Diamond King Roundup: 1994

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.

1994 again featured an extra pick, celebrating one player's career achievement, but this time labeled him as a "King of Kings", which is something Donruss did in 1990 with Nolan Ryan.  As a result, I will not cover that player, who is Dave Winfield, in this post.  Winfield notched his 3,000th hit, which is certainly something worth celebrating.  But since this was not a true Diamond King, I will not go over it.  Donruss moved away from including the Rookies of the Year, who ended up both being Diamond Kings anyway.

SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS - BARRY BONDS

In Bonds's first season in San Francisco after signing a major free agent contract, he won his third N.L. MVP award, and his second in a row.  Bonds hit .336/.458/.677 and led the league in on-base percentage, slugging percentage, home runs (46), RBIs (123) and total bases (365).  He also had 181 hits, 38 doubles, 129 runs scored, 29 stolen bases and 126 walks.

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  Hell yes.  Bonds was amazing in 1993, easily one of the best players in the game.  The Giants were very good in 1993, led by Bonds, but also having terrific seasons from Robby Thompson, Matt Williams, Bill Swift, John Burkett and Rod Beck.  Thompson hit .312/.375/.496 with 19 home runs and 65 RBIs.  Williams hit .294/.325/.561 with 38 home runs and 110 RBIs.  Swift had a 21-8 record with a 2.82 ERA and was the runner-up in the Cy Young vote.  Burkett was 22-7 with a 3.65 ERA and was fourth in the Cy Young vote.  Beck saved 48 games with a 2.16 ERA.

GRADE: A.  The Giants had a lot of great choices in 1993, but Bonds was easily the best of the bunch.

BOSTON RED SOX - MO VAUGHN

Vaughn broke out in 1993 after a couple of seasons of lying in wait.  Vaughn hit .297/.390/.525 and received some down-ballot MVP consideration.  He led the Red Sox in on base percentage, slugging percentage and OPS (.915).  He also led the team in runs scored (86), home runs (29), RBIs (101) and walks (79).

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  By OPS and pure traditional offensive numbers, he was.  By WAR, he was sixth, due to limited defensive abilities.  Danny Darwin was the team's WAR leader behind a 15-11 record with a 3.26 ERA, 130 strikeouts to 49 walks in 229.1 innings pitched.  He led the league in WHIP (1.068).  The top position player by WAR was shortstop John Valentin, who hit .278/.346/.447 with 11 home runs, 66 RBIs and a team-leading 40 doubles.  Scott Fletcher was third in WAR, behind his terrific defense and a decent line of .285/.341/.402 and 16 stolen bases.  Frank Viola was fourth with a record of 11-8 with a 3.14 ERA.  Mike Greenwell hit .315/.379/.480 with 13 home runs and 72 RBIs, while leading the team in average and hits (170).  Finally, Aaron Sele finished third in the Rookie of the Year vote with a 7-2 record and a 2.74 ERA.

GRADE: B+.  Vaughn's offense was an easy choice, even if his WAR did not quite measure up.  Darwin would have been a slightly better selection if Donruss was aware of more advanced metrics.  But Vaughn definitely had the eye-popping numbers that were lacking in the players who finished above him in WAR.

ATLANTA BRAVES - STEVE AVERY

Still just 23 and in his fourth Major League season, Avery had a record of 18-6.  He was named to the All Star team for the first time.  He pitched 223.1 innings, striking out 125 and walking just 43, and had an ERA of 2.94.  

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  Avery was not even the team's best starting pitcher and finished fifth on the team in WAR.  Newly acquired Greg Maddux followed up his 1992 Cy Young Award by winning the 1993 Cy Young Award.  Maddux had a record of 20-10 with a league-leading 2.36 ERA, eight complete games and 267 innings pitched.  He struck out 197 batters to 52 walks.  Ron Gant was the team's WAR leader behind a line of .274/.345/.510, 36 home runs, 117 RBIs and 26 stolen bases.  He finished fifth in the MVP race.  David Justice also had a great season, hitting .270/.357/.515 with 40 home runs and 120 RBIs.  Justice finished third in the MVP vote.  Jeff Blauser hit .305/.401/.436 with 110 runs scored, 182 hits, 15 home runs and 73 RBIs.

GRADE: C.  I am not sure how Avery got this over the Cy Young Award winner and two players who finished in the top five in the MVP race.  Avery was good, but there were much better choices.  And how the hell is it that Maddux STILL had not been a Diamond King, despite winning two Cy Young Awards at this point?

CALIFORNIA ANGELS - TIM SALMON

Salmon won the A.L. Rookie of the Year Award in 1993.  The Angels' right-fielder nearly won the Pacific Coast League Triple Crown in 1992 and followed that up by hitting .283/.382/.536 with 31 home runs, 93 runs scored, 35 doubles and 95 RBIs.  He led the Angels in doubles, home runs, on base percentage and slugging percentage.  

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  No.  Salmon was certainly the best position player, but the Angels had two pitchers with higher WAR scores.  Mark Langston was first with a record of 16-11, an ERA of 3.20, 196 strikeouts to 85 walks in 256.1 innings pitched.  Langston was an All Star and won a Gold Glove.  Chuck Finley was second, behind his 16-14 record. 3.15 ERA. 187 strikeouts and 82 walks in 251.1 innings pitched.  

GRADE: B+.  I am giving Salmon extra credit for winning the Rookie of the Year Award with a very impressive season, and Salmon had obviously never been a Diamond King before, but Langston would have been a better choice.  

CHICAGO CUBS - RICK WILKINS

The Cubs catcher was in his third Major League season and first in which he played in more than 100 games.  He hit .303/.376/.561 with 78 runs scored, 23 doubles, 30 home runs and 73 RBIs.  He led the Cubs in slugging percentage, was second in home runs and fourth in RBIs.

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  Yes.  Wilkins led the Cubs in WAR in 1993, as well as OPS.  Mark Grace was second as the first-baseman led the team in average, on base percentage and RBIs, hitting .325/.393/.475 with 14 home runs and 98 RBIs.  Sammy Sosa led the team in home runs and stolen bases, hitting .261/.309/.485 with 33 home runs, 93 RBIs and 36 stolen bases.  Randy Myers had a great season out of the bullpen, saving 53 games with 86 strikeouts and 26 walks in 75.1 innings pitched and had a 3.11 ERA.

GRADE: A.  Wilkins was already a very good defensive catcher and in 1993 his hitting took a huge step forward.  He was easily the best player on the Cubs.

MINNESOTA TWINS - BRIAN HARPER

Twins catcher Harper hit .304/.347/.425.  He led the team in batting average, unusual for a catcher.  He also contributed 52 runs scored, 161 hits, 26 doubles, 12 home runs and 73 RBIs.  He walked just 29 times, but only struck out 29 times.

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  Probably not.  Harper was sixth in WAR, but most of the better Twins players had similar WAR scores, and most did not stand out from a traditional numbers perspective.  Chuck Knoblauch was the team WAR leader, but he hit .277/.354/.346 with 82 runs scored, 167 hits, 27 doubles and 29 stolen bases.  The OPS leaders were Kent Hrbek and Kirby Puckett, neither of whom were good defensively so they had low WAR scores that did not even rate them in the top 12.  Hrbek hit 25 home runs and drove in 83 runs.  Puckett hit .296/.349/.474 with 22 home runs and 89 RBIs.  

GRADE: B.  The Twins were pretty bad in 1993.  Knoblauch would have probably been a better selection than Harper, but Harper was an acceptable selection.

COLORADO ROCKIES - ANDRES GALARRAGA

The Rockies had the league's batting leader in their inaugural season.  Galarraga rebounded from a poor 1992 season to hit .370/.403/.602 with 71 runs scored, 174 hits, 35 doubles, 22 home runs and a team-leading 98 RBIs.  He finished tenth in the N.L. MVP vote and was named to the All Star team.

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  Yes.  Hard to ignore a batting leader, and Galarraga had some big power too.  He was also the team's WAR leader.  Charlie Hayes was second and was the team's home run leader and tied for the lead in RBIs, hitting .305/.355/.522 with 25 home runs and 98 RBIs.  Dante Bichette also had a big season, hitting .310/.348/.526 with 21 home runs and 89 RBIs.

GRADE: A.  Galarraga gave his team a legitimate thrill in the inaugural season, chasing the .400 mark until July.  

CLEVELAND INDIANS - ALBERT BELLE

Belle was named to his first All Star team and won his first Silver Slugger in 1993, while finishing seventh in the A.L. MVP race.  Belle hit .290/.370/.552 with 93 runs scored, 172 hits, 36 doubles and 38 home runs.  He led the league with 129 RBIs.  He even stole 23 bases.

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  No.  As good as Belle was, he was third on the team in WAR.  Kenny Lofton was first, as he hit .325/.408/.408 with 116 runs scored and 185 hits.  Lofton led the league with 70 stolen bases.  Carlos Baerga was second in WAR after hitting .321/.355/.486 with 105 runs scored, 200 hits, 21 home runs and 114 RBIs.  

GRADE: B.  Lofton would have been the best choice and Baerga would have been a better choice than Belle, but Belle is a fine choice.

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES - JOHN KRUK

Kruk was an All Star in 1993 and received some down-ballot MVP consideration and was one of the embodiments of the N.L. Champs.  Kruk led the team in OPS (.905) and on-base percentage, hitting .316/.430/.475 with 100 runs scored, 14 home runs and 85 RBIs.  He walked 111 times compared to 87 strikeouts.

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  No.  Kruk was third on the team in WAR, behind Len Dykstra and Darren Daulton, the other two faces of the team.  Dykstra was the runner-up in the MVP vote after hitting .305/.420/.482 with 19 home runs, 66 RBIs and 37 stolen bases.  He led the league in runs scored (143), hits (194) and walks (129).  Daulton hit .257/.392/.482 with 24 home runs, 105 RBIs and 117 walks.

GRADE: B.  I would have gone with Dykstra here, but Kruk had a very good season. 

TEXAS RANGERS - IVAN RODRIGUEZ

Rodriguez was in his third Major League season in 1993 and was named to his second All Star team and won his second Gold Glove Award.  Rodriguez hit .273/.315/.412 with 56 runs scored, 129 hits, 28 doubles, four triples, ten home runs, 66 RBIs and eight stolen bases.

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  No.  Rodriguez was not a great hitter at this point in his career as his below-average OPS+ would attest.  He was seventh on the team in WAR.  Two hitters stood out on the team, leading the team in WAR with scores above 6.5.  Rafael Palmeiro led the league in runs scored (124), while hitting .295/.371/.554 with 37 home runs and 105 RBIs.  He also stole 22 bases.  Juan Gonzalez led the league in home runs (46) and slugging percentage, while hitting .310/.368/.632 and drove in 118 runs.  Gonzalez finished fourth in the MVP vote.

GRADE: C.  Rodriguez was great defensively, one of the best of all time, but he was not much of a hitter at this point.  Juan Gonzalez or Rafael Palmeiro would have been better choices at this point. 

SAN DIEGO PADRES - TONY GWYNN

Despite missing 40 games, Gwynn hit .358/.398/.497.  He led the team in hits (175) and doubles (41) along with batting average and on-base percentage.  He also had 70 runs scored, three triples, seven home runs, 59 RBIs and 14 stolen bases.  He only struck out 19 times, compared to 36 walks.

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  Gwynn was the OPS leader and the WAR leader among position players, but he was not the overall WAR leader.  Andy Benes had a record of 15-15 and had a 3.78 ERA in 230.2 innings pitched, striking out 179 and walking 86.  Greg W. Harris had a 10-9 record with a 3.67 ERA in 152 innings pitched.  The team's big slugger was Phil Plantier, who hit 34 home runs and drove in 100 runs, but hit .240/.335/.509.

GRADE: B+.  Gwynn had a great season, which would have been even better had he not missed 40 games.  The Padres were not awash with great candidates and Gwynn had some impressive numbers.  Even so, Andy Benes would have made a good choice.

KANSAS CITY ROYALS - BRIAN MCRAE

McRae led the Royals in hits (177) and triples (nine).  He hit .282/.325/.413 with 78 runs scored, 28 doubles, 12 home runs, 69 RBIs and 23 stolen bases.  He was second on the team in runs scored, RBIs and stolen bases.

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  No, definitely not.  McRae was fifth on the team in WAR, mostly due to his improved defense in center field, but he was still not much of a hitter.  Kevin Appier was easily the team's best player as he finished third in the Cy Young vote by leading the league in ERA (2.56).  He had a record of 18-8 and struck out 186 batters compared to 81 walks in 238.1 innings pitched.  David Cone had a good first season back with the Royals, going 11-14 with a 3.33 ERA and 191 strikeouts in 254 innings pitched.  Jeff Montgomery continued to impress as a closer, saving 45 games with a 2.27 ERA.  The team's OPS leader was catcher Mike Macfarlane, who hit .273/.360/.497, driving in 67 runs and hitting a team-leading 20 home runs.  

GRADE: D.  I do not understand Donruss's obsession with McRae.  This is the fourth bad Royals pick for Diamond King in a row, though McRae was marginally better.  Still, missing Kevin Appier is a huge mistake.

NEW YORK METS - BOBBY BONILLA

Bonilla had been a major free agent signing by the Mets for the 1992 season, but had a disappointing season.  He bounced back in 1993, making the All Star team and hitting .265/.352/.522 with 81 runs scored, 133 hits, 34 home runs and 87 RBIs.  He led the Mets in runs scored, home runs and walks (72).

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  Probably.  Technically, he was second in WAR to Dwight Gooden, but Gooden's numbers (12-15, 3.45 ERA, 149 strikeouts and 61 walks in 208.2 innings pitched), were not eye-opening.  Eddie Murray had an impressive season in his second year in New York, hitting .285/.325/.467 with 174 hits, 27 home runs and 10/ RBIs.  

GRADE: A.  I will give this one to Donruss.  Bonilla lived up to his contract in 1993 after failing to do so in his first season with the Mets.

SEATTLE MARINERS - KEN GRIFFEY, JR.

Still just 23 years old, Griffey had the best season of his career to this point, finishing fifth in the A.L. MVP vote, being named to the All Star team and winning both the Gold Glove and Silver Slugger.  Griffey led the league in total bases (359) and hit .309/.408/.617 with 180 hits, 113 runs scored, 38 doubles, 45 home runs, 109 RBIs and 17 stolen bases.

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  Easily.  Griffey had a huge season.  Randy Johnson was another highlight for the team, going 19-8 with a 3.24 ERA in 255.1 innings pitched.  He led the league in strikeouts (308) while walking 99.  Erik Hanson was third on the team in WAR, behind a record of 11-12 with a 3.47 ERA in 215 innings pitched with 163 strikeouts.  Jay Buhner also emerged as a rising star, hitting .272/.379/.476 with 27 home runs and 98 RBIs.

GRADE: A.  Griffey had long been considered a player with a sky-high ceiling.  1993 was the first year he truly showed it.

LOS ANGELES DODGERS - MIKE PIAZZA

Piazza was a unanimous selection for N.L. Rookie of the Year, finished ninth in the MVP race, and was named to the All Star team and won the Silver Slugger as a catcher.  Piazza hit .318/.370/.561 with 35 home runs and 112 RBIs.  He also contributed 174 hits, 81 runs scored and 24 doubles.

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  Yes.  Piazza was the WAR leader by a large margin.  In second place was Tom Candiotti, who had a record of 8-10, but had a 3.12 ERA in 213.2 innings pitched.  He struck out 155 batters and walked 71.  Ramon Martinez was third behind his 3.44 ERA in 211.2 innings pitched, though he had a record of 10-12.  Pedro Astacio had a record of 14-9 and a 3.57 ERA in 186.1 innings pitched with 122 strikeouts and 68 walks.  And Pedro Martinez emerged as an impressive arm out of the bullpen, compiling a record of 10-5 with a 2.61 ERA and 119 strikeouts and 57 walks in 107 innings pitched.  He saved two games and started two out of his 65 games pitched.

GRADE: A.  Piazza was a major phenom in 1993, easily the top rookie in the Majors and one of the best players in the league.

NEW YORK YANKEES - DON MATTINGLY

Mattingly won a Gold Glove and received some down-ballot MVP consideration in 1993.  He hit .291/.364/.445 with 154 hits, 78 runs scored, 27 doubles, 17 home runs and 86 RBIs.  He was second on the Yankees in RBIs.

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  No.  Mattingly was eighth on the team in WAR.  The WAR leader was Jimmy Key, in his first season in the Bronx.  Key had a record of 18-6 with a 3.00 ERA, striking out 173 and walking 43 in 236.1 innings pitched.  Key was an All Star and finished fourth in the Cy Young race.  Catcher Mike Stanley was second, with a huge season for which he was awarded a Silver Slugger.  Stanley hit .305/.389/.534 with 26 home runs and 84 RBIs.  Wade Boggs had a decent comeback season, hitting .302/.378/.363 and Danny Tartabull contributed 31 home runs and 102 RBIs.

GRADE: D.  Mattingly was decent, but not really great, and his numbers paled in comparison to his earlier work.  As a first-baseman, his numbers really do not stand out.  Key or Stanley would have been much better picks.

CINCINNATI REDS - BARRY LARKIN

Larkin was an All Star in 1993.  The Reds shortstop hit .315/.394/.445.  He missed a third of the season, but still contributed 57 runs scored, 121 hits, 20 doubles, eight home runs, 51 RBIs and 14 stolen bases.  

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  No, but even though he was hurt for a big part of the season, he was still second in WAR.  Jose Rijo had a terrific season, accumulating 10.1 WAR.  He had a record of 14-9 with a 2.48 ERA, striking out 227 and walking 62 in 257.1 innings pitched.  Rijo finished fifth in the Cy Young vote.  Reggie Sanders had a very good year, hitting .274/.343/.444 with 20 home runs and 83 RBIs, also stealing 27 bases.  Kevin Mitchell played in just 93 games, but hit .341/.385/.601 with 19 home runs and 64 RBIs.

GRADE: B.  Larkin was good, but was hurt quite a bit.  Rijo was great though and really should have been the pick.

OAKLAND ATHLETICS - RUBEN SIERRA

Sierra was acquired the previous season in the deal that sent Jose Canseco to Texas.  He led the A's in home runs (22) and RBIs (101) and was second in stolen bases (25) in 1993.  Sierra hit .233/.288/.390 with 77 runs scored, 154 hits, 23 doubles and five triples.

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  Definitely not.  The A's were pretty bad in 1993 for the first time in many years, but they still had several players with better seasons than Sierra.  The team's WAR leader was Rickey Henderson, but he was traded to the Blue Jays during the season.  Bobby Witt, who was acquired in the same deal as Sierra, was next in line with a 14-13 record and 4.21 ERA with 131 strikeouts and 91 walks in 220 innings pitched.  Terry Steinbach had a good season, being named to the All Star team and hitting .285/.333/.416 with ten home runs and 43 RBIs.  Rookie Troy Neel hit .290/.367/.473 with 19 home runs and 63 RBIs.  He finished seventh in the Rookie of the Year vote.

GRADE: D.  I was tempted to give this an F, but Sierra did lead the team in home runs and RBIs and the team's best player was traded away.  Sierra had a negative WAR and a below-average OPS+ though, meaning he was really not a very good player in 1993.  If I had to pick, I think I would have gone with Troy Neel or Terry Steinbach.

PITTSBURGH PIRATES - ORLANDO MERCED

Merced broke out in 1993, giving the Pirates a bright spot in a season marred by losing Barry Bonds as a free agent.  Merced led the Pirates in average, on-base percentage and OPS (.857).  He hit .313/.414/.443 with eight home runs and 70 RBIs.

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  No, he was second in WAR by a decent margin.  Jay Bell was the Pirates' best player.  Bell hit .310/.392/.437 with 102 runs scored, 187 hits, 32 doubles, nine triples, nine home runs, 51 RBIs and 16 stolen bases.  He was an All Star and won both the Gold Glove and Silver Slugger.  Jeff King had a nice season, hitting .295/.356/.406 with nine home runs and a team-leading 98 RBIs.  Al Martin led the team in home runs (18) and hit .281/.338/.481.

GRADE: B.  Merced had a decent season, but Jay Bell would have been the best choice, by a fairly significant margin.  

MILWAUKEE BREWERS - GREG VAUGHN

Vaughn made his first All Star team in 1993.  The Brewers' left fielder led the team in runs scored (97), home runs (30), RBIs (97), on base percentage and slugging percentage.  He hit .267/.369/.482 and also had 152 hits, 28 doubles and ten stolen bases.

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  Yes.  Vaughn was the OPS leader as well as the WAR leader.  Cal Eldred was second in WAR, despite a record of 16-16 and a 4.01 ERA.  He led the league in innings pitched (258) and struck out 180 while walking 91.  Darryl Hamilton was third, hitting .310/.367/.406 with nine home runs, 48 RBIs and 21 stolen bases.  He led the team with 161 hits.

GRADE: A.  Vaughn was easily the best player on the team in 1993.

ST. LOUIS CARDINALS - GREGG JEFFERIES

Still just 25 years old and on his third organization, Jefferies had the best season of his career in 1993.  He was named to his first All Star team and finished eleventh in the MVP race.  He hit .342/.408/.485 with 89 runs scored, 186 hits, 24 doubles, 16 home runs, 83 RBIs and 46 stolen bases.  

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  Easily.  Coming in second in WAR behind Jefferies was Bernard Gilkey, who hit .305/.370/.481 with 16 home runs, 70 RBIs and 15 stolen bases.  Ozzie Smith was third, hitting .288/.337/.356.  Bob Tewksbury was the team's best pitcher, going 17-10 with a 3.83 ERA in 213.2 innings pitched.  

GRADE: A.  Jefferies looked like he had finally harnessed the massive talent that made him a first round draft pick.  He was easily the team's best player.

DETROIT TIGERS - CECIL FIELDER

Fielder made his third All Star team in 1993.  He hit .267/.368/.464 with 80 runs scored, 153 hits, 23 doubles, 30 home runs and 117 RBIs.  He also notched 90 walks.  Fielder led the team in RBIs.

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  No.  Apart from his RBI total, none of Fielder's stats stood out on the team and he was not even among the top 12 in WAR.  The team's WAR leader was utility-man Tony Phillips, who hit .313/.443/.398 and led the league with 132 walks.  Travis Fryman was second, as he hit .300/.379/.486 with 22 home runs and 97 RBIs.  Alan Trammell missed 50 games, but still hit .329/.388/.496.  Mickey Tettleton hit 32 home runs and drove in 110 RBIs while hitting .245/.372/.492.  Offense was not a problem for Detroit.

GRADE: F.  There were so many great hitters on the Tigers in 1993.  Only Fielder's RBI total stood out.  Tony Phillips or Travis Fryman should have been the pick.

MONTREAL EXPOS - MOISES ALOU

Following up on being the runner-up in the N.L. Rookie of the Year in 1992, Alou improved to .286/.340/.483.  He hit 18 home runs, stole 17 bases and drove in 85 runs.  He also notched 70 runs scored, 138 hits, 29 doubles and six triples.  

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  No.  Alou was decent, but he was ninth on the team in WAR.  The leader was Marquis Grissom, who hit .298/.351/.438 with 104 runs scored, 188 hits, 19 home runs, 95 RBIs and 53 stolen bases.  Grissom finished eighth in the N.L. MVP race, was an All Star and won a Gold Glove.  Larry Walker was second, hitting .265/.371/.469 with 22 home runs and 86 RBIs, while stealing 29 bases.  John Wetteland had a terrific season as the closer, finishing with a record of 9-3 with a 1.37 ERA, 113 strikeouts to 28 walks in 85.1 innings pitched.  He saved 43 games.

GRADE: C.  Alou had a good year, but several players had better seasons.  Marquis Grissom, who had not previously been a Diamond King, would have been the best choice.

TORONTO BLUE JAYS - JOHN OLERUD

Olerud had a huge season in 1993, finishing third in the MVP vote and being named to his first All Star team.  The Blue Jays first-baseman won the batting title, as well as leading the league in on-base percentage, doubles (54) and OPS (1.072).  Olerud hit .363/.473/.599 with 109 runs scored, 200 hits, 24 home runs and 107 RBIs.

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  Yes, Olerud was the Blue Jays' WAR leader.  The Blue Jays actually had the top three batting leaders.  Newly-acquired DH Paul Molitor was second, hitting .332/.402/.509 with 22 home runs, 111 RBIs and 22 stolen bases, and winning the World Series MVP.  Roberto Alomar was third, hitting .326/.408/.492 with 17 home runs, 93 RBIs and 55 stolen bases.  Their best pitcher was Pat Hentgen, who had a 19-9 record, 3.87 ERA and 122 strikeouts in 216.1 innings pitched.

GRADE: A.  The World Champion Blue Jays were once again dominant and had a number of great players.  Olerud stood out however and was the team's best player.

FLORIDA MARLINS - GARY SHEFFIELD

In June of the Marlins' inaugural season, they made a blockbuster trade for Sheffield.  He played in just 72 games, but he had the top OPS on the team.  Sheffield hit .292/.378/.479 with ten home runs, 37 RBIs and 12 stolen bases during his time with Florida.  He was an All Star.

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  Not really.  He was easily the biggest star once he was acquired, but since he played less than half the season with the team, there were other options.  Bryan Harvey was the team's WAR leader as the closer made the All Star team and saved 45 games with 1.70 ERA, 73 strikeouts to 13 walks in 69 innings pitched.  Chuck Carr finished fourth in the Rookie of the Year vote after hitting .267/.327/.330 and led the N.L. in stolen bases with 58.  Orestes Destrade was the team's big slugger, hitting 20 home runs and driving in 87 runs.

GRADE: B.  This one seems kind of odd, but Sheffield impressed in his short time that season.  Still, Bryan Harvey probably would have been the better selection.  

BALTIMORE ORIOLES - MIKE MUSSINA

Mussina followed up his breakthrough 1992 season by being named to his second All Star team in 1993.  He had a record of 14-6, with a 4.46 ERA in 167.2 innings pitched.  Mussina struck out 117 batters and walked 44.  He threw two shutouts and three complete games.

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  No way.  Mussina was not even among the team's top 12 in WAR.  Chris Hoiles was the WAR leader as the catcher hit .310/.416/.585 with 82 RBIs and a team-leading 29 home runs.  Ben McDonald may not have had as good a record as Mussina, but he had a 3.39 ERA in 220.1 innings pitched.  He had a record of 13-14 with 171 strikeouts to 86 walks.  Harold Baines had an impressive season as the DH, hitting .313/.390/.510 with 20 home runs and 78 RBIs.  Gregg Olson had another great season as the closer, saving 29 games with a 1.60 ERA.

GRADE: F.  Between injuries and a high ERA, this was just not a good pick.  Mussina was great in 1992, but basically average in 1993.  Chris Hoiles would have been a much better choice, as the A.L. equivalent of Rick Wilkins.

HOUSTON ASTROS - JEFF BAGWELL

Bagwell received some lower ballot MVP consideration in 1993.  The first-baseman hit .320/.388/.516 with 20 home runs, 88 RBIs and 13 stolen bases.  He also accumulated 171 hits, 76 runs scored, 27 doubles and four triples.  He led the team in RBIs and all three slash line categories.

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  Yes, Bagwell was the team's WAR leader.  In second place was Luis Gonzalez, who hit .300/.361/.457 with 15 home runs, 72 RBIs and 20 stolen bases.  Craig Biggio came in third with a line of .287/.373/.474 and a team-leading 98 runs scored and 21 home runs.  That's right, Biggio out-homered Bagwell.  Mark Portugal was the team's best pitcher, behind a record of 18-4 and a 2.77 ERA in 208 innings pitched.  Portugal finished sixth in the Cy Young vote.  

GRADE: A.  Bagwell was still just 25 and still improving.  He was the best player on the team.

CHICAGO WHITE SOX - FRANK THOMAS

Thomas was the A.L. MVP in 1993.  He was also an All Star and won the Silver Slugger Award.  Thomas hit .317/.426/.607 with 41 home runs and 128 RBIs.  He also collected 106 runs scored, 174 hits and 36 doubles.  He led the team in all of the above categories.

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  Yes.  Thomas was the WAR leader for the White Sox, but just barely over Lance Johnson.  Johnson hit .311/.354/.396 and notched 14 triples and 35 stolen bases.  He was also a very good defensive center-fielder.  Alex Fernandez was third, with a record of 18-9 with a 3.13 ERA and 169 strikeouts to 67 walks in 247.1 innings pitched.  The White Sox had the Cy Young winner as well in Jack McDowell.  McDowell had a record of 22-10, leading the league in wins.  He had a 3.37 ERA in 256.2 innings pitched with 158 strikeouts and 69 walks.  

GRADE: A.  Thomas was easily the best offensive player on the team in 1993 and it is very hard to look past the league's MVP.  

RECAP

We have seven future Hall of Famers here, plus Barry Bonds, who would be if not for the PED thing.  Donruss did get both Rookies of the Year and both MVPs, but they missed both Cy Young winners.  The A.L. winner played for the same team as the MVP, which explains that one, but there is not much excuse for missing the N.L. winner.

BEST PICK:  Barry Bonds.  Bonds was an absolute monster in 1993, easily winning the MVP award.  Runner-up is Ken Griffey Jr., who may have been the best player in the American League.

WORST PICK:  Mike Mussina.  I do not understand this pick, he just did not do all that much and the O's had some much better choices.  Runner-up goes to Ruben Sierra, who was technically a worse player, but the A's did not have many good choices.  Sierra was below-average by OPS and WAR.

BIGGEST SNUB:  Jose Rijo.  Rijo was the Major League leader in WAR and should have been the selection for the Reds.  Kevin Appier is the runner-up.  Appier should have won the Cy Young Award and should have been an easy selection for the Royals.  But Donruss screws up the Royals selection a lot.

WEIRDEST PICK HISTORICALLY:  Brian Harper.  Harper was a utility man for the first several seasons of his career and had a career WAR of 12.3.  He was never an All Star and never led the league in any category.  Runner-up is Brian McRae, who had a career WAR of 14.3 over ten seasons and only led the league in at-bats on year.  He had a slightly better career WAR than Steve Avery, but at least Avery had been an All Star and finished sixth in the Cy Young vote one year.

Topps Total Wave 8

 One card grabbed my attention from Wave 8 of Topps Total:

This is the first Red Sox card of reliever Austin Brice who was acquired in a trade with the Marlins in January.  He was coming off of a good season in Miami last season and, other than a couple of bad outings, impressed in his first season with the Red Sox.  Brice appeared in 21 games, starting one as an opener, and threw 19.2 innings.  He had a 5.95 ERA that was, again, inflated by one or two bad games.  He struck out an impressive 25 batters while walking 13.  Brice will likely be back next season.

Jerry Remy Fan Favorites Autograph

Here is yet another Fan Favorites autograph, of former player and current broadcaster Jerry Remy. 

Remy fits the definition of Fan Favorite.  He is a very charismatic commentator during Red Sox games and was elected President of Red Sox Nation back in 2007.  He is also a Massachusetts native.  I do think his playing career probably qualified as well.  Remy spent seven of his ten seasons with the Red Sox and made his only All Star team as a member of the 1978 Red Sox.  Remy appears here on the 1982 Topps design.  1982 was one of Remy's better seasons.  He played a full season for the first time since 1978 and hit .280/.337/.324 with 178 hits, 89 runs scored and 16 stolen bases.  He was coming off of a season in which he hit .307/.368/.338 with nine stolen bases.  1978 would have been a better choice though.  That was his best season in Boston, as he hit .278/.321/.350 with 162 hits, 87 runs scored, and 30 stolen bases.

Another A&G Blaster

This is likely my last A&G blaster.  They have now disappeared from shelves completely.  I only pulled one card, but it is one I am excited about:

The scan here is terrible.  I am so happy to see Mo Vaughn starting to appear in some sets again.  Vaughn was one of my absolute favorite players growing up.  He made his Major League debut in 1991, the year I started watching baseball.  He was the team's biggest star from 1993 until Nomar Garciaparra emerged in 1997.  His was the first jersey I ever had.  I was heartbroken when he left the team as a free agent, more than almost any other player.  I felt like I grew up watching Vaughn.  This is a short-printed card from the set, so I am definitely okay with this being the only Red Sox card I pulled.  Vaughn also has a card in the Longball Lore insert set.  I am hoping for a Fan Favorites autograph in next year's Archives.

Rico Petrocelli Fan Favorites Autograph

In my ongoing quest to get as many of the Red Sox Fan Favorites cards, I came across this Rico Petrocelli, which I originally bypassed because I already had a couple of Petrocelli autographs.  I have it now.

Petrocelli definitely qualifies as a Fan Favorite.  He spent 13 seasons in the Majors, all of them with the Red Sox.  He was a member of the Impossible Dream Red Sox of 1967 and was a two-time All Star.  For his career, he hit .251/.332/.420 with 210 home runs and 773 RBIs.  The question is whether the 1971 Topps design he appears on is appropriate.  He was with the team that season and had one of his better years, hitting .251/.354/.461 with 28 home runs and 89 RBIs.  He was coming off of a season in which he hit .261/.334/.473 with 29 home runs and 103 RBIs.  But neither of those were his best season.  In 1969, Petrocelli hit .297/.403/.589 with a then-A.L. shortstop record of 40 home runs.  The 1969 design would have been better, but the 1971 design is fine.  

Verdugo Road to Summer Camp

 

The Red Sox were bad this season.  Out of 60 games, they won just 24.  Nonetheless there were some bright spots.  The biggest one was Alex Verdugo, who was of course under a microscope because he was the primary return in the Mookie Betts trade.  Verdugo played with a lot of energy and played well.  Verdugo hit .308/.368/.478 with six home runs and 15 RBIs.  He finished sixth among position players in WAR (1.9).  He was fifth in the league in average, tenth in hits (62), third in doubles (16) and led the league in assists by an outfielder (seven).  I am excited about seeing him over a full season.

A&G Breaks

I have actually opened a fair amount of A&G this year.  It is not usually one of my favorite sets, frankly since I really only have my team collection and player collection, I do not care for the non-baseball cards in the set.  But for some reason, A&G has largely been immune from flying off the shelves at my local store.  While I have been lucky to find even one blaster of other sets before they disappeared, A&G lasted a bit longer.  So, here are the results of two blasters and a hanger pack:

Not a lot of stuff there, but there are base cards of Rafael Devers and J.D. Martinez as well as mini parallels of Xander Bogaerts, David Ortiz and Andrew Benintendi.  The Bogaerts and Ortiz are Gold parallels and the Benintendi is the A&G back.  The Bobby Doerr is one of two short prints from the team.  Then, the card I am most excited about is the Ted Williams Longball Lore.  Every year there is one or two insert sets that I absolutely love.  This is one of the two I really targeted.  It has a number of big sluggers in it.  The other insert set is the Field Generals set, which includes two focuses of player collections.  I pulled the Sandy Alomar Jr. card.  I have the Jason Varitek coming soon.  

The Jason Varitek Quest for 1,000: #966 (The Bat Knob)

 Yes, I have shown this off before, but it was not within the proper format.

This is easily the new centerpiece of my Varitek collection.  I have seen bat knob cards online before but never really felt like pulling the trigger until this one popped up.  I had to have this one.  It goes very well with this Varitek:

Total Wave 7

I have not been buying every Topps Total Red Sox cards.  I should be, but I have been focusing more on the players that are not very prevalent in other sets.  That is the great thing about Total.  Lots of players with no other cards.  Here are the two Wave 7 cards:

1.  Marcus Walden.  This marks Walden's first appearance in a set since 2018, despite having a very good season in 2019.  Walden appeared in update sets for Topps and Topps Heritage in 2018 as a rookie card.  He pitched in 70 games last year and had a record of 9-2 with a 3.81 ERA, striking out 76 batters and walking 32 in 78 innings pitched.  This year was not nearly as impressive, as he pitched in 15 games with am ugly 9.45 ERA.  This could be his last season in Boston.

2.  Collin McHugh.  This could very well turn out to be a zero-year card.  McHugh signed a low-risk contract and was coming off of an injury.  McHugh had been a very good starter in the past and then converted into a reliever.  It was hoped he would be able to solidify the pitching staff.  Unfortunately, he was not making the progress he hoped and so he decided to sit out the season.  Since he signed just a one-year contract, it seems likely he will not be back.  But it might be a good idea to try to bring him back as a low-cost option to eat innings.  

The Jason Varitek Quest for 1,000: #965

Jason Varitek has appeared in a number of high-end sets this year, which I love.  It results in stuff like this:

Now that is an awesome patch.  Similar to the last patch I showed (in fact it probably came from the same jersey), this is an away uniform.  This patch clearly comes from the front of the jersey.  It is also autographed and numbered to just 10.  Definitely a great card, though not the best card I have shown off this year.  

Stadium Club Partial Case Break and the Jason Varitek Quest for 1,000: #964

I took another chance at a Red Sox team break recently, targeting Stadium Club.  Stadium Club is one of my favorite sets every year because of the outstanding photography.  I already opened a blaster recently and pulled an absolutely beautiful photo of Ted Williams.  That one will be hard to top, but there is one that might do it.

Here are most of the cards.  The Chris Sale is the red foil parallel, and is the only non-base card I received.  There are some nice photos here, but nothing truly exceptional, except maybe the Xander Bogaerts.  The Yaz is nice, but I feel like I have seen it before, and it is not as great as the Ted Williams.  The Bogaerts was taken during the London Series debacle and has a nice shot of the stadium.  I do like the David Ortiz shot that was taken possibly after a home run.

But my favorite photo is this one:

This is an absolutely amazing photo of Varitek catching what would appear to be a warm-up pitch, since no one else appears to be around.  The only thing I do not like is the fuzziness of the ball, but it is otherwise possibly my favorite base card of the year.

Topps Now Randomness

 Today I am showing off a few Topps Now cards from the last two years:

The first card is Jonathan Lucroy.  This is from this year's Road to Summer Camp set.  Lucroy was one of the most talked-about players in Red Sox camp with his attempt at a comeback.  Unfortunately, it did not carry over into the season.  He was part of a trio of catchers and made it into one game as a defensive replacement before the lack of pitching meant his spot was sacrificed.  With his recent release, he is a one-game wonder in Red Sox history.

The rest of the cards are from last year's Player's Weekend special set.  The uniforms last year were all either solid black or solid white depending on whether the team was home or away.  As Boston was away, they got the black uniforms.  The players are all the big stars along with their nicknames: Xander Bogaerts, Rafael Devers, Mookie Betts, Andrew Benintendi, J.D. Martinez and Eduardo Rodriguez.  And then there is a parallel version of the Devers card.  

Topps Now remains an interesting idea, especially as it has expanded into limited sets and inserts.  I still think the pricing is insane, but it is fun to add these.

Diamond King Roundup: 1993

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.

There were some interesting new aspects to the 1993 set.  First of all, 1993 was the inaugural season for the Colorado Rockies and Florida Marlins.  Both teams are represented here, despite the fact that the players herein obviously did not play for either team in 1992.  Secondly, Donruss decided to give cards to each of the Rookies of the Year from 1992 separate from the regular team Diamond Kings.  So those two teams each had two Diamond Kings.  That was probably overkill, as we will see.  Finally, Donruss started going for popularity and market and stopped thinking outside the box.

SEATTLE MARINERS - KEN GRIFFEY, JR.

Still just 22, Griffey played in his third All Star game and won his third Silver Slugger Award in 1992.  He hit .308/.361/.535 with 83 runs scored, 174 hits, 39 doubles, 27 home runs, 103 RBIs and ten stolen bases.  Griffey led the Mariners in home runs and RBIs.

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  No.  As good as Griffey was, Edgar Martinez was better.  Martinez won his first batting title and led the league in doubles (46), while hitting .343/.404/.544 with 100 runs scored, 181 hits, 18 home runs and 73 RBIs.  He also stole 14 bases.  Martinez won a Silver Slugger.  Dave Fleming was the team's top pitcher, with a 17-10 record, 3.39 ERA and 112 strikeouts to 60 walks in 228.1 innings pitched.  That performance led to him finishing third in the Rookie of the Year vote.

GRADE: B+.  This is what I was talking about earlier.  Griffey was massively popular, so even though his numbers mostly paled compared to Edgar Martinez, he gets named the Diamond King.  

CHICAGO CUBS - RYNE SANDBERG

1992 was Sandberg's last truly great season.  The Cubs second-baseman was an All Star and won the Silver Slugger while hitting .304/.371/.510.  He led the Cubs in slugging percentage, runs scored (100), hits (186), triples (eight), home runs (26) and stolen bases (17).  He also had 32 doubles and drove in 87 runs.

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  Once again, no.  Sandberg was great, but Greg Maddux was better.  Maddux won the first of four straight Cy Young Awards, and his only one with the Cubs.  Maddux led the league in wins (20-11 record) and innings pitched (268).  He had a 2.18 ERA and struck out 199 batters versus 70 walks.  Mike Morgan gave the Cubs two great pitchers, as he contributed a 16-8 record with a 2.55 ERA in 240 innings pitched.  And Mark Grace had a good season, hitting .307/.380/.430.

GRADE: B+.  Like with the Mariners, Sandberg is the big star and certainly had a good season.  Maddux was just getting warmed up though, and for some reason still had not been a Diamond King.

BOSTON RED SOX - ROGER CLEMENS

Clemens finished third in the Cy Young vote, though he probably should have won it, in 1992.  Clemens had a record of 18-11 for a last-place Red Sox team.  He led the league in ERA (2.41), WHIP (1.074) and shutouts (five) while striking out 208 batters and walking 62 in 246.2 innings pitched. 

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  Clemens was really the only choice.  He was the team WAR leader by a significant margin.  Second place went to newly signed Frank Viola, who had a 13-12 record with a 3.44 ERA, striking out 121 and walking 89 in 238 innings pitched.  Greg Harris had a nice season out of the bullpen with a 2.51 ERA in 107.2 innings pitched.  The only regular Red Sox hitter with a decent season was Tom Brunansky, who hit .266/.354/.445 with 15 home runs, 31 doubles and 74 RBIs.

GRADE: A.  This one was easy.  Clemens had a terrific season and stood out on an otherwise very disappointing team.

MINNESOTA TWINS - KIRBY PUCKETT

Puckett was the runner-up in the A.L. MVP vote in 1992 and was an All Star while winning the Gold Glove and Silver Slugger Awards.  Puckett led the league in hits (210) and total bases (313).  He hit .329/.374/.490 with 104 runs scored, 19 home runs, 110 RBIs and 17 stolen bases.  

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  Yes.  Puckett was the team's WAR leader.  In second place was Shane Mack, who actually had a very similar season.  Mack hit .315/.394/.467 with 101 runs scored, 189 hits, 16 home runs, 75 RBIs and 26 stolen bases.  In third place was Chuck Knoblauch, who hit .297/.384/.358 with 104 runs scored and 36 stolen bases.  John Smiley was the team's best pitcher, going 16-9 with a 3.21 ERA in 241 innings pitched.

GRADE: A.  Puckett was the Twins' biggest star and had one of his best seasons in 1992.  He deserved to be the pick.

SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS - BILL SWIFT

Swift, who had been the Mariners' closer previously, came to the Giants in the Kevin Mitchell trade and surprised everyone by leading the league in ERA (2.08).  Swift had a 10-4 record, and in 164.2 innings pitched, he struck out 77 batters while walking 43.  He also notched a save before settling in as a starter.

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  Yes.  Swift was the WAR leader on the Giants and his ERA title helped him stand out.  Robby Thompson was in second, aided by his defense, as he hit .260/.333/.415 with 14 home runs and 49 RBIs.  Will Clark had a down season, but was in third place, as he hit .300/.384/.476 with 16 home runs and 73 RBIs.  Rod Beck had a terrific season out of the bullpen, with a 1.76 ERA and 17 saves.

GRADE: A.  Okay, this one was a little outside-the-box.  Swift came out of nowhere to lead the league in ERA.  Surprisingly Donruss caught on and did not make Will Clark the Diamond King again.

MONTREAL EXPOS - LARRY WALKER

Walker had a breakout season in 1992, being selected for his first All Star Game and winning his first Gold Glove and Silver Slugger Awards.  He hit .301/.353/.506 with 85 runs scored and 159 hits.  He led the Expos in home runs (23) and RBIs (93).  He also stole 18 bases and hit 31 doubles.

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  I am going to go ahead and go with yes.  He was second on the team in WAR, but was only 0.1 behind the leader, Marquis Grissom.  And Grissom's offense was not as impressive, other than stolen bases.  Grissom hit .276/.322/.418 with 99 runs scored, 180 hits, 14 home runs, 66 RBIs and a league-leading 78 stolen bases.  Ken Hill (16-9, 2.68 ERA, 218 innings pitched) and Dennis Martinez (16-11, 2.47 ERA, 226.1 innings pitched) led the pitching staff.

GRADE: A.  Like I said, I will go ahead and give this one to Donruss.  Walker had a terrific season that stood out.

TEXAS RANGERS - JUAN GONZALEZ

Gonzalez was the A.L. home run champion in 1992 (43) and won his first Silver Slugger Award.  He hit .260/.304/.529 with 152 hits, 77 runs scored, 24 doubles and 109 RBIs.  He led the Rangers in RBIs and slugging percentage.

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  No.  Gonzalez was fourth on the Rangers in WAR, primarily due to being a one-dimensional slugger.  In first place was Kevin Brown, who led the league in wins (21-11 record) and innings pitched (265.2) and finished sixth in the Cy Young vote.  Brown had a 3.32 ERA and 173 strikeouts.  Rafael Palmeiro was second as he hit .268/.352/.434 with 22 home runs and 85 RBIs.  Jose Guzman was third with a 16-11 record and a 3.66 ERA in 224 innings pitched.  

GRADE: B.  Gonzalez did lead the league in home runs, and once again, was the popular player on the team, but when he was not hitting home runs, he was not doing much else.  This really should have been Kevin Brown.

KANSAS CITY ROYALS - WALLY JOYNER

Joyner signed a free agent contract to join the Royals for the 1992 season as part of a roster shakeup.  Joyner hit .269/.336/.386 in his first season in Kansas City.  He had 154 hits, 66 runs scored, nine home runs, 66 RBIs and eleven stolen bases.  He tied for the team lead in doubles (36).  

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  Not by a long shot.  The Royals were not great in 1992, but they had several better options.  Kevin Appier (who had never been a Diamond King) had a record of 15-8 with a 2.46 ERA and 150 strikeouts to 68 walks in 208.1 innings pitched.  Jeff Montgomery had a great season in the bullpen with 39 saves and a 2.18 ERA.  The team's best hitter was another new Royal, Keith Miller, who hit .284/.352/.389.  Joyner was 12th on the team in WAR.

GRADE: F.  This is the third straight F for the Royals.  I really have no idea what Donruss is thinking at this point.  Joyner was a big disappointment in his first season with Kansas City.  Skipping Appier still is unforgivable.

PITTSBURGH PIRATES - ANDY VAN SLYKE

Van Slyke finished fourth in the N.L. MVP vote while also being named an All Star and winning the Gold Glove and Silver Slugger Awards.  He led the league in hits (199) and doubles (45), while hitting .324/.381/.505 with 103 runs scored, 12 triples, 14 home runs, 89 RBIs and 12 stolen bases.

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  No.  While Van Slyke finished fourth in the MVP vote, the Pirates had the player who won the award, Barry Bonds.  Bonds led the league in runs scored (109), walks (127), on-base percentage and slugging percentage.  He hit .311/.456/.624 with 34 home runs, 103 RBIs and 39 stolen bases.  Doug Drabek was third on the team in WAR, with a 15-11 record, 2.77 ERA and 177 strikeouts to 54 walks in 256.2 innings pitched.

GRADE: B+.  I am a little surprised by this pick, given Bonds's popularity at the time.  It was also not the right pick, though Van Slyke was great in 1992.  Bonds was just better.

CHICAGO WHITE SOX - ROBIN VENTURA

Ventura was named to the All Star team for the first time in 1992 and won his second Gold Glove Award.  The third-baseman hit .282/.375/.431 with 85 runs scored, 167 hits, 38 doubles, 16 home runs, 93 RBIs and 93 walks to 71 strikeouts.

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  No.  Ventura was third on the White Sox in WAR.  Frank Thomas was first once again as The Big Hurt hit .323/.439/.536 with 108 runs scored, 185 hits, 46 doubles, 24 home runs and 115 RBIs.  Tim Raines was second, hitting .294/.380/.405 with 102 runs scored and 45 stolen bases.  Jack McDowell was the runner-up in the Cy Young vote, going 20-10 with a 3.18 ERA and 178 strikeouts to 75 walks in 260.2 innings pitched.

GRADE: C+.  Ventura was decent, just not good enough to really stand out on this loaded White Sox team.  This is another one that is kind of odd given Frank Thomas's popularity, though he was the Diamond King just the previous year.

CINCINNATI REDS - BIP ROBERTS

Roberts made the only All Star team of his career in 1992 and finished eighth in the N.L. MVP race.  His first season in Cincinnati saw him hit .323/.393/.432 with four home runs and 45 RBIs.  He led the team in runs scored (92), hits (172), doubles (34), triples (six) and stolen bases (44), as well as average and on-base percentage.

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  No.  Roberts was fourth on the team in WAR.  Jose Rijo had a 15-10 record, with a 2.56 ERA, striking out 171 and walking 45 in 211 innings pitched.  Barry Larkin hit .304/.377/.454 with 12 home runs and 78 RBIs and was terrific defensively.  Greg Swindell had a nice season, going 12-8 with a 2.70 ERA in 213.2 innings pitched.

GRADE: B.  Roberts had a great season offensively, but was kind of limited defensively.  Jose Rijo turned in yet another terrific season and still had never been a Diamond King.

NEW YORK YANKEES - ROBERTO KELLY

Kelly was named to his first All Star game in 1992.  The Yankees center-fielder hit .272/.322/.384 with 81 runs scored, 158 hits, 31 doubles, ten home runs and 66 RBIs.  He led the team in stolen bases with 28, while only getting caught five times.  

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  No.  Kelly was 12th on the team in WAR.  Melido Perez was the team's WAR leader.  He had a record of 13-16 for the bad team, but had an ERA of 2.87 and struck out 218 batters to 93 walks in 247.2 innings pitched.  Danny Tartabull made an impression in his first Yankees season as he hit .266/.409/.489 with 25 home runs, 85 RBIs and 103 walks.  Steve Farr had a terrific season out of the bullpen with 30 saves and an ERA of 1.56.

GRADE: F.  Kelly was a below-average hitter ultimately, other than his stolen base number.  His OPS+ was 99 and he had a WAR of 1.4.  That is not a good player.  Melido Perez or Danny Tartabull would have been much better choices.  

CLEVELAND INDIANS - CARLOS BAERGA

Baerga settled into second base in 1992 after previously splitting time between second and third.  The stability worked as Baerga was named to the All Star team for the first time.  Baerga hit .312/.354/.455 with 205 hits, 92 runs scored, 20 home runs, 105 RBIs and ten stolen bases.  He led the Indians in hits and batting average.

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  By OPS+, yes.  By WAR, he was in second, just 0.3 behind leader Kenny Lofton.  I will go with yes.  Lofton finished second in the Rookie of the Year vote when he hit .285/.362/.365 with 96 runs scored and league-leading 66 stolen bases.  Charles Nagy was third in WAR behind his 17-10 record, 2.96 ERA, and 169 strikeouts to 57 walks in 252 innings pitched.  Albert Belle was the big slugger, hitting .260/.320/.477 with 34 home runs and 112 RBIs.

GRADE: A.  I am giving this one to Donruss as well.  Baerga was not the WAR leader, but he was very close and his offensive stats carry him. 

LOS ANGELES DODGERS - OREL HERSHISER

Hershiser had a 10-15 record in 1992, tied for the league lead in losses.  He had a 3.67 ERA and led the Dodgers in innings pitched (210.2).  Hershiser struck out 130 batters and walked 69.  He threw one complete game.

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  Ugh, no.  The Dodgers lost 99 games in 1992, so they did not have a lot of good picks, but Hershiser was fifth in WAR, and fourth among pitchers.  The best player was 1992 Diamond King Brett Butler, who had another good season, hitting .309/.413/.391 with 86 runs scored and 41 stolen bases.  Tom Candiotti was the team's best pitcher, with a record of 11-15, which tied him with Hershiser for the league lead in losses.  Candiotti though, had an ERA of 3.00 with 152 strikeouts and 63 walks in 203.2 innings pitched.  Kevin Gross had a record of 8-13 with a 3.17 ERA and led the team with 158 strikeouts in 204.2 innings pitched.  Pedro Astacio pitched in just eleven games, but had an ERA of 1.98.  The Dodgers did have the Rookie of the Year in Eric Karros, but we will get to that.

GRADE: D.  I almost gave this an F.  Hershiser was not very good in 1992, but he did pitch a lot of innings and the Dodgers were very bad.  He still was fifth in WAR.  Nevertheless, the Dodgers had much better options. 

DETROIT TIGERS - CECIL FIELDER

For the third season in a row, Fielder led the league in RBIs, with 124.  Fielder hit .244/.325/.458.  He had 145 hits, 22 hits and 80 runs scored.  He led the Tigers in home runs as well as, obviously, RBIs.

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  No.  Only Fielder's RBIs really stand out among Tigers hitters, as the team had three players hit more than 30 home runs.  He was sixth on the team in WAR.  Tony Phillips was the WAR leader, hitting .276/.387/.388 with 114 walks and leading the league with 114 runs scored.  Mickey Tettleton hit .238/.379/.469 with 32 home runs and 83 RBIs.  He led the league with 122 walks.  Travis Fryman won the Silver Slugger at third base, hitting 20 home runs and driving in 96 runs.  Rob Deer had the team's highest OPS, hitting .247/.337/.547 with 32 home runs and 64 RBIs.  Lou Whitaker chimed in with a line of .278/.386/.461 with 19 home runs and 71 RBIs.

GRADE: D.  Fielder was the big name on the Tigers at this time, but other than leading the league in RBIs, he did not stand out at all among the heavy hitters in the Detroit lineup.  And that had much more to do with hitting behind so many on-base machines.

MILWAUKEE BREWERS - ROBIN YOUNT

Yount collected the 3,000th hit of his career in 1992.  He hit .264/.325/.390 with 71 runs scored, 147 hits, eight home runs, 77 RBIs and 15 stolen bases.  He led the team with 40 doubles.

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  Not at all.  Aside from his personal highlight, Yount did little to deserve the Diamond King.  Paul Molitor was once again the team's best player as he hit .320/.389/.461 with 89 runs scored, 195 hits, 12 home runs, 89 RBIs and 31 stolen bases.  Bill Wegman was the best pitcher with a record of 13-14 and a 3.00 ERA in 261.2 innings pitched.  Jaime Navarro had a nice season with a 17-11 record, and a 3.33 ERA in 246 innings pitched.  Pat Listach won the Rookie of the Year, but will be covered later.  Darryl Hamilton hit .298/.356/.400 and stole 41 bases.

GRADE: F.  Yount's 1.7 WAR did not even rate among the team's top 12 players.  This was very much a career achievement Diamond King.

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES - DARREN DAULTON

Daulton had a breakout season after several years in the Majors in 1992.  He was named to the All Star team and won the Silver Slugger Award as a catcher and led the N.L. in RBIs with 109.  Daulton hit .270/.385/.524 with 80 runs scored, 131 hits, 32 doubles, 27 home runs and eleven stolen bases.  He finished sixth in the MVP vote.

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  Yes, Daulton was the WAR leader for the Phillies in 1992.  In second place was third-baseman Dave Hollins, who hit .270/.369/.469 with 27 home runs and 93 RBIs and scored 104 runs.  Curt Schilling was third with a record of 14-11 with a 2.35 ERA and 147 strikeouts to 59 walks in 226.1 innings pitched.  He had a WHIP of 0.990.  

GRADE: A.  Daulton was terrific in 1992 after several seasons of toiling without much success.  

OAKLAND ATHLETICS - MARK MCGWIRE

McGwire came back from a bit of a down season in 1991 to finish fourth in the A.L. MVP race.  He was an All Star and won the Silver Slugger after hitting .268/.385/.585 with 42 home runs and 104 RBIs.  He led the league in slugging percentage and OPS+ (176).

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  Yes.  McGwire was the team's WAR leader in 1992.  In second place was Rickey Henderson, who hit .283/.426/.457 with 15 home runs, 46 RBIs and 48 stolen bases.  Mike Bordick was third with a line of .300/.358/.371 and played outstanding defense at shortstop.  The A's had the MVP and Cy Young winner, both in the form of Dennis Eckersley.  The closer had a record of 7-1 with a 1.91 ERA with 93 strikeouts to eleven walks in 80 innings pitched.  Eckersley led the Majors with 51 saves.

GRADE: A.  I could have understood picking Eckersley, who had not been a Diamond King to this point, but just like I think he was not the best choice for the two awards he won, I do not think he was a better choice for Diamond King over McGwire.

ATLANTA BRAVES - TOM GLAVINE

Coming off of a Cy Young win in 1991, Glavine was the runner-up in 1992.  He was an All Star and led the league in wins and shutouts (five).  He had a record of 20-8 with a 2.76 ERA in 225 innings pitched.  Glavine struck out 129 batters while walking 70.  He also pitched seven complete games.

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  No.  Glavine was third on the team in WAR.  The 1991 N.L. MVP was the runner-up for the 1992 MVP as well.  Terry Pendleton hit .311/.345/.473 with 98 runs scored, 21 home runs, 105 RBIs and led the league with 199 hits.  He also won a Gold Glove Award and was an All Star.  David Justice was second, hitting .256/.359/.446 with 21 home runs and 72 RBIs.  John Smoltz turned in an impressive season, going 15-12 with a 2.85 ERA and led the team with 215 strikeouts in 246.2 innings pitched.

GRADE: B.  This one maybe should have gone to Terry Pendleton.  There is nothing wrong with Glavine as he had a great year, but Pendleton was better.

TORONTO BLUE JAYS - ROBERTO ALOMAR

Alomar finished sixth in the A.L. MVP race, won the Gold Glove and Silver Slugger, and was an All Star for the World Champion Blue Jays.  He hit .310/.405/.427 with 105 runs scored, 177 hits, 27 doubles, eight triples, eight home runs, 76 RBIs and 49 stolen bases.  He walked 87 times, versus 52 strikeouts.

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  Yes.  Alomar was the team's WAR leader in 1992.  Devon White was second with a line of .248/.303/.390 with 17 home runs, 60 RBIs, 98 runs scored and 37 stolen bases.  Juan Guzman was third with a record of 16-5 and a 2.64 ERA with 165 strikeouts and 72 walks in 180.2 innings pitched.  Two longtime veterans impressed in their first seasons in Toronto.  Jack Morris had a 21-6 record and Dave Winfield hit .290/.377/.491 with 26 home runs and 108 RBIs.  Joe Carter was the big slugger, hitting 34 home runs and driving in 118 runs.

GRADE: A.  The Blue Jays were loaded in 1992, it is no wonder they won it all.  Alomar though, was the team's big standout.  

SAN DIEGO PADRES - GARY SHEFFIELD

Sheffield broke out in 1992 in a big way, challenging for the Triple Crown until late in the season.  He ended up winning the batting title and was an All Star and won the Silver Slugger.  Sheffield hit .330/.385/.580 with 33 home runs and 100 RBIs.  He also had 87 runs scored, 184 hits and 34 doubles.  He was third in the MVP race.

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  Yes.  Sheffield had a huge season in 1992 and was the team's WAR leader.  Fred McGriff was second after he hit .286/.394/.556 with 35 home runs (led the league) and 104 RBIs.  Tony Gwynn was third after he hit .317/.371/.415 with 165 hits.  Andy Benes was the team's best pitcher, with a record of 13-14 and a 3.35 ERA in 231.2 innings pitched.

GRADE: A.  Sheffield had his first monster season after a Spring Training trade from Milwaukee.  He was very impressive and was an easy choice.

ST. LOUIS CARDINALS - BOB TEWKSBURY

Tewksbury is another player who finally had a breakout season in 1992.  He led the league in winning percentage (16-5, .762), finished third in the Cy Young vote and was an All Star for the first time.  He had a 2.16 ERA and struck out 91 batters while walking just 20 in 233 innings pitched.

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  Yes.  He was the WAR leader, though the team had several very good hitters in 1992.  Ozzie Smith had another impressive offensive season to go along with his great defense.  He hit .295/.367/.342 and stole 43 bases.  Ray Lankford hit .293/.371/.480, stealing 42 bases and leading the team with 20 home runs, 40 doubles and 86 RBIs.  Bernard Gilkey hit .302/.364/.427.  Felix Jose gave the team three very good, young outfielders, hitting .295/.347/.432.

GRADE: A.  The Cardinals had a lot of good players, but Tewksbury came out of nowhere to have the best season on the team.

BALTIMORE ORIOLES - BRADY ANDERSON

Anderson was yet another breakout player in 1992, after several seasons in the Majors.  Anderson led the league in plate appearances (749) and hit .271/.373/.449 with 100 runs scored, 169 hits, 28 doubles, ten triples, 21 home runs, 80 RBIs and 53 stolen bases.  He was an All Star for the first time and received some MVP consideration.

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  No, the Orioles had another breakout season from future Hall of Famer Mike Mussina.  Mussina finished fourth in the Cy Young vote after going 18-5 with a 2.54 ERA, striking out 130 batters and walking 48 in 241 innings pitched.  Anderson finished second in WAR to Mussina.  In third place was Mike Devereaux, who hit .276/.321/.464 with 24 home runs and 107 RBIs.

GRADE: B+.  Mussina would have been the better choice, but Anderson was a decent pick.  

HOUSTON ASTROS - CRAIG BIGGIO

Biggio officially moved to second base from catcher in 1992 and made his second All Star game.  He hit .277/.378/.369 and led the league in games played (162) and plate appearances (721).  He had 170 hits, 32 doubles, three triples, six home runs, 39 RBIs and 38 stolen bases and led the Astros with 96 runs scored.

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  No.  Biggio was third on the team in WAR behind Steve Finley and Jeff Bagwell.  Finley hit .292/.355/.407 and led the Astros in hits (177) and stolen bases (44).  He had 84 runs scored, 29 doubles, five home runs and 55 RBIs.  Bagwell hit .273/.368/.444 with 18 home runs and 96 RBIs.  Ken Caminiti turned in an impressive season, hitting .294/.350/.441 with 13 home runs and 62 RBIs.  Doug Jones had a great season as the closer, as he turned in a record of 11-8, a 1.85 ERA and 36 saves.

GRADE: B.  Biggio was good, but not great.  Steve Finley meanwhile, had a very good season that was somewhat overlooked.

NEW YORK METS - EDDIE MURRAY

Murray hit his 400th career home run and drove in his 1,500th career run in his first season in New York.  Murray hit .261/.336/.423 and led the team in runs scored (64), hits (144), doubles (37), triples (two) and RBIs (93).  He hit 16 home runs, which was second on the team.

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  No.  Murray was probably the best offensive player on a pretty bad Mets team, but there were several decent pitching options.  Sid Fernandez was the top option, as he had a record of 14-11 with a 2.73 ERA.  He recorded 193 strikeouts and 67 walks in 214.2 innings pitched.  David Cone was second in WAR, but was traded to Toronto before the end of the season.  Dwight Gooden had a 10-13 record with a 3.67 ERA and 145 strikeouts to 70 walks in 206 innings pitched.  John Franco had a good season, though he was injured.  He had 15 saves and a 1.64 ERA.

GRADE: C+.  Murray was not great, though he led the team in a number of offensive categories.  This probably should have gone to Sid Fernandez, who had a legitimately good season.

CALIFORNIA ANGELS - LUIS POLONIA

Polonia hit .286/.337/.329 in 1992 for the Angels.  He was fourth in the league in stolen bases with 51 and led the team in average, hits (165), runs scored (83) and stolen bases.  He led the league in times caught stealing (21).  He also had 17 doubles and four triples with zero home runs and 35 RBIs.

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  No, definitely not.  The Angels lost 90 games and very little offense, but there were much better choices.  Jim Abbott was the team's best player and had never been a Diamond King.  He had a poor 7-15 record, which could be attributed much more to the team's lack of offense.  He had a 2.77 ERA, striking out 130 batters and walking 68 in 211 innings pitched.  Mark Langston had a 13-14 record with a 3.66 ERA and 174 strikeouts to 74 walks in 229 innings pitched.  The Angels did have a glimmer of hope offensively with the emergence of Chad Curtis, who hit .259/.341/.372 with ten home runs, 46 RBIs and 43 stolen bases.

GRADE: F.  Polonia had a decent batting average, but it was empty as he had next to no power and was not great at getting on base.  He stole a lot of bases, but was caught a lot too.  This really should have gone to Jim Abbott.

FLORIDA MARLINS - NIGEL WILSON

Wilson was the first pick by the Marlins in the 1992 Expansion Draft, the second overall pick.  He did not play in the Majors prior to 1993 and was in the Blue Jays system.  The outfielder was a top prospect for Toronto and hit .274/.325/.516 with 26 home runs and 69 RBIs for the Knoxville Blue Jays.

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  Tough to say.  Wilson was a top prospect, but he had no Major League experience prior to his selection in the Expansion Draft.  The Marlins best selection in the Draft ended up being Jeff Conine, who was also a top prospect.  The team also picked up established Major Leaguers like Charlie Hough, Bryan Harvey and Benito Santiago going into the season.

GRADE: N/A.  I have no idea how to grade this.  I suppose acquiring a top prospect was a coup, but this would not work out well.

COLORADO ROCKIES - DAVID NIED

Nied was the first overall selection in the 1992 Expansion Draft by the Rockies.  Unlike Wilson, Nied had played in the Majors in 1992, as a top pitching prospect for the Braves.  He pitched in six games, making two starts, and had a 3-0 record with a 1.17 ERA, striking out 19 batters and walking five in 23 innings pitched.

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  Again, tough to tell, but he did have a very good stint in the Majors at the end of the season.  The Rockies also selected Charlie Hayes, Eric Young and Vinny Castilla in the draft and picked up Andres Galarraga and Dante Bichette in other deals.

GRADE: N/A.  I like this pick better than the Wilson pick, but it is still tough to say since Nied did not pitch for the Rockies the previous season.

MILWAUKEE BREWERS - PAT LISTACH

Listach was the A.L. Rookie of the Year in 1992.  The Brewers second-baseman hit .290/.352/.349 and had 168 hits, 19 doubles, six triples, one home run and 47 RBIs.  He led the Brewers in runs scored (93) and stolen bases (54).

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  No.  I discussed the Brewers earlier.  Listach was fourth on the team in WAR.

GRADE: B+.  Listach was a significantly better pick than Robin Yount, but he still was not the best pick, even with the Rookie of the Year Award.  Paul Molitor would have been the best pick, but Listach had an argument for second or third place.

LOS ANGELES DODGERS - ERIC KARROS

Karros won the N.L. Rookie of the Year.  The first-baseman hit .257/.304/.426 and had 63 runs scored and 140 hits.  He led the team with 30 doubles, 20 home runs and 88 RBIs, providing most of the team's power.

WAS HE THE BEST CHOICE?  No.  Karros had a 0.4 WAR since he was a fairly one-dimensional player.  He was not a very good defensive player.  

GRADE: C.  I gave Karros some additional points since he was the Rookie of the Year, making him a better choice than Hershiser, but not by a lot.

RECAP:

The only reason any of the 1992 major award winners were present here at all was because Donruss specifically added on the Rookies of the Year, giving those teams two Diamond Kings.  The Rookies of the Year would have been better selections than the other picks.  There were nine future Hall of Famers here though, plus Roger Clemens and Mark McGwire, who could be soon.

BEST PICK:  Roger Clemens.  Clemens was third in the Majors in WAR (8.7) and should have won the Cy Young Award.  Runner-up goes to Ryne Sandberg, who was sixth in the Majors in WAR.

WORST PICK:  Luis Polonia.  Polonia was just a very underwhelming pick.  If not for his decent batting average and impressive stolen base total, he would not have caught any attention at all.  Runner-up goes to Roberto Kelly, who had a down season and was also below-average offensively.

BIGGEST SNUB:  Greg Maddux.  Maddux won the N.L. Cy Young winner and the Major League WAR leader.  Runner-up is Barry Bonds, who was second in the Majors in WAR and won the N.L. MVP.

WEIRDEST PICK HISTORICALLY:  Nigel Wilson.  Wilson played in just 22 career games in the Majors over three seasons.  He hit .086/.111/.257 with two home runs and five RBIs.  He simply did not work out.  Runner-up was the other expansion pick, David Nied, who was never able to recapture his promise in 1992.  He pitched five seasons and had a record of 17-18 with a 5.06 ERA, striking out 146 and walking 105 in 241.2 innings pitched.

The Jason Varitek Quest for 1,000: #963

 There are a few really big Jason Varitek cards coming.  Here is one of them:

This is the 2020 Topps Museum Collection Momentous Material Jumbo Patch.  It is numbered to just 15 and features a large patch with some lettering on it.  This is clearly from a road uniform, hence the dark blue material on the gray jersey.  It also features an autograph and is numbered to 15.  It is the kind of card I would have been nuts over several years back, but there are some better ones coming.

Another Forum Trade

One of these days I will get caught up.  I always make an effort, then get bogged down at work and the post count suffers.

Here is another forum trade, mostly consisting of inserts and high-end base cards:

Despite appearances, no that Devers card is not an autographed card.  It would be great if it was, I do not yet have an autograph card of Devers.  The David Ortiz Museum Collection insert is my favorite from this scan.  It is just kind of cool-looking artwork.

And here is the rest.  Ted Williams makes a couple of appearances, which is just awesome.  I love getting cards of Williams.  

Nothing mind-blowing here, just some nice cards.