#226 Enrique Romo - Pittsburgh Pirates

Pittsburgh hurler Enrique Romo actually looks like a pirate on his 6th and final Topps card.  All he needs is an eye patch. I wonder what that is in the background?

Player:  The Seattle Mariners first year in the majors was 1977 and like all expansion franchises, they really needed pitching.  So they dug deep and purchased the contract of Enrique Romo from the Mexico City Reds where he had won 20 games with a sparkling 1.89 ERA in '76.  He was the #2 starter as the Mariners set sail to their maiden season but after three starts, an injury sidelined him for three weeks.  Upon his return he assumed duties as the ace reliever and saved 16 games with a 2.83 ERA in 114 innings.

 

Romo continued with the Mariners and resumed his bullpen role in '78.  He again led the team in saves (10) and logged 107 innings with a 3.69 ERA.  After the season he was peddled to the Pirates in a six-player deal.

 

Romo was part of a fine bullpen in Pittsburgh as he and Grant Jackson set up for Kent Tekulve.  Romo appeared in 84 games, won ten, and saved five others.  He pitched 129 innings with a 2.99 ERA to help the Pirates to the postseason.  Once there, he pitched in two games in both the NLCS and World Series as the Bucs brought home the championship. 

 

He put up more workman like numbers in 1980 with 123 innings, a 3.27 ERA, and 11 saves.  He was rather mediocre the next two years as his walks and gopher balls increased and he posted ERAs of 4.54 and 4.36.

 

Although Romo had been a moody presence and hadn't pitched well in recent years, the Pirates were surprised when he was a no show in 1983.  Romo stayed home in Mexico where some said he was discontent over a fine manager Chuck Tanner levied during the '82 season and others rumored that there was a threat on his life if he returned to the states.  Romo never pitched in the majors again and "retired" with a 3.45 ERA, 55 saves and a championship ring. 

 

Stuff:  A live fastball, and like many Mexican pitchers Romo threw a wide assortment of pitches including a screwball, palmball, and probably a spitter.

 

 

Flipside:  Since Romo never reported to the Pirates in '83 these are his career totals.  Romo's brother Vincente who pitched eight years in the majors also had 33 career losses and 52 career saves.  Enrique has him beat in the win column 44 to 32. 

 

Oddball:  What more do you want?  You've got a surly spitballin' Pirate who looks like a pirate who went AWOL amid death threats...

Ok, one more tidbit. Romo hit a grand slam against the Mets on 10/1/1980 to give the Bucs a 10-3 lead.  Romo who entered the game in the sixth inning pitched the last four innings for the save.  Romo hit .270 (10/37) in his career with two doubles and his grand slam.

 

Career:  Romo bookended a brief but successful major league career between two stints in his native Mexico. Seattle fans will remember him as an original Mariner while Pittsburgh fans recall his days on the '79 champion Pirates.

#225 Enos Cabell - Detroit Tigers

Enos Cabell's 9th Topps card shows him getting low on a ground ball at third base.  As a Tiger fan I never liked the oversized-silver-outlined-orange D on the hat.  I much prefer the smaller solid orange D they use now.

Player: Enos Cabell was a singles-hitting corner infielder whose major league career spanned from 1972 to 1986.  Undrafted after high school, he signed with the Orioles in 1969 and had some good years in the minors.  Baltimore had Boog and Brooks at the corners and although Cabell reached the majors in 1972 he would bat just 241 times in three seasons with the O's. 

 

Cabell got his break when he was traded to Houston in the Lee May deal.  He started the year as the starting leftfielder but after a while was used as a sub at the corners until settling into the third base role in September.  He hit .264 with a pair of homers in 374 plate appearances.

 

He retained the starting gig at the hot corner for the next five years in Houston and filled in at first several times a year.  Despite his 6'4" frame he didn't hit for power.  Even with half his games outside the home run suppressing Astrodome, he slugged just .377 from '75 to '80.  He hit .278 over this time frame and averaged 30 stolen bases. 

 

Before the '81 season he was dealt to the Giants and he hit .255/.278/.326.  Cabell was traded again, this time to Detroit in exchange for Champ Summers.  In Detroit, Cabell was a semi-regular, seeing most of his action at first base.  He hit a hollow .261 in '82 but rebounded to hit a career best .311 in 1983 while improving his slugging .111 points to .434.

 

Cabell returned to the Astros via free agency for the '84 season and put up similar numbers as he hit .310 in his return to Houston.  The Astros peddled Cabell to the L.A. Dodgers in July of '85 where he finished the year with a .272 average.  He nearly missed the '86 season after he was suspended for cocaine use that was made public during the Pittsburgh drug trials.  Cabell eventually got out of it by doing community service and continued with the Dodgers but batted just .256 in 107 games. 

 

After 15 seasons Cabell retired with a career .277/.308/.370 line. 

 

 

Flipside:  Cabell's 16 home run season in 1977 really jumps out at me.  He never hit more than three before that season and never topped eight afterwards.

 

Oddball:  In 2008 Enos Cabell was sued by footballer Vince Young.  It seems Cabell and two other men had applied for a trademark for Vince Young's VY initials and Invinceable nickname to be used on merchandise.  The case took several years to resolve, and it seems like a pretty slimey thing to do to a fellow athlete.  Even if it is Vince Young. 

 

History:  Cabell appeared three times in the postseason with Baltimore, Houston, and Los Angeles but never made it past the league championship series.  He batted .184 in 38 at bats including a 1-for-13 '85 NLCS with LA. 

 

Cabell didn't provide much pop at the plate and his average wasn't always enough to compensate.  His biggest asset was speed and versatility. 

 

Strangely on Baseball Reference's similarity scores, Cabell's 4th best comparison was the subject of the previous card, Mickey Rivers.

 

 

#224 Mickey Rivers - Texas Rangers

This card is Mickey Rivers' 12th Topps base card and one of my favorites in the set.  I like both the cameo and action photo of Rivers.  The main picture shows him breaking out of the box, but if you weren't conditioned to looking at baseball cards you might think he was making an awkward landing after jumping off a ladder. 
The inset picture captures Mickey with a slight smile, almost like he's looking around the corner to see if anyone is heading his way. 
Topps nails it with the red and blue borders.

Player: Mickey Rivers  was originally a Brave draft pick, but his major league career was spent with three other franchises.  He was traded to the Angels in '69 after the completion of his first year in pro ball.  Rivers had a brief 17 game look in 1970 batting .320.  The next three years Rivers had mixed results in the big leagues showing glimpses of brilliance but also going into long slumps.  He split time between AAA and the parent club from '71-'73 and batted .265, .214, and .349 as he figured things out late in '73.

Rivers won the starting job in center and led the AL in triples in 1974 despite missing the last 37 games.  For the year he posted a .285/.341/.393 line and stole 30 bases.  Healthy for a career best 155 games in '75 Rivers batted .284, repeated as the AL triples leader with 13, and swiped 70 bases.   After the season the Angels traded Rivers with Ed Figueroa to the Yankees for Bobby Bonds.

In New York, Rivers helped the Yankees reach the World Series the next three seasons, winning it all in '77 and '78.  Rivers hit .308 in 124 career postseason plate appearances  and became a popular star.  During the regular season, Rivers hit .312 in '76, .326 in '77, and .265 in '78.  Although still very fast, injuries kept Rivers from running as often as his steal totals went from 43, 22, to 25.  Not really a home run hitter, Rivers topped double digits twice in his career with 12 in '77 and 11 in '78. 

Halfway through the '79 season, the Yankees traded Rivers to the Rangers in a multi-player deal.  He hit .293 for the year but had clearly lost a couple of steps as he stole just 10 bases in 19 attempts.  In 1980, Rivers proved he could still hit as he batted .333 and had 210 hits, good for third in the AL. 

Rivers hit .286 in '81 and was coming off an injury ridden season which saw him play just 19 games when this card came out.  The Rangers platooned Rivers at DH in '83 and '84 and although he hit for a decent average (.285, .300 BA), his decreased speed and lack of patience (.309, .320 OBP) meant he was no longer a viable option at the top of the lineup.  After he was released during spring training in 1985 he retired with a lifetime .295 batting average. 

Flipside:  Rivers 70 stolen bases in 1975 were the most by an AL player since 1915.

 

Oddball: Did you know Rivers has his own fan based website?  Mickey was always good for an off the wall or head scratching quote and the best of them are found at this link.

 

History:  Rivers flourished hitting the ball the opposite way and using his speed to get on base helping him to 1,660 career hits. Rivers had a nice peak that coincided with the Yankees championships in '76 and '77 over which he had 11.2 WAR.  He finished 3rd in AL MVP in '76 voting and made his only All-Star game that same year.   

 

 

#223 John Montefusco - San Diego Padres

It looks like John Montefusco is pitching in front of a parking lot here on his 8th Topps offering.  The inset shows him with quite a mischievous grin, one that appeared on many of his cards.

Player:  John Montefusco was a late bloomer and went undrafted.  After pitching in semi-pro ball and community college he signed with the Giants in '72.  Despite a humble start to his career he reached the majors by the end of the '74 season.  He made quite an impression in his first month with the Giants, hitting a home run in his first at bat and tossing a complete game shutout and hitting a second homer on 9/22.

Montefusco, dubbed "The Count" by then Giants broadcaster Al Michaels (a take on the novel "The Count of Monte Cristo"), was still officially a rookie in '75 and had a great year.  He went 15-9 with a 2.88 ERA (133 ERA+) in 243 innings.  He was rewarded with the NL Rookie of the Year and finished 4th in Cy Young voting.  Montefusco followed it up with a nearly identical season in '76 and made the All Star team.  He threw an NL best 6 shutouts, won 16 games, and posted a 2.85 ERA in 253 frames.

Little did anyone know that Montefusco would never really pitch as well as he did over the '75-'76 seasons.  He was effective but missed time with injuries in both '77 and '79 as his ERAs crept up to 3.49, 3.81, and 3.94.  The outspoken Montefusco had fallen into disfavor with the Giants and 1980 would be his last with the team as he went 4-8 with a 4.37 ERA in 113 innings of work.

Montefusco was dealt to the Braves for Doyle Alexander and had a 3.49 ERA in 77 innings as a long reliever and spot starter.  He signed in the offseason with the Padres and although healthy enough to make 32 starts, he completed just one during the '82 season.  He won 10 games and posted 4.00 ERA and logged 184 innings but returned to the swing man role the following season in '83.  He was doing a decent job for San Diego when he was traded to the Yankees late in the '83 season.  He made six starts for New York winning five with a 3.32 ERA.   

Things really fell apart for "The Count" in '84.  A variety of physical problems limited him to just 74 innings over the next three seasons.  With a degenerative hip condition he retired following the '86 season.  He finished his career with a 90-83 record and a 3.54 ERA in 1,652 innings.

Stuff: 90 mph sinking fastball, slider, change, forkball

Flipside:  Montefusco's 215 strikeouts were the most by a National League rookie since Grover Cleveland Alexander's 211 in 1911.

Oddball: On September 29, 1976 "The Count" pitched a no-hitter against Atlanta, as a Jerry Royster walk was the only Brave baserunner.  Too bad only 1,369 people were in attendance. 

History:  Montefusco had a great start to his career but his peak was over before he turned 27.  He has a great bio on the SABR website which details some of the many run ins he had with his managers during his playing days. 
Although he never pitched in the postseason he is a memorable player due to his brash outspoken nature.  While with the Giants he made enemies with Johnny Bench, Reggie Smith, Tommy Lasorda and the entire Dodger franchise.

#222 Damaso Garcia - Toronto Blue Jays

Damaso Garcia's third Topps card shows him standing on second base waiting for a throw on what appears to be a cold day.  His hair looks bigger than I remember it.  The Garcia I recall is the smiling guy in the inset. 

Player:  Damaso Garcia was a young soccer star in the Dominican Republic before he signed with the Yankees as a free agent in 1975.  After a few years in the minors he batted 82 times with New York over the 1978 and '79 season before he was traded to the Blue Jays.  In Toronto, Garcia was the starting second baseman and finished 4th in the 1980 AL Rookie of the Year voting after posting a .278 batting average.

Injuries and the strike limited Garcia to 64 games in 1981.  He saw his average slip to .252 but he would rebound with a great year in '82.  Garcia batted .310, stole 54 bases, and provided slick defense.  He won a Silver Slugger award and the only thing missing in his game was patience at the plate as he walked only 21 times in 629 plate appearances.

Garcia had another decent year in '83 batting .307 with 31 more steals.  He batted in the .280's each of the next three years and represented the Jays at the All Star game in '84 and '85.  A bad knee slowed him down and in time his steals went from 46 to 28 to only 9 in the '96 season. 

Garcia was traded to the Braves prior to the '87 season, but did not play all season as he suffered another leg injury in spring training.  He came back in '88 and he had three hits in the opener. He had just four hits in his next 53 at bats and was released.  

The Dodgers gave him a chance in the minors but he didn't appear in the majors with Los Angeles.  Garcia played for the Expos in '89 and batted .271 in 80 games.  He returned to the Yankee organization in 1990 but failed to make the team and subsequently retired at age 32.    

Flipside:  Garcia's 54 stolen bases were a career high but he had only 17 through July 1st.  Over his next 70 games he stole 37 bases.

Oddball:  Blue Jay manager Bobby Mattcik had Garcia (.371 lifetime SLG%) bat cleanup twice during the 1980 season- against lefties Ron Guidry and Ross Baumgarten.

Garcia was known as a bit of a hot head during his time with Toronto. He got into a brief altercation with the much larger Cliff Johnson in a batting practice disagreement in 1986.

History:  Garcia established himself as a good player for the Blue Jays when they were fighting for respectability in the American League.  As the team improved he was able to help them to the playoffs in 1985.  He batted .233 with four doubles in Toronto's seven game loss to Kansas City in the ALCS. 
Garcia has battled health problems after a brain tumor nearly took him out a year after he retired.  Since then he has run baseball / health clinics for children in his native DR.

#221 Joe Niekro - Houston Astros

This is the 16th Topps card of Joe Niekro's long career.  Niekro looks like he could fit right in with the cast of Frasier as a long lost Crane brother.

Player:  Joe Niekro came up through the Cubs organization and but didn't really distinguish himself until much later in his career.  Making his debut with Chicago in '67, he pitched well enough (3.34 ERA, 106 ERA+ in 169.2) to be the Cubs opening day starter in '68.  He was pretty hittable and his 4.31 is pretty bad given the low scoring environment. 

 

Late in April 1969, Niekro was dealt to the expansion Padres where he pitched decently but won only 8 games despite a league average ERA.  Traded for the second time in his young career, Niekro landed in Detroit.  Niekro won 12 games in 1970 but his role decreased over the next two years. 

 

Niekro was reunited with his older brother Phil in Atlanta in '73 and began to throw his knuckler more often.  The pitch had always been in his repertoire but he hadn't used it regularly.  He pitched in 20 games out of the pen but was pretty ordinary with a 4.13 ERA.  He started '74 at AAA Richmond and earned a mid season call-up but was used mainly out of the pen with a 3.56 ERA in 43 frames.

 

The Braves traded Niekro to the Astros after the '74 season and he worked as a swingman the next two years.  He logged 206 innings with ERA's of 3.07 and 3.36 while making 17 starts when needed.  Niekro began the season in the same role but ended the year in the rotation.  He logged 180 innings and won 13 with a 3.04 ERA.

 

Niekro would be a major contributor to the Astros rotation for the next eight years.  After a 14 win season in '78, he won 21 and 20 games the next two seasons and finished top four in Cy Young voting both years.  Niekro pitched ten scoreless innings in Game 3 of the '80 NLCS but the Astros lost 1-0 in 11. 

 

Niekro had a fine '81 season (2.82 ERA) and once again was unscored upon in the postseason.  In Game 2 of the NLDS he threw eight shutout innings but the Astros did not score, losing 1-0 in 11 innings to the Dodgers. 

 

In 1982 Niekro was at his best, winning 17 of his 35 starts with a tiny 2.47 ERA in an impressive 270 innings.  Niekro was productive and reliable the next two years as he led the NL in games started with 38 in both '83 and '84.  In '85 he was traded in September to the Yankees where he won two of his three starts to finish with 11 wins on the year.

 

Niekro was aging and no longer pitching half his games in the offense oppressing Astrodome and it began to show.  He made 25 starts in '86 but had a poor 4.85 ERA, the first time his ERA crept north of four since 1973.  Niekro was traded by the Yankees to the Twins in '87 and was hit hard.  He made the postseason roster and pitched two scoreless innings in the World Series as the Twins beat the Cardinals.  The 43 year-old was knocked around pretty good in '88 and was released after allowing 13 runs in 11.2 innings.

 

Stuff:  Early in his career fastball, slider, curve.  As his career progressed he threw a knuckler more often.

Flipside:  The 1982 season was his best as far as ERA with the low 2.47 mark.  Niekro was remarkably consistent while with the Astros as his ERA never was higher than 3.86

Oddball:  Niekro's long career provides many tidbits- the emery board incident which drew a 10 game suspension, teaming up with Phil for the most wins among brothers in MLB history, or Joe visiting the mound when Phil was going for win #300.  My favorite oddity of Joe's career was that in 1,165 trips to the plate he hit only one home run and it was hit off his brother on 5/29/1976.  The homer tied the game in the 7th inning, a game the Astros went on to win.

History:  Niekro had a fine career that culminated with him winning a World Series with the Twins in '87.  Along the way he won 221 games and baffled plenty of batters with his assortment of knucklers, sliders, and "other" pitches.  In 20 career postseason innings Niekro did not allow a run.
Sadly Niekro passed away in 2006 due to a brain aneurysm.

#220 Dusty Baker - Los Angeles Dodgers

Dusty Baker's 13th Topps card shows him following through with his line drive swing on very bright day.  Baker has looked pretty much the same throughout his playing and managerial career. 
Although green isn't a Dodger color, it goes well with this card.  Baker shares a 1971 rookie card with Don Baylor and Tom Paciorek.  The three players would play a combined 56 years in the majors.

Player:  Johnnie B. "Dusty" Baker played 19 years in the major leagues, mostly with Atlanta and Los Angeles.  Baker's first taste of MLB action came in four brief stays with the Braves over the 1968-1971 seasons.  After batting less than 100 times and shuttling back and forth from Richmond over the previous four years, the former 26th round pick had to be happy to make the '72 opening day roster.  Baker was a part time player at first but was starting everyday in CF by mid-May.  Baker posted a .321/.383/.504 line, hit 17 HR, and recorded 5.0 WAR. 

Baker displayed similar power numbers over the next three years as he hit 60 homers for the Braves.  His batting average however dipped to .288, .256, and .261 over the '73-'75 seasons.  While in Atlanta some had hyped Baker as the next Henry Aaron but his time as a Brave came to an end in November of 1975 when he was traded to the Dodgers. 

In Los Angeles, Baker had a terrible time adjusting to his new location and hit just four homers with a .242/.298/.307 line.  He rebounded and hit a career best 30 dingers in '77, with a .291 batting average and a 134 OPS+.  He became a mainstay for the Dodgers in leftfield and was there through the 1983 season.  Baker's power production varied from year to year.  For instance, after his 30 HR year he hit 11, 23, 29, 9, 23, and 15 long balls.  His average fluctuated from .260 to .320 but he was noted as a clutch RBI hitter.

Baker won a Silver Slugger in 1980 and won a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger in 1981.  With the Dodgers Baker had some memorable playoff and World Series moments and won a ring in '81. 

Baker signed with the Dodgers rival San Francisco Giants after the '83 season. The two-time All-Star was used as a part time corner outfielder by the Giants and although he hit only three homers he hit .292 with a .387 OBP.  During the following spring, Baker was traded across the Bay to the A's. 

Baker finished his career in Oakland playing the '85 and '86 seasons.  He played first base, DH'd some and appeared occasionally in the outfield.  He clubbed 14 HR in '85 but just four in '86.  Baker retired with 242 HR, 1,981 hits, and 1,013 RBI.

Flipside:  Baker gets the small font treatment as Baker had 15 seasons under his belt.  That was quite a game for Baker on May 8.  Here is the box score.

Oddball:  Much has been written and debated about a player's perceived ability to perform in the clutch.  Baker was one of those guys who always seemed to be feared in RBI situations.  He never had a 100 RBI season, so what gives?  Maybe it was his exposure on national television during the Dodgers playoff runs or some memorable big hits with men on base.  Perhaps it was the Game Winning RBI stat that was hyped for a while in the 80's.
Below are three BA/OBP/SLG lines:

A.   .278/.347/.432
B.   .282/.341/.423
C.   .280/.361/.429

Not much difference is there?  Line A is Baker's career mark.  B is his postseason averages, and C is Baker's career numbers with runners in scoring position. 

Even this web page falsely touts Baker as having 25 career walk-off home runs.  Way off! An accurate list shows slugger Jim Thome with 13 being the most all-time. 

Don't get me wrong, I'm not bashing Baker.  I'm sure Dodger fans liked seeing him in the box in crucial situations.  But if players can elevate their game in tight situtations it isn't by much.


History:  Baker had a long 19 year career and is certainly remembered by most as a Dodger.  Baker was a good player for a long time, who earned 32.4 career WAR and won a World Series in '81.  In addition to his other accolades, Baker received MVP votes in three different seasons and has gone on to a long managerial career.