- Diego Segui was at the end of his road in 1977. In 1976 Segui was cut by the Boston Red Sox during spring training. Diego signed with the San Diego Padres but spent the entire year in AAA Hawaii. The Seattle Mariners purchased Segui after the 1976 season.
- Segui has the distinction of being the only pitcher to pitch for both the Seattle Pilots (1969) and the Seattle Mariners (1977) in the first game for each franchise. Diego earned the save for the Pilots in 1969. He started the opening day game for the Mariners in 1977 and took the loss.
- After his career in the United States Segui pitched in the Mexican League from 1978-1985.
- Diego Segui's SABR biography
- 1977 Stats: 0-7, 2 saves, 5.69 ERA in 40 games (7 starts)
- 1977 Highlights:
- May 5 - Struck out ten batters in seven innings, but took the loss as the Mariners lost to the Boston Red Sox 5-2.
- Other card blogs: 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975
- Tom Walker pitched in his final season in 1977. Tom was cut from the St. Louis Cardinals during spring training and picked up by the Montreal Expos. Walker started the season in AAA Denver. After going 7-0 with a 1.97 ERA in 20 games, Tom was recalled to Montreal in early June. Tom didn't do a whole lot with the Expos and was sold to the California Angels on July 13. Walker pitched in one game for the Angels and then was sent to AAA Salt Lake City.
- Tom Walker's SABR biography
- 1977 Stats: 1-1, 5.14 ERA in 12 games
- Montreal Expos: 1-1, 4.74 ERA in 11 games
- California Angels: 0-0, 9.00 ERA in 1 game
- 1977 Highlights:
- Other card blogs: 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976
- Early in the 1977 season it looked like Mike Pazik was finally going to stick in the majors after years of work. Mike started the season in the Twins rotation, but on April 25 he was a passenger in a volkswagen driven by teammate Don Carrithers. A woman driving the wrong way on a freeway offramp collided with the volkswagen. Pazik suffered two broken legs and was out for the remainder of the season. Mike pitched in the minors for the next two seasons but never got back to the majors.
- 1977 Stats: 1-0, 2.50 ERA in 3 starts
- 1977 Highlights:
- Other card blogs: 1976
- Dan Larson was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in 1972. From 1972-1974 Dan moved up the St. Louis chain. After the 1974 season Larson was traded to the Houston Astros.
- Larson was in the minors for the entire 1975 season. In 1976 Dan started the year in AAA. Larson was called up in July and in his first game allowed one run in a complete game 14-1 win over the Montreal Expos. Larson was 5-8 with a 3.02 ERA in 13 starts for the Astros in 1976.
- The 1977 season was the only year in which Dan Larson didn't spend at least some amount of time in the minors. Larson was a middle reliever at the start of the season. In late June Dan moved in to the Houston starting rotation and stayed there until early August.
- In 1978 Larson didn't make the Houston staff and was sent to Charleston. Dan was 14-6 with a 3.74 ERA. Larson was named the right-handed starter on the International League All Star team at the end of the season. In early September Larson was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies for Dan Warthen. Larson got in to one game for the Phillies and allowed one run in one inning.
- Larson was in AAA for most of the 1979 season (9-8, 4.81 ERA). Dan was called up in September and started three games (1-1, 4.26 ERA) for the Phillies
- Dan split the 1980 season between the minors (7-2, 3.77 ERA for two teams) and the Phillies. Larson went 0-5 and had a 3.15 ERA in 12 games (7 starts) for the Phillies in 1980.
- The 1981 season was more of the same for Larson. He was in AAA Oklahoma City (14-7, 3.49 ERA in 25 starts) until September and then was called up by the Phillies. Dan was 3-0 with a 4.18 ERA in 5 games (4 starts) for the Phillies. After the 1981 season Larson was traded (with Dickie Noles) to the Chicago Cubs for Mike Krukow.
- Larson started the 1982 season with the Cubs. He was 0-4 and had a 5.67 ERA in 12 games (6 starts). Dan made his last appearance on June 1 and then was sent to AAA Iowa.
- Dan pitched for Iowa in 1983 and for Oklahoma City in 1984. That was it for Larson's career.
- 1977 Stats: 1-7, 1 save, 5.81 ERA in 32 games (10 starts)
- 1977 Highlights:
- Other card blogs: none (it's surprising he didn't at least get a 1978 card since he spent the whole 1977 season in the majors)
- Alex Johnson's major league career was over when this card came out. Johnson was released by the Tigers in December 1976. Alex played in the Mexican League in 1977.
- Other card blogs: 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975
- 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
- Willie Davis didn't play major league baseball in 1977. Davis was released by the San Diego Padres in January 1977. Davis played in Japan for two seasons and then played for the California Angels in 1979. Willie finished his career as a player in 1980 in the Mexican League. He also managed in the Mexican League in 1980 and in 1981.
- Davis passed away on 9 March 2010
- Other card blogs: 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976
- Chris Arnold spent the entire 1977 season with the AAA Phoenix Giants. After the season Arnold went to Japan and played there from 1978-1980.
- According to his wikipedia entry, Chris now runs Professional Sports International out of his home in Denver.
- Topps was really stretching things for the writeup on the back of this card.
- 1977 Stats:
- Phoenix Giants - .302, 8 HR, 90 RBI, 111 runs scored in 139 games
- 1977 Highlights:
- June 15 - Hit a 3-run homer to help the Phoenix Giants to an 11-7 win over the San Jose Missions.
- Other card blogs: 1972, 1973, 1974, Cardboard Gods
- Mike Cosgrove didn't pitch in the majors in 1977. Mike was released at the end of spring training. He spent the season with three different minor league teams.
- After the 1977 season Cosgrove was drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the Rule 5 draft. He was then sent to the Toronto Blue Jays sometime before the 1978 season in an unknown transaction. Cosgrove was then dealt to the St. Louis Cardinals on March 23 for Mickey Scott. Either he was injured or he didn't make the team.
- 1977 Stats:
- Charleston Charlies (AAA) - 1-3, 6.62 ERA in 15 games (3 starts)
- Columbus Astros (AA) - 0-1, 12.00 ERA in 2 starts
- Cocoa Astros (A) - 3-5, 3.60 ERA in 9 starts
- Other card blogs: Cardboard Gods, 1976, 1975
- Dave Moates had already played in his last major league game when this card was made. Moates started the season with AAA Tucson and hit .349 in 17 games. Dave was sold to the New York Yankees on May 23. The Yankees sent Moates to AAA Syracuse. Dave hit well there, but he was never called up to the majors. Moates retired after the 1977 season.
- After his playing career Dave coached at State College of Florida (SCF), where he had played before transferring to Florida State University. Moates also started the baseball program at Lakewood High School and won a state championship in 2003. Moates was recently inducted into the SCF Hall of Fame and helps as an assistant coach there.
- 1977 Stats:
- Tucson Toros (AAA) - .349 (22 for 63) in 17 games
- Syracuse Chiefs (AAA) - .301, 3 HR, 35 RBI in 114 games
- Other card blogs: 1976
- At the beginning of the 1977 season Rick Baldwin was in AAA Tidewater. He was the last player cut by the Mets in spring training. Baldwin put up some good numbers as a reliever in AAA, so the Mets brought him up in May. Rick didn't have as much success with the Mets.
- After the 1977 season Baldwin was taken by the Seattle Mariners in the Rule 5 draft. He spent the 1978 season in AAA and retired after the season. Rick is now involved in a baseball ministry and is an Elementary Chapel Instructor at Modesto Christian School.
- It's funny how we often watch things on tiny screens today, kind of like the one shown on this cartoon.
- 1977 Stats:
- New York Mets: 1-2, 1 save, 4.45 ERA in 40 games
- Tidewater Tides (AAA): 4-1, 3 saves, 2.75 ERA in 12 games
- 1977 Highlights:
- June 21 - Pitched a scoreless top of the 11th inning, striking out two batters. The Mets scored three runs in the bottom of the 11th to beat the Atlanta Braves 5-2. Baldwin got credit for the win, which was the last of his major league career.
- Other card blogs: 1976
- Carlos May didn't get used very much by the Yankees in 1977. On September 15 the Yankees placed May on waivers. The California Angels claimed May and he finished the season (and as it turned out his major league career) with the club. The Yankees paid for the move in October -- they ended up playing the AL Championship Series with only 24 players since they waived May so late in the season.
- After the 1977 season Carlos became a free agent and was not signed by a major league club. He went to Japan and played there from 1978-1981.
- 1977 Stats:
- New York Yankees - .227, 2 HR, 16 RBI in 65 games
- California Angels - .333 (6 for 18) in 11 games
- 1977 Highlights:
- Other card blogs: 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976
- Jack Heidemann had some good years in AAA, but he wasn't as successful at the major league level. Jack started the 1977 season with the Brewers, but Heidemann didn't see much action and was sent to AAA in May. Heidemann continued to play in the minors through the 1979 season, but didn't get back to the majors.
- 1977 Stats:
- Milwaukee Brewers - .000 (0 for 1) in 5 games
- Spokane Indians (AAA) - .315, 1 HR, 64 RBI in 102 games
- 1977 Highlights:
- June 22 - Hit a home run in the bottom of the 7th inning to give Spokane a 5-1 win over the Salt Lake City Gulls.
- Aug 19 - Singled in the winning run in the bottom of the 7th in Spokane's 2-1 victory over the Hawaii Islanders.
- Other card blogs: 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975
- Pepe Mangual was in AAA for almost all of the 1977 season. He had a nice year for Tidewater, but it probably wasn't noticed as much then as it would be now. It's hard to walk 126 times in a season, but Pepe managed to do it.
- Mangual was brought up to the Mets as a September call-up. The eight games he appeared in were the last games of his major league career. Pepe continued to play in the minors from 1978-1984 without making it back to the majors.
- 1977 Stats:
- Tidewater Tides (AAA) - .252, 20 HR, 62 RBI, 126 BB, 40 SB in 140 games
- New York Mets - .143 (1 for 7) in 8 games
- Other card blogs: 1975, 1976
- This was Mike Wallace's last year in the majors. He made the Texas Rangers staff in spring training but was sent down to the minors in early May. Mike pitched in AAA through the 1979 season but never made it back to the majors.
- 1977 Stats: 0-0, 7.56 ERA in 5 games
- Other card blogs: 1974, 1975
- Vic Albury had already pitched in his last major league game when this card was printed. Albury spent the 1977 season in AAA. His Baseball Reference page shows him with Syracuse of the New York Yankees organization, but he was still a member of the Minnesota Twins organization.
- The Twins let Albury leave as a free agent after the 1977 season. Vic wasn't signed by a major league team and spent the 1978 season pitching in the Mexican League. Albury pitched in AAA in 1979 and retired after the season.
- 1977 Stats:
- Syracuse Chiefs (AAA) - 9-9, 2 saves, 5.13 ERA in 29 games (15 starts)
- Other card blogs: 1972, 1974, 1975, 1976
- Enzo spent most of the 1977 season on the disabled list with a bad back. He had surgery (against the advice of the Padres) in 1977. The back problems shortened his career.
- Enzo was released during spring training in 1978. He played in AAA and with the LA Dodgers briefly in 1978 before retiring.
- Enzo Hernandez was found dead of an apparent suicide in January 2013. He was being treated for depression at the time.
- 1977 Stats: .000 (0 for 3) in 7 games
- Other card blogs: 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976
- Here is another card of a player in his last season. At this point in his career Cookie Rojas was a backup at third base and at second base.
- 1977 Stats:
- Regular season: .250 in 64 games
- AL Championship Series: .250 (1 for 4) in 1 game
- 1977 Highlights:
- Other card blogs: 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976
- Dave Pagan was chosen by the Seattle Mariners in the 1976 expansion draft (hence the bad airbrush job on this card). Pagan started the season with the Mariners but he struggled. Dave was sent to AAA in early July and then was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates on July 27 for Rick Honeycutt. Pagan pitched for AAA Columbus until the minor league season was over and then went up to Pittsburgh. He pitched in one game for the Pirates and that was it for his major league career.
- 1977 Stats:
- Seattle Mariners: 1-1, 6.14 ERA in 24 games (4 starts)
- Spokane Indians (AAA): 0-3, 7.56 ERA in 5 games (4 starts)
- Columbus Clippers (AAA): 2-1, 3.79 ERA in 8 games (5 starts)
- Pittsburgh Pirates: 0-0, 0.00 ERA in 1 game
- 1977 Highlights:
- Other card blogs: 1975
- This was Mike Hegan's last season. Hegan was a pinch hitter and occasional outfielder by this point in his career. After batting .170 in 35 games Mike announced he would quit playing at the end of the season and become a broadcaster. Hegan was dissatisifed about his playing time and with manager Alex Grammas. The Brewers released Hegan on July 15.
- Mike Hegan's SABR biography
- 1977 Stats: .170, 2 HR, 3 RBI in 35 games
- 1977 Highlights:
- Other card blogs: 1976, 1976, 1975, 1974, 1973, 1972, 1971, 1970, 1969, 1968, 1967
