1990 Topps #636 - Jesse Orosco
Jesse Orosco played for what felt like forever, and racked up a ton of appearances out of the bullpen along the way. More than any other pitcher in baseball history as a matter of fact. In 1990 he got the call 55 times, and finished with an ERA under 4.00 for the third consecutive season. My first #636 buyback, Jesse is in!
1990 Topps #659 - Greg Cadaret
1990 was Greg Cadaret's first full season pitching in the Bronx, as he arrived in trade during the 1989 season (the trade that sent Rickey Henderson to Oakland). He'd make 6 starts for the Yankees in 1990, and appear another 48 times out of the pen. Cadaret finished with a 5-4 record and an ERA of 4.15. This is not my first #659 buyback...
1990 Topps #673 - Joey Meyer
If you're not familiar with Joey Meyer, you can hardly be blamed. He was a flash in the pan guy, whose MLB career began in April of 1988 and finished after the 1989 season completed. He could hit the ball a country mile, and had quite a bit of success as a power hitter in the minor leagues. Ultimately, he struck out too much, and thus only mustered two seasons at the game's highest level. Because this is a nice high number card Joey makes the set without contest.
1990 Topps #716 - Steve Balboni
1990 was just about the end of the line for Steve Balboni, who is better remembered as a slugger for the Royals in the mid-'80s. Steve hit 17 home runs in 116 games that season. After missing the 1991 and 1992 seasons he made a comeback attempt with Texas in 1993, but it was over after two games. At #716 this buyback makes the binder as well, on a nice roll here.
1990 Topps #545 - Kevin McReynolds
Kevin McReynolds had a good year in 1990, it was the fifth straight season where he'd eclipse the 20 home run plateau, and he finished the season with an OPS over .800. No competition for this one either, McReynolds has slid into the binder.
1990 Topps #638 - Jeff Montgomery
Jeff Montgomery was a solid reliever who lasted 13 seasons, and was named an All-Star on three occasions. He's enshrined in the Kansas City Royals Hall of Fame. No competition for this card either as far as the franken-set goes, this post is really providing a lot of new cards for the binder.
1990 Topps #423 - Fred Toliver
After finishing the 1989 season with the Padres, Fred Toliver actually didn't pitch in the Majors in 1990, 1991 or 1992. He finished his career with a 12-game stint served with the Pirates in 1993. A boring card to be perfectly honest, but he's saved by the fact that this is my first #423 buyback.
1990 Topps #460 - Mike Scott
Mike Scott finished second in Cy Young voting in 1989, just three short seasons after actually winning the award. He declined rapidly after that though, largely due to injury, finishing 9-13 in 1990 and then retiring after two appearances in 1991 to the tune of a 12.86 ERA.
1990 Topps #522 - Mike Dunne
Mike Dunne went 0-3 with a 5.65 ERA for the Padres in 1990, after they took him from Seattle in the rule 5 draft late in 1989. Doesn't seem like a wise pick in retrospect, but hindsight is 20/20 of course.
1990 Topps #43 - Dante Bichette
Last card for today features a young Dante Bichette. Dante would peak around the middle of the decade with the Rockies, and most notably had a monster 1995 season where he finished second in NL MVP voting. We've got some competition here as well...
Nice progress today with six new numbers for the binder. I'm also up to 32 buybacks and counting now from the 1990 Topps set. Best of all, I've now evaluated over 700 total buybacks for this project, pretty incredible.
Franken-set Progress: 447/792 (56%)
"Rejected" Buybacks: 260
Total Buybacks in Collection: 707
Joey Meyer was born 25 years too early. Prodigious power but strikes out a lot? They'd be beating a path to his door if he played now.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on 700!