OPC IMAGE VARIATION: 1977 PETE MACKANIN

Good day all!

On the blog today we take a closer look at former Montreal Expo infielder Pete Mackanin and his 1977 image variations between OPC and Topps:

OPC version

Topps version

 

While OPC went with a clear posed photo for their card, the Topps version had this shadowy image of Mackanin out in the Sunshine.

Nothing Earth-shattering by any means, but again, questionable image pick for the fine folks at Topps!

Mackanin put in nine years in the Majors, between 1973 when he came up with the Texas Rangers and 1981 when he wrapped up his Big League tenure as a member of the Minnesota Twins.

In between he hit .226 over that time, collecting 355 hits over 1570 at-bats in 548 games, with his finest year 1980 when he hit .266 for the Twins, with 31 runs scored and 35 runs batted in.

A versatile player out in the field, he would see time at both corner outfield spots and all four infield positions during his career.

He would also put in time as a Major League manager in parts of five seasons: 2005 with the Pittsburgh Pirates, 2007 with the Cincinnati Reds, and 2015 through 2017 as skipper of the Philadelphia Phillies.

NOT REALLY MISSING IN ACTION- 1975 PETE MACKANIN

Today’s blog post has a “not so missing” 1975 card for former infielder Pete Mackanin, who appeared in a scant two games for the Texas Rangers during the 1974 season:

After coming up for the first time in 1973 and appearing in 44 games for Texas, Mackanin got into only two games in 1974, going 1-for-6 at the plate while getting some time at shortstop.
He’d find himself a member of the Montreal Expos in 1975, getting some full-time action by appearing in 130 games and hitting .225, and pretty much matching those numbers across the boards the following season when he appeared in 114 games, hitting .224.
He would end up playing through the 1981 season after two years with the Minnesota Twins, putting in nine years under the Major League sun and finishing up with a .226 batting average over 548 games and 1570 at-bats.
He’d go into coaching after his playing days, eventually getting some managerial work in with interim gigs with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2005 and Cincinnati Reds in 2007, before heading the Philadelphia Phillies for the second half of 2015 and all of 2016 and 2017.