Thursday, July 5, 2012

Player Profile: Steve Avery

I have 63 cards of Steve Avery. This one is from 1994 Topps.

Playing career: Steve Avery was the third overall pick in the 1988 draft and quickly became a star, one of several on the Atlanta pitching staff. In 1991 he won eighteen games and won two 1-0 games against Pittsburgh in the NLCS. He pitched very well throughout the 1991 and 1992 postseasons. He was an all-star in 1993, but got injured, due to overwork and/or bad mechanics (depending on who you ask). He was never the same again, though he did win Game 4 of the 1995 World Series for the world champion Braves. Yankee fans may remember that it was Avery who walked Wade Boggs with the bases loaded in the eleventh inning of Game 4 of the 1996 World Series. After that

Where he is now: Living in Michigan, he recently made news by appearing to win a Ford Mustang at his high school’s homecoming game, only to find out he did not in fact win, causing a minor controversy.

My memories: He was right up there with Glavine, Smoltz and later Maddux on the Braves. It seemed they were always looking for that fourth #1 starter – Avery, Neagle, Millwood, etc. I had forgotten about his role in the 1996 World Series – at that time it still looked like he might be able to return to the pitcher he once was.

Google Autocomplete results: He is first when you google Steve Av. Second is Steve Avery stats. Another prominent Steve Avery was a running back for the Steelers in the 1990s.

Coming up next: The next profile will be Alex Avila.

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