1977 earl williams

earl williams, the 1971 national league rookie of the year, was released by the expos after the 1976 season and signed with the a's as a free agent. here's his 1977 o-pee-chee card, a rare 1977 text variation:

here's the topps front:

now the o-pee-chee back:

and the topps back:

o-pee-chee also moved the autograph, and there is a slight difference in the cropping.  it also looks like the 'expos' header is in a different spot, but i don't have a classification for that kind of variation.

williams had peaked early in his career - he was the prize for the orioles in the davey johnson trade with the braves - but he still had some power. he hit 13 homers in 100 games for the a's in 1977, but his obp was just .288. the a's released him shortly after the start of the 1978 season (although he hadn't appeared in any games that season), and at 28, williams' big league career was over.

voici à vous, 1977 earl williams!