What a card: This is Roy Smith's rookie card. He also appears in the 1985 Donruss and Fleer sets. Smith made his major league debut in June of 1984.
My observation on the front: Smith appears mildly interested in something. The veterans have probably left him out again.
More opinion from me: "Roy Smith" is a wonderfully generic name if you want to slip under the radar as a baseball player. I don't remember Smith during his playing career and when I returned to collecting the 1986 Topps set decades later, I looked at Smith's card like he was an impostor.
Something you might know: Smith won 10 games as a member of the Twins' starting rotation in 1989. He and Allan Anderson were forced to pick up the slack during a season when Minnesota's former ace, Frank Viola, was traded to the Mets.
Something you might not know: Smith, who has been an executive and scout in baseball for the last two decades, was a big supporter of the Mets obtaining Blue Jays pitching prospect Noah Syndergaard in the deal for R.A. Dickey in 2012. Smith works with Paul DePodesta in the Mets' scouting department.
My observation the back: Jose Abreu just broke Kittle's White Sox rookie home run record last year when he hit 36.
The blog wants to speak now: The Ballgames category is updated.
The thing I remember most about Roy Smith is that he was the first big league pitcher that I ever saw (thru Sportscenter) take a line drive to the head. It happened in 1985 while this card was still fresh on the market. I know he was out for the rest of 85 and most of 86. It's odd the things that stick with you for so long.
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