Whether it’s a strike or a lockout, shortened seasons tend to provide fun hitting cards. When Scott Fennessy was bequeathed the APBA baseball set of the strike-shortened 1981 season by fellow Illowa league member Dennis Jennings, he was probably thrilled.
Fortunately for me, he’s sending me some good cards from the set.
I was always a fan of Andre Dawson even before he came to the Cubs. His knees had not yet been ravaged yet so he was a five-tool player… and a smart one too. I remember seeing him take second on a fly ball.
In 1981, Dawson played 103 games. In that time, he hit 24 homers while hitting .302. He stole 26 bases. Dawson wasn’t known for his on-base potential but did have a .365 OBP.
For his effort, Andre came in second in the NL MVP vote behind Mike Schmidt (his card may be forthcoming). He helped the Expos to probably their best season ever. In 1981, Montreal finished first in the second half with a 30-23 record and defeated the Phils in the NLDS.
| Split | G | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | CS | BB | SO | BA | OBP | SLG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 Totals | 103 | 441 | 394 | 71 | 119 | 21 | 3 | 24 | 64 | 26 | 4 | 35 | 50 | .302 | .365 | .553 |
Before we get into the hit numbers, Andre Dawson’s 1981 card has a good fielding rating (OF-3) and Fast baserunning rating. I know that translates into a fair amount of runs over a season.
In the 1970s and early 1980s, monster hitting cards had different meaning than they do now. Four power numbers was something to really look forward to. He has speed numbers, too? Wow! That’s what you get with 1981 Andre Dawson.
Dawson has clutch power numbers 1-5-5-6, good with runners on base. He also has two 11s and a 10. A note about Dawson’s steals. I intentionally left Dawson’s CS stats above.
Historically, Dawson’s SB percentage was high. Those who play the Master Game will definitely want to take advantage of his D33 steal rating. For those not familiar with how the Master Game engine works with stealing, Dawson would start with a 33 out of 36 chances to steal. This will be modified by the Throw rating of the catcher. Keep in mind that because he is rated a “D”, he will not be able to steal in all situations.
He has three 14s on this card. That’s very good for Andre. There have been years he has had one.
A few more pluses about Dawson’s 1981 card: his speed helped decrease his GIDP numbers. He doesn’t have any 24s. Dawson was also known to take one for the team. He led the league with 7 HBP. As a result, he has a 62-22 as well as a 53-15.
While we’re looking at Master Game ratings (written on the card by Dennis I presume), Dawson’s arm is 35 which is pretty decent. If I had my choice, I’d play this card with the MG. It seems suited for it.
Thanks to Scott (and Dennis) for passing this card on! Dawson is one of my favorite players of all time.
