O-Pee-Chee was like clockwork with the "Now With....."
I know that 1989 was long before the world of sabermetrics and analytics and the number crunchers that are around the game today, but there was a lot to like about signing Bryn Smith. While he only won 12 and 10 games in 1989 and 1988, Smith was actually coming off his two best seasons as a starting pitcher. There was not WAR and ERA+ back then, but Smith was at 5.1 WAR in 1989 and 125 for ERA+. Those two numbers were just about equal to Greg Maddux's numbers that season.
The point is, the Cardinals signed a good pitcher. Further, playing in a pitchers park like Busch Stadium should have helped his cause, along with having a left side of the infield with Ozzie Smith and Terry Pendleton.
Smith likely was out in Montreal after ripping the city in a Sports Illustrated article that ran in 1989.....
"There are two things that really get to the players. They don't serve ketchup with french fries. They serve gravy. Then when you order a Coke, they don't put ice in it. They don't know how to make iced tea. Ice is hard to come by, and if you ask for it, they tell you in French that you're stupid because you get more Coke without the ice."
so the Cardinals made a good landing spot.
While on paper it seemed like a great idea, just like so many other 1990s Cardinals free agent signings, Smith did not work out very well for the Cardinals.
On to a few baseball more baseball cards. The O-Pee-Chee card was obviously one of the first Bryn Smith cards as a Cardinal, sans uniform. He also had a Topps Traded card. Smith did have a few regular issue cards that did not include a giant "Now With Cardinals" stamp across the picture.
The two best in my opinion were....
his Bowman, which came out of the "Rainbow" set. I bought a bunch of packs of these back in 1990, did not really care for them very much at that time. They have really grown on me over the years. There are a lot of good update type cards in this set with these posed photos from Spring Training. Kind of a good way to give a veteran player their first card with a new team without having collectors wait all the way until the end of the year.
He was also in the regular edition of Leaf. Although, this picture looks like someone snuck up to him to take the photo. Still, the Leaf set is one of the better products that came out in 1990, so it's nice that they snuck Smith into the Cardinals cards.
The 1990 Cardinals were terrible,. Smith had a 9-8 win/loss record, he had an ERA north of 4, and missed a chunk of time at from the end of July to the beginning of September. He only ended up pitching 141 innings on a team that could have used some quality innings. No matter the metric, Smith was a below average player during his first season with the Cardinals.
He had a few traded cards released towards the end of the season. I like the Score Traded card. It's bright orange and has a decent action shot of Bryn Smith.
His 1991 was a little bit better on the field, but still not great. Between 1991 and 1992, Smith had a decent slate of cards. Most interestingly was Topps using nearly identical photos, one on the road and one at home, on his 1991 and 1992 cards.
His 1991.....
which was taken on the road. Leaning towards Shea Stadium.
His 1992........
Astroturf. Blue walls. Early 1990s Busch Stadium.
Two more cards.
A little front and back of a Cardinals team issued card. I have put up a ton of these on recent posts, was thinking about just doing major releases for this week's 1990s Cardinals post, but I like the stove cartoon on the back of his 1992 Cardinals team issue.
Last Cardinals card. Well, sort of Cardinals card.
Smith left the Cardinals after the 1992 season and signed with the expansion Rockies. His last card, as far as I can tell, with a picture of him in a Cardinals uniform is his 1993 Fleer. During his final season with the Cardinals, Smith only appeared in 13 games, with just one start. He missed almost the entire season. Yet, the Rockies signed him and gave him a starting slot. In fact, he started their first home opener.....
Smith ended up winning this game. He pitched seven shutout innings. However, by June his ERA was over 8 and the Rockies ended up releasing him at the beginning of the month. He did get a few Rockies cards though....
He has done some coaching both in the Minors and college levels since his retirement.
That 1993 Upper Deck card is pretty cool... as well as that piece of trivia about him being the guy delivering the Rockies first pitch.
ReplyDeleteI like that he is fielding the ball between his legs. UD had great photography, miss these cards.
DeleteThat staged/posed Bowman Cardinals card shows him as a lefty. Was he playing or did he throw from both sides?
ReplyDelete