Friday, July 6, 2012

1979 TCMA Elmira Pioneer Red Sox Baseball #5, Arturo Samaniego

What can we say or write about Jamie Moyer at this point? Probably not much more, as Toronto released the 49 year-old vet this week, thanks to his high minor league ERA and continuing propensity to allow homers. One Seattle newspaper is polling fans: should Seattle sign him for a day and let him retire as a Mariner? (I'm game to let him pitch.)


To put Moyer's baseball tenure in context, consider Arturo Samaniego, who spent 3 summers in the low minors for Boston (career stats). Released in 1980 at age 20, Arturo moved on to other pursuits. I can imagine jobs, businesses, and raising a family. It's now 32 years later and Arturo is 52, just 3 years older than Jamie. (Counting this year's 3-game stint with Norfolk, 19 years passed between Moyer's two trips through Baltimore's minor league system; the first came with Rochester in 1993.)


This TCMA issue includes 28 cards, above-average for their late 70s sets.
  1. Lloyd Bessard
  2. Jay Fredlund
  3. Ken Hagemann
  4. Danny Huffstickler
  5. Arturo Samaniego
  6. Glenn Eddins Jr.
  7. Joaquin (Jackie) Gutierrez
  8. Tom McCarthy
  9. Steve Fortune
  10. Don Hayford
  11. Eddie Lee
  12. Russell Lee Pruitt
  13. Scott Gering
  14. Dave Holt
  15. Steve Schaefer
  16. Tony Cleary
  17. Andy Serrano
  18. Francisco Vasquez
  19. Gus Malespin
  20. Hal Natupsky
  21. Dick Berardino, Manager
  22. Ed Berroa
  23. Bill Limoncelli
  24. Bob Birrell
  25. Wayne Tremblay
  26. Tom Brunner
  27. Tom DeSanto
  28. Mark Saunders

Value: Like most of my 1979 TCMA cards, Arturo cost $2 at MinorLeagueSingles.com. Low-A teams like Elmira produce few stars and only two players on its 1979 roster made the bigs, Jackie Gutierrez and Tom McCarthy, so the team set's affordable at $20-30.

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

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