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 #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 #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 #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 #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

Young Superstars II #4 - Jose Lind

Here's a pretty boring photograph of a very good defensive second baseman. While this photo is boring, the photo from the base release is one of the best in the set. It would be pretty interesting if these were taken just seconds apart, but chances are they weren't.


The base card shows Lind off the ground throwing out a runner at first. That's future Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg sliding in trying to break up the play.

Despite being an excellent defensive player, Lind's batting ability was just average and he possessed very little power (9HR, 324RBI in 3677 at bats, good for a .254 average).

He won his only Gold Glove in 1992.

After his playing career, Lind spent some time in prison (for leaving the scene of an accident, while not wearing pants with cocaine in the car). After getting out of prison and going through drug rehab, Lind spent several seasons as the manager of the independant Bridgeport Bluefish.

In 2007 he was named on the Mitchell Report.

Jose Lind's career statistics

Young Superstars II #1 - Don Mattingly

This is our first Yankee Young Superstar. With all their success starting in the mid-90s, a lot of people forget that the late 80s and into the early 90s were a pretty bleak time for the Yankees. Between 1987 and 1992, they finished no higher than fourth place.

There were bright spots in the lineup but an aging pitching staff limited their ability to win games.

One of the bright stars was of course Donnie Baseball. In 1988 Mattingly had been in the league for parts of six seasons and was regarded as one of the top players in the game.

It's interesting that we see Mattingly bunting here. Baseball Reference doesn't show any sac. bunts or attempts in 1987.

I'm not sure about the front (both at Yankee stadium), but the photo on the reverse was taken in the same place, more than likely at the same time.

Mattingly went on to have a great career, though the chances of him entering the Hall of Fame are slim despite his popularity. He was a six time All Star, nine time Gold Glover, three time Silver Slugger, 1985 American League MVP and in 1997 the Yankees bestowed the highest honor upon him by retiring his number 23.

Don Mattingly's career statistics

Young Superstars #37 - Ellis Burks

For some reason he looks a ittle bit like Darryl Strawberry in the photo on the front of the card.

He, along with guys like Larry Walker, Dante Bichette and Andres Galarraga, started getting national attention as members of the Colorado Rockies, with the elevated (nudge nudge wink wink) home run numbers at Coors Field. But despite that, I've always thought he was an underrated player.

He'll never be a Hall of Famer, but he put up some great numbers for a long time. He had an outstanding year in 2000 while playing for San Francisco. That year he batter .344/.419/.606 with 24 homers and 96 RBIs. His 2.8 plate apperances per game kept him from top ten finishes in a lot of the batting categories though.

These days he's working in the Cleveland Indians front office.

Ellis Burks' career statistics

Young Superstars #29 - Ken Caminiti

Caminiti is wearing a home jersey here, but there's what looks like a whole lot of white caps in the crowd behind him. They could be very blurry Astros logos though, but they almost look like the old Blue Jays caps that had a white panel on the front.

I'm curious where this picture was taken. I don't think it's in the Astrodome because you can see what looks like the reflection of the stadium, a light standard and the sky in his helmet.

Spring training maybe?

Who outside of Houston paid much attention to Ken Caminiti before 1994? Probably not a whole lot of people.

He started his career in Houston in 1987 but didn't really stick until 1989. His production at the plate was far from outstanding, hitting above .283 only twice in his first tour of duty with the Astros. His highest homerun mark was 18 in 1994. A far cry from the numbers he'd put up a few years later, but the Astrodome was never known as a hitter's park.

He saw a remarkable upswing in production and power, though, once he moved to San Diego. His RBI totals in San Diego were considerably higher than in Houston, a byproduct of hitting in a batting order that also contains Tony Gwynn.

Caminiti was a three time Gold Glover and All Star and won the NL MVP (100% of first place votes) after putting up great numbers in 1996.

After four years with the Padres, Caminiti went back to Houston before splitting the 2001 season with Texas and Atlanta.

In 2002, Sports Illustrated informed us that Caminiti admitted to using steroids during his 1996 MVP season. His admission was the first time an MLB player came forward and said "yes I did." He had also previously admitted to struggling with drugs and alcohol throughout his career.

Caminiti suffered from coronary artery disease and an enlarged heart, only made worse by his drug problems. He died on October 10, 2004 at the age of 41. The official cause of death was a heart attack, made worse by the high levels of cocaine and opiates found in his system.

This is the first player we've seen who has died since the printing of this set.

Ken Caminiti's career statistics

Young Superstars #28 - Robby Thompson

Robby Thompson was a two time All Star (though he didn't appear in either game), Gold Glove and Silver Slugger award winner. In 1993 he had a career year, hitting tenth in the league at .312, and earned his second trip to the All Star game, along with the afore mentioned Gold Glove and Silver Slugger.

He was hit in the face by a Trevor Hoffman pitch late in the 1993 season and was never really the same player. He came back and played sparingly through the end of the 1996 season.

Granted free agency during the 1996 off season, he signed with the Cleveland Indians but never played in a Major League game with his new team.

This is just the second card showing a player not batting or pitching. It's the first interesting one, the other was Terry Steinbach standing around in his catcher's gear.

Young Superstars #25 - Will Clark

Here's another Young Superstar that I think lived up to that name. He was consistently productive for fifteen seasons and finished his career with a .303 batting average. At first base he was solid and won the Gold Glove in 1991.

The front of the card shows the sweet swing that Will Clark was known for.

If you want to see more Will Clark cards that you can shake a stick at, check out Thrill22.com.

Will Clark's career statistics

Young Superstars #21 - Ozzie Guillen

Here's our first future manager, the always loveable Ozzie Guillen. As a player, Ozzie was one of what has turned out to be a dying breed, an all glove no hit shortstop. He managed ok with the bat, but his forte was the glove.

He is the owner of a Gold Glove, winner of the 1985 AL Rookie of the Year award, and a three time All Star. Later in life, he added American League Manager of the Year to his resume.

Through 2008, he's managed the White Sox to a 433-378 record, winning the World Series in 2005.

The photo on the front of this card looks like it was taken in Boston (green fence and what looks like a Red Sox cap on the left edge). But the picture on the reverse was taken at the same time as his base 88 Score card. Not sure where though.



Ozzie Guillen's career playing and managerial statistics

Young Superstars #18 - Matt Williams

Matt Williams is out second real superstar thus far, the other being McGwire. He was a sure handed third baseman who won four gold gloves. And at the plate he was a feared power hitter. Though he never put up the home run totals that some sluggers of his generation did, he still managed to put 378 balls over the fence. In 1994 he was chasing the single season home run record when the strike cancelled the rest of the season.

Williams was involved in the deal that sent Jeff Kent to the Giants for the 1997 season.

Since his retirement, he's been linked to steriods, HGH and other drugs in several different reports.

Matt Williams' career statistics

Young Superstars #12 - Devon White

Next to McGwire, Devon White had probably the best career of those we've seen so far. White was a three time All Star and seven time Gold Glove winner, as well as being part of three World Series champion teams.

But when I think of Devon White, I think of the catch and subsequent bad call in the 1992 World Series against the Braves. In game three, White made a spectacular catch on a David Justice fly ball and nearly turned a triple play. Terry Pendleton over ran Deion Sanders for the second out, but Sanders was called safe at second although the tag beat him. At the time I was glad to see the call go in favor of the Braves, but it was a bad call and the umpire later admitted that he missed it.

White had a long career as one of the top center fielders of the era. These days he's working in the Washington Nationals organization.

The gals at Dinged Corners would like the smile Mr. White is giving us on the back of the card. And the card gets points for the nice old Angels logo, especially the solid color one on the back of the card. I know several years have gone by, but I just can't get used to this Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim crap... What was wrong with the California Angels? Or at the very least the Anaheim Angels... bah!

Devon White's career statistics

Young Superstars #2 - Benny Santiago

After a cup of coffee with the Padres in late 1986, Benito Santiago won the 1987 National League Rookie of the Year award. He was an All Star five times and three time winner of the Gold Glove.

While his career may be marred by steriod allegations, he was for nearly twenty years a very durable (though at times error prone) catcher. While his productivity at the plate wasn't the best in the league at his position, he was an above average hitter who early in his career possessed adequate speed (21 stolen bases in 1988).

This is a great looking card, capturing the ball in flight just as it left the bat. The quote on the back from from Tigers GM Bill Lajoie makes me wonder though. How many Hall of Fame votes will he get? I doubt enough to stay on the ballot more than his first year.

Benito Santiago's career statistics

Young Superstars #1 - Mark McGwire

Mark McGwire was a late season call up by the Oakland Atheletics in 1986, appearing in 18 games (.189/3HR/9RBI). But by 1988, Big Mac was one of the games premier players; winning the Rookie of the Year award in 1987. He would go on to play in 12 All Star games while winning a Gold Glove and three Silver Slugger awards, plus a World Series ring in 1989.

Even with his record 49 home runs as a rookie, I don't think any of us thought that this skinny fellow would turn into the cartoonish character he became by the late 1990s.

McGwire retired after 16 seasons at the end of the 2001 season. His home run totals are a bit misleading and his career numbers aren't what you'd think they were. His 583 home runs account for a third of his career hits. But one thing the numbers don't tell us is how exciting he was to watch. Even with the idea of steriods in the back of your mind, watching he and Sosa bash it out in 1998 was a lot of fun.

But I don't know how inviting Cooperstown will be. Thus far he's well below the needed votes to get in. Time will tell.

Looking at the card itself you see how vastly different this insert set is from the base release. These cards have a high gloss finish on the front and much of the back is taken up by a head shot. The cards have a quote by various front office execs about each player and a run down of some of their accomplishments. In terms of photography, these cards are every bit as good as the base release.

Mark McGwire's career statistics