On the blog today, a fun card to add to the WTHBALLS roster, and
part of the next custom set, a 1983 "career-capper" for former Rookie of
the Year Joe Charboneau, whose career came to a quick end after the
1982 season:
Charboneau went "from the
penthouse to the basement" rather quickly, earning the American League
Rookie of the Year Award in 1980 after hitting .289 with 23 homers and
87 RBIs for the Cleveland Indians.
He also became somewhat of a
media icon at the time, gaining fame and appearing all over media
outlets ala Mark Fidrych or Fernando Valenzuela.
However he
could not repeat his production at the plate in 1981, hitting .210 with
four homers and 18 RBIs over 48 games during the strike season.
1982
didn't fare any better for the young slugger, as it would see him
appear in only 22 games, hitting .214 with two homers and nine RBIs,
dealing with injuries that brought his career to a quick halt.
He'd
play another two seasons in the Minors before calling it a pro career,
before making a stunt of a return in the Frontier League as a
45-year-old in 2000 with Canton, collecting a single in his lone at-bat.
Sadly
the "Super Joe" legend didn't last enough for the fans in Cleveland,
who thought they had a young stud on their hands during that glorious
Summer of 1980.
