This is a quick look at the player selection of the first set of Diamond King cards and a determination to see if Donruss got it right in picking the players.
1. Pete Rose (over Schmidt, Donruss should have made an MVP DK for him)
2. Gary Carter (close call over Dawson)
3. Steve Garvey (Best Dodger)
4. Vida Blue (maybe Jack Clark)
5. Alan Trammell (over Kemp, Thompson)
6. Len Barker (he threw a perfect game in 1981)
7. Dwight Evans (a Mistake should have been Yaz or Rice)
8. Rod Carew (no contest)
9. George Hendrick (over Hernandez)
10. Phil Neikro (Murphy was not there yet)
11. Richie Zisk (no qualms)
12. Dave Parker (could of went with Stargell, but he was almost done)
13. Nolan Ryan (no contest)
14. Ivan De Jesus (Mr. Cub?, were the Cubs this bad)
15 George Brett (no contest)
16. Tom Seaver (over Johnny Bench)
17. Dave Kingman (Mr. Met)
18. Dave Winfield (over Reggie Jackson, did they know he was going to leave)
19. Mike Norris (Mistake, it should have been Ricky)
20. Carlton Fisk (over Luzinski)
21. Ozzie Smith (Mr. Padre)
22. Roy Smally (they spelled his name wrong on the checklist)
23. Buddy Bell (see Richie Zisk)
24 Ken Singleton (Mistake should have been Murray or Palmer)]
25. John Mayberry (best player on Blue Jays)
26. Gorman Thomas (Yount would have his break out year in 1982.)
Carl Yastrzemski, Eddie Murray and Rickey Henderson should have been on this list. These are the three mistakes with Norris’s selection over Henderson the worst. Ricky was already a Super Star by 1981.
Great post!
ReplyDeleteMaybe Donruss picked Norris to honor his amazing 1980 season. Rickey was by far the superior player on the A's in 81... and if they felt they needed to go with a pitcher, Steve McCatty outpitched Norris that year, so it should have gone to him.