Diamond King Roundup: 1992

I am doing something a little different with this series. I have mentioned before that the Diamond Kings subset is one of my favorites of all time. The purpose of the subset is to highlight one player from each team who has made a big impact on the team. It is also true that sometimes the choices were a little suspect. I wanted to go through and look at the choices each year and determine which are the strangest choices. Then I will grade the picks in the context of the team, only. For this series, I only want to examine the years when there was one pick per team. In the mid 1990's, the set kind of went off the rails.

1992 was the year that the Diamond Kings were removed from the base set and made into an insert set.  The result was a glossier, higher-end card.  I do remember that my very first pack of 1992 Donruss resulted in me pulling the Red Sox card.  Always a good moment.  Here we go.

MILWAUKEE BREWERS - PAUL MOLITOR

1991 saw Molitor settle into the designated hitter role and flourish.  He was an All Star and led the league in at-bats (665), runs (133), hits (216) and triples (13).  He hit .325/.399/.489 with 17 home runs, 75 RBIs and 19 stolen bases.  He led the Brewers in slugging percentage and stolen bases.

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  Yes.  Molitor was the team's WAR leader.  Second on the team was pitcher Chris Bosio, who had a 14-10 record with a 3.25 ERA and 117 strikeouts and 58 walks in 204.2 innings pitched.  Bill Wegman also had a good year with a 15-7 record, 2.84 ERA, 89 strikeouts and 40 walks in 193.1 innings pitched.  Willie Randolph had a terrific season in his sole year in Milwaukee, hitting .327/.424/.374.

GRADE: A.  Molitor had a terrific season and was the primary offensive force for the Brewers in 1991.

SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS - WILL CLARK

Clark finished fourth in the N.L. MVP vote while being named to the All Star team and winning both the Gold Glove and Silver Slugger.  He led the league in slugging percentage and total bases (303), hitting .301/.359/.536.  He hit 29 home runs and led the Giants in RBIs (116), runs (84), hits (170), doubles (32) and triples (seven).

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  Based on his offense, certainly, though he was second on the team in WAR behind Matt Williams, who led the team in home runs.  Williams hit .268/.310/.499 with 34 home runs and 98 RBIs.  Second-baseman Robby Thompson was tied in WAR with Clark for second after hitting .262/.352/.447 with 19 home runs, 48 RBIs and 14 stolen bases.

GRADE: A.  I am going to give this one to Donruss because Clark was clearly the best hitter on the Giants.  Williams was a better defensive player, which led to his higher WAR, but other than home runs, his numbers paled compared to Clark's.

TORONTO BLUE JAYS - JOE CARTER

Carter was in his first season with the Blue Jays and finished fifth in the MVP vote while making the All Star team and winning the Silver Slugger.  Carter hit .273/.330/.503 and led the Blue Jays in doubles (42), home runs (33) and RBIs (108).  He also stole 20 bases to place third on the team.

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  Close, but probably not.  The Blue Jays WAR leader was Devon White, who hit .282/.342/.455 with 17 home runs, 110 runs scored and 60 RBIs.  White stole 33 bases and won the Gold Glove.  Carter was second in WAR.  Then there was Roberto Alomar, who came to Toronto in the same deal as Carter.  Alomar hit .295/.354/.436 with 188 hits, nine home runs and 69 RBIs with a team-leading 53 stolen bases.

GRADE: B+.  Carter was the team's OPS and OPS+ leader, so there is certainly a good argument for him.  Carter should have been a Diamond King at some point during his Indians days and finally made it with the Blue Jays.

TEXAS RANGERS - JULIO FRANCO

Second-baseman Franco won the batting title in 1991, hitting .341/.408/.474.  Franco was an All Star and won the Silver Slugger.  He also contributed 201 hits, 108 runs scored, 27 doubles, 15 home runs and 78 RBIs.  He led the Rangers in stolen bases with 36.

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  Yes.  Franco was the team's WAR leader and the batting title certainly helped.  Second place belonged to Rafael Palmeiro, who hit .322/.389/.532 with 26 home runs and 88 RBIs while leading the team in hits (203) and runs (115).  Ruben Sierra also had a big season, hitting .307/.357/.502 with 25 home runs and a team-leading 116 RBIs.  Nolan Ryan was the team's best pitcher, going 12-6 with a 2.91 ERA and 203 strikeouts in 173 innings pitched.

GRADE: A.  Franco had a terrific all-around season and won the batting title.  The Rangers had a ton of good hitters so it was kind of difficult to stand out, but Franco had good numbers across the board.

BALTIMORE ORIOLES - CAL RIPKEN, JR.

Despite the fact that the Orioles finished in last place in 1991, Ripken won the A.L. MVP, as well as the Gold Glove and Silver Slugger.  Ripken was still in the midst of his consecutive games streak and led the league in total bases (368).  Ripken hit .323/.374/.566 with a team-leading 99 runs scored, 210 hits, 46 doubles, 34 home runs and 114 RBIs.  

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  Yes.  Ripken was far and away the best player on the team.  Second place went to Mike Devereaux, an underrated player who hit .260/.313/.431 with 19 home runs and 59 RBIs.  Reliever Todd Frohwirth was third behind an excellent season in the bullpen.  He had a 1.87 ERA with 77 strikeouts and 29 walks in 96.1 innings pitched.

GRADE: A.  This is probably the easiest pick in the set.  Ripken led the Majors in WAR, not just the Orioles.

ATLANTA BRAVES - DAVID JUSTICE

Justice followed up his Rookie of the Year campaign by hitting .275/.377/.503.  He missed a big chunk of time, playing in 109 games, but hit 21 home runs and drove in 87 runs.  He also had 67 runs scored, 109 hits and 25 doubles.

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  Definitely not.  The team's WAR leader was Tom Glavine, who had a 20-11 record with 192 strikeouts and 69 walks with a 2.55 ERA.  He led the league in wins and complete games (nine) and won the N.L. Cy Young Award.  Second place was Terry Pendleton, the N.L. MVP, who hit .319/.363/.517 with 22 home runs, 86 RBIs and 94 runs scored.  He was the league batting leader and also led in hits (187).  Steve Avery was third in WAR behind an 18-8 record with a 3.38 ERA in 210.1 innings pitched.  And Ron Gant turned in another 30/30 season with 32 home runs and 34 stolen bases while driving in 105 runs.  Justice was 12th on the team in WAR.

GRADE: F.  Justice missed a lot of time, or he would be a better choice.  But, by picking Justice, Donruss ignored both the MVP and the Cy Young winner in the league.  Several other players would have been better choices as well.  

CHICAGO CUBS - GEORGE BELL

In Bell's first, and only, season with the Cubs, he hit .285/.323/.468 with 25 home runs and 86 RBIs.  He also contributed 63 runs scored, 159 hits and 27 doubles.  Bell was an All Star.  He did not lead the team in any of the aforementioned stats, but did finish second or third in most of them.

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  No.  Due to his rather limited defensive abilities and one-dimensional hitting, Bell finished tenth on the team in WAR.  He was the second or third best hitter on the team.  The team WAR leader was Ryne Sandberg, the 1991 Diamond King, who hit .291/.379/.485 with 26 home runs and 100 RBIs.  He also had 104 runs scored, 170 hits and 22 stolen bases.  Pitcher Greg Maddux was second in WAR behind a record of 15-11 with a 3.34 ERA and 198 strikeouts versus 66 walks in 263 innings pitched.  Andre Dawson was third with a line of .272/.302/.488 with 31 home runs and 104 RBIs.

GRADE: C+.  Bell had a decent season, but the Cubs had three clearly better choices.  

CHICAGO WHITE SOX - FRANK THOMAS

The Big Hurt was in his first full season in the Majors in 1991 and was an All Star, finished third in the A.L. MVP vote and won the Silver Slugger.  He led the league in walks (138), on-base percentage and OPS (1.006).  Thomas hit .318/.453/.553 with 104 runs scored, 32 home runs and 109 RBIs.

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  Absolutely.  Thomas was also the team's WAR leader.  Robin Ventura finished second by hitting .284/.367/.442 with 23 home runs and 100 RBIs and won the Gold Glove.  Jack McDowell was third behind his 17-10 record and 3.41 ERA with 191 strikeouts in 253.1 innings pitched while leading the league in complete games (15).  

GRADE: A.  Thomas was pretty clearly one of the best hitters in the game already at just 23 years old.  

BOSTON RED SOX - WADE BOGGS

Boggs was an All Star and won the Silver Slugger while finishing second in the league in batting average.  The third-baseman hit .332/.421/.460 with eight home runs and 51 RBIs.  He led the team in runs scored (93), hits (181), doubles (42, tied), total bases (251) and was second in walks (89).  He led the league in intentional walks (25).

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  No, he was second in WAR on the team to Roger Clemens.  Clemens won the A.L. Cy Young Award by going 18-10 and leading the league in ERA (2.62), shutouts (four), innings pitched (271.1) and strikeouts (241).  Jody Reed was third on the team in WAR as he hit .283/.349/.382 with 87 runs scored, 175 hits and tied with Boggs with 42 doubles.  Jack Clark was the big slugger, leading the team with 28 home runs, 87 RBIs and 96 walks.

GRADE: B+.  Boggs had his final Boggs-ian season with the Red Sox in 1991, but Donruss missed out on the Cy Young winner.

NEW YORK YANKEES - SCOTT SANDERSON

Sanderson was an All Star for the Yankees in 1991.  He led the team in most major pitching categories, including wins (16, 10 losses), ERA (3.81), complete games (two), shutouts (two), innings pitched (208) and strikeouts (130).  He walked just 29 batters.

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  He was close, but was second on the team in WAR to Steve Sax.  Sax hit .304/.345/.414 with 85 runs scored, 198 hits, ten home runs, 56 RBIs and 31 stolen bases.  he led the team in runs scored, hits, average and on-base percentage.  Roberto Kelly was third on the team in WAR as he hit .267/.333/.444 with 20 home runs, 69 RBIs and 32 stolen bases.

GRADE: B+.  Sanderson is sort of an odd pick, but had a very good season.  Sax would have been the better pick, but Sanderson is fine.

HOUSTON ASTROS - JEFF BAGWELL

Bagwell was the N.L. Rookie of the Year in 1991.  The first-baseman hit .294/.387/.437 with 15 home runs and 82 RBIs.  He led the Astros in all of the aforementioned stats except batting average, as well and also had 79 runs scored, 163 hits and 26 doubles.  

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  Bagwell had the best season from a offensive standpoint, but was actually second on the team in WAR to Steve Finley.  Finley hit .285/.331/.406 with 28 doubles, eight home runs and 54 RBIs.  He led the team in runs scored (84), hits (170) and stolen bases (34).  Craig Biggio had a decent season and finished third on the team in WAR by hitting .295/.358/.374 with 161 hits and 19 stolen bases.  Pete Harnisch was the team's best pitcher, going 12-9 with a 2.70 ERA and 172 strikeouts in 216.2 innings pitched.

GRADE: A.  Technically Finley had the better WAR, but it was fairly close.  Bagwell's Rookie of the Year is kind of a clincher for him.

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES - JOHN KRUK

Kruk was named to the All Star team for the first time in 1991.  The Phillies first-baseman hit .294/.367/.483, leading all qualifying Phillies hitters in average, on-base percentage and slugging.  He also led in runs scored (84), hits (158), home runs (21) and RBIs (92).

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  Yes.  Kruk was the Phillies WAR leader.  Tommy Greene was in second place with a record of 13-7 and a 3.38 ERA, leading the team in strikeouts (154) in 207.2 innings pitched.  In third place was Len Dykstra, who hit .297/.391/.427, but played in just 63 games due to injuries.  Mitch Williams turned in a great season as the closer, going 12-7 with a 2.34 ERA, 84 strikeouts versus 62 walks in 88.1 innings pitched and saving 30 games.

GRADE: A.  The Phillies did not have a ton of great options, but Kruk stood out.

ST. LOUIS CARDINALS - FELIX JOSE

Jose was the primary player the Cardinals acquired when they traded Willie McGee to the Athletics late in 1990.  He stepped in and made the All Star team and hit .305/.360/.438.  He also knocked 40 doubles, six triples and eight home runs while scoring 69 runs and stealing 20 bases.  He led the team in hits with 173.

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  No, despite his decent numbers, Jose finished fifth on the team in WAR.  Ozzie Smith was once again the leader, and he added a very good offensive season to his usual top-notch defense, hitting .285/.380/.367 with 96 runs scored, three home runs, 50 RBIs and 35 stolen bases.  Milt Thompson was second, hitting .307/.368/.442, leading the team in average and slugging.  Another good pick would have been Lee Smith, who had another exceptional season as the closer, leading the league with 47 saves and having an ERA of 2.34.

GRADE: B.  I certainly understand this pick.  Jose was a young player, who appeared to have a lot of future promise.  He had a nice season, even if one of the Smiths would have been a better pick.

OAKLAND ATHLETICS - HAROLD BAINES

In his first full season in Oakland, Baines was an All Star.  He hit .295/.383/.473 with 20 home runs and 90 RBIs.  He also contributed 144 hits, 76 runs scored and 25 doubles.  Baines was second on the team in RBIs, third in hits, and fourth in runs scored and home runs.

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  No.  As said above, he did not lead the team in any category.  Dave Henderson was the team's WAR leader, hitting .276/.346/.465 with 25 home runs and 80 RBIs while playing good defense in center field.  Jose Canseco had the eye-popping stats, hitting .266/.359/.556 with 122 RBIs and a league-leading 44 home runs.  Mike Moore was the best pitcher, going 17-8 with a 2.96 ERA in 210 innings pitched.

GRADE: C+.  It is not that Baines had a bad year, far from it, he just did not really stand out among the team's other hitters.  Canseco would have been the best pick.

NEW YORK METS - DWIGHT GOODEN

Gooden finished the 1991 season 13-7 to lead Mets starters in winning percentage (.650).  He was tied for second on the team in wins and complete games (three), and was second in shutouts (one), ERA (3.60) and strikeouts (150).  He walked just 56 batters in 190 innings pitched.

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  No.  The pitcher who led in all of those categories that Gooden finished second in was David Cone, who had a 14-14 record, but a 3.29 ERA and a league-leading 241 strikeouts.  Cone completed five games and had 232.2 innings pitched.  Howard Johnson was the team's top hitter, hitting .259/.342/.535 with 38 home runs, 117 RBIs and 30 stolen bases.  

GRADE: B.  Gooden was decent in 1991, but kind of ordinary, and there was no way to know this at the time, but this was the turning point in his career.  It was downhill from here.  There was a clearly better pitcher in David Cone in the Mets rotation.

KANSAS CITY ROYALS - BRIAN MCRAE

McRae joined his father Hal as the first father-son Diamond Kings.  McRae, in his first full season, hit .261/.288/.372 with eight home runs and 64 RBIs.  He led Royals hitters in hits (164), runs scored (86), triples (nine) and stolen bases (20).

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  Definitely not.  McRae did not finish in the top twelve of Royals players in WAR.  There were several better picks.  The Royals' best player was probably Danny Tartabull, who hit .316/.397/.593 with 31 home runs and 100 RBIs.  Bret Saberhagen was the WAR leader, going 13-8 with a 3.07 ERA and 136 strikeouts in 196.1 innings pitched.  Kevin Appier was 13-10 with a 3.42 ERA and 158 strikeouts in 207.2 innings pitched.

GRADE: F.  Donruss makes a lot of McRae's three errors and .993 fielding percentage, but it appears he had very little range (call it the Derek Jeter Effect).  He also only led the team in hits and runs scored because of being at the top of the lineup, but as his on-base percentage and slugging percentage show, he was a very poor offensive player.  This should have been Tartabull.

PITTSBURGH PIRATES - JAY BELL

Bell, the Pirates' shortstop, only led the league in one category in 1991, sacrifice hits.  He had 30, the second year in a row he led in that category.  Bell hit .270/.330/.428 and had 96 runs scored, 164 hits, 32 doubles, 16 home runs, 67 RBIs and ten stolen bases.  He led the team with eight triples.

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  No.  1991 Diamond King Barry Bonds finished second in the N.L. MVP race by hitting .292/.410/.514 with 25 home runs and 116 RBIs.  Bonds also stole 43 bases and walked 107 times while leading the league in on-base percentage and OPS.  Bonds was the team's WAR leader.  Bobby Bonilla was second, a hair above Bell.  Bonilla hit .302/.391/.492 with 18 home runs and 100 RBIs.

GRADE: B.  Bonds and Bonilla certainly had the eye-popping stats, but Bell was a good player.  He just was not the best player on the team.

LOS ANGELES DODGERS - BRETT BUTLER

Butler's first season with the Dodgers resulted in his only All Star appearance of his career.  He finished seventh in the MVP race and led the league in runs scored (112) and walks (108).  Butler hit .296/.401/.343 with 182 hits, 13 doubles, five triples, two home runs, 38 RBIs and 38 stolen bases.

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  Yes, Butler was the Dodgers WAR leader in 1991.  Mike Morgan was second, with a 14-10 record and a 2.78 ERA in 236.1 innings pitched.  Tim Belcher was third, behind a 10-9 record, but a 2.62 ERA in 209.1 innings pitched.  Darryl Strawberry turned in a decent season in his first year in L.A., hitting .265/.361/.491 with 28 home runs and 99 RBIs.

GRADE: A.  Butler was terrific in 1991, and easily the best player on the team.

CINCINNATI REDS - HAL MORRIS

Morris was in his second full season in the Majors in 1991 and was the team's leader in batting average and on-base percentage.  He hit .318/.374/.479 with 72 runs scored, 152 hits, 33 doubles, 14 home runs, 59 RBIs and ten stolen bases.

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  No.  Morris was fifth on the team in WAR in 1991.  Barry Larkin was first, hitting .302/.378/.506 with 20 home runs, 69 RBIs and 24 stolen bases.  Jose Rijo was second, with a 15-6 record, 2.51 ERA and 172 strikeouts versus 55 walks in 204.1 innings pitched.  He finished fourth in the Cy Young vote in 1991.  Chris Sabo hit .301/.354/.505 with 26 home runs, 88 RBIs and 19 stolen bases.  Paul O'Neill hit .256/.346/.481 with 28 home runs and 91 RBIs.

GRADE: C+.  Morris was a decent hitter, but there were several better players on the team.  Rijo should have been the pick.

CALIFORNIA ANGELS - MARK LANGSTON

Langston finished sixth in the Cy Young race in 1991 and was named to the All Star team.  He also won a Gold Glove Award.  Langston had a record of 19-8 with a 3.00 ERA.  He led the Angels in several pitching categories, including wins, innings pitched (246.1), complete games (seven) and strikeouts (183).  He did walk 96 batters.

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  It is very close, but Jim Abbott might have been slightly better.  Abbott had a record of 18-11, but had an ERA of 2.89, a shutout, five complete games and 158 strikeouts versus 73 walks in 243 innings pitched.  Chuck Finley gave the Angels three great southpaws as he had a record of 18-9 with a 3.80 ERA and 171 strikeouts in 227.1 innings pitched.  Wally Joyner had a nice season, hitting .301/.360/.488 with 21 home runs and 96 RBIs.  And Bryan Harvey was terrific out of the bullpen, saving 46 games with a 1.60 ERA and 101 strikeouts versus 17 walks in just 78.2 innings.

GRADE: B+.  I think Abbott might have been a better choice, particularly given the obstacles he overcame, but there was nothing wrong with the Langston pick.

MINNESOTA TWINS - SCOTT ERICKSON

Erickson was a 20-game winner for the World Champion Twins.  In his first full season, he led the league in wins and finished second in the Cy Young race.  He was 20-8 with a 3.18 ERA and struck out 108 batters versus 71 walks in 204 innings pitched.  He threw five complete games and three shutouts.

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  No.  His second-place finish in the Cy Young vote was based primarily on his win total.  He likely was not even the best pitched on the team.  Kevin Tapani was the team's WAR leader with a 16-9 record, 2.99 ERA and 135 strikeouts versus 40 walks in 244 innings pitched.  Shane Mack was the team's best overall hitter with a line of .310/.363/.529 with 18 home runs and 74 RBIs.  And then there's A.L. Rookie of the Year Chuck Knoblauch, who hit .281/.351/.350 at second base.

GRADE: B.  Erickson had a nice season, and probably stood out due to his 20 wins, even if he was not the best player from an analytical perspective.

SEATTLE MARINERS - RANDY JOHNSON

The Big Unit was effectively wild in the first part of his career.  For the second season in a row he led the league in walks (152), but he had a 13-10 record and a 3.98 ERA.  He struck out 228 batters in just 201.1 innings pitched and had two complete games and a shutout.

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  No.  Johnson was still very much a work in progress in 1991, but there were definite flashes of what he would become.  Ken Griffey Jr. was still the Mariners' best player, hitting .327/.399/.527 with 22 home runs, 100 RBIs and 18 stolen bases.  Edgar Martinez was very good again, hitting .307/.405/.452.  Brian Holman actually had a higher WAR than Johnson in the rotation, though his 13-14 record, 3.69 ERA and 108 strikeouts to 77 walks in 195.1 innings pitched, do not really stand out.

GRADE: B.  Johnson was beginning to capture attention beyond his freakish height at this point, but he was still coming around to the dominance that would characterize his career.  Griffey was better though.

CLEVELAND INDIANS - GREG SWINDELL

Swindell was proof that win-loss records are not definitive proof of the quality of a pitcher.  Swindell had a horrible 9-16 record, which is tempered by the fact that the Indians lost 105 games.  He had a 3.48 ERA, seven complete games, and 169 strikeouts to 31 walks in 238 innings pitched, all of which led the staff.

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  Yes.  Swindell was the team's WAR leader, slightly.  Tom Candiotti was second, but was traded to the Blue Jays halfway through the season.  Carlos Baerga emerged as a quality player, hitting .288/.346/.398 with 171 hits.  Albert Belle also emerged, hitting .282/.323/.540 with 28 home runs and 95 RBIs.

GRADE: A.  I am impressed with Donruss looking beyond Swindell's record here.  He really did have a very good season, which would be missed if looking just at his 9-16 record.

MONTREAL EXPOS - DENNIS MARTINEZ

Martinez made national headlines when he pitched a perfect game in 1991.  But beyond that, he was an All Star and finished fifth in the Cy Young vote.  Martinez led the league in ERA (2.39), complete games (nine) and shutouts (five).  He had a record of 14-11 with 123 strikeouts to 62 walks in 222 innings pitched.

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  Yes.  Martinez was the team's WAR leader.  In second place was Larry Walker, who hit .290/.349/.458 with 16 home runs and 64 RBIs and played spectacular defense.  Ivan Calderon was third, hitting .300/.368/.481 with 19 home runs, 75 RBIs and 31 stolen bases, but was less than impressive defensively.

GRADE: A.  This is not just for Martinez's perfect game, he had an outstanding season in 1991.  

DETROIT TIGERS - TONY PHILLIPS

Phillips was a true utility player in 1991, appearing at every position except first base, catcher and pitcher.  He had a good year in addition to his versatility, hitting .284/.371/.438 with 87 runs scored, 160 hits, 28 doubles, four triples, 17 home runs, 72 RBIs and ten stolen bases.  

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  No.  Phillips was third on the team in WAR.  Lou Whitaker was first, hitting .279/.391/.489 with 23 home runs and 78 RBIs.  He walked 90 times compared to 45 strikeouts.  In second place was the newly acquired Mickey Tettleton, who hit .263/.387/.491 with 31 home runs and 89 RBIs.  Then there was Cecil Fielder, who finished second in the MVP vote for the second season in a row, hitting .261/.347/.513 with 44 home runs and 133 RBIs.

GRADE: B.  I am guessing Donruss did not want to take any of the three players mentioned here because they were all Diamond Kings in the last two years.  Phillips was a valuable player, but his stats paled compared to the others.

SAN DIEGO PADRES - FRED MCGRIFF

McGriff was the primary return the Padres received from sending Joe Carter and Roberto Alomar to the Blue Jays.  McGriff did not disappoint in his first year in San Diego, hitting .278/.396/.494 with 31 home runs and 106 RBIs.  He led the Padres in runs scored (84), home runs, RBIs, walks (105), on-base percentage and slugging percentage.  He finished tenth in the MVP race.

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  By OPS, yes, though he was actually fourth on the team in WAR.  Tony Gwynn was the leader, hitting .317/.355/.432.  Andy Benes had an impressive season, going 15-11 with 3.03 ERA with 167 strikeouts versus 59 walks in 223 innings pitched.  Bruce Hurst also had a nice year, going 15-8 with a 3.29 ERA and 141 strikeouts in 221.2 innings pitched.

GRADE: B+.  McGriff was very good in 1991, so this could have gone either way.  I think Benes or Hurst would have been slightly better picks though.

RECAP

I am not sure why Donruss never seems to get many of the major award winners.  This set included only the A.L. MVP (Cal Ripken Jr.) and the N.L. Rookie of the Year (Jeff Bagwell).  None of the others made it.  The N.L. MVP and Cy Young winners were both from the Braves, and that pick was less than great.  On a positive note, there were seven future Hall of Famers here.  And McGriff could still get in.

BEST PICK:  Cal Ripken Jr.  Ripken was the best player in the game in 1991 and led the Majors in WAR.  Honorable mention goes to Frank Thomas, who had a massive offensive season in 1991 and justifiably captured hobby attention.

WORST PICK:  Brian McRae.  Donruss is really bad at picking Royals players.  McRae was a well-below average hitter with an OPS+ of 82 in 1991.  Honorable mention is David Justice, who was a decent hitter, but picking him meant ignoring both the MVP and Cy Young winners from the National League.

BIGGEST SNUB:  Tom Glavine.  Glavine was the N.L. overall WAR leader and was a significantly better pick than Justice for the Braves.  Runner-up is probably Terry Pendleton, also from the Braves, who won the MVP, and was, once again, significantly better than Justice.

WEIRDEST PICK HISTORICALLY:  Felix Jose.  Jose had an 11-year career in the Majors in which he made one All Star team, but never led the league in any category.  He had a career WAR of 6.4.  Runner-up is Hal Morris, who had a career WAR of 13.4 over thirteen seasons in the big leagues, but never led the league in any statistic and was never an All Star.  

Johnny Pesky Fan Favorites Auto

This is a Johnny Pesky autograph from 2005 Topps Fan Favorites.  It is another step towards finding all of the Fan Favorites autos. 

Pesky is the very definition of a fan favorite.  He spent decades in the Red Sox organization, in a variety of roles, from player to manager to coach to color commentator.  Pesky is shown on a 1952 Topps design, which is not terribly appropriate, but is pretty much the only one they could use.  Pesky's last season as a player with the Red Sox was 1952, but he played in just 25 games and hit .149/.313/.179 before being traded in a massive deal that included former Rookie of the Year Walt Dropo in exchange for Hall of Famer George Kell, Hoot Evers and Dizzy Trout.  Pesky was coming off of his last good season as a player in 1951 when he hit .313/.417/.398.  The photo here appears to come from Pesky's time as the Red Sox manager, which was 1963 to 1964.

Stadium Club Blaster

I managed to find some Stadium Club blasters one day while picking up some other items.  I probably should have bought some more, knowing that I probably would not have another shot at it.  Oh well.  Here are the Red Sox:

1.  Ted Williams.  Stadium Club's best quality has always been the photography and I have to say that this Williams photo is absolutely amazing.  This card is stunning.

2.  Chris Sale.  It is always nice to pull an insert for my collection.  However, this is kind of boring looking, and definitely a letdown after that Williams photo.  

That's it for the Stadium Club.  A base card and an insert is not a terrible showing from a blaster.

Topps Now: Aug. 7, 2020 and Aug. 8, 1973

 I bought these on the same day and received them at the same time, so they get shown off together.

1.  Alex Verdugo.  On Aug. 7, 2020, Verdugo hit two home runs for the first time in his career with the Red Sox, and second time overall.  What made that game really impressive though was his home run-saving catch in the ninth inning.

2.  Orlando Cepeda.  I HAD to grab this one.  Cepeda does not have a ton of Red Sox cards, since he did only play one season with Boston.  Cepeda hit four doubles in one game on Aug. 8, 1973. 

Kevin Millar Fan Favorites Auto

Here is the last of the 2020 Archives Fan Favorites from the Red Sox, following up the post from a few days ago: 

Kevin Millar was definitely a fan favorite.  I was a huge fan.  I even wrote a paper for my college Conflict Resolution class about his acquisition by the Red Sox.  Millar appears on a 2002 Topps design, which is somewhat weird.  Millar had a very good season in 2002, hitting .306/.366/.509 with 16 home runs and 57 RBIs.  But that season, he played with the Marlins.  It was not until 2003 that he joined the Red Sox.  It would make more sense for Millar to appear on a 2003 or 2004 design. 

Panini Insert and Parallel Trade

Panini's Absolute set had a lot of intriguing inserts that caught my eye.  As the boxes dried up very quickly, just like everything else, I managed to work out a trade for a few of the cards I needed, with a couple of others. 

1.  Andrew Benintendi.  This is from the Unsung Heroes insert set, and I am not really sure Benintendi qualifies.  He was the seventh overall pick in the 2015 draft.  He finished second in the Rookie of the Year vote in 2017.  And he has not been the same hitter since the first half of 2018.  If anything, he has failed to live up to expectations at this point.  I hope I am wrong.  I hope he makes a comeback next season, but time is running out.

2.  Alex Verdugo.  Verdugo has been Boston's MVP this season.  I doubt I am saying anything controversial.  He leads the team in WAR (2.3) and has hit .328/.383/.511 and leads the team in runs (33), hits (59), doubles (15), average and on-base percentage.  I predict he will be the 2021 Donruss Diamond King.

3.  Christian Vazquez.  This is a Donruss parallel.  Vazquez hit leadoff yesterday, marking the first time since 2004 that a Red Sox catcher has batted leadoff.  That catcher was Jason Varitek.

4.  Pedro Martinez.  This is the In the Zone insert card.  I think Martinez in his prime was the greatest pitcher I have ever seen.  

5.  Chris Sale/Eduardo Rodriguez.  Here we have the two Red Sox aces, neither of whom have pitched a single game for Boston in 2020.  Hopefully they will both recover for the 2021 season.

Topps 206 Trade

This year, Topps brought back the 206 set, but limited it to online-only, similar to Topps Total.  I worked out a deal for a couple and ended up with these: 

The Xander Bogaerts is the Piedmont back parallel.  The J.D. Martinez is the base card.  Both players are likely to be part of the core of the rebuild for next season.  Martinez has the ability to opt out, and with the National League adopting the designated hitter, it looked like he had an expanded market.  But, he has struggled greatly this season and it looks less and less likely that he will be able to command a higher salary than his current deal.  So, I expect Martinez back next season.  Bogaerts is of course one of the biggest stars on the team.

Some Fan Favorites Autos

I have said many times on this blog that the Fan Favorites autographs are probably my favorite ongoing autograph set.  I have lately been considering going back after all of them, including the 2003-2005 cards that were a parallel to a base set.  Of course that will be difficult, and possibly expensive.  I missed out on a few Carl Yastrzemski autos that were short-printed and very hard to find.  But, I will give it a try.

For this post, I have three out of the four cards from this year, and one from 2018 to show off.  This year, Topps put together a very intriguing checklist of players.  It is full of retired players, which was supposed to be the point of the Fan Favorites in the first place.  No rookies, no current stars.  And even more interesting is that most of these players are from the 1980's and 1990's, so they are players that I grew up watching.  I love it.  Even the non-Red Sox cards are intriguing as there are such players I remember from my childhood as Benito Santiago, Danny Tartabull, Tom Henke, Dante Bichette, Bob Walk and more.  And of course I love the four Red Sox cards.

Well, enough of that, here is the scan:

1.  Bernie Carbo.  Carbo retired the year before I was born, so I never saw him play.  He was mostly an extra outfielder, who had some pop in his bat.  He hit a huge pinch-hit three-run home run in Game 6 of the 1975 World Series that ultimately set up the Fisk homer.  Carbo appears on a 1974 Topps design, which is appropriate as it was his first season in Boston.  However, the photo is clearly from 1975 or later, since he has the red helmet.  1974 was a good season for Carbo as he hit .249/.364/.414 with 12 home runs and 61 RBIs.  However, I would have preferred a 1975 design, because it is a better-looking design, the photo is more likely from 1975 and Carbo had his best his best season with the Red Sox then.

2.  Marty Barrett.  This is the 2018 card.  Barrett was mostly done as a Major Leaguer when I started watching baseball, having suffered a debilitating knee injury, but I did get a bunch of cards of him right away.  Barrett appears on a 1986 Topps design.  Barrett of course had a terrific postseason in 1986 gathering 24 hits combined in the ALCS and World Series.  He was the ALCS MVP.  Barrett also received some down-ballot MVP votes that year and had his best season in the Majors.  He hit .286/.353/.381 with 94 runs scored, 179 hits, 29 doubles, four home runs, 60 RBIs and 15 stolen bases.  Barrett previously appeared in the 2005 set, which I own.  It was a 1987 design that year.

3.  Rich Gedman.  I had to grab this card as soon as I saw it.  It is Gedman's first certified auto card that I am aware of.  I missed Gedman playing for Boston as he was traded during the season before I started watching, and he was well past his prime.  I am a huge fan anyway.  Gedman appears on a 1985 design, which was his best season, even if he hit more home runs in 1984.  Gedman appeared in his first All Star game in 1985 as he hit .295/.362/.484 with 18 home runs, 80 RBIs and 30 doubles.  He received some minor MVP consideration that year as well.

4.  Jose Offerman.  I am not quite sure Offerman qualifies as a fan favorite.  He was not well-liked to my recollection and had the unenviable task of essentially replacing true fan favorite Mo Vaughn in the lineup.  He started off pretty well though and actually had the higher WAR in 1999.  Offerman appears on a 2001 design, which is kind of over-used.  It also does not really work for him as Offerman hit just .267/.342/.374 with nine home runs, 76 runs scored, 49 RBIs and five stolen bases.  That's five, for a guy who stole 45 the year before he came to Boston.  1999 would have been a better design as he hit .294/.391/.435, scored 107 runs, walked 96 times and led the league with eleven triples.

These won't be the last Fan Favorites autos in the short term, there are a couple more coming.  I do still have a list of players I want to see in future Fan Favorites set.  How about Rick Burleson, Butch Hobson, Bruce Hurst, Tony Armas, Jody Reed, Tony Pena, Mo Vaughn, John Valentin, Reggie Jefferson, Mike Stanley, Tom Gordon, Trot Nixon, Johnny Damon, Bill Mueller, Pokey Reese, Mike Lowell, Hideki Okajima and Koji Uehara?  And of course, there is Jason Varitek.  So Topps, get on those players.  Or at least some of them. 

Diamond King Roundup: 1991

I am doing something a little different with this series. I have mentioned before that the Diamond Kings subset is one of my favorites of all time. The purpose of the subset is to highlight one player from each team who has made a big impact on the team. It is also true that sometimes the choices were a little suspect. I wanted to go through and look at the choices each year and determine which are the strangest choices. Then I will grade the picks in the context of the team, only. For this series, I only want to examine the years when there was one pick per team. In the mid 1990's, the set kind of went off the rails.

 TORONTO BLUE JAYS - DAVE STIEB

Stieb had one of his best seasons in 1990, finishing fifth in the Cy Young vote while also being named an All Star.  He had a record of 18-6 with a 2.93 ERA.  He struck out 125 batters and walked 64 in 208.2 innings pitched.  He also pitched a no-hitter.  

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  Yes.  Stieb was the Blue Jays' WAR leader in 1990.  Among hitters, two players had notable seasons, though they were the previous two Diamond Kings.  Fred McGriff had a huge season, hitting .300/.400/.530 with 35 home runs and 88 RBIs.  Kelly Gruber hit .274/.330/.512 with 31 home runs and 118 RBIs.  

GRADE: A.  Stieb was a very underrated pitcher in the 1980's.  Unfortunately, 1990 was his last great season, due mostly to injuries, and he just hung around for a few seasons afterwards.

HOUSTON ASTROS - CRAIG BIGGIO

Biggio began transitioning from catcher to the outfield in 1990, primarily due to his ability on the basepaths.  Biggio hit .276/.342/.348 with 153 hits, 24 doubles (led the team), four home runs, 53 runs scored and 42 RBIs.  He also stole 25 bases, rare for a catcher.

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  No.  Biggio gained a lot of his value due to his baserunning and defense as he was not a particularly good hitter at this time in his career.  Danny Darwin was the team's WAR leader as he had a record of 11-4 and led the league in ERA (2.21).  He struck out 109 batters and walked 31 in 162.2 innings pitched and was versatile enough to start, relieve and even close a handful of games.  Glenn Davis had another big season, hitting .251/.357/.523 with 22 home runs and 64 RBIs.  Franklin Stubbs was also good, hitting .261/.334/.475 with a team-leading 23 home runs and 71 RBIs.

GRADE: B.  Darwin would have been the better choice, and Donruss seemed to acknowledge that by picking him as the team MVP in the second series.  Biggio was just really getting going at this point and had a long, terrific career in front of him.  He was not particularly good in 1990 though, other than his base stealing.

DETROIT TIGERS - CECIL FIELDER

Fielder returned from Japan to sign with the Tigers.  All he did was lead the league in home runs (51), RBIs (132), total bases (339) and slugging percentage on his way to finishing second in the MVP race and being named an All Star and Silver Slugger.  Fielder hit .277/.377/.592 and scored 104 runs.

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  While Alan Trammell had a slightly higher WAR, due to being significantly better defensively at a more challenging position, Fielder was probably the best choice.  Trammell hit .304/.377/.449 with 14 home runs and 89 RBIs and winning the Silver Slugger.  Lou Whitaker hit .237/.338/.407 with 18 home runs and 60 RBIs.

GRADE: A.  Fielder kind of came out of nowhere and was the first player to hit 50 home runs since George Foster in 1977.  That kind of season is hard to ignore and Donruss was correct in picking him.

PITTSBURGH PIRATES - BARRY BONDS

Bonds had his first monster season in 1990, winning the N.L. MVP, Gold Glove and Silver Slugger and being named an All Star, all for the first time of many in his career.  Bonds hit .301/.406/.565 with 33 home runs, 114 RBIs and 52 stolen bases.  He also notched 156 hits and 32 doubles with 104 runs scored.  He led the league in slugging percentage.

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  Yes.  Other possibilities were Doug Drabek and Bobby Bonilla.  Drabek was the Cy Young winner, going 22-6 with a 2.76 ERA and 131 strikeouts in 231.1 innings, leading the league in wins.  Bonilla hit .280/.322/.518 with 32 home runs and 120 RBIs.

GRADE: A.  This was an easy choice.  Bonds had a terrific season and was one of the best all-around players in the game.

CINCINNATI REDS - BARRY LARKIN

Larkin finished seventh in the MVP race and won the Silver Slugger for the World Champion Reds.  He hit .301/.358/.396 with seven home runs, 185 hits, 25 doubles, six triples, 67 RBIs and 30 stolen bases.  Larkin led the team in hits, on-base percentage and tied for the lead in stolen bases.  He was also an All Star.

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  It is fairly close between Larkin and Jose Rijo.  Rijo went 14-8 with a 2.70 ERA and struck out 152 batters, while walking 78 in 197 innings pitched.  He followed that up by winning the World Series MVP.  Chris Sabo also had a nice season, hitting .270/.343/.476 with 25 home runs, 71 RBIs and 25 stolen bases.

GRADE: A.  Larkin continued to impress in 1990 and helped lead the team to the World Championship.  

MILWAUKEE BREWERS - DAVE PARKER

At 39-years-old, Parker was still a good hitter as his All Star appearance and Silver Slugger showed.  Parker hit .289/.330/.451 and led the team in hits (176), doubles (30) and RBIs (92) while also hitting 21 home runs and scoring 71 runs.

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  Offensively, Parker had a very good season, but since he was the designated hitter, he was 11th on the team in WAR.  He was second on the team in OPS to Paul Molitor, who hit .285/.343/.464 with 12 home runs, 45 RBIs and 18 stolen bases.  Ron Robinson was the team's WAR leader with a 12-5 record and 2.91 ERA in 148.1 innings pitched.  Gary Sheffield had a breakout year, hitting .294/.350/.421 with ten home runs, 67 RBIs and 25 stolen bases.

GRADE: B.  It's difficult to be too hard on this choice.  Parker had a nice, offensive season and some hardware to show for it.  The Brewers were not packed with good choices in 1990.  Sheffield might have been my pick, personally though.

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES - LEN DYKSTRA

"Nails" was in his first full season with the Phillies and hit .325/.418/.441 with nine home runs, 60 RBIs and 33 stolen bases.  Dykstra led the league in hits (192) and on-base percentage, was an All Star and finished ninth in the MVP race.  He led the Phillies in runs (106) and doubles (35).

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  Yes.  Dykstra had a terrific season in 1990 and was the team's WAR leader by five wins over Darren Daulton.  Daulton hit .268/.367/.416 with 12 home runs and 57 RBIs.  Von Hayes was the team's big power hitter once again with 17 home runs and 73 RBIs while hitting .261/.375/.413 and stealing 16 bases.

GRADE: A.  Dykstra was easily the best player on the team and had a legitimate MVP argument if the Phillies were a better team.

CHICAGO WHITE SOX - BOBBY THIGPEN

White Sox closer Thigpen had a historic season in 1990, setting a then Major League record with 57 saves for the season.  He had a 4-6 record with a 1.83 ERA and struck out 70 batters with 32 walks in 88.2 innings pitched while leading the league in games pitched (77) and games finished (73).  Thigpen was an All Star and was in the top five in the MVP and Cy Young votes.

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  Thigpen was third on the team in WAR, but because of his saves record, he stands out that much more.  Carlton Fisk was the WAR leader as he hit .285/.378/.451 with 18 home runs and 65 RBIs.  Greg Hibbard was the team's best pitcher, going 14-9 with a 3.16 ERA in 211 innings pitched.

GRADE: A.  I am giving this one to Donruss because of the historic nature of Thigpen's season.  That record stood until Francisco Rodriguez saved 62 games in 2008.  

BOSTON RED SOX - ROGER CLEMENS

Clemens was an All Star and finished second in the Cy Young vote and third in the MVP race.  He led the league in ERA (1.93) and shutouts (four) while finishing with a record of 21-6.  He struck out 209 batters while walking 54 in 228.1 innings pitched while completing seven games.  

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  Easily.  Clemens probably should have won the Cy Young Award, if not the MVP.  He led the Majors in WAR.  Mike Boddicker was second on the team in WAR as he had a record of 17-8 with a 3.36 ERA and 143 strikeouts in 228 innings pitched.  Boddicker also won the Gold Glove.  Ellis Burks had the best offensive season as he was an All Star and won both the Gold Glove and Silver Slugger after hitting .296/.349/.486 with a team-leading 89 runs scored, 21 home runs and 89 RBIs.  Jody Reed notably led the league in doubles with 45.

GRADE: A.  This is probably the easiest choice in the set.  Clemens was far and away the best player on the team.

ATLANTA BRAVES - RON GANT

Gant had a 30/30 season for the Braves in 1990 and received some MVP consideration (finished 14th).  Gant hit .303/.357/.539 with 32 home runs, 84 RBIs and 33 stolen bases.  He also accumulated 107 runs scored, 174 hits and 34 doubles.  Gant led the team in most major offensive category except average and on-base percentage.

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  Yes.  Gant was the team's WAR leader and had an outstanding season.  David Justice led the team in OPS while hitting .282/.373/.535 with 28 home runs and 78 RBIs.  Justice was the N.L. Rookie of the Year in 1990.  Lonnie Smith led the team in average and on-base percentage as he hit .305/.384/.459.

GRADE: A.  Despite Justice's award-winning season, Gant was still the better player.

MONTREAL EXPOS - DELINO DESHIELDS

DeShields finished second in the N.L. Rookie of the Year race by hitting .289/.375/.389 with four home runs and 45 RBIs.  He stole 42 bases, scored 69 runs and had 144 hits.  He led the team in runs and triples (six) and was second in stolen bases.  

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  No.  DeShields turned in a 1.4 WAR season, which is not terribly impressive.  The team's WAR leader was Dennis Martinez who had a 2.95 ERA and 156 strikeouts versus 49 walks in 226 innings pitched, but had a 10-11 record due to pitching for the mediocre Expos.  Tim Wallach was the team's best hitter as he hit .296/.339/.471 and led the team with 21 home runs and 98 RBIs while being named to the All Star team and winning the Gold Glove.

GRADE: D.  I am not sure why Wallach was never a Diamond King.  He certainly deserved it over DeShields in 1991.  DeShields had a decent season and did finish second in the Rookie of the Year vote, which is the only thing that keeps this from being an F.  Wallach should have been the Diamond King.

SAN DIEGO PADRES - ROBERTO ALOMAR

Alomar was an All Star for the first time in 1990.  The Padres second-baseman hit .287/.340/.381.  Alomar accumulated 168 hits, 80 runs scored, 27 doubles, five triples, six home runs, 60 RBIs and 24 stolen bases.  He was second on the team in runs and stolen bases.

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  No.  Alomar was good, but he was sixth on the team in WAR, due primarily to his defense.  Ed Whitson, the 1990 Diamond King, was the team's WAR leader as he went 14-9 with a 2.60 ERA and 127 strikeouts in 228.2 innings pitched.  Bip Roberts was second as he hit .309/.375/.433 with 104 runs scored, 172 hits and 46 stolen bases.  Jack Clark hit 25 home runs and had a line of .266/.441/.533.  

GRADE: C.  Alomar had an OPS+ of 98, meaning he was slightly below-average offensively.  He was an All Star though and was still very young at this point.  Roberts or Clark would have been better picks.

CLEVELAND INDIANS - SANDY ALOMAR, JR.

Alomar was the unanimous pick for A.L. Rookie of the Year and the Indians' catcher was named to the All Star team and won the Gold Glove.  Alomar hit .290/.326/.418 with 129 hits, 60 runs scored, 26 doubles, nine home runs and 66 RBIs.  

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  No.  Alomar was ninth on the team in WAR.  The WAR leader was Brook Jacoby, who hit .293/.365/.427 with 14 home runs and 75 RBIs.  Candy Maldonado had a very good season as he hit .273/.330/.446 with a team-leading 22 home runs and 95 RBIs.  Tom Candiotti was the team's best pitcher as he went 15-11 with a 3.65 ERA and 128 strikeouts in 202 innings pitched.

GRADE: B.  I will give this choice some extra credit because of Alomar's Rookie of the Year Award and most of the other choices had somewhat ordinary seasons.  Maldonado probably would have been a better pick though.

CHICAGO CUBS - RYNE SANDBERG

Sandberg won the Gold Glove and Silver Slugger Awards while being named to the All Star team and finishing fourth in the MVP race.  He led the league in home runs (40), runs (116) and total bases (344).  Sandberg hit .306/.354/.559 and also had 188 hits, 100 RBIs and 25 stolen bases.

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  Easily.  Sandberg was the team's WAR leader and had a terrific season.  Mike Harkey came in second as he was 12-6 with a 3.26 ERA in 173.2 innings pitched.  Andre Dawson had a very good season, hitting .310/.358/.535 with 27 home runs and 100 RBIs and 16 stolen bases.  Mark Grace hit .309/.372/.413 with 182 hits.

GRADE: A.  Sandberg was amazing in 1990, with numbers that are that much more impressive given that he was a second-baseman.  

LOS ANGELES DODGERS - RAMON MARTINEZ

In his first full season, Martinez was an All Star and finished second in the Cy Young vote.  He had a 20-6 record with a 2.92 ERA and 223 strikeouts versus 67 walks in 234.1 innings pitched.  Martinez led the league with 12 complete games and also threw three shutouts.

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  No.  Martinez had a very good season, but he was third on the team in WAR.  Eddie Murray was the team's WAR leader as he hit .330/.414/.520 with 26 home runs and 95 RBIs.  He was fifth in the MVP race and won the Silver Slugger.  Kal Daniels was second as he hit .296/.389/.531 with 27 home runs and 94 RBIs.

GRADE: B+.  Pedro's older brother broke through in 1990, finishing second in the Cy Young vote, but Murray would have been a better pick.

SEATTLE MARINERS - EDGAR MARTINEZ

Martinez had his first big season in 1990 as the then-third-baseman hit .302/.397/.433.  He led the team in average and on-base percentage.  He also notched 147 hits, 71 runs scored, 27 doubles, eleven home runs and 49 RBIs.  He walked more than he struck out (74 to 62).

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  Yes.  Martinez was the team's WAR leader over some guy named Ken Griffey, Jr.  Griffey hit .300/.366/.481 with a team-leading 22 home runs and 80 RBIs while stealing 16 bases.  Erik Hanson had a very good season as a starter, going 18-9 with a 3.24 ERA and 211 strikeouts versus 68 walks in 236 innings pitched for a bad Mariners team.

GRADE: A.  This was the first of many great seasons for Martinez and his ability to get on base outshone his more famous teammate.

NEW YORK METS - DAVE MAGADAN

Magadan settled into the first base job in 1990 after a couple of seasons of splitting with third base.  He hit .328/.417/.457, leading the team in average and on-base percentage.  Magadan also had 148 hits, 74 runs scored, 28 doubles, six triples, six home runs and 72 RBIs.

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  No, but it is somewhat close.  Darryl Strawberry was the team's best player once again as he hit .277/.361/.518 with 37 home runs, 108 RBIs and 15 stolen bases.  He was the team's home run and RBI leader and finished third in the MVP race.  Frank Viola was third in the Cy Young vote after going 20-12 with a 2.67 ERA and 182 strikeouts versus 60 walks in 249.2 innings pitched.  

GRADE: B.  Magadan was a decent choice, but Strawberry or Viola would have been better.  Both had been Diamond Kings before, but Viola's two times were with the Twins.

SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS - MATT WILLIAMS

The Giants third-baseman was an All Star and a Silver Slugger winner for the first time in 1990 as he led the league in RBIs (122).  Williams hit .277/.319/.488 and hit 33 home runs and 27 doubles.  He also had 87 runs scored and 171 hits.  He finished sixth in the MVP vote.

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  Probably.  Williams tied Brett Butler for the team's lead in WAR.  Butler led the league in hits (192) while slashing .309/.397/.384 while scoring 108 runs and stealing 51 bases.  Kevin Mitchell was third as the 1989 MVP hit .290/.360/.544 with 35 home runs and 93 RBIs.  Mitchell was an All Star in 1990 and finished eleventh in the MVP race.

GRADE: A.  Williams or Butler would have been good picks.  It is hard to argue with the Williams selection since he led the league in RBIs.

TEXAS RANGERS - RAFAEL PALMEIRO

Palmeiro led the American League in hits with 191 in 1990.  He hit .319/.361/.468 with 14 home runs and 89 RBIs.  He also scored 72 runs and accumulated 35 doubles and six triples.  Palmeiro led the Rangers in average and slugging percentage in addition to hits.

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  No.  Julio Franco was the team's WAR leader.  The second-baseman hit .296/.383/.402 with eleven home runs and 69 RBIs.  Franco also had 172 hits, 27 doubles, 96 runs scored and 31 stolen bases.  Franco also had 82 walks versus 83 strikeouts.  Nolan Ryan had a nice season as well as he went 13-9 with a 3.44 ERA and struck out 232 batters while walking 74 in 204 innings pitched.

GRADE: B+.  Franco would have been a better pick, but Palmeiro did lead the league in hits, so it is hard to complain too much about it.

OAKLAND ATHLETICS - BOB WELCH

Welch was the A.L. Cy Young winner primarily due to his Major League high 27 wins.  Welch was also an All Star and led the league in winning percentage due to his 27-6 record.  He had a 2.95 ERA, 127 strikeouts and 77 walks in 238 innings pitched.  He also had two complete games and two shutouts.

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  No.  The A's were a juggernaut and provided a lot of run support for Welch.  His WAR was actually eighth on the team and second among starting pitchers.  The A's featured the A.L. MVP in Rickey Henderson, who hit .325/.439/.577 with 28 home runs and 61 RBIs.  He led the league in runs scored (119), stolen bases (65) and on-base percentage.  The A's also featured Mark McGwire (39 home runs, 108 RBIs) and Jose Canseco (37 home runs, 101 RBIs).  The best pitcher was Dave Stewart, who went 22-11 with a 2.56 ERA and 166 strikeouts versus 83 walks in 267 innings pitched.

GRADE: B.  Welch did win the Cy Young Award, which he probably was not the most deserving of choices, but those 27 wins are tough to ignore.  Still, Henderson was the better choice.

NEW YORK YANKEES - DAVE RIGHETTI

Righetti was the Yankees' closer in 1990.  The southpaw had a record of 1-1 with a 3.57 ERA, finishing 47 of 53 games pitched.  In 53 innings pitched, Righetti struck out 43 batters while walking 26.  He saved 36 games and set a then-record for career saves by a left-hander.

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  Definitely not.  Righetti was not a particularly effective closer in 1990.  The Yankees' WAR leader was Roberto Kelly, who hit .285/.323/.418 with 15 home runs, 61 RBIs, 85 runs scored, 183 hits and 42 stolen bases.  Jesse Barfield was the team's big slugger, hitting 25 home runs and driving in 78 runs with a slash line of .246/.359/.456.  Kevin Maas was a phenom, hitting 21 home runs and slashing .252/.367/.535 in just 79 games.

GRADE: F.  Righetti really was not that good.  He had a high ERA for a closer and a pretty bad strikeout-to-walk ratio.  He did save a decent number of games, but was not particularly impressive.  Kelly would have been the better choice, and I could see an argument for Maas.

MINNESOTA TWINS - BRIAN HARPER

The Twins catcher hit .294/.328/.432 with six home runs and 54 RBIs.  He had 141 hits and 61 runs scored.  He led the team in doubles with 42 and was very difficult to strike out, being rung up just 27 times in 509 plate appearances.

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  Maybe?  By WAR, he was the second-best player on the team, but the leader was Greg Gagne, whose value almost entirely came from his defense as he was a weak hitter (.235/.280/.361/).  The best hitter was probably Shane Mack, who hit .326/.392/.460, and the best power hitter was Kent Hrbek who had 22 home runs and 79 RBIs while hitting .287/.377/.474.

GRADE: B.  This is not really a terrible choice.  Harper had a nice season for a bad team.  Mack or Hrbek probably would have been better picks, but Harper was pretty decent.

BALTIMORE ORIOLES - GREGG OLSON

Olson was an All Star for the Orioles in 1990.  The closer had a record of 6-5 with an ERA of 2.42.  He pitched 74.1 innings, striking out 74 and walking 31.  He finished 58 out of 64 games and saved 37 games.

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  No.  Olson was seventh on the team himself, which is not bad for a closer.  Cal Ripken Jr. was still the team's best player as he hit .250/.341/.415 with 21 home runs and 84 RBIs.  Randy Milligan was not too far behind as the O's first-baseman hit .265/.408/.492 with 20 home runs and 60 RBIs.  Ben McDonald, who was the first overall pick in the 1989 made an impact by going 8-5 with a 2.43 ERA in 118.2 innings pitched over 21 games.  He struck out 65 and walked 35.  Given his draft position and impressive showing, a case could have been made for him.

GRADE: C.  Olson was pretty good, and there were not a ton of great candidates, other than Ripken.  I think a closer had to be really good to be a Diamond King though.  Thigpen was fine, Olson was merely okay. 

KANSAS CITY ROYALS - KURT STILLWELL

Stillwell, the Royals shortstop, hit .249/.304/.352 with three home runs and 51 RBIs.  He also accumulated 126 hits, 60 runs scored, 35 doubles and four triples.  Stillwell was second on the team in doubles to George Brett.

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  Definitely not.  Stillwell's 0.9 WAR was not enough to place him within the top ten on the team.  Kevin Appier was the team's WAR leader as he went 12-8 with a 2.76 ERA and 127 strikeouts in 185.2 innings pitched.  Steve Farr had a great season out of the bullpen, going 13-7 with a 1.98 ERA in 127 innings pitched.  George Brett won the batting title and hit .329/.387/.515 with 14 home runs and 87 RBIs.  

GRADE: F.  Obviously the Royals did not have a ton of good options here, unless Donruss wanted to make Brett their first three-time Diamond King or give Bo Jackson consecutive Diamond Kings, but Stillwell is really a bizarre pick.

ST. LOUIS CARDINALS - PEDRO GUERRERO

Guerrero, the Cardinals first-baseman, hit .281/.334/.426 with 13 home runs and 80 RBIs.  He also had 140 hits, 42 runs scored and 31 doubles.  He led Cardinals hitters in RBIs and was second on the team in home runs.

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  No way.  Guerrero had a very ordinary season for a first-baseman.  Granted the Cardinals were not that good and their best player (Willie McGee) was traded before the end of the season, but there were better choices than Guerrero.  Vince Coleman had a nice season, hitting .292/.340/.400 and stole 77 bases.  John Tudor had a 12-4 record with a 2.40 ERA.  Lee Smith had a great season as the closer after being acquired from the Red Sox.  He had a 3-4 record with a 2.10 ERA and 27 saves with 70 strikeouts and 20 walks in 68.2 innings pitched.

GRADE: F.  Guerrero just was not very good.  He had a negative WAR.  The Cardinals did not have a lot of great picks, but Coleman, Smith or Tudor would have been much better than him.

CALIFORNIA ANGELS - CHUCK FINLEY

The Angels southpaw Finley had a record of 18-9 with a 2.40 ERA.  He was an All Star and finished seventh in the Cy Young vote.  Finley struck out 177 batters while walking 81 in 236 innings pitched.  He also led the Angels in complete games (seven) and shutouts (two).

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  Yes.  Finley was the team's WAR leader and emerged as the ace of the staff.  Among hitters, catcher Lance Parrish had a great season, hitting .268/.338/.451 while leading the team with 24 home runs and second with 70 RBIs.  Dave Winfield also had a good season, hitting .275/.348/.466 with 19 home runs and a team-leading 72 RBIs.

GRADE: A.  In a rotation top-heavy with left-handers, Finley made a big impact with a great record and low ERA.

RECAP

1991 was the year I started collecting cards and I remember this set very well.  I have fond memories of it.  I was just as baffled then as I am now about the Stillwell pick.  This set features just four future Hall of Famers (Ryne Sandberg, Barry Larkin, Craig Biggio and Roberto Alomar), but also had Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds and Rafael Palmeiro, who would be in if not for that PED thing.  It also featured the N.L. MVP, A.L. Cy Young and A.L. Rookie of the Year.  Though with the MVPs and Cy Young Winners for each league coming from the same team, it would have been impossible to have all of them.

BEST PICK:  Roger Clemens.  Clemens was amazing in 1990 and was pretty much robbed of the Cy Young Award.  He also had a good argument for MVP and led the Majors in WAR.  Honorable mention goes to Barry Bonds who had the first great season of his terrific career.

WORST PICK:  Kurt Stillwell.  This one just makes no sense.  He did have a better WAR than two of the other picks, but his offense was so unimpressive and there were such clearly better picks that this is utterly baffling.  Runner-up is probably Pedro Guerrero, who had a very ordinary season offensively for a first-baseman and was just plain bad defensively.

BIGGEST SNUB:  Rickey Henderson.  I get that Donruss chose the Cy Young winner, but Henderson was a much better player than Bob Welch.  The runner-up is probably Tim Wallach, who was kind of a baffling snub.

WEIRDEST PICK HISTORICALLY:  Kurt Stillwell.  I usually do not like to pick on the same player more than once, but this one bears close scrutiny.  Stillwell had a nine-year career in the Majors and a career WAR of 3.1.  He was an All Star once, but had a career OPS+ of 82, which is definitely not good.  Runner-up is Brian Harper who spent 16 seasons in the Majors with seven different teams, was never an All Star or a league leader in any category, and finished with a career WAR of 12.3.