Fun Cards: 1988 Topps All-Star Bob Walk

The three best pitchers in the National League in 1988 were Orel Hershiser, Danny Jackson, and David Cone. No ifs, ands, or buts. But at the break, it was not so clear-cut. Pittsburgh pitcher Bob Walk had ten victories at the break along with a 2.47 ERA, while Hershiser sat at 13 wins/2.62 ERA, Jackson at 10/3.28, and Cone at 9/2.52. However, the latter three ended the season with at least 20 wins, while Walk was only able to muster two more victories in 1988.

Still, at the break, Walk was in the mix for best pitcher in the National League. and he was rewarded with a trip to Cincinnati for the All-Star Game.

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Fun Cards: 1988 Topps All-Star Jose Canseco

Jose Canseco was on top of the baseball world in 1988, on his way to the first ever 40-40 season. He led the American League in homers, RBI, slugging, and OPS+, along with a .307 batting average. He was practically unstoppable at the plate.

In the late 1980s, Canseco was simply the epitome of cool.

While 1988 was long before variant chase cards were common, wouldn’t this have been a cool card to pull in a pack?

Fun Cards: 1985 Topps All-Star Zack Cozart

Ladies and gentlemen, your starting shortstop for the National League All-Stars, Zack Cozart…

Fun Cards: 1988 Topps All-Star Chris Sabo

I had writer’s cramp from writing Chris Sabo‘s name in on All-Star ballots in 1988. Back in the day of printed ballots, teams had to submit their players to the league far in advance. Buddy Bell was expected to be the Reds’ starting third baseman, but his spring injury and Sabo’s unexpected success changed things.

The fans at the All-Star game in Cincinnati began chanting Sabo’s name, and National League manager Whitey Herzog wisely inserted the rookie third baseman as a pinch runner in the seventh inning. He promptly stole second base off Jeff Russell and Tim Laudner.

Fun Cards: 1988 Topps All-Star Carney Lansford

The Oakland A’s were a powerhouse in the late 1980s, with Bash Brothers Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire sending baseballs into the stands. Meanwhile, third baseman Carney Lansford put the ball into play on his way to a half-season .331 batting average. Unfortunately, he forgot how to hit in the second half and his average plummeted to .279.

Lansford was often an underrated player during his career, with only one All-Star appearance to his name, but that’s what happens when you play third base in the same league as Wade Boggs and George Brett. He led the AL with a .336 average in the strike-shortened 1981 season, and ended with a very respectable .290 average.

Fun Cards: 1988 Topps All-Star Vance Law

Three-fourths of the Cubs’ infield was named to the National League All-Star team; the only omission was rookie first baseman Mark Grace. Vance Law made his first appearance as an All-Star, and finished with his highest RBI total and batting average of his career.

Manager Whitey Herzog put Law in the game in the ninth inning, but not at third base; Law replaced Cubs teammate Ryne Sandberg in the field at second base.

Fun Cards: 1988 Topps All-Star Gary Gaetti

Wade Boggs started eleven straight All-Star games for the American League, and was featured in the 1988 Topps All-Star subset. Gary Gaetti was an easy pick to back up the future Hall of Famer at third. He had just come off two 30-homer/100-RBI seasons, and appeared to be on his way to another. He fell a little short, but his stats at the break were promising enough for manager Tom Kelly to put him on the roster.

Fun Cards: 1988 Topps All-Star Bobby Bonilla

Mike Schmidt started seven All-Star games from 1981-1989; Graig Nettles started in 1985, and Bobby Bonilla in 1988. Topps featured Tim Wallach at third base in the 1988 All-Star subset, but the Expos’ third baseman did not appear in the 1988 game.

Bonilla recently received his yearly $1.2 million payment from the Mets. He will receive a check from the Mets every year through 2035 as a result of his release in 2000.

Fun Cards: 1988 Topps All-Star Tim Laudner

Tim Laudner would have been the starting catcher if players controlled the lineups, with Ron Hassey backing him up. It was Laudner’s finest season since he made his debut with the Twins in 1981, and he got a substantial raise in the off-season, but 1989 would be his last as a big leaguer.

See all the TWJ ’88 All-Stars here.

Fun Cards: 1988 Topps All-Star Terry Steinbach

No one would have guessed that Terry Steinbach would be the offensive hero of the 1988 All-Star Game. The starting catcher, who probably should not have even been on the team, blasted a solo home run off Dwight Gooden in the third inning, then drove in a second run on a sacrifice fly off Bob Knepper in the fourth. Steinbach was named the MVP of the game.

Steinbach’s selection caused some grumbling about the process of fan voting. This was long before computer voting became the norm, and paper ballots were used by fans. According to the Columbus Dispatch, ballot box stuffing could be achieved by “driving a nail through a stack of voting cards.” Even Steinbach was uneasy with his selection, recalling “mixed emotions” because he “wasn’t hitting worth crap.” Deserving or not, he came through big for the American League.