The 1986 Topps baseball card #94T features outfielder Tom Brunansky of the Minnesota Twins. This card provides interesting background on Brunansky’s career up to that point and highlights from the 1985 season.
Some key details about Tom Brunansky and the 1986 Topps #94T card:
Born in 1956, Brunansky was 29 years old during the 1985 season highlighted on this card. He stood 6’1″ and weighed 190 lbs.
Drafted by the Twins in the 2nd round of the 1976 MLB Draft out of Bishop Amat Memorial High School in La Puente, California. He made his MLB debut with Minnesota in 1979 at age 23.
Emerging power hitter who was coming into his own in the mid-1980s. Known for hitting long home runs to all fields. Had a cannon for an arm in right field as well.
1985 was Brunansky’s breakout season. He batted .276 with career-highs of 27 home runs and 93 RBI in 148 games, helping lead the Twins to an 85-77 record and third place finish in the AL West division.
Included on the back of the #94T card are Brunansky’s vital stats from 1985, including home runs (27), runs batted in (93), runs scored (83), batting average (.276), on-base percentage (.347), and slugging percentage (.503).
Also highlighted is Brunansky’s performance against American League Cy Young Award winner Bret Saberhagen of the Kansas City Royals. He went 8-for-18 with 2 home runs lifetime against the star pitcher at the time.
In the “Personal” section, it mentions Brunansky went to Bishop Amat high school and was drafted by the Twins in 1976. He made his MLB debut in 1979 and was married that offseason.
The “Prize Performance” blurb focuses on Brunansky launching a grand slam home run on July 25, 1985 at County Stadium in Milwaukee to power the Twins to an 8-6 comeback victory over the Brewers.
Career statistics on the back of the card at that point showed Brunansky having played in 482 games over 7 MLB seasons with Minnesota. He had 58 home runs, 211 RBI, 172 runs scored and a .254 batting average.
In addition to stats and highlights from 1985, the front of the #94T card features a nice color action photo of Brunansky swinging and missing a pitch while batting left-handed. He is pictured wearing the Twins home pinstriped jersey and batting helmet.
The 1986 season would be one of Brunansky’s best overall. He batted .282 with 25 home runs and 92 RBI in 156 games while helping lead Minnesota to an 85-77 record again and third place finish in the division.
He remained with the Twins through 1990, establishing himself as one of the team’s top sluggers during that time. Some career highlights included being named to the 1987 AL All-Star team and winning a World Series ring with the 1988 “Milwaukee Brewers” squad after getting traded there late that season.
Brunansky went on to also play for the St. Louis Cardinals, Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers and Montreal Expos before retiring after the 1995 season. In 15 MLB seasons, he finished with a .257 career batting average along with 205 home runs and 711 RBI in 1,382 total games played.
The 1986 Topps #94T baseball card pays fitting tribute to Brunansky’s breakout 1985 campaign as he entered his physical prime. It provides useful context behind his stats and accomplishments to that point in his still developing major league career. The card remains a collectible example from that year’s set commemorating the solid all-around season enjoyed by the Twins outfielder.
