Cards "missing" from a player's career

gpenko826 said:

Unless I'm forgetting one, Jim Thome never had a card from his second stint with the Indians in 2011. Nor did Carlos Baerga in 1999

Greg

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As far as I know, Thome also only has the one very SSP Topps Update card with him on the Orioles.

DaClyde said:

Maury Wills is probably the poster boy for missing cards, but it happens more than I'd expect in modern sets.

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I would imagine popular closers fit the missing card profile. They likely had a bowman prospect card or the obligatory MLB rookie card when they broke into the bigs, then remained as general relievers or setup men for a year or a few where noone cares to make cards for them in their checklists, then they were moved into the closers role, excelled as among the best closers in the league, and the card manufs were more than willing to add them to their checklists, and even add cert relics/au.

So who's in the ultimate "blink and you'll miss it" set for hall of famers and stars. Here's what I have to start

Babe Ruth Braves
Harmon Killebrew KC Royals
Steve Carlton Indians
Dave Winfield Indians
Duke Snider Mets

DaClyde said:

Did Hideki Matsui get any American cards in a Rays uniform? I'm pretty sure he got one in Japan for the home run he hit in his debut with them.

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I don't believe there are any Matsui Rays cards, but he did only play 34 games with them. The weirder thing is that he played the entire 2011 season, 141 games, with the A's and the only A's card Topps made of him was from that year's Attax set. I have to assume he just decided not to re-sign a contract with Topps, similar to Ichiro recently.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, like "why on earth is this guy in the set?", is Joey Devine. He had a great 2008 season pitching in relief and then was out all of 2009 and 2010 with injuries. He came back to split 2011 between the minors and major league then was injured again never pitched professionally after that. He wasn't in 2009 or 2010 sets (outside of a couple of autographs), then was in 2011 Topps Update...fine. Then they put him in 2012 Topps Update for some reason??? It wasn't like they were lacking for players, there were like 7 or 8 A's pitchers who appeared in at least as many 2012 games as he did in 2011 and didn't get a 2012 Topps A's card.

gpenko826 said:

So who's in the ultimate "blink and you'll miss it" set for hall of famers and stars. Here's what I have to start

Babe Ruth Braves
Harmon Killebrew KC Royals
Steve Carlton Indians
Dave Winfield Indians
Duke Snider Mets

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Juan Marichal and Tom Seaver. Both with the Red Sox.

Barry Bonds doesn't have a 1993 Triple Play base card.

shadowking86 said:

Juan Marichal and Tom Seaver. Both with the Red Sox.

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Marichal with the Dodgers.

You youngsters won't remember, but Gorman Thomas had cards in 1974-77 Topps. He wasn't in the majors in 1977, so he didn't have a 1978 Topps, when he WAS in the majors.

So . . . I made my own.

I've also done custom cards of many of those named here. You can see many of them at my blog, www.boblemke.blogspot.com

weight333 said:

Barry Bonds doesn't have a 1993 Triple Play base card.

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For some reason, Dave Winfield doesn't have a card in the 1992 Triple Play set.

I believe that was Claude Raymond.

gpenko826 said:

mrmopar said:

Claude Osteen had Topps cards from 1959-1976, minus 1961. He may not have played at the MLB level the year prior (after appearing in 59-60 already) or maybe it was some other reason why he was excluded.]]

Maybe because he couldn't keep his fly zipped up. 2 years in a row!!

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gpenko826 said:

So who's in the ultimate "blink and you'll miss it" set for hall of famers and stars. Here's what I have to start

Babe Ruth Braves
Harmon Killebrew KC Royals
Steve Carlton Indians
Dave Winfield Indians
Duke Snider Mets

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shadowking86 said:

Juan Marichal and Tom Seaver. Both with the Red Sox.

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See, most of those players wouldn't really qualify for me, as they had plenty of cards with those teams. Seaver, for instance, had 1986 and 1987 card with the Red Sox, not to mention some from the Pacific Seaver set.

Killebrew on KC is a good one, Marichal on the Dodgers is another (I see a whopping 4 of those!). Same with Carlton on Cleveland, but he was only on a Topps/OPC box bottom card as a Giant during his career (until DLP came around and made a bunch in the mid 2000's).

Ryne Sandberg had 6 at bats for the Phillies in 1981.

DeliciousBacon said:

Does anyone have a reason why Tony Horton was never on a Topps card? While not a huge star, he had a few great seasons in the late 60's.

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Horton was a sad story. He suffered from severe despression and anxiety during his career.
It was so bad that during a slump when he was getting booed by Indians fans, he actually attempted suicide after a game by slitting his wrists!
He retired at a young age (he was a rookie at age 19) at the peak of career because he could not handle the pressure.

I assume his mental disorder and fear of looking bad was why he did not sign a contract with Topps.
But he did have one card during his playing days, a 1971 Kellogg's cereal card:

I've always wondered why ken griffey jr didn't have a 2006 heritage card. If anyone knows why please enlighten me.

George Brett didn't have a 1993 Donruss card. He did, however, have a 1993 Donruss Preview card. Oops.

On the topic of "Don't Blink", I dug up a few more possibilities:

Goose Gossage with Pittsburgh (only a 1977 newspaper "card" and two cards from 2013 Cooperstown) and his 1989 stint with the Yankees (only a 1990 Donruss card and a PI sticker). I'd say his even shorter stint with the 1989 Giants is under-represented as well, but there's 18 cards from 2012 Prime Cuts and NT that have him as a Giant.

If I'm not mistaken, Phil Niekro had but one card as a Blue Jay; a 1988 Classic Red card, a set that also showed him as an Indian, and from his last 1987 stint as a Brave.

Robin Roberts has a 1962 Topps card as a Yankee, a team he never played for in a regular season game. He has exactly zero cards picturing him as a Cub, a team he actually did pitch for (albeit poorly) in 1966.

DeliciousBacon said:

George Brett didn't have a 1993 Donruss card. He did, however, have a 1993 Donruss Preview card. Oops.

On the topic of "Don't Blink", I dug up a few more possibilities:

Goose Gossage with Pittsburgh (only a 1977 newspaper "card" and two cards from 2013 Cooperstown) and his 1989 stint with the Yankees (only a 1990 Donruss card and a PI sticker). I'd say his even shorter stint with the 1989 Giants is under-represented as well, but there's 18 cards from 2012 Prime Cuts and NT that have him as a Giant.

If I'm not mistaken, Phil Niekro had but one card as a Blue Jay; a 1988 Classic Red card, a set that also showed him as an Indian, and from his last 1987 stint as a Brave.

Robin Roberts has a 1962 Topps card as a Yankee, a team he never played for in a regular season game. He has exactly zero cards picturing him as a Cub, a team he actually did pitch for (albeit poorly) in 1966.

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I'd love to see a list made for all of these that can be updated as they come in. Maybe in the OP, a running list of players with two or less appearances on cards with a specific team?

shadowking86 said:

I had that Billy Hall card too. In regard to Varitek, I think it was the same reason A-Rod did not have any Topps cards for a few years. Problem with the contract.

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I just got in a 2004 eTopps Varitek, which, as far as I can tell, is his only Topps appearance between the 1993 Murphy set and the 2007 releases. Interesting he'd let that one go through, but nothing else.

DeliciousBacon said:

George Brett didn't have a 1993 Donruss card. He did, however, have a 1993 Donruss Preview card. Oops.

On the topic of "Don't Blink", I dug up a few more possibilities:

Goose Gossage with Pittsburgh (only a 1977 newspaper "card" and two cards from 2013 Cooperstown) and his 1989 stint with the Yankees (only a 1990 Donruss card and a PI sticker). I'd say his even shorter stint with the 1989 Giants is under-represented as well, but there's 18 cards from 2012 Prime Cuts and NT that have him as a Giant.

If I'm not mistaken, Phil Niekro had but one card as a Blue Jay; a 1988 Classic Red card, a set that also showed him as an Indian, and from his last 1987 stint as a Brave.

Robin Roberts has a 1962 Topps card as a Yankee, a team he never played for in a regular season game. He has exactly zero cards picturing him as a Cub, a team he actually did pitch for (albeit poorly) in 1966.

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Only card I know of for Roberts with the Cubs


What other Cards featured Marichal with the Dodgers? I only knew of this one.

Will Style 13 said:

Only card I know of for Roberts with the Cubs

What other Cards featured Marichal with the Dodgers? I only knew of this one.

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Ooh, good find on the Roberts. I was going by the Beckett checklist, they don't list that as a Cubs card (no idea what team they do).

Marichal was technically a Dodger on a card in the 1983 ASA Marichal set. He's not in uniform, but it's a picture from list last day as a player, shaking Walt Alston's hand.

One of the very first cards that never were story we ran way back in the day at Beckett featured the 1993 Donruss Brett card. IIRC, the logic Donruss told us was, they thought he was going to retire so they did not include him in the 1st series and then just plum forgot the 2nd series. I could understand the 1st series omission but not the 2nd. Check sometime around early 1994 for that story if you have old Beckett's.