My First Cards

Scott Sanderson has one of the most boring poses I’ve ever seen on a baseball card. I am fascinated by how some poses in this set of cards seem to reflect the type of season the player had.

I first noticed it with Steve McCatty‘s card, and now I’m thinking about it again. Scott was just 12-12 with a 106 ERA+ on the year. Average. Dull. Just like his pose & expression.

Just like McCatty’s card, the only thing that keeps this card interesting is the colorful uniform of Les Expos de Montréal.

He had his moments of course, just like anyone else, but he couldn’t catch a break. A good example is the “squirrel game“, in which he tossed a CG but lost, due to a pair of unearned runs.

I think something about that game changed him a little. Maybe it made him feel like, “Why bother?”, I don’t know. If you split his season’s stats after that game though, it’s clear that batters started connecting with Scott’s pitches more after that game.

See? A slight decrease in SO & BB, and a dangerous increase in HR’s allowed. I find it kinda funny that his ERA balloons to nearly double, yet he still ends up with the same W-L. It’s as if the guy cannot win or lose, he was just made to break even.

My main memories of Scott are from his days with the Yankees. I always think of him an Expo though.