1977 Topps Baseball #616 - Tommy Sandt

• Tommy Sandt had a long baseball career even though he played in only 42 major league games. Sandt was drafted by the Oakland A's in 1969. Tommy played in the minors from 1969-1975. Sandt was brought up to the A's briefly in June 1975. He appeared in one game, but he didn't have a plate appearance.
• In 1976 Tommy was with Oakland for the entire season. He didn't get much playing time since the A's had Sal Bando at 3B, Bert Campaneris as SS, and Phil Garner at 2B. Sandt played in 41 games and batted .209 in 67 at bats.
• Sandt was sold to the St. Louis Cardinals during spring training in 1977. Tommy later said that he made a big mistake in hiring an agent before the 1977 season. He was sent to the minors in retribution for being difficult to sign, and he never made it back to the majors. Sandt was sent to AAA New Orleans, where he batted .259 with 10 HR in 80 games.
• In 1978 Tommy was in the Toronto organization. He batted .245 for AAA Syracuse.
• Sandt moved on to the Pittsburgh Pirates organization in 1979. He played for AAA Portland from 1979-1981.
• In 1982 Sandt went into managing. He managed (and occasionally played) in the Pirates organization from 1982-1986.
• Tommy coached in Pittsburgh (1987-1996), Florida (1997-1998), and Colorado (1999). Sandt then coached for the Pirates from 2000-2002.
• 1977 Stats:
• New Orleans Pelicans (AAA): .259, 10 HR, 44 RBI in 80 games
• Other card blogs: none