I'll admit, I'm a sucker for cards of non-rookies that barely, and I
mean BARELY played the year before, like today's subject, Alan Closter
and his 1973 card.
Closter appeared in a scant two games during the 1972 season, posting an 11.57 ERA while not figuring in any decisions.
His workload amounted to 2.1 innings that year, yet he got a slot in the 1973 set.
I do understand that building the roster for their upcoming edition
must have had Topps in fits, so some "busts" were sure to happen (as we
have seen), but I still get a kick out of profiling these cards since
we've also seen just how many players "should
have" had cards in sets during the decade.
Closter's career would end after appearing in four games during the
1973 season with the Atlanta Braves, again going 0-0, this time with a
14.54 ERA over 4.1 innings of work.
Over parts of four seasons, he'd finish with an even 2-2 record,
with a 6.62 ERA and 26 K's over 21 games and 35.1 innings playing
between the Washington Senators, Yankees and Braves.
It's also fun to point out that those two games and 2.1 innings in
1972 got him his own card in 1973, while 14 games and 28.1 innings of
work in 1971 only managed to get him on a multi-player rookie card in
the "oh-so-funky" 1972 set.
Go figure…