Unknown Heroes Pt. 47: Tzu-Wei Lin

Readers who have been following me for more a few years may remember my obsession with Tzu-Wei Lin.  I super-collected him for a little while, starting shortly after his debut in 2017 and leading up to him leaving as a minor league free agent.  I have been working on putting my Red Sox collection up on TCDB, starting with what I figured was an easy way in and starting with Tzu-Wei Lin.  Not surprisingly, when checking my ranking among other people on the site, I come out way ahead.  I may do a post with what all I have figured out on that site some day.  

But anyway, today I am showing off a new acquisition for my Lin collection:

Apologies for the bad picture.  This is the 2013 Bowman Chrome Prospects Pink Refractor.  I recently found this on Ebay and decided I would grab it.  I still need the black, gold, orange, red, super and yellow refractors from this set.  That is quite a ways to go still.

Lin spent parts of four seasons with the Red Sox, never quite reaching the level of success he had in the minors.  He had a promising start to his Major League career, hitting .268/.369/.339 in 25 games in 2017, playing mostly shortstop and third base.  He had a bit of a longer look in 2018, but his hitting stats declined, though he did hit for a bit more power.  Lin managed to hit his only Major League home run and traveled with the team during the postseason run.  He was just an injury away from appearing in the postseason.  

Unfortunately, things went downhill after that.  His numbers in the minors declined and he got fewer opportunities in 2019.  He played in just 13 games in the Majors that year, hitting just .200.  Boston also started bringing in players like Marco Hernandez, who were also lefty-batting utility players.  Nevertheless, he held on and was given a big opportunity when Brock Holt left after the 2019 season.  Lin stayed in the Majors the entire COVID-shortened season, appearing in 26 games and becoming a true super-utility player.  He played every position that season except first base and third base.  He even caught and pitched.  Unfortunately, his hitting tanked and he put up just a .154/.182/.173 line.  The writing was on the wall.

Lin was not offered a contract after the season and he signed with the Twins as a minor league free agent.  His final line in Boston was .223/.298/.316 with nine doubles, three triples, a home run, 27 runs scored, 12 RBIs and two stolen bases.  He ended up appearing in just one game with the Twins, playing in left field for two innings without a plate appearance.  To date, that was his last appearance in the Majors.  He spent the 2022 season in the Mets system, but hit just .136 and was released in August.  I do not know if he will get another chance.  

Lin did appear in the World Baseball Classic for Chinese Taipei and homered in a game against Italy.  

All-Time One-Year Wonder Update: Right-Handed Starting Pitcher

I recently grabbed this autograph card of Michael Wacha, so it is time to determine if he can unseat Hideo Nomo as the top one-year wonder right-handed starter.

Wacha was signed as a free agent from the Rays prior to the lockout in the offseason before 2022.  He had been a rookie standout with the Cardinals and pitched in the 2013 World Series against the Red Sox.  He pitched three terrific games in the postseason, leading up to the World Series and was named the NLCS MVP.  He pitched another great game in Game 2 of the World Series, winning it, but then losing the clinching Game 6.

Wacha was an All Star in 2015, but then injuries started to take their toll.  He was eventually allowed to leave for the Mets in 2020.  He had a rough season there and continued to struggle in 2021 with the Rays.  Not a lot was expected of him coming to the Red Sox, but he surprised everyone with the season he had.

2022 saw Wacha have his best season since his injury-shortened 2018.  He quickly proved to be the most consistent of Boston's starters, though he did still miss some time due to injuries.  Wacha put up a very impressive 11-2 record in 23 games started, pitching 127.1 innings with a 3.32 ERA.  He struck out 104 while walking just 31.  He threw a shutout, which ended up leading the league.  He recorded a 4.14 FIP, 1.115 WHIP and 3.35 strikeout to walk ratio.

So, how does he compare to my All-Time One-Year Wonder Right-Handed Starter?  Well, Wacha had a better winning percentage by a significant margin (.846 to .565) and ERA (Nomo was 4.50) and he generally had better rate stats, beating Nomo in BB9 (2.2 to 4.4) and strikeouts to walks (Nomo was 2.29).  He also ended up having a higher WAR (3.3 to 3.1) despite the fact that he pitched ten fewer games and more than 70 fewer innings.  Finally, he walked significantly fewer batters.  Nomo led the league with 96 walks, more than three times as many as Wacha.  So analytics seem to prefer Wacha.

The biggest point against Wacha is obviously the fact that he pitched in fewer games and fewer innings.  That allowed Nomo to record some numbers higher than Wacha.  First and foremost would be the number of victories.  Nomo won 13 games, two more than Wacha, but had Wacha pitched more, he likely would have tied that.  Nomo threw 198 innings as well.  Nomo also has Wacha beat in shutouts (two), complete games (two) and strikeouts (220).  Strikeouts is the biggest point in Nomo's favor as Wacha would likely not have come close to that number even if he had pitched 198 innings.  Nomo led the league in strikeouts and SO9 (10.0).  

So where does that leave us?  I am tempted to give the title over to Wacha, because he seems to have been generally better than Nomo, but health is extremely important as well.  The Red Sox were able to count on Nomo to make almost every start in 2001 and he threw nearly 200 innings.  Coupled with his league lead in strikeouts and the no-hitter, and I think I am going to keep Nomo as the winner.  Plus, there is the fact that Nomo was a more well-known pitcher and that I was generally much more invested in seeing Nomo pitch, and there is the answer.  

Any thoughts?  Agree?  Disagree?

Another Lot of Devers

Here I have yet another lot of Rafael Devers cards purchased off of Ebay.  I may be done with these, unless I find something really good again in my quest for 300.  This was a lot of 28 cards, 13 of which were new to me.  With a decent price, I decided that was worth it.

Most of these are base cards, but there are some highlights.  First off is the relic card.  Believe it or not, I think this is my first Devers relic card.  I do have an autograph card previously, and I may have to look back at it, but I'm pretty sure this is my first.  That seems really odd.  

Several of these cards came from Panini, including a couple of Chronicles cards.  I'm pretty sure I could come close to 300 Devers cards just by hunting down the rest of the Chronicles cards I need.  There is also the Donruss Optic version of the Diamond King card.  I have heard that Panini will not be producing baseball cards in 2023, I hope that is not true, but I suspect it might be.  Panini's deal with the Player's Union has ended.  I would hope they could at least still produce historical sets, like the Diamond Kings set.  We need another really good historical set with big player selection.

But, back to Devers:

Here we have another Chronicles card and a couple more random cards, including the Home Run Challenge game card, which I never took part in.  I like the Chrome Refractor version of the 1965 insert as well.

So, that's 13 more Devers cards, bringing me up to 245 cards.  55 to go.

Your 1981 Red Sox Pt. 26: Bob Stanley

In this series, I will look at each player who played in 1981, the year I was born. Because, why not?   

When Bob Stanley retired, he had pitched in more games than any other Red Sox pitcher in history and also recorded more saves than anyone (132).  He still holds the games record with 637 games pitched, 47 more than the second-place Tim Wakefield, but he has been passed on the saves list by Jonathan Papelbon.  Stanley spent his entire 13-year career with the Red Sox and pitched in a number of roles, though most often as a reliever.  I have covered Stanley before, looking at his entire career, so this post will be mostly looking at his 1981 season.

Stanley was in his fifth season with the Red Sox in 1981.  He had already contributed in a number of ways by this time.  When he started out, he was more of a swingman, starting occasionally but also appearing in relief.  In 1978, he spent most of the season in the bullpen and had a terrific season, finishing with a record of 15-2, 10 saves and a 2.60 ERA.  He made his first All Star game in 1979 when he was more of a starter.  He did a little of both in 1980.

1981 saw Stanley in primarily a relief role.  In the strike-shortened season, he appeared in 35 games, pitching 98.1 innings, finishing out 14 of them and only starting one.  It was not one of Stanley's better seasons as his 3.83 ERA resulted in an ERA+ of just 102.  A WHIP of 1.500 and 3.5 BB/9 were his worst marks of his season to that point.  He also walked more batters (38) than he struck out (28) for the first time in his career.  Nevertheless, his numbers were not all bad.  He did finish with a record of 10-8.

Stanley would improve significantly over the next couple of seasons and have his career-best season in 1983.  He would stick around in Boston through the 1989 season and finish with a career record of 115-97 and a 3.64 ERA.  It is unfortunate that one of the things he is most remembered for is being unable to close out Game 6 of the 1986 World Series because Stanley did a lot for the Red Sox.

The Jason Varitek Quest for 1,000: #990

Jason Varitek card #988 comes from 2023 Topps Allen & Ginter.  This is the base short print card.  I discussed this image a bit recently.  I like that the "C" is visible on his jersey.  There really is not much more to say about this one.  10 cards to go.

More Aoki Cards

I bought another couple of Aoki cards from one seller because I really needed to add one in particular to my collection.

1.  Eric Hosmer.  Longtime readers know that player selection is a big deal to me.  I felt that Hosmer had a chance to go without getting any Red Sox cards.  That has not been the case as he has appeared in a few sets, but there was no way he was going to get a lot.  This card was actually the first one I was aware of, but it took a long time for Topps to send these out.

2.  Bobby Dalbec.  Since I was buying the Hosmer card, I decided to add a couple more to make the shipping more worthwhile.  Dalbec has been playing well in Spring Training, but then that has always been the case for him.  We will see what happens in the season, if he is not traded first.

3.  Andrew Benintendi.  This is from 2020.  Benintendi is already gone of course and will be with the White Sox in 2023.  He just could not get back on track with the Red Sox after beginning to struggle in 2018.

One Year Wonder Pt. 31: Garrett Richards

Garrett Richards always seemed like he was just on the cusp of turning into a very good pitcher.  He had a couple of great seasons in 2014 and 2015, then suffered significant injury setbacks over the next few years.  He was finally mostly healthy in 2020 and had some decent pitching metrics.  It allowed the Red Sox to take a flyer on him in 2021, signing him to a one-year deal.

Richards started the 2021 season in the rotation.  He was very inconsistent, seemingly alternating poor starts and good ones.  He seemed to be trending in the right direction after a start in which he struck out ten over seven one-run innings against the Mets.  But early in the season, MLB announced new rules which were meant to crack down on substances used for gripping the ball.  Richards was one of the pitchers who suffered greatly from this change.  After his ERA increased to over 5.00, he was removed from the rotation and put in the bullpen.

Richards flourished for awhile in the bullpen and even notched three saves, even though he was not the primary closer.  Two of those saves involved him pitching three innings of scoreless ball.  Both times he struck out four batters.  His final numbers in the regular season were a record of 7-8, an ERA of 4.87 in 136.2 innings pitched (his most since 2015).  He struck out 115 batters and walked 60.  He only appeared in the postseason for a third of an inning against the Rays in the ALDS, allowing no hits or walks.  After the season, Richards signed a deal with the Rangers and pitched mostly out of the bullpen.  

So, how does he measure up on my All-Time One-Year Wonder post?  He qualifies more as a starter than a reliever, but it does not really matter where you put him.  He is not unseating either Hideo Nomo or Takashi Saito.

We Need Another Knuckleballer

1.  Tim Wakefield.  This is a Chrome Platinum Anniversary parallel of knuckleballer Tim Wakefield.  I bought this card from the same seller as one of the Sandy Alomar Jr. parallels I showed off awhile back (I was way ahead on Red Sox posts).  There has not been a regular knuckleball pitcher in the Majors since R.A. Dickey retired in 2017.  Steven Wright was still active at the time, but pitched in just 20 games in 2018, 16 in relief, and then just six in 2019.  There have been a couple of short-term knuckleballers since, but nobody that stuck around.  This is a travesty.  The knuckleball is one of the most entertaining pitches to watch, but it's hard to throw well.  Wakefield is one of my favorite pitchers of all time.  He had a really good career with the Red Sox.

2.  Alex Verdugo.  The seller threw in a ton of base singles as extras.  Mostly 2022 Topps and Chrome, along with some other randomness.  Among them was this Verdugo card that was miscut pretty badly, but I still needed it.  And it adds another Verdugo card.  It puts me at 57.  100 remains an outside possibility this year.

The Jason Varitek Quest for 1,000: #989

Card #987 comes from 2023 Topps.  This is the 1988 35th Anniversary Autographs card.  Varitek did not have a base card in the insert set.  I like the red jersey and the prominent "C" on his jersey.  I have a t-shirt jersey like this, red and with the "C".  11 cards to go.

2021 Topps All Star Rookie Cup Cards

Yesterday, I did some cards from the Steve Aoki set.  Today, I am showing a couple of cards from the 2021 Topps All Star Rookie Cup set that kind of went by unnoticed by me.  I vaguely remember looking at it when it came out and checking for Sandy Alomar Jr. cards, but he did not appear in the set and I lost track of it.  It was another online set and when I bought the Aoki cards, I bought a couple of these as well.

1.  Rafael Devers.  Of course I had to grab the Devers card.  I am a little confused by this set using older designs, particularly when it comes to Devers being shown with the 1964 design.  I do love this trophy though, much more elaborate than the later trophy design.  Devers was the 2017 All Star Rookie Third-Baseman even though he did not play the full season.  He hit .284/.338/.482 with ten home runs, 30 RBIs and 14 doubles in just 58 games.

2.  Carlton Fisk.  Fisk is one of my favorite Hall of Famers to get cards of.  Fisk at least played during 1987, but he was far from a rookie.  Also, this picture came from a few years after his rookie season.  Fisk was the 1972 All Star Rookie for catcher.  It was an easy choice since he was the unanimous Rookie of the Year.  He hit .293/.370/.538 with 22 home runs and 61 RBIs.

Steve Aoki Lot

Another of the online only Topps sets from last year was the Topps X Steve Aoki-curated set.  This was released in a couple of waves and included a lot of Red Sox cards.  That, in conjunction with the fact that there were several players in new uniforms after the trading deadline, meant that I was actually kind of interested in this set.  Here is the first few cards I picked up from it.

1.  Alex Verdugo.  Perhaps a third goal may be in the works.  I guess it kind of depends on what kind of year Verdugo puts up, but maybe it's time to push him to 100.  I have mid-50's right now.  That may not be super easy.

2.  Rafael Devers.  I think the Devers goal is definitely within reach.  Still a lot of cards to get, but I suspect he will appear in just about every set along with having lots of inserts.  With Bogaerts gone, Devers is the face of the franchise.

3.  Tommy Pham.  This is one of the updated players.  Pham has appeared on more cards than I expected, and is even shown with the Red Sox in 2023 Topps.  That's fine with me because I really liked Pham.  I was hoping Boston would bring him back as a fourth outfielder, but Rob Refsnyder had better numbers and is significantly better defensively.

The Jason Varitek Quest for 1,000: #986, 987 and 988

One of my absolute favorite photos on a Varitek card is the 2020 Stadium Club aerial shot.  Of course I have to grab as many parallels as I can.  I recently purchased a lot that included three of the parallels I still needed.  From left to right, there is the Sepia, Chrome Refractor and Chrome Xfractor.  This gives me seven versions of this card.  It also puts me at 12 cards to go to make 1,000.

2001 Fleer Red Sox 100th Pt. 2: Mel Parnell

NAME: Mel Parnell

POSITION: Starting Pitcher.  

WHY IS HE HERE?:  He is a career Red Sox and is the winningest southpaw in Red Sox history, yes, more than Babe Ruth, Bill Lee, Bruce Hurst and Jon Lester.  He is a two-time All Star and finished fourth in the MVP vote in 1949.  Had there been a Cy Young Award at the time, he likely would have won as he led the league in wins and ERA.  He won 20 games twice and pitched a no-hitter.  He had a career 123-75 record with a 3.50 ERA.

WOULD I PUT HIM IN IN 2001?:  Yes.

ANY BETTER CHOICES IN 2001?:  Probably not.

WOULD I PUT HIM IN NOW?:  Probably.  Parnell is somewhat forgotten now because his career was shortened due to injury, but since he is still the winningest lefty in team history, he probably still has a place.

ANY BETTER CHOICES NOW?:  Probably not.  I maybe would consider Jon Lester and/or Chris Sale, but I don't think I would replace Parnell with either of them.

The Worst Red Sox Team of All Time Pt. 19: Gordon McNaughton

Failure is often even more fascinating than success. I am definitely intrigued by the 1932 Boston Red Sox, the worst Red Sox team of all time. The team finished with a record of 43-111, for a winning percentage of .279 and very little went right. 

Gordon McNaughton does not have any cards.  That is how obscure he is.  But, his life is interesting for one reason, which I will get to.

McNaughton's baseball career was not terribly exciting.  He pitched in just one season in the Major Leagues, of course that being the 1932 season with the Red Sox.  McNaughton was just 21 years old when he made his Major League debut.  His stint consisted of just six games, including two games started and two games finished.  The right-hander pitched 21 innings and had a record of 0-1 with a 6.43 ERA.  He walked 22 batters, while striking out six.  McNaughton pitched a few games in a couple of seasons in the minors with the Red Sox and Tigers organization, but 1932 was his only year in the Majors.

Now, for that interesting tidbit.  Apparently, at the age of 32 in 1942, McNaughton was at a hotel with a woman who was not his girlfriend.  His girlfriend walked in on him and shot him in the chest, killing him.  There is some additional information that the gun used belonged to a policeman who was fired for being neglectful of his weapon and later killed himself.  It's a very odd situation.

The Jason Varitek Quest for 1,000: #985

I have mentioned before that my collecting goal for 2023 is to get Rafael Devers up to 300.  Well, I should add one.  I want to FINALLY make my goal of 1,000 Jason Varitek cards.  There are plenty of parallels from some of the recent singles, so I would think it is within my grasp sooner rather than later.

#985 is the mini parallel from 2022 Topps Allen & Ginter X.  15 to go.

Red Sox With No Cards: 2020

Oh man, the 2020 season.  There were a shocking number of players who played for the Red Sox in the 2020 season, particularly since it was just a 60 game season.  Some key pitchers were unable to contribute due to injuries or other health issues.  Boston had to try to patch together a pitching staff, which proved difficult.  The Red Sox finished in last place, with a record of 24-36.  Among the players who DID appear on a cardboard were such short-term guys like Yairo Munoz, Jonathan Lucroy, Zack Godley, Josh Osich and Austin Brice.

DYLAN COVEY

Covey spent three seasons with the White Sox as a starting pitcher before 2020.  He had a rather atrocious record of 6-29 with an unsightly 6.54 ERA in 63 games (45 games started).  In 250.1 innings pitched, he struck out 173 and walked 114.  Covey was originally drafted by the Athletics, but was selected by the White Sox in the Rule 5 Draft in 2016.  After the 2019 season, Covey was non-tendered and the Rays picked him up, but he never pitched for them.  The Red Sox acquired him in July, ahead of the season.  Covey pitched in eight games with the Red Sox, all in relief.  He finished two games and threw 14 innings.  He did not have a record and he struck out eleven batters while walking just two.  Unfortunately, he also gave up eleven earned runs and had a 7.07 ERA.  He has not pitched since, but apparently recently signed a contract with the Dodgers in hopes of resurrecting his career.

DEIVY GRULLON

Grullon was a fairly highly-regarded Phillies prospect before Boston acquired him in 2020.  In 2019, he hit .283/.354/.496 with 21 home runs and 77 RBIs in Triple-A.  He was not very good defensively though, which made him somewhat expendable.  He did see his first Major League action in 2019, but played in just four games, getting one hit in nine at-bats.  Grullon was selected off of waivers by the Red Sox from Philadelphia in September.  He played in just one game with the Red Sox, getting four plate appearances.  He walked and singled, driving in a run.  His line was .333/.500/.333.  To date, that is the last time he has appeared in the Majors.  He has jumped from organization to organization since, shuffling between the Reds, Rays, Mets and White Sox.  He spent the 2022 season in the Red Sox organization, hitting .250 in 20 games.  He is still just 26, so he could make it back some day.  Grullon does have minor league cards in the Red Sox organization.

MATT HALL

There were raves about Hall's stuff after he was acquired by the Red Sox.  It was thought that he was a good, low-risk acquisition.  Unfortunately, things did not work out well.  Hall was drafted in the sixth round of the 2015 draft by the Tigers.  Boston acquired him in a trade for minor league catcher Jhon Nunez.  Hall struck out 106 batters in just 86.2 innings in the minors in 2019 and struck out 27 in 23.1 innings for the Tigers.  Hall ended up pitching in just four games with the Red Sox in 2020, starting one game as an opener.  He threw 8.2 innings, striking out nine, but walking ten.  He had a record of 0-3 and a deplorable 18.69 ERA.  He stayed in the Red Sox organization and had a 7.36 ERA in 28 games in the minors for Boston in 2021.  He was released late in the season.  Hall pitched in the Giants system in 2022.  He has not appeared in the Majors since 2020.  He does have cards with the Red Sox minor league organization in 2021.

MIKE KICKHAM

Kickham appeared in six games with the Red Sox in his first Major League appearances since 2014.  He was originally drafted by the Giants in 2010 and moved fairly quickly through their minor league system, making his Major League debut with 12 games in 2013.  He had a 10.16 ERA and a record of 0-3.  The next season, he appeared in just two games, with a 22.50 ERA.  He then began an odyssey that took him through the minor league systems of the Cubs, Mariners, Rangers, back to the Giants and then to the Marlins, before winding up with the Red Sox in 2020.  Kickham appeared in six games with the Red Sox, starting two and closing two.  He pitched 14 innings, striking out 17, while walking five.  But he gave up 12 earned runs and had an ERA of 7.71.  He was granted free agency and signed with the Dodgers in 2021.  He appeared in just one game with the Dodgers in 2021 and has not pitched since.

ROBINSON LEYER

Originally an undrafted international free agent, Leyer spent several seasons in the White Sox organization with middling results.  He then moved to the Reds and Mariners system before the Red Sox acquired him in June of 2019.  He was primarily a reliever by this point in his career.  Leyer made his Major League debut with the Red Sox in 2020, pitching in six games.  He started one game as an opener.  Leyer pitched in just 4.2 innings, striking out nine, but walking eight and giving up eleven earned runs.  He had an ERA of 21.21 and a record of 0-0.  He moved on to the Twins organization in 2021, but has not pitched since then.  Leyer has just a handful of cards issued and no Major League cards.  He has none with the Red Sox organization.

CHRIS MAZZA

Well, this is a first.  Not only does Mazza not have any Boston Red Sox cards (or any Major League cards for that matter), but I cannot even find a scan of any of the three minor league cards he does have.  Mazza was drafted in the 27th round by the Twins in 2011.  After a few years in the Twins organization, he was released and caught on with the Marlins organization.  He then went to the Mariners and was picked up by the Mets in the Rule 5 Draft in 2018.  He spent the 2019 season with the Mets, pitching in nine games with a 5.51 ERA.  The Red Sox picked him up off of waivers from the Mets in December and he spent most of the 2020 season in the Red Sox rotation.  Mazza pitched in nine games, making six starts and pitching 30 innings.  He struck out 29 batters while walking 15 and giving up 16 earned runs.  He had a record of 1-2 with a 4.80 ERA.  He was impressive enough to be traded to the Rays after the season in a deal with prospects Ronaldo Hernandez and Nick Sogard.  Mazza appeared in 16 games with the Rays over the next two seasons.  

CESAR PUELLO

Outfielder Puello was once a highly-regarded prospect in the Mets organization.  He spent the first several years of his career in the Mets system before starting a long journey that took him through the Yankees, Rangers, Angels, Rays, Diamondbacks, Giants and Marlins systems before joining the Red Sox in 2020.  He appeared in the Majors with the Angels, Rays and Marlins.  2019 was his first extended look in the Majors as he appeared in 12 games with the Angels and 32 with the Marlins, hitting .248/.356/.384 with four home runs and 18 RBIs.  Puello appeared in five games with the Red Sox, hitting .375/.500/.375 in eleven plate appearances.  Puello had two assists and two double plays in the outfield.  During the 2021 season, he returned to the Mets, but did not play in 2022.  

RON ROENICKE

After Red Sox manager Alex Cora was suspended for the entire 2020 season due to his involvement in the Astros cheating scandal in 2017, bench coach Roenicke was tabbed to manage the Red Sox.  Roenicke had been the Brewers manager from 2011 to 2015, leading the team to a first-place finish in 2011, winning the division series against the Diamondbacks, but being eliminated by the Cardinals in the NLCS.  He was unable to replicate that success though.  Roenicke had an eight-year career in the Majors with the Dodgers, Mariners, Padres, Giants, Phillies and Reds.  He hit .238/.353/.338 with 17 home runs and 113 RBIs.  His best season was 1986 with the Phillies when he hit .247/.381/.356 with five home runs and 42 RBIs while playing left and center field.  Roenicke was relieved of his managerial duties when Alex Cora returned from his suspension in 2021.  

JEFFREY SPRINGS

The southpaw Springs was originally drafted in the 30th round by the Rangers in 2015.  Despite this, he moved quickly through the minors and made his Major League debut in 2018, appearing in 18 games.  He had a 3.38 ERA in 32 innings pitched.  He had a 6.40 ERA in 2019 in 32.1 innings pitched.  The Rangers traded Springs to the Red Sox in January of 2020 for former top prospect Sam Travis.  Springs pitched in 18 games with the Red Sox in 2020, finishing eight.  He had a record of 0-2 with a 7.08 ERA in 20.1 innings pitched.  He notched 28 strikeouts against just seven walks though, numbers that were intriguing enough that the Rays wanted him included in the deal with Chris Mazza for Ronaldo Hernandez and Nick Sogard.  Since then, Springs has blossomed into an impressive pitcher.  He had a 3.43 ERA as a reliever in 2021, striking out 63 in 44.2 innings.  In 2022, he had a record of 9-5 with a 2.46 ERA, striking out 144 and walking 31 in 135.1 innings pitched.  He looks to be an important member of the Rays rotation moving forward.

ROBERT STOCK

Originally drafted as a catcher by the Cardinals in the second round of the 2009 draft, Stock eventually transitioned to the mound.  Stock moved around quite a bit before making his Major League debut with the Padres in 2018.  He spent time in the organizations of the Astros, Pirates, Reds and Phillies as well.  Stock had a successful 2018 season with the Padres, appearing in 32 games and pitching to a 2.50 ERA in 39.2 innings.  He was not as successful in 2019 though and found his way to Boston just before the 2020 season.  Stock pitched in ten games with the Red Sox, all in relief and finishing four games.  He pitched 13.1 innings with a 4.73 ERA and a record of 0-1.  He struck out 14 and walked ten.  Since then, he appeared in a couple games with the Cubs and Mets and recently signed a minor league deal with the Brewers.

DOMINGO TAPIA

Tapia was signed by the Mets as an international free agent and spent several seasons in their organization, looking like a future reliever.  After the 2016 season, he signed on with the Reds for a couple seasons.  Boston signed him as a minor league free agent prior to 2019 and he spent the entire season in the minors, pitching to a 5.18 ERA in 66 innings over 44 games.  He struck out 52 and walked 32 while saving two games.  Tapia made his Major League debut in 2020 with Boston, pitching 4.1 innings over five games.  He struck out four and walked two and had an ERA of 2.08.  Impressive enough numbers that the Mariners claimed him on waivers after the season.  He pitched in two games with the Mariners in 2021 before being sold to the Royals.  In Kansas City, he pitched in 32 games with a 2.84 ERA and a 4-1 record.  He struck out 25 and walked 14 in 31.2 innings.  He pitched in eleven games with the A's in 2022, but had an ERA of 8.47.  He signed a deal with the Padres for 2023.  Tapia has minor league cards with the Red Sox organization from 2019.

ANDREW TRIGGS

Yet another pitcher with a long journey that led him to Boston in 2020, Triggs was originally drafted by the Royals in 2012.  He then hopped to the Orioles and then the Athletics before making his Major League debut in 2016.  Triggs spent the next three seasons in Oakland trying to break through as a starting pitcher.  In 50 games (29 starts), he had a record of 9-8 with a 4.53 ERA in 163 innings pitched, striking out 148 and walking 50.  Triggs started the 2020 season with the Giants, but pitched in just one game, giving up three earned runs in just one-third of an inning.  The Giants waived him and the Red Sox brought him in.  Triggs pitched in four games with the Red Sox, making two starts and pitching eight innings.  He struck out seven and walked three in eight innings and had a 4.50 ERA and a record of 0-1.  Triggs has not appeared in the Majors since.

PHILLIPS VALDEZ

Dominican-born right-hander Valdez was one of Boston's best rookies in 2020.  Originally signed to a deal with the Indians, Valdez also pitched in the Nationals system before making his Major League debut with the Rangers in 2019.  He appeared in eleven games that year with a 3.94 ERA and 18 strikeouts over 16 innings, parlaying that performance into a minor league deal with the Red Sox in 2020.  Valdez appeared in 24 games with the Red Sox, pitching 30.1 innings and had a 1-1 record and a 3.26 ERA.  All of his games were in relief, and he finished five games.  Valdez struck out 30 and walked 16.  He continued to pitch for the Red Sox in 2021 and 2022 and will be showcased again in those posts later.  

There are a LOT of pitchers in this post.  The only position players were Deivy Grullon and Cesar Puello, and neither of them played in more than a few games.  In fact, that is mostly true of the pitchers too.  Phillips Valdez easily appeared in the most games, with Jeffrey Springs a distant second.  Springs has been able to have the best Major League career, by quite a large margin.  If I had to pick just one of these players to appear on a card though, it would have to be Valdez.  He was easily the most impressive of the players.  In fact, he was good enough that I kept expecting him to appear in either Topps Total or Heritage the next year.  He never did though.  And thus, he will be another multi-year player in these posts.

2023 Topps Series One Jumbo Case Break from Nachos Grande

I recently bought into the 2023 Topps Series One Jumbo case break over at Nachos Grande recently.  Of course I bought the Red Sox, and I was also randomly given the Blue Jays.  I will just be showing off my Red Sox cards, of course.

Up first is the box topper:

1.  Rafael Devers.  This is an over-sized box-topper card, a 1988 League Leaders card.  This is referring to 2019 when Devers led the league in doubles (54) and total bases (359).  I do not tend to get many over-sized cards since I prefer to keep my Red Sox in a binder, but I do not turn them down when I get them.

Up next are the inserts and parallels:

2.  Trevor Story.  This is a 1988 Blue parallel.  I think these are somewhat limited, but they are not serial-numbered.  

3.  Josh Winckowski.  This is the only gold parallel from my break.  Winckowski gets the unofficial award of first new Red Sox player added through 2023 cards.  He actually has some earlier cards, but this one is my first.

4.  Xander Bogaerts.  This is a City Connect manufactured patch card.  I have said before how much I like the City Connect uniforms.  I am a little surprised to see Bogaerts here instead of Devers.  

5.  Brayan Bello.  As will be seen, Bello is one of the biggest gainers in this break.  This is from one of the Silver Packs.

6.  Brayan Bello.  And here is a Rainbow Foil.

7.  Brayan Bello.  And here is a Gold Foil.

8.  Rafael Devers.  This is from the 2022 Greatest Hits insert set.

9.  Wade Boggs.  And now we get to the 1988 inserts.  Boggs has a nearly-iconic card from 1988 Topps.  I like this shot pretty well, but it is not as good as his original.

10.  Rafael Devers.  Devers also appears quite a bit in this break.  In fact, he and Bello tied for the most with four.

11.  Jeter Downs.  Downs was one of the players sacrificed to make room for new players on the roster.  The move caused some controversy among Red Sox fans since Downs was the big prospect acquired in the Mookie Betts trade.

12.  Triston Casas.  You read it here first: Casas will be the Rookie of the Year in 2023.

And next up is the base cards:

13.  Xander Bogaerts.  Bogaerts finished third in the league in batting average, behind Luis Arraez and Aaron Judge.  It was his second time in the top five, he finished second in 2015.  The last Red Sox player to win the batting title was Mookie Betts in 2018.  I still care about these things.

14.  Matt Strahm.  Strahm is one of the players here who will be with a new team in 2023.  Strahm signed with the Phillies after a successful season in which he had a 3.83 ERA and 52 strikeouts in 44.2 innings pitched.  He also saved four games.

15.  Rafael Devers.  Here is the base card of Devers, and I really like this shot.  Devers of course is Boston's biggest star at this point.  He has been trending that way for awhile, and now that Bogaerts is gone, it's his team.

16.  Brayan Bello.  Bello has been slowed by forearm tightness so far in Spring Training.  I do not expect him to start the season with Boston, but he will probably be in the Majors sooner rather than later.  

17.  Trevor Story.  This is probably the best photo for the team so far.  Notably, Enrique Hernandez has not appeared yet and he ALWAYS has great action shots.  Story will start the season on the 60-day IL.

18.  Josh Winckowski.  Winckowski was probably the top prospect the Red Sox acquired in the Andrew Benintendi deal.  He has been pretty impressive in the minors and was 5-7 with a 5.89 ERA in 15 games in his first stint in the Majors last year.  In 70.1 innings pitched, he struck out 44 and walked 27.  That strikeout rate probably doesn't cut it as a starting pitcher, unless he can limit hard contact.

19.  Nick Pivetta.  Pivetta led the league in games started in 2022 and was, for a time, a very impressive starter.  He needs to work on his consistency, but he has been a dependable pitcher since being acquired from the Phillies in 2020 in the Brandon Workman deal.

20.  Franchy Cordero.  Cordero will be with the Orioles in 2023.  He was the Major League player acquired in the Benintendi deal.  He could never put together consistent at-bats and was something of a disaster in the field.  He hit .219/.300/.397 with eight home runs and 29 RBIs in 2022 with Boston, including a walk-off grand slam that was one of the highlights of the season.

21.  Triston Casas.  His average was just .197, but thanks to his terrific eye at the plate, Casas had a .358 OBP.  He also crushed five home runs in just 27 games.  Casas looks to have the inside track on the first base job in 2023.

22.  Tommy Pham.  Pham will be with the Mets in 2023.  After being acquired at the trading deadline, Pham hit .234/.298/.374 with six home runs and 24 RBIs.  I really liked Pham and was hoping Boston would bring him back as a backup in 2023.  

23.  Team Card.  I counted this card as Alex Verdugo, Xander Bogaerts, Trevor Story and Bobby Dalbec.

24.  Jarren Duran.  Obligatory Duran card.  He has been great the first few games this Spring, but he is running out of time to lock down a roster spot.

25.  Jeter Downs.  Downs will be with the Nationals in 2023.  The Nationals are not really going anywhere in 2023 so they can afford to give Downs time to figure out if he is going to stick in the Majors.  Downs hit .154/.171/.256 in 14 games with the Red Sox.  He did hit his first home run off of punching bag Gerrit Cole.

26.  Alex Verdugo.  Verdugo is my pick for biggest breakout in 2023.  He was great in the second half last year.  If he builds on that, he could be an All Star.

Random Bello Buy

I already talked at length about Brayan Bello recently, so there is not much else to add.  I grabbed this card for fairly cheap.  It is a Panini Draft Picks blue parallel.  I have not added a lot of Bello cards yet, but I suspect that will change in 2023 as he starts to appear in almost every Topps set.  Triston Casas is my pick for this year's rookie that will appear in every set, taking the throne from Jarren Duran in 2022, Bobby Dalbec in 2021, Michael Chavis in 2020, etc.  Bello though, will be close behind.  

2022 Topps Heritage High Numbers Blaster

With still no sign of 2023 Topps Series One in stores around me, I decided one night to try out another blaster of Heritage High Numbers.  There were still a few base cards I needed, plus some other stuff.  So, I took a shot.

I will start by saying that there were actually five Red Sox in this break, including three in the same pack, but two of those were Kevin Plawecki and Chris Sale, who I already had.  This was probably my most successful break since that Diamond Kings blaster that resulted in the Alex Verdugo relic.

1.  Xander Bogaerts/Rafael Devers.  This is an insert card.  It is kind of sad that Devers and Bogaerts are no longer on the same team.  They seemed to have a close, almost brotherly friendship.  Still, this gets me to 226 Devers cards.  74 to go.  He does not gain on Bogaerts though.

2.  Connor Seabold.  This is a short print, the only one from Heritage High Numbers for the Red Sox.  Seabold has been traded to the Rockies after an extremely rough stint in the Majors that saw him go winless in five starts with an ERA north of 11.  I am not sure how Topps chooses which players to be short-printed, but this would not have been my pick.

3.  Trevor Story.  I expect Story to start to skyrocket in my collection.  This card puts me at 10.  He signed late, so he did not appear in a lot of sets in 2022.  I am disappointed it will be another year before we have a chance to see a fully healthy Story in Boston.  Hopefully he will come back strong later this season.

Cardbarrel Order

I heard about Cardbarrel recently and decided to take a shot at it.  I will say I found it a bit difficult to navigate.  I had to know exactly what I was looking for.  I wanted to track down some older wantlist stuff and had to navigate by year and set.  Most of the older stuff is not designated by team, so I could not simply search for "Red Sox".  I likely would have gotten more stuff, but it took a long time to find the stuff I did. 

Anyway, enough of that, here is what I did find:

1.  Rob Woodward.  Woodward was a 3rd round draft pick by the Red Sox in the 1981 draft.  He spent parts of four seasons in the Majors with the Red Sox, never appearing in more than nine games.  He had a 4-4 record with a 5.04 ERA in 100 innings, starting 14 out of his 24 games.  He struck out 45 and walked 36.  After the 1989 season, he went to the Orioles system for a couple years.

2.  Jim Rice.  This card completed the 1986 Sportflics team set for me.  Rice had his last great season in 1986 when he hit .324/.384/.490 with 20 home runs and 110 RBIs.  He had 200 hits and 39 doubles and scored 98 runs.  He was an All Star and finished third in the MVP vote.

3.  Dwight Evans.  This card completes the 1990 Score Superstars insert (?) set.  Evans was in his final season with the Red Sox in 1990.  Primarily the DH, he hit .249/.349/.391 with 13 home runs and 63 RBIs.  

4.  Luis Rivera.  1992 Bowman has eluded me for the most part.  I have still not finished the set.  Rivera was one player I needed.  Rivera is probably the player I liked the least when I started watching baseball in 1991.  I realize now that that was kind of irrational.  He had his best season in Boston in 1991 when he hit .258/.318/.384 with eight home runs and 40 RBIs.  

5.  Scott Taylor.  Taylor was a 28th round pick in the 1988 draft.  He spent parts of two seasons with the Red Sox in 1992 and 1993.  In 20 games, he had a record of 1-2 with a 6.31 ERA.  The southpaw pitched in 25.2 innings and struck out 15 while walking 16.

6.  Jeff McNeely.  This card completed the 1992 Donruss Rookies team set.  McNeely was a second round pick in the 1989 draft.  I was pretty excited about him early on, thinking he would be a decent hitter with a lot of speed.  He ended up playing in just 21 games with the Red Sox in 1993, but he hit .297/.409/.378 with six stolen bases.  He was eventually traded to the Cardinals in the deal for Luis Alicea.  His 21 games were his only Major League experience.

7.  Babe Ruth.  I got several of the Conlon Babe Ruth Collection Red Sox cards.  There are a small handful of them left.  This card looks at his World Series pitching experience.

8.  Babe Ruth.  This one looked at his 1916 season when he led the league in ERA.

9.  Babe Ruth.  This one looks at his pitching duels against Walter Johnson.  Ruth came out on top more often than not.

10.  Babe Ruth.  This card looks at his nine shutouts in 1916.

11.  Babe Ruth.  This card looks at his record in World Series play.

12.  Babe Ruth.  This card reviews Ruth's first Major League victory in 1914.

13.  Babe Ruth.  And this is a trivia card.

14.  Nate Minchey.  Minchey was the subject of several trades in his career.  He started out with the Expos and was traded to the Braves before making the Majors in the deal that sent Zane Smith to the Expos.  He was notably the primary return the Red Sox got when they sent Jeff Reardon to the Braves.  He made his Major League debut with the Red Sox in 1993 and pitched in 13 games with the Red Sox over three seasons.  He had a 3-7 record with a 6.53 ERA.  He was traded to the Cardinals before the 1995 season in the same Alicea deal along with McNeely, but returned to Boston in 1996.

15.  Frank Rodriguez.  Rodriguez was one of the biggest prospects I remember from my earliest days of collecting.  He was a two-way player and there was some question whether he would play shortstop or pitch.  He eventually settled on pitching and made his way up to Boston in 1995.  It was a big deal when he made his debut.  Unfortunately, he did not do much in Boston, winding up with a 0-2 record and a 10.57 ERA in 15.1 innings.  He was traded to the Twins at the deadline for closer Rick Aguilera, a trade that worked out for Boston.  Rodriguez never became the ace he was expected to be.

16.  Scott Cooper.  Cooper had his first All Star season in 1993 when he took over third base from Wade Boggs.  Cooper hit .279/.355/.397 with nine home runs, 29 doubles and 63 RBIs.  Probably not the most deserving of All Stars.

17.  Mike Greenwell.  Greenwell hit .315/.379/.480 in 1993, it was his final season hitting over .300.  He did finish his career with a .303 career batting average.  Greenwell had 170 hits, 38 doubles, 13 home runs and 72 RBIs.  Greenwell walked more than he struck out, walking 54 times versus 46 strikeouts.  

18.  Jose Malave.  Malave was a power-hitting outfield prospect that could not make the transition to the Majors.  My hometown of Lincoln, Nebraska has an independent league baseball team called the Saltdogs.  I went to a game in the early 2000's I think and Malave was playing for the other team.  

19.  Sad Sam Jones.  Jones was an underrated pitcher in the Deadball Era.  He represented the primary return the Red Sox received in the trade of Tris Speaker to the Indians.  In 1918, Jones led the league in winning percentage when he had a record of 16-5.  He had a 2.25 ERA that season.  Jones would be a 23-game winner in 1921 before he was traded to the Yankees like so many of Boston's best players in those days.

20.  Bobby Doerr.  With this card of the HOF second-baseman, I completed this Conlon set.  I was thinking about this the other day.  I wish there were sets like this still, that had a focus on baseball from prior to World War II.  I would especially like to see some more stuff from the Deadball Era and the 1920's.  

21.  Tony Pena.  Pena was an early favorite player due to his unique catching stance and his Gold Glove Award in 1991.  That seemed like a very big deal to me at the beginning of my fandom.  It didn't hurt that that was the last Gold Glove a Red Sox player would win until 2005.  Sort of insane when you think about it.

22.  Gar Finnvold.  Finnvold was a 6th-round draft pick by the Red Sox in 1990.  Despite poor records in the minor leagues, he had decent ERA numbers and made his ML debut in 1994.  He pitched in eight games, but had a record of 0-4 and a 5.94 ERA in 36.1 innings pitched.  He struck out 17 and walked 15.  He had injury issues the next two seasons, and that was it for his career.  

23.  Ryan McGuire.  McGuire was a 3rd-round pick by the Red Sox in the 1993 draft.  He had decent numbers in the minors but was traded to the Expos prior to the 1996 season.  He was part of the package Boston sent in exchange for Wil Cordero.  McGuire did make it to the Majors, playing for six seasons with the Expos, Mets, Marlins and Orioles.  He hit .211/.306/.311 with seven home runs and 55 RBIs in his career.

24.  Aaron Sele.  I remember Sele coming to the Majors in 1993.  He finished third in the Rookie of the Year voting that season, behind Tim Salmon and Jason Bere.  Sele was 7-2 with a 2.74 ERA in 111.2 innings pitched over 18 games.  Injuries slowed his development, particularly in 1995.  

25.  Mike Greenwell.  In 1994, Greenwell had one of his worst seasons.  That year he hit .269/.348/.453 with 11 home runs, 25 doubles and 45 RBIs.  He still walked more than he struck out.  Greenwell had a very underrated career.  

26.  Greg Blosser.  Blosser seemed to be an eternal prospect in the early years of my fandom.  Every year there would be cards promising a great career.  He was the 16th overall pick in the 1989 draft and had some huge power in the minors.  He played in just 22 games in the Majors though with a .077 average and no home runs.  

27.  Billy Hatcher.  I remember Hatcher being acquired in the 1992 season for Tom Bolton.  Hatcher provided an immediate spark, stealing home in one game.  He was one of my favorite, underrated players in 1993 when he hit .287/.336/.400 with nine home runs and 14 stolen bases.  Hatcher was eventually traded to the Phillies in a deal for Wes Chamberlain.

28.  Otis Nixon.  Nixon was a huge deal to me when he was acquired.  The Red Sox are not typically known for having players who steal a lot of bases.  Nixon's 42 stolen bases in 1994 was the most by a Red Sox player since Tommy Harper set the then-team record of 54 in 1973.  And it would be the last time a Red Sox player stole 40 until Jacoby Ellsbury's rookie season of 2008.  Nixon could have broken the team record had the season not ended due to the strike, and then he was traded to the Rangers for Jose Canseco.

29.  Rich Rowland.  I love this Sportflics card, it has a really cool action shot that is not clear in this scan.  Rowland was acquired in a deal that sent John Flaherty to the Tigers.  He had a decent rookie season in 1994, hitting .229/.295/.483 with nine home runs and 20 RBIs in 46 games as the backup to Damon Berryhill.

30.  Aaron Sele.  And I will close out the package with another Sele card.  Sele would eventually be traded to the Rangers in a deal that brought Jim Leyritz and Damon Buford to the Red Sox.

I do anticipate using Cardbarrel in the future, but I would need some significant time to find stuff.

Hiro Auto

I grabbed my first Hirokazu Sawamura auto because I like his signature and because I was kind of a fan of his during his short stint with the Red Sox.  This is from 2021 Panini Mosaic Scripts.  It was Sawamura's rookie season in the Majors.

Sawamura was signed as an international free agent to solidify the bullpen prior to the 2021 season.  He had previously pitched primarily for the Yomiuri Giants in the Japanese League.  Sawamura was already 33 years of age when he was brought to the Majors.  Sawamura pitched in 53 innings over 55 games, all in relief.  He had a record of 5-1 with a 3.06 ERA.  His splitter was lethal when it was on.  Sawamura struck out 61 batters, while walking 32.  He pitched in three games against the Astros in the postseason with a 4.50 ERA.

In 2022, he pitched in 49 games, throwing 50.2 innings.  His record was 1-1 and his ERA climbed to 3.73.  His strikeout numbers dipped to 40 and he walked 27 batters.  Due to the decline in his numbers and some really rough outings, the Red Sox released him in September.  Sawamura returned to Japan for the 2023 season with the Chiba Lotte Marines, a team he played for late in 2020, before he signed with Boston.

His final numbers in Boston were a record of 6-2 with a 3.39 ERA in 103.2 innings pitched.  He struck out 101 and walked 59.  

Red Sox in Cooperstown Pt. 42: Dick Williams

DICK WILLIAMS

Years in Boston: As player: 1963-1964 (.224/.301/.376, seven home runs, 23 RBIs); 

As manager: 1967-1969 (260-217)

Best Year in Boston: 1967 (92-70)

Dick Williams is not in the Hall of Fame for his playing career.  He had a 13-year career as a utility player with the Dodgers, Orioles, Indians, Athletics and Red Sox.  He was probably at his best with the Athletics, for whom he hit .276 with 28 home runs over two full seasons.  

The Red Sox acquired Williams in a deal with the Houston Colt .45's in exchange for pinch hitter extraordinaire Carroll Hardy.  Williams was with the Red Sox as a player in 1963 and 1964.  In 140 total games with the Red Sox, he hit .224/.301/.376 with seven home runs and 23 RBIs.  His best season was 1963 when he hit .257/.329/.360 in 79 games.  Williams played left field, third base and first base during his time with Boston.  His playing career was over after his last season in Boston in 1964.  

After his playing career was over, Williams managed in the minor leagues.  He was given his first opportunity as a Major League manager in 1967.  This was the Impossible Dream season and Williams inherited a young and hungry team.  Williams was a strict disciplinarian, a management style that had been lacking on the Red Sox in a long time.  The team responded well to it and began playing well early in the season and improving over time.  Williams helped lead the team to the World Series.  Despite losing it to the Cardinals, the Red Sox had re-captured the love of the city.  Williams was named the Manager of the Year after his impressive improvement of the team.  

Unfortunately, things declined in 1968, primarily due to injuries.  By 1969, Williams was on his way out with the team stuck in third place.  He was fired with just a handful of games remaining in the season.  His time in Boston was over.  He had a record of 260-217 with the Red Sox.

Williams would go on to manage through the 1988 season.  He served stints with the Athletics, Angels, Expos, Padres and Mariners.  He won the World Series with the Athletics in both 1972 and 1973.  He also led the Padres to the World Series, but lost to the Tigers, in 1984.  

Williams had a career managerial record of 1,571-1,451.  He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2008.  He wears an Oakland A's cap on his plaque, primarily due to leading them to the title twice.  He did not spend much more time with the A's than the Red Sox.  Williams began his lengthy managerial career with the Red Sox and made a name for himself there.  As a major part of the Impossible Dream season, he is a Red Sox legend.  

Your 1981 Red Sox Pt. 25: Dave Schmidt

In this series, I will look at each player who played in 1981, the year I was born. Because, why not?  

Dave Schmidt has exactly one card made of him, and he shares that card with Bruce Hurst and Julio Valdez.  There are two Dave Schmidts to play in the Majors Leagues, this one is the catcher.  The other one was a reliever who managed to be a Diamond King in 1989 Donruss.

Schmidt was drafted in the second round of the 1975 draft by the Red Sox.  Their first round pick that season, Otis Foster, never played in the Majors.  The draft also produced Ed Jurak, Dave Stapleton, Mike O'Berry and Mike Paxton.  Not the most impressive draft output.  Schmidt produced reasonably well in the minors and had some decent power.  His best season was in 1979 when he hit .332/.453/.571 with 19 home runs, 73 RBIs and ten stolen bases in Double-A.  Unfortunately, it was downhill from there.

Despite less-than-impressive output in the next two seasons, Schmidt was able to make the Majors in 1981.  He played in 15 games with 49 plate appearances.  He hit .238/.347/.405 with ten runs scored, a double, two home runs and three RBIs.  But that was it for his Major League career.  He spent the next season in the minors, but did not hit and was done.