The 1988 AAA All-Star game was played in Buffalo, New York on July 13, and this nifty set of 55 cards was on site in time for the event. That's right, these sets were available right at the ballpark the day of the game. Featuring player statistics that were current through June 28 of that same year, the information given on card backs was just over two weeks old from the day of the game -- something that was quite a feat for any card maker in 1988. Only three players who participated in the game are missing from the set, as they were late replacements and not added to the rosters until just a few days beforehand.
The set was printed on thin, white cardstock and features glossy fronts. Large color photos across the fronts are flanked by dark blue borders and a large All-Star Game logo at the bottom left. Short player bios and hitting/pitching stats are found across the backs, which are numbered AAA-1 through AAA-54. A header/checklist card is included in the set, but is not numbered.
Several promising youngsters were featured in the set, and most of the players would go on to spend at least a short time in the Majors. The biggest name by far (at the time) was Tidewater infielder Greg Jefferies, who would go on to have a productive fourteen year career in the bigs, but didn't really hold up to the superstar tag he was given early on. Iowa outfielder Dwight Smith would go on to place second in the 1989 NL Rookie of the Year race, just behind fellow Cubs teammate Jerome Walton. Rochester outfielder Steve Finley is perhaps the most underrated player in the set, as he went on to play an incredible nineteen seasons in the bigs. Finley collected 2,548 hits during that time, and also clubbed 304 homers, smacked in 1,167 RBIs and stole an impressive 320 bases. Sandy Alomar, Mike Bielecki, Joey Cora and Mike Devereaux are four other players who enjoyed productive careers at the major League level.
In a nutshell, the 1988 Procards AAA All-Star set features several solid names that would impact Major League Baseball throughout the 1990s and beyond. The design is good, the photos are okay and the overall effort is ambitious. A complete set still sealed in plastic should cost a collector no more than five dollars today.
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AAA-1 Mike Devereaux, Albuquerque
AAA-2 Chris Gwynn, Albuquerque
AAA-3 Tracy Woodson, Albuquerque
AAA-4 Benny Distefano, Buffalo
AAA-5 Tom Prince, Buffalo
AAA-6 Eddie Jurak, Tacoma
AAA-7 Phil Ouellette, Calgary
AAA-8 Luis Medina, Colorado Springs
AAA-9 Bob Geren, Columbus
AAA-10 Mike Kinnunen, Columbus
AAA-11 Scott Nielsen, Columbus
AAA-12 Lavell Freeman, Denver
AAA-13 Tim Pyznarski, Denver
AAA-14 German Rivera, Denver
AAA-15 Urbano Lugo, Edmonton
AAA-16 Bill Bathe, Iowa
AAA-17 Bob Sebra, Indianapolis
AAA-18 Mike Bielecki, Iowa
AAA-19 Dwight Smith, Iowa
AAA-20 Sandy Alomar, Las Vegas
AAA-21 Mike Brumley, Las Vegas
AAA-22 Joey Cora, Las Vegas
AAA-23 Greg Harris, Las Vegas
AAA-24 Dick Grapenthin, Louisville
AAA-25 Mike Shelton, Maine
AAA-26 Marty Brown, Nashville
AAA-27 Hugh Kemp, Nashville
AAA-28 Tom O'Malley, Oklahoma City
AAA-29 Steve Finley, Rochester
AAA-30 Luis de los Santos, Omaha
AAA-31 Steve Curry, Pawtucket
AAA-32 Tony Perezchica, Phoenix
AAA-33 Roy Smith, Portland
AAA-34 Joe Boever, Richmond
AAA-35 Bob Milacki, Rochester
AAA-36 Geronimo Berroa, Syracuse
AAA-37 Eric Yelding, Syracuse
AAA-38 Lance Blankenship, Tacoma
AAA-39 Mark Carreon, Tidewater
AAA-40 Gregg Jefferies, Tidewater
AAA-41 David West, Tidewater
AAA-42 Mark Huismann, Toledo
AAA-43 Rey Palacios, Toledo
AAA-44 Cameron Drew, Tucson
AAA-45 Donn Pall, Vancouver
AAA-46 Sap Randall, Vancouver
AAA-47 Terry Collins, Albuquerque (Manager)
AAA-48 Carlos Ledezma, Buffalo (Trainer)
AAA-49 Bill Plummer, Calgary (Coach)
AAA-50 Joe Sparks, Indianapolis (Coach)
AAA-51 Toby Harrah, Oklahoma City (Coach)
AAA-52 Ed Nottle, Pawtucket (Manager)
AAA-53 Randy Holland, Syracuse (Trainer)
AAA-54 Mike Cubbage, Tidewater (Coach)
(NNO) Header Card/Checklist
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