2003 Topps Series 2 Contest - Pack 1

This is the first pack in the 2003 Topps Series 2 Contest.


470 Kevin Millar = 0 points
Shown in a Red Sox uni though he played with the Marlins in '02. Spent three years with the Sox as a mediocre 1B/OF.

540 Brian Moehler = 0 points
Had a good year (120 ERA+ in 221 IP) for the Tigers in '98 at age 26. That's his best season to date. He can currently be found in the Astros rotation. His career thus far comprises 1356 IP of essentially league-average pitching, mostly as a starter. Claim to fame: was the Tigers' starting pitcher for the first game at Comerica Park.


607 Scott Spiezio = 0 points
Before the neon caterpillar grew underneath his bottom lip.

377 Denny Stark = 0 points
'02, his rookie year, was his only good season. Finished 9th in ROY voting. Pitched 105 innings over the next two years in the big leagues. Has been bouncing around the minors ever since. Spent last year at AA and AAA for the Mariners.



709 Todd Helton - Sporting News All-Stars = 14 points
Five-time all-star. Top ten MVP three times. Has played his entire career with one team--a rarity these days.

690 Alex Rodriguez - Award Winner - 2002 AL Gold Glove = 39 points
Twelve-time all-star. Nine finishes in the top ten for MVP. If he stopped playing today he'd be a first-ballot HOFer, but he's probably got ten or more years left. We may be watching the best player of all time.


669 Khalil Greene - Draft Pick = 0 points
Had played his entire career with the Padres until he was traded to the Cardinals this offseason. Finished second in ROY voting in 2004. That was his best offensive year to date. Also, he's the only big-leaguer ever with that first name.

612 Jose Contreras - First Year Card = 1 point
Came over from Cuba at age 31 as perhaps the best "amateur" player ever. Has never been dominant in the big leagues, though he did make an All Star team in 2006.


675 Brandon Phillips / Victor Martinez - Prospects = 5 points
That's a decent duo for a Prospects card. Phillips will be 28 this season and looks like he could be a league-average 2B for a few more years. Martinez will be 30 and is a two-time All-Star despite not reaching the potential many thought he had. He finished seventh in MVP voting in 2007.

430 Sterling Hitchcock = 0 points
One of the best baseball names ever. With a name like that, he should have debuted in 1892, not 1992. He had a nice career as an average-ish starting pitcher. Was the MVP of the 1998 NLCS (2-0 in 10 IP with 14 K).

That's twenty all-star seasons and thirteen mvp top-10s for a total of 59 points for the first pack. A-Rod is more than half of that, and Helton is more than half of the rest. Can the remaining packs keep up the pace? Tune in tomorrow to find out. Get those guesses in before the final pack is posted Sunday.