Friday, December 16, 2011

1979 TCMA Clinton Dodgers Baseball #5, Matt Reeves

Matt Reeves, master of the blank stare. Look deep into those eyes. You are getting very sleepy. Sleeeepy.

Forget Dave Stewart's intimidating glare. I'm surprised batters could stay awake against Mr. Reeves, if this TCMA rendition is true-to-life. (Should more teams consider the secret weapon of sedation?)


Reeves never pitched above single-A for Los Angeles, but overlaps with two significant players for the major league Dodgers.

1982 Topps #114, Ken Landreaux

Number 1: Following 1980, LA traded Matt Reeves, Mickey Hatcher, and Kelly Snider to Minnesota for their All-Star CF, Ken Landreaux. Kenny roamed the Dodger outfield through 1987, helping them reach the postseason three times and win the World Series in 1981.


Number 2: Former Clinton Dodger Mickey Hatcher returned to the parent club in 1987. He and LA's other utility players--Tom Lasorda dubbed them the "stuntmen"--helped overcome Oakland's Bash Brothers to win the 1988 World Series. (Hatcher slugged a pair of homers in the series after hitting only one all year and famously sprinted around the bases after each.)


1979 marked Matt's first pro season, so TCMA didn't have any stats to print on the card back. He finished the year 8-8 with a tidy 2.85 ERA, more than half-a-run better than team average. (Teammate Orel Hershiser, another 1988 World Series hero, went 4-0 for Clinton in his own pro debut.)

Value: This #5 cost $2 at MinorLeagueSingles.com. Guys who reached the big leagues run more, depending on how famous they became. Steve Sax is the most valuable card in this team set.

Fakes / reprints: Haven't seen any in the marketplace.

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