On the blog today, we go and give Jim "Mudcat" Grant a do-over for his 1969 card, which Topps originally had with an image of him from years prior, when he was with the Cleveland Indians, airbrushing his cap for a non-descript image to have him "suited up" with the brand new MLB Montreal Expos franchise:
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| My re-do for Mudcat |
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| As issued by Topps |
Here
I have a very nice photo of the pitcher showing him with the team he
pitched for in 1968, the Los Angeles Dodgers, making for an attractive
alternative!
I can create cards for “Mudcat” all day long, and I can't really
understand why Topps didn't include him in their 1970 set since he
appeared in 41 games in 1969, posting an 8-11 record with a 4.42 earned
run average in 114 innings of work, split between the Montreal Expos and
St. Louis Cardinals.
He'd go on to pitch two more seasons, for both the Oakland A's and Pittsburgh Pirates before retiring at the end of the 1971 season.
Overall he put in a very nice 14-year career that saw him go 145-119 with a 3.63 ERA and 1267 strikeouts over 571 games and 2442 innings pitched.
His finest season was 1965 for the American League champ Minnesota Twins when he finished with a 21-7 record, the win total leading the league, as well as leading in winning percentage (.750) and shutouts (6).
But I also have to point out his incredibly underrated 1970 season.
That year, in what turned out to be his second to last in the Majors, Grant was used as a reliever, appearing in 80 games with the Pirates and A's, good for 135.1 innings, while posting fantastic numbers by season's end, going 8-3 with 24 saves and a sparkling 1.86 E.R.A.!
Not too shabby!
He'd go on to pitch two more seasons, for both the Oakland A's and Pittsburgh Pirates before retiring at the end of the 1971 season.
Overall he put in a very nice 14-year career that saw him go 145-119 with a 3.63 ERA and 1267 strikeouts over 571 games and 2442 innings pitched.
His finest season was 1965 for the American League champ Minnesota Twins when he finished with a 21-7 record, the win total leading the league, as well as leading in winning percentage (.750) and shutouts (6).
But I also have to point out his incredibly underrated 1970 season.
That year, in what turned out to be his second to last in the Majors, Grant was used as a reliever, appearing in 80 games with the Pirates and A's, good for 135.1 innings, while posting fantastic numbers by season's end, going 8-3 with 24 saves and a sparkling 1.86 E.R.A.!
Not too shabby!
