Next up in the "OPC to Topps Image Variations" theme are the two cards for former Toronto Blue Jay Doug Ault, who had his rookie cards in the 1977 sets:
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| OPC version |
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| Topps version |
As we've seen with other Blue
Jay cards in the OPC 1977 set, he was given a nice dedicated card as
opposed to the multi-player rookie card Topps offered up.
An
"original Blue Jay" from their inaugural 1977 season, Ault made his
Major League debut in 1976 with nine games for the Texas Rangers,
hitting an even .300 with six hits over 20 at-bats.
Once
selected by the Blue Jays via the expansion draft, Ault got to see
substantial playing time in 1977, appearing in 129 games, manning first
base and putting in a respectable rookie year, hitting .245 with eleven
home runs and 64 runs batted in.
In his first game with the
team, opening day, Ault was the Jay's first "Hero", hitting two home
runs and leading the team to a win over the Chicago White Sox.
He
followed that up with an injury riddled 1978 season that saw him appear
in only 54 games, hitting .240 with three homers and seven RBIs, also
putting in some time in the outfield.
He would spend all of
1979 in the Minors before making it back in 1980, playing in 64 games,
hitting only .194 in what turned out to be the last Big League action of
his career.
He would play a year in Japan followed by two
more years in the Mexican League before becoming a Minor League coach
and Manager into the 1980's.
Sadly, after some tragedies and business failures, on December 22nd of 2004 he took his own life at the age of 54.