1977 Topps Baseball #479 - Rookie Outfielders - Brian Asselstine / Wayne Gross / Sam Mejias / Alvis Woods
- Brian Asselstine
- Debut: September 14, 1976
- 1977 Stats:
- Richmond Braves (AAA): .276 in 27 games
- Atlanta Braves: .210 in 83 games
- 1977 Highlights:
- Other card blogs: 1979, Cardboard Gods
- Brian Asselstine was the first round pick of the Atlanta Braves in 1973. Brian worked his way up the ladder from 1973-1976. Asselstine was called up in September 1976 after batting .293 in 122 games for AAA Richmond. Brian batted .212 in 11 games for the Atlanta Braves in 1976.
- Asselstine started the 1977 season with the Braves, but he struggled at the plate. Brian was demoted to Richmond at the end of May and spent the entire month of June there.
- Brian was starting regularly in either CF or RF for the Braves for the first two months of the 1978 season. On May 31 Brian lost a battle with the outfield fence while trying to rob Mike Lum of a home run. Brian broke a bone in his leg and dislocated his ankle. Asselstine was out for the rest of the year. Brian batted .272 in 45 games.
- Asselstine had a hard time coming back in 1979. He played in only 8 games for the Braves (1 for 10) and in 27 games (.276) for Richmond.
- In 1980 Brian was a reserve outfielder and a pinch hitter. Brian batted .284 in 87 games. Asselstine had a similar role in 1981 and batted .256 in 56 games.
- Brian didn't make the Atlanta ballclub in 1982. He was released in late March and took the year off. In 1983 Asselstine tried to come back with the San Francisco Giants. He played for AAA Phoenix and batted .313 in 116 games. But the call to the majors never came and Brian retired after the season.
- Brian is now a contractor in Santa Ynez, CA.
- Wayne Gross
- Debut: August 21, 1976
- 1977 Stats: .233, 22 HR, 63 RBI in 146 games
- 1977 Highlights:
- Other card blogs: 1978, 1980
- Wayne Gross was drafted by the Oakland A's in 1973. He played in the minors from 1973-1976 and batted .222 in 10 games in a late 1976 call-up.
- Gross became the starting third baseman for a depleted Oakland ballclub in 1977. The A's had to send someone to the All Star game (pitcher Vida Blue was injured), so Wayne was selected to his only All Star team. Gross was the team leader in home runs (22) but batted only .233 on the season.
- In 1978 Wayne split time between 3B and 1B. He hit seven home runs and batted .200 in 118 games. He spent a few weeks in the minors during the season.
- Wayne's numbers rebounded a bit in 1979 (.224, 14 HR, 50 RBI in 138 games). He had his best year in 1980, batting .281 with 14 HR and 61 RBI in 113 games.
- Gross slipped to .204 with 10 HR and 31 RBI in 1981. Wayne's home run led the A's to a win in game 1 of the AL Divisional Series. Wayne was 2 for 5 in the ALDS and went 0 for 5 in the AL Championship Series.
- Wayne had slightly better years in 1982 (.251, 9 HR, 41 RBI) and in 1983 (.233, 12 HR, 44 RBI).
- After the 1983 season Wayne was traded to the Baltimore Orioles for pitcher Tim Stoddard. Gross started at 3B for the Orioles in 1984 and had one of his better years (.216, 22 HR, 64 RBI). In 1985 Wayne backed up at 3B and 1B and batted .235 with 11 HR and 18 RBI.
- The Orioles released Gross at the end of spring training in 1986. Wayne signed with the A's and played for AAA Tacoma for most of the season. Gross was recalled to Oakland in September but was hitless in three pinch hitting appearances. Wayne was released after the season.
- Sam Mejias
- Debut: September 6, 1976 (my 10th birthday)
- 1977 Stats: .228 in 74 games
- 1977 Highlights:
- June 5 - Knocked in the go-ahead run in the 7th by hitting a pinch homer as the Expos beat the St. Louis Cardinals 7-5.
- July 4 - Had three hits (a double, a triple, and a home run) to lead the Expos to a 7-6 win over the Chicago Cubs.
- In June 1976 Sam was the player to be named later in a trade with the Montreal Expos for Danny Frisella. He batted .323 for AAA Tulsa during the remainder of the 1976 season and then batted .143 in 18 games for the Cardinals in September.
- After the 1976 season Sam was traded to the Montreal Expos in a multi-player deal. Mejias was used as a pinch hitter and backup outfielder in 1977. He appeared in 74 games but only had 104 plate appearances (.228, 3 HR, 8 RBI).
- Sam's 1978 season resembled his 1977 season, but he played less (.232 in 67 games, 59 plate appearances).
- Mejias was traded to the Chicago Cubs after the 1978 season for Rodney Scott and Jerry White. Sam played in 31 games for the Cubs but only got to the plate 14 times (2 for 11, .182). On July 4 Sam was sold to the Cincinnati Reds. He was assigned to Cincinnati's AAA Indianapolis club but was brought back to the majors in late August (1 for 2 in 7 games).
- The next two seasons followed the pattern Sam had in Montreal. In 1981 he batted .278 in 71 games (117 plate appearances) and in 1982 he batted .286 in 66 games (56 plate appearances).
- The Reds released Mejias during spring training in 1982. Sam played in the Mexican League in 1982 and retired after the season.
- Other card blogs: 1979
- Alvis Woods
- Debut: April 7, 1977
- 1977 Stats: .284, 6 HR, 35 RBI in 122 games
- 1977 Highlights:
- Other card blogs: 1979, 1980, 1983, Cardboard Gods
- Alvis Woods was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in 1972. He spent the next several seasons in the minors and was picked by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 1976 expansion draft.
- Woods made the Blue Jays squad in 1977 and homered in his first major league at bat (which also happened to be Toronto's first game). Alvis was the regular in left field and batted .284 with 6 HR and 35 RBI in 122 games.
- Alvis got off to a rough start in 1978 and was sent to AAA Syracuse for a couple of months. The assignment did Woods some good and he hit better when he came back in July. Alvis batted .241 in 62 games for the Blue Jays in 1978.
- Woods got his starting LF job back in 1979. He batted .278 with 5 HR and 36 RBI in 132 games.
- Alvis had his best offensive year in 1980, batting .300 with 15 HR in 109 games. Woods played in only 8 games in April but he regained his starting job in May.
- The 1981 season was Woods' last one as a starter. He slumped to .247 in 85 games. Woods was the fourth outfielder in 1982 and batted .234 in 85 games. After the 1982 season the Blue Jays traded Woods to the Oakland A's for Cliff Johnson. Alvis was released during spring training in 1983 and signed a minor league contract with the Blue Jays.
- Alvis spent the 1983 and 1984 seasons in Syracuse. Woods was released in 1984. He signed with the Twins and played for AAA Toledo in 1985 and in 1986. Alvis had a couple of short stints with the Twins in 1986 (.321 in 23 games). He retired after the 1986 season.
- Alvis now does appearances for Sports Celebrity Marketing.
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