1998 Topps, Vladimir Guerrero

Card No. 5

Sometimes the confluence of great player, awesome photo and attractive design elements occurs resulting in one fantastic baseball card....Today, its name is Hall of Famer Vladimir Guerrero, 1998 Topps....Sadly, '98 Topps is one of those complete sets I've yet to track down....Vlad shared his first Topps card with three other "Prospects" in 1996, most notably Andruw Jones....He last appeared in the '11 Update set with Baltimore....Vlad's explosive '98 season for Montreal included 200-plus hits, 38 homers and a .324 average.

*MK*

1983 Topps, Rick Dempsey

Card No. 138

Another day, another catcher card here at the Jukebox....Today it's 24-year big leaguer and member of the Orioles Hall of Fame, Rick Dempsey....Spent half his career in Baltimore, where he contributed to a pair of A.L. pennants and a World Series title....His first appearance in a Topps set came in 1972 when he shared a "Rookie Stars" card with two other Twins neophytes....Rick was named MVP of the '83 Series when he hit a blistering .385 with a homer and 2 RBIs, helping the O's thwart the Phils in five games.

*MK*

1967 Topps, Elston Howard

Card No. 25

One of the all-time great backstops and the man who broke the New York Yankees' color barrier in 1955, hats off to Elston Howard....I picked this card up at a show a few summers ago and was elated to do so....This is Elston's penultimate Topps card and his final as a Yankee....He's wearing a Boston uniform on his Topps swan song in '68....Howards' rookie appeared in the beautiful '56 set....The Yanks traded the former MVP and 12-time All-Star to the rival Red Sox on August 3, 1967.

*MK*

2016 Topps, Marcus Stroman

Card No. 479

A fired up Marcus Stroman takes center stage on today's edition of the Jukebox....You can tell by the sleeve patch that this photo was snapped during the 2015 postseason....The Stro Show made three playoff starts in '15, all at home, so it's tough to tell which of those games this is from....This is Stroman's third Topps card; his rookie came in the '14 Update series....Notched his first and only career postseason victory with 6 1/3 innings of four-run ball in Game 3 of the ALCS vs. Kansas City.

*MK*

1960 Topps, Frank Malzone

Card No. 310

From his boyhood days, my dad had a nice stack of 1960 Topps, including this one of Frank Malzone, that he somehow kept in pretty fine condition over the years....Dad was just 9 when this card came out, so kudos to him....Malzone was a slick fielder, winning three consecutive Gold Gloves (1957-'59)....An eight-time All-Star and a member of the Red Sox Hall of Fame....His rookie card can be found in the '56 Topps set....Frank turned in an All-Star season in '60, clubbing 14 homers with 79 RBIs.

*MK*

1989 Topps, Damon Berryhill

Card No. 543

Undoubtedly one of my favorite cards as a kid, Damon Berryhill and 1989 Topps team up for today's Jukebox hit....As a backstop all throughout my Little League career, catcher cards naturally appealed to me....Plus, as I may have mentioned before on this blog, '89 Topps is THE set of my childhood....Damon's 'true' rookie card came in the '88 Traded set....His final entry in the Topps calalog would come in the '94 Traded set....After finishing sixth in N.L. ROY voting the prior year, Damon hit .257 with 5 homers and 41 RBIs for the Cubs in '89.

*MK*

2000 Topps, Bartolo Colon

Card No. 366

Believe it or not, the svelte looking man on this card is none other than the "Big Sexy" himself, Bartolo Colon....No other Latin American pitcher has won more career games than Bart (247)....Last appeared with a major league club in 2018 (Texas)....Signed with Monclova of Mexican League in February 2020....Colon's first appearance in a Topps set was 1996 on a four-player "Prospects" card....Represented 10 different clubs on Topps cards over his career....Went 18-5 with a 3.95 ERA in 32 starts for the Tribe in 2000.

*MK*

2005 Topps Update, Jeff Kent

Card No. UH50

Why Jeff Kent isn't already enshrined in Cooperstown is beyond comprehension in my opinion....No second baseman in the game's history cracked more homers than Jeff's 377....He also collected five All-Star trips, four Silver Sluggers and an MVP ('00) during his 17-year career....Kent's 1993 rookie card is adorned with the coveted Topps All-Star Rookie cup....This is Jeff's first card as a Dodger....He appeared in the regular 2005 Topps set as an Astro....Clouted 29 homers with 105 RBIs for L.A. in '05, his final All-Star season.

*MK*

1976 Topps, Jerry Hairston

Card No. 391

For Jerry Hairston, playing professional baseball was a family affair....His father, Sam, was a big leaguer, as was his brother (John) and his two sons (Jerry Jr. and Scott)....The Hairston's are one of three three-generation MLB families....This is Jerry's third Topps card; his rookie appeared in the 1974 set....Scott leads the Hairston gang with 16 career Topps cards, while Jerry Jr. has 13....Dad has 'only' 9....Jerry played in just 44 games for the White Sox in 1976, batting .227 with 10 RBIs.

*MK*

1999 Topps, Jason Kendall

Card No. 191

One of the best base-stealing catchers in baseball history, Jason Kendall is today's featured Jukebox hit....Jason's 189 steals are second only to Roger Bresnahan among players who were primarily catchers....This is one of three occasions in which Jason's Topps card was given the horizontal treatment....His first Topps card appeared in the 1993 set as part of the "1992 Draft pick" subset....His final Topps card came in '11 set as a member of the Royals....Jason swiped 22 bags in 25 attempts in just 78 games for the Bucs in 1999.

*MK*

1963 Topps, Don Larsen

Card No. 163

The only man to ever twirl a no-hitter or perfect game in World Series history, Don Larsen is today's Jukebox gem....This is another one I've inherited from my old man's boyhood collection....Larsen's perfect game occured as a member of the Yankees in Game 5 of the 1956 Series....Don's first Topps card was in the '56 set....He's pictured as a Houston Astro on his final Topps card in '65....Appeared in 46 games out of the bullpen for the Giants in 1963, compiling a 7-7 record and 4 saves.

*MK*

1979 Topps, Jim Gantner

Card No. 154

The Jim Gantner section in the Topps library can be broken down into two distinct eras: Before Glasses (BG) and With Glasses (WG)....This one happens to be very early in the BG era, as it's Jim's first stand-alone Topps card....His first appearance in a Topps set occured in 1977 as part of a four-player "Rookie Infielders" card....In case you were wondering, the WG era began with Jim's '87 card....A Wisconsin native and lifetime Brewer, Gantner batted .284 in 208 ABs for Milwaukee during the '79 season.

*MK*

2019 Topps, Joey Votto

Card No. 284

I'm always a sucker for on-deck circle candids, thus it's my pleasure to highlight this one from Joey Votto on the Jukebox....As of this post, Joey is 8th on the Reds all-time hit list (1,866)....He's second only to Larry Walker in career base hits by a Canadian....The 2019 Topps design offered something of a compromise for those of us who miss base cards with borders....Joey's rookie card appeared in the '08 Update series....Went 4-for-4 with an RBI and a pair of runs scored in a 6-3 win over the Cubs, 6/28/19.

*MK*

1986 Topps, Bret Saberhagen

Card No. 487

A reminder from 1986 Topps and two-time Cy Young Award winner Bret Saberhagen that powder blue and the Royals uniform belong together....That's the unmistakable facade of old Yankee Stadium in the background....J. Paul Getty would have approved of this card....Bret pitched a pair of complete game victories for K.C. in the '85 World Series, earning MVP honors....His rookie card is part of the '84 Traded set....1986 was a down year for Bret, as he went 7-12 with a 4.15 ERA in 25 starts.

*MK*

2012 Topps Update, Giancarlo Stanton

Card No. US154

Prior to the 2012 season, the man previously known as 'Mike' announced that he would begin going by Giancarlo Stanton....Giancarlo is actually his first name while Michael and Cruz are his middle names....Perhaps the first and only time a player winds up in an Update/Traded series due to a name change....He's listed as "Mike" on his card in the regular '12 Topps set....His rookie card is included in the 2010 Update series....Giancarlo blasted 37 homers in 123 games for Miami in '12.

*MK*

1994 Topps, Jim Eisenreich

Card No. 504

A member of a pennant winner with Philadelphia in 1993 and a World Series champion in '97 with Florida, professional hitter Jim Eisenreich is today's Jukebox pick....Jim scored the winning run in 11th inning of Game 7 of the '97 Series....Put together a career .290 average over his 15-year major league career....Jim's rookie card is included in the 1983 Topps set....Batted an even .300 over 290 ABs for the Phils in 1994.

*MK*

1961 Topps, Billy Williams

Card No. 141

Of all the cards I inherited from my dad's boyhood collection, this Billy Williams rookie card might take the cake....It's a tad miscut vertically but otherwise it's in awesome condition....Played 16 of his 18 big league seasons for the Cubs, swatting 392 homers in a Chicago uniform...Only Sammy Sosa and Ernie Banks hit more homers as a Cub....Elected to the Hall of Fame in 1987 on his sixth try....Billy cracked 25 homers with 86 RBIs for Chicago in 1961, earning him N.L. ROY honors.

*MK*

1971 Topps, Nolan Ryan

Card No. 513

I've pretty much resigned myself to the fact that I'll never own a Nolan Ryan or Tom Seaver rookie card....That's why I'm always anxious to snatch up any of their early cards when I see one...I grabbed this one at a card show last summer for a reasonable sum....Despite a soft bottom-right corner, this card's condition is pretty dreamy....It's also the best photo featured on any of Ryan's regular Topps cards....The R.C. Cola folks have to love the free advertising....Nolan fanned 125 batters over 131 2/3 innings for the Mets in 1971.

*MK*

2003 Topps, Ruben Sierra

Card No. 185

The baseball odyssey that was Ruben Sierra's career spanned three decades and included 16 Topps cards, including Traded/Update issues....Ruben's first Topps card came in 1987, a year after he broke in with the Rangers....He's appeared on Topps cards wearing the uniforms of the Rangers, A's, Yankees, Tigers, Rangers and Mariners....This is one of two cards featuring him as a Marniner ('02 also)....His final Topps card came in the '04 set....Ruben was no longer with Seattle in 2003, splitting that season between Texas and the Yanks.

*MK*

2014 Topps, J.D. Martinez

Card No. 108

Well before he blossomed into a perennial MVP candidate, J.D. Martinez cut his teeth as a part-time player for Houston....Given name is Julio Daniel....Drafted by Houston in the 20th round in 2009 out of D-II Nova Southeastern University....Was released by Houston and signed by Detroit prior to the '14 season....Martinez was also featured in the '14 Update set in Tigers garb....His rookie card appeared in the '11 Update set....Produced career highs in homers (23), RBIs (76) and average (.315) for Detroit in 2014.

*MK*

1988 Topps, Tony Fernandez

Card No. 290

The world lost Tony Fernandez way too soon, as the former All-Star passed away in February 2020 at the age of 57....Earned five All-Star Game nods along with four Gold Gloves during his 17-year career....Was a member of the 1993 Blue Jays championship team....This is Tony's fourth regular Topps card....While Donruss and Fleer included him in their 1984 releases, curiously Tony's first Topps card didn't come until '85....Tony's 186 base hits were 7th most in the A.L. during the 1988 season.

*MK*

1996 Topps, Brady Anderson

Card No. 258

A key debate during the mid '90s centered around who had the dreamiest sideburns: TV star Luke Perry or Brady Anderson....Perry had the cool car and the pretty girlfriend, but I don't think he ever produced a 50-homer season like Anderson did....Brady was drafted out of Cal-Irvine by the Red Sox in 1985....He's pictured as a Red Sock on his '88 Topps Traded rookie card....Prior to his 50 homers for Baltimore in 1996, Brady had produced just 72 long balls over his first eight big league seasons.

*MK*

1975 Topps, Bert Campaneris

Card No. 170

Known simply as "Campy," Bert Campaneris was a six-time All-Star and an instrumental part of the Oakland A's baseball dynasty in the 1970's....Was a member of three World Series winners....As a young player in 1965, he became the first major leaguer to play all nine positions in one game....His '65 rookie card is decorated with the Topps All-Star Rookie trophy....His final appearance in a Topps set was 1984 as a member of the Yanks....Swiped 24 bags and scored 69 runs during an All-Star campaign in 1975.

*MK*

1966 Topps, Lou Brock

Card No. 125

When you think of the great speed merchants in the game's history, the name Lou Brock is absolutely among those summoned....Led the majors in stolen bases eight times....Ranks second all-time with 938 career steals....Acquired via trade from the Cubs in June of 1964....This is Brock's second Topps card as a Cardinal....His rookie card is featured in the '62 set....Lou's final Topps card came in '79....Swiped 74 bases in 92 attempts to lead baseball during the 1966 season.

*MK*

2001 Topps, Mike Mussina

Card No. 562

This might be my favorite card of Hall of Famer Mike Mussina....It's nothing fancy, but just a nice, clean photograph of the right-hander...."Moose" authored 270 wins during his 18-year career....This is the second Moose we've featured on the Jukebox...Mussina, who signed with the Yankees after the 2000 season, actually has two cards in the '01 set....This one is from Series 2 and it's his first in a N.Y. uniform....His first regular Topps card appeared in the '92 set....Won 17 games and finished 5th in A.L. Cy Young voting in '01 for the Yanks.

*MK*

1982 Topps, Dave Stewart

Card No. 213

One of the coolest and most underrated rookie cards of the '80s, Dave Stewart's 1982 Topps card is today's blazin' hot Jukebox hit....The mean glare is impressive, but I'm more in awe of the neat penmanship....This is one of Dave's two Topps cards as a member of the Dodgers....Of his 15 regular Topps cards, Dave is featured as an Oakland A on eight of them....The Athletics will retire Dave's number 20 during the 2020 season....In 45 games (14 starts) for Los Angeles in '82, Dave posted a 9-8 mark.

*MK*

2013 Topps, Hunter Pence

Card No. 3

You wouldn't exactly characterize his on-field movements as smooth or fluid, but Hunter Pence always seems to get the job done....Hunter was a member of two World Series winners with the Giants (2012, '14)....Acquired by San Fran from the Phillies at the '12 trade deadline....His first appearance as a Giant on a Topps card was in the '12 Update set....His rookie card is featured in the 2007 Update series....Hunter played in all 162 games for the Giants in 2013, producing a .283-27-99 season.

*MK*

1992 Topps, Tim Wallach

Card No. 385

Replete with warmup jacket, batting gloves and those unmistakable powder blue uniform pants, All-Star third baseman Tim Wallach works through some infield practice....If you follow trading card blogs, you're probably familiar with the tremendous Wallach Blog already....This card is Tim's penultimate Topps card in which he's shown as a member of the Expos....His rookie card can be found in the 1982 set....During the 1992 season--his final year in Montreal--Tim batted a career-low .223 with 9 homers and 59 RBIs.

*MK*

1968 Topps, Carl Yastrzemski

Card No. 250

An 18-time All-Star and a Bostonian for all 23 years of his major league career, the great Carl Yastrzemski graces the Jukebox today....Yaz was enshrined in Cooperstown in 1989, earning 94.6% of the vote on his first ballot....Won the A.L. Triple Crown in 1967 (.326-44-121)....This is Carl's ninth regular Topps card....His iconic rookie card appeared in the 1960 Topps set....On the heels of his epic '67 campaign, Carl produced modest totals with 23 homers and 74 RBIs for the Sox in '68.

*MK*

1977 Topps, Phil Neikro

Card No. 615

I could be mistaken, but I don't think Phil Niekro ever looked like a young man....Beginning around 1973, "Knucksie" pretty much looked like one of my Pop-Pop's poker buddies on each of his baseball cards....Appearances aside, Niekro spun a Hall of Fame career, knuckling his way to 318 wins and 3,342 strikeouts over 24 seasons....He shared a 1964 "Rookie Stars" card with fellow Atlanta neophyte Phil Roof....His final Topps card was in the 1987 set....Led the majors in starts (43), losses (20) and innings pitched (330 1/3) during the '77 campaign.

*MK*

2010 Topps, Joe Mauer

Card No. 150

One of my all-time favorite Joe Mauer cards comes courtesy of 2010 Topps....By all appearances, it looks like the Twins were playing at Tropicana Field in St. Pete....Check the rooster tail of rubber pellets that Joe's kicking up from that artificial surface....This is Mauer's ninth regular Topps card....He shares a "Prospects" rookie card with Minnesota teammate Justin Morneau in 2003 Topps....Joe collected an All-Star nod, a Gold Glove and a Silver Slugger award during the '10 season.

*MK*