on July 15th to the Oakland A's in return for Davey Lopes.  Rainey pitched out of the bullpen for the A's but was hit hard giving up 23 earned runs in 30 innings.  A little over a year from his one-hit shutout, Rainey had thrown his last pitch.

Stuff: Sinker (83-85 mph), slider, curve

Flipside:  That June 19th outing... Rainey gave up three runs in 5.1 innings which Topps thought was more noteworthy than his third shutout on August 31.

Oddball:  With a career ERA of 4.50 (ERA+ 91) and a WHIP of 1.531, it seems strange that Rainey could toss six complete game shutouts among his 106 career starts.  He averaged less than 5 2/3 innings per start. 

Rainey was very lucky to have a career 43-35 record with his poor rate stats.

History:  Rainey will be remembered for his near no-hitter in Wrigley Field in '83.  He was traded mid-way through the Cubs '84 division winning season and missed out on his best chance at playing in the post-season.  His lack of velocity made it difficult for him to survive against big league hitters.  Sometimes crafty veterans can get by with a mediocre fastball but Rainey's breaking pitches weren't enough to keep hitters off balance and his career was dead before he turned 31.

The next card in the '83 set features a high school teammate of Rainey's. 

#55 Mookie Wilson

Card:  This card is Mookie Wilson's third Topps card.  He was featured along with Hubie Brooks and Juan Benrenguer on a three player future stars card in the '81 set for his rookie card. 

Pic:  Nice action shot of  Wilson following through and starting his way out of the box.  Topps used a similar action shots of Wilson in '82 and later in '88.  As you can see in the inset, Mookie is generally pretty happy guy.

Player:  Mookie Wilson was a second round pick by the Mets out of the University of South Carolina in the 1977 draft.  Wilson spent four years in the minors batting .290+ in three of the four and averaged 40 stolen bases per year.  He was called up in Septemeber of 1980 and was allowed to start 26 of the Mets last 30 games.  The 24 year-old centerfielder hit .248 and stole seven bases in his first taste of big league action.

Wilson made the Mets out of spring training in '81.  He started in right field for the for the first six weeks, then moved to centerfield in May.  He batted .271 with 24 steals in the abbreviated season.  Over the next three seasons Wilson was the Mets everyday centerfielder and performed consistently, posting batting averages of .279, .276, and .276.  The speedy Wilson was a base stealing weapon swiping 58, 54, and 46 bases over the '82-'84 seasons.

An arm injury and the arrival of Lenny Dykstra cut into Wilson's playing time in 1985.  Limited to 93 games, Wilson hit .276 for the third year in a row and added 24 steals. 

Wilson's '86 season of course was highlighted by his ground ball through the legs of Bill Buckner in Game 6 of the World Series.  Wilson and his Mets pulled off the miraculous comeback to win the game and the series.  From the '86 through '88 seasons Wilson was a semi regular sharing centerfield with Dykstra and filling in often in left and rightfield.  Although not an everyday starter he recorded between 378 - 385 at bats each year and posted batting averages of .289, .299, and .296.  The Mets again reached the post season in '88 but Wilson could only manage two hits in the NLCS loss against the Dodgers.

Wilson continued in his semi-regular role with the Mets in '89 but with him batting .205 and the Mets mired in a seven game losing streak, he was dealt to the Blue Jays at the trade deadline for Jeff Musselman and Mike Brady (no not that one!).  Wilson batted .298 for Toronto and helped push them into the postseason.  He batted .263 in four games as the Blue Jays bowed out of the ALCS losing to the A's.

Wilson was Toronto's everyday centerfield in 1990 batting 265 and stealing 23 bases in 27 attmepts.  With the acquisition of Devon White for the '91 season, Wilson started occasionally in left field and was deployed as a pinch runner and pinch hitter.  In 86 games Wilson batted only .246.  The Blue Jays won the AL East and Wilson would get two hits in eight at bats before the ALCS was decided in the Minnesota Twins favor. 

At 35 years of age Wilson was no longer able to cover as much ground in the outfield and wasn't getting on base consistently, so he hung up the spikes.

Flipside:  Wilson also had three four-hit games during the '82 season. 

Oddball:  Mookie's given name is William.  It's a good thing he went by Mookie , 'cos it could have been confusing during the 80's with two speedy centerfielders named Willie Wilson.

Mookie got his nickname for the way he pronounced the word milk when requesting it as a young child.

History:  Wilson will always be remembered as the batter who hit the grounder through Bucker's legs in the '86 World Series.  With his speed, managers were tempted to bat him at the top of the lineup but Wilson never walked more than 35 times in a season.  Taking a few more walks would have made him even more valuable given his career 77% success rate when stealing bases. 

After retirement Wilson has worked as a coach for the Mets.  Wilson is the stepfather and uncle of former baseball player Preston Wilson. (In case you are wondering...Mookie's brother fathered Preston four years before Mookie married Preston's Mom).