On the blog today, we have a "not so missing" 1976 card for former
infielder/outfielder Paul Dade, who began his Major League career with
the California Angels in 1975:
Dade appeared in
11 games for California that season, hitting an even .200 with six hits
in 30 official at-bats, four of those hits doubles.
The following season he'd appear in only 13 games, hitting .111 with a hit in nine at-bats, scoring two while driving in one.
In
1977 he'd get a real chance and did very well, hitting .291 over 134
games, scoring 65 runs and stealing 16 bases for his new team, the
Cleveland Indians, while seemingly playing everywhere: all three
outfield positions, third and second, as well as DH.
He took a
bit of a drop in 1978, appearing in 93 games and hitting .254, but
would have a decent year in 1979 when he split the season between
Cleveland and the San Diego Padres, hitting .278 over a combined 120
games, with a career-best 25 stolen bases.
Sadly though, he
would only play in 68 games in 1980 for the Padres, hitting .189 with 10
hits in 53 at-bats, in what turned out to be his last action in the
Majors.
He would play in Japan in 1981, not really finding his
groove to the tune of a .219 average over 37 games for Hanshin in the
Central League, before coming back and playing in the Pittsburgh Pirates
Minor League system in 1982, hitting a torrid .405 over 37 at-bats with
15 hits, but that would be it, and he'd retire by season's end.
All
told, over 439 games, Dade hit a very respectable .270 with 355 hits
over 1313 at-bats, scoring 186 runs and driving in 107, with 57 steals
and ten homers between 1975 and 1980.
