Topps Cards That Should Have Been: The Todd Hollandsworth Chronicles

 

In 1996, Todd Hollandsworth won the NL Rookie of the Year award as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers. After Eric Karros, Mike Piazza, Raul Mondesi and Hideo Nomo, he was the fifth consecutive Dodger rookie to win the award.

However, the difference is that those four had long careers, with consistent numbers, and became fan favorites with the Dodgers, as well as other teams. Because of injuries, Hollandsworth was not only rejected by Dodgers fans after his ROY season...he was rejected by Topps. I've heard that contractual issues had to do with this, but for two seasons, 1999 and 2000, Topps did not produce ANY cards of Todd Hollandsworth. No flagship, no premium, nothing. It was almost like Hollandsworth didn't exist to collectors. And after his snakebitten 1998 season, he kinda didn't. 

In 1999, to his credit, Hollandsworth had a fuller season, playing 92 games and hitting .284 with 74 hits and 32 RBIs. It was definitely a comeback year, if not quite perfect yet. The problem, however, was that the Dodgers had settled on a new outfield, consisting of Mondesi, Gary Sheffield and Devon White, one that did not really need Hollandsworth. So unless he'd really brought it in 2000, he'd be looking at a bench position with the team that had rewarded him 3 years earlier. 

In 2000, while Hollandsworth was once again locked out of Topps products, he disappointed in 81 games as a Dodger, hitting .234 with the same number of hits as he did strikeouts. The outfield was set with Shawn Green taking over for Mondesi, and he didn't seem to have a place in it anymore. Even more of a stab in the gut, his brother in law Matt Herges was getting PLENTY of solid playing time in relief. In July, Hollandsworth would not only be traded...he would be traded for an outfield upgrade, Tom Goodwin, who would start in center for the remainder of the season in LA. 

The joke, however, was on the Dodgers- once arriving in Denver, Hollandsworth would produce the best WAR numbers of his career, even bigger than his Rookie of the Year numbers. In 56 games, he'd hit .323 with 23 RBIs and 11 homers, and find the offensive sweet spot he'd been looking for since 1997. The Rockies would reward him with a few more years of service, Topps would reward him with a return to their sets, and despite a few more injury plagued years, Hollandsworth would have a brief career renaissance, even being a World Series hero with the Marlins in 2003.

The numbers fell off in 2005, as he split the season with the Cubs and Braves. I could not find any images of Hollandsworth as a Brave, or else that'd be here as well. Topps would lose interest around here. Hell, Topps would do a 2006 Heritage card of Hollandsworth on the CUBS. Which would be THREE TEAMS AGO by the time the product would release.

By the start of 2006, Hollandsworth would find himself in a minor league deal with Cleveland. There he'd bat .237 with 27 RBIs in 56 games, primarily as a backup/bench guy. It wasn't much, but he was still playing. Midway through the season he'd be purchased by a team on the other side of the state. 

And that's how Hollandsworth ended up delivering his final career numbers with the Reds, who were dealing with injuries to Ken Griffey and had just traded Austin Kearns to the Nats. Hollandsworth actually produced decent numbers in Cincinnati, hitting .265 with 8 RBIs in 34 games, but, again, it was mostly as a backup. Just as he'd feared after 1999. He'd retire shortly after the season, and rest on the laurels of both his ROY win as well as his World Series victory. 

More to come, I reckon.