Frankenset Page #64

With only 10 frankenset pages remaining after this one, the series, which I started back in March of 2018, will likely be wrapped up by the time Thanksgiving rolls around.

Beginning at card #568 and wrapping up at #576, page #64 of my frankenset spans 4 total decades (the 1980s-2000s).

#568 2010 Topps Jarrod Saltalamacchia

Though he played for 7 different teams across his 12-year career, I associate "Salty" most with the Boston Red Sox where he played from 2011-2013. He had the best year of his career for the World Championship squad 6 years ago when he hit .273 with 14 homers and 65 RBI in just north of 400 at-bats.

After his retirement, Saltalamacchia occasionally appeared as a TV analyst for the 2018 Boston Red Sox. Other times, it would be either Jerry Remy, Dennis Eckersley, or Johnny Gomes.

#569 1991 Fleer Kevin Seltzer

There's something so appealing yet, at the same time, off-putting about the yellow border and powder blue uniform color combination on this card from 1991 Fleer. Though I'm a fan of the action photo, it can't decide whether I love or hate the rest of the card.

#570 1983 Topps Vida Blue

By 1983, Vida Blue was nothing like the AL Cy Young and MVP award winner that he was 12 years prior. His 6.01 ERA with the Royals in '83 as well as off the field troubles forced the 6-time All-Star to miss the 1984 season entirely. 

His 9 seasons with the Oakland Athletics and some of his time with the San Francisco Giants helped establish Blue as a well-respected pitcher of the 70s and 80s. To this day, his 1.82 ERA in 312 innings pitched in 1971 remains one of the greatest single seasons by a starting pitcher.

#571 1984 Topps Bruce Bochy

I'm writing this post mere minutes after the Red Sox's embarrassing 11-3 loss to the San Francisco Giants. Way more notable, however, is the fact that this win is #2,000 in the impressive and extensive managerial career of Bruce Bochy who is retiring after the 2019 season.

Though he'll still finish his career with a losing record, the 10 managers to reach this milestone before Bochy ended up in Cooperstown, so I don't foresee the 3-time World Series Champion missing out.

#572 2004 Topps Redding

Though they've only been in the American League for 6 years or so, it feels like ages since the Houston Astros were members of the 6-time National League Central division.

Their move to the AL West only stood to reason, and they've had tremendous success in the years following their move. This includes their 3rd straight 100-win season which they accomplished moments ago with a 3-2 victory over the Texas Rangers.

#573 2018 Topps Mark Leiter Jr

My decision to place this Mark Leiter Jr card into page #64 of my frankenset was very last minute. When I found this sheet and prepared for the blog post, I noticed 2 1991 Fleer cards of Kansas City Royals players on this page, both featuring powder blue jerseys.

To avoid repetition, I made this substitution before scanning and cropping the cards for the post.

#574 2009 Topps Nate Schierholtz

Going back to the subject of Bruce Bochy, Giants outfielder Nate Schierholtz played for the 1996 NL Manager of the Year back in 2010 when San Francisco won the first of 3 World Series titles throughout 5 seasons.

Surprisingly, with 3 World Championships under his belt, Bochy never captured the NL Manager of the Year award during his time with the Giants.

#575 1983 Donruss Billy Martin

Until I reached this part of my post, it didn't occur to me that I had selected cards of 2 iconic managers, Bruce Bochy, and Billy Martin, for page #64 of my frankenset. 

Bochy is one of the most iconic skippers of today, and the same can certainly be said about Martin who managed several teams, most notably the 1977 and '78 New York Yankees, across 20 years.

#576 2007 Topps Yuniesky Betancourt

If I recall correctly, the Seattle Mariners began the 2019 MLB season 13-2, even taking 3/4 from the defending World Champion Boston Red Sox following a 2-game sweep of the A's in Tokyo.

In the months that followed, the team fell into a downward spiral and never truly recovered. A week or back, they were mathematically eliminated from playoff contention.

Frankenset Page #48

Even though the 2019 MLB season is barely 2 weeks old, there have, undoubtedly, been some significant surprises thus far. 

Certain teams and players have risen to the occasion and exceeded expectations. On the other hand, teams like the Red Sox and Cubs have underproduced, resulting in very poor records for my 2 favorite teams.

The Rays and Mariners, arguably the 2 best teams in Baseball, have eclipsed the 10 win mark. Seattle seems to be hitting home runs every single day while Tampa Bay's pitching has been among the best in the game. 

Although I haven't followed other teams all that closely, I'm impressed with how Tim Beckham and Dan Vogelbach have been performing through the first 16 games. 

At the same time, the Red Sox have struggled since Opening Day, losing every series that they've played so far. After falling to the Orioles a few minutes ago, Boston has fallen to 5-10. 

Thankfully, there's a chance for the Sox to win their first series of the year with a win over the Orioles tomorrow. I mentioned yesterday that I'll be attending tomorrow's game where David Price is scheduled to start for the Red Sox.

Anyways, it's been a while since I've done one of these frankenset posts, so I'll be showing off the cards from page #48 today as I continue to make my way through the set. This particular page showcases cards 424-432.

#424 1991 Topps Calvin Schiraldi

One of the most underrated Flagship sets ever produced, Topps did an excellent job with 1991 Topps in the 2016 Topps Archives set. While I'm on the topic of the Archives set, Beckett and Cardboard Connection recently announced that 1958, 1975, and 1993 Topps will be included in this year's product. 

I'm not a huge fan of the 1993 Topps set, but '58 and '75 are among my favorite Topps base set designs. Even though we'll be seeing a lot more of 1975 Topps in 2024 Topps Heritage, but it's hard to get tired of that colorful design. 

#425 1998 Bowman Ruben Rivera

Back-to-back Padres cards are kicking off the 48th frankenset page, and in real-time, San Diego is off to an impressive start. Led by their new franchise player, Manny Machado, the Padres rose to 1st place in the NL West for the first time in years. 

They're a pretty harmless team, so seeing them win doesn't affect me all too much. With that being said, I'd rather see the Rockies take home the NL West division title.

#426 2007 Topps Jeff Francoeur 

While I see what Topps was going for with their 2007 Flagship set, the final product isn't really a standout. I've always advocated for black bordered Baseball cards but pairing that color with silver foil isn't too strong of a choice. 

I ranked this Topps Flagship set at #3 for the 2000s decade, for the other base designs from this decade were even more underwhelming.

#427 1994 Fleer Reggie Sanders

I definitely chose to include this card in the frankenset because of the picture, for the base set is one of the most minimal designs that I've ever seen. Regardless, this Reggie Sanders card features a very underrated Cincinnati Reds uniform that the Reds continued to wear up through most of the 2000s decade.

#428 2003 Topps Ricky Ledee

Card #428, my 2nd favorite card of the entire frankenset page, features not only 1 throwback uniform, but 2 retro style jerseys worn by the Braves and the Phillies respectively. Atlanta's uniform in the background pays homage to the 70s/80s while the powder blue Philadelphia jersey was made famous when the Phillies won the Fall Classic in 1980.

#429 1988 Score Juan Castillo

While this uniform was by no means a throwback in 1988, it's always interesting to see old-school uniforms on Baseball cards that have since been retired. The Brewers were one of a few teams to wear pinstriped jerseys throughout the 1980s, a uniform that Milwaukee brings back every now and again for their regular season games.

#430 1973 Topps Vida Blue

In addition to being head and shoulders above all the other cards on this page, Vida Blue's 1973 Topps card represents everything that I love about the '73 Topps set. Although I'm not too fond of the base design whatsoever, I'm hoping that Topps will pay homage to this set when it's featured in 2022 Topps Heritage by focusing primarily on outstanding photography.

#431 2000 Fleer Tradition Quinton McCracken

A set that's rather reminiscent of the 1954 Topps base design, 2000 Fleer Tradition is one of the coolest sets in this brand's abbreviated history. Both the colorful backgrounds and the 2 different images give this set an old-timey feel, a theme that I believe Fleer was going for when crafting this set.

#432 1992 Fleer Ultra Henry Cotto

Last up, here's yet another card from the 1992 Fleer Ultra set, featuring a poorly-timed snapshot. For a set that appears to specialize in top-notch photography, at least for its time, I'd expect something more than the blurry-ish image that Fleer selected for card #432 in their 1992 Ultra set.