Five Random Cubs Cards

In the last two weeks I picked up all of the Cubs from Collector's Choice. So now I've got 5,827 Cubs cards from 21 different brands. A random number generator picked five of them. Here they are in the order selected.



Topps 1984 Dick Ruthven #736 - This might be a suprise, but Ruthven was the Cubs opening day starter in 1984, getting the win as the Cubs topped the Giants 5-3. Though the Cubs would go on and with the NL East that season, it wasn't because of Ruthven. He ended the year 6-10 and didn't appear in the NLCS.



Stadium Club 1993 #346 Frank Castillo - By 1993 Castillo had spent a year and a half in the majors and was 16-18. The Cubs were hoping that in 1993 the 24-year-old starter would have a break out season. Well, it was only a break season, actually a broken season. He was 5-8 with a 4.84 ERA



Topps 1972 #61 Cubs Rookies - As is the case with most rookie cards, only one of the players featured went on to a decent career. On this card it would be Burt Hooton. Hooton was drafted by the Cubs in the June 1971 draft and then went straight to the bigs. His signature pitch was the knucklecurve. He started three games and then was sent down to the minors. He made the team in 1972 and pitched a no hitter his first start of the season, on April 16, It was a sloppy no hitter, as he gave up seven walks. Even though it was a Sunday, only 9,500 people turned out at Wrigley Field on a cold, rainy day. He ended the season with a record of 11-14, but a decent 2.80 ERA

Gene Hiser played on and off with the Cubs for five seasons. He never amounted to much, with a career average of .202

Earl Stephenson was traded by the Cubs in the Jose Cardenal trade with the Brewers in early 1972. The rookie card was in the first series, so Topps had no time to change it, though Cardenal was included in the traded cards in the final series.



Topps 1961 #27 Jerry Kindall - Here is a sneak preview of what the 2010 Topps Heritage cards are going to look like. A bonus baby signing by the Cubs in 1956, Kindall was in his fifth season with the Cubs in 1961. He hit .242 in 96 games. But he Cubs gave up on him and he was traded to the Indians in November 1961. According to Wikipedia, since 1920, no player with at least 2000 career at bats has had a lower career average that Kindall's .213. He would later coach baseball at the University of Arizona for over twenty years and led the Wildcats to three NCAA championships.



Fleer 1991 #U83 Rick Wilkins - The random number generator really likes Rick Wilkins, because this is the third time one of his cards has been selected. As a rookie in 1991, Wilkins hit .222 in 86 games for the Cubs.