Cleveland Baseball MiLB Baseball Cards #9: Rick Sutcliffe and Friends, 1978 Cramer Albuquerque Dukes

1978 Cramer Albuquerque Dukes

Collecting the first minor league card of notable Cleveland players can be an adventure. Occasionally, you will need a single card, but purchasing a whole team set is the only way to get that card. And you end up spending more than you might otherwise would have liked. But it's exciting if you run into cards in that set you didn't even know you needed. That is what happened with the 1978 Cramer Albuquerque Dukes set.

I totally forgot that pitcher Rick Sutcliffe played for Cleveland. So, I decided to chase down his first MiLB card. It was part of the 1978 Cramer Albuquerque Dukes set. I found a full set for sale, which I was going to pass on, until I saw two names: SS Ron Washington and 1B Pedro Guerrero. All three would spend some time with Cleveland at some point...

• Rick Sutcliffe came to Cleveland in December 1981 and would spend roughly three seasons with the team. And he was good. He won 14 games in 1982 and led the league in ERA and was an All-Star in 1983 while winning 17 games. Sutcliffe was traded to the Cubs in June 1984, would go 16-1, and win a Cy Young.
• Ron Washington signed as a free agent with Cleveland in December 1987. He would get 241 at-bats that season, with an 83 OPS+. He is much more famous for his post-playing career as a coach.
• Pedro Guerrero is one of the great Cleveland "what ifs?". Originally signed by Cleveland, he was traded to the Dodgers in 1974. Would go on to play 15 seasons in the big leagues, was selected to five All-Star games, won a Silver Slugger, and rated Top 15 MVP votes five times. Boo.