Dipping into the Junk Wax Well(s)
Mr. Perfect couldn't cap-italize on Yankees fame
1988 Fleer Update David Wells (#U-69) - Card of the Day
Andy Pettitte is something of a rare bird — a longtime Yankees legend who has found the going rough on the Hall of Fame ballot. With a career record of 256-153 and five World Series rings, not to mention his place among New York’s vaunted “Core Four,” Pettitte would seem to be just the sort of pitcher Hall voters would love.
But through seven ballots (2018-2024), Pettitte has yet to top 17% of votes, well short of the 75% he needs for enshrinement. Seems strange until you remember that Pettitte was a teammate of Roger Clemens for several seasons and got snarled up in at least some of the PED backlash.
Another of Pettitte’s sometimes teammates was fellow lefthander David Wells, who also happens to be the fifth best pitching comp for Pettitte, according to Baseball Reference’s Similarity Score.
Wells built a bit of his own Yankees legend, courtesy of his perfect game in 1998 and his contributions to four playoff teams in the Bronx. And Wells’ final numbers certainly bear some resemblance to Pettittes’s: 239-157, 4.13 ERA (to Pettitte’s 3.85), two World Series titles (one in NY).
But Wells took a vastly different path to Cooperstown consideration, pitching for nine different franchises in 21 years in the big leagues. That mercenary status, a dalliance with a different form of PED (ephedrine), and a general churlishness rendered Wells less than warm and fuzzy for most fans and (importantly) writers.
As a consequence, Wells’ Hall of Fame candidacy was always a dicey proposition at best. But, while Pettitte has managed to stay in the running for an extended run, Wells pulled just five votes in his only year on the ballot (2013).
Even so, Wells spent parts of eight seasons with the Blue Jays and still ranks among the franchise’s top 10 in wins, innings pitched, strikeouts, pitching WAR, and other, more obscure categories.
And that’s exactly where we find Wells at the beginning of his career — and the beginning of his hobby career — on his 1988 rookie cards. There were a few to choose from, including a base Donruss card, an entry in Donruss’s The Rookies, and a Topps Traded card.
There’s not much to differentiate them from each other, though Donruss did get the jump on the rest of the manufacturers. So why highlight Wells’ 1988 Fleer Update here?
*shrug*
I like the sunshine, I guess. And 1988 Fleer doesn’t get much exposure these days, regardless of the flavor — base, Glossy, Update, Glossy Update. Any way you slice it, it’s junk wax, a tough cardboard soup from which to emerge for any particular issue.
Sorta like pitchers aiming for Cooperstown with 53.6 WAR, fewer than 250 wins, and a had-gun-would-travel reputation.