Time to go and give former speedster Lonnie Smith a
1979 "dedicated rookie" since I absolutely abhor the black and white
multi-player rookie cards Topps had in their set that year:
Smith
appeared in only 17 games for his Big Leaguer debut in 1978, going 0-4
at the plate though stealing four bases along with four walks as a
22-year-old.
It would be more of the same in 1979 when he appeared in another 17 games, hitting .167 with five hits and three runs batted in.
In
1980 he played in only 100 games, but he made them count, helping the
Philadelphia Phillies to a World Championship when he hit .339 with 33
steals, scoring 69 runs while driving in 20, good for a third place
finish in the league's Rookie of the Year race.
Two years
later, now a member of the St. Louis Cardinals, he'd have his finest
season in the Majors when he helped the team win a championship, hitting
.307 while stealing 68 bases, leading the league with 120 runs scored
while collecting a career-best 182 hits and receiving the only All-Star
nod of his career.
Though he'd never reach those lofty numbers
over the rest of his career, he did put in 17 seasons of solid ball,
finishing up with a .288 career average, with 370 stolen bases, 909 runs
scored and 1488 hits over 1613 games and 5170 at-bats.
