Team MVPs: 1989 Fleer

 

I was making good progress with this series for the last couple of years, steadily going back in time as I figured out the best card for each team for a particular set I completed.

But then I had to go and complete some 1980s sets and we are hurtling through time in the opposite way. As a reminder, if I complete a set, I stop at whatever point I was at and cover the set I completed.

 

The one I'm covering this time is 1989 Fleer. ... Yes, I hear your groans. I'm groaning, too.

 

As I've said many times, I gave '89 Fleer almost zero respect in 1989 and in the decades to follow. I ignored it in 1989, didn't buy a single pack. And I never felt like I missed anything.

 

But one day, Johnny, sent me a whole box of the stuff and, what the hell, there are players on these cards from when I still really adored baseball, so, sure, let's add it to the pantheon of completion.

 

There is no real personal context for these cards. My 1989 card story is BUY ALL THE 1989 TOPPS YOU CAN FIND AS OFTEN YOU CAN and that's it. Sure wish you could've seen that huge box of '89 Topps dupes that I had for a long time until some sucker bought them all at a garage sale.

 

1989 Fleer is not a great set for picking out the best card for each team. I don't know what happened to Fleer after 1983 and 1984, each of the sets, picture-wise, seemed to get progressively worse. There is a lot of sameness in '89 Fleer, not much stands out. So I had a difficult time selecting the "best," and I'm sure I did lousy at it.

 

Fleer eased the pain though by numbering its set by team, which, as I've mentioned before, is a massive time-saver for these posts.

 

Here we go:

 

AMERICAN LEAGUE EAST

 

Orioles: Billy Ripken; Red Sox: Oil Can Boyd; Indians: Julio Franco (Happy Birthday!); Tigers: Jack Morris; Brewers: Chuck Crim; Yankees: Rickey Henderson; Blue Jays: Tony Fernandez

 

Team with the best cards (this was really hard, for all the divisions): Red Sox or Brewers.

 

Team with the worst cards: Indians

Team I should go back and review: Orioles. I instinctively threw the F-Face card in because how can you beat it and nothing else jumped out at me.

One thing I noticed doing this (I always spot stuff doing this series, which is why I do it) is that not all 1989 Fleer cards are the same size, height-wise. It looks like some were trimmed, which they weren't because I pulled almost all these out of packs. But that is some lousy quality control that I never knew. No wonder I didn't want to buy these in 1989.

AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST

Angels: Chili Davis; White Sox: Jerry Reuss; Royals: Bill Pecota; Twins: Kent Hrbek, A's: Dennis Eckersley; Mariners: Jim Presley; Rangers: Geno Petralli

Team with the best cards: A's

Team with the worst cards: Royals

Team I should go back and review: Twins. The Hrbek isn't exactly exciting but I don't think anything with that team was.

The AL West probably has the most unique examples of any of the divisions. I mean that Reuss card is what I wish there was more of in this set.

NATIONAL LEAGUE EAST

Cubs: Shawon Dunston; Expos: Otis Nixon; Mets: Lenny Dykstra; Pirates: Junior Ortiz; Phillies: Kent Tekulve; Cardinals: Ozzie Smith

Team with the best cards: Mets, probably

Team with the worst cards: Cubs

Team I should go back and review: Expos. There are so many cards in that team set where the Expos are wearing those terrific red tops and then I go and pick a guy not wearing one.

 

I like very much how Dykstra's batting stance is in line with the slash borders.

NATIONAL LEAGUE WEST

Braves: Ron Gant; Reds: Nick Esasky; Dodgers: Orel Hershiser; Astros: Glenn Davis; Padres: Benito Santiago; Giants: Kevin Mitchell

Team with the best cards: Reds or Padres

Team with the worst cards: Tie between the Braves, Dodgers and Giants.

Team I should go back and review: Astros, or maybe the Giants.

 

So, there you are, probably some information you never wanted to know. But at least I have another completed set down for this exercise.

 

The next time either I do 1985 Fleer or 1986 Fleer (just six cards away from finishing that set) or I get 2015 Topps done, which is what I should have done a few years ago.

Once those are out of the way, then it's on to 1981 Donruss. Weeee!

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The 1993 Upper Deck blog has finally reached the individual players cards in the set.