Where Are They Now? Kevin Elster

I'm going to let this card speak for itself, since we just saw him here, and I wrote about him here as well.

Where Are They Now? Randy Milligan

Randy Milligan was drafted in the first round of the 1981 amateur draft by the New York Mets. The three games played listed in the stats on the back are the only games he played as a Met.

His Major League debut came in the 7th inning of a 8-1 loss against the Cardinals at the old Busch Stadium on September 12, 1987. He went hitless in his one at bat pinch hitting for pitcher Bob Ojeda.

In that game, Doc Gooden lasted only two innings and Greg Mathews got the complete game victory.

He had a short career, but not a bad career. He knew how to take a walk and walked more than he struck out and his .391 on base percentage isn't too terrible (127 OPS). And in the field he was right at league average.

These days he's a scout in the Baltimore Orioles system.

Young Superstars II #40 - Kevin Elster

Every one seemed to be really high on Kevin Elster in 1988. Both Topps and Score gave him a Future Star and Rookie Prospect card, and here he is as a Young Superstar.

This isn't a good way to end the series, the photograph isn't very good. I think Kevin's tracking a fly ball.

Read the scouting report. Right there is a good example of how much the game has changed over the past 20 years. These days shortstops are expected to produce offensively; but back in the late 80s a power hitting shortstop was a rare thing.

Elster's main problem was staying healthy and in the line up. He had a good year in 1996 with Texas, going .252/24/99 in 157 games.

He briefly attempted a comeback in 2000 with Los Angeles, hitting .227/14/32 in 80 games.

Kevin Elster's career statistics

Young Superstars II #21 - Rick Aguilera

Here's our third Met in a row.

It's likely that this photo was taken on the same pitch as the base release. The photo was taken at Candlestick and judging by the blurs in the crowd, it was taken at the same game as the Rick Reuschel card that appeared just two cards before Aguilera in the base release.


Aguilera made only two starts against the Giants in 1987, and only once he went up against Reuschel.

On August 30, 1987, Aguilera carried a 5-1 lead through eight innings. The bottom of the ninth started with a strikeout of Joel Youngblood, then Matt Williams and Bob Brenly both homered making the score 5-3. Jose Uribe then flew out to center, after which Eddie Milner walked. Thus ending Aguilera's night. Roger McDowell came in and induced a ground ball from Chris Speier to end the game.

Reuschel didn't fare nearly as well, lasting only a third of an inning, giving up all five Mets runs. It was his shortest outing of the season and only his second start after being traded to the Giants from the Pirates.

Aguilera will be remembered by history as a very good closer. As of the end of the 2008 season, his 318 saves are good for 15th all time. But before becoming a closer, Aguilera was a good starter, going 31-17 in his first three seasons.

He was used as a starter again in 1996 during his second stint with the Twins, going 8-6.

In 1991, Rick saved 42 games and pitched very well against the Braves in the World Series. In four appearances he went 1-1 with a 1.80 ERA and two saves.

Rick Aguilera's career statistics

Young Superstars II #20 - Darryl Strawberry

This is a great shot on Strawberry concentrating on the pitch. He had one of the nicest swings in baseball.

Who's that on deck behind him? It's most likely Kevin McReynolds.

We all know the tragedy of Darryl Strawberry, so I won't get into it. He was a great player who gave up a lot.

He's one of only three players who have played for all four original New York teams (Yankees, Mets, Dodgers and Giants).

Darryl Strawberry's career statistics

Young Superstars II #19 - Lenny Dykstra

I'm trying to figure out what's going on in the background. There's a person on the left side shielding their face from something. There's also a white spot and I can't tell if it's a ball or lense flare.

I kinda doubt that it's a ball, considering Lenny's getting ready to hit and there shouldn't be any other baseballs flying around. There seems to be a lot of non-players in that area back there. Press pit?

Lenny was a hardnosed player: he played hard, drank hard and partied hard. He was part of that blue collar Phillies team of the early 90s with John Kruk and Darren Daulton.

He'll probably best be remember for the car accident he and Daulton were involved in after leaving John Kruk's bachelor party on May 7, 1991. He wouldn't play again until July 15. Daulton fared a bit better and was back in the line up on May 25 (but for only two games and was then out until June 18).

In December 2007, Nails was named in the Mitchell Report and by Jason Grimsley.

Lenny Dykstra's career statistics

Young Superstars II #3 - Dwight Gooden

I think Doc could be considered a legitimate superstar. He was pretty dominating through the late 80s, and a prooven winner in his career with the Mets.

Judging by the dirt on his pants, the photo on the front of the card was taken during the same game as the photo on the base release.

However, the photo on the reverse of the base card is interesting. It's a bit more common these days, but back in the 80s, you rarely saw a pitcher batting on a baseball card. While he's not exactly batting, Gooden is wearing a batting helmet. He is the owner of a Silver Slugger award prooving that he knew what to do with a bat, so showing him in a batting helmet isn't completely off the wall.


Doc's career quickly went down hill quickly, and the vast majority of his 194 career wins came before his 29th birthday.

Had it not been for troubles with drugs, Gooden could have had a Hall of Fame career. As it was though, he is still the owner of three World Series rings (all with the Yankees), four All Star selections, the NL Rookie of the Year and a Cy Young award. He threw a no-hitter against the Mariners in 1996.

Dwight Gooden's career statistics

Young Superstars #23 - Dave Magadan

Dave Magadan is a player that doesn't really get as much credit as he deserved. He was an outstanding contact hitter in his six seasons with the Mets, but was overlooked on a team with Strawberry, Gooden and an aging Keith Hernandez. After leaving New York he continued to put up repectable numbers at the plate, but in an era of power hitters, he was forgotten. His life time batting average is solid at .288. His .328 in 1990 even earned him a few MVP votes.

He never developed the power the his cousin (and godfather), Lou Piniella mentioned on the back of the card. But the ability to hit the ball to all fields is vital.

Limited playing time hurt his numbers for much of his career and he never could stick as a starter for too long in any one place.

These days, Magadan is the hitting coach for the Boston Red Sox and in his time there, team batting has improved.

The photo on the front of the card shows us a nice level swing, head down to keep the eye on the ball all the way through the strike zone. I'm not sure about the front, but the head shot on the reverse was taken at the same time as the base release.

Dave Magadan's career statistics