Young Superstars II #39 - Greg Swindell

This is a pretty good picture of Swindell starting his delivery. You don't usually get to see the entire back of the player's uniform. Like Andy mentioned several times when going through the 88 Score traded set, Score could easily get away with shots like this because of the headshot on the back of the card.

Swindell spent the first half of his career as a started and then transitioned into a middle relief pitcher. He was an All Star in 1989 and put a World Series ring on his finger in 2001 as a member of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Greg Swindell's career statistics

Young Superstars II #34 - Barry Larkin

Most likely, we're looking at a future Hall of Famer. And on top of that, our third MLB Network analyst in the last four cards.

Again we see the 50's sci-fi spacesuit Reds uniform. Since they're all wearing away jerseys, I'll say there's a pretty good chance that all the Reds cars we've seen were taken at the same game. This one shows us the third base dugout and a view of some cameramen.

Not sure where they were taken. Turf field with a blue wall. It's not Montreal because you can see the sun reflecting on his helmet.

Larkin has an impressive resume: 12 time All Star, 3 Gold Gloves, 9 Silver Sluggers, NL MVP in 1995 and a World Series ring from 1990. To top it all off, he spent his entire career in Cincinnati.

Hall of Fame? I think so.

Barry Larkin's career statistics

Young Superstars II #32 - Dan Plesac

Here's our second MLB Network analyst in a row.

I haven't said this lately, but I really like the old Brewers logo.

Not sure where this one was taken, but the photo from the base set was taken during the '87 All Star game.

Plesac was used as a closer for the first five seasons of his career with the Brewers, but was used as a spot starter in 1991 (ten starts) and recorded only eight saves. Doug Henry was the primary closer for the Brew Crew in '91 but he saved only 15 games. Plesac made four starts the following year.

After leaving Milwaukee, Dan was used as a setup man for the remainder of his career.

Dan Plesac's career statistics

Young Superstars II #31 - Mitch Williams

Here's Mitch finishing up his... wacky delivery. As wacky as this one is, have a look at his base card:


They were taken at the same time, in Oakland. A lot of the Rangers cards in both the base release and the Young Superstars seem to have been taken at the same time in Oakland.

Mitch was fun to watch as long as you weren't a fan of the team he pitched for. You could never guess where the next pitch was going to end up. But despite his strange delivery and well known wildness, he only threw 44 wild pitches in his career. He did hit a lot of batters though.

Wild Thing was involved in the trade that sent Rafael Palmeiro and Jamie Moyer to Texas.

These days he's an analyst on the new MLB Network. He does a fair job

Mitch Williams' career statistics

Young Superstars II #28 - Fred McGriff

That looks like either a spring training or pre game shot on McGriff based on the alternate jersey. The headshot on the reverse with the empty stands makes me think pre-game and the ammount and color of the seats makes me think SkyDome.

One of my best friends growing up was named Fred, but he looked exactly like another one-time Brave, Marquis Grissom.

McGriff put up some great numbers and hit over 30 home runs seven straight years. When I think of the Crime Dog, my first thought is of the fire at Fulton County Stadium the day of McGriff's arrival in Atlanta. My second thought were those silly Tom Emanski baseball training videos that you still see on ESPN from time to time very late at night.

Hall of Fame? The numbers are good, but I think he flew just a bit under the radar and wasn't a very outspoken player. In 19 seasons he hit .284/493/1550. As a first baseman, he sat right at league average.

He hit very well in his postseason appearances and has a World Series ring from 1995 with the Braves.

Fred McGriff's career statistics

Young Superstars II #24 - Vince Coleman

The photo on the reverse looks like it was taken just seconds before or after the headshot from the base issue.


hmmmmm... I wonder. The photo on the front was probably taken during the same game as well. Actually, all three Coleman cards from 88 Score look to have been taken at the same time. See what you think:


Coleman had blazing speed his entire career. For three straight years, starting his rookie year in 1985, he stole 100+ bases. His stolen base output dropped considerably after 1990, though he did steal 50 in 1994.

Despite relatively low offensive output, Coleman's speed led to a lot of runs. If you want to put a lot of stock in sabermetrics, he is estimated to have created 688 runs, or 4.3 per game.

Vince Coleman's career statistics

Young Superstars II #23 - Roger Clemens

What do you think? Is this our first potential Hall of Famer? His reactions and attitudes after the steroid allegations are suspicious, at best. But he had a remarkable career.

Is that a Mariners away jersey standing on first base? The number looks like 38, but Jerry Narron wore 38 for four games with the Mariners in 1987, and that's not him on base. It could be the first base coach. Any ideas?

By the time this picture was taken, Clemens was already a highly decorated veteran. By 1988, he'd already won two Cy Young awards (on his way to winning six), an MVP award and made the first of his eleven trips to the All Star game in 1986 where he won the All Star MVP.

His two World Series rings came as a member of the Yankees and in 2004 while pitching for Houston, he picked up a National League Cy Young award.

The numbers are really astounding. 354 wins against 184 losses, 4672 strikeouts in 4916+ innings and a 3.12 career ERA. His numbers are comparable to Maddux, though Clemens walked over 500 more men than Maddux (but also picked up 1300 more Ks). Clemens' ERA was just a hair lower than Maddux's, though his WHIP was just a bit higher.

I think he's a Hall of Famer. I don't particularly like him, but I think he'll be in.

Roger Clemens' career statistics

Young Superstars II #22 - Ivan Calderon

Is that old Comiskey in the background?

He's another guy that had already spent time with more than one team before 1988, and the first in Series Two who is no longer with us. He was murdered in 2003, shot multiple times in the back and head in a bar in Puerto Rico.

For a big guy Calderon was fairly speedy. In 1990 and 1991 when he was healthy and played regularly, he stole 32 and 31 bases, being caught 16 times both seasons.

His best season came in 1991 where he went .300/19/75 and made the All Star team.

Injuries shortened his career and he was finished by 1993 at the age of 31.

Ivan Calderon'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 #18 - Shawon Dunston

Our first Cub.

Looks like Shawon has swung and missed in this picture. Striking out is something he was pretty good at. He liked it so much in fact that he did it one thousand times in 5927 at bats. He didn't like to walk, only doing that 203 times in 18 seasons. His distaste for the walk led him to one of the worst career on base percentages around, .296, despite a batting average of .269.

He was still a lot of fun to watch and never seemed to grow up as a player. He made the same mistakes at 33 that he did at 23.

He did manage to make two All Star teams, and always seemed like he was having a lot of fun playing the game. It's hard not to like Shawon Dunston.

Shawon Dunston's career statistics

Young Superstars II #17 - Bret Saberhagen

What a horrible picture. Looks like it was taken in Oakland, probably at the All Star Game. The base card was taken at Yankee Stadium.

At the time this card was printed, Saberhagen was 24 years old and had already won his first Cy Young award, a World Series ring and a World Series MVP trophy.

Though he wasn't nearly in the years after 1994, he still managed to put up respectable numbers. Had he been able to keep the pace he set between 1984 and 1989, he could have been a 250+ game winner. As it stands though, his 167 wins aren't too shabby.

In 1989 he led the American league in wins (23), ERA (2.16), WHIP (.961), innings pitched (262.3) and he also threw 12 complete games.

Bret Saberhagen's career statistics

Young Superstars II #14 - Jeff Blauser

The picture on the reverse looks like it was taken after a rain delay (or an off day) because that looks like a tarp over the infield. The grey overcast sky in the background is another indication of rain.

For whatever reason I don't remember Jeff not being on the 1995 World Series roster. 1995 was not a good year for Jeff, in 115 games he batted only .211. In the division series and NLCS he went 0-10 with two walks and five strikeouts. Ouch. I guess that's why he wasn't on the World Series roster.

Blauser was just an average player who showed some streaks of brilliance from time to time. He was a two time All Star (he started at short in 1997) and won the Silver Slugger in 1997. But I'll always remember him as a much better player than he really was. I still miss Blauser and Lemke up the middle in Atlanta.

He had a great year in 1997, and though he cooled off considerably in early August, he was still batting over .350 as late as June 28.

Jeff Blauser's career statistics

Young Superstars II #12 - Barry Bonds

As I mentioned a few days ago, right here is one of the reasons the Pirates put together a few good seasons in the early 90s. A skinnier version of Bonds won the first two of his seven MVP awards as a member of the Pirates. After Bonds' departure from the Pirates after the 1992 season, the team went south and hasn't had a winning record since.

Judging by the camera man in blue, the photo looks to have been taken at the same game as the base release card. I'm not sure what's going on with the closeup on the reverse though. I think it's the only non-head shot in the set. Maybe Barry wouldn't let them get any closer. It's not a bad looking photo though.

Since I don't really want to talk much about Bonds, I'll just copy and paste what I said when I came across his card in the base release, it still fits.

It's a good looking card of a promising young player. A player who had the potential to be one of the very best the game has ever seen, but a player who let success get the better of him, a player who lost touch with the fans and a player who in my opinion didn't show a whole hell of a lot of respect to the great thing he accomplished. And in my opinion a player who should never be in the Hall of Fame, but I'm not a baseball writer so what I think as a fan doesn't really matter.

Barry Bonds' career statistics

Young Superstars II #10 - Eric Davis

Here's another card with really good color combinations on the front, and a nice swing by Davis with the ball coming into the frame. It's also another Wrigley shot.

Davis was touted as a five tool player, and he was exceptionally good at all aspects of the game. However, he was also exceptionally good at getting hurt and never managed to play in more than 135 games in any of his 17 seasons.

In 1997 Davis was diagnosed with colon cancer but said he'd return before the end of the season. During that year's AL Division Series, Davis did come back, hitting a game winning home run as a member of the Orioles.

A year after coming back from cancer, Davis put together his best season, batting .327 with 28 home runs and 89 RBIs. However, after 1998 his career quickly went down hill with three injury shortened seasons before retiring in 2001.

Eric Davis' career statistics

Young Superstars II #9 - Bobby Bonilla

Since it didn't auto post like a good little post... here it is, only five hours late...


I like that you can see Bonilla's number 25 written in Sharpie on the underside of his cap bill.

With guys like Bobby Bo, Barry Bonds, Andy Van Slyke and a pretty good pitching staff, things looked very promising for the Pirates in the late 80s. They won their division three straight years starting in 1990, but haven't posted a winning record since the 1992 season.

Bonilla is another guy who had already been traded before being called a Young Superstar.

In 1998, Bonilla was involved in the trade that took Mike Piazza to Florida for five games in May.

I think I've said this before, but I can't really remember much about Bonilla's season in Atlanta.

Bobby Bonilla's career statistics

Young Superstars II #8 - Andres Galarraga

Here's a great shot of the old Expos blue away jersey and their beautiful cap. I've said it before, but I really miss the Expos. Sure they didn't draw more than sixteen fans per game, they played in a dump and never won. But they always fielded a good team, but never could afford to keep their young players as they progressed.

I realize that the Expos just weren't going to last in Montreal, but in Washington they just don't seem to have an identity yet, they don't really seem to have a place. They're stuck in the middle of a lot of Phillies and Orioles fans.

Maybe in a few more years at the new stadium they'll develop a following, but they better put up a good season soon.

Expos talk aside, I really like Galarraga. It's certainly true that he benefitted from the thin air at Coors' in its early days, but after leaving Colorado he still put up good numbers.

The smile on his face on the back of the card never left. He was a joy to watch in Atlanta and of all the players that have come and gone, I was saddest of all to see the Big Cat leave.

He's no Hall of Famer, but he was a very good, very popular player. His ability with the glove was right at league average and he won two Gold Gloves.

He was a five time All Star and won two Silver Sluggers. He also had six top ten MVP finishes.

Andres Galarraga's career statistics

I just realized that this is the second Friday the 13th in a row...

Young Superstars II #7 - Julio Franco

The words "Young" and "Julio Franco" together in one place do not make sense.

Actually, Julio Franco is one of my all time favorite players. He just never seemed to stop, he never seemed old. When he played in Atlanta in 2007, he was in better shape than players half his age. I think he is a Hall of Famer, I could be wrong and he didn't reach a lot of those milestone numbers, but he was consistently good for nearly 25 years. I think the biggest plus for him is his .298 batting average over 25 seasons, and he was still hitting well until his last season (.222).

In 1999, at the age of 40, Julio batted .423 in the Mexican league. If that wasn't enough, a year later he hit .437. Then in 2001 he was back in the Major Leagues.

This is also another card that the ladies at Dinged Corners are sure to like.

The photo on the reverse looks to be taken at the same time as his base release.

Julio Franco's career statistics

Young Superstars II #6 - Tony Fernandez

This card has a lot going for it. Great combination of colors on the front, bat about to make contact with the ball, and, best of all, the old school Blue Jays uniform.

The photo on the reverse is almost identical to his base release head shot.

I hadn't realized until I looked at his Baseball Reference page how good Tony Fernandez really was. He was really a complete package, a great defensive shortstop and a threat at the plate. He didn't possess great power, but a .288 lifetime batting average was more than respectable for a shortstop in that era.

On December 5, 1990, Fernandez was involved in the deal that sent Joe Carter and Robbie Alomar to Toronto. Three years later, Joe Carter would become forever remembered as a much better hitter than he really was for hitting the walk off home run that won the World Series. Sorry, just thought I'd mention that.

Fernandez played his final games in Toronto in 2001, making it his fourth stint with the Blue Jays and his name is on their Level of Excellence.

In his career, Fernandez was five times an All Star, the winner of four Gold Gloves and in 1993 he put a World Series ring on his finger.

Tony Fernandez's career statistics