1997 Topps #532 Bucky Buckles/Eric Dinyar/Roy Halladay Prospects

Today's card is a prospect card of 2 guys who should've made the Majors but got injured, and a guy who I think would've been a Hall of Famer if he wasn't injured and played maybe 4 more years.

Bucky Buckles is a guy in my Favorite Player Collection. I followed him in the minors, got his 1995 Topps card out of a pack that year, and besides having a cool name, he was a nice closer.
I actually saw Dinyar pitch a few times in 1996. I was 13, so I didn't pay attention to stats and players as close as I should have, but I went to enough Lakeland Tigers games that year that I'm sure I saw Dinyar pitch, and I probably have his autograph about 5 times between baseballs, a pennant, and random checklist/team cards (if I didn't have a card of a certain player when I first started getting autographs, I would have them sign a checklist card or a team leaders or team logo card).
Halladay is one of a select few players to throw 2 no-hitters in a season, and he is one of only 2 players to throw one in the playoffs. I saw the tail end of both of them. It's a shame that he didn't win a World Series with Philly, and although he was dominant, I don't think he will get voted in to the Hall because he was closer to 2000 K's than 3000. If he wasn't injured and played a couple more full seasons, I think he'd be a lock for the Hall. Maybe the voters will consider this and vote him in, because he was dominant for a 10-year stretch.

I've added some new names and a new template to the 2001 Topps Page, and did a ton of customs for the 1994 set today. Finished all of the season/postseason highlight cards, finished the All-Star cards, and did a few random ones as well. I think I'll probably work on some more '94 cards tomorrow and also try to add a team or two to the 1999 Topps Page. If things keep going at a steady pace, perhaps my goal of every player in the '90's getting a card will happen sometime in the next 5 years. Thanks for checking out my latest post.
-Jeremy

1996 Topps #534 Eric Dinyar/Bucky Buckles/Todd Revenig//Ryan Dempster

Today's card features 4 players, 3 of which put up great stats in the minors, and 1 who put up great stats in the Majors, and who could be seen pitching just a few weeks ago for team Canada in the 2017 World Baseball Classic.

Eric Dinyar appeared in the last post featuring a single card, and as mentioned there, in 1996 set a Lakeland Tigers record with 27 Saves. I got a few autographs of Eric on baseballs while seeing him pitch in Lakeland in '96.
Bucky Buckles has one of the greatest names ever, and had some decent seasons in the Minors for the Rangers organization. He had 18 and 16 Saves during his first 2 years in pro ball, The next 2 years, he didn't close, but did make it as far as AAA before getting hurt. He started back in rookie ball, and made it to AA before being released. I was fortunate enough to get an autographed cards of his online a few months ago. If anyone is interested, he does have a Twitter page.
Revenig made it to the Majors in 1992 with Oakland, and had some mind blowing stats in the minors. In 1990, he had a 0.81 ERA in 44.2 Innings, and in 1991 he had a 0.96 ERA in 47 Innings. In 1992 his ERA skyrocketed to 1.70 in 63.2 Innings, but he did have 33 Saves. He was injured in 1993, but came back and tried to make it back to the Majors 2 seperate times, but never did. He signed a card for me through the mail, and added an extra one for me in 2007.
Dempster pitched in the Majors from 1998-2013 with the Marlins, Reds, Cubs, Rangers, and Red Sox. He won the 2013 World Series with the Red Sox, and had career single-season highs of 17 Wins and 33 Saves. I got an autograph of him through the mail sometime between 2004 and 2011.
Topps could've made this card for us collectors in 1996 and give us a look at 4 guys who put up some great seasons, and who if not for injury, could've had a good shot at reaching the Majors.

I haven't really did much with customs lately, just because of commitments and work. Work has been hell the last 3 days, but I just got to get through tomorrow, and get everything baked as quick as I can, and then I get a nice day off and it won't be crazy for at least a week or two before the Mothers Day sale starts. I'll probably work on a few more 1994 customs tonight and maybe try to work a little more on the 1999 checklist. I'm also going to a Daytona Tortugas game in a week and hope to try to get a few autographs. If Brody Koerner is able to make the trip in a month or so (he's currently on the 7-day disabled list, don't know what for), then I'll probably try to see him play in Daytona as well.
Thanks for checking out my latest card.
-Jeremy

1995 Topps #700 Mike Myers/Scott Sullivan/Eric Dinyar/Danny Graves

Today's card features 4 players. 3 of them were valuable relievers in the Majors, and 1 of them was a great pitcher I saw play in the minors that had an injury cut his career short before he reached the Bigs.

Mike Myers pitched from 1995-2007 with a number of teams, and won a World Series title with the Boston Red Sox in 2004.
Scott Sullivan had a 3.98 ERA in 10 seasons in the Majors, mostly for the Cincinnati Reds. He went to Auburn University, and gets bonus points for doing so.
Eric Dinyar pitched in the minors for the Detroit Tigers from 1994-1997. In 1996, I saw him pitch a few times, and he set the Lakeland Tigers single-season record for Saves with 27. He was injured in 1997, and retired shortly after. He was elected to the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown Hall of Fame in 2014.
Danny Graves played for 11 seasons in the Majors, making the All-Star team in 2000 and 2004 with the Cincinnati Reds. He finished his career with 182 Saves.

The next few cards coming up will be prospect and draft pick cards. Hopefully you will enjoy them. I have been working on finalizing all of the checklists that I have done by adding team photos that I could find, stadium cards, and notable draft picks that Topps missed. The 1989-1994 sets are done, as well as the 1996 set. I chose to make some customs tonight rather than doing the 1995 set, but I'll finish it soon enough. I think I will do the 2001 set and then just hold off with the '97-99 sets until all of the players are done for those. The 1999 set will be first (already have the Blue Jays and Rangers teams done), then 1998, 1997, and 2000. I'm hoping to finish a set or two by the end of the year and possibly more. Thanks for checking out my latest card.
-Jeremy