Ranking 50 Years Worth Of Topps #330 Cards #40 - #31

In honor of my 50th birthday, this week I'm ranking all 51 Topps base cards numbered #330 since 1975. Why #330? Because my birthday was on 03/30. Why 51 cards when I've turned 50? Because that's how math works, and as my father-in-law likes to say: I didn't turn 50, I started my 51st year of existence!

 

Today we continue the count down starting with the 40th best #330 in the history of Topps base sets (since 1975 - get with the theme here!). Rankings are purely subjective to my whim. 

#40 - 2005 (David Wright/Craig Brazell)

 

One of the fun things about the Future Stars subset is that you know it's pretty hit or miss when it comes to predicting actual stardom. This card is a great representative of that - on one hand you have Hall of Fame hopeful David Wright, and right below him a guy who only made it into 29 games. It's a boring card really, but Wright's star power kept it out of the bottom group of cards.

#39 - 1980 (Al Cowens)

Another card I initially thought would be more in the mid-level range. Nothing against it at all, just found myself picking other cards ahead of it!

#38 - 1990 (Ron Darling)

 

Bonus points to Darling for being a player I've met and gotten a signed ball from!

#37 - 1993 (Danny Tartabull)

 

Tartabull was always one of those guys I hated seeing step up to the plate when he faced the Red Sox. He hit the ball hard, and that is shown in this card.

#36 - 1985 (Leon Durham)

Major League Baseball needs more guys named Leon.

#35 - 2001 (Don Baylor)

Manager cards are cool, especially when it's a well known and well respected player. If he wasn't squinting in this picture he might have been ranked higher.

#34 - 2010 (Brandon Allen)

 

I like how the border and team name are in sync with the player's jersey. This card could have been cropped better though.

#33 - 1984 (John Candelaria)

The "Candy Man" is sticking out his tongue while wearing that fantastic pillbox style hat.

#32 - 1977 (George Hendrick)

The hat, the jacket, the foo-Manchu mustache...Hendrick had style!

#31 - 2019 (Lorenzo Cain)

If a player's uniform isn't this dirty by the end of a game, he isn't trying hard enough!

 

The countdown continues tomorrow with #30-21!