Here's a curious one: I post today a "missing" 1978 Topps card for former infielder Lenn Sakata.
Take a look at my card design:
What makes this curious is the fact that Sakata didn't get a card
even though he played in 53 games with 169 plate appearances in 1977,
good for at least a spot on those multi-player rookie cards, no?
But he eventually got a spot on a 1980 multi-player rookie card
after appearing in only four games with 14 plate appearances in 1979.
Strange…
Of course many of you will remember Sakata from his playing days in
Baltimore, where he spent six of his eleven Major League seasons.
In 1977 he posted a .162 batting average, collecting 25 hits in 154
official at-bats, with a couple of doubles and homers thrown in.
By the time he retired after the 1987 season after a handful of
games with the New York Yankees, Sakata had a .230 batting average with
296 hits in 1289 at-bats, with 46 doubles, four triples, 25 homers and
109 RBI's over 565 games.