What a card: This is the 22nd rookie card to appear in the 1985 Topps Traded set. Chris Pittaro appeared in just 28 games for the Tigers in 1985, which quite frankly was enough to prevent Topps from making a card of a player for the flagship set.
My observation on the front: Standard infield shot that you don't see a lot on cards. Probably because it's not all that exciting.
More opinion from me: I look forward to the Tigers cards in this set because many of them are in old Tiger Stadium, which is just beautiful on cards. However, this appears to be a spring training shot.
Something you might know: Pittaro was an up-and-coming rookie in 1985 that Tigers manager Sparky Anderson championed as a future star second baseman. He very nearly forced Lou Whitaker out of his second base position until Whitaker balked and Pittaro went to third. He started on Opening Day and was batting .300 by the end of April but faded after that.
Something you might not know: Pittaro is a key figure in the book "Moneyball" as Billy Beane's right-hand man in scouting and drafting players. Pittaro and Beane were roommates when they played for the Twins.
My observation on the back: Interesting to see reference to a player continuing in college while he's on a baseball card and in a major league uniform.
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1 comment:
Of the 28 games Pittaro played for the Tigers in 1985, all but two were between the start of the season and May 26. The two remaining games were on June 17 and June 30.
I don't know when the traded sets were released, or in what timeframe Topps would have been deciding who to include in the set. But Pittaro's presence is presumably based on his having been on the Tigers' roster for the first few months of the season, and/or the hype that accompanied his arrival.
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