1900s - 1970s: 1953 Topps #144 Bob Schultz What a difference a year makes. Schultz' 1952 card was one of the high numbers and cost me a bundle. The '53 card is a basic card that goes for a few bucks. As far as his on field performance, what a difference a year makes. He went from 6-3 with the Cubs in '52 to 0-2 in '53, his time split between the Cubs, Pirates, and the minor league.
1980s: 1981 Coke/Topps #9 Scot Thompson This comes from the Coke team set. The card is identical to the base Topps card except for the Coke logo in the upper right hand corner. Thompson was the Tyler Colvin of the late '70s/early 80s. He had a decent rookie season in 1979, but never put up similar numbers again. He hit just .165 for the Cubs in 1981 and spent half the year in AAA.
1990s: 1989 Fleer Traded #82 Steve Wilson The lefty came to the Cubs in the winter of 1988 as part of the Rafael Palmeiro / Mitch Williams trade. He pitched in 53 games for the '89 Cubs, most out of the bullpen. He managed a 6-4 record despite and ERA of 4.20
2000s: 2009 O-Pee-Chee #555 Kosuke Fukudome All-Rookie He made the All-Rookie team with a .257 average , 10 homers, and 58 RBIs. Those are pretty mediocre numbers if you ask me.
2010s: 2013 Bowman #38 Christian Villanueva He was good enough to be considered a prospect by Bowman in 2013. In 204 they wouldn't feel the same. He split the season between AA and AAA, hitting a combined .230. Being a third baseman in the Cubs system right now, unless your name is Kris Bryant, is not a good thing.
Kosuke always seemed primed to break big and never quite did. I was rooting for him. I guess he's back playing in Japan?
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