Junk Wax Prospector - Chuck Knoblauch - Minnesota Twins
The Junk Wax Prospector series was intended to highlight some of the upcoming prospects that I collected through the Junk Wax era. These would included players who became stars -and in some cases, Hall of Famers, and some players who flamed out in the upper Minor Leagues. I’d write stories looking back at how these players careers and cards turned out, after 25-30 years of perspective. Unfortunately, I haven’t continued this series beyond writing the first few, and haven’t written a new one in well over a year.
Back when Beckett put some effort into their magazine, the January 1993 issue featured a photo of Knobaluch on the back cover, sitting on second base, flipping through some 1992 Pinnacle cards. I can think of no more accurate image to associate Knoblauch and the Junk Wax Prospector concept.
Chuck Knoblauch was my favorite Minnesota Twin from his debut in 1991, up until his last game with Minnesota in 1997. For my Junk Wax Prospector series, he instantly becomes the most successful player I’ve covered so far. With this post, Chuck Knoblauch rightfully takes his place among such baseball luminaries as Brian Barber, Sam Millitello, David McCarty, David Nied, Ugeuth Urbina and Kevin Mmahat.
Bowman in 1990 wasn’t what the Bowman of today is. Not by a long shot. Up until their landmark 1992 set, no one was buying Bowman cards. They were nice and simple, and included a huge amount of minor league prospects, in addition to each team’s current stars. In 1990, that meant the inclusion of Minnesota’s 1989 First Round Draft Pick (25th overall), Chuck Knoblauch.
Knoblauch was previously drafted out of high school, in the 18th round of the 1986 amateur draft by the Philadelphia Phillies, but didn’t sign. Instead, he played college baseball for Texas A&M University. After signing with Minnesota, Knoblauch split the remainder of the 1989 minor league season between single A ball teams in Kenosha, WI and Visalia, CA. Producing a .308/.394/.421 line in 69 games between the two levels.
The 1990 Best Minors set didn’t seem to find much of a retail home in Minnesota. It was also kind of an anomaly for its day. Best (or whatever the company was called) made a beautiful Minor League set with full bleed photos on each card. They were very colorful, and had a higher than normal per-pack price of nearly $2/pack, which was unheard of in this day. Especially for Minor League cards. I only once found packs of these cards at a SuperAmerica gas station. (Oddly enough on my way to a Twins game in 1990.) I bought a few packs, but didn’t get the Knoblauch card I wanted. Or the big star of the set, Frank Thomas.
Before 1990 was even over, the Best Minors cards flopped big time. Best was absorbed by the card maker Classic Game, who then renamed their minor league issues Classic/Best for the 1991-1993 sets.
Those gas station Best Minors packs may have been purchased before the Twins game that also sold me a copy of Minnesota Twins Rally Magazine, in May, 1990.
While I knew a little about Knoblauch from what I read and heard after the Twins drafted him, this story was my first exposure to understanding more of what kind of player Knoblauch was predicted to become.
In addition to Bowman, Score also included Knoblauch in their 1990 set, honoring his selection in the 1989 Draft. For some reason, I didn’t have a copy of this card until last year, when I picked up this off-centered specimen. Wonder how that happened? I know I had this card before.
After his full 1990 season in AA, Knoblauch hit a respectable .289/.389/.384. He was invited to the Twins 1991 Major League Spring Training, having really opened some eyes in the organization.
Impressing even Cranky Tom Kelly, who didn’t like anything. Shortly after Spring Training started, Kelly lobbied the Twins upper brass to make Knoblauch the team’s starting second baseman for the 1991 season. All it would take is for him to not completely implode during the pre-season, and he could finally put an end to the non-stop parade of Steve Lombardozzi’s, Wally Backman’s, Tom Herr’s, Nelson Liriano’s and Fred Manrique’s that had attempted to fill the second base job in Minnesota over the past few seasons.
Which he did. When the Twins opened the 1991 season in Oakland, Knoblauch was standing at second base, with his name leading off the Twins lineup. The Era of Knobby had begun in Minnesota!
Since I have more Knoblauch cards than I want to show off in this story, I’m just going with my favorites for each season. These will then be loosely counted down in my patented “Top Whatever” format, on a season by season basis. At the very end, I’ll name my favorite Chuck Knoblauch card in my collection.
Fleer’s 1991 entrance into the “Super Premium” card market was a real let down. The cards were boring and uninspired. A grey bar at the top and bottom of each card with bland photography and thin card stock. There was nothing about 1991 Ultra that would imply Super Premium. Especially when held against Stadium Club, Leaf or even Upper Deck.
When recalling how big Knoblauch cards were in the Minneapolis area card stores and shows, these two jump to the top of the list as what I think of when it comes to Knoblauch rookies. And for 1991 cards, they look pretty decent.
Overlooked by many, 1991 Leaf was a set that I really liked. Especially the loaded series 2, with cards of Ken Griffey Jr., Frank Thomas and the highly anticipated Chuck Knoblauch rookie card. Don’t forget how cool the Gold Leaf Rookies insert set was, with bonus Twins Scott Leius and Willie Banks!
I professed my love for this Knoblauch rookie card in my salute to the great 1991 Stadium Club set a few years ago. Memories associated with Topps' debut of Stadium Club, in the late summer of 1991, are still some of the strongest I have in my entire history of collecting baseball cards.
Not far into the 1991 season, it was becoming clear that Knoblauch was going to be a star. At the very least, a new fan favorite for those inside the Metronome to cheer. Along side of this, the Minnesota Twins were enjoying a completely unexpected run that would bring them their second World Championship in 5 years. With Chuck Knoblauch playing a key role in making that happen.
A month and a half into the 1991 season, the Twins had Knoblauch make an appearance at the team owned Pro Shop in Roseville, MN. I had to work that day (at the great Crapids Perkins!), but my mom went and stood in line to meet the Twins second baseman. Returning with this autographed baseball.
The baseball card market being what it was in 1991, everyone was printing cards. Baseball cards were everywhere, even as a premium inside of packages of cookies. Oakland, California based Mother’s Cookies had been printing teams sets of cards to be included in regional packaging, throughout the 1980’s. In early 1992, they produced a four card set, honoring Knoblauch for his tremendous rookies season. (Houston Astro Jeff Bagwell was also given a four card set to commemorate his National League Rookie of the Year award.)
Local legendary newsstand and card store chain, Shinders, acquired a bunch of the Knoblauch sets to sell in their stores. Mother’s Cookies were not sold in Minnesota, so we didn’t get a chance to buy them at retail. But I jumped at the chance to buy the four individually wrapped cards, as they needed to be in my Knoblauch collection.
Knoblauch won the 1991 American League Rookie of the Year award, while helping lead the Twins to their second World Series win in five seasons. To commemorate his accomplishments, Star Cards also put out a five card set honoring Minnesota Twins newest star...
Winning the Rookie of the Year award meant there would be additional Knoblauch cards issued in various 1992 sets to recognize that honor. Of those, I felt that Score did it best.
And because I don’t want to show each card individually anymore, I’m going to start combining them for the sake of time, space and my desire to FINALLY finish this story that I’ve been working on for a couple years now.
All nice cards, but none that really stand out. Though I’d like to point out the MASSIVE improvement between 1992 Ultra and the Ultra-bland 1991 Ultra. Though a different photo for the Ultra Award Winner card may have been wiser. And I do like that Pinnacle card quite a bit.
Some more of Knoblauch’s 1992 cards. His base 1992 Topps card has always been a personal favorite. It didn’t seem like Twins cards got the Topps All Star Rookie cup logo very often, so I was happy that Knoblauch did.
1992 Bowman is another set along the lines of 1991 Stadium Club that I have major memories of collecting. At some point, I will write my big salute to 1992 Bowman. The cards were scanned over two years ago. It will be bigger than my 1991 Stadium Club story.
Knoblauch regular 1992 Stadium Club card is one of my least favorite cards of anyone ever. A really bad close up mug shot of an awkward mid-yell. Just an awful choice for a set dedicated to high-end photography. But his Members Choice card from the same base set, is one of my 1992 top cards.
Rookie Sensations were an unbelievable hit for Fleer in 1992. Found only in retail jumbo packs of 1992 Fleer, they created a collector frenzy I’d never seen before. Any store that had retail jumbos in stock would either sell out immediately, or just have packs ripped open and left behind when a glossy blue-bordered card wasn’t seen inside. The odds were a bit tough for the time. I’d never seen so many cards get instantly thrown away before 1992 Fleer, when a Rookie Sensation card wasn’t pulled. No one cared at all about the base set, only the 20 card Rookie Sensations. You'd see this type of collector more and more foten, as the hobby became more driven by insert cards than the base set.
Which were led by this completely mis-labelled addition to the set. Frank Thomas was a rookie in 1990. Standing out like a sore thumb, amidst the other 19 players in the set, that were indeed rookies during the 1991 season. I remember seeing copies of the Thomas card selling for upwards of $75, at card shows in the Summer of 1992. I was lucky enough to pull one from a gas station pack (thanks again, SuperAmerica!), which would be the catalyst for finishing the set. Which I still have today. And probably couldn’t sell for $20, if I wanted to.
Following up his stellar rookie season with a better one in 1992, had Knoblauch gaining notice in the hobby. Beckett put him on the front cover of their Future Stars magazine in September, 1992. I liked Future Stars, as a concept magazine for Beckett. Still have a few issues that I particularly liked. The cover has the picture of another of his minor league cards that I don’t have, but would like!
His popularity among Twins fans rivaled only hometown hero, Kent Hrbek, and future Hall of Famer, Kirby Puckett. At the team’s annual offseason gathering, “Twins Fest”, Knoblauch’s autograph line was always among the longest on the Metronome concourse.
Here’s some of the more basic Chuck Knoblauch cards of 1993, that I don’t feel like writing specifically about.
Fleer was finally starting to grasp what “Super Premium” meant in 1993, with their Flair set. The cards were think and heavily UV coated multiple times on both sides. To the point where this set almost reminds me more of ceramic tile than baseball cards. They are still really nice, despite having next to no value today. Which seems sad, they aren’t even overly overproduced.
Upper Deck’s venture into marketing cards for children (Like Donruss’ Triple Play or whatever Topps was calling their kids set. Bazooka or “For Kids”? I can’t remember and don’t care either.) I never bought any of this stuff, but now kind of wish I had. At least some more of Upper Deck’s Fun Pack sets. They are very colorful and have cards of teams I collect that I need, and now want.
Upper Deck’s 1993 venture into the “Super Premium” card sets were just called SP. Which meant, you guessed it, SUPER PREMIUM! Really liked 1993 SP, and it should be another set that warrants it’s own story here at some point.
If Upper Deck SP was Super Premium, Topps 1993 Finest set would have to be considered MEGA INCREDIBLE UBER PREMIUM. I’ve already rambled enough over my love of 1993 Topps Finest, and the Chuck Knoblauch card specifically, in the past. So let’s move along now.
Moving on back to July 1992, when the Minnesota Twins team magazine again put Knoblauch on the front cover. This time to celebrate him not being just a one year wonder.
Other stories in that issue include Bill Krueger’s “great” start. It was considered “great” because most Twins fans thought he would be completely awful. He wasn’t completely awful. What “great” meant here was slightly below league average. “Great” also meant Krueger would be traded to the Montreal Expos, shortly after this magazine came out. The Twins return in that trade would be outfielder Darren Reed. Who showed up in Minnesota and didn’t play much at all. And Cranky Tom Kelly didn't like him.
Moving onto some Chuck Knoblauch cards of 1994. The Junk Wax era was almost officially over. Any last gasps it had in it would soon be snuffed out by the 1994 baseball strike. Production was steadily decreasing, and cards were no longer found on sale everywhere. You actually had to look for them again.
There were only a few cards in Upper Deck’s Collector’s Choice set that I liked, Knoblauch’s being one of them. While Fleer, Select and regular Upper Deck, all scored high with me.
SP took a step in a different direction from 1993, printing on a foil finish instead of straightforward cardboard. The card’s weren’t as sharp, but the inserts (1994 SP Holoviews rank among my favorite cards ever) and the rookie subset are top notch. Too bad Alex Rodriguez had his massive fall from grace, as his card no longer propels the set, like Derek Jeter in the 1993 edition.
Flair were still as thick and glossy as ever, and a little busier, without the fading of the background image that made the front image pop.
My second favorite Chuck Knoblauch card of 1994 would have been a repeat of 1993, had it not been for another new innovation in card printing technology...
Pinnacle’s Dufex Imaging (or whatever they called it). Scans do not do these cards justice. 1994 Pinnacle Museum Collection are some of my favorite insert cards of all time. To the point where I once tried to collect the entire set, getting to around 55% of it before calling it quits.
But in the 1990’s, you hadn’t made it in baseball until Kenner immortalized you in the Starting Lineup figure collection.
Chuck Knoblauch had to wait until the spring of 1994, before getting his own plastic statue. At least they used one of the better molds for Knobby. The jumping and throwing over second base pose, with the metal rod suspending him above the bag. A few middle infielders got this pose every year, and in 1994 it was Chuck’s turn.
In the 1995 Kenner Starting Lineup series, that pose was used for Montreal Expos shortstop Will Cordero. I bought two of those so I could open one up for placement on my desk. During the second round of Colorado years (2005-2018), leaping plastic Cordero was perpetually turning the double play under my television.
Speaking of 1995, as the strike was finally coming to an end, I was already assembling my favorite Chuck Knoblauch Cards of 1995.
Bowman and Upper Deck were decent cards, the other two I just didn’t like. Particularly 1995 Score, with its green and tan borders. I don’t know what they were going for, but they missed by a lot.
Pinnacle (and Score) liked to cut away too much of the photo for senseless solid colors and unneeded borders. However, they did a good job with Select Certified. Those are some nice cards.
Hair crossing the scan aside, Score once again cuts out too much photo for nonsensical shapes that don’t need to be there.
Topps Stadium Club has consistently put out top notch photography in sets that aren’t bogged down by needless shapes and foil. That being said, that circular TSC logo needs to go. Oh, this is the “Virtual Reality” parallel set that suggests how each player’s statistics would have been, if the 1994 season hadn’t been cancelled by the strike. If you lose that gaudy stamping, it improved the card greatly.
Recently, I was flipping through a stack of 1995 Topps and while the photos were overly dark, there was some really nice shots in the set. Including Knoblauch’s base card.
Score did get the 1995 Select set right. The photos are crisp, sharp and have bright contrasting color. It’s one of my favorite sets of the 1990’s. Then you make the “one card per box” parallel set of Artist Proofs, by replacing the gold foil with a rainbow foil, and you make a nice looking card even nicer. I pulled the Knoblauch Artist Proof from a hobby box of Select, from the local Shinders. That made me very happy. I still want more of these Artist Proof cards if anyone wants to send some my way.
From something I find that’s really nice looking to something better categorized as a nice attempt, you have this painting. It was used as an inner cover for an issue of Beckett Baseball, in September 1992.
I’m not a big fan of painted portraits. The longer I look at them, the more flaws I see. That probably stems from the fact that I never could paint, and have never been a fan of the medium, so therefore, I criticize it! While not horrible, the thing that bothers me the most about this painting is Knoblauch’s nose. It looks off-center to me. Looking at his eyes and mouth, the nose appears to have slid slightly to the left. Now that you see it, you can’t unsee it...
The 1996 Minnesota Twins were in transition. Reality was sinking in that the glory days of 1987 and 1991 were far in the rear view mirror. During the 1995 season, stars such as Kevin Tapani, Scott Erickson and Rick Aguilera were traded for (what they called prospects) a big bunch of nothing. Future Hall of Famer, Paul Molitor was brought in and future Hall of Famer, Kirby Puckett’s career was unexpectedly cut short.
That Pacific card is okay, the Zenith card is rather pointless, and that Pinnacle Aficionado card is a joke. Don’t waste a quarter of the card on a giant refractory head. Especially one that looks more like future murderer Chris Benoit, than Chuck Knoblauch. Did I mention Aficionado smells? For all of their great innovation, Pinnacle Brands decided that what baseball card needed the most, is to smell like wood. Or a chemically enhanced imitation wood air freshener.
This card has highly bothered me for nearly 25 years. I like the idea of including the double play turn, but to present it this way, was a mistake. Topps could have included the exact same content without resorting to a weird accordion cut out.
1996 was the year Topps went full on gimmick with their Finest brand. Cards were printed at varying levels; common, uncommon, rare, uber-rare (or whatever) and ridiculous. Then there’s all sorts of Refractor parallels to each of those. At the time, it reminded me of Topps trying to apply the product template of Magic: The Gathering, to baseball cards. I hated it and didn’t buy much Finest in 1996 or 1997 either.
1996 SP had a great base set, but the inserts were highly lackluster. SP was another set that seemed to have trouble finding an identity. Every year the set changed things up and the quality was inconsistent. Starting in 1998, Upper Deck used the SP brand to market a variety of sets. I lost all interest and didn’t buy any SP packs or boxes after 1997.
One of my favorite Twins cards of 1996. Knoblauch and Puckett. One Twin on his way out and another Twin, who would be on his way out in two years. No one would have suspected this on the day this photo was taken.
I didn’t buy a lot of 1996 Pinnacle packs, but one of them contained this Team Pinnacle insert. These were a considerably tough pull, at one in 4 boxes (or was it 3?). I can’t remember his National League counterpart on the flip side. But the flip side didn’t have Pinnacle’s patented Dufex technology applied to the photo. So I wouldn’t want to display it, even if I didn’t like Knoblauch.
1996 was Knoblauch’s best season as a Major Leaguer. Afterwards, he was signed to a hefty 5 year, $30 million contract, that would begin in 1997. Widely considered the top second baseman in the American League, he looked to be a building block for the struggling Twins. Who had a slightly below average offense, but an absolutely abysmal pitching staff. None of the prospects that were traded for or drafted by Minnesota during this era, were working out. And the organization showed zero motivation in figuring out why the many problem areas were not improving.
In the real world, I left Minnesota a year before Knoblauch. Moving to Denver, Colorado in October 1996, I would now have a new home team to follow. This one armed with similar problems compared to the Twins. True, the Rockies had an imposing offense that could out mash any team in baseball, they also had a pitching staff that made Minnesota’s look like a bonafide World Series contender.
I was able to ignore the Twins ineptness because I was no longer watching it every day. Though, I’d still scan every Twins box score in the daily newspaper (I miss the Rocky Mountain News...), just to keep up on how Knoblauch was faring.
None of the card companies knew how to properly cover the new concept: “Bud Selig Presents: Interleague Play" (with the subliminal message: "Please forget that I’m responsible for the strike, now look at the steroid freaks!") Each of them tried to varying degrees, but their Interleague cards just sucked.
Topps’ multi-tiered Finest nonsense was still going on in 1997. I picked up both Knobaluch’s base and Refractor card from the great Mike’s Sports Cards of Englewood. Dangerously convenient to my apartment, just 6 blocks away!
Pinnacle Brands finally put out some nice sets in 1997. Both Zenith and Pinnacle (I think it was called Pinnacle New?) highlighted some great photography, and printed cards that looked great. Too bad this was the exception and not the norm for them.
Fleer went highly gimmicky with the EX2000 set. With each card featuring a window, showing transparent clouds behind each player. I passed on buying packs as they were too expensive for what you were getting, but I have picked up a few singles over the years.
1997 Upper Deck will receive plenty of votes for my favorite set ever. Loaded with great photos, they added one thing that makes a baseball card set EXACTLY what it needs to be. A record of the previous season. Captioning and dating every base card gives it some historical value.
Plans are underway for a full on, detailed Whatever to honor the full* 1997 Upper Deck at some point. It’s all scanned, sorted and the writing has started. (a few months later than 1992 Bowman) So sometime in 2023 maybe?
Very attractive card from 1997 Donruss Update. I pulled this from a heavily discounted wax box, purchased at the Blaine Shinders, during a Minnesota vacation in 1998. After buying the box, I remember walking down the shopping center, past Barnes & Noble to the Subway, next door to the old CD Exchange. The Northcourt commons used to be one of the coolest shopping centers in the greater Rapids area. I didn’t even mention Funcoland!
Another pack pull. This from a wax box of 1997 Bowman Chrome that I received as an X-mess gift in -you guessed it- 1997! Sure did love that Bowman Chrome set. Tried hard to complete it, but was still quite a ways away before giving up on it about 15 years ago.
Stadium Club put out a very attractive set in 1997, including the “acid trip” parallels, called something something Matrix. I think that may have been to capitalize on the success of Keanu Reeves’ movie of a similar name. Though I could be wrong about that... I don’t remember what year it came out. I don’t even think I’ve seen it all the way through.
Late in the 1997 season, after the Twins were swept by the just as inept Kansas City Royals, Knoblauch called his agent and said he wanted a trade out of Minnesota. According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, Knoblauch said Twins manager Tom Kelly suggested to the media that Knoblauch wanted out of Minnesota: "because he didn't think his teammates were good enough". (They weren't) The same Star Tribune story stated that Tom Kelly doesn't remember saying this.
In the end, it really didn’t matter who won that game of he said / he said. The damage was done, and the 1997-98 offseason would be filled with rumors of different destinations for the best second baseman in the American League. And what kind of return the Twins could get for him.
All of those answers cleared up on February 6th, 1998, when Knoblauch was traded to the New York Yankees. Minnesota managed to net a decent return, acquiring four players: starting pitcher Eric Milton, shortstop Cristian Guzman, outfielder Brian Buchanan, relief pitcher Danny Mota and 3 million dollars.
Eric Milton immediately entered the starting rotation and gave the Twins a steady -but unspectacular- pitcher for six seasons. Guzman became the Twins' starting shortstop in 1999, and was solid -sometimes flashy- until leaving as a free agent after the 2004 season. Buchanan debuted in 2000, showed some power potential, but was traded to San Diego in 2002. For Guzman’s replacement at short, Jason Bartlett. Danny Mota pitched only 5.1 innings for the Twins in 2000, but was released after the season.
Later that Spring, Beckett Baseball ran a single page story that couldn’t have started off more shitty towards Twins fans if it tried. The article goes on to praise Knoblauch for his superior fielding skills, and how awesome it will be to have him playing with Derek Jeter, instead of those terrible Minnesota Twins. And just to be an even bigger dick about it, the author (Tracy Hackler) simply has to close the story the same way it was started: “Get over it!”
Kenner also had to be trolling the Twins with their 1998 Knoblauch Starting Lineup figure. Not only was Knoblauch suiting up in the Bronx when it hit retail shelves (like Kmart!), but they chose to feature him wearing the Twins’ home red alternate jersey. A jersey so hated by the team, they were only worn for one game.
Knoblauch’s trade to the Yankees happened so late in the offseason, that most of his 1998 cards still pictured him with the Twins. It was a real salt in the wound thing to open a pack and get a card of one of your favorite players, in the uniform you wanted to see him in, instead of the hated uniform he was currently wearing.
There’s another of those damn interleague cards. Highlighting the Twins playing the Houston Astros, with a picture of Knoblauch playing in Oakland-Alameda County Stadium. Or whatever the corporate name of the Athletics’ ballpark was in 1997.
An even better one from Stadium Club. Showing him about to take an elbow to the crotch from a sliding Jorge Fabregas of the Chicago White Sox. Knoblauch is blauching his partial replacement at second base, Denny Hocking.
Special thanks to a Fairfield Repack from several years ago for bringing me this. The transparent mug shot in the base picture was nicely done. And a good card to finish up the Twins portion of this story.
Knoblauch would play four up-and-down seasons with the Yankees, but would win three World Series Championships during that run. He was still an excellent offensive player in 1998 and 1999, but not to the levels he reached in 1996 and 1997, with Minnesota. Also during that time, Knoblauch forgot how to throw the baseball from second to first base, with any degree of accuracy. He made 13 errors at second base in 1998, a total that doubled to 26 in 1999. Knoblauch made fifteen errors in the first half of the 2000 season, including one airmailed throw that into the stands and hit Keith Olbermann's mother in the head.
Knoblauch never rediscovered the ability to throw accurately, and was moved to the Yankees designated hitter in their World Series run. By 2001, he was moved to left field, and never played second base again.
1997-2004 were down years for my card collection. I wasn’t buying nearly as much as I had been in the past, ignoring many sets completely, unless I really liked them. Needless to say, the Yankees wing of my Knoblauch collection is pretty bare. These were the only one I bothered scanning.
An X-mess box of 1998 Bowman’s Best netted me both the Chuck Knoblauch base and Refractor card. Just like the 1997 Bowman Chrome box contained the Knoblauch Refractor, one X-mess earlier. That 1997 Bowman Chrome box possibly had the Knoblauch base card as well. I don’t remember, but it would be a nice coincidence if it were true.
The Bowman is a nice card, I liked Fleer Brilliants a lot and was a big fan of 2001 Fleer Platinum. That Finest card came from one of the 3 packs of 2000 Finest I bought. But it was hard to get excited by Chuck Knoblauch, the New York Yankee.
Knoblauch was once one of the most popular players in team history. But the way he left the Twins made him one of the most hated rivals to appear in the Metrodome. During a Twins Yankees game in the 2001 season, Knoblauch was booed mercilessly and pelted with hot dogs, bottles, batteries and golf balls. The Yankees were pulled off the field to avoid injury. Metrodome PA announcer Bob Casey scolded the fans and Cranky Tom Kelly himself, went onto the field with Knoblauch to implore the fans to stop, so the game wouldn’t need to be forfeited.
After the 2001 season, the Yankees weren’t interested in re-signing the rapidly declining Knobaluch to a contract for 2002. In December, he signed a one year deal with the Kansas City Royals, for $2 million. As strange as it was seeing Knobaluch wearing Yankees colors, it was even odder to see Knoblauch in Royal blue.
Knoblauch played just 80 games in left field for the Royals, and batted only .210 / .284 / .300, with 6 home runs and 19 stolen bases. Kansas City declined to offer him a contract the following year.
A free agent for only the second time in his career, Knobaluch was looking for a Major League contract for the 2003 season. No offers came. It was reported that the Minnesota Twins offered him a minor league deal, with an invite to 2003 Spring Training. Despite having a good shot at making the team, Knoblauch declined the Twins offer and announced his retirement from baseball.
Back in 2002, I was writing a story about my baseball and card collecting memories of the 1991 season, for Wasted Quarter. I requested my staff cartoonist, Tracy Prady, draw a cartoon of the Chuck Knoblauch Metrodome hot dog throwing incident for the story.
In the years since his retirement, Knoblauch distanced himself from baseball. He chose to live a private life away from the spotlight. His baseball awards and souvenirs of his great career were hidden away, and he didn’t want any association with his past baseball career. There was an arrest for domestic violence in 2014 that came close to the Minnesota Twins inducting him into the team Hall of Fame. That induction was canceled after his arrest, and hasn’t been offered again.
Nothing that Chuck Knoblauch did after he stopped playing has changed my opinion of what he did while he was playing.
To me, Chuck Knoblauch was a key factor in the Twins winning the 1991 World Series. Upper Deck thought so as well, honoring his 1991 performance in their 2002 World Series Heroes set.
And it factors heavily in my appreciation towards his career that his best seasons did indeed come during his time with the Minnesota Twins
The numbers he put up in seven seasons with the Twins, during the time I spent a great deal of energy and effort in following the team, still back up his status as one of my favorite Twins of all time. He seemed to enjoy playing and was the spark plug the team needed. Until the team needed a major engine overhaul, instead of just new spark plugs. I don’t blame him for being frustrated with the organization in 1997. As a fan, I was beyond frustrated with the team as well.
And one of my prize signatures collected outside the Metronome after a Twins game, belongs to Chuck Knoblauch. Who was a 23 year old rookie, on his way to the World Series, when he graciously signed my game program, on his way to his ride away from the dome. Which made me the happiest moody teenager in the parking lot!
I don’t care about his post baseball legal issues, his admitted HGH use, his frustrations with the 1997 Minnesota Twins or him losing the ability to throw a baseball accurately. Acknowledge his flaws, but remember him for what I saw. He was really cool when he signed that magazine for me. Chuck Knoblauch was a favorite of mine, during the period that I watched baseball the closest.
So I’m bringing it back today!
Thanks Beckett!
Chuck Knoblauch was my favorite Minnesota Twin from his debut in 1991, up until his last game with Minnesota in 1997. For my Junk Wax Prospector series, he instantly becomes the most successful player I’ve covered so far. With this post, Chuck Knoblauch rightfully takes his place among such baseball luminaries as Brian Barber, Sam Millitello, David McCarty, David Nied, Ugeuth Urbina and Kevin Mmahat.
I need to get back to writing these stories...
1990 Bowman
Bowman in 1990 wasn’t what the Bowman of today is. Not by a long shot. Up until their landmark 1992 set, no one was buying Bowman cards. They were nice and simple, and included a huge amount of minor league prospects, in addition to each team’s current stars. In 1990, that meant the inclusion of Minnesota’s 1989 First Round Draft Pick (25th overall), Chuck Knoblauch.
Knoblauch was previously drafted out of high school, in the 18th round of the 1986 amateur draft by the Philadelphia Phillies, but didn’t sign. Instead, he played college baseball for Texas A&M University. After signing with Minnesota, Knoblauch split the remainder of the 1989 minor league season between single A ball teams in Kenosha, WI and Visalia, CA. Producing a .308/.394/.421 line in 69 games between the two levels.
For the 1990 season, Knoblauch would spend the full year in AA, playing second base for the Orlando Sun Rays.
1990 Best Minors
Unfortunately, I don’t own this card. And I still REALLY want it!
Before 1990 was even over, the Best Minors cards flopped big time. Best was absorbed by the card maker Classic Game, who then renamed their minor league issues Classic/Best for the 1991-1993 sets.
Those gas station Best Minors packs may have been purchased before the Twins game that also sold me a copy of Minnesota Twins Rally Magazine, in May, 1990.
That issue of the Twins official magazine ran a two page story on the fast rising Knoblauch.
1990 Score
In addition to Bowman, Score also included Knoblauch in their 1990 set, honoring his selection in the 1989 Draft. For some reason, I didn’t have a copy of this card until last year, when I picked up this off-centered specimen. Wonder how that happened? I know I had this card before.
After his full 1990 season in AA, Knoblauch hit a respectable .289/.389/.384. He was invited to the Twins 1991 Major League Spring Training, having really opened some eyes in the organization.
Impressing even Cranky Tom Kelly, who didn’t like anything. Shortly after Spring Training started, Kelly lobbied the Twins upper brass to make Knoblauch the team’s starting second baseman for the 1991 season. All it would take is for him to not completely implode during the pre-season, and he could finally put an end to the non-stop parade of Steve Lombardozzi’s, Wally Backman’s, Tom Herr’s, Nelson Liriano’s and Fred Manrique’s that had attempted to fill the second base job in Minnesota over the past few seasons.
Which he did. When the Twins opened the 1991 season in Oakland, Knoblauch was standing at second base, with his name leading off the Twins lineup. The Era of Knobby had begun in Minnesota!
Since I have more Knoblauch cards than I want to show off in this story, I’m just going with my favorites for each season. These will then be loosely counted down in my patented “Top Whatever” format, on a season by season basis. At the very end, I’ll name my favorite Chuck Knoblauch card in my collection.
And I'd be interested to find out how few of my readers will stick it out to the end!
Top Chuck Knoblauch Cards of 1991!
1991 Ultra & Ultra Update
Fleer’s 1991 entrance into the “Super Premium” card market was a real let down. The cards were boring and uninspired. A grey bar at the top and bottom of each card with bland photography and thin card stock. There was nothing about 1991 Ultra that would imply Super Premium. Especially when held against Stadium Club, Leaf or even Upper Deck.
1991 Donruss & Donruss The Rookies
When recalling how big Knoblauch cards were in the Minneapolis area card stores and shows, these two jump to the top of the list as what I think of when it comes to Knoblauch rookies. And for 1991 cards, they look pretty decent.
1991 Upper Deck
I still own at least 15 copies of this card.
1991 Leaf
1991 Topps Traded
1991 Topps was an attractive set that I’m really sick of.
But I’d gladly take more copies of the Traded set’s Knoblauch rookie.
1991 Stadium Club
I professed my love for this Knoblauch rookie card in my salute to the great 1991 Stadium Club set a few years ago. Memories associated with Topps' debut of Stadium Club, in the late summer of 1991, are still some of the strongest I have in my entire history of collecting baseball cards.
Not far into the 1991 season, it was becoming clear that Knoblauch was going to be a star. At the very least, a new fan favorite for those inside the Metronome to cheer. Along side of this, the Minnesota Twins were enjoying a completely unexpected run that would bring them their second World Championship in 5 years. With Chuck Knoblauch playing a key role in making that happen.
A month and a half into the 1991 season, the Twins had Knoblauch make an appearance at the team owned Pro Shop in Roseville, MN. I had to work that day (at the great Crapids Perkins!), but my mom went and stood in line to meet the Twins second baseman. Returning with this autographed baseball.
Knoblauch wrote that day’s date after his name; May 25th, 1991.
The baseball card market being what it was in 1991, everyone was printing cards. Baseball cards were everywhere, even as a premium inside of packages of cookies. Oakland, California based Mother’s Cookies had been printing teams sets of cards to be included in regional packaging, throughout the 1980’s. In early 1992, they produced a four card set, honoring Knoblauch for his tremendous rookies season. (Houston Astro Jeff Bagwell was also given a four card set to commemorate his National League Rookie of the Year award.)
1992 Mother's Cookies Knoblauch set
Local legendary newsstand and card store chain, Shinders, acquired a bunch of the Knoblauch sets to sell in their stores. Mother’s Cookies were not sold in Minnesota, so we didn’t get a chance to buy them at retail. But I jumped at the chance to buy the four individually wrapped cards, as they needed to be in my Knoblauch collection.
Wait, what is that written on the end of his bat?
Well, it's no Billy Ripken...
Knoblauch won the 1991 American League Rookie of the Year award, while helping lead the Twins to their second World Series win in five seasons. To commemorate his accomplishments, Star Cards also put out a five card set honoring Minnesota Twins newest star...
Chris Knoblauch?
Wow!
Someone really dropped the ball big time on this effort.
They even got the year wrong...
1992 Score Rookie of the Year
And because I don’t want to show each card individually anymore, I’m going to start combining them for the sake of time, space and my desire to FINALLY finish this story that I’ve been working on for a couple years now.
1992 Donruss, Fleer, Score 90's Impact Player, Ultra & Ultra Rookie of the Year, Pinnacle
All nice cards, but none that really stand out. Though I’d like to point out the MASSIVE improvement between 1992 Ultra and the Ultra-bland 1991 Ultra. Though a different photo for the Ultra Award Winner card may have been wiser. And I do like that Pinnacle card quite a bit.
1992 Pinnacle Team 2000, Topps, Leaf Black Gold, Classic Board Game
Some more of Knoblauch’s 1992 cards. His base 1992 Topps card has always been a personal favorite. It didn’t seem like Twins cards got the Topps All Star Rookie cup logo very often, so I was happy that Knoblauch did.
1992 Bowman
1992 Bowman is another set along the lines of 1991 Stadium Club that I have major memories of collecting. At some point, I will write my big salute to 1992 Bowman. The cards were scanned over two years ago. It will be bigger than my 1991 Stadium Club story.
By 104 cards!
Or maybe not...
1992 Stadium Club Members Choice
Knoblauch regular 1992 Stadium Club card is one of my least favorite cards of anyone ever. A really bad close up mug shot of an awkward mid-yell. Just an awful choice for a set dedicated to high-end photography. But his Members Choice card from the same base set, is one of my 1992 top cards.
But the top 1992 Knoblauch card simply has to be...
1992 Fleer Rookie Sensation
Rookie Sensations were an unbelievable hit for Fleer in 1992. Found only in retail jumbo packs of 1992 Fleer, they created a collector frenzy I’d never seen before. Any store that had retail jumbos in stock would either sell out immediately, or just have packs ripped open and left behind when a glossy blue-bordered card wasn’t seen inside. The odds were a bit tough for the time. I’d never seen so many cards get instantly thrown away before 1992 Fleer, when a Rookie Sensation card wasn’t pulled. No one cared at all about the base set, only the 20 card Rookie Sensations. You'd see this type of collector more and more foten, as the hobby became more driven by insert cards than the base set.
Frank Thomas 1992 Fleer Rookie Sensation
Which were led by this completely mis-labelled addition to the set. Frank Thomas was a rookie in 1990. Standing out like a sore thumb, amidst the other 19 players in the set, that were indeed rookies during the 1991 season. I remember seeing copies of the Thomas card selling for upwards of $75, at card shows in the Summer of 1992. I was lucky enough to pull one from a gas station pack (thanks again, SuperAmerica!), which would be the catalyst for finishing the set. Which I still have today. And probably couldn’t sell for $20, if I wanted to.
Which I don’t...
Beckett Future Stars - September 1992
Following up his stellar rookie season with a better one in 1992, had Knoblauch gaining notice in the hobby. Beckett put him on the front cover of their Future Stars magazine in September, 1992. I liked Future Stars, as a concept magazine for Beckett. Still have a few issues that I particularly liked. The cover has the picture of another of his minor league cards that I don’t have, but would like!
His popularity among Twins fans rivaled only hometown hero, Kent Hrbek, and future Hall of Famer, Kirby Puckett. At the team’s annual offseason gathering, “Twins Fest”, Knoblauch’s autograph line was always among the longest on the Metronome concourse.
Chuck Knoblauch signing for fans at Twins Fest, in January, 1993.
1993 Upper Deck, Toys R Us, Studio, Bowman, Leaf, O Pee Chee
Here’s some of the more basic Chuck Knoblauch cards of 1993, that I don’t feel like writing specifically about.
1993 Topps, Select
And a couple of horizontal ones that I also don’t feel like saying much about...
1993 Leaf Gold Leaf Stars
With Delino DeShields of the Montreal Expos on the reverse side.
I should have scanned that side too.
1993 Flair
Fleer was finally starting to grasp what “Super Premium” meant in 1993, with their Flair set. The cards were think and heavily UV coated multiple times on both sides. To the point where this set almost reminds me more of ceramic tile than baseball cards. They are still really nice, despite having next to no value today. Which seems sad, they aren’t even overly overproduced.
1993 Fun Pack
Upper Deck’s venture into marketing cards for children (Like Donruss’ Triple Play or whatever Topps was calling their kids set. Bazooka or “For Kids”? I can’t remember and don’t care either.) I never bought any of this stuff, but now kind of wish I had. At least some more of Upper Deck’s Fun Pack sets. They are very colorful and have cards of teams I collect that I need, and now want.
1993 SP
Upper Deck’s 1993 venture into the “Super Premium” card sets were just called SP. Which meant, you guessed it, SUPER PREMIUM! Really liked 1993 SP, and it should be another set that warrants it’s own story here at some point.
1993 Finest
If Upper Deck SP was Super Premium, Topps 1993 Finest set would have to be considered MEGA INCREDIBLE UBER PREMIUM. I’ve already rambled enough over my love of 1993 Topps Finest, and the Chuck Knoblauch card specifically, in the past. So let’s move along now.
Moving on back to July 1992, when the Minnesota Twins team magazine again put Knoblauch on the front cover. This time to celebrate him not being just a one year wonder.
Minnesota Twins Magazine - July 1992
Other stories in that issue include Bill Krueger’s “great” start. It was considered “great” because most Twins fans thought he would be completely awful. He wasn’t completely awful. What “great” meant here was slightly below league average. “Great” also meant Krueger would be traded to the Montreal Expos, shortly after this magazine came out. The Twins return in that trade would be outfielder Darren Reed. Who showed up in Minnesota and didn’t play much at all. And Cranky Tom Kelly didn't like him.
And no, we never learned to LOVE the Dome.
We tolerated it.
Big difference.
Moving onto some Chuck Knoblauch cards of 1994. The Junk Wax era was almost officially over. Any last gasps it had in it would soon be snuffed out by the 1994 baseball strike. Production was steadily decreasing, and cards were no longer found on sale everywhere. You actually had to look for them again.
1994 Collector's Choice, Fleer, Select, Upper Deck
There were only a few cards in Upper Deck’s Collector’s Choice set that I liked, Knoblauch’s being one of them. While Fleer, Select and regular Upper Deck, all scored high with me.
1994 Donruss, Leaf, O Pee Chee, Studio, Stadium Club, Finest
Not to be topped by the vertical cards.
1994 Bowman
What happens when you cross Bowman with Stadium Club of its day.
Still love 1994 Bowman as a set, which I wrote all about here.
1994 SP
1994 Leaf Limited
Leaf’s answer to Topps Finest. Also nice cards.
1994 Flair
Flair were still as thick and glossy as ever, and a little busier, without the fading of the background image that made the front image pop.
1994 Finest Refractor
My second favorite Chuck Knoblauch card of 1994 would have been a repeat of 1993, had it not been for another new innovation in card printing technology...
1994 Pinnacle Museum Collection
Pinnacle’s Dufex Imaging (or whatever they called it). Scans do not do these cards justice. 1994 Pinnacle Museum Collection are some of my favorite insert cards of all time. To the point where I once tried to collect the entire set, getting to around 55% of it before calling it quits.
But in the 1990’s, you hadn’t made it in baseball until Kenner immortalized you in the Starting Lineup figure collection.
1994 Kenner Starting Lineup
Chuck Knoblauch had to wait until the spring of 1994, before getting his own plastic statue. At least they used one of the better molds for Knobby. The jumping and throwing over second base pose, with the metal rod suspending him above the bag. A few middle infielders got this pose every year, and in 1994 it was Chuck’s turn.
In the 1995 Kenner Starting Lineup series, that pose was used for Montreal Expos shortstop Will Cordero. I bought two of those so I could open one up for placement on my desk. During the second round of Colorado years (2005-2018), leaping plastic Cordero was perpetually turning the double play under my television.
Speaking of 1995, as the strike was finally coming to an end, I was already assembling my favorite Chuck Knoblauch Cards of 1995.
1995 Collector’s Choice, Bowman, Score, Upper Deck
Bowman and Upper Deck were decent cards, the other two I just didn’t like. Particularly 1995 Score, with its green and tan borders. I don’t know what they were going for, but they missed by a lot.
1995 Upper Deck SE, Collector’s Choice SE, Donruss, Bowman’s Best, Ultra All Star, Pinnacle Zenith
None of these were particularly exciting either. Bowman’s Best and 1995 Donruss probably the best among them.
1995 Pinnacle, Collector’s Choice, Summit. Select Certified
1995 Ultra
There’s also some great photos in 1995 Ultra, but the foil stamped team logo and name plate really just don’t work.
1995 Score Hall of Gold
Hair crossing the scan aside, Score once again cuts out too much photo for nonsensical shapes that don’t need to be there.
1995 Stadium Club
Topps Stadium Club has consistently put out top notch photography in sets that aren’t bogged down by needless shapes and foil. That being said, that circular TSC logo needs to go. Oh, this is the “Virtual Reality” parallel set that suggests how each player’s statistics would have been, if the 1994 season hadn’t been cancelled by the strike. If you lose that gaudy stamping, it improved the card greatly.
1995 Topps
Recently, I was flipping through a stack of 1995 Topps and while the photos were overly dark, there was some really nice shots in the set. Including Knoblauch’s base card.
But the #1 Chuck Knoblauch card of 1995 is…
1995 Select Artist Proof
Score did get the 1995 Select set right. The photos are crisp, sharp and have bright contrasting color. It’s one of my favorite sets of the 1990’s. Then you make the “one card per box” parallel set of Artist Proofs, by replacing the gold foil with a rainbow foil, and you make a nice looking card even nicer. I pulled the Knoblauch Artist Proof from a hobby box of Select, from the local Shinders. That made me very happy. I still want more of these Artist Proof cards if anyone wants to send some my way.
From something I find that’s really nice looking to something better categorized as a nice attempt, you have this painting. It was used as an inner cover for an issue of Beckett Baseball, in September 1992.
I’m not a big fan of painted portraits. The longer I look at them, the more flaws I see. That probably stems from the fact that I never could paint, and have never been a fan of the medium, so therefore, I criticize it! While not horrible, the thing that bothers me the most about this painting is Knoblauch’s nose. It looks off-center to me. Looking at his eyes and mouth, the nose appears to have slid slightly to the left. Now that you see it, you can’t unsee it...
The 1996 Minnesota Twins were in transition. Reality was sinking in that the glory days of 1987 and 1991 were far in the rear view mirror. During the 1995 season, stars such as Kevin Tapani, Scott Erickson and Rick Aguilera were traded for (what they called prospects) a big bunch of nothing. Future Hall of Famer, Paul Molitor was brought in and future Hall of Famer, Kirby Puckett’s career was unexpectedly cut short.
Chuck Knoblauch was now the top star of the team.
Unfortunately, this team was going nowhere.
At least Knoblauch got some decent, but mostly bland, cards during the 1996 season.
One of the better, is among these four.
1996 Upper Deck, Pacific, Pinnacle Zenith, Pinnacle Aficionado
(Hint: It’s the Upper Deck single…)
That Pacific card is okay, the Zenith card is rather pointless, and that Pinnacle Aficionado card is a joke. Don’t waste a quarter of the card on a giant refractory head. Especially one that looks more like future murderer Chris Benoit, than Chuck Knoblauch. Did I mention Aficionado smells? For all of their great innovation, Pinnacle Brands decided that what baseball card needed the most, is to smell like wood. Or a chemically enhanced imitation wood air freshener.
I hate Pinnacle Aficionado.
1996 Pinnacle, Leaf, Ultra, Leaf Limited, Fleer, Studio
Six more 1996 Knoblauch cards that I don’t have a strong opinion about either way.
1996 Bowman, Collector’s Choice, Circa
And three more of those...
1996 Topps
This card has highly bothered me for nearly 25 years. I like the idea of including the double play turn, but to present it this way, was a mistake. Topps could have included the exact same content without resorting to a weird accordion cut out.
1996 Finest
1996 Stadium Club
But this, I liked!
1996 Stadium Club was one of my favorite sets of the year.
1996 Bowman’s Best
I liked the 1995 Bowman’s Best set more than 1996’s edition, but 1996’s set looks nicer.
1996 SP
1996 SP had a great base set, but the inserts were highly lackluster. SP was another set that seemed to have trouble finding an identity. Every year the set changed things up and the quality was inconsistent. Starting in 1998, Upper Deck used the SP brand to market a variety of sets. I lost all interest and didn’t buy any SP packs or boxes after 1997.
1996 Ultra On Base Leader
Busy... But I like it.
1996 Donruss
One of my favorite Twins cards of 1996. Knoblauch and Puckett. One Twin on his way out and another Twin, who would be on his way out in two years. No one would have suspected this on the day this photo was taken.
1996 Topps Laser
1996 Topps Laser got the full Whatever treatment on here a couple years ago.
The Knoblauch card was one of the better singles in the set.
1996 Team Pinnacle
I didn’t buy a lot of 1996 Pinnacle packs, but one of them contained this Team Pinnacle insert. These were a considerably tough pull, at one in 4 boxes (or was it 3?). I can’t remember his National League counterpart on the flip side. But the flip side didn’t have Pinnacle’s patented Dufex technology applied to the photo. So I wouldn’t want to display it, even if I didn’t like Knoblauch.
1996 was Knoblauch’s best season as a Major Leaguer. Afterwards, he was signed to a hefty 5 year, $30 million contract, that would begin in 1997. Widely considered the top second baseman in the American League, he looked to be a building block for the struggling Twins. Who had a slightly below average offense, but an absolutely abysmal pitching staff. None of the prospects that were traded for or drafted by Minnesota during this era, were working out. And the organization showed zero motivation in figuring out why the many problem areas were not improving.
Twins Magazine - June 1996
Yes, they had a superstar second baseman... But not much else.
In the real world, I left Minnesota a year before Knoblauch. Moving to Denver, Colorado in October 1996, I would now have a new home team to follow. This one armed with similar problems compared to the Twins. True, the Rockies had an imposing offense that could out mash any team in baseball, they also had a pitching staff that made Minnesota’s look like a bonafide World Series contender.
I was able to ignore the Twins ineptness because I was no longer watching it every day. Though, I’d still scan every Twins box score in the daily newspaper (I miss the Rocky Mountain News...), just to keep up on how Knoblauch was faring.
And of course, still collecting his cards. That I’d be getting from an entirely new market.
Some Chuck Knoblauch Cards from 1997
1997 Collector’s Choice, Topps Number Crunchers, Fleer Metal, Score, Donruss, Score True Grit
1997 Bowman’s Best, Ultra, Fleer, Donruss Limited, Bowman, Select
All decent stuff from the multitude of 1997 card sets.
Nothing that really stood out to me, but I’d happily add them to my Twins binders.
1997 Donruss Interleague Showdown
None of the card companies knew how to properly cover the new concept: “Bud Selig Presents: Interleague Play" (with the subliminal message: "Please forget that I’m responsible for the strike, now look at the steroid freaks!") Each of them tried to varying degrees, but their Interleague cards just sucked.
I have a suggestion that none of the 6 card makers could figure out:
USE PHOTOS FROM ACTUAL INTERLEAGUE GAMES!!!
But that’s just crazy talk…
1997 Finest
Topps’ multi-tiered Finest nonsense was still going on in 1997. I picked up both Knobaluch’s base and Refractor card from the great Mike’s Sports Cards of Englewood. Dangerously convenient to my apartment, just 6 blocks away!
1997 SP
While I didn’t like the washed out colors of 1997 SP, the holographic borders worked with them.
Although, it made the set have a very pastel look to it.
1997 Pinnacle & Zenith
Pinnacle Brands finally put out some nice sets in 1997. Both Zenith and Pinnacle (I think it was called Pinnacle New?) highlighted some great photography, and printed cards that looked great. Too bad this was the exception and not the norm for them.
1997 EX2000
Fleer went highly gimmicky with the EX2000 set. With each card featuring a window, showing transparent clouds behind each player. I passed on buying packs as they were too expensive for what you were getting, but I have picked up a few singles over the years.
1997 Upper Deck
1997 Upper Deck will receive plenty of votes for my favorite set ever. Loaded with great photos, they added one thing that makes a baseball card set EXACTLY what it needs to be. A record of the previous season. Captioning and dating every base card gives it some historical value.
Plans are underway for a full on, detailed Whatever to honor the full* 1997 Upper Deck at some point. It’s all scanned, sorted and the writing has started. (a few months later than 1992 Bowman) So sometime in 2023 maybe?
*I am still missing Glenallen Hill.
1997 Donruss Franchise Features
Very attractive card from 1997 Donruss Update. I pulled this from a heavily discounted wax box, purchased at the Blaine Shinders, during a Minnesota vacation in 1998. After buying the box, I remember walking down the shopping center, past Barnes & Noble to the Subway, next door to the old CD Exchange. The Northcourt commons used to be one of the coolest shopping centers in the greater Rapids area. I didn’t even mention Funcoland!
1997 Bowman Chrome Refractor
Another pack pull. This from a wax box of 1997 Bowman Chrome that I received as an X-mess gift in -you guessed it- 1997! Sure did love that Bowman Chrome set. Tried hard to complete it, but was still quite a ways away before giving up on it about 15 years ago.
1997 Stadium Club
Late in the 1997 season, after the Twins were swept by the just as inept Kansas City Royals, Knoblauch called his agent and said he wanted a trade out of Minnesota. According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, Knoblauch said Twins manager Tom Kelly suggested to the media that Knoblauch wanted out of Minnesota: "because he didn't think his teammates were good enough". (They weren't) The same Star Tribune story stated that Tom Kelly doesn't remember saying this.
In the end, it really didn’t matter who won that game of he said / he said. The damage was done, and the 1997-98 offseason would be filled with rumors of different destinations for the best second baseman in the American League. And what kind of return the Twins could get for him.
All of those answers cleared up on February 6th, 1998, when Knoblauch was traded to the New York Yankees. Minnesota managed to net a decent return, acquiring four players: starting pitcher Eric Milton, shortstop Cristian Guzman, outfielder Brian Buchanan, relief pitcher Danny Mota and 3 million dollars.
Eric Milton immediately entered the starting rotation and gave the Twins a steady -but unspectacular- pitcher for six seasons. Guzman became the Twins' starting shortstop in 1999, and was solid -sometimes flashy- until leaving as a free agent after the 2004 season. Buchanan debuted in 2000, showed some power potential, but was traded to San Diego in 2002. For Guzman’s replacement at short, Jason Bartlett. Danny Mota pitched only 5.1 innings for the Twins in 2000, but was released after the season.
Beckett Baseball - June 1998
So much for objectivity Tracy...
1998 Kenner Starting Lineup
Kenner also had to be trolling the Twins with their 1998 Knoblauch Starting Lineup figure. Not only was Knoblauch suiting up in the Bronx when it hit retail shelves (like Kmart!), but they chose to feature him wearing the Twins’ home red alternate jersey. A jersey so hated by the team, they were only worn for one game.
Still a cool figure though.
Knoblauch’s trade to the Yankees happened so late in the offseason, that most of his 1998 cards still pictured him with the Twins. It was a real salt in the wound thing to open a pack and get a card of one of your favorite players, in the uniform you wanted to see him in, instead of the hated uniform he was currently wearing.
So here are some of Chuck Knoblauch’s 1998 cards, showing him with the wrong right team.
1998 Finest, Topps Interleague Play, Pinnacle Inside, Upper Deck, Topps, Collector’s Choice
There’s another of those damn interleague cards. Highlighting the Twins playing the Houston Astros, with a picture of Knoblauch playing in Oakland-Alameda County Stadium. Or whatever the corporate name of the Athletics’ ballpark was in 1997.
1998 Ultra
Nice picture from Fleer here.
1998 Stadium Club
An even better one from Stadium Club. Showing him about to take an elbow to the crotch from a sliding Jorge Fabregas of the Chicago White Sox. Knoblauch is blauching his partial replacement at second base, Denny Hocking.
1998 Pacific Invincible
Special thanks to a Fairfield Repack from several years ago for bringing me this. The transparent mug shot in the base picture was nicely done. And a good card to finish up the Twins portion of this story.
But now for the Yankees side of things...
Knoblauch never rediscovered the ability to throw accurately, and was moved to the Yankees designated hitter in their World Series run. By 2001, he was moved to left field, and never played second base again.
1997-2004 were down years for my card collection. I wasn’t buying nearly as much as I had been in the past, ignoring many sets completely, unless I really liked them. Needless to say, the Yankees wing of my Knoblauch collection is pretty bare. These were the only one I bothered scanning.
1998 Bowman’s Best
An X-mess box of 1998 Bowman’s Best netted me both the Chuck Knoblauch base and Refractor card. Just like the 1997 Bowman Chrome box contained the Knoblauch Refractor, one X-mess earlier. That 1997 Bowman Chrome box possibly had the Knoblauch base card as well. I don’t remember, but it would be a nice coincidence if it were true.
1998 Bowman, 2001 Fleer Platinum, 1999 Fleer Brilliants, 2000 Finest
The Bowman is a nice card, I liked Fleer Brilliants a lot and was a big fan of 2001 Fleer Platinum. That Finest card came from one of the 3 packs of 2000 Finest I bought. But it was hard to get excited by Chuck Knoblauch, the New York Yankee.
He just wasn’t the guy I was chasing cards of while I was still in High School.
And I wasn’t the only Twins fan to feel that way.
Knoblauch was once one of the most popular players in team history. But the way he left the Twins made him one of the most hated rivals to appear in the Metrodome. During a Twins Yankees game in the 2001 season, Knoblauch was booed mercilessly and pelted with hot dogs, bottles, batteries and golf balls. The Yankees were pulled off the field to avoid injury. Metrodome PA announcer Bob Casey scolded the fans and Cranky Tom Kelly himself, went onto the field with Knoblauch to implore the fans to stop, so the game wouldn’t need to be forfeited.
After the 2001 season, the Yankees weren’t interested in re-signing the rapidly declining Knobaluch to a contract for 2002. In December, he signed a one year deal with the Kansas City Royals, for $2 million. As strange as it was seeing Knobaluch wearing Yankees colors, it was even odder to see Knoblauch in Royal blue.
2002 UD Authentics, Bowman Heritage, Topps Chrome
Knoblauch played just 80 games in left field for the Royals, and batted only .210 / .284 / .300, with 6 home runs and 19 stolen bases. Kansas City declined to offer him a contract the following year.
2002 Fleer Showcase
However, this is a really nice card!
A free agent for only the second time in his career, Knobaluch was looking for a Major League contract for the 2003 season. No offers came. It was reported that the Minnesota Twins offered him a minor league deal, with an invite to 2003 Spring Training. Despite having a good shot at making the team, Knoblauch declined the Twins offer and announced his retirement from baseball.
Back in 2002, I was writing a story about my baseball and card collecting memories of the 1991 season, for Wasted Quarter. I requested my staff cartoonist, Tracy Prady, draw a cartoon of the Chuck Knoblauch Metrodome hot dog throwing incident for the story.
She turned in this masterpiece:
He may no longer have been a fan favorite in Minnesota, but Topps saw things differently.
Chuck Knoblauch was added to Topps’ 2005 All Time Fan Favorites set.
2005 Topps Fan Favorites
Knoblauch even autographed a number of cards to be inserted into packs.
I would like one of those!
In the years since his retirement, Knoblauch distanced himself from baseball. He chose to live a private life away from the spotlight. His baseball awards and souvenirs of his great career were hidden away, and he didn’t want any association with his past baseball career. There was an arrest for domestic violence in 2014 that came close to the Minnesota Twins inducting him into the team Hall of Fame. That induction was canceled after his arrest, and hasn’t been offered again.
But I don’t care about that stuff, it’s none of my business.
Nothing that Chuck Knoblauch did after he stopped playing has changed my opinion of what he did while he was playing.
2002 Upper Deck World Series Heroes
To me, Chuck Knoblauch was a key factor in the Twins winning the 1991 World Series. Upper Deck thought so as well, honoring his 1991 performance in their 2002 World Series Heroes set.
And it factors heavily in my appreciation towards his career that his best seasons did indeed come during his time with the Minnesota Twins
You cant read these numbers, because they are too small!
The numbers he put up in seven seasons with the Twins, during the time I spent a great deal of energy and effort in following the team, still back up his status as one of my favorite Twins of all time. He seemed to enjoy playing and was the spark plug the team needed. Until the team needed a major engine overhaul, instead of just new spark plugs. I don’t blame him for being frustrated with the organization in 1997. As a fan, I was beyond frustrated with the team as well.
I never took his trade demand personally.
One of my favorite cards in my entire collection is still Chuck Knoblauch’s 1993 Finest Refractor.
And one of my prize signatures collected outside the Metronome after a Twins game, belongs to Chuck Knoblauch. Who was a 23 year old rookie, on his way to the World Series, when he graciously signed my game program, on his way to his ride away from the dome. Which made me the happiest moody teenager in the parking lot!
August 1991 Twins Magazine
I don’t care about his post baseball legal issues, his admitted HGH use, his frustrations with the 1997 Minnesota Twins or him losing the ability to throw a baseball accurately. Acknowledge his flaws, but remember him for what I saw. He was really cool when he signed that magazine for me. Chuck Knoblauch was a favorite of mine, during the period that I watched baseball the closest.
To paraphrase Tracy Hackler: I’m over it!
Just wish this story hadn’t taken close to 30 months to finish...
(That suggested 1992 Bowman story now takes the lead for story I've been working on the longest.)
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