You’re not sick of this yet…are you?! Hopefully you didn’t miss out on the ‘87, ‘88, and ‘89 editions. Real baseball games are less than two weeks away…barring any setbacks. So with that, I introduce to you, the 1990 Topps Future Stars ranked…
5. Alex Sanchez was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays with the 17th overall pick in the 1987 Major League Baseball Draft. Sanchez was named Pitcher of the Year for the International League in 1989 while a member of the Syracuse Chiefs. Sanchez’s big league career would last just 11.2 innings and his career numbers are:
- Win-loss record: 0-1
- ERA: 10.03
- Strikeouts: 4
4. Eric Anthony was selected by the Houston Astros in the 34th round (795th pick) of the 1986 MLB Draft. Anthony was named the Southern League MVP while playing for the Columbus Mudcats in 1989. Anthony spent time with five different clubs (Astros, Mariners, Reds, Rockies, and Dodgers) during his nine seasons in the majors and his career numbers are:
- Batting average: .231
- Hits: 462
- Home runs: 78
- RBIs: 269
3. Mark Gardner was selected by the Montreal Expos in the 8th round (192nd pick) of the 1985 MLB Draft. Gardner pitched in 345 games for the Expos, Royals, Marlins, and Giants during his 13 year career in the bigs. Gardner was used as a starter and as a long reliever and his career numbers are:
- Win-loss record: 99-93
- ERA: 4.56
- Strikeouts: 1,256
2. Todd Zeile was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2nd round (55th pick) of the 1986 MLB Draft. Zeile broke into the majors as a catcher, but eventually moved to third/first base. Zeile played for 11 different organizations (Cardinals, Cubs, Phillies, Orioles, Dodgers, Marlins, Rangers, Mets, Rockies, Yankees, and Expos) during his 16 year career. Only five players have played for more teams than Zeile and his career numbers are:
- Batting average: .265
- Hits: 2,004
- Home runs: 253
- RBIs: 1,110
1. Greg Vaughn was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers with the 4th overall pick in the 1986 MLB Draft (Secondary Phase). Vaughn was a four time All-Star (1993, 1996, 1998, and 2001) and won the Silver Slugger Award in 1998. Vaughn played for the Brewers, Padres, Reds, Devil Rays, and Rockies during his 15 seasons in the majors. Greg is a cousin to fellow major leaguers Jerry Royster and Mo Vaughn and his career numbers are:
- Batting average: .242
- Hits: 1,475
- Home runs: 355
- RBIs: 1,072
Bonus – #1 Draft Picks: Just like in 1989, Topps made cards for the top 10 draft picks (picks #10 and #11 did not sign – hence no cards) from the previous year’s MLB draft (’89). Here are those cards, and that players’ career major league numbers…
1st pick – Ben McDonald (Baltimore Orioles)
- 9 year career with the Orioles and Brewers.
- Win-loss record: 78-70
- ERA: 3.91
- Strikeouts: 894
2nd pick – Tyler Houston (Atlanta Braves)
- 8 year career with the Braves, Cubs, Indians, Brewers, Dodgers and Phillies.
- Batting average: .265
- Hits: 479
- Home runs: 63
- RBIs: 253
3rd pick – Roger Salkeld (Seattle Mariners)
- 3 year career with the Mariners and Reds.
- Win-loss record: 10-10
- ERA: 5.61
- Strikeouts: 141
4th pick – Jeff Jackson (Philadelphia Phillies)
- Did not play in the majors
5th pick – Donald Harris (Texas Rangers)
- 3 year career with the Rangers
- Batting average: .204
- Hits: 24
- Home runs: 2
- RBIs: 11
6th pick – Paul Coleman (St. Louis Cardinals)
- Did not play in the majors
7th pick – Frank Thomas (Chicago White Sox)
- 19 year career with the White Sox, Athletics, and Blue Jays
- Batting average: .301
- Hits: 2,468
- Home runs: 521
- RBIs: 1,704
8th pick – Earl Cunningham (Chicago Cubs)
- Did not play in the majors
9th pick – Kyle Abbott (California Angels)
- 4 year career with the Angels and Phillies.
- Win-loss record: 4-17
- ERA: 5.20
- Strikeouts: 124
10th pick – Charles Johnson (Montreal Expos)
- Topps did not make a card for Johnson as he did not sign with Montreal. Johnson decided to enroll at the University of Miami instead.
11th pick – Calvin Murray (Cleveland Indians)
- Topps did not make a card for Murray as he did not sign with Cleveland. Murray decided to enroll at the University of Texas instead. Calvin is also the uncle of Kyler Murray.
12th pick – Jeff Juden (Houston Astros)
- 8 year career with the Astros, Phillies, Giants, Expos, Indians, Brewers, Angels, and Yankees.
- Win-loss record: 27-32
- ERA: 4.81
- Strikeouts: 441
And that is the rankings of the 1990 Topps Future Stars and #1 Draft Picks. Again, some hits, some misses, and plenty of stories to go around with each card…especially the #1 Draft Picks that didn’t sign. Stay tuned for the 1991 Topps Future Stars and #1 Draft Picks…the final edition of my completed Topps sets!