1987 Jimmy Key Topps 29 Blue Jays
Jimmy Key is one of the most underrated hurlers in baseball history. Baseball Reference ranks him as the 88th-best pitcher ever, and that estimation really isn't that crazy. Between 1985 and 1997, he was relatively reliable and always at the top of his profession. Mr. Key is yet another of the folks who were robbed by the strike of 1994. In only 25 games, the 33-year-old went 17-4 for the Yankees. Of course, I remember him most as a Blue Jay, where he accumulated 28.5 WAR in 9 years. (He had a total of 45.7 WAR.) While he's probably not a Hall-of-Famer, he is definitely in the Hall of You Wish Your Team Had Him in His Prime.
1987 Matt Young Topps 19 Mariners
1988 Matt Young Score 357 Dodgers
Okay, so maybe Matt Young isn't a Hall-of-Famer and probably doesn't deserve to be in that conversation ever. He was still a world-class pitcher for over a decade, between 1983 and 1993. (He didn't pitch in the majors in 1988.) He did achieve something we can only do in our dreams: he pitched in the All-Star game in his rookie season. It's easier to quote Wikipedia: "he pitched a scoreless 8th inning facing Johnny Bench, Darrell Evans and Pedro Guerrero." Can you imagine doing that? His 1985 season reminds me of Mike Maroth's 2003. Even though Young lost 19 games, it wasn't his fault. The Mariners maybe weren't the best team. During his extremely respectable career, he contributed 6.5 WAR.
1989 Bob Kipper Donruss 409 Pirates
1987 Bob Kipper Topps 289 Pirates
Bob Kipper got to live the life of both the starter and the reliever. Playing between 1985 and 1992, he had the fortune to play on some great teams with some great teammates. The 1985 Angels? Witt, Candelaria, Sutton, Boone (Bob), Carew...awesome. The Pirates when they were competitive? The 1992 Twins? Stellar. He was even a .157 hitter; not bad for a pitcher. Mr. Kipper has worked as a pitching coach for the Red Sox organization, even reaching the majors in that position.
1958 Randy Jackson Topps 301 Dodgers
1956 Randy Jackson Topps 223 Dodgers
You should all know how much I LOVE LOVE LOVE those signed cards from the 1950s. Especially the 1956es. Just beautiful. Mr. Jackson (I'm guessing no relation to the American Idol judge), also known as Ransom Jackson, played between 1950 and 1959 for the Cubs, Dodgers (Brooklyn and L.A.), and for the Indians. I am jealous; what must it have been like to see the National AND American League back then? As the 1276th-best hitter ever, he had a totally respectable career as a great third-baseman. He was even an All-Star in 1954 and 1955. What must that have been like? Don't you wish you know how it felt to play in Brooklyn and in all those stadiums past?
Jimmy Key is one of the most underrated hurlers in baseball history. Baseball Reference ranks him as the 88th-best pitcher ever, and that estimation really isn't that crazy. Between 1985 and 1997, he was relatively reliable and always at the top of his profession. Mr. Key is yet another of the folks who were robbed by the strike of 1994. In only 25 games, the 33-year-old went 17-4 for the Yankees. Of course, I remember him most as a Blue Jay, where he accumulated 28.5 WAR in 9 years. (He had a total of 45.7 WAR.) While he's probably not a Hall-of-Famer, he is definitely in the Hall of You Wish Your Team Had Him in His Prime.
1987 Matt Young Topps 19 Mariners
1988 Matt Young Score 357 Dodgers
Okay, so maybe Matt Young isn't a Hall-of-Famer and probably doesn't deserve to be in that conversation ever. He was still a world-class pitcher for over a decade, between 1983 and 1993. (He didn't pitch in the majors in 1988.) He did achieve something we can only do in our dreams: he pitched in the All-Star game in his rookie season. It's easier to quote Wikipedia: "he pitched a scoreless 8th inning facing Johnny Bench, Darrell Evans and Pedro Guerrero." Can you imagine doing that? His 1985 season reminds me of Mike Maroth's 2003. Even though Young lost 19 games, it wasn't his fault. The Mariners maybe weren't the best team. During his extremely respectable career, he contributed 6.5 WAR.
1989 Bob Kipper Donruss 409 Pirates
1987 Bob Kipper Topps 289 Pirates
Bob Kipper got to live the life of both the starter and the reliever. Playing between 1985 and 1992, he had the fortune to play on some great teams with some great teammates. The 1985 Angels? Witt, Candelaria, Sutton, Boone (Bob), Carew...awesome. The Pirates when they were competitive? The 1992 Twins? Stellar. He was even a .157 hitter; not bad for a pitcher. Mr. Kipper has worked as a pitching coach for the Red Sox organization, even reaching the majors in that position.
1958 Randy Jackson Topps 301 Dodgers
1956 Randy Jackson Topps 223 Dodgers
You should all know how much I LOVE LOVE LOVE those signed cards from the 1950s. Especially the 1956es. Just beautiful. Mr. Jackson (I'm guessing no relation to the American Idol judge), also known as Ransom Jackson, played between 1950 and 1959 for the Cubs, Dodgers (Brooklyn and L.A.), and for the Indians. I am jealous; what must it have been like to see the National AND American League back then? As the 1276th-best hitter ever, he had a totally respectable career as a great third-baseman. He was even an All-Star in 1954 and 1955. What must that have been like? Don't you wish you know how it felt to play in Brooklyn and in all those stadiums past?
