1978 jim spencer

jim spencer was traded from the white sox to the yankees in december of 1977.  here is his 1978 o-pee-chee card:

here's the topps front:

now the o-pee-chee back:

and the topps back:

spencer had just won his second gold glove as a first baseman when he was traded, but with chris chambliss at first in the bronx, spencer was used primarily as a designated hitter. he played in only 71 games for the yankees in 1978, and his numbers suffered for it, although he did play in the world series against the dodgers and won a ring as a result.  he bounced back in 1979 with a strong season - 23 home runs and a .288 batting average - in 106 games.  sadly, jim spencer died of a heart attack in 2002 at the age of 55.

voici à vous, 1978 jim spencer!