I'm assuming that this is a card that was decided upon solely for
what the player did in the Minor Leagues the year before, since nothing
else would make sense!
Topps' 1978 Rudy Meoli card (#489) leaves a lot of questions to any
asking, "why give a card to someone who hasn't appeared in a Major
League game since 1975?!
During that '75 season Meoli played in 70 games for the California Angels, hitting .214 with a couple of doubles and a triple.
But over the course of the next two years, 1976 and 1977, he was
strictly in the Minors, playing for Indianapolis, the Cincinnati Reds'
Triple-A team.
And it's his 1977 season for Indy that I'm assuming got hima bit of attentions, and inclusion in the 1978 set.
He put together a pretty good season for a middle infielder of the
1970's, hitting .286 with 102 runs scored, 42 stolen bases and 113
walks, boosting his on-base-percentage to a nice .433 for the year.
I can only assume this is why Topps thought of him for a slot in
the set, airbrushing him into a Chicago Cubs uniform after being
purchased by them in September of '77.
Perhaps this slot could have been used more effectively, like a last Brooks Robinson card, or even an Ozzie Smith rookie?
Speaking of a 1978 Ozzie Smith rookie, keep an eye out for my "dream" rookie card, featuring Smith and another three future superstars...
