I hardly ever play Immaculate Grid anymore. During its early days -- about a couple of years ago now -- I played fairly frequently. I enjoyed coming up with team combos for long-forgotten or hardly known players. Team combos were my thing.
At the time, the categories were mostly team combos and awards, which I could tackle fairly well. Then, about 100 days into IG, numbers categories started popping up. My brain doesn't retain numbers nearly as well as which player played on which team. Also, numbers remind me of homework, and, yes, the game started to feel like that.
So I mostly only play now when I see that one of the rows or columns is the Dodgers. I can find really obscure players in that category. Trying to get a low rarity score was always an objective for me when I played -- I can be the competitive sort -- so I like the obscure guys.
My ears perked up when a couple of Immaculate Grid users recently mentioned Jim Hutto. Hutto is a 1970s player who played in just 61 major league games. He had 57 with the Phillies in 1970 and four with the Orioles in 1975. He has a grand total of 11 cards, according to TCDB. Almost all of them are minor league cards. But the 1976 SSPC set included him ... and now we're finally at the point of the post:
Which major league players appeared only in the '76 SSPC set and no other major trading card set? (I'm discounting the minor league sets, stadium giveaways, etc.)
Consider this a One-Card Wonder post for the '76 SSPC set, which makes these guys really obscure -- and perfect fodder for Immaculate Grid if you care about that rarity score!
First, I'll show the SSPC guys who only appeared on a '70s rookie prospect card, meaning they didn't get their own card in a major set (which at the time was only Topps) and shared a card with someone else.
Clockwise from top left are Jim Cox, Expos, Greg Terlecky, Cardinals (though he's listed with the White Sox on the back), Jerry Cram, Mets and Rich Bladt, Yankees.
Cox shows up on a 1974 Topps prospects card, Terlecky shows up as a White Sock on a 1977 Topps rookies card, Cram appears as a Royal on a 1971 Topps rookie card, and Rich Bladt appears on a '74 rookies card .
All of these guys can be used in Immaculate Grid -- Cox with the Expos, Terlecky only with the Cardinals, Bladt with the Yankees and also the Cubs and Cram with the Mets and Royals.
OK now for the guys with one card only, in order of when they appear in the set.
#82 - Paul Powell, Dodgers
A fascinating card for this Dodgers fan who grew up in the '70s. Powell appeared with the Twins and the Dodgers. He caught seven games for the Dodgers in 1975 and also played in the outfield. Total major league games: 30.
#240 - Rob Ellis
Get ready for a run of Brewers, it was a rough decade for the team except for that stirring 1978 season. Rob Ellis played in 64 games for the Brewers, mostly in 1971, as a third baseman and outfielder.
#249 - Larry Anderson
This is not the Larry Andersen that most of you know, that other mustachioed pitcher who never played for the Brewers but did play for the Mariners -- two teams I've confused in the past -- and was once mistakenly listed as "Anderson" on his baseball card.
No, this Larry Anderson appeared in 16 games for the Brewers and White Sox.
#250 - Tommy Bianco
Bianco had 34 at-bats in 18 games for the Brewers in 1975, playing first base, third base and at DH.
#251 - Lafayette Currence
Yes, this is the fourth straight Brewers card and the last three have been consecutively numbered! Currence pitched in eight games (18 innings) for Milwaukee in 1975.
He has a grand total of two cards. It's pretty great that one of them is this glorious night card.
#322 - Ron Dunn
Dunn played 55 games and had 132 at-bats for the Cubs over 1974 and 1975 (this causes me to wonder why I've never done a post on the players with the most at-bats in 1974 that didn't make the 1975 Topps set). He played second, third and in the outfield.
#370 - Billy Baldwin
An outfielder, Baldwin came to the plate 95 times over 30 games for the Tigers in 1975. He also appeared in nine games for the Mets in 1976.
#385 - Jim Hutto
The aforementioned Hutto. He totaled 97 at-bats for the Phillies and Orioles and played at first, third, outfield and catcher. A player destined for IG!
#452 - Kerry Dineen
Dineen, an outfielder, had 29 at-bats for the Yankees in 1975 and 1976 and eight at-bats for the 1978 Phillies. I'm surprised I haven't heard of him (or perhaps forgot him) as the Yankees and Phillies were prominent teams in the mid-to-late '70s and I saw them on TV quite a bit.
That's all of them. Nine in total and 13 if you include the guys who appeared on multi-player prospect cards.
It's possible there are others in the SSPC set. I automatically discounted the few cards in the back of the set showing players in minor league uniforms. At any rate, this is perfect material for those playing IG and looking for low scores. In fact, I'm keeping them in my memory bank in case they prove useful when I'm playing the next time three months from now.
Comments