What Rick Behenna and Don Mattingly Have in Common
Besides 3-syllable last names and some time in Miami
Note: When you click on links to various merchants in this newsletter and make a purchase, this can result in this newsletter earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
1984 Donruss Rick Behenna (#346) - Card of the Day
When Donruss unveiled their first class of Rated Rookies in 1984 — though they actually backsided their way into the franchise in 1983 — they changed the way hobbyists thought about rookie cards.
Sure, Topps had been rolling out “Rookie Stars” and “Prospects” cards for decades, and they had also been stamping guys with golden trophies…after the fact of their rookie seasons.
But this was the first time that a card company had singled out individual players and marked them as something special before they were actually even anything (from a rookie or major league perspective). They “Rated” serious attention!
While that designation immediately raised the profile of guys like Brad Komminsk, Joe Carter, and Ron Darling, it sort of downplayed the dudes who missed the cut.
You know, dudes like Don Mattingly. And Gary Redus. And Rick Behenna.
Of course, Mattingly took matters into his own hands that summer, and Redus acquitted himself well for the Reds. Behenna, though, and players like him, sort of fell into the cardboard abyss.
We can help right that ship a bit, though, but giving him his due here on what would have been his 64th birthday (Behenna passed away in 2012).
Here goes …
Selected by Atlanta in the fourth round of the 1978 draft, Behenna chipped away at the Braves’ minor league system until 1983. That spring, Behenna finally made it to the majors, starting for the 5-1 Braves on April 12 in Atlanta. He gave up one unearned run in five innings to win his debut.
From there, Behenna stayed with the big club through most of the first half before landing back at Triple-A Richmond.
He made 14 appearances for the Braves, likely enough to warrant his Donruss RC the next year, but Behenna wasn’t finished. Late in the season, he became the Player to Be Named Later in the deal that sent Len Barker from the Indians to the Braves and Brook Jacoby and Brett Butler to the Indians.
Behenna made four starts in five appearances for the Tribe down the stretch, going 0-2 with a 4.15 ERA. At 23, things were looking up for the righthander.
But he made only three starts in 1984, going 0-3 with a hideous 13.97 ERA.
The next summer, Behenna made a scant 10 appearances split between Triple-A Maine and Cleveland — the big league portion yielded a slight more sanguine but still heart-thudding 7.78 ERA.
And that was the end of the road for Behenna, done with professional baseball at 25, and less than a year before his 1984 Donruss rookie card didn’t rate enough hype to stand at the front of the set.
The 1983 Topps Set You Never Heard Of
Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)
OK, that’s presumptuous. Maybe you know all about the 1983 Topps Gaylord Perry Career Highlights set…but I sure didn’t, until recently.
Though there’s no company ID on the cards, the brown-mush cardstock sure speaks like it’s a mid-1980s Topps issue. And a few sites that mention the set — PSA BaseballCardPedia, Fritsch Cards — all make that assertion.
So I’ll also at least tentatively categorize these six cards as Topps creations. As I write this, there are a couple lots for sale on eBay, with the going rate seeming to be about $10 for the full run.
Pretty nifty and obscure little K-Lord tribute set if nothing else.
—
Digging into these cards reminds me that I’m fresh out of puzzle pieces and Vaseline.
So I gotta head out and do some shopping now. I’ll see if there’s anything new in the Renata Galasso aisle while I’m at the store. Never know when you’ll stumble across the next run of Glossy Greats, after all.
Thanks for reading.
—Adam