My good friend, Max, hooked me up this Christmas with some tougher autos to cross off of my 1987 Topps checklist. Max has helped me out so much with this set, and it is greatly appreciated. I am getting closer and closer to my goal of having all of the cards signed. I've even completed a few of the tougher team leaders cards.
Fernando Valenzuela is one of the tougher players to get from the set, and with 2 cards, that makes the effort doubled. I'm glad I could cross one of these off of the list.
Valenzuela (b. 1960) played in the majors from 1980 to 1991 and 1993 to 1997 for the Dodgers, Angels, Orioles, Phillies, Padres and Cardinals. He had a career record of 173-153 with 2,074 strike outs and a 3.54 ERA. He was the NL Cy Young Award winner and NL Rookie of the Year in 1981. He was an All Star six times (1981 to 1986) and was a 20-game winner in 1986. His best MVP finish was 5th, in 1981. He was a Silver Slugger Award winner in 1983. He won the World Series in 1981 with the Dodgers.
Valenzuela appeared on the Hall of Fame ballot in 2003 and 2004, but received only a high of 6.2% in 2003 before falling under the 5% minimum in 2004.
Moose Haas (b. 1956) played in the majors from 1976 to 1987 for the Brewers and A's. He had a career record of 100-83 with 853 strike outs and a 4.01 ERA.
Chuck Cary (b. 1960) played in the majors from 1985 to 1991 and 1993 for the Tigers, Braves, Yankees and White Sox. He had a career record of 14-26 with 322 strike outs and a 4.17 ERA.
Thad Bosley (b. 1956) played in the majors from 1977 to 1990 for the Angels, White Sox, Brewers, Mariners, Cubs, Royals and Rangers. He had 430 hits, 20 home runs and a .272 batting average.
Steve Yeager (b. 1948) played in the majors from 1972 to 1986 for the Dodgers and Mariners. He had 816 hits, 102 home runs and a .228 batting average. He won the World Series with the Dodgers in 1981 and was also the MVP of that World Series. Yeager appeared on the 1992 Hall of Fame ballot, but received only 0.5% of the vote.
Ozzie Virgil (b. 1956) played in the majors from 1980 to 1990 for the Phillies, Braves and Blue Jays. He had 549 hits, 98 home runs and a .243 batting average. He was an All Star twice (1985 and 1987). Virgil didn't appear in the World Series in 1980, which the Phillies won.
Thank you so much for the cards, Max!
I hope everyone has a great Christmas. This year has been tough, but I am thankful for all of my friends and family.
