Harold Baines is another favorite player of mine whom I've gotten an autograph. This was on his 1981 Topps rookie card. I believe I tried getting more autographs through the mail but it wasn't always successful so the Baines and Zane Smith cards are the only autographed cards I have. This card is cool. It is his rookie card and to have his autograph on it makes it one of my favorite cards.
Baines was a great hitter and has been brought up in Hall of Fame discussions but I can't say myself that he deserves induction. I did think he deserve more votes than the 6.1% he topped out at in Hall of Fame voting. There is no denying he was great with the bat. He finished with 2866 hits, a .289 batting average and was a six time all-star. He also batted .324 in eight post season series to include a World Series appearance with the Oakland A's. He never excelled at defense and ended up playing DH a good part of his career. Those two things definitely work against him when looking at his overall career in a hall of fame discusson. Still 2866 hits!
I remember following Baines in the 80's. That guy could definitely hit. He falls into the Hall of Very Good category.
ReplyDeleteI agree.
DeleteI agree with you that he's not quite Hall-worthy but close. Either way, awesome card!
ReplyDeleteThanks!
Delete