1976 Topps Giants - Part 1

• These were grim times for the Giants. A manager isn't pictured on this team card (#443) because the Giants hadn't hired one when this set was printed. The Giants weren't drawing well and they were about to be sold and moved to Toronto before Bob Lurie bought the team and kept it in San Francisco.

• Bill Rigney was eventually brought in to manage the team in 1976. He had a previous stint managing the Giants from 1956-1960. He was let go after 58 games despite having a .569 winning percentage (the Giants were in 5th place at the time). Bill also managed the Los Angeles/California Angels from their inception in 1961 until early 1969. Rigney managed the Minnesota Twins to the 1970 AL West title and ran them in '71 and for 39 games in '72. After the 1976 season Rigney was replaced by Joe Altobelli.

• Team record: 74-88 (4th in NL West, 28 games behind Cincinnati)

• Attendance: 626,868 (12th in NL)

• Team Batting: .246 (9th in NL)

• Team Home Runs: 85 (8th in NL)

• Team ERA: 3.53 (6th in NL)

• Team Fielding: .971 (12th in NL)

• NL All Stars: John Montefusco (P)

• League Leaders: Willie Montanez (games played - 163 for Giants and Braves); John Montefusco (shutouts - 6)
• Team Batting Leader: Larry Herndon (.288)
• Team HR Leader: Bobby Murcer (23)
• Team RBI Leader: Bobby Murcer (90)
• Team Wins Leader: John Montefusco (16)
• Team Losses Leader: Ed Halicki (14)
• Team Saves Leader: Randy Moffitt (14)
  

Mike Sadek (#234) batted .204 in 93 at bats as the Giants' third catcher.

• Dave Rader (#54) was the "regular" catcher -- he played in 88 games and batted .263 with 1 HR and 23 RBI.
  
  
  

• Marc Hill (#577) batted .183 in 54 games (131 AB) with 3 HR and 15 RBI.

Others who caught for the Giants but didn't get a 1976 Topps Giants card:

• Gary Alexander (.178 in 73 AB)
  
  
  
  

Trivia Time

Can you name the SF Giants team leaders in the 1980s?

How did you do?

1986 Topps Giants - Part 6 (more pitchers)

Vida Blue (#770) was 10-10 with a 3.20 ERA in 28 starts.

Mike Krukow (#752)was the ace of the staff in 1986. He was 20-9 with a 3.05 ERA in 34 starts. Mike was an All Star (he pitched a perfect 9th inning) and finished 3rd in Cy Young Award voting.

Mike Jeffcoat (#571) didn't pitch for the Giants in 1986. He spent the season at AAA Phoenix (54 games, 7-2, 4.20 ERA)

Dave LaPoint (#551) didn't pitch for the Giants in 1986. He was traded to the Detroit Tigers in December 1985.

Jim Gott (#463) was 0-0 with one save and an ERA of 7.62 in 9 games (2 starts). He didn't appear in a game after May 8. He also started two games for AAA Phoenix but pitched only 2.2 innings combined in the two starts.

Scott Garrelts (#395) was 13-9 with 10 saves and a 3.11 ERA in 53 games (18 starts). He was a starter until July 2 then from July 6 to the end of the season he came out of the bullpen.

Frank Williams (#341) was 3-1 with one save and a 1.20 ERA in 36 games.

Greg Minton (#310) was 4-4 with five saves and a 3.93 ERA in 48 games. Here is a link to Greg's entry in the book Giants: Where have you Gone?.


Others who pitched for the Giants in 1986 but didn't receive a 1986 Topps Giants card:

Terry Mulholland (1-7, 4.94 ERA in 10 starts--15 games total)

Steve Carlton (1-3, 5.10 ERA in six starts)

Bill Laskey (1-1, 1 save, 4.28 ERA in 20 appearances)

Mark Grant (0-1, 3.61 ERA in 4 games)

Chuck Hensley (0-0, 2.45 ERA in 11 games)

Randy Bockus (0-0, 2.57 ERA in 5 games)

1986 Topps Giants - Part 5 (pitchers)

Atlee Hammaker (#223) didn't pitch for the Giants in 1986. He was out all season because of a shoulder problem, surgery on both knees, and a debilitating virus. Here is a "where are they now" article from 2005.

Mark Davis (#138) was 5-7 with four saves and an ERA of 2.99 in 67 games (2 starts). Davis was the first player selected in the 1979 draft. Mark started his career with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1980, went to the Giants in 1983, and went to the San Diego Padres as part of the big trade they made on July 5, 1987. Davis ended up pitching in 15 seasons from 1980-1997.

Jeff Robinson (#93T) was 6-3 with eight saves and a 3.36 ERA in 64 games (1 start) in 1986. He pitched for the Giants from 1984-1987 and finished his major league career in 1992.

Roger Mason (#70T) was 3-4 with a 4.80 ERA in 11 starts in 1986. He pitched for the Giants from 1985-1987 and ended up pitching in the majors from 1984-1994.

Mike LaCoss (#57T) was 10 -13 with a 3.57 ERA in 37 games (31 starts) in 1986. After pitching for three other teams, Mike had most of his success with the Giants. He pitched for the Giants from 1986 until his release on July 3, 1991. Mike tried to pitch in the minors for Montreal's AAA Indianapolis club in 1992 but he hung 'em up after seven games.

Juan Berenguer (#9T) was 2-3 with four saves and a 2.70 ERA in 46 games (4 starts). This (1986) was the only season Juan pitched for the Giants.

1986 Topps Giants - Part 4.5 (another outfielder)

I goofed and didn't include Dan Gladden's card (#678) on the previous entry. Here it is!

1986 Topps Giants - Part 4 (outfielders)

• Jeffrey Leonard (#490) played in 89 games, batting .279 with 6 HR and 42 RBI. He played his last 1986 game on July 29. Leonard was acquired by the Giants early in the 1981 season and stayed with the Giants until he was traded to Milwaukee for Ernest Riles on June 8, 1988. Jeffrey continued to play until he was released by the Seattle Mariners after the 1990 season.
  
  

• Rob Deer (#249) didn't play for the Giants in 1986. He was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers for two minor leaguers after the 1985 season.
  
  
  

• Joel Youngblood (#177) was a utilityman in 1986. He batted .255 in 97 games. Youngblood played every infield position, LF, and RF.
  
  
  

• Candy Maldonado (#69T) led the Giants in home runs with 18 and in RBI with 85. He batted .252 in 405 at bats.
  
  
  
  
  

• Ron Roenicke (#63) didn't play for the Giants in 1986. He was released during spring training in 1986 and caught on with the Oakland A's. He played for six teams in eight seasons from 1981-1988.
  
  
  

• Here's a "Turn Back the Clock" card of Willie Mays (#403). These are pretty cool cards. I'd like to see Topps do this more often. The back of this card features several career milestones of HOFers like Aaron, Kaline, Banks, Killebrew, Frank Robinson, Bob Gibson, Hoyt Wilhelm, and Lou Brock. Mays is on this card because in '71 he hit his 638 career home run, which was also his 1950th run scored, which set a National League record.
  
  
  
  

Others who played OF for the Giants but didn't get a 1986 Topps Giants card:

• Chili Davis (.278 with 13 HR, 70 RBI, 84 BB in 153 games as the starting RF)
• Dan Gladden (.276 in 102 games as the starting CF, led the team with 27 stolen bases)
• Randy Kutcher (.237 in 186 AB in his rookie season)
• Randy Bockus (0 for 1 in six games)

1986 Topps Giants - Part 3 (more infielders)

• David Green (#727) didn't play for the Giants in 1986. He was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers for a minor leaguer after the 1985 season.
  
  
  
  

• Manny Trillo (#655) didn't play for the Giants in 1986. He was traded to the Chicago Cubs for Dave Owen after the 1985 season.
  
  

• Chris Brown (#383) was the regular 3B for the Giants in 1986. He batted .317 with seven HR and 49 RBI. He also had a .376 on base percentage.
  
  
  

• Ricky Adams (#153) didn't play for the Giants in 1986. He played in 18 games at AAA Phoenix. Perhaps he was injured. Adams continued to play in the minors in 1987 but he never made it back to the majors. He played in his last game in October 1985.

• Others who played infield for the Giants but didn't get a 1986 Topps card:

• Luis Quinones (.179 in 106 AB)
• Mike Woodard (.253 in 79 AB)
• Harry Spilman (.287 in 94 AB)
• Rick Lancellotti (.222 in 18 AB)
  
  
  

Trivia Time

Can you name the SF Giants opening day lineups from the 1970s?

How did you do?

1986 Topps Giants Part 2 - infielders

This picture was most likely taken at the old Scottsdale Stadium during spring training. The Giants have been training in Scottsdale, AZ since 1984. The new Scottsdale Stadium opened in 1992.

Robby Thompson (#113T) was a 24-year-old rookie in 1986. He finished 2nd to Todd Worrell in Rookie of the Year voting (ahead of guys like Barry Bonds, Will Clark, and Barry Larkin). Thompson played in 149 games and batted .271. He stole 12 bases but was caught 15 times. Robby spent his entire career (1986-1996) with the Giants. He actually signed with the Cleveland Indians as a free agent in 1997 but didn't play for them.

Dan Driessen (#65) was at the end of his career in 1986. He batted .188 in 16 at bats for the Giants before being released on May 1. Dan signed with the Houston Astros a month later and eventually finished his career with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1987.

Brad Wellman (#41) batted .154 in 13 at bats for the Giants in 1986. He played in 79 games for AAA Phoenix and became a free agent after the '86 season. Brad played sparingly for the LA Dodgers in 1987 then played two years for the KC Royals before calling it a career after the 1989 season.

Will Clark (#24T), like Mr. Thompson, was a rookie in 1986. The 22-year-old Clark was recalled from AAA Phoenix after playing six games there. Clark was in single-A ball in 1985. He played in 111 games for the Giants and batted .287 with 11 HR and 41 RBI. Will batted .300 or higher in 10 of his 15 seasons and never batted below .282. He played for the Giants from 1986-1993 and eventually finished his career with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2000.

Jose Uribe (#12) was a fixture at shortstop in 1986. He played in 157 games and batted .223. Jose played one season for the St. Louis Cardinals (1984) then spent most of the rest of his career with the Giants (1985-1992). Uribe played one season (1993) with the Houston Astros before hanging 'em up.

1986 Topps Giants - Part 1

The Giants began to show a lot of promise in 1986. Several good young players (Will Clark, Robby Thompson, etc.) made the jump from AA to the Giants without playing in AAA Phoenix. The Giants still had some work to do, but they were heading in the right direction and they started to become fun to watch again.

• Team Record: 83-79 (3rd in NL West, 13 games behind Houston)
• Attendance: 1,528,748 (9th in NL)
• Team Batting: .253 (6th in NL)
• Team Home Runs: 114 (9th in NL)
• Team ERA: 3.36 (3rd in NL)
• Team Fielding: .977 (11th in NL)
• NL All Stars: Chris Brown (3B); Chili Davis (OF); Mike Krukow (P)
• League Leaders: Robby Thompson (sacrifice hits - 18)

• Roger Craig was in his first full season as the Giants' manager. The youth movement was paying dividends for the Giants -- they had only two regulars over the age of 30.
  
  

• Bob Brenly was the regular catcher and batted .246 with 16 HR and 62 RBI in 472 at bats. Bob also walked 74 tims and had a .350 on base percentage.
  
  
  

• Alex Trevino didn't play for the Giants in 1986. He was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Candy Maldonado before the '86 season.

Others who caught for the Giants but didn't get a 1986 Topps card:

• Bob Melvin (.224 in 268 AB)
• Phil Ouellette (.174 in 23 AB)
• Brad Gulden (.091 in 22 AB)
  
  
  

1987 Topps Giants - Part 6 (traded set)

Matt Williams (#129T) was still mainly a shortstop in 1987. He played in 70 gams at short and 17 games at 3B. Matt didn't hit a whole lot in his rookie season -- .188 with eight homers in 245 AB. He was ready to be a starter by 1989 and really started to hit well in 1990. Williams was a five-time all star and won four Gold Gloves and three Silver Slugger Awards. Williams played for the Giants from 1987-1996, for the Cleveland Indians in 1997, and then retired after the 2003 season after playing his last six seasons with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Chris Speier (#121T) batted .249 with 11 HR in 317 at bats as a backup infielder. He signed with the Giants as a free agent before the 1987 season. Chris finished his career with the Giants in 1989.

Kevin Mitchell (#81T) was acquired by the Giants in a big trade with the San Diego Padres on July 5, 1987. He batted .306 with 15 homers to finish the 1987 season. Mitchell was the 1989 MVP and was a two-time All Star for the Giants. He was traded to the Seattle Mariners after the 1991 season for Bill Swift, Dave Burba, and Mike Jackson (a good way to retool the pitching staff). After stints with several other teams, Mitchell finished his career with the Oakland A's in 1998.

Jim Gott (#39T) made 30 appearances for the Giants in 1987 and was 1-0 with a 4.50 ERA. He had been released by the Giants after the 1986 season and was resigned during spring training in '87. Jim was waived by the Giants on August 3 and was picked up by the Pittsburgh Pirates.

I'm surprised Dave Dravecky and Craig Lefferts weren't in this traded set. I picked up most of these images from Deanscards.com. I have the set but it's in a spot that's hard to access at the moment. :)

Picked up a couple of goodies on eBay

1970 Topps Super Willie McCovey. I've never owned one of these before. The cards are very sturdy and look to be a cool set to collect someday.

1964 Topps Giant Juan Marichal. I had about 45 of these at one time but I sold them in the late 1980s during a time of financial hurt in college. These are also nice cards. The short prints are a pain to collect but the rest of the set is very obtainable. I'd like to see Topps do a set like this about once a decade or so.

Trivia Time

Can you name the San Francisco Giants All-Stars from 1958-2009?

1987 Topps Giants - Part 5 (more pitchers)

Atlee Hammaker was 10-10 with an ERA of 3.58 in 31 games (27 starts). He pitched for the Giants from 1982 until his release on August 12, 1990.

Greg Minton was 1-0 with one save and a 3.47 ERA in 15 appearances. He was released by the Giants on May 28 after a long career (1975-1987) with the club. Greg was signed by the California Angels and he pitched there until his retirement after the 1990 season.

Mike Krukow was 5-6 with a 4.80 ERA in 30 games (28 starts). Krukow was the winning pitcher in game 4 of the NLCS. Mike pitched for the Giants from 1983 until he retired in June of the 1989 season.

Terry Mulholland didn't pitch for the Giants in 1987. He was 7-12 with a 5.07 ERA for AAA Phoenix.

Roger Mason was 1-1 with a 4.50 ERA in five starts in 1987. He was 5-1 in 10 starts with AAA Phoenix.

Scott Garrelts was 11-7 with 12 saves and a 3.22 ERA in 1987. He spent his entire major league career (1982-1991) with the Giants.

Kelly Downs was 12-9 with 1 save and had an ERA of 3.63 in 41 games (28 starts). He pitched for the Giants from 1986-1992 and finished his career with the Oakland A's in 1993.

Jeff Robinson was 6-8 with 10 saves and a 2.79 ERA in 63 games. He was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Rick Reuschel on August 21. Why was the name section of his card red while the rest of the Giants were orange?