Baseball Card Blogs » Orioles Card of the Day

Bret Barberie, 1995 Upper Deck #126

Kevin — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 21:58:00 +0000

That's some bad mustache, Bret.

Mike Morgan, 1988 Topps Traded #73T

Kevin — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 00:03:00 +0000

When you think about baseball players going straight from the amateur draft to the big leagues, you might think of legendary names like Dave Winfield, or inspirational stories like Jim Abbott. But one of the few players to make that jump was Mike Morgan, who was selected by the Athletics out of Valley High School in Las Vegas with the fourth overall pick in the 1978 draft. Coincidentally, the first of his 597 major league appearances came against the Orioles, for whom he would pitch in 1988. It was an uneven appearance on June 11, 1978, as he pitched a complete game but took the loss. He allowed ten hits and five walks, did not strike out a single batter, yet gave up only three runs (two earned) in a 3-0 game. Ken Singleton drove in a pair of runs, and Lee May hit a solo homer. Scott McGregor got the shutout win on six hits, striking out six. It was the tenth straight win for the O's, as they attempted to charge back into the American League East pennant race after a slow start. Morgan didn't gain a lasting foothold in the majors until 1986, but he proved to have staying power, winning 141 games (against 186 losses) with a 4.23 ERA in parts of 22 seasons.

Vintage Fridays: Andy Etchebarren, 1967 Topps #457

Kevin — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 01:18:00 +0000

This is most probably my favorite Andy Etchebarren card. I love the angle, which makes it look like's rearing back to fire the ball right through the frame at me. The block-lettering "Orioles" doesn't even look bad, and the juxtaposition with the yellow "Orioles" team name at the bottom is visually interesting. The impish grin and sideways glance suggest that Etch is sharing a laugh with a teammate just off-camera. And of course, we have the Florida palm trees and the Yoo-Hoo sign in the outfield behind him. Who doesn't love the syrupy assault of a nice cold Yoo-Hoo?

Jim Palmer, 2010 Topps Hall of Fame Stars #HOF-9

Kevin — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 02:25:00 +0000

I'm sick with what I'm hoping is just a cold, so while I'm couch-bound and feeling sorry for myself I'll leave you this spiffy card featuring a young Jim Palmer in a Rochester Red Wings uniform. Interestingly enough, "Cakes" actually went straight from the Class A Aberdeen (SD) Pheasants in 1964 to the Orioles in 1965. But he did spend time in Rochester on rehab assignments in 1967 and 1968.

Cal Ripken, Jr., 1994 Upper Deck Collector’s Choice #240

Kevin — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 00:48:00 +0000

This has long been one of my favorite Cal Ripken, Jr. cards, and finally the truth behind the photo is known. ESPN.com's Jim Caple featured the card in an entertaining article about "The Weird, the Bad, and the Ugly" of baseball cards. He went straight to the source, and Cal explained that it was general manager Roland Hemond's phone, and that even in 1993 it was comically oversized. The Iron Man picked up the phone mockingly, and Upper Deck's photographer was in the right place at the right time. A few other great O's cards made the cut, though Caple has no further details on them. But I'd recommend giving it a read. You'll also get some insight into other collector favorites, like Lowell Palmer's sunglasses and Orel Hershiser's chunk of sod. What more could you want?

Baltimore Orioles, 1985 Fleer Stickers

Kevin — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 04:10:00 +0000

You’ve probably noticed that I use player birthdays as a convenient topic for a blog entry whenever I’m lacking for inspiration. If it seems like it’s happening a lot lately, well…let’s just say that baseball season can’t start soon enough. So I was stunned to pull up Baseball Reference’s birthday page for today only to find that there has not been a single Oriole player who was born on January 31! When you stop and think about it, it’s nothing too unusual. Since 1954, 910 men have suited up for the Birds, and there are of course 366 possible birth dates on the calendar. The rest of baseball picks up the slack for Baltimore, however: Hall of Famers Jackie Robinson, Ernie Banks, and Nolan Ryan were all born on this date. I wouldn’t mind claiming any one of those men as Orioles, but it doesn’t quite work that way.

Daniel Cabrera, 2006 Fleer #234

Kevin — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 03:08:00 +0000

Pop quiz: Is Daniel Cabrera still an active player? I consider myself fairly plugged in when it comes to baseball news. I'm subscribed to Hardball Talk and Baseball Nation's blog feeds, I follow baseball writers and fans by the dozens on Twitter, and MLB Network is frequently on my TV. Yet somehow, I was surprised by the news that Baltimore's favorite erratic 6'7" pitcher had recently signed a minor-league contract with the Pirates. I did know that Cabrera hadn't been seen in the major leagues since 2009, when he walked 42 batters and struck out only 23 in 51 innings for the Nationals and Diamondbacks. I had a vague memory of the White Sox giving him a go, but Ozzie Guillen and company set him adrift in the middle of spring training in 2010. He didn't catch on with another team until that June, when the Angels picked him up. He appeared in 11 games between AA and AAA with sufficiently awful results (0-3, 7.09 ERA, 20 K/16 BB in 26.2 IP). Baseball Reference has no record of Daniel playing anywhere in 2011, which brings us to the present day. Even considering the lowly state of the Pirates, Cabrera has to be considered the longest of long shots to return to a big league mound in 2012. If he does, I have one friendly suggestion for baseball fans in Pittsburgh: duck.

Brooks Robinson, 1987 Hygrade Baseball’s All-Time Greats #36

Kevin — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 04:31:00 +0000

Thoughts and prayers to Brooks Robinson, who is recovering in a Florida hospital after falling six to eight feet off the back of a stage at a charity event in Hollywood on Saturday night. He broke two bones in his rear shoulder area, but is reported to be "doing fine". Let's hope so.

Eddie Murray, 1988 Jiffy Pop Discs #13

Kevin — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 23:42:00 +0000

Forgive the wonky scan. I guess my scanner isn't very keen on round items. Anyhow, this is the most outta-sight card to come from a package of various O's cards that Max recently sent. Nothing beats a surprise mailing, especially when it arrives on Friday afternoon! Once again, Eddie Murray proves his standing as King of Badass Mountain by appearing in a logo-free airbrushed picture on a goofy circular card that was manufactured by the folks who sell you popcorn kernels in an aluminum pouch...and still looking like a boss. 25 years later, Eddie still keeps you on your toes.

P.S.: Sorry about the "outta-sight" thing. Trying to switch things up from "interesting, "cool", etc. That one might not do it for you.

Vintage Fridays: John Lowenstein, 1980 Topps #287

Kevin — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 00:28:00 +0000

I'm counting on you, dear readers, to keep me honest on this blog. When I go nearly two years between John Lowenstein posts, someone has to tell me! Fortunately I can use today to set things to rights, as it is Brother Lo's 65th birthday. Unreal, isn't it?

Speaking of unreal, there's a fair chance that you don't remember how good Lo was in 1982. To set the stage, this was his age 35 season, his 13th in the major leagues. To that point, he had been thoroughly average: .245 AVG/.326 OBP/.375 SLG. A 99 OPS+, if you swing that way. 69 career home runs in 2,548 at-bats, a rate of 37 at-bats per homer. Granted, he'd been more productive since coming on board as a lefty batter in Earl Weaver's most notable platoon, putting up a .271/.361/.426 triple slash and a 119 OPS+ in the previous three seasons. Still nothing that would set the baseball world aflame. It's also worth noting that over that 1979-1981 span, he totaled just 21 home runs in about a full season's worth of trips to the plate (582 at-bats/676 plate appearances), which breaks down to a big fly every 27.7 times at bat.

This has been a long-winded way of saying that no one could have expected John Lowenstein to hit the way he did in the year of my birth. No matter how you slice it up, the left fielder was red-hot. He started off with a .318/.375/.591 April, then exploded for 8 home runs, 19 RBI, and a 1.193 OPS in May. June brought a season-low .222 average in 36 at-bats, but he still reached base at a .349 clip. He batted at least .296 in every subsequent month that season, and put up identical 5-HR, 11-RBI tallies in July and August. His OPS was .971 at home and an astronomical 1.059 on the road, with a bit more road power making the difference there. Without further ado, the 1982 season totals:

Year	Age	Tm	Lg	G	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	CS	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	OPS+	TB	GDP	HBP	SH	SF	IBB	Pos	Awards
1982	35	BAL	AL	122	384	322	69	103	15	2	24	66	7	6	54	59	.320	.415	.602	1.017	176	194	6	1	3	4	10	*7/9

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 1/27/2012.

You're not seeing things; that's a 176 OPS+. Frank Robinson had exactly two seasons with a higher number than that. Among all O's players with 300 or more plate appearances in 1982, Brother Lo was the team leader in average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and OPS+. He doubled his previous career high in home runs, and topped his previous best RBI total by 18. He came within one double of his personal best, and set new benchmarks in runs scored and total bases. Once again, he did it all playing part-time. That home run rate I've been blathering about? One every 13.4 at-ats. Eddie Murray, who led the Birds with 32 homers that year, went deep once every 17.2 at-bats...a personal best.

Now maybe I'm assuming too much, and many of you remember 1982 as a great year for Lowenstein. But I can't recall ever hearing much about it. Even though I know I've looked at his numbers before, they were kind of hiding in plain sight, maybe because his platoon status kept the counting stats down. On a 94-win team with its share of stars (Eddie, Cal, Jim Palmer, Mike Flanagan, the Martinez boys), Brother Lo was an indispensable piece of the puzzle.

One last tidbit to play us out: 11 of John's 24 homers in 1982 either tied the game or gave the O's the lead. Perhaps none was bigger than the two-run walkoff shot he hit off of Jack Morris on Monday, September 20. The 3-1 win helped the Orioles stay within a couple games of first-place Milwaukee, which was crucial when the Brewers came to town a few weeks later for a season-ending, division-deciding four-game set.