Tom Fulton was pretty impressed by Mike Piazza’s 1997 APBA card. A catcher-8 with double ones and a 25-7? Now I am too.
The former Rookie of the Year had his best year with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1997 when he hit .362 with 40 homers, 124 rbis and 104 runs. He even eclipsed 200 hits just barely with 201. He was second in NL MVP voting to Colorado’s Larry Walker.
To top it off, Piazza, not the fleetest of foot, even had a career high five stolen bases that year.
| Split | G | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 Totals | 152 | 633 | 556 | 104 | 201 | 32 | 1 | 40 | 124 | 5 | 69 | 77 | .362 | .431 | .638 |
Piazza’s 25-7 comes with a caveat. He doesn’t have a 15-7. Instead, he has a 15-10. While it doesn’t carry the full hit value of a 7, it certainly has its own advantages, namely helping Mike re-create his five stolen bases.
Piazza is a beast with a runner on third with power numbers 1-1-6-6. The 10 is an automatic hit against all pitchers in that situation too, by the way. Piazza was known for hitting into the double dipper but in 1997 his card only received two 24s. I believe he’s gotten more in other years.
Fun numbers: 25-7, 11-1, 42-9
Now Piazza had a reputation (deserved or not) for being over-rated for his defense. For his time at Los Angeles, the APBA cardmakers didn’t see it that way. They didn’t punish Piazza and he was rated fielding one.
Fun fact: When I think of Piazza, I think of the Dodgers. However, he spent more seasons with the Mets (8) than he did with LA (7).
thanks, Tom F.!
