The Seventh 25 - A Roster

A brief look back in team form at the last 25 player cards in the 1980 set (#162 through #186) as if constructing a fantasy league team.

Manager - No Card

1B - Warren Cromartie
2B - Fernando Gonzalez
SS - Luis Gomez
3B - Ray Knight
OF - Champ Summers
OF - Omar Moreno
OF - Jack Clark
C - Ron Hodges/Steve Swisher
DH - Hal McRae

Overall, an intriguing lineup. Moreno is a flyer at the top of the order that played in 162 games in 1980. He is followed by a solid group in the middle of the order (Cromartie-McRae-Clark-Knight-Summers). The remainder of the order is filled with interchangeable parts at the second base, shortstop and catching positions. I wouldn't call this lineup Punch-N-Judy but it is similar to a mid-1980s Cardinals team.

Bench: Junior Moore, Jim Anderson, Tim McCarver, Ken Reitz, Greg Pryor, Bob Randall

An unspectacular bunch with no outfield depth. Randall could possibly start over Gonzalez, both there's nothing substantially gained. McCarver is all but done and would only pinch-hit. Reitz would like start on most teams, here he is a defensive replacement because Knight's bat needs to be in the lineup.


Rotation:
Rick Reuschel
Moose Haas
Burt Hooton
Rick Waits
Steve Renko

A nice rotation here, not flashy but productive. You won't find Cy Young winners here, but there a group of durable arms that can hold up over a long season. This group would eat a lot of innings, which is needed due to a shortage in the bullpen.

Bullpen
Ron Davis, Dave Heaverlo, John Henry Johnson, Glenn Abbott

A little thin, with Davis emerging as the closer. Heaverlo, Johnson and Abbott all have experience coming out the bullpen either in short relief or as a swingman. Like the starters, not a flashy group but serviceable major league pitchers.

OVERALL: Not as good as this time around. There are no Hall of Famers in this group and Knight is the only 1980 All-Star. There are concerns at three positions up the middle as all the players are very light hitters. There are also serious depth issues in the outfield and the bullpen. Of all the teams put together so far, this would be one that would definately struggle.

GRADE: C