1976 Topps - Leo Cardenas.

Finally got set up with a scanner. Most of my cards are still in storage since I am the only one of my family in Texas. Mrs. Spiff and the kiddos are still waiting for the house to (hopefully) sell before moving down to join me. Since the scanner is not mine I will have to get used to it some before it gets as easy to turn out posts as it was before the move.

With only one card book to choose from we come to the next card in the 1976 Topps set, number 587. Leo Cardenas had struggled in 1975 and really needed to improve his hitting to keep a spot on the team in 1976.

Apparently he wasn't able to improve enough at the plate during Spring Training in 1976. The Rangers released him on March 24th. He was unable to catch on with another team. After 16 Major League seasons, Mr. Automatic's career was over.

1976 Topps - Jeff Burroughs.

Been awhile since I last posted. Seems like time has just flown as the packing and other moving preparations continue. In addition the family and I made a previously planned trip to Texas this past weekend. Got to see the Rangers host the A's on Sunday - the only game of the four that Texas lost. Oh well, at least my brother, the A's fan, was happy. His family went with mine to the game along with my folks. Pretty funny picture of my five-year-old girl walking into the stadium holding hands with her five-year-old cousin. She's in Rangers gear, he's wearing A's stuff.

Anyway, I am due to start my new job on Monday. After that I hope to get back to at least occasional posting. The catch is that I only have my Topps book left unpacked. That means a continued look back at previous years. It gives me something to post but means I won't always be posting a card that fits current Rangers events.

Today we have Jeff Burroughs appearing on a poorly scanned card number 360 in the 1976 Topps set. Two years removed from his MVP performance in 1974, Burroughs continued to struggle. He remained the Rangers starting right fielder though and so still got quite a few plate appearances. In fact, he was second only to Toby Harrah on the team.

In 681 trips to the plate Jeff's batting average was a disappointing .237. His 69 walks helped boost his on-base percentage to .315. That was the same as the previous year in spite of his batting average coming up. Ten less walks and the 93 strikeouts helped to keep it the same. Burroughs also saw his power dip significantly as he managed just 18 home runs - 11 less that the previous season. He did get 22 doubles and two triples but still saw his slugging percentage drop.

Burroughs logged all of his playing time on defense in right field. Over the 1361 innings he played, he posted a .987 fielding percentage. That was six points higher that the league average.

All in all Jeff was still a long way from his MVP form. Texas desperately needed him to get back to it. In spite of his low numbers he was still one of the main power threats in the lineup for the Rangers. That meant they needed to do something. Trades were on the horizon and Jeff Burroughs was on the block.