1990 Topps Minis #13: Joe Carter

Today we're back looking at the 1990 Topps Mini League Leaders set; so far, we've worked through the Baltimore, Boston, California, and Chicago (AL) players in the set.  That puts us in Cleveland, with card #13, a young Joe Carter.

#13, Joe Carter.

I've said this a few times on this blog, but my 8th-grade history teacher, Mr. Kennedy, talked a lot about Larry Doby.  This was the 1988-1989 school year, and the Pacific Legends cards were out.  I gave Mr. Kennedy a Larry Doby card, and he tacked it up above his chalkboard.  The folders I used for school that year were by Topps, and I used my Joe Carter folder (same design as the 1988 Topps card) for Mr. Kennedy's class.  So, that's how I first heard of both Larry Doby and Joe Carter.  My teams back then were the Phillies and Pirates, and so I never followed Carter too closely.  But then in 1993, the Phillies actually made the World Series with a strategy of relying heavily on their hitting.  Joe Carter ended the World Series with a walkoff home run (we didn't call it that back then, but still) off Mitch Williams, turning Williams into a villain in Philly (kind of the anti-Tug McGraw).

Card back.

He was quite the slugger in his prime, and he made his way into this league leaders set by finishing second in the AL in home runs with 35, and tying for fourth in RBI with 105.  He also tied for first in games played (all 162) and at-bats, and placed ninth in slugging.

Thanks for reading!  That's it for Cleveland, and next up is Gary Pettis, of Detroit.