1983 Topps Rookie Cards: Cardinals #49 WILLIE MCGEE,  #586 Twins FRANK  VIOLA

Upgraded but excellent rookie Cards

WILLIE MCGEE 

Played in MLB for four teams, over 18 seasons, most prominently with the St. Louis Cardinals. He won two batting titles and was named Major League Baseball's 1985 National League MVP. McGee primarily played center and right field, winning three Gold Glove Awards for defensive excellence. McGee spent the majority of his 18-year career playing for the Cardinals, helping them win the 1982 World Series with his outstanding performance in Game 3. A four-time All-Star, McGee accumulated 2,254 hits during his career.

Batting average .295

Hits 2,254

Home runs 79

Runs batted in 856

St. Louis Cardinals (1982–1990)

Oakland Athletics (1990)

San Francisco Giants (1991–1994)

Boston Red Sox (1995)

St. Louis Cardinals (1996–1999)

Career highlights and awards

4× All-Star (1983, 1985, 1987, 1988)

World Series champion (1982)

NL MVP (1985)

3× Gold Glove Award (1983, 1985, 1986)

Silver Slugger Award (1985)

2× NL batting champion (1985, 1990)

St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame

FRANK VIOLA 

Played for the Minnesota Twins (1982–1989), New York Mets (1989–1991), Boston Red Sox (1992–1994), Cincinnati Reds (1995), and Toronto Blue Jays (1996). A three-time All-Star, he was named World Series MVP with the Twins in 1987 and won the AL Cy Young Award in 1988. He is the pitching coach of the High Point Rockers.

Win–loss record 176–150

Earned run average 3.73

Strikeouts. 1,844

Minnesota Twins (1982–1989)

New York Mets (1989–1991)

Boston Red Sox (1992–1994)

Cincinnati Reds (1995)

Toronto Blue Jays (1996)

Career highlights and awards

3× All-Star (1988, 1990, 1991)

World Series champion (1987)

AL Cy Young Award (1988)

World Series MVP (1987)

MLB wins leader (1988)

Minnesota Twins Hall of Fame

He batted and threw left-handed, and he was nicknamed "Sweet Music" – a nickname he picked up after a Minnesota sports writer declared that when Viola pitched, there was "Sweet Music" in the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome. The nickname was a play on the fact that his last name is also a name of a musical instrument, although pronounced differently. A fan began displaying a banner bearing the phrase in the outfield's upper deck whenever Viola pitched. Twins fans considered the banner to be a good luck charm. The banner is now the property of the Minnesota Historical Society. It was again displayed when Viola was inducted into the Twins Hall of Fame. He was honored as a member of the Twins' "All Dome" team in 2009.