1989 Topps Major League Debut #143: Dean Wilkins

Dean Wilkins

PHOTO: Don't confuse Dean Wilkins with Rick Wilkins, a catcher who came up (also with the Cubs) a couple of years later. Dean Wilkins is the guy who looks like a sullen alcoholic on his 1989 Topps Major League Debut baseball card.

STAT: Only two batters got more than 1 hit off Wilkins: Darryl Strawberry (3) and Ricky Jordan (2).

ANAGRAM: Dean Wilkins = Swindle a kin

Sorry, he doesn't look like an alcoholic--he looks like someone who would steal from his own brother.

CAREER: 1/10

31 innings and a 7.55 career ERA.

1989 Topps Major League Debut #134: Jerome Walton

Jerome Walton

PHOTO: This is a pretty good photo but I could do with a little less blur on his hand.

STAT: Walton became the ultimately part-time player, when from 1992 to 1998, he netted the most seasons in baseball with fewer than 75 at-bats (pitchers excluded.)

ANAGRAM: Jerome Walton = Jot real women

CAREER: 3/10

Walton had one great shining year in 1989 when he was Rookie of the Year, playing well very in the both the regular and post seasons. After an OK 1990, he fell off rapidly and moved around a lot, becoming a useful (though rarely used) part-timer late in his career.

Incidentally, the other ROY winner in 1989--Gregg Olson of the Orioles--does not have a card in this set because he debuted in 1988. Ironically, the other Greg Olson (spelled differently) does have a card in this set.

1989 Topps Major League Debut #123: Phil Stephenson

Phil Stephenson

PHOTO: I'm trying to figure out what the knob of his bat says. It has the number 11, which was Stephenson's uniform number. The writing underneath looks sort of like the number "2430" but even if so, I don't know what that means.

STAT: Stephenson had 1 leadoff plate appearance in his career, coming in this game. I don't understand why Jack McKeon would ever have made that decision, except that Stephenson was decent at drawing walks (although his overall OBP was not particularly good.)

ANAGRAM: Phil Stephenson = Intense plop....shh!

CAREER: 1/10

Just 351 plate appearances over parts of 4 seasons.

1989 Topps Major League Debut #117: Greg Smith

Greg Smith

Here's our second straight Cub named Smith.

PHOTO: This is not a bad photo although I have to say I wish they used a different kind of lens that allowed the stuff in the background to be more in focus. This is a great shot showing what a typical spring training stadium looks like, but you can't really see it all that well.

STAT: Smtih's most meaningful plate appearance probably came in this game where his 11th-inning bunt off John Franco advanced a runner that would eventually score the go-ahead run. (Of course, Mike Marshall hit a game-tying homer in the bottom of the inning although the Cubs did go on to win in 13 innings.)

ANAGRAM: Greg Smith = Right gems

CAREER: 1/10

Just 58 career big-league plate appearances.

1989 Topps Major League Debut #116: Dwight Smith

Dwight Smith

PHOTO: The Cubs colors look great on these cards, but this is another photo that is way, way overexposed.

STAT: Against the teams he played the most (Reds, Astros, Dodgers, Mets, Phillies, Pirates, Padres, Giants, Cardinals, and Expos) Smith did best against the Cardinals and Mets.

ANAGRAM: Dwight Smith, OF, Cubs = Smug swift bitch--doh!

CAREER: 4/10

Smith was part of a great duo of Cubs in 1989, coming in second to teammate Jerome Walton in the Rookie of the Year voting. He fell off quite a bit, though, producing only one other very good year in 1993. He was a useful spare part for the Braves later in his career but didn't hit well enough to stick past age 32.

1989 Topps Major League Debut #68: Joe Kraemer

Joe Kraemer

PHOTO: "Hey Joe! I'm the Topps photographer. Let's take the photo for your first-ever major-league baseball card! First, put your arms up in a totally outdated fake windup pose. Now make sure they also block the sun from your face. A little higher...a little higher...perfect!" *CLICK*

STAT: A

ANAGRAM: Joe Kraemer = A mere joker

CAREER: 1/10

A bit better than the last card, Matt Kinzer. Kraemer had 28.2 IP in the majors and gave up just 20 earned runs.

1989 Topps Major League Debut #42: Joe Girardi

Joe Girardi

PHOTO: Not a bad photo of Joe, but who is the guy next to him?

STAT: Since 1989, Girardi has the 6th-most stolen bases among catchers although I suspect Russel Martin, already #5 with many fewer plate appearances, will top that list within 6 or 7 years. Of course, it should be mentioned that Girardi is also among the leaders in caught stealing for the same period.

CAREER: 4/10

Girardi didn't hit much but was on a bunch of playoff teams, including the Rockies' first-ever such appearance in 1995 and the Yankees championship teams of 1996, 1998, and 1999.

If we add in his career as a manager, I'd probably bump him up to 5 thanks mostly to what he did with the Marlins in 2006. Wait and see on his Yankees tenure...