Buyback Franken-set: Labor Day Edition

I'm fortunate enough to be among the many who are celebrating a nice Monday off today in honor of Labor Day.  Having my morning free, I figured it was a good opportunity to pluck ten singles from a large buyback lot from eBay that I've been slowly plodding my way through...

1989 Topps #400 - Alan Trammell All-Star

We start off with a nice All-Star subset card of a member of the Hall of Very Good, Mr. Alan Trammell.  Alan's impressive career includes multiple Gold Glove and Silver Slugger wins, as well as that World Series championship in 1984.  I really enjoy the design of the All-Star subset in 1989 Topps, so I was pleased to see that this one makes the binder uncontested.  Nice to knock off #400!

1988 Topps #347 - Joe Johnson

Next one is kind of bland.  Joe Johnson actually never pitched at all in 1988, or any season thereafter.  His 3-5 record with a 5.00+ ERA in 14 starts in '87 was the end of the line.

This fantastic Royals team card courtesy of 1973 Topps is already in pocket 347 of the franken-set binder.

Very easy call there.

1974 Topps #401 - Elliott Maddox

Pretty random that by just grabbing random cards from the box I pulled both a #400 in the Trammell and a #401 in this Elliott Maddox.  I needed a #401 too, so Elliott is currently sitting immediately to Trammell's right in the binder.  1974 was actually the best season of Maddox's career too, he even received some MVP votes that year.

1988 Topps #659 - Bobby Meacham

Bobby Meacham served as a shortstop for the Yankees for six seasons during the '80s, with 1988 actually being the final year of his career.  I'm not terribly excited about this particular buyback if I'm being perfectly honest, and it's matched up against another Yankee when it comes to inclusion in the binder:

Yes, Topps put a Yankee in spot 659 on the checklist for two straight years.

Obviously I'm going with Al Leiter over Bobby Meacham.

1989 Topps #526 - Wes Gardner

Wes Gardner lasted a few seasons in Boston.  He briefly served as the team's closer (before they acquired Lee Smith), and was later converted to a starter.  The best thing I can say about this one is that I was missing a #526 buyback in the binder previously.  Always nice to welcome a new Red Sox card to the franken-set pages.

1989 Topps #589 - Dave Meads

Here's an obscure one.  Dave Meads lasted just two seasons at the MLB level, both served in the pen for the Astros (he did make two starts in 1988).

Geno Petralli's 1988 release is already in the binder in slot 589...

...and there it will stay.

1985 Topps #157 - Tug McGraw

I haven't seen too many 1985 buybacks at this stage of the project, so this one adds a bit of variety at least.  Great shot of McGraw mid-delivery as well.  Tug's last MLB appearance came in the 1984 season, so this is a sunset card too.  Normally I'd be more than happy to include this one in my franken-set, but as it so stands McGraw gets a brutal match-up against another Phillies player:

Wes Covington at the bat rack is about as tough a draw as you're going to get when it comes to this project.

Tug never stood a chance.

1990 Topps #659 - Greg Cadaret

That's right, it's another Yankee vying for spot 659.

Does Greg Cadaret have what it takes to oust Al Leiter?

He does not.  In fact, the "silver foil" version of this buyback (this is the bronze) already lost to the Leiter in a previous post.

1979 Topps #585 - Hal McRae

Back to the '70s here with a smiling Hal McRae.  1979 wasn't his best season, but he enjoyed a nice career overall that included five seasons where he earned at least one MVP vote.  I'm digging the shoulder patch here as well.  Didn't have a #585 buyback yet, so Hal is in.

2014 Topps #531 - Dylan Bundy

Final card for the day, and it's one of the more recent buybacks I've evaluated to date.  Dylan is a definite bright spot in the O's rotation.  He's already reached 13 wins this year, currently has an ERA under 4.00, and has improved in most statistical categories over his rookie season.

Another tough match-up though, as he's pitted against this '74 Expos coaches card.  I mean, this card has Larry Doby on it.

Dylan comes up short.  Maybe if this kid keeps trending upward for another couple of seasons I'll revisit this one at a later date, but for now the Expos coaching staff wins out.

Four new numbers today, which is pretty damn good at this stage.  More buybacks coming soon, with the next set provided by a reader of the blog.  Thanks for stopping by and have a safe and happy Labor Day!

Franken-set Progress:  472/792 (59%)
"Rejected" Buybacks:  314
Total Buybacks in Collection: 786