1979 Topps - Bump Wills.

Bump Wills, shown here on card 369 of the 1979 Topps set, was looking to recover from the sophomore slump he encountered in 1978. The Rangers certainly expected a rebound.

Wills still had the starting second baseman's job nailed down. He played 144 games at second, down ten games from the previous season. He also pinch-hit in two games to bring his season total of games played to 146. Bump logged 1269 innings at second and committed 20 errors. His resulting .976 fielding percentage was two points lower than the league average. That was understandable in light of Wills' range being significantly greater than other American League second basemen.

Bump made 617 trips to the plate for the Rangers in 1979 and posted a .273 batting average. That was a 23 point improvement from the previous season. His .340 on-base percentage was also an improvement, just nine points though. While Wills struck out 58 times, he also walked 53 times. He continued to be have a little power but his 21 doubles were probably more a result of his speed. The three triples and five home runs he tallied proved he was not a slugger. He was a table setter though and scored a team high 90 runs for the Rangers while bumping in 46 RBI. Once again he proved himself to be a stolen base threat as he swiped 35 bags. That was down from the 52 of the previous season but still the most on the club. The eleven times he got caught were a cause for concern however.

All in all, 1979 was an acceptable return season for Bump Wills. He brought his batting average up significantly and his speed was still well above the average player. He needed to watch the caught stealing numbers and it would be nice if his on-base percentage were a tad higher. Still, the Rangers had little to complain about with their second baseman. If he could keep turning in similar numbers he would be able to stave off any challenges for his job.

Minor League Monday - Mark Petkovsek, 1990 CMC.

The Rangers drafted pitcher Mark Petkovsek in the first round of the June, 1987 draft. He started his pro career the same year with the Gulf Coast Rangers in Rookie ball.

Petkovsek, shown here on card 155 of the 1990 CMC set, finished the 1987 season with the Single A Charlotte Rangers. He would spend all of 1988 there as well. In 1989 the Rangers jumped Mark to Double A Tulsa. By the end of the season he was with Triple A Oklahoma City.

Based on Petkovsek's rapid rise, you might think he was a fire-balling lights out type of pitcher. That would be a misconception. In his first three seasons Mark had seen his ERA dip below three just once, during his 1988 season in Charlotte. His time in Tulsa in 1989 was the only stretch he had where he posted a winning record. Just why Texas kept moving him up is somewhat of a mystery to me.

Petkovsek would spend the entire 1990 season at Triple A with the Oklahoma City 89ers. He appeared in 28 games for them, all starts. Over the 151 innings Mark pitched, he posted a 5.25 ERA and a 1.517 WHIP. That ERA looks a bit rougher when you consider one he did toss a complete game shutout during the season. On the other hand, that indicated he had some potential to be very good. Petkovsek could strike out opposing batters - he did it 81 times in 1990. Of course, he also issued 42 walks as well. Mark saw his record dip back below .500 as he ended the season at 7-14.

None of Mark Petkovsek's 1990 numbers were anything to write home about, even at the beginning of the steroid era. Texas was not pitching-rich but Petkovsek needed to see his ERA drop some if he wanted to make that last step from Triple A to the Majors. Being a first round pick, he probably had a few more chances left but sooner or later Texas was going to decide he wasn't working out and either trade or cut him.

Senators Saturday - Darold Knowles, 1970.

Darold Knowles, shown here on card 106 of the 1970 Topps set, was coming off a great 1969 season. He had served as the Senators closer and made a trip to the All-Star game. Washington was counting on Darold to continue to anchor the back end of the bullpen in 1970.

Once again in the closer role, Knowles appeared in 71 games for the Senators. That was by far the most appearances of any pitcher on the staff and 18 more times than he took the mound in 1969. Darold's 119.1 innings pitched were also a big increase from the previous season but came in second to Jim Hannan in the bullpen. To be fair, Hannan was more a swingman than a true reliever.

Knowles lowered his ERA twenty points from the previous season to 2.04 but his WHIP climbed 91 points to 1.324. He struck out 71 while issuing 58 free passes. Darold notched 27 saves, up 14 from the year before but ended the season with a 2-14 record.

1970 was a puzzling season for Darold Knowles. His ERA and saves both moved the right direction but his WHIP was concerning and the number of losses he incurred was downright alarming. Knowles had the stuff and Washington wasn't done with him. He was being watched though and needed to bring his A game to Spring Training in 1971.

So long, Yogi.

Hall of Famer Yogi Berra passed away this past Tuesday at the age of 90. Yes, Berra was a Yankee but, he was still a good guy. As a kid I remember being fascinated by his and Satchel Paige's remarks. He played a role in hooking me on baseball. He's probably also the reason I latched on to Pudge Rodriguez, shown here on card BB-11 of the 2002 Donruss Elite Back 2 Back Jacks set.

2002 Donruss Elite Back 2 Back Jacks #BB-11

2002 Donruss Elite Back 2 Back Jacks #BB-11

Always displaying a positive attitude, Yogi was there for some big moments. D-Day, Don Larson's perfect game, ten World Series championships. He played alongside Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Whitey Ford, Phil Rizzuto, and many other Yankee greats. In his first year of managing, he took the Yankees to the World Series. In typical Yankee fashion, they fired him immediately afterwords. He still came back years later and endured another firing before writing the team out of his appointment book. It took a lot to get to Berra though and he eventually forgave the team and returned to the fold.

The Yankees' loss was the Mets and Astros gain. They latched on to Yogi as if he had been part of their clubs. He led the Mets to an improbable World Series title. They didn't fire him immediately afterwords.

The world is a poorer place without Yogi Berra and we will never see his like again.

1979 Topps - Jim Umbarger.

Well, the next week or so is going to be real hectic. I know, just in time for the season to come down to the wire with the Rangers still in contention. Nevertheless, pre-scheduled posts will be the order of the day until things slow down a bit. Without further delay, on to 1979.

After an unusual 1977 season, Jim Umbarger won a spot in the Texas bullpen in 1978 following a great Spring Training where he posted a 1.93 ERA. Umbarger, shown here on card 518 of the 1979 Topps set, was unable to replicate that spring success in 1979 and didn't make the Opening Day roster. Instead he headed off to the Triple A Tucson Toros.

As an aside, this card has always interested me. It appears both of Umbarger's sleeves are torn out along the seams, the left more so than the right. I used to wonder why the Rangers couldn't afford to repair Jim's jersey. Seems to me now that the damage might not be accidental. Look at the gap on the left sleeve. Perhaps Umbarger tore out the sleeve to keep it from binding up on him when he went into his windup. Anyway, back to his 1979 season.

Apparently the Rangers decided to move Jim back to his old role of starter instead of sticking with the 1978 reliever gig. 20 of Umbarger's 26 appearances with the Toros were starts. He pitched 133 innings and got roughed up pretty soundly with a 5.75 ERA and an 1.767 WHIP. Looks like part of the problem was Jim's control, he walked 69 batters while whiffing just 73. Not surprisingly, he ended the season with a 6-10 record.

Needless to say, the numbers Umbarger put up in Triple A were not likely to get him recalled to the Big Show. He would split 1980 between Double and Triple A but again not get the call that season either. The Rangers released him prior to the 1981 season. Baltimore picked him up and assigned him to Triple A Rochester. They let him go after that season. Jim was back in 1983 and bounced between Double and Triple A for the White Sox and Pirates. Still no call-up. That was the end of the line. Umbarger hung up his spikes after the 1983 season.

Minor League Monday - Kevin Reimer, 1990 CMC.

By the time Kevin Reimer appeared on card 169 of the 1990 CMC set, he already had some Major League experience. Starting at Single A after the Rangers drafted him in 1985, Reimer spent three seasons with three different Single A clubs before moving up to Double A Tulsa to start the 1988 season. He was a September call-up that year and appeared in 12 games for Texas. 1989 would find him in Triple A with the Oklahoma City 89ers. A cup of coffee in Arlington showed he was still on the radar with the big club.

Assigned to OKC to start the 1990 season, Reimer appeared in 51 games for the 89ers. Texas had Kevin in their system mainly for his bat, he appeared in the field for OKC in just 26 games. 19 of those games were at first base and seven in the outfield. While he managed to avoid any errors in the outfield, his .989 fielding percentage at first was pretty rough.

Reimer made 217 trips to the plate for OKC and put up a .283 batting average. He had a little trouble with the strikeout as indicated by his 25 whiffs compared to 18 walks. He did manage to flash some power though: 18 doubles, two triples, and four home runs. That's what the Rangers were really watching for.

Apparently the powers that be in Texas decided Kevin was ready. On June 2, 1990 the Rangers purchased his contract from the 89ers. He would stay with Texas for the rest of the 1990 season. During that time Reimer appeared in 64 games for the Rangers, mostly as a pinch-hitter. He did play five games each in left and right field and appeared as the designated hitter in 21 games. In left field Kevin managed to avoid any errors but things were much uglier in right, as shown by his .778 fielding percentage.

In his 111 plate appearances as a Ranger, Reimer posted a .260 batting average and a .333 on-base percentage. Not too terrible for his first prolonged exposure to Major League pitching. He still had a tendency to strike out - 22 times as opposed to ten walks. The power was still there though and that was good. Kevin picked up nine doubles, one triple, and two home runs while bumping in 15 RBI and scoring five times himself.

All in all, Kevin Reimer had a pretty good season in 1990. By showing that he could hit major League pitching, he put himself in a position to make the Big Club the next spring. If he did that, he could say goodbye to OKC for the foreseeable future.

Senators Saturday - Bob Humphreys, 1970.

Bob Humphreys, shown here on card 538 of the 1970 Topps set, seemed to have carved out a spot for himself in the Senators bullpen since joining the team prior to the 1966 season. 1969 had been a decent year for Humphreys, even if there were a few warning signs to be aware of. 1970 promised to be a year for Bob to move his career one way or the other. It turned out to be one frustration after another.

Prior to the 1970 season, Humphreys did some workouts at the University of Maryland. One day the baseball coach there asked him to demonstrate a breaking ball for some of his pitchers. Bob obliged but injured his right elbow in the process. It was a second injury to the elbow and would take time to recover from in the pre-Tommy John surgery world.

Humphreys still reported for Spring Training in an effort to work through the injury. In the process he tore a muscle in his right shoulder. That earned him a trip to the Disabled List and a plane ticket to Triple A Denver for a rehab stint. After just eight innings over three games with the Denver Bears, Bob was back in the Washington bullpen.

Appearing in five games and pitching 6.2 innings for the Senators, Humphreys posted a 1.35 ERA, a significant drop from the previous season. On the surface things were looking good. However, Bob's WHIP climbed to 1.950 as he walked nine opposing batters while striking out just six. Those were indicators of impending trouble.

Apparently taking heed of the warning signs, Washington released Humphreys on June 13, 1970. Bob was surprised by the release but wasn't out of work for long. On June 15, 1970 the Milwaukee Brewers signed him. He would split the remainder of the season between the Majors and Triple A, using his knuckleball to take the stress off his elbow.

The Brew Crew cut Humphreys during Spring Training in 1971. He spent part of that season with their Triple A affiliate but couldn't put it all back together. Struggling and frustrated with his performance, he asked for his release and hung up the spikes on his playing career.