80s week: Fabulous Fleer base cards

I have yet to acquire one of Tony's Fleer rookie cards, but the recent package that arrived helped me fill in some other gaps in my Fleer binder. (Literally. When I put the base cards in, I left gaps. That's normal, right?)

These cards are fascinating, because before Tony's rapid ascent to star status, he was still a kid newcomer who might make it big, or might not.

Card Number 482: Fleer, 1984, #301

This the end of an era in terms of Padres design ethos. The Swinging Friar was replaced in 1985  by the arched 'Padres' logo, and the yellow and brown were ditched in favour of a Yankees-style pinstripe.

Fleer had photos on their cardbacks in 1984. That was a cut above their competition.

The factoids on this early card were quickly consigned to history. Tony generated a huge amount of firsts, mosts, bests and awards in his career. So things like the Win Clark Award that he won in 1981 have long been forgotten. The award itself seems to have disappeared over the years because I can't find any current references to it on the Internet.

Card Number 483: Fleer, 1985; #34

Tony was still wearing brown and yellow on his 1985 card. Why waste a nice photo, eh?

On the back we have more early-career highlights including his first batting title.

Tony's 33 stolen bases is an indication of his opportunism and sheer speed at the beginning of his career. He was two decades early for "Moneyball", but with his capacity to get on base and steal 90 yards he would have been a perfect moneyball investment.

I already had Tony's Fleer base card from 1986 - and it's blogged here in this post from way back in May.

Card Number 484: Fleer, 1987; #416

Practice jersey photo!

The Padres retained brown batting helmets. The switch to blue with the orange SD logo would come at the beginning of the 90s. Tony has a deadpan expression in the photo, as if the photographer has interrupted an important practice session.

No photo on the cardback, but there is a graphic breakdown of where Tony tended to hit the ball.

In the book Tony's Gwynn's Total Baseball Player, Tony talks about the difference between being a contact hitter and a power hitter. As a contact hitter, he tried to make sure his bat travelled across the entirety of the plate when he swung, aiming to hit the ball towards the back of the plate giving you more time to react and place the ball where you want it. 

He also claimed to have "extended" his strike zone to hit balls higher and lower, which he was able to do because he had that fraction longer to hit the ball than a power hitter who was trying to hit the ball at the front of the plate. That level of detail isn't shown in the graphic on the back of this card, which seems to indicate a small area of hitting success within the strike zone.

Total: 484 cards