- After several years of struggling as a backup outfielder, Merv Rettenmund found his niche as a pinch hitting specialist in 1977. Merv set a team record with 21 pinch hits and set National League records with 16 walks and 86 appearances as a pinch hitter.
- Merv Rettenmund's SABR biography
- 1977 Stats: .286, 4 HR, 17 RBI in 107 games (126 at bats)
- 1977 Highlights:
- Other card blogs: 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1979, 1980
- Bobby Valentine had his toughest season in 1977. He was a part-time player with the San Diego Padres at the beginning of the season. On June 15 Valentine was traded (with Paul Siebert) to the New York Mets for Dave Kingman. Bobby spent the remainder of the 1977 season as a backup infielder for the Mets. Valentine ended up batting .153 for the season.
- 1977 Stats:
- San Diego Padres - .179, 1 HR, 10 RBI in 44 games
- New York Mets - .133, 1 HR, 3 RBI in 42 games
- Total: .153, 2 HR, 13 RBI in 86 games
- 1977 Highlights:
- Other card blogs: 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1979, 1980, 1986
- 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
- Randy Jones had a big drop-off from his wonderful 1975 and 1976 seasons. Randy had an operation on his arm at the end of the 1976 season. Jones had a sore biceps muscle and missed six weeks from mid-June to late July. There was doubt in early July about whether or not he would pitch again in 1977. Randy's career might have been better served by listening to the Padres team doctor and resting his arm.
- 1977 Stats: 6-12, 4.58 ERA in 27 games (25 starts)
- 1977 Highlights:
- Other card blogs: 1974, 1975, 1976, 1976, 1976, 1976 Kellogg's, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1983
- This is one of those rare instances where players of the same team had consecutive card numbers. Topps had Rollie Fingers planned as a member of the Oakland A's, but Rollie became a free agent after the 1976 season and signed with the San Diego Padres. Topps was able to change the team name and airbrush Fingers into a San Diego uniform, but Topps didn't change any card numbers.
- This was the first time in four years that Rollie Fingers wasn't selected to the All Star Game. Rollie still led the NL in appearances (78) and in saves (35).
- 1977 Stats: 8-9, 35 saves, 2.99 ERA in 78 games.
- 1977 Highlights:
- Other card blogs: 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1976 Hostess, 1978, 1979, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1983, 1985, 1986
- 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
- Juan Bernhardt
- Debut: July 10, 1976
- 1977 Stats: .243, 7 HR, 30 RBI in 89 games
- 1977 Highlights:
- Other card blogs: 1979
- Juan Bernhardt was signed by the New York Yankees from the Domincan Republic in 1970. Bernhardt was in the minors from 1971-1976. He batted over .300 in AAA in 1975 and in 1976. Juan was called up briefly in 1976 and batted .190 in 10 games.
- After the 1976 season Bernhardt was taken by the Seattle Mariners in the expansion draft. Juan was with the Mariners for the entire 1977 season and batted .243 in 89 games.
- Bernhardt split the 1978 season between Seattle and AAA San Jose. Juan batted .230 in 54 games for the Mariners in 1978.
- Juan started the 1979 season with the Mariners but only got into one game (1 for 1). He was in the minors for most of the 1979 season. Bernhardt was traded to the Chicago White Sox for Rich Hinton on July 6.
- In 1980 Bernhardt went to the Mexican League. Juan was a player-manager in 1981 and in 1982. Bernhardt played in the Mexican League from 1980-1983.
- Mike Champion
- Debut: September 14, 1976
- 1977 Stats: .229 in 150 games
- 1977 Highlights:
- Other card blogs: none
- The San Diego Padres drafted Mike Champion in 1973. Mike was in the minors from 1973-1976 and had a brief stint with the Padres in September 1976 (.237 in 11 games).
- Mike was given the starting second base job in 1977. He struggled at the plate, batting only .229 in 150 games. Mike was slightly below league average in fielding percentage and also had a below average range factor.
- In 1978 Champion started the season with the Padres. Mike lost his starting 2B job to Fernando Gonzelez and he was sent to AAA Hawaii in June. Champion came back to the Padres as a September call-up. Mike ended up batting .226 in 32 games in 1978.
- At the end of spring training in 1979 Champion was sent to the Cleveland Indians as the player to be named later in an earlier deal for Dan Briggs. Mike was sent to AAA Tacoma where he had two good years (.311 in 1979 and .281 in 1980). Champion was never called back up to the majors and he retired after the 1980 season.
- Jim Gantner
- Debut: September 3, 1976
- 1977 Stats:
- Spokane Indians (AAA): .281, 15 HR, 80 RBI, 98 runs in 143 games
- Milwaukee Brewers: .298 in 14 games
- 1977 Highlights:
- Sept 25 - Went 3 for 4, including a rare home run, in Milwaukee's 8-4 loss to the Minnesota Twins.
- Other card blogs: 1979, 1980, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1988
- Jim Gantner was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in 1974. Jim played in the minors from 1974-1977. He was given brief chances with Milwaukee in 1976 (.316 in 26 games) and in 1977 (.298 in 14 games).
- Gantner didn't have a regular position for his first few seasons with the Brewers. Jim batted .216 in 43 games in 1978 and .284 in 70 games in 1979.
- Jim spent most of his time at third base in 1980, batting .282 in 132 games.
- In 1981 Gantner was given the regular second base job (Paul Molitor was moved first to CF and then to 2B). Jim batted .267 in 107 games during the regular season and batted .143 (2 for 14) in the AL Divisional Series.
- Gantner had his three best seasons from 1982-1984. Jim batted a career-high .295 in 1982. He batted .188 in the AL Championship Series and .333 in the World Series. In 1983 Gantner batted .282 and hit a career-high 11 home runs. Jim also batted .282 in 1984 with less power.
- Jim started at 2B for the next two seasons, batting .254 in 1985 and .274 in 1986.
- Gantner had injury problems in 1987. He had arthroscopic knee surgery in March. He then had a hamstring injury in July and missed most of the last two months of the season. Jim batted .272 in 81 games.
- Jim returned to start at 2B in 1988 (.276 in 155 games) and in 1989 (.274 in 116 games).
- Gantner was a backup infielder for the last three seasons of his career. He batted .263 in 88 games in 1990, .283 in 140 games in 1991, and .246 in 101 games in 1992.
- Jim had rotator cuff surgery after the 1992 season. He wasn't sure if he wanted to come back and play again. Jim retired at the end of spring training in 1993.
- After his playing career Gantner coached for several seasons. Jim now runs Hale Park Automotive Services in Hales Corners, Wisconsin.
- Bump Wills
- Debut: April 7, 1977
- 1977 Stats: .287, 9 HR, 62 RBI in 152 games
- 1977 Highlights:
- Other card blogs: 1978, 1979, 1980, 1983
- Bump Wills, son of former SS Maury Wills, had a tumultuous start to his major league career. Bump was drafted in the first round by the Texas Rangers in 1975. After Wills played in the minors for two years Texas manager Frank Lucchesi declared in spring training of 1977 that Wills would be the Rangers' starting second baseman. Incumbent second baseman Lenny Randle took exception to the decision. Randle ended up punching out Lucchesi before a spring training game, which earned Randle a suspension and a trade out of Texas. Bump's rookie season seemed to get lost in the controversy. Wills batted .287 with 9 HR and 62 RBI in 152 games. Bump also stole 28 bases and finished third in AL Rookie of the Year voting.
- Wills was the Rangers' starting 2B for the next four years. He stole 52 bases and batted .250 in 1978 and batted .273 with 35 stolen bases in 1979. Bump batted .263 and scored a career high 102 runs in 1980.
- Bump's batting average dropped to .251 and his stolen base total dropped to 12 in 1981. After the 1981 season Wills lost his arbitration case and was also going to lose his starting 2B job to Doug Flynn.
- During spring training in 1982 Wills was traded to the Chicago Cubs for Paul Mirabella, a minor leaguer, and cash. Bump spent one season with the Cubs, batting .272 with 35 stolen bases in 128 games.
- Bump became a free agent after the 1982 season. He decided to play in Japan and spent the 1983 and 1984 seasons playing for the Hankyu Braves. After his stint in Japan Wills went into coaching. He managed in the low minors for several years in the late 1980s and 1990s.
T
- Mike Dupree
- Debut: April 13, 1976
- 1977 Stats:
- Hawaii Islanders: 3-5, 5 saves, 4.27 ERA in 36 games (3 starts); .352 average in 70 games (108 at bats)
- 1977 Highlights:
- Aug 29- As a DH he went 2 for 3 with a run scored and a run batted in to help Hawaii beat Spokane 5-3.
- Other card blogs: none
- Mike Dupree was drafted by the San Diego Padres in 1973. He was an outfielder and a first baseman in the minors from 1973-1975. Mike tried out pitching in AA in 1975 and was 5-0 with a 2.18 ERA in 14 games.
- Dupree made the San Diego club in 1976, but he didn't have much success in the majors. Mike spent one month with the Padres and had a 9.19 ERA in 12 games. Dupree was sent back to AAA in mid-May.
- Dupree pitched for the AAA Hawaii Islanders from 1976 through the 1979 season. He spent more time in the outfield and at DH than he did on the mound.
- In 1980 Dupree played in Japan. That was it for his professional baseball career.
- Denny Martinez
- Debut: September 14, 1976
- 1977 Stats: 14-7, 4 saves, 4.10 ERA in 42 games (13 starts)
- 1977 Highlights:
- May 25 - Allowed two runs (one unearned) in a complete game 4-1 victory over the Kansas City Royals.
- June 14 - Pitched the 10th and 11th innings and allowed one unearned run to earn the win as Baltimore beat the Milwaukee Brewers 8-5.
- Other card blogs: 1979, 1980, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1988
- Dennis Martinez enjoyed a 23-year career as a major league pitcher. Martinez was signed by the Baltimore Orioles from his native Nicaraugua in 1973. Dennis rose quickly through the crowded Baltimore farm system. He had a brief trial in 1976 (1-2, 2.60 ERA in 4 games/2 starts) and then joined the Oriole staff full time in 1977.
- Martinez had several good seasons with the Orioles, especially in 1979 (AL leader in complete games) and in 1981 (AL leader in wins)
- Dennis had some injury problems in 1980 (missed about 2 months with tendonitits). He wasn't as effective in his final few seasons in Baltimore. After the 1983 season Martinez underwent an 8-week treatment program for alcoholsim. During the 1986 season Dennis was traded with John Stenfro to the Montreal Expos for Rene Gonzalez.
- In 1987 Martinez had a huge revival as a pitcher. Dennis had six good years with the Expos from 1987-1992, including three All Star selections and an ERA title in 1991. On July 28, 1991 Martinez pitched a perfect game against the LA Dodgers.
- Dennis' stats fell off a bit in 1993. After the 1993 season Martinez became a free agent and signed with the Cleveland Indians. Dennis pitched for the Indians from 1993-1996. He had some injury problems in 1996 and after the season he became a free agent and signed with the Seattle Mariners. After struggling with the Mariners in 1997, Dennis retired after being released in June. The next season Martinez signed a minor league contract with the Atlanta Braves. Dennis won a job with the Braves, broke the record for the all-time winningest Latin-American pitcher, then retired at the age of 44 with 245 career victories.
- Dennis is now the bullpen coach for the Houston Astros.
- Craig Mitchell
- Debut: September 25, 1975
- 1977 Stats:
- San Jose Missions (AAA): 10-11, 1 save, 4.48 ERA in 32 games (30 starts)
- Oakland A's: 0-1, 7.94 ERA in 3 games (1 start)
- 1977 Highlights:
- Other card blogs: 1976.
- Craig Mitchell was drafted by the Oakland A's in 1973. He spent most of his career in the minors. Mitchell had brief stints with the A's in 1975 (0-1, 12.27 ERA in 1 start), 1976 (2.70 ERA in 1 game) and in 1977 (0-1, 7.94 ERA in 3 games).
- Mitchell pitched in AAA through the 1979 season.
- Bob Sykes
- Debut: April 9, 1977
- 1977 Stats: 5-7, 4.41 ERA in 32 games (20 starts)
- 1977 Highlights:
- Other card blogs: 1979, 1980
- Bob Sykes was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in 1974. Bob was 11-0 in Rookie League ball in 1974. He pitched in the minors in 1975 and in 1976.
- Sykes made the Detroit roster in 1977 because Mark Fidrych was to start the season on the disabled list. Bob managed to stay with the Tigers for the entire season. Bob split time between the bullpen and the starting rotation, going 5-7 with a 4.41 ERA in 32 games (20 starts).
- Bob spent the first month of the 1978 season in AAA Evansville. He was brought up to the Tigers after winning all four of his starts in Evansville (4-0, 1.41 ERA). Sykes was a spot starter and a long man for Detroit in 1978 (6-6, 2 saves, 3.94 ERA in 22 games /10 starts).
- After the 1978 season Sykes was traded with a minor leaguer to the St. Louis Cardinals for Jerry Morales and Aurelio Lopez.
- Sykes had a tough time for the Cardinals in 1979. Bob was in the starting rotation until mid-June, but he went down with a blood clot in his shoulder. Bob rehabbed in the minors and then came back to the Cardinals to pitch in two games in September. Overall Bob was 4-3 with a 6.18 ERA in 13 games (11 starts).
- Bob stayed with the Cardinals for all of 1980 (6-10, 4.64 ERA in 27 games/19 starts) and 1981 (2-0, 4.58 ERA in 22 games/1 start). Sykes was the Cardinals' player rep in 1981 during the strike.
- After the 1981 season Sykes was traded to the New York Yankees for Willie McGee. It was thought to be a minor deal at the time, but McGee paid big dividends for the Cardinals in their World Championship season in 1982. Bob spent the 1982 season on the disabled list and in the minors. Sykes retired after the 1982 season.
- Billy Almon
- Debut: September 2, 1974
- 1977 Stats: .261 in 155 games
- 1977 Highlights:
- Other card blogs: 1979, 1980, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1988
- Bill Almon was the first player taken in the 1974 draft. Almon was in the minors from 1974-1976 and had brief call-ups in 1974 (.316 in 16 games), 1975 (.400 in 6 games), and 1976 (.246 in 14 games).
- Almon became the starting shortstop for the Padres in 1977. He played in 155 games and batted .261 with 11 triples. Bill also led the NL with 20 sacrifice hits.
- Ozzie Smith came up to the Padres in 1978, so Almon switched to third base. Bill batted .252 in 138 games but he wasn't a power hitter (.309 slugging percentage).
- Bill was a utility player in 1979. He batted .227 in 100 games. After the 1979 season Almon was traded with Dan Briggs to the Montreal Expos for Dave Cash.
- Almon didn't get a whole lot of playing time with the Expos (.263 in 18 games) and was granted free agency on July 7. The Expos had wanted to send him to AAA but Bill had the right to refuse the assignment and become a free agent. Bill signed with the New York Mets on July 11. Almon batted .170 in 48 games and was released after the 1980 season.
- Bill, his wife, his parents, and all of the Almon siblings met after Christmas to discuss whether or not he should retire or give baseball another shot. They sent Bill back to baseball with their blessing. Almon signed with the Chicago White Sox and had a great season, batting .301 and finishing 18th in AL MVP voting.
- Almon batted .256 in 111 games for the White Sox in 1982. After the 1982 season Bill became a free agent and signed with the Oakland A's.
- Bill spent the next two seasons with Oakland, batting .266 in 143 games in 1983 and .223 in 106 games in 1984. Almon became a free agent after the 1984 season.
- Almon was invited to the Pittsburgh Pirates' camp in 1985. Bill won a job with the Pirates and was a utility guy for the next two seasons. Almon batted .270 in 88 games in 1985 and .219 in 102 games in 1986.
- Bill wasn't playing much for the Pirates in 1987. In the first two months of the season he played in only 19 games (.200 in 20 at bats). On May 29 Almon was traded to the Mets for two players. He batted .241 in 49 games for the Mets to finish the 1987 season.
- During spring training in 1988 Bill was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies for Shawn Barton and a minor leaguer. Almon was batting .115 in 20 games on June 16 when he was released by the Phillies.
- Mickey Klutts
- Debut: July 7, 1976
- 1977 Stats:
- Syracuse Chiefs (AAA): .288, 14 HR, 66 RBI in 85 games
- New York Yankees: .267 (4 for 15) in 5 games
- 1977 Highlights:
- Oct 2: Hit a home run in the final game of the season as the Yankees beat the Detroit Tigers 8-7.
- Other card blogs: 1980, 1983, Cardboard Gods
- Mickey Klutts was drafted by the New York Yankees at the age of 17 in 1972. He worked his way through the Yankee chain from 1972-1976. Mickey was the co-AAA-MVP (with Rich Dauer and Joe Lis) in 1976 when he batted .319 with 24 HR in Syracuse. Klutts was briefly called up in 1976 and was 0 for 3 in 2 games.
- Mickey started the 1977 season in Syracuse. Klutts was batting .288 with 14 HR when he was called up to the Yankees in August 1977 after starting 3B Graig Nettles was injured. Klutts played in only five games, batting .267 with one home run.
- Klutts made the Yankees club in 1978 but he played in only one game (2 for 2 on April 15). He was sent to AAA Tacoma in late May but didn't play for the club. On June 15 Mickey was traded (with Dell Alston and $50,000) to the Oakland A's for Gary Thomasson. The A's sent Klutts to AAA Vancouver. Mickey had either a broken thumb or a broken hand (or perhaps both) during the season. He played in only 11 games, batting .293.
- Mickey made the Oakland ballclub in 1979. He started 24 games in the infield and batted .192. Mickey came out of the game in the second inning on May 24 and didn't play again for the rest of the season. He also had to be carried off of the field on April 14 after being hit in the chin by a batted ball.
- Klutts had his best year in 1980. Mickey batted .269 in 75 games, but he was out for the entire months of July and August.
- Mickey had knee problems in 1981 and started the season on the disabled list. The knee injury and the strike combined to pretty much wipe out his 1981 season. Klutts played in nine games in AAA after the strike and then came up to the A's in late August. Mickey batted .370 in 15 games for the A's as they qualified for the split season playoffs. Klutts was 1 for 7 in the AL Divisional Series and then was 3 for 7 in the AL Championship Series.
- In 1982 Mickey showed up to spring training 30 pounds lighter. Unfortunately Klutts would battle injuries again. He batted only .178 in 55 games and was placed on waivers after the season.
- Klutts was invited to the Toronto Blue Jays camp and won a job. He was a backup third baseman and a pinch hitter for the Blue Jays in 1983. Mickey batted .256 in 22 games for the Blue Jays. He also had a brief stint in AAA Syracuse. That was it for Mickey's playing career.
- Tommy McMillan
- Debut September 17, 1977
- 1977 Stats:
- Rochester Red Wings (AAA): .274 in 39 games
- New Orleans Pelicans (AAA): .260 in 24 games
- Seattle Mariners: .000 (0 for 5) in two games
- Other card blogs: none
- Tommy McMillan was drafted by the Cleveland Indians in 1973. He played in AA and AAA in the Cleveland organization from 1973-1976. McMillan also played in 23 games for the AAA Iowa Oaks (Chicago White Sox organization) in 1976. Perhaps Tommy was loaned to the Oaks since I don't see a transaction.
- The Seattle Mariners drafted McMillan in the 1976 expansion draft. Tommy split time between two AAA clubs in 1977. The Mariners didn't have a AAA team yet, so they had their players play for other AAA teams. McMillan was called up in September 1977. He got into two games, going 0 for 5. That was it for Tommy's major league experience.
- In 1978 McMillan played for AAA San Jose, batting .256 in 103 games.
- After the 1978 season Tommy was traded (with Enrique Romo and Rick Jones) to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Odell Jones, Mario Mendoza, and Rafael Vasquez. McMillan played for the AA Buffalo Bisons in 1979. Tommy retired after the 1979 season.
- Mark Wagner
- Debut: August 20, 1976
- 1977 Stats:
- Evansville Triplets (AAA): .306 in 64 games
- Detroit Tigers: .146 (7 for 48) in 22 games
- 1977 Highlights
- Other card blogs 1979, 1980, 1983, 1985
- Mark Wagner was a 19th round draft choice of the Detroit Tigers in 1972. He worked his way up the Detroit system and was called up in August 1976. Mark started at shortstop for most of the last six weeks of the season and batted .261 in 39 games.
- In 1977 Wagner started the season as the Tiger shortstop. Mark struggled at the plate, batting .146 in 22 games. In late May Wagner was sent to AAA Evansville, where he spent the rest of the season.
- Mark was a utility infielder for the Tigers from 1978-1980. With Alan Trammell and Lou Whitaker starting in the middle infield playing time was hard to come by for Wagner. Mark batted .239 in 39 games in 1978, .274 in 75 games in 1975, and .236 in 45 games in 1980.
- After the 1980 season Mark was traded to the Texas Rangers for Kevin Saucier. Wagner played a utility role with the Rangers in 1981 (.259 in 50 games) and in 1982 (.240 in 60 games).
- Mark went down with an injury in July 9, 1982 and didn't play again until June 18, 1983. Mickey Rivers said, "He was lost out there. He was the Lost Mohican." Wagner played in only two games for the Tigers in 1983 and went 0 for 2. Mark played in 36 games in AAA (I don't know if it was before or after his two games in June). After the 1983 season Wagner became a free agent.
- In 1984 Mark won a job in spring training with the Oakland A's. He played in 82 games but batted only 100 times (20 for 87 with 13 walks - .230). Mark played in AAA in 1985 and then retired.
- Wagner went into coaching and managing in the minors. He managed various teams for five years from 1992-1996.
- Andre Dawson
- Debut: September 11, 1976
- 1977 Stats: .282, 19 HR, 65 RBI in 139 games
- 1977 Highlights:
- Other card blogs: 1978, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1988
- Andre Dawson was the NL Rookie of the Year in 1977.
- Dawson had a great career. It would have been better, but the artificial turf in Montreal really took a toll on his knees.
- Andre won eight Gold Gloves and was an eight-time All Star
- Dawson was the NL MVP in 1987. He finished second twice (1981 and 1983)
- He played for the Montreal Expos (1976-1986), the Chicago Cubs (1987-1992), the Boston Red Sox (1993-1994), and the Florida Marlins (1995-1996)
- Dawson was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2010.
- Gene Richards
- Debut: April 6, 1977
- 1977 Stats: .290, 5 HR, 32 RBI, 56 stolen bases in 146 games
- 1977 Highlights:
- Other card blogs: 1978, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1985
- Gene Richards was the first player selected in the 1975 draft. Gene batted .381 for Class A Reno in 1975 and .331 for AAA Hawaii in 1976.
- Richards became the starting left fielder for the San Diego Padres in 1977. He finished third (behind Dawson and Steve Henderson) in NL Rookie of the Year voting. Gene batted .290 in 146 games and stole 56 bases.
- I used to think Gene had some cool APBA cards in the 1970s and 1980s. He had several 11's on his cards, which meant he would automatically steal second base after a single when that number came up.
- Although he didn't steal as many bases, Richards had a better season in 1978. Gene batted .308 with 4 HR and 45 RBI and had 37 stolen bases in 1978.
- Gene dropped off a little bit in 1979, batting .279 with 24 stolen bases in 150 games.
- Richards had a bouneeback year in 1980. He batted .301, scored 91 runs, and stole 61 bases.
- In the strike-shortened 1981 season Richards led the NL with 12 triples and batted .288 in 104 games.
- In 1982 Richards was still a starting outfielder, but he started to lose playing time. He batted .286 in 132 games.
- Gene's last year with the Padres was in 1983. He played in only 95 games and batted .275. After the 1983 season Richards was granted free agency but went unsigned.
- Richards tried out for the San Francisco Giants in 1984. He was signed to a one year contract at the end of spring training. The Giants used Gene as a backup outfielder and a pinch hitter. After August 14 Gene made 23 appearances, all as a pinch hitter or a pinch runner. Richards batted .252 in 87 games.
- Gene became a free agent after the 1984 season but he went unsigned. Gene retired at the age of 31.
- John Scott
- Debut: September 7, 1974
- 1977 Stats: .240, 2 HR, 15 RBI in 79 games
- 1977 Highlights:
- Other card blogs: none
- John Scott was the first round (#2 overall) of the San Diego Padres in 1970. Scott played in the minors from 1970-1974. John got a September call up in 1974 and batted .067 (1 for 15) in 14 games.
- Scott was used as a pinch runner for much of the beginning of the 1975 season. He appeared in 25 games but batted only nine times and went 0 for 6. John was sent to AAA in late June and stayed there for the rest of the 1975 season and for the entire 1976 season.
- Scott was purchased by the Toronto Blue Jays after the 1976 season. John stayed in the majors for the entire 1977 season and batted .240 in 79 games. After the 1977 season Scott was traded (with Pete Vuckovich) to the St. Louis Cardinals for Victor Cruz and Tom Underwood.
- Scott played in AAA for the entire 1978 season. John then went to Japan and played for the Yakult Swallows from 1979-1981.
- Scott played in the Mexican League in 1982 and then retired.
- Denny Walling
- Debut: September 7, 1975
- 1977 Stats:
- Minor Leagues (2 teams): .343, 4 HR, 18 RBI in 32 games
- Houston Astros: .286 (6 for 21) in 6 games
- 1977 Highlights:
- Other card blogs: 1979, 1980, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1988
- Denny Walling was the first player drafted in the secondary phase of the 1975 draft. Denny went 1 for 8 in six games at the end of the 1975 season and then played in the minors in 1976. Walling got in three games for the A's (3 for 11, .273) at the end of the 1976 season.
- Walling was injured for much of the 1977 season. He played in three minor league games for AAA San Jose and then was traded to the Houston Astros for Willie Crawford on June 15. Denny played for AAA Tucson for most of the rest of the season and then was called up in September (6 for 21, .286 in 6 games).
- In 1978 Walling was in the majors to stay. He was used as a fourth outfielder and a pinch hitter and batted .251 with 3 HR and 36 RBI in 120 games.
- Walling had a similar role for his entire career. He played for the Astros until 1988. Denny's best year with the Astros was in 1986. He batted .312 with 13 HR and 58 RBI in 130 games.
- On August 31, 1988 Walling was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals for Bob Forsch. The Cardinals wanted Denny's bat for their pennant drive (which came up short). Walling played for the Cardinals through the 1990 season and then finished up his career with the Texas Rangers (1991) and back with the Astros (1992).
- After his playing career Walling was a hitting coach for various major and minor league teams. Denny is now a roving hitting instructor for the Baltimore Orioles.
- Don Aase
- Debut: 26 July 1977
- 1977 record:
- Pawtucket (AAA): 6-6, 5.04 ERA in 18 starts
- Boston Red Sox: 6-2, 3.12 ERA in 13 starts
- 1977 Highlights:
- Don Aase was signed by the Boston Red Sox in 1972. He had a rough time in his first two seasons in the minors. Don was 0-10 with a 5.81 ERA in 1972 and he led the Florida State League in losses (15) in 1973. Aase turned things around in 1974 and moved up the Boston Red Sox system for the next few years.
- Aase was brought up to the majors on July 24, 1977 to shore up Boston's starting pitching. The 22-year-old Aase paid immediate dividends by winning his first three starts. Don ended up pitching much better for the Red Sox than he did in AAA.
- After the 1977 season Don was traded (with Rick Miller) to the California Angels for second baseman Jerry Remy. The Red Sox really needed the middle infield help, but they hated to part with Aase.
- Don was a starting pitcher in 1978 (11-8, 4.03 ERA in 29 starts). Aase was a starter for most of the 1979 season (9-10, 4.81 ERA in 37 games/28 starts), but he went to the bullpen in mid August after having some trouble with the wear and tear of starting every fourth day. Don appeared in two games for the Angels in the 1979 AL Championship Series and was 1-0 with a 1.80 ERA in 5 innings.
- In 1980 (8-13, 4.06 ERA in 40 games/21 starts) Don was a starter through the end of July and then was moved to the bullpen. Aase ended up being a reliever for the rest of his career.
- Aase had a good year as a reliever in 1981 (4-4, 2.34 ERA, 11 saves in 39 games).
- Don had injury problems in 1982 (3-3, 3.46 ERA, 4 saves in 24 games). He was on the disabled list for much of June and then went out for the remainder of the season in mid-July. Aase had elbow surgery in October 1982 and missed all of the 1983 season.
- After a rehab assignment in the minors, Don came back to the Angels in June 1984. Aase had a good year, going 4-1 with a 1.62 ERA in 23 games. After the 1984 season Don signed with the Baltimore Orioles as a free agent. The Orioles made a much better offer (4 years, $2.4 million guaranteed) than the Angels did (2 years, $475,000 per year, only one of the years guaranteed).
- For two seasons Aase was able to be a dependable pitcher from the bullpen. He was 10-6 with 14 saves and had a 3.78 ERA in 54 games in 1985.
- Don was an AL All Star for the only time in his career in 1986. Don got Chris Brown to hit into a game-ending double play and earned the save in the AL's 3-2 win. Aase was 6-7 with 34 saves and had a 2.98 ERA in 66 games in 1986.
- Aase had an injury-riddled 1987 season (1-0, 2.25 ERA, 2 saves in 7 games). He was placed on the disabled list in April with tendinitis in his right shoulder. Don came back in May but was shut down at the end of May when the tendinitis came back. Don had shoulder surgery in July and missed the rest of the season.
- Aase came back in May 1988. He was bombed in his first game back -- he allowed four runs without retiring a batter. But as the year went on Don's ERA steadily decreased. He ended up with a 0-0 record and had a 4.05 ERA in 35 games.
- Don was released after the 1988 season. Aase tried out with the New York Mets in 1989 and made the team. He was used mostly as a setup man in 1989 and was 1-5 with 2 saves and had an ERA of 3.94 in 49 games.
- After the 1989 season Aase became a free agent and signed with the LA Dodgers. In 1990 Don was 3-1 with 3 saves and had a 4.97 ERA in 32 games. He spent six weeks on the disabled list in July and August. After the 1990 season Don became a free agent rather than report to the Dodgers' AAA club in Albuquerque. After due consideration Don decided to retire.
- Bob McClure
- Debut: August 13, 1975
- 1977 Stats: 2-1, 6 saves, 2.52 ERA in 68 games
- 1977 Highlights:
- Other card blogs: 1976, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1988
- This was Bob McClure's first full season in the majors. Bob was sent from the Kansas City Royals to the Milwaukee Brewers as the player to be named later in a trade made in December 1976.
- I remember Bob McClure as one of those left-handed relievers who would come in to face 1-2 batters. Bob was actually a starting pitcher for a few years in the 1980s.
- McClure had a 19-year pitching career, pitching from 1975-1993. Except for a few years in the early 1980s, Bob was a reliever for his entire career.
- Bob was a pitching coach in the minors and majors for several clubs from 1999-2012.
- McClure was the pitching coach for the Boston Red Sox in 2012, but he and manager Bobby Valentine clashed. Bob took a two-week leave of absence to tend to a child's medical emergency. McClure was let go as pitching coach in mid-August.
- Gil Patterson
- Debut: April 19, 1977
- 1977 Stats:
- New York Yankees: 1-2, 1 save, 5.40 ERA in 10 games (6 starts)
- Syracuse Chiefs (AAA): 2-1, 4.82 ERA in 7 starts
- 1977 Highlights:
- May 25: Allowed two runs in 6 2/3 innings and earned his only major league victory as the Yankees beat the Texas Rangers (and starter Bert Blyleven) 3-2.
- Other card blogs: none
- Gil Patterson was drafted by the New York Yankees in the first round of the 1975 draft. Gil had two good seasons in the minor leagues and was brought up to the Yankees in 1977.
- Patterson pitched sparingly for the Yankees in 1977. He spent some time in AAA Syracuse in the middle of the season.
- Gil was injured and missed the entire 1978 and 1979 seasons. He tried to come back a few times from 1980-1982, but never again rose above Class A level.
- Patterson has spent time as a coach and as a minor league pitching coordinator for several years after his playing career. Here is an interview with Gil from 2012.
- Dave Wehrmeister
- Debut: April 16, 1976
- 1977 Stats:
- San Diego Padres: 1-3, 6.07 ERA in 30 games (6 starts)
- Hawaii Islanders (AAA): 2-2, 2.54 ERA in 5 starts
- 1977 Highlights:
- May 30: Allowed one run in 1 2/3 innings and earned the win in San Diego's 9-8 win over the San Francisco Giants.
- Other card blogs: none
- Dave Wehrmeister pitched for 14 seasons, mostly at the AAA level. Dave was drafted in the first round (3rd overall) by the San Diego Padres in 1973. Wehrmeister made the San Diego ballclub in 1976, but was sent back down in late May after going 0-4 with a 7.45 ERA in seven games.
- Dave started the 1977 season in AAA and was brought up in late May. Wehrmeister saw the most major league action of his career in 1977, appearing in 30 games (1-3, 6.07 ERA).
- In 1978 Wehrmeister started the season with the Padres but was sent down in late April after only four appearances (0-1, 6.14 ERA).
- Dave started the 1979 season in AAA Hawaii. On June 15 he was traded to the New York Yankees for Jay Johnstone. Wehrmeister stayed in the minors (AAA Columbus) for the rest of the 1979 season and for the entire 1980 season.
- After the 1980 season Wehrmeister was taken by the Kansas City Royals in the Rule 5 draft. Dave was returned to the Yankees in April 1981. He spent most of the 1981 season in Columbus, but he made five appearances for the Yankees (0-0, 5.14 ERA) in August after the strike.
- Wehrmeister pitched in Columbus for the entire 1982 season. He started the 1983 season in Columbus but was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies on June 17 for two minor leaguers. Dave finished the 1983 season in AAA Portland.
- In 1984 Wehrmeister mostly pitched in Portland. He was brought up to Philadelphia for about a month in June and July (0-0, 7.20 ERA in 7 games). A 1984 Topps Traded card was created for him by Jim at The Phillies Room.
- Dave became a free agent after the 1984 season and signed with the Chicago White Sox. He pitched for AAA Buffalo for the first four months of the season. Dave was brought up to the White Sox in August and was 2-2 with 2 saves and had a 3.43 ERA in 20 games.
- Wehrmeister was in Buffalo again in 1986 and then retired after the season.
- Jerry Turner was used as a pinch hitter and as a backup outfielder in 1977.
- 1977 Stats: .246, 10 HR, 48 RBI in 118 games
- 1977 Highlights:
- Other card blogs: 1976, 1979, 1980
- These historical types of cards were great. Topps was really good about doing these subsets for a while.
- 1973 - All Time Leaders
- 1974 - Hank Aaron Specials
- 1975 - 25 Years of Topps MVPs
- 1976 - Sporting News All Time All Stars
- 1977 - Turn Back The Clock
- Five home runs and 13 RBI would have been a good month for a lot of players in 1972.
- Dave Freisleben had his best season in terms of winning percentage (.438) in 1977. Dave started the season with the Padres but was sent to AAA Hawaii after being 0-4 with a 6.49 ERA in April. Dave came back to the Padres in late June and lost his first start to go to 0-5. He finished the season with a 7-9 record, so he went 7-4 in the last three months.
- 1977 Stats:
- San Diego Padres: 7-9, 4.69 ERA in 33 games (22 starts)
- Hawaii Islanders (AAA): 4-4, 3.94 ERA in 9 games
- 1977 Highlights:
- Other card blogs: 1974, 1975, 1976, 1979, 1980, Cardboard Gods
- This was the first of 12 straight All Star seasons for Dave Winfield. Winfield doubled and had a 2-run single in the NL's 7-5 win.
- After the 1977 season Dave came close to being traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers. That would have been nasty, as the Dodgers also would have gotten Rollie Fingers in exchange for Steve Yeager, Lee Lacy, and Rick Rhoden. Close call.
- Dave's SABR biography
- 1977 Stats: .275, 25 HR, 92 RBI, 104 runs in 157 games
- 1977 Highlights:
- Other card blogs: 1974, 1975, 1976, 1979, 1980, 1980, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1988, 1988, 1993
- Rich Folkers was at the end of his career in 1977. Rich was waived by the San Diego Padres during spring training. Folkers was claimed by the Milwaukee Brewers and assigned to AAA Spokane.
- Rich came up for a couple of weeks in May and June and appeared in three games. Those were the last appearances of his major league career.
- After the 1977 season Folkers was traded to the Detroit Tigers (with Jim Slaton) for Ben Oglivie. The Tigers cut Rich during spring training in 1978 and that was it for his professional pitching career.
- 1977 Stats:
- Spokane (AAA) - 5-7, 7 saves, 4.55 ERA in 46 games (4 starts)
- Milwaukee Brewers - 0-1, 4.26 ERA in 3 games
- 1977 Highlights:
- Aug 5 - Was credited with a save after getting the last four outs of a 15-7 Spokane victory over Tacoma. At the time he entered the game Spokane was leading 11-7. The bases must have been loaded when Rich came in.
- Other card blogs: 1971, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976
