Willie Crawford never played during the regular season for the San Francisco Giants. On March 26 Willie was traded (with Rob Sperring) to the Houston Astros for Rob Andrews and cash. Crawford played for the Astros until June 15 and then was traded to the Oakland A's for Denny Walling and cash.
Crawford started in left field for Houston in May and June before his trade to Oakland. He then filled in at LF and RF for the A's. From late August until the end of the season Willie appeared 13 times as a pinch hitter but never played in the field.
Jim Barr led the SF Giants in starts in the 1977 season. After several solid seasons with the Giants, Barr's stats were starting to decline. His ERA rose from 2.89 in 1976 to 4.76 in 1977.
1977 Stats: 12-16, 4.76 ERA in 38 starts
1977 Highlights:
May 4 - Allowed six hits and one run and pitched a complete game as the Giants beat the Montreal Expos 5-1. Barr knocked in one run as well.
Aug 31 - Allowed three runs in a complete game 6-3 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. The win evened his record at 12-12. Unfortunately it would be his last win of the season.
As this card indicates, Darrell Evans was slated to be the Giants' starting first baseman for 1977. The comeback of Willie McCovey caused Evans to be moved to left field. Darrell also saw some time at third base when Bill Madlock had some minor injuries.
1977 Stats: .254, 17 HR, 72 RBI, in 144 games
1977 Highlights:
May 20 - Hit a 2-run double in the 9th inning to help the Giants to a 7-5 comeback victory over the St. Louis Cardinals
Aug 21 - Hit a 2-run homer in the 8th inning to break a tie, lifting the Giants to a 5-4 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates.
This was the season that cemented Willie McCovey's place as a future Hall of Famer. Willie had a bad 1976 season and there was doubt about whether or not he would still be playing in 1977. The Giants invited McCovey to spring training and he made the team.
McCovey had his best season since 1970. He led the Giants in home runs (28), RBI (86) and slugging percentage (.500). Willie won the NL Comeback Player of the Year award and positioned himself nicely to get to 500 home runs. Willie also won baseball's Hutch Award for overcoming adversity.
June 27 - Hit two home runs in one inning. One of the home runs was his 17th career grand slam, which set the NL record. The Giants beat the Cincinnati Reds 14-9.
Sept 26 - Hit his 492nd career home run in the 7th inning of a 9-1 Giants win over the LA Dodgers. After the game Willie said he could play through 1980. McCovey almost made it -- he retired in July 1980.
Chris Speier was disgruntled with the Giants at the start of the 1977 season. He was at an impasse on contract negotiations and he wasn't helping his own cause by struggling at the plate in 1976 and early in 1977. Speier was benched in mid April. On April 27 Chris was traded to the Montreal Expos for shortstop Tim Foli. Speier started to hit better once he went to Montreal, but his stats weren't quite up to the level of his all-star years in the early 1970s.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
For various reasons time has been an issue with me lately. For the next couple of weeks I'm going to skip around and do posts on cards that I already have scanned (mostly SF Giants). Hopefully in a few weeks I'll be able to scan the other cards and get back to normal.
This was Gary Thomasson's last year as a Giant and it was also his best. Gary was the regular left fielder and set career highs in most categories.
During spring training in 1978 Thomasson was included in the big trade that the Giants pulled off with the Oakland A's to acquire Vida Blue
1977 Stats: .256, 17 HR, 71 RBI in 145 games
1977 Highlights:
May 25 - Hit a 3-run home run off of the rim of the upper right field grandstand at Candlestick Park in the first inning to help the Giants beat the Cincinnati Reds 6-5.
Len Barker was drafted by the Texas Rangers in 1973 at the age of 17. He pitched in the minors exclusively from 1973-1975 and then got a September call-up in 1976 (1-0, 2.40 ERA in 2 starts).
Barker started the 1977 season in the minors, was called up in July, sent back down in August, and then finished the season with the Rangers in September. Len was 4-1 with 1 save and had a 2.66 ERA in 15 games (2 starts).
In 1978 Barker was used as a reliever by the Rangers. He started the season with Texas and then was sent down for about five weeks in May/June. Len then came back to the Rangers and finished hte season with them. Barker was 1-5 with 4 saves and had an ERA of 4.82 in 29 games.
After the 1978 season Len was traded with Bobby Bonds to the Cleveland Indians for Jim Kern and Larvell Blanks. In 1979 Barker was a reliever until June and then went into the Cleveland starting rotation. Len was a starter (except for a few spot relief appearances) for the rest of his career. Barker went 6-6 and had a 4.92 ERA in 29 games (19 starts).
Barker had his best year in 1980. He led the AL with 187 strikeouts and was 19-7 with a 4.17 ERA in 36 starts.
Len made the AL All Star team in 1981 (he pitched two scoreless innings). His stats didn't exactly reflect this All Star status - Len was 8-7 with a 3.91 ERA in 22 starts and led the AL with 127 strikeouts. On May 15, 1981 Barker pitched a perfect game against the Toronto Blue Jays.
A video of the last part of Len's 1981 perfect game is above. For some reason blogger kept putting the video up there instead of down here where I wanted it.
Despite a high (3.90) ERA, Len had a solid year in 1982, going 15-11 in 33 starts.
In 1983 Barker was with Cleveland for the first part of the season (8-13, 5.11 ERA). He was traded to the Atlanta Braves on August 28 for $150,000 and players to be named later. The players were Rick Behenna, Brett Butler, and Brook Jacoby. The Braves wanted Len for the stretch run. Barker started six games for the Braves and was 1-3 with a 3.82 ERA.
After the 1983 season Barker signed a big 5-year, $4.5 million contract with the Braves.
Len started to have arm problems in 1984. He only pitched until late July in 1984 (7-8, 3.85 ERA in 21 games/20 starts) and then had elbow surgery. The 1985 season was Barker's last full season in the majors. He was 2-9 with a 6.35 ERA in 20 games (18 starts) and had a stint on the disabled list.
Barker struggled in spring training in 1986. Len was released at the end of spring training and the Braves ate the rest of his contract. Barker signed with the Montreal Expos. He pitched in the minors in 1986 but he didn't make the club in 198s and was cut at the end of spring training.
Len signed with the Milwaukee Brewers and started 11 games for them in 1987 (2-1, 5.36 ERA).
After his playing career Barker had a construction business. He is now the coach of the Division II Notre Dame College baseball team.
July 12 - Finally won his sixth game after 10 no-decisions in a row. Manager Danny Ozark stayed with Lerch during a tie game in the 8th inning and the Phillies rallied in the 9th to beat the St. Louis Cardinals 5-4. Randy went the distance for the win.
Randy Lerch had his rookie season in 1977 after brief trials in 1975 and in 1976. The 22-year-old rookie was the third starter for the NL East Champion Phillies, but he wasn't used in the postseason.
Greg Minton
Debut: September 7, 1975
1977 Stats:
Phoenix Giants (AAA): 14-6, 4 saves, 4.86 ERA in 26 games (20 starts)
Greg Minton was originally drafted by the Kansas City Royals in 1970. He pitched in the Royals' system from 1970-1973 before being traded to the San Francisco Giants for Fran Healy.
Minton pitched in the Giants' system for the next few seasons. Greg had short stints with the Giants in 1975 (1-1, 6.88 ERA in 4 games/2 starts), 1976 (0-1, 4.93 ERA in 10 games/2 starts), and in 1977 (1-1, 4.50 ERA in 2 starts).
Greg's career seemed to be topping out in 1978. He went back and forth between AAA Phoenix and the Giants. Greg had a few rough outings in August and September which caused his ERA to balloon. Minton ended up with an 0-1 record and an 8.04 ERA in 11 games.
In 1979 Greg had an injury and decided to alter his pitching motion. The change resulted in a much improved sinkerball and Minton started to find success. From 1979-1981 Minton didn't allow a single home run. Greg teamed with lefty Gary Lavelle to form a great lefty/righty closer combination for the Giants.
1979 - 4-3, 4 saves, 1.81 ERA in 46 games
1980 - 4-6, 19 saves, 2.46 ERA in 68 games
1981 - 4-5, 21 saves, 2.88 ERA in 55 games
1982 - 10-4, 30 saves, 1.83 ERA in 78 games.
Minton made his only All Star team in 1982 (he walked one batter in 2/3 of an inning). He also finished 6th in NL Cy Young Award balloting and 8th in NL MVP voting.
Starting in 1983 Greg wasn't as effective. He started to hear some boos at Candlestick Park from the few people who still attended games.
1983 - 7-11, 22 saves, 3.54 ERA in 73 games
1984 - 4-9, 19 saves, 3.76 ERA in 74 games (1 start)
1985 - 5-4, 4 saves, 3.54 ERA in 68 games
1986 - 4-4, 5 saves, 3.93 ERA in 48 games
Minton started the 1987 season with the Giants (1-0, 1 save, 3.47 ERA in 15 games). The Giants released Greg on May 28. Minton signed with the California Angels and had a few good seasons with them, especially in 1989.
1987 - 5-4, 10 saves, 3.08 ERA in 41 games
1988 - 4-5, 7 saves, 2.85 ERA in 44 games
1989 - 4-3, 8 saves, 2.20 ERA in 62 games
In 1990 Minton had some injuries. He was still an effective pitcher but the injuries limited him to 11 games (1-1, 2.35 ERA). Greg retired after the 1990 season.
Minton was nicknamed "Moon Man." He was known for his practical jokes and his enjoyment of hobbies such as deep sea fishing that weren't typical hobbies for atheletes.
After his playing career Greg did some coaching and then was the General Manager at Extra Innings East Valley, a batting cage and sports instruction center in Arizona.
Mike Overy
Debut: August 14, 1976
1977 Stats:
Salt Lake City Gulls (AAA): 7-5, 8 saves, 4.33 ERA in 39 games (12 starts)
Other card blogs: none
Mike Overy was drafted by the California Angels in 1973. Overy was used almost exclusively as a reliever as he moved up the Angels system from 1973-1976. Mike was called up in early August 1976 to replace the injured Bobby Bonds. Overy appeared in five games for the Angels and was 0-2 with a 6.14 ERA.
That was Mike's only experience in the major leagues. Overy was a fixture for the AAA Salt Lake City Gulls, pitching there from 1976-1980. Mike retired after the 1980 season.
Gary Alexander was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in 1972. Gary worked his way up the Giants' chain from 1972-1977. Alexander hit a lot of home runs, drew a lot of walks, and struck out a lot. Gary had brief stints in San Francisco in 1975 (0 for 3 in 3 games) and in 1976 (.178 in 23 games).
In 1977 Alexander started in AAA Phoenix. He batted .341 with 7 home runs in 59 games and earned a call to San Francisco. Gary also hit well in San Francisco (.303 with 5 HR in 51 games).
Gary was supposed to be the Giants' starting catcher in 1978, but the Giants had the opportunity to acquire Vida Blue. Gary was traded (with Mario Guerrero, Dave Heaverlo, Phil Huffman, John Henry Johnson, Gary Thomasson, Alan Wirth, and $300,000) to the Oakland A's for Blue on March 15.
Alexander was with the A's for only half a season. He batted .207 with 10 HR and 22 RBI for the A's and was traded to the Cleveland Indians for Joe Wallis on June 15. Gary batted .235 with 17 HR and 62 RBI for the Indians. All told, Gary hit 27 home runs but led the AL with 166 strikeouts. On September 26Alexander broke up a no-hit bid by Baltimore's Mike Flanagan by hitting a home run with two out in the 9th inning.
In 1979 Alexander shared catching duties with Ron Hassey. Gary had some power but he struck out a lot and also had trouble defensively. Alexander batted .225 with 15 HR and 54 RBI in 110 games.
Alexander was used more as a DH and pinch hitter in 1980. In 79 games Gary batted .225 with 5 HR and 31 RBI
After the 1980 season Gary (along with Victor Cruz, Bob Owchinko and Rafael Vasquez) was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Bert Blyleven and Manny Sanguillen. In 1981 Alexander was used mostly as a pinch hitter. He batted .213 in 21 games.
The Pirates released Gary at the end of spring training in 1982. Alexander played in the Mexican League in 1982 and in 1983.
Rick Cerone:
Debut: August 17, 1975
1977 Stats:
Toronto Blue Jays - .200, 1 HR, 10 RBI in 31 games
Charleston Charlies (AAA) - .234, 6 HR, 40 RBI in 70 games
Other card blogs: 1979, 1980, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1988
Rick Cerone was the first round draft pick of the Cleveland Indians in 1975. He had two brief stints with the Indians in 1975 (3 for 12 in 7 games) and in 1976 (2 for 16 in 7 games).
After the 1976 season Cleveland traded Rick (with John Lowenstein) to the Toronto Blue Jays for Rico Carty.
Rick started the 1977 season with the Blue Jays but he was injured on April 12 when a foul tip broke his right thumb. He spent time recovering from the injury and then played in AAA until mid August. Rick was recalled when starting catcher Ernie Whitt was injured. Cerone batted .200 in 31 games for the Blue Jays.
In 1978 Cerone split time with Alan Ashby behind the plate and batted .223 in 88 games.
Rick became the full time starting catcher in 1979. He batted .239 with 7 HR in 136 games. After the 1979 season Cerone was traded (with Tom Underwood and Ted Wilborn) to the New York Yankees for Chris Chambliss, Damaso Garcia, and Paul Mirabella. Since Cerone grew up in New Jersey, he was happy about the trade.
Cerone had his "career year" for the Yankees in 1980. He batted .277 with 14 HR and 85 RBI and finished 7th in AL MVP voting. Rick batted .333 (4 for 12) in the AL Championship Series.
Rick's production dropped in 1981 (.244 in 71 games). He batted .333 (6 for 18) in the AL Divisional Series, .100 in the AL Championship Series, and .190 in the World Series.
In the next few seasons Rick's playing time dropped as he split time behind the plate with Butch Wynegar. He batted .227 in 89 games in 1982 and batted .220 in 80 games in 1983. Wynegar became the full time catcher in 1984 and Rick batted .208 in 38 games. He spent two months on the disabled list with a tender elbow. After the 1984 season the Yankees traded Cerone to the Atlanta Braves for pitcher Brian Fisher.
In the next eight years Rick played for six teams. In 1985 (.216 in 96 games) Cerone shared catching duties with Bruce Benedict. Rick moved to the Milwaukee Brewers in 1986 (.259 in 68 games) and split time with Charlie Moore behind the plate. In 1987 Cerone was back with the Yankees and was a starting catcher for the last time in his career (.243 in 113 games). Rick was released by the Yankees during spring training in 1988. He signed with the Boston Red Sox and he spent the next two seasons there (.269 in 84 games in 1988 and .243 in 102 games in 1989). Cerone went back to the Yankees (signed as a free agent) in 1990 (.302 in 49 games) and then played for the New York Mets (.273 in 90 games) in 1991. Rick finished his career with the Montreal Expos in 1992 (.270 in 33 games).
In 1998 Cerone founded the Newark Bears, an independent team. He sold the club in 2003.
Richmond Braves (AAA) - .305, 22 HR, 90 RBI in 127 games
1977 Highlights:
Sept 15 - Hit two home runs, including the game-winner in the 10th inning off of Rollie Fingers, as the Braves beat the San Diego Padres 8-7.
Other card blogs: 1979, 1980, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1993
Dale Murphy was the first round pick of the Atlanta Braves in 1974. He started out as a catcher and steadily moved up the Atlanta system during the next four years. Dale had brief stints with the Braves in 1976 (.262 in 19 games) and in 1977 (.316 in 18 games).
Murphy's fielding behind the plate was below average so the Braves sought to find him another position. In 1978 Dale spent most of the season at first base. He hit 23 home runs but batted only .223 and struck out a league-leading 145 times in 151 games.
In 1979 Murphy hit 21 home runs in 104 games and batted .276. This was the last year that the Braves tried to use Dale behind the plate. He threw out only six of the 38 runners who attempted to steal against him and his fielding percentage was below league average.
The Braves moved Murphy to center field in 1980. Dale had his breakout season, batting .281 with 33 HR and 89 RBI. Murphy was selected to his first all star team and finished 12th in NL MVP voting.
Murphy slipped in 1981 and batted .247 with 13 HR.
Dale had a great six-year run from 1982-1987:
1982 - .281, 36 HR, 109 RBI, NL MVP
1983 - .302, 36 HR, 120 RBI, NL MVP
1984 - .290, 36 HR, 100 RBI
1985 - .300, 37 HR, 111 RBI
1986 - .265, 29 HR, 83 RBI (the only off year during this run)
1987 - .295, 44 HR, 105 RBI
Murphy was an NL All Star in each of these seasons and won a Gold Glove every year from 1982-1986
In 1988 at the age of 32 Murphy started to have a dramatic drop-off in his production. He dropped to .226 with 24 HR and 77 RBI in 1988 and then batted .228 with 20 HR and 84 RBI in 1989.
Murphy started the 1990 season with similar stats. Dale was batting .232 with 17 HR on August 2 when he was surprisingly traded to the Philadelphia Phillies for four players. Dale hit seven more home runs with the Phillies and finished the 1990 season with 24 HR.
In 1991 Dale improved his batting average a bit, but the rest of his stats were similar to the previous three seasons. He batted .252 with 18 HR and 81 RBI.
Dale was released by the Phillies on April 3, 1993. On the same day Murphy signed with the expansion Colorado Rockies. He played in 26 games but batted only .143. Murphy retired on June 1.
Murphy finished his career with 398 lifetime home runs. If he would have had a couple more good years or if the decline of his career wouldn't have been so steep Dale would probably be in the Hall of Fame today.
Dale was known for his clean living and high personal standards. After his playing career Murphy was a mission president in the LDS church in Boston for three years and has a lot of charity work.
Kevin Pasley
Debut: October 2, 1974
1977 Stats:
Los Angeles Dodgers - .333 (1 for 3) in 2 games
Albuquerque Dukes (AAA) - .304, 1 HR, 60 RBI in 96 games
Kevin Pasley was drafted out of high school by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1972. Kevin worked his way up the Dodgers' system in the next few years. He played in on October game for the Dodgers in 1974 but didn't bat.
Pasley spent four years (1974-1977) playing for AAA Albuquerque. The Dodgers called Kevin up in September 1976 and he got a month-long look. Pasley batted .231 in 23 games.
In 1977 Kevin spent most of the season in Albuquerque. He played in two games for the Dodgers in August, going 1 for 3. On September 8 Kevin was sold to the Seattle Mariners. He played in five games for the Mariners, batting .385.
Pasley started the 1978 season with the Mariners but was sent to AAA San Jose in May after batting .115 in 10 games. Kevin came back up to Seattle in late August and improved his hitting. Pasley ended up batting .241 in 55 games. This was his last season as a major leaguer.
Kevin was released during spring training in 1979. He hooked on with the Pittsburgh Pirates organization for the 1979 season and then spent 1980 and 1981 playing in the Toronto Blue Jays organization.
Pasley signed with the Detroit Tigers in 1982. He played in 25 games in AA and AAA before retiring.
Marty Perez moved around a lot in 1977. During spring training Perez was traded from the Giants to the New York Yankees for Terry Whitfield. Perez was slated to share time at shortstop with Fred Stanley, but when the Yankees acquired shortstop Bucky Dent in early April Marty was expendable. On April 27 Marty was traded (with Dock Ellis and Larry Murray) to the Oakland A's for Mike Torrez. Perez played a lot more for the last place A's, but his career was winding down and he hung 'em up after the 1978 season.
Larry Herndon was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in 1971. Larry played in the minors from 1971-1974. Herndon was called up in September 1974 and was used a lot as a pinch runner. He was 1 for 1 with 3 runs scored in 12 games.
Herndon was in the minors again in 1975. On May 9 Larry was traded (with a minor leaguer) to the San Francisco Giants for pitcher Ron Bryant. Herndon finished the 1975 season in AAA Phoenix.
In 1976 Larry started in Phoenix. He was called up in late April and had a good rookie season for the Giants, batting .288 in 115 games. It was a good enough season for Larry to get a Topps trophy on this card.
Larry hgd a tough year in 1977. He struggled at the plate and lost his starting center fielder job. Herndon didn't play after June 18. The only thing I could find was a reference to him coming off of the disqualified list after the 1977 season. Herndon ended up batting .239 in 49 games in 1977.
Herndon reclaimed his starting center field job in 1978. He batted .259 in 151 games. During his time with the Giants Larry had some speed, but his power and on base percentage numbers were low.
In 1979 Herndon spent most of his time in center field but made some appearances in left and right field. Larry batted .257 in 132 games.
Larry's 1980 season was very similar to his 1979 stats. He batted .258 in 139 games.
Herndon's last season with the Giants was in 1981. Larry moved to left field and improved his batting average to .288. After the 1981 season Herndon was traded to the Detroit Tigers for Dan Schatzaeder and Mike Chris.
Larry showed a lot more power during his years with the Tigers. In 1982 Herndon batted .292 with 23 home runs, 88 RBI, and 92 runs scored. Larry batted .302 with 20 HR and 92 RBI in 1983.
Herndon was the starting left fielder for that great Detroit club of 1984 and batted .280 in 125 games. His power dropped off -- Larry hit only seven home runs. In the ALCS Herndon went 1 for 5 in two games, but his one hit was a home run. In the World Series Larry batted .333 (5 for 15) with a 3-run home run.
Larry started to slow down in 1985. It was his final season as the starting left fielder. Herndon batted .244 with 12 HR and 37 RBI in 137 games.
In 1986 Herndon batted .247 in 106 games. He started 71 games in LF.
Herndon split time between the outfield and DH in 1987. He batted .324 with 9 HR and 47 RBI in part-time duty. Herndon hit a solo home run in the last game of the season that was the only run scored in Detroit's AL East clinching victory. Larry batted .333 (3 for 9) in three games in the ALCS.
The 1988 season was Herndon's final season. He batted .224 in 76 games and was released after the season.
The 1977 season was a tough one for John Montefusco. After two good years in 1975 and 1976, John signed a five-year contract before the 1977 season. Montefusco started the season poorly - he was 2-7 with a 3.94 ERA in late May.
After his return from the disabled list, John pitched better. He was 5-5 over the last three months of the year.
Useless trivia: In 1981 John's cards from the three major card companies all had similar numbers. His Topps card was #438, the Fleer was #439, and the Donruss card was #434.
