The All-Time 1980s Topps All-Star Team, Part 2

The one where we finish our lineup and maybe argue a little

Jul 16, 2024

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Happy All-Star DAY!

Picking up where we left off yesterday, here is the rest of my all-time 1980s Topps All-Star team…

1984 Topps Ozzie Smith All-Star - Shortstop

You can’t have a 1980s All-Star team without Ozzie Smith, and there is enough offensive firepower on this squad to more than make up for The Wizard’s so-so bat.

Besides, Ozzie developed into a decent offensive contributor in his prime.

Anyway, this is Ozzie’s first Topps All-Star card, so it seems a fitting selection here.

Ozzie is our shortstop, and 1984 is our shortstop card.

1985 Topps Dale Murphy All-Star - Right Field

As much as I think Dale Murphy was overhyped for a good part of his career and as much as I resent him for costing Schmidt a run at three or four straight MVP awards, you can’t talk about 1980s superstars without the big Atlanta Braves catcher/center fielder/right fielder.

Murphy was still patrolling center for the Braves and for the NL squad in 1984 and 1985, but he’d finish out the decade in right.

That’s enough for us to stick him at seven.

His 1985 Topps All-Star card is a classic, solid shot that’s reminiscent of some great 1950s and 1960s cards. Good enough!

1986 Topps Don Mattingly All-Star - 1st Base

Just as you have to include Murphy in any discussion of Eighties legends, you can’t talk about 1980s baseball cards without pulling in Don Mattingly.

Maybe more than any other single advent, Mattingly’s 1984 breakout at the same time his rookie cards were still available in wax packs helped fuel the hobby boom that eventually landed us where we are today.

In 1986, Donnie Baseball had just come off probably his greatest season and was in the midst of maybe his greatest season.

He was just freaking awesome, and his cardboard was gold.

So, yeah, the 1986 Topps Mattingly All-Star is our first-base/’86 entry.

1987 Topps Roger Clemens All-Star - Starting Pitcher

After a couple seasons of finding his professional footing, Roger Clemens turned on the afterburners on The Rocket in the summer of 1986.

His unbelievable 24-4 record was bolstered by a 2.48 ERA, a 0.97 WHIP, and 238 strikeouts in 254 innings. It was enough to propel the Boston Red Sox into another (heartbreaking) World Series and light the fire under Clemens’ cardboard.

That season, he made his first All-Star team, yes, but he also copped American League Cy Young and MVP honors. Wow!

All of this is to say that you can’t leave Roger off any 1980s All-Star team, and his 1987 AS card — his first — is the choice here.

1988 Topps Andre Dawson All-Star - Right Field

After finding no takers on the open market as a free agent after the 1986 season, Andre Dawson left the Montreal Expos to sign with the Chicago Cubs on what was essentially a blank contract for 1987.

The Cubbies filled in a cool (and cold ) $700K (if he met certain incentives), but that didn’t deter Dawson, who took advantage of Wrigley Field’s cozy confines to the tune of 49 home runs, 137 RBI, and the National League MVP award despite toiling for a last-place club.

Oh, and a fat new contract.

And an All-Star berth.

This 1988 Topps All-Star card of Dawson is his first with the Cubs and a snapshot of baseball history.

It’s on our team, and Dawson is our starting center fielder, just like he was for the NL in 1987 — creaky knees and all.

1989 Topps Ryne Sandberg All-Star - 2nd Base

Dawson’s teammate on that 1987 Cubs team, Ryne Sandberg had already busted out during Chicago’s division-winning season in 1984. By 1989, he was a perennial All-Star and a Cubs legend.

While there were plenty of other good-to-great second basemen in the 1980s, you’d be hard-pressed to find one that had more overall impact than this future Hall of Famer.

So, make your arguments for Bobby Grich and Lou Whitaker and Paul Molitor — I sure have over the years — but in the end, there can be only one choice at the keystone for this team.

And, given that the Cubs won another division title in 1989, a Sandberg All-Star seems a fitting way to end the decade.

The Lineup

So, just one more piece of business to attend to.

How should we bat these guys? You could go a few different ways, but here is my lineup card:

Rickey Henderson, LF
Ryne Sandberg, 2B
Don Mattingly, 1B
Mike Schmidt, 3B
Dale Murphy, RF
Andre Dawson, CF
Gary Carter, C
Ozzie Smith, SS
Roger Clemens, P

That leaves Steve Carlton to relieve and/or pinch hit — not such a crazy proposition when you consider that Lefty collected 346 career hits, including 13 bombs, en route to a .201 lifetime average.

Not a bad group, at all, even if I say so myself.

So … what would you do differently to build your 1980s All-Star team?

Let me know in the comments below.