1977 Topps Baseball #488 - Rookie Outfielders - Jack Clark / Ruppert Jones / Lee Mazzilli / Dan Thomas

• Jack Clark
• Debut: September 12, 1975
• 1977 Stats: .252, 13 HR, 51 RBI in 136 games
• 1977 Highlights:
• June 8: Homered and doubled to lead the Giants to a 3-2 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates.
• Aug 23 - Scored the winning run in the 13th inning as the Giants beat the Chicago Cubs 4-3.
• Other card blogs: 1979, 1980, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1988
• Jack Clark (nickname: "Jack the Ripper") was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in 1973. Jack spent four years in the minors, working his way from Rookie ball in 1973 to AAA in 1976. He had a great year for the AAA Phoenix Giants in 1976 (.323, 17 HR, 16 triples, 86 RBI). Clark had brief September call-ups in 1975 (.235 in 17 AB) and in 1976 (.225 in 26 games).
• Clark became the regular right fielder for the Giants in 1977. He would hold that position from 1977-1983. His rookie season in 1977 wasn't particularly special (.252, 13 HR, 51 RBI in 136 games), but he came into his own in 1978 (.306, 25 HR, 98 RBI). Jack made his first All Star team in 1978 (he struck out in his only at bat) and finished 5th in NL MVP voting.
• Jack was an All Star again in 1979 (0 for 1) and he batted .273 with 26 HR and 86 RBI.  Clark had a similar year in 1980 (.284, 22 HR, 82 RBI).
• Clark had a bit of a drop-off in 1981 (.268, 17 HR, 53 RBI), but he bounced back in 1982 to bat .274 with 27 HR and 103 RBI as the Giants were contenders for the NL West until the final week of the season. Jack finished 7th in NL MVP voting in 1982.
• Jack had a decent season in 1983 (.268, 20 HR, 66 RBI), but it was an off year by his standards. In 1984 Clark was having a fine season (.320, 11 HR, 44 RBI), but it was cut short by an injury in late June. Jack feuded with manager Frank Robinson and with some members of the Giants' front office. After the 1984 season the Giants traded Clark to the St. Louis Cardinals for David Green, Dave LaPoint, Gary Rajisch, and Jose Uribe.
• Clark was moved to first base to reduce the risk of injury. Jack bounced back in 1985 to have an All Star season (0 for 1 with a walk). He batted .281 with 22 HR and 87 RBI and helped the Cardinals to the NL East title. His home run in game 6 of the NL Championship Series clinched the pennant for the Cardinals. Jack didn't do as well in the World Series as the Kansas City Royals beat the Cards in seven games.
• Jack was injured again in late June of 1986 and missed the remainder of the season. He had his poorest season to date, batting .237 with 9 HR in 65 games.
• Clark had his best season in 1987. He batted .286 with 35 HR and 106 RBI. He also led the NL with 136 walks. Jack was an All Star for the fourth and final time of his career (0 for 3 with two strikeouts) and finished third in NL MVP voting. Unfortunately for the Cardinals Clark was injured during the postseason and batted only once in the NL Championship Series. He didn't play in the World Series as the Cardinals lost to the Minnesota Twins in seven games.
• After the 1987 season Clark became a free agent and signed with the New York Yankees. The Yankees already had Don Mattingly at first base so Clark became the designated hitter. He led the Yankees with 27 home runs and batted .242 with 93 RBI. Jack got along well with manager Billy Martin, but he clashed with Lou Piniella, who replaced Martin in the middle of the season. After the 1988 season Jack was traded (with Pat Clements) to the San Diego Padres for Lance McCullers, Jimmy Jones, and Stan Jefferson.
• Clark spent the next two seasons with the Padres as their starting first baseman. He led the NL in walks in both 1989 and in 1990. Jack had a pretty good year in 1989 (.242, 26 HR, 94 RBI), but his season in 1990 was shortened by injuries (.266, 25 HR, 62 RBI in 115 games). Jack clashed with Padres superstar Tony Gwynn during his time in San Diego.
• After the 1990 season Clark became a free agent and signed a big contract with the Boston Red Sox. Jack had a good year in 1991, batting .249 with 28 HR and 87 RBI. 
•  This Is The Life That Jack Built - July 22, 1991 Sports Illustrated
• Clark's stats had a big drop-off in 1992. He was only a part-time player, batting .210 with 5 HR in 81 games. 
• Clark filed for bankruptcy in 1992. He had acquired 18 automobiles and as his lawyer put it "had some expensive hobbies."
• The Red Sox waived Clark in February 1993. He signed with the Montreal Expos during spring training in 1993. Jack had gained some weight and made an effort to lose the excess pounds. A lot of personal matters weighed on Clark and he asked for his release in June. 
• After his playing career Clark was bilked out of a lot of his money by a lawyer and a financial advisor. He also had a near-fatal motorcycle accident in 2003. As of 2009 Clark was doing some color commentary for the St. Louis Cardinals and was also managing a team in the amateur Prospect League.
• Here is a "where are they now" article from 2009.
• In 2010 Clark called the Cardinals quitters on a radio show. He was also critical of the club for hiring Mark McGwire as hitting coach.
• Ruppert Jones
• Debut: August 1, 1976
• 1977 Stats: .263, 24 HR, 76 RBI in 160 games
• 1977 Highlights:
• June 3: Spoiled Dennis Eckersley's bid for a second consecutive no-hitter by homering with two out in the 6th inning. It was the only hit the Mariners had in the game. In Eckersley's previous start he no-hit the Kansas City Royals and in the start before that he didn't allow a hit to the Mariners for the final 7 2/3 innings.
• June 12: Hit two 2-out singles to help the Mariners to a 5-2 win over the Toronto Blue Jays.
• Other card blogs: 1978, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1985, 1986
• Ruppert Jones was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in 1973. He played in the  minors from 1973-1975 and for most of the 1976 season. The Royals brought Ruppert up in August 1976 and he batted .216 in 28 games. Jones was considered to be a good outfield prospect for the Royals but they didn't have room for him on the big club.
• Ruppert was the first player chosen by the Seattle Mariners in the 1976 expansion draft. Jones was an All Star for the Mariners in 1977 and batted .263 with 24 HR and 76 RBI.
• Jones had an appendectomy in June 1978 and missed five weeks. He batted .235 with 6 HR and 46 RBI.
• Ruppert bounced back in 1979. Jones batted .267 with 21 HR and 78 RBI while playing in all 162 games. After the 1979 season Ruppert was traded (with Jim Lewis) to the New York Yankees for Rick Anderson, Jim Beattie, Juan Beniquez, and Jerry Narron.
• Jones was a backup center fielder for the Yankees in 1980. He played in 83 games and batted .223 with 9 HR and 42 RBI. 
• At the end of spring training in 1981 Jones was traded with three other players to the San Diego Padres for Jerry Mumphrey and John Pacella. Ruppert spent the next three seasons (1981-1983) with the Padres. Jones batted .246 in 105 games in the strike-shortened 1981 season. In 1982 Ruppert made the NL All Star team (he batted for Steve Rogers in the 3rd inning, tripled, and scored the NL's first run). Ruppert spent some time on the disabled list in August 1982 but ended up batting .283 with 12 HR and 61 RBI.
• Jones slipped to .233 in 1983. He became a free agent at the end of the season. 
• Jones signed with the Detroit Tigers in April 1984. Jones started the season in AAA Evansville and was brought up in June after batting .313 for Evansville. He was able to be a part of that special 1984 Tiger ballclub that won it all. Ruppert was a backup outfielder and batted .284 with 12 HR and 37 RBI in 79 games. After the 1984 season Jones became a free agent again and signed with the California Angels.
• Jones spent the last three seasons with the Angels. He batted .231 with 21 HR in 1985, .229 with 17 HR in 1986, and .245 with 8 HR in 1987.
• Ruppert tried out with the Milwaukee Brewers but was dropped at the end of March. Jones spent some time in Japan and in AAA in 1988. Ruppert tried to come back in 1989 but retired after 27 games in AAA due to a rotator cuff injury.
• Ruppert now lives in the San Diego area and works with the Boon Group, which sells employee benefits to government contractors. He and former pitcher Dave Stewart coach a travel baseball team for 13 and 14 year olds.
• Here is a chat Ruppert did with the Seattle Times in 2012 on the occasion of the Mariners' 35th anniversary.
• Lee Mazzilli
• Debut: September 7, 1976
• 1977 Stats: .250, 6 HR, 46 RBI in 159 games
• 1977 Highlights:
• June 2: Hit a 2-run home run (his first of the season) and had another RBI to help the Mets beat the Montreal Expos 7-4.
• Other card blogs: 1978, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1985, 1986
• Lee Mazzilli's SABR biography
• Lee Mazzilli was an athletic ballplayer from Brooklyn, NY. Lee was drafted by the New York Mets in the first round in 1973. Mazzilli worked his way up the Mets' system and by 1976 was judged to be ready for a September call-up. Lee batted only .195 in 24 games, but there was still a lot of enthusiasm for Mazzilli to be a full-timer with the Mets in 1977.
• Lee played CF for the Mets for several seasons (1977-1981). The Mets tried him at 1B for a while in an effort to hide his below average arm. 
• Mazilli was on the NL All Star team in 1979. He hit a game-tying home run in the 8th inning and then walked and  scored what would prove to be the winning run in the 9th inning.
• Joe Torre was Lee's mentor during his first tour of duty as a Met. When Torre was let go as manager at the end of the 1981 season Lee probably knew his days were numbered in New York. Before the 1982 season Mazzilli was traded to the Texas Rangers for Ron Darling and Walt Terrell.
• Mazzilli did some bouncing around at this stage of his career, playing for Texas (1982), the New York Yankees (1982) and for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1983-1986).
• On July 23, 1986 Lee was released by the Pirates. The Mets picked Mazzilli up on August 3 and he became a valuable pinch hitter during the Mets' stretch drive. 
• Mazzilli was used as a reserve outfielder and first baseman by the Mets. He had a good year in 1987 but in 1988 injuries started to take their toll on Lee. He was sent to the Toronto Blue Jays in a waiver deal in 1989. Mazzilli didn't fare very well with the Blue Jays and retired after the 1989 season.
• Lee had a few announcing and acting jobs after his playing career. He managed the Baltimore Orioles for 1 1/2 seasons and also did some coaching in the Yankees' system. Lee was the first base coach for Torre's Yankees for a few years in the early 2000s and was Torre's bench coach in 2006.
• A good summary of Lee's career is found on his SABR biography linked above.
• Dan Thomas
• Debut: September 2, 1976
• 1977 Stats:
• Milwaukee Brewers: .271, 2 HR, 11 RBI in 22 games
• Spokane Indians (AAA): .237, 1 HR, 19 RBI in 38 games
• 1977 Highlights:
• April 5 - Hit a home run to help the Brewers beat the Minnesota Twins 18-6 in an exhibition game.
• Other card blogs: none
• Dan Thomas was a tragic figure in baseball. He was known as "the Sundown Kid" because of his refusal to play from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday. He did this for religious reasons starting in the 1977 season.
• Thomas was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the first round in 1972. He played in the minors from 1972-1976. Dan had a good year for the AA Berkshire Brewers (.325, 29 HR, 83 RBI) in 1976 and was named the Eastern League MVP. Thomas batted .276 with 4 HR and 15 RBI in 32 games for the Brewers in September 1976.
• Dan  made the Brewers ballclub in 1977. He announced that he wouldn't play on his church's (The Worldwide Church of God) Sabbath Day. Thomas played in 22 games and batted .271, but the Brewers tired of having a player who wouldn't be available two days out of the week. In mid-May Dan was sent to AAA Spokane. Thomas and the Brewers continued to be at odds over his availability and he had his pay docked for each day he was unavailable.
• In early August the Brewers assigned Thomas to the AA Holyoke Millers. Dan refused to report and retired from the game.
• Dan tried to return to baseball in 1978 and in 1979 but wasn't very successful. He had a history of mental problems. Thomas lived in the Spokane area and tried to hold down various odd jobs, but he had a hard time staying employed for very long.
• In 1980 Thomas moved with his wife and two children to Alabama. He was arrested and charged with the rape of a twelve year old girl. While he was awaiting trial Dan hung himself in his jail cell. His wife was unable to afford to move Dan's body back to her family's home in Illinois or to the Northwest. He was buried in a potter's field in Alabama.