The 1990s Baseball Cards Face-Off - First Seed

Check this post to see my methodology.

Here's where we left off last week.

We've had head-to-head competition among 16 sets from the 1990s and are left with 8 sets to go forward in the 1st Quartile of the Babe Ruth Division. Since we'll be dealing with sets we've already I was going to run the table here and see who is the first seed of the final 16 cards in the overall competition. But this is a lot of cards to look at so we'll get to the Black level with a post next week. I can use that opportunity to explain the competition level from Black on forward.

Red Level head-to-head

1998 E-X-2001 vs. 1993 Flair

1998 E-X 2001 Craig Biggio #34

1993 Flair Willie McGee #145

Both these sets were great. Nice crisp graphics on the E-X 2001. A creamy smooth finish to the Flair. Gold foil, but not to much on the front and back of both cards. I think 1998 E-X 2001 could have beaten many cards and risen hight but it had the misfortune to come against 1993 Flair early on. In the head-to-head I'm giving the nod to Flair because ultimately plastic cards are a dead end design choice. There were a few plastic sets in the 1990s, but not much today. I imagine they were too costly to produce.

Results - 1993 Flair squeaks by. 

1995 Ultra vs. 1996 Studio

1995 Ultra Jim Thome #42

1996 Studio Juan Gonzalez #105

Both cards feature full bleed printing, multiple photographs, a little foil, and great photography.  I like the front of the 1995 Ultra but the back, with the funny shaded photo leaves me a little cold. The smaller color inset photo looks out of place.

The results: 1996 Studio by a back.

1991 Upper Deck vs. 1994 Collector's Choice

1991 Upper Deck Todd Zeile #164

1994 Collector's Choice Bret Saberhagen #250

What a difference a few years makes. In 1991, Upper Deck released another variation in it's 1989 set, but it was still way ahead of it's competitors that year. 1994's main problem is that it look's just like 1993 Upper Deck, with pin-stripes. Both cards feature good designs, but in 1991 Upper Deck's case, the design was still state-of-the-art. 1994 Collector's Choice was a copy of a great set.

Result: 1991 Upper Deck.

1994 Topps vs. 1996 Circa

1994 Topps Ivan Rodriguez #165

1996 Circa Curt Schilling #189

1994 Topps was Topps first glossy set and they did a good job. Good photography with a colorful title block with a good sized color photo on the back with a colorful stats/bio block. I'm afraid that 1996 Circa is just a mess. It only got to this level because it was up against 1994 SP, a card design I really dislike.

The Result: 1994 Topps

1993 Flair, 1996 Studio, 1991 Upper Deck and 1994 Topps survive the Red level.

2008 Phillies - Where are they now? (Outfielders)

A review of where all Phillies (at least the regulars) from the 2008 World Season have gone.

Pat Burrell - Left Field

2008 Bowman Gold #62

2011 Topps #546

Pat the Bat was in his 9th season with the Phillies in 2008. He had, for him, an average season. Not that that was a bad thing. He hit .250 with 33 home runs and 89 rbi. Pat did not have a good playoff season. He hit only 1 home run (in the NLDS) and only hit .071 (1 for 19) in the World Series. 2008 was his last season with the Phillies. He signed as a free agent by the Rays in 2009 and was released at the end of the season, and then signed with the Giants for 2010. He got a second chance at the World Series in 2010 but didn't perform any better than in 2008. He came back with the Giants in 2011 but spent most of the season on the DL with a foot injury. He signed a one-day contract with the Phillies so he could retire as a Phillie and was subsequently inducted to the Phillies Wall of Fame. He is currently a special assignment scout for the Giants.

Shane Victorino - Center Field

2008 Upper Deck #200

2015 Topps Allen & Ginter #336

The Phillies got Victorino from the Dodgers in the 2004 Rule 5 draft. In his first few years with the Phillies he spent time in all 3 outfield positions, but in 2008 and on, he primarily played center. He hit .293, had 14 home runs and 8 triples and won a gold glove in 2008. In the NLDS he hit a grand slam, the first Phillies slam in playoff history. In the NLCS he became a villain for the Dodgers fans after an altercation with Dodgers pitcher Hiroki Kuroda which resulted in the clearing of both benches. As an aside, you always hear that both benches cleared during an altercation. Is there ever a circumstance where only one bench clears and the other team stays in their dugout?  Anyway, in 2012 the Phillies traded Shane back to the Dodgers, where I'm sure they loved him. He signed with the Red Sox for the 2013 season when he had one of his best seasons, hitting .294 with 15 home runs and leading the league with 18 HPB. Ouch.  He has been in decline since then and was traded to the Angels earlier this season.

Jayson Werth - Left Field

2008 Topps Heritage #85

2015 Topps Heritage #295

After missing the entire 2006 season due to a wrist injury, the Phillies took a chance on him in 2007. In had 4 respectable years with the Phillies, from 2007-2010. On May 16, 2008 he had three home runs against the Blue Jays, a grand slam, a 3-run homer and a solo-shot, just missing the so-called "homer cycle". In the 2008 World Series, he was 8 for 18 with 3 doubles and 6 walks. After the 2010 season, Werth signed a 7-year, $126 million contract with the Nationals. His first 3 seasons with the Nats were productive, but he's struggling in 2015, hitting only .226.

Here are a few non-starters who made contributions to the 2008 Phillies

Geoff Jenkins - Right Field

2008 SP Authentic By The Letter Signatures

2008 Topps Allen & Ginter #317

After a successful 10-year career with the Brewers, Jenkins signed a 2-year, $13 million deal with the Phillies in Dec. 2007. He appeared in 115 games (all but two in right field) for the Phillies in 2008 hitting .246 with 9 home runs. He only had 4 at bats in the playoffs but his only hit, in the 6th game of the World Series, a double, helped the Phillies win the game and thus the series. The Phillies released Jenkins during spring training in 2009 and he decided to retire as a Brewer. He is currently on the coaching staff of the Peoria Explorers in the Freedom Pro Baseball League.

Greg Dobbs - 3rd Base

2008 Upper Deck Phillies World Series Champions #14

2013 Topps #356

Dobbs started 46 games for the Phillies in 2008 but made a real contribution as a pitch hitter. He led the majors with 22 pitch hits in 2008 for a .355 average. He also finished 2 in the majors with 16 rbi. He had 7 hits in 16 at bats in the playoffs. After disappointing seasons in 2009 and 2010, the Phillies released him and he spent a couple of years with the Marlins. He finished his career in 2014 with the Nationals. He is currently living in California and seeking a business degree.

Eric Bruntlett - Infield

2008 Topps Update #63

One last position player worth mentioning is Eric Bruntlett. Eric came over to the Phillis in 2008 from the Astros. He only started 48 games with the Phillies, ultimately getting into 115 games, playing the 3 infield positions in 2008. He had 6 at bats in the playoffs and only 2 hits, but one of those was a solo shot in the World Series. For a fairly short career, Bruntlett appeared in 3 World Series, 2008 and 2009 with the Phillies and 2005 with the Astros. After the 2010 season he decided to retire and be a stay-at-home Dad.

The Ice Man (aka Moose).

Mike Mussina, formerly with the Orioles and the Yankees, was nicknamed "Moose". In a sport not overly known for clever nicknames, this one is pretty lame. But somebody at Topps must have been thinking overtime while preparing for 1994 Stadium Club.

The Orioles had Cal "Iron Man" Ripken, so how about Mike "Ice Man" Mussina? That's how I imagine this card came about.

Mike Mussina posed with a pile of ice blocks complete with ice picks on the left and heavy gloves and ice tongs on the right. He actually seems to be sitting on ice, perhaps with an Orioles towel between him and a frozen butt.

2008 Phillies - Where are they now? (Infielders)

2008, of course, was a big year for the Phillies. They made the playoffs for the 2nd consecutive year and, better yet, won the World Series. They would go on to a lose in the 2009 World Series and again reach the playoffs in 2010 and 2011. With the departures of Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley this year. There aren't many left from that 2008 team.

Carlos Ruiz - Catcher

2008 Topps Chrome #77

2015 Topps Heritage #57

Ruiz is only one of two players left from the 2008 team. He was in his second year as the Phillies regular catcher (catching 115 games) but didn't have much offensive impact during the regular season, hitting just .219 with one home run. But the playoffs were a different story. He hit .313 against the Dodgers in the NLCS and .375 against the Rays in the World Series with one home run. In 2015, Ruiz isn't even the regular catcher (appearing in only 79 games) and he's only hitting .219 again. His best season was 2012 when he hit .325 with 16 home runs and an All-Star berth.

Ryan Howard - 1st Base

2008 Topps T205 #10

2015 Stadium Club #199

The Big Piece is the only other 2008 Phillie still with the team. In 2008, Howard lead the league with 48 home runs and 146 rbi. He hit .300 in the NLCS and .286 in the World Series with 3 home runs. After being injured for large parts of the 2011 and 2013 seasons, Howard is not the offensive player he once was. In 2015 he's batting .228 with only 21 home runs. He also has an enormous contract ($25,000,000/year currently) and 2 years to go on his contract.

Chase Utley - Second Base

2008 Sweet Spot #24

2015 Topps #163

In 2008, Chase was in the prime of his career. He played in 159 games, hit .292 with 33 home runs and 104 rbi. He was also an All-Star. He had a great NLCS hitting .353 but tailed off considerably in the World Series. He has lost a lot of playing time since with various leg injuries. For the Phillies in 2015 he was batting only .217 with 5 home runs in 73 games before the Phillies traded him to the Dodgers for John Richy (minors) and Darnell Sweeney.

Jimmy Rollins - Short Stop

2008 UD Masterpieces #70

2015 Topps #659

J-Roll was coming off an MVP season in 2008. And although he had a good 2008 season, his best years were already behind him in his 9th season. He hit .277 with 11 home runs in 2008 and also won a Gold Glove. His defensive abilities were never in question. He hit .375 in the NLDS but was pretty quiet the rest of the 2008 playoffs. In 2014, his last season with the Phillies he hit .243 with 17 home runs. He ended the 2014 season as the Phillies all time hits leader (passing Mike Schmidt) with 2,306 hits. He was traded to the Dodgers in December 2014 or Zach Eflin (minors) and Tom Windle (minors), where he is the Dodgers everyday shortstop.

Pedro Feliz - Third Base

2008 Topps Allen & Ginter #293

2011 Topps Cognac Diamond Anniversary #212

Feliz was a free agent pickup by the Phillies for the 2008 season to replace Abraham Nunez at third. Hitting .249 with 14 home runs, he was a considerable upgrade from Nunez (.234, no home runs). He hit .333 in the 2008 World Series. The Phillies released him after the 2009 season. He signed with the Astros and was then traded to the Cardinals. He retired after the 2010 season. In 2011-2012 he was playing for the Camden Riversharks and a team in the Dominican Republic. The Wikipedia trail ends there.