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. 

Topps Cards That Should Have Been: The Gregg Zaun Chronicles

 I don't know if you guys have been keeping track, but January I was doing these Topps Cards That Should Have Been posts in alphabetical order. Just a little challenge. Ah, let's see if I can do a Q name, so on, things like that.

So that should explain why I'm posting a ton of customs of switch-hitting backup catcher Gregg Zaun on the last day of January.

......look, it was either him or Todd Zeile.

Nevertheless, there is a lot of things to talk about regarding Gregg Zaun and Topps' gaps in documenting his career on cards. It may be a niche guy to include, but he played throughout the 2000s and was a reliable choice for catcher when other guys wouldn't do. 

As this project starts in 2000, we begin with Gregg Zaun's 2000 season in Kansas City. In 83 games he hits .274, and the starting gig is his for a bit.

Flash-forward to 2003:

Zaun spends 2002 in Houston backing up Brad Ausmus, which he continues to do for 2003, as he hits .217 in 59 games as backup. That doesn't seem to cut it for Houston, and they release him. 

Only for the Colorado Rockies, who need a solid backup option for Charles Johnson, to pick him up. Zaun does miles better with the Rox, hitting .261 with 3 homers in 15 games. 

Then, in 2004, Gregg Zaun figured out that the key to his longevity in the bigs would be playing in Canada. So he signed a minor league deal with the Expos, which would have been an opportunity to play in Montreal in their last season. However, the Expos had Brian Schneider, strike one, and they were going forward with Einar Diaz as a backup, strike two. Which means the Expos had no use for Gregg Zaun, and released him.

About a week into the season, the Toronto Blue Jays realized that their catching options, including Kevin Cash and Greg Myers, were too thin, and they went...not far, and got Gregg Zaun. Zaun quickly became the starting option in Toronto, hitting .269 in 107 games with a 2.3 WAR. Here, Zaun's scorching run in Toronto begins, and the Jays fans couldn't be any more here for it.

Topps, on the other hand, seems to miss the boat. No Zaun cards in Update, which is a foresight, even if it is a low-tier Jays team.

It becomes even more infuriating in 2005 when Gregg Zaun has his best season. Yeah, that's right. Out of all the hitters in Toronto in 2005, including Vernon Wells, Orlando Hudson, Eric Hinske, Alex Rios and Aaron Hill, you know who has the highest WAR? SWITCH-HITTING CATCHER GREGG ZAUN. He only hits .251 with 61 RBIs, but his defensive numbers are so impressive that it propels him to a 3.6 WAR. Which is huge. No longer the backup, Zaun has a beautiful year in Toronto, cements his status as a Canadian legend, and doesn't have to worry about moving around for a bit.

After this season, Topps listens up and makes Gregg Zaun cards in flagship for the next 4 seasons. Zaun is the primary option at catcher for the Jays for the next few seasons, then in 2009 he signs with the Orioles to start. Only problem is that in 2009, the Orioles bring up a guy named Matt Wieters to play catcher, and Zaun's numbers aren't enough to stop him from usurping his playing time. So the O's trade him.

Thankfully they trade him to a decent team that needed catching options behind Dioner Navarro. So Gregg Zaun gets to compete with the Rays. Unfortunately, thanks to a dismal September, the Rays don't make the postseason. Zaun still hits .287 with 14 RBIs in 34 games. The trade happens after the Update cutoff, so no Topps card. In fact, Topps kind of checks out as far as Zaun is concerned.

In 2010, the Brewers sign Zaun to look over the two burgeoning catchers they have, George Kottaras and Jonathan Lucroy. Zaun's 39, he's clearly just doing this to play, not really worrying about numbers. He actually does fairly well, hitting .265 in 28 games. He's still a decent defender but he's...39. On May 20th, he gets injured, sits out the rest of the season...and it's not looking good for him as a defensive catcher. 

Zaun would try one more season, signing a minor league contract with the Padres in 2011. Just to see if anything was left in the tank. He tried his best, but he really couldn't find any of his former strength left, and retired out of camp. Dignified way to leave, but he did it on his own terms.

And he's been a Jays broadcaster ever since, which means, yes, Toronto has been very kind to him. For a guy who was thinking he'd be a backup in different cities, Gregg Zaun sure found a stationary home there, which is nice.

Topps Cards That Should Have Been: The Ron Gant Chronicles

Ron Gant, from 1987 until 2000, played for entirely teams with red in their uniforms. Nothing but red teams. The Braves, then the Reds, then the Cardinals, then the Phillies, and finally the Angels. Talk about consistency.

Yet because the two-time all-star slugger was traded to the Angels midway through the 2000 season, and because he wasn't as relevant as other mid-2000 trade deadline acquisitions like Curt Schilling, Topps didn't include an Angels card of Gant in their 2000 traded set. 

To be perfectly honest, the Topps consumers of 2000 weren't missing much. While Gant hit 20 homers with Philadelphia for the first half of the season, he only hit 6 in 34 games in Anaheim, hitting .232 with only 19 hits. It was the end of Ron Gant's reign as a relevant, competitive slugger in the MLB.

Yet Gant's career continued for 3 more seasons with teams that did not include the color red. He would split 2001 between the Rockies and A's, with the former being depicted by Topps and the latter not having enough photo evidence for me to do so. He would also spend 2002 with the Padres, and had something of a comeback year with 18 homers and a 1.9 WAR. 

And for his last trick...

Ron Gant would return to Oakland for his final season in 2003, as another one of Billy Beane's sabermetric-friendly tricks to continue the A's good luck. Gant's time in Oakland wouldn't work as well as people like David Justice and Ricardo Rincon in 2002, as he'd only hit .146 in 17 games, at the very least hitting the final one of his 321 home runs. 

It was a trailed-off ending to a career that started with such a bang in Atlanta, and it would have been cool if Topps had put a more formal cap on it. But, again, that's what I'm here for.

Topps Cards That Should Have Been: The Rod Beck Chronicles

I think we've been wasting time comparing Craig Kimbrel to Trevor Hoffman when we really should be comparing him to Rod Beck.

I mean, swap out Huntsville for Van Nuys, and a slightly lower average saves-per-season, and Rod Beck's first decade of MLB service looks quite similar to Kimbrel's. Both big-game closers with insane consistency and intimidation that peters off spontaneously. And right now, we're in the 'early 2000s in Boston' portion of Kimbrel's career. A great market [Chicago], a golden opportunity, and nothing's coming together. 

Rod Beck, though, had more drastic troubles, with less of a sharp cutoff. He was struggling in Chicago in 1999 before a trade to Boston gave him a crack at a ninth-inning gig, which he did much better with. In a full season for the Sox in 2000, he did much better, with a 3.10 ERA in 34 games. Only problem was he didn't have a chance at the closing gig- Derek Lowe, of all people, closed 41 games for the Sox that year, in Boston's attempt to fill the bullpen with starters [Wakefield also relieved that year] and fill the rotation with people like Pete Schourek and Ramon Martinez [note to self, he didn't have a 2000 Topps card with the Sox]. 

Beck wasn't the officially designated closer in 2001, and only notched 6 saves for the Sox, but he did have a fuller, more relied-upon season as a middle reliever, appeared in 68 games and had a 3.90 ERA with 63 Ks, which is a different season for the man who's usually responsible for 50 saves, but one that was more indicative of where relief pitching was going in the following seasons. 

In 2002, the year Topps actually decides to make a card of him, those numbskulls, Rod Beck required Tommy John surgery, and sat out the entire year. The Sox moved on, getting Ugueth Urbina to pitch the ninth, with 40 saves as well. Beck would be a free agent for 2003, and it would take a lot to get someone to sign him, even for a minor league deal.

One of Beck's former teams decided to bite, though. The Chicago Cubs, with whom Beck notched a career high 51 saves in 1998, took a chance on Shooter, signing him to a minor league deal. The Cubs went into Spring Training with both Joe Borowski and Antonio Alfonseca looking at the closing gig, so a rehabilitated Beck would be facing sharp competition. Despite some decent showings in March, Beck doesn't make the team, spends two months in Iowa living in a motor home and becoming friends with all the fans, and he's released in May. Topps doesn't make a card of this Cubs tenure, but if they had a mind, they would have made one for Series 1. 

So Beck is a free agent once again...but only for a few days, as another California team, much like the Giants whom he came up with, needed help in the ninth.

The San Diego Padres signed Rod Beck with the sole intention of giving him the ninth inning and letting him close again. They had no one willing to hold the job for more than 4 saves, Trevor Hoffman was out for the season, and Beck was a tested solution. In 36 games, Beck held a 1.78 ERA with 32 strikeouts and 20 saves. For a last place team, Beck was a steady constant with more than enough in the tank to keep them from completely falling apart. These were the last great numbers of Beck's career, and proof that he could still perform post-Tommy-John.

 The Padres re-signed Beck for the 2004 season, but things would be different. Trevor Hoffman would be healthy, and would deliver 41 saves. The bullpen itself was sturdier, with great performances from Scott Linebrink, Akinori Otsuka and Antonio Osuna. Rod Beck had much less of a place in this much better team, and in 26 games his ERA ballooned to 6.38, with more NL East offenses getting to him than ever before. It was a disappointing, heartbreaking finale to Beck's career, made even more heartbreaking by Beck's passing three years later.

The other stark difference between Rod Beck and Craig Kimbrel is that Topps has always been behind Kimbrel, no matter where he went and no matter how dire his ERA looked. It is a mindset that Topps had never previously adopted with relievers, even leaving late-career moves from Rich Gossage, John Franco and Jesse Orosco out of their sets entirely. I'm not sure if Kimbrel's going to bounce back, but because he'll be doing so in 2021, rather than 2003, maybe the card companies will be more there for him than they were for Beck back in the day. 

In The Post 2000 (or 3000)

Ladies and Gentlemen, we've reached a milestone on Mint Condition.

After nearly seven years, countless customs, and dozens of posts about hating David Freese, Mint Condition has reached its 2,000th post.

I know. What took me so long?

Bottom line, I've made it to my 2000th, and I've been through a lot. However, every once and a while I can't help but look...into the future.

("The future, Jordan?")

That's right. Seeing as I've written 2000 posts, I'd figure that I make some obscene predictions, as a way of paying homage to an old Late Night with Conan O'Brien bit that not a lot of people remember.

So, one can't help but look to the future, to see what posts on Mint Condition will be like...IN THE POST 3000...

In the Post 3000... Joe Buck will still be covering NFL and MLB games at Fox. At least that's what the guy at the mental hospital is supposed to tell him.

In the Post 3000... The MLBPA will finally agree to give Panini an official license to make baseball cards with logos. Unfortunately, they gave this license to *A* panini. Fortunately, it's a very tasty one.

In the Post 3000... Pete Rose will make a dramatic return to the spotlight when it is announced that he also bet on when McDonalds would re-introduce the McRib. Of course, Rob Manfred doesn't give two shits and lets him in the Hall of Fame anyway.

In the Post 3000... Nelson Cruz will have the first down year of his newly revitalized career, when he ONLY bats .280 with 30 home runs.

In the Post 3000... A year after his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Brett Favre will announce his return to the sport, to play quarterback for the Chicago Bears. The deal falls through, however, when the Bears realize Favre wasn't joking.

In the Post 3000... Topps will finally answer collectors and bring back the much-beloved Topps Total. It will be hobby-shop exclusive, have a 200 card set with an extra 60 short printed cards, and have three sticker autos per box. Each box will also come with a hand-signed note from the CEO of Topps, going "NYAH!"

In the Post 3000... The Chicago Cubs will FINALLY manage to make it to the World Series. However, it will have all gone awry once it is revealed that manager Joe Maddon has, in fact, been taking performance enhancing drugs. And so has the magician he brought in halfway through the season.

In the Post 3000... For the first time ever, Major League Baseball will be played in Mexico...however, this backfires when the attendance falls lower than Marlins games.

In the Post 3000... The Mets will advance to the NLCS, where they will fall victim to a hair-raising blunder, and be no-hit by the Dodgers, which will cause Keith Hernandez' head to spontaneously combust. Which, in my opinion, could be pretty nice.

In the Post 3000... Mint Condition will still be your supplier of custom cards, box breaks, and relatively funny posts that use the word 'damn' too much. Only IN SPACE...or something.


Thanks for sticking with me through 2000, guys. It's been fun. Onto the next milestone...

Card Show- Whole Lotta Swag

Yeah, I went to another card show. Luckily, I finally got my hands on some UPDATES AND HIGHLIGHTS!!!! Here are some of the awesome cards I got from this set-

81- Mark Texiera All Star
87- Jake Peavy. This is another studio shot. Hastily assembled by Topps, probably
89- Phil Hughes. There has to be a reason why Topps didn't put Hughes in the base set.
100- CC Sabathia- This is the card I have waited the entire year for.
130-Randy Johnson Highlight
170- Jason Giambi- Now on the Rockies.
174- Omar Vizquel. Is he a hall of famer? Maybe.
202- Angel Berroa. Heeyyyyy, he should be on the Yankees!!!
200- Randy Johnson. What a career.
209- Andruw Jones.
234- Mike Sweeney. Is this guy a Hall fo Famer? No.
236- Kris Benson, the man with 1000 injuries
247- Lastings Milledge. How does it feel to go from the 2nd worst team in Baseball to the worst team in baseball??
250- Mark Texiera. The other card I have waited all year to get.
263- Matt Holliday, who should be the 2010 starting outfielder for the Yankees.
264- LAROOOOCHE!
276- Brad Penny, now on the Giants
282- Victor Martinez.
302- Casey Kotchman.
309- Scott Posednik.
326- Nate McLouth. Who would've thought that this guy would be a Brave?
230- Freddy Sanchez
140- Jack Wilson- IT'S A TRADED PIRATE PALOOZA!
142- Jorge Posada Highlight. I still need his base card for my regular set.
111- Livan Hernandez. Now on the Nationals.
115- Jeff Weaver.
117- Alex Rios.
92- Edwin Encarnacion.
85- Joe "Whatever happened to me" Crede
90- Orlando Cabrera. Speaking of sore losers...
76- Scott Rolen.
57- Juan Uribe. I also need this guy's regular topps card.
45- Brad Ausmus.
29- Rich Hill
25- Orlando Hudson
8- Lance Broadway
1-Ivan Rodriguez, whose card is a total waste because he is not in a Ranger outfit.

I also got a few Early 2000's Topps packs. First, here's the 2000 Topps.

69- Dave Nilsson.
71- Tim Raines, who I had no idea he was playing in 2000.
47- Shannon Stewart.
72- Brian Jordan. Double-sporter
29- Darrin Fletcher
3- Wade Boggs' last card.
151- Scott Williamson
115- Paul O'Neill.
87- Bobby Higginson.
13- MAGGLIOOOO!
15- Derek Jeter. YEEEEAAAHHHH!
122- Edguardo Alfonso.
121- Todd Zeile
Mark McGwire All Star Insert
Andruw Jones 21st Century Topps.
Tony Gwynn 20th Century's Best, which I might have.

2003-
348- Strikeout leaders
22- Dave Mlicki
56- Eric Young
147- Ben Sheets, who I have
106- Jay Gibbons, who I have
96- Alex Gonzalez
63- Andy Ashby
89- Mike Matheny
233- Derrek Lee
Troy Glaus Record Breaker

2001-
527- David Wells, who I have
458- ANOTHER Bobby Higgonson
556- Tony Clark
590- Felipe Crespo
559- Jim Parque
655- Larry Walker
496- Scott Downs
483- MATT STAIRS!!
453- Russ Ortiz
610- Bill Haselman

Well, pretty good card show finds. I'll have a custom Card up tonight.

Cooperstown Haul

I'm back.

I have returned from Cooperstown (Yeah, I'm still stuck in the Adirondacks, though) and I have some sweet cards to share as usual.

I ended up falling pray to the wax in the gift shop. Yeah, I know. I bought 2 packs of Goudey and 1 pack of Allen and Ginter.

A&G-
69- James Loney.
263- Brian Duensing
39- Hanley Ramirez
309- KosFu
National Pride of Derek Jeter
Jeff Suppan mini

Goudey-
The Yankees- Phil Hughes, Mark Texiera Heads Up
The UD Insert- Jim Edmonds
The Tigers- Curtis Granderson, Carlos Guillen
The Young Stars- Edwin Encarnacion, Travis Snyder, Scott Kazmir
The Hitters- Jeff Francoeur, Carl Crawford, Rafael Furcal
The Aging Slugger- Jim Thome
Etc- Josh Willingham, Fausto Carmona

I also grabbed some late 90's early 00's swag I didn't have.

1998-
302- Barry Larkin
316- Will Clark
166- Gary Sheffield
304- Jason Kendall

1999-
398- Wade Boggs
243- Tom Glavine
150- Jeff Bagwell
180- Mike Mussina
330- Jeff Kent
360- Tim Salmon again

2000-
417- Rafael Palmiero
38- Bobby Abreu
140- Roberto Alomar
165- Kenny Lofton
40- Juan Gonzalez
186- Roy Halladay
116- Jermaine Dye
109- Adrian Beltre
392- Mike Lowell

2001-
122- Paul Konerko
64- Carlos Lee
527- David Wells
450- Todd Helton

Will be going back to the shop tomorrow, and then back home to Jersey

Card Show part 2

I was about to head out the mall's door when who did I see? Everbody's favorite money grubbing wax dealing octegenarian, The Wax Man!!!

I got a few packs, 2 2003 and 1 2ooo.

Let's start with 2003.

666- SIGN OF THE DEVIL!!! Also, it's Jeff Francis' draft pick card. WOOOOO!
418- Brad Ausmus. Nice player
620- Brett Meyers- HOLY CRAP IT'S HIS ROOKIE! YEESSSSS!
520- Arthur Rhodes, take me home.
503- A GOLD CRAD OF....aw, crap it's Octavio Dotel. Dammit.
686- Bengie Molina Gold glove
535- Brendan Donnely
490- Randy Lose

Pack 2

167- Erubiel Durazo, shared a rookie crad with Pat Burrell
197- Farnsworth
58- Luis Rivas
186- Brent Abernathy THE
79- Ramon Martinez. CRAP
353- Season Highlights Adam Kenndey. KEEPS
252- Joe Randa
19- Danys Bayez
136- Bob Wickman- COOOMMMIIINNG!
214- Our only hit, CC Sabathia.

2000

268- Orel Hershisher. Night Owl's favorite card.
323- Dustin Hermanson. Dahhhh
336- Kelvim Escober. Dahhhh
266- Dave Roberts.
428- Andy Benes.
20th Century's best of TONY GWYNN!
277- Miguel Cairo
297- Royce Clayton
288- ABB
423- Dmitri Young. Finally something non-crappy
378- Darryl Hamilton. Back to the crap.

Wow, that break sucked, but at least I got some good rookies instead of last time.