Tuesday, July 2, 2024

Cards That Never Were: Enzo Hernandez Topps 1978 & '79

Cards That Never Were is a recurring series in which I create virtual trading cards for players missed in various sets. It is a concept I borrowed from far too many to list, but I appreciate all of their efforts.

Enzo Hernandez was signed aa an amateur free agent in 1967 by the Houston Astros. In 1968,, he was traded to the Baltimore Orioles, then traded to the San Diego Padres in 1970, before making his MLB debut in 1971. That was quite a season for Hernandez, as he had 12 RBIs in 618 plate appearances. I believe that is a record for futility. Still, he managed to hold the starting shortstop position through the 1976 season. In 1977, he played only a handful of games, but he must have been injured, because he seemingly was on the roster all season. In Spring Training 1978, he was released by the Padres, but signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers. He spent most of '78 in the minors, appearing in only four games for the Dodgers before being released. Overall for his career, he played parts of eight seasons, hitting .224 with two home runs and 113 RBIs in 714 games.

For his efforts, Topps gave him cards in sets from 1972-1977. That left 1978-'79 to be made. When I looked for pictures to make those cards, I saw Lynn from the Custom Baseball Cards Facebook group already made the '79 card. Lynn is a genius and the group is amazing. That left only his 1978 card, which I made to finish his card run.

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