1977 Topps Baseball #473 - Rookie Outfielders - Andre Dawson, Gene Richards, John Scott, Denny Walling

• Andre Dawson
• Debut: September 11, 1976
• 1977 Stats: .282, 19 HR, 65 RBI in 139 games
• 1977 Highlights:
• Other card blogs: 1978, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1988
• Andre Dawson was the NL Rookie of the Year in 1977. 
• Dawson had a great career. It would have been better, but the artificial turf in Montreal really took a toll on his knees.
• Andre won eight Gold Gloves and was an eight-time All Star
• Dawson was the NL MVP in 1987. He finished second twice (1981 and 1983)
• He played for the Montreal Expos (1976-1986), the Chicago Cubs (1987-1992), the Boston Red Sox (1993-1994), and the Florida Marlins (1995-1996)
• Dawson was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2010.
• Gene Richards
• Debut: April 6, 1977
• 1977 Stats: .290, 5 HR, 32 RBI, 56 stolen bases in 146 games
• 1977 Highlights:
• Other card blogs: 1978, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1985
• Gene Richards was the first player selected in the 1975 draft. Gene batted .381 for Class A Reno in 1975 and .331 for AAA Hawaii in 1976. 
• Richards became the starting left fielder for the San Diego Padres in 1977. He finished third (behind Dawson and Steve Henderson) in NL Rookie of the Year voting. Gene batted .290 in 146 games and stole 56 bases.
• I used to think Gene had some cool APBA cards in the 1970s and 1980s. He had several 11's on his cards, which meant he would automatically steal second base after a single when that number came up.
• Although he didn't steal as many bases, Richards had a better season in 1978. Gene batted .308 with 4 HR and 45 RBI and had 37 stolen bases in 1978.
• Gene dropped off a little bit in 1979, batting .279 with 24 stolen bases in 150 games.
• Richards had a bouneeback year in 1980. He batted .301, scored 91 runs, and stole 61 bases.
• In the strike-shortened 1981 season Richards led the NL with 12 triples and batted .288 in 104 games.
• In 1982 Richards was still a starting outfielder, but he started to lose playing time. He batted .286 in 132 games. 
• Gene's last year with the Padres was in 1983. He played in only 95 games and batted .275. After the 1983 season Richards was granted free agency but went unsigned.
• Richards tried out for the San Francisco Giants in 1984. He was signed to a one year contract at the end of spring training. The Giants used Gene as a backup outfielder and a pinch hitter. After August 14 Gene made 23 appearances, all as a pinch hitter or a pinch runner. Richards batted .252 in 87 games.
• Gene became a free agent after the 1984 season but he went unsigned. Gene retired at the age of 31.
• John Scott
• Debut: September 7, 1974
• 1977 Stats: .240, 2 HR, 15 RBI in 79 games
• 1977 Highlights:
• Other card blogs: none
• John Scott was the first round (#2 overall) of the San Diego Padres in 1970. Scott played in the minors from 1970-1974. John got a September call up in 1974 and batted .067 (1 for 15) in 14 games.
• Scott was used as a pinch runner for much of the beginning of the 1975 season. He appeared in 25 games but batted only nine times and went 0 for 6. John was sent to AAA in late June and stayed there for the rest of the 1975 season and for the entire 1976 season.
• Scott was purchased by the Toronto Blue Jays after the 1976 season. John stayed in the majors for the entire 1977 season and batted .240 in 79 games. After the 1977 season Scott was traded (with Pete Vuckovich) to the St. Louis Cardinals for Victor Cruz and Tom Underwood.
• Scott played in AAA for the entire 1978 season. John then went to Japan and played for the Yakult Swallows from 1979-1981. 
• Scott played in the Mexican League in 1982 and then retired.
• Denny Walling
• Debut: September 7, 1975
• 1977 Stats: 
• Minor Leagues (2 teams): .343, 4 HR, 18 RBI in 32 games
• Houston Astros: .286 (6 for 21) in 6 games
• 1977 Highlights:
• Other card blogs: 1979, 1980, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1988
• Denny Walling was the first player drafted in the secondary phase of the 1975 draft. Denny went 1 for 8 in six games at the end of the 1975 season and then played in the minors in 1976. Walling got in three games for the A's (3 for 11, .273) at the end of the 1976 season.
• Walling was injured for much of the 1977 season. He played in three minor league games for AAA San Jose and then was traded to the Houston Astros for Willie Crawford on June 15. Denny played for AAA Tucson for most of the rest of the season and then was called up in September (6 for 21, .286 in 6 games).
• In 1978 Walling was in the majors to stay. He was used as a fourth outfielder and a pinch hitter and batted .251 with 3 HR and 36 RBI in 120 games.
• Walling had a similar role for his entire career. He played for the Astros until 1988. Denny's best year with the Astros was in 1986. He batted .312 with 13 HR and 58 RBI in 130 games.
• On August 31, 1988 Walling was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals for Bob Forsch. The Cardinals wanted Denny's bat for their pennant drive (which came up short). Walling played for the Cardinals through the 1990 season and then finished up his career with the Texas Rangers (1991) and back with the Astros (1992).
• After his playing career Walling was a hitting coach for various major and minor league teams. Denny is now a roving hitting instructor for the Baltimore Orioles.