The 1991 Topps baseball card #82 features former Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Ted Higuera. Born in 1959 in Los Angeles, California, Ted began his professional baseball career in 1981 after being selected by the Brewers in the 6th round of the amateur draft. He made his major league debut with Milwaukee in 1986 and would go on to establish himself as one of the top pitchers in the Brewers rotation throughout much of the late 1980s.
On the 1991 Topps card, Higuera is depicted in a Brewers uniform from waist up with his distinctive thick-rimmed glasses and bushy mustache. In the background is an artist rendering of Milwaukee County Stadium. The card attributes list Higuera at 6’0″ and 190 lbs batting and throwing right-handed. It also notes he was originally signed by the Brewers as an amateur free agent in 1981.
Ted broke into the majors as a relief pitcher for Milwaukee in 1986. He appeared in 25 games and compiled a 3-2 record with 3 saves and a 3.95 ERA in 42 innings pitched. In 1987, Higuera moved into the Brewers starting rotation on a full-time basis. He responded with his best season, establishing career-highs of 19 wins, 206 strikeouts and a 2.79 ERA over 262 1/3 innings pitched. His 19 wins led the American League that year.
Higuera continued pitching well over the next few seasons with the Brewers. In 1988 he recorded 16 wins with a 3.61 ERA and 170 strikeouts in 234 innings. The following year in 1989, Ted won 13 games while lowering his ERA to 3.39 and notching 142 strikeouts over 203 innings pitched. His solid performances through the late 1980s made him one of the Brewers most reliable starters during some of their most competitive years.
By the time of his 1991 Topps card, Higuera was entering his 6th season with Milwaukee at age 31. He was coming off another productive campaign in 1990 when he won 15 games against 14 losses and recorded a 3.61 ERA over 203 innings. It would prove to be the last above average season of his major league career. In 1991, Higuera got off to a poor start, going 2-6 with a 5.76 ERA through the end of May. He spent over two months on the disabled list with shoulder tendinitis.
Upon returning in August, Higuera was never able to recapture his previous form. He finished the 1991 season with a 4-9 record and 5.19 ERA in only 17 starts and 88 2/3 innings pitched. The decline continued into 1992 as constant shoulder problems limited Ted to just 9 appearances, including 6 starts. He went 0-3 with a 6.68 ERA that year before being released by Milwaukee. Higuera attempted a brief comeback with the 1993 Cleveland Indians but appeared in only 4 games out of the bullpen before retiring at age 33.
In his 9-year MLB career, Ted Higuera compiled a 96-87 record with a 3.90 ERA and 1006 strikeouts over 1355 2/3 career innings pitched, all with the Brewers from 1986-1992. He was named an All-Star in 1987 after his breakout 19-win season and finished 6th in AL Cy Young voting that same year. Though his career was cut short by shoulder injuries, Higuera was one of Milwaukee’s most effective starters during their mid-to-late 1980s run of playoff contention. The 1991 Topps baseball card #82 pays tribute to the valuable starting pitcher Ted Higuera provided the Brewers for many seasons prior to his untimely decline.
