I had a Monster Card all set for today. Feedback on my John Montefusco post tells me that some APBA Blog readers want true baseball stars not the lucky ones.
Too bad. My choice had tons of sixes on his card. Feedback is a gift and I do appreciate hearing from y’all. Maybe I’ll save Mr. Belinda for a rainy day. ;-)
You all can thank Pastor Rich Zawadzki for this Tony Gwynn APBA card from 1987. You can’t go wrong with most Gwynn cards but this 1987 card which was published in 2017, is probably one of his best. Compare it to his 1997 card or his 1994 one.
First, it’s amazing that someone of Gwynn’s stature could steal 56 bases. At least that’s what I initially thought. Truth is, Gwynn was pretty lithe in the 80s. It should surprise no one that he had some speed.
In 1987, Gwynn led the NL in hits (218) and won the NL batting title with a .370 mark. This would be the first of three consecutive batting titles and one of eight overall.
Gwynn was an All-Star and a recipient of the Silver Slugger award and the Gold Glove in 1987.
| Split | G | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | BA | OBP | SLG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 Totals | 157 | 680 | 589 | 119 | 218 | 36 | 13 | 7 | 54 | 56 | 82 | 35 | .370 | .447 | .511 |
Does Gwynn tick all the boxes for inclusion in your lineup? Some may balk at the 55-8.
With APBA cards with first column 11s, I do a little trick when I analyze them. The 11 result numbers are equal to 7s in terms of hit value. Both are roughly equal to a full hit. In my mind, I turn the 11s into 7s and rearrange them so I can easily compare them to other cards that do NOT have 11s.
So in Gwynn’s case, if you move his 51-11 (or in my mind 51-7) to 55, Gwynn’s 1987 card has the equivalent value of a full-time player with a 25-7.
…but better. Gwynn’s three 11s help recreate his 56 steals.
No surprise here but Gwynn get three 31s for his control with the bat.
Tony Gwynn was the modern day Joe Sewell. In 1987, he struck out 37 times. Believe it or not, that was his second highest amount in his career (he struck out 40 times in 1988). Gwynn’s 1987 card suffers with just one 13. Unlike some contact hitters, Gwynn could take a walk. He has four 14s on his 1987 APBA card.
Why was Gwynn an Outfielder-3?
That’s why!
Thanks, Rich!!
Excellent choice of an excellent card………this Tony Gwynn card is a true Monster card without being a Home Run Heavy one.
I’d love to replay 1987 Gwynn and see hoe he fares for me. Putting this on my to do list.
Thanks for sharing this one!
Awesome card. My BATS 2 Tony Gwynn is based on 1994 which is at the other extreme you referred to. With only 5 steals that year, he has an R35 rating, so he’s not eligible to steal before the 9th inning. But he has 4 zeros and 4 sevens along with a ten on his card. He’s currently batting. 377 in my “replay”. ( Considering that the worst pitchers in the replay are 13s, that’s pretty awesome)
Nice article Tom! But I am a little confused. At the beginning of the article you said “Compare it to his 1997 card or his 1994 one.” and gave the links. But the link to the 1997 card seems to be the exact same card as the 1987 one. Is the link screwed up?
Dan,
You caught me in another one. Apparently, I mistakenly titled that 1987 card as 1997. So now we have two ’97 Gwynn posts.
Thanks for catching that!
Tom
That was the season that got me back into collecting Topps BB cards. That season reminded me of the 1968 Topps set. + I liked the Twins that season.
Everyone has a reason for liking a season, be it a team or some happy memory.
Eric