Baseball Biography:
Dave Hollins was a third baseman who played from 1990-2002 with the Phillies, Red Sox, Twins, Mariners, Angels, Blue Jays, and Indians. The majority of his career was spent with the Phillies (1990-1995, 2002). In my memory, he was one of the first successful Rule 5 selections by the Phillies in 1990. His skills didn't really develop until 1992 when he received his first opportunity to start full-time after the departure of Charlies Hayes.
He then embarked on a 2 year stretch, in which he had >.800 OPS, while hitting a combined 45 HR from 1992-1993. He led the league in getting hit by pitch in 1992. He did not match those two years over the rest of his career, though he did have good seasons in 1996 and 1997 with 16 HR each season with OPS+ ~100. After that, he moved from team to team and eventually retired in 2002 after getting bitten by a spider, which exacerbated conditions of his diabetes.
Unfortunately, he is probably best known outside of Philadelphia fans for being the other side of the trade that sent David Ortiz from the Twins to the Red Sox in 1996.
Role on the 1993 Phillies: He was the primary third baseman and a staple in the middle of the lineup, batting cleanup for his starts. He batted .273/.372/.442, good for a 119 OPS+ , with 18 HR (4th on the team), 93 RBI (2nd on the team), and 104 Runs (2nd on the team(. He also made his lone all-star appearance. Hollins was the quiet intensity representative of that roster, standing in the batter's box with his bat straight up in the air before unleashing his swing. He had a .910 OPS in the 1993 NLCS with 2 HR, but only managed one extra base hit in the World Series, though he maintained a .414 OBP.
Card Facts: This is a 1996 Leaf Signature autograph series card. This set was distributed in four card packs with 1 auto per pack, the first brand with an autograph in every pack (SRP $9.99). I remember scouring the internet for these in 1996; packs averaged between $20-25 and most common bronze autographs were easily sold for $3-5.
