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BARRY LYONS BASEBALL CARDS

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Barry Lyons Baseball Cards: A Catcher’s Career Comes to Cards

Barry Lyons had a 13-year career in Major League Baseball as a catcher, playing for the Boston Red Sox, Seattle Mariners, Philadelphia Phillies, and New York Mets from 1983 to 1995. While he didn’t put up huge offensive numbers overall in his career, hitting just .244 with 62 home runs in 951 games played, Lyons provided steady defense behind the plate and was part of some memorable teams. His career has been captured and preserved on baseball cards from his rookie season in 1983 all the way through the early 1990s. Let’s take a deeper look at Barry Lyons’ playing career and the baseball cards that commemorated his time in the big leagues.

Lyons was drafted by the Red Sox in the 2nd round of the 1981 MLB Draft out of the University of Arizona. He made his MLB debut with Boston in 1983 and was featured that year in rookie cards from Topps, Donruss, and Fleer. In his first season he played in 57 games and hit .226 with 3 home runs. His rookie cards showed a young, fresh-faced catcher at the beginning of what many expected would be a solid MLB career. However, Lyons would bounce around to different teams over the next several seasons as he established himself in the majors.

In 1984, Lyons saw more playing time with Boston, appearing in 76 games and hitting .244. His baseball cards from ’84 captured him as an everyday catcher for the Red Sox. After the 1985 season in which he hit a career-high .261 in 80 games, the Red Sox traded Lyons to the Seattle Mariners. His cards from 1986 and beyond would feature him in the teal and navy blue of the Mariners. In Seattle, Lyons became the Mariners’ primary catcher, playing in over 100 games in both 1986 and 1987. His offensive numbers dipped some, but defensively he was considered one of the best catchers in the American League in handling pitching staffs.

After the 1987 season, Lyons was dealt again, this time to the Philadelphia Phillies. Baseball cards in 1988 and 1989 showed Lyons donning the distinctive red pinstripes of Philadelphia. With the Phillies, Lyons had arguably the best seasons of his career offensively. In 1988 he hit .274 with 9 home runs and 49 RBIs in 109 games played, career highs in all three categories. The following year in 1989, he hit .277 with 7 home runs and 41 RBIs in 108 games. Lyons provided a steady veteran presence behind the plate for young Phillies pitchers like Danny Jackson and Terry Mulholland during this late 1980s Phillies resurgence.

After the 1990 season Lyons was on the move again, traded to the New York Mets along with pitcher David West. His baseball cards in 1991 and beyond featured Lyons in the blue and orange of the Mets. With New York, Lyons was the backup catcher to starting All-Star catcher Mackey Sasser, playing in just 76 games in 1991. The following year in 1992, with Sasser gone, Lyons took over as the Mets’ primary catcher but struggled at the plate, hitting just .209 in 101 games. His final season in the majors was with the 1993 Mets, appearing in 41 games and hitting .222 before retiring at the age of 35.

Over his 13 MLB seasons, Barry Lyons was featured prominently on baseball cards from the major manufacturers of the time including Topps, Donruss, Fleer, and Score. His rookie cards are still popular with collectors today looking to acquire the early issues showing Lyons’ beginnings with the Red Sox organization. Meanwhile, his later cards depicting his years with the Mariners, Phillies, and Mets provide a visual snapshot of Lyons’ journeyman career bouncing between four teams over more than a decade in the big leagues. While he may not have put up the gaudy offensive numbers of a star catcher, Lyons left his mark with solid defensive play and leadership for pitching staffs that made him a valuable role player for over a decade in MLB. His baseball cards stand as a testament to the career of this underrated catcher from the 1980s and early 1990s.

STEVE LYONS BASEBALL CARDS

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Steve Lyons was a utility player in Major League Baseball who played primarily as a second baseman and third baseman from 1985-1995. While he was never a true star player, Lyons had a lengthy MLB career thanks to his versatility and defensive abilities. He is best remembered today by baseball card collectors thanks to the many cards featuring his likeness that were produced during the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Lyons was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 4th round of the 1982 amateur draft out of the University of California, Los Angeles. He made his MLB debut with Boston in 1985 and would play his first 5 seasons with the Red Sox. Lyons demonstrated early on that he could play competently at both second base and third base, earning him regular playing time in a utility role. His rookie card was issued by Topps in 1986 as part of the standard Topps set that year, featuring a photo of him in a Red Sox uniform from his rookie 1985 season.

After the 1989 season, Lyons was traded to the Chicago White Sox. He continued providing defensive versatility from the middle infield positions for Chicago over the next 4 seasons from 1990-1993. During this time with the White Sox, Lyons appeared on numerous White Sox team and individual player cards from Topps, Fleer, and Donruss. Collectors at the time could find Lyons featured on White Sox team and individual player cards in the flagship Topps sets as well as in various special parallel and insert sets from the early 1990s.

Perhaps the most notable and collectible Lyons cards from his White Sox period feature photos from the infamous 1990 Fleer set. The 1990 Fleer set is legendary among cardboard collectors due to the poor photo quality featured on many cards. Lyons’ 1990 Fleer card epitomizes this, showing him with an oddly blurry and askew photo that distorts his features. This miscut has made Lyons’ 1990 Fleer card a highly sought after vintage issue among collectors looking for oddball and error cards from the set.

After the 1993 season, Lyons signed as a free agent with the New York Mets. Entering his late career phase, he provided utility infield ability off the bench for the Mets from 1994-1995. As a member of the Mets, Lyons received recognition in the standard new player issues from Topps, Fleer, and Pinnacle during 1994-1995. Collectors from this period generally rate the Lyons cards from his Mets tenure as less visually appealing or collectible than some of his earlier White Sox and Red Sox issues.

Overall, Steve Lyons had a 10 year MLB career as a light hitting but steady defensive infielder. While he never achieved stardom as a player, Lyons ended up achieving a measure of fame among baseball card collectors. The many cards released featuring Lyons during his playing career from the 1980s and early 1990s, especially his iconic 1990 Fleer photo, have become notable in their own right. Today, complete career Lyons card sets can be put together relatively inexpensively given his supporting role status as a player. But individual key rookie and error cards still command interest from collectors due to their scarcity and quirks. As such, Steve Lyons manages to maintain name recognition decades later primarily through the cardboard collections he inspired.

In summary, Steve Lyons may not have been a hall of fame caliber player, but his long minor league career playing for multiple teams allowed for many baseball cards to be produced in his likeness. Certain issues like his flawed 1990 Fleer photo have become legendary among collectors. While never a star on the field, Lyons achieved a unique measure of fame through the baseball cards that commemorated his decade-long big league career in the 1980s and 90s. As such, his cards continue to be among the most sought after and discussed issues for collectors of the late 20th centurycardboard era.