1987 Topps, Tony Gwynn

Card No. 530

I can't think of another Tony Gwynn card I love as much as this one from 1987 Topps....All the elements come together to make this one a sparkler: terrific photo choice, HOF player, and an iconic design concept....Tony was enshrined in Cooperstown in 2007, receiving 97.6% of the vote on his first ballot....Sadly passed away in 2014 at the age of 54....Tony's rookie card can be found in the 1983 Topps set (#482)....Led all of baseball with a .370 BA during the '87 season.

*MK*

1999 Topps, Mike Hampton

Card No. 338

With a big league resume that boasts five Silver Sluggers, a Gold Glove and an NLCS MVP, southpaw Mike Hampton is today's Jukebox subject....Mike pitched for the Mariners, Astros, Mets, Rockies, Braves and D-Backs during his 16-year career....Earned NLCS MVP honors in 2000, pitching the Mets to the pennant....His rookie card is part of the 1993 Topps Traded set (#58T)....Led the N.L. with 22 wins in '99 and finished second to Randy Johnson in Cy Young voting.

*MK*

1975 Topps, Larry Bowa

Card No. 420

Before he was ripping into umpires as a skipper, Larry Bowa was helping the Phillies teams of the late 1970s and early '80s ascend to the top shelf of the National League....Played in four NLCS and one World Series with Phils....Batted .375 (9-24) in '80 Fall Classic....At the helm for 337 wins over four years as Phillies' manager (2001-'04)....Shared his 1970 Topps "Rookie Stars" card with Dennis Doyle....Larry batted .305 during an All-Star campaign for Philly in 1975.

*MK*

2023 Topps, Sandy Alcantara

Card No. 107

The list of players to win an N.L. Cy Young award while wearing a Marlins uniform is exactly one name long, and that name is Sandy Alcantara....The Dominican right-hander led all pitchers with 228 2/3 IP and 6 CG during his award-winning 2022 campaign....Was part of the trade package Miami received from St. Louis in exchange for OF Marcell Ozuna in December 2017....His rookie card can be found in the '18 Topps set (#594)....Sandy recorded 3 CG during the '23 season, including a 3-hit shutout vs. MIN, 4/4/22.

*MK*

1992 Topps, Gary Sheffield

Card No. 695

Despite Hall of Fame credentials, Gary Sheffield still remains on the outside looking in as of press time....Author of 509 career homers and 1,676 RBIs over 22 seasons....While playing for the Mets, Gary joined the 500 Home Run Club with a game-tying blast at Citi Field, 4/17/09....Drafted sixth overall by Milwaukee in 1986....Spent the first four years of his career with the Brew Crew, producing just 21 long balls....Sheff's rookie card can be found in the '89 Topps set....Gary was swapped to the Padres in a multiplayer deal, 3/26/92.

*MK*

1985 Topps, Andre Dawson

Card No. 420

Back when I was a kid, the WGN Superstation was available nationwide and I used to watch Andre Dawson during Cubs telecasts....Before he was a Cubbie, "The Hawk" broke in with Montreal....In 11 years with the Expos, Andre made three All-Star teams and collected six Gold Gloves....He first appeared in a Topps set in 1977 on a Rookie Outfielders quad card....His final standard Topps card was in the '96 set....Andre smashed 23 HRs in 1985 and won the last of his six Gold Gloves as an Expo.

*MK*

1964 Topps, Ron Santo

Card No. 375

Hall-of-Famer Ron Santo, aka Mr. Cub, is the newest 'vintage' feature on the Jukebox and the third card from the handsome 1964 Topps set to be showcased on the blog....Played 14 of his 15 big league seasons on the Southside before concluding his career with the ChiSox in '74....Ranks top-5 in Cubs annals in career HR (337) and RBIs (1290)....This is his fourth Topps card....His rookie card appeared in the '61 set....Ron led the league in both triples (13) and walks (86) during the '64 season.

*MK*

1973 Topps, Ted Simmons

Card No. 85

Not until I sat down to write this post did I realize that Ted Simmons will become a baseball Hall of Famer during the summer of 2021....Simmons will be part of a Cooperstown class that also includes Derek Jeter, Larry Walker and union rep Marvin Miller....Ted authored more than 2,400 hits and batted .286 over 21 seasons....This is his third Topps card....His rookie card appeared in the 1971 set....His final Topps card came in '88....Ted enjoyed an All-Star campaign in 1973, batting .310 and collecting 91 RBIs.

*MK*

2015 Topps, Yoenis Cespedes

Card No. 120

Few big leaguers throughout history racked up more frequent flyer miles in a shorter span of time than Yoenis Cespedes did between 2014 and '15....The Cuban superstar was dealt from Oakland to Boston in July 2014 and was subsequently swapped to Detroit in December of that same year....The Mets acquired Yoenis from the Tigers at the '15 deadline....Cespedes was featured in the '15 Update series as a Met....His rookie card can be found in the '12 set....La Potencia slugged five homers with 33 RBIs in 51 games for the Red Sox in '14.

*MK*

1962 Topps, Jim Fregosi

Card No. 209

Has any franchise experienced more of an identity crisis than the Angels?....The club dropped "Los Angeles" and became "California" in 1965....The "Anaheim" era began in '97 and thankfully they're back to just "Los Angeles" as of 2016....Fair or not, Jim Fregosi the player is probably most remembered as the guy the Mets got from the Angels in the disastrous Nolan Ryan trade....As the little gold star indicates this is indeed Jim's rookie card....The future MLB skipper batted .291 in 58 games for the Halos during the '62 season.

*MK*

1981 Topps, Andre Thornton

Card No. 388

The man nicknamed "Thunder," Andre Thornton is a member of the Cleveland Indians Hall of Fame and is a past Roberto Clemente Award winner (1979)....Clubbed 214 of 253 career homers during his 10 years in Cleveland....On his first three cards--all with the Cubs--he was listed as 'Andy'....Shared a "Rookie Infielders card in the '74 Topps set with three other players, most notably future Royals star Frank White....Appeared in just 69 games for the Tribe in 1981, swatting 6 homers with 30 RBIs.

*MK*

2006 Topps Update, Brandon Phillips

Card No. UH50

Originally a 2nd-round draft selection by Montreal, Brandon Phillips had some excellent seasons for Cincinnati....Was part of the prospects package that Montreal surrendered to Cleveland to acquire Bartolo Colon in June 2002....Phillips snagged four Gold Gloves during his time in Cincy....This is Brandon's first cardboard appearance as a member of the Reds....His initial Topps card is part of the 2000 Update set....Batted .276 and collected 75 ribbies for the Reds in 2006, his first season on the banks of the Ohio.

*MK*

1970 Topps, Brooks Robinson

Card No. 230

If it isn't the 16 career Gold Gloves earned during his Hall of Fame career, surely the nickname "The Human Vacuum Cleaner" would give you a solid indication of Brooks Robinson's level of prowess at third base....Another beauty from Dad's boyhood card collection here....Robinson's rookie card is part of the 1957 Topps set....His 'farewell' Topps card was among the '77 checklist....Finished 7th in A.L. MVP voting following '70 season that saw him clout 18 homers and drive in 94 runs for Baltimore.

*MK*

2002 Topps, Mike Sweeney

Card No. 21

A member of the Royals Hall of Fame and a current member of the team's front office, professional hitter Mike Sweeney gets today's Jukebox nod....The era of colored borders on Topps base cards continued in 2002 with one of my favorite designs of the era....Sweeney made five All-Star teams as a Royal....He's second in team annals in home runs (197) and third in BA (.299)....His first Topps card appeared in the 1997 set....Mike cracked 24 homers and collected 86 RBIs for K.C. during the '02 season.

*MK*

1993 Topps, Bo Jackson

Card No. 400

Certainly not the most iconic card in the Bo Jackson library, but it's still one of my favorites....An elite athlete and arguably the greatest two-sport star of all-time....Bo played four years for the NFL's L.A. Raiders (1987-'90) while simultaneously starring for the Royals on the diamond....His '86 Topps Traded rookie is one of the great cards in the hobby's history....His final Topps card appeared in the '95 set as a member of the Angels....Slugged 16 homers in just 284 ABs for the White Sox in 1993.

*MK*

2011 Topps, Roy Halladay

Card No. 300

I still can't believe that Roy Halladay is no longer with us....At the age of 40, "Doc" perished in a small plane crash in the Gulf of Mexico in 2017....Roy's impeccable resume got him posthumously elected to the Hall of Fame in '19 on his first ballot....A 200-game winner and author of a perfect game and a postseason no-no....Roy shares his 1998 "Prospects" rookie card with Brian Fuentes and Matt Clement....Cy Young runner-up in 2011 after posting 19 wins and a 2.35 ERA for Phils.

*MK*

1997 Topps, Jay Bell

Card No. 259

Although Jay Bell didn't get many of the headlines, he was undoubtedly a key cog in those successful Pirates teams of the early '90s....Led the majors in sac bunts in 1990 and '91, setting the stage for many a Bonds and Bonilla RBI opportunity....That's Ricky Jordan of the Phillies getting tagged out(?) at second base....Bell's rookie card is part of the '88 Topps checklist....Was traded to Kansas City in the winter of 1996, thus Jay was no longer a Pirate by the time this card came out in '97.

*MK*

1969 Topps, Jerry Koosman

Card No. 90

Thanks to Nolan Ryan I'll never actually own a Jerry Koosman rookie card, so his second-year card from 1969 will have to do....Ryan and Koosman shared a "Rookie Stars" card in the '68 set....I snagged this beauty from a card show many years ago....The condition is less than pristine but I couldn't care less...."Kooz" is third in franchise history with 140 victories and is one of only three hurlers to register 100 W's as a Met....Pitched a complete-game gem in Game 5 of the '69 Series, as the Miracle Mets finished off the heavily-favored Orioles.

*MK*

1984 Topps, Pedro Guerrero

Card No. 90

A lifetime .300 hitter and the MVP of the 1981 World Series, Pedro Guerrero is today's jukebox hit....Looks like Pedro is playing up near the infield grass in this photo....If I had to guess, I'd say the Dodgers are playing at Candlestick Park....This is Pedro's fifth Topps card and his fourth stand-alone card....He shares a "Dodgers Prospects" card in the 1980 set with teammates Rudy Law and Joe Simpson...Though his production dipped in 1984 (16 HRs, 72 RBIs), Pedro still batted .303 and scored 85 runs for Los Angeles.

*MK*

2008 Topps, Luis Gonzalez

Card No. 442

Today's Jukebox entry represents the final chapter of the Luis Gonzalez story in the Topps library....It's his 20th Topps base card (including Traded/Update issues)....It's also his one and only card as a Marlin....Luis' rookie is part of the 1991 Topps Traded set....Gonzo's excellent career included 2,591 base hits plus the series-clinching hit off Mariano Rivera in Game 7 of the 2001 Fall Classic, as Arizona topped New York....In his final big league season, Luis batted .261 in 136 games for the '08 Marlins.

*MK*