Topps Cards That Should Have Been: 2007 Rangers

In 2010, the Texas Rangers ascended the AL West and made it to a World Series for the first time in their history. You can honestly trace the beginnings of the 2010 and 2011 teams back to 2007, when key pieces like Nelson Cruz and C.J. Wilson first emerged, as well as...lots of other odd contracts.

Wilson didn't have a card in 2007 Topps for some reason because the team didn't know what to do with him yet. He was still being used in relief at this point, and 3.03 ERA in 66 appearances, with 12 saves. A very useful piece that would eventually become more of a factor in the team, and would later become and starting hero.
 

The reason Wilson only saved 12 games was that former Dodgers Cy Young winner and guy who took so much steroids that he literally blew out his arm Eric Gagne spent the first half of the season as closer. After two years of injuries, thanks to the aforementioned arm-blowing-out, Gagne signed with Texas to prove he still had some juice left [no pun intended], and though Topps would somehow be ambivalent, Gagne did pretty well through the first half, with a 2.16 ERA and 16 saves through 30 appearances. Ultimately Gagne would be dealt at the trade deadline to Boston for bullpen help on the way to their World Series win that would earn him a ring despite less savory numbers. This trade would be important for the Rangers, as it would land them a contact-hitting outfielder named David Murphy. 

Alright, onto the weird ones. Former Phillies infield star Desi Relaford bopped around a bit during the 2000s, and made his last MLB appearances in 2007 with the Rangers. In 14 games he hit .115 with 3 hits. That'd be all for him. 

And finally, you may recall back in 2002 the sudden rise of Jared Sandberg, who was a decent third baseman for the Rays, and did what he could to make some news in a dying market. Sandberg, the nephew of former Cubs HOFer Ryne Sandberg, was a decent bat but was mostly heralded for his defense. 2003 came with diminishing returns, and Sandberg would never reach the majors again, though not without trying. In 2007, he got a spring training invite from the Rangers, and at 30 he still potentially had some stuff left in the tank. He'd be competing with Hank Blalock, Michael Young and Ramon Vazquez, which probably goes to explain why he got cut.

More to come, as long as Manfred keeps being a schmuck.