1992 Donruss Ced Landrum

Who is this? Joliet Jackhammers hitting coach Ced Landrum
What is this? An autographed card from the 1992 Donruss set
Where'd I get it? Zach sent it to me. I imagine he got it signed at a Northern League game.


Why is this so special? Ced Landrum was not a high round draft pick. In fact, he never got drafted at all. He signed with the Chicago Cubs as an amateur free agent in 1985 and worked his way through the minors, making his big league debut in 1991.

Landrum hit .233 / .313 / .279 in 99 plate appearances for the Cubs, yet he stole 27 bases in those 56 games. A spring training injury cost Landrum the first part of the 1992 season. By July, the Cubs decided to trade him to Milwaukee for infielder Jeff Kunkel.

Milwaukee cut Landrum loose at the end of the season, and he signed with Minnesota. Before the end of April 1993, Landrum was a free agent again. This time, the Mets signed him and gave him his second shot in the majors. Primarily as a pinch-hitter, Landrum was 5-for-19 in 22 games.

Landrum was out of baseball in 1994, but he decided to give it one more shot as a replacement player during the 1995 lockout. To learn more about Ced Landrum, check out Steve's post at The Greatest 21 Days.

Landrum has a nice, legible autograph. I like the photo choice by Donruss - Landrum's most notable success came on the basepaths, so it's fitting to have a shot of him sliding into base.