1981 Phillies - The Missing Links

1981 Fleer #22, 1981 TCMA Oklahoma City 89ers #7 and #9 and 1994 Topps Traded #130T

There's only one new addition to the Missing Link Phillies players in 1981 as there were only 36 different Phillies players in the strike-shortened season.  The addition of Donruss and Fleer to the baseball card landscape forever altered collecting patterns, as we collectors now had a choice of which product would receive our hard-earned lawn mowing money.  Of course Donruss and Fleer are now long gone and we're stuck with collecting whatever product Topps decides to dole out.  But I digress.

3 Cards or More
31 Players

2 Cards
**John Vukovich (153 games from 1970-1971, 1976-1977 and 1979-1981) - 1980 Burger King Phillies #8 and 1981 Fleer #22
**Mark Davis (11 games in 1980 and 1981, 25 games in 1993) - 1982 Topps #231 and 1993 Ultra #437

1 Card
Dan Larson (21 games from 1978-1981) - 1980 Phillies Postcards #15

0 Cards
Jerry Reed (11 games from 1981-1982)
Don McCormack (5 games from 1980-1981)

1993 Upper Deck
Then and Now #TN6

Ryne Sandberg, who played just 13 games with the 1981 Phillies, could have made the list, if not for his Phillies cards issued following his Hall of Fame playing career.  I believe his first official Phillies card was the 1993 Upper Deck Then and Now card.  This insert card featured a head shot of Sandberg as a Phillie over a holographic image of him as a Cub.  Topps gave him a Phillies card in its 1994 Traded set and two more cards within its 2010 National Chicle set.

Jerry Reed began his nine-year career with 11 forgettable games with the declining Phillies in 1981 and 1982.  He compiled a 1-1 record and a 6.08 ERA before being packaged with two other prospects in the deal with the Indians that brought John Denny to the Phillies.  Reed spent three seasons in Cleveland, three more seasons in Seattle and finished up with a half season in Boston.  He had to wait until 1986 for his "rookie" cards, appearing with the Indians in the 1986 Fleer and Topps sets.

Past Missing Link Posts
1980 Phillies - Orlando Isales and Don McCormack

1990 Phillies - Louie Meadows

1991 Phillies - Dave LaPoint

1992 Phillies - Darrin Chapin and Mickey Weston

1993 Phillies - None

1994 Phillies - Tom Edens and Bob Wells

1995 Phillies - Jim Deshaies, Kevin Elster, Omar Olivares, Chuck Ricci and Dennis Springer

1996 Phillies - Glenn Dishman, Bronson Heflin, Manny Martinez and Rafael Quirico

1997 Phillies - Rob Butler and Mike Robertson

1998 Phillies - Robert Dodd and Matt Whiteside

1999 Phillies - Joel Bennett, Domingo Cedeno, Joe Grahe and Torey Lovullo

2000 Phillies - Clemente Alvarez, Kirk Bullinger, Mark Holzemer and Bryan Ward

**UPDATE (6/19/15) - I know now that Vukovich had additional Phillies baseball cards in the 1971, 1980 and 1981 Phillies Photocards sets.  Davis has additional team issued cards in the 1982 Tastykake Phillies set and in the style of the 1993 Medford Phillies set.