#15 - Von Hayes

The Phillies paid a gigantic price to acquire Hayes in 1982, sending five players to Cleveland in the deal: Jay Baller, Julio Franco, Manny Trillo, George Vuckovich, and Jerry Willard.  It was such an unusual deal that Hayes was tagged with the nickname "Five-For-One".

The Phillies made sure to get their money's worth, though as Hayes stayed with the team for nine total seasons.  Though he had only one huge season, leading the majors in runs scored (107) and the NL in doubles (46) in 1986, Von provided a stabilizing presence in the Phillies' outfield.
 

That's Waterloo, Iowa, that the card is referencing.  Hayes led the Class A Midwest League in batting average that year.

Career Stats

'91: 77 G, 323 PA (284 AB), .225/.303/.285, 64 H, 43 R, 15 R, 1 3B, 0 HR, 21 RBI, 31 BB, 42 K, 9 SB (2 CS), 68 OPS+

Hayes was one of 13 players, with a minimum of 323 plate appearances, to not homer during the year.  The Indians had three players and the Braves had two.

Best '91 Game: June 4 vs. Braves: 4-4, R, RBI

Hayes recorded the tenth (and final) four-hit game of his career, notching four singles.  He had done this two other teams.  However, the Braves jumped out to a 6-0 lead after two innings and won the game 9-5, despite the Phillies scoring all their runs in the final three innings.

After '91: Hayes moved on to the California Angels after his poor 1991 season.  He spent one year with them, only improved marginally (the same .225 average with four homers and 29 RBIs) then retired, ending a 12-year career.

UPDATE: After re-reading Miracle Season!, I forgot crucial pieces of information about the June 4 game: that was the first time that Dale Murphy had been in Atlanta since the trade, and Otis Nixon started a brawl in the eighth inning, pummeling Phillie reliever Wally Ritchie.

#9 - Darrin Fletcher

A simple spring training or batting practice shot, something for which Topps is famous (infamous?) is used for the young Phillies catcher. Darrin went to the Phillies from the Dodgers in a September 13, 1990 trade. L. A. received pitcher Dennis Cook.

I like the batting practice look on a baseball card.  The uniforms, like this one, can be stylish and stand out in a good way.

Career Stats

UPDATE: "Darrin was signed for Dodgers..." says the card.  Clearly, they ran out of space for a coherent sentence.

Like so many others, Darrin loved hitting in the Pacific Coast League.  Despite the part season, he led the team in homers in 1990.

'91: 42 G, 142 PA (136 AB), .228/.255/.309, 31 H, 5 R, 8 2B, 0 3B, 1 HR, 12 RBI, 5 BB, 15 K, 59 OPS+

UPDATE: Added Fletcher's five runs in the '91 stat line.

Best '91 Game: May 28 vs. Montreal: 2-5, HR, R, 4 RBI

Fletcher smacked a three-run homer off Expos starter Oil Can Boyd in the fifth inning and singled home a run in the seventh, helping propel a 12-0 blowout.

After '91: Fletcher spent 11 seasons in Canada, six with the Montreal Expos and five with the Toronto Blue Jays. A solid performer, he has the best batting average (.266), on-base percentage (.326) slugging average (.433), and most home runs (59) for an Expos/Nationals catcher since Gary Carter (UPDATE NOTE: minimum 1,000 plate appearances).