Thursday, April 9, 2009

1989 Topps Major League Debut #37: Steve Finley



Steve Finley

PHOTO: Not a bad shot, even if it does make Finley look like he has a cromagnon head.

STAT: Just 6 guys have 300 career homers and 300 career steals. Finley is one. How many of the other 5 can you get?

CAREER: 6/10

Finley is somewhat overrated by his longevity and the fact that he put up a few big HR seasons late in his career. In truth, he was a reasonably above average offensive player, good but not great, and solid defensively. He did it for many, many years, having just retired after the 2007 season.

3 comments:

  1. Overrated or not, I'd still rather have him than Glenn F'n Davis. Of course, at the time of that trade, Finley, Brady Anderson, and Mike Devereaux were all essentially the same player. I think he was considered the lowest risk of the three players the Orioles gave up (Harnisch had shown the most ability at the major league level, and Schilling had the "stuff" even though he was a knucklehead).

    ReplyDelete
  2. One of my favorite trivia questions, and one I ask people all the time because not many people get Finley and NO ONE gets Reggie Sanders.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Three teams gave up on Schilling. First Boston shipped him to Baltimore in the Mike Boddicker deal, and then the trade Kevin mentions above that sent him to Houston. But then the Phillies acquired him for Jason Grimsley, and it was only when he got to the Phillies that he saw major league success. Incidentally, Grimsley's card is coming up. Also, before the Albert Belle debacle, the Glenn Davis trade was another huge mess up for the Orioles that crippled their organization.

    ReplyDelete