Cake or Gum? 1976 Bobby Grich

Last time Topps cruised to a 6-1 victory. Will it win again here?

Two very different photos here. Topps goes with "Bob", with no hat, wild hair, drenched in sun. Hostess goes with Bobby, and a simple batting pose with some activity in the background before a game in Oakland.

Bobby Grich is generally considered one of the best players not currently in the Hall of Fame. He was a very good defensive second baseman, winning four gold gloves. His hitting numbers don't blow you away but for a second baseman they were quite good: .266 batting average, .371 OBP, 224 HR and 864 RBI. An unusual thing about Grich's hitting numbers is that they changed so dramatically. With Baltimore in the 1970s he didn't hit for a lot of power, but he took a lot of walks and stole a fair amount of bases. After signing with the Angels in 1977, and enduring a couple of difficult seasons due to injury, he reinvented himself as a power hitter with more home runs and strikeouts and fewer walks an steals. It all adds up to a player who put up some interesting stats but didn't really put it all together at the same time, someone who did everything well but was not truly phenomenal in any one area. Since retiring he has been a community ambassador for the Angels, and an insurance agent for Fidelity National Title for over 20 years.