We have finally reached the end of my completed Topps baseball card sets (hopefully you didn’t miss out on the ‘87, ‘88, ‘89, and ‘90 editions). We have also reached the final week without baseball…as a week from tomorrow, the 60 game regular season begins! So with that, I introduce to you, the 1991 Topps Future Stars ranked (my final edition)…
6. Lance Dickson was selected by the Chicago Cubs with the 23rd overall pick in the 1990 Major League Baseball Draft. Dickson pitched in 11 minor league games (going 7-3 with a 0.94 ERA while recording 111 strikeouts in just 76.1 innings) before being called up by the Cubs. Dickson lasted only three games with the Cubs before being sent back down to the minors, and never made his way back to the majors. Dickson’s career numbers are:
- Win-loss record: 0-3
- ERA: 7.24
- Strikeouts: 4
5. Tim McIntosh was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers in the third round (61st pick) of the 1986 MLB Draft. McIntosh was the 1986 Cape Cod Baseball League batting champ (.392 average). McIntosh spent five years (71 games) in the majors, playing for the Brewers, Expos, and Yankees. McIntosh’s career numbers are:
- Batting average: .179
- Hits: 21
- Home runs: 2
- RBIs: 10
4. Brian Barnes was selected by the Montreal Expos in the fourth round (97th pick) of the 1989 MLB Draft. Barnes pitched for the Expos, Indians, and Dodgers during his five years in the big leagues. Barnes’ career numbers are:
- Win-loss record: 14-22
- ERA: 3.94
- Strikeouts: 275
3. Rich Garces was signed as a non-drafted free agent by the Minnesota Twins in 1987. Garces pitched for the Twins, Marlins, Cubs, and Red Sox during his 10 year major league career. Garces was one of the American League’s top set-up men during his time in Boston. Garces career numbers are:
- Win-loss record: 23-10
- ERA: 3.74
- Strikeouts: 296
- Saves: 7
2. Greg Colbrunn was selected by the Montreal Expos in the sixth round (148th pick) of the 1987 MLB Draft. Colbrunn played for seven different organizations (Expos, Marlins, Twins, Braves, Rockies, Diamondbacks, and Mariners) during his 13 years in the big leagues. Colbrunn batted .344 during nine postseason series appearances and was a World Series Champion with Arizona in 2001. Colbrunn’s career numbers are:
- Batting average: .289
- Hits: 801
- Home runs: 98
- RBIs: 422
1. Jose Offerman was signed as a non-drafted free agent by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1986. Offerman, who homered in his first MLB at-bat, spent 15 years in the majors, playing for the Dodgers, Royals, Red Sox, Mariners, Twins, Phillies, and Mets. Offerman was an All-Star with the Dodgers in 1995 and the Red Sox in 1999. Offerman’s career numbers are:
- Batting average: .273
- Hits: 1,551
- Home runs: 57
- RBIs: 537
Bonus – #1 Draft Picks: Just like in 1990, Topps made cards for the top 10 draft picks (pick #2 has no card…more on that later) from the previous year’s MLB draft (’90). Here are those cards, and that players’ career major league numbers…
1st pick – Chipper Jones (Atlanta Braves)
- 19 year career with the Braves.
- Batting average: .303
- Hits: 2,726
- Home runs: 468
- RBIs: 1,623
2nd pick – Tony Clark (Detroit Tigers)
- Topps did not make a card for Clark due to his college basketball career at the University of Arizona and San Diego State. Clark is now the current executive director for the MLB Players Association.
3rd pick – Mike Lieberthal (Philadelphia Phillies)
- 14 year career with the Phillies and Dodgers.
- Batting average: .274
- Hits: 1,155
- Home runs: 150
- RBIs: 610
4th pick – Alex Fernandez (Chicago White Sox)
- 10 year career with the White Sox and Marlins
- Win-loss record: 107-87
- ERA: 3.74
- Strikeouts: 1,252
5th pick – Kurt Miller (Pittsburgh Pirates)
- 5 year career with the Marlins and Cubs
- Win-loss record: 2-7
- ERA: 7.48
- Strikeouts: 55
6th pick – Marc Newfield (Seattle Mariners)
- 6 year career with the Mariners, Padres, and Brewers.
- Batting average: .249
- Hits: 238
- Home runs: 22
- RBIs: 132
7th pick – Dan Wilson (Cincinnati Reds)
- 14 year career with the Reds and Mariners.
- Batting average: .262
- Hits: 1,097
- Home runs: 88
- RBIs: 519
8th pick – Tim Costo (Cleveland Indians)
- 2 year career with the Reds.
- Batting average: .224
- Hits: 30
- Home runs: 3
- RBIs: 14
9th pick – Ronnie Walden (Los Angeles Dodgers)
- Did not pitch in the majors.
10th pick – Carl Everett (New York Yankees)
- 14 year career with the Marlins, Mets, Astros, Red Sox, Rangers, White Sox, Expos, and Mariners.
- Batting average: .271
- Hits: 1,304
- Home runs: 202
- RBIs: 792
11th pick – Shane Andrews (Montreal Expos)
- 7 year career with the Expos, Cubs, and Red Sox.
- Batting average: .220
- Hits: 375
- Home runs: 86
- RBIs: 263
And that is the rankings of the 1991 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 (all but Walden appeared in the majors). And that is it, I have finally run out of completed Topps baseball card sets. It is now time for some real baseball…LET’S GO BREWERS!