Players I Collect - 2016 continued

We're getting near the end of this series of players that I've collected over the years who had cards in 2016.

Ryne Sandberg

Topps 100 Years at Wrigley #26

Topps Archives #41

Topps Allen & Ginter #180

There's probably a Topps Bunt card for Sandberg as well. In addition to his playing career, Sandberg was the manager for the Phillies from 2013 to 2015 where he compiled a 119-159 record before he resigned. Sandberg was the 20th round draft pick of the Phillies in 1978 and actually played a few games for the Phillies in 1981. But I suppose everyone knows that. I have 150 Sandberg cards in my collection, spanning his whole career.

Tom Seaver

Stadium Club Legends Die-Cuts #8

This is a pretty nice card I pulled from a blaster of Stadium Club

Topps MLB Debut Series 2 #7

The original Tom Terrific. I only have 59 Seaver cards and most of those are post-career cards. I didn't start collecting until 1985, the year before he retired.

Gary Sheffield

Topps Archives

Sheffield retired in 2009 and it's only been the past 3 years when his post-career cards started showing up.

John Smoltz

Stadium Club #267

Topps Archives #45

For years a part of a terrific Braves staff, Smoltz was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2015. In 25 post-season games, he is 15-4.

Willie Stargell

Topps Allen & Ginter The Numbers Game #12

Stargell is one of the players I collect that I saw play a lot. While he played, my Phillies and the Pirates had a great in-state rivalry, and both were in the old NL East.

Frank Thomas

Topps Archives #151

Topps Allen & Ginter #268

Topps Bunt #184

Most players disappear from the hobby for several years after they retire. Not the Big Hurt. I have cards for him for every year since his first season until this year. He retired in 2009 and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2014. Although he played during the steroid age he managed to not get tainted by it while hitting 521 career home runs.

OK, one more post and I can wrap this series up.

Players I Collect - 2016

Continuing a series of posts of 2016 cards of Players I Collect that had cards in 2016. I'm excluding most Phillies and Astros since I collect all of them. The last player was Chipper Jones. Next up John Kruk.

John Kruk

 Admittedly, I mainly collect John Kruk because the major productive part of his career was with the Phillies, but I collect his Padres and White Sox cards as well. One of my baseball card collecting pet peeves is the frequent repeat use of photos. The last post-season Kruk card I have is 2013 Allen and Ginter, which has the same photo on it as this Archives card. I have 158 Kruk, almost all of the as a Phillie.

Barry Larkin

Barry Larkin post-season cards seem pretty rare to me. The only other one I have is from 2011. He retired in 2005. I have 182 Barry Larkin cards going back to his first season, 1986.

Tim Lincecum

Lincecum actually pitched for the Angels this year after signing a 1 year, $2.5 MM contract. He was only 2-4 with the Angels and spent much of the season in the minors. Maybe I should have waited for Topps Update to do this post since this is the only 2016 Lincecum card I have. Maybe Lincecum shouldn't have cut his hair. I have 79 total Lincecum cards.

Greg Maddux

The sign of a great pitcher is when he can keep his cool when the stadium is exploding around him. I have 278 Maddux cards dating back to the start of his career in 1986.

Willie Mays

 

You can usually count on a few Willie Mays cards each year. I pulled 5 of them in 2016. I really love the Stadium Club photo. I only have 37 Mays cards, all post-career. Someday I'm going to have to find a card from when he was playing.

Players I collect - 2016

Continuing a series of posts of 2016 cards of Players I Collect that had cards in 2016. I'm excluding Phillies and Astros since I collect all of them. The last player was Ichiro. Next up Bo Jackson.

2016 Topps Bunt was good for a lot of former players. I have 98 Bo Jackson cards in my collection. A career cut way too short.

Yet another Topps Bunt card. Jackson started his career in 1967. I have 78 Reggie Jackson cards but the earliest cards I have for him are in the 1980s. Not surprising as I didn't start collecting until 1985.

7 years after he retired in 2009, The Big Unit still seems popular with the hobby. I have 293 cards of him, bolstered by the half season he played for the Astros in 1998. He was 10-1 with an ERA of 1.98 in 11 starts, helping the Astros into the playoffs.

I only managed to pull one Chipper Jones card this year. A sure Hall of Famer, I have 313 of his cards. The first time I ever heard of Chipper Jones was in 1990, when a guy in my fantasy baseball league drafted him for cheap. He held on to Jones for years.

That's enough for today. Next up, Bary Larkin (yep, another Topps Bunt card)